Pattern: OZ

My Inspiration - Miss One

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I just love this song and Miss One is my girl with her little numbers running self. This song has been known to play on repeat on my iPod.

Introducing OZ! My first wearable design (clothing wise). Once I saw the colors in the Berrocco Boho I just couldn't resist. My family and I loved the result. My cousins even tried to steal it from me. Wear it as I did over jeans or spice it up for the evening. I plan to post the quick and simple pattern for free real soon. Enjoy the pics below.

OZ

Time: May 15th - May 25th, 2008
Yarn: Berrocco Boho in Pastures of Plenty, 3.5 skeins (209yds each); Cascade Sierra in Green 08, 3 skeins (192yds each); Tahki Dream in Green, 1 ball (262yds each); Yellow-Green, (approx. 55yds)
Needles/Hook: US 11
Notes: Double stranded the Boho with the Dream in the deep green color for an irridescent look. This shrug is knit flat and mirrored then folded in half and seamed at the edges. I suppose it could be knit in the round until the sleeves, but knitting flat seemed much better. It's entirely 2x2 rib with 2 sets of yarn overs in the trim for detail. The tassles are made with the remaining yarn.

Pattern coming soon!

Kamika

Wait A Minute Mr. Postman!

I've been doing a lot of online shopping lately to satisfy my spending jones. I've been creeping into boutiques IR as well but I don't feel like taking pictures of that stuff. Check out my online scores:

The new Double Stitch - Designs For The Crochet Fashionista book by Erika & Monica Simmons. I preordered this one through Amazon back in April and have been patiently waiting for it up until yesterday. Below are a few items I will be queing up to make. Get yours in the sidebar -->



The book is full of colorful fun knits. Some for rocking around town and others for the sophisticates. I fall into the latter category and as such many are too bohemian for me. The sisters do no disappoint on inspiration though. I think that with a little creativity and a keen study of their designs on their MySpace page you can come up with all sorts of renditions on their already great designs. I really enjoy their stylish departure from the norm of cardigans, sweaters, socks, and pullovers. The stitch is simple but very detailed and decorative at the same time. I am happy to support the Queen's of Crochet Haute Fashion!

The Inaugural Issue of Verena Knitting by Burda (actually store bought). This magazine is really popular in Europe. On the cover it tauts itself as "Europe's top knit magazine." I'm really a sucker for good fashion styling. I try not to succumb to it but I don't think I'll ever change. Good styling is good styling. I guess that's why they do it that way. The magazine is sort of a mix between Rowan and Knit1 - classic designs mixed with the quirky. It's fun and for $6.99 you get 50+ patterns. Below are my faves.




On to hair!! Afrobella announced that Miss Jessie's was having their annual Mothers' Day Sale so I had to check it out. Normally I'm cool on all things Miss Jessies. I tried the Curly Pudding in the past and got a grape scented mess. Plus the price to me was prohibitive for a product I wasn't sure was going to be useful to me. I remember at the time it was $58 for 8oz. The devil is a liar! But, they were offering their Curly Buttercreme at $32 for 8oz AND you got a sampler pack of all of their other products (6 in total) thrown in for free. I figured I had to try it. I bought the Baby Buttercreme and got my order within the week.

I really like the Baby Buttercreme. It really helps with the knots and gives me a silky finish without feeling greasy. I didn't follow the instructions on the website or I would have had a hot greasy mess. You only need a little of this product for it to be effective not globs as the site instructs nor do you need to rake it through your hair with a baby doll size comb. My hair is so fluffy and full after applying just a little to each section and twisting.

Three days later I condish washed and twisted with the Curly Meringue. Meh! I'm not as sold on it. It did give me boingy springy curls but they were not as soft as when I used the Baby Buttercreme. I haven't gotten to the other products yet. All in all I'm very satisfied with the products. I'm happy that I didn't stop with just the Curly Pudding as I would have never tried the Baby Buttercreme. It's about trial and error. The only drawback I'm finding with the line is that there is an ingredient within these products that makes me slightly light-headed. I have to figure out what that is before I continue using. If any of you have experienced the same please do share your thoughts.

In my next few posts I'll post hair pics as well as pics of Oz which is 99% complete. Hopefully I'll have the pattern written up for you as well.

Love

Kamika

Strange?

Tell me if you think this is strange. Years ago (approx 6 or 7) I Googled myself and came upon a listing of someone with nearly the exact same name and age as me (I don't know her birth date). The only difference is that her middle initial is different. Stranger than strange is that she lives in a part of the south where I have a good amount of family. I don't know them all that well and have only been to the area once but there there. I was intrigued and decided to contact her and left a brief message on her voicemail. She never called me back

Back then I had this crazy urge to be kindred with all the Kamikas of the world. I wanted to read about them to find any similarities or crazy coincidences. It was sort of like being born on the same day as someone else and noticing you are similarly moody etc.

Recently she contacted me via one of my KAL sites. The Knitting Lingerie site to be exact. She explained that she didn't call me back all those years ago because she was afraid of Identity Theft! No diggity! Go Figure! I never responded.

