More progress (and trollbeads love)

I'm making very good progress on my Elizabeth Bennet. I have TWO sleeves and part of the front. Today I've set up for the waist shaping, but other than that, have not really knit, because we are getting ready for our Trollbeads Trunk show (yes, it is time for some Trollbeads love... :) In case you want to come join us, it is at Vale Edge Florist & Gifts, starting this Friday (September 12) and goes through Sunday (September 14). Our rep will be there on Saturday from 1-4. There are new Trollbeads out.

But all that aside, I went to Yankee Peddler over the weekend and got myself some face mugs from Tom Phelps Studio (seriously, the best mugs anyone will ever see... :)

Update on progress

It's official.

I have ONE sleeve finished!

Progress on Elizabeth Bennet

Now that I've finished the yoke (Yay!) I have started the sleeve. I made a small mistake, though--in the book, it mentions that I need to do 3 repeats of cable c (or at least, one cable pattern), then 3 repeats of another cable pattern (cable d). Well, somehow my mind glanced over that and did cable c 6 times, and got to this point (as depicted in the photograph of my progress) before I realized my mistake. I'm not going to bother ripping back, though. I decided to do this sleeve in cable c, and the next sleeve, I'll do cable d. I think it will be fine, because all the increases appear to be the same, anyway. At least I hope so, from the way the pattern looks. If not, I'll just do cable c on the second sleeve.

But it is nice to be making progress. I just want to knit, but I have work to do. Fun times. Speaking of which, I probably should get back to my work...

Activities

Last week, J. gave us blueberries to take home. I thought that perhaps I would make some blueberry grunt (having seen a recipe for it in Cook's Country but I didn't have quite enough blueberries (one would need 8 cups of blueberries).
So, I decided to make blueberry muffins. Absolutely delicious, and I finally got to use my silicone cupcake liners--so I've got nearly two dozen blueberry muffins (of which we've already eaten four).
And last night, the boy and I went to a dinner and dancing riverboat cruise on the Nautica Queen--we both had imagined something rather fun, with a large dance floor on the uppermost deck, but it turned out to be this tiny little dance floor in enclosed within the top (enclosed) deck. It wasnt' big. It looked like the size of an area rug, and I wasn't exactly sure how my dance class/fellow dance students would fit on the floor. While we were able to do a little cha-cha and swing, we were out of luck when we tried to do the rhumba, where we just wound up shuffling our feet on the floor to some really bad music.

Despite that, I still had fun. I would have liked to spend a little more time outside on the deck, but it was a bit cold and not very easy to balance on in high heels, and it had just finished thundering and pouring outside. So of course, I was a bit nervous about staying outside. But here are some shots I took of the Cleveland skyline at night.

Colin and Eddie, and Elizabeth Bennet

Here it is: The very first issue from Mask and Cape Comics (well, the Colin and Eddie comics, at least). The boy was over in San Diego at the ComicCon, promoting these comics of his. He'll be in Baltimore in September to promote some more. I also told him to do the Fell's Point Ghost Walk tour, which is totally awesome.





















And as I mentioned, Elizabeth Bennet is in progress. And over the past couple days, I've been working away at the yoke, which gets more and more exciting because it is starting to look like a sweater! I knitted away while watching Penelope (which I highly recommend. And maybe someone could sew me a jacket just like the one she has? Thank you).

Elizabeth Bennet

Perhaps I am crazy. Really. Like I have time to do anything, but I have to admit that as much as I enjoy Clessidra, spending a few months on a sock is enough to drive one mad. So the remedy: Cast on for an entirely different project (thereby ignoring the unfinished double-knit scarf and other mini projects hibernating in my bags...)

So far, I have knit the collar for Elizabeth Bennet and a little bit of the yoke--yay me! And in the midst of all this, I will try to work on Clessidra! I have to admit that knitting this sweater is a little relaxing now, as I am not paying attention to all those teeny-tiny cables.

