Ahhhh!

You know, it's so nice to finally not have to study my poor head off, write inane things about different psychological theories that I don't quite understand (but what little I knew got me an A in the class, anyway, so I am very pleased). It's nice to be done cleaning (save for some minor floor-sweeping/window polishing, etc., before a party on Sunday (surprise party for my mom's friend; her husband is borrowing our house under the guise that my brother will be visiting and wants to see my mom's friend before she leaves for a vacation)...

And since I did not have much to do...(plus, I finished off this great book, The Know-It All by A.J. Jacobs, which is hilarious and informative, and makes me want to read the entire Encyclopaedia Brittanica...so I knitted and watched TV (Home Improvement can be quite fun), as well as watching a couple DVDs (Big Lots: $2! Sadly, I think Big Lots has sold out of all the good stuff) -- Advertising Rules was funny (it had the girl who played Lena in Goodbye Lenin! and the woman who played the daughter in Rosenstrasse)...and I'm with Lucy was cute, even if not stellar. I'd like Henry Thomas, please.

At the same time...I knitted. I'm being all ambitious and am determined to knit down as much of my stash as I can during my holiday...so I've taken that turquoise blue yarn and am making Kate Gilbert's Sunrise Circle Jacket.

So far, this is what I have (I'm working on the back). Not bad for a day's work. The color is a lot better in real life.












I will admit that I am slightly terrified of the front, but I will be brave.

And for the moments when I need to pay more attention to what I'm doing (i.e., SnB knitting, or frenzied Ugly Betty watching (by the way, did any of you watch it????!!! So not fair that I have to wait till next season to find out what will happen. Great way to leave us all hanging, LOL!)











I will admit I'm not super thrilled with the way this looks, but it's okay. Maybe I'll end up giving this to my mom or something. It goes along with my goal to stash-bust as much as I can. After this (and the sweater), I'll start another sweater or vest, and finish up my red Noro scarf. And the super-secret double-knit scarf (it's a secret--i want to fiddle with it a bit more...if all goes well, there will be a pattern!)

I'll post the rest of my works in progress as the weekend (or week) goes on...I've got a few more projects that are on needles (whether or not I like them). Well, I've got another hour before I must sleep (party tomorrow, party Sunday! I am a busy girl! LOL!) so I am going to work in a few more rows on the Sunrise Circle Jacket!

Two more days...

Two more days of test-taking (and test-giving). I am officially down to the last 16 students that I'll need to test this week! Yippee! So glad that it's almost over. I think I'll be okay with the law exam; I'm surprised at how much I actually remember from the book and notes--just need to brush up on a few specifics. And I aim high: I'll be happy with...a B.

Now the psychology...sigh...it still continues to whip my butt from one end of the room and back again...but I am sure at Friday night at 9 PM, I will feel a lot better. Because I'll be done (minus the grading, which I will do this weekend)...and I plan on buying myself a pint of peanut butter brittle ice cream from Handel's, which I have not yet tried. And it sounds delicious.

Now, to the knitting content (skipping SnB tonight, of course)...and my SP10 Hostess is asking us: what do we do when we knit? Where do we knit?

Well, I knit in front of the TV. It's a big comfy couch...sometimes I'll watch a Lifetime movie as I knit...or a cooking show...well, anything. I'll even watch it during Ugly Betty. Unless I'm doing something complex (I've learned my lesson now). I tend to sit near the armrest on the left side...prop my feet up on my dad's footstool and knit away! Nothing fancy or spectacular, but it's relaxing and I look forward to doing that again--to a lifetime movie that I taped ("My First Wedding" with Rachel Leigh Cook...)

Two more days.

Oh, and happy birthday to Elisabeth.

What I really wish...

Is that I could learn through osmosis.

I am stuck on ANOVAs. I really don't get it (does anyone know? I'm trying to write my research proposal--rather, a fake one, for my class), and study for my exam on Monday. And everytime I think I have that glimmer of understanding, it blinks out. Augh. The worst part is that I have to take advanced quantitiative in the fall, so I better know this stuff, baby! (Not to mention that I'm not a fan of the professor, who is the only one who teaches the advanced level course. Ugh. 15 more weeks of torture with this guy. Too bad he's cute; his personality does not match his looks--but maybe that's how they get the female PhD students in his class? Relatively young, good looking guy? Then he grouches at you, once he knows you aren't going to drop the class--mostly because you need to graduate? And in order to do so, you better know how to do ANOVAs (all the different types).

