Black Squirrel Designs

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?!

2011-04-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

So remember my awesome grilled cheese necklace that I was totally proud of? Well, when my friend's girlfriend wore it to work, everyone LOVED it! She said one person even thought I had somehow shrunk an ACTUAL grilled cheese sandwich and coated it in a glossy finish. Ha! I guess that's a compliment since I was worried that the necklace didn't look realistic enough!

Well she said that people at her workplace are clamoring over themselves to get custom work done! Her supervisor sent me an e-mail asking for a custom piece for their secretary (since it's administrative assistant appreciation week! :] ), and here's what I came up with (please ignore my incredibly messy, bright red workspace!):

Welp, hope everyone is having an awesome spring, and isn't too affected by all of this crazy weather!

In Honor of National Grilled Cheese Month...

2011-04-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

So, April is grilled cheese month! Who knew, right?! I had no idea until someone told me yesterday, and that was AFTER I had created a super awesome grilled cheese sandwich necklace!

Sooo the story is: I wore one of my necklaces to work one day (an apple one, I think) and everyone really loved it. After a few more times of wearing my own handmade jewelry, my coworkers asked if I would bring some in for them to look at, and I was thrilled! So I brought in some samples (peas and carrots necklace, all of my apple necklaces, banana necklace, and a few other things) and everyone fawned over them. It's always nice to hear someone say how much they like your work :] Someone ended up requesting a custom apple and banana bff necklace, which I was more than happy to make.

But my fave request came from one of my coworkers/friends. He wanted me to make a grilled cheese necklace for his girlfriend who LOVES grilled cheese. Of course I'm happy to accept any custom work, especially for a friend, and was intrigued by the challenge to make a realistic looking grilled cheese sandwich. Plus, I just love playing with all clay!

So here's the final necklace that I came up with (click on the pictures to see a bigger version):

I'm really happy with the way the grilled cheese came out! I've seen other necklaces that look more realistic, but I didn't use a mold for this one. And my friend's girlfriend was pleased as punch, which is what made me the happiest :]

Feel free to comment and lemme know what you think about the necklace!

Super Bubbly Pink Fun!

2011-04-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

You know when you have this super AWESOME idea in your head that you just won't stop thinking about until you actually do it?!

Well that happened to me this weekend. I got an idea for a necklace that I wanted to create, and I have been working literally since Friday on it! I wanted something super bright, funky, and bound to get compliments/attention.

I started with green clay, since green is my FAVE color. I swirled and blended until I had about 50 green clay beads that I LOVED. I baked them and they were PERFECT. Buuut...I decided to brush each one with a thin layer of nail polish to make them shiny and protect them from chipping. All was well until Sunday, when the weather went from freezing Ohio winter to a really balmy, 75 degree day. Well, the nail polish turned tacky and I knew that no one (not even me, no matter how much I loved my green beads) would want to wear tacky, sticky nail polish beads.

So I started over at 11pm last night with pink clay. I worked all night and most of the morning to create this beautiful shades of pink necklace, and I'm proud as a peach of it! So without further ado, tons and tons of pics from the proud necklace creator!

I love reading class!

2011-03-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

This semester I'm teaching two reading class (I teach English as a Second Language), and it's my first time teaching reading. So far I love it! I teach advanced students, so I made all my students pick out two novels to read for the semester. Each novel needed to be around 200 pages, so they end up reading around 30 pages a week. Then they have to summarize it and write their opinion about the book in a weekly paper.

I had to approve all of their book choices, and some of the choices made me so happy and nostalgic. Of course, some of my students had no idea what to read, so I gave them suggestions on books I liked as a teenager (since those books are pretty easy for my students to read), and it makes me really happy when they pick one of my favorite books :D.

As I'm reading through their first summaries for their second books, I find myself getting really excited for my students! If they picked a book I love, I know what's coming next, and I know what surprises are in the plot. I feel like I'm reading the book along with my student, and I love talking about the books with my students. It's really interesting because often they have different favorite characters than I do because they treasure different values in people because of cultural differences.

Any way, here are some of the books my students are reading. I think their choices are interesting, and I can't wait to read more of their summaries, even if I hate grading!

I'd also like to know everyone's favorite short novel! If it's around 200-250 pages then I'll add it to my list of suggestions that I give my students to help them pick out books!

Geckos!

2011-03-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday I ventured down to Columbus to hang out and go to COSI (a science center) with my friends. My friends wanted to see the geckos (they're obsessed with geckos, and now after seeing the little cuties, I know why!), and I wanted to check out the rest of the science center.

The day started off awesomely because I only had to pay half price to get into COSI. Thank you teacher's discount!!! That degree is slowly paying for itself! :D

Isn't the coloring on this guy awesome? He's so yellow and happy looking, even though he was taking a snooze!

This little guy is my FAVORITE! I love the combination of blue and orange on EVERYTHING, so of course I was automatically drawn to this dude. He's so cute! I wanted to take him home!

This guy is gray with red dots. Also another good color combo!

BRIGHT GREEN! Love it!

This was a really cool fountain in the Poseidon area of the ocean exhibit. I thought the colors were gorgeous and I just had to take a picture.

Brain! This thing is awesome! It was hanging above an interactive science cafe. I reeeally wanted to stay and do the experiments at the science cafe, but we figured that the parents of small kids wouldn't like having 3 rowdy 20 somethings who already knew about science. Oh well.

Monkeys!

Old-timey typewriter! This was in the "Progress" section of the science center. The Progress section was our favorite part, and we were shocked that there weren't that many people in this section!

This was the second part of the Progress section. It had the same layout as the other "town", but it was in the 1950's instead of the previous early 1900's. Seriously, these little town exhibits were SO cool. There were some stores you could go into, like a television studio, an appliance store, and a diner/restaurant with a working juke box!

This thing is a little hard to see, but it's a HUGE wire skeleton sculpture. We had a really good time naming all of the bones in the human body. Thank you human musculo-skeletal class!

Awesome rotating giant metal sculpture thingie outside of COSI. It sparkled in the sunlight, but it was cloudy when I took this picture when we were leaving :(

Pretty sunflower wall!

Neat house in German Village!

I loved this fence!

Gorgeous/tasty cupcake that I ate while waiting for our table at Thurman's. We had to wait an hour and a half, but it was sooo worth it!

Most. Amazing. Burger. EVER. We went to Thurman's (which you may have seen on Man Vs. Food). It was about an inch and a half thick, and as big as my face. I just had a plain cheeseburger, I couldn't even imagine adding MORE stuff to my burger! But my friends got burgers with all kinds of crazy stuff on them.

I didn't take a picture, but in Thurman's there are dollar bills taped all over the place with notes and signatures from all the patrons. Even Adam from Man Vs. Food signed a dollar bill, and it hangs right over the bar. So of course, we had to add a dollar bill too! We signed it and taped it right near where we had been sitting!

Finally, isn't this bunny the cutest?! My friend had just bought her on Tuesday night, and I was totally jealous. I want a fuzzy little bunny!

I had an awesome time at COSI, and I can't WAIT to go back during the summer when they have an exhibit on dinosaurs (MY FAVE!). Plus that teacher's discount is super awesome!

