Just stuff

So I've been cleaning my room (packing up stuff for Goodwill, unpacking stuff from Purdue, rinse and repeat) pretty much all day so I thought I would take a blog break.

For those of you who haven't seen it, I cut off 14 inches of hair. I still don't have a decent picture though, so I'll keep working on that. It's really liberating...

I also have the first 18/25 squares done, which means I'm on the home stretch- at least on the knitting part. Not overly excited about finishing it all and crocheting the border, but that's just part of the blanket. Oh well, I think someone will be excited to help me finish it! She is so goofy, I was turning on the camera to take a picture of the squares all neatly laid out on the floor and she plopped down right in the middle for a belly rub. Here's another picture of the blanket, minus the dog.

I'm getting the new project itch worse than ever, and knitting dozens of baby hats for my cousin isn't helping. All of my stashed sweater yarn is calling my name...at last check in I have the next 7 sweaters worth of yarn stashed....and I can't decide what to knit next! Ahhh! Whatever I decide, it will have to wait until 5 more projects are finished and/or the opening ceremonies of the olympics. I'm planning on a 17 day hoodie, much like the PoCo hoodie made with the cascade yarn that I can't stop wearing.

Okay- back to cleaning!

I should be studying/packing

I should be doing things other than snacking and blogging, mostly because I am taking a final tomorrow and then moving back to Indianapolis immediately afterwards. Well, not immediately, I'm going to Borders to return the $45 textbooks that we read 5 pages of and buy books I will actually read. I'm quite excited about that. I do need to pack up my appartment rather soon, so I can find the books I am supposed to have read by now. Bleh. Damn you Postcolonial Literature and your piles of reading!

On a more knitting related note, I finished Nathalie's scarf, the blue linen one. It remarkably took only a little more than a skien of yarn (about 200 yards) for a rather long, wide (after being blocked of course) scarf. (Anyone want most of a skien of Rowan Damask?) I'm really happy with how it turned out, and I'm even happier that I already dropped that and the Tequila Sunrise scarf off. Since neither recipients were in their offices, I had to be the knitting fairy and leave them with a nice little note. I really hope they like them. It feels great to have them done.

I started the 16th lizard ridge square after stocking up on Kureyon (had a 20% off card so I bought 7) and am almost halfway through. I might try to put my Lizard Ridge in the State Fair- everyone who has seen it so far says I should enter it. *Fingers crossed!* Hopefully the promised free yarn will come (so far it has not, I'm starting to think that lady forgot she promised me free yarn) and if that comes, I should be able to not buy anymore Kureyon and make an oversized blanket with the yarn I have and scraps I soon will have. Updates soon! I'm really truckin' to get this beast done and in the fair! That and I promised myself no more projects until the total count is under 5- I've got a ways to go.

Well- back to packing. I felt like I had to announce that I actually finished something.

Bonus for Facebookers: If you go to my facebook profile and see my latest album (Gay Old Time in Chicago) then you can see my Gay Pride Potholder! Seriously- what else do you do with rainbow cotton?

Things I never thought I would do...

So...lots of good things and a couple strange things today.

Firstly, I am now finished with 15 of 25 squares for my lizard ridge. I suppose I could stop at 20 and have a normal sized blanket...we'll see when we get there. It would be a lot cheaper to make 5 more squares instead of 10.

I started a new scarf for Nathalie, the lady who put together the China trip of awesomeness. I'm using a mesh pattern to make the yarn go farther and make it interesting enough to not go into hibernation after two days of work. I made the pattern up, but since there's only a few ways of knitting mesh, I'm sure it's been properly made up by someone else. Here's a picture, it's out of the same linen yarn that the red "tequila sunrise" scarf is made of, it's just shiny enough...I really love this yarn. If anyone is interested in how made it, I can write the pattern up. So far it's mindless but enjoyable.

This morning I took my history final for my online course AND AM DONE WITH IT! I can't tell you how happy I am to have that shit done. Now I've got my Postco final next wednesday to worry about. But first....ROAD TRIP! I'm hitting the road saturday morning with a few friends from the China trip to (things I never thought I'd do #1) go to a gay nightclub. One of my best friends from the trip, Chi Chi, is my favorite gay man ever and we hit up as many gay nightclubs in China as possible, and we're continuing to do it here. We're also going to some pie festival which makes me glad I did Thing I Never Thought I Would Do #2, getting acupuncture to lose weight.

