Owls!

Finally. I had to upload the owl photos from emails from my dad, and they took FOREVER to load, and sometimes required me to shut my computer down. It was somewhat of an ordeal, actually!

I'm at my parents' house today, and my father mentioned that he was a bit sad that I had not posted the owl pictures. They have gotten quite a few comments on my Flickr page, because, let's face it, owls are cool. Plus, my father took some great pictures! And, here they are, in no particular order.
Winking owl:


3 ounce owl (with 4 ounce owl in the lower left corner):






Flappy owl:


Flappy snowy owl:

Barred Owl:


Sleepy Barred Owl:


Aside from the fact that the tiny ones were cute because they are tiny, I think that the barred owl was my favorite on the cuteness factor. the circles around his eyes are great.

It was a nice treat to get to check out these magnificent birds. We even got to see some pellets, and hear some real owl hooting! Plus, my parents came down to visit, and it was nice to see them.

Must! Resist!

Whenever I happen upon a new craft that I want to try out, I get all serious about it, read up on it, try to learn how to do things, and then buy a bunch of supplies that I will clearly need in order to MASTER this craft. This happened with knitting; that craft stuck. It happened with jewelry; that craft also stuck. It happened again with polymer clay; I haven't really found the time to work with polymer clay, which leads me to believe I don't love it as much as I thought, or perhaps that I just like yarn and knitting more.

Anyway, as I have been mentioning, I have been watching video after video, visiting website after website, learning as much as I can about spinning. I am fascinated, as well as completely enamored. I have created almost one skein of yarn per day since I got my wheel, even. AND, I have been window shopping online for all sorts of fiber. Currently, my fiber stash is quite small, but I am incredibly tempted by so many things!

Here are some links to things I think are pretty. I want to buy them, sniff them, pat them, stare at them, and eventually spin them. There are so many great fiber sellers on Etsy.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10271136
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11497242
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11478390
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11465482

Okay, I'll stop after four. But for the time being, I MUST resist! I am definitely going to stop by the NH sheep and wool festival this coming weekend, and would prefer to buy something from local artisans rather than ordering something from far away and paying shipping.

But seriously. Those are some purdy fibers. How am I supposed to resist???

I might never actually knit again!

Seriously, I am enjoying spinning SO MUCH.

Observe:

First up, some fiber from Wicked Wool on Etsy. Her shop is currently on hiatus, as she is in school. I have informed her that I wish to be notified when she opens up again - the colors were nicely saturated throughout the fiber, and it spun up very nicely.


Next, some BFL fiber from Spunky Eclectic. It was in batt form, and I found it a bit stiff. The resulting yarn is kind of strange - the plies sort of stand apart from each other rather than snuggling together nicely. It hasn't been washed yet, so I'm hoping that a good washing will sort things out okay. I really like the colors.


Finally, my fave so far, I think - some Finn wool dyed by Witchypoo. She told me that Finn had a lovely sheen to it and that I'd really like it, and she was totally right. It spun up very nicely and easily, and I enjoyed the color changes. And wow, the resulting yarn is gorgeous! Soooooo soft, sproingy, pattable. If she made more of this, I would snatch it right up!


Anyway, I've currently started up on a fascinating merino/ bamboo blend. It is exceedingly soft. The bamboo wants to just fluff away from the rest of the fiber, which is causing a bit of an issue, but I don't care. It rules anyway. It is like a pewffy clowd. Misspelled purposefully, of course.

Here is what the fiber itself looks like; the green is a bit more greenish in real life. the description on Etsy mentions something about 1970's decor, actually.



Here it is in the midst of being spun. I am looking forward to seeing how it looks once it is plied!

Can't Stop Spinnin'!

It's true; I'm really enjoying myself. Here is a shot of my latest spinnage. It's fiber from Spunky Eclectic. I love the colors!

I have also plied the pink, purple, and blue fiber I spun the other day, and it is hanging to dry in my shower right now. I ended up with about 250 yards of yarn from that particular effort!

