NotScarlett

I am currrently.....

.....knitting a sweater for my three year old niece, which is my first attempt at a bottom up raglan. It's almost done. So far, so good.

....knitting a giant pile of baby stuff for one soon-to-be-born baby in So. Cal.

...blocking my GORGEOUS Clapotis knit in Twisted Fiber Arts Duchess yarn, colorway Netherfield. I started this in July, ran out of yarn, got more yarn, and was then attacked by holiday knitting. This is finally finished and OH SWEET LORD is it pretty.

...contemplating closure options for a baby sweater I knit for my aforementioned nieces new baby sister. Sweater is all done, it's a cardigan, and I'm not so sure about buttons for this one.

...thinking really, really, really hard about taking pictures of all this stuff so you guys don't think I'm a slacker.

....unable to take pictures because it's dark when I get home or raining when I am here during the day.

...regretting every moment I wasted attempting to convince myself to finish reading Atonement. I didn't finish, I thought what I did read was boring, and if that makes me less of a literary mind, I'm ok with that.

...indulging in some really awful romance novels. I mean, really, I'd be a bit embarrassed for you to see the crap that is on my nightstand right now.

...loving my new haircut, which is a shorter version of my last haircut. I'll never wear my hair long again. 

...dealing with yet another transition in my life...nothing terrible, just making some long overdue changes in certain areas. More details to come when they can be revealed.

...getting ready to eat some BBQ chicken, veggies and a baked tater for dinner, followed by strawberries and angel food cake for dessert. Mmmmm.

Hallelujah, It's Finally Friday!

  I'm so ready. 
 

And not a moment too soon, either. I'm settling in for the evening. Happy Weekend!

Valentirony

File Under: Overshare

In a moment of genius, I scheduled an, ahem, certain yearly doctors appointment for February 14th, not realizing the signifigance of the date as I'm not a big Valentine-r, until my boss pointed it out when I told her I'd need to take a long lunch on the 14th.

My juvenile sense of humor finds the fact I have THAT appointment on THIS day absolutely hilarious.

Ah, irony. How I love thee.

On today, the most commerical of holidays, I wish you all lots of love and happiness.

xoxoxoxoxo

Go ahead, make my day......

I'm a bit late jumping on the current meme to make the blogland rounds, but since some sweet, kind, lovely people awarded the "You Make My Day" thing to me, it only seems right that I return the favor. There are so many blogs/bloggers I could list, but I've limited it to my top ten sources for inspiration, giggles, and daily smiles. So, in no particular order, here are some wonderful blogs that make my day.

Too Many Scarves-One of my dearest friends and the reason I even attempted crafting/knitting in the first place. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if Stacey were a man, I think we'd be married. Her blog, as well as her phone calls and awesome mid-day voicemails, often help me get through really tough days. She knows I love her.

Superstarraville-Christie is a fantastic knitter AND crocheter (is that the right word? Is it a word? Whatever.) who chooses to make wonderful garments that I rarely see other people knitting/crocheting. She's also super friendly and super sweet. That's part of why she's a super-starra.

AfricanKelli-I'm confessing that I religiously read Kelli's blog, and she has no idea who I am, since I am a total lurker.  Her delicious recipes, lovely crafting, and amazing social consciousness inspire me to be a better person. Really.

Posie Gets Cozy-Another blog where I faithfully lurk. I think Alicia has magical powers, everything she touches is gorgeous. Also? Clover is the CUTEST PUPPY IN THE UNIVERSE. If you're feeling down, just head over to her blog and look at a picture of Ms. Clover. I dare you not to instantly feel 100 times better.

The Yo Yo Knits-One time I messaged Alyson on Ravelry and told her that I was kinda sorta stalking her, but "not in a creepy way." I love her blog because her yarn is beautiful and fun, she has great etsy shopping recommendations, and she is absofrakkinlutely hilarious.

Bake and Shake-Another site where I lurk, lurk, lurk. Yummy recipes and a writing style that makes me laugh so hard I often scare my office mates while reading. (Um, what? You know you read blogs at work too. Don't judge me.)

Carrieoke's Knitting Blog-Carrie and sometimes think I am the long-lost triplet in her family. I adore Carrie, and she is one of the main reasons I started blogging. YAY CARRIE SCHMOO!

Handcrafted Happiness-Ashley is one of the sweetest people I've ever "met." I hope to meet her in person one day, because I know we'd have a great time hanging out and going yarn shopping!

