FObulous, darling.

Fanfare! I have finished a knitting project! Neighbour asked me to knit her a cowl and I agreed. It took me at least 3 months to get around to it, but it's done and in just enough time for the colder months.

Quickie Cowl
by Fawn Pea

It's scrumptious. As a matter of fact, I love it so much I think I'm going to keep it and instead, neighbour, I'm going to give you this fabulous stick of gum!

Hello, Accomplishment, we haven't seen each other for awhile

1) Finish Hemlock Ring baby blanket - Mission accomplished.

I haven't blocked it yet so it's a little ripply and lopsided. Also, the carpet is making it a little misshapen.

Sorry about the lame foot in the picture.

Pattern: Hemlock Ring Blanket
Designer: Extended by Jared Flood (Brooklyn Tweed)
Yarn: Bernat Softee Baby
Color: Lemon
Mods: I knitted with size 6 needles for a smaller blanket. I knitted one set more than Brooklyn Tweed's original because I was afraid it would be too small.

Smmmmmm...

I've been very aware of smells today. Good smells. It was raining when I woke up this morning, solidifying a "good day" status for today. I walked outside for a few minutes in between drizzles and it smelled like freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookies (my favorite). It's so fresh and clean outside. I just made some coffee and the smell mingled with the freshness coming from outside is making our house smell like a nice old Victorian home in the morning. Haaaaaaaa...

I'm working on the Hemlock Ring Blanket. It's probably the most fun I've ever had knitting anything. I'm a bit farther than this

I'm also working on a pale yellow baby blanket version (which I secretly like better). You can see the pattern a lot better on the yellow one. Pictures to come soon!

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm choosing to quote last night's SNL Weekend Update: "If you still haven't gotten your mother flowers or anything you've still got, oh wait, 12:30? nope you blew it."

That about sums up Mother's day for the past...my whole life. Today, I only halfway blew it. I (secretly) borrowed some money from my mom and bought her some flowers and her favorite chocolates and brought it to her at work. Sigh. I know. Don't you wish I was your daughter? Also, she asked for a knitted teddy bear, currently unfinished. He has no face and no ears. We call him Stumpy because he has little feet. He may accidentally look like a cat when I'm done.

All right. I'm going to go watch some Josh Groban on V-me, the Spanish PBS channel. Hah.

Super Sunday

Ebay is a dangerous thing. I'm bidding on some cake decorating books for my mom. I'm in a ferocious bidding war. It's is up to $3.00. I know. I'm a ruthless killing machine. After a while though, it stops being about the item and it just turns into winning. I have been known to bid more for an item than it's worth just so I can have the satisfaction of flipping a "You have just been outbid" in the face of my opponent. I should really stay away from these things.

Church bulletin Sunday makes a return! Only, this time you can't really tell it's a bulletin. Sorry folks. These are neighbour's parents. My mom says it looks like them (well, as much as the back of someone's head can look like them), but I'm skeptical. What do you think neighbour?

Something really exciting: last night I ordered some hand-dyed Terra Firma (1700 MHz Merino) wool from Yarn Nerd aka adam knits! who has the absolute most adorable dogs I have ever seen. Check him out. I'm already plotting what I'm going to make with it.

*Stomp Foot*

Gosh, Ravelry. You always make me do this. I find a project, I love it, I have the needles, some yarn, the stars have aligned and I'm set. Then, I give in to my old ways and start perusing the "Recently Added Patterns" which gives me ideas for other projects I want to do right now which leads me to other designers which lead me to more projects which leads me to covet some serious yarn at 12:32 am. Right now. Sigh. I need a cookie. Maybe some milk.

It is hot in here, or is it just me?

It was hot enough today to turn on the air conditioner. The whoosh of the fan as it started mingled with the sound of my soul leaving my body.

Perhaps that was a bit dramatic. Let me rephrase.

It was really hot today, I had to turn on the air conditioner, this officially means the end of cold days and the beginning of a long summer of heat where California will most certainly burn. No more hot coffee, no more knitting in the afternoon, no more blankets and good movies. Sigh.

Actually the rephrase was more dramatic. Luckily I have some of this mint chocolate ice cream to calm me down. My mood may be affected by the fact that I'm watching the episode of Stargate: Atlantis (oh stop. you know you watch it.) where Carson Beckett my favorite character dies a horrible, pointless, morbid death by exploding tumor. That's right. Exploding tumor. Wouldn't that make your life more complicated. Carson!! CARSON!! Come back!! Oh, he does? Okay.

And now that I've let my geek out for some fresh air, it's time to put it back in it's dark little room.

