Let's try a little Snowflake Monday, shall we?

Awesomeness of awesomenesses when I got home tonight -- broken hot water heater!! I never thought I would miss the creaks and clanks that thing used to make whenever I washed dishes. Oh, but I do! Not that I will be sad if it has to be replaced with a brand new one that doesn't make all those noises, mind you.

Only light yoga tonight, 'cause I'm going to work dirty!! (Yeah, like that's never happened before. Ha!)

Now back to your regularly scheduled handwork discourse! (I know you were worried I was going to further discuss my hygiene.)

So last year I totally fell off the Snowflake Monday wagon (pretty much everyone else did, too, so I didn't really feel too bad). And, come the holidays, guess what? I had no snowflakes to give to people! Amazing how that works! So I'm going to try to get back into the habit of making one flake a week and posting them on Mondays. I've got a copy of the book 99 Snowflakes and I've decided that this year I'm going to start with number 1 and see how far I get. The only problem with that is that the first several flake patterns are for small flakes...


That's just fine though because, as we must always remember, size matters not. Next week there will be another little tiny cute flake! And I will love it and stroke it and pet it...

I was at Hobby Lobby on Saturday to get a pillow form for the now-finished Not Terra Cotta Pillow (pictures coming later) and I "stumbled" upon the clearance section. I have a serious thing for clearance yarn. Pretty much, if it is marked way down and it's yarn, I will buy it. They didn't have any regular yarn, but they did have crochet nylon, which is awesome because I just saw a pattern in a magazine (Gator sweetly got me a subscription to this odd little 'zine) for an awesome little purse made of nylon -- and I had none in my stash! Whew! Glad that was rectified!!

But that is a project for much, much later! I also found a cute little cross stitch kit for $4 that will make an awesome mother's day gift! I haven't done a serious cross stitch project for some time and it feels a little foreign, I must admit. And, apparently, I am really slow at stitching these days. This is several hours' worth of work from Sunday:


It seems pretty pathetic to me. But it will be very pretty when it's done. It even came with a pre-cut mat board and I got the frame for it and everything (they were 50% off!)! So, now all I have to do is stitch! After I do some hopefully-non-sweat-inducing yoga.

_____

Unfinished business... of AWESOMENESS!

Today we're having a blizzard. Classes were canceled, there were whiteout conditions -- it was a great day to stay inside and, well, it would have been a great day to knit, or (ahem) take down my Christmas decorations (do NOT comment!) or some other nice, indoor, productive thing. So, instead, I futzed around and didn't do anything in particular, really. I did take a pretty impressive nap, though.

But that's not what this post is about, nosireebob! It's about awesomeness, and blizzards are not awesome. Well, they can be pretty great, but not awesome. No, this post is about two things. The first is: Gator got his gift in the mail today! And he loves it! And now I get to show it to you! Happiness all around!


It's a simple rag quilt made with some coordinating flannel I purchased a couple of years ago but had never used. It's not quite bedspread size, but I would totally use it for one. I slept under it (nekkid, even!) the night before I sent it to Gator (you know, for a little extra love in the package. Hee!) and I was not too hot, not too cold. Just right.


The backing is a light grey that makes a subtle border between the squares. The backing is also a courser weave and it frays really well. It gives the quilt a great look, but I washed it four times and the lint trap was as full as full could be all four times. It could probably stand to be washed four more times. It eventually will be. It's all good.

Most instructions online advise cutting the seam allowances every 1/4 inch to encourage fraying. I've made one before following that advice and didn't like the results. So this time I cut ~ every 1/8 to 1/16 inch. Basically, I made the cuts as close together as practically possible. I like the effect much better. Thus, like I said, the full lint trap. But I still dig it.


Purple is Gator's favorite color, so its inclusion is key. And what geek god doesn't love knights and castles and wizards? He asserts that this is a most awesome prize. I hope he sleeps under it and dreams of me. Not riding a unicorn. Don't ask.

My second piece of awesome business is that two people, Laura and Molly Bee, awarded me with the You Make My Day Award! How cool is that? I've never been awarded before! So fun! You guys make my day, too!

Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times.

I pass the award on to Missa, Becky, Sue, Dorothy, Judy, Dawn, Julie, Laura, Steve, and Tricia. You all make my day, every time you post. Pass it on!

I also updated my links over on the right, there. That's a continuing project, but that's what I've added for now. Maybe you can find some new friends in there, too! Wouldn't that be AWESOME?

