Still alive

One paper handed in, one almost done, and two more to go. I don't know if I'll get much posting done until after everything's in on Friday. Now back to writing what are probably my last term papers EVER!!!

p.s. the socks are growing slowly during the periodic "sanity breaks" I'm taking while writing. The ends are in sight!!

More Week 4, and ... Socks!

First of all...
Look at that!



See? Socks. Two socklike objects!! Okay, so one has only the whisper of a cuff, and there's still plenty of yarn left, and I really can't give my mom socks of two different lengths. Fine. Be picky. But the fact remains that there are now two socks that could in theory go on one's feet. And the end is in sight. In fact, I'm going to say it out loud (and probably curse myself into not meeting this deadline, but hey, it's late and I'm feeling bold so here goes): I will mail the finished socks to my mom for Mother's Day!!

And now on to Wardrobe Therapy.
Week four was about shoes, socks, and purses. The shoes were done, the socks above are all you're going to get on that for now (with the exception of my hand knit socks and my punk socks, my sock collection is functional and boring, and that's okay), and here come the purses.

I've grouped them by type.



The large cary-alls. This doesn't count the plethora of canvas bags I use to tote around school stuff that doesn't fit into these, but those are boring, and also too full of notebooks and file folders at the moment. The one in heavy rotation right now is a canvas tote from the Strand. It seems fitting to carry books around in it. I have really come to appreciate big bags now that I'm in the city and carless. All the junk that might once have rattled around my car is now in these bags.
The green messenger bag in back I have had since high school. The zippers are broken, but the clasps are still functional, and I keep using it because I've never found anything else that worked quite as well. I'll happily replace it when I find something else that can do the job for schlepping things to and from school and libraries.
I love the black wool bag in back. It was very good in fall/winter when I was working and wanted something more professional looking than the messenger bag. Still in good shape, although I need to mend a tear in the lining before it gets bigger. This one's worth repairing, unlike...
The black bag in front. This was a Christmas gift from my parents. I was really excited about it because I thought it might be a good alternative to the green messenger bag. It was, until the handles started to crack right where they're sewn to the bag. I'm afraid they'll break while I'm out, so I don't use this one anymore. I hate to toss something that's so new, but this is really non-functional, and I can't think of a repair that won't be more trouble than its worth. Sadly, gone.
The gray bag in the bottom left is my computer bag. It would be perfect, except it needs a bit of shoulder strap padding, because when its full it can be heavy. Still, I don't tote my laptop around unless I'm in the middle of a paper or on a research trip, which doesn't happen too often (except for right now). But there's lots of writing in my future, so I should try to find an alternative. There's plenty of time to find something though, and this works pretty well, so it isn't a priority just yet.
Also, please note the cat. She would not get off the bed while I took these photos. There are cats and paws in the background of half these shots.

"Everyday" bags



Clockwise, starting at the top left:
A vintage straw purse "borrowed" from my mom. A bit flimsy for serious use, but fun in the summer.
My favorite purse. Pink tweed and brown leather. A little small for all the necessities I seem to need these days, but good for dressier occasions.
Teal suede purse. This is the one I have been using, though I guess its time to change it out for spring. Roomy with straps that go over my shoulders in a fun color that isn't black but still goes with a lot. A definite keeper.
White "macrame" purse. Good for summer. It's getting a little dingy, so I'll see what a wash will do to it. If the results aren't pretty, its no big deal.
Teal felted purse. I really like this one. It's tiny, but is good to stick inside a bigger tote so all the essentials are in one place.
Striped wristlet. I thought this would be useful for when I go out, but then I realized this isn't really a "going out" style. Also? My going out clothes tend to have no pockets and this won't fit a cell phone, so it isn't really very useful. I should toss it, but its little and doesn't take up much room.
Needlepoint bag. This was my grandma's. I don't think she made it, though. I think I'm going to repurpose it as a knitting bag. It's roomy enough. I just can't see myself carrying it anywhere. But it would make good project storage.
Denim bag. For a $10 clearance purchase, it's done a good job. But it's a bit dated, and the straps aren't comfortably long enough to go over my shoulder. I loved the big pockets in the front. They were perfect for keys and my phone. I need to remember to look for that in future purchases, because this one's hitting the road.

Evening purses:


I made the bronze bag in the back to go with the bronze flowered evening sandals from the shoe post. This is a great little pattern and is perfect for whipping up in an afternoon or so. I know it's a little matchy-matchy with the shoes, but I kind of like it. Besides, when you're wearing a blue, pink, and purple sari with metallic embroidery, subtle accessories help.
The black mesh bag next to it is a genuine vintage Whiting and Davis, I'm guessing from the 1950s-60s. Bought at Buffalo Exchange in Austin in the summer of 1999. I wouldn't have thought I remembered that. It goes with a lot, it's surprisingly roomy, and it's a little piece of decorative arts history.
Silver vintage purse. Another one "borrowed" from my mom. I'll have to ask her where she got it/wore it. Really useful for super fancy occasions, and in great shape.
Black burnout velvet clutch. I'm pretty sure that I bought this to take to the homecoming dance my sophomore year of high school. My date (my first boyfriend --neither of us could drive so my parents drove us) was a total doll who sadly moved away not much later. It's not exactly my style anymore, but this is a hard one to get rid of. I think I need to hold on to it just a bit longer.

I just realized I didn't take into account my big knitting bag, or the two knitted purses in progress, or my old backpack. And I know I didn't weed much out, but I did get rid of a bunch of old purses before I moved to New York. Oh well.
Looking at these, I realize I need a new "big bag" solution for when I need to carry a ton of stuff around. I'd also like a new spring bag. Ideally it could fit inside the big bag so I could just pull it out and have all my essentials when I don't want to carry the big one around. I hate having to do the purse swap all the time. Something crucial always gets left behind. Like kleenex, mints, etc. The multiple purse swaps are also why there are a million tubes of lip balm rolling around the place. I found 4 while cleaning out all the bags.

Now, for the final section of week 4: The questions (my answers in italics)

• What's my Status Symbol? That is, what do you expect people to value and respect about you as a human being? I would like to be recognized and appreciated for my intelligence, my consideration for others, and my sense of humor. That sounds very cheesy, doesn't it?


• How does my wardrobe relate to my status symbol? Does the way you dress help people recognize your status symbol? Undermine it? Play into one part of a stereotype but not another? Attire always says something, though it may say it quietly or it may hop on a table and sing the score of A Chorus Line. When I had a job, I tried to dress professionally and appropriately, while still retaining a bit of my individuality. In an art museum, there was lots to choose from, style-wise, and I think I did okay. Now, I'm not exactly certain how I should be dressing. The graduate student/art-field/New York overlaps are confusing me. In theory, lots of black should work, but that's just not me. I just want to look appropriate. Like I belong. And then I want to stand out from the crowd, but in a small, good way.


