Fiber Arts Creators I Love

 Hi! I wanted to do a list of the creators I like to watch and get inspiration from in the fiber arts community. You should totally recommend people to watch if you think I would like it :D

Aspen in the Moment / Made in the Moment

Loveeeee their drama videos. I also really like their style and personality and think they make really captivating videos, and inspire me to continue to crochet and eventually, potentially learn to knit. Some of their projects are down below.

PassioKnit Kelsie

I really enjoy her YouTube vlogs and find them to be satisfying to watch, especially her store drops where she sells out like…instantly of her crochet and knit items. I find her very inspiring from a business perspective and also I like her style.

Mrs. Moon & Heaven

When she does post vlogs, I looooooooove them. She has a bright, fun colors aesthetic, and I like her style of videos. She is someone that I need to make some of her patterns, like the Luna Cardigan I've been meaning to make for yeeeeears. 

What are some of your fav fiber arts creators? Or just drop youtubers that have the same hobbies as you :)

june fixations

 TV - Sex and the City 

So, finally finished this show. Even though I don't necessarily "relate" to the characters in this show, something about it is very endearing. I am not a New Yorker, so something about watching these ladies life's in the big city and what goes on in their lives is fascinating. Even if it's not real.

Towards the end of the series, the last season specifically, I was like...bummed! I didn't love where their stories left off I guess. Like Carrie and Big...ugh. I don't like Big, I just didn't understand him I guess.  I know there are movies and shows after this but I think I'm going to leave this show off right here. 

My favorite characters were Samantha and Miranda. Also I would love a job like Carrie's...I wonder if those type of newspaper columns are still around? I guess everything is online now. I know we have a newspaper at least in our town but I don't see columns like that. I guess we have blogs and vlogs now for that sort of thing. 

Hobbies - Crocheting and Coffee Talk Tokyo 

I haven't finished Coffee Talk Tokyo yet but I loveeee it so far. I just absolutely adore this series. So many different creatures I have never even heard of! Just an overall cool game thus far. 

Crochet-wise, I am currently working on a throw blanket for my coworkers office and its coming along nicely. I definitely have to make a border because the edges don't seem to be straight, there are just kind of wobbly if that makes sense.

Documentaries - Kings of Tupelo

So I actally have been watching a bunch of different crime documentaries, including Maternal Instinct (which was absolutely tragic). 

But this series stood out to me just because of how...bizarre it was. I simply could not look away from the screen it was just absolutely WILD. Elvis impersonators coming across a conspiracy of a body part black market that escalates all the way up to the US Government. Just truly a bizarre film. 

The editing is HILARIOUS. You got to watch it.

 

frutiger zen - yoga wellness and trying to get healthy

 So, I've been trying to get in better shape. I've debated on making a blog post about this because I think the discussion around weight loss can sometimes spark arguments or be taken a certain way. But I am not promoting anything unhealthy, I promise!

This all started around a recent trend on my ForYou page called Frutiger Zen. It's like all these older 2000s videos centered around yoga fashion, health wellness, having your own yoga studio, blah blah blah. Specific music that is associated with that vibe. Things like that. *Kinda related, if you like music here is a music mix I made based off that aesthetic.

Then, from there, it got me thinking. I have been wanting to get in better shape for quite some time. More so for my health and overall happiness, and seeing what a lot of these women look like and their exercises they were practicing was definitely more of a vibe that I liked. It honestly looked kind of fun instead of like...a chore. One thing I struggle with is exercise, I hateeeee it. But yoga has been one thing I can say I have been able to do pretty consistently in comparison to the gym or things like that. 

But then like I will look online and a lot of people say yoga isn't meant for things like weight loss or fat reduction! But I think its better to move my body more this way rather than no way, especially because I usually sit still most of the day. Plus, in combination with eating healthier (trying too), I think this will lead me down the right path. I plan on adding cardio more in the future.

