Frankenskein

Movin' My Hips Like Yeah

2010-10-20T19:27:00.013-04:00

Lots and lots of knitting progress this week...aside from finishing the Trellis Mitts that I previously mentioned, I (finally) completed Little C's Little Gems Mitts. Behold:

I assumed that I would have some issues with the sizing, as I tend to knit tightly (made even worse by over-tight floating strands behind the pattern) AND the yarn is superwash merino, which I thought wouldn't block so well. But, it did! It actually got quite a bit of stretch after wet-blocking, making them a perfect fit for my sister. I think she'll really enjoy the gift she was supposed to get 2 years ago.

Speaking of overdue gifts, there was actually a hat to match these gloves which I completed before I left for Japan in 2009. I picked a gray superwash wool of pretty much the same color as the Little Gems gloves, and made Stitch N' Bitch's Kittyville Hat. The cute nature of this hat suits Constance's style, and I've been wanting to knit one ever since I saw the pattern years ago. So, a complete matching set for winter 2008. In 2010. Oh well. Better late than never.
In other news, I finally went to Looped Yarn Works on Saturday, which was the beginning of a lovely day in DC. Blake and I had lunch at a Mexican bistro, took a stroll through the Hirshhorn with friends, and just walked around in the lovely weather. After the mild winter I experienced in Japan, this winter will be quite rough, I imagine. But, all the more reason to knit (and buy yarn). Anyway, I really enjoyed Looped. They had some yarns I haven't seen available at other LYS in DC, including a very nice Malabrigo selection and a whole mess of Cascade. The shop consisted of 3 rooms, all of which had knitters in them conversing and working on their latest project. It was nice! I think I'll take my mom there this weekend to check it out while she's visiting.
These are the two hanks I bought at Looped, both of them a first for me. The first one is a teal colored hank of 50% llama and 50% wool called Classic Elite Yarn Montera. It has a really great texture similar to alpaca and it's my first llama yarn! The second hank is Malabrigo Worsted in a beautiful royal blue color...I'm going to make a nice hat with this one. I've never purchased Malabrigo before, but Looped had it in a million different colors. So, pretty eager to use these.

Despite the fact that I haven't finished the August is For Melody scarf or the Noro Entrelac scarf I started in Japan, I did decide to cast on a new project tonight. A little back story first: Blake is always complaining that I never knit him anything. I have knit him a hat in the past, but it was years ago when I barely knew how to knit in the round...so his complaints aren't unfounded. So, since winter is on it's way and Blake loves how alpaca feels just as much as me, I decided to make him a pair of his very own Beer Gloves. He's always admired mine, and I have 665 yards of Misty Mountain Farm Baby Alpaca DK that I've been itching to whip out. So, now I can reward him finally for accompanying me to various yarn shops and for being patient when I say things like, "Hold on, dear, just one more row." Check out the yarn to be used:
So, that's what I've been working on. I suppose I just need to accept that I will consistently have three WIPs on my needles at any given time.

In other news, I had an interview at Lush Cosmetics this week, and it went really well! It feels weird to go back to retail since I have a degree and all, but, it's just temporary and I think it will be fun. I have a floor trial on Sunday which I'm excited about. Other things that are excellent are my abundance of guests coming in the next few days...my mother on Friday, and Lauren/Renee on Monday. I'm so excited to see them! This is Lauren's (my bffffffff) first time visiting me in DC and it's going to be so much fun.

More later. I don't know why I have Miley Cyrus in my head.

alpaca-gasm

2010-10-12T14:58:00.008-04:00

I'm not sure if I've shared this detail about myself, but alpaca is my very favorite fiber. I love the way it knits up and how it feels against the skin. It's one of those things (only you knitters/crocheters will understand) where one's love for something straddles a fine line between healthy obsession and creepiness. You find yourself having dreams about jumping into a big pile of your favorite fiber (for instance, a bed made up of knitted alpaca), and becoming extremely picky about the fibers you wear close to your skin. It's a Scrooge McDuck-like fantasy that I think anybody with obsessive tendencies can relate to.

So, my recent FO has made me incredibly happy, as the yarn is handspun from a local alpaca farm and feels like a dream.

I do have issues with these gloves, though. First off, my choice of yarn wasn't the best for showing the pretty trellis lace pattern of the mitt, as the two-ply nature of the yarn distracts from the stitch detail. But, here's the thing: I can't just knit something that's ONLY ribbed or ONLY stockinette stitch. My attention span is too short. I need lace patterns, cabling, etc. So, I chose a pattern that was simple but had something aside from stockinette to keep me interested. Despite the fact that the yarn doesn't quite do the pattern justice, these are very nice. I will definitely be wearing these when it gets cold out, for sure. And they feel like a dream. I wonder if I could knit a whole body suit out of alpaca? Done. Fantasy achieved. Starting to see that fine line cross over into creepiness...

Nice, no?

So, BIG NEWS. About a month ago, a new LYS opened here in DC. Right in Dupont Circle. Only 3 miles from me. Previously, the only LYS in DC proper was Stitch DC, which is lovely, but it's not so close to where I live and the selection is a little limited. Anyway, it's called Looped Yarn Works and judging from the website, it looks amazing. I plan on going in very soon to check it out and (as always) spend too much money. If you're in the DC/VA/MD area, you should go, as it seems to be run by really great people and the DC SnB holds meetings there occasionally as well.

Wouldn't it be excellent if I could satiate my temporarily unemployed status by working in an LYS? Would that be great or what? One can dream.

I've decided to finish some WIPs that I've had in the works for waaaaay too long. Namely, the August is for Melody scarf and Little C's Little Gems Mitts. These projects are so damn close to being done, and yet I've dragged my heels for over a damn year. So, going to complete those, give them to their proper recipients, and move on to my next project, which will be a pair of Beer Gloves for Blake. They were so fun to knit when I made a pair for myself years ago, and Blake has been bugging me for some cozy winter wear, so, it's next on my list.

Also, I've decided not to stress out about knitted gifts for Christmas this year. I may make a couple, but honestly, not many people appreciate them as they should and more than that, getting it done stresses me out. So, regular gifts for friends and fam this year, for the most part. It means I can enjoy knitting rather than stressing out when I inevitably fail to finish all my intended gifts.

Otherwise, all is great. Already missing Japan and its beauty. But, Blake and I are having lots of fun and all is good in the world. More later with some long-awaited FOs!

Adventures in Plying, part two

2010-10-07T21:52:00.007-04:00

So, I'm back from Japan, and back from a 5-week backpacking trip through Southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Malaysia) that occurred afterward, and I find myself unemployed and subsequently spinning/knitting again! Well, I always make time for those things, but at present the time I have for hobbies is seemingly boundless. So. I have pictures and fun things to share.

First up...remember that makeshift lazy kate I created that had 3 spools for my first experiment in plying? No, of course you don't, that was a long ass time ago...anyway, this is the result. The white, which ran out about 1/3 of the way through, is mohair, and the rest is wool, all of which are recycled from mill-end rovings. It's really nice! Plying my first skein was a lot easier than I thought it would be, so I think I'm going to try and always ply the yarns to sell in the Etsy shop (which, btw, is back up and running).

Craft-related news #2: Although I currently have like, 6 WIPs going right now, I decided to start up another one last night. See, there's this 2-ply black and white alpaca that I bought at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in 2009 that I've been dying to do something with. Thing is, my choices were somewhat limited as the yarn is sport weight and I only have 200 yds of it. So, I landed on a pair of fingerless mitts for the upcoming winter. Knitting up really quick and lovely so far.
See those lovely yarn over holes? That's another reason why I started this project - I have no lace knitting WIPs currently, and I wanted one. Bam, done. It's the most simple pattern in the world, but as my knitting has been on a bit of a hiatus over the past 13-14 months, I felt simple was better.

I also have some really nice Noro that I bought in Japan to share, but it's still packed up at the moment. I'll also post a few pics of my SE Asia trip on here once I get around to editing them. Basically, this past 13 months has been the best of my life. I missed my people back home, but I grew so much and learned so much about culture. Now I'm 51 lbs thinner than when I left, almost conversational in Japanese (still studying!), and although totally broke, it's good to be back in DC with Blake and the kitties. And, before I returned to the east coast, I spent 2.5 weeks in KY with friends and family. It's been magical.

I'm gonna start updating this piece on the regular again. Ya heard.

Badger tickling: proceed with caution

2010-01-14T08:09:00.005-05:00

So I'm going to start drawing again. I used to draw all the time but I kinda of stopped doing it after I graduated college...that's the thing about art school. When you're done you feel like every creative atom in you is gone, because there was so much forced creativity happening. But! No more! The thing is, I'm definitely out of practice. I need to find my style and my point of view again, and I think the best way to go about getting that back is to find inspiration in other artists. I'm thinking that constantly sketching will open the door for me to begin painting again (particularly with watercolors) and so on. And I'm surrounded by so much beauty all of the time, so, I'm going to get on it. A couple of inspirations to me:

- Igor + Andre : especially the 10 minute sketches. I am really drawn (pun!) to his use of lines and color. And when he uses watercolors as his medium. duh.
- Animal Sleep Stories: These sketches are so much fun. Tons of detail, and definitely very Yellow Submarine-esque. Which I like.
- Hayao Miyazaki, both films and sketches: Easily my favorite animator of all time, Miyazaki will many times sketch out watercolors for storyboarding and concept development and such...and the animation in the actual films is very inspiring also. I love the art. It's beautiful and magical.

Maybe I should pick up a Japanese sumi-e class since I'm here? hmmm. lots to ponder. Also, I have a Tumblr, which I've been updating a lot. Check it out: ceciliajane.tumblr.com

Merri Kurisumasu

2009-12-25T06:27:00.009-05:00

Christmas Day for me is usually a busy day. Hell, Christmas week is always a really busy week. I've been lucky enough to have usually about a week off work or school during Christmas/New Year's for the most part. The fact that it's busy doesn't make it stressful...even though there's usually drama of some sort. Here's the thing about Christmas: I am someone who is always surrounded by a lot of people during the holidays. I have a big, tightly-knit family, and some really excellent friends. I am comfortable with solitude, but honestly, I have never been truly alone. Even when I have felt alone in the past, I have never been without people. Even thousands of miles away I don't feel alone. I've made some really great friends here and I have fairly good contact with my people back home thanks to the interwebs. I am thankful for all of my people. I am also thankful for my ability to be a good friend, sister, daughter, and girlfriend to my people.

It's been kind of weird being away for Christmas, because like I said, I'm usually in Kentucky juggling my time with friends and family. But I'm glad to be here, and I'm really glad I get to see my sister in a few days.

You'd think that being in Japan for Christmas might decrease the Christmas spirit somewhat, as this is not a Christian country and they don't even really consider it a holiday here. In fact, most people go to work on Christmas because of that reason. So I was expecting some commercial decorations and maybe a few Christmas songs in the konbini and retail shops, but not much more. On the contrary, Christmas here is actually kind of magical. I think that either Vaughn or Nathalie once said, "If there's one thing Japan knows how to do, it's lights." So totally the truth. The lights here are magnificent. Even in my small town the trees lining the main street are covered in little blue lights. And on the streets of my town, and of course in Tokyo, there are blaring renditions of American Christmas songs...you can't really help but feel like it's atleast a little magical.

Then there's the Christmas parties at my work. For a week prior to our holiday vacation, we have Christmas lessons with all of our classes, including the adults. Our school provided snacks and drinks (usually hot or cold green tea), but our adult group classes were encouraged to bring food and drinks (they were even allowed to bring booze if everyone in the class was over 20). So, my last week before the break included a lot of Christmas crafts with my kid classes, sing-a-longs with my really young kids classes, and chatting and food with my adults. I have two adult classes that I'm particularly fond of. One is on Wednesdays at 3 pm with 4 adults that are at an intermediate level. They brought in gifts for me and we chatted throughout the entire class. One of the students in that class grew up in Hiroshima and always brings me these little sweets shaped like maple leaves called "momiji". They have various fillings, the one pictured below is filled with sweet potato, and I have one to give to Melody when she gets here that I believe is filled with sweet bean paste and it's covered in white chocolate. So yummy.

Anyway, there's another adult class that I really like. They're more at a beginner level of English and the class is on Monday nights. They went all out for the Christmas party...they brought fried chicken (a Christmas staple here in lieu of roast turkey), tons of sweets, beer, umeshu, and Christmas cake (another tradition here). We listened to Christmas cds the whole class and stayed at the school an hour after the actual end of the class.

Let's just say I wasn't short of any Christmas spirit this year. And I expect it to only get better. I'm going to Disneyland on Monday with Leslie, and then Melody comes in on Tuesday, and we have a whole slew of stuff planned. There's nothing like a 2 week break from work to make you fall in love with the place you're living again.

And, I know how this might sound, but there's something about my clean and cushion-y tatami mat floors that puts me in a good mood when I'm home. Good lord. I sound like my mother...!

Oh yes, and Nathalie got me a Holga for Christmas. I went to Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara yesterday and bought some b&w and color film for it. I'm curious as to whether or not my local FujiColor store will develop 120 film, but I guess I'll find out. I'm having insane amounts of fun with an analog camera...finally! It makes me wants to do darkroom stuff again, which I messed with in middle school a lot but haven't done any since. So, definitely a goal.

And just for your entertainment, here's a really cool post from Danny Choo about Christmas in Japan: http://www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25335/History+of+Christmas+in+Japan.html#twitter

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sagoi, ne?

2009-11-08T10:12:00.006-05:00

So, now I'm at 3 months in and (although I have been terrible at documenting on this blog as of late) I still love Japan. It stills feels like an adventure, even on weekends like this when I stay in. I have truly fantastic friends, and aside from some "but I don't wannnnnna go to work" - type grumpiness on occasion, I am happy here. It makes me feel like I can be happy anywhere, honestly, and do it independently. It's a great feeling. I've only been here 3 months and I feel like I've grown up so much. My friend and I are always talking about how our attitudes here are best represented by a common Japanese phrase: "shoganai" which roughly translates into "whattya gonna do?" or "it can't be helped". That's kind how I am here. If I fuck up and make a fool of myself, I may have freaked out in the past, but now I just sort of let it roll off of my shoulders. It's really that simple.

So, being inspired by Gail's blog post about growing up in Katsutadai and loving Japan, I've concocted a list of things that anyone can do to ensure a 6 week toughening of the skin. Proven 100% effective:

- fall on your ass the first time you use a traditional Japanese style toilet (TMI, but I've since gotten quite used to the squatty bastards).
- be giggled at by young children who watch you struggle to order something totally simple like yakisoba or edamame (this happened a lot in the past).
- Have yakuza overhear you asking a friend about them in English, only to realize that the words "Japanese Mafia" are words that they are familiar with. Not frightening at all, just embarrassing Especially when they hear you and exclaim "JAPANESE MAFIAAAHH?"
- stumble over your first teaching lessons and hear students direct general derogatory remarks to their fellow classmates (ex: "baka sensei")
- have your t & a groped and referred to constantly by your students (kids are crazy obsessed with "oppai" [boobs] here, especially if you're particularly well-endowed).
- get lost constantly, although the effects of this are minor, as there is ALWAYS a kind and willing Japanese person who will not only point you in the right direction, but walk you there.

All this may sound terrible and embarrassing, but all of these things that happened to me in the first few weeks I was here have completely changed how negative or positive I am towards a situation. It's kind of like a less extreme fight or flight...you either run away with your head held in shame, or you laugh it off move on. Again, who knew being content with yourself was really that simple.

I know I will never be a sharp executive type who works 60 hours a week (I don't really want to be that person, honestly), because I am always seeking change and adventure. When I think of the future, I think of going to grad school for Graphic design, yes, but I also see travelling and backpacking and living abroad as much as possible. I've just let go of all the rules I SHOULD be following to live up to an ideal that isn't me. I'm going on and on about all this change and inspiration, I know, but it's good feeling.

So, self-motivational speeches aside, I did some pretty cool things last week. I went to Kyoto for two days, to Nikko on a day trip with Naz and Vaughn, and to Narita on the Emperor's birthday with Naz and Courtney.

Narita-san.

Probably the best moment ever captured. In Nikko (can you believe those leaves? amazing!)

In Higashiyama in Kyoto (you can spot Kiyomizu temple and some lovely mountains in the background).

These trips were magical. And the end of the third trip, my picture taking abilities sort of went to shit because everything was so beautiful, it all just looked like a postcard. Nature here is, well, extraordinarily beautiful and dreamlike. God I will miss it when I leave. Although if I know myself, I'll be back many, many times in my life. Who knows, maybe I'll stay longer or come back with Blake after he gets his degree.

Something cool happened in Kyoto that is worth mentioning. I met a British woman in Kyoto at the Golden Pavilion temple (she was probably 70 or so) who was a retired English teacher taking a 3 week long trip through Japan on her own. She had a son who lived in Shanghai and had taught English in the Southern Himalayas (where the Dalai Lama lives) for 3 years. She had been everywhere. I felt so young and inexperienced whilst talking to her. But it was also really inspiring because she wasn't exactly a spring chicken and was still doing so much, on top of all the cool things she had done already. I wondered how the woman had time to have kids, honestly. I want to be like that woman. Adventuring this piece up until the day I croak. It's gonna happen.

Melody will be here in less than 2 months! So excited!

ななころびやおき。

2009-10-23T22:43:00.010-04:00

So yesterday I spent my first day as a bumblebee. This will continue on Monday and throughout the week for our Halloween parties...actually, it was pretty fun. I have this one reallllllly bad class of four boys who act up any chance they get, but with no actual lessons yesterday, we just played games and shot paper airplanes at each other. They definitely won that game. Unless of course you consider winning equivalent to cowering behind the table and attempting to defend myself in vain...in which case, I kicked their asses. It was fun actually...next week I can go back to really disliking that class.

My Japanese is improving, and I can actually read now! wow! I'm no longer totally illiterate! I'm still desperately trying to work on a few other things, such as shedding some pounds (which is happening but it's happening slowly)...and also trying to hone my photography skills. I think about buying manual film cameras a lot...and a DSLR. But enough about that.

My life has been so busy and amazing. Every spare moment off I grab by the horns and do things, with the exception of right now in which I'm enjoying a rare Saturday holiday off from work. When I start to talk about my life I sometimes draw a blank...why is that? Shit is happening all the time, everyday. Life is extraordinary and interesting right now, and I think that sometimes it's hard to put that into the right words. In short, I am becoming more and more myself everyday.

Lots of events coming up in the following week: possibly Kamakura tomorrow, as well as Kyoto on Thursday/Friday I think. And Melody comes to Japan in only 2 short months! I'm thinking I'll take her to Hakone to see Mt. Fuji at some point, and of course my favorite neighborhoods in Tokyo, which I should mention....Shimokitazawa, Koenji, and Kichijoji. These areas are not the big and brightly lit areas of Tokyo such as Shinjuku and Shibuya...they have these little vintage shops and pedestrian only streets that really remind you of where you are and how people live. Also, because all these areas are fairly young and trendy, they make for some excellent people watching...even if you're not into fashion, it's hard not to notice how well-dressed people are here.
Kichijoji contains a park which I love dearly, and every time I think of it I want to hop on a train and go there immediately. In fact, maybe I'll do so. Shimokitazawa is the coolest place in Tokyo, I think, and absolutely packed with things to do along narrow and traditional little roads. All of this is so difficult to explain, really. You just need to be here.

