My Random Monday - July 18th

1.  Have you ever seen unwords?  That has been a fairly recent timesuck of mine.  Neologisms are great - I honestly think that the English language would be dead without them.  Seeing a word that goes from something that makes most people say "huh" to something everyone understands is pretty cool!

2. With that, I present my own neologism:

"chaussadisproprotiophobia" - n. - the fear that your socks are not the right length.

I have counted rows so many times I might be insane, but the row counts were the same yet the measurements were off between my two socks! So, I said the three magic words that every knitter says at some point:

3.  "It'll block out" - Knitterspeak for "I seriously can't be bothered to bother with this right now, I'm going to finish these up anyway because I'm probably not going to notice this mistake in a year (or twelve)." See also: "Giving up", "Picking battles", "Another glass of the nice wine, please"

4.  Another neologism:

"abstraphotomania" - n. - the intense desire to take artsy-looking photos of your F.O. 

These photos may be in black and white, but it is not necessary.  98% of these photos will be deleted, and 0% will actually end up in the pattern for said F.O.


5. "Congratulations?" - What you say to a student whose co-op has ended unexpectedly as she spends her fourth straight day in sweatpants.

Hello, Hoomans!

Hello there! Lilac here, updating everyone on how I am doing since my lazy slave is too busy keeping to herself.  She spent all day today above my lair, staring at these things that she calls "soaks!"  Then, a while ago, she jumped up and held them up, and put them on her feet! Since then she's been walking around the room, pointing the orange light at herself and then looking at the photo-taker, saying things like "They aren't even!" and "Oh! I'm so pale!"

Anyway, I'm a rabbit, and I don't care about that stuff.  So I'm going to post up some pictures that I found on the compooter of ME!

This is me. I am not shy.  I pretend to be shy when the orange light shines near me! It's quite scary.  The orange light shines, and the photo-taker makes funny noises, and my slave goes "OH! SO CUTE!"  I don't think anyone can ever figure out why this happens, but it always happens in that order.

This is me going to hide in my lair.  My slave sleeps on top of my lair, but only I get to sleep in my lair.  If my slave tries to reach under my lair, I will tell her what's what and grunt and jump like I'm going to bite! I would never bite my slave, though, she is really a good slave, just not very smart.

This is my basket.  Grass goes inside of it.  I dump the grass out and my slave picks it up.  It is good, clean fun.

This box is mine.  A man knocked on the door and gave it to my slave, and I ran in circles and my slave set the box on the floor and emptied all these things out of it and now it's mine. Only I am allowed inside my box.  You are not allowed inside.

This is one of the pictures that my slave was taking of her soaks.  I did not approve of this, because my slave was not playing with me.

I told my slave what's what and tugged on her fur.  My slave sighed and said, "Oh, you're right, I'm going to have to block them out because I don't think the cuffs are even... I'll do that tomorrow."

Then my slave went back to sitting on my lair, and I allowed her to pet me while I snoozed.  She is quite the best slave a rabbit could ask for!

Irresistibly Sweet!

Last week, Jordan from In It To Knit It gave me this really cute award! Thanks, Jordan!

As part of the award, you have to give seven random facts about yourself, so I'm going to try and give some facts that aren't in my 100 things... I'm not going to check though :P  If someone feels cheated, I guess I'll add something.

1. I have low latent inhibition.  Every time I tell someone about this lately, they've said something like "Like that guy in Prison Break!?" - I've never seen prison break, so I have no clue!
2. My favorite thing to do when not knitting is watch Hulu - I'm considering getting Hulu plus just for the reality TV shows!
3. My favorite genre of books is Distopian - Lord of the Flies, Oryx and Crake, 1984, We, Brave New World.  I don't know why, I just really love them!
4. My grandfather tells a story about how, the first time I spent the night at their house, he came to the breakfast table and I was eating toast with marmalade and reading the obits to my grandmother from the New York Times.  I have no memory of this.  I was three or four at the time.
5. I have a folder on my computer of funny photos that I've pulled from the internet of have had sent to me.  I highly recommend this practice for cheering oneself up! I have a bunch of EHS related ones, too, for presentations.
   