• Do I want some aspect of my attire to be a conversation starter? If so, what? No and nothing are valid answers here -- it's in wonderfully good taste for every aspect of your outfit to contribute to a vague general impression that you look healthy, happy, and appropriate. My purses are my life or let's talk socks! are also valid answers, as is I've worn the same necklace every day since I was 16, and that's what I'm about. I don't mind if people notice something I'm wearing, as long as it's in a good way. Between shoes, purses, and jewelry, I've got some really cool stuff, and I like it when people notice. But my love for pink sparkly shoes notwithstanding, I'm generally happier being a conversation starter in more subtle ways.

Okay, so now that we're into week 5, I've finally finished off week 4. Some of my donation items have already left the building, but there's still a stack waiting for my next trip to Goodwill (having to schlepp it on the subway means small loads). Purses have been cleaned out, and the detritus sorted and tossed where appropriate (adios, lint covered lipgloss and smooshed gum). Now it's on to week 5 -- underwear and overwear. I probably won't get around to much before next weekend, since I have a paper due this week. But the next time I do my laundry there will be some serious sock evaluations. And somewhere in there, I'm going to finish those darn socks!

Shoes!

So it's week 2 of week 4 of Wardrobe Therapy. This week's tasks are here. Purses and socks will come in a day or so, but since I didn't feel like working on my Consumer Culture essay this evening, I decided to go ahead and sort and photograph my shoes.

I'm going to level with you. Lots of women in all shapes and sizes love shoes, that's a no-brainer. But shoes are really important for the fat fashionistas out there. I'm including myself in that group. As a fat woman who is interested in fashion, I spend a lot of time being frustrated at the lack of options available in my sizes. Those cute clothes in magazines? Not an option for me. But shoes? Purses? Jewelry? Those come in my size. Accessories are the one arena where I can have the same kind of fashion that skinny women can. They're the place where I can fit in with the rest of the fashionable world. I own lots of shoes, and I think one of the reasons is that when I need a shopping fix I can always find a pair of shoes I like. Finding clothing I like can be a lot harder.

So shoes. Here are all the shoes currently in my apartment. Not counting my fuzzy slippers, it's 34 pairs.

There's also a cat in the corner. She was intrigued by all the shoe-related commotion.

To make things easier, I'm separating by shoe type.

The sneakers

• Running/walking shoes -- in good condition, useful, they're keepers.
• Green suede sneakers -- I love them, but they're dirty and worn and the insides are shot. They were on sale when I bought them, and they've gotten a good run, so I don't feel bad about tossing them. They're out! I'm going to add another pair to my shopping list.
• Tan/pink/blue suede sneakers -- they're a bit dirty (that's what six months on NYC streets will do to a pair of shoes), but in good shape. I'm going to try cleaning them.

Casual summer shoes

(back row)

• Beaded flipflops with a sturdy sole. Stalwart staples.
• Keds flats. Bought at the end of last summer. I'm looking forward to wearing these.
• Flats with rhinestone skulls on the straps that you can't really see in this photo. I am happily wearing these into the ground.

(front row)

• 2 pairs of black slides that I bought in emergency shopping trips. They're both uncomfortable and both going.
• Cheap-o flipflops. They're handy, though I don't really wear them out here in the city. Staying.

"Everyday" flat shoes

(back row)

• Short boots. They're ok, and will stay until I find something better. But I'll worry about that next fall.
• Slingback flats. I really like these and need to wear them more than I do. Surprisingly versatile.
• Leopard print flats. This is probably their last season. I should try to replace with something a bit more sturdy -- these are really insubstantial.

(front row)

• Black mary janes. These are worn out, and I'd love to toss them, but then I wouldn't have a pair of black flats. They'll go once replacements are found.
• My trusty loafers. I wear them all the time. They're holding up well, considering.
• My fancy loafers. I spent a good amount of money on these and wore them through. I'm going to see if the holes in the soles can be patched. Then I can wear them again. If they're unsalvageable, well, I guess I'll just have to buy something new!

Dressy/"business" shoes. I have a good number of these because I used to wear them when I had a real job. Now that I'm a student, they stay mostly in the closet. I don't want to get rid of them, because I'll need them again once I'm back on the job market. But maybe I'll get to wear some of them at my internship this summer.

(back row)

• Black loafers with white top stitching. Stalwart staples. A little boring, but very useful.
• Black mary jane type shoes with pink piping. What looks like pink butterflies are actually cutouts on the toe area. I love these shoes, and since I wear lots of pink, they actually do get worn pretty often. Both of these are Aerosoles. So they're pretty comfy.

(middle)

• Tan woven fabric pumps with woodgrain heels. Boring. I bought them for my high school graduation. I still have them, because they're pretty classic, but I don't wear them, because my shoes are one of the few areas where I try to be less boring. I'm giving them another chance before I toss.
• Beige slingbacks with black trim. Very classic, in a slightly sexy way, so they don't bore me the way the woven shoes do. A little uncomfortable, but I'm not ready to let go.
• More Aerosoles. Brown mary janes with wingtip detailing and slight wedge heels. I just bought them this fall and love them. Good with jeans or dressier outfits. Just a little funky, in a good way.

(bottom)

• Tan suede loafers with little suede rosettes on the front. They have little curved-in heels (I don't know what to call them). Very comfortable, very cute. They're staying.
• Brown leather slingbacks. Useful. Could use a little padding. I saw these insoles just for heels the other day -- I might have to try some here.
• Maroon metallic leather mary janes with the curvy heels. I love these shoes. They're one of my favorite pairs of shoes. Despite the odd color, I find them pretty wearable with black, grey, and even the right shade of brown trousers, and also with jeans.

Finally, the fancy shoes. My favorite category, though of course the least worn.

(top row)

• horrible shoes I bought to coordinate with a sari for a wedding. They turned dark and the fabric got crunchy on me. I never really liked them (emergency purchase rears its ugly head), so feel no guilt about tossing.
• The purple glittery shoes. They were $8.00, I was a senior in college. I thought it would be funny to wear them with my graduation gown. It was. I did. I never wore them again. I'd save them, but they're hideously clunky. Maybe some kid can play dress up with them. Donated!
• The pink ruffly satin platform shoes. I bought these after seeing them in a fashion magazine back in college. Like the Birthday Shoes, they appealed to my inner Dolly Parton/Miss Piggy fan. I wore them to a few college dances. The heels are really chunky, which is good because they're also really high. I'm saving them, just in case. (I'm not sure in case of what, but we'll see.)
• Uncomfortable but cute brown sandals with sparkly flowers. Also bought to be worn with a sari at a wedding. They're cute, and I have this idea that I might wear them again, and also they're cute, so they're staying.
• Silvery blue satin sandals. Bought to match a bridesmaid dress. They weren't dyed to match, but they went with the dress perfectly. I can't quite get rid of them yet.

