Mommy's wack purse

So, here is the progress on my mom's Fox purse. I think I will try to be done with most, if not all, of the actual knitting by tomorrow. Then, I shall make my first-ever attempt at felting...this is the only reason that I feel motivated to work on it anymore. I'm really excited to see how it turns out. Who knows, I might just love it and felting could become...my thing. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

As I mentioned, the front of the bag was already completed a long time ago. Here is a picture of the completed front piece.


Yay for Foxes! Yes, he is cute. Yes, I know that it seems quite bulky where the fox is compared to where...the fox isn't. But it was my first time using multiple colors and I am proud of it! So back off!!!! And my mommy will like it too...because she'll have to. If she didn't, that would be like making fun of my drawings I gave her as a kid...and that's not cool.

So, after the font piece was finished, I moved on to the back piece. I decided, for thrift purposes, to make the back all stripey in a goofy random way. This also contributes to the scribble-picture-on-the-fridge look. Now, here is a picture of me taken last night holding what there was of it. Don't I look excited?


Yes, yes I do. Those pants, by the way, belonged to my friend Jayne. I bought them from her at our yard sale last weekend for 50 cents and I think that they are the ultimate in skinny leg chic. Wouldn't you agree? Oh, and I love that tank top too...so very soft and comfy...Urban Outfitters 2 for $20, if you're interested.

Enough about clothes...onto my progress for today! Today I came very close to finishing the back piece of the purse! The day is still young and I may still get it done before the night is over. I think I only have about 9 rows or so left to go on this bugger. Then, it is onto the finishing touches...like the longish strip that I'll make to create the sides, bottom, and the strap of the bag. I think I'll make that around two inches wide...give or take. And even though I'm felting and nobody will probably be able to tell anyway, I am thinking of using seed stitch...because I think it's pretty and a little bit more interesting than garter or stockinette.

Here is the lovely progress of the day picture:


Hooray for me! But now I'm bored. I don't really want to work on this bag anymore...I want to do something else.

So....my friend gave me yarn a while back so that I could make her something that I made for myself in the Happy Hooker book. She really loved it and wanted one for herself. That was months ago! Maybe I should start on that now. Wow, in addition to being a terrible daughter (when was mother's day?), I am also kind of a stinky friend. Well, now that school is over, I really have no excuse. I'll work on it soon...pinky promise.

What I'm doing

In terms of knitting, right now I have started something stupid that I may rip to shreds. It is going to be a stuffed animal made with pink cotton yarn...I am hoping that it in some way resembles a deer. I like deer...I love Bambi...but I hate things that take too long to get done. I need to start doing things from already existing patterns instead of trying to come up with my own because it has started to become really discouraging for me. The only problem with that is that when you use a pattern, you have to buy the right yarn for that pattern...whoops, I don't have a job yet...so that counts that one out. Another problem is that you have to buy the pattern in the first place...whoops again, I just fell off the college boat...no job. Also, when it comes to buying patterns I am extremely picky (is the beggar a chooser? I think she is) and cannot justify buying an entire book for over 20 when I'll use maybe one or two of the patterns in it. There are two books that I am actually considering buying. The first is Knitting Nature and the second is the Knit Cafe book. Both of these have more than two patterns I wouldn't mind making...if I had the money to buy the books...and the yarn...and the needles (my needle collection is still quite small, by the way). So, basically, I just fiddle around with what I have and make nothing really exciting or good. I do have the most recent Interweave issue that has a lot of nice things in it...but again no yarn to speak of...whatever.

I was really planning on putting up some pictures today to show my effed-up beginning of a deer head, but my camera is and has been in my boyfriend's glove compartment for approximately two weeks now and I keep forgetting to get it out of there. So, no pictures for you. Well, maybe I can come up with something....


This is something that I am currently working on and have been for what seems like a lifetime...this is my mother's mothers' day present which I still have not completed. I am a terrible daughter, but she understands. Actually, now I am MUCH further along than this image suggests. I have finished the Fox's head completely...in fact, I have finished this front piece entirely. This was the first time that I had ever used more than one color of yarn at a time...oh yeah, and I haven't done it since. It isn't that I don't like it...I just haven't had time to do it. I actually enjoyed watching the pattern grow. I am currently working on the back, which is going to be randomly stripey in colors that don't really make sense but I want to use them anyway. Oh, by the way, this is a purse that I will be felting and lining, perhaps with a pocket. I have never felted before, so I really don't know what to expect...at all. Again, this is something that I have come up with. I did not use a pattern or anything. I even planned out the Fox design myself too! And for those of you who are wondering...yes, the fox is of significant importance to my mother (and me too). That's it...I'm working on it tonight.