I have been spending a LOT of time online, trying to learn as much as I can about spinning techniques and the like. Just as with any various hobby, craft, or activity, there is an entirely new vocabulary to learn on top of the different techniques. A week ago, I did not know what a rolag was. Now, not only do I know what it is, I know how to make one (in theory), and how to use one (in practice). I know what Navajo plying is, and I think I might actually be able to do it, if I gave it a try! I saw a video of someone spinning on an antique 'walking wheel', which is totally cool... you walk away from and back toward the spinning wheel as you're drafting the fiber one handed, while spinning the wheel in one direction, then the next. It's pretty excellent.

Anyway, that's that for now.

More spinning, finished socks, sock dilemma

I went over to Cece's house the other evening so that we could spin together. I decided that her spinning wheel is more 'beautiful', while mine is more 'cool'. She didn't seem to like that, but I still think it is true. :) I haven't really seen someone else spinning since I have figured out what is going on, and I noticed that her wheel is a bigger diameter, which means she can pedal much slower for the same output. It's interesting. It's definitely possible that somewhere down the line, I'm going to want a 'faster' wheel. But for now, my beginner wheel is juuuust right!

Here is what I worked on that evening:



I'm still working on it. It's fiber I got from an Etsy seller, Wicked Wool. Her shop is currently closed, and her profile states that she is busy with school but may be back at the end of May. The colors are nicely saturated, and I would definitely buy from her again.

So, I finished my Noro Nutkin socks, like, 2 weeks ago, and never posted about it. Yeah, I suck. Anyway, here they are:



Here's a shot of the inside seam of the cuff - I like how tidily the little stitches sit next to each other along the seam!


I call this photo "Study of Picot and Leg Stubble":




Project Details:

Pattern: Nutkin by Beth LaPensee for Knitzi
Yarn: Noro Kureyon Sock in color S95
Needles: Addi Turbo size 0, circular, knit in magic loop method
Size: 9 1/2 inch foot, 6 inch leg
Pattern notes: The pattern is simple to memorize and is a satisfying knit. I slightly changed the cuff to add a picot edge. My socks tended to twist, and after I knit them, I noticed that there was a note on Ravelry on how to avoid that... if you joined the hem at the top even one stitch over, your sock would twist. I guess I did that. They recommended that you carefully mark the beginning of the row to avoid the twist. Rats! It doesn't really bother me all that much, fortunately.

What does bother me is this: I love the colors and the repeats in the Noro sock yarn. However, a 6 inch tall sock doesn't really show off these colors enough, in my opinion. So, I set off to make some Noro knee socks. I am almost done, actually, but am in a bit of a pickle. You see, I worked toe up, and made sure to weigh the yarn as I went along to leave enough yarn for sock #2... but, my legs are quite long. Someone else on Ravelry was able to get true knee highs out of a single ball of Noro Kureyon Sock yarn, but I am about 2 1/2 inches shy of a true knee high length. What's a girl to do? Here is what the socks currently look like:




I feel that I have three options:

1. Wear knee socks that I worked on for a long time, but are too short.
2. Knit a 2 1/2 inch cuff in a coordinating solid color (black, in this case
3. Rip them out. Knit the toe, heel, AND cuff in a coordinating solid color.

In all reality, I think I will like the socks the most if I go with option #3... but the thought of ripping ALL of that work out is nothing short of a travesty, in my mind. I WILL have the most wonderful socks ever that are the most aesthetically pleasing to me at the end of it all, but... no one else will see the toe and the heel and the cuff all at once... ugh. What should I doooooo!

Taking another step

I've taken another step toward reducing garbage; reusable produce bags.



I had seen them for sale online, but really couldn't justify paying $3 or more per bag, when I know how to sew... especially how to sew a plain old rectangle!

I found nylon mesh at the fabric store, and determined that the most sturdy wash/dryable nylon mesh was that used for bridal petticoats. I yanked and tugged on it pretty hard, and it will definitely stand up to a load of apples, or whatever. I have yet to see how well various produce survives in the crisper in these bags. I guess we'll see what happens.

If they work well, I'll report back and perhaps make more.

Oh, hai. I maeded another yarm!

