spring is here April 29, 2008

though you wouldn’t know it from the weather lately. I’m speaking more on my nesting tendencies as of late. I, as I’m sure most girls did, used to have an elaborate plan of what my future home would look like. Of course back then it was 5 stories tall with a giant aquarium built in the center that you could scuba dive in and a laser security system… my needs have changed somewhat, but you get the idea. Maybe it’s because we’re the gatherers, the ones who need a place to settle, but women do seem to enjoy making a space their own, and within the next few months I should finally be able to have my own place. I’m so excited I could pee. This impeding move has inspired a massive surge of nesting, starting with paint swatches.

the colors aren’t so primary in real life… more earthy in tone, and very seventies. I’m not absolutely set, but I do know the bathroom must be yellow. Not sure why, but it must be. I’ll wait until I actually find a place to make my final decision, but I do know that I want to be surrounded by bright colors.

Another thing that has been popping into my head is all the stuff you never think about needing when you’ve lived with your parents for so long. The main thing is linens. My parents have about 30 years of sheets and towels, so I’ve never had to think about needing my own kitchen towel. They’ve always existed in the closet. I’m not sure why, but having my own linens seems to really solidify my independence, and to celebrate I’ve decided to embroider a couple of sets of tea towels using these patterns:

you can tell I’ve already dug into them. They can be found here, and they’re absolutely amazing. They come on a re-usable iron-on transfer sheet, and the image stays after the ink is used up so you can still trace them. Right now my favorite is the veggies with the mix and match faces (although the space girls are a close second).

I would have to say the most exciting accumulation in preparing for my own space is what the post fairy brought me this morning.

it does say medication enclosed… I’m telling myself he used it for packing material

looks exciting, doesn’t it. Maybe this shot will make more sense.

it’s a photo enlarger! I had been planning to buy one in the indefinite future, and had just checked on ebay to see what they were currently going for when I found this baby. There was no reserve, and the auction ended at only $115, with your’s truly as the victor. From what I can tell, it’s in perfect working order (except missing the base board, which I was aware of when I bought it), and it came with lots of goodies.

What I am really excited about is it can hold medium format negatives (2 1/4 x 2 1/4 inches as opposed to 35mm) and comes with a separate lens that is necessary to print from them (since the negative is so much larger you need a wider lens to get the light in focus all the way to the edges). I’m just giddy at the fact that I’ll be able to set up my own darkroom once I have my own place. I do have a studio now, but for me the photos have always fueled the work and focused my thinking, so finally having a place to print will be exquisite… even if it is my bathroom.

anyway, that’s all the excitement for now. hopefully next week I’ll have some embroidery samples to show you, and maybe a finished mitten or two!

’bout time April 22, 2008

sorry for the little vacation. I had forgotten what a time suck “real jobs” can be. I think I’ve started to get used to the new schedule, so things should start to get a little more regular around here. My knitting has suffered a little during the new job adjustment, but I have managed to get some things going.

Exhibit A:

I finished serenity (ravelry link). I used about 4.5 skeins of Tatamy Tweed Worsted in turquoise to make the smaller size. Overall I’m very pleased with this. It was a fun knit: not too demanding but definitely required my attention. I really love how the edging turned out.

(you’ll have to excuse the color in the top photo. Apparently my camera decided to eat the color in only that image)

Along with this I had to whip up a pair of booties for the new baby

I think these might even be cuter than the first ones. Some little teal buttons and these will be all set. I normally try not to knit the same pattern too often (a massive fear of boredom) but these booties are just perfect. They’re so adorable you could just puke, and they knit up fast. I was able to finish this pair while watching Romeo + Juliet (that is, in between sobbing and swooning. I have to admit I have a soft spot for Leonardo DiCaprio. That face, plus an extremely talented actor, who can’t love him?).

To round out this baby package I’m planning on knitting up a little toy elephant. I love Ysolda’s patterns, and this little guy is just too cute. The baby shower is set for sometime in May, so hopefully I can whip him out pretty quick.

On other knitting, I’m trying to get a head start on Christmas knitting. My mom’s mittens are coming along steadily.

