I've been knitting a little (as in, a few rows little) and beading a lot. I've been coming up with lots of ideas, which make me think of more ideas, which make me think of even more ideas...but I had forgotten how long these things take to make! I'm thinking way faster than I'm beading. Up until this past weekend, I finished every single thing I started to bead (unless I didn't finish it at all). But I've begun to leave my beaded works unfinished! (My knitting habit is spreading!!)
Wow. I am such a dork.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
The past two days have been awesome!
For Valentines Day, Sam gave me New Ideas for Crochet: Stylish Projects for the Home. He gave me a crochet book because he knew that I had so many knitting books, but only one on crochet. Knowing Sam, I am sure he looked through all of the crochet books and figured out which one had stuff that looked like things I would use or wear. However, I doubt that he could have known that I have been looking for a book with these types of patterns since long before I met him. (I think that the coolest thing ever would be to have a home furnished mostly with things I made!) Once I move out of this place and get furniture that is not third- and fourth-hand, I am totally going to make the cushions, afghans, and even place mats in this book and have the coolest apartment ever.
Today after work, I went out with my friend, Katie. We got exhausted very early, both having had long weeks. But when I got home, I found the bead stuff I had ordered from the internet earlier this week! Amongst this was a booklet on bead and chain jewelry. On the first page, under the heading, "Basics," are some techniques I have always wanted to know but, being self taught, have never learned in all my years of beading. So, about twenty minutes ago, I apparently learned the very basics of beading, which I can now add to my 15 years of experience. Wahoo! Tomorrow, Sam and I are going away for the long weekend, but before I go, I'm going to swing by Beads World and get some wire. I'm impatient and can't wait another day!! (Yes, I know, living in New York spoils me...)
For Valentines Day, Sam gave me New Ideas for Crochet: Stylish Projects for the Home. He gave me a crochet book because he knew that I had so many knitting books, but only one on crochet. Knowing Sam, I am sure he looked through all of the crochet books and figured out which one had stuff that looked like things I would use or wear. However, I doubt that he could have known that I have been looking for a book with these types of patterns since long before I met him. (I think that the coolest thing ever would be to have a home furnished mostly with things I made!) Once I move out of this place and get furniture that is not third- and fourth-hand, I am totally going to make the cushions, afghans, and even place mats in this book and have the coolest apartment ever.
Today after work, I went out with my friend, Katie. We got exhausted very early, both having had long weeks. But when I got home, I found the bead stuff I had ordered from the internet earlier this week! Amongst this was a booklet on bead and chain jewelry. On the first page, under the heading, "Basics," are some techniques I have always wanted to know but, being self taught, have never learned in all my years of beading. So, about twenty minutes ago, I apparently learned the very basics of beading, which I can now add to my 15 years of experience. Wahoo! Tomorrow, Sam and I are going away for the long weekend, but before I go, I'm going to swing by Beads World and get some wire. I'm impatient and can't wait another day!! (Yes, I know, living in New York spoils me...)
Thursday, February 14, 2008
This weekend, I got a sales proposition based on my green necklace. Since then, I have been pretty over the moon about that. I still have a large collection of jewelry ready to go that has been waiting at my mom's house for the past six years, but I definitely want to add some new things. I've mentioned this before on my blog, but I want to add some things that reflect who I am right now. I want to use more chain in my work, and I've come across some great sources with just a little bit of effort. Those Japanese seed beads I mentioned last week? Apparently they are available through the internet for not too much money, with free shipping! I ordered a few and will probably order a lot more once I get myself a little more organized.
In the mean time, here is my next creation. The newest bracelet made for me me me.
I don't have the best lighting or, apparently, camera, to get great detail or color, so but this open envelope makes color and detail show up a little better.
And now, the "before" shot. My shoddy makeshift work station: a plastic glad container lid.
In the mean time, here is my next creation. The newest bracelet made for me me me.
