international airfare

I know a lot of you are very internet savvy so tell me - how do i find cheap international airfares? Are there websites? I haven't really planned a trip where i had to buy airfare for a long time and i went through travel agencies. Help!

Been knitting!

I figured i should pop up and say hello.

Been sick, had a book review due, had a surprise visit from zack and family so had some outings which were fun, and have busy knitting a sweater for the little dude.

Just haven't had much to say lately in general. Winter is quiet time after all isn't it. I'm so glad I'm picking up this knitting thing. Far from being a good knitter and cannot hold the yarn right but something about knitting in winter is awesome.

Ah...finished the Gilmore Girls series. I had been holding off on the last season until i watched it from beginning to end making sure i hadn't missed an episode. I can watch reruns of this show forever though. I was afraid i'd hate the ending but i didn't. Sad that there's no more but glad it ended well.

Quilt tutorial

I found the tutorial i used for the quilt! It can be found here. I don't know why i couldn't find it before. I arranged my squares differently but this will give you all the info you need to make a simple quilt.

Weird.

Last week around 3 a.m. I was jolted awake from a dead sleep by a very strange sound. It was a distinct sound. Strangely enough I didn't get up and look out the window because 1. I already knew what it was and 2. I knew it was already gone because i heard it leave very fast - speed of light fast. I lay there a while afraid to wake LD (sleeps with me) and amazed at the same time that he didn't hear it because it was so intense and he's as light a sleeper as i am. When my husband got up in the morning I told him what I heard.


Me: You are going to call me crazy and if i didn't hear it myself i would call me crazy but last night i woke up from the craziest sound. There was a woooooosh and then it came to a complete stop about three blocks away, sat for the slightest second and then went away very fast. It was a very distinct sound.

DH: What do you think it was?


I look at him with a look of "i don't really want to tell you because you'll say i'm crazy".


Me: a ufo. It is exactly what a ufo would sound like. It was super fast and rather quiet but it was so low above the house and when it stopped it came to such a fast complete stop that's what i heard and then it was gone again in seconds. You know i don't think about this stuff but i know exactly what it was.

Tears of fear/unknown start to well in my eyes because when i get frightened or chilled by something that happens. They don't fall they just well up. I've always been a little afraid of the unknown. It's why I have such a fear of God. The biggest unknown.


Anyway, i let it go but still knew what i heard. Flash to the news Friday night. Yeah i know they say the ships are silent but that's because they are big ones and also moving. This was small. I could tell. Call me crazy but it was right around the same time they are reporting about. Freaky! When hubby said that too i said without pause "well it's because they abducted somebody." Okay, laugh now cause i would but seriously i never really gave this stuff much thought before so it's not like it's on my mind but what i heard sounded exactly like a ufo then taking someone up and back down and then zooming off. The only real sound i heard was that whole up and down sound. Very strange though.


I've never really been a skeptic so to say because spaceships have been described in the Bible and the Qur'an also says there is life beyond this universe. But I don't necessarily believe so much in them either. Until now.

sometimes i hate reviewing books

I hate reviewing books sometimes. Like the one i'm doing now. I found the book to be rather annoying although well written word wise. He's a local writer for the paper i'm writing it for and it's his first book which means it's probably the only review he's going to get and he's probably anxiously awaiting the review and his friends too and i'm trashing the book. Sucks. You have to be honest though. I'd be irritated if i read a dishonest review and got sucked into a sucky book.

I had a friend who reviewed the book of a friend and only slightly trashed it. They were never friends again. That would really suck to review a friends book that sucked.