Oh, another thing that drives me nuts about my professor. He loves to say, a priori. For weeks, I kept thinking, now what on earth does a priori mean--since I never took latin, and I'd always tell myself that I'd look it up when I get home, and of course, I would forget to do so. So the following week, he'd say something like, You would have to know this stuff a priori. And I'd be thinking, what the heck does that mean? Why can't he just use regular English? I'm sure I'm not the only one who would appreciate it--there are folks there who I am sure have not really heard the word before, and are guessing at its meaning. Or the students who are not from this country. I should have made a note of that on my course evaluation. It would have totally driven him nuts. There are also several other big words/ rare words that he bandies around, but I can't think of them off the tip of my head. Ugh.

I'd also like to put in a request for someone to write my take-home final for pscyhology, too. I am not used to thinking the way psychologists do. I'm much more linear in my field and there is too much theory in psychology for me. Give me facts any day. Although I like creative stuff, this really makes my brain hurt.

Does that sound fair--some osmosis learning for quantitative methods (or someone to explain all those stupid ANOVAs, research conditions, etc. to me), someone to take my written final for me, and I'll take the law one (even though i hate law, too?) Any takers?

On a lighter note: For those of you in this area (NE Ohio) who like Trollbeads or Chamilia, our store is having a trunk show this Saturday, May 5 (yes, Cinco de Mayo)...from 9 Am- 5 PM. Our website (ok, so it's our florist's website, but all the info is there) is at: www.valeegeflorist.com . And if you dont' remember what Trollbeads are, here is my bracelet (also makes things a bit more colorful. Maybe I'll see you there!

Old, Older, Oldest?

Pray tell, you ask--what is your oldest yarn?

Question 1 for this. Age wise? It's the stuff above this text (And directly below this). Or so I think so. It's from a knitting mill that closed earlier this year--unfortunately I had very little money (that is--i was getting paid just enough for gas, with anywhere from 50-100 dollars left over each month. And at $3 a pound, I couldn't resist. That, and the $1.75 skeins of turquoise blue wool yarn.

And the cone below, I think is just old. Just look at the fab color combo! Kinda like being in the Brady Bunch, I guess. I haven't yet figured out what i'll make with it. But I'll think of something.












Now, if you're thinking of old in terms of purchase date--it's probably this silk sari yarn below. i have 4 skeins. I know I've had it at least 3 years (purchased post-breakup with a crappy boyfriend, who is now an ex, and living very far away from me (good thing) instead of being 5 minutes away from me.

No, I'm not bitter. Really.

Anyway, I bought this GORGEOUS sari silk yarn, three skeins. But the person who owns Wool Peddler--there was some sort of problem with the shipping, and her entire shipment of yarn got lost in limbo, so she got another shipment to replace it. And thusly, she shipped me an extra skein for being patient, waiting for the yarn.











And I still can't figure out what scarf I want to make. I could make an ordinary boring 1x1 ribbing scarf, but that's boring. I'll think of something neat to make it a little more interesting...

Eventually.

And seriously--why the ex-boyfriend is so much better out of the picture?

He thought knitting was geeky.But not in a cool way. (That's not the only reason, but it's an important one. Love me, love my knitting.)

Now my current boyfriend likes knitting. So that is very cool. :) And he told me that if he gets this one job that he applied for, he may be able to make it down to SnB, which would be interesting...

Just a little less than 2 weeks till I am done with the semester...

Break from studying.

For my Knitter's Treat Pal, this is what my Bakelite necklace looks like! I think it's pretty neat, and people have noticed it (and those are people who I've always thought were unobservant).















I consider these a "stress-related" purchse, but a CUTE one. I don't know if you can tell, but the bows are actually "measuring tapes" (not real ones). These are incredibly comfortable. Alas, I scuffed up the heel on the left one already. Oh well. It's okay. I can live. Then when I wear these out, I can buy myself another pair of adorable shoes.













This is a GREAT motivation to get done with finals (and still be alive). Temptation! This is all from my secret pal, who not only bought me a skein of Noro yarn (sigh) and included a pattern for some pretty cute slippers (how'd you know that I love slippers?), but also some yummy Peruvian wool (the thick red stuff), a cute little notebook and matching pen (the sheep! How cute is that???) And do you see those Scharfen Berger chocolate bars? I am totally eating those during finals week (as I weep in a corner, wondering how come I can't remember things like, say...ANOVAs. Oh, and the books? That's totally motivation for "after finals." I will be reading those as soon as I am done taking tests (and grading my own exams...all 50 of them).













This is also something that people probably don't know I can do. Since we own a florist, I also have learned how to make corsages and boutonnieres for prom. So that's what I did on Friday. Very exciting. But I am pleased with some of the ones I made, although I probably wouldnt' have chosen the colors the girl did for the above pictured corsage. But hey, the customer's always right, I guess. At least the matching boutonniere is pretty nice, I think.