I was sad yesterday because I thought I was out of fiber and I wanted to keep practicing spinning. Then, I remembered that about 5 years ago, I had made thrummed mittens, and had used a lovely merino/ silk roving for the thrumming. Well, that can most certainly be spun! There was enough left to get 75 yards of yarn, even! It's a bit more brownish gray than the picture shows; the flash got a little extra flashy, I guess.


Of course, I have ordered a couple of fibery items, and have gotten some tips of good places to get quality fiber at good prices. I'm thinking it might be fun to dye my own, especially with kool aid, which is nontoxic and makes some really bright, pretty colors. Evidently, you can also use food coloring, too. I am imagining using some rich pinks, oranges, and whatnot, and plying them with a dark, natural colored fiber, maybe browns?

It is going to be fuuuuuun!

I have added a new addiction.



Yes. I bought a spinning wheel. I have wanted to try spinning on a wheel rather than on a drop spindle, but hadn't known that there were wheels available for, say, $500. I was at the CT sheep and wool festival yesterday, and saw the wheel I'm holding above. It's made of PVC instead of wood!



As is my way, I took it home and looked up a bunch of information online (websites, youtube how-to videos) and set to spinning. Some people like to sit next to someone and start from scratch; I prefer to figure out as much as possible on my own. I had some fiber left over from a spinning attempt last year, and came up with this:



I had been told by experienced spinners that the fiber is lousy. Indeed, it was pretty difficult to work with. But not bad after only having the wheel for a few hours and absolutely no instruction on how to use it!

Today, I asked a friend of mine for some additional pointers, and she gave me a couple of hints that led me to make this:





As an aside, I went back home and tried spinning the 'yucky' fiber again, and the result was just as lousy as the first one, if not even lousier! I am now fiberless. I guess I will just have to... sigh... knit.

There were many other things to see besides spinning wheels at the festival. There were alpacas - this one kept making cute noises:


Sheep running around in a small circle for no apparent reason:


Exceedingly delicate and complicated looking lace:



Ridiculously soft angora bunnies:



It was a very nice day. However, I am now out of fiber. Must get more!

Things That Occurred To Me Today

1. Having a full refrigerator is great, but this fact alone does not make grocery shopping suck any less.

2. Sometimes, there are days upon which all traffic lights conspire to turn red just as you get to them.

3. Warm weather is great, but sweaty underpants are not.

4. Clothing fits better after you lose 15 pounds.

5. Gas has gotten really, really expensive.

6. Getting a jury summons letter in the mail is even more upsetting and disturbing than getting a bill.

7. The UPS guy is only capable of delivering packages when no one is home.

8. I want a cleaning lady. Or perhaps a cleaning man. Who is handsome and prefers to work shirtless.

And last but not least...

Man, am I glad I took fourteen million pictures the other day... I'm getting a lot of mileage out of them! I'm a posting maniac!

Here is the final finished item that I have been waiting to reveal. It is the Bainbridge Scarf by Mintyfresh. This innovative little number initially looks like little more than a tube with a tie on either side.



However, slip it over your head, fold it just so, and tie the ties... and you are left with a verrrry cute little scarf!



This yarn is once again some mystery yarn... I believe it might be handspun, and it has beads mixed in, which is absolutely adorable.

This pattern is an excellent project to make if you don't have enough yarn for a traditional, long scarf. Plus, it is quite simple to create, and yet ingenious in its design! I most definitely will make more in the future.

Today marks the beginning of a week off from school/ work. The weather today was gorgeous, and I had planned ahead and packed a backpack to take to Walden Pond after work today. It was a nice way to kick off the vacation! First, I put on my sneakers and took a walk around the pond. The swarms of bugs were quite hilariously annoying in parts, but I survived. Then, I went back to the car, gathered my 'relaxing' supplies, and headed back to the pond to find a shady spot to sit and read for a while. Unfortunately, my tailbone was not interested in cooperating for all that long (yeah, did you forget it was badly injured a few months back?). It still aches if I sit on it wrong for too long. Too long isn't very long, unfortunately! I'm not quite 4 months into the 6 month healing process they told me to expect.

