5.15.2008

planes, trains, automobiles


Did I mention that i have a penpal? Well, I do! His name is Piotr and he lives in Srem, Poland. It's pretty exciting. We emailed eachother a few times, but I am definitely more into hand-written letters, so today, I sent out my first letter to him! He's super nice, and has some similar tastes. I am really excited to eventually send him knitted goodies and cd mixes. I always wanted an international penpal since I was a kid, and I'm so glad that I went online and just did it. You guys should do the same...!

I made my mother this cute little heart for mother's day, and she really liked it. I'm also working on some mittens for her, but I had to start them over because they were too small (serves me right for not doing a gauge swatch!) However, the heart has cute little white wings, and they were the first thing I ever felted. It was easy and I'm excited that I didn't mess it up. My mom wants me to make her a cashmere or merino felted scarf for x-mas this year, so that will be fun too.



I hope that my penpal sends me lots of cool Polish things. I'm trying to find out more about him so that I can always include a sweet gift in my parcels to Poland. If he likes fiction novels (which I hope he does), I'm going to send him some of my favorite books. I'm sure it'll be expensive to ship things larger than letters, but that's ok. Here's to finding a job so that I can fund all of these things that I want to do (and of course, more knitting).

Lastly, I got the most awesome book in the mail today, as per Lauren's recommendation. I saw hers and immediately fell in love with the projects in it. I want to get more that are in the same vein of craft books as this one, stat! Now, if I could only afford to buy all of the supplies! Oh, and I forgot! I'm knitting a market bag for all the excellent farmer's markets in DC/Virginia, and I got both the yarn and the bag handles in the mail yesterday. I'm using a cotton/linen blend yarn, so it's sure to be pretty strong (I hope). Haven't started it yet, but I soon will. More to come, imaginary readers/self! Wish me luck in finding SOME kind of full time job.

I graduated last weekend. It was a weird weekend but this week so far has been awesome, so all is well.

-Cecilia J

5.06.2008

Baby stuff

So I finished my gifts for Stella! I decided to not knit the cute little dress, as it requires a few skeins of bulky yarn that I don't have, so I think I'll wait on knitting that one. I'm so excited that they are finally done!

Here is the Lion Bottle Warmer. I think it is pretty much the cutest thing I've ever made. I ran out of the cream yarn, so I decided to leave off the legs. I love it anyhow, and I prefer it as an amputee...it makes it really amigurumi-like and adorable. I am a little concerned about it being machine washable, as it is stuffed with cotton balls and I'm not sure they can be machine-washed...I think I'll recommend that Erin wash it by hand so it doesn't come apart.

And here is the sweater...it turned out a little different than the one in the pattern, but I love it. I also love the yarn that I used (Knitpicks Crayon), even though I tend to shy away from boucle and other novelty yarns. But this one really knit up well, and since Knit Picks has added a BUNCH more colorways to their selections, I will definitely be purchasing it again in the future.

So that's all I have for now...I'm not sure what I'll start on next...i kind of want to knit a cute little fortune cat for my new apartment. I found a pattern for one on Ravelry, and I'm really starting to enjoy knitting little stuffed animals. I'm going to get a tattoo of one of these cats pretty soon, by the way. I love all things Japanese.

What I should really do is start making things to sell....maybe these little cats? I don't know yet. Maybe I'll get organized tonight and make a list of things to knit/make for this purpose. I'm pretty broke right now though, so my crafting exploits will be limited to knitting until I can get some extra money to buy craft books/supplies. Yeah. Nontheless, I have a ton of usable yarn to make into things, so I'll start there!

5.04.2008

Enthusiasm!

So, long time no post, eh? I was quite busy with school finals a week ago, but now it's finally over, grades are good, and I graduate next weekend. Pretty awesome.

So, with coffee in my arsenal this evening, I've be
en thinking about all the things in DC/VA/MD that I'm excited about. We'll start with the knitting related events.


Stitches East is in Baltimore again this year (in November), which means I'll be going. I'm going to save up money to buy stuff (especially at ze Ravelry booth), and I'm also hoping to pick up lots of yarn manufacturer swag. Plus, check out all those handmade needles above that were in last year's Stitches East convention...I want them.


I obviously won't be going this year, but this weekend is the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, and it looks so great. They require certification that the sheep presented in the festival are well taken care of and in good health, which is cool. Look at all those fleeces! By next May, I think I'll be able to go, as well as pick up some tips for my spinner's education, I need to buy a drop spindle kit soon! Spinning is a great way to knit eco-friendly, and all the great sheep farms in the VA are definitely going to be worth a visit.


Also, I'm not into sports, but Stitch N' Pitch looks like it will be fun, and I hope to attend an event this summer after I move. I love the idea of going to an Orioles/Nationals game, and Stitch N' Pitch are a group of knitters that sit together, knit, and watch the games. I think it sounds...awesome. I've never been to a big Baseball game and I love the idea of it.

Other things I want to check out soon after I move include:
-Capitol Hill, as I've never been, and I'd like to see the Vietnam memorial
-The DC zoo (they have Pandas, how cool is that?)
-The Smithsonian museums, the National Building Museum, and the National Gallery museum, which I've wanted to visit since I was a kid
-DuPont circle, which gives me hope that going to bars may indeed become fun again
-the Pontomac River, which is a great nature/fishing site. Unless I eat what I catch, I wouldn't fish, but maybe I could learn something about cleaning caught fish? The though kind of grosses me out, but either way, it's supposed to be really beautiful
-Bethesda Row in Bethesda, MD. It's about a half hour away and it has a ton of awesome restaurants and shops, as well as a massive movie theater which specializes in independent and art house films. Pretty awesome.
-The Stitch DC shops, which are 3 amazing yarn shops that have classes and such, as well as weekly stitch n' bitches
-Baltimore. I'm really fascinated with this city, and I cannot wait to visit it. I've been told that its a 40 minute train ride away and it seems like a really awesome and artistic/musical city. When Blake and I can afford a place of our own, maybe we'll move there, as we can still work in DC/VA. Plus, if I ever get married, Ace of Cakes will definitely make my wedding cake. yes.
-The DC Craft Mafia, a group of young DIYers that seems like it would be fun to get involved with.

So basically, there's so much to do, and I think there will be lots of crafting, book-reading, game-loving, good movie/music enthusiasts that Blake and I can befriend. I think you guys need to come visit lots, and then move there. I'm so excited to be in the center of all of it. I plan to spend my first couple of weekends riding the metro and exploring.

In my own knitting FO/WIP news, I completed Stella's sweater, which you can check out on my Ravelry, but the bottle holder is still in progress. I'll get it done, give them to Erin, and post pictures soon!