Raspbeeeerry Beret.... she walked in through the out door!

You know when you have a song stuck in your head for like AGES? Well I had Prince stuck in my head.... Raspberry Beret to be exact... and you know the bit that goes 'she wore a raspberrrrry beret! The kind you find at the second hand store..... raspberrrry beret and if it was warm she wouldn't wear much more...'? Well I wear more than just a hat generally as a rule, but I had the urge last night to crochet something... so I made myself a Raspberry Beret ^.^ With my new hair I've been wanting to wear berets more...I don't know why exactly but hey, that's me and my oddball thinking for you!

 

It's not as slouchy as I would have liked..... but who cares! I'll just make more MUWAHAHAHA

 

 

 

Oh! And just because it's an awesome sauce song.... here you go! I am the kind of person to walk in through the out door... I just love this song!!

So here's the pattern for your own Raspberry Beret! It's pretty simple...

Acrylic raspberrry red coloured 8 ply yarn and a 5mm hook ~ to fit an adult (I have a small head, you might need to add another increase round or two)
dc=double crochet
ch=chain
sl st=slip stitch
dc FPC= double crochet front post crochet
dc BPC double crochet back post crochet

Magic circle, chain 3, 11 dc into ring. Join with sl st.
Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc into same st and 2 dc into each st around. Sl st t join. Ch 3
Round 2: 1 dc into sl st, *1 dc into next st, 2 dc in next st* Repeat. Sl st to join. Ch 3
Round 3: 1 dc into sl st, *1 dc in each of next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st* Repeat. Sl st to join. Ch 3
Round 4: 1 dc into sl st, *1 dc in each of next 3 sts, 2 dc in next st* Repeat. Sl st to join. Ch 3
Round 5: 1 dc into sl st, *1 dc in each of next 4 sts, 2 dc in next st* Repeat. Sl st to join. Ch 3
Round 6: 1 dc into sl st, *1 dc in each of next 5 sts, 2 dc in next st* Repeat. Sl st to join. Ch 3
Round 7: 1 dc into sl st, *1 dc in each of next 6 sts, 2 dc in next st* Repeat. Sl st to join. Ch 3
Rounds 8 to 10: 1 dc in each st around. Sl st to join. Ch 3
Round 11: 1 dc in each of next 2 sts, dc decrease 2 together. *1 dc in each of next 3 sts, in next st work 1 dc decrease* Repeat. Sl st to join, Ch 3
Round 12: 1 dc in each of next 2 sts, dc decrease 2 together. *1 dc in each of next 3 sts, in next st work 1 dc decrease* Repeat. Sl st to join, Ch 3
Round 13: 1 dc in each of next 2 sts, dc decrease 2 together. *1 dc in each of next 3 sts, in next st work 1 dc decrease* Repeat. Sl st to join, Ch 3
Round 14: 1 dc in each st around. Sl st. Ch 3
Round 15: *In next st work 1 dc FPC, in next st work 1 BPC* repeat around, sl st to join. Ch 3
Round 16-17: *Work 1 dc FPC, in next st work 1 BPC* repeat around. Finish off. Weave in ends.

Now you've got a Raaaaaspberry Beret!

Ramblings for the day

I got the new Emilie Autumn album, 'Fight Like a Girl' and HOLY CRAP it's amazing. I've got it playing along with one of her other albums 'Enchant' as well as some IAMX, Imogen Heap and Monster Magnet....mmmm yes, I am one happy shmoogle bean right now!!!

I'm tapping into some new crafty goodness today and creating some more beautiful little gifts for my Handmade for Christmas Challange...It helps that I am a pathological hoarder and always seem to have everything I need or want on hand for creating with! Which is great! Because I have neither the money or the car to go in search of new supplies at the moment. Besides...with the amount of pure awesome I have stored in my craft room, I'd be crazy to think of adding to it before using up some of what I have. Although that's not saying I don't WANT to go buy new stuff....I ALWAYS love new stuff!! More wool, some new beads, a few more scraps of satin, and funnily enough a soldering iron! That would be insanely handy but ah well... make do right?

So check out the pretties I've done today!