I have been thinking about the outdoors a lot and really want to go camping here. On my days off, I mostly just want to walk around a park or be near nature...which is actually quite easy to do, even in Tokyo. I think that is what makes Tokyo such an amazing city: the duality of new and traditional, of industrial and organic. It's all here and in perfect balance.

There are so many places to go and see for me still, and Nathalie got me thinking a bit more of this Trans-Siberian/Mongolian railway adventure that's been in the back of my head for awhile. I mean, when else am I going to do all of this exploring? Carpe diem, I say. A lot to think about there.

It's getting better all the time.

How to plan adventures, part 1

2009-09-13T02:28:00.004-04:00

So my Blakeless is on his way to Kentucky. I miss it so much. I haven't been to Louisville in over a year, which is weird to me. I don't think Louisville is the right place for me to live job-wise, but I really miss my people there. And my family and friends nearby as well...and how damn cheap the rent is there.

So! I've been doing some planning this afternoon. After this wondrous stint in Japan, Blake and I have been discussing where we want to relocate to in the near future, depending on school options, how much money we can save, etc. We both really like DC, but we know we won't be there long term. We've mostly entertained the idea of moving to Chicago, as originally planned, but Blake suggested to me that we take a road trip of all the great midwest/east coast cities that we could live in. We'd both love to live in Portland, but know that it's just too far away to live long term. Sure it's a cool city, but I'd like to be somewhere where I not only have some connections, but am within visiting distance of my family and friends. Home is where the heart is, and all that. So, I think a two week road trip is in order shortly after I come back from Japan next August.

Here's some places we're thinking of visiting and potentially moving to:

1. Chicago, Illinois (duh)
2. Brooklyn, NYC - I always wanted to live in NY when I was younger and lately I've been thinking about it again. Expensive and less crime than DC (which isn't all THAT bad, really), and of course there's no shortage of fun things to do and people to meet.
3. Minneapolis, MN - to be honest, it's really too damn cold here for me to consider moving there, but we'll include it in our road trip to see the city and pay a visit to Douglas.
4. Pittsburgh, PA - Philly is also a possible option here. Never been, so we'll just have to see.
5. Baltimore, MD - not too far from where we live now, but seems like a pretty cool city.
6. Milwaukee, WI - close to Chicago, and the more I read about this city, the neater it looks. Worth a gander, anyway.
7. Providence, RI - sort of random, but seems nice
8. Boston, MA - seems like a cool city, but full of assholes. Then again, so is NY and that's #2 on the list. So is DC, and we live there. Again, I've never been there, so maybe that's a hasty judgement.

So I'm still researching and adding to the list. Austin, TX is also a place Blake and I have though of going to, so maybe we'll visit. It's too far away to live though. And despite Austin being a super rad city, I just don't know if I can bring myself to live in Texas. Ug. The Carolinas are an option too, but I'm not sure. Any suggestions? Chicago is really looking the most likely at this point, honestly, but who doesn't love an exploratory road trip?

Anyway, in other news, I've had a pretty lax weekend here in Japan. Probably going to knit a little today, do some cleaning, and walk around Sakura a bit. Tomorrow my classes are being videotaped so my school can observe and comment on how I'm doing. Yikes.

Maybe later I'll have some knitting pics to post for the first time in forever. This blog is called frankenskein, after all. Give me US city suggestions!

the ego has landed

2009-09-09T11:11:00.007-04:00

Do you ever get a little wistful for days of yore when you were totally angsty, depressed all the time, and heartbroken? I do. Well, not the feeling I had during those days because well...it wasn't fun. But sometimes I hear a bittersweet song that I used to listen to when I was mopey, and the nostalgia isn't sad, it's happy to me now. Mostly because it reminds me how much I have grown since I was 20 or so (and younger) and it reminds me of my capability to feel, even if it was stupid. Velvet Underground's "Pale Blue Eyes" and "Satellite of Love" send me into a whirlwind of nostalgic emotion when I hear them. I wonder how I cared so much about dumb boys and dumb situations back then. I'm sure you all can relate on some level.

So I'm totally on a Velvet Underground/ Lou Reed kick again. I used to call them my 2nd favorite band when I was younger, but I haven't really listened to them in awhile. It's been too long. My music tastes as of late have all been older music. Maybe it's because Japan's aesthetic can either seem incredibly old (like, Edo period) or very 1980s. Seriously. The buildings and colors and everything just make me think I'm in the 80s. Sans the power-perms and Jerry-curl, of course. It rules.

Anyway. Just this second, I felt a teensy little earthquake. I've lost count of the ones I've experienced so far, and I've only been here for 5 weeks. I guess there have been about 4-5? I can kinda see how the Japanese get used to them, as they seem to happening atleast every week. Typhoons have been hitting us here recently too. What is this crazy place I'm in?

One of my adult students brought in a gift for me today. It's actually kind of perfect.

I almost teared up when he gave it to me and said "Here is a souvenir from my trip to Osaka." Now, I know it's just a small thing to do, especially in a country when giving small gifts like this is customary, but I still think it's really cool that this 19 year old kid was walking around on his vacay and thought "Hey, I'll get this for my English teacher." Such a nice thing to do. And there's even a cat on it.

As far as events, I've been doing a lot. Last week I hung out with Nathalie a bunch, met a cool dude in Tokyo named Vaughn, and got drunk with Nathalie and my boss at Daruma, my local izakaya. And went to a Brazilian festival in Yoyogi. I'm thinking I'll go back to Yoyogi sometime soon, during the day. This Sunday I actually have to work, as it is one out of the three weeks per year that I have a six day workweek. boo.

With that said, life is still amazing, and I wonder how long my adventure will last. I have no idea what is in my future, and have no concrete plans. It's unlike me, but it's refreshing. I used to live my life in the past, and then in recent years I was always thinking about my future and ignoring the past. Now I'm somewhere in between, living all of it day by day, and it's fantastic.

yes!: I've lost about 11.5 lbs since I've been here. My clothes are starting to feel bigger. I like shrinking.

no!: patiently awaiting September 28th, when I start getting paid on the regular. Going into Tokyo as often as I do dwindles the funds!

When a problem comes along...

2009-08-31T10:53:00.015-04:00

Japan just gets more and more fantastic to me as time passes. I kinda feel like I'm out of the honeymoon phase, I'm not oohing and ahhing at everything I see so the initial fascination has worn off. Now I feel like I'm getting to know the underbelly a bit, and meeting lots of people (and hopefully lots more) and absorbing myself in the culture. Although, since I live 40 minutes or so outside Tokyo and not actually in it, I still find myself pretty impressed each time I go to a new area there. The bright lights, the energy, the masses of people....I'm crazy about it. And I still have soooo much to see!

Saturday night was the most fun I've had in awhile, and I sort of want a version of that night to continue a LOT in my remaining time here. I went out with Nathalie again, which I really must say, is so cool and so much fun to hang out with. It's amazing that we met essentially by chance and that we originate from two different continents and yet I kinda feel like we have a lot in common. She has a great accent. Coming from a Japan transplant from DC but transplanted there from Kentucky, I love hearing accents and am always quite fascinated by them. I am told that my Kentucky accent is very slight, but other expats I've met have told me that they hear an inkling of a southern accent in my voice, which I kinda like. Accents are fun, I guess I always rejected developing a southern accent for fear of being lumped into groups of rednecks with such strong KY accents, so I only have a slight tinge of one (that's no insult to my beloved Kentucky, of course!). For example, I tend to say "aye" when I say "I", but that's about all I got.

Anyway, the night was fun. Very fun. We met up with some other gaijin GEOS teachers and went to an izakaya in Shibuya. Nathalie and I tried to catch the remaining dregs of the Samba festival in Asakusa, but unfortunately there were none to be found. So, after some beers at a small izakaya, we went to an all night karaoke place that lets you sing for five hours with unlimited drinks (there's a word for unlimited drinks in Japanese that Nathalie told me, but I can't remember it!) for ¥3,000, which is a damn good deal to me. We sang some Beatles, Bob Dylan, Queen, you name it. And even some Japanese ballads which I of course couldn't sing because I don't read Kana/Kanji, but I enjoyed hearing Rachel and Jason sing them. I put my best David Bowie British accent on to sing Space Oddity, which I'm sure I mucked up. And I sang Dion and the Belmonts' Runaround Sue, and rocked it. I'm glad I didn't get video of me singing this, because then it would taint the image I have of myself as an oldies karaoke GODDESS. I want to keep that delusion intact, please!

Especially since I have a reputation to uphold. You see, I come from a family who really likes to sing and reallllllly likes karaoke. My dad actually owned a karaoke machine when we were growing up and I cannot count the times that my siblings and I sang the golden oldies together with my dad. It makes me a little homesick actually, because my pipes are best utilized when they are sung in harmony with my older sister (who can wail with the best of them) and my father (who had a voice like Elvis), and my mother and younger sister and brother (when he's not scoffing at the idea of singing in public), who have amazing voices as well. I'm insisting on a family karaoke night when I return. Seriously. I miss it.

I did get a video of Nathalie and I singing frantically to Bohemian Rhapsody, which was amazing. Again, I was so impressed with my skills at the time, but after watching the video I realized just how drunk I was and how recording drunk karaoke (at least of MY singing) should be against the law. I even had an embarrassing moment when I decided to choose to sing Devo's Whip It, (why, drunk Cecilia, why?) which was amusing. I was looking for a better Devo song, but for some reason decided to land on the one that has been in a thousand TV commercials and worn out all to hell. Eh, who cares! I'm still a golden god in my head.

Enough about that! My work is pretty fun so far. I have one nightmare class on Mondays, but aside from that, I really like it. I feel so productive at the end of the day and ready for anything. I'm hoping to go to Narita to see the temple and to hit up a couple bars on Sunday with my neighbor Courtney, and maybe do something fun in Tokyo again on Saturday night. Shit, I kinda want to go into Tokyo again on Wednesday night, as I have Thursdays off, but if I can't get anyone to stay out with me I may have to brave it on my own and try to communicate poorly in Japanese to some young and drunk locals. Yes. Life is happening.

Sagoi: drinking, friends, Tokyo, everything.

Warui: seriously, nothing. Except missing my people back home, as usual.

Hey! You cut me off mid-Funk!

2009-08-20T08:53:00.008-04:00

I have been Freaks and Geeks obsessed lately. Mostly because before I had internet at my place, it and the handful of movies I brought were the only thing I had to watch while falling asleep. But now I have the internet, which opens my options up a lot. Freaks is still being played all the time, but now I can watch The Office too.

Anyway, I got back from Osaka last...Thursday? Has it been a week already? It's weird to think that I've already been here almost 3 weeks. It's going by waaaay too fast. Anyway, on my last day in Osaka, I walked around an awesome street called Dotonbori. It was the kind of little pedestrian-only street that you come to Japan to see: very crowded and absolutely jam-packed with things that make a little alarm in your head go off that says SENSORY OVERLOAD. It was great.

I have found that this is a bad combo: Can't read kanji/kana + very busy city in Japan + hungry. Although, it can't be avoided if you're walking around all day. Eventually, ya gotta eat. But, you look around and there are places everywhere, but you have no idea what to choose. On every street corner you see ramen shops with men slurping down their noodles and sitting elbow-to-elbow. Or little intimate izakayas that have the mandatory Japanese sustenance of beer, rice, and fish. And most places have no English in sight. I remember seeing a restaurant that said "English-friendly" on its doors, and I thought to myself "pssh, I'm not going to let a little language barrier get in the way of me absorbing the culture, I want to eat with other Japanese people!" But it's kind of a no-win situation. In busy areas like Dotonbori, you either step into a place lousy with other Gaijin (which isn't necessarily bad, mind you) or you walk into the kind of restaurant that most are in Japan and stumble all over yourself because you can't read/speak Japanese. It's an interesting conundrum. And pretty good inspiration to keep cracking down on my Japanese lessons.

Anyway, I was wondering around aimlessly when I decided that I wanted some good sushi. I wandered into a restaurant that specialized in such and a very friendly woman spoke to me in half Japanese/half English, which was nice. I love the usual reaction when I tell Japanese people that I'm DC...they usually say something about Barack Obama followed by "yes we can!" I love it.

So I had my sushi fix and I didn't feel nervous in this restaurant at all because the staff was so friendly to me. And I'm getting pretty used to be a lone Expat wandering around Japan.

After Dotonbori I went back to the Kita area where my hotel was and stopped at the Umeda Sky Garden. It's basically two huge buildings joined together with a circular observation deck at the top. It was night when I got there, and quite lovely. The elevator was a bit scary though. Needless to say, I wasn't entirely comfortable riding in the glass elevator (which basically felt like you were soaring up on thin air) in a earthquake-plagued country, but I lived to talk about it, so all was good.

The next morning I tried to get a ticket for the bus back home, but all was booked except the most expensive bus tickets, which I think kind of defeats the purpose of taking the bus. So, I decided to splurge a little bit and take the Shinkansen back to Tokyo. Not much more money and about 5 hours faster. Oh, and an amazing view...annnnd a trolley that comes down the aisle with snacks/drinks. With the scenery and the speed of the train, it felt a little like riding on the Hogwarts Express. I'm such a nerd. I even got to see Kyoto, Nagoya and Yokohama from the train, which was cool.
I also went into Tokyo on Saturday even though I had come down with a pretty nasty cold. Still kind of getting over it. I got tired more quickly being sick and all, so I didn't stay long. Just long enough to see Ikebukuro and Nekobukuro/Tokyu Hands. Tokyu Hands is a pretty amazing store for art supplies and such, but everything is kinda overpriced. Nekobukuro was on the top floor and it was pretty neat. Cats everywhere! Constance went there when she came to Tokyo, and I'm glad I went because I'm missing my three little furry babies back home.

Anyways, in other news, I've had 3 days of teaching so far. I like it pretty well, although I hate being so slow at planning lessons. My favorite classes are the adults, hands down. You can just talk to them, and they pay attention and prepare. I even had a high school class on Wednesday evening, and it was really fun. The male student's name was Akira. Always a good sign. The only thing I messed up on was an adult class earlier in the afternoon in which I absolutely loved the students, but they asked me to speak more slowly next time at the end of class. I guess I got a little excited talking to them, and spoke too quickly. Oh well. At least they told me.

On Saturday night I'm hoping to attend my first fireworks festival in Yachiyo, and then I'm going into Tokyo on Sunday with Nathalie most likely. Sunday is the last day that the big Gundam in Odaiba is going to be there for a few months, so I need to see it ASAP. I'll definitely have a bunch of pictures to post come Sunday night!

Well I'm off to bed at a decent hour for once. Gotta long day ahead tomorrow.

Geez Louize, two posts, one day?

2009-08-11T10:07:00.011-04:00

But with good reason!

I went out into Osaka earlier and had a great day...marked several things off my list of must see things while in Japan.

Ok so first I headed to Kaiyuken, Osaka's aquarium and the biggest in Japan. Ok, so yeah, I know everyone has been to aquariums in the States and all, but this one was different! All kind sof creatures that I've never seen before and flawlessly laid out (at the end I wanted more instead of wanting to collapse like one usually does at the end of trekking through a long ass zoo/aquarium). The facilities housing the creatures were masssssssive. No teeny tiny cages, but huge and massive tanks so the fishies can swim happier. Although I guess the more eco-friendly thing to do would be to leave them in the water...but then I couldn't have spent 2000 yen and have pictures to show, right? Anyway, enough of that. On to pictures!
The exterior...and it's only half of it! The rest is to the right.

This is a fucking whale shark...it was huuuuuge. like 20 feet long. I've never seen a shark this big up close. And it bumped the glass RIGHT at me. It wanted to eat me. Maybe it thought I looked tastier than the Asians around me...I'm definitely meatier, so I can't say I blame him.

The biggest type of crab in the world, the Spider Crab. Ewwww. This thing grossed me out.
Sloth!

These made me tear up a bit (anyone who knows Blake knows how much he loves Sea Otters). They were on their back and cleaning themselves the whole time! And they were huge! They reminded me of Myoshi. I couldn't really get a good picture because the damn things moved around so fast.
Thousands upon thousands of sardines.

Octopus! Gross looking, but tasty.

This lizard/gator thing freaked me out. It was so still, just floating at the surface. I half suspected a Gremlins moment to happen and it to jump out at me.

This dolphin was doing flips and shit. Show-off.

And that's all I'll subject you to. But it was awesome. Anyone who comes anywhere near Osaka has to see this aquarium. At times it felt like I was underwater with all these things...which really weirded me out.

So today I also got to eat three things that were on my list. The traditional Japanese breakfast of cold fish, miso soup, and rice that I mentioned earlier, takoyaki (little pieces of octopus fried up into balls), and okinomiyaki. The takoyaki was good, although a little too dough-y and soft for my taste. The okinomiyaki was phenomonal. I went to a restaurant in the bay area after seeing the aquarium and lo and behold, the dreaded table-top griddles. I began to get worried because I had no fucking idea how to cook okinomiyaki by myself, so after I ordered, I asked the waitress to show me how to do it. Apparently, in this restaurant they do it for you right at your table. After she told me that, I felt a bit sheepish for asking, but oh well. Anyway, pictures!

First of all, I always had the impression that okinomiyaki was pancake-y...you know, with flour. Maybe in some places they are, but here they're just made with a boat load of cabbage and an egg to hold it all together. And a meat of your choice. My choice was squid. So here it is fresh on the griddle.

Flipped over...

And voila! Soup's on! The stuff on top is Japanese mayo and a barbeque type sauce. I know, it sounds like a gross combo to me too, but I dunno, somehow it worked. It tasted excellent.

I've come to notice just how much Japanese people eat. Especially young people, like around my age. Most of the time I look around and one person is eating atleast twice as much as me. They can put it down, but I have no idea where it goes. I guess the abundance of walking/exercise and genetics doesn't hurt in their case.

Boss: Osaka. And I just checked my pedometer, and I've walked 14,396 steps today (that's like, 7.5 miles I think)! I'm getting used to it and feeling better too. I've gone over my 10,000 steps a day goal since I started wearing the pedometer. Thank god for my tennis shoes.

Un-boss: First real pangs of homesick-ness today. I guess I've never gone on vacation by myself. I'm so used to my siblings and my mom and usually Blake or a friend coming along. It was really weird. I miss everyone so much. :(

Mild Seven Cigarettes and crappy Japanese coffee

2009-08-10T22:11:00.005-04:00

This is the street that I live on. It's teensy. All the houses look very traditionally Japanese down to the landscaping and the tile roofs. And, as you can see from the picture above, it's been raining all week. But I don't mind. I love rain.

This is the place in Harajuku that I wrote about in my last entry called "Condomania" I didn't go in, but now I'm tempted to do so just so I can see the difference between "big boy" and "smart boy". Apparently, you can't be both. Now the suspense is killing me. I must go when I get back to Eastern Honshu! On the Toyo line train coming back from one of my schools last week. Note the girl with the sick mask on. I think people should wear these in the States to keep their damn sneezy germs away from me. Although they do look a little creepy...like serial killer/surgeon combo creepy.

From Kiddy Land! Lookit all the Totoros!

The Gyoza restaurant in Harajuku. They only serve two main dishes: boiled gyoza and pan-fried gyoza. Hence the small kitchen smack dab in the middle of the restaurant.

