I finally have some good things happening to me!
First things first, I uploaded some new things to my shop, which can be viewed in my mini Etsy! I'm really excited about them all. I updated 2 skeins of art yarn (one of which has already sold, HOLY COW!), some handmade clay buttons (that I loooove and have used on some other projects already!), and a new hat (which, I believe, is super freaking awesome)! So check em out if you have a minute (my purple buttons really need some love :( )
Okay so I received some AWESOME news a few days ago! I'm a senior, and I thought that I had to take a few more classes in my major (anthropology) to graduate, and they only offer those classes in the fall, so I assumed I would be coming back next fall to finish out my degree, making me a super senior (or doing my victory lap as a friend described it). So I went to my advisor to discuss what I needed to take and LO AND BEHOLD I only have ONE more credit hour that I need to complete. One freaking hour! Wish I'd known that before registration ended...grrr! Anyway, it's super awesome news because that means I can graduate in August instead of in December (it's too late to graduate in May)! And that one hour will be covered in the study abroad I'm doing this summer...
I'M GOING TO GERMANY! I've wanted to do a study abroad since I began college 4 years ago, but I never managed to make it work. My friend (a fellow anthro student) told me about how she's going to Germany this summer to get her TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) certificate, and I was intstantly interested in going! She's doing the 4 week course, which is just a teaching practicum, but I was interested in doing the 11 week course, which includes all the classes you need for the certificate, plus the teaching practicum. I got ahold of the advisor, and he managed to squeeze my application in right before the due date! HOORAY! AND I'm rooming with my friend! Omgomgomg I'm soooo excited!
The program is in Dresden, Germany, at a university that I can't pronounce the name of (as I speak French, not German). As students there we get free travel all over the city, and 60km outside of the city. We're going to take weekend trips to Poland, France, and Belgium (where my mom has a cousin living, so hopefully I can stay for free). We live in apartments with actual German students.
But the best part is that the one part I was worried about, having to pay for my airplane ticket (as it's not included in the tuition and expenses I pay to the school for the program)...well, my dad offered to buy it for me!!! Which is great because, well, I don't have a thousand spare dollars lying around! My dad's buying my ticket tomorrow, I've applied for financial aid and grants, and I've applied (and been accepted) to the program...which means I am OFFICIALLY going to Germany! Squeeeeeeeeee!
And after I get back from Germany, I graduate, and am moving in with my best friend for a bit...rent free! Her boyfriend bought a house, but is being deployed to Iraq this June, so the army is going to pay his mortage while he's gone. She doesn't want to live by herself, so I offered to move in for awhile. I only have to pay for food and my share of the utilities.
Oh, and after I graduate, I'm going to talk to someone from the Americorps and someone from the Peacecorps, as I really feel like those things are calling to me right now. I'm a little hesitant about the Peacecorp, as it's a 27 month commitment, but I'd like to know as much as I can about both before I make a decision.
I just finally feel like my life is going in a concrete direction, and I'm so excited/happy/stunned!
So, because I had so much good news lately, I felt like I needed to do something to deserve all this good karma I was getting. So I cleaned out my room and ended up with a bag full of clothes I don't wear anymore, and a box of jewelry, CD's, accessories, etc that I never use, and I freecycled them. It feels nice to help someone else out, and to get rid of some stuff clogging up my closet!
All right, well I'm off to help my roomie (aforementioned bff) make chicken. We're having a medieval night and eating potatoes and cornish hens with our fingers and pretending to joust! We're silly...we know!
A little bit of organization!
My new year is starting off the right way! I want to be a little more organized, and this is helping me out a tonnnn! I got it in a swap on Craftster, and I'm totally in LOVE with it. So, here are some pictures of my new needle roll organizer thingie (now I just wish the rest of my room would organize itself!):
A Year of Change
I have decided to make this year a year of change. There are so many things I want to do, and I want to try and I'm just determined to make myself a better person.
