Another Day, Another Night?!

After a whole week of being sick, you really can't enjoy life. It hurts to laugh because you'd been coughing so much that your sides hurt, with nothing else that I can compare it to, it is pure torture >__< well the good side is I'm building my non-existing abs, NOT!!!

There is a lot of things that I missed out as a freshman year of college, I didn't even go to my own dormal. It's like you didn't go to your senior prom in highschool.

Although my senior prom wasn't that great anyways but at least I can say that I went.

Thank goodness I didn't let it slide again, cause it was an amazing experience, we killed the photobooth though. I got ourselves a stack of photos which I still need to scan and print out.

Everyone knows what they are doing except the cow on the very left, she goes mooooo~
Would you like an air kiss?!

She is still clueless as ever!!

Eventually she'll learn that the camera is not on the screen :)

In the end it was a night with great music, people, oh and food!!! lmao

credit to Carena for the photos

A Splendid Trip

It has been ten years since I've visited SF!!! ahhh With further to do the first stop was to take Pika Pika pictures. This is my first time ever taking a Pika Pika, the photos were captured so fast  ; ^ ; but in the end they turned out quite lovely. hmm ended up shopping and eating around Japan town hehehe, which we manage to kill a couple hours.

After dinner, when the night has fallen, Carena drove us up to Twin Peaks to end the night!!

Everything looks so small from up there.....ANTS ahaha

Knitting Your Favorites Names

Materials Needed:
~A pair of knitting needles (prefer a needle size 7, looks good with normal size yarn)
~Two different yarn color (colors that look good with each other, I like to use the color wheel as reference when trying to find other varieties)
~Graph paper/pen or pencil (to graph out certain fonts)

DON'T KNOW HOW TO BEGIN:
~Casting On
~Knit Stitch
~Purl Stitch
~Casting Off (try to get this part up asap, maybe tomorrow xD)

So not that you’ve got the basic (or at least I hope you did) lets start by graphing out the names, in this case I’ll be doing a Gackt one. [leave nice comments don't bash me, it's actually really hard to explain it into worlds T____TT ]




GRAPHING
So first off if you have a specific type font then it would be easier to print it out in a good font size and just trace over it on graph paper, making sure that the words get spelled out similar to the actual picture. If you really don’t care then you can just graph out the name.

(keep notice : just remember that your graph compared to your actually knitting piece will be smaller)

Each square on the graph is one stitch.

As to how I did it I just knit 3 then purl the other 14 then knit 3 again. But by doing that when your done your piece is going to curl inward so you need to counter it by purling 4 more stitches as so, you are going to be knitting 3 then knit 2 purl 14 knit 2 then knit 3. after going back on the needle the second time, it will be knit 3 purl 2 purl 14 purl 2 knit 3. So that that your purling stitch was face a different way then the main piece. WE ARE NOT DOING CABLE, it is just that they are carrying the yarn over, we are making it flat, therefore we don't need the cable needle. (confuse, watch video)




So in my case I've cast on 20 stitches.


For my tail, I just like to tie it in a knot so I don't knit the tail end, some people cut it short, or tie it to the working strand of yarn before starting.


I've knitted all of the 20 stitches, but for the first stitch of each row I just carry it over. This is because it gives it a nicer edge look.


Since I'm already done with my 1cm border I've started to purl, so when the back looks like that I purl it having the needle in front rather than the back. Thus mine is knit 3 purl 16 knit 3.


Still in the purling section, when it looks smooth on the front then you knit. After it is just repetition.




The border length varies depending on how big you plan to knit, just remember to be consistent in your work.

If you watch the first part then it should be easy to get started by knitting the borders and the pearls. But now it is time to add on the second color of yarn, this is when your graph comes into play.


EXAMPLE: So for Gackt - I’ll have 18 red stitches total for the letter G in his name.
~For my borders I like them to be the same size so if I started to knit the bottom length of 1cm then the borders when I start to pearl I’ll leave out 1cm on each side so that it’ll be even.






