Notes from the Something

6th picture, 6th folder

I got this from Korin (I do have other friends, I swear.) - All you have to do is share the 6th photo from the 6th folder in your photos. Here's what I came up with:

This looks like an ordinary, candid shot of my mom, walking down a path at the reservoir... at least, that's what we want you to think. In reality, we actually spend a LOT of time practicing walking away, taking each other's photos in what appears to be haphazard and candid poses. It's a little bit ridiculous to watch, LOL, kind of like that scene in Murphy Brown where Miles is getting his picture taken for the magazine... "We're walking, we're walking, we're walking... What?" Hilarious, btw.

I am lying here in my bed at my friends' house, she broke her hip so I am helping them out with their kids for a while, which is perfect because I needed something to do while Dan looks for a job! The Meatball, their 6 month old son, is in his swing right next to me... he usually falls back to sleep after a bottle but doesn't seem interested in that right now-- good thing he's cute! Seriously, this kid is ginormous. I need to post a picture.

Meanwhile, I have 50 million half-posts in my head, and some in my drafts, but it's hard to get motivated to blog when I think I am writing to no one, LOL! So thank you for all your comments, I will definitely get going again. I really want to tell you about Dan, but I somehow accidentally deleted my favorite photo of him (damn you, iPhoto!) so I need to get it off my portable hard drive -- btw, if you don't have one of these, you need to get one! I have the Verbatim one, 500GB, and it was only $150 on ebay! If you don't use a laptop, the larger size desktop ones are even cheaper. 

Have a great weekend! :)

Knitting (K)notes

I am a knitter. Very few things in life make me happier than some yummy soft yarn, a pair of Addi Turbos, and some time to knit. Fortunately, I have these things in spades, being child-free and at the moment, job-free as well. (for the record, I don't plan to stay child-free forever, but I am enjoying it for now!)

And contrary to stereotype, I am not a grandmother, though I have a huge amount of respect for my own gramma, who taught me to knit when I was little, and all of the other grandmothers who kept knitting alive when it was WAY out of fashion, aka the Orange Acrylic Years. Without our foremothers, we would not be the knitters we are today.

I knit hats, adult sweaters, baby sweaters, baby booties, lace shawls, facecloths, stuffed animals, soakers, gloves, bags, and recently, socks. I do not knit scarves or blankets, and while I don't expect this to change, I also never imagined I'd be a sock knitter and now I am enamored of it (more on this later).

I mostly knit for other people, though I have knit quite a few things for myself, but I don't give knitting as gifts for birthdays and holidays except on the rare occasion when something specific is requested. I like to give just for the joy of it, and for new babies. Also, people are significantly more appreciative (and therefore, more effusive) of gifts given "just because" than they are of feeling gypped out of a "real" gift for Christmas or a birthday. Leos are a very generous group (see my first post re: astrology obsession), because we love to have our egos stroked, and nothing does this quite like giving the perfect gift. I also find holiday giving stressful, another reason why I prefer random acts of knitting. I avoid stress at all costs.

People love getting handmade stuff for new babies, though, and I love knitting stuff for babies. It fits my short attention span perfectly! Plus, small projects = less yarn, so I can use top quality stuff at minimal cost, and babies don't care what crazy colors or patterns you put them in. It's a win-win-win! (The Office: Conflict Resolution -- GREAT episode). And having a handmade gift oooo-ed and ahhhh-ed over at a baby shower... well, I'm sure you can guess what it does to me. At the moment, my best friend is knocked up, so I am really psyched to find out what she's having and cast on the 80 million things I want to make her. 

Some of my favorite FO's (finished objects):

ETA: Wow, I really seem to be in a gray phase at the moment! The next thing I cast on will definitely have to be more colorful.

~The Twinkle baby sweater (Ravelry) - I planned to make this for my friend Kate, but I selfishly kept it because I love it so much - made from a super soft bamboo/merino fingering weight (aka sock yarn) from Wild Fire Fibres and a free pattern from Guro, which can be found on Ravelry. The lace was my addition, a Barbara Walker pattern I got from smariek. It also reminds me of Chloe, the little girl I used to nanny (see post below for sweet pics), because I knitted it while I was with her and tried it on her all the time to get the sizing right.

I love Ravelry. This little gem has 65 freakin' hearts right now! It makes my heart sing just to look at it. I love finding new and exciting ways to seek approval from others ;)

~Gretel hat for me (Rav)- I don't often knit for myself anymore - I really need to get back into that! - but I loved making this little beret! I got the yarn, a wool/silk blend, in Italy while I was living there a few months ago (more on this later) and made it while I was there. I was very impressed with the clever construction on the pattern! And the yarn is super warm-- I am fairly allergic to wool but this hat works! This is me, by the way, in my super cute winter jacket, another Italy purchase (one of very few Italy purchases, actually -- Europe is EXPENSIVE! And nothing is my size.)

I should also mention I made this for the Harry Potter Knitting & Crochet House Cup on Ravelry. Have I mentioned that I'm a huge dork? It's cool, I'm ok with it. And besides, the House Cup has the fantastic side effect of making me really want to FINISH stuff instead of just starting it!