I think exercise is also one of my biggest downfalls because I have this very negative mentality of "oh my god, this shit sucks. I hate exercising so much. I'm sweating, I could be doing this that and something else." I don't necessarily want to be muscular or anything like that, but I do want to have more strength and just treat my body nicer.

Anyways, thank you for reading. I guess where I am at now, is be healthier, lose weight, move more. What are some ways you try and stay healthy? Do you have any suggestions for yoga youtubers or meals you like?

do i want to dress alt or do i just want to suffer

 You know, I reallyyyy like the idea of online shopping. I get to play with different clothes, see my dream aesthetic play out in front of me and be a cool, alt version of myself that I dream to be.

In reality I hate online shopping. Or shopping of any kind. It's stressful as hell for me personally. 

Since I was in elementary school basically, I loved the idea of dress like a scene kid. Or a goth kid. Or a emo kid. 

However living in a strict household that was basically out of the question. But as I grew older, I tried to experiment with my style in more subtle ways that would be allowed within my family.

Now as a adult, I get random bursts of motivation to be like "Alright! It's time! It's time to dress how I want to dress!" 

But then like the other day, I'm scrolling through websites like Fox Blood for example and I am just thinking to myself....oh my god. I don't like any of these items. 

Am I a....poser?

I think part of the issue is that I am not the best at styling. I am very much a “put on bottoms, put on a top, put on shoes, maybe add earrings, and call it a day” type of person. I don't put a lot of thought with the current clothes in my wardrobe because I don't loveeee it.

So when I see individual clothing pieces online, I struggle to actually envision an outfit. I cannot casually shop somewhere without basically building the entire outfit right there, because I cannot picture how the clothes would look in any other context. 

Also, where I live, the vibe I am realistically going for nowadays is shawls, skirts, boots, cardigans, and things like that. Which is not exactly practical when it is hot as hell here, especially now that it is summer, and honestly even in the other seasons, it never cools down enough to be sweater weather it feels like.

For the last couple years, I have been slowly leaning towards what they call "whismigoth." I actually have a very similar outfit pictured to the left from Pinterest. I think that's the style I am going for nowadays and can survive the heat if I just switch to some...sandals and no cardigan. But again, I run into the issue of finding the correct articles of clothing to go all together when I am out shopping.

I am a chronic outfit repeater because of this, and honestly I see no shame in that. I just like what I like.

My point in posting this, I guess, is that I wanted to ask: where do you guys find this style of clothing? How can I up my fashion game? 

Here is a typical outfit for me right now if I was just out and about.

I have a purple variation of this skirt as well that I use interchangeably with this outfit.

It's a little more cropped than this but a simple black tee.

Not as fancy as this but I put a shawl on top that is also black.

Some kind of variation of these earrings, but you get the point.

P.S. here is this funny shirt I saw while I was scrolling Depop.

surprise! trying to start a club

Alright so I am doing something completely outside my comfort zone...and attempting....to start....

a club.

After I posted my last blog about wanting a sense of community, a cozy place for people to hang out, it got me thinking about how to create that community. And I thought, eh, why not? What's the worst that can happen? 

So I started posting on Reddit on any interested people for the club. Specifically, the club would be centered around any one who is into the fiber arts, which I know is a big spectrum but I want to be skilled in more than one area at some point, and I feel like being exposed to others crafts would be inspiring! I also thought about potentially doing charity projects, as that would be suppppper cool!

look at them, so happy with their yarn!

So far I got around 5 people who showed interest and joined the sever. yippee yippee ! Now I'm trying to figure out where does one go from here? We just jump straight into doing a meeting? I posted my introduction and we will see where it goes in the server. 

This is something COMPLTELY outside my comfort zone. I am a homebody and a introvert all the way. But i always wanted other friends to craft with, and i honestly just need to up my support in friends some more, as I noticed that when I befriend people, I tend to drift away for whatever reason. It's never intentional, I just suck at maintaining friendships it seems. Something happens where we just sorta...drift out of touch. I'm working on it though!