For me I just wrap the second yarn color without tying the knots, so if you are concern about the yarn being too loose or it may slip out. You can either
tie a slip knot on it before placing it on your knitting needle
leave a long amount of yarn when knitting it in

After getting that first piece of color in just knit along with your marked graph paper.

(helpful tips : cross the rows out that you’ve already done, you don’t want to sit there and undo them) trust me I’ve messed up before on my knitted sweater not fun to sit there, of course you can always pull the whole thing out but then you might lose your stitches when trying to put them back onto your needle.





Right after you knit in your second color, you need to carry your first color yarn over. So if it gets messy in the back and your seeing all these strands of yarn parallel to each other then your doing it right. (hehehe congrats :3)
Since it is so messy it is only good to do it for a sweater, a round scarf of some sort, or else you need to knit another layer or have some sort of fabric over it.




When you carried the yarn over it is the best that you don’t pull on it really tight or else when you’re done with the piece it will all bunch up at the end, making it curl up.
Best if you estimate how wide the piece will be that your carrying the yarn over.
It is the same thing over and over again till you get to the end just knit the whole piece regular getting the border you wanted and casting off.

Purl Stitch

1) Hold the needle with the stitches on it in your left hand and the empty needle in your right hand.


2) With the working yarn in the front, slide the empty needle down into the first stitch so that the right needle is in front of the left needle.


3) Use your right hand to wrap the working yarn around the right needle in a counter-clockwise direction.


4) Hold the right needle and the yarn with your right hand. Don't let the yarn come off as you push the tip of this needle down through the stitch on the left needle. The right needle should be behind the left one and have one loop of yarn on it.


5) Lift the Needle so that the stitch comes off the left needle and stays on the right one. You have completed one purl stitch.


6) Finish the row by repeating steps one to five, then move the full needle to your left hand and begin row two

Pictures/instructions are from Scholastic "Kids Can Do It, Knitting" by Judy Ann Sadler.

Knit stitch

1) Hold the needle with the stitches on it in your left hand.


2) Take the empty needle in your right hand. Slide the tip up into the first stitch and push it behind the left needle, to form an X.


3) With your right hand, wind the working yarn (coming from the ball) behind and around the right needle in a counter-clockwise direction. The yarn should go between the needles.


4) Dip the needle down and toward you so hat it goes under and through the stitch on the left needle. The right needle should be in front of the left one and have one loop of yarn on it.


5) Slide the right needle upward so that the stitch comes off the left needle and stays on the right one. You have completed one knit stitch. Finish the row by repeating steps one to five, then move the full needle to your left hand and begin row two.

Pictures/instructions are from Scholastic "Kids Can Do It, Knitting" by Judy Ann Sadler.

Casting on stitches

1) Make a slip knot in the yarn as shown.


2) Pick up a needle in your right hand and rest your index finger along the needle. Put the slip knot on this needle so that the short end of the yarn is closest to you. Pull on the yarn ends so that the slip knot fits loosely on the needle.


3) Put your left thumb and index finger between the two stands of yarn hanging down. Grasp both strands with the other three fingers on your left hand.


4) Spread apart your index finger and thumb. Turn your left hand so that your palm is toward you.


5) Keep the yarn tight as you dip the tip of the needle toward you, then up into the loop on your thumb.


6) Turn your left hand so that your palm is sideways to you. Direct the tip of the needle toward your index finger and down into the center of the loop there to pick it up. Point the needle upward and turn your palm back toward you.


7) Direct the tip of the needle down into the center of the loop on your thumb, and bring it out under the strand of yarn closest to you. Point the tip of the needle upward.


8) Allow the loop to slide off your thumb. Gently pull down on the strand and up with the needle to tighten the new stitch onto the needle. It should be closer to the tip of the needle than the slip knot is.


9) Repeat from step four until you have cast on all the stitches you need.


Pictures/instructions are from Scholastic "Kids Can Do It, Knitting" by Judy Ann Sadler.

If this is too confusing you can watch it below. Idk the way she is teaching it makes me feel like an idiot when watching (the slip knot part) = ~ ='' but at least the point gets across.