happy birthday dad!

today is my dad's birthday! happppy birthday! we're going to Carraba's tonight for dinner, i'm pretty excited.

so i started a sweater about 2 weeks ago. it's called the February Lady Sweater. it's so cute! i can't wait until i'm done with it! i have the body finished, and have to start on the sleeves. hopefully i will actually finish this one. i think i will because i really want it to wear. i'll post some pictures on here this time.

the side, and the detail of the lace. it's a bit blurry, sorry.

what the front looks like.


i'm calling it the Doctor Sweater because i have been watching Doctor Who and it's spin-off, Torchwood, while knitting. a lot of the sweater is repeticious so it's nice to have something to watch while knitting. i'm almost done with Torchwood, so hopefully i will continue on without it.

Doctor Who has become one of my favorite shows. for those of you who don't know what it is, it's a British show about a 900 year-old Time Lord who flies through time and space in his ship, the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space). He basically saves the world/other planets/universe from aliens in every episode with his varied companions. it started back in the '60s, went off the air in the '80s, then came back in 2005. there have been 10 different actors playing the Doctor (because the Doctor can regenerate), but i find this one to be my favorite:

it's a really great show.

i've gotten quite behind on my reading due to Doctor Who and knitting. i finished The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett just recently and also the two books by Maureen Johnson i mentioned in my last post.
Girl At Sea by Maureen Johnson 323 pgs
The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson 370 pgs
The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett 368 pgs
total pages read this summer: 4,658 pgs
woooo! i am now reading Persepolis 2 and The Catcher in the Rye. i'm reading The Catcher in the Rye again because of this:

i wish that i could go see John in Spring Lake on monday, but i have to work! booo! but John and Hank Green are planning on going on a Nerdfighters Tour and they will probably come to MI again so i will see them then!

ok, this is quite enough to put in a post. kbye!

a whole big post dedicated to knitting! imagine that!

so i do realize that this is supposed to be a knitting blog. well, you can see that it isn't really, its not a really a blog even. i feel ashamed to call this a blog compared to my sisters, and others that i have been reading lately. i mostly read knitting blogs, they are so pretty and the pictures are beautiful, something that i hope to have one day. one of the blogs that i love reading is Ysolda, her blog is so beautiful and her designs are even more so. she also cooks and bakes a lot of delicious looking things. i also just started reading Kuky Ideas, which is so cute, and she is so talented with knitting and sewing! her little girl is adorable and so are her drawings.

i have been inspired by these blogs to post some of my recent knitting projects. i always find myself starting projects on a whim and never finishing them. so the other night i didn't have anything to do and my knitting stuff was all unorganized. i decided to organize it all, finish the things i could and rip out the things i knew i would never finish, i felt very accomplished. here are some things i have finished, which isn't much. two hats and a pair of mary-jane slippers. now in my defense i have had a lot of school work and work and stuff, so yeah. anyway on to the pics.


This is the Thorpe hat by Kirsten Kapur. it was really nice to knit because it was top down, starting was a bit tricky, but once it got going it went really fast. it calls for a crochet border, and before friday night i was dumb when it came to crochet. my mom showed me how to do the border and it wasn't that hard! i really like the little touch the border adds to the hat. plus now i am hooked on crochet! hahahahaha, what a great pun.

i used Mmmmmalabrigo aka the best yarn in the world. i had like a blue, purpley colorway and a pretty grey colorway. I used size nines like the pattern called for, but my gauge was off so i just knit the large size and it turned out perfect. i love the little ties and the garter earflaps.


Next i made my second Earhart Aviator cap from Head Huggers. you can see my first one in my profile pic. for this one i used Lamb's Pride worsted in a maroon colorway. it turned out a little tighter than my other one, maybe i should block it to stretch it out a little.

i made simple mary-jane slippers from some scrap yarn i had. they're not that great so i'm not going to post a pic of them.
but i will post some WIPs (works in progress for you non-knitting folk)
first a cabled slipper sock made with Lamb's Pride worsted in hot pink. the pattern is from the book One Skein. i started it one night wanting something warm for my feet, someday i will finish. haha.


second is the Squirrel and Oak mittens from helloyarn. i got Knitpicks sport weight wool in squirrel heather and garnet heather. the gauge is off so i'm thinking of going up a size in needles. i'm not sure yet if i want to pull it out. we'll see.

i really love these mittens and it gets me started with some nice norwegian type fair isle. its special to me because i am norwegian, so i feel a connection.

i also started some thrummed mittens back in the fall, they are pretty cool. close to being done on the first one. i used Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran in orange and roving that is maroonish/purpleish. i really like thrumming, and i think they will be very warm for next winter...if i finish them in time!


and last but not least my first crochet thing! i am planning on trying an amigurumi, which is a little knitted or crocheted doll. this is the start of the head. i'm using a G hook and the left over Malabrigo from the Thorpe hat. its not much, but its something!


ok, so that is alllll the knitting i have done in a while. whew.

this past weekend was my mom's birthday so i went home. it was really nice since i hadn't been home in a while. it was really great to hang out with my parents and brody dog. we went to Cheeseburger in Paradise for dinner and it was delicious! it was a good weekend. i am going home again this weekend for spring break, then back up on monday night to work all tuesday then back home wednesday morning to spend the rest of the week at home relaxing. i'm looking forward to it. here are two pictures i'm throwing in, one from the weekend, with me and brody, and proof that i love the hat my dad brought back from Canada.


the one with brody is so cute, i was laying on the floor with him and had my arm out holding the camera, and he rested his head on my arm. he usually looks away from the camera, but that night he was a ham. silly dog. thus ends the gigantic update post! now i will probably not post for a month! haha!

