6 Weird Things About Me

Well, Cece tagged me for a meme, so here goes. First off, the rules of the meme:
THE RULES:Each player of this game starts with the weird things about you.People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog.
However, I will absolutely not publicly share what I think are the 6 WEIRDEST things about me... I'm just too weird for that, and trust me, you can't handle it, baby! Also, I will not be tagging 6 new people, because I don't have 6 blogs that I read that I know the writers of well enough. (Plus, rules were made to be broken!) So, in no particular order...

1. I am afraid of the carwash. It makes me all nervous to go through one of those automated carwashes. It's all splashy and you can't see anything!

2. I think French's yellow mustard tastes super good with cheese pizza. It's like mustard with a big, soft warm pretzel, but with cheese and sauce along for the ride. Try it- you will be pleasantly surprised!

3. I am not ticklish, except when exceedingly relaxed. Boyfriends are occasionally able to get a giggle out of me.

4. I think long, prominent, pointy "Roman" noses are extremely attractive on a man. Conversely, I think that upturned noses are exceedingly unattractive on anyone.

5. I have several odd talents: I can whistle and hum at the same time, I can make my tongue into the shape of a 3 leaf clover, and I can stick my pinkie up my nose to the second knuckle. I can also make my eyebrows do 'the wave'.

6. I like almost all foods. I can think of almost none that I would absolutely refuse to eat. There are a few I don't particularly like all that much, including liver, green tea ice cream, and bitter melon. I can't think of any others to put on that list at this time. Circus peanuts, the candy? Not that great, but I'd eat them if they were the only candy available!

So, now you know a few odd things about me. Some of you might know a few more...

Anyway, I will be leaving tomorrow morning to go to my parents' house for Christmas. I am assuming that I won't be back home (and blogging) until at least the 26th, so have a Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, and I'm now over and out for the next few days!

Poker not-so-hottie...

Well, after my extra snappy comeback to Poker Hottie, s/he responded with little vim and vigor: "Just Poker Hottie!" Bummer. With a screen name like that, I was hoping for a little more. So it goes.

I am pooped. Tonight, I did a jewelry party at Cece's house, and although not everyone was able to come, it was still a good evening. It was my last 'jewelry selling event' of the year, and now the pressure is off and I can just relax. I have two custom items to make, but there is no rush, as they are not gifts. And once I return from my parents' house after Christmas, I will be able to reveal all of the secret things that I made for people! Yippee!

This past Saturday, I went to a party at my neighbor's house. Two days prior, I had gone to my social work staff meeting, where we did a Yankee Swap, and I ended up with the gift I had brought! Therefore, I had a ready made gift to bring to the Saturday party. The woman who ended up with the scarf I brought loved it (yay!), and I got to go home with a bottle of Sambuca! What are the odds! (Party at my house, any day, any time!) Plus, I ended up spending part of the evening talking to a really nice guy. Oddly, he is not really my 'type' looks-wise- he is a MUSICIAN (which I hate hate hate) and has weird musician hair. However, I am remaining open minded because the conversation was so enjoyable! Plus, he has a sensible day job (web designer), so at least he's not the cheap, mooching type of musician. However, he is still the type who plays music, which sometimes drives me crazy. If there are ever any interesting updates, I'll let you know. (note to self: never ever tell boyfriends (if I ever get one) about this blog!!!)

Good night, all. Maybe I will muster up some pics and a more interesting post now that I will hopefully be less exhausted. But until then...

Poker Hottie!

Well, this was just too good not to blog about. I have an email account that I use for my jewelry business, which is comprised of my first and last name, followed by @ and the rest of the deal. I received this email below. It is cut and pasted, so don't grouse at ME for the spelling and such:

"hey i was just wondering what ur middle name was cauz we have to exact same name and i thought that was weird and i live in michigan! so yeah anyways"

So yeah. Anyways. Anywaysssss, the email address from my 'same name friend' was 'pokerhottie24@etc. etc.' I will block her (well, if we really do have the same name, I hope it is a woman!) So, I wrote back to her:

"Hi, my full name is Poker Elizabeth Hottie. What's yours?"

