Today I...

Today I let myself sleep in until 7:30, leaving only half an hour for a shower and pet caring. I left the house 10 minutes earlier than usual which means A) I didn't get up quite as late as I think I did or B) I should never have any problem getting out of the house on time if I wake up at the usual time of 7:00. Of course, this 20 minute spurting to get out of the house did not include giving Miss Daisy a walk.

Work was work as usual. I felt a bit on edge from dealing with a frustrating problem I've been trying to fix. I need to get a little more comfortable with the whole accounting mentality. I keep thinking the answer is to be ahead of the game, but that's just not an option. That's just not how business works. I try to keep up with the incoming and focus on one or two... sometimes three... problems at a time. Ho Hum.

Tis the season and apparently there is a sock exchange sneaking all around me. Somehow... word is spreading that I am crafty. I hope to get included and finally have good reason to finish socks. I just need to know how to knit the toe. I should try to get a pair ready for review with my mom for next weekend. Eh... gotta finish the sweater and some more hats though. I don't want to feel as overwhelmed as I did last Christmas week--especially since I don't have a whole week and a half this year.

I finally accomplished shopping after work. I rewarded myself by purchasing special bath suds and face wash, which I've had on my list to get for quite some time. I also got broccoli and alfredo sauce, which was great for my dinner with noodles and left over yummy meat. And icky portabell0 mushrooms for Eric. I made him the mushrooms sauted in an olive oil dipping sauce and then mixed in his noodles and topped it all off with mountains of mozzarella. He said it was delicious, and I have to take his word for it because I dared not taste the dreaded 'shrooms. :)

Finally, Daisy and I went for a longer than usual walk today: down and around and back and down and back again. She's the cutest, sweetest dear in the whole wide world. She played with the stuffed gorilla without shredding it to bits as one Bosco would do if he had the chance. She also licks her bones very diligently before she starts gnawing. I also love how she will follow me up and down the stairs, following just behind me. Oh, Daisy girl. :)

I can't decide if I want to finish the night off with a nice hot bath with my fall-time candles and bubble bath, work on my crochet projects, or try to get Eric to watch some more Angel. He seems to be getting into it--he was all ready to watch another episode after dinner, but I told him there was laundry to be done and dogs to be walked.

I like it when I'm productive. I think I also realize, I'm only happy when I make myself happy. I think I'm much more compatible with being active than sitting around, unless I'm sitting around being productive. But, oh well. Time for the relaxing part now.

Stranger than Fiction...

I believe Stranger than Fiction is officially my favorite movie.

I also believe this man is genius. I want to create the best piece of writing for him telling him how amazing he is as a teacher and how much I appreciated and continue to appreciate his class I took. And if he enjoyed Stranger than Fiction as much as I did as it references the author of my favorite book from his class, Italo Calvino.

It's just one of those good feeling days whenever I watch that movie. It's framing is amazing! (the class I took was "Framed Narratives")

Oh well. I must try to calm myself enough to go to bed now. :)

Roll with It...

It's a bit tiring and a whole lot frustrating to not know what's going to happen next in my life. The school year ends on Friday for me. I've got an interview with a temp agency on Friday as well. My students have been reviewing Ancient China in preparation for the test. I think it's a paragraph about Confucius that had a good point about how to live life: Be like water and just flow with everything around you. I think this is how I am some of the time, but often I just fight against some things because it'll feel like I went with the flow for too long and ignored things that just shouldn't have been ignored.

Lately I feel like I'm going against the flow getting frustrated about trying to find housing for fall and trying to dig into the job search process. In my mind I just want to start Monday. Teaching didn't exactly leave me living comfortable with more than a month saved up in revenue. My bank account seems lower than it's been in a long time (still it's a good amount higher than what I used to maintain).

I guess the main thing is I need to feel successful. I want an actual career where the things I do count towards the future of something larger. I guess that's kind of what I'm seeing as my definition of success. We'll see how it pans out.

Great Grandma Inspiration Blanket...

So I found this idea at this website about making little yo-yo's, as they're apparently called. I liked the look, but I didn't like the constant cutting and finishing off. I made my own style of joining the yo-yo's together (based on the website's general instructions for how to join). I joined three together and then join groups of three together. I haven't actually joined groups of three together yet, but here's a preview of what's to come!