_____

Morning glory

What a glorious morning here in Beer Town! Up here on the roof of my building, the sun in bright, the air is dry and the breeze is cool. Wonderful!

The pool is open for the summer (it's being cleaned right now -- they take good care of it):


The view is very clear this morning -- you can see right out to Lake Michigan -- and the buildings almost glow in the morning light (although I'm not sure that really comes through in the photo):



The Marquette campus is always beautiful and this view is only a little better than the one from my living room:


I'm sitting up here with a cup of coffee, my camera, and the awesome thing I found waiting for me in my mailbox yesterday:


Yes, the first issue of my awesome gift subscription to Craft: came yesterday! It's crammed full of wonderful articles, how-to's, and inspiration on every single page! I am having a blast pouring through it. Thanks again, Trish!! You rule!

While I'm up here with my camera and all this great natural light, I might as well photograph some yarn...

This is my progress on the Zodiac pattern from the latest issue of Knitty. I don't think I'll actually use the zodiacal design for the embellishment, as I want it to be useful for any child down the road. But I like the overall design and I'm sure I can find something cool to embroider onto it once it's finished.


I lurve Cotton Ease and was tres excited when it came back onto the market, but I must admit I'm less than thrilled with their palette. I wanted something gender-neutral and bright, and the store I was at was out of Lime (not that I would have necessarily picked Lime, but still). So I went with Terra Cotta. I like it myself, but I wish there was more selection. Plus, they don't have brown in their palette at all (the Taupe is really gray-ish). Brown! Don't they know how hot a nice chocolate brown is right now?? Those Lion Brand people, I tell ya'. I worry about them sometimes.

Oh... Uh oh. Do you see what I see? This could be very, very bad for Sus. Yes indeedy, that there is some... Sock yarn!!!


No, I'm not looking to get in on the Summer of Socks, but I swear the new Knitty was chock full of motivation for this ol' gal. Of course, I see socks everywhere on knitting blogs and I oscillate between not caring that much to desperately wanting to join in the fun. But the new Breeze pattern locked onto me hard, and Gator graciously bought me yarn and needles to dive in while I was visiting. But I've sworn I won't start until the Zodiac is finished. After all, babies wait for no socks.

Thanks for sharing in my delightful morning on the rooftop! It's been a treat. We'll have to do this again soon!

_____

Silence

I know I've been quiet for over a week. Sorry 'bout that. Being on the computer is one of the things that aggravates my shoulder, so I've cut down to mostly just school stuff. But -- fair warning -- I'm probably going to be silent a while longer. I'm going to Missouri to see Gator!! YAY!! I may find some time to blog, but if I don't, don't be alarmed.

I have had some fairly blog-worthy moments in the last week, though -- mostly in the form of awesome things coming in the mail! As I told you earlier, I won Becky's contest to rename her blog. As my prize, she sent me a big cone of kitchen cotton. I'm envisioning a garterlac blitzkrieg! Witness the beauty of the cone o' cotton in its natural mailing environment. Krikey! She's a beaut! Thanks, Becky!


Earlier last week, I received an awesome gift that I wasn't expecting at all. It's always exciting to get actual, bona fide letters in the mail, so I was thrilled when I received an envelope from my friend, Tricia. "Yay! Tricia wrote to me!" I thought. That would have been enough of a treat all on its own. But! There was more! Inside the envelope was a card:


A gift, you say? Wowie! Whatever could it be??


WOOHOO!!!! An awesome magazine subscription! I lurve the Craft: website, but have never bought a 'zine. Now I get a year of it! Plus! A magazine! In the mail! Every month! REAL MAIL! Trish is always so supportive of my craft fixation and now she's contributing to it! What a great friend! The happy dance continues every time I think about it!

As of last weekend, I've now been to the first festival of the season here in the City of Festivals, and I've been to my first Brewers game. I'm completely, utterly hooked on both. The summer is going to totally rock.

_____

I barely own anything pink, I swear, though you'd never know it from this post

Oh, Target Dollar Spot, thou hast forsaken me!

The last time I was there, they had four-packs of Panasonic AA batteries. I bought two packages, thrilled with the bargain and looking forward to a couple of months worth of digital camera powering.

Alas! Said batteries will not power my little digital picture-taker! Brand new, from an unopened package, AA batteries that immediately caused my camera to shut down and warn, "Shutting Down! Insufficient Battery!" All eight of the new batteries.

