Baby Blanket Preview and DIY Fitness Tracker Accessories

Are turtlenecks even remotely in style right now? I wore a big, chunky, knitted, turtleneck sweater to work today, because Missouri weather has finally broken me. We keep getting these almost-warm, sunny weekends, followed by dismal, damp, cold weekdays. I’ve lived here my whole life, and I will never get used to the torture that is late winter and early spring in Missouri. So because my springy outfit left me goosebumped and grumpy yesterday, I broke down and wore a turtleneck, corduroy pants, and wool socks today. The weather won’t stay warm, but I will feel warm, even if it means getting teased by teenagers. I'm used to that anyway.

So, in between compulsively checking the weather forecast and hissing at the sky out my window from under the cover of a down blanket, I’ve been working on my latest baby blanket project. I’ll make another post about this one once it’s finished, but here’s a preview.

Moss Stitch Baby Blanket

I used the directions for this adorable animal alphabet afghan. It's a departure from the plain, single stitch blankets I've been making without a lot of added effort. For each row, just alternate a half double crochet and a slip stitch. Easy peasy. It's turning out really nice. I haven't decided on a border yet, or whether I'll add any embellishments.

But crocheting isn't all I've been working on lately.

DIY Misfit Accessories

I think I've mentioned before that I'm hoping to get into better shape this year. I will write next week's post about my reasons for wanting to exercise more and how I plan to go about that in a healthy, sustainable, and self-loving way. But today I want to share with you one of the steps I've taken toward that goal, and also to share how I'm making it more fun for myself. 

It has taken me a long time to get onto the fitness tracker bandwagon. I see the value in it, and I really enjoyed the episode of the podcast "To The Best of Our Knowledge" called "The Quantified Self", which talks about personal tracking and how it can improve our lives. But I'm a cheapskate, so it took me a while.

I did have a Fitbit Zip that Joe got through work, but it was prone to (and eventually succumbed to) cat shenanigans. Hobbit once stole it off of the nightstand, and we found it in the living room the next morning with 400 steps on it. Alas, the Zip's next feline encounter proved to be fatal. One night, Adele knocked everything off of the nightstand and into the trash can. By the time I realized the Zip was missing, it had long since been taken to the dumpster.

Anyway, that's a very long and cat-heavy way to say that I was without a fitness tracker until recently. My school district started a wellness program with a daily step goal. The district offered to reimburse us up to $25 to purchase a tracker. If you've bought a Fitbit, you know that's not really much help. So I bought a cheaper tracker, the Misfit Flash. It was actually on special from Amazon Prime for $20, so with the reimbursement, it was free! 

Since I've only had it for a day, I'll wait until later to give it a complete review. But what I can share is what I'm doing to make it more fun to wear. Right now, it looks like this:

Not hideous, but also pretty conspicuous and athletic-looking. I saw some of the accessories for the Misfit Shine, a more expensive model, and I got a hankering to make a few DIY accessories of my own. 

I looked all over the place for tutorials to DIY some Misfit accessories, and I couldn't find any. Really! I even looked on the second and third page of Google results! Etsy has some cute handmade options, but as I said before, I'm a penny pincher. I was left with no choice but to come up with my own projects.

For my first attempt, I was inspired by this pretty locket-style necklace for the Misfit Shine. My Flash isn't compatible with it, which is fine, because I'm not about to spend $80 on one. 

Instead, I found this empty locket in the jewelry section at Joann Fabric & Crafts for $3.99 (not including my teacher discount - woot woot!).

No idea what kind of metal this is.

Maybe I'll end up with a giant green circle on my chest from wearing it!

It doesn't fit perfectly, so I had to wrap the necklace chain through the loops twice to get it to stay closed. This way I can wear it when I need to look fancy. Which isn't very frequently, if I'm being honest. But at least I have options. I'll bet the Misfit Shine will fit even better in one of these, so let's call this the absolute easiest way to save $86 on wearable tech accessories. You're welcome.

Note the less-than-perfect fit. Then remember how much money you're saving.

I warned you about the turtleneck. Sexy, no?

Here's my next project: I saw this ribbon bracelet, meant to make the Misfit more comfortable to wear while sleeping, and I decided that I could for-sure create something similar with my sewing machine. I'm planning to cut up an old workout shirt for this job. I'll post the project with pictures and a tutorial next week, along with my review of the Misfit Flash. Let's hope my cats haven't eaten it before then!

Yarn Crafts for Health and Easy Baby Blanket Crochet Projects

Happy Saturday!

Anyone else in Missouri today may wonder why I'm sitting inside blogging when the high today is 71ºF, in February. My answer to you, dear, hypothetical Missourian readers, is that it is still morning, and the thermometer has not yet broken 60ºF, also known as the temperature at which I will willingly spend my leisure time out of doors. For lo, I am a wimp. But I am enjoying the morning sunshine in my living room, watching Hobbit flopping around like a goofball in a nice warm patch on the carpet.