I would post some church notes today, but I'm pretty sure my mom threw them away. Meh. They weren't that post-worthy.

I have this sketch journal that's made out of what looks like paper bags. I believe it's called Green House. It has a great texture to it. I take it around with me and draw little things I see throughout the day. Look at it?! Doesn't it just SCREAM nature?!

Also, I finished a hat! Cap Karma Hat. I kind of piddled around with the pattern before, if you remember, but never actually finished anything. It's huge. I made it that way intentionally because I wanted a hat that's a little more slouchy. It worked! It was super easy.

Hm. I guess I should start something for dinner. Oh! I almost forgot. I have become a flexitarian. "What?!" you say? It means that I'm a vegetarian unless the situation requires such as social reasons. Actually, it's just a really lame and complicated way of saying I don't eat pork or red meat and only other meats like chicken or turkey if I have to. Fish is a freebie.

Pop Couture

The sun is shining, the birds are flying, the temperature is rising and the pants are shortening. Do you know what that means, pasty white community? That's right! Sunless tanner. Orange citizens unite!

Does it make me a bad art student if I listen to and enjoy the top 10 songs on Billboard? I own half of them. Pfft. I don't care. I like some catchy, mindless music to dance to when I brush my teeth.

Current television obsession: 30 Rock. I watched the first and second season in 3 days. It is creepy that I have a crush on Kenneth?

Artists block has once again reared it's ugly head. It's okay. I'm rolling with it. In class on Wednesday, I forced myself to go back to the beginning; to take individual parts of the face and focus on it rather than worrying about the whole. It helped a bit. I'm just pushing through. I haven't stopped drawing, but I haven't allowed myself to stress too much about it. That just makes it worse, anyway.

Also, to help with my block, I've been knitting more. It keeps the hands limber. I've finally freed up my size 9 circular needle so I can work on this cute jacket I've been wanting to knit. I'll post a picture or two of what I've finished recently in the next couple of days.

New Things Month Continues...

New thing for the day: be less selfish.

I'm suffering empty nest syndrome since I've finished the E-Town hat and have decided to cast on for a new project, BUT! It will be for someone other than myself. I went to get some baby yarn this morning and I'm going to try my hand at my first baby blanket. Now, I'm off to find a pattern...

Dang! I forgot to fill out my bracket for March Madness!!

Finished Object!

Success! I have finished the E-Town hat (obligatory "Hallelujah Chorus") and if my suicidal computer can find it in his heart to upload pictures I may be able to show you. I altered it all over the place to accommodate my enormous head but I think all is well now.

(Sorry for the crummy pictures)

I'm making cookies at 12:30am while watching Craig Ferguson. Shh...don't tell my mom, she's asleep on the recliner. If she were to wake up and discover my shenanigans, she'd give me a look, an, "Aaaaaashhhh..." and a shake of the head. It's too late, woman! They're in! They're bakin'!

Speaking of Craig Ferguson, I just have to say: the man has about 5 jokes but manages to make me laugh hysterically at them each time. He's a genius I tell you, a genius!

Wha-?! Gah! I just burned the cookies!

Also, freak out!

Smmmmmm...Yup, Definitely Clean Air

This will be my month of trying new things. Since we're already over halfway into March, we'll make it from March 19th to April 19th. I tend to get stuck in ruts and I'm ready to break it.

New thing of the day: I'm trying my hand at appreciating poetry. I think it may have something to do with the fact that I fail quite miserably at it. Well, no more! I picked up the Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson in honor of Women's Awareness Month and am tolerating it. Actually I have enjoyed quite a few and loved "In a Library" to which I could definitely relate. Also in honor of this month I picked up a biography of Marie Curie and The Years by Virginia Woolf. Nobody tell me if it's bad! I don't want to know! I have to figure it out by myself or I will never read it.

Hhhhhhhhh...The E-Town hat is failing miserably. I decided to blindly follow the length requirement of the pattern even though every fiber of my being told me not to. It turns out that my instinct was right and now I'm frogging like it's 1990*.

*Don't ask me why it should be 1990, just accept and move on.

Smmmm...Is that Clean Air I Smell?

I've got a lot of junk in my life: mental junk, emotional junk, there's a lot of junk on my computer, some junk in the trunk, junk stored under my bed, my closet's a wreck and you don't even want to know what's in my purse. I'm on Spring Break right now so this is a perfect opportunity to clear the air. I'm ready for a new start! Pardon me while I don my combat gear and charge headfirst into the crap-pile of my life.