   

   This was emailed to me by W - no idea if it's real.

6. Everytime I hear the word "applesauce" I smile.  I don't know why - it used to be a lot worse.  I would laugh everytime someone said it!
7. I sleep walk and talk,  Severely.  I'm comfortable with the fact that I won't harm myself or divulge any horrible secrets, mostly I babble incoherently and keep people awake.  I have a lot of good sleepwalking stories.

The second part of the award is that you have to pass it on to 7 other blogs/bloggers, so here it goes!

1. Yarn Miracle - This blog is REALLY sweet, from the adorable toys to the adorable toddler, Emily has the market :)
2. Tiny Angry Crafter - I love reading about Carla's WIPs, her posts are quite sweet - I mean, really, you can't think up a better word to describe these headbands (besides fantabulous, but I've been told that's not technically a "word.")
3. Kit's Knits - I love seeing her knit and crochet stuff! Since I don't crochet, I get my fill of amigurumi eye candy here :) And, she's just a sweet person
4. Skirted Fleece Farm - Oh, not really a knitting blog, but I can't help it! I love living vicariously through their posts, and seeing pictures of their farm as it starts up.
5. One Word Down, Millions More To Go - What can I say? I'm a sucker for reading! Rachel hasn't posted in a while, though.
6. Knitting with Olof - Also hasn't posted in a while, but she has some great F.O. pics, and some really adorable kiddos.  Oh, and her reviews are great - honest, well-meaning, and sometimes accompanied by giveaways ;)
7. Sessilifolia - I like seeing her FO's, and she's just a sweet person! So, award for you :)

Wow, finding seven blogs I like was a lot easier than thinking facts about myself!  Thanks again, Jordan, for the award!

The Return of My Random Monday

1. Though, don't expect any good pictures until my camera charger returns.

2. Yesterday I went to the American Textile Museum with Angela - it was really great, I would definitely recommend it for people in the Lowell vicinity!

3. At said museum, I saw a bunch of amazing garments - they make me think of sweaters! Though I have to admit, I haven't made a sweater yet that I like...

4. There was also this, who is currently a prominent figure in my nightmares:

5. On top of the textiles, there was also some interesting Occupational Health stuff - of course, during the industrial revolution mills were pretty much the forefront of inhumane working conditions.  So, that was fun to learn about!

6. After the museum, we stopped off at Michael's and I bought some sock yarn for W, among other things... I just love the colorway!

7. I have an ulcer, so Lilac gets to eat all the tasty food that I'm not supposed to eat (Spinach, Cabbage...)  I made beets for dinner, and this happened:

I know it's kind of faded, but I washed the dickens out of them and they're still purple!

Hark! A Giveaway!

To celebrate the opening of her new etsy shop, Angela from Revelations of a Delusional Knitter is hosting a really cool giveaway on her blog!  Just make a blog post about the giveaway and you're entered, so why not check it out?

I was so busy oogling at the beautiful photos of yarn...  I love the stormy sky fingering weight:

(Click on the photo to go to the listing - I borrowed it!)

But there's also a place in my heart for the revelations fingering weight...  I don't have a lot of varigated yarn in le stash... but, there is a special place in my heart for it!

(Click on the photo to go to the listing - I borrowed it!)

Which one will I inevitably choose?  How about you - which one would you choose out of all the yarns? I would love to discuss this :B

Click here for more details about the giveaway, and Click here to go to Angela's shop on Etsy!

Setbacks, Sidetracks!

Well, it's been a tough week in the room (which is my new nickname for my apartment here in NH :])

1. I lost my debit card, meaning I didn't get to buy my shiny nice things that I talked about in my last post.
2.  W left!
3.  I just found out that I made a simple mistake on my Pink Lemonade Socks and had to frog back the whole gusset!