Do I have the receipt? Of course not. Do I have any recourse? Just this: Dear Readers, do not buy Panasonic batteries, from the Target Dollar Spot or anywhere else. They are crap! Dear Panasonic battery people, may the power of my intense bloginess poop all over your inferior product!

The point of this, of course (other than starting my own personal Better Business Bureau), is that I could not take pictures of my crafty progress this morning when I wanted to. Since I had to go into the lab today anyway, I stopped at Walgreen's and got some handy dandy Duracells -- on sale to boot! I guess this was a sign from the battery commerce gods.

So, now, sufficiently powered up, I present pictures of the recently completed Parfait Purse that I totally like, but do not totally lurve.


I sort of even accomplished photographing it in natural light (which would have been much better this morning but, you know, the battery thing). Oh, and pay no attention to that mess in the background -- I managed to pull a drawer clean out of my desk and I haven't gotten it picked up yet, what with the earnest crafting and battery-buying!

I lined it with a fabric that I'd had for awhile but had never really found a use for. I got it in a 99-cent remnant roll, and originally thought it just had high-heeled shoes and pithy little sayings on it. However, when I unrolled it, I realized that, while it did depict both of those things, it primarily contained the designer's name and "Winter '98" all over it. So, probably not a skirt. But for lining a stash-buster purse, it will totally do.


So, yay! I have a new purse! I trotted it out for my jaunt to the lab and Walgreen's (for Duracell batteries, let's not forget), and it seems to fulfill all my purse-carrying needs. Huzzah!

Next project, much less labor intensive: As New Friend Veronica can attest, I've tried to find a pair of skimmers that are cute (no problem! So many of them are sooo cute!), and stay on my feet (huge problem). What V doesn't know is that I actually already own a pair of skimmers which fit me. I got them to wear as part of my costume in Honky Tonk Angels last spring. The problem? They are kind of a putrid pink and are covered with sequins which, frankly, makes them look a little "straight out the trailer".


No, really, see the sequins??



But I've been thinking quite a bit about them lately and finally decided to just remove the freakin' sequins and see if they aren't just cute as a button without them. So that's what I did:


And, I was right, they are perfectly cute little crocheted skimmers once those pesky sequins came off. Which leaves only one small gripe. Have you ever wondered how the poor sweat-shop workers know where to place all the tacky sequins on something so that they are symmetrical and match the other shoe? Well, wonder no more. The answer is: They mark the shoe with a Sharpie.



At first, I was ticked as all get-out that my newly cute shoes were marred by annoying black dots. Then I decided that if anyone was looking at my feet that closely, then I didn't want them to be impressed with my shoes, because I've known those kind of people and, really, it ain't all fun and games.

So happy feet, happy purse, happy all around! What a wonderful day in the neighborhood!

Now I'm researching nearby Mongolian barbecue places for V and I to try tonight. She just got back from Cali and she's going to tell me all about it! If I remember to, I'll take pictures (but no promises, because I totally suck at that)!!

Ooh, and tomorrow I'll have a flake and everything!!

_____

Crafting through the journey

Well, next week is finals and my first year of graduate school is drawing to a close. In a way it seems like I just got here and in others it seems like I've been here for eons. I've worked through homesickness and dealing with Gator's illness long-distance, feeling unsure about my sense of belonging, both professionally and personally. I've come out on the other side content, fairly centered, and happy (though I still miss Gator like the dickens!).

Also, I've made some stuff. Handwork has been my constant -- a therapeutic exercise, and means to ends I could not otherwise afford or at least justify, my preferred method of procrastination. I suppose that will continue; I certainly don't see why it wouldn't.

This week, while not getting right on top of studying for finals, I've worked on my Parfait Purse (named for the color scheme), making the design up as I went, though I had a pretty good mental image of what I wanted when I set out.


I admit that it's not an exact rendition of my original vision, but my vision is pretty good at adapting to what it's presented with in reality. I still think it will be pretty cute, but I also admit that my mind has already starting to design what it would rather have, so I guess I'll be making another purse when I'm done with this one.


It still wants a lining and decorative embellishments. By this time next week I'll have a full-fledged purse FO. It will be fun to take it out for a spin! For a parfait, no doubt. ;)

While going through my fabric stash for suitable lining, I decided I just wanted to reorganize the crap out of everything. I realized that all my embroidery supplies (and embroidery WIPs) were scattered about here and there among my fabric and my yarn. I decided this was dumb and set about righting it. During my organization, I ran across a wee little piece of cross-stitch that had originally been part of a little magnet kit. The stitching was complete, but the rest of the kit was completely missing. Not that I was terribly surprised. Another thing I found was a little wood-grain plastic embroidery hoop with built in hanging hook. The tiny piece of stitching fit the hoop perfectly, so I decided to just give in to fate and add a little bit of happiness over my kitchen sink. It looks pretty cute.


