11.7.10

*Wipes dust off blog* Why hello there blog! So good to see you. Life caught up with me a little, but look! I have stuff! LOOK AT THE STUFF. Ahem. Right. I'm not crazy.

Meet Call Me Captain, and Sir Nicholas' Famous Snidget Fingers.

Call Me Captain is a basic wooly striped shawl/scarf (sharf? Scawl?) in Ravenclaw colors (unintentional!) Very warm, and oh so very large. I hardly know what to do with myself when I wear it. It was a great mindless knit.

As for the Snidget finger, I needed a quick project for the HPKCHC, and I came up with a lip balm carrier! Three cheers for ingenuity! Excuse the um, less than satisfactory seaming. I was rushed.
A new purse. My poor LeSportsac had suffered a beating, and sadly it's not very 'work friendly.' But I got this new thing, and I'm so excited with it! One of my friends told me I looked like 'a hipster working at Google and inside I had my iPhone and laptop.' It's probably one of the best compliments I've ever gotten. But look inside!
A Baktus named Notorious (after the Cary Grant movie.) And if you look deeper...
NEW YARN. I have to give all the credit to MJ. I ended up with some purple fingering weight, some very very soft red worsted, and pumpkin orange worsted. Nomnomnom.

Continuing with the 'wool' theme, we also have- not one, but THREE wooly items that my mum got me. It seems especially cold this year, and the sweater dress on the bottom is proving its worth in keeping me warm and fuzzy.

Outside it's steadily becoming less 'fall' and more Northeastern winter which translates to scathingly cold winds on a sunny day, or a gray gray day that makes you a little depressed inside. Although rumor (weather.com) says it's going to snow...

FO: One Sheep, Two Sheep

One sheep, two sheep, red sheep, blue sheep?

Pattern: My own, inspired by Sheepish by Alana Dakos

Yarn: Cascade 220 in Gray Heather, Mallard, Natural and Black

Needles: US 7 circulars

Can I just gush to you guys for a minute how excited I am that this is my FIRST SWEATER?!? And I made it without a pattern! Like really. All I used was Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears (God bless her), Knitting Daily's Waist Shaping Calculator, my calculator and a pencil and a paper. I'm pretty pumped about this, and I can't wait to wear it out and about.

Of course, it's got flaws. When I finished it, the fit was incredibly poor. The sleeves were way toooo short (above my elbows!), the length was short (above my belt!) and it was tight and just plain uncomfortable. I wanted to cry. Luckily, I found the time to block it, and I did some MAJOR stretching. And it fits almost perfectly now! The sleeves and body could be longer, but I'm not complaining. It FITS!All in all, it's a pretty solid sweater, and I learned a lot about fit and ease. And to make everything longer than I expect. But for now, I have a pretty solid sweater with almost two full skeins of yarn left. And what is happening to those?

New Skills

My family isn't one you could necessarily call 'artistic' Except my mom. I swear the woman can do ANYTHING. She's one of the best bakers I know (maybe I'm a little biased), she can sew (I have multiple pillowcases, and curtains), needlepoint, make jewelry, really she can do anything. I envy her, especially her artistic touch on the little things she does. So in the vein of my mom, I've decided to take up some new things.

-Sewing. Honestly, I was never into sewing. In middle school, I could competently make a duffel bag in Home Ec, which really was enough for me. But recently I went out to the craft store and took a look at the patterns they had. Amazing! They really aren't the old lady type garments I expected. I picked up a dress/skirt pattern from Cynthia Rowley by Simplicity, which looks like something I would wear going out. Plus Little Thingies has a tutorial on making skirts, which I would love to utilize. One of my best friends is also really good at sewing, and she's currently stitching up her homecoming gown in cream satin. Which involves gathering 22 feet of tulle.

-Quilting. Completely inspired by the Tokyo Subway Map quilt on Oh Fransson! I WANT ONE.

So those are the skills I want to learn this year. What about you?

Gettin Dressed Up

So, this weekend I went to a masquerade...and here was what I wore.

The dress- White House Black Market Black Strapless Polka Dot Lace Dress.

Yeah, this really isn't my dress. Similar style, but there's a layer of black polka dot lace over it. The best part is that there's a row of wire ribbing running up the bodice, so it's not a bunch of flimsy fabric that would fall down when you throw your hands up and start dancing. Thank you designers.

The shoes- Mossimo Isabella Pumps in Plum.

I'm obsessed with the purple heels. They're too awesome to describe.

My friends wore incredible dresses, and amazing shoes. And what did you do this weekend?

Three Things That Make Me Feel Better

So I'm a little under the weather right now. I spend most of my days sleeping, taking antibiotic and going to class. But when I get home, I really need a pick me up. Here are the three things that are making me feel better.

1. Nostalgia Critic

Nostalgia Critic is a man who spends his time critiquing old movies, and making fun of them. He's amazingly funny and updates every Wednesday. His female counterpart, Nostalgia Chick, is equally as funny. Recommendations: Ferngully, Labyrinth and Cool As Ice.

2. Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog

First of all. Awesome songs. Second- Neil Patrick Harris. Need I say more? Incredibly hilarious and amazingly awesome.

3. The Guild Webshow

Felicia Day from the Dr. Horrible has her own webshow, which she writes and stars in, about an addicted gamer trying to sort out her life. Hilarious and updated every Monday. I really wish I had Felicia Day's hair...

Now run and spend more time on the internet!

What's In My Bag

My bag is like the ocean. It goes to bottomless depths. There is literally no bottom to my bag. When I stick stuff in, you can hear it rattling. When I have to find stuff, I basically stick my head in and wait for it to hit me on my head or whatever. But anyway...

I carry a humongous Le Sportsac. It's of a similar shape and style, but of completely less strange pattern. And as for a summary of the articles in my bag...

• Motorola Razr V3xx- Gold is soooo trashy. However, people may ask when it glints in the light if you're holding a knife.
• Wallet- standard black. With a pink interior. Too bad the inside of my bag is black, or else life would be a lot much easier.
• Notebook and pencil- When I feel the sudden urge to doodle/write something down.
• Knitting- Seriously, life gets boring. Put some spark in it by starting your new mitten.
• Burt's Bees Chapstick- This stuff is AWESOME. I came home after 8 hours of playing clarinet and my lips were good as new by the next morning.

• Ray-Ban aviators- Where would I be in life without my sunglasses? Upset and blind that's where.

There's a look into the bottomless depths of my bag :)