~Swallowtail lace shawl - (Rav)my first complicated lace project and the gateway to an addiction to lace knitting! I added beads, but I was already addicted to them anyway. Yarn is also from Italy.

There's plenty more, but that's all you get for now! Though I should add my current OTN's (on the needles):

~Socks for my mama - my first pair! I am officially hooked. I actually have a whole post's worth to write about this. It promises to be very rambly and boring - betcha can't wait! ;)

The first sock is actually done, but I only brought one ball of yarn with me to Hawaii ("packing light" means "forgetting half the stuff you wanted to bring, including a neutral colored bra so all you have is the black one you wore here, rendering half your shirts unwearable"), so the other will have to wait. I hope to be able to finish it up in two days, or else I won't get full credit for Ravenclaw house! (Shut up.)

~Baby sweater - this is a surprise gift for some good friends who are trying to have a baby -- remind me to tell you sometime about my magical power to get people pregnant by knitting for them. No pic yet for this one but it's going to be awesome when it's done!

~Mystic Star circular shawl - just a fun knit for me! I'm using Swarovski crystal 4mm bicones, which I just love. I hope to get a lot done on the plane ride home next week!

~The Jeanie Shawl - I have another long boring knitting post planned about this one! But first I have to tell you about Dan.

So that's all for now! I'd like to end with some sort of question, but since the only person currently reading this blog is me, I'd feel pretty silly. Good night!

Playing with Photos

I'm posting a few of my favorite photographs below, just to get the feel of adding pictures to posts. 

Attempt #1: Oh my gosh, they're giant! Let's see if we can't make them a smidge smaller...

Attempt #2: Better, but I somehow turned the first picture of Chloe into a picture of Sam. How did that happen? And I have no idea how to delete it. Wonderful.

Attempt #3: Ok, I added the pic of Chloe back in, but that duplicate of Sam is still there. You're not just seeing double!

Adding "figure out how to delete pictures" to my TypePad To Do List. Does anyone know how to get in touch with that little girl from the "I'm a PC and I'm 4 1/2" commercial? She seems to know what she's doing.

 

Oh my goodness! Jessica Sprague commented on this picture on Flickr because I commented on her blog. I am so starstruck by famous people, even if they're only internet-famous. Like the time I emailed Tara Whitney and she emailed me back, I about died. 

What is "The Something"?

or, How my new blog got its name.

On my old Xanga blog, I asked for suggestions as to what I should call my (what was supposed to be) travel blog. My friend Korin suggested "Notes from the...something", meaning obviously that I should insert an appropriate word at the end. But it stuck in my brain, and I love it.

It's perfect for a journal that's not a travel blog, not a knitting blog, not a writing blog, just a... something. :)

A little bit about me...

I have been meaning to start a new blog for ages. Usually, when one wants to start a travel blog, they do so BEFORE or DURING their traveling times, not after. But I don't do things the usual way, so here it is. The thing that's held me up all this time (16 months, give or take), is the Intro Post. I felt it should be big and important and descriptive and list all the reasons why I quit my job and contain lots of really witty statements and provocative quotes. I finally decided, after writing 8 million other blog posts in my head, that I would just dive in, headfirst. So here are a few tidbits I can think of right now - I'm sure I will add more later, probably randomly stuck at the end or in the middle of future posts.

1. I am a knitter, amateur-amateur photographer, erstwhile public school teacher, delinquent scrapbooker, occasional yogini, and internet junkie. I will probably talk about all of these things. Individually and simultaneously. With little rhyme or reason.

2. I am a very positive, upbeat, optimistic person. I see the silver lining and the sunshine behind the clouds and the little blessings in the everyday. If this makes you want to barf, feel free to find another blog.

3. The above does not prevent me from being snarky when it's necessary.

4. I attribute an awful lot to astrology. Possibly way too much. I am a Leo, for the record. With Gemini rising and a Taurus moon and Venus in Virgo.

5. I am learning how to cook!

6. In the first 26 years of my life, I never left North America. In the past 16 months, I have been on 4 continents. It's been a wild ride, and I wouldn't change a minute of it. 

7. I met my boyfriend, a Brit named Daniel, at a waterfall in Laos. A WATERFALL IN LAOS! Is my life even real? I don't know.

8. I am moving to England soon!

9. I feel a million times happier on sunny days than gray days. 

10. I have no idea how I am going to live in England in re: the above.

11. Speaking of diving, I learned how to dive into a pool at the ripe old age of 16 -- my best friend taught me, and this summer she's teaching me trick dives. I can't wait!

12. One of my favorite quotes, particularly appropriate to blogging: "I should not talk so much about myself if there were anyone else whom I knew as well" ~Henry David Thoreau

13. I took a surfing lesson today! It was awesome. 

14. I am a little bit superstitious.

15. I truly believe we create our own reality with our thoughts and feelings.

16. Not sure how those two fit together. 

I am off to go work on dinner, see you soon!