But, enough about my butt, ha ha. Since I did the mega house cleaning and my taxes over February vacation, I don't have any dreadful tasks hanging over my head this week. It is a true miracle, but I have managed to keep my house clean since February! Family members, I sure hope you were sitting down when you read that. Amanda. Kept. The. House. Clean.

There are still owl pictures to share... stay tuned!

A sort of hat, and some crochet!

Yep, I continue to roll out the photos.

First, Calorimetry from Knitty.com. Calorimetry is a cute little headwarmer with a button underneath. Yes, my hair is a little messy, but the headwarmer is just fabuloso!



Next, I crocheted a short scarfy thing, which is really more for decoration/ a little bit of color... it's a bit too short to wrap around the neck more than once, but it is cute and was fun to make! The pattern is yet another one I found on Ravelry, and is called Queen Anne's Lace Scarf by Khebin Gibbons.



I'm crocheting another scarf, but have run into a PROB-LEM. I have run out of yarn. I have to crochet two more repeats, but simply have no more yarn left. There are two layers, and the second layer is... unfinishable. I am in a bit of a bind... do I rip out the entire second level and make the first layer a couple of repeats shorter, or do I just leave off the two repeats on the second layer and hope no one notices (and also make it not possible to give away as a gift)? I don't know yet. I'm going to think about it for a little while before making a decision. In the meantime, I will go back to knitting the Noro socks.

My parents came down to visit me this evening. We went for a walk down by the river, then went to Mr. Jalapeno for dinner (yum, by the way), and then went to a lecture about owls at the library. It was really cool - they had a bunch of owls for us to look at! My father brought along a camera, so once he sends me the pictures, I'll share them.

And today, a couple of scarves!

I'm doing a good job of spreadin' the blog love. I have even more items to share after these, believe it or not!

First, My So Called Scarf, pattern by Allison Isaacs:



I don't know what the yarn is. I don't remember what size needle I used. What I do know is that I absolutely love this stitch. It is all herringbone-y, and cool, and pretty simple to do! The back side isn't a huge mess, either... it just looks like a bit of garter stitch/ reverse stockinette. I will definitely make more scarves in this pattern in the future.

Next up, the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf by Karen Baumer. I used recycled sari silk yarn, which can be a bit hard on the hands, but I just love watching the different colors go by. The yarn is lumpy, thick/thin, with strange puffballs of shredded fabric... and I love it! This yarn was a bit more consistent in color than some that I've seen, so the diagonal aspect doesn't show up as well, but it is still cool. The fringe is the best part, in my opinion, because you can really see and enjoy the yarn itself.






Stay tuned - I think I still have three fully completed items to show off, as well as progress on my Noro Nutkin socks, AND a crochet project!

I probably won't post tomorrow - my parents are coming down to visit, and we're going out to dinner and then we're going to a lecture/ presentation on owls. There will be real owls there, even!

Ginormous Head of DOOOOOOOM.... and some hats.

Near my house is a small museum. There is a small courtyard outside. In this courtyard, there is a very large wire head. At various times, it is covered with various things. Currently, it is covered with stuffed animals. Observe:




Indeed, it is so covered, that you can't really even tell it is a head... unless you KNOW. Which I do!

My initial reason for going into the courtyard was to take some pictures of my recent knitting. It was a fairly decent day outside, and the sun was kind of out. I'll take it... April is known as a rainy month, and I'll take 'sort of sunny' over 'totally raining' any day.

So, in a continued effort to stretch out the photos, here are two hats that I made.

First, the "Robin's Egg Blue" hat by Rachel Iufer.



Quick pattern comments: I liked this pattern. I like that there is a cute little tab - I need to find a button to put on it in order for it to be complete, but I still like it.
That is really all I'm going to say about the pattern, because I don't feel like writing more. :)

Next, is the Amanda Hat by Gina House.



Briefly: I made this hat before with thinner yarn. I liked it enough that I made it again. The original pattern added a stitch to the end of the row so that you don't have to keep shifting around your stitch marker. However, that gives you a line up the back of the hat. So, this time around, I removed that extra stitch and concentrated extra hard so that I'd remember where to position the next pattern repeat. The results? No line up the back of the hat.

