☆Heart Knitting Pattern :) ☆

[Currently listening to "Careless Whisper" by Seether; sounds awesome, but you can't beat the original song by George Micheal of course!]

Good evening everyone! :) I hope you all had a good day - even though the majority of the day was a bit dreary due to the rain, overall I had a good day. :)

Guess what! I finished the second knitting square using the heart pattern as shown in the picture in my previous entry. What I love about it? I made it perfectly! When stretched out, it makes a beautiful chocolate colored heart :) I'm very excited to already have 2 squares done, and now I'm making one with the same pattern with the dark brown. I haven't been this enthusiastic about knitting in a long while, and I almost got started on the third square before writing to you all! Yarnwork has become fun again!

Before I share with you the pattern for the heart square, I have a couple of things to announce:

- After I finish with my current project, I have ideas for the next blanket - using the patterns that I'm using now, I'm going to create a similar blanket, but using the colors of... chocolate? Yes, the next one is themed after the sweetness and warmth of chocolate! I was inspired after seeing today's episode of Oprah, where most of the set was made out of Godiva chocolate! From the chandelier, to the fireplace and even the painting on the wall - all were made with pure chocolate :) I bet that the studio smelled AMAZING... *-* Anyway, this will be started after the first blanket is complete. Needless to say, I'm excited!

- While I'm working on these blankets, I also have in mind making either blankets or other simple projects to sell or auction :) The proceeds made toward this will be used to donate to charities. I will look at and select various charities and will let you all vote for which I will donate money to. Let's join together make a difference for those in need! Keep checking for updates on this! :)

All right, fellow knitters! Get your yarn and needles out for this simple and cute heart square pattern! Have fun!

Notes:
-I used US size 8/ 5.0 mm knitting needles and worsted medium (4) yarn for my squares.Be creative with your colors and yarn types, and it's best if you use the proper-sized needles.
- Some of the rows that I put may seem redundant, but I put them there as a guide for each row you knit.
- k = knit, p = purl, sts = stitches

Cast on 38 sts
Rows 1-4: k across
Row 5: k3, p32, k3
Row6: k across
Row 7: k3, p32, k3
Row 8: k18, p2, k18
Row 9: k3, p14, k4, p14, k3
Row 10: k16, p6, k16
Row 11: k3, p13, k6, p13, k3
Row 12: k15, p8, k15
Row 13: k3, p11, k10, p11, k3
Row 14: k13, p12, k13
Row 15: k3, p9, k14, p9, k3
Row 16: k11, p16, k11
Row 17: k3, p7, k18, p7, k3
Row 18: k10, p18, k10
Row 19: k3, p6, k20, p6, k3
Row 20: k8, p22, k8
Row 21: k3, p4, k24, p4, k3
Row 22: k7, p24, k7
Row 23: k3, p3, k26, p3, k3
Row 24: k6, p26, k6
Row 25: k3, p3, k26, p3, k3
Row 26: k6, p26, k6
Row 27: k3, p3, k26, p3, k3
Row 28: k6, p26, k6
Row 29: k3, p3, k26, p3, k3
Row 30: k6, p26, k6
Row 31: k3, p3, k26, p3, k3
Row 32: k6, p26, k6
Row 33: k3, p3, k26, p3, k3
Row 34: k6, p26, k6
Row 35: k3, p3, k26, p3, k3
Row 36: k6, p26, k6
Row 37: k3, p3, k12, p2, k12, p3, k3
Row 38: k6, p12, k2, p12, k6
Row 39: k3, p4, k10, p4, k10, p4, k3
Row 40: k7, p9, k6, p9, k7
Row 41: k3, p5, k7, p8, k7, p5, k3
Row 42: k9, p5, k10, p5, k9
Row 43: k3, p7, k3, p12, k3, p7, k3
Row 44: k across
Row 45: k3, p32, k3
Row 46: k across
Row 47: k3, p32, k3
Row 48-52: k across

Bind off, and you're finished!

Have fun, be creative with your knitting squares, and happy knitting! If you have questions about the pattern, let me know in the comments!

Much love,
~Reiko ☆*.