I just got back from visiting my Dad in Arizona, and the desert was amazing and absolutely breathtaking (okay, I liked the desert, but I wouldn't like to live there...I love forests and streams and grass and meadows!). We climbed to the top of Cathedral Rock in Sedona. I'm not a very good hiker, and it was uphill (and up-rock) the entire way...I pretty much felt like I was going to die the entire time. But the view from the top was amazing, and completely worth the effort! My favorite thing up there was this older gentleman who was just chilling at the top with his hands in his pockets. He didn't have water or snacks or hiking gear or anything (we were pretty outfitted for a rigorous climb). He looked like he just walked to the top and sat there for awhile before climbing back down. He made me realize that I wanted to slow down, stop, and enjoy life more often. So that's when I decided that I wanted to make 2010 a year of change...a year that would really count. So here are the things I want to change:
1. I need to be more active. Even if it's not going to the rec every day (or even every other day), then just simply doing some kind of aerobic work out at home. Maybe I'll start every day with jumping jacks? I want to lose some weight...not copious amounts, because unlike most people, I'm actually okay with how my body looks, but just enough to go down a pant size (because last year I was one size, and this year I'm a size up, so I'd like to be able to use my old pants instead of buying more, yanno!?).
2. I'm going to try to be more patient with people. This is going to be really, REALLY hard for me, as my patience is the size of a pinhead.
3. I want to eat less crappy stuff. I have to stop eating spaghetti every night for dinner :\
4. I'm going to try harder in school. NO MORE PROCRASTINATION! I seriously wait until the last minute to do EVERYTHING. I'm going to try sooo hard to get everything done on time, or early! This is also going to be difficult, especially with my knitting and computer about 3 feet away :(
5. Random acts of kindness! I want to be a nicer person!
6. I'm going to try to stay out of the Etsy forums (because sometimes it makes numbers 2 and 5 really hard)(okay, I'm not going to completely stop posting, but I'm going to try to not get sucked into some of the inane threads) and actually concentrate on my business. I've kind of just been putting stuff in the shop and not really doing anything with it, so I want to expand my business and be an active shopowner!
Also, I'm currently working on a baby blanket for my friend who is about 6 weeks pregnant. I haven't talked to her in about a year, but I saw on facebook that she was expecting, and I thought it would be really fun for her to randomly receive a package from an old friend chock full of cute, hand-made baby stuff! You would like that too, wouldn't you?
If anyone has any tips or comments about the things I'm trying to improve on (especially healthy eating, I'd love recipes!) then feel free to drop me a comment! I can use all the help I can get! I'm determined to make this year a really worthwhile, really interesting, and really fun year!
New Year's Resolutions
Okay, I'm not usually one for resolutions, and I didn't actually think of this one until a few minutes ago, but I think I want to have a new year's resolution.
Basically, I want to expand my knitting repertoire. I want to make my first sweater. I want to actually tackle some of the patterns in my Ravelry faves! I want to knit more for my Etsy store (which I haven't made anything for in a few weeks :( ). I NEED to use up some of my yarn. I want to make a baby blanket for my friend who is expecting. I want to spin more yarn and become better at it. I want to start writing out all my patterns. I want to advertise more. I want to do a craft show. I want to GO to a craft show! I want to visit an alpaca farm and buy some yarn/wool :]
But mostly, I want to connect with other knitters on a personal level. I don't know many people that knit...actually, I only know one, and I taught her. She ended up being the person I drew for Secret Santa so I'm getting her some nice yarn (not acrylic stuff, which is what she's mostly been using), a 16 inch circular needle, some DPN's, and a hat pattern so she can try something besides garter stitch scarves! I think I might join my LYS's knitting group, but my LYS isn't really that local to me since the closest one shut down :(
Any hoo...just a quick update. I'm in the middle of knitting a hat, and I thought of my resolution, so I'm getting back to mah hat now! Peace!