Fair warning -- I'll have no flake tomorrow. I have a final Tuesday and one on Wednesday. Then I'll be free to flake out all I want! Well, after the purse is done, of course.

So, one down, one more of classes to go, then three or four of research and writing. The journey is officially underway with a vengance.

Exhibitionism

Yesterday, Lady Linoleum showed us her crafting places and bid us do the same. I decided I would show my stuff, even though I needed to clean first, but I didn't! I'll just let it all hang out. Although, now that I see the pictures, it's not very exciting... Oh well, here goes!

This is where most of my stash lives -- in plastic totes in my front closet which is ginormous (the closet, that is -- this picture doesn't even show half of it):

There's yarn in all those, really there is:


These bags are going to be turned into plastic yarn one of these days...

There's a little more stash in one of my clothes closets (there's mostly fabric in those totes):

My books (when they're put away) live on the bottom shelf of this bookcase in the living room:

The crafting chair with crafting end table and crafting floor:

Growing up, this was the chair that my dad always sat in and fell asleep in every night in front of the news or Johnny Carson. It used to be a really skanky green color. Now it's mine and it's warm and cozy (and no longer skanky green!) and makes a really familiar creak if it rocks and swivels at the same time. It's an awesome crafting chair. :)

Okay, I've shown you mine. Who will show me theirs?

_____

Blizzard o' fun

This was the sky this morning, after last night's snowfall but before tonight's forecast blizzard conditions. A check of The Weather Channel shows SE WI to be in for 12+ inches tonight. A weekend to stay in and knit.



So far, this weekend has rocked. New Friend Veronica and I ate awesome Roly Poly wraps, we totally closed down yet another mall in the greater Milwaukee area, I found some perfume I really like (which is so difficult for me), I learned that there is a new Star
Wars novel out that I might actually want to read (even though I'll probably cringe through most of it -- but these are old, well developed issues of mine), and I found The Shoes.

They are orange! They are cute! They are all technology-y and stuff! They feel like nothing I've ever worn before, and they feel goooood!! I'm very psyched. They even come with a DVD to teach me how to wear them, they are so advanced!

So, remember when I got pretty origami paper? I still totally love it, but today I found a folded paper activity that caused me to set that pretty paper right to the side. That's right, kids, I printed out, cut out, folded, and glued together a Bald Britney Paper Doll. Oh, the joy. She had a total meltdown and I was rewarded with a new, free crafting experience! It's the simple pleasures, I tell ya.



Now to curl up in the glow of my shoes and Britney doll, watch the blizzard happen around me, listen to old re-runs of This American Life, and knit, knit, knit. I know you wish you had my life. I know it.

_____

Apparently well rested

Hello, again! My presentation on Friday went fairly well. Once I got home that afternoon, I laid down for a nap and woke up 12 hours later. One of these days I'll learn that I'm too old to pull all-nighters. Ah well.

I did take a sky picture yesterday even though I didn't get around to posting it. I call it Sky with contrails. It was such a vast blue expanse that this was the only thing that would keep the picture from just being a big blue square. That, and a wee bit o' courthouse.



Other than snowflakes, I haven't shown any project progress for awhile, but I assure you that slow advancement is being made on the Column of Leaves scarf:


I've been enjoying the pattern, but I haven't had a great deal of time to work on it.

New Friend Veronica and I went shopping so she could pick out yarn to make the Front Post Stripes Grocery Bag Holder and I had to pick up a couple of things for myself, of course. As you can see, I plan on getting back on the potholder bandwagon sometime soon. The brown and pink together remind me of a raspberry chocolate truffle -- yummm...


While at Michael's I also splurged on something pretty fun. My sister gave me an origami book for Christmas a couple of years ago and I hadn't ever gotten around to making anything out of it. Well, I bought some beautiful paper and decided to start simple:


Although I plan to try some of the more "extreme" things in the book, I can't help but imagine how lovely an entire flock of cranes made from different gorgeous papers would look hanging somewhere. I'm going to have to ponder it. Well, and probably buy more paper. I'm so in love with it.

I'm kind of tired, but now I'm afraid to ever take a nap again...

_____