This was in Akihabara. I think it was some kind of virtual reality thing where you can put your head in various backdrops or something. Whatever it was, I kind of want steps in my house to look just like this. Just kidding. Kind of.

Also Akihabara. Bright lights, big city! Such a fantastic area.

Me, looking very sweaty/tired whilst waiting for the night bus last night in Shinjuku. (I finally figured out the timer function on my camera so you guys can see my face!)

A random shrine/temple on an Osaka side street. Not sure if I was allowed to take this picture, actually. I will be more mindful in the future out of respect, even though there was no one around. I don't wanna to piss off any Shinto gods (or locals)!

So that's where I am now, in Osaka. At 1 pm I'm going to check into my hotel and then head to the aquarium and then possibly the Umeda Sky Building. And I'm definitely going to go into Dotombori for some street food (okinomiyaki say whaaaat?) and booze with the locals. Osaka is definitely rougher around the edges than Tokyo, but the people do seem much friendlier.

With that said, I did get giggled at when I went into a little restaurant for breakfast. I said "iie, kekko desu" (no thanks) when offered a salad...maybe it was too polite? Or not polite enough? So so so many different levels of politeness in the Japanese language, and I'm still getting the hang of it. Luckily, I look very Western,　so I get a lot of slack when it comes to messing up.

Yesterday it took me a million years to find the exact exit in Shinjuku station where my bus left from. Thank god I had the foresight to get there way way early. Luckily, I had my ticket for the bus in hand, so I was just able to keep asking JR employees "Sumimasen, doko desu ka?" (meaning "excuse me, where is this?") and I eventually got to where I needed to go. But fuck it was a hassle. I predict getting lost in Osaka tonight at some point as well, but we'll see!

Possibly going to Kyoto tomorrow! More pics to come!

Condomania

2009-08-09T09:17:00.008-04:00

I saw a place called "Condomania" today. And it was exactly what you think it was. A mania of condoms. Dear Japan - I love you.

Ok, no fun photos in this post because I STILL don't have the internet at my apartment and I'm currently using le internet cafe computer. The internet cafes here are amazzzzing! I get my own little private cubicle thing and a free drink bar comes with the price of admission, and I can order Japanese curry to my cube if I so desire. Oh and I can smoke. BONUS.

So I've been doing lots of stuff. Mostly just around my town (I technically live in Sakura, not Katsutadai) and I've also been unpacking. This past week I went through some work training and taught my very first class on Friday afternoon. The kids here are insanely cute. Although, they really like boobs. I guess western kids do too. You hear them say "oppei" (breasts) a lot, especially little boys. Apparently, they also try and stick their fingers in your caboose if they like you. Little pervs. But they're cute. When they don't understand what you want them to do in class, they do this cute little head tilt thing and it's precious. I bet in a couple months all this will be not cute at all. But I'll take the newness of teaching kids at face value for now.

As far as how I did...I think I did ok. The week before summer vacation was a lax teaching week, so the teacher I shadowed didn't even have a lesson plan It freaked me out. I'm an over-planner by nature! So i just winged it and it still went pretty well. I'm a bit nervous about teaching the adults though...but oh well. We'll see next Monday I suppose.

I met another fellow co-worker (and my neighbor), Courtney, and she's really cool. I'm pleasantly surprised by the helpfulness of the MIL teachers that were here before me. I also got to meet Nathalie from London last night, and that was really fun. It's good to have friends here when I've just been in Japan a mere week. Especially ones that know more Japanese than me and can help me learn! I realllly need to get to studying my kana. It would make things much easier.

Today I went into Tokyo for the first time by myself. I started out in Ueno, and then rode the subway all the way to Harajuku, and then to Akihabara. It was an amazing day. In Harajuku, I went to this gyoza restaurant recommended by my Frommer's and it was incredible. Best restaurant that I've been to in Japan thus far, I'd say. For those of you who don't know what gyoza is, you've most likely eaten them before...they're those dumplings that you can get at pretty much any Asian joint in the States, God it was good. I also had some cucumber with miso sauce, white rice, and some cold sake. It was muy yummy. I'll post a picture of the restaurant interior later.

After that, I went to Kiddy Land. Omg. As soon as I walked in, I saw a huge stuffed Totoro doll in the center of the store. I nearly squaled aloud. Needless to say, they had a massive collection of Ghibli stuff. I almost spent ￥2000 on a stuffed cat bus doll, but I refrained. Instead I got Blake a cute little Kodoma charm and a soot sprite pin for myself. Can you tell I'm a huge Miyazaki fan? Total dork.

I also got a watch in Harajuku, because I don't have a cell here and I was tired of not knowing the time. After walking around for a bit, I decided to go into Akihabara (aptly nicknamed "Electric Town") and it was INSANE. It was nightfall by this point so everywhere I turned there was neon and electronic stores with gadgets beyond anything I could possibly fathom. There was a place called "Sega Club" which was basically like an arcade where you can play Sega games and such. At this point I was really missing Blake, because I'm pretty sure he's going to shit himself when he sees Akihabara. I'm so glad he's coming to visit me early 2010. We're going to have so much fun. I want to go to the Ghibli museum like, NOW, but I almost feel I should save it for when he comes in so we can both see it for the first time together. Eh, we'll see.

Oh, and something crazy happened! I was in one of the many many electronic stores in Akihabara, and I felt my first earthquake. They happen all the time here, most of the time it just lasts for a few seconds or so. I was looking at Apple accessories and they started to shake! I looked at the store clerk and he seemed pretty non-bothered by it, but I exclaimed to him in English, "That was my first earthquake!" I don't think he understood, but dammit, if I knew how to say it in Japanese, I would've done so. Crazy.

I don't remember if I put it on this blog or not, but I bought a pedometer before this blog or not, but I bought a pedometer before I left the US and vowed to try and walk 10,000 steps a day. So far today, I've walked 10,973 steps. And I still have to walk home, which is another 2,000 or so. And I don't even feel that tired...I'm proud of how good I'm doing.

So I'll post pictures later from today's excursions. I may go into Hakone/Mt.Fuji area tomorrow, who knows. I'm being really indecisive about where to go this week!

Sexy: My new watch is white and it looks like I bought it in the future. And by "future" I mean the 1980s. It has a Marty McFly kind of feel to it.

Unsexy: This stupid Japanese keyboard. And wishing that all my family and friends could be here to witness all this craziness with me. Get here now! All of you!

arigato gozaimasu

2009-08-03T06:36:00.012-04:00

The above phrase is my most used phrase here in Japan, hands down. I get a giggle usually when I say it because every other means of communication that I use is pointing and/or grunting, nodding, bowing, and saying "hai". I think they laugh at me because I try to speak in English but then end with "arigato gozaimasu" Or maybe they're thinking, "who is this cracker and why is she butchering my language?" Either way, I'm really not bothered by it.

So. Japan. It's a weird place. I've only been in Katsutadai (my town) and Narita (where the airport is), so I haven't got a taste of any big cities yet. Even still, there are a lot of people here, and everything is different. I'm not even sure where to begin. The airport was a bitch getting through immigration and getting my luggage, and I will NEVER over pack again. Carrying two huge suitcases, a massive shoulder carry-on, and a purse all the way to my hotel was cumbersome to say the least. I'm incredibly sore from doing so, and I'm not looking forward to lugging it down the sidewalks again from my hotel to my apartment tomorrow. Sheesh.

The streets here are very different. Well, at least here in Katsutadai. They're narrower and a sidewalk on the smaller streets is kind of non-existent. You get used to it pretty quickly, as most Japanese seem to walk everywhere and/or take public transit, so there aren't too many cars here. In some smaller streets there are cute little restaurants and windows to buy cigs and such with people standing and walking around everywhere, so it's quite a change from the smaller streets in DC or even in Kentucky.

I was so incredibly sleep deprived yesterday (Sunday) after I finally made it to my hotel around 6 pm, so I thought I'd wait to see Gail and tour my future apartment on Monday. The problem was that I didn't know when she was leaving to go back to the States and was worried I'd miss her. I thought about it for a bit and luckily Gail called my hotel phone around 9 pm and told me that she and her boyfriend were in my hotel lobby, and kindly invited me out for drinks. I shook the sleep out of my eyes, got dressed, and went downstairs. And boy am I glad I did.

Gail is super cool. She is so helpful and friendly and saved my life the entire night by translating for me and giving me very useful tips that I will always be grateful for. And her boyfriend Mineo, who speaks English very well, is probably the nicest person I've ever met. And on a slightly more superficial note, they both smoke (everyone seems to here) and Gail says fuck nearly as much as I do, which is a quality I adore in people. We went to an izakaya (that's Japanese for bar) and had some sake and a tea/vodka drink that I can't remember the name of, then we went to see the apartment (which was great to finally see in person and I can't wait to move in), and then to Gail's favorite izakaya called Daruma. The owners of this place are a couple in their 50s/60s and may need to win an award for the cutest people on the planet. I don't have a picture of them now, but I'll have one eventually. I very much plan on being a regular there in the near future. Did someone say drinking problem? Eh, do as the Romans do, I say.

I feel very positive about my health and weight changes that are sure to happen in the following months. Gail told me that if you're a bit on the heavy side it is incredibly easy to lose weight here because of the diet and how damn much the Japanese walk. I walked around more yesterday than I usually do in the span of 3-5 days in DC, so I feel optimistic. Especially since I have vowed to do my best to avoid Western food. I actually prefer Asian cuisine in general anyway, so aside from the occasional craving for french fries, I think I'll be okay.

It is a little scary being new here, for realsies. Every time I go in somewhere they ask about a million questions and all I can do is stare blankly or nod or say "wakari imasen" ("I don't understand"). It's weird. Although I must say I haven't been stared at as much as I thought I would be, which is good.

I went to my main MIL school this morning and met Dana in person finally, as well as another new teacher, Jamie. The whole teaching sub-plot of my adventure really makes me feel overwhelmed, although I am excited for the experience. We'll see how all that goes. I need to make sure to get my advance that MIL offers, as the funds are quickly dwindling!

This evening I went walking around the Katsutadai station looking for a place to eat and I spotted a restaurant with pictures of food on the windows (always helpful) and the smell of grilled meat (I'm a meat-a-holic) and went in. I quickly discovered that it wasn't really the best choice as it was a family-style restaurant where you cook your food in the middle of the table, and I don't feel quite ready to take on that endeavor yet. However, I decided to sit down anyway and see what looked decent on the colorful menu. For fear that I would be deported from Japan because I burned the damn restaurant down, I instead opted for a nice big bowl of soup (wherein the ingredients were already cooked for me). It was delicious. Needless to say, the noodles and soup here far surpass those in US Asian restaurants. Yum.

I am appreciative for my last couple weeks in the States, as I had an absolute blast with my family and some tender goodbyes with Blake. Blake and I have been Skype-ing and that has been really fun because Blake and I have the exact same sense of humor and he's really gotten a kick out of the funny Japanese things I've seen. My sisters and mom were amazing right before I left. When you're away from your fam for so long, you can take for granted how fucking awesomely fun they are. And my family is at the tippy top top of the fun spectrum.

I love it here. Gail says to treat Japan like a cocoon, where you get to immerse yourself in its ways and completely re-invent yourself if you want to. I am so very glad I came.

It's not purple. It's lavender!

2009-07-24T14:16:00.010-04:00

So all this Visa nonsense has gotten complicated. I'll have to wait until my arrival in Japan to get my work Visa, and just go on a tourist Visa (on which you can stay for up to 90 days). The problem is that immigration in Japan didn't get my COE completed in time, but I'll have it in hand when I get there, I believe.

Anyway, none of this is a big deal, happens all the time. The only problem is going there on a tourist Visa on a one-way flight...typically the airline won't let you do it. They're afraid immigration in Japan will deny you and make you turn straight around, which usually happens on the airline's dime. So, as a precaution my employer informed me that I should buy a one way ticket to Seoul within 90 days (which I won't use) and MIL will reimburse me. So I've been all over the internet trying to find a ticket to Seoul from Narita for under $300. I think I got it, but boy, it's been hectic. I can't wait til we go into Tokyo after I arrive and change my Visa status so I don't have to worry about this crap.

Anyway, boooring. I have so much to do this weekend. I stupidly waited to buy travel compression bags and I won't get them til Monday. So I have to do this really funny thing where I lay everything out but have to wait til Monday to actually pack the clothes in. Ug.

I've barely started actually packing. Most of my time has been spent making lists of things to buy or to pack. Oh well. I guess that's a somewhat organized way to go about it. And yes, my big suitcase is leopard-print with fuschia lining. Laugh all you want, it was the only reasonably good quality and cheap one I could find, and it has about a million side pockets. Very handy.

I've been reading blogs of lots of former MIL employees, and it all seems so great. I've also been fascinated by the allusive Mt. Fuji in the past couple days...maybe if I get in better shape I'll climb it. Maybe not.

I'm thinking now that I'll probably spent my week off after arrival in Kamakura or Nikko. These are more traditional villages in the Japan Alps, and they seem awesome. And of course I'll be in Tokyo a bunch. And Narita. I can't believe how different everything is going to be in just a little over a week. Living in Japan won't make my life better neccessarily, but I'm excited for the new experience and the chance to push myself out of the rut-like comfort zone I've gotten myself into.

I cannot wait to see my family and friends next week. I'm a little sad that it'll be at least a year before I see my mom's house again...as weird as that sounds. I love that house. It's beautiful, warm, and cozy. Maybe I'll take some pics of it before I go. I'm a little sentimental, aren't I?

In other news, maybe I'll eventually move to New York after all...I fell in love with NYC when I was 12 years old, but decided that I probably wouldn't want to live there several years later. But everything is feels like an open book in my life now. And I really want to go to France. There's so much to see. I think I need to live to 125 so I can do it all.

Thumbs up: being positive, having Blake in my life, Skype/Google Voice, Amazon.com, meeting other future ex-pats.

Thumbs down: again, my anxiety. It's a bitch.

How do you wanna DO this?

2009-07-20T18:02:00.003-04:00

Resources used to learn Japanese:

-Rosetta stone: first thing used, and it is helpful, but I haven't used this in weeks.
-Pimsleur: just audio tracks, but my favorite thus far...I do each lesson at least twice, and the tracks are set up to repeat words you've learned for better memorization. It's pretty great. The only problem is that there's no visual reference for the words, so sometimes I have to look them up online in Romaji...I'm a visual person.
-Japanese for Busy People: A pretty famous book that I downloaded in PDF form with its accompanying Kana workbook
-Japanese is Possible: An ebook from Maktos.com. Semi-effective so far.
-A friend sent me a Kana program for the Mac called "iKana". I've been messing with it a bit.
-My sister sent me a link a while back for practicing Kana and it seems very helpful: http://www.realkana.com/

And, that's about it. I'm mostly focusing on coversation rather than Kana recognition, but I'll get there. A lot of people recommend flash cards, but we'll see. I've never really put much effort into learning a language before, but I'm determined to learn Japanese to get the most out of my stay there. Who knows, maybe I'll learn it and then more languages down the line? I'd love to learn French...and Spanish...and Portugese...and German...fuck.

Anyway, enough about that. I'm madly in love with my Frommer's Guidebook of Japan. I read The Rough Guide to Japan, but the Frommer's is far superior, and it will definitely be the one I lug around in my bag for the first few months. It made me feel way less scared about staying in a Ryokan (a Japanese style inn where traditional customs are observed), and it also allowed me to accept the fact that I will get lost in Tokyo at some point. I'm ok with it.

Still trying to figure out what I'm going to do during that free week after I arrive. I thought about staying in Osaka, which I still may do. With all the shit on my mind before I go, I'll most likely just wing it.

Also, watch this show. It's excellent.

Michael & Michael Have Issues

Premieres Wed, July 15, 10:30pm / 9:30c

Music Video

www.comedycentral.com

Joke of the Day

Stand-Up Comedy

Free Online Games

Genki: Leaving soon. Blake's amazing, supportive, and wonderful self. Overcoming pettiness around me and accepting things at face value. Michael and Michael Have Issues.

Not so Genki: Panic attacks. My lack of exercise over the past month. My fear of flying (so stupid).

Sir Nerdalot...bear with me

2009-07-19T21:57:00.005-04:00

So, in light of hearing so many people's opinion of the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie, I've decided to put my two cents into this blog (well, more like twenty cents, actually)...

First and foremost, I stand by the fact that this was the best movie so far. It happens to be my favorite book in the series, so I was ready to be let down. It was not verbatim to the book and I certainly had some issues with it, but it was an amazing movie, nonetheless. More on that later. First, here were my majors beefs with the film:

-The subtraction of the Ministry plotline...ok, I get why. Scrimgeour can easily be introduced in the last two movies, and the muggle Prime Minister scene wasn't THAT significant. But, seeing as how the last movie had so much to do with the Ministry, a little shout out might have been appropriate...
-Ginny Weasley. Oh boy. As adorable as Bonnie Wright is, that girl did not have the sauce to pull off Ginny. And to be honest, I felt she was a bit imposing at parts. Her standing next to Harry on the Quidditch field barking orders instead with the rest of the team, her next to Harry when Dumbledore died instead of Hagrid...it just didn't feel right. Which sucks, because Ginny Weasley is an excellent character.
-The memories of Voldemort left something to be desired, but once again, I was ok with this. They'll find a way to explain the rest of the Horcruxes that Harry and Dumbledore talked about in the next two movies.
-Ginny and Harry in general. What was with the "Let me feed you" and "Let me tie your shoes" parts? Kinda creepy. Once again, if Bonnie Wright had a bit more sex appeal, it may have worked. I dunno.
-The Burrow fire scene....WTF. Totally and completely unneccessary. It didn't happen in the book, and I don't think it really added anything to the movie. And why didn't they "auguamenti" that shit? Is the Burrow just gone now? I could gone on about this, but I'll refrain.
-The cave scene, which is my FAVORITE chapter in all of the HP books, was heavily abbreviated. It still got the point across I suppose, but I wish they would have put a little more into this amazing and intense scene.
-And here is my BIGGEST problem with the movie: Harry isn't petrified when Dumbledore dies. Harry's entire character is based on the fact that he can never just stand by and let shit happen. And Snape shushing him did not justify it. How hard would it have been to petrificus totalis Harry? Ugh. Hated that.
-And, of course, the subtraction of the battle at the Astronomy Tower stairs, which really could have added some much needed drama in this scene. The Death Eaters simply walk out of Hogwarts la-di-da, with only Harry to stop them. Totally dumb.
-Is the Fleur and Bill sub-plot just going to be wiped out? So no wedding with Kingsley's Patronus saying "The Ministry has fallen, Scrimgeour is dead"? That's a pretty important part to leave out...
-Helena Bonham Carter a la Bellatrix LeStrange. Ok, I like HBC as an actress, but she has not impressed me in her role as Bellatrix. She's always slinking up behind people, touching them, and whispering in their ear in this seductive way and she is acted out so one-dimensionally. She's a major villian in the series and I really thought more could have been done that gave you more than just the Cliff's Notes to her character: sexy, evil, and fucking crazy.
-Lastly, the awkwardness between the trio at the end left the movie on a weird note. Ron was just sort of standing aside and not saying anything. I kinda get why they did that but it made him seem so distant and weird. no like.

