return of the blog.

well! 

if i've demonstrated anything at all, it's that i'm a terrible, terrible blogger. 

but i'm back. so much has been happening in my life. i want terribly to set it down in record. 

therefore, i'm starting today. just with this. but more will come. 

Sewing

I've been sewing lately! With my super awesome industrial sewing machine. This thing can go through layers and layers of denim or the like. 

Of course, I've just been making skirts. I bought fabric for two circle skirts a long time ago but finally got around to finishing one of them this weekend. Ta-da!

Please excuse the dopey picture of me; i feel self conscious waiting for my camera's self timer. The fabric is lovely quilting cotton and it's lined with more cotton in cream. The lining is far too messy to show you, but overall i'm happy with it, especially since I didn't have a pattern and didn't really know what i was doing. It just has a little inch wide waist band secured with three fabric covered buttons. I wish I'd known earlier that you could cover buttons so easily and that they're not expensive or anything, because covered buttons sure give me a thrill. I'm cool like that.

The fit is good, although I kind of wish that the waist band was wider so that the fullness of the skirt sat lower and didn't puff out at my hips quite so much. You can't see it in the photo, but I'm kind of restricted in what shirts look good with it for that reason. I'm making another one of these in a medium brown wool and I've made that one with a wider waist band and I like the way it looks. Once I hem it I will take pictures. Overall, a very happy skirt; I like to twirl in it.

I'm enjoying sewing so much, that I went to the fabric store this long weekend and bought some things.

I'm making a dress! They were having a very excellent sale and I had read about this pattern (Butterick 4790) on someone's blog and was thinking I'd like to make it, so how could I refuse. The pattern is a vintage reprint from 1952. It's called the Walk-Away dress, because, apparently, you can "start it after breakfast and walk away in it for luncheon". I somehow suspect that it will take me slightly longer, but that's fine too. I'm making it in grey cotton with red twill tape and i'm using these cute little red buttons I've had in my house for a while now. I'm very excited.

Knitting continues happily as well. I've started a couple new project but haven't taken pictures so I will save these for another day.

new things!

I had the loveliest day yesterday, yet somehow neglected to take a single picture of it. Bad blogger.

After class, I met up with my friend Amelia and we went to get her lip pierced. She's been really scared to get it done, but was brave and did it! It looks lovely. I will take pictures and post them asap. And I got jewelry put back in my septum. Our appointments were at Bear's Skin Art Studio, with this lovely woman named Holland who did all of my other piercings. I had lost track of her so I was very glad to see her again and catch up. 

And then after that, we went to the Spring Craft Fair at the Butterdome, which is a slightly goofy but nevertheless awesome craft show. I bought myself a little clutch/wallet thing! With an egg on it! It's from Majesty Inc. (link to their etsy shop)

And then I came home and watched a movie and dyed my hair. I lightened it just a little bit and made it ever so slightly more orange. Pictures forthcoming.

Today, I did nothing but study and buy groceries and tidy and stress out. Tomorrow shall be better. :)

whee for days off!

I'm home alone tonight, which hardly ever happens. I barely know what to do with myself, expect of course to watch a million episodes of the West Wing. I did spend several hours updating Ravelry today. It is all pretty with photos and the like. Maybe I'll stay on top of it now. 

Yesterday we went to Dana's cousin's wedding shower. I'm never really into things like that, but I got the nicest little pot of flowers as a thank you favour. They're sitting on my bedroom window sill right now. Here is the bride-to-be opening something frilly:

And here is us:

We were so tired last night that we were in bed by 10:30, which meant we woke up at about 5. So I made breakfast! We had french toast, eggs, and grapefruit calypso. Then we went back to sleep for several hours. I love having days off!

If I am going to be any good at this blogging thing, I better start taking more pictures. :)

school's out!

Winter semester is done! And I am very very glad to be rid of it. I was getting sick of my clinical and my clinical instructor. I start the new semester next Wednesday. I'm excited to start something new and I'm extra excited to have a few homework-free days off.

I finished my last exam on Tuesday and then I went directly to my parents' house for a couple of nights. I took the RedArrow bus down to their place, so I had 2 lovely hours of uninterrupted knitting time on the way there and on the way back. I worked on the shrug I'm making for my partner Dana. It's in black silk and I'm doing the miniature leaf lace pattern. I made lots of progress, but the whole time I had this sneaking suspicion that it was too big. Upon arriving home these suspicions were confirmed. Thus, I have ripped it out and started again:

While I was at my parents' place I started Paul Atwell Socks in far-too-expensive-for-my-budget Trekking pro natura in the most lovely soft blue colour. Knitting these is pretty much the most enjoyable relaxing thing ever. Here be my progress thus far:

And...Dana and I bought yarn!!! We made a rather substantial order from KnitPicks. I really hope it comes soon.

I bought enough Swish DK in Storm to make Ysolda's Matilda Jane. And Essential Sock Yarn in Coral to make knee-high socks of some sort.

Dana got Essential Sock in Ash for a yet to be determined sock-esque project and Gloss in Woodland Sage for fingerless gloves.

Woot! A Blog of My Very Own!

Hee hee! I've joined the cool kids.

Funny how one can finally find time to set up a blog on the eve of one's fairly important final exam. Anywho, this will be a pretty standard knitting/crafting/etc. blog. My big plans are to update it rather regularly. We will see.

Today, whilst I should have been studying, I made these:



Pattern: Ysolda's Garter Stitch Mitts, reworked for bulky yarn
Yarn: Sheep Shop's Sheep 2 Yarn in A107

Darn good thing too, because this is what I see out my bedroom window right now:



It's April people! April!