As far as the high school musical...can I just say...I am completely blown away! I've never seen Les Miserables, but I have to say--that's got to be a tough one for high schoolers to do, and they did it! I couldn't believe it. I didn't realize that the ENTIRE play is sung. Some of these kids are absolutely amazing. (The girl who played the grown-up cosette is going to major in voice in college) And even the one kid who was so-so at singing was a great actor, so he was able to pull off the so-so singing. Wow. I am so completely blown away by the whole production. It was hard for me to believe that these kids are only maybe 13-19 years old...and doing a very professional production, orchestra, stage crew, set design, etc., included. I can't wait to see what they do next year. I would totally love it if they do Wicked in the future.

And for a clip from the play (not the best sound quality, but here are the kids)

(The girl with the blue skirt is Cosette; first guy is Jean Valjean, the guy Cosette sings with is Marius..the guy in the red shirt is Enjolras)


(and yes, he leaped off the scaffolding on the stage).



All right. Now I do have to study.

Two more weeks!

Yes, two more weeks of school! Two more weeks of stress?

But there are some things that make it all better:

(1) New shoes (I tend to splurge a little more when I'm stressed out. I'm not exactly sure why). But they are cute. I did have to return one pair (exchanging it for a smaller size, so hopefully it will fit--should be here on Monday, I think). The pair that fits me perfectly is lavendar and has these cute leather bows that look like (are you ready for this?) Measuring tapes! So cute! The other pair (which dont' fit) are these kick-ass red shoes (since I threw out my other red shoes, cause they were too old--this is a nice replacement for those.

(2) The things I ordered for mother's day are in! Yay!

(3) I am officially done lecturing for the semester; however, I have final exams to give next week--and the next (see the comment about 2 weeks of stress). But I know I will manage. I thought about it, and I think if I manage my time well, I will be fine.

(4) I will see my old high school's musical! Les Miserables this year--which I've never seen. For those of you who've never seen the musicals at my high school, they are a sight to behold. Essentially, it's on the same level as an amateur production, complete with a gorgeous set, costumes, music, etc...very excited. i wait all year for the musicals. (I never was in them in high school, because i can't sing, and because I prefer watchign them to being behind the stage or sets.) So I'm selfish. ;)

(5) I opened the mailbox today, and in addition to the things I ordered for my mom, I also had a package from my SP10! Since I came home late, I didnt' take pictures--(I will take pictures when the light is good.). But...it is awesome! And there's chocolate (which I will need in two weeks!) and some books! Which I will also need in two weeks! I am so excited--and I will give the lowdown sometime this weekend (probably during a study break). So SP10, thank you so much! I am loving the gifts!

And check out this swap:Disposable Camera Swap. Interesting?

Procrastination

What does your drawing say about YOU?

I am sure if I used a real pen and paper, I could draw a better mountain. But this is kinda fun.

I am not yet sure if I will go to stitch n bitch tonight; it depends how much of my work I get done--can you believe I have about 2-3 weeks left of school? And tests and papers (nerve-wracking!) Today I am working on my paper. If I have time, I will do some reading.

I finished teaching on time this morning, and I decided to go hunt for yarn and gifts for my knitters' treat pal, so I went to Richfield and found some pretty sock yarn, then went to a store called Olivia Bloom, where I proceeded to spend about a hundred dollars (not all on my pal, of course--that would be excessive! I did find some yummy looking tea and lovely soap for her, and I found some cute necklaces for my friends' birthdays, and one bakelite necklace for me, which I think is incredibly cute.) So I am done spending money for a few weeks, at least--except on necessities!

Oh! And the yarn store I mentioned? They have BEAUTIFUL unspun wool in some of the most amazing colors. I've got to learn to spin well so I can try some of those beautiful colors! Apparently the owner of the shop used to own a sheep farm, but she got a divorce, and the sheep belong to her ex-husband. She's been spinning for over 20 years, and there's apparently another lady that works there, who is from Germany. Spinning classes there are private and are by appointment, and the lady who helped me (who was not the owner nor anyone from Germany) told me that if you buy a spinning wheel from them, the lessons come free. Of course, the spinning wheels are anywhere from 250-400 dollars. (I asked out of curiosity).

Maybe one day. But I am saving my money for a good 35 mm SLR camera, first.

All right. Back to my paper.

Favorite project! (So far)

So, I finally got around to it and am posting my favorite project, knitted from a pattern...maybe it's no surprise to know that I picked my red sweater (from Rebecca). It's my favorite because I spent three years knitting and frogging, and finally figuring out how to put it together. It makes me look a little bulky, but it IS warm. And it is RED. And it's got cute cables! This is not to say that it's perfect. It's not. There are some mistakes here and there, but unless you're looking for them, you won't see the mistakes.


Here it is:












Apparently, I also took a picture of my knee.
And here is a close-up of one of the cables...