(bottom row)

• Embroidered satin flats. Remember when these were all the rage a few years ago? So do I. They're getting a little ratty, so I think I'll give them one more season before I toss, because I think I'm really going to want my flats this summer.
• My classic black evening pumps. With just a little bit of rhinestone. Perfect.
• Black velvet shoes with just a tiny heel. Cheap and they look it. An emergency purchase that's in the outbox as I type.
• The rare emergency purchase that actually worked. Strappy black sandals that don't cut my feet.
• Hot pink thong sandals with floral heel/base. Oh these shoes. Right after I got my masters, I was living at home, looking for a real job while substitute teaching. I was so miserable. I was so jealous of my other friends who had jobs and lives while I was staying with my parents. I saw these shoes at the mall. They weren't really that expensive, but even so, I shouldn't have bought them. I should have saved my money. But something about them just called to me. This sounds so dumb, but they were kind of a promise to myself, that even though my life was crappy, I would get these shoes and wear them and somehow that would help. So I bought them, and I wore them ( I was in Texas at the time. Flip-flop/thong type shoes are practically state-mandated wear there), and I started to find my way again. And eventually I got the job that changed my life. And now here I am. I don't attribute that to these shoes or anything, but more than any other pair except maybe the pink satin platforms, these shoes are important to me in some weird way. They're milestone shoes. They're also kind of kick-ass, stylewise.

There was also a pair of Mock Doc Martins in the group photo , which I used to wear in the snow, but the soles cracked and now my feet get wet in them and so they're gone, too. When I was putting all the shoes back in the closet, I tried to rearrange things so that I would have easier access to the pairs I might want to wear this spring/summer. I just wish it would warm up a bit so I could get started on them.

So that's the shoes. That was maybe more about me and my footwear than you needed to know, wasn't it?

Next time: Progress photos of my evil socks. Purses (this would be a much bigger category if I hadn't purged before I moved). The answers to the status symbol questions.

Now I need to get back to my reading and my essay. We're covering Janice Radway's Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature this week. It's fun stuff, and I want to make sure it gets its due attention. I've got 2 1/2 weeks of school left, so things are more hectic than ever. But when classes are over, I'm done with the coursework for my degree! It's scary and exciting at the same time. At the moment, scary is winning. :)

(This Song's Just) Six Words Long

So a little while ago, The Mad Knitter tagged me for this meme.

Here's the NPR story that describes the concept and gives examples of six-word memoirs from writers and non-writers alike.

Here are the guidelines, should you choose to participate in this yourself:

Write your own six word memoir. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere. Tag five more blogs with links.

Here's mine:

No, I meant to do that.

My writing professors often said that being brief is harder than writing something long. They were right.

Since I am (as usual) behind on these, I won't tag anyone. But please feel free to write your own.

Edited to add: super bonus cool points to anyone who knows where the title comes from!

Therapy!

Wardrobe therapy, retail therapy, knitting therapy -- this post has it all!

First off: knitting therapy

I had some paypal credit sitting around, and my parents gave me an eb*y gift card for my birthday (who knew they even had those?), so I decided to spend it this evening while I was listening to podcasts. Lime and Violet were waxing poetic about Malabrigo, so I bought two skeins in a purple color (I don't see it on their website, it might have been an older colorway), and then I bought a copy of More Big Girl Knits -- I really liked the first book, and am very excited about getting the new one. I'll post pictures when they get here.

Also, I knit a sweater!!!

But it's a little small. Luckily I know somebody it will fit:

The doll is by the Robert Tonner Company, the skirt is by me, and the sweater is the Textures and Ribs Turtleneck pattern by Daniel Bingham . It used size 1 needles and less than a skein of the Tioga Yarns Three Ply Fingering Wool that I got back at S&B in New Haven. I think Claire found it at a thrift store. The wrapper looks ancient -- I have no idea how old this yarn is.

Also in knitting news, I'm on sock two of my Mom's socks (finally). I feel like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, or the sock, as the case might be.

In more retail news, I went shopping today, and bought a new pair of jeans to replace a pair that was getting worn out. I also got a new black 3/4 sleeve t-shirt to replace one that was getting all pilled and faded. The old garments aren't nice enough to donate, so I'm going to put them in the trash.

This brings me to the final portion of this blog post, Wardrobe Therapy. I'm still chugging along here. I didn't have time to get this done until the weekend, and the piling was a big task. I decided not to take pictures of the pants and shorts, but got rid of the ones that were too worn. I'm going to need at least another pair of shorts this summer, I'm ok for jeans since I bought the new pair today, I have nice "work pants" in grey, black, brown, and khaki, and then casual pants in green and khaki. I'd like to get another pair of khaki casual pants, since I'll get more wear out of those for school. My work pants are still in good shape from when I had the office job, but there's no sense in buying more of them right now since I don't have to wear them much.
Skirts:

These are my summer weight skirts. The white printed skirt is a superstar, it has enough colors in it that I can wear it with black tops or any other color that's in it. The others are stalwart staples.

These are the heavier weight skirts. The raspberry suede skirt would be a superstar, but the hem fell out and I haven't gotten around to fixing that. The others are a black suiting trumpet skirt and some wool blend plaids. They're ok. I like the green and black skirts the best. I think the flare is a good shape for me. The real problem with all these skirts, and with the dresses you'll see later, is that I don't wear them. I almost always wear pants. It's partly laziness, part self-consciousness. I'm going to try to wear them a bit more often this summer, though. It is cooler.

Here are my blazers and jackets. Nothing too exciting. The velvet and cordouroy blazers are superstars. I wear them alot, especially with jeans. I hate the black blazer and want one with buttons, not a zipper, but I'll hold onto it until I find one to replace it. The mauve jeans-style jacket used to be a favorite, but I don't wear it much anymore. I'll give it a go and see if it gets used this spring.

This is my favorite cardigan for spring. I wear it with tanks or camisoles underneath. It's one of the trendier things I own.

These are my two suits and my more work-appropriate dress. The pink suit is a jacket and dress. It's a little Jackie O, and has gotten lots of wear. My mom helped me pick out the purple suit for my first grad school interviews back in 2000. If I was doing this over again, I would have bought something more classic, like a black pantsuit. It's also another zip jacket, which I plan to avoid in the future. The green shirtdress hasn't been worn yet, mostly because I don't wear dresses much. I'll have to give it a shot soon though, before it gets too worn.

These are the lighter weight dresses. Lots of empire waists, v-necks, asymmetrical hems, etc. The black dress on the end is the dress I mentioned as my favorite outfit ever a few weeks ago. I put aside it and a few other dresses that are a little too small, in the hopes that I can fit into them again.

