Poncho’s

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Kimberly

For the past year, I’ve been in search of the perfect poncho pattern, I think I finally found it.  Believe me, I have lots of “started projects”, one that I can think of that I’ll probably have to “rip out” where I’ve tried to make a nice poncho.

Here is a pattern from The Purple Poncho:  http://www.thepurpleponcho.com/timeless-boho-poncho-free-crochet-pattern/

It’s called a timeless boho-poncho and it really is just that, timeless.  I made one like the picture with Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable yarn and then I’ve made them with other yarns, and I do like the Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable the best.

Here is the one that I made with Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Cappuccino.

On my poncho’s, I decided to forgo the fringe.

Here is one made with Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Meadow.

After making these, I realized that Caron came out with something called “Caron Cakes”.  I absolutely love these and they come in many colors:  https://www.michaels.com/caron-cakes-yarn/M10481921.html

I wish that I had time, I’d make a poncho in each of these.

Anyway, here are the three that I’ve made so far:

Cookies and Cream:

Gelato:

and Bumbleberry:

This last one was a Christmas gift to my sister.

This past weekend, I realized that Premier Yarns also have come out with a “cake-like” yarn, it’s called Premier Yarns Sweet Roll yarns:  http://www.joann.com/premier%23174%3B-yarns-sweet-roll-yarn/15310592.html?gclid=Cj0KEQiA-_HDBRD2lomhoufc1JkBEiQA0TVMmlnOa6n7JlMi_WAOpylN5AUqNF4JDx3yhVGsaghxMGcaAl2T8P8HAQ

Some differences that I noticed right from the start, The Caron Cakes are each 383 yards and only cost $5 right now, they were initially $7.99.  The Sweet Rolls are only 245 yards and are selling at my local Joann Fabrics for $5.50 each.  So you have to use almost double and the cost is more.  For example, the poncho’s that I’ve been making, I can make one poncho with 2 Caron Cakes, I recently bought 4 sweet rolls for the same poncho.  We’ll see what happens and how much yarn I have left.

I have selected the color of Gelato in the Sweet Roll yarn for my next poncho which I started last evening.  (It seems to be an off white, purple and light blue.) I’m anxious to see how it turns out.  They almost seem like colors for a baby blanket, but I’m hoping the poncho is wearable for an adult.

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Less than 1 month to the Spencer Martin ride and we have snow.

Posted on April 3, 2016 by Kimberly

I’ve done the Spencer Martin ride (Habitat for Humanity) ride every year since 2009. I don’t have a lot of time during the week to ride so I plan on getting in all of my training on the weekends, except for this weekend, and according to the local weather forecast, probably next weekend too.

I took these pictures around 6:30am this morning of our “Spring Snow”.

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I’m really hoping Mother Nature goes North (or anywhere for that matter) and takes this weather with her.  I really can’t complain as this is the most snow that we’ve had all Winter and it could very well be a lot worse, but I want to ride my bike!!

 

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16.5 miles on the bikes

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Kimberly

I started a new job in January of this year, so I’m way behind in my posts.

I actually got out on March 12th with the road bikes.  After working with a trainer and doing weight training for 3 solid months, I felt great.  I felt strong on my bike.  I went up one big hill on Ransom Road and when I got to the top, I could feel the stretch in my left foot and knew it was time to go home.

I’ve been suffering with plantar fasciitis since September of last year.  I did 4 months of PT and then when I started the new job in January, didn’t have the time to continue with the therapy, plus that it was getting expensive.  So in February, I opted for a cortisone injection in my left foot.  It gave me so much relief, that I realized how bad my right foot is.  It is without a doubt, one of the worst pains that I have ever had.

Gearing up and getting ready to go.

Gearing up and getting ready to go.

This is my 2013 Trek Domane 5.2 WSD.  I absolutely love this bike.  It’s made for riding long distances.  My previous bike was a 2007 Trek Pilot.  Trek never disappoints!

Heading out on Lower Demunds Road.

Heading out on Lower Demunds Road.

Just starting out here.  It was a beautiful day for cycling.

This is Ransom Road. So far, so good.

This is Ransom Road. So far, so good.

This is the flat area on Ransom Road, before the hill that aggravated my foot.

Scenery...

Scenery…

Some of the scenery along the way.

