Tuesday, 14 March 2006

You spin me right round

 

I did indeed finish the Pinwheel Baby Blanket last weekend, however it was not at Stitch 'n Bitch that I was able to get it done.  I was still feeling kind of icky and down on Wednesday so I just decided to stay in for the night instead and relax, instead of forcing myself to go out in a bad mood. 

 

 

 

Pattern: Pinwheel Baby Blanket
Date began: Sunday, January 15, 2006
Date finished: Wednesday, March 8, 2006 (I got distracted by other projects)
Yarn: Cheap, acrylic, washable TLC - my friend whose baby this is for is allergic to wool, plus a baby tends to make things dirty so it needed to be washable
Needles: Size 8s
Modifications: I crocheted 3 rounds of a shell border onto the blanket.  I think I had 440 stitches on when I cast off.

 

The start of the pinwheel:

 

 

I would probably make this blanket again.  However I think crocheting is the way to go for future baby blankets.  It is just so much quicker.  I got kind of bored with this pattern - not too terribly, but enough to make me procrastinate on it and worry that I wasn't going to finish it on time.  I did, however, with time to spare - the baby was born today and I'm pretty sure I will be visiting the proud parents plus baby in the hospital on Thursday.  I'm trying to whip out an Umblical Cord Hat right now, so hopefully I'll be able to give them that as well as the blanket.

 

Other than that, not much else is going on.  I finished the first sock for the boy.  And, ahem, maybe started on a pair for myself with some Knit Picks yarn.  Gotta love the knitting ADD.

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Tuesday, 07 March 2006

Yay for crochet!

I was finally able to pick up a copy of the Happy Hooker book this past week.  I am so in love with this book it's not even funny.  I already made the One Skein Scarf and the super awesome Fat Bottom Bag.  The One Skein Scarf is nothing special - I just used some Patons Wool that I had on hand from the frogged boobholder from ages ago.  It matches the flower pin I have on my coat and will match my yet to be made mitten and hat set.  That set probably won't be happening until next winter though, as I am MORE than ready for winter to be OVER. 

 

Here is the Fat Bottom Bag though:

I need to add some contrasting yarn through the eyelets by the handle and I also need to adorn it with a cute crocheted flower.  I'll get that done sometime this weekend.

 

Knitting progress has been made on the Pinwheel Baby Blanket.  I am in the middle of crocheting a border on at the moment.  I decided to wait to post a picture until that's completely done but I'm pretty satisfied with the end result.  I'm absolutely positive I'll finish it tomorrow night at SnB.

 

I'm not entirely sure what my deal is but I've been dragging ass for the last week.  Part of me is worried that my depression is coming back.  I'm also guessing that the switch I made to my birth control (from the high dose patch that was going to give me a blood clot, to the lowest does birth control available - the nuva ring) has thrown my body and emotions out of whack and I'm just suffering from MAJOR PMS.  PMS like I haven't experienced since I was 15 and my whole family wanted to kill me when it was that time of the month.  Part of me thinks it is also the fact that, as I said above, I'm ready for winter to be over and that all this grey weather and snow needs to go away STAT.  I'm just gonna wait a week and see if it gets better.  I really hope so, because I hate feeling like this.  And also crying for no reason really freaks me out (not to mention the boy, I'm sure).

 

I do have something to look forward to this week.  My bestest friend, who I've had more ups and downs with than I count, is coming to town on Friday for Canoecopia.  She's going to come to my work to go out to lunch with my work friends and then I'm taking the rest of the day off.  We're gonna hit up the expo and then who knows what we'll do.  I'm thinking an evening out on State St might be in order.  I love having something fun to look forward to!

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Tuesday, 28 February 2006

Gold Medal Time

Victory is ever so sweet:

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Sunday, 26 February 2006

Here she is, Ms. Angelica!

Angelica pre-blocking:

 

Olympic victory is mine, all mine!  I finished dear Ms. Angelica on Friday evening.  Yesterday she was blocked and today I am proud to present her to you in all her glory:

 

Please ignore my scary bed head.  I should probably make the boy take a better picture of me out in natural light so you can appreciate her true beauty.  Here's the info:

 

Pattern: Angelica, by Stefanie Japel
Date began: Saturday, February 11, 2006
Date finished: Saturday, February 25, 2006
Yarn: Halcyon Victorian Brushed Mohair, handpainted by yours truly
Needles: Size 8s, size 6s for neck keyhole detail
Modifications: I followed the pattern exactly except for the sleeves, which I made 3/4 length because I didn't dye enough yarn to make the long sleeves.  Plus, the whole time I was making it I was thinking of a springtime sweater so I thought the 3/4 length sleeves were more appropriate.

