Happy Halloween

Halloween is the best holiday there is. I just love it. In fact, my whole family loves it. We love it so much that every year we do a haunted house in our garage. Now this is not a cheap thrill that we do in a little space. We have a 3.5 car garage, and we use it all. Our props are high quality, either bought from Halloween specialty shops or handmade. It is a huge project, and has become a bit of a neighborhood spectacle. It is also quite popular amongst our friends (and there are 6 of us, so that’s quite a few people). We simply do it for the enjoyment, and I must say we are rather proud of our work.

Read more about the details and our favorite rooms!

Our favorite room, which is also a constant, is the Hell Room. This room is our ultimate favorite, and perhaps one of the most involved. You enter and are confronted with what appears to be hot lava coals across which you must walk to make it to the next room, Satan is popping out of a hole to the darker depths of Hell, and of course you are surrounded by the bones and bodies of the tortured. Another big room for us is the Bat Cave, which is complete with rocky walls and a dripping ceiling. Other recurring set-ups include a large spider web which you must work your way through in order to exit, various twisting hallways, and may spooky beings. Our newest room includes a guillotine, complete with victim and executioner (both real!). Some past rooms include and alien autopsy lab, a cannibal feast, a fortune teller, catacombs, a funeral parlor (vampires), and an endless hallway. Just wait until next year, we already have some great ideas brewing and are bound to get more. Can’t wait until I’m allowed to tell---tune in next year! 

We don’t only do the haunted house. We go all-out for the entire outside of our house and yard. We put spider webs in the trees and on the house. Bats hang from the porch and attack you when the wind picks up. Our front garden turns into a grave yard, complete with tombstones, dying roses, and bones. There is even a dead man sitting on our porch. What makes this even better is that, not only do trick-or-treaters and visitors get to see all of this walking up to the house, the haunted house guests line up on the front porch and get to take it all in, setting the mood for their upcoming experience. 

Unfortunately, we were not able to build one this year and partake in out typical Halloween parties and festivities because of my dad’s accident ;_; This summer he fell off a roof (he’s a construction worker), and has been pretty much out of commission since: 

Read more about my dad's accident

He fell 20ft (2 stories), and he landed on his hands and feet. He was going over to do a final check on a job for our neighbor. He went through the company instead of doing it on the side, so workman’s comp is taking care of him. On his way down from the roof, the ladder slid out form under him and he fell. Luckily, he was able to grab the edge of the roof and swing himself over to land on solid ground, instead of the pile of rubble that was beneath him. He landed on his feet and fell back into a tripod-type stance on his right hand. All three were broken (shattered right heel and wrist, and broken left tibia and fibula right above the ankle). We actually found out about a week or so later that he had fractured two of his lower vertebrae. He spent about a month total in the hospital on bed rest. Multiple surgeries later, he was able to come home in a wheelchair. By August he was using a modified walker, as he could not put weight on his wrist or left leg yet. He is now up on crutches, using both feet and his hand. He is also able to go out to physical therapy, instead of having them come to the house. We are very proud of his progress and cannot wait until he is fully recovered. Unfortunately, once he’s completely mobile he will need to go in for one more surgery on his wrist, but after that it should all be behind us. 

We actually might have been able to pull of the haunted house this year, but then last month our basement flooded. Our neighbor, who is a usual participant within the haunted house, was very adamant about it going through. He even offered to help build it! It might have been doable, but the basement not only held all out equipment for the haunted house, it is a sort of hub for the parties and haunted house guests. People, especially kids, typically hang out down there, so we would have had to do some thorough cleaning. Not to mention all the time needed to check and sort all of our equipment. That was a lot of work to get done in a month. As it is, it usually take s 1 whole month just to build the thing (And that’s with the primary builder and creator in full working order). Oh well, I guess we’ll have to wait until next year.

What makes me really sad is that (on top of no family, haunted house, or party), I don’t get to dress up. 1.) With the festivities being cancelled, there is no costume party at home. 2.) My costume is at home, as that is where everything happens, so I can’t dress up at school. I wish I wasn’t too old to go trick-or treating (who decides this stuff anyway? 24 should not be too old to dress up and get candy!), because then I would have brought it to school and I would be all dressed up right now. Even though I’m not dressed up, I’m still filling my belly on candy, though ^_^ And at least I have a costume for next year, which means I won't need to worry about it.

