Fair Isle, fairer than thee!

About a year and half ago, I took a class to learn how to knit fair isle. I stopped knitting this. I picked this up a couple days ago, and picked it up again, and it's looking gooooood. I think it's great. And in the process of showing this off to my brother, he commissioned me to make him a Slytherin scarf. He'll pay me for it! So he's my first scarf customer! Wow!

Red Bracelet

These are images from a bracelet I made for a friend. I have not yet seen said friend yet. But since she's a car girl...cars...and car parts are integral to her bracelet. Also, you can click on the images to see them in a larger size. I just made them smaller so you could see them all without having to scroll down forever.

Sanity

Well, my soul-searching is doing me some good...a break, a breather from things, and have been thinking about my own future. Like what I want to do. I've come to realize over the past three years that i'm both right and left-brained, and I need to nurture both sides of me. Especially since I have been more anxious lately, and it's really my right brain that calms me down, as I'm one of those overly-analytical types. So I did crack last week and was all like, I need to study art. This is what I go through every time I crack. It's not so much the art, per se, or seeing peopel who've studied art and are workign at neat jobs, but it's more about peace of mind. It's also about pushing my artistic abilities to new heights and limits, and to see what i can do. I mean, I've regretted not taking more art, not focusing on my artistry. And I think that's part of the knitting and sewing, and the anxiety and hurt. It's a sense of belonging to a community where I feel like I fit in, and I think I fit in best with creative souls. And the people I hung out with last week--they were happy. And I was like, I want to be sure I'm doing what makes me happy. Even if I do end up working in my field, but work on design and jewelry on the side, and that makes me happy, so be it. If the jewelry thing becomes a career, so be it. I just have to nurture both parts.

So my plan: take a few art classes this fall on Saturdays if I can. Take more next year, too. Perhaps find a part-time job after graduation, and take some art courses, figure out what I want, because I don't want to regret having not taken a chance.

Red purses are hot!

One of my friends requested a red purse. So I made one. I've also made a pink one, but I forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it away. Oh, well. Maybe one day, if I see my friend toting it around, i can get a pic of it with her as the model.

It's in the mail now, on its way to Pennsylvania. I just hope my friend likes it!

But here's the red purse. Next up: this fall-ish color, kind of rosy pink, and a blue one.

Clapoitis

This is from Knitty.com, the stole I've been working on pretty much all summer long. It's coming along, coming along! I just want to finish the damn thing so I can wear it!

It's supposed to be something like 22 inches by 55 inches. This is something I should have read BEFORE I got half way through the project.

Make-It, Take-It

I think I'm skipping SnB tonight. Too much on my mind at the moment. But in the meantime, here are some photos.

The first is a short-row scarf, which I am knitting up, using left-over Lion's Brand wool-ease, since i'm just trying to get rid of that cheap yarn. It actually looks cool with that yarn, to tell the truth!

Need I knit myself a Hogwarts scarf?

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

Personally, I always thought I was more of a Ron Weasley. Big chicken. Sometimes overlooked. Kinda lost sometimes, and really not always so special. But really, it's the big chicken thing, when it comes to spiders, but for me, I guess it would be really big dogs and maybe snakes or something. Ugh. Anyway. Think I'm like Albus Dumbledore? What do you think, people?

scarf thingy.

Okay, first things first. I'm working on a short row scarf (picture coming soon) and a scarf called Clapotis. Some of the other people at SnB are going to be selling some of their scarves and stuff, and I have a couple I could get rid of (knitted, not crazy about, never worn). But I'm all like...just how much do I CHARGE for a scarf? I have no experience in selling hand-made goods. Anyhow.

Reading "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" and loving it so far. I bought it 'cause I've been listening to the broadway music and realized that I really don't have much of a clue when it comes to the story...but so far...it's great. I love Elphaba. Don't like Glinda so much (so far).

I apologize to everyone who tried to do the visited state map. :( I have no idea why it did that. If I figure it out, I'll repost. Promise?

Anyway, I went to SnB on wednesday, where I spent most of the time untangling yarn. Sigh. I'm trying to figure out if I have enough yarn to finish my stole. I'm praying I do, otherwise I'll have to leave out a section (which I hate to do, since I absolutely love long scarves and stoles. The longer, the better).

