Where I Am Going

So, I told you all that I would post more, and here's how I think I'm going to do it. I'm not sure if this will be interesting to my three readers, but some of my plans include:

1. Jacking Bookwormbethie's "Keeping it Weird on Wednesday" idea, but changing it slightly. Bethie has a terribly great idea of posting a random odd factoid about herself once a week. I think this helps readers to get to know her while giving her something to post about once a week. So far I'm undecided about which day to post, but since I think this is something that isn't essential to a crafting blog, I'll use up a quiet reading day (Friday-Sunday) to do this.

2. Starting my book review blog. I'm reading a lot more nowadays thanks to my library's internet reservation plan. I like to write. Now, I just need to write about the books I read. This will also allow me to catalog books I like a lot, help me to think about a book critically, and prevent me from forgetting a book's plot in three seconds.

3. Guest blog for anyone that offers. I love to guest blog. Being given a topic often helps me to write.

4. Edit more. That means writing a post beforehand, and going back to rewrite. I have not been doing any editing for my blogs and it shows. I do it for Helen's blog and my writing is more polished and funnier.

5. Continue with my love of photography, but try to post my pictures faster so I can use them more quickly in blog posts. Also, improve my inanimate object photos.

6. Possibly create a Twitter account for my craft blog and for my book blog. Watching Helen's success with tweeting for her blog is inspiring.

7. Have one giveaway this year, at least! I really love to see giveaways on other blogs because I feel it helps people find you. It also helps you to see who has been reading but not commenting.

8. Jot down post ideas in one of my numerous text files, so that when I do want to write I'm not left floundering.

9. Bake more. This will not only make me a better and more interesting blogger, but I've found, surprisingly, that I enjoy making desserts.

10. A once a month, at least, roundup of links to articles/posts/finished items that I like. I find so much that I like, but never highlight these things.

Last, but not least, have Nathan help me blog.

Holidays and A New Year

Well, I know I said I'd be back soon, but the holidays, taking care of Nathan by myself on weekdays, and the lack of crafting made me a liar. December was a busy month. Besides general extreme illness, there was my favorite holiday!



I love Christmas to bits, and I love Christmas with Nathan and Paul even more, but I'll save that post for my family blog, and talk about my crafting/blog resolutions from last year.

1. I will make more cupcakes.

LIES CREAM! I didn't make more cupcakes at all. However, I consider myself forgiven because though I didn't bake much, I did bake more, and I posted some of my baking stuff on Helen's food blog! And Helen's blog, unlike this one, is totally real.

2. I'd like to make some holiday pillowcases using my sewing skills. ANY HOLIDAY will work at this point, and I'm counting birthdays as a holiday. These pillowcases would be for my bed pillows.

FAILURE AGAIN! I'm not doing so well so far, am I? I wish I had done this, but I didn't pull out my sewing machine enough.

3. I'd like to make Paula (and myself) some Halloween table napkins, much like my Thanksgiving napkins. In fact, I'd just like to make some more table napkins since I feel fancy when I use them, and they're now out of season.

I made myself more napkins at least, but then I ended up not liking them because I did a slip-shod job. Does it count if you're disappointed? I'm tending to think not.

4. Knit with Malabrigo yarn.

Success! I used some Silky Merino so I count this as a win.

5. Use up some of my stash.

Screw this resolution. It didn't make me happy. I got more stash, if anything, but I'm still not stash heavy.

6. Knit several pairs of socks, but try Shaeffer Anne, Dream in Color Smooshy, and Duet Sock Yarn for some of those socks.

I knit several pairs of socks, but the only one of these yarns I managed to knit with was Schaefer Anne.

7. Sew a skirt.

Damn, success! I did this! I even wore it out.

8. Learn the skills to make my favorite dress pattern ever. I don't need to make the dress this year, but I need to get more skills.

I didn't get all the skillz probably, but I did learn more about sewing. I count this as a partial success.

9. Blog at least once a week.

Well, I started out really well, but then I started to flag because I wasn't doing enough. I really need to finish this damnable Slytherin scarf. I will say that when you count in my personal family blog and Helen's food blog, I came much closer to my goal.