Even more recently I noticed (after Googling of course) that she had left a rather mean-spirited comment on a forum. Here's what she wrote (excerpted from the Tyra Banks Show):

I am very confused, you say it's great to be "black", yet you wear a weave to disguise your african-american hair. My daughter wonders why her hair isn't as pretty as Tyra's. You should be ashamed of saying your a proud black sister, when in fact, your own mother went outside of our race because she too was ashamed. Why don't you just admit being a two-face wishing you were white, instead of getting a nose job, and caking on light make-up to not look so dark. I am overweight, I am never proud of it. I am unhealthy because of my weight, and so will my daughter be if I don't help her have healthy eating habits by making an example of myself. You say everyone is "beautiful" ,but you wear a support so you don't hang out.You try to stay in shape. Why don't you want to look like us "bigger" women if it's so O.K.? I want to know, which message your sending out, big or small, real or fake?... I am just keeping it "real",why don't you?

My disclaimer: THIS IS NOT ME!! I wear my hair natural but others can do what they want to do. Wear your hair how you want it! Shave your hairline and glue as many lacefronts to your head as you want. Cake on the pancake makeup as you see fit and feel free to burn all of your hair out from the root if that's your prerogative. Diversity makes the world go round. I can only show you a more excellent way if you are willing. I will never force it down your throat nor will I choke you to death with nappyheaded dogma. Gone are those days which is why I left a well known hair site alone. What I'm inclined to do may not be for you!

Now Identity Theft is always in the back of my mind, but at this point I think she is legit. If you saw my credit report you wouldn't want to steal from me. But! I do think it's strange, naw'mean?

What do you think? Kamika S. , please feel free to comment as well. This isn't an attack but more of a query.

Your girl. The real deal,

Kamika

A Sentimental Child on Mother's Day

Not just my sentiment but that of many after a holiday such as Mother's Day is that mothers should be honored everyday. I totally agree. After thinking about all that I've gone through in my life, I've found that my mother done done good! She wasn't always likeable, understandable, or what I thought I wanted in a mom (as if I had a choice) but she was the best mom for me.

I've learned a lot from the Old Girl and have avoided many a mistake due to her sacrificing herself and making the mistake for me. Oft times she was the coat over the puddle that I walked on. Lying down head first into the water so we never even knew it was there. I would often say, "Wow that's a pretty coat. I wonder who left it there." On occasion, I picked it up and brought it home to clean.

So here's to my once upon a time Go-Go dancing homegirl. We took a brunch cruise.

Happy Next Day Mothers' Day to all the Mothers,

Kamika

Did I Sleep With You Last Night?

Remember when your momma used to say that to you when you woke up in the morning and didn't say hello? Oh Hello! Yes, Mert (short for Martha) is old skool. It's sad when it seems like everytime you come back to YOUR house you have to explain to folks where ya been and why you been gone so long. Dang! I am GROWN! Although I am living in my parent's house and too lazy or is that too tired and unmotivated to move out. Most of the other boarders have gone so it's been pretty much smooth sailing. I guess I'm just deceiving myself.

Back to explaining where I been and so on. I'm talking to my blog readers not my mom. She doesn't tread to closely to my personal business and when she does, I just ignore her. Then again, she doesn't need to. I'm pretty predictable and regimented. It's only on the weekends that I turn into a hoe-bath taking Hussy! LOL! Actually, I wish! Not the hoe bath part. I likes to bathe in tubs and showers and put on fresh, well you know...

I was gone 5 days shy of a month. I missed my own blogiversary. I think I was a little afraid to come back. Does that say how I am in relationships?

Work is really draining my energy. Mental drains are waaay more tiring than the physical. When I get home at night I barely make it over the threshold before I want to fall face first into the carpet and stay there until morning. It's as if all the "special" projects at work have turned into my actual job. These crazy things have become endless. Sometimes I feel hood-winked.

I have been knitting and combing my hair though! Shew! It'll take a nation to hold me back. I'm working on my own shrug design which I think I'll call Oz. Peep the picture below. I'm much further than it shows but I was too lazy today to take another pic. It should be finished by this weekend and I'll post it then and the pattern when I get a chance.

I finished steeking the Deep V Argyle vest and got distracted. Here's some pics of my progress. I'll get back to it soon.


Do you remember this? It's Buttony done in that wonderful Malabrigo.


Well look at it now.

It's more like Button still in that same wonderful (blah, blah, blah) Malabrigo. I don't know what I was toking on that day, probably long dormant energy, but I shrunk it in the dryer. Words cannot describe my face when after realizing that I had left it in for longer than 5 minutes, I opened the dryer and saw this miniature. LB (remember my 8 yo neice I dubbed Lying Butterfly?) would love it. Would because she's living in Las Vegas now and has absolutely no use for it out there! Oh well, I bought some more Malabrigo in this pretty peachy-orange color and I plan to make another Buttony but this time a perfect fit. Lesson learned: Malabrigo felts really nicely.

Talk about being scatterbrained. Check out my new train case and my makeup.