Whew! That covers most of the major clothing pieces. This next week is for accessories. The shoes will take me a while.

It's been sort of interesting going through all this clothing at once. I've made lots of shopping mistakes, and I have tons of plain basics. I tend to make iffy choices on trendier things, so I often stick to the safe choices (probably the reason I had about a million t-shirts). In addition to instituting a "one item enters, one item leaves" policy, I think I need to stop my impulse shopping. I often get tired/frustrated and end up buying things that never get worn. I also need to stop letting my mom talk me into things. She has a good eye for color, but doesn't really have a handle on the styles and cuts I like. It's really hit or miss with things she picks out for me. I also want to make more of an effort to wear skirts and dresses. Considering that I never wear them, I have plenty of them. I think I'm always hoping that I will find the skirt that will make me love wearing skirts, if that makes any sense.

Ok, now that I've driven all my readers off with this really long post, I think it's time to hit the hay. I'll be dreaming of new yarn tonight!!

Birthday shoes!

Yesterday was my birthday! It was a big one (begins with 3, ends with 0). I had a lovely time, including drinks at the St. Regis King Cole's Bar, Thai food, and a window shopping trip at Bloomies. Which is where I saw these:

They're over-the-top in every way, but I love them. I wish I had the kind of life that called for shoes like this, but I really can't imagine exactly what kind of life that would be.

edited to add: no, I didn't buy them, though I was tempted. They do come in black -- would that make them a bit more sensible?

Wardrobe Therapy: It's the tops!

If you're going to sort through all the shirts you own, it helps to have some entertaining background noise. Try this:



That's some beard Bing's got, huh?

Anyway, sorting through the shirts was boring, but enlightening. The photos are not great, so my apologies. I hope to have an easier time with this week's assignment (pants, skirts, dresses), mostly because I have fewer of them.

Here's what I learned: (definitions of the terms here)

1. T-shirts (long, 3/4, and short sleeves)
Most of these are stalwart staples or velveteen rabbits (depending on their age), which I should work on replacing. I got rid of a few torture devices, mostly shirts that are too tight, especially around the sleeves. There were also a few mysteries of the lost shopping trip, mostly due to color. Why I ever wanted a tan t-shirt is a mystery to me.
I didn't count my stash of regular t-shirts from places, bands, etc. If they were in good shape I kept them. I mostly wear them around the house anyway. Sentimental journeys were my shirts from my college's football championships. I might add them in with the regular shirts so they can get worn for workouts, etc.
What I learned: I need some fresh shirts in any sleeve length. V-necks are best. I need to be careful about the fit on short sleeves, and I need to make sure they're all the right length (not too short).



2. Tank tops / camisoles
I don't have too many of these and could stand to buy some more for layering. Most of them are stalwart staples, with two velveteen rabbits (the off-white and black camisoles) that should be replaced asap. Two worn looking tops are not quite torture devices, but I'm letting them go because I don't really wear them. The green
top in the middle is a mystery that could be a superstar. I wouldn't know because I've never had the nerve to wear it. If it doesn't get worn a few times this summer. It's out.
What I learned: not much, except that these are basic pieces and I need to make sure they're in good shape. I also have to find an outfit that I can use that green top in.



3. Sweaters (that go by themselves, not over other pieces)
Torture devices: turtlenecks (I need to stop buying them, although I love the color of the pink one.
Mysteries: some hand-me downs from my mom's friend. Not my style, won't wear them, they're leaving.
Same time-next year / velveteen rabbits - a cowl neck (better than a turtleneck on me. I'm not sure why) that's getting a little pilled, all my sweater sets are getting a bit mangy looking, although the cardigans are in better shape than the shells.
Stalwart staples: I've got a few nice long-sleeved sweaters that I need to keep an eye on for rabbitiness. I have a bunch of 3/4 sleeve sweaters with interesting neckline details that I love. They're a bunch of different ages, so some are in need of retirement. But I bought several this fall that are in good shape, and in good colors, so I feel good here.
Superstars -- the purple long sleeved v-neck ribbed sweater. Good color, good fit, in good shape.
What I learned: It's time to let go of the turtleneck. Free clothes are not necessarily worth taking. Almost all the sweaters were in good colors for me.

4. Button-down shirts/knit shirts/others
Superstars: I have a silk t-shirt and a few fancy tops in this category. What do they have in common? V-necks, empire waists, wrap-style detailing.
Stalwart staples: 3/4 sleeve button downs (fine since I don't wear them with blazers, usually. long sleeve button downs, in cute colors, but need a basic white one that doens't make me look like a waiter (to quote Dr. Wende)
velveteen rabbits: a few cotton tops that are good for summer. I'll have to see how much I actually wear them before I decide if they get to stay after the end of the season, though, since they're a few years old and are not really classic pieces -- I don't know if they'll still be good a year from now. Also a few knit tops that need replacement, like my classic white shell that goes with my suit (which I never wear, but that's a story for next week).
Mysteries: more of the free shirts, which are going, and a few others that are staying for now, but need to prove their worth, since they are cute in theory but haven't seen much wear.
Torture devices: why did I want a peach flowered polo shirt? It washes me out and is too tight, so bye!




Whew! That was a lot of shirts. I've made a nice little pile for Goodwill, and I'm putting together a list of things to buy when next I get to do a little retail therapy. I've been a bit behind this week on WT, and haven't been doing a very good job on commenting on other blogs, either. But hopefully I can get back on track this week.

Sock on a Rock!

Attention, readers: we now return to your regularly scheduled knitting content!

Here's the sock that nearly drove me crazy, soaking up the sun at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.


It's hard to tell, but I'm up to the cuff, and I'm just knitting the ribbing until I've used up most of that half of the yarn ball. Then it's on to sock #2. I was warned that one ball of the yarn (Colinette Jitterbug) can be a little short for a pair of socks, but I didn't feel like buying two, so I wound it into two nearly identical balls and am doing the best I can.
So the knitters among you are probably thinking I'm nuts. This is just a simple toe-up sock with a ribbed cuff. No fancy stitch pattern, no bells and whistles, right? So what am I complaining about? Well, to put it briefly: This sock is evil.
I want to say up front that I do not blame Wendy's Detailed Toe-Up pattern. She's a genius, I just had bad sock mojo.
It called for size 0 needles and gave two potential sizes. I started with 1s and made the larger size, because I'm contrary like that. It quickly became clear that it would be too big. So I went back to the 0s and made the smaller size. Knitting progressed (slowly), and by the time I met up with my parents in Illinois for Uncle Dave's funeral, I had turned the heel. My mom tried it on, and it was too small. So I ripped back to before the heel, added some length, and tried again. But then I noticed that I was one stitch short. I thought maybe I had dropped one, but didn't see any ladders. So I decided to increase and keep on going.
But then the OCD part of my brain kicked in, and I couldn't deal with making a sock that had an error in it. So I thought, well, I'll just rip back again until I find the lost stitch. It's got to be there somewhere. By now, you probably know where this is going.
I ripped the whole thing out.
I. Ripped. The. Whole. Thing. Out.
Boo.
This is the sock less than a week after its 3rd incarnation began. It is proof that I can be a speedy knitter when I need to be. I guess I should fly across country more often.
Now, I'm almost done with this one. I'm just hoping it fits my mom ok. I figure it's a bit tight on me, so it should be fine. I'm dreading sock #2, because I can't imagine more ways in which I could screw up this pattern. But I'm sure I'll think of something.