I wasn't fast enough to get a pic of him rolling around. He's embarrassed that he got caught being adorable.

Putting aside for the moment the existential dread stemming from the knowledge that such a gloriously warm day in February is likely the result of global warming, I'm really excited that I get to spend some time outside today. But first, I want to talk about crocheting.

Did you know that yarn crafts are good for your health? This blog post from the New York Times, The Health Benefits of Knitting, quotes doctors and researchers studying the mental and physical perks of crocheting and knitting. It's an interesting read.

I learned to crochet when I was little, but I took it back up more seriously in the last year or so as a way to keep myself from biting my nails. Here are the benefits, health-related and otherwise, that I've noticed:

1. It keeps my hands busy, so I'm not picking or biting my nails, and I'm also not mindlessly snacking. Snacking's great, but if I'm not paying attention while I eat, I'm not enjoying it anyway!
2. The repetitive motion helps reduce my anxiety and calms me down after a stressful day. Yarn is cheaper than a therapist!*
3. I'm big into giving gifts, and giving someone a gift I made by hand makes it more meaningful, and this strengthens my friendships.
4. I save money on winter accessories. Like, for real. This hat takes me less than two hours to make (I'm pretty slow), and it's less than $5 worth of yarn. Also, it's super cute.
5. If I'm going to watch six episodes of The West Wing in a row, at least I'll have something to show for it afterwards.

*Please don't actually use yarn as a substitute for professional counseling. I was kidding.

The list goes on, but you get the picture. It's a simple, inexpensive hobby that boasts big returns, and it keeps my millennial layabout tendencies in check.

So, I'd like to share with you some of the projects I worked on last year. The thing about being twenty-five is, my friends are starting to reproduce. So are my siblings. Fine by me, as 1) It keeps the baby-making pressure off me and my hubby, and 2) I'm at that stage of life where I really love babies, as long as I can hand them back to their parents after we've hung out for a bit. Joe and I are still a few years out in terms of offspring. Anyway, I've been making a lot of baby blankets lately.

As I said before, I've only gotten back into crocheting regularly in past year or two, so these blankets were all beginner level projects. I basically just single crocheted forever and ever amen for the body of each blanket, then I did a simple border and an embellishment on each. Pictures and details below!

Blanket One: Airplane Appliqué Blanket with Blanket Stitch Border

This one was for my nephew, who was born last spring. My brother's father-in-law is a private pilot, and he gave my brother lessons while my brother was getting his own pilot's license. The family is pretty into planes, is what I'm saying. So I made a blanket using worsted weight yarn in single stitch, and then I used This pattern, a $2 download on Ravelry.com, to make an airplane. Definitely worth the $2. I then finished it up with a blanket stitch border in blue, which is super easy and very cute. Here's the finished product.

Sorry for the poor picture quality, by the way. I took all these photos before I knew I'd be sharing them!

Blanket Two: Flower Appliqué Blanket with Scallop Stitch Border

This one was for the daughter of some friends of mine from church. They decorated their nursery in navy and cream with coral accents, so I used the same colors in the blanket. The weekend I made the flowers, I was feeling equal parts lazy and over-confident, so I decided to try making them without a pattern. They came out a bit less defined than I liked, but I kept them. This was my first foray into the scallop stitch for a border, and I used the fantastic book Crocheting School: A Complete Course to learn it. 

Also featured: my hideous living room couch! Feast your eyes!

The border looks nearly black here, but it's really a nice, deep navy.

Blanket Three: Hot Air Balloon Embroidered Blanket with Basic Border

This one was my favorite to make, partly because it was the easiest, and partly because I really loved combining crocheting and cross stitch embroidery in one project! This blanket was for the son of another couple of friends from our church. They didn't have any color or design preferences, so I did my own thing. I free-handed this one, and the squareness of the single crochet stitch made it easy to cross stitch using a yarn needle. I started with cross stitching the white stripe of the balloon, made symmetrical red stripes on either side, and then I used a smaller yarn to cross stitch the basket, finishing off the ropes with a chain stitch. If you don't know how to embroider, I kid you not, you can learn in one afternoon with a trip to the craft store and a couple of YouTube videos.

I have got to find a better place to photograph my projects. A futon? Really Anna?

So, there are the baby blankets that I made in 2015! Three more of my friends are pregnant already. I'll share what I'm working on for one of them in my next post. I've finally strayed from the single stitch blanket body to a pretty moss stitch. If you'd like an actual pattern for any of these blankets, leave a comment and I'll learn how to write patterns.

And would you look at that. In the time it's taken me to type up and edit this post, the temperature has risen from 54ºF to 67ºF. I'm going for a bike ride! Catch ya later!