So for anyone who is looking for a sign to start a club, here is your sign! If anybody has any advice on how they would run a club...please comment! I honest to god don't know what I am doing. I'm winging it.

coffee talk and small businesses

I recently started playing Coffee talk: Tokyo. I'm a huge fan of this series and I have played the first two games. i love the dynamics between the characters, the storylines, the dialogue. It always inspires me to open a place like Coffee Talk. 

Unfortunately where I live, there isn't a whole lot of options for a "third space," or funky, alt, small cafes. Around me, its primarily built for retired folks and there isn't a whole lot to do here. I've even thought to myself, what if I were to start one? Would it be successful? Would it completely fail and ruin my life? How do you market that within this community? 

How do places like that stay alive? 

Back when I lived in a bigger city and was going to school, I felt like these shops existed everywhere, and I loved them. But I wondered how they stayed open, they never seemed full. I am pretty ignorant to the business side of those things. But again....a place where you have regulars and chat as you work, have a warm, whimsical environment.... I just love that idea. It inspires me, motivates me. But unfortunately I am not a risk taker, and I worry if I even did have the balls to do something like that, it would blow up in my face. 

This is kind of the feeling I had for when I tried to start up an online crochet shop. I really wanted to make money off my hobby, and at the time (again in school) I was really into it. But I quickly realized through friends and acquaintances that nobody was willing to pay the "true cost" of a crochet piece. And to be honest, neither would I! I get it! It's expensive! I also feel like what I crochet doesn't bring anything new to the market, so I lost that competitive edge I suppose. 

Same thing goes for when I tried being a twitch streamer yearsssss ago. I just felt like I didn't bring anything new to the table. Plus the games i played aren't really the best for streaming, and I never really wanted to ever speak in my streams to essentially nobody. i am not very charismatic in that regard! 

But then like I am sitting here, typing this and thinking to myself...what is my intention? Am I trying to be rich off these schemes? Trying to help others? Have fun? Be famous? 

I guess I just want a cozy community when it comes to the third space and streaming stuff. And for my store, I just wanted to have a fun job.

I dunno. Maybe i am just not build to be a small business owner.

puppy blues

 So I just want to start off by saying....I am completely grateful to have a dog! a puppy nonetheless! I love her to pieces

but oh my gosh, puppies are haaaaaaaaaard to take care of.

Coco...in all her glory.

I got this lovely puppy back in January and it has been the most amazing, frustrating, humbling experience of my life. My boyfriend and I completely underestimated how easy it would be to take care of a dog. We were watching training videos on Youtube, thinking "Oh! We got this!"

No. No we did not. 

Well we did, but it was just definitely a learning curve. 

Personally, I've never had a Staffy before. The only dogs I ever had were two Yorkies who were mainly raised by my parents and my job was just to pick them up, cuddle with them, and give them silly nicknames. 

When we were looking for a dog, I didn't remember with my yorkies any specific issues with potty training, or training in general. I just remember showing them tricks and that was really it. 

Well, Coco would come and show me how much I hate the potty training process, and the strength a baby Staffy has versus my fragile Yorkies who were practically stuffed animals in comparison to her. 

Coco has been much better in regards to potty training, and hasn't had an accident in a while. However, she frequently needs to be taken out which again, I underestimated that. I am though very grateful that she signals by staring at us intensely and stomping when she needs to get taken out.

Coco demanding to be let back inside.

Another thing I had to learn is oh my god....can this dog DESTROY toys! My Yorkies had like no issues with this, so I didn't expect this at all. She has gone through sooooo many toys its ridiculous. We even have gotten these like..super hard ones that make this loud THUD noise when they hit the ground, and she has even managed to mess those up. Right now her favorite is those Kong toys, and a like rock solid bone toy. Not destroyed....yet.

Coco with a broken cat toy 
and her toy

And her strength...oh my gosh. this dog has MUSCLES. Like, I will be kneeling down, and she will jump up to me and boom! I'm on the ground! Or if she jumps on the bed to say hello in the morning, she will knock the wind out of me! 