I don't have the best lighting or, apparently, camera, to get great detail or color, so but this open envelope makes color and detail show up a little better.
And now, the "before" shot. My shoddy makeshift work station: a plastic glad container lid.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
<3
I love making things. It's like my comfort food. My chocolate cake. (OK, well maybe that's taking it a little too far, but you get my point.)
And that is why I spent my Friday night making myself a necklace. It's the same one that I made for Angela and Hilary, but in olive green. Back in the day when I used to sell jewelry, I always made quite a few pieces for myself. So while I have some new ideas up my sleeve, the first few things will probably be for yours truly. Besides, I use them as measuring devices. (Who needs rulers anyway?) It's just the same as using an old sweater to take measurements for a new one when knitting.
I used Japanese Delica beads that I got with my mom at an expo in Australia a few years ago. As a rule, Japanese seed beads are more uniform than Czech seed beads, and that is why I mostly bead with them these days. But these Delica beads, though freakin' expensive, are the most near-perfectly uniform beads I have ever used. I love love love them!
Olive green has always been a comforting color for me. I know that that is really silly, but it's true! When I was a little kid (like, three years old) my mom put me in a pottery class. The teacher's only complaint about me was that I refused to paint anything any color other than olive green. I can only imagine how strange it would have been to see me come home with a clay sculpture of a bowl of Cheerios, painted olive green. That I, at three, had chosen that color, is pretty bizarre.
Don't worry, I haven't forgotten my UFOs. I've been working on Sam's mystery item, but I think I don't have enough yarn, so I went back to the place where I got it last weekend to see if they could get that dye lot in, and I still haven't heard back from them. (So I should probably follow up on that.) If they can't get it in, I will probably have to incorporate stripes of some sort.
I swear, this is totally not cheating, but I am counting long overdue gifts that I haven't exactly started yet as UFOs. Hence my dad's fiftieth birthday sweater come-post-fiftieth birthday scarf. I am using Misti Alpaca, which is amazingly soft. I looooooooooove it. I using the pattern I mentioned before. It looks pretty cool and it's not as tedious as seed stitch. My only minor annoyance is that it isn't quite symmetrical. On both sides, it starts with garter then knit, and ends with purl then garter. Even though I am a very messy, cluttered person who loves olive green, asymmetry to this magnitude annoys me. But I'm not starting over. And I still love the scarf so far. I just hope my dad isn't allergic to alpaca!
And that is why I spent my Friday night making myself a necklace. It's the same one that I made for Angela and Hilary, but in olive green. Back in the day when I used to sell jewelry, I always made quite a few pieces for myself. So while I have some new ideas up my sleeve, the first few things will probably be for yours truly. Besides, I use them as measuring devices. (Who needs rulers anyway?) It's just the same as using an old sweater to take measurements for a new one when knitting.
I used Japanese Delica beads that I got with my mom at an expo in Australia a few years ago. As a rule, Japanese seed beads are more uniform than Czech seed beads, and that is why I mostly bead with them these days. But these Delica beads, though freakin' expensive, are the most near-perfectly uniform beads I have ever used. I love love love them!
Olive green has always been a comforting color for me. I know that that is really silly, but it's true! When I was a little kid (like, three years old) my mom put me in a pottery class. The teacher's only complaint about me was that I refused to paint anything any color other than olive green. I can only imagine how strange it would have been to see me come home with a clay sculpture of a bowl of Cheerios, painted olive green. That I, at three, had chosen that color, is pretty bizarre.
Don't worry, I haven't forgotten my UFOs. I've been working on Sam's mystery item, but I think I don't have enough yarn, so I went back to the place where I got it last weekend to see if they could get that dye lot in, and I still haven't heard back from them. (So I should probably follow up on that.) If they can't get it in, I will probably have to incorporate stripes of some sort.