I'm Back!

Greetings, web dwellers!

It’s been quite some time since I posted in this blog, and I’ll be straight with you: that’s because it started as a project for a college publishing class, and I am human, ergo I dropped it the less than two months after the class ended. I’ve since become a high school English teacher, and while my students write something every day in my class, I spend my days writing nothing more substantial than email. And every time I assign an essay, every time I ask my students to put their creative hats on and craft a story, poem, or persuasive article, I miss doing those same things myself.

I’ve decided it’s time to start writing again. Even if I’m inconsistent with my blogging, and even if nary a soul reads it, I know it will soothe my stagnated, shriveled writer’s soul. And besides, I’ve always regretted letting such a sweet blog title go to waste.

So here we are. I don’t know what I will write about from week to week, but hopefully over time something will begin to solidify. I still love tea, but I don’t think I can sustain a regular blog that focuses exclusively on that blessed beverage. I’ve mostly become set in my ways on that front, mostly drinking Twining’s and Bigelow and whatever’s on sale at the grocery store. Also, I long ago abandoned my Google Alerts for “tea” because I was inundated with articles about the Tea Party. And while I have plenty to say on that subject, I’m going to try to keep things positive here.

So, dear reader, in true English teacher form, I believe it’s time for a brainstorming session. Here are some ideas I’ve come up with for blog posts. In the future, if I can force myself to stick with this, you can expect to see posts about…

• Tea - I know, I know, I’ve already talked about this. But it’s best to start from familiar ground, no?

• Teaching - This is my third year of teaching and I work in a low-income district. I have SO MUCH still to learn, but I'd like to share my experiences!

• Travel - I don’t do a lot of it, but I do have a family trip to Paris coming up in June, so there’s that! I speak French and I love French culture, so that will show up from time to time on here as well. 

• Crafts - crochet, embroidery, sewing, and general crafts of the Pinterest variety. 

• Wellness and Fitness - I am currently in the worst physical shape of my life, and I’m working towards exercising out of self-love. I’m dipping my toe into cycling and yoga, and I’m also trying out mindfulness meditation to combat anxiety.

• Book Reviews – That English teacher life.

• Food – I like it a lot. I’ll probably share recipes.

• Feminism – Prepare yourself for some rants.

• Faith – I've always been a Christian, but I have some complicated feelings on the subject. Let's see where that goes.

I guess that’s a long enough list. I’m sure other things will come up as well. Cats, for instance. Yep, get ready for some posts about cats. But for now, I think it's time wrap this up. If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! I hope you come back to read more!

Anna

Getting Creative!

Hey all!
Here's the post I've been promising for a while. I've scoured Pinterest and rummaged around the internet for some craft and creative uses of tea and tea accessories. I've linked all the original sources, so you can find tutorials and other cute ideas after the jump. The photos I'm using are also from the original sources.

Enjoy!

#1: Tea Wreath
This one is precious. It's a great way to display the teas that you have available to guests, so that they don't have to dig through your tea stash - I know mine can be ridiculously disorganized, so this is an adorable way to keep things simple! You can find the tutorial from Kujo Designs here.

I'm going to make one of these over the summer to hang in my apartment next school year! It'll make things so much easier when I have friends over for tea. I've yet to find a cute way of organizing my loose leaf teas though. Speaking of loose tea...

#2: Loose Tea and Honey Wedding Favors

This idea is out of Real Simple magazine, from the article, "10 Creative Wedding Favor Ideas." As someone who's hoping to hear wedding bells sometime in the next few years (and is therefore perusing the internet for ideas), I don't know if I'd use these as the actual wedding favors - not everyone has the know-how or accessories to properly brew loose tea.  Maybe after a bridal shower or some other small, wedding-related purpose - because it really is a sweet idea!  The honey stirring stick is a pretty and delicious touch, and you can hand out any tea you like!

#3: Teacup Art/Décor

This one looks like a professional piece of art, but I see no reason why it can't be replicated fairly simply! 

You'd have to find a place to hang them where you won't bump them, maybe up high in the kitchen or in the corner of a breakfast room. And perhaps not quite so many as in this picture. But it would be a fun, cheap, and easy way to bring some character to a room! Like I mentioned in my teacup candle post, you can find old teacups without their saucers for really cheap - even a dollar! - at antique stores, and probably even cheaper at thrift stores and garage sales. The key here would be to find delicate, colorful teacups, with a color scheme if you'd like. Then you can secure them with some twine and hang them up at different levels. Et voilà! C'est l'art!

#4: Teacup as a Vase

Here's an incredibly simple but extremely pretty idea! It comes from Style Me Pretty.

Just find a teacup and saucer of a suitable size, and you've got yourself a little vase! Be sure to cut the stems so that the flowers are resting snugly in the teacup. This one really is darling, and it's the easiest one on the list.

