The dance

Heel flap:


Heel turn:


Step, ball-change

New cuff:


New book:


Plus...OMG...These. I can't pull my eyes and mind away from them....but I can't right now. I don't have the money. I don't have the time. I don't have the patience....

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I hate cables

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Oh and these? Let's not even get started on why I shouldn't even dream of it right now. I mean, seriously. It would take a lifetime to work those things into something resembling a sock.

Keito-dama, which is the name of the book/magazine shown above, is gorgeous. I'm super excited and nervous about it all! I am not sure when I will have money to buy yarn for a new project though. I have so many in mind...from a million different sources...sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself. I will never be able to knit it all...even if knitting were all I ever did...even without having to eat, work, pee, breathe (do you like how work came before the breathing and the peeing?) Never...but I still look at all those patterns with hope...hope that someday...someday.

It's a sickness...

No, really...

...sickness...

To sell online...

Well, as I have been saying...I have been working on something to sell online at etsy.com. It's completely finished. Completely. I even have the description and materials all written up. I have the pictures all set to go. All I am waiting on is a little bit of info from the Post Office on shipping...and the whole shebang should be set to go! I'm also kinda sorta waiting on Max to design a sharp banner for my store page...to make me more professional-like. :p

Should I show a picture of the finished product here?? I guess it's OK to do so.


If you wanna see more, you'll have to check it out in my Etsy Store...but it isn't up yet! Be patient! It's over 7 1/2 feet long blocked! I almost don't want to sell the thing...but alas...alas...

Remember how I studied abroad in Japan back in the day? Well, while I was there, I purchased a kit for two Temari. I started one while I was there. I also stopped working on it altogether while I was there. Well, over the weekend I decided to pull it out and bring it with me to my grandparents' house. I finished it!! It is not without flaw, but I feel so accomplished all the same. I don't know why I couldn't finish it before. I seriously sat down and finished nearly the whole thing in one sitting. I guess all I needed was a little bit of time away from it. Now, I can't wait to start making more. I have big plans for these cute little balls of thread...big plans.


I have to go back to work today. I really enjoyed having a long weekend off. I spent it with my grandparents, whom I love and miss terribly.





Aren't we all so wholesome? :)



PS--all that stuff I was upset over in the last few posts?? Nothing changed in that department, if you were interested.

So what?

Lately, I honestly haven't felt like blogging. I don't have much to say. I just feel the need to vent. I haven't taken a picture in a while and am so consumed with my problems that I don't care to ever knit again. When's it getting better? Remind me. As long as there are pennies in the world...as long as there are sticks...these things will not get better.

I'm supposed to be happy right now...but I'm not. I keep trying to be...I know that my life is good and I have a lot to be grateful for. I AM grateful for the good things; don't get me wrong. It's just that I know the bad things will NEVER GO AWAY. I will face them for as long as I live...and I'm not looking forward to it.

Sorry...I needed to write something...and there it is. Here's to looking up...that was sarcastic.

Stuff

I can't wait for Renaissance Faire! If any of my friends want to have a fulfilling day of joyful merriment, let me know. I'm down for some frollickin' old skool, fer rills.

Oh, knitting. I haven't felt like it. I can't stop thinking about Temari. I never finished the one I started working on in Japan last year. I might just have to get it out and start working on it.

I was going to crochet something for my grandmother, but I didn't have enough time. I will just have to work on it when I have a chance and give it to her the next time I see her. I will probably knit her something instead of crocheting, though...because crocheting is confusing and stressful to me now. Oh well.