Isn't it pretty!? I realize my creature-of-habitness shows up in my choice of makeup colors. I needed to get the case so I could prove to myself that I always seem to buy the same colors.

I think I may plunk down the $1,890 to buy this bag. It's up there, a little materialistic, and prolly not worth it. But I want it and since I don't have a car note or market rate rent, it's justifiable. We'll see if I come to my senses. I just love Gucci.

I tested some of this at Sephora. Smashbox Photofinish. This is a great product. I use it under my foundation but mostly under my loose powder instead of foundation. Love it! Love it! Love it! With this summer's heat sure to be high enough to melt your makeup off. This with loose powder or bronzer, is a great alternative.


I went back and redid the collar on the Cycling Aran again. The cashmere/wool blend, still wasn't stretching enough even in the rib so I reknit it in the same Blue Sky Alpacas yarn as the rest of the body. I then realized that I didn't like how the zipper looked on the inside so I knit a facing to cover it on both sides. It turned out really great and gave the sweater an even nicer finished look.


On another note I started an Etsy store for my jewelry and stitch markers. I haven't gotten around to decorating it yet but when I do I'll let you all know.

Thanks to those of you who checked on me,


Kamika

Wow I feel like Uncle Spiderwick from the Spiderwick Chronicles. For those of you who haven't seen the movie (or read the books), he is whisked away from the human land to faerieland by the Sylphs who are holding him captive to protect the knowledge he has... Anyways while in captivity he has not aged nor is he aware of the time that has passed. Hence, the last part is what I'm trying to get to. I didn't realize I had been away for so long. Life got a bit overwhelming for a moment but never out of control.

Work has been kicking my butt! We are swamped with special projects that are taking forever to complete. Not to mention that I'm still trying to grasp how to do my job! I'm trying to gain the same level of confidence I had when I worked in Real Estate but it's a slow go in healthcare. Maybe I need to give myself more credit. But I know that through God all things are possible. There! I'll give Him the credit.

Eventhough I haven't been posting, I have been taking pictures like I was. So when I get the energy I will most definately edit those and put them up. I'm really tired when I get home from work, but now that I'm taking my vitamins again, and started back to exercising that should change shortly.

Thanks again for all the birthday well wishes, you guys truly are amazing!!

Kamika

Mi Trente y Dos Felicidades Celebracion!

That's my 32nd Birthday Celebration! It was so wonderful. I truly felt loved from my family and my coworkers. You would have thought this was a big birthday like 16, 30, 40, etc. But I've learned that every new year God blesses me with is a BIG birthday. Enjoy the pics!

An Older Kamika

Running Behind...

I'm running behind! I just got home and it's nearly 9pm. Today was a very busy day so I'm postponing the Fair Isle post until I'm able to completely compile everything. Sorry!

Kisses

Guess What!

I'se gainfully and permanently employed now!! Picture me saying this in my Sophia from Color Purple voice. Yes yes, I was offered a permanent position and I'se took it. I'm now a Contract Specialist for a Health Care company. Insurance kicks in in 30 days. Can't wait. I want some more glasses. After being out of the work game for nearly 3 years it feels good. Praise God!

I meant to post pics of my Deep V Argyle Vest progress on yesterday but I ran out of time. So here it is! I'm really enjoying this project. Fair Isle keeps you engaged and boy am I alert and engaged. I'm enjoying the colorwork ride but I can't wait to apply these new skills to a man's vest. Sidenote: I really would like to do a really chic means knitwear book. I even have a name already. Nunya!


The yarn I'm using is Sublime's Cashmere Merino Silk DK in Clove and Navy. 75% Extra Fine Merino, 20% Silk, and 5% Cashmere. Super soft and silky! I'm itching to pair this vest with a deep navy or periwinkle button down and some nice flowy navy pinstripe trousers. Visions of Chalcedony cufflinks are passing through my mind and some great pointy toe pumps with a killer heel.

Oooh can't wait!

Kamika

Signposting Week of March 3rd

It's MARCH. Yes M-A-R-C-H! My birthday month (yes, shameless birthday plug). I love March and not just for that reason. March signifies the beginning of spring. That Easter is just around the corner; I love all the pretty little dresses and shoes. And ANd AND that Daylight Saving Time (no "s" people. It's not a bank) will kick in soon and I don't have to watch for Depression lurking around every corner. Sunlight is a good thing people in the Government. Who in the HECK gave the governmnet permission to mess with something that God gave and that they can't even touch let alone comprehend? Bring it on back Kamika. I feel so invigorated when I have a few more hours of sunlight. I know I'm not the only one.

I've really gotten off track. I just wanted to list a few more I'll Trys with some signposting for the week.

Monday: Show off my Deep V Argle Vest Progess (see above).

Tuesday: Work Related announcement.

Wednesday: Possibly a Fair Isle tutorial (more like a reforial, I'll refere you to some websites that helped me).

Thursday: Introducing a poem by Thomas Brown.

Friday: Imagine me here (code for I prolly won't post).

Saturday: [HAIR] Elasta QP DPR-11 Review.

Sunday: HOW DARE YOU! This is the Lord's day!

Your Girl Kamika