Black Squirrel...With a Camera?!

2011-03-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't updated in aaaaages...but I've been up to my eyeballs in grading/teaching/life in general. I've moved into a new apartment with the bf (previously I was living with a crazy girl from a different continent), so that's taken a lot of getting used to. But I think the bf and I are getting along pretty well :]

In the meantime, I've picked up ANOTHER hobby. Because I totally need more things to take up my already dwindling free time. Plus, I just love buying accessories for new hobbies :]

Anyway, I've started a bit of amateur (and I MEAN amateur) photography. I borrowed a friend's camera (Canon Rebel DS 1000...or something like that). I like it, but the camera is way more complicated than my normal point and shoot camera (although from the reviews I've read, this camera is on the less complicated end of the spectrum).

I got so excited to try out the camera last night that I started photographing everything in sight. Also, this evening I went to the park/woods a little before sunset to try photographing some nature! I had a blast, and got a good workout walking up and down all the hills! Plus I hiked off the beaten path more than once to take pictures of badass flora and fauna.

Sooo I just wanted to share a few of my pictures from today. They're very amateurish, but I'm still pretty proud of them. I know that I still have a lot to learn about how the camera functions, composition, lighting, and editing (especially editing...since I hate it)...but I think this is a pretty decent first effort.

I would love some feedback/comments/critiques on these photos, so feel free to post a comment!

And without further ado...a million pictures!

I was just so excited to capture/photograph a black squirrel that I didn't care what the rest of the picture looked like!

Multiple Choice Poetry

2010-09-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

Here is some poetry that I "created" using the multiple choice answers for the quizzes I'm writing up. Enjoy! :]

I like the fall.
It's romantic.
Warm and sunny.

Yes, I would
Watch a movie.
It's chilly.

Stay inside and drink lots of water
Don't use the telephone
It's extremely windy.

In an office
She's an accountant
She's using a computer.

A chance for promotion
My ideal job
It's frustrating.

An excellent salary
Working in an office
I'd like a chance to travel.

If you can't tell, we're learning about weather and jobs!

Progress!

2010-09-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day that I felt almost completely comfortable and at ease while teaching! Okay, well, it was the first day that I didn't feel sick to my stomach at the beginning of class (usually the feeling goes away after taking attendance and going over homework, but today there was no sick feeling at all!).

I'm teaching two classes, an intermediate speaking and vocab class, and an elementary listening class (both at the college level since I'm teaching at a university). I LOVE my speaking and vocab class! When I find a subject that they like, man, they neveeer stop talking! Which is great, because HEY, it's speaking class! Today we finished up weather terms and talked about extreme weather (typhoons/hurricanes, blizzards, and heat waves). It's always so interesting to hear them talk about their home countries. One of the questions was, "Which of these weather events is the most dangerous? Why?" I, as a resident of Ohio, think nothing of blizzards, but I thought a heat wave would be absolutely devastating. On the other hand, one of my students from Saudi Arabia said that he experiences "heat waves" every day, and that he's terrified of blizzards! I love learning about different cultures through my students! I have so many ideas for this class! On Friday I'm going to play a bunch of review games with them to go over the vocab from chapters 1-4, and then next Friday, after the chapter on careers/jobs, we're going to visit my friend at the radio station (she's in charge of the whole shebang and said she'd give us a tour!). I can't wait! Ooh, and we're having our first oral presentations on Friday, so I've got to write up a rubric for that!

My listening class is more difficult, because they're the lowest proficiency level that we'll take (Elementary II). I only have them for 2 hours every week, so I haven't gotten to know them as well as my speaking/vocab students. I have some students in my listening class who NEVER participate (unless I call on them...gosh I love doing that!) and just stare at me with glossy eyes. But the other half is always willing to say answers and actively participate. I even had one student who shot his hand into the air to answer EVERY question today! Of course, I only called on him a few times because I want everyone to participate!

I hope that I'm a good teacher and that my students are learning a lot. I'm not going to tell them that this is my first time teaching...at least not until the end of the semester! Also, the international students are going on an excursion on Sunday to a local outlet mall, and all the ESL faculty was invited to go along. I'm excited for this because it's a chance to talk to my students outside of class, and it's a good opportunity for them to get to know me as a person and not just their big, bad teacher (although I'm hardly big or bad!). I'm excited for this too :]

Diving headfirst into teaching!

2010-09-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

So, I got back from Germany a little over a month ago. I miss it so, sooo much and I hope to return to Dresden sometime in the future (perhaps with my boyfriend...I'd love to show him around Europe since he's never been!). I learned a lot in Germany and made awesome friends with my roommates (it's now weird to see them at school...I'm sad that we don't live together any more :( ).

I also graduated! I now have a degree in Cultural Anthropology and a certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language! When I got back from Germany, I was really indecisive about what I was going to do with my life now. Should I look for a TEFL job? A desk job? Go back to school? Sit around and do nothing for awhile? That last one was rather tempting after working really hard for 4 1/2 years of school.

But then I got an awesome e-mail from my professor who taught all of my TEFL classes, asking if I was interested in teaching at our university. I answered "YES!" right away...and now I've suddenly gone from being a student to being a teacher. It's a complete 180. I get to be in charge of a classroom, which is a lot more fun and difficult than I could have imagined. I have the education of 30 students in my hands (between my two classes). I teach a listening class (extremely hard to teach, and I don't think my students are very comfortable with me...I've tried to get them talking, but they're super quiet :\) and a speaking and vocab class (LOVE this class! My students are hilarious and really chatty, which is awesome!).

I'm going into my third week of teaching, and I've already met and overcome a lot of challenges. But I had the most awesome feeling in the world when I went to the college book store a few days ago. I was picking up a book for my literature class (that I'm taking for FREE since I work at the university now!) and just for kicks I went over to the ESL section of textbooks and was poking around. I found the textbook for my listening class, and underneath there was a little placard that had all of the class information, like dates and times of the class, the call number, the required texts...and under instructor, it had my last name :] I freaked out because I was so happy and excited. I think I scared all of the other students around me. But that's okay.

It's been a difficult transition. I don't feel like an adult. I still feel like a student. And when people ask me what I'm doing now after I've graduated, I always say "I'm a part-time instructor in the ESL center at my university." I can't bring myself to say that I'm teaching...or that I'm *gulp*...a teacher. Because even though that's what I'm doing now, I still don't feel like it's my job. But maybe that'll change after I get used to teaching!

So long, farewell

2010-07-31T09:44:00.000-07:00

Auf Wiedersehen, adieu...

I'm leaving Germany tomorrow morning and I'm totally heartbroken over it. Sure I'm looking forward to seeing my friends, family, and boyfriend tomorrow night, but I'm so sad about leaving Germany. I feel like I've grown so much and I've come to call Dresden home. I learned so many things and experienced so many things and it'll be a long, LONG time before I forget any of those things.

I spent all afternoon walking around the city, saying goodbye to my favorite things. Goodbye German beer, goodbye Frauenkirche, goodbye Elbe, goodbye Zwinger, goodbye tram numbers 8 and 3, goodbye Katie's Garage, goodbye Neustadt and Alstadt, goodbye Theaterplatz and Albertplatz, and goodbye International Guesthouse.

