it's about time!

truly, it is. :)

i've been thinking a lot lately... which is scary... and yes, i've been thinking but not quite blogging until now.

i think it's kind of funny that a person might form analogies towards life based on the line of work he or she does, or hobbies that he or she may have. i've noticed this in a couple knitting blogs and i've caught myself thinking this way as well. i don't know, maybe it's just the patience and tenacity that one develops when knitting... and by now means is knitting considered an "extreme sport" or anything... but when you're knee-deep in a lace pattern on #2s, you might feel that way. :)

anyway... my thought was this, silly as it may seem: life is like a knitting pattern (or crochet pattern, if you will). sometimes you get the easiest pattern with a large section of stockinette or garter... it's great but it bores you to tears. :) then you come across a difficult portion where you have to give your full concentration, and you may be completely daunted by the pattern. this is the point where you take it line by line, reading carefully and breaking down the pattern one step at a time. when this is done, the item grows beautifully and when you reach the end of the pattern, you are excited that you made it through and you have a physical representation of your hard work and maybe a new skill you didn't have before.

while it is fun to strike a new path and create or modify pattern, i'm continually amazed at what happens when i simply follow the directions. :)

on holiday

i may not be blogging for awhile, due to the fact that i recently (read: yesterday) agreed to a teaching position at a summer camp in the pocono mountains until august 14th. it's going to be a really good opportunity for me to use some of my teaching skills while enjoying the summer in a place that's a little off the beaten path. i've wanted to work at a summer camp for the past couple years too, and this just kind of fell into my lap.
they are funding my plane ticket out there, my room and board, my food, and they're paying me a decent amount on top of that for the seven weeks that i'll be there. i guess that's what happens when you're certified to teach. :) i'm finally beginning to reap the benefits of people realizing that i'd be a good candidate for teaching. it also helps that they need someone starting wednesday of next week and i just happen to be available for the rest of the summer.
have a great summer!

holy projects, batman!

i'm so excited for my yarn to come in the mail.... so funny how a little package filled with the stringy-stuff will brighten my day. i found a gorgeous purple heathered yarn (while the link works) to make maude. it's fingering/sock weight yarn, so i'm a little scared... also it's a bit lace-intensive, and i'm apprehensive about that, too. just have to jump right in, i 'spose. :)
anyway, it's late and i just wanted to post about my awesome find! will post again with other current wips and stuff.

clutter has taken over....

... and now that the school year is winding down, it's time to reclaim my room. i would take photos to provide you with a wonderful "before & after" depiction of how bad my room looks and how good it will look when i'm done, but i'm too embarrassed to even show you a before picture of the mess in which i live....
i've been finishing a lot of knitting projects recently, seeing as how when i sub at the end of the year, my duties consist mainly of telling the students to work in their exam review packets. i enjoy when students and other staff members become curious about what i'm doing. amazing how knitting has the ability to open a conversation and provide you-learn-something-new-everyday moments.
i love teaching people about what i'm doing when i knit. they'll share some comments like, "wow, that's really cool!", "i don't have the patience for that," or "my mom/grandma does that." the first one i hear a lot if i'm working on a complicated-looking piece... or if i'm working on dpns -- the four needles throw them for a loop. :)
a new FO:

my second dizzy, for a friend.
caron simply soft in soft pink

i finished my mom's simple shrug as well, i just haven't taken any photos yet. :)

sheldon, the turtle

i finished the turtle and was on my way to give it to mrs. mcswain when i realized she had a sub for the afternoon. so disappointing. oh well. hopefully she received it this morning. :)

sheldon
wool-ease in loden and avocado
#2 and #3 (yikes! super-small!)


just a note: i darkened the last photo to better represent the colors of yarn that i used.

i received lots of "wow, that's really impressive!"-type comments yesterday, which made me feel amazing. i think he's pretty cool, too. :)

wowza!

i really haven't posted on here in a month? i suppose the initial intrigue of ravelry hasn't worn off yet... :)
i've been subbing a lot and working diligently on a few knitting projects... unfortunately, i misplaced my camera battery charger when my parents had all the carpet and hardwood flooring replaced in the house. it's probably in one of those i'm-going-to-put-it-here-so-it's-easy-to-remember places... but i haven't been able to remember yet. i do that to myself quite a bit though. the oxymoron of "organized chaos" is becoming much less appealing, especially as i'm attempting to pare down my belongings... both as a new start as i'm losing weight, and as a way to make moving out of my parents house much less difficult on myself.
one of my projects is the lovely little sheldon. i'm making him for the biology teacher who allowed me to take over her class for six weeks. she has a turtle tank in her room, so she obviously enjoys them. she also has a bunch of frog accessories, so maybe frogs are her favorite, but sheldon looked so cute that i had to make him for someone. :) he's my first knitted toy.
once i find my camera charger, i'll post more pics, but in the meantime, here's an early-on progress shot:

you begin knitting at his tail-end and work your way towards his head. the #3 dpns are quite small and began creating little sore spots on my hands, just due to the frequency at which i was knitting this project. he's so cute though, you just can't stop! i was leery about attempting the shell area, since i really haven't done any colorwork before. the pattern made it easy to carry up the color that wasn't being used on the side, which will be seamed later... so it doesn't matter how great it looks on the side.
sheldon is not nearly as difficult as i thought he would be. i'm glad that i started knitting him. i like challenging myself. :)
also, here are some completed photos of dizzy:

knitting fiend

i couldn't sleep last night, so i instead worked feverishly on the dizzy hat. i can see the swirl pattern and it pleases me since i previously epic-failed with the other yarn. :)

tying up loose ends... harharhar...

get it? get it? it's a yarn jo-.... nevermind. :)
i'm on spring break from my long-term sub job (two weeks and i get a break already!). it's a good thing that i didn't have a trip planned or anything, because i started feeling incredibly under the weather on good friday and i'm just now starting to feel better.
i've been finishing some items though. the saartje's bootees, which i was afraid to finish due to the closure of the straps, are now finished and it wasn't as bad as i thought.

the little star afghan that i've had hibernating for-freakin-ever is now finished as well. i only had two-and-a-half more rounds to go... why did i put it off?

i'v been spring cleaning and donating to amvets as well. it's part of my make-the-move-from-my-parents'-house-much-easier plan. :)

suede booties

i finally put the elastic on the inside of the suede "ugg" booties.


i'm sewing the buttons on the saartje's bootees as well. pics to follow because blogger isn't uploading things right now.... :)

i'm snowed in... what else am i going to do. plus, i wanted to make sure my cousin's little girl gets them before easter. good thing i made them a little big!

yay, photos!

i finally uploaded some photos on the ravelry site. my project page looks much more pretty now. :)
i am stitches away from finishing both sets of booties and a headwarmer for steve. steve loves the "lolcatz" site and asked earlier, "i can has headwarm?" awesomeness. :)

moar funny pictures