I have to put the finishing touches on my "for sale item" and then block it...carefully. It's silk...so, it's sort of fussy to block. There is a great resource on knitty.com about how to block different media. If you need some help with a fiber that is new to you, check it out. I think it will be worth it. Anyway...I need to take apart my cast on row and remove a few rows of knitting and then do a plain old bind-off. Why? My cast on and cast off rows look very different. THAT'S why. I can't bring myself to sell something like that...so, I have to painstakingly DEAL WITH IT before I put it up for sale. Unfortunately, I didn't leave a very long tail...if I had, I would just do a row of crochet into the cast on row and call it quits! Oh well, maybe on my ten tonight, I'll do that...because I hope to have the thing blocking in my guest room by this evening...photo shoot this weekend at the grandparents'...and posted in my etsy.com store on Monday. Wish me luck! Oh, I'll definitely put up pictures of the item here and on flickr once it's up for sale...shameless advertising, you know. Oh, and there will be a widget...oh, yes...there will be widget.

Knitting offers more...

...but crochet offers these:
I have been eye-balling these two crocheted dresses for a while now. I've had both patterns for a long time...and had almost forgotten them...but they were always in the back of my mind. ((oh, the other one is a pdf that I downloaded from interweave...but I can't find it online now for the life of me and I don't know how to import the image from a pdf...so...sooooooo....yeah)).

Should I cross over for a while...if only for a moment??

I like crochet. It's so...forgettable. Not in a bad way...it's forgettable in a such way that you can always come back and pick it up later...it won't unravel while you're away and if it does, it isn't a disaster. The stitches in crochet are almost independent of one another. They aren't so delicately linked as they are in knitting. That's part of why I think I love knitting so much...the interconnectedness of everything...but I also think, sometimes, it's why I like crochet. Maybe it is true that sometimes we need a break from interconnectedness. While we can never truly be separate...we can at least back away for a while. Know what I mean??

But actually, crochet is on my mind for another reason. I'm planning a trip to southern Illinois in a few weeks to visit my grandparents. I really wanted to have something nice to give to my grandma, but I really won't have the time to knit anything up. Maybe crochet is the answer here? I think it might be. I've found a nice crochet daisy lace pattern through a little bit of "witchcraft" and "demon arts" (use your imagination...you'll probably never guess what I mean). I need to decide on a really beautiful yarn...I love my grandma so much and I'm sad to say that her age is finally starting to catch up with her. I want to make her something beautiful...because she is beautiful. You know what I mean?

I won't be able to hit the LYS until tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, I will find something affordable and lovely so that I can get started!! I don't have much time!!

Oh...dinner a few nights ago was tasty:


See! I CAN cook, when I put my mind to it. However, the peas were not quite done...still yummy.

Oh and the new Interweave?? Beautiful. I want to knit these now:






You think I care they're all turned on their sides? Well, I don't. Oh and size and order means nothing here. If you want to know my favorite; it is the snuggly grey sweater with the brown button (in other words, the last one).

To live on bread alone

Today began with a plan...a really cool plan...a really cool plan that cost me EVERY bit of my tip money this week for supplies.

It involved a thermometer, a huge glass bowl, a cookie sheet, and a rolling pin.

It was bread.

I found a super simple recipe for a loaf of French bread...and went to town.

Lots of kneading:


Lots of rising:


A little bit of knitting:


Lots of shaping:



Lots of baking:


Lots of cooling on wire racks:


Lots of happy!:


Mmmm, I'm really looking forward to the gluttony that will be this evening. I'm making a pasta dish out of real simple magazine tonight as well. It's going to be fabulous with freshly baked bread.

Oh, we will be giving one loaf to Max's parents. Russians like their bread, you know.

And these fat asses...


...won't be getting ANY! Hedonists!

Anime Central 2007

So, I had a great weekend. I spent the whole time at Anime Central (ACEN) looking at freaks, listening to panels, and (of course) watching lots of anime. It was a blast.

I do have to say, however, the convention itself was not as great as it has been in the past. This was the tenth anniversary...and it felt like no one knew what they were doing. It was clear that everyone was working very hard, but working hard does not make up for not knowing what you're doing in the first place. Even people who were on the staff were complaining about the lack of communication this year...it was confusing. If it was confusing for them with a bit more insight on how things SHOULD be running...imagine for the con-goers.

I HAD A BLAST, don't get me wrong...I just got a little bit annoyed sometimes.