Want to hear something funny? On sunday evening I got to see my boyfriend at his dorkiest when I crashed a weekly D&D party. For those of you not versed in Dork...D&D stands for dungeons and dragons...that's right...DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS. In all fairness, though, these guys aren't a dorky about it as some other D&D groups are where they stay in character THE WHOLE TIME. No, these guys are much less serious and crack a lot of jokes the whole time...so, at least my boyfriend at his geekiest is not as bad as some other guys at their BEST. LoL. I just thought I'd share that. OH, oh oh! To make things better, we are apparently going to see a midnight showing of Superman tonight. Although, the only reason any of us really want to see it is because Kevin Spacey is Lex Luther and he is awesome. Superman is sort of a loser, I think. Especially when we have Batman, a "kickass BY HIS OWN EFFORT AND HARD WORK" hero, to protect us all.

Have I said to much?

Why I majored in psychology

The thing about it is that I really did want to DO something with a degree in psychology. I still do. Yet, everyone asks me what I want to do and I tend to shy away from the question because mostly everyone responds when I tell them with a "oooh, LOTS of money in that" with a sarcastic tone. My mother supports me in whatever I do, which I am fortunate for. My grandfather said that although I would not make any money, it would be more rewarding (he appreciates what I want to do being a Baptist minister who doubles as a grief counselor). I guess I should maybe say what I want to do. I want to work for some sort of community program...hopefully one fighting for social justice. I don't need to make lots of money...I will need to pay off my student loans, but all of that will happen...it will. So, anyway...I guess I'm just sick of people thinking that people with degrees in psychology are all in it for the cash...but I suppose they have been given few reasons to think otherwise.

For the last time, people, my aim is not to analyze YOU but rather the community/society that reared you and maybe contribute something useful here and there. I don't know...anyway...that rant's over.

This really isn't much of a knitting blog, is it? I just have a lot on my mind. I'm in St. Louis for two weeks with my family (a mom and brother who went rounds today) so I am just not in the mood to knit...and don't have my supplies with me anyway. All apologies to any readers who want knitting (as someone left a comment proving me wrong that no one reads this!...THANKS, by the way! I'm glad this blog isn't just lost in the sea of otherness!).

Let's see, what else...I started Crime and Punishment. I'm excited. I think I'll try to read some today before I head off to work at four. Dostoevsky is sort of wonderful, I think. The Brothers Karamazov was my hero for a long time.

Jya...foreign languages...My dirty Russian boyfriend is sending me a book that I really needed to get started for my Japanese independent study, which I am two weeks behind on. However, this time it was not exactly my fault because I have never taken a summer course and I did not know the application process. So, as soon as "wagahai wa neko de aru" arrives in my mailbox with my electronic dictionary, the hardcore reading of a Japanese literary masterpiece will begin. I'm sort of excited about it, actually. I wonder if I'll ever do anything with a degree in Japanese. Probably not. I really should have majored in a more useful language like Spanish...it's not too late to learn though...and I want to learn German...and (of course) Russian...and Armenian. I really wish that my great-great grandparents were around so that I could learn that last one...but alas, I never knew them...and it seems that the only way to really learn Armenian is to learn it from someone who speaks it as there aren't a lot of materials out there for self-learning that I can find...

Whoa, this is a long post...I'll end it abrup--

No one reads this

If anyone reads this, I'd be surprised. I am sort of known around these parts for looking at other peoples' knitting blogs and complaining when they don't have enough pictures and/or do not make much progress and only talk about everyday stuff. I do this quite often, in fact. I do it often, but I find that I am guilty of it personally on this blog. Whatev. No one reads this anyway.

Today (yesterday?) is (was?) Monday and I did not have finals today (yesterday?). I do, however, have two finals tomorrow (today?). The first is an art final which I am quite behind on and am feeling quite tired of. I still have drawings to finish at 1:10 am for the class final that begins at 10:00 am. I hate this. I am tired. My second final is for tests and measurements, which I am also not ready for...but in a more oh-shit-I'm-not-confident-in-this-at-all kind of way. That's not exciting...or it is, but in a way I don't enjoy. I wish I felt that I could finish two-three drawings if I got up at 6 in the morning to start on them...but I don't think that I can. Or maybe I DO think I can....6 am is really not that early when it comes right down to it and that is a good few hours to complete two-three drawings in. AND...AND....if I finish well before class I can treat my self to a cafeteria breakfast and a bit of studying for the more-important-for-my-major final in tests and measurements. OKAY! I'm going to sleep...after I mention what I got today.

Today I was given a gift certificate by the other Jessica at/for bath and body works...we were in the store while an awesome sale was happenin' and she bought the darn thing right there and gave it to me in the store...like a really awesome loser would. Those sorts of things are my FAVORITE! Anyway, I bought two little body splashes: one is cherry blossam and the other is coconut lime verbena....mmmm I got one bigger body splash in white tea and ginger....mmmmm AND THE FINAL THING is a thing of green clover and aloe lotion...it smells all earthy and wonderful...like peace...

Ok...I'll post knitting by the end of the week...after finals...pinky promise (with fingers crossed behind my back...just in case)