Going back to training, one thing I am still getting use to is crate training. Before we moved, my pets slept in the same bed as me (don't judge). But now, with Coco in our lives, we thought it would be best to train her that her crate is like her bedroom, and that's where she sleeps. It hasn't been unpleasant, and I think honestly she likes her crate when she's tired.

I think the last pet I ever had to train was my cat, who is still with us. Coco has a terrible tendency to jump on him or try and play with him (I think), which pisses him off and causes him to hide or run to us or hiss. I really am not sure how to fix this issue. She doesn't always jump on him, but for the most part Artie has learned to just keep his distance. Coco too.

Anyways, I just wanted to talk about my dog. I really do love her but man... she was not what I was expecting at all. Here's a photo of my kitty to end the post <3

may's fixations

So, I saw this post in my reading list by single dog dare and i wanted to do something similar! i thought it would be cool in the future to look back at my monthly faves, and see what i was interested in. 

TV - The Nanny

So this has been on my watch list for quite some time. I didn't grow up with it, but I was seeing a lot of clips of it on TikTok which inspired me to give it a watch! I loved it, but the final season was a bit of a bust for me. 

But I find the show the same level of comforting I did Golden Girls, which was a LOT. I loved Fran's outfits and her hair, and her dynamics with the family. I liked seasons 1-3, and 4 was okay, but 5-6 were...eh. I feel like as the show progressed, the characters become like...caricatures of themselves? If that makes sense? Like Fran became very bimbo-like and ditsy, obsessing over Maxwell, and Niles was kind of...I don't know his character was also falling flat for me. I did not like that CC and Niles got together! But again, I did enjoy the show for what it's worth.

Today I started watching Sex and the City, so we shall see how that goes.

Hobbies - Persona 3 & Crocheting

So honestly? I actually haven't been gaming a BUNCH this month. But this has been a game that's been on my mind, I got to get back into it.

As always, I am crocheting my granny squares, trying to get through the skeins I have of the granny square yarn.

Music - Frutiger Aero? Sade?

So I wasn't exactly sure what to call it but I've been listening to a lot of Xploshi and Alyzea's music, both of which are popular in the frutiger aero edits. 

I've also been listening to a lot of Sade, and her music, especially when I am driving home or to work. 

Xploshi and Alyzea makes me feel more chill and actually helps me study. 

But that's what I got for this month! Thanks for reading :)

I really need to read more

I've been trying to get back into reading for a couple months. Between school and work, it's hard to make room for new hobbies. So I thought I would make a list of some books I am interested in/were recommended to me!

Starling House - Alix E. Harrow

So I was gifted this book, but the cover itself is really pretty. I love Fantasy novels and the names of the characters on the back (Opal) captivated me. Here's a brief summary from Google!

In Alix E. Harrow's Starling House, the plot centers on Opal, an impoverished young woman living in the dying, coal-mining town of Eden, Kentucky. Desperate to secure a better future for her teenage brother, Opal takes a mysterious housekeeping job at Starling House. There, she uncovers dark supernatural secrets about the town.

The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid

My mom gifted me this a while back and thought I would like it. I haven't read it but it's one of my top ones to get out the way.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid follows an aging, reclusive Old Hollywood icon who hires a struggling magazine journalist, Monique Grant, to write her tell-all biography. Through recounting her seven marriages, Evelyn reveals her manufactured public image and a lifelong, secret romance

Sociopath: A Memoir - Patric Gagne

Another book my mom recommended me. I don't know about much this one. However...judging on my brief Google search and seeing the reviews on this...I am interested to see what the author has to say in this novel!