I am dying... DYING to see if I get a response. I am guessing that those of you who read this post are also going to be dying to hear what happens next. WE LOVE POKER HOTTIE!!!

I am an Electrician!!!

Now, this statement might frighten some of you to the core of your very beings. Amanda + Electricity = possible mayhem... However, I tewtally followed the directions. Really, I did! Check it out:

I have been 0ut one overhead kitchen light for a few weeks, and no, it wasn't just the bulbs. Therefore, I went over to Home Depot and bought the above lighting fixture, which was a much better option than my old ugly light, which was one of those terrible yellowing plastic light covers with the fluorescent ring bulbs. Now, of course, I have two bulbs I don't need any more, but I'll bet I can donate it to one of my neighbors who has not been so resourceful as I as to 1. have a light that dies, and 2. go out and get a new one.

I must say that I absolutely love this new light. I made sure to study how the wires were all connected to one another on the old one, and to read the directions on the new one. White wire to white wire; black wire to black wire, and green wire to the plain grounding wire. If any of you reading this think that this is wrong and that my house will burn down, please let me know immediately. IMMEDIATELY. IMMEDIATELY.
But for now, I am going to be enjoying my new, super duper awesome light fixture. I am so cool and handy! I must say I did wish for more than two hands, perched up there on a ladder with my pockets full of all the pieces and tools and trying to hold the light fixture up while twisting the wires together and using a little electrical tape here and there...

Okay, my buddy Megan just got here. I am going to go gloat over my recent electrical success, and then we are off to eat burritos. Life is grand!

Kickin' stash butt, and takin' stash names!

Well, in an effort both to save money and decrease the amount of unused crapola I have in my life, I have been visiting my yarn stash on a regular basis, hoping to find yarn to use up. As other knitters know, there is sometimes a disconnect between the patterns we want to knit and the yarn we already own. I have been trying to bridge that gap- I knit two secret items for Christmas presents out of yarn I already had, and for Yankee Swap items, I have done a couple of quickie novelty yarn scarves. Nothing unusually exciting, unless you consider the fact that the above projects effectively removed about 7 balls of yarn from my life, and will bring joy to someone else's! Yee haw!

And for the most exciting stashbusting news, I do believe I have finally found a purpose for some off white worsted weight yarn that I have been saving for just the right aran knit sweater, since I bought it in approximately 1995. That is some ancient yarn in my book, considering that is just about the time I reached back into the recesses of my mind, dragged out the rudimentary knitting skills my mom taught me when I was a wee one, and started kicking major sweater knitting ass! I must say, I have pored over knitting books and patterns looking for just the right sweater, and even considered trying to design one myself... but it just never happened. I will not stop looking, but in the meantime, am going to repurpose the yarn for this: Starsky from Knitty! I had noticed the pattern when it first came out, but forgot about the yarn I already had. Now, I hope it turns out well. I won't start it until after all of the open houses, jewelry parties and so on... but at least I'll have something "extraspicy" (according to the Knitty rating scale) to work on over Christmas vacation! ANnnnnd, I'll be one step closer to destroying another lump in my yarn stash!
Oh, Cece and I did decide that the true destashing attempts won't start until AFTER we go to the Webs holiday sale after Christmas... there must always be a "Webs holiday sale loophole"... it seems only fair.
So, I put up my Christmas tree yesterday, and it looks fabulous, if I do say so myself...

For those of you who have not been privvy to my explanation, I feel that someday, I may very well live under the same roof with someone who thinks that a pink and white tree is completely unacceptable... so I'm getting it out of my system right now! And last year. And, with the way that my dating life is going, possibly for several (maybe many) years to come. MEN: STOP BEING FREAKS, PLEASE! It's just a thought. But really, I think it's a good thought, and you should really consider it.

General Woolgathering

Well, I got home from work today and promptly fell asleep for almost 3 hours. So it goes on Fridays, it seems. So, even after waking up, I find myself feeling fairly dazed, daydreamy, and generally not completely with it. This might not be good if I were operating heavy machinery, but it definitely allows the mind to wander all over the place.