The pattern is chevalier. I am making some adjustments to the pattern. Nothing major, just making them suit my needs a little better. I’ll be sure to post them once I finish. I also broke my yarn diet the other week.

The top is Cascade 220 in a lovely olive heather. Eventually it will become mittens for my father, as part of his Chistmas present. The bottom is appropriately called Yummy. This is some of the best smelling sock yarn, and it’s in my favorite colors. There was no way to resist. I justified the purchases by saying they’re part of my contribution to Project Spectrum (which they do fit into the Earth months) and part of it is for a gift. So I don’t feel too guilty.

But I do feel slightly guilty about this

Introducing Frankie, Jr. My old ipod bit the dust due to my own stupidity and impulsiveness. The headphone jack was messed up, and I had read somewhere that you could just crack open the ipod, push the jack back into place, and it’d be good as new. Instead of researching how I should properly go about this, I just pried the thing open… and the hard drive fell out. Needless to say it didn’t want to work after that. But now I have this little baby, which I think is a little more appropriately sized for my music needs. I had trouble filling 30GB, and 8GB allows me to put only my favorites on it. And I think this one is a little more difficult to crack open.

up next: Paint swatches, a new table, and nesting fun!

FO sho’ April 17, 2008

Just a quicky, cause it’s gettin’ late

ah… The beauty of cross country bus trips. I was able to finish the pair during my adventure (and vow never to set foot in Atlanta ever again). These round out my project spectrum tasks for “fire”. Now I’m all fired up (hah!) for “earth”, and have found myself really attracted to browns and greens, which works out perfectly. And yet what did I start last night?

Serenity. In my defense, I don’t know the sex of the fetus, and this was the brightest, most gender neutral color I could find. I’m almost finished with the first chart, and it’s proving to be much more exciting than the other blanket.

And to fully round out my domesticity, I give you cake.

This past Friday was my father’s birthday, and the cheapskate that I am, this was his present. I typically am the designated cake-maker (and baker in general), and I figure if I’m making it as a gift I should go all out. I used this recipe and was very happy with the results. I have a feeling this will be made many times more.

I start my new job tomorrow, so wish me luck!

eta: apparently I was an idiot and added this as a page instead of a post. But all is fixed now, and hopefully I’ll find some time this weekend to show all my new stuff.

a case of the “itis” March 12, 2008

Let’s start with some baby-itis!

This is the set for one of my old college roommates (that makes me feel so old), who’s due in April.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, these are too freakin’ cute. I’m not one for babies, but I love baby stuff. It’s all just so miniature. The booties are Saartje’s Booties made with Dale of Norway Stork. They were complete destashing, the yarn being left over from the Thongs of Summer ‘07 (which seriously, the pattern is on it’s way) and the buttons are all reclaimed from the consignment shop I work at. The halter is Katja, out of Tatamy Tweed. Knitting baby boobies: great fun.

The blankey is the Pinwheel Blanket, made from a recycled cotton sweater, and I was sure it would be the death of me.

Look at that. Miles and miles of stockinette. That only grows as you knit. Never again. The next baby blanket I knit will be this (ravelry link). I am the queen of polar opposites.

Next on the list is start-itis!

Drunken Bees in ShibuiKnit Sock, Lily colorway. I’m just past the gusset on the first sock, and I am loving this pattern (and don’t get me started on the yarn). It’s a fairly easy chart, but for some reason the honeycomb cable has been tripping me up. I totally blame it on my own stupidity. But I do have the prettiest picked-up stitches I’ve ever made.

So clean and sleek. I have a near uncontrollable desire to lick these socks. These are my March contribution to Project Spectrum, and just what I needed to get over February, which really should be known as The Soul Sucking Hell of Winter. But now spring is on it’s way, and what better way to usher it in than a new pair of fingerless mittens?

Garter Stitch Mitts in Noro Kureyon, in some unknown color. I really love Noro, and I can’t see what’s not to love about it. The color transitions are just gorgeous, and while it’s not the softest of wool, it definitely can take a beating. Perfect for accessories that need some flair. And this pattern was just wonderful (after I, yet again, got over my own brainfarts and learned how to read a freaking pattern). The pair took me about 6 hours to make, from start to finish, and took exactly 50g of yarn for the small size.