*****
I finally uploaded some of my pictures from the Tucson trip. You can see them by following the links on the sock picture to my Flickr page. They're mostly of the Desert Museum (which was soooooo cool, that's where I saw all the animals) and of our hike through the Sabino Canyon park. I can't believe I willingly went on a hike in the desert. Especially since we saw this at the very beginning:


What exactly counts as "high" mountain lion activity? We joked that maybe they meant the lions were high. Which would also be bad, since then they'd probably be hungry.

The gelato at the end of the day more than made up for the potential hazard of mountain lions, though. I did get to see one at the desert museum, up close through a window behind the caves in its enclosure. Those are some BIG cats. Really pretty, though. One of the other really cool things I saw was a temporary river. It had rained not long before I came, and what was normally a dry wash was now a pretty river. We followed a trail alongside the riverbed and eventually saw a waterfall. In the middle of the desert. Neat!!

The two lovely and charming people in the photos with me are my best friend S and her husband T. They were wonderful hosts, and should be recruited for the Tucson Chamber of Commerce -- at the end of the weekend I was totally ready to move out there. But sadly I had to go back to school. Speaking of which, I should get back to work.

I'll be back with round one of my Wardrobe Therapy shirt piles as soon as possible. I bet you can't wait to see how many t-shirts I own!

Wardrobe Therapy: The Interview

So, I'm behind already, which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who knows me. But not that behind, which is a bit surprising to me, because this has been a very difficult week. I spent the first half being jet-lagged from Arizona. Which wouldn't have been so bad except I also spent the first half of the week putting 12-hour days in at school. Having fun on Spring Break was all well and good, but it really had me playing catch-up there for a while. So much for relaxation.
I did get my clothes off to the dry cleaners, though the mending is just going to have to wait (but it's part of the tasks for week 2 of WT, so it might get done this week (maybe). The other outstanding item from week 1 is the interview. So here it is:

Favorites

• Who is your candidate for Best Dressed, real or fictional? I'm going to play it safe here and say Katherine Hepburn. Also, maybe Helen Mirren.
• What is your favorite garment or outfit ever? I had this beautiful black Anne Klein cocktail dress in the late nineties. Very simple sleeveless sheath with a little gold bar pin at one strap. Mom and I bought it for a college semi-formal. It's too small, but I will never give it away as long as there is any possibility it might ever fit again.
• What is your current favorite garment? My black leather jacket.
• What would be your favorite thing to wear, if reality were not an issue? I would love to wear knee-high boots, maybe with a bit of heel, but I have yet to find a pair that will zip up over my freakishly wide calves (seriously, I'm not being a body hater here, they are oddly big. And it's not fat, it's muscle. Why I only have muscle there, I don't know.)
• Where would you shop, if money, time, and geography were not issues? If there were good vintage plus size clothes and stores that sold them, I would so be there.
• What's your favorite fashion faux pas story to tell, now that the scars have healed? In junior high (c. 1992) I had an outfit that consisted of black leggings, plaid flannel shorts, and a sweatshirt with appliques in the same plaid flannel. I probably wore it with a double pair of scrunched socks in complementary colors and one of my many pairs of imitation Keds. It was a matching ensemble, and I was so proud of it that I wore it until the shorts wore out. And then I wore the sweatshirt until I lost it. Fashion gods, I am sorry.
• What colors do you associate with happiness? (Your Joyous Colors) I really love dark jewel tones, and any blues/blue-greens. I love pastels but am realizing that they don't really do me many favors as items of clothing.

How You Live

• If there were a uniform for where you spend most of your time, what would it be? Nice jeans, fitted t-shirts, sweater or blazer, cute sneakers or loafers.
• If there were a uniform for where you spend your leisure, what would it be? Pajamas or yoga pants, comfy t-shirt, warm knit socks (this is my at home wear :) )

Your Wardrobe

• What is the problem with your wardrobe? (Maximum of three bullet points) I wear the same things all the time and have tons of things that don't get worn because I don't really feel "right" in them or because they've gotten lost underneath unworn garments. Also I can't accessorize.
• If your wardrobe could speak, what would it say is the problem? Half the clothes would be suffering from exhaustion, the rest would be feeling abandoned.
• What would you like your wardrobe to do more of? I don't want to be totally Garanimals, but I'd like enough of it to coordinate that it would be easy to think of things to wear each day. I also want it to only consist of things that make me feel good.
• What would you like people to say about how you dress? (Max 3) 1. She looks really confident/put-together/etc. 2. Where'd you get that purse/those shoes/etc.? Because I want one. 3. She looks amazingly well-rested for a graduate student.

Ok, so there we go. Now I have to quit procrastinating and head to the library. I've got two assignments due next week that aren't going to write themselves. There's not much to report on the knitting front (although the sock that drove Erin insane is nearly done), and I still haven't managed to upload those Arizona pictures yet. Maybe tomorrow afternoon. I don't know if the library is closed on Easter or not, but I'm going to take it as a day of rest.

Eeee!

So I got tagged for this meme by Anne and Phoebe. Hi Anne and Phoebe!

Here is what you do. Use the 1st letter of your middle name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real places, names,things…nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person you took this from had the same 1st initial.You CAN’T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

1. Middle name letter: E. That's right. It's an "E" for all three initials. Makes remembering my monogram pretty easy.
2. Famous artist/band/musician: Edgar Degas.
3. 4-letter word: I don't know if there are any swear words that begin with "e." :( For the sake of completeness, I'll say evil, though it isn't 4-letters in that particular sense.
4. U.S state: How sad is it that I had to really think about this one before I realized that there weren't any? Boy, e kind of sucks, doesn't it? Too bad there's not an East Virginia.
5. Boy name: Eustace
6. Girl name: Enid
7. Animal: Elephant
8. Something in the kitchen: Easter candy!
9. Reason for being late? Elevator's broken
10. Body Part? Elbow
11. Drink? Egg Cream
12. Something you shout: Eeek!
13. Something you eat? Eggplant (sorry, had to reuse an egg word, but couldn't think of anything else. I'm not too creative today. I spent 12+ hours at school and I think my brain is broken.)
14. A movie you've seen? Ever After (oh, I should have said Encino Man, but I'm not proud of that)
Whew! That took longer than it should have. E is a tricky letter. I should tag somebody now, but as usual, I'm the last to respond and am all out of meme buddies. So if you read this, please consider yourself tagged.