So, over the past couple of months, I have been pondering the fact that my collection of crafting supplies continues to grow, no matter how many crafts I complete. I am not totally sure what the actual solution to this is... I don't think I've ever met a crafter who does not have this problem. However, I have been thinking about either starting or joining some sort of post-holiday "UFO-along" or a "stashbuster - along", with the idea that new supplies would not be purchased, other than perhaps materials needed to complete a project with materials already owned. For example, I have a sweater's worth of super bulky yarn, and I'm pretty sure I don't have the right needles to knit with. Therefore, under said 'along', I would be allowed to buy the needles. And, I was thinking that after the holidays would be a good time to pull out unfinished projects and... well... actually finish them!
So, that's what I"ve been thinking about. Now, we will see if it actually happens.

Another No Picture Post

Ohhhhh, this is KILLING me! I have been slaving away, making things for Christmas gifts of all types- straight up gifts, Secret Santa gifts, and Yankee Swap gifts. And, due to the fact that people I know and like (and therefore may very well be receiving gifts) look at my blog, I can't post the pictures until after Christmas! I will say this: I have been staying up LATE trying to get things finished. Alas, you will all have to wait another 2 1/2 weeks to see the results!

Last year at this time, I had a craft show every weekend. I was so tired and stressed, I ended up getting shingles, and got sick a lot all winter. Things are a little more low key this year, but I still feel like there is so much to do- send out Christmas cards, tidy up my place and put up the tree, and so on. I want to host a holiday open house, and am doing a couple of jewelry parties... it is a festive time, but sometimes I just feel so pressured, ya know?

Despite the pressure, I am trying to remember the things I'm happy about in my life, particularly the biggest change, which is the new job I started this fall. I am in a new school, and like the environment/ atmosphere much more than where I was last year. It is a much better fit than where I was last year. I am seeing kids for individual counseling, and do a lot more therapeutic work instead of crowd control and babysitting. I went over to my old school yesterday to visit a student, and I must say that I did NOT miss it or yearn to be back there in the least! Some things happen for a reason, eh?

Well, enough of that... I'm going to be gettin' to that whole Christmas card thing. Every year, I consider writing a generic Christmas letter to enclose, but I haven't followed through yet. I'm assuming that this year will be the same...

'Tis a Christmas Miracle!

I do believe that I will be able to completely avoid having to leave my home to complete Christmas shopping. How, might you ask, is this possible? Well, you probably wouldn't ask at all, what with you being aware of the internet... but there's the thing- although I did do SOME of my shopping online, the rest of my gifts will be lovingly created by ME from the stores of my somewhat massive array of craft supplies! I am psyched! I was thinking that I might have to leave the house to get stocking stuffers, but I have also figured out a super sneaky solution to that issue, as well! To that end, I bring you a resounding huzzah!

I have one more miracle to report: I have NOT sneaked a peek at my amazon.com wish list to see whether any of my items have been purchased. The thought has certainly crossed my mind, and it is also quite true that I still need to hold out for almost 3 more weeks, but I'm doing my best.

Apologies for the lack of pictures. I am bursting at the seams to put up pics of the things I'm working on, but sadly, that must wait several more weeks so as not to ruin the surprise... and in the case of some of my knitting friends, the pics will have to wait even longer than that! I can hardly stand the suspense! EEEEEEE!

One of the things I'm good at is recognizing people's faces... well, people I've met, that is. Anyway, I went to a grocery store that I don't usually go to, because it's near the liquor store... I needed to get some red wine to make my stew with. (Beef stew. It was super duper delicious. But I digress.) I'm walking through the meat aisle, and I see a familiar face.... could it be... someone I went to high school with and haven't seen since our 1991 graduation??? Why, yes, it could be, and it was! I was flattered when she said I looked exactly the same... and seeing that I recognized her, she looked about the same, too! She had three lovely girls with her (her own, I ascertained), and lives nearby. What a small world it is!

Well, I am going to stare briefly at the awesome projects I've been working on, and then dream about them as I sleep.