10. Knit a sweater.

I bought the yarn to knit a sweater. That doesn't count, does it?

11. Lose some damned weight. (Only crafting related because it means I can buy less yarn/fabric to make clothing items!)

Extra failure. Let's not discuss it.

So, my 2010 resolutions? Let's get to 'em. I know some people (in my personal life) are all "I don't do them" but I do, so that's that.

1. Sew more.

This is a simple one, but one that I'd really like to try to work on. I just don't knit or sew enough nowadays. I'm on this computer too much.

2. Try blogging on any blog I write for twice a week.

This includes my non-existent except in .txt format on my desktop book blog. I just want to write for people besides myself more.

3. Knit a pair of socks for Paul's grandmom.

She's in her nineties and her feet get cold because she has bad circulation.

4. Exercise more.

Forget losing weight, I just want to feel more together. I've added several workout DVDs to my Netflix queue. I also want to give yoga a real try.

5. Think about what I read more.

I tend to read a lot, but then I let it fall out of my mind easily because it is mostly junk. I am getting a Nook (WHEE!) and I need to read at least a few books which are quality.

6. Sew an Oliver and S garment for someone.

I just love the look of their patterns.

7. Learn to make macarons.

I know this one will bring me heartache.

8. Get off the computer to make more time for Paul, reading, and crafting.

This one is going to kill me. I really do love the computer.

9. Finish the Slytherin scarf.

Seriously. Make it my Olympic knitting, if need be.

10. Knit a sweater and holiday pillowcases.

My two undone resolutions from last year that I'd like to give a serious try.

Some of my plans for blog posting will come about next blog post. See you all then.

Sorry For the Radio Silence

I'm sorry for the silence on the blog front, folks. Turns out that my son is having some health issues including.



I've got to take care of that sweet little face first. I am blogging a bit over at Helen's food blog if you want to read some of my writing. I hope to post more before her Australia/Japan trip is over, but my son is, apparently, really anti-blogging.

Felting!

I have finally, finally finished a long-promised pair of slippers for bda, and learned to felt in the process! One of my knitters, upon hearing that I had pay machines in the building, advised that this was a project I probably wanted to do at my parents' house. So, I brought my supplies with me, and got to knitting once I put the turkey in the oven. And not a moment too soon...



Good thing bda's feet aren't a size or two bigger! But I finished them, stitched them up, then had him try them on for size.



I thought about just stopping there, so he would have room to grow into them, but the felting bug got the better of me.

I'm glad I took Amy's advice and felted at the house. It ended up taking nearly 30 minutes in the hot water for the slippers to get their felt on, and I reset the washer's agitation cycle twice.

Post-felting, I stuck a pair of shoes in there to block them, then had people try them on for size.



They weren't quite the right size for Patrick, but they were a pretty close fit for bda.



Overall, the felting process was pretty easy, and went pretty smoothly. I ended up turning the slippers inside out, because I thought the shape was a little smoother, and the felt a little less fuzzy. I see some errors in the shape caused by errors in the execution (I started the decreases on one side too soon, so there's a bulge at the top of one of them.) But bda seems pleased enough with his new foot covers, so we'll call this a successfully completed project!

Autumnal Anklets

So, I've been wanting to post about these damned anklets for about a month or more now! I've been holding off to allow me time to go outside to photograph them against the beautiful backdrop of autumn leaves. Dudes, if I held off photographing them any longer, you were not going to see them until 2010 or later. So, tonight, I snapped snapped snapped some photos and came back to my computer and promptly uploaded them.

I knit these suckers using size zero needles. It was my first time knitting non-baby socks on such tiny needles and I found it to be slow going, but I ended up loving the look of the tiny knit stitches so much, I might be a size zero needle convert. The evenness of my stitches. The perfection of my stitches! It was amazing. If only I liked this colorway or yarn more. I ended up not loving Schaefer Anne yarn, sadly. I find it slightly scratchy while knitting and slightly fuzzy once knit up. You can see the halo of the yarn a little better in this picture.