Ok, so with all those issues, you'd think I hated the movie, right? Nope, not at all. I understand that the movie cannot be an exact copy of the book. The movies are meant to be an adaptation of the books that can still stand on their own as a good movie! This was my problem with the 5th movie...there was no depth to it. They didn't work on building the chemistry of the characters on screen in OotP, and the movie was a super sped up outline of the important parts of the book essentially. Don't get me wrong, there were some cool scenes, but overall I felt the 5th movie was just...empty.

The 6th movie had everything the 5th movie didn't. And the camera work/way it was filmed was so much better! It was even quite artful at some points. Namely, the scene where Draco is crying at the sink after just seeing Katie Bell, and there's a quick but effective wide-angle shot of him hunched down over the sink, shirt slightly untucked. Here's what else I liked:

-Hermione shooting birds at Ron (amazing that they put this in, so awesome)
-Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes
-The train scene where Draco broke Harry's nose...exactly as I imagined it. Complete with *CRUNCH* sound
-Draco Malfoy in general. Tom Felton kicked ass in this movie. He wa barely a footnote in the 5th movie, and he certainly made up for it here. You really feel bad for him, and even get a little bit of Draco that you didn't get in the books: his experiments with the Vanishing Cabinet. Oh, and can we say sa-whaaaank as far as his suits go? When he picked up his briefcase and exited the Hogwarts Express at the beginning, I turned to Blake and say "Oh look, it's Executive Draco". And he had the snarly-lip expression as usual to complete the effect. Very nicely done.
-Luna Lovegood. And her Lion headdress. She's perfect in the movies.
-the Pygmy-Puff cameo...
-Harry, Ron and Hermione. They were perfect. IMO, they never played their parts as well as they did in this movie. Ron was hilarious. Harry actually had a personality. Hermione was adorable and awkward and exactly as she should be.
-Cormac McLaggan. Skeezy and spot-on.
-The Potions class scene, where Hermione gets frazzled by Harry outperforming her.
-The Slug Club
-Lavendar Brown. Amazing.
-Sectumsempra scene
-Harry and Felix Felicis ("That would be counter-productive, sir!")
-Terrifying scene with the Inferi!
-The wands held alight when Dumbledore died (although I would have preferred the actual funeral) and the Phoenix in the sky.

Alright, off my soap box. Needless to say, I love Harry Potter and feel those who haven't read it blow it off as some children's book all about the power of love and friendship. It's so much more than that. And honestly, I really think the 6th movie gave the essence of HP as it is...and not just some cheesy recapping or summarizing.

Dope: off subject, learning Japanese is going very well for me. Learned how to say "where is...?" today and also the words "avenue", "here", "there/not here", and lots more. Watashi-wa Nihongo-ga skoshi wakarimasu.

Totally not dope: going to work this week, worrying about money after my arrival in Narita on the 1st, and general nervousness.

Bostonian Blake reads Brautigan

2009-07-16T14:16:00.006-04:00

I got a new camera. It's tiny and most excellent. And it has HD video...which will be great when I get to Japan and see all kinds of crazy and beautiful things that can only be captured on video. Unfortunately, I don't leave for another 2 weeks, so the most interesting thing I can record is Blake speaking with a Boston accent (he sometimes will do it for DAYS):

Mind the giggling from behind the camera...my bear cracks me up.

Note: Blake, to those of you who do not know him personally, is not from Boston. He learned accents from the Leonardo DiCaprio school of acting (sorry B).

Everything in its right place

2009-07-12T17:51:00.013-04:00

As my departure to Japan is in just a little less than 3 short weeks, I thought it fitting to pay respect to the many things I will miss while I am away:

My siblings (I only had good pics of Constance and Mel, but this applies to every single one of them), who are brilliant and beautiful people.

My mother who loves me no matter what, even if I'm being silly or boring, and supports me so much. She's far too cool to exist. If she finds a way to come visit me in Japan, I will jump up and down with glee. Really.

All of my friends, especially Katie and Lauren.

My nieces, who are the smartest and funniest little girls on the planet. One day, I want to take them somewhere exciting and foreign. And, buying them gifts in Tokyo will be easy and really fun, considering every little thing there is wacky and pink in color.

My three kittens who love us and each other so much. I don't even know how I'm going to not see them for a year.

Especially Myoshi, who is the best cat in the whole world.

And last but not least, my Blakey. Best friend and boo bear for life.

Honorable mentions include:

-Thanksgiving with my family. This year I think they're doing British food, but next year I believe we're finally doing Japanese! I think the idea is that I will use my newly gained knowledge of traditional Japanese food to put together our menu.
-Christmas in the US.
-American TV (mainly The Office...but that's what the internet is for)
-Being in the same time zone as my friends and family
-My adorable apartment in DC
-A bed with Blake
-Manna, Inc. Not all the permitting bullcrap, but my coworkers and bosses
-Kentucky, most of all.

I was lucky enough to get the most adorable apartment in Japan...courtesy of Gail, the very awesome girl that currently lives there. I'm keeping all of the great Ikea furnishing she decorated it with, and I'm very excited about all of it. Since I've posted the link everywhere else in the world, I may as well do it here!

Here is a video tour of the apartment before it was decorated, taken when the previous resident first moved in (scroll to the bottom of the post): http://www.todayisunderconstruction.com/2008/07/bloggin-on-sly-youll-see.html

And here it is as it will look when I move in, after it was decorated: http://www.todayisunderconstruction.com/2009/07/updated-apartment-tour.html

I've already met two people who will live in Japan the same time I will, and I'm not even there yet. Things are looking very positive, and I can't fucking wait.

Over and out dooders,
Cecilia

SALE!

2009-07-01T21:53:00.003-04:00

All my yarn is 30% off at my Etsy site: frankenskein.etsy.com

It all must go by July 28th, so please snag it up! I'm also still accepting special requests till about the 19th or 20th of July, depending on the order size/fiber availability.

It really is amazing yarn and I already have too much yarn for my own good, so I'd hate to see it go to waste! As a reminder, all of my yarn is made from animal fiber that is either from local farms or recycled mill end fibers...so it's a eco-friendly purchase!

Thanks!

生命はすばらしい

2009-06-16T00:29:00.005-04:00

Well, not much happening craft-wise. Still have my yarn up for sale, and I'm encouraging all of you to buy it up! Becaaaause....I'm going to Japan for a year! Yep, I found out last Thursday. So my Etsy shop will be closed during that time, but right up until July 28th when I leave for Kentucky for a few days and then to Japan on the 1st, it'll be for sale! Once again, mention this blog and I'll give ya a discount. :)

But anyway, yes. Going to Japan, and teaching ESL while I'm there. I will be bringing my knitting supplies with me, but for that time I'll mostly be posting pictures and talking about my adventures there on this blog. I'm very excited about it. I'll be working with MIL, a great school located in Chiba, Japan. Oh, and what's even better is that when I get there, I have training for 4-5 days, and then I'm off for a paid vacation for a week! (The school is closed during that time). So, I bought a couple of guidebooks to figure out what to do in that week. I'm thinking of going to Kyoto to see some temples, maybe Osaka as well. I need to plan it carefully because the bullet trains are muy expensive. I'll be spending most of my days off in Tokyo (only 45 minutes and about 700 [or $7] yen away), and various areas of Chiba, including the beach! I'd love to see these places while I'm there:

-Nagoya
-Hiroshima
-Hokkaido
-Osaka/Kyoto/Nara
-Okinawa
-Mt. Fuji (although I'm NOT climbing that damn thing)
-Sapporo
-and of course Tokyo over and over again

So much to see! I cannot believe I get to live in Asia for a year and I'm only 25. I feel so blessed that I have the opportunity to do this. It will be so hard to be away from my family, friends, Blake, and the kitties! Luckily, they have cat houses in Japan where you pay a bit, go in, and pet all the various kitties running around. My little sister went to one in Tokyo, and you bet your ass I'll be taking a few trips there when I get homesick for my Moshi:

All this Japan stuff is pretty much the center of my life right now. I'm saving money, buying guidebooks to peruse, and making sure I'm prepared for this trip. Also, I'm making sure I get as many loose ends tied up at work as possible. My coworkers are so fucking cool about this whole Japan thing. One of my bosses actually told me he was proud of me, and completely supported me going to Japan, as I should do this kind of stuff when I'm young.

There are other people (people that mean a lot to me, which makes it extra hurtful) in my life that are, shall we say, not supportive. However, I'm hoping they get over it. Blake is being awesome. He's excited for the opportunity to become independent for a year, as am I. We both need to make a lot of changes, and I think we're mature enough to handle the distance for a year.

Where would you go if you went to Japan?

adventures in plying

2009-05-23T01:26:00.009-04:00

It's about time I posted up pics of my apartment! I still need a few touches here and there, and it's just a little basement apartment, so it's not super impressive....but I put a lot of work into it! So, here it be:

My entry room/craft room. Isn't the yarn storage great? Desk is a bit cluttery, but I've been a spinning machine lately, so yeah.
Another view of the craft desk....along with Blake and I's bookcases. We're big readers. And the painting up above featuring Marlon Brando and Liz Taylor was painted by me, btw. I know, I know. How does someone with so much talent even exist? I ask myself that question every day, my friends. sigh.
I hung those hooks myself! And the Japanese print calendar was a Xmas gift from my mom....I love it. Eventually I want to frame some of the art in it, it's so pretty.
Weird showing you the bathroom, but I think it's so cute. Mind the ugly plunger/tissue box combo. I'm in the process of pretty-ing up some basic around-the-house stuff.
View of my kitchen from the living room. Very small, but it does the trick for Blake and I. The table expands to seat 6, so that's nice. I hung the chrome shelves on the right side myself for more storage...I love them! Again, excuse the dish drainer....just got done washing le dishes.
Living room. I love my white couch (and the little Myoshi sleeping on top of it). I'm still really needing a big piece of art for above the couch. I might get some graphic sort of wall decal from Blik, but who knows. And the chair on the left will eventually not be there, I want the coordiating white loveseat to be there instead. But who knows when that will happen. Side note: check out the sweet new Macbook to the right. Oh yes.

The bedroom is really cute too, but Blake is asleep in there currently, and I don't think he'd like me taking pictures this late at night. Ah well. Once again, it's small, but it stays clean, and it feels like me and Blake. And the colors make me happy. That's all I really care about.

In other news, I'm experimenting with plying my handspun yarn. I made a makeshift lazy kate and now I'm working on a really nice 3-ply with some wool and mohair. We'll see!

The grayish white already spun up on the lazy kate is mohair, and the black and brown is wool. I made the lazy kate with a photo storage box that I have a couple too many of, a hole punch, and some needles I never use (I'm anti-DPN). The little wooden thing is my drop spindle, by the way, which I've begun to spin up the brown wool. I'm determined to get the word out on my Etsy shop and make sure my very best is for sale, dawwwwgs.

Time for bed.

bigger, better, faster, stronger

2009-05-19T16:29:00.006-04:00

So! I finally tossed (and by tossed I mean gave to Blake as a 2nd comp) my USB challenged PC laptop and got a Macbook! It's pretty much the coolest thing I own. So now, I can upload music and photos even better than I did before, so I set up my Etsy shop!!! Here's a little preview of my handspun yarn that I'm selling:
This skein of superfine merino is currently on sale at my Etsy shop! Here's the link, folks: frankenskein.etsy.com. I've only got 5-6 skeins up right now, but I'm spinning more and posting it up every day, and I accept custom requests as well, so be sure to let me know what you're looking for, and I'll do my best!

Now that I've plugged my shop, I'm finally going to share my pics from the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival! Blake and I really loved it.

This is from a fascinating sheep-shearing demonstronstation....it was interesting to see how chilled out the sheep are when they get sheared...I guess most have been through it quite a bit, and this shearer in particular was really good at what he did.

Alpaca!
I was surprised to see how gentle and nice all the animals were...I thought I'd get snapped at atleast once, but nope! They're all so sweet.

An Angora bunny...yeah, there was a whole lot of cute at this fest.

These sheep (they're called Jacob sheep and I snagged some of their wool to spin up for my store) were Blake and I's favorites. The adult rams had 4 horns! They looked like some kind of crazy fantasy creature. Me likes.

I would highly recommend it to those who haven't been yet. There was an insane abundance of fiber there as well, obviously.

Lots more to come. In the meantime, visit my Etsy shop!

Now Accepting Donations

2009-05-08T11:46:00.003-04:00

My blog posts have been pretty sparse, no? Well, there's a good reason! I've actually accomplished A LOT in the craft department, but my computer is M.I.A. when it comes to uploading things. And after taking it to multiple places, it's official, I need a new laptop.

So, I'm saving to buy a MacBook. Finally. The only problem is, I've got this possible thing happening in August where I might be in Japan for a year, and I need a little startup money. So, in addition to my regular income savings, I was thinking, maybe I should get a second job for all these extra things I have to save for pretty quickly...?

Rewind to last weekend, where I attended the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival (amazing!) and bought a drop spindle. Yes. FINALLY. I also got about 8 oz of some beautiful roving, went home, and starting spinning away.

Well, my first skein turned out not too good, as I only got 25 yds out of 4 oz....about an 8th of what it should be at worsted weight. Nevertheless, I was proud and determined to master it. So, I kept spinning, and even went back to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Fest on Sunday to purchase more roving. Then, on Sunday night, after watching and reading countless tutorials, I got it. It finally clicked what I was doing wrong and how to pre-draft properly and the whole nine yards (pun intended).

So, I've spun up a few VERY nice skeins since then, set the spin in them, and thought; "I have enough yarn, what am I going to do with this?" So, in the next week or two, I'm opening up shop on Etsy and selling my spun items. And, everything I spin will either be from local farms or recycled mill-end rovings (which are still top quality and perfect for handspinners, they just aren't suitable for machine spinning. So, they throw it out unless nice people like me buy it)! So as soon as I get my shop going, I'll let you know and put a little shop widget on here. If you mention my blog, I may even give you a little discount.

So, project "Cil needs extra money to buy a new computer and go to Japan" is solved! I figure, why go back to waitressing part time in addition to my full job when I can sell high-quality spun yarn? Especially since I love it so much. Seriously. If you don't spin already, you should start. It's wonderful.

Well, there's my future business plug for the day. In other news, work has been super slow lately. It's only noon and I feel like I've been here for 19 hours. I bought "Twilight Princess" for the Wii recently, and it's really good. Although I feel like it rips off Okami just a bit (best game EVER). Lately I've been feeling like playing some Final Fantasy. It's been a while.

More to come. Lots of pending excitement that I hope pans out. Stay classy guys.

Aw Suki Suki

2009-04-13T11:24:00.003-04:00

Incidentally, I want to name my future daughter Suki. And every time I say it around my mom, she says it sounds trampish and says the above comment.."awww suki suki". I'd maybe be slightly annoyed except she's so cute when she does it. Oh, my mother. Hilarious.

So, still having issues with my USB ports on my laptop. Dumb. I can upload pics via Blake's comp, but it's sooooo slow. But, I may just do it anyway, because I've ACTUALLY managed to complete a project! Yes! And I've done lots with the apartment, of course.

So I have been like, super duper restless as of late. I need to be on an adventure, travel the world, see everything that I dreamed about seeing while I was in college. I both love and hate this aspect of my personality...I'm so restless and eager to do EVERYTHING. But, I may have found a way to satiate my adventurous nature, and it just might have something to do with Japan. More on that when I know more.

For now, I'm just working, getting my home together, and super-duper focused on getting healthy. I've also gotten back into watching movies a bunch! Yesterday I finally saw "Oldboy" in its entirety, and it's so amazing. I also watched "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music". Oh yes. It was a good day.

I think tonight I'll watch the final installment in Chan-wook Park's revenge trilogy, "Lady Vengeance". Maybe I'll finally be a good Netflix customer again and turn in the movies I've had for a month and a half....

Speaking of movies, here are my MOST anticipated movies coming up:

-Where the Wild Things Are (Blake and I nearly peed ourselves with excitement the first time we saw this trailer)
-Tokyo! (Michel Gondry + Japan? Helllll yes!)
-Away We Go (John Krasinski. nuff said.)
-Earth (I know, I'm a dork. But I love thing about nature. I grew up with National Geographic!)
-9 (This animated film looks SO awesome. The graphics remind me of Final Fantasy 8 in a lot of ways. Maybe because the rag doll main characters remind me of the Esthar City Guard that you have to fight a bunch in the game? NERD ALERT.)
-Year One (This may be dumb, or it may be brilliant. Either way, I heart Michael Cera.)
-Astro Boy (A graphic animation of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy! Fucking A!)
-Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (My favorite of ALLLLL the books, so they better not fuck it up...seriously.)

There's more, but that's all I've got for now. What movies are you guys most excited to see?

don't lie, you know you love paddle boats

2009-03-30T14:40:00.004-04:00

So, I'm very frustrated with my laptop at home. My USB ports have decided to stop detecting devices, so I cannot A) upload pictures or B) put my newest music finds on my ipod. It sucks. I've searched throughout the interweb universe and cannot find an answer that works, and I've tried EVERYTHING. I'm going to keep looking and see how much I have to spend to fix it, but uploading pictures until then will be difficult, so bear with me.

My mom is in town! We did a lot this weekend at the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC. It was beautiful. Cherry trees are definitely my favorite tree, and maybe even my favorite thing ever that grows out of the ground in general. Love them. Again, I have pictures, but it will have to wait.

I have ACTUALLY made some knitting progress on a very belated gift to Constance...the Kittyville Hat! Most of you know the pattern from the first Stitch N' Bitch book...you can get the pattern for free at Ravelry now. It's pretty cute I think. I'm just about done with it...just need to add the ears and block.

I've applied for the Peace Corps and now I need to focus on losing weight and getting healthy so I can pass the medical screening. It's very exciting. Changing diet completely (again) and working out. I'm soooo sore from it, but I need to break my bad habits! Wish me luck.

Sorry about the semi-boring posts lately. I've lost some pep in my step as of late, but I'll get it back...yes.

Oy! Oy gevald!

2009-03-16T12:30:00.003-04:00

So, it's been a very long time! I suppose I delayed blogging because I haven't made that much progress on creative projects (although I somehow keep managing to build up a list of projects that I PLAN to do). I've really been focused on the apartment mostly, which is fully unpacked and awesome! I need to take some good pictures of it and post them. Thanks to craigslist and Ikea, my small little apartment is homey, clean, and adorable. Blake and I love it. So do the kitties.

Because I've been in out of knitting lately, my latest obsession is with watercolors and sumi-e art. I've had my eye on some sets (and books) to learn and play with different techniques, but so far I've just dabbled, really. There's a site called OrientalArtSupply.com that has some really neat stuff that I'd recommend. And of course DickBlick.com...duh. But, DC car inspection/repair/registration stuff has me pretty broke, so those supplies (and a sewing machine and quilting books/supplies) will have to wait. Sigh.

So we've had some visitors in lately, including our K-Bear and also Rhianna and Jay! We've had a really fun week with everyone that came in. Although I've decided to try this new thing out where I don't talk so much shit about other people. I mean, I'm not that bad, but it comes off as negative and mean and I don't like it. Yep.

If you guys haven't taken the Meyers-Briggs Test, you should! It's kinda fun. I'm INFJ (the rarest personality type, wurrd), and Blake is a ENFP. Everything we read on our respective types fit us to a tee. Take it and tell me if you think it's accurate!