Redemption!

Allow me to clarify through a brief pictorial:

Yesssss! I finally got up the nerve to try these again. So far, I have made this:
I guess the main impetus was that I'm taking a polymer clay class tomorrow morning, and I wanted to be wearing a little somethin' to be bragging about!
Yes, this post is brief, but it's really late and I am sleeeeeepy.

How did THAT happen?

How did it suddenly become December? November seemed significantly shorter than usual, didn't it? Not that I'm complaining, mind you, particularly because I don't think I have to leave the house at all to complete my holiday shopping... other than the stocking stuffers. Our family draws names and fills the stocking for another family member... sort of a secret Santa kind of thing. We then guess who was the person who filled our stocking. I can't write whose stocking I have, because most of my family reads my blog. However, my grandma doesn't, so I can post what I'm getting her (or rather, making her) for Christmas. A couple of years ago, I knitted her some socks that she wears as slipper socks around the house. She mused aloud that they were getting a bit worn, so I decided that was a heavy enough hint to start work on these, for which I already had some nice, soft, stretchy Cascade Fixation yarn:

Also, I managed to finish the socks I was previously working on! I am even wearing them right now. They rule.

Pattern: Cedar Creek by Blue Moon Fiber Arts
Yarn: Socks that Rock in Puck's Mischief , again by BMFA.
Needles: Double Point Susan Bates sock needles in sizes 1 and 0
Comments: I totally love working with this soft and beautiful yarn, except I do not like it when hand dyed yarns pool. That being said, I was too lazy to alternate knitting from opposite ends of the yarn, so I guess I brought part of the problem on myself, now, didn't I? As I may have previously mentioned, I also found a bit of an issue with the pattern- and I'll only restate this part of my complaint: If I am going to pay for a pattern, it clearly should have been test knitted, and it clearly should be nice, pretty, and symmetrical when knit up. It was not. Therefore, I am peeved. Peevish. Peevish may be one of the awesomest words ever. Additionally, I do realize that awesomest is not a word. Deal with it.

Cedar Creek

Well, I totally love the Cedar Creek sock pattern, and I am ADORING the Socks that Rock yarn from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. The colorway, called Puck's Mischief, is not quite coming out right in the pics below...


I have started on sock #2. As has been common recently, I have a couple of complaints about the pattern. first off, it is a little unclear when to switch from the larger needles to the smaller ones, and vice versa. I feel like sock #1 fits just fine, so it is not that big a deal... but issue #2 is a little more significant to me: on the smaller size, once you turn the heel and start working the foot, the pattern is completely off center on the top of the foot and looks stupid... unless, of course, you are able to figure this out and change it on the fly. The 34 stitches across the top of the foot means that you are only knitting two of the six columns of the twist panel, which is ridiculous looking. Here is my feeling about this: if I am paying for a pattern, I want it to be right. I want it to have been test knit in ALL sizes, and I want it to work out right! Otherwise, why am I paying for the pattern???
Anyway, I have started with sock #2, but haven't gotten very far yet... holiday season jewelry making has taken precedent for the time being. I must say, however, that the sock yarn is exceedingly soft and nonscratchy. I am psyched, because I frequently find sock yarns to be scratchy. Yay! Go buy some now, but leave some for me!

Polymer Clay Pics!

Okay, Blogger is being agreeable today. Below, please gaze upon the AWESOME polymer clay tiles that I made a couple of weeks ago:

There, wasn't that awesome? Sorry about the blurriness, but so it goes. And, there is another 'so it goes' aspect to these tiles... this is a picture of them prior to being baked. Let's just say that the 'post' pictures are not QUITE the same... there was a 'toaster oven incident', which involved toxic fumes and burned clay. I was beside myself with unhappiness, for a multitude of reasons: First off,the tiles were really complicated to make, second, they were like the first good thing I ever made, and third, they turned out so derned great. However, I have made a new slab from which I can make very similar tiles, but have been scared to cut it out into pieces... and understandably so, says I!
Anyway, that's my update for today. Enjoy the weekend, all! At least in my neck of the woods, it is cool but sunny, and promises to be a lovely day.

