Category Archives: life

Distractions.

It’s Thursday! Which is my Friday. Which means that while I’m physically still at work, my mind is already taking a day off.

I’m being torn in two by the prospect of free time. Part of me is relishing the idea of cozying up in bed with Beatnik, Little Birds, and Peaks Island (oh dear lord, I’ve started to refer to them as though they were people..). That part is imagining steaming mugs of hot chocolate and pajamas being worn all day.

The other half of me is imagining speeding off to Jo-anns with the coupon they just emailed me and attacking the yarn section with it. This is the same part of me that just bought two patterns from KnitPicks. Specifically, this one and this one. In my defense, I’ve been looking for a nice bootie/slipper pattern on Rav for ages and have only ever run into booties for babies, which, while they are adorable, could really only fit my big toe and are therefore useless. And the bag is really cute. -squee-

And technically the slippers are crocheted, which isn’t even knitting, so it doesn’t really count as cheating on my current projects.

I guess I’m going yarn shopping.

Hmmmmm now I just have to decide what color to do these in. I’m thinking of doing the bag in a baby blue/lime green combination but I can’t decide if that’s too cutesy/springy for my wardrobe. And I have absolutely no idea what color to do the booties in. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to make eight pairs in different colors. (I’m only half-joking.)

In other news, I went to Border’s last weekend determined to buy a knitting book but left empty-handed because I had no idea what to get. Any suggestions on must-have knitting books? I’m not really looking for anything specific, just anything with nice patterns or good tips.

2 Comments life - - -

-yawn-

-Bullets because tired.

-I just finished day three of my new job and while I’m loving it, I’m also still adjusting to this grown-up sleep schedule.

-I have more yarns coming in from Knit Picks hopefully sometime next week!

-I’m still working on my Beatnik sweater (see previous post for link; as mentioned, am tired), but it’s going a lot slower now that I’m at work all day. Still amazed at how unwindingly relaxing it is to come home and snuggle up with some C6BP/RT’s.

-Note to self: start posting pictures of finished projects. Like, nice ones not taken with poorly aimed phone.

-zzzzz

 

Harry Potter apparently leads to knitting obsession.

Usually sewing is my thing. Usually knitting is something I do when I’m away from my sewing machine and so bored I can’t survive without making something, anything.

But then again before three weeks ago, really the only thing I knew how to do was knit, purl, and decrease. I had only a vague idea of how to cast on properly (I used to crochet a single chain and pull loops onto a knitting needle. Embarrassing, amirite?), a vague concept of something that slightly resembled k2tog, and not even the faintest clue how to add stitches. Needless to say, I mostly stuck to scarves and the occasional lumpy hat.

But somehow in the past three weeks, I’ve watched loads of online tutorials and read all kinds of diagrams, and not only can I do all of the above, but I’ve also mastered cables! (Seriously, cables were a bit of a mystical beast before.) I’m even dropping phrases like “k2tog” in a blog post, apparently I also gained quite a bit of coolness in the last three weeks.

Anyway, I place all the blame of this recent surge of inspiration on the latest Harry Potter movie. There’s no other explanation.

Christmas in France.

It’s my last full day in France! I’m going to peel myself out of bed at some point and head to town for some shopping for chocolates and whatnot for people back home. Tomorrow afternoon I’m off to London again and I’ll be there for a week before going back home.

Not gonna lie, I miss my sewing machine. I saw Deathly Hallows twice before leaving and I am absolutely irrevocably obsessed with Hermione’s entire wardrobe. In fact right before I left I decided that I just HAD to have her fingerless mittens so I did a lot of searching online and found this lovely site called Freshisle Fibers where I bought the pattern. Sadly my first attempt came out too small so I have to retry it when I get home.

Here’s the first attempt anyway:

As soon as I get back and get settled in I have a few projects already lined up. I’m definitely going to be looking into Hermione’s red dress. It’s too gorgeous not to make. I’ve already found some lovely hi-res photos and have been taking mental notes on construction. Then of course there’s that lovely blue/gray-toned Fair Isle hoodie cardigan. I’ve been wanting to master Fair Isle knitting for ages and I think I’ll get myself acquainted with it by making Hermione’s Fair Isle scarf from the Half Blood Prince and go from there. Yay knitting!