I threw my back out the other day doing something that could get me in trouble if I posted here, so I'll just say I threw my back out....rescuing kittens from a fire. Riiiiight. So I went to the chiropractor who also does acupuncture (this is yesterday, not today) and after he did the adjustment, he asked if I wanted acupuncture- normally I say no, needles are for knitting, but I jokingly said, "got anything to help with tomorrow's final?" And he said yes. Turns out they use the same points for nerves and weight loss, so I'm a mellow, slightly skinnier version of my self right now. Already down 2 pounds! It suppresses your appetite so instead of eating the 4-5 meals I day I normally do, I'm down to 2 with smaller portions. It also (no idea how this works) makes you feel miserably full (think Thanksgiving) after a normal-sized portion, and then you don't want to eat for a while. I know this isn't healthy to continue to eat 2 smaller meals a day, but I figured I'd keep it up until after this weekend (pie festival + small halter top for clubbing = not pretty) then see where I should go from there.

So that's about it today... other than my all-night conversation with McTango...yummy. Too bad I have less than a week left at Purdue- is that bad timing or what?

Yeah, I knit.

SO....after knitting for more than 3/4 of my life I still find myself a little embarrassed to say I do it. I know that there's absolutely nothing to be ashamed of about knitting and I actually should be proud to have found something that I am passoknit about but when asked what I do in my spare time, reading, napping, dancing and other crafts nearly always come up before knitting. My knitting and I seem to need couple's therapy.

I think after trying to break the stigma attached to knitting (you know, the old ladies in rocking chairs in bad acrylic sweaters for their grandchildren) I'm tired of fighting it. No, I didn't learn two weeks ago to keep up with the "craze", and no, it's not because I don't have anything better to do, and lastly, no, I will not knit you a scarf. I'm tired of people saying, "You KNIT?" In the same tone of voice one would use

five minute pause...James McAvoy is on Jon Stewart

oh dear jesus the naughty dreams I have about that man. God, if you love me like the priest says you do, you will give me that man and I will never Hulk-punch the wall in your name again.

Back to knitting. I'm tired of people saying "You KNIT?!" In the same tone of voice one would use while saying, "You rob banks?" or "You're a serial killer?" Yeah- I knit. And I make some cool stuff too. So, next time someone says to me, "You KNIT?" I pledge to respond, "You DON'T?"

I have never been a closet knitter, but I am (outside of knit night) a little shy when people are gawking at my Lizard Ridge square. It's a little unnerving for me to be watched while I finish a sleeve at Starbucks. I don't see how my knitting is any different from his sudoku, or her Wall Street Journal. I don't knit because I'm incapable of completing a cross-word, I enjoy that glow I get after I finish a project and occasionally, when I wear something I made out in public, I enjoy the feeling I get when someone says- "Where did you get that?" And I can say, I made it. Because I am talented and smart enough to follow a chart or make up a lace pattern, figure out a gauge and make a sweater fit me. I knit to blow off steam and it makes me feel special when I knit things for other people that they (at least seem) to really like.

Perhaps we need a Knitter's Pride Parade?

We got a Redbox!!!

You know those dollar-a-night box things with movies in them? We got one at the grocery store! It's amazing. I've rented 3 movies over the past 4 days and it's so much cheaper than Blockbuster! Woohooo! I love redbox! So onto the movie reviews:

P.S. I love you

Adorable! For starters we have Gerard Butler with an Irish accent and a guitar- yummy! Sad in the beginning and I definently squirted out a few tears, but overall a really cute movie. Watch it with your girlfriends. And! It had Denny from Grey's Anatomy- the one Izzy "loved" to death. He's good in it- so is his naked bum.

Last King of Scotland

Weird. Shows the perils of an evil ruler in Uganda in the 1970's. After Hotel Rwanda and Blood Diamond, I thought I was ready for it, but it was a whole new level of graphic and disgusting. Great acting from Forest Whitaker and James McAvoy (okay I only rented the movie because he was in it) but was not really okay with the scene in which Whitaker pushed rusty hooks through McAvoy's nipples and suspended him in the air by them. I threw up a little in my mouth. I don't like to see my baby's daddy suspended by his nips.