In which I return home and start overhauling my wardrobe

Just this morning I got back from a trip to Tucson to see my best friend. I had a blast, and will hopefully have pictures up soon. I saw giant cacti! Mountain lions! Road runners! and there was decent Mexican food! And margaritas! And also one of the best birthday presents ever (more on that later).

I came in on a redeye, getting back to JFK at 6:30 a.m. It would have been fine if I could have gotten a bit of sleep, but in a fit of niceness, I swapped seats with a member of a school group who had been assigned a seat far from her classsmates. While it was no doubt a quieter location, it was also near the bulkhead, so I couldn't stretch my (admittedly short) legs out far enough to get comfortable. I have no idea how the tall guy in the aisle seat managed. So I was grumpy and fidgety and dead tired by the time I made it back to the Bronx. I was very sad to have to put my coat back on again. I spent the day alternately napping and reading, and also bemoaning the fact that Spring Break is over and I have to get back in student mode again. I am not looking forward to it.

But at least Wardrobe Therapy has started. I'm very excited about clearing out my overflowing closet and drawers and making my wardrobe less, well, blah.
Here are this week's tasks and my thoughts so far:

• BONES: Catch up on laundry and dry-cleaning. I did laundry right before I left for Arizona, so am pretty good in that department. There are several blouses that I hope to take to the cleaners this week. And maybe I should do a bit of mending if I can fit it in.
• BREATH: Choose one garment, accessory, or beauty product that you know is a Torture Device and ruthlessly de-accession it. (Do make a note of why you hate it, or vice-versa.)I have a few candidates in mind. There is a pair of pants I really hate. They're dark brown, but not a shade or a material I like, they're tapered (a very bad idea for my shape), and they don't have pockets. I feel very wide and frumpy in them. I think I'll go toss them right now. (runs to closet, goodwill box, and back to computer) DONE!!!
• HEAD: Complete the WT Interview. After you finish it, find a source of clothing pictures that you enjoy looking at. It need not be a fashion magazine or current catalog. Old movies, Old Masters... doesn't matter. This will have to wait a day or so for posting, but I'm thinking about it.
• HEART: Do something pampering for yourself. This week, this isn't a hard task. Before my trip, I gave myself a pedicure. Then I got a haircut while window shopping, and then my super best friend gave me an early birthday present of a face mask, foot soak, and custom perfume blend here. So I'm feeling pretty pampered at the moment.

So I'll be back soon with my interview results and photos of the trip. For more information on Wardrobe Therapy, try the links above or see Dr. Wende's blog for current posts and links to other participants. Now I have to go amuse the cat. She's been alone too much this week, so I need to make it up to her.

Uncle Dave, this pun's for you

Oh Internets, I am out of sorts. There's so much I'd like to write about right now. What a wonderful concept Spring Break is, how the airport screeners in Peoria, Illinois, have far too much time on their hands, how much I'm looking forward to my trip to go see my best friend Saumya, why I am mad at the socks I've been knitting, why the superhero stamps I bought are really cool but kind of embarrassing to use, how excited I am to start Wardrobe Therapy, and how bummed I am that I'm too busy with school to do Apartment Therapy right now. See, I have lots to say.
But I don't really want to write about any of that right now.

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Peoria. Normally I love visiting. It's my mom's hometown, and lots of my relatives are nearby. They're the side of the family I'm really closer to, and since I haven' t been back since my grandmother's funeral in 2003, it was really about time for a visit. But this visit wasn't the kind you like to make.

My uncle Dave was a really great guy. He loved puns, as do many of my family members, and a visit was never complete without several long punning exchanges, each of us competing to come up with the best reply. He started my obsession with dollhouses, and by extension with the decorative arts. He and my aunt restored an old dollhouse for their daughters in the seventies, and eventually started a miniatures business of their own. As a kid, I got lots of "castoff" miniatures from them -- things that were a little out of scale or a bit rough around the edges. I had a great time ripping them apart and reassembling them into something special for my own dollhouse. Later on, they gave me more detailed and elaborate kits and pieces that are among my most treasured miniature possessions. They even took me to my first miniatures show. All of this exposure to tiny houses combined with my obsession with historical accuracy eventually led me to the study of material culture and design. So he sort of helped make me who I am today.

This weekend I went to his funeral. He had fought cancer for more than ten years, going in and out of remission. This winter, cancer finally got the upper hand. I got to see him this summer, when he was still doing really well, and I am really thankful that I have good memories to hang on to. It's hard to think that he's gone, that I won't find him puttering in the basement or working on his miniatures the next time I go back. It's even harder because of my father, who just finished a round of chemo and radiation himself. He's doing well, but these past few weeks have been a sobering reminder for me, all the awful "what ifs" you think of in the middle of the night made horribly, terribly real. As bad as I feel, I know that my aunt and cousins feel so much worse.

If there's one bright spot, and I have to believe there is, it's that he led a truly exemplary life. The attendance at his wake and funeral, the volume of cards, flowers, and callers -- he made a mark on so many lives, and an impression like that won't soon be forgotten.

Feeling better, finally

So, I can breathe again, which is handy what with it being necessary for living and all. Thanks to copious doses of cold medicine, zinc, and vitamin c, the cold didn't progress much beyond my head, which is good because I hate chest colds. Although the weekend full of sinus headaches was not much fun either.

But! I'm feeling fine, and the school week is over, and I'm really looking forward to this weekend, even though large parts of it will be spent cleaning my apartment or reading in the library. I've really let the apartment go, which I tend to do when I'm stressed. I've been finding little tumbleweeds of cat hair under all the furniture, so it's time to vacuum again. I keep telling myself I should do these things more often, and then they wouldn't be such Herculean tasks each time I finally get around to doing them. Maybe it's time to dust off my Flylady stuff and try to create a routine that works for me. There are large parts of her program that rub me the wrong way, but I can't deny that that timer thing really works.

There's not much knitting progress to report. My mom's socks are stalled out. I thought I was being clever by knitting a plain vanilla toe-up pattern. "It will knit up so quickly," I said to myself. "You will be done with these socks in no time."
Not quite.
They're boring. And they don't even have the dubious benefit of ease/speed, since I don't have much time to work on them right now. I'm not even to the heel of sock #1. I actually started a new project because the socks just weren't doing it for me. I really don't know if I want to frog and start over on them or just keep on pushing through. Arrgh.