What I've been up to

No good, people, no good! Well, that might not necessarily be true. However, here are some pics.

First up, the Urban Bubble Scarf from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. Ain't it the coolest? This is made of their Kidmo yarn, which is the seriously soft, wonderful and beautiful yarn that I mentioned in my last post. The scarf is knit flat, and then the Japanese shibori method is used to alter the fabric. In this case, the kit came with a couple hundred wooden balls, which I snuggled into the flat fabric of the scarf and held them in place with rubber bands. Then, I tossed it into a zippered pillow case, then tossed THAT into Cece's washing machine on HOT a couple of times (and pretended not to be nervous), and, Hooray! Bubbles! I must say that it shortened a lot more than the pattern suggested that it would, but I had luckily made it a lot longer than the pattern suggested I should, so it all worked out for the best. Ain't it cute? (I did create a rotated picture, but Blogger did not like it and angrily refused to accept it. Dumb Blogger.)Next, my first Merino Lace Sock. At some point, I will order another skein of it, and another skein of the not quite matching ball... but not yet. I have included a top and side view. I liked knitting this first sock a lot- there are three different, interesting panels of 12 rows- not unusually memorizable, which kept it interesting.
I think you can kind of see how the pattern from the front is repeated down the back of the leg and down the heel. It is totally cool.

And today, I did some very exciting and fun stuff at my friend Kathy's house. She is blogless, so her name is not highlighted. Kathy is the queen of making interesting and beautiful crafts, and owns every craft thing imaginable. She is my polymer clay benefactress- she decided she wasn't interested in polymer clay any more, so she gave me all of her clay, tools, and everything. It was awesome. (as a side note, I will photograph some of the stuff I've been doing with that at some point. Fer sure.) So anyway, she recently set herself up with lampworking and precious metal clay stuff- the works. So she invited a few people over today to have a play day! I made a couple of lampwork glass beads, although my first (and most awesome) one exploded. These things happen in life. I saved the pieces, but it is not much to see at this point! I also made a couple of things with the precious metal clay, and here is a finished pendant that I made, strung with some nice beads. The silver polished up so shiny that it was hard to get a picture of, so I have a 'bright' and a 'dull' picture below:
The bright picture shows the accurate color, but the dull picture shows the detail on the pendant. The silver is mixed in with clay, so you can roll it out, stamp it and cut it to your heart's content, as long as you work fast- it dries out very fast. Then, you fire it in the kiln, polish it up, and bam. Pendant! The other thing that I made is currently in an 'emergency... how do I fix it" state. I choose not to say any more than that at this point.

So, I have tried six times now to include some pics of some of my polymer clay stuff, but again, Blogger is being a poophead. Growl. Well, eventually, it will work out.

Meme- first ever!

Okay, I decided to finally give a Meme a try. I got it from Cece's blog. You're supposed to use one word answers, which will probably be a challenge for me...

1. Yourself: silly
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend (spouse): huh?
3. Your hair: fluffyish
4. Your mother: friend
5. Your Father: strong
6. Your Favorite Item: bed
7. Your dream last night: weird!
8. Your Favorite drink: cold
9. Your Dream Car: paid-for
10. The room you are in: studio?
11. Your Ex: who knows???
12. Your fear: alienation
13. What you want to be in 10 years? 43!
14. Who you hung out with last night? friends
15. What You're Not? rested
16. Muffins: warm
17. One of Your Wish List Items: raise!
18. Time: plentiful
19. The Last Thing You Did: phoned
20. What You Are Wearing: J Crew...
21. Your Favorite Weather: breezy
22. Your Favorite Book: **brain freeze!*** (too many)
23. The Last Thing You Ate: cookie!
24. Your Life: mellow
25. Your Mood: sleeeeeepy
26. Your best friend: sister
27. What are you thinking about right now? headache
28. Your car: Civic
29. What are you doing at the moment? Duh!!!
30. Your summer: footloose!
31. Your relationship status: (see #2, jackass!)
32. What is on your TV? nothing
33. What is the weather like? Arctic!
34. When is the last time you laughed? Recently.