#5: Tea Bags for Happy Eyes

Did you know that caffeine helps tighten skin? That's why new anti-aging moisturizers have been adding caffeine as an ingredient in recent years. It also helps sooth eyes that are puffy and red or have dark circles by constricting blood vessels and therefore reducing inflammation and discoloration. I'd heard about this one before, but I wanted to give you all a link with directions, so I found an article from TLC called "5 Reuses for Tea Bags," which includes some other great recycling ideas for tea bags! According to this article, green tea works the best because it has an additional anti-inflammatory in it. I'm definitely going to try this once finals week is over! My mom calls the dark under-eye circles that run in my family an "Irish curse," but we'll see what tea can do to combat it! Maybe I'll post some before and after pictures if I'm feeling photogenic. Until then, here's a model: 

I hope you all enjoyed the ideas! They're not all exactly crafts, but I think they're all definitely worth trying. Check in tomorrow for another post, this time on which tea to drink for any situation under the sun - my own attempt at a sort of tea index. Nighty night, tea lovers!

Ta-da!

Hey guys! Guess what....




I did the candle craft! It was really quite fun, and turned out to be incredibly simple (the best kind of craft). Natasha, Laura, and I got together on Friday night in Laura's kitchen and went at it, with some dollar store candles and some adorable teacups the two of them found for a dollar each at a local antique store. The candles were vanilla scented and already a pretty creamy color, so we didn't add an essential oil or any crayon bits. 


We tried our best not to disturb the teacups after pouring the wax, but it was nearly impossible when someone invaded the kitchen to make a pizza in the oven.


Now, I know you're all excited to see the finished product. Please don't judge! We did pretty darn good for our first try, I think.

These are all shots of the same candle. We made four in all, putting one into the silent auction basket and each keeping one. I didn't get pics of the rest!

See the weird spot in the wax? We can't figure out why that happened. All of them turned out with slightly uneven surfaces, but mine actually has a sinkhole in the middle. If you know any theories of thermodynamics that may explain this phenomenon, please feel free to post them in the comments.

Anyway, we were all three rather pleased with our pretty creations - my sinkhole will disappear when I use the candle! Of course, I can't do that until I'm home from school for the summer. Just having an unlit candle in your dorm room is a big no-no!

But I digress. Big shoutout to Domestiquette for the sweet tutorial. I'll definitely be doing this again! In my next post, I'll search out some other crafts or creative tea-related projects. 

Tea Craft!

Hey everyone!
This week, I get to try a craft I've been wanting to do for AGES! I found it originally on Pinterest (which, by the way, is a fantabulous website!), but the tutorial comes from the blog "Domestiquette".


My choir at school is putting on a silent auction at our upcoming concert to raise money for WestMo for H2OPE, a group on campus that's working towards bringing clean water to a village in Africa. For the auction, my friends and I are putting together a - you guessed it - tea basket! We'll have tea, cookies, a teapot, honey, and these adorable teacup candles!

Isn't that adorable?? I'll upload pics of our attempts when we've finished, so you can see how we did! 

It's Always With Me

I promised this post on Twitter a few days ago - sorry it's a couple days late - busy week!

"It's Always With Me" by Susan Glasgow
Photo source

This weekend, while I was home in St. Louis on spring break, my mom took me to the Craft Alliance in the Delmar Loop to see their biennial teapot exhibition, this year titled, "Hot Tea" after one of the whimsical pieces featured in the collection.

"Hot Tea" by Dixie Biggs

I snapped some pictures on my mom's phone so that I can share my favorite ones with you! (The more professional-looking photos are from the Craft Alliance website.)

Some of the pieces are actually usable teapots, while others are sculptures inspired by teapots. As the currator explained, even the most abstract ones contain elements of the teapot: maybe a rounded body, or perhaps a handle or spout. Each teapot and sculpture is for sale - mind you, for quite a chunk of change. But these are some gorgeous works of art, so it's no surprise that the prices range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars!

The exhibit was lovely, and I had a great time perfecting my, "I'm a highly experienced teapot-inspired-art critic" face - one eyebrow raised, thumb and forefinger stroking my chin, slowly nodding. Makes me look smart.

Like I said, I've posted some of my favorites below. But I highly recommend going to see the exhibit for yourself - it's open through April 22nd, so pop on over to the Craft Alliance as soon as you can! You can check out their website here for hours, contact information, and the address. There's also a Facebook page, and you can check them out on Twitter at @CraftAlliance. 

"Heart Teapot: Internal Combustion" by Richard Notkin

"Olive Teapot" by Kliss Glass
Photo source

"Peace Teapot" by Eric Serritella
(Fun fact: that's not made of wood! It's ceramic, faux bois)

"Secret of Tea" by Qun Liu