Goodbye Germany. I hope I can come back some day :(

Almost there!

2010-07-22T03:09:00.000-07:00

So, I just took my last final of undergrad EVER, and I kicked it's butt (I think)! The only thing standing between me and my college diploma is a computer project that is taking me foreeeever to complete. Okay, it's taking me forever because I keep getting distracted! I'm just totally burnt out on school right now, so instead of doing my computer project, here's a list titled "Things On Etsy That I Really, REALLY Want Right Now!" To see what shop they come from, just click on the picture! Enjoy! Now I'm off to take a well deserved nap.

P.S. There's a theme. Bet ya can't guess what it is!

Annis Shawl is DONE!

2010-07-21T03:23:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I haven't had that much spare time to knit while being in Germany. Well, that's actually a lie...I've had spare time, but I spend that time exploring the city instead of knitting! But, I finally finished my project that I've been working on, the Annis Shawl from the spring/summer Knitty (2010) by Susanna IC. I actually bought another one of her shawl patterns when the Ravelry was having their Haiti fundraiser, but I ended up frogging that one a bunch of times (always ended up with like 6 extra stitches at the end of the row, harumph!). Any who...I really enjoyed knitting this. The nupps were difficult at best, but I'm glad I did them to learn a new technique and to try something different. I think I might make another in purple for my step-mom for her birthday (in December) with beads instead of nupps (although I'll have to learn beading first!). I bought this lovely mohair/wool blend at this cute little yarn store here in Dresden. I LOVE the store because the owner remembers me every time I go and is nice enough to speak to me in English :]

Okay, prepare for a bunch of pictures because I'm really proud of this shawl! It's the first one I've done, and I really enjoyed Susanna's crescent-shaped construction of the shawl. The short rows made it interesting, but I could really tell how long it was until I had finished all the short rows. No, I haven't weaved the ends in yet (ugh, torture), and no it hasn't been blocked yet, but I couldn't wait to show it off! I love the blue and it'll go perfectly with my winter coat. The last picture is a diagonal scarf I'm whipping up really quickly for a friend that I'll be staying with in England for 6 days starting Saturday as a thank-you present for letting me crash her pad!

Beautiful, gorgeous day in Germanland!

2010-07-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

So, it has been hot in Germany late. Like, RIDICULOUSLY hot. One of our German friends said there has been record-breaking heat in the past couple of weeks. Wonderful :\ But today, the weather was gorgeoooous. I'm more of an overcast sky and rain type of girl, so today was perfect. There was a bit of sunshine, a lot of wind, and a lovely temperature of 68-70 degrees F! So my roommate and I decided to go to a really nice, HUGE park in Dresden called the Grosser Garten. There's a palace in the middle of the garden, surrounded by forest, gardens, and paths. There's also a little train that you can take for 2 euros that goes around the entire garden and makes stops along the way (such as the zoo, the VW factory, a small cafe, the palace, etc). We rode the train and weren't the least bit embarassed to be the only people there who were childless and under 65 :] It was so much fun. Then we walked around a lake and ate at a tiny cafe that was right on top of the water. We watched ducks and swans and people rowboating around the river. All in all, it was a super fantastically awesome day! I can't believe I only have 2 more weeks left in Germany :( Any who...pictures!

P.S. The gardens/palace are totally what I imagine Pemberley (sp?) to look like!

Mix Tape TUESDAY!

2010-07-06T06:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I didn't have a mix tape put together yesterday (but I did have ONE song stuck in my head allllll day...which subsequently got stuck in the heads of my roommates!), but I've put together a mix for today! The theme is "Summertime Songs", or more specifically "Songs I Would Have Played at My 4th of July Party if I Had Been in the USA." It's just a mix of songs I think are perfect for summertime, or remind me of summertime in high school. I think every single one of these songs is totally singable, and I love them all. My roommates and I have had this mix on repeat ALL day now!

Summertime Songs
1. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To - Weezer
2. Desole Pour Hier Soir (Sorry For Last Night) - Tryo (I can't find a video for this because SONY doesn't allow me to watch it in my country :( But this song is AMAZING so youtube it!)
3. Someday - Sugar Ray
4. Long Cool Woman in A Black Dress - The Hollies
5. First Date - Blink 182
6. Energy - The Apples in Stereo
7. Days Like These - The Cat Empire
8. Mr. Jones - The Counting Crows
9. Snow ((Hey Oh)) - Red Hot Chili Peppers
10. A Surprise One :] (I bet you've TOTALLY forgotten this song, but to me, this song absolutely represents summer!)

Enjoy!
Erin

P.S. Totally, TOTALLY want those earrings! Click on the picture to get redirected to the shop!

...

2010-07-05T08:03:00.000-07:00

"The wind is low the birds will sing
that you are part of everything."

:]

How do you communicate

2010-06-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

with no words to use?

Sometimes living in a foreign country is absolutely frustrating. Everything is different, even if you never expect it to be. The plugs are different, the pillows are different, the public transportation is different...EVERYTHING! But most importantly (and most difficultly) the language is different.

About 75% of the time that I try to communicate with native Germans, I feel like an absolute fool. I know a couple words like "please", "thank you", "one", "I don't speak German", and some food names, but that is IT. I don't know any German, and I feel like a horrible person every time someone asks me if I speak German and I have to reply "no...sorry." I can only order food while pointing at something and saying "one, please", which has incredibly limited my diet because I'm a very picky eater and I have no way of saying "yes, but no tomatoes please!". So I've basically stuck to noodle boxes and pretzels when I'm eating on the run. Otherwise, I can just make food in my apartment (which has no oven, microwave, or toaster...grrr).

I had a very interesting (to me) encounter the other day. I was at the public viewing park for the World Cup games (okay America, we need some of these public viewing parks ASAP...they're so much fun!) and I went to the food tent to get some french fries and beer (sooo healthy, I know) and when I went to check out, the girl told me my total, which of course, I didn't understand. So I kind of smiled at her and looked at the cash register to see what the number was, and handed her my money. She then asked, "Next time should I speak in English?"

This totally surprised me. It's your country and your language, why should you have to change to cater to my needs? It was just kind of funny to me that she was willing to switch to English when sooo many people I've encountered in Germany obstinately refuse to use English, even if they know a bit.

Sometimes the language barrier makes me want to give up on living here and just move back home, but most of the time I see it as a challenge to myself and as a way to improve my relations and interactions with people who live in cultures different from my own!

Tschüss (goodbye)!
Erin

P.S. Lovely photo of the best World Cup team's flag by The Daily Photo.

Tuesdays >:[

2010-06-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

I think Tuesdays are the absolute worst. They're the pits. No matter what my class, work, or hobby schedule is from semester to semester, Tuesday are ALWAYS freaking terrible.

Today I sat through 6 hours of classes. In a row. In a tiny cramped room. With an itty bitty window. In 85+ degree weather. And I forgot my water bottle.