I'm quite happy that my remaining untouched sock yarns are all semi-solids as I've been unhappy with my variegated yarns recently. I will say this for Schaefer Anne yarn -- it goes through a washer and dryer beautifully. While sick, I decided to toss them into my wash to see what happened. They bled hideously and I now have a slightly pink (previously light blue) tee, but they held their shape perfectly and are now soft enough for wearing around the home comfortably. They are also one of the few sock yarns I've worked with that make gorgeously thin socks that fit perfectly into my shoes.



As for the fact that they are anklets, as are most of the socks on my site? I have a horrible confession to make for a sock knitter. I hate socks. I only wear anklets at all (machine made or hand knit) and I mostly only wear them into bed. The anklet size allows me to kick them off once I get warm and sleepy enough. If you're wondering why I hate socks, it's all about constriction. I hate clothes that make me feel constricted. I also dislike tight clothing, shoes with backs, and turtlenecks. Dear God above, I really hate turtlenecks.

Saying all this, I'm still tempted to work some Cookie A socks next with my semi-solid yarn. That is, I'm tempted to do so if I ever get my scarf done. Chances of that? Slim to none.

Love you all and I hope to post soon. I am actually crafting once again!

Finished Object, FINALLY

So, I know it's the usual cool thing to apologize for not writing, but... dudes. For the combined months of September and October, Nathan and I experienced about fifteen colds between us. We were like germ factories, constantly cuddling new colds onto each other. Paul managed to luckily avoid most of the bad, but the last cold I got was the worst. Remember when I was all, "I'll post when I get better"? Yeah, after that I got better for one week, during which I did things like clean our house and get laundry back into normal shape. Then, Nathan got another cold, and I got a killer cold/cough. It was hideous. Yesterday was the first day in roughly two or three weeks in which I don't sound like I just got home from a really smoke filled bar.

But, anyways. I told you I had two finished objects to tell you about, and, guess what?! I didn't take pictures of my anklets yet. That's okay -- they're boring anyway.

Isaac's Blanket (ravel it!)
Pattern: Sweet and Simple in Leisure Arts #3219
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton (?)



I did get pictures sent to me from my friends Tom and Paula! See, they used to live in Philly and it was awesome and we saw them all the time. Paul and I miss them horribly still, but they have moved on to bigger and better states, apparently. I hope to go visit them soon. Well, approximately early summer of 2007, Paula announced to us that she was pregnant. We, of course, got very excited, and I promised to make a blanket for the wee little one (code name Pom Pom at the time).

Since I did not sew at that time, and my crochet is crap, I decided to knit a blanket I've done once before. I ordered up some beautiful yarn, Rowan something or other, and it was machine washable, and peach. Why peach? I'm really not sure. I think I should have picked green, in retrospect, but, since I can't go back in time, let's appreciate its peachly majesty. I got the yarn, started on the blanket, and promptly got pregnant myself.

Unfortunately, my pregnancy was both mostly hidden and nauseating. You know how some women 'glow'? Yeah, not me. I was more of 'tired sick mess'. This left me little time to knit since I was still trying to keep our house perfectly clean and plan our babymoon!

This was a very simple simple pattern. The most complicated part of it was probably the fringe. I enjoyed knitting on it once I felt better, and while it looks pretty and lacy, it can be done (by a non-beginner) knitter in front of the television. It's also very fast, though I believe I did finish it post-baby delivery. I will state, the first time I knit this (half a year into casually knitting) the constant changing number of stitches threw me off so badly that I ended up with a gigantic knotted hole in the blanket, the memory of which embarrasses me to this day!



Here's the little baby (my Godson!) that got the blanket.



Yeah, he's cute enough to deserve a better blanket! Maybe I'll quilt you one, someday, kid!

Also, hope to talk to you all soon.

Setting my craft corner in order

When Jenn and I were hanging with Jared Flood, I told him (and everyone else there) that I knit in the winter, not in the summer. And it's not a lie! I even knit and finished something just last week! But I had to finish it in a hurry, so no pic. Sorry. But, if you looked at the state of my ravelry stash, you would be forgiven for calling me a liar.