Honey for sale, I'll have to remember this when I run low.

Honey for sale, I’ll have to remember this when I run low.

Pitt stop

Pitt stop

My husband’s bike, also a Trek Domane.

A county line.

A county line.

Crossing into Wyoming County from Luzerne County.  There have been times when I would cross into three different counties when cycling.  I’m just praying that my foot holds up.

Even after getting the shot around February 12th, my podiatrist still insists that I do not exercise.  I learned that I can’t just stop exercising when I had my last foot injury in 2011.  I over trained for a triathlon and the Harvey’s Lake race.  I ended up with a Morton’s neuroma, synovitis, capsulitis and tarsal tunnel syndrome.  That also took 2 shots in one foot and 1 in the other of cortisone to heal.  Very painful as well.

I’m a Pisces and they are prone to foot problems.  Not too sure how much I believe in Astrology but I definitely have the foot issues.

So until my foot started hurting, it was a great ride.  I’m hoping to get out again really soon.

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Bullet Journal Tips

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Kimberly

Some tips for bullet journaling:

ENTRIES are LOGS using short, bulleted sentences.

Each ENTRY goes into one of (3) Categories:

  • Tasks – denoted with a bullet
  • Events – denoted with a small circle
  • Notes – denoted with a dash

If the TASK is really important, place an * next to it.

This is known as a SIGNIFIER.

SIGNIFIERS add extra meaning to bullets.

RAPID LOGGING – makes capturing and organizing information really fast.

MIGRATION  –  Is it worth your time?

  1. If yes – move to the next day (or daily log) and denote with an arrow pointing to the right.
  2. If no, – move to a new monthly log or if it’s due month’s from now, move to Future Log.  Denote with an arrow pointing to the left.

To help organize “related items”, create a COLLECTION.

COLLECTIONS are a great way to organize shopping lists, ongoing projects, classes or lists.

INDEXES are very important in bullet journaling.

Daily bullet journal (Examples):

  • Tasks for the day
  • Appointments
  • What I’m having for dinner (planning)
  • Must-do’s
  • Can print lists and add to journal

Plan “SPREADS” out – (Spreads are next blank pages) before adding to the bullet journal.

Remember:

TRACK the PAST

ORGANIZE the PRESENT

and

PLAN for the FUTURE

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Chunky Crochet Infinity Scarf

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Kimberly

I found this pattern online about a year ago, it’s pretty simple but what makes it is the yarn.  It’s Lionbrand  yarn in White Gold and is super bulky.  The yarn actually has gold flecks in it.  It makes beautiful infinity scarves, however, it is hard to obtain.  I’m not sure how many more of these (this is my 3rd one) that I’ll get to make because I can’t seem to get the yarn.

Here is the link to the pattern from the DeliaCreates website:  Chunky Crochet Infinity Scarf Pattern.

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I made this scarf for my friend Narine.  I was her mentor at work, it’s funny how things change, then she was able to help me, so as a thank you to her, I made this scarf.  I hope she loves it as much as I love mine.  It’s one of my favorites.

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Newsboy hat

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Kimberly

This is my third newsboy hat.  I’ve always been looking for a pattern for a hat similar to this.  The only thing with this one is that you need to use a bulky yarn.  I tried making it with regular Red Heart yarn and it was a major fail.

This particular hat was a special order:

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I have also made a black one and a brown one.  This was a free pattern from the Hopeful Honey blog, Hopeful Honey Newsboy Hat.  I admire a lot of her patterns and was thrilled to see that this one was offered as free.

I sell a lot of the items that I make on my etsy website:  CrochetStyleista Etsy Shop.

I’m currently running a new year sale with a coupon code for 25% off any items over $5.00.

This is the first newsboy hat that I made in black:

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And then the brown one:

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Cycling and bikes

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Kimberly

Although it’s not cycling weather now, even though we’ve had *mild* weather compared to what Winter could really bring us here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, I put my bike away for the Winter.  In 2013, I upgraded my road bike and purchased new Trek Domane’s.

Here is my 2013 Trek Domane 5.2 WSD:

New bike - Trek Domane

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this bike!  The way I look at it, we have about 3 months of winter (Jan, Feb, and Mar) to get through and then I’ll be on this bike again.  This year, however, I won’t be working two jobs and I’m starting to train now to get into cycling shape so that when the weather breaks, I’m ready to go.