Upcoming projects I have in mind (and, because no post is complete without a picture, I've included visuals!):

The "Color Wheel Quilt", found in "Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts" by Joelle Hoverson. I was inspired to do this when I saw it on the Purl Bee blog (see links at right), and I have a very specific twist on what is to be my first large scale quilted project. I'll give you a hint: it will be a gift to someone on a very big day in the future...and the fabric used in it will be of Japanese origin (but isn't everything if I have my way?). More to come on that...

Blake and I are very inspired by the art of Yoshitaka Amano (you may know him as the artist who created the Final Fantasy game series). I like his pale colors and sketchy lines, and I think, with my own flavor added, that I will be very good at sumi-e and watercolors. I can't wait.

As far as knitting goes, I'm really into hats right now. Chunky, intricate, instantly gratifying hats. I'm currently lusting to start the Cuckoo pattern by Natalie Larson. So pretty. I think I'd like it in gray...or brown maybe.

Also, I'm reading my first Chabon book! And it's full of Yiddish. Did you guys know that I'm really into Jewish culture? Asian culture...and Jewish culture...pretty different, but they draw me, what can I say. Anyway, this book is really good so far. It's called "The Yiddish Policeman's Union". And it has a little mini glossary in the back with Yiddish words! Like Goyim and Kibitz...and Shtupping! What language is more fun, seriously? In otherwords, I highly recommend this book. And also "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" by Murakami....I just finished it a week ago and it was an amazingly beautiful book.

Ok! So I'll post more regularly from now on! Happy early St. Patty's day!

It's snowy in DC today

2009-01-27T12:11:00.006-05:00

So, I wasn't at the Inauguration a week ago. In the end, we decided to avoid the craziness and hang with some friends whilst watching everything on tv. And, it was such an experience, just watching it, as I'm sure you all know. Above is a picture from the Prince of Petworth Inauguration photo pool on Flickr. Here's another one posted by Prince of Petworth (a GREAT DC blog) that I love.

Sorry about the lack of posts. I've been knitting here and there, but mostly packing to move, which happens in a week and a half!!!! I'll be busy until after I move, and once I set up the craft desk/organizational system I've got planned, I'll be up and running again creatively.

Something else, aside from packing has also distracted me lately....

yes. the Wii. God bless it.

If any of the rest of you have Wiis, I hereby challenge you to a Mario Kart duel. It's ON.

January is for decorating

2009-01-07T15:58:00.005-05:00

So work is stressful right now. I'm getting all my stuff organized and done, but this week I'm feeling a little over work. Oh well.

Here's something fun...do you guys want to see a few decorative things that I'm buying for the apartment? Maybe you'll get a few sweet ideas to share with me? Alrighty!

Modern Japanese-esque shower curtain from Urban Outfitters for $36.

Cotton rug from Urban Outfitters : $15. I think it looks very art deco meets Space Invaders, don't you?

Deer lamp from Urban Outfitters: $20. I would far prefer this in white, yellow, or red. Pink isn't really my thing.

Branch coat hooks from Urban Outfitters: 2 for $15. I love these. So simple and pretty.

Aneboda bedside tables from Ikea: $40 each. I'm getting two for the bedroom.

Ikea Desk. This is one of those "create your own tables" where you mix and match legs and tops. This particular one I'm buying from a seller on craigslist, and she hand stained the legs yellow. I think it's way cool.

End table from Ikea. I'm buying this from someone on craigslist for $15. Blake thinks I like it because it looks like the letter "C". Maybe he's right.

Someone made this cat bed from an old iMac computer monitor....and I want one! I love recycled items, and you can find these old monitors for nothing...Make magazine mentioned someone who sells these on Etsy. I'd love to do it, but I worry about getting everything out and the lead content in monitors. Still though, it's pretty cool.
Shelf from The Container Store: $32. Ok, so my mom and I have been talking about an efficient way to store my yarn stash, and my mom suggested a shelf like this wall mounted above my craft desk. I'm terrible with power tools, so when my mom visits me in February, she's going to help me pick out a drill and mount stuff. Finally, the yarn will be out of the plastic bags next to my bed!
Umbra Vases at Target: $17 - $20. I love these. The non-black part is actually clear, and I want flowers (silk or real) all over the apartment.

I've got my eye on a thousand other things as well, but above is a taste. Can you tell I like white alot? The couch I may be getting is beige-ish, so I'm pretty excited about that too.You guys should know, if you are looking to refurnish your apartment, scouting craigslist everyday seriously pays off if you're quick enough!

August is for Melody scarf still slowly moving along. About 12 rows left! I still need to buy that Knit.1 issue that features patterns from all my favorite bloggers....

You Spoony Bard!

2009-01-05T11:31:00.003-05:00

So far, I'm not recovering well from the holiday.

I mean, I didn't really party or do anything too crazy, I just went home, came back, worked for a day and a half, and then had 5 days off. During which I chilllllled, looked for furniture, played FFIV on the DS (which is amazing) and watched some movies.

So you see, coming back to work after this down time seems ridiculous to me. This morning I sat down at my desk at stared at my very long list of things to do, and exhaled heavily. Work? Let us all give a collective "booooo".

In truth it's good to be back, because I go a little crazy without goals/tasks, and when I'm working I'm not over analyzing and thinking about things that piss me off. I prefer to be positive, therfore I stay busy.

My mom sent me some interesting pictures of her and her friend Michael modeling the Branching Out scarf that I made her for Xmas.

Kind of crappy since I made her take them with her Blackberry while she was in Gatlinburg, but oh well. The color of the scarf is of course, not bluish-white, but more like a pale lavendar-gray, as shown in previous posts. I of course added a simple fringe, which I think makes the overall effect very prim and clean. Then , I wet-blocked it, which added about a foot and a half to the length. She loved it.

Although you would not be able to tell by my packing progress, I'm so excited to move. I bought a sweet new cookware set on Amazon! It's a 10 pc. Farberware set, and it's so nice in its non-stick goodness. I know....so mundane, right? But seriously, it's amazing to read so many reviews on home goods and finally (FINALLY) land on something that won't explode on contact. Next stop: vaccuum. Listen to me. I'm boring myself. I think I'll go to the store today and pick up a life while I'm there....Ha.

That aside, I'm slowly progressing on the August is for Melody scarf. Then, I can finish the nieces' gifts and FedEx them down to KY. I'll hopefully have some pictures up by this weekend.

How was your holiday, doods?

Long weekends + Unsolved Mysteries

2009-01-02T15:08:00.006-05:00

So it's been a while....holidays, right? I OF COURSE didn't get done with the gifts, but I was able to give my mom her scarf, Lauren her mitts, and Katie her hat....the rest will have to be shipped. Sigh.

So, the SECRET project is now finally revealed!
I loved making these mittens...and they were my first attempt at stranded knitting. I think they turned out well! Now, onto Katie's hat...the lovely Foliage pattern on Knitty that I have been wanting to make since FOREVER.
Katie wouldn't let me take a picture of her in it....but it looks perfect on her. I love lace knitting. Quick, and just the right amount of concentration.

So I still have stuff to finish, but that's ok.

Constance (my little sister) left for Tokyo the day after Christmas! And on the first day she was there, her boy proposed, so now she's engaged! Crazy! Things like this make me feel both extremely young and extremely old at the same time. It's weird. I've been feeling a little weird about growing up lately...sometimes I wonder what I should be doing instead of figuring out what I want to be doing. Weird.

However! I've been focusing all of my energies into planning things to buy for the new apartment. I've been scouting craigslist everyday for cute Ikea stuff, and planning how much money i need to spend of cooking knives, cookware, a vacuum, furniture, etc. Not to mention the Wii that I'm going to buy in Feb/Mar. i'm pretty excited about it. Our small little apartment is going to be quite cute. I hope my fam and friends come visit lots!

Here's a picture that my sister sent from Tokyo!
She's adorable. Aren't you jealous? I am. I hope she visits me soon. Maybe I can convince her and Kevin to move to DC....maybe.

change is good/bad

2008-12-17T11:18:00.003-05:00

So, somehow, at the same time, it is both an incredibly sad and happy day today.

Sad news first: my boss, Carl Huff, passed away today. He had been sick with bronchitis for the past couple months, and he wasn't a young guy, and it escalated. He actually has been in the hospital all week with his family, and I am thankful that he did not suffer for an extended period of time.

This, of course, makes me Manna's permitting specialist extraordinaire, which is scary

Good news: WE GOT A NEW APARTMENT. Oh yes. Just me and Blake and the kitties. And in the city! Petworth, to be exact, in the NW. It's a really cute neighborhood, and within walking distance from Columbia Heights and a short drive to Adams Morgan. We're moving in Feb. 6th. I am so stoked. It's going to be swank and awesome. I get to go on Friday and bring paint chips for the owner, as he's letting me pick out the new colors for him to paint before we move in. Since it's a basement apartment, averything is going to be painted light and airy. In summation, my new apartment with Blake is going to be FLY. And sans crazy, messy roommates.

So I've been knitting up a storm and I FINALLY finished something. The Branching Out scarf fot my mom.

I took this before finishing the last repeat and adding the fringe, but last night I got all that done. Now I just need to block it and sew the labels in. And it's a terrible picture, mostly because I DESPERATELY need a haircut. Must find time for that this week. I'll post a better picture of the scarf tonight, promise. Myoshi, my mascot, has been helping me get all my knitting done.

Yeah, she's cute.

Last week, these came in the mail:
Yeah, I know, all these are crappy pictures. What can I say, my camera battery was dead, so I had to use le phone. Anyway, these are clothing care labels from Namemaker.com. Katie got me custom labels from them last Christmas, and I decided to order ones that specify to my recipients whether or not their gifts can be hand or machine washed. Very nifty. If you want some, click on the above link and pay $12.00 for each packet of 100. Mine say "Machine Washable, Tumble Dry" and "Hand Washable, Drip Dry". I like to avoid disasters with my knitted goods.

So, now I need to finish the Little Gems Mitts for Constance. Maybe I can get it done by...Friday? Ugh! I need to SERIOUSLY pump out the knitting this weekend and hold off on packing until after Christmas. Even though I want to pack up NOW. No really, I could not get out of there soon enough.

Mr. Carl Huff, you will be missed.

MENTAL MELTDOWN...licious

2008-12-08T11:02:00.007-05:00

Ok guys, so I'm freaking out! I have so so much more to do knitting-wise and not a ton of time to do it. I was planning on getting some progress done this weekend but umm...suffice to say that a lot of dramatic bullshit happened between us and our roommates, and once again, anything leisurely took the backburner....ug. So, in the interest of organization, here's what I HAVE to get done as far as gifts go and what can be given to the recipients late (although I HATE giving gifts to people late!)

Gifts that neeeed to get done:

-Mom's Branching Out scarf (it's not too far from being done, so I'm not worried about this one)
-Dustin's fingerless gloves
-Emilie's Pencil Scarf (I'm worried about this one, it'll take some time)
-Katie's Endpaper Mitts (I may change this project into a hat and make her mitts later...as her hat from last year got stolen and I just HAPPEN to have some black Cascade 220 left over from Lala's SECRET gift)
-Little C's Little Gems Mitts (Also, not too far from being done)

Gifts that can be sent out later:

-Melody's scarf (This is the first project I started, and it's the slowest thing EVVVVVER. However, since I gave her a cweet hat for her birthday, I'm sure she won't be toooo disappointed to get her xmas gift late)
-Lauren's second gift (I've got something cute planned that I'm going to send her later...maybe for a bday gift?)
-Little C's Kittyville Hat (I may be able to whip this one out since it's a hat, but since Constance is getting the mitts for ther bday on Dec 23rd, I'll send out her xmas gift later)
-Mom's bday gloves (my mom is understanding and awesome, and I'm sure she'll be pleased to recieve gloves later)
-Doug's Eraserhead Pillow
-I was also supposed to knit a mega-cabled scarf for Melissa.....but I still need to get the yarn...it's such a quick and fun knit. My only concern is getting that monster of a scarf into a package to send out! I'll need a refrigerator box to ship that thing!

And the Stripey hat? Nope. Now that hand-picked (and quite pricey) O-Wool will be a hat for me. Sorry, but my handmade items are reserved for only the most awesome of people, and she is not on that list. No, I'm not a total bitch, I've just had a rough weekend (and so has poor Blake). And in case you're wondering, YES, I have a lot of people in my life with birthdays right next to Christmas. And YES, it sucks kinda. And YES, I like to type in caps....kind of a lot.

I started the Artist's Way on Saturday, and it has made me feel so much more positively about everything. Also, the Morning Pages have been helpful in letting me get all my bitching out onto a page so I can move on and be amazing (as usual :).

Sorry for the lack of pictures! Here's a little something to quench your visual thirst, doods:
Oh my Hugh! Shameless....I know...I'm embarrassed now. But seriously, YOU CANNOT DENY THAT SWAGGER. It's enough to make a girl add "-licious" to the ends of all her words...

How do you solve a problem like Cecilia?

2008-12-05T16:13:00.004-05:00

Ok, so today was eventful.

First, some of the design team (it's fun to say team, isn't it? MY TEAM. I like it.) and I went on a site visit to an AIDS hospice which needs to be turned into a (mostly) accessible space...and while the existing plans are nightmare-ish and a lot needs to be done in terms of drawing and planning which makes me anxious, it was a pretty moving experience. And the thing is, most of the people I work with have been working non-profit for years and have seen the most destitute, poor, and sickly situations that DC unfortunately contains (as do all big cities); therefore, the emotional toll that such visits take on a little ol' Kentucky gal like myself tend to be much greater than those of my collegues....in short, I'm green. And although I don't believe any member of my company to be totally jaded to such situations, the fact is, most of what Manna does is this kind of stuff, so they see it and know it. Anyway, we came in and the residents of this hospice were literally singing at the top of their lungs...you could hear it from outside. I don't know, what I'm trying to say is that I feel lucky to be alive, and I feel lucky to belong in a world/city that has people to open hospices for the sickly and to build houses for the not-so-fortunate. I realize it's cheesy, but there you have it.

Another thing! Carl, the much older (and much wiser) boss of me, permit specialist extraordinaire, is retiring pretty soon I think. Here's how the conversation went with us in the car on the way to the above mentioned site:

Bob: Carl, it sounds like you could use a trip to the Mexican Riviera soon....maybe passing on the torch would make your health in better condition (Carl's been a bit sick lately).

Carl: I was just thinking the same thing this morning.

Bob: So Cecilia, you about ready to take up the reins?

Me: Umm...can I have a trip to the Mexican Riviera before I do that?

Bob: Well, you know what they say...sometimes you're born into greatness, sometimes it's bred into you, and sometimes it's thrust upon you forcefully....

Me: Yep. Whatever works, Bob. (*laughs all around on the outside, long deep siiiiiiigh in my head*)

I would of course welcome the pay raise that would eventually come with the position, but man, do I have a lot more to learn. Scary! I do love Manna, though. Everyone is so nice and awesome that I take them for granted sometimes. I guess I won't really be able to say that work is boring once I have Carl's job....yikes.

Speaking of which, there's a work holiday party tonight that I want to go to in a way, but it doesn't start for another 2 hours, so it may be skipped. I'm way more awesome and ambitious than I'm making myself sound today. Oh well. In the next post, I'll go back to the regularly scheduled knitting/reading/crafty-ness banter. Cil ouuuut.

P.S. Who wants to watch The Sound of Music right now aside from me? Anyone? Anyone?

Knitters are dangerous...DUH

2008-12-04T15:58:00.002-05:00

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Nailed 'Em - Radical Knitting

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Originally posted by Mason-Dixon Knitting.....hilarious.

...or should I say, she once had me

2008-12-01T12:09:00.007-05:00

I love Thanksgiving.

This one was especially awesome. It was so fun hanging out with Lauren and Katie, and I'm ecstatic that my boo Dougie T is moving to Philly! I wish all my boos would move closer to me. Yep. Especially since the drive to KY is sooooooo long. But luckily, I had a Blake and an Ipod to keep me entertained (and awake).

So, I finished Mel's Big Green Beret, but I forgot to get pictures! Oh noes. So I've been texting her to take pictures herself, but she's a busy lady. I'll just have to keep bugging her. I will say that the hat turned out adorable, and seemed to fit Mel perfectly. Awesome.

In other knitting news, I'm just trucking along with the gifts, but to be honest I'm kind of wanting to read more than I want to knit these days. With that said, I still have a slew of gifts to finish. ug. Until I can get some pictures up, here are the books I've bought in the past week:

The Best American Non-Required Reading 2008 - I bought the 2007 one and liked most everything I read. I think I'd like to get the ones before 2007 as well...
The Artists Way (Julia Cameron) - This book is awesome. I think it's been around for a little while, and it focuses on unblocking creativity. I was sold on it after my bff recommended it to me.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (F. Scott Fitzgerald) - I think this movie looks so so awesome (I love Brad Pitt and the movies he does) and I really want to read the book before I see the movie.
Norwegian Wood (Haruki Murakami) - I love Murakami (duh), and this is one I haven't read. From my understanding, it is his most popular novel in Japan.
Custom Knits (Wendy Bernard) - amazing and super duper inspiring
Knitting New Mittens and Gloves (Robin Melanson and Tyllie Barbosa) - Yum. Gloves. Some sweet patterns in here and tips for designing gloves.

I buy too many books. When I get in phases, I get obsessed....and go crazy. Speaking of which, I saw "Australia" with my mom and Constance on Saturday...and now I'm obsessed with Hugh Jackman. See the movie if you haven't already. IT'S AWESOME.

Slowly getting things done.

mounds of love

2008-11-19T10:29:00.003-05:00

The "mounds" in that Kate Bush joke relates to boobs or candy bars....your choice.

One of my bosses (the one who drives us downtown and who I directly report to and will eventually replace when he retires) has been out a lot for the past two weeks because he's been sick. So, it's been pretty slow around here lately. Booooring. Although we supposedly have a "field trip" today...but that's going to be boring too. Blaaaaah.

So to alleviate my boredom and to perhaps incur boredom in you guys, here are a few patterns that I'm excited to knit (it's all in ze ravelry queue):

1. Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood (of Brooklyn Tweed) - Everyone's doing it or has done it, specifically the Yarn Harlot who is in 1x1 ribbed Noro obsession right now...

2. The Inga Hat by Sheila Macdonald - It's not a beret or slouchy, but it's damn pretty. I want it in gray and cream.

3. Entrelac Scarf by Allison LoCicero - Been wanting to make this one for FOREVER

4. Swiss Cheese Scarf by Winnie Shih (Ravelry download) - This calls for lace weight yarn which makes me want to gouge my eyes out, but gosh, it's a cute scarf. Maybe a mod is in order.

5. Selbu Modern by Kate Gagnon - This beret is sooooo pretty. And I had the pleasure of seeing it knit up at Stitches East. I want it. And I want it to be soft and fuzzy.

6. Cashmere Fingerless Gloves by Whitney at the Purl Bee - These are so simple and adorable...Purl Bee is my favorite knitting site as of late...

....and about a million hats. I'm really into them right now. They make big hair like mine look awesome. And it's balls cold outside.

My mom is in DC at her hotel in Dupont working, and I just got out of a 4 hour field trip/meeting. There was pizza though, so it was all ok. But I may sneak out early since I'm technically done for the day....yeeeeahhh. I could use some Caribou coffee.

Anyway. I'm going to finish the Little Gems Mitts this week....ish. I just HAVE TO FINISH SOMETHING. I already started to cast on another project last night until I had to smack my own hand. And getting that yarn in the mail won't help matters. Phooey. I WISH MY HANDS WERE LIKE LIGHTNING. So I could finish all this stuff, quick.

what's cooler than being cool?