I like this pattern. It makes a nice, loose hat... and sometimes you're in the mood for a nice, loose hat!

Now, why have I suddenly been whipping off 1-2 skein projects? (there are several more for me to share) There is a good answer for this question.

I recently received a bunch of yarn from a friend who just moved. I don't know what most of it is, because most of it is not labeled. Additionally, there are a lot of single skeins, which means that I have had the opportunity to cruise Ravelry to find patterns suitable for a single skein of yarn. I've been enjoying the challenge, to be sure.

Lowell has been a hubbub of activity over the past two days. Ricky Gervais is in town filming a movie. I'm not sure when it will be out, but one road is completely blocked off, and my road is blocked off at the end... and they are stopping traffic as needed on yet a third street. New Englanders are pretty undercover about their fan craziness: At any given time, maybe 10-50 people are standing quietly across the street, watching politely at the activity in the filming area. No one is screaming and pointing, no one is bugging the crew... they're just standing quietly and watching. Occasionally, someone will pull out a camera and take a shot from far away, but no loud, rude media people are anywhere to be found. All in all, it hasn't really been all that disruptive, but there is a little buzz in the air... people casually asking if they have sighted any famous people and such. I personally haven't spotted anyone, although the bar where they're filming shares an alleyway with me, and evidently one of my across the alley neighbors spotted Ricky Gervais out there.

I've never been big into celebrity fandom. When I was a kid, a lot of my friends had posters of heartthrobs or bands that they liked, but I never did. However, if I just HAPPEN to see someone famous, I am entertained and a little curious. I once saw Cuba Gooding Jr. in a bar in Malibu, and on the same trip, I saw Liz Phair leaving a restaurant. When I was in 8th grade, I saw Tom Cruise; I was at a race track, and he was racing one of Paul Newman's cars. This was pre- Days of Thunder, and also waaay pre creepy scientology stuff. He was still cool back then.

Anyway, I will keep my eyes peeled, and perhaps peek out my window if I hear someone down there. I'll let you know if I see anyone interesting!

Finished Projects, Works in Progress

First, a photo of my Muir shawl relaxing on a cafe' chair.


Next, a shot of the socks I'm making out of the new Noro sock yarn in my favorite colorway:



I had no fewer than FOUR false starts with another colorway a few months ago... those socks are having a time out until such time as I can bear to go back to them!

The pattern is Nutkin by Beth LaPensee. The pattern is quite simple to memorize, and I've enjoyed knitting these socks so far. The only thing I think I'm going to change is that the pattern calls for a short row toe (that part is fine) and then you do a three needle bind off on the top of the foot, which I think is bulky and I don't personally like the looks of it. I'll be grafting via kitchener stitch instead. :)

I have recently completed several other projects, but I'm going to be making an effort to spread out the posts a bit.

Once again, it is NOT raining today, despite dire warnings of a totally rainy weekend. I managed to get outside for a little while... it wasn't quite flip flop weather like it was yesterday, but I'm still thrilled that spring is on its way!

Stuffed Peppers


Okay, people. I did it: I took many pictures today. Approximately 30 (well, 28 to be precise) of them are blog-worthy. That's a lot of pictures, so I'm going to be creating several posts. Probably all this evening. I know that this is fairly lame of me... after all, it would be much better if I chose to spread them out, say, over a week, but let's face it. I have not been the most reliable lately when it comes to blogging. Showering regularly, yes. Blogging regularly, no.

Anyway, I have once again cooked a great meal from the cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Moskowitz. This time, it was black bean, mushroom and quinoa-stuffed peppers, only I didn't have quinoa, so I used short grain brown rice. I put salsa over the top, and it was quite delicious!

Straight out of the oven:


Ready to eat - check out that close-up steam action!

Okay, people, that's it for this post. Oops except.... today was supposed to rain all day... but they got it all wrong! It was delightfully warm and sunny for most of the day, except for about 1 1/2 hours in the mid/late afternoon. I even wore flip flops outside... I tried to walk fast so no one got a good look at my snaggly 'winterfeet'. It's disastrous down there.