☆ Fill Your Hearts With Love :) ☆

[Currently listening to "Vanilla Twilight" from Owl City's "Ocean Eyes" album - if you liked their song "Fireflies", I think you'll like this song as well as the rest of the album! ;) ]

Hi everyone :) I hope you all had a good week - tomorrow's Monday, thus the start of a new week for most of us. This past week has been very long, filled with busy hours, lessons learned, and hearts all around. Thankfully, I was given today off from work - I FINALLY got to catch up on the things I needed to do, especially my laundry (specifically my work uniforms ^^; ). There is still much to be done before today is through, but I'm taking some time from my busy schedule to write to all of you! Why? Because Reiko says YOU ROCK! ;)

First of all, I want to briefly tell you guys and gals about the place where I had the best she-crab soup... EVAR!! You're probably wondering where this place could be? Well, let me tell you: It's called Charlie's Seafood Restaurant!





This family-owned restaurant has been around since 1946, founded by Charlie and Mary Rehpelz (this is a picture of them back in the day!). In recent years, they've been awarded as the Best at the Beach not only for their specialty in seafood, but also for their customer service. I heard from Taylor and a few other people that this little restaurant is a nice place to go; even Tay said that it's so popular that it gets packed during the summer... o_O

So! ...was this popular little place really as many have claimed it to be? Well, this was my first time here, and I was about to find out.

Taylor and I got there around 4:30, a time when usually there isn't much business going on - perfect for a bit of a more quiet, comfortable first-time experience. Upon entering the restaurant, I immediately felt a comforting vibe: first from the handmade painting of ocean creatures on the walls, then to the restaurant itself. It isn't fancy, but it felt like home to me. We already knew that we were going to get she-crab soup, but along with that, Taylor got a shrimp basket and I got shrimp cocktail. I absolutely love shrimp, and the cocktail was delicious... But the she-crab soup topped it: it was so creamy, flavorful (full of crab and sherry) and there was a lot of crab meat! It was so good, it was no wonder the menu itself said that it was "A must for newcomers!" While we ate, I took a look around and... I can imagine how crowded it would be if we got there during the summer, so I'm glad we got to come at this time. I would definitely come back again, even if it was for another helping of that soup! :) If you want to see this restaurant for yourself, and you like seafood, check this place out! And if you do, or if you already have, let me know your thoughts on it (especially the soup!).

I know it's been a while since my last entry, and it's already past, but to those who gave up something for Lent, what did you give up? Let me know in the comments section! I gave up a couple of things; one I will not say due to personal reasons but one that has been very diffcult for me since Lent started was... video games. I knew it was going to be hard for me not to turn on my PSP, Wii and Nintendo DS, but I had to do it. :( I had to hide my hand-held games in a place where I wouldn't get them so easily... The sadness! But Lent is a time for spiritual good, so... No games for me. And I had just bought Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time for my DS... ;-; I dedicate a lot of time to my games, but for the next 36-35 days, I have to deal with it and try to do something else until Easter...

...which brings me to my next topic: I picked up my knitting needles again! It has been a while since I made something so I thought I'd try something new. Have you read my entry about knitting and crocheting? Go read it if you haven't, but if you already have (or if you're just lazy... ^^;) I mentioned that there was a HUGE crochet blanket that my mom and I made together a few years ago. ...and yes, we still have it - I'll have to take a picture for you all next time. ^-^ Anyhow, I thought that for this big project, I'll make a blanket all on my own!

Originally I wanted to have my quilted blanket to be a mix of crochet and knit patterns, but I found that I'm actually more comfortable knitting this. And so, knitting it is! I started the challenge today and made the first square! This light teal yarn is one of the colors that I will be using for the squares; the others are 2 shades of brown, and the bright blue yarn that I originally had for my Rinoa duster cosplay (which I will save for a future project). There is a yarn by Red Heart that has a combination of the browns and light teal in it, and I'm debating if I should use that for a square pattern or for the borders... I'm sure I'll figure it out, but this is what I have as far as colors are concerned!

For the patterns though, you see this square that I'm holding? This one has a huge heart in the middle of it (and though you won't see it in this picture, I did make a mistake in one row ^^;); this pattern will be featured in some of the squares as well as a few more heart patterns that I have in mind. Yes, this is a heart-themed blanket, full of love and warmth! For each day that I work on this blanket, I'll be sure to update you all on my progress. And I'd be more than happy to share with you the patterns that I used for them. :)

There is much more that I would love to be able to share with you all for tonight, but I'll have to save that for next time. :( But on a good note, I wanted to also let you know that... I'm much better! :) I still have stuff going around in my nose, but that will go away in time. But the good news is that I'm not contagious and am feeling really good! It's a miracle what lots of rest and natural remedies can do. :)

I'll be back tomorrow for another fun entry for you all. Until then, good night and be well!

