Apparently Mardi Gras was invented in Mobile or something, even though it is really big in New Orleans, it's home is Mobile. So, the friend I was staying with picked up a king cake at the store and brought it home. It's a pretty cake, round with icing and loads of sugar sprinkles in the Mardi Gras colors. Inside it was cinnamon with strawberry filling (it is important you remember that strawberry part) She goes off to work and I decide I'm gonna have a piece of cake for breakfast (nutritious I know :) ) I'm all not paying attention, checking messages, watching stuff and I look down to find this on my plate...
WHY?!
Why does my cake have a bloody baby corpse in it? Did my cake give birth? What the hell man?!
Apparently it's got something to do with Mardi Gras, lemme go see if I can find why there was a dead baby in my cake. Here's a New Orleans site explaining the King Cake. Makes a bit more sense now but still, you guys coulda found a better way, honestly.
So after my traumatizing cake experience we went to Books-a-Million where my friend bought me an awesome magnet.
What is that wonderful bracelet? It's a row counter! Yes, my friend is a fantastic jewelry maker and she made me a sliding bead row counter. How cool is that? I love it mightily.
When I was packing to go to Mobile I packed Valentine's colors of yarn and crochet thread, just in case I decided to make something for my friends. It starts getting closer to the day and I happen to remember that I have a tatting pattern for hearts that I got on my last visit to Hobby Lobby. (I love those free little tear away things, don't you?) I dig through my crafty bag and resurface with red and white crochet thread, a tatting needle, a pattern, and I get to work.
Shut up, I'm still new at tatting.
The white thread was made of a different material than the red and didn't lend itself to tatting very well. I tried starching them to make them a bit stiffer, but it didn't work. I think the red one came out better because the thread actually worked with me instead of doing it's own thing (Yeah I'm looking at you, white thread *glare*) My other friend (I have two down there, hence the two hearts) showed his mom my wool-eater blanket because she's a crocheter too. She loved it and gave me yarn to work on it. She also asked me to make her a baby blanket and gave me yarn for that as well. I don't have pics of it yet, I'll prolley do a post on it later. I love yarn, it's one of the quickest ways to my heart, plus she was super nice, love the whole family. Anyways, I can't see anything else when looking at the white heart since the guy I gave it to told me it looks like a monkey. Le sigh, my tatting needs work.
I previously made a purse for my friend...I don't think I ever posted it. Weird. Dragon Egg Purse
The colors are much prettier in person.
Brilliant, really.
And while I was at it I'd go on and make her a card holder too since I had a whole day left till her birthday >_> Card Holder ITR
I crocheted this in the round for a reason. I had plans on using the random stripe generator (very cool btw) but then I noticed that with all of the blue in the Oceana yarn that you wouldn't be able to tell very well where the stripes were. If it were done in the round with random stripes the front and back would match. I still made stripes but kept it simple. I actually made this a little too small but I figured that, with use over time, it would stretch a bit. Still made with a double zero hook to keep the stitches tight. (Almost a little too tight when it came time to weave in ends. I broke a needle while doing that.)
Dang, I should have taken a pic of the purse that started all of this while I was there. I made her a purse with blueberry banana yarn once and it made me get back into crocheting. You aren't missing much though.
I also finished the scarfy thing while there. Return of the Scarf
That's the friend I was staying with in the pics.
It was a funny thing when I turned around and looked at the couch I was sleeping on during all of this.
Don't see what's so funny?
How about now?
Yeah, that's where I was sleeping and it was slowly being eaten by yarn. I then had to stop and wonder if I had a problem with this. That wasn't the only bag of yarn btw and my little pink bag just holds all of my tools, and if it's small enough, my current project. (the baby blanket is in it now)
While making the wristlet and wallet I became paranoid that I was gonna run out of Oceana (that's the pretty purple and blue variegated yarn) When my friend wanted me to make her the purse she bought me two skeins of the blue and two of the Oceana. I made the purse, the wristlet, the wallet and this...
(That a good sized purse btw, it is in no way small)
I had one small ball left of Oceana but I hadn't even used a full skein of the blue yet. How does that happen? I've still got a little bit of blue plus a full untouched skein left. Have I discovered an immortal yarn that never runs out??
My other friend also made me a hand of Clow Cards while I was there.
And since they are so cool you get closeups :D
They are from an anime named Cardcaptor Sakura
The one's face down belong to my scarfy friend, I just showed them so you can see what the backs looked like. I like ice and water, can you tell? Also, The Dark is darker cuz it's from a different batch. It was from his personal collection so I feel all special.
(I really should get their permission to use their names cuz this friend and other friend thing is confusing)
I watched my friend (see?) play a video game called Trinity Universe. One of the hidden characters' name is Recit and he gets made fun of by Prinnies because no one wants their receipt.
So for the whole time I was down there any time someone asked any of our group if they wanted a receipt we were obligated to say yes.
Let's see...what else happened while I was down there? I tried several red wines, so far I'm not a fan. Maybe I just haven't found the right one but I haven't liked them so far. The one I found the best was called Layer Cake
(Image from Google)
What I did like was that I got some mango rum. I have a bottle all to myself now ^_^
(Image still from Google)
*Happy dance* By the way, this stuff is really good in apple juice, just sayin'. And yes, I am of legal drinking age :P You might remember me talking about this stuff in my previous post, Boozin'. So happy I now have some. I missed my family, friends, and kitties, but it was great to see my other friends and hang out. I'm gonna write about the ending to the trip (which included my first ever concert) later cuz I think this one is long enough now. See ya laters peeps.