State of the Union Address

2008 has found this blog significantly more neglected than it had been in 2007. The biggest reason for this is not that there is nothing going on... rather, I have been avoiding taking/ uploading photos. I mean, what's a blog post without a picture? Just a buncha words. And who wants that!

Anyway. On to the updates.

Work: Busy. Full of kids who can't seem to get the hang of the whole 'school' thing, despite 5-8 years of practice. Much teenage angst. And about 45 more work days until summer vacation. All is right with the world.

Home: I have managed to keep my place fairly clean (for me) since the 'giant cleanup of 2008'. I figure there only need be 30 minutes of tidying for a casual guest, perhaps 1-2 hours if it's someone more important.

Environmental New Year's Resolution: This one is going pretty well! I continue to work on reducing paper and plastic waste. I can't remember the last time I used a paper napkin at home. Sometimes, I really get the urge to use a disposable Kleenex rather than my handkerchief, but progress has still been made. Also, our building (and several nearby) is looking into hiring a company to provide recycling bins in addition to garbage dumpsters for us. This will be great! This is a resolution I am actually sticking to.

Emergency Wallet Lockdown/ Extreme Budgeting: Okay, it's not super extreme; I still have cable TV and even bought a snazzy new pair of sneakers, but let me tell you, my credit card bills are looking VERY different from what they used to! I wouldn't be surprised if I'm charging less than 10-20% than I used to monthly. Let's not bandy about actual numbers... but suffice it to say, I'm very pleased with how this is going. Barring exorbitant unexpected life expenses, I'm optimistic that I will be able to follow through with "Operation Debt Demolition". This consists of drastically reducing my total debt in the next 5 years by carefully considering every dollar I spend, basically.

Anti Consumer Brainwashing: I am doing a good job of brainwashing myself to reject the typical American consumerist mindset. Baby steps, but still... I have the urge to spend much less frequently than I used to, and am assuming this will only get easier over time.

Knitting: Yeah, I've been knitting a bunch. However, I don't always enjoy photographing my knitting, because I don't have a nice, bright spot to take the pictures, so it always requires a lot of camera setting manipulation and color correction afterwards. Someday, I will not overlook an alleyway. I might even have a small yard. Sure, this might not happen until I'm in my 50's, but a girl can dream, can't she?

It's going to rain all weekend, so I'm not overly optimistic about being able to get good pics at the many items I've made lately. However, I'll give it my best shot.

I realize that this list is not overly personal. No mention of any fun stuff. There has been fun stuff along the way, but I've really been in an 'all business mode' for some time now. I'm kickin' ass and takin' names... let's just hope your name isn't on the list!

Muir is Blocking!


After a false start and ripping out a few repeats, I narrowed up this shawl a bit, and knit quite a lot for 2 weeks. I pressed on this evening and managed to finish the knitting AND block it. I am now very sleepy and want to go to sleep.

Quicky recap:

Muir by Rosemary Hill on Knitty.com
on Addi Lace size 4's
with Blue Moon Fiber Arts Geishain the Backstabber colorway
Finished size: about 2 feet by 7 feet

This pattern was fun to knit, once I got into the groove. I messed up several times during the first few rows, but quickly got more comfortable with the pattern. There are cute little picots around the entire edge, and I really like the open, yet sorta sturdy look of the lace. There were no confusing parts, or errors in the pattern - knitty.com delivers where many NON-FREE patterns do not.

I'm not sure what's next on my knitting plate. I'm toying with the idea of making a pair of fingerless mitts... although I cannot fathom a scenario where I'd want a warmer hand but not warmer fingers, I have read many threads about this on Ravelry. Fingerless mitt knitters report that you won't understand until you try them, so... I might as well! I don't quite know whether the mitts are on the top of the list at the moment... I found a mug cozy pattern that looks pretty cute, too, and this pattern would most certainly work with any number of leftover yarns that I have in my stash.

Stay tuned to find out what the next project will be, and to see pictures of the shawl once it's all dry!