Okay, I didn't do a great job of sticking to the one word thing, but I did my best. I mean, this is me we're talking about. I can TALK. I guess I'm not as talkative as the girls in my knitting class (holy smokes!), but I can hold my own against the average talker. No one but another 5th grade girl can compete with a 5th grade girl, I promise you!

I sleep now.

I am weak. So weak.

But seriously- how was I to resist??? I didn't mention it IMMEDIATELY upon receiving the package, but I was afraid if I did, I would start knitting IMMEDIATELY, and drop my current sock project. I managed to last just over 24 hours.
What, might you ask, am I talking about? I received my package from Blue Moon Fiber Arts, which contained some very delicious yarn.I must confess that so much time has elapsed since I started writing this email that the parenthesized part to follow is seriously out of date:

Outdated typing to follow:(Yes, yes. some of the yarn is already wound into balls. Lovingly wound. Into soft, fluffy, heavenly, wonderfull puffs of yarn. Seriously, folk(s), the mohair is not only fabulously soft, but the color changes are like nothing I've ever worked with before. So, I only lasted a FEW hours before I wound the yarn into balls, but I lasted until Friday night before I started to knit it up. The final project will still be a mystery until completion, and no fair trying to figure it out! (Insert menacing grimace here)
Okay, now the outdated part is over. So, anyway, while I was trying to avoid playing with the mohair yarn, I managed to do a decent amount of knitting on my current sock project, the merino lace socks. I will someday include a picture.

I am enjoying the pattern, but found a nitpicky little 'error' in the chart: the "V" stands for 'sl 1 purlwise wyif", but it really ought to also say 'sl 1 kwise wyib' on wrong side. If you don't, then you don't get the nice slipped stitch edge on one side of the heel flap; instead, you get a mess. Luckily, I figured it out pretty quickly. I'm all about patterns being super specific- if it's a pattern, I expect to be doing just what the person tells me to do, unless I plan to lengthen the torso, which I sometimes have to do.
Anyway, this is one of those posts that I'm writing with the full intention of not posting it until there are pictures to be involved. So you will not even know that I have been keeping you in suspense! Buwahahahaha!

Rainbow Yarn 1; Amanda... moving on.

So, the rainbow yarn is giving me frustration. It is not a particularly stretchy yarn, and the Jaywalker pattern is not a very stretchy pattern. Attempt #1 yielded an unwearable sock, and so did attempt #2. There will someday be an attempt #3, but for now, I have decided to put that particular project on hold, and move on.
I have selected a pattern from the summer 2003 Interweave Knits, Merino Lace Socks by Anne Woodbury. It is a fairly involved lace pattern, with several panels of interest. The yarn is nice- Gedifra Fashion Trend Sportivo. Unfortunately, in a shopping frenzy at Webs, I picked up two slightly different balls of yarn! One has a purplish background, and one is sort of navy blue. We'll see how the 'pair' looks- if it is lame, I will order one more of each and make their pairs. If it works out, I'll just rock it! Tell me what you think from the picture- it's color # 5793 and #5707. They look even a little more similar in real life. I guess we'll see what happens! I'm only a few inches in, but will post a pic when things get a little more interesting.
In other news, I am feeling much better today; went back to work and everything. I'm not saying I DID much work, but I was TOTALLY there. I then hovered by the side door so I could RUN out to the car when the bell rang, because I agreed to go see Saw III with Cece for moral support, because I actually like horror movies, and the dudes from her work made her go. It was totally gross; I would recommend it if you like horrifyingly gross horror movies full of horror and horrible things. Later on, Cece called me to say, "That was scaaaaaary." I hope she doesn't have nightmares about having to saw her own leg off. That would be... horrible.
Well, back to KNITTING. Wheeee! (I wonder how many posts I've ended with "Whee". Just a thought.)