2008-11-18T10:36:00.002-05:00

So I'm expecting a couple skeins of yarn from Yarnzilla tomorrow. I'm pretty excited about it. Not that I need more yarn, of course.

The top one is the yarn that I'm going to use to remake Melody's hat, but I'll be making it with the Big Blue Beret pattern. I think it suits her more. The other two I got just for fun (and they just happened to be on sale). 2 skeins of Noro Silk Garden Lite (in the above shown colorway) and 3 skeins of Misti Alpaca Suri Silk. You all know I can't resist Noro...or Alpaca.....

But! I do have a plan in mind. I'm going to start writing patterns soon. Yup! I'm starting with simple constructions like hats, scarves, and mittens, and then incorporating different stitch designs. What has brought on this new confidence, you ask? This book:

It's pretty amazing. It's a stitchonary type book, but one of the most extensive that I've seen. It has fair isle, lace, cables, decorative stitches, everything. So, starting out slow, I think I can create some pretty great patterns. It will have to wait of course, until my gift making is done. Wahhh.

I also bought Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow and Dostoyevsky's Notes From the Underground/The Double. I haven't read as much as I usually do lately. However, I did bring Murakami's The Wind Up Bird Chronicle with me on the metro today to slowly continue it. It's such a good book. So, so good. I suggest it to all.

My mom is coming in tomorrow! And then only a week until I'm in for Thanksgiving. Although I'm nervous about it, because I have to figure out a way to appease my family and my friends in Richmond by dividing my time. My mom of course always wins in the end but my friends are pushy too. I love them. I'm going to try and not stress myself out about it, because I miss KY and I want it to be a magical trip. I'm so excited to cook Polish food. No, my family isn't Polish, we just pick a different country every year to do food from. Because we're awesome. But we'll be without my little sister to help prepare the night before and morning of, so it may be a bit more laborous. However, Mel will be there, and hopefully in a good mood from recieiving the above mentioned hat. Yep.

It's a good thing I don't have babies. If I did, I may not be able to help as much with the food preparation because I'd have to divide my time, and if Melody/Constance couldn't help, well, my mom would get stuck doing all the work. Which I don't agree with, at all. Here's the thing: Blake and I see eachother everyday. We can be apart and with our families for the holidays. And honestly, even if I did have kids, I may consider switching every year with Blake so that we can each be with our families. I don't think that sounds bad at all. Sorry, on a little bit of a passive- aggressive rant. I'm just a little annoyed that my little sister is only going to be there for half a day. Argggg.

On another sort of rant-y note, I'm ready for Blake and I to move out on our own...LIKE, NOW. That's all I'll say on that one.

Give me words of praise and encouragment so that I may finish my knitting projects without collapsing. So much left to do!

eskimo kisses (it's effing cold)
-C moneyz

I'll buy you a kabab!

2008-11-17T11:31:00.005-05:00

So, inspired by Peachcake's post, I decided to join in:

A list of 10 movies that I love to watch because of what the interior of the characters' houses look like: (in no particular order)

1. The Baxter (have to agree with Peachcake on this one)...Baha Cuisine?!

2. Lost in Translation - This more relates to interiors in general, as it doesn't show anyone's residence (just the hotel). And this movie is set in Japan, so duh, of course I love it.

3. The Science of Sleep

4. 2046 - again with the asian influences, this time Chinese meets mid-century modern

5. Me and You and Everyone We Know - How can you NOT have cute interiors when Miranda July is involved?

6. Amadeus - Garish Austrian Rococo? I DIG IT

7. Me Without You - For two reasons: the cool interiors, and the fact that Michelle Williams is my super celebrity crush. Seriously. I love her.

8. Marie Antoinette - Once again, so over the top and amazing.

9. Blade Runner - Ridley Scott used a Frank Lloyd Wright house for this movie, and a lot of dim lighting effects. Schweet.

10. New York Stories - In no way is this movie Allen/Scorsese/Coppola's best AT ALL, but the use of loft space is pretty fabulous...

On the knitting front, I want to finish a project instead of continuing to start new ones. And I want to finish all you bastards' gifts so I can make awesome hats and such for myself. Yep. Hopefully I'll finish the other Little Gems Mitt and have pictures soon! In the meantime, you're the bosses, applesauces.

Oui Oui

2008-11-13T11:48:00.004-05:00

So, remember this skein of lovely from Hand Painted Knitting Yarns that I got at Stitches East?It's been getting increasingly cold here (not to mention particularly wet and rainy today), and I don't have any winter hats, which is quite a shame for a knitter. So, I decided to use some of my newly purchased yarn and make myself a quick hat. And, also, I wanted to find a use for one of the three skeins of varigated wool to validate said purchase (I NEVER buy variegated, usually just self-patterning or self-striping if not solid). So I chose the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret pattern, (available as a .pdf download from Ravelry), as other knitters have use variegated yarn for the project with success. Here it is:

The variegated yarn makes it kind of cute, no? It fits perfectly, and the single ply wool that it's made from is sooooooooo cozy and warm. I love it. I plan on making many more, which I would love to shape into berets. I'm digging berets right now. Maybe it's all the classic French films I've been watching. Now I just need a new winter coat to go with my knitted goods.

So after knitting this perfect hat, another issue reared it's ugly head regarding a gift I'm making for my older sister melody. Remember the issue I was having with the dye and size of the Pithy Hat? Well, I did try another round of setting the dye. It worked okay, but not completely. Also, I've been blocking the hat to get the cast on edge to stretch a bit, as it's too tight. Well, Manos is sort of scratchy to begin with. Luxurious and beautiful, but not crazy soft. So, as I'm sure you can imagine, all these issues have aggravated the yarn just a bit, to the point where it's not felted or anything, but it's gotten rougher. And it's still a bit snug. And the yarn didn't make a very airy or drapey fabric, making the hat sort of stiff.

So I'm starting over with Melody's gift. This is kind of a risk, as her birthday is on Thanksgiving week which gives me very little time, but hey, I knit the above hat in about 4 hours, so I can swing this. I'm thinking that I'll purchase some Karabella 8 in kelly green for her project, as it's crazy soft and the colorway she requested. I can't say I'm not frustrated though. ARG. I can't proclaim total dislike for Manos' 100% Wool, but I probably won't be buying it again anytime soon.

So, the question is, do I use the Pithy Hat pattern again? Or do I find a new pattern? Hmmm....looks like I have a few hours to spend on Ravelry. yes.

stitch please

2008-11-10T22:37:00.009-05:00

Knitters are full of puns...it's like a prerequisite to being a crafter...I love it.

So my weekend was pretty awesome! To be honest, the Washington Craft Show was cool at first, but became a bit boring after so many hours. Mostly because A) everything was WAAAAY too expensive for me to buy and B) although impressive, the stuff wasn't really my taste for the most part. I mean, there was some cool fiber stuff there, but again, too pricey for me. However, I did earn some extra money and felt good about helping out, so it was cool.

The absolute highlight of my weekend was Stitches East on Sunday. It was such a fun day, and Blake and I decided to take train/bus/light rail instead of drive, so it was kind of an adventure. Less talk, more pictures!
Blake and I on the Greenbelt bus.Blake likes to read to me on car rides or long trips. Here, he's reading "Little, Big" by John Crowley.

The WEBS booth....it was vast and amazing.

Blake looks silly here, but this is the only actual picture I was able to take with my camera inside Stitches until some cunt told me I couldn't. I was pretty sure she was just being cranky (as I saw others taking pictures), but the rest of my pics were sneakily taken on my phone. That aside, this HUGE bin had big ass bags of yarns for 50% off...pretty exciting.

The entrance into Stitches.

I don't remember this vendor, but I did manage to get a random picture of beautiful handspun wool...yum.

Blake picked out a silk/wool blend yarn for a nice cabled scarf that I'm going to knit him....

Me checking out my goods at Subway after.

All the yarn I bought....I was on a budget, but I still managed to come out pretty well. The jewel of my collection is the black and white yarn in the bottom left corner....100% alpaca from Pajolo Alpacas...their yarns were so soft and amazing that even Blake was struggling to hold back the drool. Pretty expensive for me, but totally worth it.

It was a really fun trip....I want to attend more fiber/knitting festivals, like Rhinebeck and maybe even Taos.

So, that aside, here's what I've been working on for the past few days...I need to finish my WIPs!

These are a birthday gift for my younger sister...I made her Knitty's Fetching last xmas, but they've come apart a bit because the yarn used and my past finishing skills left a little to be desired...so she's in need of a new pair of fingerless gloves. I think they are very cute...and very appropriate for her. A bit tedious though, as they're knit on teeny needles with teeny yarn...but the fun colorwork keeps me sane.

I miss Kentucky. I'm so excited I get to come home on Thanksgiving. And my mom is coming to visit me again in about a week. She makes DC extra amazing.

busiest beaver award

2008-11-06T11:49:00.002-05:00

My weekend is going to be crazy, and there are going to be lots of pictures and multiple posts, so be sure to check it out! Here's the lowdown:

Friday:

At my day job until 5-ish
To the Convention Center to work the Washington Craft Show from 6-9:30

Saturday:

Washington Craft Show again from 11am to 6pm (extra money + crafts = GOOD)

Sunday:

STITCHES EAST!!!! Figure out how the hell to get to Baltimore, and spend probably way too much money on yarn and things...from 10am-4pm. AND I'm dragging Blake with me. When I asked him excitedly if he was ready for the awesomeness of Stitches East, he said that he would have to practice his "oooohs" and "ahhhs" at the abundance of squishy yarn. I think he's got the gist of it.

So it'll be crazy. But, I'll make some extra money, get to see lots of crafts, and maybe even pick up a few handmade gifts. Be sure to check all this out if you're in the area!!!

yes we did

2008-11-05T14:10:00.008-05:00

What an exciting day it was yesterday! I got into the polls at around 3:30 or so, did not wait in line AT ALL (but of course would have), went to Michaels, and then the gym until about 6 pm. I spent most of the beginning of the night blocking my SECRET Project and trying to set the dye on the Pithy Hat while keeping my eyes on CNN. I was disappointed (yet unsurprised) that Kentucky immediately went red, but I had hope the entire day. When I voted in KY just last election, it went red then too. It always goes red....although I can't be too hard on KY, of course, as it is my home. Anyway, we all know what followed after. A huge moment in histry that I was so thrilled to be a part of, and a huge HUGE moment for all of us, particularly the minority population. I heard someone say that the emphasis on Obama being black by news correspondents was a bit heavy-handed, and honestly I couldn't disagree more. What an amazing moment. And as cheesy as it sounds, it's almost as if a renewed sense of unity between all colors and creeds is in the air today. I am amazed. And so excited for the future. "It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America."

I know he's a politician. I know politicians are full of sound bytes. However, this inclusiveness is something I have never seen in my adult life in our chief executives. Everyone I voted for had a victory last night: Moran, Warner, Obama/Biden. The downside of yesterday's election was the majority vote to ban gay mariiage in California. What a disappointment....you'd think CA wouldv'e voted differently.

Last night I heard a story of someone who is close to me (not close by my choice, but close because of marriage) ask what our country was coming to, and referred to Obama as a Muslim and an additional horribly racist word that I do not have in my vocabulary. On the less extreme side of that, many blogs and internet resources are still very strongly anti-Obama and connecting him with everything they possibly can, from his middle name being Hussein (why does this matter so much?) to his election damaging the very fiber of our country.

Here's what I wonder...what's the big fucking deal? Sure, I know that it sucks when your side loses, us Dems had to deal with that for about 6 years until we finally crept back into the House and Senate. But bi-partisanship aside, I don't understand why there's still so much hatred toward Obama. He's a great speaker, a professional and empathic politician, he wants to pull us out of Iraq (finally), and he's someone who understands (as we all do) that out country is in a poor state. Even if you don't agree with his policies, he won the election, and I don't believe that fact is going to reign in anarchy and chaos on our nation. I mean c'mon. We've had Bush in office for 8 years. Could it get any worse?

I am sure that it comes down to race...there are so many people who will not support someone who is Black...a mentality I have never understood. However, on the bright side, we DID elect Obama, so we must be getting somewhere. Hallelulah. And boo ya.

In addition to my rant, I am having SERIOUS issues with the Pithy Hat I knit for my sister (see the green cable-y one in the posts below). The dye is....not doing what it should. I of course bought it already dyed, and it's coming off on my hands and bleeds when I wet it. I tried taking the advice of a person on a Ravelry forum by putting it in vinegar water and zapping it in the microwave, but it still bleeds badly. I do NOT want to scrap the hat...the yarn is beautiful and so is the hat. If any of you have any advice, it would be most welcome. Arggg.

America Freaks Out '08

2008-11-04T09:59:00.006-05:00

Today is so exciting. And because I commute into DC for work, it's even more exciting because of the election buzz that is everywhere I turn. I haven't voted yet, but don't worry, I'm leaving le office early to do so. I can hear my (extremely democratic) boss down the hall bitching about McCain/Palin. He's a pretty funny guy. How can anyone even think of asking me to concentrate on actual work? There's far too much going on for that nonsense. Let's just hope Obama wins.

Anyway, onto knitting! I found a new favorite technique over the weekend, and there's quite a tale that goes with it. It begins like this: Ok, so you know the "SECRET Project" that I was working on and finished? Well, after looking at it for a couple of days, I knew it wasn't right. The yarn wasn't right for the project nor the person it was made for, so I frogged the whole thing. It was a bit tragic, but most definitely the right thing to do. And, since that yarn will no longer be used for the SECRET project, I can show you the yarn!
Although it looks harmless enough, this yarn is extremely bright and rainbow-y when knit up. It has bright blues, oranges, greens, pinks, EVERYTHING. It's a nice yarn though, I think I'll make it into a nice hat/beret for myself later. Oh yeah, and the yarn is Noro Iro in colorway 70. Noro yarn rools.

Ok, so I bought different yarn and found a much more appropriate pattern. And I learned stranded knitting! Well, I had attempted it before when I was making the Matrix mittens for my mom (which I still need to make before her birthday), but I was doing it all wrong. I was holding both colors in my right hand and get the skeins all twisted up together, so at the end of each round I had to unravel them. Considerably time-consuming. So, after a few rounds of this, I thought, "Is there a better way to do this?" And there was. Except that it involved me learning the dreaded Continental style of knitting (I'm an English knitter)...

So, as you can see here, I'm knitting a knit stitch with my right hand (It's a dark picture, but I'm holding one color in each hand), as I do normally. However, I had to hold the contrast color with my left hand, and knit it Continental Style...
So, the stranded method uses both English and Continental style knitting at the SAME TIME. Crazy. Although I'm really glad I learned because I love the way Fair Isle knitting looks and it is, of course, created using the stranded knitting method. The back of the work (or wrong side) will look like this with stranded knitting:
Once again, I know ti's a dark picture, but you can see the yarn being "floated" behind, which give the entire fabric a double thickness. I like it. I think I may even like stranded knitting more than entrelac, and you all know how much I love entrelac. I've already put a bunch of Fair Isle and Selbu projects in my queue. Being a knitter is awesome.

Some upcoming projects that I have in the works:
-Jaime's Stripey Hat
-Katie Bell's Endpaper Mitts
-Little C's Little Gems Mitts and Kittyville Hat
-Dusteeno's Fingerless Manly Mitts
-Doug's Eraserhead Pillow
-Emilie's Pencil Scarf

Oh yes! And as per Jelly Donut's request, here is the link to the Pencil Scarf pattern, found on Zakka Life's blog. It's going to be my youngest niece's Christmas gift, as she's a little artist.

Things are coming along, and getting all of this done before Christmas doesn't seem that unrealistic to me anymore. Am I crazy? Maybe. But I'm also prolific and AWESOME.

Werewolf Bar Mitzvah: spooky, scary

2008-10-31T11:44:00.003-04:00

Boys becoming men...men becoming hairy...

Ok so, I wasn't really planning to dress up for Halloween, and I still probably won't, but Blake and I did see a set of costumes in the window of a novelty shop that I can't decide whether they are stupidly corny, suggestively hilarious, or BOTH...aka awesome.

It may be kind of dumb. But Blake and I can make ANYTHING cute. No really. It's quite a skill.

The most amazing thing happened last night! So you know that Branching Out scarf I'm working on? Well, I was concerned as to whether or not I had enough yarn, as my mom likes longer scarves and I wanted to add some fringe. After finishing up one ball of Karabella Aurora 8 (which I'm a big fan of, by the way) and the scarf only being about 2.5', I knew I needed another ball. The only place near me that has that particular colorway of Aurora 8 is the Stitch DC in Georgetown (which is who I bought the first two balls from), so I decided to go there last night. I was praying (but not counting on) them having the same colorway AND dye lot that I've been using, and THEY DID. Amazing. I bought the first two balls 2 months ago, and Stitch DC is a well known LYS...how did I get so lucky? So now I can finish the scarf this weekend without fear that there will be a slight difference in color when I change balls. This is the delicious yarn I speak of:

I also finished my SECRET project last night, but I'm feeling a bit insecure about it. I'll say that the colors are just a bit...rainbow-y...I just don't know. People are funny about colors, and I may just start over with a new yarn and a new project. However, it will set me back a bit, time-wise....blurg.

Have you guys ever been around someone who was constantly trying to compete with everything (literally, EVERYTHING) you say or do? It's been affecting me somewhat lately. I don't mean to be cryptic, it's just been on my mind. I mean, hey, I don't think I'm better than anyone, and I always try to be considerate in the way I word things to even the MOST sensitive people in my life, but this is different. And irritating. I think I'll stop letting it bother me.

I joined Bally today, and I'm going to the gym tonight. I'm pretty excited about it. I'm also going to plan out healthy dinners from the Bob Greene site that my mom has joined. It's all happening. Yep.

I'm looking at a weekend full of knitting, so I'm sure I'll have more pictures to post very soon....and Happy Halloween guys...GO CRAZY.

MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE...or just knitting I guess.

2008-10-27T12:12:00.006-04:00

Bold for stuff you’ve done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you’re not planning on doing.