However, in the spirit of dressing up and Halloween, I thought I would share some of my past costumes, which I am rather pleased with:

See some old costume pictures ^_^

(picture forthcoming)
1996 (6th grade)—Princess Leia; made by daddy

(picture forthcoming)     
2000 (10th grade)—Serving wench; made by daddy
     **used many times since**

(picture forthcoming)     
2001 (11th grade)—Daemon; made by daddy
     **used again in the past and future; still needs wings and red contacts**

     
2004 (College, yr 2)—French Maid; made by me!
     **made as part of a group CLUE costume**

     
2005 (College, yr 3)—Rainbow Brite; made and designed by me!
     **will be used again; still needs white trim around skirt and proper boots**


     2006 (College, yr 4)—Strawberry Shortcake; bought 

I'm in: Macomb ;_;

Feeling: restless

Listening to: Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" soundtrack ^_^

Squeeeee!!!

I am so proud of myself; a week or two in, and I have finished the back of Banff! I think it looks pretty good, especially for my first attempt at a sweater. I had a little bit of trouble towards the end of the decrease, right before the shoulders. It turns I out skipped a p2tog tbl so I had to fix it. Not wanting to rip out all of those stitches (as it was 6 rows down), I just ripped out that section. It was an interesting trial; I've never fixed a mistake this way before. It took a little finagling, but I got it fixed. Unfortunately, I loosened up some extra

yarn, so now I have a couple big loops of loose yarn in the back. I tried going in and loosening the surrounding stitches, but it didn't go over so well. So now, I have two loops of loose yarn just chilling on the wrong side of my sweater. I might go back and tie them off or try to loosen more stitches later. I think it might be because there's 1 stitch less than there was though, so I might not be able to get rid of it. Any recommendations? 

See the piece!

Anyway, here's a picture of my progress so far:



And a close-up on the details:



Now to start the front! I was hopinng to get this finished before Thanksgiving...well Thanksgiving break, which really starts the Saturday before. I kind of wanted to show it off when I go home ^_^ I'm thinking that with this progress, I may just do it. I seem to have set a doable pace that will make the deadline. I'm so excited; I just can't wait to go snuggle in my new sweater!

I'm in: bed ^_^

Feeling: excited

Listening to: Seether--The Remedy

Oh October...

October is my favorite month ever. I love the fall: watching the leaves change colors, raking and jumping into leaves, Halloween (big-time fan here), the weather (ever-changing from sunny to rainy, but with a nice temperature range), etc.  I was actually pretty sad that it has been so warm lately, but that is not the case anymore. At least when it was warm, I was prepared. Now that it has gotten cold, well normal really, I am completely unprepared. All of my warm clothes

are still at home because I didn't need them. Now, it seems I have to wait until Thanksgiving to get them, because that is when I'm going home net. Normally, it would be on Halloween for all of the fun and festivities, but they were put on hold this year because of my daddy's accident (I'm sure you'll learn more on Halloween ^_^).

Anyway, what with the cold and my lack of proper clothing, I decided that it was a great time to learn how to knit a sweater. Now, all my previous knitting expenditures have already been recorded in just the last few posts, so you can see how lacking my experience is. However, since I could not find a comfy sweater that I approved of at my local Walmart or JC Penny (seriously, the only stores in Macomb, or within 45 minutes driving distance...the next closest places are an hour away at least!), I decided to make one. I'm attempting to make Jenna Wilson's Banff as published in Knitty. I am using a much lighter yarn color, but overall it seems to be working out. I am only now just finishing up the ribbing on the back, so I still have a ways to go. I'm hoping to have it done before winter lol--wish me luck!

My progress thus far ^_^
I actually started this about a week or so ago. I'm not quite sure if I got the right kind of yarn, but I thought it was pretty. I am currently using Lion Brand Homespun in Cream:

After giving it a try and working about a quarter of the ribbing, it seems to be going alright. The package gave the same guage that the pattern is asking for, and so far my ribbing is matching it:



Now, I feel confident that I am doing alright. I just got to the point where you begin the decreases, an dI think it is looking pretty good. It looks a little scrunched in the picture, as I am only working on 14" needles. When I take the time to spread it out over the two, it does meet the measurements. I just think it looks a bit narrow, especially since the ribbing does that zig zag deal when it gets scrunched (which makes it look way narrow). Anyhow, this is the final progress mark for today:

As I am too bouncy to sit still and knit all the time, I have taken to video games yet again. I wanted to get My Sims for the DS, but instead settled for renting the Wii version. It is so insanely cute and I just love it. To be honest, the cuteness factor is really the only reason I even wanted to get it--I'm not really a Sims kind of gal. This game is not really like any other sims game, though. You basically collect "essences" and rebuild the town while making friends and recruiting new townies. It kind of reminds me of Dark Cloud (ps2), in the respect that you are rebuilding a town to meet people's desires. I am already a huge fan though. The only problem is that now I am a little nervous of the DS version, because you are recruiting tourists instead of townies, so I think it will be less involved. Unfortunately for me Gamespot is not working right now, so I can't really get a good comparison. So far it looks like I might have to break down and get the Wii version instead of the DS...