Quilt

For those of you interested in trying this quilt. It's very easy. What you do is choose and cut your quilt squares or you can buy packets off Ebay. I did both. My squares were 4 inches. Then you use 9 per block and arrange them in this way... the X of it should be darker colored squares and the rest should be lighter colors. I did a red in the middle because i read somewhere (can't find it now) that red signifies the heart of the home and should be the center of each square. Then you stitch three at a time (row) and then attach those. Keep the red at the center and when you are done you cut it equally in half each way so you end up with four pieces. Keep doing this until you have enough to fit the size you want (i kept this one smallish..lapsize). Rearrange to get the pattern you want and stitch likewise. I messed up a lot here. I had it arranged but with it laying out LD constantly tore it up when he'd get into the sewing room so it got all confused and then when stitching it got confusing sometimes too. There's a few spots where similar blocks are right next to each other but now i know for next time. If anyone wants me to do a picture tutorial i could do that... It was much easier than i thought and took my fear of quilting away. It's a great starter quilt pattern.

For keeps

For keeps
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

Quilt #1 - finished!

Quilt #1 - finished!
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

It's done! I needed binding and then got that, then i needed thread to match and had to wait another few days to get that and then today with LD feeling a little out of it wanted to watch cartoons so i snuck upstairs for 20 minutes and got the binding on. He came up to see what i was doing just as i finished and he took the quilt.

Here it is! It's just a lap size for the couch. That's his hand saying he wants to watch Little Einsteins - his cartoon of choice. Mine too. :-)

He says it's his lol and wants me to make another one. But since it got done this afternoon it hasn't left his hands except when he was "doing dishes". He's at a very dangerous age and the other day he pushed a chair over to the stove and was stirring a hot pot of curry. OMG! I so panicked. It was like talking someone down from a ledge without them getting hurt and thank God i succeeded but now i can never leave the stove going which sucks because curries take hours to cook and i can't leave him for a second. He loves "cooking" and helping me to cook. It's his favorite thing. If i'm cooking he has to help and screams and cries if i don't let him. A chef in the making i think. So now i put him on a chair next to the sink with a few clean dishes, a measuring cup and the water turned on to a good temp and let him wash dishes. It takes a while and keeps him occupied. Anybody else's kid like this???

Anyyyyway, he went back to the quilt and hasn't left him. He doesn't normally sit around either but now with the quilt he likes to. So cute!

I can't wait to wash and dry the quilt now and see how it puckers. I didn't dry the fabric before so it would pucker because i like that look. That's the next and final step but will wait a week or so until it's been drug all around by those cute little hands.

What my name means.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you.

You're very intense.You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.

You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.
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It's amazing how right on it is!

do yours here

Ta da!

first finished knitted sweater
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

It's crazy how it finally clicked! I have knitted a few washcloth's over the last year but always screwed up or quit out of frustration but i thought enough was enough and put my mother in laws voice out of my head. She told me to stick to crochet lol. I just wasn't getting it. I was that way learning to crochet too and was so frustrated and now i'm very fluent in crochet. I went at this sweater full force. I used cheap yarn that i don't particularly care for. I 've never liked varigated yarn but i thought it would work for a baby. This sweater was pretty easy because it's got a boatneck (basically just stiched in from the shoulder an inch and a half. I don't like the sleeves. When i was making them i thought they were too wide and i still do. I was right on with guage though. Oh well.

First sweater down. LD grabbed it when i said i was finally finished and said "wear it!" i said he couldn't because it was too small. He cried "wear it wear it wear ittttttt" Sigh. During our peace talks it was decided that he wants me to immediately begin work on a sweater for him.

I must get a book review out of the way first though. I should have been doing that today during his nap instead of watching the final season of gilmore girls and knitting. Hmmmph. I feel so good right now. It drives me nuts when i don't get something because i'm under the belief that perserverance always wins and i don't think there's anything that can't be done through persistance and alhamdulillah i was right. I can now officially call myself a knitter. Yippee!

Okay. Off to pray and then tonight i've really got to finish this book. I can't wait to begin little dude's sweater. Anybody got a good pattern for me?

Can't wait for Spring!!!

feedsack quilt
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

Or a warm day....