I swear, this is totally not cheating, but I am counting long overdue gifts that I haven't exactly started yet as UFOs. Hence my dad's fiftieth birthday sweater come-post-fiftieth birthday scarf. I am using Misti Alpaca, which is amazingly soft. I looooooooooove it. I using the pattern I mentioned before. It looks pretty cool and it's not as tedious as seed stitch. My only minor annoyance is that it isn't quite symmetrical. On both sides, it starts with garter then knit, and ends with purl then garter. Even though I am a very messy, cluttered person who loves olive green, asymmetry to this magnitude annoys me. But I'm not starting over. And I still love the scarf so far. I just hope my dad isn't allergic to alpaca!
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Life After LSAT
It's done done done!
After the test, Sam met me at a coffee shop, where he had some yummy Hungarian coffee waiting for me. On our way to lunch, I spotted Yarntopia, a yarn store I had never seen before or heard of, even though I spent the summer of 2005 at Columbia, where I spent my days going to class, wandering around Manhattan, and knitting obsessively. That summer, I walked to every knitting store I could find, and believe me, I would have remembered Yarntopia. I find that in New York, a lot of the stores have a lot of really beautiful yarn that is extremely expensive and for which I couldn't really find a project unless I were to buy a ton of it and go broke. Not so with this place. It's a New York LYS, so of course it isn't cheap, but I could see myself making something with just about everything in the store. Upon some internet research, I learned that the store just opened in December, so that's why I didn't already know about it. I assure you, it rocks. They even give paper bags instead of plastic, which is super cool.
As my post-test retail therapy, I decided to buy a book instead of yarn because I really need to finish my UFOs. But when I found Son of Stitch 'N Bitch I just had to buy it! I could finally have a choice of patterns that I could use for my dad's long-overdue sweater! And stuff I could make for Sam! I'm a little hesitant to make him a sweater because knitting a sweater for your boyfriend is said to curse relationships, but the book talks a lot about the curse, and I think that our relationship could withstand a sweater. Besides, he wants me to make a sweater for him. And I think he would like a lot of the sweaters in this book (though I would have to alter a lot of the color schemes). But now I'm getting ahead of myself. So many projects to finish first!
Speaking of Sam, the first review of Worst Case Ontario's first Album, Burning Politely, came out during my LSAT hibernation. It's on Frederick Foxtrott. Check it out!
After the test, Sam met me at a coffee shop, where he had some yummy Hungarian coffee waiting for me. On our way to lunch, I spotted Yarntopia, a yarn store I had never seen before or heard of, even though I spent the summer of 2005 at Columbia, where I spent my days going to class, wandering around Manhattan, and knitting obsessively. That summer, I walked to every knitting store I could find, and believe me, I would have remembered Yarntopia. I find that in New York, a lot of the stores have a lot of really beautiful yarn that is extremely expensive and for which I couldn't really find a project unless I were to buy a ton of it and go broke. Not so with this place. It's a New York LYS, so of course it isn't cheap, but I could see myself making something with just about everything in the store. Upon some internet research, I learned that the store just opened in December, so that's why I didn't already know about it. I assure you, it rocks. They even give paper bags instead of plastic, which is super cool.
As my post-test retail therapy, I decided to buy a book instead of yarn because I really need to finish my UFOs. But when I found Son of Stitch 'N Bitch I just had to buy it! I could finally have a choice of patterns that I could use for my dad's long-overdue sweater! And stuff I could make for Sam! I'm a little hesitant to make him a sweater because knitting a sweater for your boyfriend is said to curse relationships, but the book talks a lot about the curse, and I think that our relationship could withstand a sweater. Besides, he wants me to make a sweater for him. And I think he would like a lot of the sweaters in this book (though I would have to alter a lot of the color schemes). But now I'm getting ahead of myself. So many projects to finish first!
Speaking of Sam, the first review of Worst Case Ontario's first Album, Burning Politely, came out during my LSAT hibernation. It's on Frederick Foxtrott. Check it out!
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