Yarn Zombie-Hi, Jacki! I totally lurk on you blog too! Jacki is one creative lady. Also? She's FUNNY. I love her blog tagline. Mmmm, skeins....

I'm going to cheat and give you a list for number ten. Flint Knits, Dogged, The Knitting Philistine, January One, Pikku Kettu, Lolly Knitting Around, Kelp! Knits, Kathryn Ivy, and Grumperina are some of my all-time favorite bl0gs and I am always inspired and amazed by what these talented folks create. Gorgeous photography and truly wonderful crafting make every post from each of these bloggers a gift.

There are so many more wonderful blogs out there I could go on for days, but I won't. Thanks so much to those of you who say I make your day, and thanks for being a part of this wonderful community that makes me feel so welcome. I'm just full of love today, y'all.

Also? We're so going.

Thanks, ABC!

You guys. My knitting mojo is back, in FULL EFFECT. I'd like to thank LOST for this wonderful turn of events. Didja see it last week? Last night? DID YOU? Jeremy Davies is so fantastically loopy and creepy as this Daniel Faraday guy, I love it. And what do the "rescuers" want with Benry? Oh, oh, and what is up with the ghostbusting guy? And Locke...Locke, I love to hate your crazy ass. Are you good, are you evil? Do I really want to know? Is Jack ever going to stop being a self-righteous prick? Sawyer, how do you stay so smokin' hot even covered in dirt and sweat out in the jungle? AHHHHHHHH! I wish we were gonna get more than 8 episodes. Lost, you are good again. Thank you for not getting all Season Two. Let's not go back to that ever again, mmmkay? I'm even wearing my Lost Jaywalkers today to celebrate my joy.

Anyway, I'm knitting, for real. More than just the "eh, I guess I'll knit a row on that sweater I said I was gonna finish last weekend...HEY, LOOK, THERE GOES SOMETHING SHINY!" I've been doing recently. I think there are FO's in my immediate future.

REJOICE!

Starting Over

January sucked. Without getting in to the gory details, it was one of the worst series of days I've had in years. I will be fine, but January...yeeesh. I don't want to go through another month like that for a loooonnnnng time. Thankfully, I live with the most supportive, wonderful, understanding man I know, and he's been my rock through all the crap that has been going on. I know I've kind of cut myself off from a lot of folks out there, and for that, I apologize...I just haven't felt much like talking, and believe me when I say you really wouldn't have wanted to speak with me anyway. Bad times, y'all.

Since the year got off to such an icky start, I've decided that today, February 1, marks day 1 of 2008 for me, and I am just going to pretend that January never happened. January was just a terrible nightmare. February is the new January, but in a good way, ya dig?

There's a few new things goin' on that are helping me pull myself out of my pit of despair. First, phrases like "pit of despair" make me feel like a 15 year old with a bad haircut and too many emo cd's, so we won't be using phrases like much in the near future. I'm all about some positive thinking right now. With all the positive vibes I am putting out into the world, it is quite possible I will actually turn into a rainbow or a sunbeam or something. Hey, whatever works.

Next, B and I have a few new roomies. La Nina and her little brown girl doggie have moved back to the TLH and will be living with us for the time being. The timing is wonderful, as my sister and I both really need some sisterly support and bonding right now. In her wise words, "we are both going through stuff, and you know, we're just gonna have to, um, go through it." EXACTLY. Plus? Cricket looks like a baby deer when she sleeps and that just makes me happy. More happy in my house=VERY GOOD THING.

And that big decision I mentioned in one of my rare January posts? (You know, the one where I thought I was coming out of the funk, only to be bitch slapped by the universe a few days later?) The big decision is....I'm going back to school. Finally going to finish my degrees. It's going to be a slow process since I have to continue to work full time, but yeah, school. I like school. School is good, and amazingly, when I checked my transcripts, I am way, way, way closer to finishing than I originally though. That is a big fat YAY in my book.

Oh, and I've finally picked up my knitting again. There were a few weeks where there was no knitting at all, at which point B was concerned he may have to stage an intervention since he knew something was way wrong. Now though, now I've got an 85% complete Simple Knitted Bodice that I hope to finish this weekend so I can wear it while we still have some relatively cool weather.

So, what have y'all been up to while I've been, um, absent? Any posts/projects/shops/etc. I MUST check out?

On a sappy note...thanks so much to those of you who stop by to read this little blog...I may not always respond to every comment, but I appreciate you all so very much. All the crafty, kind, witty, wonderful people out there make my day each and every time I hear from you. Thank you, thank you.