 

All in all I must say that I love this pattern.  It was a very simple knit, which I needed so I could finish it in 16 day Olympic deadline, and I would definitely make another one.  I'm thinking a lighter weight yarn and short sleeves for a summer-y top.  I would absolutely recommend this pattern.

 

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Monday, 20 February 2006

A scene from yesterday

Three years ago I bought myself a guitar. 

 

I have always wanted to play guitar but I never thought that I would be able to.  It’s not that I’m not good with music – I played the clarinet for 7 years and can also play the piano fairly well – what I’m trying to say is I know how music works what with notes and chords and keys, etc.  But I had tried to teach myself guitar before with not much success.  My Mom had talked my Grandma into letting my brother and I borrow her guitar when we were in high school so we could teach ourselves.  However, my Grandma was known for her Hawaiian guitar playing (what with STEEL strings and a slide and all) so trying to learn on her guitar was like suicide for my poor finger tips.  Needless to say I did not learn how to play much of anything on that puppy.

 

Fast forward a few years.  I met a friend of a friend who had a gorgeous guitar and played really well.  In fact, she played guitar while my friend sang a song to his brother at said brother’s wedding.  I might have developed a girl crush on this friend of a friend (which would have TOTALLY worked in my favor had I wanted to act on it since she was a lesbian and all).  She was totally my inspiration for purchasing a guitar.  I figured if she could do it then I could do it too. 

 

Purchasing a guitar was my incentive for learning.  If I was going to drop a wad of cash on a quality instrument, I damn well better learn it.  After much research and traipsing around to different music stores I settled on this guitar.  And when I first got it I did practice – a lot.  I got callouses, I learned chords, but I never sounded very good and you could never really tell what song I was supposedly playing.  It was discouraging and eventually practicing guitar became low on my list of priorities.  I swear my guitar has been played more by guys that have crushed on me or by guys that I have dated then it actually has by me.

 

Enter the boy.  I knew the boy was for me the second time we hung out after we “hooked up.”  I went over to his house and he was just fiddling around on his guitar when he started playing a recognizable song.  And I just kind of looked at him because it had been this weird secret fantasy that I’d had since the 8th grade that the boy I’d fall for would play this song for me on the guitar without me ever having to ask.  And then he asked if I knew the song and I said, “Of course I do.”  And that song my friends, as cheesy as it is for me to admit that I’d dreaming about it since I was 13, was Julia by The Beatles.

 

The boy knew I had a guitar but also knew that I couldn’t play.  For some time he’d been trying to convince me that he could teach me to play (I believe his hidden motive is that he wants someone to jam with).  I resisted, partly because I know that while I’m learning something I can get really upset if I don’t feel like I’m learning it quick enough and then I tend to get kind of snippy with whoever is trying to teach me.  Ask my Mom how fun it was to teach me how to drive clutch and then you’ll know what I’m talking about.  Finally, after we’d been together for quite some time and the boy knew me and my personality, I agreed to let him teach me.  I was doing awesome for a while.  I was actually able to strum pretty decently and I was well on my way to an awesome rendition of Brown Eyed Girl.  Then the semester started and guitar fell low on my list of priorities again and I wasn’t practicing as much.

 

Enter Sunday morning.  The boy and I had just woken up and ate breakfast and he was messing around on his guitar.  He was telling me about this song he was trying to play on the harmonica (that I got him for Christmas).  He’s not to the point where he can play the guitar and the harmonica together very well so he was all, “If you play the chord part I’ll totally play the harmonica part with you.  So I strummed the 3 chords of the song, which were not too hard, while he played the harmonica and we made beautiful music together.  Then that song got old so we started playing Brown Eyed Girl again.  First I needed a refresher for the chords so he gave me that.  And then we were playing it.  I kind of messed up and was getting frustrated and our conversation went something like this:

 

BOY:

Okay, okay.  That was…good.

ME:

You were playing the lead part too fast and then I was going too fast and it kept messing me up!

BOY:

Calmly

No, no.  I was playing it so you wouldn’t have that break that you get when you switch chords.  There should be no break.

ME:

Getting worked up

You think that I don’t know that there’s NOT supposed to be a break?  I haven’t been practicing!  What do you want from me?

BOY:

Retreating now that he sees me getting worked up

Yes, but I wasn’t trying to speed you up, I was trying to help you.

ME:

FUCK OFF ASSFACE!

 

It was hilarious and the exact reason I didn't want him teaching me in the first place.  I act like a 5 year old when I'm criticized in situations like that.  Except instead of a normal tantrum I cuss like a sailor and feel a desperate need to throw things around the room.  Lucky for me after the initial shock of me calling him an assface wore off, the boy found it just as funny as I did.

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