I was going to post a picture of my progress, but blogger is not letting me do so. You'll see the pictures later, I suppose. But in case you have a really good imagination--this is being knit in this angora blend, this lovely mauve color that is more of a dusty purple color (which is a very flattering color on me, unlike this green that I made the boatneck sweater out of--what was I thinking?) But every now and then i get a little angora fuzz in my nose or mouth, which is a little disconcerting.

Yay!

So last night, when I finally got to the toe, I rejoiced. Whee!

So now I have finished ONE knee high sock in all its glory!


















Then I decided to model it. I have no more excuse--so I immediately tried on the sock. First, I tried it on inside-out and wondered why the heck the toe felt so weird. So I managed to convince myself that I had sensory integration problems (after all, I can't stand some of those sock seams), then I took a closer look at the cables, and realized that I wasn't even wearing it right. Luckily, when I put the sock on right, no more "sensory integration problems." Whew.


In order to prevent second sock syndrome, I have cast on and started the cuff of the second sock. At this rate, it will be October when I am done.

Progress

Finally, FINALLY, I've made it to the foot of this sock. Oy. It is taking me a while, but my gosh, it looks so darn cute in person! Now, between this cute sweatshirt that I got today (it is a very cute top that looks like something Jackie O would wear) and these socks, I'm totally ready for fall.

And I am completely itching to knit this awesome Habu sweater that is in knitty's new suprise. Here it is: Sea Tangles. But I think I shall wait till I get through a little more yarn. Though Habu doesn't exactly take up a ton of space, either...

The boy's at the comic con, and for those of us who are stuck at home--here is the comic book--well, their site: Mask and Cape Comics

Picture it

Ah, Estelle Getty.

How you made me laugh.

Here is one of my most favorite moments from "The Golden Girls."

Win a quilt!

Because I can't sew--I'm going to enter this contest to win this gorgeous quilt. It would be easier to win it, than for me to sew it. It would take me an eternity to do something like this.

http://oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/2008/07/win-this-quilt.html

What a week....

You know the saying: When it rains, it pours? It's been a little bit like that for me these days. It's one thing on top of another, and finally, today, I caused a minor traffic jam on the way to school. I was driving up to the university, when all of a sudden, my car just stopped in front of some guy's driveway. Luckily, the fellow and his wife were kind enough to help me out (by getting my car into their driveway), letting me into their home for a while before my dad came to get me, and just lovely people.

I'm just glad someone was kind enough to help out. Hopefully things start to turn around (maybe I ought to go for chinese tonight, and hope I get a good fortune?)

In knitting news: I have finally turned the heel on Clessidra. Yes, sock #1. I hope I don't get second sock syndrome.

Procrastination

I am procrastinating. I should be working on my paper, but this is ever more enticing (of course). Actually, my plan is this: I will work on my paper for a bit, email some people regarding my research study, and hopefully have some time left over to squeeze in an episode of "To Marry a Millionaire" (a k-drama that I am enjoying so far). Then, I will take my parents out for their 30th Anniversary dinner--which I hope will be nice. My dad has a nice surprise for my mom, so hopefully my mom will be happy (it's a necklace from the man who never buys jewelry).

I will officially continue to take ballroom dance. Love them. :) Last night, at the group lesson, we all had to trade partners for a couple dances, so I wound up dancing with an asian man with stinky breath and an old man who had tremors and couldn't remember where his feet were supposed to go, but he was very nice. Adam hated switching partners--he only liked one of the others that he had to dance with! Afterward, Adam and I went over to a fellow dance student's house, where we watched some anime, and he (the fellow student) showed us his transformers collection, which was impressive. Truth be told, I had to wonder (as I listened or tried to listen to this half-hour-long conversation about transformers), if I sound the same way to Adam (or males who do not knit or craft) when I discuss various yarns, patterns, designers, and techniques? The only thing I really understood from the transformers discussion was "beastwars"....and that's about it. All I really knew about them was that you can make them into cars and stuff.

I can't remember...

I can't remember if I ever mentioned this blog I started a while ago--it's a little fun for me more than anything: The Fortune Cookies. But just in case you want to see what it is.