Erin
Basically, I want to expand my knitting repertoire. I want to make my first sweater. I want to actually tackle some of the patterns in my Ravelry faves! I want to knit more for my Etsy store (which I haven't made anything for in a few weeks :( ). I NEED to use up some of my yarn. I want to make a baby blanket for my friend who is expecting. I want to spin more yarn and become better at it. I want to start writing out all my patterns. I want to advertise more. I want to do a craft show. I want to GO to a craft show! I want to visit an alpaca farm and buy some yarn/wool :]
But mostly, I want to connect with other knitters on a personal level. I don't know many people that knit...actually, I only know one, and I taught her. She ended up being the person I drew for Secret Santa so I'm getting her some nice yarn (not acrylic stuff, which is what she's mostly been using), a 16 inch circular needle, some DPN's, and a hat pattern so she can try something besides garter stitch scarves! I think I might join my LYS's knitting group, but my LYS isn't really that local to me since the closest one shut down :(
Any hoo...just a quick update. I'm in the middle of knitting a hat, and I thought of my resolution, so I'm getting back to mah hat now! Peace!
Erin
I am the world's worst blogger!
So, I've been completely and absolutely buried in school work since the beginning of the semester in September. I haven't had much time to knit, or blog, or work on my shop (yet somehow, I've managed to increase my yarn stash...oops!). Since my midterms and presentations are over, I've had a little time to relax (well, until finals), so I thought I'd just do a small update on some of my projects!
These are some socks I'm knitting for my boyfriend. They were supposed to be birthday presents for him, but since his birthday was the 11th, and I didn't even start them until yesterday, they're going to end up as birthday/Christmas presents. They're my first project on size 1 needles, and it's going frustratingly slow :\
This tam is my first colorwork project. The section you can see turned out okay, but it started going all wonky towards the top. I made it (and a few other tams) for a private swap on Craftster. The colors in the picture are pretty true to the real thing. I'm thinking about using the leftover blue and black yarn to make an argyle/diamond patterned scarf with some fringe!
I LOOOOOVE this yarn! I had it for a long time before it finally told me what it wanted to be! It's Malabrigo, which is my favorite yarn ever (so soft and squishy!). I just love the way the colors pooled together; it looks like it's tie-dye (even though it looks kind of washed out in the picture)! It's a beret for myself (since I haven't actually made anything for myself in awhile) and I'm going to add a pom-pom (erm...after I figure out how to make them).
Last, but not least, this is my Woodland Scarf. It's based off of a lace stitch, and the color/pattern remind me of a meandering path through the woods. I hope to put the pattern for it on this blog soon! The picture doesn't really show the color well. It's a chocolate-y brown with pretty gold specks in it. I spread it out for the picture, but I still have to block it (among the 293857293857 things on my to-do list!)
I've also managed to add a few yarns to my stash in the past couple of months. Unfortunately, one of my LYS has gone out of business, but they had a really good closing sale, so I bought tons of yarns. Yesterday I picked up a few more for some project's from Ysolda's Whimsical Little Knits 2, which I bought for myself for a birthday present! I'm going to start with Veyla and Damson!
Well, ta for now, I'm about to go knit my little heart out!
These are some socks I'm knitting for my boyfriend. They were supposed to be birthday presents for him, but since his birthday was the 11th, and I didn't even start them until yesterday, they're going to end up as birthday/Christmas presents. They're my first project on size 1 needles, and it's going frustratingly slow :\
This tam is my first colorwork project. The section you can see turned out okay, but it started going all wonky towards the top. I made it (and a few other tams) for a private swap on Craftster. The colors in the picture are pretty true to the real thing. I'm thinking about using the leftover blue and black yarn to make an argyle/diamond patterned scarf with some fringe!
I LOOOOOVE this yarn! I had it for a long time before it finally told me what it wanted to be! It's Malabrigo, which is my favorite yarn ever (so soft and squishy!). I just love the way the colors pooled together; it looks like it's tie-dye (even though it looks kind of washed out in the picture)! It's a beret for myself (since I haven't actually made anything for myself in awhile) and I'm going to add a pom-pom (erm...after I figure out how to make them).
Last, but not least, this is my Woodland Scarf. It's based off of a lace stitch, and the color/pattern remind me of a meandering path through the woods. I hope to put the pattern for it on this blog soon! The picture doesn't really show the color well. It's a chocolate-y brown with pretty gold specks in it. I spread it out for the picture, but I still have to block it (among the 293857293857 things on my to-do list!)