Sniffleupagus

That is my name for today. I felt a little worse this morning than I did yesterday morning, and knowing how cruddy I felt by the end of the day yesterday, I decided to sit this one out. However, there is no fever, so I will not be shivering under the covers all day, which is cool.
I forgot to mention yesterday that I received a package from J Crew last night, and have found my new favorite chinos- the Heritage Chino. What makes them so great? They are not super low cut, they are cut to assume that I have both a waist AND a booty, and they come in a 35" inseam. Long legs rule! My only regret is that they have stopped making any chinos in black! Now, I must re-start my quest for a washable work pant in black. Sigh. And we all know that they won't be at "Let's cut all of our waistbands so low that you don't actually have to take the pants OFF to use the bathroom". (Oh- also known as Gap) I am not sure whether any of my reader(s) have any suggestions, but they are welcome. Requirements: long inseam, not low waisted, generous in booty and thigh region, and NOT TAPERED IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. That is all.
Last night, I also got a very exciting email from Blue Moon Fiber Arts that my package has shipped. What did I order? A groovy sock pattern that I coveted from Cece, (Cedar Creek) and some excellent sock yarn to accompany said pattern. And a secret surprise that you'll just have to wait and see! I am actually forgetting which sock yarn colorway I ordered, and in order to surprise myself, I am going to forego looking back at my order to figure it out. It will be like opening a present! Wheee!
Last night, I had a knitting incident that I did not capture on film- I have been knitting a pair of Jaywalkers out of some fabulous rainbow Regia sock yarn. I decided to try and knit them on size 0 needles, since I had to downsize the pattern on 1's for my skinny feet. However, in addition to using the 0's, I also appeared to be knitting more tightly than usual, and wound up turning the heel, trying them on, only to find that I have made my first ever too-tight pair of socks! I unravelled the partly completed unwearable item before snapping a picture. Too bad, so sad.
Hmm, what else. Last Saturday, I went to the opening of a new show at the Revolving Museum, and two of the jewelry pieces I have showing there got sold! One of the women who bought something asked for a matching pair of earrings, and I was only too happy to oblige. I whipped them up last night while sniffling unhappily on the couch. I hope she likes them.
I haven't bothered to peek through the blinds yet to see what's going on outside, but I hear it might be gross out. All the more reason not to look.

Yay for Stripes! Boo for sniffles!
Please gaze upon the latest completed project, blocking happily.
Project Details as follows:
Pattern: Rosedale United from Knitty, size 38
Yarn: My favorite, Noro Kureyon #95
Needles: Size 4 circular (pattern called for an 8- I'm such a loose knitter, it's embarrassing)
Comments: This was fun to knit, in part because I lurve the yarn, but also because it involved an intarsia rectangle. However, the pattern required some intuition- it was not always clear at all points. For instance, I knit the smallest size, and the pattern told me to continue with the intarsia rectangle, despite the fact that it would be cut off by the raglan sleeve decrease for that size. And, at another point, it told me to decrease every right side, even when you go from knitting back and forth to knitting in the round... you had to be wily enough to know that you should NOT begin decreasing every row, but continue to decrease every other row. There were several issues like that. Near the neck, I had been working in the round for quite some time, but the pattern had said to keep working back and forth, which made no sense to me. And it said to bind off stitches at the front of the neck rather than just short row-ing and picking up the live stitches later to work the turtlenecky part. There are more examples, but I do not care to continue with such trash talk, as I am happy with the results, and that is what matters.
Prior to blocking, I was a bit nervous- it appeared a bit tight, and I was having horrible visions of having to give it away to my sister for Christmas- she is a few inches shorter and is proportionately slimmer, and this sweater (in its pre-blocked state) would most certainly have been a good fit. However, as wool is apt to do, it blocked to Amanda Size quite nicely! Huzzah!
Oh, another thing- the pattern never even mentions what to do with the leftover live stitches at the armpit. I mean, duh, kitchener stitch them closed, but really. To leave that out? Most patterns even mention to weave in leftover stitches, which is a big 'duh', but they still SAY it! ARRRRGH! I have an editor inside of me, I know it for sure.
Okay, so now it is the time in my post where I begin to whine about part two of the post title: Miss Amanda has a stuffy nose. It is totally gross. And what do you need when you have a cold? Sleep. What can you not DO because of the stuffy nose? Yeah. Sleep. Oh, cruel fate. Thank goodness for sweet, sweet Nyquil. I took some last night and felt like I was awaking from a 15 year coma when the alarm went off. I won't even MENTION the amount of 'sleepies' I had to cut through to be able to open my eyes! (EWWWWW!) Sorry, had to be said. No, really, it did. Just accept it. Love me, love my lack of editing capabilities. OH, and to make things worse, I got the flu shot today and now my arm hurts a lot. Another thing that is annoying about this is that I wanted to go to yoga today, but my nose and arm were significant hindrances. No one wants to be in a 105 degree room with a girl who is not only sweating profusely, but is also blowing her nose and spreading germs... 105 degrees... talk about a breeding ground for cold germs! Plus, I definitely think that the whole not being able to lift my arm above my head would have been a problem.
So, if I post in the middle of the day tomorrow, you will know that the cold has taken a turn for the worse. The school nurse told me today, 'Oh my goodness, you look HORRIBLE!' Yeah, it WAS good for the ego. No,really, it was. I strive to look as horrible as possible on a fairly regular basis- that way, when I try to look good, everyone is blown away by my awesome beauty. Hmm. That might actually not be a bad strategy- I will attempt to put into practice "Operation Look Ugly Most of the Time So that When I Put On Makeup, All Will Bow To My Transformation"!
What is scary is that I haven't taken the Nyquil yet, and still these ideas are flowing out of me. Hmm.
Well, faithful reader(s), we have now reached the portion of the evening when Nyquil taking and tooth brushing shall commence. Wish me luck- either that I will wake up feeling refreshed and like a new woman, or that I will feel JUST enough worse than yesterday that I can justify staying home and watching Netflix movies and making jewelry. YESSSSS!