But knitting or not, I do photograph all year round. So, in my blogtator's honor, I photographed all the hanks of yarn waiting to be knit, and stashed them (ravelry). And saved an extra delightful pic for y'all to open my post.

If you were bored and looking at dead stashes recently, you might also get the impression that I last knit when nubbins ruled the earth. I discovered in this cleanup that you must declare items in your stash all used up! They won't go away on their own by your careful calculations of yarn used to equal 100%! So, now my stash page looks a whole lot more like my yarn basket.



Time to get knitting!

Two Finished Objects... SOON!

I'm sorry for the delay in posting, my small, but incredibly loyal, audience! I am sick with something or other. I generally feel like I've been run over by a very large truck and my remains have been thrown in icy water. The only part of me left whole is my throat which is all screwed up and pained.

Paul's been picking up a lot of the slack around the house with cleaning, and my mom (who can drive me crazy) is a saint when I'm not feeling well. If I told her I needed her here tomorrow morning at seven in the morning, she'd be waiting on my doorstep at six. I will probably go visit her tomorrow.

Unfortunately, between Nathan's odd allergic reaction to a virus (which made him break out into a very very spotty rash all over his whole body) and my need to sleep about 12 hours a day, I've not had time to post and process photos, including photos of my finished objects.

Normally when I'm not posting it's because I have nothing to say. Today? It's because I just want to watch some Glee and get some sleep.

Talk to you later. Also, if any of you have any advice on how to handle a baby that's starting to get opinionated and talk-backy (amazing, considering he can't talk), please let me know. Today, when I told Nathan not to touch the cat stratch toy, he looked at me deliberately, and ran his hands up and down it really fast. I managed not to laugh, but I was at a loss for what to do.

Met Jared Flood And All I Got Was Yarn!

This post goes to out to making Sophy envious! As I had not seen Helen in about a week and a half, I contacted her to make plans to eat and knit and pet kittens. She suggested that we attend Jared Flood's meet and greet at Loop, and, after a quick discussion of feasibility with Paul and Nathan, it was decided.

We were very late getting there, which was all my fault due to a combination of Nathan and traffic, but it turns out that this was for the best. By the time we got there, no one was around! There were about five other knitters there besides Helen and me. We spent several minutes browsing the store and talking about visiting Spool before Helen tried to egg me into meeting Jared on the basis that I was the 'better' knitter. This is a complete lie as Helen has probably knit more than me by now and she's actually knit some of Jared's designs. I hesitated on sitting near Jared and lingered over at the sock yarn area and tried to push her to sit first, but Helen kept going on about buying yarn for another knitting venture.

After a while, the owner of Loop noticed our odd behavior and tried to push us both into sitting at the table. I ended up grabbing some Madelinetosh Tosh Sock to avoid sitting.


I mean, it's super pretty and I love me some semisolid sock yarns (colorway Clover), but at least fifty percent of that sock yarn purchase was bashfulness at meeting people.

See, here's the thing you need to know about me. I hate meeting people. I'm not sociable in person and I have few social skills. I tend to alienate people I've just met by being standoffish or super opinionated or shallow. I make jokes that are offensively cold. A lot of people dislike me upon first meeting me, and I've had this verified by people who have later become my friends!

Knowing all this about myself has made meeting people even worse. I just hate being in group situations with people I don't know. I am always sure that the second I sit down, there's something about my face or voice that makes people dislike me.

I did not want to sit anywhere near Jared Flood or the other knitters or the owner. However, after a few more minutes, I realized I couldn't avoid sitting at the edge of the table, so I did. I talked with a nice guy named Alex about where we both lived. I forgot to tell him that I really liked his t-shirt. Helen joined me shortly after, but I needed to buy my sock yarn then. When I got back, she was in the middle of the table discussing her food blog with everyone. (Helen's a serious Philadelphia food blogger. She's got mad Twitter followers and she meets with all kinds of other food bloggers.) I finally sat down at the table again and started talking with people. No one seemed to hate me, and everyone was interesting, and we stayed until closing. This meant no Spool for me, but I hope to go back down on another Friday.