Sociopath: A Memoir by Dr. Patric Gagne is a revelatory autobiography that chronicles the author’s lifelong experience living with sociopathy. By detailing her journey from a misunderstood child to a practicing therapist, Gagne dismantles harmful stigmas, reframes sociopathy as an "emotional learning disability," and advocates for greater acceptance and treatment

Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo

Another one I don't have a lot of knowledge about! My mother-in-law gifted me this series a Christmas or so ago and I again....have yet to read it.

In Six of Crows, a criminal prodigy named Kaz Brekker leads a crew of six dangerous outcasts on an impossible heist. Their mission is to infiltrate the Ice Court in Fjerda and rescue a scientist who holds the formula for jurda parem, a lethal, addictive drug that amplifies Grisha magic.

I use to be a big reader back in middle school to high school but as I got older, I fell more and more out of it. I like physical books and I don't love audiobooks, so I got to make some time to read, as it's a hobby I don't want to lose. 

So many hobbies to keep up with....not enough hours in a day to do them all :(

Frutiger Aero: The Future We Were Promised

So I love the Frutiger Aero aesthetic, despite my blog being very dark and gloomy. Specifically, I like the music that is now associated with it thanks to TikTok and YouTube. I associate a lot of older Nintendo games with the genre and I also have a couple favorite artists like alyzea or Xploshi. 

With that being said, it leaves me feeling nostalgic for the past, like the old Wii music and games, the Xbox 360 and playing games with my dad and brother, playing Harvest Moon on the PSP...etc etc.

Anyways, I've had a YouTube channel where I wanted to post different music mixes that match certain vibes or just consists of music I like. I had a mix up there but I've learned it got taken down because of Copyright from Nintendo! boo!

If you are into video game music and the Frutiger aero aesthetic, here is a mix to get you ready for the summer season. I think I want to make another Frutiger aero mix soon, as this one is more beachy and tropical. 

Yarn Review: THE Granny Square Yarn (Red Heart)

 

My fav colorway: Grape Granny

So, I'm like three years behind on this review BUT! I wanted to talk about the all in one granny square yarn today, as it feels like this is all I use lately.

Brand: Red Heart

Yarn Name: All in One - Granny Square Yarn

Weight: 4 (Medium) 
Type: Acrylic

First Impression

I first bought this yarn because I LOVED the Grape Granny colorway. But also, at the time, a lot of reviews from my fav crochet accounts were coming out and I was influenced...and bought my first skein.

Texture & Feel

I feel like with most acrylic yarn, it's definitely NOT the softest in the world...but I am not an acrylic hater, and I thing for the price and the amount of squares it produces, it's definitely good for things like bags, scarfs, etc. Plus there are ways to soften acrylic yarn. 

Working with It

I won't lie. This yarn has pissed me off a couple times. It's definitely a yarn you need to have a consistent tension or it's going to be an aggravating process. 

Once you get the hang of it, it's satisfying and mindless. I personally use the recommended hook size for this yarn (5.5mm) but I've seen reviews where people size up or down depending on their tension. 

What I Like

So I HATE weaving in ends, and this yarn is perfect for not weaving in a lot of ends. For a long time I wasn't a big granny square lover because all the beautiful ones have a lot of different colors mixed in and I am just not good at weaving in ends or color changes like that. I also really like their color options they got. Plus, I don't necessarily need to have a project ready, I can just make granny squares and store them until I need them.

What I Dislike

Like I said earlier, if your tension isn't consistent, this yarn can definitely make you mad. Again, acrylic isn't the softest either but I've followed a couple hacks online on how to make acrylic softer, like conditioning it for example.

Projects I've Done

Granny square blanket

Granny square scarf

Granny square tote bag (♡ my favvvv ♡)

Summary

Overall, this ball of yarn has been keeping me going in the crochet craft for the past year since it's a easy project to be produce. I love the ways the squares look when they are done, at least the specific colorways I get. But I can see why people get frustrated with this skein. Personally I still have quite a few skeins to go through and then try and think of a project to do with the squares, so any suggestions are appreciated if you have any ideas. 