I'm in: Macomb

Feeling: giggly

Listening to: The Hippos--Paulina

Yay Mario!

So I got a Wii for my birthday...October 2, just a few weeks ago. The only game I got for it is Super Paper Mario, which rocks. I love this game so much. It is adorable, maintains the traditional play expected from a Mario side-scroller, and has a good story-line, not to mention it's an RPG (yes, I am that nerdy...I am surrounded by D&D players, could you expect any less?). Unfortunately, I do not get to play it as often as I would like, since the

boyfriend seems to have taken it over. For a while I was way ahead of him, then he surpassed me. I finally catch up and he beats the game. Oh well, I guess that leaves more time for me to play ^_^

In the meantine I have been on a hunt for Harvest Moon DS, which apparently is not an easy game to find. I remember when Tut bought it for herself, and I swear it wasn't that long ago (a year, maybe two...I think she pre-ordered it though, and then it got pushed back, so still not that long ago). I figure I can at least find it at Gamestop, but even they don't seem to have it (in the store or online). So I resort to eBay and Amazon, and manage to find tons of them...no wonder Gamestop doesn't have any. So I go and order it for my little sister (she is a huge Harvest Moon fan, and I figure it'll make a good gift). Turns out the boyfriend also wants to play. Since I kind of wanted a copy for myself anyway, I buy another figuring at least I'll have something to play while he takes over the Wii. Guess who has been playing with it since it arrived? That's right...the boyfriend.

On the bright side, the copy that has arrived also came with Mario vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, which I am obsessed with. It's like Lemmings, but with more of a puzzle aspect. It has completely distracted me from Super Paper Mario, which is sad because now instead of battling over who gets the Wii, the boyfriend and I now battle over the DS (because he is a loser and opted not to get one for some reason that I don't understand). I'm about 2/3 of the way through the game though, and I only got it yesterday! I think I might just beat it before I go back to Super Paper Mario. 1.) I get to keep the Ds from the boyfriend, which I find too funny. 2.) The bosses in Super Paper Mario suck. They are getting harder and harder, and I am not really getting any better lol. Oh well, at least I know how to beat most of them after watching the boyfriend play all the time.

I'm in: Macomb

Feeling: geeky

Listening to: Opening theme from Bleach (yay Japanese!)

Swatch Bunny

So I was browsing the web today, looking for bulky sweater patterns, and somehow came across this bunny in my search. To be quite honest, I do not know what bunnies have to do with sweaters, but I am glad I found this. I thought it was just so cute, and I took it upon myself to whip one up.

Oh so cute! 
I love bunnies, my whole family does. We currently have and adorable mini lop-earred bunny name Angie. She is the cutest little thing--all peach and fluffy. Before Angie we had Flopsy, a black dwarf lop. She was so sweet and cuddly--like a puppy. We had her six years before she died. After having a bunny-free house for a few years, we realized we couldn't handle being without one, and we bought Angie. The search for her was very long, as dwarf lops (which apparently aren't dwarf lops at all, but holland lops), are not that easy to find. We had to go through a breeder. We actually waited for about 6 months until last April, as we wanted another black bunny. However, we saw Angie and just fell in love. The rest is history.

(Flopsy's pic forthcoming)



Angie ^_^ (she loves sitting on the vent for some reason...)
In memory, of Flopsy, I whipped up a black bunny, using the pattern above. It only took me one evening (a side note to anyone teaching knitting: this is a great project to do with a first-timer's learning swatch!) I actually did my own thing with the ears, as I had not printed the pattern and had already turned off my computer. In the end it all worked out, and I have my own little bunny. I call her Flopsy 2 ^_^




For those interested, here's my ear pattern:
CO 8
rows 1-10: st st
row 11: k2, k2tog, k2tog, k2
row 12: purl
row 13: k1, k2tog, k2tog, k1
row 14: purl
row 15: k2tog, k2tog
row 16: purl
row 17: k2tog
tie off, and continue to follow original pattern
(purl side is the inner ear)

I'm in: Macomb

Feeling: touched

Listening to: Troubled Hubble--Man vs Duck

Playing with Lace Patterns

As I mentioned in my first post, one of my knitting projects was a heat pack cover. This was a special request made by my mom. She is a big fan of those heat packs---the big long rectangular ones with rice, etc inside. She had asked that I knit a cover for hers. Why? I am unsure, but seeing as how she really wanted this, and I had no other knitting projects in queue, I took it up.