But, on the bright side:
1. I got a new debit card, and the person who lifted it never got a chance to spend any of my money
2. I get to go on a me spree! I hope the bank isn't suspicious of me.
3.  W was here at all - I really had a great weekend, it's just watching him go that put me in a funk
4. While W was here, he inspired me and helped me overcome  problem I've been having on my DAL design!
5.  I got a Wii Fit, which has helped raise my serotonin levels and, let's face it, it's impossible not to smile when you're pretending to hula hoop and a fluffy rabbit is running around you in circles.
6.  I got a super nice blog award from Jordan of In It To Knit It :)

So, there, two nice things for every sad thing that's gotten me down!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Well, today is my 21st birthday.  As of this moment, my plans are:

1. Get my free Grand Slam at Denny's for breakfast
2. Get my free burger from Ruby Tuesday's for lunch (I'm in the birthday club :) )
3. After work, buy some booze and sit at home with Lilac, watching Hulu.  
4. Maybe make birthday cupcakes if I have energy.

It's tough, having your first birthday far from home.  My dad and brother came out, bringing all the stuff I left home, so that was a gift in itself! Extra clothes, towels, and now I can boil water, gee whizz!  My mom also sent up my entire yarn stash, and a some succulents for my dark apartment.

She also sent a nice little pot for Lilac, which was happily devoured - she's now working on a basket. I'm thinking of buying some cat grass for her to munch on, but I don't know if she'll like it.  I guess if she doesn't I can just put it out on my porch.

Anyway, like I said, it's kind of a bummer spending such a major birthday alone with no friends or family.  So here's some pictures of Lilac.

"What's this, Slave?"

I call this one "SOON."

This one is just scary!

Tuckered out after a hyperactive bun run.

I got some nice presents, but mostly cards or money that I'm going to use to buy stuff I need.  I have a short list of stuff I want, and I'm putting up here so I can remember... though I probably will never buy these things XD

(From top to bottom, left to right)

• Garnet Mitts for the Summer Bead Along - I already have the yarn and beads! (Yes, I totally gave up on my bed design- that was SO doomed from the start!
• A new battery charger for my camera... =__=
• Marlene Socks.  I HAD the issue of Knit.1 that these were in, but I lost it somehow.  That was the most AMAZING issue of a magazine I'd every bought, with a ton of great patterns.
• Blackbird Shawl.  I just love it. I don't know what to say when I look at it.
• Chameleon by Hansi Singh, to make for Stephanie, who lost her chameleon to kidney problems...
• Crafty Detour's CSI Most wanted... honestly, I've been waiting to buy this!
• A 65 pack of felt squares from Lupin Handmade - a great blog, and they sell rainbows!
• This bag from Rue 21. It's the bag I've been looking for! 
• This shawl - though, the more I look at it, the more I think I could rig something up that was similar.

WWKIP Day and On (Finally!) Being Moved In.

Yesterday was the WWKIP event in Nashua, and so I went to the park and met lots of lovely knitters from the city - which was great, because I still don't know a terrible amount of people! I also finished two sunflowers for my DAL design - I'm leaning towards the smaller one, I think the larger one will be a good coaster for my tea pot.

Then, I went to Wal*mart to stock up on supplies (like a camera cable!) and buy a carpet that Lilac fell in love with.  I think it might be the texture, but she likes to roll around it, dig at it, and get her paws  up along the side and mark it with her chin!

I don't know if it's the addition of the rug or the fact that we've been here for two (2!) weeks, but I finally feel like I'm in MY apartment, not, say, sleeping in some stranger's guest room.  I'm so happy that I got a studio instead of a one bedroom or a two bedroom (like my last co-op.) I could spend a whole blog post talking about that, but instead I'm going to show you pictures of my aptartment!

Tiny Kitchen

Not many people can pull off the "stuffed animals as throw pillows" look.

Organized chaos.

Lilac doesn't get to go outside, but she likes to listen to kids play in the picnic area.

Anyway, it's exciting to be working full time, and putting together my own furniture. I miss my friends and family (and knitting time) but, the experience so far has been worth it.

Restriction Lifted! Kind of...

I'm finally allowed to knit again, albeit much, much less.  Not being able to knit has been tough, but having an injured wrist at work has been waaay harder! Plus, when I'm home and Lilac is allowed to run, I'm too busy watching her.

Watching her sit on my pillow and lick it

Watching her chew on the novel I've been reading. 

(I pick my battles.  I own the novel it was ten cents.  I do not own, say, the carpet or the tempting veneer on the cabinetry.)