I think Tuesdays exist only to hassle me! But on a brighter note, I received a bunch of postcards in the mail from Postcrossing. You sign up and send out 5 postcards, and when the other person receives and registers your postcard, then you're next in queue to receive a random postcard from some random place in the world! It's fun and addicting and awesome! For the price of a postcard and stamp, you can connect with hundreds and thousands of other people around the world!

Cheers,
Erin

P.S. The picture above is a print from the seller Studio Tuesday, the only good Tuesday I know!

Mix Tape Monday!

2010-06-28T03:23:00.001-07:00

I've decided that I missed Mix Tape Monday, and I was in a music-y mood this weekend, so I've compiled another mix, this time with a theme!

The theme is "Museums", because this weekend I went on a lovely visit to the museum inside the old palace in Dresden, where they keep all the beautiful treasures of Saxony (the region in which Dresden resides). I had gone to the old part of town just to walk around and watch tourists, but I got sidetracked and ended up in the palace museum for about 2 1/2 hours. So, to escape the very loud and animated Italian tour group that seemed to be following me around the museum, I popped on my headphones, and here is the play list I came up with:

1. My Rights Versus Yours - The New Pornographers
2. Leslie Anne Levine - The Decemberists
3. She'll Hang the Baskets - Cake
4. If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out - Cat Stevens
5. Foundations - Kate Nash
6. Syrup and Honey - Duffy
7. Slip Slidin' Away - Paul Simon
8. Ne Me Quitte Pas - Regina Spektor
9. How Am I To Be - The Watson Twins
10. Hail To Whatever You Found In The Sunlight That Surrounds You - Rilo Kiley

If you click on the song titles, you can listen to the song on Youtube (for those I could find...you should check out the other songs on Itunes though! They're good, I promise!). Enjoy the music, and hopefully it'll distract you from the tourists the next time you're in a museum! Also, comment if you like the mix, songs, etc, and if you have any ideas for a future themed mix!

Cheers!
Erin

P.S. The picture is of Rilo Kiley, one of my absolute favorite bands EVER. They rock.

Well hellooooo!

2010-06-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

So, I've been on a bit of a hiatus, buuut I'm back now!

I'm currently living in Dresden, Germany...at least for the next 5 weeks (have already been here 6 weeks). It's absolutely amazing, and I've even made friends with the proprietor of a LYS. Every time I walk into the store, she says, "You're back!" and even remembers to speak to me in English (which is a huge blessing to me). It's so nice that she remembers me, because I don't think the cashiers at my LYS at home even remember me :( Well she probably sees me walking down the sidewalk and thinks, "Oh goodness. Here's that crazy American girl again. How many socks can she possibly knit in a week to be back for more yarn!?" But I've spent a good amount of my euros there :]

SOCKS! I finished my first pair of socks. They're rainbow colored and amazing! I love wearing them around the apartment, but it's much to warm to wear them outside :[ Oh well, I can't believe I'm actually excited for winter and coldness so that I can wear my new, lovely socks! I started a pair in blues and purples for my stepmother, but I'm only halfway finished with one sock :\ But I am ADDICTED to making baby socks...and I'm not even having a baby! I have a friend from high school who is expecting a new baby daughter at the end of August, so I'm knitting tiny socks for her like mad. I mean, they only take a little bit of yarn and about an hour to knit up! They're perfect for tram rides and bus rides! I've got 5 so far, and plan to make many, many more.

Yesterday I went to the historic center of Dresden to look for postcards and go people watching. I got sidetracked and ended up wandering around a museum for 2 1/2 hours. Dear me, I love Germany so, SO much!

Any way, that's it for now. I've got homework to do :( Blah!

Cheers!
Erin

P.S. Sorry the picture is so tiny, but that's me in front of a lovely fountain in Dresden :]

For the first time in a long time

2010-02-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-01-15T21:13:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-13T15:18:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-01T16:50:00.000-08:00

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

I am the world's worst blogger!

2009-11-15T10:10:00.001-08:00

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!

Hats hats hats!

2009-08-24T14:03:00.001-07:00

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!

Delightful Dinos

2009-08-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

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!

Annnnd I'm back!

2009-08-13T11:26:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I've been on a bit of hiatus from blogging lately, mostly because I simply haven't had time. But I'm going to try to blog more, since I will have more stuff going on!

I've been hat crazy lately. I've made like 4 hats in the past 2 weeks. I'm hoping to photograph them and take pictures after I move to my new apartment. I've come up with a relatively easy pattern that I can use for some slouchy berets, and it will fit a bunch of different patterns and stitches. And I'm super excited because I've started my first wearable knitted item! I'm knitting Ysolda Teague's Cloud Bolero, and the pattern is causing me all sorts of trouble, but I guess I can't complain since the pattern is free and relatively easy! I really love her designs. They're all so romantic and dreamy. I saw a version of the bolero that someone else made, and I knew I had the PERFECT yarn for it. I had bought it last winter at a yarn store in Cleveland. It was thick and think and had the same colors as a peacock. I didn't know what to do with it until I saw the bolero! It's a perfect match :] I just can't wait til winter until I can wear all of my new knitted items.

I've also started my Christmas knitting, since I have a TON to do this year! I've finished an easy striped scarf for my boyfriend's sister. It's pink and black and made from Lamb's Pride yarn. I just have to add the fringes to it. I'm doing another striped scarf for his other sister, same yarn, same pattern, except in yellow and blue. They're going to be really cute, and I hope his sisters like them! I have yet to start the scarves for his 2 brothers (one in Steeler's colors, and one in his fraternity colors), and my stepmom's purple lace scarf (still need to find a pattern for that one). I have no idea what to make for my mom, dad, or 2 brothers. I think I'm going to attempt a zip up sweater for my boyfriend, but that'll probably end in rage and tears. He's worth all the frustration though, and I really need to expand my knitting repertoire!

And finally, I have stayed ALMOST true to my yarn diet! I haven't bought ANY yarn for myself, but I have bought yarn for the Christmas knitting I'm doing. I was so, SO tempted when I went into my LYS, but I managed not to buy everything in sight! I'm trying to use up my stash, which is why I've been making hats; easy, and don't take up much yarn!

Alright folks, that's it for now. I'm off to watch True Blood and do French homework!

Peace and bacon grease!

Bonjour from sick land!

2009-06-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

I have been sick for the past week or so. It has not been fun! But today it was raining cats and dogs so I decided it would be a good day for a blog update! I'm absolutely terrible at updating, grr. Well actually, it had stopped raining for a bit, but now has continued again!

I've been taking French for about 3 days now, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I don't grasp it as well as I did Spanish and Italian. To me, a lot of French words sound exactly the same. I can't figure out what they are until I read or see them to know how they're spelled. Only about half the letters in a French word get pronounced, and this has made it difficult! It doesn't help that I'm a very visual learner, so learning any kind of new language based solely on sound is really hard for me! But, having a cold has certainly helped me pronounce the nasally "un bon vin blanc" or "a good white wine!" I love hearing the professor speak French, but when I try and talk it doesn't sound nearly as pretty. Well it does when I'm alone practicing, but I seem to get stage fright in class because EVERYONE in my class has already had some French! Well uh, what are you doing in Elementary French 1! I keep wanting to pronounce things in the Italian way also. In Italian, every letter gets pronounced; in French, it seems like you just drop off half of the letters. Haha, oh well. I've done well on quizzes so far (we have one every day, ick!) but we have our first exam on Friday! I've labeled everything in my room in French! There are little sticky notes attached to all my things and clothing, telling me what they are in French. Eh, it sounds silly, but it certainly helps me!