So that is my favorite project in all its glory. I don't have least favorites, because I usually rip them apart or frog them, so there are no pictures in existence of any hated, reviled projects.

As far as job interview, I have NO idea what will happen in the future...I did my best, and we'll see. The person told me later (in a later email, in response to a different question) that they are not scheduling any second interviews till mid-May, and "if we decide we like you, I will contact you. Thanks! :)" (smiley face included in the email from her.) Luckily enough, I'm busy these next few weeks (wrapping up the semester here and wondering how I will give practical exams to 50 students during finals week!)

Last night, I saw Disturbia which was an interesting experience. For one, it was nice to see an old fashioned style thriller that was more psychological than bloody/gory (that is not to say that there isn't a little violence and a little blood along the way, but it's not excessive). My beef with the movie is that I wish the suspect (creepy neighbor dude) played the role a little more ambiguously, rather than playing "a bad dude" straight from the beginning, it would have been a little better if you (audience) weren't sure if he was honestly bad or if he was just creepy. (like the scary neighbor in Home Alone.) Second interesting thing is that I have not watched a movie with about 50,000 teenagers and about 2 moms. Interesting experience. I am so not the target audience for this movie!

I do wonder though, if these teens have ever heard of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, which is the basis for this movie. I wasn't sure how they'd pull it off, because Hitchcock's movie is just so beautiful and you have no idea if the neighbor is a murderer or not. I wonder what these teens would say.

Oh! And Bob Saget on Thursday was AWESOME. I'm glad I knew he's one of the most vulgar comedians on the circuit, so I was prepared, but he was sooooo hilarious! The thing is, I'm not even big on the cussing thing or anything like that (same with my boyfriend) and we were both just cracking up at his jokes...and vulgarity...and he does it with a smile. If you're not easily offended (over 18, too, I guess...haha) here is a link to a song that he's sung, called "Danny Tanner is not Gay". DO not play it around bosses, small children with big ears, or parents.




Enjoy!

I also started a swap over at swap-bot, if you want to sign up. It's nothing to do with knitting, but is letter-writing. Here it is, if you're interested! If not, there are some interesting swaps, too!
When I grow up

Just a little advice...

First bit of advice: Sometimes it's a good idea to make sure springs don't break off inside your tires. Apparently that is what happened to me. A spring broke off, and according to the mechanic--ripped the entire inside of the tire to shreds.

Good thing it went flat in the driveway and not on the highway. Or at school. Or somewhere I could get seriously stuck. I mean, seriously. Because my parents are out of town. And if I needed to get somewhere quickly...well, I'm sure I could find someone to come get me...but still!

Second bit of advice...well, you have to see this to believe it. There's a great way to get to Paris, France. You do have to go through New York though, and it sounds reasonably inexpensive. Just go here. And read all the directions, because the cost-saving trip direction is right there. Let me know what you think.

As far as the favorite project--I'll probably take a picture of it tomorrow...and post either tomorrow or Friday. I think I've got a good idea of what it is. :) Stay tuned!

Monday (oh lordy)

I hate Mondays. (But don't most people?)

Today's been one of those wacky, weird days...where things go hilly...like...

1) This morning, I was going to pull out of the driveway, when I felt like my car went into a ditch, and I heard a weird boom kind of noise. So I thought maybe I drove off the side of the driveway onto the mulch or something, so I angled my car to get more into the driveway...and started backing out again.

Boom. Thunk. Boom. Thunk.

What the hell was that? I looked in my side window to see if some cracks appeared in our driveway. None. I open the driver's side, and the doorframe is about an inch off the driveway. Oh, great.

I look at my rear tire (that was the one that got flat last year). No, it's fine. So I peek at the front tire, and it's completely flat. It looks like one of those cartoon flat tires. How irritating.

I ended up borrowing my mom's car so I could get to school. I made it. Last week, I was 5 minutes late because I didn't wake up till a quarter till I had to be at school. This week, I was five minutes late, because I had a flat tire. What's going to happen next Monday? Will I be late because my hairdryer broke?

(knock wood)

2) Good things can also happen, despite flat tires. Case in point: last week (I didnt' mention on the blog because I didnt' want to jinx anything) I sent in a resume for a job I would LOVE to have. Now I have an interview with Human Resources this Wednesday! :)

3) Oh, I'm going to see the Daddy of vulgar. Well, not really. But he did play a daddy, and he's actually pretty vulgar in real life. I got tickets for $5. The joy of being a student and being able to get student tickets!

Oh, which daddy, you ask?

Remember Mr. Tanner from Full House? Yeah. Bob Saget. I can't wait. I'll probably faint dead away when it gets really dirty.

Maybe.