I've managed to get kind of far on V.2 of the Pink Lemonade Socks.  And, I ordered the yarn for my DAL project - I need to start VERY soon if I want to finish, considering it's going to be pretty expansive and if I don't improve, it's going to be slow knitting!

(P.S. - Sorry for the phone photos.  W is coming up for the 4th and he's going to give me a spare cord.)

Summer Bead Along... Design!?

My internet friend over at Revelations of a Delusional Knitter is hosting a Summer Bead-Along! I'm excited to participate, because I've never tried beading, so I signed up!

Then I started to look on ravelry for beaded knit patterns - easy stuff, that I could start out on.  I found some, but they just didn't appeal to me.  So, I started thinking, and doodling. I came up with this:

Haha, I know, nothing.  When I doodle out designs in my notebook, I think at the same time.  So, sometimes the result doesn't make any sense unless you're me. Of course, if I ended up not making any solid decisions, but if I did, I would have recorded them more dutifully.  At first I thought I'd design some sort of lace shawl, but I couldn't think of what to do.  Then I thought that I needed beads that were larger, both because of my eyes and because my hands will benefit from larger needles.

So, I decided to make a "beaded argyle bag"  There will only be two colors, and the lines of the argyle will be beads :)  I went out to the store to get supplies after work, and I found the perfect beads to match the yarn that my friend Kate gave me!

I'm slightly tempted to go off restriction a few hours early, since I really want to start this! Anyway, if you're interested, the along goes all summer, but you need to find a pattern by tomorrow! Click the picture below for more information! :)

Oh, also, my friend Kate gave me this doodad.

I think it's used to string beads onto work, but that's just because I have beads on the brain... am I channeling the Little Mermaid, or does this have some other use that I'm totally missing?

Reporting in From Planet Earth!

The view from my patio

 I haven't blogged much because of my move, but I have to say I feel pretty well settled in.  Since I hurt my wrist last week spray painting patio furniture, I've been on knitting restriction until this Friday, which has been a real bummer until today, when the router arrived!

Lilac is also adjusting.  She's on restriction, too, because she loves to bite plastic and my blinds are plastic.  I'm also nervous she'll start marking - although she's still a baby.  So, I watch her while she's outside her pen.

Exploring the mess.

There are a few key things that my Mom is supposed to bring up this or next weekend (I'm not sure.)  The first is all my cooking supplies - pots, pans, etc.  The second is my stash (I miss the yarn already!).  I'm also hoping that in some of the boxes is my camera cord, because I've lost mine.  Thus the shoddy photos you're getting.

This is pretty much my apartment. Well, the furniture in it anyway.

Just know that wherever you go, and whatever you do, somewhere out there a bunny disapproves of it!

There are days... and then there are DAYS.

Sometimes, you feel like nothing is going right.  You wake up on the wrong side of the bed, you stub your toe on the way to the shower, maybe nothing goes horrendously wrong but the sum of the parts doesn't exactly make a beautiful, sunshiney day.

Then, there are the days where everything goes right.  You make new friends, you nap in the sun, you play in the pool.  You spend most of your day knitting a sock.

And then, just as you're about to start the ribbing for the top of the leg, you go to try it on to show your grandmother how good it looks on your foot.

And it just doesn't fit.

And that is the moment, at a memorial day picnic, as you struggle to get the skinny sock leg over your bony little heel, when you realize that that whole good day was fate/God/someone upstairs softening the blow that this sock is not working for you. 

And later, when the party is over, you frog back the sock all the way (even though you could have stopped at the toe, you just weren't paying attention.)

And the next morning, you cast on for it again, because it's only the right thing to do.

Free Pattern - The Pinwheel Square

I'm in a group on Ravelry called KAL weekly square, and I'm the designer for the second square!  Whoo hoo! After some trial and error, I made this baby! I'm pretty proud of it :)  The goal of the group is to have a finished blanket by the end of the summer by making a different square each week.  Designers can make an original square, or squares can be nominated that are already around.  Anyway, this square can also be used as a dishcloth, potholder, plant coaster, etc.  It's very fun and calming to make, and it's reversible - a must for my blanket!

It measures 10''x10'', and full instructions are after the jump.