I've been looking to get a quilt that can be used outdoors for lots of picnics. I wanted something old, preferably feedsack, and a little tattered so i won't be upset when it gets stained by grass or blueberries, my son's favorite fruit.

This was my answer. I heart Ebay. It cost me $1.25. Plus $20.25 shipping. And that was from Canada. Exactly what i wanted. I love the crisp whiteness. I love that it's feedsack. I love that it's thin enough to stuff in a backpack. I love that it's a little tattered along the bias - which is also the same feedsack for the stars. I love it. It's gorgeous and perfect. I *almost* don't want to take it outside but that's why i wanted it. Husband says "no used quilts" on beds but he agreed with my outside purpose. I don't think the blueberries will be getting eaten straight on the quilt though. Or pomegranates. I'll be making something else for that. Excited about that too.

Did i tell you guys i finished my quilt except the binding which i'm going to work on tomorrow's naptime. I thought i would be a casual quilter and would curse the quilting. I went against all advice and quilted my machine - cheap machine - and it really wasn't bad. In fact i sort of fell in love with it. Now i want to make a bunch of them. Little Dude's is next. Wait until you see the fabrics i chose!

I'm an addict with very little time. Muharram is coming up quickly which means i'll be at the mosque a lot and having very little time. I found a mosque here too that's mixed on Friday's right in my town. Excited about starting Jumah prayers with my son there. I'm finally making friends here to which is totally affecting my mood in a good way. Both LD and I have had a hard time here adjusting to a friendless life but i've put us both out there in the last few weeks and now it's coming together.

Here's a closer shot of the quilt. Lovely lovely lovely.

feedsack quilt close up
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

Alhamdulillah!

sweater front
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

I got the front of a sweater done! I chose a baby sweater size 0-3 months because it was small and if i screwed up it wouldn't matter so much because it's small and well babies outgrow things so fast. No I'm not pregnant. Sore spot here.

Anyhoooow. I began with a washcloth and fixated on my mistakes as they came and finally focused on figuring out how to fix mistakes and was able to although i left a few that were way down.

washcloth
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

I did okay fixing them except once when i just undid three rows because i screwed up even more trying to fix them but it wasn't as bad as i thought so i wanted to move on to something bigger and this is what i've done! It's a very basic boatneck pattern with little shaping using a Debbie Bliss pattern but i'm so happy it's turning out! If i get it done then i'll start on one for little dude that has more style. This is practice and will work for a baby too. He thinks this one is his. :-( He's in for an awakening when it's done lol.

It's been nice to have something to do while watching the news of the primaries evenings and i should get a good portion done while watching Project Runway if dh gets home at a reasonable hour and puts LD to bed.

So loving that i've gotten this far.

Oh, and here's a picture of the belt i was talking about. It's a sturdy linen type of fabric lined with yummy dots. I attached a strip of velcro so it should last for a year at least. I love it and it's reversible too. I usually leave the green dots as the inside though. I really like the way it turned out. Much better than the leather or camo ones i've seen in shops.

belt
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

domain

How do you go about buying a domain? I have no idea where to start.

Obama for president and Ron Paul for vice

I wasn't feeling very hopeful about the upcoming presidential election until Obama the other night. I was leaning his way for a long while and then i quit leaning because i thought he was starting to say what he thought people wanted to hear and that's the last thing i want in a president. Then i went to Ron Paul. I like him a lot. I know who i don't want. All the rest of them. Hillary is annoying. No personality, annoying to listen to, arrogant, annoying to look at. She's just annoying and i already told my husband if one of my choices don't make it i'm moving to canada with or without him. Edwards is really annoying to look at and listen to it. His squinty eyes paired with that annoying drawl - i just can't deal. All the Republicans suck except my boy Ron Paul. At first i sort of made fun of his name because well it sounds like a transvestite's name to me. Don't know why. Obama is back in my good graces but he needs to keep his backbone. I'm just really worried that people just aren't ready for a black family in the White House. Sadly. I think he'd make a good president given the choices we have. My dream team is Obama as president with Ron Paul as his vice president. Wouldn't that get everyone in a hissy? I don't normally talk politics on here after all that bad energy came my way before but i just had to put my two penny's out there. I just really hope it goes this way because every single Republican except Ron Paul will take this country more into war, more away from morality and i just won't hack it here anymore. I barely do now. I better download the lyrics for the Canadian anthem just in case.