Prior to this bike, my very first road bike was a 2007 Trek Pilot 5.2 WSD.  I also loved that bike, so much so that I still have it.  I keep it on a trainer in my basement to ride throughout the winter.  When you put a road bike on a trainer, it wears down the back tire.  Still… I loved that bike so much – this (below) is the bike I used for the Independence Triathlon in 2011.  I put many, many miles on this bike.

Pilot 5.2 2007

How could you not love this bike?

 

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It’s the little things…

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Kimberly

After my physical therapy appointment this morning, I decided to stop by Office Max to see if they had anything on sale.  I’m always seeing posts online from the Bullet Journal Junkies facebook page where people hit these big sales and get pens, markers, and washi tape for next to nothing.  I was hoping that was my luck today.

I was able to get some washi tape for half the price, got a small container for all the loose items laying around on my desk, but my greatest purchase was this 4 drawer, plastic, organization stand on wheels!  Until today, I had all my BuJo supplies in two containers.  I am proud to say that I was finally able to organize all of my bullet journal supplies!

Here is a picture of the 4 drawer storage unit:

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I honestly could have used one more drawer.  The top drawer is for washi tape, of which I was able to get at half price today.

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The next drawer is stickers, stencils and colored pencils.

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The third drawer is stamps.

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And the last drawer holds the ink pads to be used with the stamps.

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I am officially a geek when it comes to this stuff, but one thing that I will tell you, I am very organized and I’m thrilled with my purchase today.

 

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Bullet Journal

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Kimberly

Back in July & August, I did the #Whole30 Challenge, where you eat nothing but whole foods for 30 days.  In my research for this challenge, I came across many blogs, one of those being the Boho Berry blog, and with that, I stumbled upon a concept called bullet journaling.

I have been using the bullet journal system since September 19th faithfully and I love it.  I guess that you can say that I have become some what of a bullet journal addict.

There is an introductory video on the www.bulletjournal.com website that explains how to start but basically the Bullet Journal is a customizable organization system.  If you’ve ever kept a planner, or a log or any kind of tracking, this is a system for you.  It can be a to-do list, a sketchbook (for artistic and creative people), a notebook, a journal, a diary, or all of the above.  The system teaches you to do more with less while “Tracking the Past”, “Organizing the Present”, and “Planning for the Future”.   On the BuJo website, it’s referred to as “The Analog System for the Digital Age.”

My first bullet journal was a cheap, inexpensive journal that I picked up at a local drug store.  It was lined with a hard, pink cover.  I ended up using that through October 31st.  In the meantime, I had ordered both a moleskin dotted, soft cover journal and a Leuchtturn 1917 hard cover journal from amazon.

I wanted to use the Leuchtturn 1917 because I really liked the color, but thought that if I started with that first, that I would never use the moleskin, so I went with the moleskin first to make sure that I used it, otherwise, it would sit on my bookshelf with some other “started, but unfinished journals”.  It turns out, I really liked the soft cover of the moleskin and the journal itself.  So I used that journal from November 1st through December 31st.  I had a lot of significant changes in my life during that time so it really helped me stay organized.

So with the New Year starting, I thought why not start a new journal for 2016 and I went with the purple (lilac) Leuchtturn 1917.  One thing that I noticed right away is that didn’t like the hard cover as much as I thought.  The moleskin soft cover was much more flexible and because of that, you could open the journal and there was no bump in the middle.  This came in handy when creating a monthly spread.

This is my initial bullet journal post.  I will post pictures in posts to follow.  In the meantime, here is a video on how the bullet journal works:

Enjoy!

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Introduction

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Kimberly

Hello and welcome!  My name is Kimberly and I’ve been wanting to create a blog for sometime now, so why not on January 1st?  There is no better time than the present.

A little about me… I’m a Project Manager with an MBA and PMP (Project Management Professional) certification.  I am also an adjunct professor at a local university and teach business and marketing classes.  I am an avid cyclist, enjoy crocheting and my newest obsession is bullet journaling.  When I have time, I enjoy baking and the three loves of my life are my shichons (dogs), Baxter, Pippa and Harper.

If any of these interest you, subscribe to follow my blog!  Thanks for stopping by.

 

 

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