I'm working on the Mary Jane's E-Town Hat. I've started and restarted it at least 5 times. I'm trying to revise it to work with my limited resources and if it doesn't work this time I'm going to cry tears of bitter pain and resentment. If anyone wants to give me a gift (though I'm not sure why anyone would because I owe many people many Christmas presents. Hey! That's some more junk/loose ends I can clear out!) I want an entire set of circular needles. All lengths, all types.

[Edit] Happy St. Patty's Day!! I uh, really don't have a gift for you or anything (see paragraph above) but here uh, have some green shoes.

It's Cold Outside (!)

As a chronically lazy knitter, I'm always looking for high impact, low velocity patterns which makes me a knitting book/magazine hunter. Something I've noticed: if the words "Chic" or "Trendy" are in the title, chances are the book is neither chic nor trendy, just lame.

Today, I took my first venture into the outside world as a licensed driver, I went to Starbucks. Fitting, no? I blasted my favorite driving song and sang at the top of my lungs (while staying alert and defensive, of course). I stayed embarrassingly close to home. Tomorrow, I solo it on the freeway.

My mom and I spent the day antiquing downtown. You know, it's always the times you don't have a camera that the most photo opportunities happen. There were at least 50. We have a very historical town and today there was a stage coach driving around with some people dressed in 1850s period costumes. It was cool and I missed it but this will never happen again.

Something funny: when my mom worked at the school, she was with the kids at a back table in the classroom, and she took out her chapstick from her pocket and started to rub it on her lips. The kids looked at her like she was crazy. She wondered why and looked down at her chapstick which, in fact, was glue.

"Just a filler in the space that happened to be free..."

I'm swearing off sugar for good. It always seems like a good idea until you actually eat some and then suddenly you're rolling on the floor in agony while little gummie bears dance past your eyes pointing their fingers and laughing maniacally.

But! My mom did make some amazing yellow cake products today.

Some puppy cupcakes (You can thank me for the adorable licorice ears which gladly upstage the rest of the cupcake. I know. Best part, right?)



Also, I've been working busily on this Drops design cable bag. The pattern was in British knitting language (which really isn't that much different) so it made me feel doubly cool and cultural. I know, I know, I'm a chronic looser but I don't care.


It still needs buttons, some sort of clasp, and a strap/handle. That will be for tomorrow.

I have a playlist on my iPod called "Seattle" that I have recently re-discovered. As a matter of fact, I'm a little obsessed with it. I keep adding and subtracting songs from it, slowly refining it to its full terrifying potential. Latest addition: ADELE, "Best for Last". Up for eviction: Rocky Votolato, "Goldfield".

Speaking of eviction: Like, OMGROFLMAOBRBBTW!!!! Allison is about to get pwned.

I Just Took Some Cold Medicine and I think It Has Caffeine In It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I realized tonight that I have a lot of loose ends in my life. So many things unfinished, unfollowed through, unresolved. So I took my first steps in fixing this. I complained wildly to a seller on Amazon who has not sent me my book, completed FAFSA, did my taxes, and have resolved to finish "Huge Cable Bag" tonight. Here's the progress:


It's actually a (barely) modified version of Cap Karma Hat

With all of this picture taking I've been doing lately, I've noticed the lighting in our house is ridiculous! It's all yellowy.

Oh and here's the yarn spinning progress:
It looks horrible right now but I don't even care. It's so much fun!

I'm not really sure what's going on in California. It's the middle of February but it's nearing the 70s. What happened to my beautiful freezing cold weather? Where's the snow that we don't actually ever get? Boo! All of this sun is not conducive to my knitting mood. I'm going to go get some cookies an milk while sighing pitifully.

[Sneeze]

I think I used to have a sense of smell at one point in my life, for that matter, maybe even taste. It seems so long ago I can't even remember. Yes, that's right my blogging friends, I'm still sick and by still sick I mean sicker. I've never had a cold/flu that actually got better and then worse, but my mom and I both caught this one. I got sick after her and then she conveniently caught pneumonia which means I have gotten no sympathy/pampering/affection/chicken noodle soup; I have to give it to her. I'm not getting it at home so I've turned to other less scrupulous places, like the internet. I'm a broken soul!

Today, on the way home from my mom's doctor's appointment, we stopped at Lofty Lou's Yarn Shop just to have a look (because knitting is taking over my life). I did not meet Lou herself, but did meet her sidekick whose name I unfortunately didn't get. After much chatting and mental eye-poppage at how expensive this new addiction of mine is, I left about an hour later with a mission: I am going to learn how to spin my own yarn. It's officially #4 on my "Ashely's new and odd neuroses" list. I got some wool fiber and a drop spindle, of which I am very proud. See:

I'll post pictures on my progress. So far, all I have is some lumpy, spun yarn and a gob of sheep fiber up my stuffed sinuses. I'm very excited!