Lately I've become enamored with thrift shopping. I go through little spurts where I'll want everything BRAND NEW, or I'll go through little bouts where I just love sifting through all the thrifty goodness at the thrift store! I've been to ours twice so far, and managed to pick up some old sheets, which are going to be refashioned into a quilt, some popsicle moulds, and some shirts! I'm now on the search for things for my apartment for the fall: cups, mugs, plates, etc. Ooh, and also things for my room, like a cute little lamp, light, pillows, shelves, anything!

So that brings me to trading! I've been trading a bit lately, and I think I maaay be addicted, haha! I joined a trading street team, but I thought I would mention it on my blog too! I have a box full of fabric that I'm trying to trade away. I just don't sew as much anymore. So if you're interested (you can take a look at my shop too if something there interests you!) send me a convo at the shop address. I'm interested in trading for vintage home items, hand made soap, and photographs/art/prints right now!

Alright everyone, that's bonsoir for now! The rain certainly has kicked up in the last couple of minutes, and I've got to get back to conugating verbs!

Hola!

2009-06-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Just a super quick update, I don't really have much time today. Oh homework and school, you're ruining my life!

I am now offering hand spun yarns in my shop! Along the side of this post so you can see a few of my favorites, but don't forget to check out my store to see all of them! I particularly love (and am proud of) the one directly to the left, called Super Fun Yarn Explosion. It's spun from 5 different mini batts. I'm pretty proud because it's my first yarn spun from a batt. I have another beautiful, green batt waiting for me in my 'To Spin' box, but I simply haven't had time to draft it all out :(

So, I have an uncanny ability to kill all living plants around me. I don't do it on purpose, but I can't seem to keep any plant alive :( My poor, potted herbs. I was gone over the weekend, and I thought they'd be able to make it. I watered them right before I left, but they were pretty dry when I got back on Sunday.

So I watered them as soon as I could, but um, now there's some kind of white residue on the outside of my terra cotta pots. And there was a teeny bit of mold growing on the bottom of my pepper plant's pot (say that 5 times fast!). I figured that the white residue on my other pots was the same kind of mold or spore and was seeping through the terra cotta. Questions: will this kill my herbs/plants? Are they okay? How do I get rid of it?! Any help you guys can offer is much appreciated!

I'm also in the middle of an experiment with my plants. I'm document the stages of their growth. Out of the 13 plants on my windowsill (I have a large windowsill!), I've picked 4 plants to take pictures of as they grow. I'm fascinated by the way the plants change and their leaves get bigger and they get taller and bear fruit, etc. So I've taken pictures of these 4 plants every single day to show their growth. Towards the end of the summer/beginning of fall, I'm going to take all of the pictures and put them into a slide show in iMovie and the fastforward it, so you can see an entire summer of growth in a mere 5 minutes! It's going to be really cool, I'm sure :]
Any way, that's about all the time I have for now. I need to get busy reading my cultural ecology book, reading an online article, cleaning my room, finding a job, and rolling change! Oh, and a nap. I definitely need one of those!

In an attempt to be healthier

2009-05-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

I have bought a bicycle! And fruit! Yaaaay! I hardly ever eat fruit, but I'm planning on changing that! I had a nanner for breakfast today (nanners=bananas) and I'll have another tomorrow for breakfast! I plan on using my bike to ride to the local farmer's market on Saturdays when that starts up (ooh, this weekend, I think). That's the exact bicycle I bought (pictured) though mine has a few dents on the fenders. I think brand new it's $170 (yeesh!) but I found someone selling theirs on Craigslist (my new favoritest thing ever) for $130, but I offered $110, and they accepted! They were very nice and let me come try it out first. I'm very short and it's pretty difficult finding ANYTHING that fits me, let alone a bicycle. So the nice guy let me ride it around the parking lot for a bit and adjusted the seat for me (it's on the lowest setting right now). Then he helped me get it into my car and everything. How awesome!

I took the bike out for a ride for the first time yesterday and I was not expecting to hurt so much! I haven't ridden a bike in yeeears (probably since I was 14, and I'm 21 now :\ ). But I want to be healthier and I want to use my car less. Everything in town (I live on campus in a college town right now) is pretty close by, so there's not really a point in using the car, but walking is too far and boring! So voila, bicycle! But yeah, my legs started to hurt after about 20 minutes, and my butt got kind of numb. I have to go to the post office today, so I'll try it out again. I'm determined to ride my bike for a bit every day until my legs get stronger!

Speaking of the post office, we have a winner for the giveaway! I know, I know, signing up for the giveaway ended a WEEK ago, but I've been extremely busy moving from dorm to dorm and with finals and family stuffs (excuses, excuses, I know!). And the winner of my lovely hand spun yarn is...drum roll please...

Rosalie of UglyBaby! Yaaay! I hope she really enjoys her new yarn. Also, her stuff is really cute, so make sure to check out her shop!

Well that's all for today folks! My boyfriend left his phone charger in my car while moving, so I've got to head for the post office and send it home to him ASAP! Have a great weekend! I'll be spending mine at a fiber festival in Wooster, Ohio!

GIVE AWAY! WOOOO!

2009-05-07T11:26:00.001-07:00

Alright guys, in celebration of 100 views of this blog (though I have a sneaking suspicion that most of those views are mine :\ ) I'm giving away this ball of yarn that was hand spun by me! It was my 3rd or 4th try at spinning, and I'm really proud of this yarn! It's made from merino wool, and is approximately 51 yards long. It's a pretty even yarn, though it is a little thick and thin in some places! The colors remind me of a sunrise, including pinks, oranges, and magentas :]

You have one week before I pick the winner of the giveaway! All you have to do to participate in the giveaway is to comment on THIS blog post (I won't count comments on other blog posts) before next Thursday, May 14, 2009. Make sure you include a link to your Etsy shop or an e-mail or somewhere I can reach you. I will then put all the names/emails/Etsy shops into a hat and draw out the winner!

So get posting, and good luck!

Busy busy bee!

2009-04-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness. Isn't that just one of the most beautiful yarns you've ever seen? I think it's gorgeous, and it's seriously making me regret my yarn diet. I just want to touch this yarn so much. I LOVE the colors. I'm a big fan of bright colors, and this just makes my head spin with happiness (hah, spin!). You should all check out this shop: SpunRightRound. I noticed earlier today that they had hearted my shop on Etsy, so I checked them out (as I do with all the shops that heart me) and I fell in loooove. Not only is their name awesome (you spin me right round baby, right round, like a record baby, right round round round!) but the colors in their shop are AMAZING and all of the batts, rovings, and yarns are drool worthy. Please check them out if you have a spare minute or two!