Yup. I love ‘em.

And finally, I started fixing this problem.

Exciting, right? I’m using Buttony as the base, and doing colorwork, a la Transition Gloves. This is partially because I’m easily bored, and partially because I’m worried about running out of yarn. I have 5 skiens of the green, and 3 of the orange, so I’m hoping that should be enough for a 3/4 sleeve cardigan. I’m just finishing up the raglan increases and I’ll show some images of it once it gets interesting.

And in exciting life news I got a new job! I’ll just be a packer at the Target Distribution center, so nothing too glamorous, but it will allow for me to get my own place (!) and have insurance (!). I never thought I’d be so excited about being able to go to the dentist (and gynecologist for that matter). I start the 25th, which works out nicely for me because this next week I’m going down to South Carolina to help a friend with his senior show. So I get a little vacation before having to become an adult.

I hope everyone has a great week, and I’ll try to bring spring back up with me.

the end of an era February 20, 2008

While I know I’m late to comment, I don’t think it’d be right to post without addressing the NIU tragedy. It is truly a heart-wrenching situation that no community should have to go through, and my heart goes out to the victims, their families, and the shooter’s family. I have a unique situation in that I’m from the community but not of it. I went to college elsewhere, and know only a few people who attend (those of which were thankfully not involved), so this tragedy still feels removed from me. I’ve been impacted more in a “shaken faith in humanity” kind of way rather than “I can’t believe it happened to me”. But it still is shocking nonetheless. DeKalb has always felt like a small, connected community, and you just don’t think of things like this happening… and now it has. While it may seem callous, I do see this and other school shootings as a sign of the times. In the past ten years there have only been two without any shootings occurring. I don’t mean this to say that we need to go into automatic defense mode. After any major shooting there is always a call for stricter gun control, and I think this is the most naive “solution” to the problem. Taking away weapons (or making them more difficult to obtain) isn’t going to make people stop wanting to hurt each other. I believe the real solution lies in healing our societal psyche. We seem to foster a society that encourages isolation and believes there’s a pill for everything… fragmenting our communities and leaving us only professionals to turn to for help, who can be just too professional. We need to go back to the time when it took a village to raise a child, not a handful of pills.

Ok, now off my soapbox. Maybe some yarn and an FO will help bring some cheer back. First off, some gorgeous sock yarn from knit/purl:

This is Shibui sock in Lily. It’s so wonderful and squishy and ORANGE I could just pee myself. They will be shortly becoming Drunken Bees.

Up next for yarn love is this:

Kristin (who is such a wonderful person and dyer) gave me this as a birthday present. It’s Green Prairie Fibers Prairie Fire, and yet again, orange. It’s the flecks of blue that really drive me crazy with this. Orange and blue is my absolute favorite color combination, and now I have it in wonderful sock yarn. I’m think it might become a pair of these.

And finally, the Endpaper Mitts. I had been eying this pattern for a while, and then I discovered this:

These are my hurry up spring armwarmers from Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation, and I practically lived in these things for 3 years. As soon as this was discovered, I went home and cast on these babies:

Pattern: Endpaper mitts by Eunny Jang

Yarn: malabrigo lace

I absolutely love these things. They were quick (about a week) and super easy. The only real mod was not using smaller needles to do the ribbing, which was definitely a good idea, and I used the lace weight doubled to get it closer to a fingering weight. This was my first time using the ever-loved malabrigo, and it is such a treat. Putting these mitts on is practically a religious experience, and I’m constantly telling people to touch them. That being said, I’m not so sure that I’d use it very often. It felts if you look at it wrong (at least the lace does) and I’m not sure about how it will wear. A halo has already appeared, and pills are forming… I’m not too surprised or upset, being that I have worn them ever day for about 3 weeks, but I does make me not want to make a sweater (or anything substantial) out of it. I’m not the kind of person who believes in being gentle to clothes, no matter how much time I put into them. I think I’ll save this yarn for more special knits, wedding shawls and the like. Either way, these get a hearty thumbs up. love ‘em love ‘em love ‘em.

