Yes, the two-week intersession semester is over and I am home again for the two weeks that they shut down campus between intersession and summer I. While I hate the long (7 hours!!!) drive, it's nice to be home with the family. Though I still don't feel like I fit in sometimes.
Mom is recently divorced, which actually makes everyone happy, because he was nothing but a big fat ball of stress. Seriously. She's a totally different, more relaxed, fun, happy person now that the jerk is gone. But he stole one of our dogs!!!!! Supposedly Snickers was following him into the road and "the only way he could save her was to take her". This is of course total crap because neither of our dogs have ever, EVER followed the cars to the road. I'm half tempted to just go and steal her back.
The dog we still have had puppies a month or so ago and they are adorable! There are about eight of them, and they're so precious. They'll come up to you and lick and nibble your toes if you don't have shoes on and they sleep piled on top of each other!
I finished one of the socks I was making myself! It's very exciting. It was a pattern designed for size 8, and I'm a size 6-7, so the leg part is a little big, but I started shaping the toe a tiny bit too early so the bottom of it is a bit short. But all in all I LOVE my sock!
Being home should be pretty fun, and I'm sure to be doing a lot of babysitting, both of my little sister, and my sweet adorable niece! She's so cute, and loves the puppies! She'll run up to the door, look at me and go "Puppies!" It's too cute!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Summer Continuations
Well, the first week of intersession is over. One week left. Then home for two weeks. Thus far the suckiest part of this whole setup is that I have to get up at 7 every morning to get ready for class, but the class isn't that bad. In fact it's rather enjoyable. And I think I sort of prefer doing an entire semester's work in two weeks. Honestly. I don't lose track of assignments as easily, the test information is still fairly fresh in my head, and all in all it isn't so horrid.
Photography is a really fun class, and it's teaching me about photoshop, which is helping me in my internship!
Speaking of which, I'm loving it. It isn't nearly as scary as my brain made it out to be. I'm doing all graphic stuff while I'm there, and they gave me some things to do while I'm home for the two weeks they kick me off campus between intersession and summer I, and summer I and summer II. I'm really enjoying the graphic work I do, and I think I'm not half bad at it.
In the knitting department I'm working on this Basic Dress Sock out of Premier Yarns Coral in the purple. The picture doesn't really do it justice.
Along with that I'm making myself a Weasley sweater! This one actually. But wait!, you say. It's summer! Well yes, but I need to practice intarsia, and what better on something I actually really want? The letter on the front (I can't decide if I should use my first initial, K, or go with an H or something...) will be my first stab at intarsia. Here's hoping I don't utterly fail!
That's the summer thus far. Still no rest for the weary!
Photography is a really fun class, and it's teaching me about photoshop, which is helping me in my internship!
Speaking of which, I'm loving it. It isn't nearly as scary as my brain made it out to be. I'm doing all graphic stuff while I'm there, and they gave me some things to do while I'm home for the two weeks they kick me off campus between intersession and summer I, and summer I and summer II. I'm really enjoying the graphic work I do, and I think I'm not half bad at it.
In the knitting department I'm working on this Basic Dress Sock out of Premier Yarns Coral in the purple. The picture doesn't really do it justice.
Along with that I'm making myself a Weasley sweater! This one actually. But wait!, you say. It's summer! Well yes, but I need to practice intarsia, and what better on something I actually really want? The letter on the front (I can't decide if I should use my first initial, K, or go with an H or something...) will be my first stab at intarsia. Here's hoping I don't utterly fail!
That's the summer thus far. Still no rest for the weary!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Summertime and the livin' is.....nevermind
Finals are over, grades are posted, and all my stuff is packed up ready to move. Into another dorm.
Yes, I am taking classes this summer and rather than get an apartment and get a full-time job to pay for it I am living in the dorms. And don't think it's because I'm lazy. No friends, alongside my 8:00-12:00 class everyday (yes, that's AM...sad) I have a 240 hour internship I must complete by the time the fall semester rolls around. So while I would love to be in my own apartment cooking my own food every night, I am instead forced to pack up everything out of my apartment-style dorm with a kitchen and move into one of the regular dorms.