4) My mom asked me to go to work after I got out of class. Grr. I have class till 7 PM. So I didn't even get home till after 9 PM. Think about it. 8 AM class, office hours in the afternoon, then a long, torturous class on quantitative methods. Which I hate. And I'm always so exhausted to begin with, and it just deteriorates.

5) Oh, and I think I'm coming down with a cold.

6) Well, this really has nothing to do with my day, but I've also been thinking long and hard about what my favorite project, knit from a pattern is. Well, I'm still thinking about it.

So what is it?

Stay tuned...

stuff--of all kinds!

First of all, I'd like to comment that I think a girl hit on me yesterday. I am not absolutely sure. I went to buy a milkshake at the local Handel's here, and this is a girl I've seen a bit, when I order ice creams. Anyway, I ordered my milkshake, and she handed it to me, and said something that sounded like "You're very beautiful", leaning on the counter near the window.

My mind rephrased it as: "Today is very beautiful", because, of course, a girl couldn't say something like that to me...so I responded with something inane, like, yes, it is very beautiful today...(I dont' remember exactly what I said). But after I said that, she got kind of awkward, so I think I heard right the first time. I feel bad now. Well, we'll see if this happens again. Probably I'll get milkshakes once in a while if it's hot, and I have to walk across campus or something...very refreshing.


But in any case, today was a bad day for trying to do homework (just couldn't focus!) but at least I'm over halfway done with my stinky paper! It's due next Monday, and if I can summarize 5 articles tomorrow, and finish up Friday/Saturday, I'm golden. I just want to get all my work done by Saturday, so I can rest up on easter (oh, and cook).

But what made today better (especially since I skipped SnB to work on my paper):

I got several packages...one from Webs (which I ordered...didn't have quite enough yarn for a project), and then I got one from piddlyloops. So I spent about 30 seconds wondering what I ordered from piddlyloops, because the label said something like a sewing team (and I'm a lousy sewer)...but...it was a gift from my secret pal! Thank you!

So there is my first drop spindle, with some lovely, fluffy wool (it feels SOOOO nice...one is standard wool, one is this nice creamy white one from a blue faced leicester sheep, the brown is shetland. I can't wait to try this out. This will have to wait till my paper's done, though: I can see my self getting into a zone for hours, which would not be a very good thing.
















Included in the package were these awesome buttons (the background is a Times New York Crossword puzzle that has me stumped. See all the blank spaces?)

















And these very cute notecards and tags...which i know i will end up using when I finish those pirate mittens. So cute! Totally made the day sparkle (even when it was hailing outside).

Monday

I actually tried to post last night, but Blogger was not letting me sign on! So I gave up, and went to bed with a good book.

Yesterday was an interesting sort of day-- the first day back from Spring break...and I overslept!

Okay, let me back up. I teach at 8 AM.

I woke up at 7:45 AM. My alarm clock never went off. So basically all I did was throw on some clothes, run a brush through my hair, brush my teeth and wash my face. For breakfast, I ate a banana in my car. I felt greasy and not so clean, but at least I was at school at 8:05 to teach (and thank god that there were parking meters open right in front of the building (my parking space is a bit farther and it's a five minute walk from there to the building).

What kind of knitting needles are you?

You are interchangeable.Fun, free, and into everything, you've got every eventuality covered and every opportunity just has to be taken. Every fiber is wonderful, and every day is a new beginning. You are good at so many things, it's amazing, but you can easily lose your place and forget to show up. They have row counters for people like you!
Take this quiz!








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I agree with the part about row counters. That's why it's my favorite knitting accessory. :)

Knitters Treat Exchange

I was pretty darn positive that I actually posted this to my blog, but perhaps I didn't. In any case....here we go..Again.

Not that I actually need to join more swaps, but I think I can handle one small swap in addition to SP10, and I think it will be fun, too. Not to mention it's all a great diversion from the homework and paper-writing I've been doing all week.

I am skipping out on the sewing expo this year (sob) due to the crazy amount of work--not only for school (writing papers, planning a lecture for my 8AM classes) but also with work this weekend. So, yes, busy. But i've also been doing a good job of having fun: Knitting (of course), seeing Brett Butler at the comedy club, reading Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal (which is hysterical, and of course, is sacriligious. So if you're super religious, stay away from the book! But if you're like me and can laugh about it...and know an inkling about Christianity, it's a fun read, and very much an anachronistic type of book). It's been super nice to be able to read in bed PAST midnight! For once! And now I cannot wait till summer break...so I can stay up late for a whole couple months and read and knit and be lazy!

But onto the questionnaire, which I stumbled on (serendipitiously)!

Knitters Treat Exchange Questionnaire

1. What's your favourite type of yarn?
Hands down: NORO! NORO! (let me hear ya!) But I also like other natural fibers, like silk, wool (as long as it's not scratchy). I love rich, saturated colors--as long as they dont' make me look like I have jaundice (that is--yellow or orange. And as long as they're not baby colors (pink, powder blue, yellow), I'm fine.)