Some of you may be noticing a lot of orange going on, and while part of it is my love of the color, there’s also Project Spectrum. I’m getting off easy in these first two months because I do have an unhealthy amount of orange in my stash, but my ultimate goal is to use Project Spectrum to really explore these colors, especially the ones I rarely use, and see what can be done with them. Or maybe I’m just using it as an excuse to buy a ridiculous amount of yarn throughout the year… but we won’t speak on that.

here’s one more picture for the road.

(with me hiding the mug. I have an  unhealthy attachment to this thing. like panicking when it’s put in the cupboard because it’s natural place should be either in my hand or on the counter, eagerly awaiting my use of it. unhealthy)

ps- I forgot to mention above, but KnittingHelp.com is doing charity blankets for the NIU victim’s families. More information can be found here and here.

taking a cue from Weezer* February 7, 2008

I used to have a problem… I was a secret tea lover, and what made it worse- I can’t stand coffee. When I was is school I felt guilty about not liking coffee and did everything to try and like it. I doctored it up with every sweetener and creamer I could get my hands on, but it remained simply a functional drink. I drank it when I needed a quick wake-up, but I never enjoyed it they way I loved tea. I always had teabags laying next to the coffee, and that was what I’d instinctively reach for, using the coffee maker simply to heat the water.

I have no idea why I felt so guilty about my love of tea, and it most certainly wasn’t something I’d stay awake torturing myself over, but there was something about not being crazy over coffee that made me feel as though I was a poser in the “art student” clique. Over the past couple of months I’ve come to embrace my tea loving self, and by embrace I mean a full-on bear hug. For one I’ve become obsessed with tea sets. So much so that I’ve been scoping out china cabinets so I’ll have a place to display all the pretty little sets I will (one day) collect. To add to the matter, my friends and family have totally indulged me in my obsession.

Exhibit A:

this is the tea set my mother bought me for christmas. It’s color is closer to a celadon green, and it has a full 4 cup, 4 saucer set. For some reason I insisted that a tea set *must* come with saucers, and she humored me enough to go to several stores to find a set (this really is a testament of love, seeing as how my mother can’t stand shopping under the best of conditions). I haven’t gotten a chance to really use it, but an Alice in Wonderland party is in the works, once the weather will permit croquet and the like.

Exhibit B:

This is the adorable tea-for-one set my best friend got me. It is not only a tea pot

But also the cup that fits together perfectly. The pot also has a strainer so it’s perfect for loose leaf tea. Which brings me to the last item:

Teavana is the best tea company I’ve come across so far. I stumbled across them at the mall one day, and they had a “free sample” display, and who was I to refuse them? In the past I’ve been discouraged from flavored teas that tasted as though dried cherries (or whatever) had been added as an afterthought, but this stuff tastes like everything belongs in this perfect medley of deliciousness. My favorite so far is the Masala Chai, and it all is reasonably priced. I’d definitely recommend this for anyone who’s looking to upgrade their tea stash.

Up next: an FO or two, and the fruits of a productive snow day

*anyone confused by the title should listen to Weezer’s “‘The Good Life” on Pinkerton.

Little bits of pretty January 25, 2008

I’ve been a knitting fiend these past couple of weeks. The first to show off is my very first sweater

(click on the photos to go to ravelry for more info)

I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. I’m not too happy with the length, and I think the stranded yoke may be a bit too much for someone who’s already top-heavy, and it’s kinda itchy…. and I think I may have just convinced myself that it needs to become something else. But I’ll wait a couple of days before I start getting all frog happy. On to something I’m much more happy with:

This is the Honey Bunny from Craftleftovers . This little guy is just too cute. He’s a birthday/christmas present for a friend that’s long overdue. Just some weaving in ends and embroidery and this guy is done. He’s so fluffy and cute I just giggle looking at him. I have a feeling another one of these is in my future. Next on the making-jess-feel-productive list is a slew of baby clothes.

so maybe it’s not *quite* a slew, but it feels like it. Winter seems to be the time in which people decide to commit and procreate, which leaves me with plenty of baby knitting to do. And I couldn’t be happier. While babies themselves kinda creep me out, I love baby stuff, and making baby stuff helps to fight off baby fever (you know, when for no logical reason you have the sudden urge to pop out a wee one, even if you know you’d never be able to stand the thing?). I figure a couple more pairs of booties, some blankets, and a toy or two should get that all out of my system.

