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Who knew crocheting could be so damn addicting.  I finally finished my first large project after many long hours.  I think the photos of amigurumi are misleading, they don’t look like they would be so time intensive.  For this project I chose a cactus design that I got out of the book “Amigurumi World, seriously cute crochet”  My favorite part was the cactus flower, I used two tones of pink which gave it a little more dimension.

I promise it is a cactus even though it looks like a pickle.

After three days of crocheting this is what I have finally come up with.  I used a pattern from the book “Amigurumi World, seriously cute crochet” a free version can be found here http://amigurumipatterns.blogspot.com/2009/03/little-cafe-con-lech-cup-from-amigurumi.html  I wish I could say it was easy but it was not!  I started many times only to find out I had done something terribly wrong so it was back and forth, crochet…take apart…crochet…take apart, you get the picture.  The fact that I really didn’t know how to crochet to begin with didn’t help my situation but after hours of searching the internet for instructions and watching a bunch of grainy videos on youtube I figured it out.  I’m not hopeless after all…

I must be getting the hang of this, the wee little cupcake only took a few hours.

These amigurumi’s are turning out very small.  All the yarn I picked out should have been a little thicker but I really liked how this cotton felt.  I’m using a “F” hook for anyone that is interested.  I still have a dark brown and a lovely green to try out next but I am going to try and get some thicker yarn so they turn out a little bigger.  I still need a lot of practice so I’m sure I will make good use of all this yarn I am starting to collect, hopefully one of these days they will be good enough to swap currently they are a little too wonky.

I have the day off for MLK day and it’s cold and gloomy outside.  Here is a picture of a pincushion I made to brighten things up!  Smile  I’m trying to think of a good way to spend my day off.  I could do something productive like laundry, finish up some painting, or clearing out the garage but all that seems like it is a waste of  a day off since it technically involves work on my part.

I decided to teach myself how to crochet instead.  I have one of those amigurumi books for awhile and was never successful making one of the cute little buggers.  Probably because I don’t know how to crochet, I think it is a requirement that I just realized today.  So after practicing for awhile I managed to teach myself enough to make a ball, it doesn’t seem like much but a ball seems to be the basis for most amigurumi figures.  All I had was multi colored yarn so my bear is going to look like someone threw up some sherbet on it.  Completed photos to follow later once my little guy is completed.

I thought I would try my hand at matchbox making again.  I made one once long ago and it was alright but this time I wanted to make one that was cute and Valentines themed since it is nearly February.  I’m going to give this little guy away so leave a comment if you would like to be entered and I will draw a random winner via random.org.  Please make sure you put an active email address so I can get in touch with you if your name is drawn.

Matchboxes are… well, matchboxes.  This one here is a 32 count matchbox with the matches removed, duh then decorated and filled with small goodies/knick knacks.  Some people go all out and make their own matchboxes from templates out of cardstock but I’m not there yet.  You know you have to start with baby steps.

All the major work on the new room addition was completed before Christmas and I am now in the process of slowly putting it together.  I always liked seeing photos of other people’s spaces and trying to figure out the owners personality.  I don’t think I am nearly as cheery as my room appears in photos.  I just like cute shit, I don’t necessarily like being cute.

Looking back on 2009 I realize it will filled with an enormous amount of laziness.  In 12months I managed to pack on about 15 pounds of fatness.  That’s a little over 1 pound a month, when you look at it that way it really doesn’t seem like a lot.  My clothes beg to differ, it is A LOT!  I could come up with a million excuses but what it really boils down to is I over ate and under exercised.  So, like a bunch of other people one of my generic unoriginal new year resolutions is to eat less garbage and get my fat ass moving.  I don’t like to start things on Mondays or the first day of the month (in my mind it feels like I am setting myself up for failure) so I started today.  I busted out my running shoes from the closet, as you can see they look like new even though I have had them for about a year.  Come to think of it my floors look dirtier than the actual shoes.  The first step was the hardest but I sucked it up and just RAN…run forest, run!  I was sweaty, hot, tired, my lungs burned, and muscles cramped at times.  Three and a half miles later it was all over, one day down many more to go.

I’ve never celebrated on New Years eve for as long as I can remember.  Even in my hardcore partying days I stayed off the roads during amateur night.  People who usually don’t drink go way over board and can’t handle themselves so I find it best to stay indoors where it is safe.

Lucky for me I have the day off from work and I have a lot of things I would like to get accomplished this weekend.  It looks like a bomb went off in my house which is in need of a serious cleaning.  Christmas decorations need to slowly find their way into large rubbermaid tubs and up the ladder and settle in their final resting place above the garage until next year.  It is also time to get back into the regular schedule of everyday normal life.  Nothing exciting, no wild and crazy adventures for me anymore.  The gap between who I was and who I am now is growing wider and I didn’t even realize it.  I am happy so I have no complaints but I think it’s time to sprinkle in a little fucking adventure back into my life here and there.

Santa was good this year and brought me a shiney new imac.  It’s so pretty I can hardly contain myself.  At first I thought I was going to hate the tiny keyboard but after using it for awhile it feels a lot nicer than the old ones.  The mouse on the other hand will take some getting use to.  For the next few days I will be working on moving all the photos and music I want to keep over from the old mac.  Did I mention the screen is freaking H-U-G-E!  I love it.

I am now officially moved into my new space.  It’s a nice feeling to have a place for all my crap and the little one has found a nice spot to settle next to my desk.

It came and went quickly and quietly, now we wait until the new years peeks around the corner.   This past year has been rough but I know there are some out there that have had it much worse.

It wasn’t our year to host the Christmas festivities at our house  so it was a nice change of pace.  I didn’t have to worry about playing good host making sure everyone had drinks, planning a menu and spending hours in front of the stove.  So I decided to make something for our post Christmas dinner on Saturday.  I made something I  found in one of the cookbooks I received this year.  There is a fancy Italian name for the dish I made and I thought about inserting it and acting like it was some everyday thing I made, who would know?  Well, actually I forgot to grab the book on the way to the computer room and I am too lazy to get my butt up to get it.  I apologize for my slothy ways.  Maybe I’ll try and add that to my list of resolutions I make and forget about a week later.  Just maybe, I might be too lazy to make a list so don’t hold your breath.