2. What's your least favourite type of yarn?
I am a little tired of eyelash yarn--the first time I saw it was in Europe and it was so luxurious--actually is still one of my most favorite scarves, but for a long time I kept seeing yucky eyelash yarns for years. And they weren't pretty. That didn't stop me from making the vegan fox, though. I also am not a big fan of cotton yarns.

3. What's the first thing you do when you visit a new yarn shop?
Tell myself "You do NOT need new yarn." Then I zero in on the Noro. Then the Louisa Hardings. Anything that has interesting colors or looks to it...then I pet the yarn like it was a beloved pet (maybe it was someone else's beloved pet sheep though?) Then compulsion takes over. And I buy yarn and bemoan the fact that I spent too much money.

4. What other crafts do you do / would like to do?
I like collages, jewelry making. I would love to get back into metal work.

5. What magazines do you currently subscribe to?
None. Though I do read some magazines, and if I see one I want, I'll buy it. But I'm pretty good about not blowing the budget on magazines.

6. Put this type of magazine in order of preference:Knitting / Crochet / Other Craft / Food / Home / Fashion / Celebrity Gossip / Garden
Knitting, Food, Other Craft, and Fashion/Home/Celebrity Gossip/Garden in the same category, followed by crochet (since I can't, anyway).

7. What items do you like to knit / crochet?
I like to knit scarves, hats, and I'm really liking knitting mittens now. I plan to work on a few sweaters as soon as this semester is over.

8. Are you allergic to anything?
Dust. Mold. Pollen. Some dogs and cats. And cigarette smoke.

9. What do you like to* smell of?(*This is not a typo. The question is: What do you like to smell of)
Patchouli, jasmine, or anything citrus-y.

10. What's your favourite way to relax?'
Curl up with a good cozy mystery (i.e., books like those written by Donna Andrews, Carole Nelson-Douglas, Sharyn McCrumb, Diane Mott Davidson, Elizabeth Peters). Oh, and knitting. If I'm really super stressed out, I find that cutting intricate pieces of paper is a great stress-reliever.

11. You're stood in front of a Victorian style sweetshop, an Italian cafe, an old fashioned bakery and a dainty tea room. Where do you go first?
I hit the Italian cafe first. I have always had a little love affair with Italy...let my backtrack. As a little girl, i was totally in love with the idea of Italy...then I went in high school...during tourist season, which probably isn't the best way to see Italy. Or any touristy country. But I went again a couple times when I lived abroad, and it was like seeing the Italy of my imagination.

12. What do you come out with?
Italian cafe it is. I'd get something chocolaty, and maybe one of those amaretti cookies...and if this one happens to have gelato, well, you can bet I'd be eating a lot of that.

13. Where do you go next?
The bakery! Assuming I'm in Europe still, I'd hit the German bakeries in Munich and completely gorge myself on Schokobrotchen, Quarktaschen, Brez'n, or maybe some of those tortes!

14. Any other words of wisdom for your pal?
Wear clean underwear, in case you get in an accident. (Honestly is there anything else we need to know?) :0)

Froggin'!

This is a different kind of frogging.

Remember the shipment from Webs that I was so anxiously awaiting? Which arrived on Wednesday afternoon?

Some lovely Dale of Norway Yarn was in the package (Baby Ull)...which was to become a pair of baby booties...





I started that night, and made these then...and by the way, this stuff feels great when you knit it up. I'll be honest--I was not sure how it would feel when I felt the skein, but it really feels lovely. I think I should learn how to knit a good sock so I can make one out of this and be all cozy.















A frog in its natural habitat, perhaps?















I stayed up till 1:30 AM on Friday night, and woke up early on Saturday to finish the darn things. This was because I had a baby shower that Saturday afternoon.

Although I usually say I won't procrastinate on projects...well, it's usually bound to happen. And arent' these cute froggy booties? The pattern called for me to sew a straight line (across the front for a mouth) but I thought that looked really stupid (but that's just me) and I think these look great without a black yarn line across the front.

And...this week is spring break! Which means: I can sleep in PAST 6:30 AM for a week! Even though I have two papers to write and organize, a lecture to plan, but I'm not going to think about it right this minute--but it will be relaxing for once to NOT be stressed out about being on time to teach! For the week, at least! And I get to see Tameka, my classmate/friend at SnB this week (she has class at the same time). Yeah!

And I think I have all my things ready to send out to my secret pal giftee...i think it's good stuff. I won't post a picture...just in case she stumbles on here. But trust me, it's good stuff ;)

More stuff...