I tried something new, I'd never made these before! They're so tiny, dainty and plain adorable! I know exactly who would love this little collection of birdsnest charms :o) They look large, but the biggest one is an inch across, and the smallest is only 2cm!

I only had one size wire on hand, and it was probably a bit too thick for this project; I ended up hurting my finger :( I strongly suggest doing what the nice lady says and use a 24 gauge or smaller! It makes life much easier!


And the other thing I've been working on today is a beautiful black italian wool wrap! I learnt the solomon's knot (celtic knot, lovers knot...or however you may know it by)...another crochet technique I've mastered! YAY! That makes me happy.

a few more rows to go yet, but it's fairly straight forward to work up :o) It's so light and delicate!

And in other news:

1. Periods COMPLETELY screw up diets. Looks like I get to start all over again tomorrow :(

2. I have a little photography thing this Saturday night and I am so EXCITED!!!!!! I'll share more on that later!
3. I've been in the mood to paint but have been completely stumped as to what. Ergo = I haven't done anything.

So that's basically me today, what about you? This bloated, cranky, PMS-ridden person of PAIN is signing out... til next time Quirky Beans! 

An insomniac's guide to night time activities

I am an involuntary night owl at times, in that I stress out, over think, become anxious and low and behold! Can't sleep. I don't usually sleep well at night as it is, I wake frequently and don't tend to be able to sleep past about 7ish in the morning but since hubby is away this week sleep seems to be too far out of reach. It's so frustrating! Because I feel like the time spent awake should be time spent doing something practical! And of course, right now, as I am indeed awake and it is 11pm at night, I am thinking of productive things to do until I'm tired enough to sleep. Aside from being HUGELY creeped out by every little noise around me (and my dogs frequently going outside to bark) I am also pretty anxious and stressed at the moment. So, I am going to share with you my list of night time activities fellow sleep-deprived individuals! I think what's stressing me out most is that I have something important to do first thing tomorrow that I am dreading more than a little..which is just peachy to top the whole situation off! But anyway... here's the list!

• Bake something! For example at the moment I am waiting for my yeast dough to rise so I can make apple and cinnamon rolls. I've never tried making my own before! I have a dinner date with a new friend tomorrow night and thought they'd make a nice winter dessert.  
• Clean the kitchen... wipe down all the surfaces, sweep the floor and give it a good mopping...which is tricky to do by candlelight when your light has decided to kick the bucket.
• Dust the loungeroom with your flourescent pink feather duster whilst singing Pink Cadillac.

• Write a blog post of things to do whilst awake!
• Put some low music on in the background to cover up those freaky little noises (I've opted for some nice Jazz thisevening!)
• Make a nice hot sweet cup of tea, when you're stressed and wide awake, a cup of tea never goes astray. Especially if you have some of that lovely 'Sleepy Time' tea. I keep forgetting to buy some! I assume valium has the same effect, or being hit over the head with a bit of 2x4 but the tea is much more pleasant.
• Get a colouring book. I have one with fairies in it. Yes I am aware that I'm 23 years old but nothing beats colouring something in! Seriously just try it.
• Plan your outfit for the next day (or the current day, if you're past the 12am mark)
• Troll the internet for things to read or watch. That's always a good one! I read some Interviews with the cast of TrueBlood, one of my guilty pleasure tv series'. Ps I watched episode 4, season 5 today... LOVED it!! Can't wait for next week!
• Do all of the above with Futurama Season 6 playing in the background.
• Find cute things to make for people at Christmas! I came across this super cute little Sloth Amigurumi crochet pattern and as my mum loves slothes I shall be making her one!
• Do your folding and ironing whilst watching David Attenborough's 'Secret Life of Birds'
• Play the Sims 3; create a Sim identical to yourself, build it a house like yours and make it stay awake doing menial tasks. Just a suggestion :p Why is it more fun to play with someone else's life than live our own sometimes? Who knows... but Sims is awesome! (to those who don't like the Sims, I don't want to hear about it! I do, so NERRRR NER NER NERR NERRR to you)
• Colour your hair, forget you coloured your hair when you eventually fall asleep then wake up looking fabulous and under the impression that fairies did it for you during the night. Of course there is always the possibility that you might wake up with a face covered in dye and splotches all over your clothes from being too tired to dye your hair the night before so maybe don't do that one.  
• Listen to some LapFoxTrax... it's like Vocaloids but different. If you don't know what I'm talking about, nevermind. If you do... how freaking awesome is it?!?! Ohh look it's now 1am! Hmm...