I'll be back with pictures soonish. Maybe after I clean up enough to have space to take some :) In the meantime, happy weekending!

So that's what that noise was

Saw this widget on Knelly's blog and couldn't resist:

We have heard the knitting at midnight.

Which work of Shakespeare was the original quote from?

Get your own quotes:

There's a cold that's been going around school for weeks now, and its finally my turn. I'm spending some quality time with my bag of Cold-eze, a box of kleenex, and my kitty. More blogging later when I can swallow without wanting to cry again. :)

Muffin Recipe

So good I had to share!
Here's the link to the recipe:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cappuccino-Muffins

Somehow my muffins never get as round on top, though. I guess I'll just have to make another batch and try again! :) Also, apparently I can't spell Cappuccino. Oh well.

p.s. Thanks for the compliments on the monkeys!

The Monkeys are off my back!

And on to my feet!




I finished them on Super Bowl Sunday, and had them done in time to watch the Giants win. Yay! (for the socks and the Giants!) I immediately cast on the Jitterbug for my mom's socks, but have had to start over since they were looking a little big. I'm using the generic toe-up recipe from Wendy Knits. I may put some fancy ribbing on when I get to the leg, I'll have to see, but I'd like this to be a relatively speedy knit (speedy for me, at least, which isn't really objectively speedy at all.)

I've also been on a yarn buying kick, which is bad, but hopefully after my order from the Loopy Ewe gets here, I'll have the buying urge under control for a while. I just can't say no to pretty sock yarn.

Things have been a little crazy for me, school-wise. My part-time job got sorted out at last, and I think I'm going to really enjoy it. It is surprising how it's affected my schedule though. Having one less day to get my reading done is making it a bit hard to stay caught up. I don't really like having to go in to the library on the weekends, but it looks like I'm not going to have much choice.

Yesterday I had a much needed Day of Fun. A friend came in to visit me, and we hit Dinosaur BBQ (pretty good for not being in Texas :) ), the New York City Police Museum (a really interesting museum. I saw an actual sawed off shotgun in a violin case in their historic weapons section. I thought that was just what movie mobsters did), and the Fraunces Tavern Museum. The last one was really interesting. Aside from being the oldest standing building in NYC, it was also the site of several important events in the Revolution and early Federal periods, including George Washington's farewell to his troops when he resigned command of the Continental Army. We happened to come on Benjamin Tallmadge day, which is an important date for the Sons of the Revolution who run the place, and there were reinactors all over the place, including a brigade (?) of dragoons from Connecticut. They had very cool uniforms. Sadly I had no camera with me. After touring the museum, we went into the restaurant/bar on the ground floor and had a beer. It was fun to drink in the same historic place as George and his pals.

Today I puttered around, did some reading, and made muffins. Cappuchino Chip Muffins, to be exact. They're delicious. What you do not see in this picture is the coffee cream cheese spread that I made to go along with them. With the topping, they're really more like cupcakes, and that's fine with me.



Mmm...muffins. Not a bad way to end a weekend.

Seven things, and then some more things

Sorry for the long delay in posting. School started and then things got a little crazy. I've got four classes, and four sets of reading, plus I'm working on the grad student symposium committee, and I'm also trying to set up a part-time job (which is a whole set of frustrations in itself). Also, I had friends come and visit, and lots of other stuff. In the few moments I've had where there wasn't any work to be done, I've been knitting instead of blogging, and I can't say I've really felt bad about that choice :) But here I am, on Sunday night, trying to get my mind and my work organized for next week, and I thought, hey, why do that when I could procrastinate on my blog?

A while ago, I got tagged by Costumechick, to list seven things about myself, so here they are, in no particular order.

1. I hate cucumbers, but I love pickles. Even the scent of cucumbers makes me blanch, although oddly, I don't mind things like cucumber-scented bath products.
2. All the guys I have ever dated have been Eagle Scouts. I don't seek them out or anything, it just happens that way. I wonder what that says about my taste in guys?
3. I don't have a fear of heights so much as a fear of falling off of high spaces. Going up in a skyscraper? No problem. Standing at the edge of a 2nd story balcony? No thank you.
4. I have never been ice skating. I don't blame my parents for much (they did a great job overall), but I do blame them for never taking me, especially since I was obsessed by figure skating as a kid. What gives? Now I'm too old and scared (of falling and breaking things) to go.
5. I love Dolly Parton.
6. I taught myself to read as a kid, and polished off Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol when I was four. According to my mom, I then went around asking people if they liked to read novels, too.
7. The first time I saw something that I wrote in print I almost cried. Now I get a secret thrill from looking up my name in our school's library catalog.

So what else?
Well, I knit two Calorimetry (Calorimetries?), sewed their buttons on, and managed to get pictures before I gave one of them away to a friend.
Here they are:


The blue one was for my friend, the noro version was for me, to match my mitts. Details on both are on my ravelry page.

The monkeys are coming along nicely. I've gotten to the foot of sock 2, so it's only a matter of time now. Normally these are my travelling project, but I've been working on them at home too, trying to hurry them along. Also, more progress on the granny square afghan - 4 squares done, 92 to go. Sigh.

I need to get moving on my WIPs. I want to finish the socks and get a handle on my Tomato sweater, then I can think about my 2 lace projects that are currently on hold. I have all the yarn I need for a clapotis, so I'm going to use that as a lure to finish up some of the things I have lying around. I also found the lost button for my plaid bag, so I might try to knock that one off the list soon, too. Ah, the bravado of youth!*

* One of my very favorite college professors said that once after listening to one of my classmates make a series of very grand pronouncements about life. I think of it now and then whenever my mouth (or in this case, my fingers) starts writing checks that I can't cash (I love that saying too).

Well, I should get back to my preparations for Monday. I don't have class, but need to spend a good chunk of time in the library reading. I also need to mail some packages, drop off a bunch of papers to get copied for a meeting, and hit the grocery store. And it would be nice to get some laundry done. My to-do list is too long already, and I haven't even started the week yet. Boo.

Oh well, at least there's another weekend coming up.

Good times!

I have had such a good week! I cleaned my apartment, I bought some yarn (Patons SWS in Natural Denim and Sheep Shop Yarn Co. Sheep 3 in the most amazing pink purple green and white colorway). I bought some really good chocolate (Ritter Rum and Raisin with Milk Chocolate). I went on a great hike on Saturday. I have friends coming to visit this week. And best of all, I got to go to Stitch n' Bitch again! It was so great to see everyone. I didn't get to chat with everybody as much as I would have liked, but it was so good to get to catch up with everyone. I can't tell you how much I've missed hanging out with all my friends. Knitting with pals is so much better than knitting alone. I really need to find a group to knit with here. It won't be the same, but it might be fun.

Also, Knelly, I got my buttons sewn on. Pictures after they're done blocking.