Last night, I got home around 10:30 (celebrating my brother's birthday with the family, plus my dad wanted to stop at our store) and so that ate up some time...especially since the store's totally in the opposite direction of our house/dinner.

In any case, I was very, very tired last night. And very, very tired when I came home. And thank god all I had to do was teach this morning...at 8 AM. Only two more days till spring break (2 more classes to teach!). The best part of the week has been bringing breakfast to my classes. Monday got bagels (way expensive) and today got doughnuts--VERY good ones, I may add...and that was like, ten dollars cheaper than the bagels. I think my Friday 8 AM class will get doughnuts as well, and my 11 AM class may get some snacky foods, I think, like cookies, chips. I think. We'll see. Or maybe I'll just buy two dozen doughnuts, since they are very yummy. Why, you ask, is it so fun to bring breakfast to my classes?

Take a look at the topic:

Disorders of the ear.

So they get to see beautiful pictures like:

The first picture: a perforation of the eardrum. Second picture, retraction pocket, and the bone you see is the malleus (hammer), and the last one is truly gross. It's a parent maggot that laid 6 maggot eggs in the ear. ICK.

So you can see why it's been fun to feed my students. I'm so bad. ;D

But in knitting news:

I got my order of Baby Ull yarn in today! I ordered it sometime last week and was getting nervous that it wouldn't come in, because I really need to make a pair of baby booties. BUT it came in today, yay! I can start them tonight! Hopefully finish up tomorrow or Friday, so can wrap them!

And I've also been doing a tunisian crochet scarf, with two colors, so it does have a neat effect on the front, and the back is all striped. So it's really cool. Once I finish this (and my million projects, I'm going to try three colors and see how that would look.

This is my very pretty Trollbeads bracelet. can you tell I'm totally in love?

Yay!

I got an A on my law exam-- Yay (and I think I need to buy a new computer keyboard; I seem to have trouble typing. BOO!) I am so happy, since that exam nearly killed me (and no, I've never studied law). But I am relieved, and I am almost at the point of trying to justify another charm purchase...but I will be very, very good and wait 'til April to splurge. (of course. Not to mention that I just bought a neat bead (I will take pictures, I promise!)

And my friend, NK, will be going to Germany for about a year--so I'm very excited for her--and I am definetely going to try and save money, so i can visit her, and eat all the Quarkkaese that I can, as well as drink so much Apfelschorle that I'm practically drowning, not to mention all the Doener Kebabs! (Ok, that wouldn't be my only reason to visit NK, right? But I am very very proud of you and I KNEW you would get that grant to go to Berlin! :))

Anyway, i am ALMOST done with my vegan fox scarf. I just have to sew it up the middle and put eyes, a nose, and a clippy thing on. And maybe I can pull off wearing it with my green jacket? That is, if I get it done before it's like, 80 degrees out here.

My SP10 hostess asked us to write what our favorite knitting accessory was. My first thought: Besides yarn? I have plenty of it...

But then I got to thinking...so would it be my clover knitting needles? And this is me, so I'm wondering which ones would be my most favorite? Well, just any that I've got two of, so I can knit something. No. Not my favorite accessory. Tape measure? Who cares, as long as things are the right size...No, that's not the one. Then I remembered these CUTE yarn markers that Andi, one of the lovely ladies in my SnB group made...I have some shaped like birds and some like sheep, and some like santa claus. As much as I ADORE them, they are not my #1 knitting accessory.

Ladies, from the SnB group: can you guess?

Yep.

You got it. It's my trusty clover clicking row counter. I lose things all the time. This includes: Time, books (I still have never found my copy of "The Count of Monte Cristo" from 9th grade. That was in 1994.), socks, pens, pencils, important papers, not-so-important papers, my sanity (kidding), and track of my stitches. (this is how I get odd measurements or funky designs sometimes...)

I have like, three of them. I started with one, then needed one for another project. So I bought one more. Then maybe a year later, I couldnt' figure out where my second one was, so I thought maybe I only had one. Or maybe I lost the second one? So I bought another one. And actually earlier this year, my dad was looking under the sofa, and I saw...the second row counter...still in its wrapper!

So in all its glory, I nominate the Clover clicking counter as my #1.

It's my brother's birthday, and I hear he's home now--so I must now eat!

Foxy

I am taking a break from writing down addresses...we're going to send out bunches of postcards/coupons for the store, and I've been doing that. I'm a little strange. I actually like addressing envelopes and postcards. Perhaps it's a remnant from my pen-pal days, when I would write letters to people all over the world (whatever happened to Marco, Marianne, Hannele, and so on? Hmm. More letter writing sometime in my future.)

In any case, I received my Secret Pal info (hi there!) and I'm excited...over the weekend, I started shopping for my giftee's stuff, but still have a couple things I'd like to buy. So hopefully that package will go out sometime next week at the very latest.

