Instant Gratification

I like making hats and scarves. They provide me with a sort of instant gratification - a quick sense of accomplishment. They are relatively short projects into which you can incorporate any design, any stitch, any pattern, any color combination. And they are useful too!

The first knit item I ever completed was a hat and the second was a matching scarf. I used to churn them out while I was in college and I'd give every one away. I know how to knit and I love to knit beanies, but I have never kept a single beanie for myself. Including these:

Ribbed Rasta Beanie with Fat Stripes


Big Slouchy Rasta Beanie
This is my favorite of this series


Ribbed Rasta Beanie with Graduated Stripes


Totally funky! This was inspired by a hat I saw Ziggy Marley wearing. It was high, but had these squishable layers. His was all green - a dark muted camouflage green. It turned out exactly how I envisioned it.


I don't pull it off well, but I bet Erika Badu could.

For those of you who knit, I started with almost 2 inches of 1x1 ribbing then would alternate colors and knit sections of stockinette and garter so that the garter sections squish down onto the stockinette, making the hat collapsible. After repeating two sections of each color I quickly closed the hat by switching to back to black in stockinette I *knit across, then p2tog*.

Think of your mother.

Mother's Day is this Sunday, people. Have you picked out the perfect gift for your mom? You haven't? Oh, well, perhaps I can be of assistance....

Ylang Ylang Infused Body Scrub and Soap Sets

Body Scrub: ylang ylang infused virgin coconut oil, ylang ylang infused bath salt, with the scent of tropical flowers. Plus two types of ylang ylang soap: goat milk with shea butter; and coconut oil.

Ylang Ylang Gift Sets

Ylang ylang infused cocout oil, ylang ylang infused bath salt with the scent of gardenia, and ylang ylang soap.

Simple Gift Sets

1. Ylang ylang infused body scrub and a bar of ylang ylang soap. 2. Ylang ylang infused bath salt with ylang ylang soap.

ayorata (at) gmail (dot) com

Keep a poncho in your villa.

It really never gets all that cold on Saipan. But if you were born and raised here, 74 degrees is practically snowing! We have some lovely cool, breezy evenings which occasionally require us to don a sweater - or a poncho.

A few years ago, I knit a special poncho for my neice.


It is pink and cream and adjusts to grow with her, as well as opens completely to be used in a scarf- or shawl- like manner.



I really love this soft girly poncho and I hope to make more! But my favorite thing about this poncho is that Mele loves it too!