Works in Progress

Well, I already went to bed with dirty dishes in the sink, and it's only January 8. I reufse to feel too bad about it, though. They're just dishes. :)

In keeping with one of my other resolutions, I'm going to list all my works in progress. There are several here that I could knock off pretty quickly if I just sat down and worked on them, but there are also some that will require a good amount of work to finish.

1. Monkey socks -- no problem here, they travel around with me and get taken out pretty frequently
2. Tomato sweater -- I'm on the colorwork band. This stalled out because I didn't take it home with me for the holidays, but I'm working on it again now.
3. Mystery Stole 3 -- This needs dedicated knitting time and space. I need to get everything set up for the charts and beading before I work on it, so it tends to stay in hiding. But I was inspired by my progress over Christmas, so hopefully I can keep plugging along
4. Icarus shawl -- on hiatus. I want to finish the MS3 first, so this one might be a while. But I finally got through with all the tedious repeats on chart 1, so at least I'm on to something different now.
5. The afghan of doom -- due to my ignorance about crochet hook size and gauge when I made this, I'm rapidly approaching the size I want, even though I'm apparently only about 1/2 way there according to the pattern. I just need to finish one more repeat and then I'm calling it a day and putting on the border. I've only been working on this one for 6-7 years.
6. That 70s afghan -- It came from the basement!! (Cue horror movie music) This is a granny square afghan kit that I got from my aunt.

I thought this would be a fun and mindless project for watching tv and such. It would be, too, if I ever got it out. I need 96 squares, and I currently have 2 1/2. I should get a counter for this. (Edited to add: I did it! I used the instructions here and it couldn't have been easier!!)
7. The world's tiniest sweater vest -- this was done on 00 and 000 needles for one of my dolls. I struggled through knitting the pieces, but stalled out on sewing them together and doing the neckbands and arm bands. Have you ever tried to pick up stitches at that scale? Crazy-making.
****I think I might have a finishing problem****
8. Chinese Charm Bag (from Stitch n' Bitch book). It is knit. The lining is sewn. The handles are purchased. I even found a cute little charm-y thing to go on it. I just need to put it all together.
9. Plaid felted bag. Needs a button. Has needed a button for over a year and a half. I had a button for it, but now have no idea where it is. Oops.
10. Crocheted market bag. Needs the ends woven in. Why I didn't do this as I made it I'll never know.
11. Calorimetry -- needs a button. Just whipped this up this weekend for a birthday gift. Need to finish by Sunday.
***Not started, but need to do soonish***
12. Socks for my mom -- these will be up next after the monkeys are done.
13. Birthday knitting for 2 more friends. I'm thinking another Calorimetry, and maybe a fetching or some other kind of mitt.

The round-up. Projects 8-11 will take mere minutes, if I can make myself do them. Projects 1-3 will get done soonish, with 12 and 13 in there somewhere, and projects 4-7 will hopefully follow one day, but I wouldn't advise anyone to hold their breath or anything. It doesn't seem like much written down, but some of these are pretty intimidating, like finishing the two lace projects. Plus, now that I've written them down, I have incentive to finish them and show y'all the pictures. :)

P.S. If all goes well, I'll see you at S&B on Thursday! Yay!!!!!

Resolutions!

Happy (belated) New Year! I hope 2008 is getting off to a good start for everybody.

I had a wonderful vacation in Texas. It was so nice to be home again. My dad is doing really well, and is in good spirits as he starts what we're hoping will be his last round of chemo. It was weird to go home without Wilma. I kept looking for her everytime I came in the door, or at night, when she used to sneak into my room and hide under the desk. Often I wouldn't know she was there until the snoring started.
Christmas was great, and Santa was very good to me. He didn't bring me any yarn, but I did get a book on crochet techniques, which is great since I want to start doing more of that this year. I did buy myself some yarn though, and I'm justifiying it because it's for my mom and I'm going to make her a pair of socks with it. It's Colinette Jitterbug in Marble, and while it's a little more subdued than what I'd choose for myself, I think my mom will really like it.



One of the nicest things about being home was that I had lots of time on my hands and no school work to do. So I knit. And I crafted. And there was glitter glue.
A few months ago, I came across this book in Barnes and Noble (on the left, seen here with my new crochet book). It's The Cute Book by Aranzi Aronzo, a Japanese company.


I fell for the cute little mascots, and last month I finally got the chance to make a few. Here's a selection (I also made a super cute panda, but gave it away before I got a picture):


I especially like the monkey. He reminds me a little of our current president, but I love him anyways.


I also finished my first monkey sock, and got a good start on number two.


Oh, and best of all, I finally got back to work on my mystery stole. I hadn't picked it up since August, and thought that this vacation would be a good chance to get going again. I set up all my stuff in the corner of my parents' living room and knit like a mad woman. I'm mostly done with clue 4 now (I was stuck in clue 3 before), and think I am going to do the repeat that will make it longer. I hate the thought of doing this section again, but I hate the thought of having a stole that isn't long enough even more. I know it will stretch a lot in blocking, but I'm a broad broad, and I want there to be plenty of stole to go around.


I've been reading all the blogs of my fellow SnB'ers, and I want to put my New Year's Resolutions out there too. If other people know about them, I'm more likely to stick to them, right.
First, the non-knitting stuff:
1. I want to get organized. My apartment, my life, myself. I'm tired of living in chaos and I want to be more relaxed and have more fun in 2008. That will be easier if I have a serene and organized home to come back to each day. I'm actually pretty good at cleaning, but not so good at staying clean. I have a real problem putting things back when I'm done with them.
2. I'd like to blog more. Sort of knitting related, I guess, since that's what I mostly blog about.
3. I want to go to bed each night with no dirty dishes in my sink. Very Flylady of me, I know, but she has a point. It makes the whole kitchen seem cleaner.

Now for the knitting. I think Yankee Lagninappe started this:
My knitting accomplishments for 2007 included lace with laceweight yarn (even if I haven't finished a project with it, I'm still counting it), a baby sweater, starting a sweater for myself, colorwork, lace socks, toe up socks, and sharing my blog with my friends (this was a big one for me).

Here's what I'd like to tackle for 2008:
1. Knit every day, even if it's just a few stitches. It's a good way to relax, and I've always been a big believer that "slow and steady wins the race."
2. Speaking of slow and steady, I resolve to finish my UF0s and WIPs before I start any new projects, excepting socks. I've already sort of broken this one, since I've got emergency birthday knitting coming up, but I still think it's pretty doable. Socks don't count because they're my portable project and I like to always have a pair going. I'll list all of my projects in my next post since this one is already long.
3. Fix up my ravelry page so it's got more projects and more photos. Pretty self-explanatory, I think.

If you've made it all the way to the end, thanks for your perseverance. And once again, happy new year!