tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:04:37 +0000What your heart thinks is great, is great. The soul's emphasis is always right. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/noreply@blogger.com (Victoria)Blogger171125VictoriasRandomshttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-7697540237964126997Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:15:00 +00002009-07-13T14:15:32.223-05:00Lately, I've been making my own lunches ... trying to cook at home rather than buying food for a combination of health and financial reasons. I discovered bento boxes, a Japanese method of packing lunches that are fun to view as well as eat.  Traditional boxes are packed with rice, protein, and vegetables .. in that order.  I've adapted them a bit more to my style, but since I enjoy asian foodhttp://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2009/07/bentos-modern-lunchbox.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-4931765237363601377Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:08:00 +00002009-07-01T15:24:42.163-05:00 Since I'm fairly sure that my young niece doesn't watch my blog, I can post this here.  My Mum found a cute little bag, and I made this one after the pattern.  The pattern is very simple, crocheted with Vanna's Choice and Vanna's Choice Baby acrylic yarn and a size H hook. http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2009/07/crafty-fun-for-my-niece.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-2465090688285564234Sat, 30 May 2009 04:50:00 +00002009-05-29T23:56:12.111-05:00I first found out about the 3/50 Project on Craftsters.org.  The idea is to help save our local stores.The idea behind the 3/50 project is that spending money at our local independant stores returns 68% of what we spend back to the community ... for large chain stores, that number is as low as 48%, and for online stores it can be as low as 0%!So shop smart, but where you can. Shop local.Check outhttp://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2009/05/very-cool-new-initiative-350-project.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-1905499745981466146Thu, 28 May 2009 18:51:00 +00002009-05-28T13:51:15.254-05:00I actually knit this up a little while ago, but it looks like I can finally knit!  It takes a lot longer than crochet for me, but then there's the whole bit about practice. This simple dishcloth is the Woven Seed Dishcloth from Ravelry and it took about four tries to get the stitching right.  I started it, then went to the 2nd session of my knitting class and learned that I had been doing the http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2009/05/i-can-knit-and-weave.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-4313519188540190090Tue, 19 May 2009 16:14:00 +00002009-05-19T11:14:55.416-05:00This is very, very cool.   They did this to raise money for the village hall, and managed to immortalize the village in the process.A close-knit community: Meet the ladies who've spent years stitching their entire Kent village | Mail Online: "There's a beautiful Norman church, two pubs, a shop, a school, a village hall, a huge Georgian manor house with landscaped gardens, teenagers slouched http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2009/05/close-knit-community.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-6366935517007923615Mon, 09 Mar 2009 01:19:00 +00002009-03-08T20:19:32.605-05:00So even with the insanity that was work and the wedding, I managed to find some time to spin and even learned to knit!! I went to Stitches West and picked up loads of goodies: alpaca locks, cashmere yarn, bamboo/merino fiber, hemp/cotton yarn ... and lots of little things including a spinning gauge and some lovely wooden crochet hooks. And I even learned to knit!! Since then I've done a littl http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2009/03/stitches-west-and-more.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-2950954990771211000Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:22:00 +00002008-12-29T02:22:18.674-05:00  So I've recently gotten into exploring some of the less common fibers for spinning ... including Ramie.  It's very slick and supposedly gives a hard wearing yarn that can be used for all sorts of things. From Wikipedia: Ramie is used to make such products as industrial sewing thread, packing materials, fishing nets, and filter cloths. It is also made into fabrics for household furnishings http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/12/ramie-fibers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-1230073222467487645Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:49:00 +00002008-12-02T03:49:26.503-05:00Custom Blend and Sample BlendOriginally uploaded by AriayaSylvaI'm crazy on spinning .. if you haven't noticed. So now I'm shopping for a wheel so I can spin more and faster! Here's a couple of my latest finished skeins. I'm not sure what I'll make with either one of them, but just making the yarn is so much fun! Hmm ... maybe a weaving loom .....http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/12/more-spinning-done.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-9179330198190322127Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:27:00 +00002008-11-21T12:27:08.667-05:00I just had to share ... I got this shipment in last night!  It's all so pretty!  I can't wait to spin them! http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/11/fiber-pile.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-3175271646210706039Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:24:00 +00002008-11-21T12:24:37.325-05:00Well it's finally time for me to spin my own blend of fibers!  I made up this blend from a mix of Merino, Silk and Bamboo by hand carding the different fibers together and making rolags, and then into roving.  I'm using the ply on the fly method to spin the yarn to see what sort of color combinations I can get out of it. So far, I'm really pleased.  The colors are shifting from a medium green tohttp://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/11/spinning-my-own-blend.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-4094953735392220610Tue, 11 Nov 2008 03:48:00 +00002008-11-10T22:48:02.643-05:00Well, I've been doing a bit of spinning as you can see :)  Here's my latest endeavor, spun up over 3 evenings What started out as a beautiful ball of yellow fluff turned into this beautiful yarn!  The in progress photo is a bit richer than the actual fibre, but the final product photo is pretty close.  Yellow is a really hard color to photograph! I was surprised how quickly this yarn spun up!  http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/11/yarn-and-more-yarn.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-4506171764219563971Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:24:00 +00002008-11-01T15:24:23.984-05:00 Yarn Basket Originally uploaded by AriayaSylva I finally crocheted something out of my handcrafted yarn. This was made from a spirit batt that I spun up a few months ago.I think it's kind of cute!http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/11/yarn-basket.