Well there's a list of things you can do whilst awake at night...some are productive, some are practical, some aren't but hey that's what I'm doing tonight so if it's good enough for me, I'm sure it's good enough for someone else. I do hope something on my list tickles another night-owls' fancy (wink wink haha!) but to be honest I hope you're all mentally stable people who get decent nights' sleep and don't need to be finding things to do.

Stay stress free people! I'm off to ice my buns!
Nighty night!

The Journey of Autumn ~ Whilst watching the leaves fall...

Whilst watching the leaves fall, listen to the sounds of the season! I've put together a collection of Autumn themed music by a few of my favourite artists. For each song, close your eyes, invision yourself in a forest, by a lake, in the city and immerse yourself in the cool breeze, the leaves swirling around you, the sounds of rustling as the wind flows through the tree tops, the trickle of a stream, the sounds of Autumn.

Monday 12/03/12 Housework huh?

Don't you just love it when you're renting and you get that letter in the mail saying your home is due for a property inspection? Our place is not so much messy but just crazily disorganised! We still have boxes we haven't unpacked from when we moved in (3 months ago) that just have no where to go and although we've been culling as much as we can to make it fit it just seems never ending! Our last apartment was a lot bigger but had no yard so we gave up the space for the yard we now have so we could have our dogs...it has definately been worth it! But now I have only a few days to get everything sorted! Eeeep! In a way it's a good thing as it gives us the push we need to get things done and finished up in here but there just seems like so much to do! So as far as housework goes, I always need a list.... and besides, doesn't it make you feel like you've really achieved something when you can tick it off and write a big fat DONE next to it? Well I don't know about you but it definately makes me feel better. (I just realised I've been touch typing this... I didn't realise I could do that? Amazing what loads of time on your laptop can do for you! There you go, I've picked up a skill haha).

That said, let's put todays list in type so I can stop procrastinating and get to it. Ohh my hungry little caterpiller fabrics I ordered just arrived!! Ok yeah... NOW I will stop procrastinating and get on with it

1. Get through the washing pile. That is something that never seems done, but I am in truth SO CLOSE to the end that I might as well see it through and for the first time in months actually have empty baskets!! The day isn't looking so good for washing but I'll do what I can with it *fingers crossed it doesn't rain*
Ok so I got halfway through that...dang spiders kept finding me and crawling on me! BLECK


2. Make the bed. Yes that is trivial but I actually very rarely do it, and I really should start making it a habit....exciting list right?! It gets worse....
10.51am HAHA done! hmmm not much of an achievement there though

3. CLEAN MY CRAFT ROOM I have been putting that off for days...it is a MESS and a half in there, im almost too scared to open the door and go in!
4.55pm  and it's finally clean!

The top of my storage drawers *insert ashamed face*

This is what my desk looked like before I got to it!! I told you it was messy!

After I got through all the mess and my shelves are finally organised!!

One clean desk!!! Yay! I seriously can't believe I let it get so bad!

There is a floor under there....somewhere

And now there's a floor!

4. Make more rainbow cupcakes. Not really necessary but heck it was fun!!
4pm I decided to make a rainbow layer cake instead... just one more layer to go and then the icing! NTS next time get 6 cake tins and a bigger oven and do it all at once.... 1 cake tin + 6 colours = a looong time in the making!

5. Sort out the crap in the loungeroom so we can get the boxes unpackes. Our loungeroom is where random stuff goes to collect dust...stuff that doesn't have a home, or a purpose really, but we dont know whether to throw it out or not...Im sure you have stuff like that. Well, today I'm gonna have to deal with it!
4.50pm well, I managed to get a few boxes out of the way (and into my craft room actually, now that there is space!) and a few things cleared. Hubby will help me with the rest later one (hopefully!)
And that should do it for today!

It's currently 10am in the morning... I got a LOT done on Friday so I know I can do it all, I just lack Fridays will power! Ok... here goes!

p.s I really hope the neighbours are out today because I've got my music on and it is LOUD :p