The reason this could be a great grandma inspiration blanket is because she made a couple of grape decorations that followed a simmilar pattern...

So, What have I been Doing?

It's been months, but I haven't really been sitting idly by, well, not completely at least. Here's the most recent activities I've done.

First, I have gotten into bread making and it's a lot of fun. I had a goal to get baking every weekend, however that simply has not yet been realized. Mostly I'm just too much on the go these days.

Yummy!

Next, I've spent more time browsing online for new ideas with sewing than actually doing. One thing I found was how to modify jeans into a skirt. I thought it looked easy enough and I thought the pattern I found was so cute. I might be able to find the link sometime, we'll see. Here's my skirt made from jeans that were a bit too small.

I'm not sure if you can tell from the pictures cuz I had to take my own makeshift photos of my bottom half. It actually does look pretty cute I believe.

And finally. My friend Liz has been talking for several months now about growing her own dreads. It was many moons ago that I undertook that same adventure, and I knew what really helped. A cool hat that you can wear all the time. I did make a cool hat, but unfortunately I didn't leave a lot of extra room for her hair. I know how to make this awesome hat now, so from here, we'll just see if I can get it better.

I call the hat "no take backs" because I just kept on going. I'd decide how many to increase by and wouldn't look back. Whatever happened happened. The only adjustment I made was at the end after I had finished it off and everything, I decided the "brim" needed some more to it, so I added another row. I think that counts as having no take backs because I didn't take out anything, just added to it!

I also went to Chicago with Eric, but I'm waiting for Eric to get to it with updating that.

new scarf...

Here it is. It's warm and it's very finished looking. I'm even going to post the pattern I do believe!(I feel a little goofy... all the pictures I smiled in looked really dorky... Not sure if this is any better though... it's hard to be the solo photographer)

So, here's the pattern...

I used Softee Chunky by Bernat (It was less than 2.50 at walmart!) and an L hook

Chain 13, turn
ROW 1: Count first two ch as 1st DC. *Skip 1 ch, DC in next ch, DC in skipped ch* rep to last dc (the ch 2) finish row with DC in last ch, ch 2, turn.
ROW 2: *FDP st, BDP st* (corresponding front and back to the side the stitches are already at), DC in top ch at the end of the row, ch 2, turn.
ROW 3: *skip 1 DC, FDP in next DC, BDP in skipped DC* DC in last stitch as in ROW 2, ch 2, turn.

Rows 2 and 3 make the pattern. Repeat to desired length. I used just over 1 skein of the chunky yarn.

It crochets quickly and the pattern is easy. The finished product is excellent. One of my best patterns yet!

This is my first time writing out a pattern, so if anyone has suggestions, lemme know!

**Updated notes on my FDP and BDP... apparently this is more commonly known as simply FP and BP (Front Post and Back Post), but I differentiated Double because in my experimental crocheting, I also do single, half double and even triple post stitches.

Here's a link my mom found that explains exactly what a Post stitch is. It's easier to see it than try to weed through one of my explanations... POST STITCH EXPLAINED

Three Snow Days in a Row....

And this is the best I have to show for it:


I'm a little disappointed by how little detail you can see, but that's kind of just the kind of yarn it is. The heel to mid foot is done with plain old knitting. The toe is done in seed stitch (this and the fact that it's not double strand worsted weight) is my variation from the regular granny pattern. I think they should be called submarine slippers cuz that's what I think every time I look at them.

I'm still working on some other projects, but am more excited about getting my second slipper done with...

Oh, but another cool thing.... I got the birdies a little something something...

The Best Thing yet this Year! :)

So, Eric and I are packing lunches... So I made him a lunch sack... I just worry it's a little bit too girly for him.... But even so the overall project (no patterns, no planning) was a 100% success and I am really starting to feel like I really can sew!

PS... I love my sewing machine!

new hat...

So, I finally made a new hat for myself... it used an ENTIRE skein of the homespun yarn... It's pretty much all done in Double Post Stitches, so it's super warm. Eric thinks it makes my head look big, but I think when it keeps more of its shape, its not so bad. Here it is...

And another picture to show the color... :)