Checking in again

There's not that much going on here, except for a couple good things that happened this past week:

I got to see Naomi when she came home from Germany for the week. I love seeing her and spending time with her--wish I could have spent more time with her, but I can't be selfish! When we went to Beachwood, we also stopped at this lovely bakery (good thing it's 45 minutes away from me, otherwise it could be a Very Bad Thing).

Here is a cupcake I brought home from The White Flower Cake Shop:




Yes. It tasted as good as it looked.

And the one that was just as good, if not better--the Red Velvet cupcake (not pictured, as it was already devoured). The next time I head up that way (might be a while yet), I'm making a trip to the cake shop...

Second bit of good news: My psych professor and I got invited to submit a grant proposal! We are stoked; we know we may not get it, but the fact that we got invited to do so--makes us really happy. We have until September 23 to put this baby together, make it tidy, exciting, and fundable. Hopefully the organization will think we're brilliant people and will think that we're worth investing in!

Playing catch up

So the past week or so were days of tinking back on my one Clessidra sock. There are times when you beat yourself up mentally because you just kept on knitting rather than reading the instructions before knitting. Which, of course, is not a smart thing to do. When I realized that I knitted up quite a lot (Instead of knitting 5 rows, I knitted 11--several times), I gave up and put Clessidra away for a bit. Very frustrated. So, essentially, it took me a little over a week to go back to where I should have started knitting the smaller sections. So now I feel better about it. Now I am where I should be, and I am actually reading the instructions...

As far as other things going on in my life: my birthday was awesome--I got a new cell phone (much needed, as my previous one had to be at least 4 years old--though I'm going to miss the smiley face covers I had on the phone), a new trollbead (Trollstone), and some fun gifts from Adam. And--my pen pals Caroline, Carolina, and Eileen really surprised me on my birthday with some wonderful gifts--I dont' have pictures at the moment but I will get around to putting them up!

One exciting thing I've been doing these days is learning to ballroom dance. It's a lot harder than you think--good workout too! I love my instructor, Meg, who is full of energy. In addition to the private lessons, there's also a group lesson (I'll try and go tomorrow) and a dance party--so I've actually met some people there. There's David, this twenty-year old boy who is really nice--and he and Adam seem to have hit it off. It sounds as though the two have a movie date or something this coming Saturday. Although I'm new to this, I think I'm going to keep up with the dance lessons if I can. Which means one thing: new SHOES!

Hee-hee.

Seriously though, it is lots of fun, even if one of us (not me, if that is a big enough hint) looks a little bit like a cross between Billy Ray Cyrus and Penn Jillette on Dancing with the Stars. It completely cracks up Meg when this person dances, sometimes.

But man, is it ever fun...

And, Adam's been working on another project--podcasts. I have a few guest appearances. Go check them out at The Aftershow Podcast!

The last year of my 20's

So today is my 29th birthday, and keeping up with that custom:

And, as you can see, I've been making progress on Clessidra. My one sock is shaping up and I keep trying it on to see how much more I've got to knit (quite a bit) but I don't mind. It is an absolutely beautiful knit and is not terribly difficult to make. I'm looking forward to fall, so I can wear this with my skirts...

And sometime in May, my SnB group had a seat cushion swap. My recipient was Sam, and this time of May was incredibly hectic with finals, Mother's Day, a training meeting, and a Trollbeads trunk show, but somehow I managed to knit up a cushion, felt it, put some applique and embroidery on it. The seat cushion was supposed to be 15"x15" but as you can see, it felted down to the right height but the wrong width. Oh well. But I still like it.

Quick update

As I am supposed to be working a street fair tomorrow, starting early in the morning, this isn't going to be a terribly long post, but I just wanted to share a couple quick things.

This past Sunday, my parents and I watched my brother's graduation ceremony at the Ohio State Football Stadium. This, by itself actually isn't bad. But imagine 94 degree weather in humidity, clear, cloudless day...and UGH! This was awful! I was sticking to my clothes, hot, miserable, in a stadium full of thousands of people. It was like playing "Where's Waldo?" only searching for my brother in the crowd.