Stir Crazy, Anti Consumerist

I had been doing fine, just fine with the wintry weather all winter. People would complain about the cold and the snow, and I just wouldn't feel the same abject misery as they were obviously experiencing... until three days ago. Suddenly this past Monday, which was pretty chilly with quite a wind chill factor, I had had ENOUGH. I'm sickofit! Stir crazy! Ready to run out of the house screaming and shouting jibber jabber! To make things worse, I have checked the 10 day forecast every day this week, hoping for a warmish day in the future.... NOTHING. The high temp for the next 10 days hasn't gotten over about 48 F. I'm ready, people! I want to go outside in a light sweater with no hat on! Really badly! Whine whine whine!

Okay, I'm done with that for the time being. Next, I will talk about the second half of my post title: I am working on shedding the habit of being sucked into the consumerist lifestyle. Over the past few years, my finances have been decent, but far from stellar. For New Year's, I resolved to buy / use fewer throwaway household items, and have been doing well with that... but what about other types of waste, like wasting money? About a month ago, I started REALLY looking at where all my money is going. And while it is true that I don't have a TON of flexible/ disposable income, I am just wasting a HUGE percentage of it on stuff I just don't need! I go through phases where I feel like I NEED certain things in my life: my shoe wardrobe is lacking; I obviously NEED several new pairs. I ought to have a bunch of nice makeup; I NEED to buy a whole bunch. So on and so forth. Short of a few items, my jewelry business probably has enough supplies to tide me over for years!

Sooooo, I have committed to changing my spending habits and to really think about each nonessential purchase. Mortgage, electricity, insurance... these are all essential. Clothes, toiletries, perfumes, shoes, snacks, dinners out, nonessential.

Let me tell you, changing my spending habits has been REALLY HARD. Spending a little money on 'a little something' was such a habit, and was a form of entertainment; something to DO; a way to treat myself. Now, I am not doing that, not even a cuppa coffee in the morning. I brought tea from home every day this week. A couple of weeks ago, I was sort of running around in a little circle in my apartment, saying, "I just want to BUY SOMETHING!" It was torture!

As time is going by, it's getting a teensy bit easier. I am getting out of the habit of using money as a little means of entertainment, and am just not thinking as much about spending money and getting little things here and there. I will be interested to see how the mindset continues to change over time, and if NOT spending money will be more of a habit. The thought, "do I really NEED that?" pops into my head pretty often now; I'm wondering whether, over time, I will stop even thinking about buying something. Time will tell.

Wish me luck... and not too many large, unexpected expenses!

Makin' Stuff

I made some stuff today. First, I made scones, from my current fave cookbook, Vegan with a Vengeance. They are all tasty and stuff. Hooray!



Then, I made this hat:



Project Details:
Pattern: The Amanda Hat by Gina House
Yarn: Elann Peruvian Collection Highland Wool in colors 211 and 2117.
Needles: 6 circs and dpns
Notes: I had to cast on more stitches because I used thinner yarn than the Malabrigo it called for. I liked this pattern: It looks to me like a very similar stitch pattern to the "My So Called Scarf" pattern. The one thing I would like to change about this pattern if I ever do it again is that there is an extra stitch running up the back of the hat - I suspect it's because otherwise, you'd have to shuffle the stitch marker at the beginning of the round... but I can handle that, sure!

Also, I did indeed cast right back on for the Muir Shawl. I worked on it a little today, but was suddenly struck by the mood for a super quick one day project. I'll be back on shawl duty in no time, I'm sure.

I went for a nice, long walk today - I like the weather we had - overcast, cool, crisp. Cold enough that you can see your breath, but not so cold that it's uncomfortable to be outside. That way, when you're walking fast, you're warm but not hot, and it feels refreshing. I took a new route for my walk, through neighborhoods I usually don't go through. At one point, some guy leaned out of his car window and screamed something at me that ended in 'bitch'. I smiled and waved, but I'm not sure if he saw me. I laughed out loud - did he think I was someone else? Did he think he'd hurt my feelings? Did he and his friends laugh afterwards, snickering at me for whatever reason? I don't know, but I was really pleased to notice that I thought the whole thing was funny, rather than feeling hurt or angry.