This entire setup is completely stupid. Next fall I will be living back in the exact same room I just packed up and emptied, and I can't leave any of my stuff there, or stay there for the summer semester. So I had to pack all of my stuff (which I of course have WAY too much of) and lug it over to the new dorm for three months just to move it RIGHT BACK WHERE IT WAS TO BEGIN WITH!!!! So irritating.
However, for the next two weeks I am taking photography and am very excited about it! I'm learning the ins and outs of photoshop (which I conveniently have on my computer. CS3 ftw) and I have a few awesome assignments that should actually be pretty awesome. After that I have Spanish for a month. Not excited about. I NEVER wanted to take Spanish. Ever. Just...on principle. I know I know it'll help and be useful and all that junk, but I don't live in a Spanish speaking country. Period.
Okay, now that my semi-political rant is over, on to better things. I wish they had offered Hebrew or German or even French (such a pretty language) over the summer. But sadly, no. If I can manage it I may drop and take it my very last semester. What really sucks is that I took four years of Latin (yes, Latin. Roma est in Italia.) and next fall they are offering Latin 101 here, but I can't take it. The only use I have for it (or any language I take) is to earn the final three hours of Global Literacy that I need to graduate, and Latin doesn't qualify for global literacy. Every other language my school offers qualifies, and Latin qualifies for any language requirements, but not for Global Lit. Go figure.
On a lighter note, I'm knitting me a big ol' scrappy blanket thing. Well, I guess it's not so much scrappy, but that I'm using up random single skeins or leftovers from big skeins, etc. It's got great big stripes of different thick happy yarns and I'm very excited about it! Especially since it's the first blanket I've ever done. Usually I cast on, knit a few rows and get bored and frog it. I'm still knitting socks, and now that I have a good camera that actually belongs to me I'll be able to post pictures more often.
Even cooler: I SANG FOR GEORGE W. BUSH!!! Despite anyone's political preferences (I happen to like him, but not the point), singing for and listening to a former president is pretty freaking awesome. I, along with both choirs, and the band and orchestra performed before he got there and did two big numbers altogether as one group when he came one stage!!! Then we all stayed on stage with him (no leaving. at all. secret service and such) and heard him speak! It was the coolest thing ever. Sometimes college rocks.
I think that'll be all for today. I'll try and post pictures of stuff I've been working on, and maybe some of the assignments in photography. The first one is "Hands." Any hands. However you can think of. I'm thinking knitting. But maybe not. We'll see.
Happy knitting!
Yes, I am taking classes this summer and rather than get an apartment and get a full-time job to pay for it I am living in the dorms. And don't think it's because I'm lazy. No friends, alongside my 8:00-12:00 class everyday (yes, that's AM...sad) I have a 240 hour internship I must complete by the time the fall semester rolls around. So while I would love to be in my own apartment cooking my own food every night, I am instead forced to pack up everything out of my apartment-style dorm with a kitchen and move into one of the regular dorms.
This entire setup is completely stupid. Next fall I will be living back in the exact same room I just packed up and emptied, and I can't leave any of my stuff there, or stay there for the summer semester. So I had to pack all of my stuff (which I of course have WAY too much of) and lug it over to the new dorm for three months just to move it RIGHT BACK WHERE IT WAS TO BEGIN WITH!!!! So irritating.
However, for the next two weeks I am taking photography and am very excited about it! I'm learning the ins and outs of photoshop (which I conveniently have on my computer. CS3 ftw) and I have a few awesome assignments that should actually be pretty awesome. After that I have Spanish for a month. Not excited about. I NEVER wanted to take Spanish. Ever. Just...on principle. I know I know it'll help and be useful and all that junk, but I don't live in a Spanish speaking country. Period.
Okay, now that my semi-political rant is over, on to better things. I wish they had offered Hebrew or German or even French (such a pretty language) over the summer. But sadly, no. If I can manage it I may drop and take it my very last semester. What really sucks is that I took four years of Latin (yes, Latin. Roma est in Italia.) and next fall they are offering Latin 101 here, but I can't take it. The only use I have for it (or any language I take) is to earn the final three hours of Global Literacy that I need to graduate, and Latin doesn't qualify for global literacy. Every other language my school offers qualifies, and Latin qualifies for any language requirements, but not for Global Lit. Go figure.