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-1832175159046369412Sun, 28 Sep 2008 23:37:00 +00002008-09-28T18:37:11.861-05:00I love Ravelry!!  A while ago, I created a pattern for a dishcloth and actually wrote it down and now I found out that 14 people have made my dishcloth!!! If you're on Ravelry, check it out! http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/09/people-are-making-my-pattern.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-4665928554935812345Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:21:00 +00002008-09-17T16:21:25.360-05:00 Flame Originally uploaded by AriayaSylva I've been working on a large Batt of this beautiful fiber for a while now and I'm nearing the end!!I'm not sure what I'll make out of it, but it'll be all for me! It's a wool blend, so maybe a pretty shawl or scarf for when it gets cold over here in N. Cali.http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/09/flame-fiber-spun.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-4458595352815347237Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:33:00 +00002008-07-05T15:33:29.971-05:00Check it out!!  A whole 80 yards this time, and a little thinner .. I didn't do wraps per inch yet .. I need to get a good dowel to do it, but I'm moving so I'm not adding much to my possessions for a little bit! So .. here's the result!  I didn't have my lightbox setup anymore due to the move, so the photos are a bit off.  The colors are right on the singles below. And the starting yarns!  http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/07/woot-yarn-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-2881002786246788025Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:32:00 +00002008-06-25T18:32:41.409-05:00The real stuff!! Like all piled and everything!!  Lookie!  I'm so proud :) Using my drop spindle from Carolina Homespun, I spun up these two "singles" or single strands of yarn ... Aren't they pretty!! ... okay so the colors are a bit bland just being brown and off-white, but I'm so happy with the way the yarn came out!  It's not totally slub free .. it's not nearly slub free, but hey!  It's http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/06/yarn-i-made-yarn.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-3728061448692533173Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:34:00 +00002008-06-22T12:34:31.412-05:00 There are so many great little art-creation things on the web lately! Wordle is my favorite new find. Just enter in a phrase (in this case the quote that this blog's name is from) and start to play! The quote on the left was edited in Paint Shop Pro to give the effect you see, but the font, layout and colors are from wordle! Check it out and enjoy! http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/06/wordle-wordart.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-9036574376890350787Sun, 15 Jun 2008 13:10:00 +00002008-06-15T08:10:31.460-05:00I'm having a lot of fun with Sue Bleiweiss' Journal Making for the Fiber Artist's class!  I posted the outside of my first two journals .. well I finally put pages in one of them! Finished!  Yay!  Here's the pics of outside and inside of my first little notebook that I finished!  Cheer!!!  Sorry for the not great pictures.  I took them upstairs instead of in my http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/06/journals-one-done-one-in-works.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-4307640964949686033Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:54:00 +00002008-06-15T07:55:10.934-05:00Well .. it took me enough time, but I finally picked up spinning .. yay me!  I got a drop Spindle, roving and instructions from Carolina Homespun and tried it!  As you can see, it's not he best year .. it's very variable, all the way from chunky to fingering weight, but it's rather fun and distracting.  Definitely not something to do when I'm out and needing to talk to people.  I'll keep my http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/06/it-yarn-sort-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-4417320714948636195Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:24:00 +00002008-06-13T10:38:16.640-05:00CraftscrochetWell I've been a bit busy crafting and creating over the last few weeks! Here's the most recent of my crochet endeavors ...First up .. dishcloths! Created for the Crochet Partners swap on Yahoo! and the dishcloth swap on Ravelry. They all use patterns from the 'Crocheting School' bookAnd Teddies!! Got to love the teddy bears :) You may recognize the one on the right from another swap, but thehttp://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/06/teddys-and-dishcloths-and-vests-oh-my.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-8589130043468634478Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:41:00 +00002008-06-02T21:41:25.889-05:00So I've started a Creative Journals class .. it's how to make the books!  So cool!  Here's the first set of covers I made of the very basic journals.  I still need to put in the pages so it's just the outsides for now! The blue one is lined in a darker blue with a pocket, and the yellow/green one is lined in white. I had to make-do with what I had so the journals aren't perfect, but I learnedhttp://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/06/creative-journals-start.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-6540668106811979278Fri, 16 May 2008 15:10:00 +00002008-05-16T10:12:13.547-05:00podcastsOkay, so not everyone is into podcasts, but I love them! One of my favorites, CRL by Vickie Howell was on hiatus for a bit, but ... it's back! Or will be in a short while :)So ... click on the banner in the sidebar and go check it out!http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/05/crl-is-back.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-2832514397724908583Mon, 12 May 2008 15:05:00 +00002008-05-12T10:10:51.112-05:00Okay .. I know gas prices are rising .. but ... GAHHH! No wonder the price of everything is higher.Image Source: Richard Masoner on FlickrCheck out this article on 6 Stupidly Simple Steps to Saving Billions of Gallons of Gashttp://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/05/gas-prices.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-4262450265790129343Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:06:00 +00002008-04-26T15:06:45.481-05:00Goodies that I made for swaps on Swap Bot and Ravelry Crochet dishcloths for a swap on Ravelry ~ Earth Day Amigurumi for a swap on Swap-bot http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/04/crochet-goodness.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37352975.post-6969953728097760856Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:43:00 +00002008-04-22T19:43:32.730-05:00Yay for Disney!!!  I get to be all cute and pretty *grin* Isn't she cute? Create your own! http://www.whatyourheartthinks.com/2008/04/arianna-bubblebell.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Victoria)0