Also! On the knitting front, I got a bunch of yarn (not at Lou's) last night and now I finally have enough to start a sweater project I've been dying to do. I don't know which sweater project yet...I have about 298725.03 I would like to do. Anyway, it's just some dark gray. I figured I'd start relatively low key and work my way up to impressive.

Here are just some things to check off the "Shopping List".
While I was in picture taking mode I also took a picture of a scarf I've been working on for...about too long. It should have been finished ages ago, but I let myself get distracted with things like spinning my own yarn.

Alright that's enough for now. Time to convalesce. I need some tea, any body got any tea?

[Yawn]

Ah, Friday. Blessed Friday. It's my first day off in 3 whole days. No judging.

I spent the whole day trying to decide what I'm going to do with this lovely Vanna White yarn I got the other day. I feel obligated to add a cheesy grin after this sentence, in honor of Ms White. [You may insert here]. It's green and lovely and fabulous and I can't wait. I ended up with a pattern something like this:


It's a bag that's big enough to fit my laptop or a notebook or something. When I eventually get a new laptop, I'll be able to fit both. Whoopee! I think I might change the diamond pattern to a pyramid 'cause...I donno. 'Cause it's 1:30ish and my brain is sleepy these days.

Speaking of these days, I haven't posted a drawing for awhile. Could be because I haven't made one, but I did doodle a little in between knitting and [Stargate] website loads. So, here, have an unfinished face (with a nose eerily similar to mine...):

Goodnight, or as the French would say, bonne nuit.

zéro, un, deux, trois, quatre...

Tonight, I posted about 12 textbooks on Amazon and within 2 hours sold my first one! Whoopee! Money! (Half of which my mother is taking as commission. She might as well steal my dignity.) I've got the fever. The money fever. I'm trying to think of what else I can sell...more books, DVDs, my bed...if only I had a little brother...

I've continued my obsessive quest to find the perfect knitting pattern and came across this blog. It's people like this who make me ashamed to call myself a knitter. I need more money to support my habit. Better tools, yeah, that'll make me better, yeah.

Shopping list:
1. Knitting magazines
2. Double pointed needles (various sizes)
3. An alpaca (so I can make my own yarn, obviously. I'm unemployed, I have to think economically.)
4. Circular needles (various sizes)
5. Coffee (the nectar that flows through my veins) and/or blood transfusion.
6. Crest Whitestrips

The Greatest Bag (that Ashely has) Ever (made)

Tum-ta-tumm! So here are the pictures of the now finished bag:

Before strap:
The strap:
Totally finished!!!!
I have class tomorrow and I should be going to bed, but I just discovered a photo editing software and now I'm in danger of being up all night long. Gah.

Interesting Fact of the Day: I think I swallowed a piece of fuzz.

Almost Done!

I'm working on a bag from some yarn I got the other day. I kind of made up the pattern/swiped some ideas from a friend's bag. It looks horrible and misshapen now, but just you wait! In reality, I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, I'm hoping some edging something-or-other will help. I have great hopes of it being the best bag in the world when I'm finished.

In other news, I was drinking perhaps the best coffee I have ever made for myself (I added coffee soy milk as creamer [!]) and when I finished it I looked down and realized half of it was on the front of me. Boo! I wanted those morsels of heavenly goodness! Oh well, I'll just have to make more. For those of you who don't know (and I say those of you like there's more than one person who occasionally reads this blog), my mother has a personal vendetta against my coffee consumption (which is extensive) so any opportunity to justify having more is truly a gift from God. (Fist pump).

For some reason, every time I listen to the song (as I am now), "Same Mistake" by James Blunt and he gets to the, "Ahoooo ooo ooo oo ooo ooo" part I think he's going to say "Arooogaa" like a submarine. It's a great song, James, but I've got to admit, a little disconcerting.

I talked to a good friend from Biola this afternoon. It had been a long time since I had talked to her and it was really nice to catch up. It made me a little sad because I miss my friends down there, but I'm happy where I am right now. A few months ago I wouldn't have been able to say that because I was pining for the loss of Biola, but now I would have to say that I wouldn't go back even if I had the opportunity. It took me quite a few months to move on and now that I have I'm actually able to be excited about the future. Anyway, I'm going to go finish The Greatest Bag Ever. Prepare yourself for its wonder...