Sigh. My yarn-it, however, is not going so hot. I finished my Celery Hat. Another failure! I wanted a loose beret kind of thing, but ended up with this huuuuge hat/bag/floppy mess thing. It's pretty funny. I'll be posting pictures of it ASAP. I've been hung up so much on school lately, so I haven't had much time to knit or come up with new project ideas for my stash. It's the end of semester (even though I'll be going right into summer semester) and I've been frustrated with some of my classes this semester. I have a huge project due on Monday and have had to change my direction with it several times. Ugh. I'm just so ready for all these classes to be over. I'll be so happy to have some leisurely classes during summer (although I'm not really sure Calculus can count as leisurely). The only thing I'm not looking forward to during the summer is being jobless. I REALLY need a job, but no one around is hiring. I'm just looking for part-time work. Anyone in the Cleveland area want to hire a great employee/personal assistant/hard working student for the summer!?

I have finally received all the batts I ordered a few weeks ago, and they're gorgeous. I can't stop looking at and feeling them. Ooh, and one of the sellers threw in a little extra bling. Yay! :] I gotta say, one of my favorite things about buying from Etsy is when sellers add a little personal touch to your purchase. Whether it's throwing in a little freebie or simply writing a thank-you note (which is what I've done so far), it's just lovely and totally makes my day, and also makes me more inclined to buy from them again! But seriously, it's my goal this weekend to spin a little bit of yarn. I have several batts, and then I ordered about 8 ounces of plain, undyed merino wool because I'm going to spin it and then try dyeing it! I've never dyed anything before so this should be *interesting*! Haha, I'm sure it will turn out great, I have high hopes!

Let me just so, I am SO grateful it's Thursday! My favorite day of the week! I have Bones, the Office, and 30 Rock. Plus the bf doesn't work tonight and I get to hang out with him, AND tomorrow is Friday. We're going to see the new Wolverine movie for my friend's birthday, and then out to the bars for a quick drink for my other friend's birthday! And then my roommate is going home on Sunday so I get the room to myself for a whole day :] It's gearing up to be a great weekend!

I've been craving a doughnut for about 2 weeks now, and I'm FINALLY going out to get one now! So have a fun and safe Thursday night everyone!

Hat Failure #1

2009-04-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

So, this is my failure of a Jade Hat (named for the color, not a design). It may be really difficult to see (what with my horrible picture taking skills and all) but the hat is actually resting upon my head. I have to yank it really hard for it fit on my head. If someone has a 10-12 year old, and think it might fit them (I really have no idea what age child it would fit) they are welcome to have it. Oh, and I just noticed that the color of the hat totally matches my eyes. That makes it so much worse that it doesn't fit :(

Okay, I think that when most people go on a diet of any sort, there is at least one time early on where they falter. And folks, I have faltered. Hard. I'm not sure if it counts because it's not *technically* yarn, but I have been buying up batts like it's going out of style. Somewhere along my yarn-it I must have decided that since I couldn't buy yarn, it must be okay to MAKE it. Hmm, I must have been sleeping or something when I came up with that because I don't really remember thinking that. But somehow, I justified buying several different batts from several different shops. I have gone on a batt buying binge. And what am I going to end up with when I'm done spinning it? More YARN. Sigh.

One of my other goals of my yarn-it is to spin all the rovings I already have (though I bought more, what the heck!). So here are the two yarns I spun last week. I'm really proud of the first one. It doesn't have a name yet, but it's merino wool and 51 yards long. It's the most even yarn I've spun, though it's still a bit thick and thin in some places. I must've psyched myself out for the second one because I thought spinning the first one was sooo easy, and this one didn't come out as well. It's still pretty even, but has a lot more thick places than the first. Also nameless and merino wool, this one is 42 yards. They are the longest yarns I've spun!

I think I'm going to give away that first yarn in a giveaway for this blog. I'd love to know if people were interested in winning it, so drop me a comment. That's all for me today, so I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend!

Yarn-it, Day 3

2009-04-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I didn't blog yesterday. I was going through horrible yarn withdrawal. Headaches, the shakes, irritation, you name it!

Today will be a real test of my yarn-it. I have to go to the *bum bum BUUUUM* craft store, where I will surely be tempted to load up my basket with all kinds of yarns and knitting needles. Now that I think about it, I DO need some new needles. NO. Nothing new related to knitting. This is my vow. Sigh, all I need to get is some ribbon and a foam paint brush. But we'll see :\

So I finished my Jade Hat. It was the first ever hat I made without a definite pattern. I kind of just made it up as I went along, especially the crown decreases. Buuut, I didn't realize the hat would scrunch up so much when I decreased it, so it ended up much too short. Instead of looking like a beanie like I wanted, it looks and fits more like a yarmulke, which would be fantastic if I was a Jewish man (although the yarn is a wool/acrylic blend, and isn't it unkosher to mix different types of fabric like that? I could just be making it up though. Any hoo...). Pictures of the ridiculous looking hat soon to come!

I have, however, started a new hat, this one also pattern free! I'm making it with cotton yarn and with big eyelets, because I don't know about you guys, but I have bad hair regardless of the season, so this hat will be meant for summer. And the yarn is a yummy celery color (dangit, now I want some celery and peanut butter!). I've already had to unravel this hat twice now, so it looks like it might end up like the Jade hat :\ BUT I am using yarn that was already in my stash for it! So yaaaay, 1 yarn down, 298356792356 more yarns to go!

I got my third sale on Etsy a few days ago! Yaaaay! In celebration I'm going to be doing a giveaway soon. I started spinning yarn a few weeks ago, and I finally spun a yarn that is decently even and I managed to get more than 20 yards on the spindle! So pictures of that yarn soon, and details of the giveaway!

And lastly, I love that picture at the top. I may not be able to new yarn right now, but I can always haz new lolcats!

Yarn-it, Day 1

2009-04-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of my yarn diet (or my yarn-it as I call it). As suspected, I have a huge itch to go out and buy hordes and hordes of yarn. Sigh :(

I went through my stash this morning and packed it into three categories: yarns I have ideas for, yarns that I bought because they were pretty but have noooo idea what to do with them, and wtf why did I ever buy these yarns.

My biggest problem is that I buy some really nice, expensive yarns, and then I am TERRIFIED to use them! I'm afraid that something will go horribly wrong with my wip, or I'll end up not loving the fo, and then I've wasted $18.

But I can't help it.

I go into a yarn store and I'm just in heaven. All the bright colors exploding at me from every angle, not even knowing where to look first. I run my fingers along all the aisles, individually feeling every single yarn that catches my eye. Then I make sure no one is watching me, and I rub it on my face to make sure the yarn feels nice. And every time I pick up a yarn, it's a struggle to put it down. I know that I can't put EVERY single skein I pick up into my basket, but oh so want to. I go through about 50 questions to myself before I decide whether to buy the yarn or not. Do I need this yarn? What will I do with it? Does it go with any other yarn I already have? Don't I own another colorway that looks exactly like this? Where will I put it? Should I start using my roommate's bed to store yarn on? But overall there's one question that trumps every other question I have: do I WANT this yarn? And the answer is always YES. I want the yarn. Sigh. About 1/4 of the time, the yarn ends up in my basket, then I bring it home, and it ends up in my stash, unused, but certainly not unloved.