Much love,
~Reiko ☆*.

*Disclaimer: Pictures found for this entry is sourced via main website of the restaurant mentioned here; in other words, I'm claiming that I do NOT own them!

☆Reiko, the Dream-Weaver :D ☆

[Currently listening to "無能為力 (translated as 'Helpless')" from the Cantonese movie "Love Is Not All Around (十分愛)".]

Hi everyone :) I hope you had a good day, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to make a blog post as I orignally planned for yesterday because I was very busy getting some homework done for my online classes. Ever done all-nighers? Regretfully, I've done it too; sure I got a lot of things done, and yes, I know it's not a healthy thing to do, especially for my body. ...but you know what, guys? I'm breaking the habit, starting now. From now on, I'm not doing that again for my assignments. Ever. Time for a readjustment in my schedule and routine for a little bit, but at least I'm taking the baby steps to get me there. :)
As you may have guessed from the title for today's blog, I'm going to talk about knitting and crocheting for a little bit. No, it's not a tutorial, although I am planning on putting up tutorial blogs in the near future. The main reason why I brought up this topic tonight is that I noticed recently from one of my college friends on Facebook that she was struggling to learn how to crochet. I was actually very excited and happy for her to take on a new hobby, so I encouraged her to keep on trying (and eventually she got past making the chain stitch!).

I'd like to share with you all a little bit of my experiences with crocheting and knitting, so please sit back and read on! :)

I learned the basics of crocheting from my mom when I was in middle school. My mom taught herself how to crochet during her younger years and growing up, I learned to appreciate the art of crocheting through the lace doilies she made. The way the lace looped and intertwined within itself was fascinating, and I couldn't help thinking, "My mom made something like this?" When I was in sixth or seventh grade, my mom and I came up with a project: to take turns crocheting my blanket. I chose the colors and patterns, she got the yarn, and for each row of color, I learned a new stitch. I'm not sure how long it took us to finally finish it but long story short, it did take a long while and the blanket acutally ended up being very BIG. Big as in... you can fit 3 grown people in it very comfortably. Yeah, it was that BIG.

By eighth grade, Mom slowly taught herself how to knit, but I was reluctant to learn since it looked difficult and confusing. I continued to crochet here and there until I got to college, and I haven't done much crocheting until this past year. During my junior year, I asked my mom to teach me how to knit, and yes, I will admit that I was very confused and stubborn at first - it took me days to finally understand how to cast-on on my own (no help of books or even the Internet at the time either!). Eventually, through the help of online videos and forums, I have advanced in knitting techniques and have made blankets and scarves for myself and my friends.

I have been crocheting for many years and am still branching out with knitting, but overall I enjoy yarnwork with either technique because each completed project is unique - you put your time, effort and your heart into making it so with each item made, a part of you will remain in it. It's also a very relaxing activity; I use it as a method for clearing out thoughts or even daydreaming - sometimes I'll visualize the future image of my project and think, "I can't wait to give this to so-and-so" or "I can't wait for my very own so-and-so" (if I don't feel like buying new clothes, lol!). What I like most about doing this is that it's not only a personal activity but a social one as well. In my last year in my home college, I joined the knitting and crocheting club and I got to meet a lot of young women who shared the same interest as me; I even received a lot of advice from advanced knitters within the group, and thanks to them, I've become more confident in my yarnwork skills.

So girls and guys - yes, guys can do it too! - I encourage you all to try out something new, especially knitting and/or crocheting because it really is fun. It really does take a lot of time, patience and concentration to learn and make new crafts, but in time they can be done. If you get yourself caught in a slump, don't give up! Remember that success comes in cans, not can'ts, so ask for help if you need it and don't stop until it's done! (...yes, you can have breaks in between - I didn't mean it like that lol!) If you'd like to seek help, I'd be more than happy to share my advice personally through my blog, so I hope you'll stay tuned! :)

Okay, everyone, I need to get to bed soon, so I wish you all sweet dreams :) And speaking of sweet, I'll be buying the ingredients to my chicken noodle soup tutorial and my secret sweet tutorial for my boyfriend, Taylor, for our anniversary (1.5 years!). The full tutorial is scheduled to be up on Saturday night. :)

Until next time,

With love ~Reiko ☆*.