Anyway, some eye candy for you: www.datelance.com (thanks to Gwyn). I know I have some friends who I think need a date badly, but tell me--do you think this is...extreme? And hilarious? And Lance is cute, so why doesnt' he have a girlfriend yet (maybe it's the mormon thing, I dont' know)? I hope no one ever does this to me. Given that Asian chicks are "hot", I'd end up with way too many potential suitors.

And good book to read: "The Eight" by Katherine Neville. My brother and I had a "disagreement" that women write better characters then men do (for the most part; there are some excellent men writers), and I was thrilled that the main characters in the book were interesting women, and my brother had the gall to call me a "Fem-Nazi!" I am feminist, granted, but I don't think my brother understands the difference between feminism and extreme feminism. I don't go about male-bashing (I like men, too!) but I believe in equal rights, opportunity, and I am liberal. What I like about books (particularly mysteries) that are written by women is that they seem to be more focused on character, and men tend to focus on the plot and action--but I believe that character can drive the plot and action. And if I can't believe in the characters, I can't believe the action. This is not to say that all books written by women are awesome and have wonderful, believable characters, I've read crummy books with characters that I want to beat about the head and throw down the drain, but my point was that I think because women tend to be more perceptive about people, the characters may be more deep and interesting. But that's just my point of view.

http://www.world66.com/myworld66/visitedStates/statemap?visited=AZARCACODCFLILINKYMEMDMAMIMNNJNYNCOHPARITNUTVTVAWVWI">
> your own visited states map

Just because

This is not a crafty related post...just sharing some bizarre link I saw.

The Daily Dancer

Argh!

Okay. So...today was the last day of class (YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) but here is further news. I have been going to SnB for the past, what, month? on Wednesdays at 7 PM. So, I thought to myself: All right. This is goign to rock my world! Keep me sane with my clinical rotations!

Well. Guess what.

I got an email from the chair of my program, which said we have online chats (which I knew about) on Wednesday at 7 PM. Argh. Does this mean that I have to live and breathe audiology all the time now? Does this mean that without that two hours a week, I may never actually finish my projects?

On the upside: Clapotis is comign along nicely. And i found a lovely yarn store in Toronto on Queen St. And spent some money there,and the store was so beautiful. Lots of yarn, more lovely yarn than I've seen at my local shop.

Aching Feet

I'm in Toronto at the moment. And my feet hurt. I've been up and down Queen St W, and I found this lovley yarn store (excuse my typing, i dont' have much time left on my dollar). Bought some mohair and afunky pink yarn. I thnk i can do some neat thigns with it. Plus they were 20% off. All the yarn was 20% off, damn it. And it was ahuge yarn store, bigger than the local yarn store back home. I was in heaven.

and I bougth chocolate. And clothes. Yumm. Well, I haven't tried the truffles yet but the clothes look great, so I am happy. And I am off to Bloor street--I took this half hour to email and rest my feet. They hurt! I should HAVE brougbht my chuck taylors>

ok i am off now to prowl<>

-s.

"Freezing, boring, wondering where I'll be on my next birthday"

Well, what a way to start off a birthday. Woke up at 3:15 AM (planned to take brother to Cleveland Airport, and then drive with parents to Columbus, and in Cols, to hang out with my best friend there, while my parents did their business at the Gift Mart). Anyway, I woke up with a migraine. Actually, I've had this migraine since yesterday, but on a wing and a prayer (and Excedrin migraine medicine), I hoped that the damn thing would just disappear. Of course, waking up at 3:15 on one's birthday isn't my idea of fun, either.

Seeing as how my reading is limited (I can't read for long periods of time), and TV watching has never been a smart idea for me when I'm sensitive to light and sound, this is going to be a dull, dull birthday. I'm hoping this dumb thing goes away so I can actually watch The Next Food Network Star tonight, and do reading for class. At least sewing doesn't make my eyes hurt. At least I don't think they do. And I guess I could knit something if I don't have to read a pattern or think too much.

Too cute for words, if I do say so.

This is my very cute purse and the billionth time that I've tried to send this to this blog. I am so proud of myself for being able to sew the thing together. Now I'm making a pink one.

New purse!