here's the mittens.

mittens for ld
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

star!

star!
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

Been making stuff. Funny how i go through waves of productivity once a month. In one week this is what i did:

- made ld this star from Sprout but he calls it a starfish. Either way he loves it and goes around hugging it saying "hug. hug. huggiiiiing." Cute. Took 5 minutes and provides hours of cuddling around here. I love watching tv with it. Makes a great pillow.

- Made some mittens for LD. Love em. Used that felt from those scarves i felted and lined them with baby blue flannel, embroidered little snowflakes all over the felt. He still won't wear mittens but they last a little longer on him than the other ones. Picture is on flickr if you want to see.

- I quilted the quilt this afternoon! I realize some big mistakes but i still love it. I just should have added another row without red. it's okay though. It's all been a learning process for the one i'm working up the courage to do. I've spent a lot of energy thinking about the next one. It's for LD of course and i want it to be something he'll insh'Allah pass on to his own kids so i want it perfect and perfectly thought out. I just have binding left on this one and need to find fabric for it.

- a crocheted hat for me. love this one. it's from a japanese book and so cool

- also one of the pay it forward gifts. finally getting to these!

- 3 pairs of pajama bottoms for LD

- belt for LD. I made one last week out of necessity but i made it too small so had to remake it. I love love love it. Need to take a picture but it looks so professional and so much better than the ones in the stores. I've been looking for a belt i liked for him every time i went out which isn't often but still, my eyes have been peeled for 6 months or so. Something about this age. Waists in pants are too big or legs are too short. This'll fix it. I want to make a zillion of these now.

My kid sure does get a lot made for him but he is appreciative. He stole the quilt today for his nap and said. "more blanket" as in make another lol. He's the only two year old i know that goes around with quilt squares saying "fabic" (fabric). He also tries to cut on a rotary board with whatever he can get his hands on, sew with string and fingers etc. I love it.

Generosity

yummyiness!
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

Sometimes I'm amazed at how generous my friends can be. Like this here. It came from someone I never met but I know her. And she knows me. And one day I hope we can meet in real life because i adore her.

It's funny because I never really knew generosity in life and then I met Muslimah's. When I first went to the mosque it was such a good experience. My second visit there i was handed a book here, a scarf there and invitations to homes and what not. I realize part of this was because i was a novelty at the time and was also single. But still, i had never been treated like that before. It was always work to meet people and in a way it has always been work since then (at the mosque especially). I guess I'm no longer a novelty. :-)

I remember my newly reaquainted friend Leila passing books on to me as well as a bag full of scarves the week after i first visited the mosque and became Muslim. Masooma too, when i went to visit her for the first time, dug through her closet and gave me a box full of scarves, abayas, kurtas etc. Funny these two are who i entered blogland knowing, although i think Masooma and I started at the same time because of Leila.

My blog friends and friends I've met through my comment box have proven to be some of the best friends I've had. Not because they give me things but because every time they blog or comment on my blog they give a piece of themselves and for that I'm forever grateful. And for those who I've met or know in real life, i get to know them in two places and see two different sides of them which is a lot of fun. I have met 6 or so in person and hope to meet the remaining few that I feel that personal connection with insh'Allah in real life.

Thank you dear friend for this lovely surprise you sent me. There's something apple-y in the works already! What perfect fabric choices for my apple loving son and self. Everything in that package was chosen just right for us. Thank you for thinking of us!