So today is the first day of me trying to use all those lovely yarns that at the time, I decided I had to have or I would explode. They've all sunk to the bottom of my baskets, waiting and wishing to become something beautiful. Now's their time!

Time to bust some stash!

2009-04-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

First of all let me say, this is not actually my stash. I found it when I was googling early. But I really hope that one day I have a HUGE room in my house dedicated just to yarn!

But seriously, my room is starting to look a bit like this, and when I live in a tiny dorm room, there's only so much space to shove yarn. I have it packed into my closet, my drawers, my desk, under my bed, and even in my book bag (because god knows I don't actually use it for books!). I have yarn flowing out from every where.

So my friends, it is time. I am going to take part in the most dreaded of all words...DIET. Yes, I am going on a yarn diet. I vow to not buy any more yarn until I've used at LEAST half of my stash. I can't afford to keep buying bags and bags of yarn. I need to seriously stash bust. So now I'm asking you guys: what are some great stash busting ideas you have? I'll use my yarn for anything! I have a huge variety, and tons of colors. I was thinking of making some scarves, but I get soooo bored of plain garter stitch scarves after awhile, yanno?! Maybe a blanket? I don't know!

So gimme your ideas everyone!
Cheers,
Erin

Mixtape Monday Pt. 3!

2009-04-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

First of all I'd like to say that I am TERRIBLE about keeping up with this blog! It's hard to find the time to update in between classes and homework and exams and creating, yanno! Sorry for the loooong time between posts!

So without further ado, it is Mixtape Monday! WOOOO! In case your download is out of order, here is the proper order the playlist should be in:

Mixtape Monday Pt. 3
1. My Guitar - Radish
2. Popular Mechanics for Lovers - Beulah
3. She'll Hang the Baskets - Cake
4. Move Your Feet - Junior Senior
5. LDN - Lily Allen
6. Days Like These - The Cat Empire
7. Holiday - Weezer
8. Jailer - Asa
9. Domino - Van Morrison
10. One Love - Bob Marley

You can upload the playlist here.

I was hoping this mixtape would capture the mood of my vacation last weekend. The bf and I went to Washington DC for the annual cherry blossom festival, and they were BEAUTIFUL! It was an amazing trip. We went to the Natural History Museum and the American History Museum. We had dinner at Wok and Roll in Chinatown (which I later found out is the building where the Lincoln assassination was planned) and we sat at the sushi bar and got some free delicious salads there :] Here is a picture of the lovely bf and I in front of some of the cherry trees:

We also went to the Japanese street festival on Saturday. It was so fun and cool. I've never seen so many people in one place. It was pretty difficult to get to one of the merchandise booths because it was sooo overcrowded with people, but we didn't really mind. I also got this orange soda drink think called Ramune, and it was the most difficult thing to open! It had a marble in it's opening that you had to push down to open. Sheesh, I couldn't open it! Thank goodness the boy could! Over all it was an amazing weekend, and it was the first trip I'd ever taken with a boyfriend! We had a great time and want to go back next year (granted we have the money to do so!)

On another note, you may want to know about the scantily clad girl at the top of my blog post! She's a character from my boyfriend's favorite videogame, Final Fantasy 10, and her name is Rikku (although I think that picture is actually from the game's sequel, FF10-2) and the first time I saw this character I was immediately drawn to her beautiful scarf. I've never dyed anything so I thought this might be a good project! It's going to be a little difficult to get the shaded coloring, but I don't mind a challenge! So if anyone has any tips or tricks for dyeing, they'd be much appreciated. I only have about 10 inches of the scarf knitted so far, so it might be awhile before I actually get to dye it (I'm using 100% cotton yarn, if that makes a difference in dyeing).

Since the last time I posted, I made 2 sales on Etsy, and I was so SO happy! What a great feeling, amirite?! I sold a scarf and a pair of armwarmers. I'm so proud of myself, and I hope their new owners love the items just as much as I loved making them!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter and have a safe rest of the week!

New Books!

2009-03-18T14:17:00.001-07:00

Ahh, spring time always makes me want to sit outside underneath an apple tree and read til my eyes fall out. Unfortunately, I don't have an apple tree :( But I do have a tree house! So today I went to my nearest book store and bought three books: one on Norse Mythology, an epic Norse saga/tale, and a book on dying languages.

So I plan to spend my entire spring break (coming up soon, thank god) geeking out with my new books and knitting. And don't you guys just adore the smell of new books? It's one of my favorites :]

On another equally geeky note, I finished my first swap on Craftster! It was really fun and enjoyable, so of course I signed up for another one right away. This one is all about science and the people who love the different sciences! Being an archaeology major, I dig (ugh, sorry for that pun) archaeology, geology, geography, chemistry, and all that other fun stuff! I'm so excited for this swap; I'm practically swimming in ideas already!

I listed another pair of glovelies in my shop. They're quickly becoming my favorite thing to knit. They're an easy way to show off some really lovely yarn, and they knit up quickly and are oh so practical, so check em out!

Also, everyone please enjoy the Viking Kitty at the top. HE DEMANDS YOU TO! Haha, I thought he was cute :]

Mixtape Monday Pt. 2!

2009-03-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, welcome to Mixtape Monday Pt. 2! I hope you enjoy today's playlist! Again, the songs don't show up in order, so here is how the track listing is supposed to be:

1. Life Is (Super) Sweet - Cara Beth Satalino
2. Sweet Pea - Amos Lee
3. Young Folks - Dawn Landes
4. The Boys Are Too Refined - The Hush Sound
5. You Don't Know Me - Ben Folds ft. Regina Spektor
6. Los Angeles, I'm Yours - The Decemberists
7. Wildwood Flower - Reese Witherspoon
8. The Charging Sky - Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
9. Valerie - Amy Winehouse
10. Love Me Like the World is Ending - Ben Lee

I'm in love with this week's play list, so if you download it (which I hope you all do!) drop me a message and let me know what you think! You can download it here.

Also, yesterday I made my first ever sale on Etsy! I'm so excited and can't wait to send it out (have to wait til I can get to the post office)!

So far this week is off to an amazing start. I aced a chem quiz, had mac and cheese and a corn dog for lunch, and finished my work super early in my computer class. I had an amazing Monday (which usually doesn't EVER happen) so hopefully the rest of the week follows suit!

The photo at the top of this post was taken by mkendall. Isn't it just dreamy? I love it! Check out some of her work at her Etsy shop by clicking the link, she has fantastic stuff!

People, who need people

2009-03-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

are definitely NOT the luckiest people. I know, I know, I should love my fellow man, but sometimes they just make is SO difficult. My New Year's Resolution was to be nicer and judge less, and I've honestly been trying, but it's just so hard.

I'm taking some particularly difficult classes this semester, and the one I'm having the most difficulty with is Chemistry. Needless to say, I spend a ton of time in the study lounge. The other night, I was up to my eyeballs in chemistry calculations, getting ready to pull my hair out, when two girls walked into the study lounge. They were chatting to each other, which was the first distraction. I ignored them and went back to my limiting reagents problems. Then the one girl starts eating an apple, and the other starts with crackers. If you guys didn't know, those are probably the most loud, obnoxious foods you could eat while someone else is studying. Awesome.