Heat pack extravaganza! 
Unfortunately I would have needed her heat pack while I was at school to make this for her, but she was not one to give it up. To fix that problem, I made her one. It's your normal rice-filled heat pack, in a pretty purple material, and I added some lavender inside to make it smell pretty (plus, lavender is supposed to be good for you--it helps you relax, I believe). The heat pack made, I set on to kitting a pretty cover for it. My plan was to make the heat pack purple and then make a green cover for it with a nice flowery pattern in it. I found this lace pattern somewhere online (I do not remember where anymore), and slightly adjusted the spacing. At the time, I did not think to knit in the round, and instead knit it up flat and seamed it. It may have been some extra work, but I did learn the mattress seam out of it ^_^

The pattern:
7 rows: stockinette stitch
Row 1: k3, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, k2tog, k8, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, k2tog, k3
Row 3: k2, k2tog, yo, k4, yo, k2tog, k6, k2tog, yo, k4, yo, k2tog, k2
Row 5: k3, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, k2tog, k8, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, k2tog, k3
Row 7: k11, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, k2tog, k11
Row 9: k10, k2tog, yo, k4, yo, k2tog, k10
Row 11: k11, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, k2tog, k11
*purl between each row as typed above
*repeat rows 1-11 8 times, then do rows 1-5 once more
7 rows: stockinette stitch

I knit the whole thing flat, starting with 24 rows of stockinette stitch before beginning the pattern above (this point marks the first fold). After the pattern above, I continued in stockinette stitch and ended about 7 rows short, leaving a gap for the heat pack to slide into. I then seamed it using a mattress stitch. It is 22" long.

Looking back, the gap was not really necessary, and it probably would have been easier to knit in the round, binding off and casting back on for 2 simultaneous rows in the back, having only to seam the ends (or if you know how to co and bo as a seam, you could do that...I don't know how though u_u).

    
The lace pattern is called cat's paw, and I found it at Wendy Knits

The individual pieces:


(more pics forthcoming)
And the final assembled result:

(pics forthcoming)

I'm in: Macomb

Feeling: artistic

Listening to: System of a Down--Lonely Day

Lace Gloves are Pretty

This project was either my second or third. I left it out of the last post because it was a bit more detailed and involved. The scarf I actually started two years ago, after I finished the one for my sister. I can't quite remember if I started this scarf or the pink one first, but I definitely finished this one last. Originally this scarf was to be a Christmas present for my grandma 2 years ago. However, I was using much smaller needles and a finer yarn than I previously had, and I made the scarf much wider and longer.

The result: I did not have enough time, nor did I realize how much I would need for this project. Having a whole year until the next Christmas to finish it, I took on a more daunting task.

The saga begins...

I was upset about not having the scarf finished, but it turned out to be a good thing, as my cousin had made a scarf for my grandma. Originally, I was very upset about this, but as time went on I was ok. I realized she used yarn that hid the stitches, and I was proud of myself for using such a finer yarn that would show the detail of my stitches. That night my grandma found out about my scarf project, and the two of us started talking knitting and crocheting--it was pretty sweet. She had taught me to crochet when I was little, and now she was learning knitting just as I was. I was excited to talk to her about my project and show her my work.

My original intent, as suggested by my mom, was to finish the scarf for my grandma's birthday. However, her birthday is in May, so I scratched that idea--not to mention she already knew about the scarf. My next idea was to make a set of gloves to go with it. This way I could still give her the scarf, but the gloves would be an element of surprise for the gift. My first task was finding a pair of pretty, elegant gloves for my small, dainty grandma. I found this charming lace glove pattern online, and set to work. Now this being my first non-scarf project, and really my third project ever, it was a bit of a task (I was also limited in time again, because it took me a while to come to this realization and then find a pattern). It took me two months, and I was almost afraid I would miss my deadline again, but I pulled through. Last Christmas my grandma was the proud recipient of a scarf and glove set. She was so impressed that I had knit it all--especially the gloves (modeled by my sister):





Unfortunately, I didn't think to catch a picture of my grandma with the gloves and scarf, but I was still able to catch her happy face (and Punky's) ^_^

I'm in: Macomb

Feeling: nostalgic

Listening to: Rise Against--Paper Wings

My First Knitting Projects

So the first ever knitting projects I did were, of course, scarves! Each scarf was made for someone in my family over the course of 2 years or so (what can I say, sometimes I get so side-tracked). My first three...