American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Bobbles
Button holes
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Continental knitting - (epic fail)
Darning
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Drop stitch patterns
Entrelac
Fair Isle knitting
Freeform knitting
Fulling/felting - both accidentally and intentionally
Garter stitch
I-cord
Intarsia
Kitchener BO
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with DPNs (we all know how I feel about DPNs...blech)
Knitting and purling backwards
Knitting smocking
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Lace patterns
Long Tail CO
Moebius band knitting
Norwegian knitting
Magic Loop - hellz yeah I ROOL AT MAGIC LOOP
Short rows
Slip stitch patterns
Steeks (I will try one day, but I find it effing SCARY)
Stockinette stitch
Swatching - not nearly as much as I should
Textured knitting
Thrummed knitting
Tubular CO
Twisted stitch patterns
Two end knitting - had to look this one up...I prob won't ever do it

Knitting with alpaca
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Knitting with banana fiber yarn - not yet, but blondechicken on Etsy has some that I want!
Knitting with beads
Knitting with camel yarn
Knitting with cashmere
Knitting with cotton
Knitting with dog/cat hair - nope, but maybe I'm spin up some Myoshi yarn...it'd prob feel like angora I imagine?
Knitting with linen
Knitting with metal wire
Knitting with soy yarn - have some but haven't knit with it yet
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Knitting with silk
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Knitting with wool

Afghan/Blanket (baby)
Baby items
Cardigan
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Gloves
Hat
Hair accessories
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Jewelry
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Pillows - got a cweet one planned for a friend
Purses/bags
Rug
Shawl - what the hell would I do with a shawl? All "shawl" type things to me are just oversized scarves, essentially
Scarf
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Slippers
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Stuffed toys
Sweater
Toy/doll clothing

Charity knitting
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street) - no, but I'm going to do this immediately
Knitting art
Knitting for pets
Knitting for preemies
Knitting items for a wedding
Knitting a gift
Holiday related knitting

Designing knitted garments - Not yet...well, not one I've written up, anyway
Dying with plant colors
Dying yarn
Participating in a KAL
Publishing a knitting book
Knitting to make money
Knitting for a living - pshhh...I wish. Sorta.
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Knitting on a loom
Machine knitting
Olympic knitting
Teaching a male how to knit - not yet, but it WILL happen
Writing a pattern
Knitting in public

Now that I've done that, here's my mom's xmas scarf! YOu should all know that I'm VERY pleased with myself as this project is:

a) the first somewhat intricate lace project I've done
b)Nearly halfway done after only 1 1/2 days
c) The coolest thing I've knit...and with no unfixable mistakes (YET)

I finished the Pithy Hat too, but I need to set the dye with vinegar water (the green rubbed off on my hands a little, and although I don't think this is neccessarily common with Manos yarn, it's been known to happen), and I need to block it also. I sort of want to kick myself a little because the cast on edge is too tight...just slightly. I'm hoping blocking with help.

Going to Uniquities today to get another ball of Karabella Aurora 8 yarn to finish the above scarf...I hope the different dye lots are ok together, as I need to make it long and I want to add fringe. Also getting some other yarn from Uniquities...but the project is a SECRET. And I need yarn to make the Endpaper Mitts for my friend Katie...well, a contrasting color of yarn. I'm going to drag Blake with me to Vienna so he can see the glorious Uniquities. Let's just hope I can get out of the office in time to go....

So, you guys like my new widgets? I decided to add my Shelfari and Netflix info with all of you, and you should do the same on your blogs!

Oh yeah...and the sixth HP movie isn't coming out until July 2009. I am so pissed about it. I mean, WHAT THE HELL GUYS.

Bai dorkz,

Cecilia

Time is making fools of us again

2008-10-23T11:39:00.006-04:00

Ok so I found the coolest thing last night...a combination of two of my favorite things ever....what's that, you say? There's a way to combine Harry Potter and yarn? But how?

Opal came out with a new line of self-patterning sock yarn this fall dedicated to some of the HP characters! I 'm pretty set on getting some. Here's the yarn in skeins:

And here it is knit into socks:

For more info, check out Opals's website.

It's pretty pricey yarn, but 1 skein can make a sweet pair of socks. And as I'm sure you know, I'm not really a sock knitter at all...but this yarn could inspire me to become one. I particularly love the Dumbledore, Lupin, and Ron yarns...although I have to express my annoyance that there's no Hermione or Ginny yarns...Hermione is my favorite.

Did any of you see the three patterns that Knitty added today? None of them are really my thing, except for a pair of socks that I found fitting to this blog...

Yep. Frankensocks. Again, more inspiration to become a sock knitter.

So, I haven't been cooking really at all (if you saw the lack of space in my kitchen and the messiness of the people I live with, you wouldn't either), but I'm still trying to make good things to eat, particularly for my lunches. I have been eating this salad all week, and I've decided it's the best lunch ever!

You guys should try it.

It's made with:
-baby spinach
-dried cranberries
-crumbled goat cheese (I know, right?)
-sliced almonds
-annnnd Trader Joes Fat Free Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette (yum)

Stitch N Bitch this past Tuesday was AWESOME. Everyone is so smart and funny in my SnB, and I found out Tuesday that they also have great taste in music as well. One of them , whose name is Allison and has an etsy shop at A Stitch to Wear, saw the Nick Cave show that I was DYING to see in early October, but I couldn't go because I had house guests. Anyway, it was just really cool talking to everyone on Tuesday, and I'm so glad I started going to the DC SnB. I haven't gotten a picture of the group, but here's The Saloon on U St, where the weekly SnB is held.

Not the greatest picture, I realize. The important thing is, the beer is great. And on Tuesday, they gave us free food because we're regulars to the bar. It was delicious.

So I want to move to Arlington with Blake really soon. I'm so frustrated with my living situation and the Clarendon area of Arlington seems to have some awesome people, The Galaxy Hut, and proximity to a metro that can get Blake and I to work. Ideally of course, I'd live in the city. But, it will be a little while until I can do that. Either way, Northern VA is less than 10 miles away in most cases, and I think Arlington seems cool.

My Pithy Hat is almost done. And I frogged the Cat's Paw scarf...I have something else is mind now...Have I reached my WIP limit yet? I need to finish these things!

Best knitting pun to date: Purl Jam

2008-10-21T15:06:00.006-04:00

1. Cecilia Gallerani, aka "The Lady with an Ermine" - Leonardo Da Vinci, 2. salmon belly sushi for you ?, 3. Front cover of the 1937 Madison Central HIgh School yearbook, 4. 47/365 - let go, 5. Gael García Bernal, 6. Vitamin Water Rainbow, 7. 宮川町 Miyagawa-cho, 8. do you ♥ a matcha tiramisu? ^-^/, 9. Call of the Raven (formerly Nature's Special Effects), 10. The Calvo Family - Holidays, 11. September 8th - Kaleidoscopic, 12. 365 Toy Project: My Heart's a Bitter Buffalo

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.b. Using only the first page, pick an image.c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.The Questions:

1. What is your first name? Cecilia
2. What is your favorite food? Sushi
3. What high school did you go to? Madison Central
4. What is your favorite color? Brown
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Gael Garcia Bernal
6. Favorite drink? vitamin water
7. Dream vacation? Japan
8. Favorite dessert? Tiramisu
9. What you want to be when you grow up? Happy
10. What do you love most in life? my family
11. One word to describe you? kaleidoscopic
12. Your flickr name? bitterbuffalo25

I love these things...don't you guys? Looking at all those pictures of sushi made me want some....I may have to stop by Kabuki Sushi before my Stitch N Bitch tonight...Here's a kntting mosaic, just for fun!

1. Silk Garden 226, 2. Rolling Hills of Noro, 3. Young Cria - Diana and Scott Blair's Alpacas, 4. Seasons Cable Fingerless Gloves, 5. f. pea, 6. http://www.flickr.com/photos/9055213@N02/605762117/, 7. knitting, 8. DSC00101, 9. entrelac scarf, 10. attempt #2 at knitting on double pointed needles yields success, 11. Frankenskein on Merino-Rambouillet, 12. day dreamers

1. Favorite yarn? Silk Garden
2. Favorite brand? Noro
3. Favorite fiber? Alpaca
4. Favorite thing to knit? Gloves
5. Favorite knitting blog? f pea (currently)
6. Favorite LYS? Uniquities (in Vienna, VA)
7. Stitch N' Bitch I attend? DC Stitch N Bitch
8. Current WIP name? Pithy Hat
9. Favorite skill/technique? entrelac
10. Most hated skill/technique? DPNs
11. Blog name? Frankenskein
12. City I knit in? Alexandria, VA

Let my love open the door

2008-10-20T12:15:00.011-04:00

As someone who is a knitter, an artist, and a architectural designer, I have realized that I notice silly, tiny little things in tv/movies that other people do not. I notice knitted items in EVERY movie/tv show I watch, artwork framed distantly in the background, wallpaper and bedding, etc. And, while I consider this for the most part a wonderful thing, it does tend to suck up quite a bit of time on le interweb when I feel hellbent on finding, for example, a similiar wallpaper to the one used on Flight of the Conchords in Bret/Jermaine's bedroom...

And I don't think this happens because I lack originality...I think I am just someone who is very easily inspired by visual images...so I may stray from where I started, but the initial inspiration found in movies and some tv sends me into a frenzy...if I had no eyes, I would have no life....I guess that's a characteristic that is shared among us knitters.

Anyway, my point is, I have a lot of fun finding patterns for knitted items I've seen...and 90% of the time, some similiarly crazy knitter has already seen the item in question and written up a pattern for it. Here's a couple that I've been thinking of writing patterns for:
Mary's hat in "The Secret Garden"

Lily's hat in "Eagle Vs. Shark"...this one would be an easy one to write....you can't really tell, but all it is is a super-duper wide 1x1 ribbing around the bottom, and then a non-gradual cinch at the top....similiar to the Pithy Hat I'm working on...
And of course, all of the many many MANY HP-inspired knits...This still is from THE NEW HP. The best book...of the series. And so help me, if they mess it up like the 5th movie.....WHO'S EXCITED? Not quite nerdy enough, you say? Well, there was even a sweeeet book written on the subject of HP knits:This book has sweaters, hats, scarves (of course), socks....all from the HP movies. I hope she writes another one after they get done with all the movies, because I want to make that lacy cabled hat worn by Hermione in the image above from the 6th movie. Is anyone else annoyed that they made Daniel Ratcliffe's hair look stupid again for the new movie? It needs to be longer! Oh well.

So Blake and I have been watching a lot of "True Blood"...it's that show about vampires on HBO with Anna Paquin. It's pretty good! Cheesy dialogue, and well, it's about vampires, but there's something about it that I like.

Do you ever just want to skip town for a year and go to....I dunno, Japan or something? I've been thinking a lot about that lately. I guess it's because my undergraduate studies are over and I'm feeling adventurous for foreign countries. I think we're going to Europe next year. It'll do Blake and I a lot of good, I believe.

My mom used to (and still may) have this big box of winter wear in the closet nearest to the front door that we would all rustle through and wear when it was cold out. It was like a community winter gear box for all four of us kids....I'd like to see that stuff again and try to recreate it, as I remember a set of hats/mittens that were so vintage and adorable....I'll have to ask her about that.

Speaking of my mom's house, she's been cleaning the garage and she found a bunch of my old art stuff...and pictures of my family.My grandpa (Mom's dad) in the 1950s...in Casablanca....he was in the service and travelled everywhere.

One day I will get those scarves done...The August is For Melody scarf needs to be done by Thanksgiving....and I am just DRAGGING on it...Hopefully my resurgent interest in watching movies constantly will deplete some of my WIP woes.

Send me links to the stuff you guys have been making! Whether it's a Flickr image, something on your Ravelry/Craftster, whatever! Whip it out.

I love New Zealand 'eccents'

2008-10-17T13:24:00.014-04:00

So I called in sick to work today...I mean, I have been sick, but today I knew I didn't have to go downtown and deal with DCRA people or anything else majorly important, so I stayed home. Sometimes you just need a day off. Also, I have pictures!

The green hat pictured to the right is the beginning of the Pithy Hat, knit with my Manos Del Uruguay yarn. In the second picture, you can kind of see what I meant before when I said that the cables aren't really well defined...but I think it'll be a good gift anyway. It feels wonderful...soft and almost silky, although there's no silk at all in it.
Down below you can see my niece's Silk Garden hat, which turned out really well, I think. I really want to knit myself one in a different colorway. The pattern actually calls for me to pick up and knit some ribbing along the bottom, but I think it's cute rolled up like this, don't you?

I think I'll ask Livia what she thinks when I give it to her on Christmas. She's a little fashionista, so I know she'll have an opinion. Either way, it's an easy easy knit.

I've also got better pictures of my Magnum Scarf. It's so pretty, I just cannot stop touching and looking at it.

Team Leanne! She won! I liked her and Kenley the best from the beginning, and then Kenley started getting snarkily mouthy...so even though I liked her taste generally, I was rooting for Leanne. So..yes! I want that wedding dress, by the way....

I'll probably watch movies and knit most of the day....and perhaps go out later? I went shopping for a few new clothes, so I have cute things to wear. I miss Blake a lot these days. He works kind of long days, and I'm not much on being alone. But the bad thing is, I also don't feel comfortable around many people...so i kind of miss Blake being around for me to joke with.

Anyway! I may post pictures later of some stuff I bought. In the mean time, find love in everything you do, my friends. And look forward to the new season of Flight of the Conchords in January! It's going to be awesome.

What's 'boobs' in French?

2008-10-14T12:08:00.009-04:00

So I'm sick, and its awful. Especially since I have a busy week at work with a huge deadline so I can't stay home...blurg. Well, atleast, I don't want to stay home, because I want my bosses to be impressed by my determination. I clearly have SOME free time, as I am blogging. right now. at work. Anyway, I'm just taking Mucinex until it gets better, and it needs to get better soon.

I can't decide if I'm going to my Stitch n' Bitch tonight...part of me really wants to go, chat, and also see if imported beer kills this cold, and part of me thinks it might be kind of crappy to go when I'm sick. If not just for my sake, then the sake of my fellow knitters...I don't want to get knitting needles shoved in my ears later on because I got someone else sick.......I don't know what to do! Speaking of which, I should point out BugHeart's blog. It's really pretty and awesome, and she is (one of) the main coordinators for DC SnB. And she's an entomologist, which is neat!

So I've been knitting a lot lately, obviously, and aside from working on the two scarves mentioned in the previous post (which are taking FOREVER), I also finished a Noro hat for my niece's xmas gift. I've since cinched one side and put a pom-pom on top, but here is the most recent picture I have

I love Silk Garden....I just think it is the prettiest yarn ever. I'll post pictures very soon of the finished product...it's adorable.

Now I'm also working on a Pithy Hat for a gift as well, in the green Manos Del Uruguay yarn shown in a previous post. The problem is, the yarn is quite slubby, and there are lots of thick/thin spots, which I LOVE (it's the reason I bought it), but the stitch definition of the cables and ribbing is kind of...lacking because of the slubbiness of the yarn. I mean, it still looks cool, but not vrey well defined. I don't want to frog it just yet though....pictures on this to come as well.

In lieu of more knitting pictures, I'm going to show you a secret that could cost me my life...

It's le office desk. I'm pretty important, huh? Yeah.

Ok so, I've been getting back into Netflix and I think all you fellow Netflixers should share with me what you've been watching/plan to watch! Here's a few on my list:

-At home:

In Bruges - watched it, and it was pretty good. Some hilariously funny moments, but all in all a pretty dark movie.
Eagle Vs. Shark - Hilarious movie. Jermaine Clement is my wannabe b/f
The Unbearable Lightness of Being - One of my favorite books, but haven't watched the movie yet...I rented it from Netflix previously, but Blake accidentally sent it back....so I rented it again.

-Upcoming:

Pom Poko - A Ghibli Studios film that I'm really excited to see.
Breathless - Godard's most famous.
A Woman is a Woman - another Godard film.
Umbrellas of Cherbourg - I should've watched this years ago...Catherine Deneuve is hot.

So more to come very soon....pictures and such.

Live every week like it's Shark Week

2008-10-08T10:20:00.007-04:00

Sorry for some crappy picture quality on the first and last pictures....One was taken with my phone, and well, my camera isn't really that great. In fact, it sucks for taking pictures in artificial light. So...I'm in the market if you guys have suggestions.

Anyway, to more important things! These are the beginning of my xmas gifts, and boy are they moving slower than I thought they would. The only semi-instantly gratifying project I had was the scarf at the top....the Mega-Cabled Scarf mentioned previously, and whose pattern is on the Stitch DC Blog. This pattern was really fun and super quick, and I intend on making more of them in the future.

The bottom two pictures are gifts for my sister (Yellow and White plaid-ish...aptly named "August is For Melody" from the August is for Jack pattern. The pattern is easy, but a bit slow. I'm about halfway done with it, and it will be Mel's bday gift. The burgundy scarf is from a simple lace pattern called Cat's Paw Lace. It's going a bit quicker than the other one, but what can I say, I'm impatient. After these are done, I'll probably start on the fingerless gloves meant for my little sister's birthday, which falls two days before xmas. Phew....lots of work ahead!

So...I bought two tickets to Stitches East! I decided to forego the classes, as I want to save more money for purchasing yarn and supplies. In the interest of practicality and restraint, I am NOT buying yarn or anything else knitting related until Stitches East...only a month away, but given the pace that I've been buying yarn and knitting stuff, even a month without doing so will be a needed break. So, if any of you are also going to Stitches East in Baltimore, let me know the most convenient way to get there! The MARC train doesn't run on the weekends, no metro goes out that far...so I'm still figuring out how we'll get there that Sunday. I really would hate to drive it....blech.

Here's what I want more than anything right now: To stay in a cabin/chalet somewhere in Shenandoah, just me and Blake. A hot tub, canoeing, fishing, and wine drinking....where can i find this? I keep searching for some kind of highly convienient search engine for something of this sort...I NEED TESTIMONIALS...I put my Autumn weekend getaway as well as my sanity in your hands, readers. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, watch 30 Rock every night like I have been. it.is.AWESOME.

Also, check out the Yarn Harlot's latest post where she inspires one of her readers to get Barack Obama to hold a knitted sock in progress! True test of a famous person's character, I say. You can find her blog in the side margin under "dope knitting blogs" ------------------------------>

Peace Ma Nerrrrrrrrdz,

Cecilia

Manos del Me

2008-09-29T21:29:00.012-04:00

So, I have to begin by pointing out that the DOW dropped 777 points....crazy depressing. And by depressing I mean Depression. So, in true "the economy is bad, so I need to be entertained" form, I went out and bought more yarn today. Whoops. In my defense, I've had a rough couple of days. I won't go into detail. More importantly, I found the greatest LYS (local yarn supplier for all you who don't know the lingo) EVER. Really. After reading some Northern Virginia Ravelry forums, I noticed that a great deal of people were talking about a store called Uniquities in Vienna. So, today, I was feeling tired and a bit down when I decide to go to Knit Happens and buy yarn...but failed to remember that its closed on Mondays until I reached the doorstep. So with my GPS-enabled phone in hand (it's a lifesaver, let me tell you), I decide to take the opportunity to check out Uniquities before it closed for the day, as I knew it was about a 20 minute drive. It was awesome. It had everything I could possibly want in a yarn store and more. Lots and lots of stock, helpful people, and even prices that were a bit lower. I'll definitely be back. I've fallen off the wagon, folks. But you know...with yarn. So check out what I got.

The Manos del Uruguay (shown in the kelly green color) is some of the most beautiful yarn I've ever seen. They also had Noro, but that will have to wait...

So, on Sunday I went with my mom and Blake to the Crafty Bastards show, and it was great. The only disappoint was that Stitch DC pulled out at the last minute (that's what she said) and I didn't get to see my buddy employee (dealer) person. Oh well. Pictures!

The free tote and the Make zine tshirt! The people from Craft zine were there too, and it was great to talk to them.

My mom checking out the goods.

An especially cute craft. There were so many talented people there. This particular piece is made by Beth B. at Tiger Flight (tigerflight.etsy.com, but she has her stuff on magpiedc.etsy.com for the time being).