Ooh. This project is not knitting related. Me, the girl who can barely sew a button onto a shirt...has sewn a PURSE. And it's cute! Yay! This is how I spent a day--well, part of it, anyway. I was convinced it was going to rain, so I made a craft-purchasing trip and bought all sorts of materials and stuff to make purses. I think I know what I'm giving my friends for Christmas this year (and no, they do not have a link to this page).

And last night was Stitch and Bitch. And one of the people there was a classate of mine from high school. How weird is that? It makes me feel all like, dorky or something. I mean, she looked fantastic, and I was wearing a shirt with Underdog on it, and my hair wasn't flipped out, because I don't have the patience (or the skill) to make my hair look the way it's supossed to. I love SnB. A Lot. And some of us went out for pizza afterward, which was great. I had this thought though, that I couldnt; imagine my classmates hanging out with these people. They are really quite liberal; some of these are/were art majors and very indie. So definetely my type of people to hang out with. Hah!

Monster

The monster bag's coming along nicely. I think I've got about 2/3 of the thing done (knitted, I mean). Maybe I will even finish it this weekend! I would have worked on it last weekend, but I was out of town in Minneapolis, and was too paranoid to bring knitting on board (though my roommate told me that it's now permitted, and she brought her cross-stitching with her. Now I wish I had brought the monster bag). Anyway, I've also started Clapotis (http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall04/PATTclapotis.html), using some yellow-orange-red yarn. It's a drop-stitch stole, looks pretty snazzy to me. Hopefully it will be cool. I have to admit that the pattern has driven me nuts because I've frogged the damn thing a few times.

Hopefully it will look like the picture when it's all done. Argh!

And Stitch-n-Bitch is tonight! I want to get as much of this stuff knitted up as possible, so I can buy some more yarn and work on a pattern that I have in my Stitch and Bitch Nation book--this nice summery sweater, which I think might be good in case it actually gets cold in class or perhaps on my clinical fellowship. Might be a nice thing to have, since I don't actually own a summer sweater that goes with everything.

I also had to take my car in to the shop yesterday. $800 to repair! Yikes. I will avoid potholes or other hazards to automobiles from now on. And the internet is down and out at home. It's a weird sort of liberating feeling, not being tied to the computer, but it's also a bit annoying because I'm an email addict.

Entrelac scarf

Entrelac scarf in Noro Kureyon yarn. Completed 6/6/05!

So it only took me like, forever...to make this scarf. It's in this gorgeous colorway. All I've got to do now is weave in the ends. Then I can wear it when it gets cold again. The reason this pic is up here is because I wanted to see if I could figure out how to put up pictures.

SnB

So today, I went to the Stitch-and-Bitch meeting. I am so in love with this. It's a good place, people my age (as opposed to the people at the local yarn shop, who are nice, but are all like my mom's age, or older), and they knit trendier things (as opposed to ugly bobbled sweaters. No offense. But I hate the bobbles on everything). And they're fun. And one of them also turned out to be a graduate from my alma mater, too! I'm happy. I'm planning on going at least twice a month, and it will be easier now because I won't necessarily be in class that day, and I will be home enough early starting in July (when I do my rotation), so I can actually have dinner and head out.

Project that I am working on--well, I'm working on a purple scarf and a bag. I'm calling the latter "Monster Messenger Bag", and it's coming along well. I'll have to figure out how to do an I-cord so I can make the handles for the bag. And I think the bag will come along well. It's this yarn that I bought several years ago, but never did anything with. (Bernat Boa--Phoenix), and it's going to look kinda furry, I guess like Elmo or Cookie Monster. Something to that effect. Now I also feel like I need to buy cotton yarn, but I look at my current stash and think about how many wintery things I've got to knit first. Sigh. But at least my stash is going down! (Slowly, of course).

All right, so I caved.

Okay, so I caved. Yes, I have had a blog before. But this one is totally different and is totally devoted to my crafty things--knitting (and froggings*), jewelry-making, purse-making, belt-making, or whatever-making strikes my fancy at the moment. So. Basically, this is just to help motivate me to actually finish whatever project is at hand at the moment, as well as to be all proud and show off what I've made. And yeah, I don't mind heaps of lots of praise. Praise is good.

*frogging: v. to rip apart