First of all, my favorite part of the convention is going to the Masquerade. This is where you can see all of the cool cosplayers up on stage. The masquerade...it's awesome. There is a fashion type show/contest, skits, etc... It's like a variety show and always a good time. This year, they decided to make the Masquerade a TICKETED event...without informing the con-goers of this until they showed up for the Masquerade. TONS of people were PISSED OFF because NO ONE TOLD THEM THEY NEEDED TICKETS. If you are going to change something like that, it isn't enough to tell a few people in the registration line and hope that the word gets around. You need to make sure it is made clear to ALL PAYING ATTENDEES OF THE CON. I PAID MONEY FOR THIS CONVENTION AND I WAS NOT INFORMED!!!! It's especially annoying because the Masquerade tickets were actually free and all I would have had to do was ask for them...but by the time the Masquerade started, of course, it was too late. SO WE DIDN'T GET TO GO. Oh and PS--TONS of people who got the tickets DID NOT FUCKING SHOW UP and the place was just FULL of EMPTY seats...I see a huge flaw with this free TICKETING system...and a lot of people missed out on a great time because of it.

Oh well.

I also feel like there weren't as many INCREDIBLE cosplayers this year. I really only saw one that made me go, "Whoa, that's freakin' cool..." This dude/ette:


Nice job! There were a lot of funny cosplays that I enjoyed...don't get me wrong. For instance, this guy:


Yes, he's a kitty and yes, that is a huge ball of yarn! Since this blog is really about knitting, I HAD to get a picture of it! :)

Other fun cosplays:




So, yeah...I didn't feel the need to run around the con with my camera and takes pictures of EVERYTHING like I have in the past. I do wish I would have gotten a shot of Max's brother and his girlfriend in their cosplay, because they were pretty cute...but I didn't...and I didn't get to cosplay myself...so no shots of that, either.

I do have tons of pictures of Max and me.

The name I had on my badge was "I like avocados" because it's true.


This is me in the Sky Bridge on our way to the Dealer's Room:


We really wanted to go dancing at the Soap Bubble (that's what they called one of their dances, btw) on Saturday night, but didn't get around to it until after 1:00am...we were SUPER TIRED, but didn't want to miss out on a good time...so, we needed coffee. These are our "We need coffee" faces:



Before dancing:



After dancing:


The music was all right. I liked some, I hated some. I can be picky. And yes, for those of you who know me, I DID dance. And no, for those of you who know me, I WASN'T DRUNK! ^.^ I was too poor for that, you know.

This is a picture of me with some of Max's friends from high school and their girlfriends:


This is some knitting!:


This is me in my new T-shirt:


That's right, Bruce Lee.

This is Max in his new T-shirt:


That's right, Evangelion.

Here's what I bought (other than the T-shirts mentioned above):



Nana, the movie!!!! It's not our region, but I can play it on my laptop...so I went ahead and bought it. I was happy to find it because it was one of the things I had intended to buy if I came across it.



Witch Hunter Robin, the complete series. I have seen this one on Adult Swim and thought it was interesting. I figured it will be better in Japanese and unedited. Apparently Cartoon Network cuts a lot out of the anime series' they show.

Two series' that I really want to get my hands on are Paradise Kiss and Ergo Proxy. I could have bought both of them, but didn't because they are not available as a complete multi-disk set. I don't want to buy a series DVD by DVD for three reasons. ONE: It costs a lot more money to buy each one separately. TWO: You have to find a place for those DVDs somewhere in your house...and if you're like me, you think that technological things are basically an eye-sore and take away from the aesthetic you are trying to maintain in your home. Plus, they take up a lot of room...especially when you have more than one series. Look at this:


On the left is a side shot of my new Witch Hunter Robin set...on the right are the same number of DVDs that are enclosed in the Witch Hunter Robin set all purchased separately...big difference. ((PS...those other DVDs are old...I didn't spend THAT much money this year))

THREE: When you have to buy each one individually, half of the time you forget to complete the set and you have half finished series' just laying around waiting to be added to...and when you actually think to buy the next one, you don't remember which DVD you last purchased and end up walking out of the store empty handed anyway. I have done this with a few series...Azumanga, Excel Saga, Lain, Onegai Teacher, to name a few. Sometimes, I DO finish the set, but usually they just sit there on my shelf...all lonely. YUCK. ANYWAY...I want Paradise Kiss and Ergo Proxy...but I will only buy them in a compact complete series set. Seeing as how they are VERY new...this probably won't be an option for a year or so. Dammit.

