Rockin’ some new glasses

Awhile back, I heard about some cheap eyeglass sites via a blog I read.  The glasses ran between $20 and $40 a pair, and I was very excited at the prospect of ordering online and saving a bit of money over the traditional eyeglass store.  Subsequently, though, I heard about Zenni Optical, which offers complete pairs of glasses starting at $8.00 plus a flat $5.95 shipping per order.

Because you can’t try on the glasses ahead of time, it does take some work.  All of Zenni’s frames have plenty of measurements to give you an idea of how big they are.  I carefully measured all of the components of my old pairs of glasses (bridge width, arm length, lens width and height, etc.), then found pairs at Zenni that were within a few millimeters of the pairs I liked.  (Another option would be to go to a store, find a pair you like, write down the manufacturer/model number, then come home and look up the measurements to find a similar pair.)  You must also know your pupillary distance, which can be obtained from your eye doctor, or by having someone carefully measure the distance between your pupils with a ruler.

I chose two pairs: one, a plain $8.00 plastic framed pair with no add-ons, and another, $19.00 rimless pair with a clip-on sunshade (very stylin’, I assure you) and anti-reflective coating.  All told, including shipping, I paid $40 and some change.
 
Not my most photogenic moments, but the glasses aren’t too shabby, eh?

Christmas gift installment #6

Our computer was recently sent out for repair after it lost 2/3 of its keys.  For the few days we had it prior to sending it out, it was a very interesting arrangement of copying/pasting letters and letter combinations to access the most important websites.  The space bar didn’t work, which I think was the hardest thing to deal with.  Who would have known that you cannot copy/paste a space unless you copy/paste two letters on either side of it?  (And since our backspace and delete keys didn’t work either, having unnecessary letters was not a good option.)  But, I will say that Toshiba was a pleasure to work with.  Our computer was still under warranty, and so the whole repair process was pretty quick and quite painless.  (And although I could tell that their support staff was foreign, they were at least understandable, which is better than some of the credit card service staff I’ve spoken with in the past, who were based in the Southern US…)

At any rate, Christmas gift installment #6: another tote bag!
 
Again, made with Amy Butler fabric and a coordinating broadcloth on the inside.  This time, the pattern was from J. Caroline Creative (I didn’t do the padded bottom), and the bag was a gift for my mom.  She teaches the music in Primary, so the hope is that she can use this to tote her music supplies to church.

Christmas gift installment #5

Getting bored with these post titles yet?

Christmas gift installment #5: Set of cloth napkins

 
Made with the basic dimensions and instructions in this tutorial (though obviously the center strip isn’t patchwork), from Amy Butler’s Wildflower line, gray broadcloth, and unbleached muslin. 

Christmas gift installment #4

Christmas gift installment #4: Camera strap cover

I looked through several camera strap tutorials online (Googled), but ultimately just made a simple sleeve using the generic camera strap dimensions I found.  Apparently, though, those darn straps are pretty scratchy, so I’m thinking I’ll need to make another, padded, one for it to be truly useful.

Christmas gift installment #3

Christmas gift #3: Library tote bag

This is a simple, small-ish sized tote bag, perfect for library trips.  I made it using Amy Butler’s Coriander Pine fabric (the pocket is fabric with matching colors from Hobby Lobby, the inside is solid broadcloth from Walmart).  Tutorial here.

A happy airplane

I admit: I saw some of “The Bachelor” premiere.  I’m not sure why they’re playing up the pilot angle so much.  Being married to a pilot, I can tell you: it’s a job like any other.  It has its advantages and its disadvantages, but it’s really not the glamorous or high-paying job that so many seem to think it is.  (And can I say that I, for one, do not like the uniforms?  The hats looks so… doofy*.)  Still, the hubs loves flying, and if you want to be jealous that I’ve hooked me a pilot, go right ahead.  :)

It’s true, though, that we tend to be a little more into aviation than the average family.  Naturally, when I saw a pattern for an amigurumi airplane, it was put in the queue.  And so, here he is:

David says that it looks something like a seal, what with the placement of the nose props and all.  I have to agree.

Specs:
Pattern: Happy Little Airplane by Ana Paula Rimoli, via Amigurumi Two
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Red, Caron Simply Soft in Black and Gray(ish)
Hook: G
Mods: Made the body 1 round shorter (I feared I wouldn’t have enough yarn to finish it); black windows instead of white (much more realistic, I’d say – if there’s anything realistic about a crocheted airplane with a face)

Note: the pattern for the tail section has an error in the book, as it fails to list how many rounds to do.  The answer is 8, as found on the publisher’s correction page.

*Doofy
pronunciation: \dü-fē\
function: adjective
origin: my combination of doofus and goofy
definition: weird, odd, mildly pretentious

Christmas gift installment #2

Christmas gift installment #2: knitted hat

My sister-in-law is into running, so I figured this could be a little bit of a dressier beanie.  It’s acrylic, so it’s easy to care for, should keep her head warm on cool mornings, and it’s long and snug enough to cover the ears. 

The hat turned out well enough.  I, however, am no hat model.   
Seriously, what is the “appropriate” facial expression when doing shots like this?  A smile looks goofy, but you don’t want to have too straight of a face either.  It appears I ultimately went with “slightly amused with tightly pursed lips.”

Specs:
Pattern: Felicity by Wanett Clyde (via Ravelry)
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in white
Needles: size 6 dpns and 8 16” circ (I think…)
Mods: Sorry, I’ve already forgotten what I did.  I think I skipped one of the increase rounds, but I can’t be sure.