Anywayyy.... I have posted several posts in a row over the past few days. I seem to fly in and out of blog mood... so it goes.

Oh, Dear.

So, I have been knitting my Muir scarf/ stole for 5 days now, and have completed about 13,500 stitches. I have been watching it grow to about a foot long... and perhaps 2 feet wide. Unblocked. I did some math by weighing the yarn that is left on the ball and determined that... I am working on a short, wide stole. I stared at it for a while, pulled at it this way and that, trying to convince myself that once I'm finished knitting, it will most certainly block out to the size and shape I really want it to be. Finally, I accepted the truth: If I knit to the end, I am going to be the very, very sorry owner of a too short, too wide (yet very pretty) scarf that I will never use.

Rats.

I am taking a deep breath now, and trying to decide what to do. Well, I should clarify: the first step is going to be ripping out all of the work. I am trying to decide what to do AFTER that. In order for this project to turn out the way I want it to, I will need to eliminate one of the pattern repeats, so that I will end up with a slimmer, longer scarf, rather than a short, wide one. So, after I rip out hours and hours of work, will I cast back on for this project right away, OR, feeling discouraged, will I pick up a completely different project and wait for inspiration to strike to re-start the Muir?

I'm not sure yet. I think I'll go RRRRRIP out this project and figure it out after that. Bummer.

Finally, an update!

For certain, I have been neglecting my blog recently. Many apologies. To make up for it, I will share personal anecdotes of my life, as well as photos of a completed knitting project AND a newly begun knitting project.

Anecdotes: Okay, I lied. There is nothing interesting to report other than I have been waiting patiently for warm, springlike weather. I do believe it is time that I am rewarded for my patience. If spring is not forthcoming, I will also accept cash as a consolation prize.

Finished project: I have finished my Central Park Hoodie! The yarn was nice and teddy bear like, the pattern was straightforward once I tracked down reports of errata, I didn't run out of yarn, and the sweater fits and looks pretty good. All in all, a most excellent project. Here are two pictures - my head is cropped out because I am having a 'bad face day'. It would NOT cooperate by looking non-grotesque today. Go figure. Also, I am sincerely hoping that my tripod was a bit crooked, because otherwise, I REALLY ought to go see someone about my seriously bad posture!



Project Notes:
Pattern: Central Park Hoodie by Heather Lodinsky.
Yarn: Classic Elite Skye Tweed in Color # 1243, 14 balls. This yarn is discontinued, but I live near the Classic Elite headquarters and they had some left.
Needles: Denise interchangeables, size 5 & 7
Hook: Crochet hook, um, perhaps a 5mm? Something like that.
Size: 40
Notes: There are errata out there. Look them up, live by them. Otherwise, you will become annoyed. All in all, I would recommend this project. The cables kept it interesting, but it was not complicated. I would also say that it fits nicely, and the pattern gets bonus points for adding plus sizes.


Next up, a new project! I have had a skein of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Geisha in the Backstabber colorway in my stash for a while, and wasn't quite sure what I was going to knit with it. After I finished CPH, I decided to pull out this yarn and find a pattern to go with it. After searching high and low, I decided upon Muir from Knitty. I like the wide open lacework and the leaves that seem to be floating in the middle of the lacework.

Here is me touching the yarn - say it with me: "ooooohhhhhhhh"



When I went to go wind it, I was somewhat distraught because it initially looked like it would not all fit on the ball winder - it started hitting the metal guide arm, even!




When you start to knit up lace, it frequently looks bunchy and weird. This pattern has the added bonus of looking nipply!





And finally, a stretched out shot of the lace in progress:



I am a little nervous about the amount of yarn called for. The yarn calls for perhaps 20 yards more than I have. However, any given pattern tells you how many total yards were in the skeins they had to purchase in order to make the pattern, and does not tell you the actual yardage used. So, I am weighing the yarn as I go along, so that I will hopefully leave enough for the edging, which is knit after the body of the scarf/shawl is completed. I will naturally report back when it is complete, and perhaps even before that.