I Now Pronouce You Chuck and Larry

Exceeded my expectations. Normally I think of Adam Sandler movie as slapstick comedy and this was funny, yes, but not stupid funny. Worth watching. Nothing all that "gay" about it. Plus it was really star-studded (Lance Bass, Dan Akroyd, a few others I've already forgotten about) And my fav. character by far was the gay butterfly played by Nick Swardson, the guy who plays gay Terry in Reno 911- he was hilarious! Overall it shed a positive light on the gay community, which I am all for.

Also I went and painted pottery last night with my friend Ben! (If you go back a couple months he is seen wearing a brown and creme hat I knitted him for helping me study for a math test). He painted a rather harlequin looking mug and I painted a sunflower bowl because I've already painted wayyyy to many mugs and am out of space in my mug cabinet. Here they are, in their unfired/unglazed state. I can't wait to see them finished! Oh- that thing on the petal is supposed to be a ladybug.

Done, Done, and halfway done

So yes, I missed the Yarn Harlot. And I am still a little bummed about that. But I had fun without Stephanie Pearl McPhee! My new friend from Postcolonial Literature asked me if I knew anyone that could teach her to crochet (she has only ever seen me knitting, and only on the hoodie). I told her I could and she suggested a trip to Hobby Lobby immediately after class. Cool. Not that I need anything, but it's always fun to look. She drove, which is awesome because the trip to Hobby Lobby takes about a gallon and a half of gas in my Jeep, and I hate spending more getting somewhere than I spend actually being there. We picked out her yarn and crochet hooks and grabbed a pair of bamboo knitting needles (just in case!)

Sure enough, an hour later, we were both knitting at Vienna coffee house. She had given up on crocheting after about half an our of not getting the single crochet stitch, and was knitting within ten minutes of that. I had to run to tango at 7 to meet McSteamy for our lesson. This would make up for missing the Yarn Harlot- sexy dancing with sexy Peruvian man. (he's McSteamy from now on, okay?) It would have made up for Yarn Harlot, except he didn't show. He wasn't feeling well, that's cool, I just wish he would have let me know BEFORE I SPRINTED ACROSS CAMPUS IN STILETTO HEELS AND A MINISKIRT!!!!

Anyhoo, I stayed for about an hour and tango-ed with myself. After getting sick of all the happy couples tangoing with each other, I headed to the grocery store for dinner and a rented movie for one. I didn't even start the movie, my roommate was watching Big Mama's house and I knitted on the PoCo hoodie while kinda sorta watching that. And then I FINISHED the hoodie with the help of Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha. Weaved in my ends, sewed on the buttons and all. Since my makeup was all gone by then and it still hasn't found it's way onto my face today, the bed will be my model.

In unrelated but still awesome news, I finished all my essays but one yesterday, and the one that isn't done is due Monday. That will be a bitch to finish. Damn you PostCo!

So...it's just occured to me that finishing the hoodie means I have two more weeks left at Purdue, and enough Kuryon for 2 Lizard Ridge squares- 3 if I'm creative. That's not going to last me three weeks....poo. On the other hand, I did buy four skiens of dishrag cotton at Hobby Lobby and will make the double-sided crochet potholders with it...those are like stressballs, they finish so quickly and they're so brainless. I love them!

More later, but for now James McAvoy and I have a date in "The Last King of Scotland".

I am Procraftinating.

What are you doing?

So midterms are here, and I have three more essays that need done by Friday. I finished one last night, but that's just one. I did effectively procraftinate, and added a few more inches to my hoodie. It's starting to look like something- and rather quickly. I think I understand this project manogamy thing- it's very strange by it works! The picture is of me and the sweater trying to figure out how to get the camera to take a picture after ten seconds. The only time I've gotten it to work was this time, when I wasn't actually ready.

(I haven't been entirely manogamous- I made 2.5 lizard ridge squares as a brief diversion of life.) But I'm getting there. But it's amazing how this thing sucks up yarn like a vaccuum. I've just put in the fifth skien of Cascade! Yikes! If I didn't knit so tightly I might be able to get more sweater for the yardage, but I rather enjoy wearing handknits so thick they could pass as carpet.

So...hoodie progress: check.

essay progress: not so much.

and now I'm going to Tango to put off the essays for another few hours! Ciao!