I did forget to tell Jared Flood (who is kind of a cutie and I'd probably die of embarrassment if he saw that, but he will never see that I said that because no one besides ten people read this blog) that I want to knit Girasole. That would be such an awesome blanket to pull over oneself in the middle of winter, as one lounged in front of a roaring fire with a bagful of hot chestnuts. Don't you love how I create these picturesque scenes in my head?

After all this was done, Helen and I got some Indian pizza (DELISH!) Then, we went to pet the kittens and knit and watch Glee. Are you watching Glee? If not, what is wrong with you? Do you not like fun and music and dancing and joy? Helen also presented me with a belated birthday present. I took it outside and cuddled it today.


Is that Malabrigo you see before you? Yes, it is three skeins of Merino Worsted in Sapphire Green and it's for Shalom. I do dislike the name of the colorway because sapphires are most commonly blue. Here you can see a real sapphire and the yarn. Are they the same color?


I had a fun Friday night, got some great yarn, and tried to blog about my latest pair of knit anklets. Unfortunately, every series of photos I've taken has come out blurry, so that'll have to wait. But, please note that I'm back down to one WIP! So exciting a life!

I Love Getting Stuff

I'm a fairly greedy person, in case you are not aware. I love to receive gifts and I love to win prizes. This is why this will be one of my favorite recent posts! It's about things I've both received and won!

Quite recently, I began to follow the blog Knitter in the Kitchen, mostly for her beautiful photography. She's not a frequent blogger, but then... neither am I. I must forgive this fault, or I am simply the pot to her kettle. Really, if you go to her site, you'll see that her photography more than makes up for her infrequent posts. However, I tend to follow craft blogs for their photography. A bit after I subscribed to her feed, she ran a nice post about her craft room that included a giveaway at the very end!

I have recently stopped trying to win giveaways because they are often swamped with comments and I don't want to win something unless I really want it. I couldn't ignore this, however. First was the fact that her sewing area is the most gorgeously coordinated sewing area I've ever seen. I'd weep with joy to sew in her room every day. (Seriously, check her ironing board out. My own ironing board is a mini version with a stained white cloth cover.) Second was the fact that she decorated the room in orange, brown, and white with a lot of linen. I love a color combined with brown and white. If you know me in real life, you'll know that Nathan's room is primarily done in green, brown, and white, and my own bedroom is Tiffany blue, brown, and white. Lastly, she was giving away two Amy Butler patterns and she hadn't advertised the post as a giveaway, meaning it looked like I had a shot in hell of winning. So, I took a chance. AND WON!

I now have my very first Amy Butler pattern and it's sitting on my pattern shelf silently intimidating me.



See? There it is, going, "I need interfacing to work, Kitten." I have tried to shush it with the fact that I want to do eighteen hundred other projects first, and I don't have any fabric worthy of it, but it makes chicken sounds at me.

Thank you, Knitter in the Kitchen. I hope I make something gorgeous.

Next up? My birthday presents from Paul's parents. I say parents, but let's get real on who picked out these gifts. Thanks, mom!



What you see there are Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson, a cute circular knitting needle holding case from Della Q, a tiny ladybug tape measure from Lantern Moon, and a gift certificate to Knitting to Know Ewe.

My mother-in-law was super cute when she gave it to me and told me that she was now obsessed with Lantern Moon. A long time lover of their rosewood and ebony needles, I understood where she was coming from. She told me we would have to go together to spend the gift certificate, and I am happy to do so. I love going yarn shopping with people, and I imagine it'll be fun shopping with her for yarn. I would say that we would likely have nothing in common yarn-wise, but I have looked askance at Helen's purple yarn purchases, and Christy has called some of my yarn loves "unicorn puke colored", I believe. Just because you have a lot in common with someone doesn't mean that you'll have similar yarn colorway tastes!

Someone help! My tape measure is attacking me!



I love getting cute tape measures!

How are all my readers doing? I see you all blogging about your crazy knitting, so I assume well. I'm still chugging along myself, and I expect I'll have some anklets to model for you all soon, as well as the start of Shalom. Helen, when do we get together?