Yarntastic updates

So I have some yarnular news. First off, do read below this post- there are a couple of backdated posts that I never finished up, due to Blogger being a jerk. Call me scattered, call me disorganized... heck, call me Ishmael, if you wish...

Prior to the most recent project (cotton short sleeve sweater that is now awaiting blocking and seaming- yeah, don't hold your breath for completion OR a picture), I had genuinely been wanting to knit yet another item out of my favorite Noro Kureyon color. So, I decided not to wait any more!!!
Please witness the Kureyon fabulosity! I am making Rosedale United from Knitty. Please note the interesting intarsia rectangle! In the real pattern, it is a bit more to the side, but it's early and I'm in a hurry! In three more inches of the body, I get to connect the sleeves to the whole deal and begin the raglan shaping. Yayyy!
Now, when I first cast on for this, I believed that I only had eight balls of the necessary yarn left, and the pattern calls for nine. Then, the other day I was going through my giant sweater drawer, and I found... another ball! I held it up and cheered, as though there would be someone nearby to share in my glee... but I live alone, so said glee was really only enjoyed by me. So it goes.
This is the first time I have made an effort to match up the yarn- the sleeves match, and I have been matching up ends/ beginnings of skeins. Once, I came across a knot that caused a significant color change, and I pillaged the ball that's being used for the intarsia rectangle. I'm serious about the matching, folks!
After this project, I think I will finally be able to lay to rest my obsession with Kureyon #95. Of course, at some point, I will have to pick another color, but that is another post for another day...

ARRRRRGH!

I have just drafted a letter to the Reynolds Yarn Company via snail mail, as I couldn't find a website. I have been knitting with their lovely yarn, and yet am being driven crazy! The yarn is nice, but there are soooo many knots in each ball of yarn, I am losing my mind! The knots are the kind where the yarn has split in two- the kind of knot that if you just leave it there, it will undoubtedly give way at some point and your garment will explode. And since it's cotton, I can't just spit felt and keep knitting, I have to tink back to the beginning of the row and work as though I'm joining a new ball of yarn. Instead of having just a few ends to weave in, it will be a weaving bonanza at the end of the project. Arrrrgh.