summer part 1: DC (whole lotta pictures)

so i am here in Williamsburg, VA. its been great so far! i flew down to DC last thursday, and i think that someone doesn't want me to come down here because this is the second time my flight has been delayed. lovely fog! but other than that it was fine. i flew into Ronald Reagan, which is soo much better than Dulles! we flew right by everything! we went right downtown after i got in, and we walked around and saw the sights. i'm gonna show you some pictures now.
one side of the white house.

yay for tourists!

capitol building!

other side of white house.

lincoln memorial.

world war II memorial, it was really nice, and way bigger than this.

mr. lincoln himself.

washington monument from the lincoln memorial.

me squishing the washing monument! yes!

you can see the washington monument reflected in the vietnam memorial.


whew, thats a lot. but it was fun. and hot. it was really warm that day. it was also a little surreal to see all of these things. it was hard for me to actually comprehend that i was actually there, seeing this historic place. i've seen it all before right? movies, TV, ya know. but i liked it.

i also go myself a job here in williamsburg! its going to be great. i'm working at the movie theater that is right by the apartment. they give employees and family free movies! yes! i won't have to pay for any movies this summer! which is awesome. i start tomorrow (thursday). starting a job is always a little nerve wracking, but i feel okay about it.

in knitting news, i finally decided what to do with some alpaca silk that i had lying around. oh yes, i decided that i wanted to make the Anthropologie Inspired Scarf. so i started it last night, and since it is knit horizontally, that means i needed to cast on enough stitches to make it long enough. i ended up with about 328 stitches. yeah. not so fun, but i really think it would be a nice and cushy scarf! i am going to soilder through, its only about 28 rows. ugh, wish me luck. here's a pic of my three rows. its a little dark, but you can see allllll those stitches! fun fun!

anyway, i have to do some laundry. yaaayyy!

new hat that i love, perfect timing, eh?

i just finished this hat, its the Fake Isle hat from magknits. i love it. i love the yarn i used too. here are some pictures.


you can see the top. it's really hard to take a picture of the top of your head.


laid out. you can see the colors, and the pattern. i love it soo!



i just ordered some alpaca silk yarn, i got a really good price! i'm hoping to make a really nice scarf. or whatever strikes me. i'm not sure yet. i also have to order some more yarn for those felted slippers i want to make, i made one, but i really don't think that i will have enough to make a whole other one. man, i am really proud of this hat. and i am going to wear it regardless of the weather! woo hoo!

a quick one before class.

man! almost spring break for me! i am soooo excited. it will be a great break from the monotony that is school. i had/have two exams this week. i had my first one at the ungodly hour of 6:45 am, chemistry! chemistry? at 6:45 in the morning? does not work. i have to take all my chem exams at that time because the usual exam is at 7:15 pm, and i have a class from 7-8:50 at night. so thats great. but i think the exam went well, and it seemed easier than i expected. my second exam is a zoology midterm. i got really behind on the reading, so i had to read a lot this weekend, and i still have a few chapters before wednesday to finish. but from what i've heard, a lot of the exam is common sense, and i went to all the classes. and i'm really interested in all of this, so its easier to remember. so i think i'll be ok.

knitting wise i am somewhat in a rut. i finished the loopy edge on my pinwheel sweater, and started a sleeve. it came out too small for me, but i'm going to give it to my mom. i really like it, but sleeves are always a pain. i am also looking for a pattern for felted clog slippers. i found a few that i could buy, but i'm still trying to find one that i like thats free. i have a bunch of yarn left over from that sweater, so i want to use it for the slippers. i might just have to get over myself and buy the pattern.

i have s&b tonight, but i dunno what i'm going to knit. i have limited amounts of yarn here at school, so that kinda sucks. i think that jess and i are going to go to the yarn store that is here. that will be cool. although very tempting, and we might even have to leave our wallets at home! ha! alright, off to class.

whew. finally.

so i've finally revived this blog. i created this mainly for completed knitting projects, WIPs (works in progress) and ideas. i know that some of this might not make a lot of sense to some of you reading (i.e. alison, mike haha) but i am going to try to use it also as a blog about whats going on it my life.

here are a few things i have finished and or have finally gotten around to taking pictures and posting them.

My pride and joy right now, an Entrelac scarf. it was made with Patons SWS in natural pink. this is Danica from knitty.



i love it, its really nice and warm. it helps a lot when i'm waiting for the bus!

Another thing i have done is the Amelia Earheart Aviator Hat from Head Huggers. i did this in elann's highland peruvian wool in orange.


it is a really cool pattern, and i learned how to do wrapped turns.


I'm finally finishing up my pinwheel sweater from elann.com. i'm just now on the loopy edge, about 3/4 done. and then i have to do the sleeves. as soon as i'm done i'm sure i will post some pics.

i'm itching to start two more sweaters. a custom fit top down raglan, and a reversed stripe hoodie from knit 1 magazine.

in other news, i'm in kalamazoo for the weekend. its nice, i haven't been home for 3 weeks. a record for me. i'm looking for ward to next year because i will have a single room. my roommate can be hard to deal with. but i'm learning a lot about myself and living with other people.

some exciting news: i've decided on where i'm going to be doing my study abroad. i've decided on Kenya, and the study of savanah mammals. i am so excited. this program looks awesome, i will get to take two classes that i need for my major, and i will get to see my favorite animals in their natural habitat. i'm planning on going the summer after this one. every time i think about it i get so excited!

now to get back to the million i-cords on my sweater! oy!