This first scarf was made for my little sister about two years ago. I made it out of that eyelash yarn, you know the kind that is ever-so popular (or was 2 years ago). My sister was pretty into these scarves at the time, so as my first-ever project I took it on. I figured that this way, if I made any mistakes you couldn't tell ^_^ I used a pretty standard pattern that was popular for these scarves, and was pretty proud of my results:

This next scarf was either my second or third project which I finished about a year or so ago (I can't quite remember...I think it may have actually come in as number 3, but was done while I was in the middle of number 2--a two part project). In any event, it was a pretty simple scarf. I don't remember what kind of yarn it was (I think it was a sort of baby afghan yarn, but as you can tell by the pictures it was pretty bulky and fuzzy--my mom also wanted a very soft, cozy scarf and I thought this yarn was perfect:

(pics forthcoming)

This project was my fourth, and I finished it this past winter/spring. It was a request, actually, by my brother. He originally asked for a scarf made out of multi-colored yarn. It sounded to me like he was looking for that self-striping kind, but he said he didn't want stripes. His description was a comparison to this blue multi-toned yarn his friend's sister was knitting with. Having never seen it myself, I was a little lost on what he was looking for. I looked around for some red and black yarn, but didn't find anything I really liked, so I resorted to using red and black yarns knit together. I think the end result was pretty good, and I was able to avoid patterning like my brother wanted. Using two yarns also let me knit a skinnier and shorter scarf that would still be pretty warm during those Chicago winters:

(pics forthcoming)

I'm in: Macomb

Feeling: amused

Listening to: The Shins--Caring is Creepy

First Post

So this is my first ever post to LJ. I have some other blogs, but I'm really not that good at posting so... Anyway, I started this blog mostly to post my knitting accomplishments and to perhaps let my nerdy side show. For example, I am a huge Harry Potter fan, I recently have become obsessed with Paper Mario, and so on.

My next post or two will probably be of my first few knitting endeavors. Technically, I have been knitting for two years, but between being a college student who works part time during term and full time out of term, my time is a little limited (mostly to writing papers and the such). So, to date, I have only knitted three very simple scarves, a cute scarf and lace glove set, and this scarf/heat pack cover (I know it sounds weird, but it was a request by my mom).

Once I get beyond these, I plan to work on some original projects. I'm not much of a designer, but as the lace gloves (which you will see soon in the future) were my third-ever project, I fell rather up to the challenge. My first project that I am designing is a Zelda scarf featuring some of the NES sprites. After that, I think I have cracked the pattern to a Harry Potter design. I need to work on making hats first, so that upcoming pattern may be quite a ways ahead. For those who are interested, it is the hat that Ron wears during the snowball fight in Hogsmead (PoA I believe). I've read in various forums that there is an actual pattern, and one person thought it was a chullo desgin. Well I got my cogs turning and think I have it figured out. Stayed tuned, and I'll try to post it in a timely manner.

I'm in: Macomb

Feeling: nerdy

Listening to: Deathcab for Cutie--I Will Follow You Into the Dark

Welcome to Caiti Scarlet!

Hi. My name is Caiti and this is my blog. Here you can find my poetry, pictures, and various knitting endeavors--I even design some of my own patterns. I'm a huge game nerd as well, so you will probably hear alot about my current game/anime/comic obsessions.

I have a few other sites which may be of interest to you located on my sidebar: Ravelry, Facebook, Myspace.

I also have an etsy shops that I run with my mom and sell handmade swarovski crystal jewelry for Weddings, Proms, and any other special occassion. We also carry handmade hana kanzashi hair pins. You can purchase already made items or make special requests. I also intend to begin carrying knitting accessories, but you may also find other random projects of mine ranging from screen printing to hemp to anything else, so keep an eye open n_n

Etsy Buy Handmade caitinc

Soon I will have some links posted for your ease of navigation. I'm working on compiling the list now. Look for a link to a post with a list of my poems, photos, and projects to help you find your way through this large jumble of a journal much better (and hopefully without imploding ^_^). Until then, feel free to use the tags on the sidebar to find what you are looking for. I try to keep them pretty detailed.

Feeling: inviting

Listening to: Hey Monday--Homecoming