As soon as I get a chance to watch either Witch Hunter Robin or Nana the movie, I will review them for you.

End of anime talk. The next post will be about knitting, I promise. ^.^

But this post still has some knitting content. We went to Mistuwa yesterday and they have started work on the new bookstore. EXCITING! It's going to be even bigger than the one that was there before. YAY!! I asked the saleswoman if they had the latest Keito-dama, but they didn't. She said that they usually carry it...and if I wanted, I could order it. I may decide to do that. I love that knitting magazine. It is one of the best out there...even if it is in Japanese (of course, that isn't really a problem for me). :)

OK, end of Japanese talk.

I bought The Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman.

Ok, end of knitting talk.

Ok, end of post.

It feels like a sin because I don't have a ball winder

But I do sort of enjoy the lackadaisical, thrown together look of a hand wound ball of yarn.


I wound up that wonderful hunk of Fearless Fibers merino into a huge, nearly planetary, ball of wonderful socky goodness. Max:


He thinks he's cool holding a planet in his hands...oh, and he looks kind of creepy too, doesn't he?

I've already finished the cuff and today I will be starting the fun part where the pattern picks up. I will show you again once it comes out.

I went to Barnes and Noble yesterday and flipped through the latest issue of Craft. I haven't enjoyed this newbie magazine very much until this issue. It's all about Japanese crafts or other crafts with a cutesy Japanese flair. Of course, such a thing appeals to my sensibilities. Hello, bachelor in Japanese here... It had a lot of great websites and such that I would like to check out. The thing is, Craft is horribly overpriced. I normally can't justify buying it...but maybe this one time I will make an exception.

Anime Central begins on Friday!! I am SUPER excited even though I will not be dressing up. I will be dressing CUTE, but not UP...if you know what I mean. I really wanted to go as her, but wasn't able to pull my shit together in time. Go figure. I also wanted to go as her, but again, that shit...well, it just sort of stayed all spread apart...That's kind of gross...I take things too far sometimes. ^.^ But whatever. It's probably more fun when you're all dressed up because people want to take your picture...I don't think I am really so starved for attention that not being photographed will ruin my time. I was going to create an ACen flickr group for people to post their preparations and photos of the con, but I probably won't now...because I'm not preparing anything myself and why create something that I am not going to be able to fully enjoy? We'll see. I might change my mind...maybe...if there proves to be a desire for such a thing. Hint, hint, wink wink...searching for comments from any lurkers out there...

I will try to take tons of pictures of the ultimate geekiness that is Anime Central 2007 and will post them up here. Keep watching, it may be ridiculously/hilariously awesome.

Ehem...anyway...back to the knitting. I finished the sock I was working on!!!! Of course, I couldn't resist taking a million and a half photos of it!








Child's First Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks. A little tight in the instep, but it has gotten better from wearing it around the house a bit.

Any sock knitters out there? I have a few questions about WTF is up with socks. Is it just me, or are they supposed to be sort of stiff feeling...and not stretch very well? When you take the sock off, does it look all huge...as though you had canckles? Is the instep usually super tight and the heel flaps don't seem long enough? These are just a few things that I've noticed that I'm having issues with and I'm wondering if I am the only one.

Other projects: I haven't worked on anything else very much. I'm going to work on my lace sweater a bit today, but I will probably be focused on Max's sock for a while...until the excitement of working on something new goes away (probably a few days, give or take). I will keep you posted. Until next time!!!!