I give it...8 granny squares out of 10!

crappy days

 Y'all ever have a day where you are just chilling...having a normal day...and then BOOM! So many bad things happen back to back? 

Yeah today is one of those days. I get home from work and then: A/C isn't working, pets misbehaving/causing trouble, car troubles, homework to get done....boom boom BOOM! Just all at once! 

I get overwhelmed easily, so this domino effect is a one way ticket to overstimulation for me. Especially now? In this heat we are having? Yeah....not a good combo for me....

But hey...sometimes life just be life-ing. And we just got to keep moving and better days will come. I am trying not to simmer on things as it causes me a lot of unneeded stress. These things will be fixed or get better...and it's going to be okay. It will be okay.

Alright let's get these discussion boards done. 

I need to get some hobbies :(

    So lately I have been in a crocheting slump and I don’t know how to get out of it. I’ve never been very an artistic person so the fact that I’m crocheting at all is shocking. To me, crocheting is a very creative craft, and I never come up with patterns, I just tend to follow them on YouTube or on other blogs. 

    These last couple months, I have just not had the desire to crochet or follow patterns or do anything new project-wise which kind of...worries me I think is the word I'm looking for? So..in an attempt to get out of my slump, I went through my saved pins and tiktoks and I thought I would post some some patterns and some pics that I’ve been interested in crocheting and hopefully feel my inner creative fire light up again!

    I’m not really sure why I am burned out from: is it from work? from crochet as a hobby? I don’t really know. Maybe I need to learn a different hobby, I always thought about sewing. I got a sewing machine and never ended up using it, but maybe that’s a hobby I should get into. Knitting has also been a skill I wanted to learn. But for some reason....these hobbies just intimidate the hell out of me! They just seem
so complicated and time-consuming, which is not that big of a problem for me but I also feel like they are expensive hobbies.

    I don’t know. When it comes to my hobbies, but I don’t wanna lose that like that part of me. Crochet was a big part of my life, especially during the pandemic and my college year....so yeah. I don't really want to part with it!

Some pieces I want to make/inspire me!

I also noticed my lack of interest in video games lately,  however recently that's been shifting. I have found something and that's...Persona 3!

 I never played Persona and I know it's a pretty popular game so I’ve recently started playing it which I found to be fun! I’m pretty early on the game and it’s been pretty interesting. I’ve always liked visual novels and the game reminds me of that so that’s a plus. But, the skills, some of the combat difficult for me. The Persona fusing and things like that that still confuse me.  The academic, charisma, and other skills kind of confuses me a little bit but I’ll get there! I want to play the other games in the series, and hopefully get into other games like it. Also the music? Love it. I actually noticed I use to listening to a Persona 4 song without knowing it was from the game! I use to watch the video all the time and thought it was sooooo cool.

    Show wise, I recently finished Modern Family, which is not something I would typically watch. Normally, I honestly watch animated shows or anime. I’ve been seeing a lot of clips of it on TikTok and it just seemed kind of cute and funny. But as the seasons progressed, I just kinda disliked the characters more and more. I liked the earlier seasons, but that also has its flaws...like I didn’t like the weird creepiness with Phil and Gloria. There’s like some weird moments with Manny and the women in his family. but other than that, I feel like I liked the earlier season more than the older seasons. I think I was also just getting bored of the show later down the line, but that’s done.

 

    Now I’m watching the Nanny! Which I’m mainly watching for Fran because she’s very pretty and  I like her fashion style, and her humor. I just like her character from what I’ve seen online so I’m interested to see how that goes. It kind of gives me the same vibe as Golden Girls, which I LOVED. I guess cause it’s like sitcom-y? If that’s the right genre for it? 

    Anyways, sorry for jumping from topic to topic. Just kind of my stream of consciousness on paper right now of where I’m at with my hobbies and interests. It’s definitely something I got to work on because if I don’t practice self-care, I’m gonna be like freaking miserable. And I know it’s so sounds so corny, but like my hobbies are very important to me in my self-care routine and maintaining my sanity.