Anyway, new knitting project:















I've always wanted to knit the Vegan Fox from knitty.com, and I caved and bought about 30 dollars of yarn. Funny that I can say that I'm sick of the furry, hairy yarns, and yet, I splurge on the same things I have been passing over! But I actually knitted that much in a couple days because I was so mad at myself (will explain in a moment) that I needed to soothe my frayed nerves. Not to mention that I was having a pretty stressful week, with back-to-back exams (short answer and essay, ugh!) and needed to relax.

My aggravation:

I was trying to upload new songs to my iTunes, so I could then upload an updated library to my iPod, and I accidentally deleted most of my library! Augh! This includes some of the rare, unusual recordings: such as those recorded off tv shows, like from Star Trek: Voyager, but I'm hoping I still have those on my old laptop. I hope I do. Otherwise it's going to be a pain to find some of those recordings.

As far as the scarf, just need to make those paws, sew everything together and find some good buttons for it!

The questionnaire, in a better place.

The Questionnaire
1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I absolutely am a sucker for Noro yarns. I also lust over Louisa Harding, though I've not tried that yet. I just think it's pretty. I hate knitting with cotton, and I have enough fuzzy and furry yarns to last me a lifetime.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? This is very sad: They are all over the place...In an attempt to organize myself, i have my circulars in a little Winnie the Pooh makeup bag that I bought back in 9th grade, and I showcased my shoddy sewing skills in some needle case that I attempted to sew. The fabric's pretty, the workmakship not so.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I have been knitting since my freshman year of college (1997) but didn't really get into it till I was in Germany about 4-5 years later. I consider myself intermediate, but very adventurous.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? yes, I do

5. What's your favorite scent? Jasmine and Patchouli (and also citrus-y scents)

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Oh totally. You may not believe it, but I have managed to keep myself away from the candy case at work. I am a sucker for peppermint altoids, dark chocolates (the darker/richer, the better...and have you tried those chocolate covered peppermint altoids??!!), and reeses's peanut butter cups.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? There was a time when I collaged like crazy...less time to do that...and I like jewelry making, but have not done that in a while. I don't know how to spin but would love to learn how.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I love folk rock music (think: Jill Sobule, Lisa Loeb, Warren Zevon), indie music (Jill Tracy). And I'm totally a sucker for piano-driven music (Sarah McLachlan, Vienna Teng, Norah Jones). Yes, my car stereo and computer can play mp3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? I love purple, red, green. I hate yellow and orange.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I live at home with my parents. I have one fish.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I wear hats, scarves, and mittens.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? I knit lots of scarves, because I usually can afford to buy a couple skeins at a time. I have been starting on sweaters, though.

13. What are you knitting right now? Just finished a hat...and I'm working on a couple scarves, and am trying to puzzle my way through a sweater/vest pattern. (I'm stumped!)

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yep!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I like circulars (keeps me from losing needles...LOL!)...bamboo are my favorites.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? No.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? Hmm. At this point...maybe one and a half years? I finished my 3 year UFO last fall...

18. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

19. Is there anything that you collect? Tacky postcards. The tackier, the better. I love the black ones that say things like "Cleveland at night" or "Minneapolis at night". I know, I'm strange. It's an ongoing collection since 5th grade.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I can always love noro! But what I am looking for is a good fair isle pattern, like the one eunnyknits has for fair isle mittens. Also lusting after lantern moon needles. I don't have any knitting magazine subscriptions.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? how to make good socks. Or intarsia. I'm curious. And spinning.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? No, I'm terrible at them. My foot: 10 inches from heel to toe..

23. When is your birthday? June 19!

Hat!

So this is what the hat looks like. And I didnt' even have to buy a button! I had a bunch in my little cigar box (which now serves as a sewing box. Which means: 6 spools of thread and a ton of buttons).

I love the hat. Seriously cute, I think. it sounds dorky but I feel like a flapper or something. Only with longer hair.

Next project, who knows. I'm a little too stressed out by my upcoming midterms (two of them--back to back), which is absolutely frightening. And that is why, on a Friday, I'm studying. Or else I will be once I post this to the blog...

Yah!

I am slowly getting back into the small knitting projects...

and actually not that much has been happening (thus the lack of posting) except for midterms (one brutal one last week), writing one for my classes, and next week, I have not one, but TWO midterms. back to back. I hear from a classmate of mine that one will be tricky. Sigh.

I'm going to be fried next week.

And knitting content, which I did a while ago, but forgot to post: that damn spiral scarf that took forever to make...

This scarf does nto belong to me.

It belongs to my friend, whom I promised a hand knit scarf to...for years..so now she officially has her own scarf.

And it's cute for her.