I also have these wonderful mittens in the works

They’re an improvised pattern, using some yarn I reclaimed from a sweater. The yarn reminds me of manos de uraguy, in both the color and texture, but there’s one. key. difference. The dye rubs off on my hands while I knit it. I’m not too worried about it… I wanted these to be “workhorse” mittens. Functional, a little pretty, but with the main focus on keeping my hands warm. I figure I’ll give them a nice bath once they’re finished, maybe throw in a little vinegar, see what happens. Maybe I’ll just end up with constantly colorful fingers.

(and thanks to Kristin and Carolyn for helping me with the photo issue… It was so simple, and I’m such a ditz…computers baffle me)

seriously, now January 11, 2008

Something about life after college seems… long. Or rather un-timed. In school it’s simple: semester, break, semester, break, and continue as needed. I’ve managed to still try and hold onto that mindset, thinking that it’s ok if I’m slack during christmas and new year’s because I’ll be able to jump back into it once break is over… but there’s nothing now to signify that break is over, and I keep telling myself, “next week I’ll seriously buckle down and schedule myself proper” and of course we know how that goes. Even little things like posting pictures to ravelry seems like such a time suck (probably because it’s so easy to get distracted there). The worst part of all this is that it’s my studio time that suffers the most, which then makes me feel miserable because I really love my studio time. So seriously, I’m gonna pull this shit together, stop moving like an old man getting up from a chair, and make it work. But enough of this whiny stuff… I have pictures!

amusing little bunny/dog thing

a little man thingy

owls I made using this tutorial

and sock puppets

These were the sewing portion of my friend’s gifts (which there’s actually only one knitted gift, but that requires it’s own special post). All except the owls are of my own design. It was my first real attempt at pattern drafting, and it wasn’t a complete flop, so yay! I was giggling the entire time I was making them because they are just so ridiculous. And the sock puppets… god do I love sock puppets. I surprisingly haven’t made some for myself, but try to find any excuse to make them for others. I think there’s a magical transformation that occurs when someone puts them on their hands, it’s just hilarious.

Anyway, new years was filled with fun and games and drunken-ness. I have several projects in the works, and I’ve spent the past two nights reclaiming old sweaters to start new ones. woo! More soon, and possibly better photos (I’ve managed to get a photoshop and illustrator hook-up… I know a guy, well, girl actually, but I should be getting it in a couple of weeks)

ps- forgot to mention, all of the gifts were made from reclaimed materials (except the socks. that would be… not right). aren’t I just a good little recycler.

hooligans, shenanigans, and general tomfoolery January 3, 2008

Happy new year to one and all! I know I mentioned posting about projects as they finished and such, but we all know how that goes, so just a little update before I bombard you with photos. The cousin and brother both loved their hats. Here’s a link to my brother’s hat bobohat.jpg. Sorry for the link… I’ve been struggling with not having photoshop, and I can’t find a way to shrink file sizes in Apeture… Any suggestions?

Anyway, on to the fun stuff. New Year’s is always an event for my friends and me. It’s when we do our gift exchange, and in general have a good time (isn’t that what New Year’s is about?). In recent years we’ve added a little excitement to our annual night: theme parties. Last year was “I’m Dreaming of a White Trash Christmas”, and this year we had “The Ghosts of Drunkards Past” in which we dressed as famous dead alcoholics.

In attendance we had the lovely (yet blurry) Frances Farmer

Hunter S. Thompson

Bon Scott (he actually had a sock in his pants… I was slightly frightened)

And Bender the Robot

Also in attendance were Zelda Fitzgerald and Caligula (we happen to be rather camera shy).

I hope the next year will be as wonderful as the last for everyone!

Coming soon: All the little goodies, and maybe a slight amount of obscenity

Happy Holidays! December 24, 2007

just popping by to say happy holidays to all. i’ve come to realize i do christmas slightly different than most people. the gift giving begins on christmas eve, and continues till new year’s, when my friends and i have our gift exchange. that being said, it means that i still have gifts in the works, and over the course of the next week or so i’ll post them as they are finished.

i hope everyone has a great time and stays safe!