Other notable sellers that you should all check out:

LoyaltyandBlood: Created by David Denosowicz and Maggie Doyle. Screen-printed t-shirts and totes, and awesome charm jewelry.
Folktale Fibers: Some of the most beautiful handspun yarn I've ever seen. There's not much on her etsy now, but she does have an option where you can pick your own colors and she'll spin you up 4 oz of lovely falkland sheep goodness.
Chris Creatures: Lots of amigurumi stuff, including sushi made into karate fighters, adorable refrigerator magnets, and basically the cutest stuff you've ever seen. Oh yeah, and Chris is pro-Obama. Awesome.
Block Party Press: Really beautiful, whimsical, and folksy jewelry and accessories. I am personally madly in love with her honeycomb necklace...just in case any of you have inquiring (and gift-giving) minds.
Final Approach: Seriously one of the coolest ideas ever. This seller takes reclaimed suitcases and bags and makes them into works of art. I think his etsy is empty because he had everything at the Crafty Bastards show, but shoot him an email or add him to your favorites. You'll be glad you did.
kg + ab: Simple, clean, and lovely decorative items. This includes sculpture, dining ware and wall art. Once again, no items for sale right now, but check out the seller's previous stuff for a basic idea of the aesthetic.
Sofia Masri: Sofia handmakes ornate and stunning porcelain jewelry, and it was quite hard to get my hand on the purse strings and not buy some of her lovely earrings. This store is up and running, so check it out. Also check out her other store: Poopsie.
Jenny Jen 42: You can see Jenny's stuff in the above picture with my mom holding the pillow. This seller does some great things with felt appliqués and fabric. It makes me want to start using appliqués....all the time...on everything I own.

I hope this will inspire you all to come to DC for the great craft fairs and stores here. I'm going to save money for next year's fair and buy allllllll kinds of awesome stuff. It'll be ridiculous. I can't wait.

How 'bout that debate, huh? I'm excited to talk about it with my SnB group tomorrow...over German beer! Yes!

Bigger is better

2008-09-25T15:13:00.009-04:00

Ok, so, it's been awhile.. I always think about posting, but then I think, "nobody reads this, so blehhh"...but now I'm thinking that I don't give a fuck who reads this and I'm going to log my thoughts in it anyway and catergorize this task to a very full folder in the back of my brain: self-indulgent ramblings. And speaking of indulgence, I have some news on that front; I have been buying yarn like crazy lately, and although I think I need to calm down until I actually complete a couple of projects (they're all xmas gifts), I think I'm going to be buying this today:

It's called "Magnum", and rightfully so. I'll refrain from the multitude of penis jokes I could make here relating to the above mentioned name, but you should know...it's amazing (I have it in a deep and peacock-y bluish-green). It's super bulky, comes in great colors, and softy silky woolly goodness. I just want to buy a bed made out of it. I'm so into chunky yarn lately...I think's because super chunky knit scarves are coming back in style, and I want to make them. Lots of them. Specifically, a free pattern that can be found on stitch dc's blog designed by the amazing Marie Connelly: http://stitchdcblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/cabled-scarf.html

When it's done, it looks like this:

I love it. It will knit up so quick! The bad thing is that I've already planned out my other knit gifts, so if I made this, I'd be making for moi, so I would feel EXTRA bad buying this yarn and the size 19 needles needed to make it. And yes, I said the words "cock", "penis" and "magnum" in the previous paragraph. Maybe that'll up the google hits that I get on this blog...GENIUS.

Ok...so I wrote half of this blog yesterday without finishing it, and I did end up buying that skein of yarn....it's insanely pretty. And I love Stitch DC in Capitol Hill. Everyone is really nice, especially this lady named Lauren who always helps me wind my new yarn and who seems really cool.

TGIFriday, right? My mom is in town and I'm really excited about the things we have planned. Here goes:

Watching the debate tonight (if it even happens) and throwing rotten tomatoes in the general direction of John MCCain/Palin
Ordering AMAZING Thai food from this place near my house whilst watching said debate/whatever it's going to be
Getting my KnitPicks order in on Saturday, which has some lovely xmas gift yarn inside
Doing something awesome on Saturday in the area? Probably going to see Ghost Town (I heart Ricky Gervais)
GOING TO THE CRAFTY BASTARDS SHOW with my mom!!!!!! I'm going to take pictures, and update them on here next week sometime. I hope I miiiiiiight be able to afford something...even if it's small. Or at the very least get the vendors' etsy info so I can save up and buy later.
Maybe going to the DC SnB @ Teasim on Sunday after my mom leaves if I can make it.

Oh, and speaking of Stitch N Bitch, I went to one at this great bar on U St on Tuesday night, and had a really awesome time! We drank beer and talked shop and politics, and everyone was awesome, liberal, and intelligent, and funny. I will def be going to it every Tuesday, and perhaps their meetings at other locations on Sunday and Thursday nights. I love knitters. They're just better people. :)

The Office last night was AWESOME.

Hopefully getting out of the ol' orafice today early to hang with my mom in the city a bit before we go back into VA. We've eaten at a couple great places that I highly recommend if you haven't already been:

Biddy Mulligan's: In Dupont circle, actually inside the hotel my mom was staying in. Obviously Irish, and good.
Clyde's of Georgetown: In Georgetown (duh), fancy district, and this place is apparently a staple of the area. Seafood was delicious. Best thing we got was the Crab Tower appetizer and the Lobster Bisque. Good lord it was good.
Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe: Also in Dupont, a bookstore AND a cafe. There are a few of these types of places in DC. All we got was Riesling wine (I think the brand was called "Naked" and it was some of the best I've had), a combo appetizer aptly named "sharezies", and dessert. It looked good, and tasted even better. I will come back to this place many times over.
Po Siam: The Thai restuarant in Alexandria that mom and I have eaten at before, and loved. The curry dish was great, and the restaurant itself is clearly a place that someone takes pride in...and they deliver to my house. Awesome? yes.

Of course, I don't usually eat out this often, but since my mom has been in this week and we've stayed in the city, we've eaten really well. I'm already sad for her to leave, because my mom makes life fun and great. She's the best mom in the world.

Anyway, enough of that. I've been knitting lots! I think I'll post pictures of my progress another time, when I upload my Crafty Bastards show pics. So...lots more knitting stuff to come.

planes, trains, automobiles

2008-05-15T03:20:00.016-04:00

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

Baby stuff

2008-05-06T21:04:00.007-04:00

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!

Enthusiasm!

2008-05-04T22:36:00.011-04:00

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 been 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!

little kid things

2008-02-23T20:48:00.012-05:00

By the way, here are the patterns of the things I am knitting for Erin's baby Stella. These are of course, pictures of the pattern knitted by others, but it gives a good idea of what it will all look like, with some changes in color of course.

This is the sweater I'll be knitting, only in blue (KnitPicks' Crayon).

And this dress, in one of my Wool-Ease colors, haven't decided which one yet. This is actually meant for a two year old, which means Erin will have something for Stella when she gets a bit bigger.

And this bottle snuggly, in KnitPicks' Shine Worsted (Cream and Terracotta). It even has a cute little tail! So adorable.

I'm going to try and knit up bigger sizes of the clothing items (if yarn yardage allows), so that Stella will have clothes when she is a few months older, or if she's a bigger baby. Anyway, I'm pretty excited to get my yarn in, and I'm going to try and get as much knitting in here and there while I'm in school, but I don't think I will complete these gifts until after I graduate. That means that Stella will be about 2 months old at this point, so there's another reason for trying to make bigger clothes. I guess that even if I run out of yarn, I can always order more on KnitPicks, right? We'll see. Also, all of it will be knit in machine washable yarn!

Speaking of KnitPicks, I wish my damned order would come in. I wanted to get it today, but I probably won't receive it until my birthday (Monday!). Oh well.

The Famous Toby Flenderson 10,000 watt Smile

2008-02-22T01:03:00.009-05:00

Hey doods! So, unfortunately, there hasn't been much on the horizon as far as knitting updates go. Although, Blake did spend some cash on me for some excellent KnitPicks wool yarn, and I'm really excited to get it in the mail. I'm planning on using most of it to knit a couple of baby Stella gifts for Erin. I've never knit anything for a non-adult before, but I've come to the following conclusion: baby/child gifts = smaller and less time consuming, even fun stuff like sweaters. So, when I have time to do so, I plan on knitting even more stuff for Stella, Livia, Emilie, and Landon. Pretty exciting.

So, I have a few pictures to share of my recent cooking exploits. I've made many, many more than this, but these were the most successful:

This is a spinach omelet with part-skim ricotta cheese on the side. I made this for Blake and I last weekend, when he was sick with a virus. This came from the Martha Stuart book (shown on the left)

This is something I made for myself one evening, also out of the same magazine. It is cayenne pepper chicken with an avacado lime salsa on the side. It's more like a salad I guess, as I cut the avacado extra chunky.

This is baked catfish with sauteed carrots and russet potatoes. The sauce on the side is a combination of low fat sour cream, horseradish, and dijon mustard. The recipe for the fish and sauce was taken from the Bob Greene recipe book my mom gave me. This is a bit large for a dinner, but we had it for lunch today. The catfish is breaded with Wasa fiber crackers. A bit starchy I know, but I'm glad we're getting some veggies in.

I made this tonight for myself. It's pizza, only better! I used a whole grain wheat tortilla instead of pizza crust, and I added a bit of tomato sauce, neufchatel and Parmesan cheese, artichokes, and mushrooms. It was so good! I'm going to try making this with some baby spinach next.

Blake and I were talking today and saying that we can't believe how we used to eat. We used to eat NO vegetables, a minimum amount of fruit, and lots of carbs and starches. I just feel that something has clicked, and I will never go back to eating how I did before. I've been really good about not skipping meals and eating lots of fiber, antioxidants, omega-3s, and healthy proteins. And I've been taking lots of good vitamins. I haven't weighed myself in a little while because I want to focus more on health than weight loss, but I can feel myself losing weight. It's really great.

Nietzsche wins a Toyota Tundra!

2008-02-06T19:36:00.002-05:00

I can't take credit for my subject title...Blake and Doug are plotting a movie about Nietzsche that is essentially equivalent to Bill and Ted....what dorks.

Ok, so I've made a bunch of awesome dinners lately, and tonight, I took a picture of Blake and I's excellent meal. I made swordfish steaks, edamame, and quinoa. Quinoa is a super healthy grain (that is both a protein and a fiber) that has gotten a lot of hype in the States lately. I know that it has been eaten in South America for forever, but now it's available here! Check it out:

The swordfish is flavored with lemon juice, lemon pepper, and dill. The quinoa looks like it would be weird, but it is actually really good! It's supposed to be somewhat of a rice substitute. Looks delicious, no?

On the crafty side of things, I have decided that as soon as I get enough time to be more prolific with my knitted goods, I'm going to open up shop on Etsy.com and also in the Makery and sell some stuff. I'm really, really, really excited about it. I'm also growing more and more excited to move to D.C. I can't wait!

Life is awesome.

Frankenskein cooks!

2008-02-01T00:43:00.002-05:00

So my mom sent me my birthday present early, and it is the best gift ever. So, this blog will now include my cooking exploits as well as knitting. Here is my present in all it's lovliness, although this a catalog picture (but it looks exactly the same...)

I knew she was getting me a food processor, but she got me a super nice food processor/blender combo! So, naturally, I planned an excellent dinner for me, Blake, and Kristine. My mom got this for me mainly because we are trying to eat better. So, I made a very healthy dinner. I am attempting to get all my fruits and vegetable servings in, as well as fiber and protein, and have smaller portions. Here's what we had (sorry no pictures this time...):

Tina/Barrington (T-Bear) Coladas: A drink I thought up and aptly named consisting of Rum, Cream of Coconut, Diet Tropical V8 splash, lemon juice, and ice. It was served frozen. And it was delicious.
Honey Dijon Baked Salmon: Dill-y dijon-y yumminess.
Pureed Vegetable Soup: This was new and awesome for me! I cooked chopped onions, carrots, and potatoes in a sautée pan until soft, and then pureed them in my blender and mixed in vegetable stock. Presto! Soup! Very hearty, like thick tomato soup. And delicious.
Baked Potatoes with fat free sour cream and butter

All vegetarian (for Kristine), and no fuck ups at all! I'll be cooking a lot more now that I have these two things, along with my excellent George Foreman grill. I love making low sugar frozen drinks! And, although I know its not healthy, I've been drinking Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat beer and it is excellent. I love beer. Well, when it's good.

Also, I got my official graduation notice through ze email today. I'll be buying the cap and gown soon. And sending fancy invitations to everyone.

Today was a good day.

Fact: Beer Gloves are finito

2008-01-25T15:46:00.002-05:00

They're finally done! I finished them last night. The yarn is Di.ve's Autunno in a maroon/black blend that my mom got for me at Rebelle in Lexington. It is a bit "fuzzy" for my taste, (although I'm probably just not used to using 100% merino wool) as they keep pilling a bit. But! I wore them out last night and they are crazy warm. And beautiful. Check it out:

I modified the pattern a bit, as they are meant for men's hands, and I have small hands even according to average women's standards. I decreased the size from thumb hole to where the fingers start by 1", roughly. It worked out! Here are the seed-stitched palms:

My hands have been really cold in the below 20 degree weather that we've been having, so I'm really glad I found time to finally finish them. They'll probably be the last thing I make for myself for awhile, actually, as I really need to get the lead out on my brother's Lucha Libre mask. It's going to be so cute. I'm using cotton-ease in a charcoal for the main part of the mask, and some Vanna's choice green acrylic for the area around the eyes and mouth. I think he'll get a kick out of it.

So music-wise, I'm obsessed with this band called Angels of Light. They are so damn good. And right now Blake is playing a song by Okkervil River (from their new album) that reminds me of John Hughes' movies. In a really good way.

Question: do you all love The Office as much as me? I can't stop watching it. I'm going to marry Jim Halpert. Mm.

50 ways to leave your lover

2008-01-18T00:57:00.001-05:00

So, in lieu of knitting due to insane-last-semester-school-stress, I haven't had much to post about in this blog. However, I'm going to extend this blog to other activities and things that I like to do, but of course keep my eye on the prize.

I went to Borders today and finally bought Palahniuk's "Haunted" and read a few pages. I really want "Rant" as well, as it is supposed to be amazing, but they didn't have it. And although I haven't gotten to it yet, I'm intrigued by the notorious "Guts" story. It is apparently so vulgar that it has made people faint, as I heard when it came out. I really can't imagine fainting over it, but if I do, I'll be pretty damn impressed. As a preparatory caution, I will buy Blake some smelling salts at the ye olde apothecary down the road.

I have made some progress on the beer gloves, although I will wait until they are completely done to post pictures. However! Blake and I walked into Knit Nook last Thursday, and they were having their weekly stitch n bitch. I talked to a bunch of people there, one guy was even working on the same gloves as myself! So I think I'll start going on Thursdays, when I can. It seems really relaxed and fun.

I saw a book today called "101 Things to do with an Old T-Shirt" (or something like that), and it amazed me. I kind of want it. I found it! Here it is:

On a continuing note, I watched the rest of the Miyazaki movies that I wanted to see and they are truly amazing. I love them. I've also started watching all the seasons of The Office (US) in order, and I love it.

Thank you guys for checking out this blog! There will be much more knitting news to come, when I have just a bit more time between the hundreds of pages of reading and my final design project. In the meantime, buy me yarn for my birthday and keep on (or start) knitting!

Howl's Moving Castle

2008-01-05T07:30:00.002-05:00

So, in these last couple of days before school starts back up, Blake suggested we have a Hayao Miyazaki marathon last night. I fell asleep before we got to it, but when I woke up, rather early, I watched Howl's Moving Castle all the way through for the first time. It's a beautiful movie. I had seen Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke previously, but it's been awhile, so I'd like to see them again. I downloaded about 6 Miyazaki movies, and I'm excited to see My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Nausicaa, Valley of the Wind. I think that even if one doesn't dig Anime/Manga, they will still appreciate the uniqueness and beauty of these movies.

In relation to knitting, there's a group on Ravelry that I belong to for fans of Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki films/art, and there is some cute ass shit that people have created.

Check out Totoro and his cute ass acorns! I love it. I need to make it asap. Maybe I can purchase the pattern from the poster of this image.

Beer Gloves progress! I'm getting through them, although I am feeling rather guilty for knitting something for myself when I still haven't finished Dashing for my brother's christmas gift, although I'm starting to reconsider my gift. I'm thinking he would appreciate a Lucha Libre mask from Son of Stitch N Bitch more, as he actually did ask me for a ski mask, and he has a good sense of humor. Hmm. Maybe I'll start on that today. Anyway, here are my beer gloves in all their woolly beauty:

The color in this photo is far more accurate to what the yarn actually looks like. I love them. Even on my small and chubby little boy hands.

Just as a side note, the needle I have sworn my unding love to since mid summer are the Denise Interchangeables. I wish they were available in smaller sizes, but I don't mind buying a couple of extra circs from KnitPicks in case I want to tackle something like socks. I highly recommend them. Blake got them for me as a gift and they are the most handy things ever. Especially if you are an avid user of the Magic Loop method of knitting (like myself). Seriously.

I am such an animal nerd. The Eukanuba dog show is on, an although I have some reservations on pure bred dog breeding and the like, I really love the dog shows. You see? I'll be a tweedy old lady in no time! Wurrrd.

Bueno

2008-01-04T10:26:00.004-05:00

Hey all. So, after much consideration, I have decided to create a new blog, primarily to satiate my kneed to blog about knitting. And to (cleverly) make grandma crafting word puns (see above^). Here are the awesome things in my life right now:
I have 3 cats, as pictured. I know that a knitter with cats is a HUGE surprise, but I'm on my way to old lady ville, so it was a prerequisite. They are awesome. I won't indulge myself too much with incessant blogging about cats, but here they are. At the top is Myoshi, then Jolie in the middle, and lastly, Violet (she's a bitch. but I love her). Ok, enough of that. Onto knitting!

So, if you're on Ravelry.com, please add me! My name is bitterbuffalo25. I have a couple of WIPs, but right now I am focusing on Beer Gloves from Son of Stitch N' Bitch.
I'm just now starting on the second glove, and the pattern is pretty easy to read, although it took me a sec to decipher the palm and back of the hand sides as a single round. For some reason, the author made them separate in the pattern. The yarn I'm using is amazing. My mother got it for me for Xmas, and it's Autunno by Di.Ve in a maroonish-blackish colorway. It was the first skein on fine merino wool I ever got! I mostly use wool, alpaca, cotton, or acrylic blends; most of them from knitpicks due to my poor college student status.

I am now totally spoiled when it comes to yarn. The skeins of Red Heart SS now feel so rough on my hands, and I've vowed to try and use natural fibers. Blake, mah boo, took me to Michaels for our anniversary (dating for 3 years!)/Christmas gift and bought me a ton of cotton/wool blends that were on sale. It really doesn't cost that much to get better yarn, thanks to Lion Brand and KnitPicks. My current favorite is Cotton-Ease! I'm so into yarn, I could look at it all day. So, in case you're wondering what to get me for my birthday, now you know. mmm

Despite being an avid knitter for a few years, I'm still a small project knitter. Mostly because I only knit in large amounts when school lets out. However, I'm graduating in May, so I'm thinking of starting my first sweater as soon as I get some money to buy all the yarn needed. There's a few on Knitty that I've been eyeing. We'll see.

More to come...I'm going to post pictures of my finished Beer Gloves when they're done, and Blake really wants me to knit him a white mage hat or pair of gloves. Like from Final Fantasy, old school style. We're huge game nerds. I just have to add some intarsia triangles to an existing pattern, but when I do, I'll post it! Holla