Both girls proceed to set up laptops (while still managing to make a ton of noise). At this point I'm getting extremely anxious because I can't concentrate on my homework. Then, this is what REALLY gets me: both girls get on their PHONES. Okay, I can understand snacking in the study lounge, you need nutrients to concentrate! And I get setting up laptops, you might need them to do special online homework, but seriously phones?! Maybe I just don't understand how a person could be so rude, especially when others expect it to be quiet in the STUDY lounge.

So the one girl is on the phone to IT, because she can't get onto the wireless network. All while talking to the IT guy, she's making snarky comments to her friend, who is also on her phone (with her boyfriend, I assume). This girl then proceeds to have a very loud, very violent argument with her boyfriend, claim that she hates him so much, and just wants to hit him next time she sees him. Neato.

My absolute favorite part though, is that when each girl was done with their phone calls (by this time I was just glaring at them unashamedly), they just packed up their laptops and LEFT. So, no actual studying, no reading, just yelling on their phones, munching loudly, and annoying the piss out of me. Absolutely charming.

I'm sorry, I'm trying so hard to be a nicer person, but people like this just make me want to be a hermit forever. :\

On a much happier note, I landed a treasury! You can see the picture at the top (sorry it's so blurry, I'm so bad with cropping pictures, transferring them to photobucket, resizing them, etc). It's called "Who Can Take The Sunrise - and sprinkle it with dew?" The treasury is full of items that are inspired by Willy Wonka! Here's another picture for you (including my alternatives):
Again, sorry the picture is so small and blurry, but if you are interested in any of the items, just drop me a comment and I can tell you who the seller is! I was so excited to land a treasury, and had a ton of fun picking out all the items! Now I'm addicted, and can't wait to make another treasury (I've already picked out a theme, and yet again, it's based on a movie!)

So, I hope you guys all have a fantastic weekend (better than mine at least, more studying for Chemistry :\ )! Remember to check out my previous post and to download my Mixtape Monday playlist, because there will be a new one this Monday! See ya! <3

Mixtape Monday!

2009-03-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, and welcome to Mixtape Monday! I'm gonna try this new thing where I post a mixtape/playlist every Monday! I think it's a fun idea. You might find something new, you might not. Oh well, I love all the music I post, and I hope you do too! Also, I really think I need a better layout for my blog, so I'm taking suggestions for that too!

Mixtape Monday: Mix 1
1. Manifest Destiny - Guster
2. The Dog Song - Nellie McKay
3. Mr. Pitiful - Matt Costa
4. Meet You In My Dreams - Building Rome
5. The General Specific - Band of Horses
6. Hold Heart - Emiliana Torrini
7. Dream - Priscilla Ahn
8. Time. It Will Not Erase Me - Lost in the Trees
9. Syrup and Honey - Duffy
10. Absolutely Cuckoo - The Magnetic Fields
11. The Only One - Ready Made FC featuring Yael Naim
12. Breakdown - Handsome Boy Modeling School featuring Jack Johnson

You can download the playlist here. I don't think the list downloads in order though, so you'll have to manually put them in order. Sorry! Also, the picture at the top of this post is from Lauren Alexander. Her work is beautiful, and this picture is so cute! It totally embodies what I'm feeling today (the hope that spring will be here soon!), so go check out her work!

Happy Monday, and I hope you enjoy the music!

Hooked!

2009-02-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

I am absolutely hooked, and no not on crocheting which is what I usually think of when I hear the word hook (but I am going to try that out sometime soon, too! I feel like I should really learn to crochet!). Nope, I am HOOKED on spinning! A few weeks ago I ordered a drop spindle and some roving, and I loved using it! I didn't take any pictures while I was spinning (I was too busy dropping the spindle and trying to unkink the yarn I was making!), but here are a few pictures from my process (sorry, I was having trouble putting the images into the post, so you'll just have to click the hyperlink!):

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa95/shortern2/DSCN0748.jpg
This is my roving after I split it a few times and predrafted it. After I took this picture I ended up splitting it one more time because I felt like it was too thick. After I spun it, I still thought it came out too thickly, but everyone tells me that's how most first time yarns turn out!

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa95/shortern2/DSCN0753.jpg
Here is my yarn after it was spun when I spun it around the chair to tie it off in sections and get the yardage. I didn't even think to take pictures while I was spinning because I was too busy trying to figure the darn stuff out!

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa95/shortern2/DSCN0757.jpg
This is my yarn while I was setting the twist. I think I may have tied it into too many sections, because I actually ended up with tiny kinks in the places where I tied it with the other yarn. Also, some of the blue dye ran while it was in the warm water; does anyone know how to stop this from happening? Or is it just bound to happen when it's pre-dyed? I'd really love to try spinning some plain white colored yarn and then dyeing it, but that's another blog post!

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa95/shortern2/DSCN0759.jpg
After setting the twist, I hung the yarn up to dry, and I read that you're supposed to put a weight on the bottom so that all the twists and kinks work themselves out, and the only thing I could find to put at the bottom was a stapler! I think this was my favorite part of the process because I could finally see my final product, and I was just so proud of myself for creating YARN :] I hung it on my closet door so that everyone who walked into my room could see it right away. And I shoved it into all my friends faces and was like "LOOK, I MADE YARN!!!!" Needless to say, I was pretty excited.

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa95/shortern2/DSCN0762.jpg
Here's the final yarn after I wound it into a ball-thingie! This photo doesn't really show off the color well, but the lighting in my room is horrible :\ There's about 20 yards of yarn in that ball; I couldn't seem to fit any more yarn onto my drop spindle, and I'm not sure how others get more than 20 yards! Perhaps when I end up making thinner, more consistent yarn I'll be able to make more than 20 yards! I made another, nearly identical ball of yarn, but I didn't take any pictures of it.

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa95/shortern2/DSCN0761.jpg
Another view of my final product. I'm so proud of myself :] Overall I have about 40 yards of this yarn, but I'm not really sure what to do with it. It's really thick and thin, so I'm not sure it's practical for anything. I might just knit it up into a square or rectangle and frame it or something so I can always remember that first yarn I was able to spin!

So that was my first foray into spinning, and I'm absolutely sure it will not be my last! I've just had difficulty finding time to spin in the past few weeks because I've been absolutely loaded with homework :( Another orange-y rose-ish colored roving came with my drop spindle, so I want to spin that up soon, plus I still have a few pieces of roving left over from the blue roving. I also ordered two more rovings from a shop on Etsy, but I haven't gotten them in the mail yet :(

On the knitting front, even though I currently have all those projects listed in the right hand column on needles, I started two more projects instead of working one on of those :\ I'm pretty sure I'm not happy unless my projects table looks like complete chaos!

Ah well, off to knit and spin right now! Have a great day!

New Blog!

2009-02-21T14:53:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, thanks so much for stopping by my blog! I just started it, as you can tell! I hope to be adding much more soon, so please check back often for updates.

To visit my Etsy store, check out this link: www.blacksquirrelknits.etsy.com
I hope you find something there that you love as much as I do!