It was kind of like:

Mom: Do you see him? Take a picture of him!

Me: Where?

Mom: He's the one with an orange cup!

Me: Where?! (pointing camera at random parts of the graduating class and pressing the shutter button)

Mom: Under Number 26!

Me: Do you see him?

Mom: (listening to my brother on my cell phone) No, but he says he's under Number 26!

So, essentially, I aimed my camera at the crowd and took pictures. We did find him later, but still! Everyone looks the same! No wonder people decorate their mortarboards! (I don't see the orange cup, do you?)

And my sock knitting project is coming along. I can't wait for Clessidra to be done, though. Though it's too hot to wear at the moment, I want to be done with it, so I can pad around the house in a gorgeous pair of socks before I sleep.

For Doc Whiz

I planned to write other things, such as knitterly things or about my brother's graduation, but this is the first thing I've been thinking of at the moment. I will write more about those and other things a little later.

This is for Doc Whiz (not his real name). He passed away last week, at the age of 60. This is quite unexpected (by everyone). He was also supposed to be one of the professors sitting on my comprehensive exams committee, so as of now, I am not quite sure what is going to happen, or who will give me my questions in the special education minor. The other part that is making me a little sadder is that he is--was--absolutely hilarious, strange, and very intelligent and creative, as evidenced by one of his websites: http://www.educ.kent.edu/community/DOCWHIZ/docwhiz.html
(Check out his pictures throughout his posts and website)

Knowing someone relatively young, who has passed away, is something that makes you think a little more, and hope that you can accomplish as much as he does, or to bring as much knowledge to the world as he did--well, one can only hope to be like that--to live with the great energy, enthusiasm, and humor as he did.

So Doc Whiz, here's to you. I raise a cup of non-Starbucks, locally brewed cup of joe (from Susan's) to you.

Events thus far

Now that the semester is over, I can breathe! (And knit a little, at the very least). Anyhow, a little while ago, I signed up for a swap, which was fun--and this is what I got from my swap partner. Lots of yarn from Phildar (including some sock yarn), and some tea and chocolate (which is always oh-so-very good), and some cute miffy stitch markers. Thank you Caroline! She is psychic and knows that I just learned to knit socks! Anyhow, there is also a CD of some fun music, which I am listening to right now.

I'm also still working away on my monkey socks, and have finished ONE sock and am working on the second. See? Isn't that awesome :) ?

I also have a secret knitting project--for a swap in my SnB group. We're making seat cushions for our chairs...I have made most of mine--just need to do the finishing touches. Hopefully it will all turn out well. Definetely an experiment in felting for me. After Wednesday, I will post a picture of the seat cushion that goes to --- for the swap.

Hola!

So I've been absent a while--a combination of busy-ness and laziness, but a few things have happened.

In knitting news:

I am knitting myself a monkey sock, out of some yarn that I dyed at Martha's dye day. It's coming along rather well, though you would think that I know better than to watch Ugly Betty and knit at the same time. I love the way the colors have turned out. I call this color "Smoky Mountain" because it reminds me of one of my postcards in my collection of postcards. (Yes, I still collect postcards obsessively.)

In non-knitting news--my professor (in psychology) and I will be collaborating on a fairly exciting project, so we are pretty enthusiastic about it. We'll be collaborating with another team at another university on a project, so my prof and I will probably work on several projects over the next few years or so, and try and develop a pretty interesting niche that has been under-investigated. It is getting more and more exciting, the more we read and write. Now I am totally confused about what I want to do for my dissertation!

Other non-knitting news: I went to a trollbeads training seminar, and I won a necklace with 7 beads, more than half I've been desiring. So that takes care of that! The one with the green and silver beads is the necklace that I won; I may add a few others onto it to add a little more green and gold. The six beads are assorted glass (and some call them OOAK -- or one-of-a-kind beads, though technically, that's not the right term for them.

Other trollbeads news--this weekend (May 2-4, 2008), we are having a trollbeads trunk show--and our totally awesome representative will be there May 3, so I am rather excited!