I've also managed to add a few yarns to my stash in the past couple of months. Unfortunately, one of my LYS has gone out of business, but they had a really good closing sale, so I bought tons of yarns. Yesterday I picked up a few more for some project's from Ysolda's Whimsical Little Knits 2, which I bought for myself for a birthday present! I'm going to start with Veyla and Damson!
Well, ta for now, I'm about to go knit my little heart out!
Hats hats hats!
Hello there! In preparation for the fall (and because I've been trying to plow through my yarn stash) I've gone absolutely nuts for hats. I particularly enjoy making ones with ribbons in them. I think the combination of the fuzzy, soft yarn, and the shiny, smooth ribbon makes for one adorable, awesome hat! I've really enjoyed using different types of yarns, and seeing how they come together to form a hat. For variagated yarns, I love seeing how the colors pool together, and with plain colored yarn, I enjoy the look of plain old cables or knit stitches! I made these hats pretty simple because I wanted to add ribbons to them, so I didn't want them to be too busy! Plus, the hats are GREAT stash busters! They all took just about a skein each...and I've actually got 2 more hats on needles right now.
So, without further ado, here are a preview of my hats! I'm so glad I finally have something to list in my shop. it's been a long time since I've created anything I thought was worth putting in there! The last hat is already listed, which you can check out if you click on my banner to the right! The other hats I will list over the next few days!
So, without further ado, here are a preview of my hats! I'm so glad I finally have something to list in my shop. it's been a long time since I've created anything I thought was worth putting in there! The last hat is already listed, which you can check out if you click on my banner to the right! The other hats I will list over the next few days!
Delightful Dinos
So, I am a self professed dinosaur lover. I don't know what it is about them, but I absolutely love em! I think they're cute (okay, well some recreations are cute, I'm sure the real things were terrifying!). I've been seeing a bunch of dinosaur stuff popping up lately, to my delight, so I decided to share a few of my favorite dinosaur items with you!
This is an image from chetart. I love the colors in the image, and despite the fact that the dinosaur looks scary, I would still totally pop a quarter in and ride him (although as an adult, I'd probably break a children's ride!). Check out all of his other images. They're a mix of funny and awesome with some great colors.
Isn't this just the cutest miniature you've ever seen? He's a dinosaur named Basil, from the seller Blossom Hill. Unfortunately for us, he sold awhile ago, but if you love him as much as I do, maybe the seller could recreate a similar one if you say please!
This dinosaur is all kinds of awesome. You can't tell from the picture, but he's about the size of a Hershey kiss. He's a build-your-own tiny triceratops from kfarrell. Check out her shop for some other equally awesome build-your-own dinos!
And last, but certainly not least, this is Mulch the Mint Green Dinosaur, from talkproof. I think he looks absolutely squeezable, and I know he's just dying to go to a good, dino loving home! Check out talkproof's shop for some other adorable plushies (I'm personally in love with the hippos, too cute!).
Alright folks, that's all for now! Have a great Friday and happy trails!
This is an image from chetart. I love the colors in the image, and despite the fact that the dinosaur looks scary, I would still totally pop a quarter in and ride him (although as an adult, I'd probably break a children's ride!). Check out all of his other images. They're a mix of funny and awesome with some great colors.
Isn't this just the cutest miniature you've ever seen? He's a dinosaur named Basil, from the seller Blossom Hill. Unfortunately for us, he sold awhile ago, but if you love him as much as I do, maybe the seller could recreate a similar one if you say please!
This dinosaur is all kinds of awesome. You can't tell from the picture, but he's about the size of a Hershey kiss. He's a build-your-own tiny triceratops from kfarrell. Check out her shop for some other equally awesome build-your-own dinos!
And last, but certainly not least, this is Mulch the Mint Green Dinosaur, from talkproof. I think he looks absolutely squeezable, and I know he's just dying to go to a good, dino loving home! Check out talkproof's shop for some other adorable plushies (I'm personally in love with the hippos, too cute!).Alright folks, that's all for now! Have a great Friday and happy trails!