On a lighter note, I'm knitting me a big ol' scrappy blanket thing. Well, I guess it's not so much scrappy, but that I'm using up random single skeins or leftovers from big skeins, etc. It's got great big stripes of different thick happy yarns and I'm very excited about it! Especially since it's the first blanket I've ever done. Usually I cast on, knit a few rows and get bored and frog it. I'm still knitting socks, and now that I have a good camera that actually belongs to me I'll be able to post pictures more often.
Even cooler: I SANG FOR GEORGE W. BUSH!!! Despite anyone's political preferences (I happen to like him, but not the point), singing for and listening to a former president is pretty freaking awesome. I, along with both choirs, and the band and orchestra performed before he got there and did two big numbers altogether as one group when he came one stage!!! Then we all stayed on stage with him (no leaving. at all. secret service and such) and heard him speak! It was the coolest thing ever. Sometimes college rocks.
I think that'll be all for today. I'll try and post pictures of stuff I've been working on, and maybe some of the assignments in photography. The first one is "Hands." Any hands. However you can think of. I'm thinking knitting. But maybe not. We'll see.
Happy knitting!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Man...I am so bad at this blogging thing. But there hasn't been much news I guess. Just the usual school stresses, though this semester has really sucked. And losing my grandmother a couple of weeks ago didn't help.
I took a trip to Chicago and utterly hated it. No offense to all you city kids and Chicago-ians, but I will never go back there. Too many people, too many buildings, too much freaking chaos. I couldn't stand it! I felt trapped, and people are psycho! Honking at a taxi driver because he's picking someone up aka DOING HIS JOB is not okay people! Patience...its a virtue that the city should learn. Seriously.
Anywho, the school year is nearly over and summer is upon us, but I will have no rest in it! I have an intercession and a summer class, plus an internship, so I'll be doing the school thing until July and finish my internship sometime that month (unless I can stick enough hours in before that...). No rest for the weary I suppose. But because of all that I don't have to pay rent. I'll be in a dorm!
Well, that's my update. I'll try and be better at this whole blogging thing.
I took a trip to Chicago and utterly hated it. No offense to all you city kids and Chicago-ians, but I will never go back there. Too many people, too many buildings, too much freaking chaos. I couldn't stand it! I felt trapped, and people are psycho! Honking at a taxi driver because he's picking someone up aka DOING HIS JOB is not okay people! Patience...its a virtue that the city should learn. Seriously.
Anywho, the school year is nearly over and summer is upon us, but I will have no rest in it! I have an intercession and a summer class, plus an internship, so I'll be doing the school thing until July and finish my internship sometime that month (unless I can stick enough hours in before that...). No rest for the weary I suppose. But because of all that I don't have to pay rent. I'll be in a dorm!
Well, that's my update. I'll try and be better at this whole blogging thing.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Socks! Socks All the way to Infinity!
So, I've fallen in love with knitting socks! (Except the heel....but that's because the instructions I followed were rather confusing....or maybe it's just because I'm inexperienced.
This isn't the pattern I used, but the first pair of socks I made (well, still working on the second one) was a pair of pedicure socks. My good friend (the one I made the Jayne hat for) found one of those tear-off free patterns they have in the yarn sections at Joann and she insisted I make them for her, so we got some Serenity Garden yarn that was on sale in Grass.
The colors look sorta camo-esque except there's no brown in them. One skein as made 1 sock and I've had enough to make a good bit of the second sock so far. Dunno if I'll have enough to finish the second one or not, but I have another skein if it doesn't. Once I finish both I'll post pictures.
About a year ago I visited a yarn shop in Little Rock, AR called Yarn Mart. It was my first time in an actual yarn shop. Needless to say I went crazy! I grabbed without looking at prices, and had to put back a LOT so I could afford the rest. I think I spent like $90....and I only bought one skein of everything I bought. Oh well. I can always go back! All that to say, one of the skeins I bought was a sock yarn called Jawoll Cotton, which I can't find pictures of in the color I bought. It's pink with green, yellow, and navy blue variegated and I'm using it to knit baby socks for my niece!! (Or if they're too small for my good friend who's just a few days from her due date with a little girl!) This is a weight 1 yarn and I'm using size 1 dpns. Very tiny work and it's my first time with size 1s. Good times, but I have a feeling my fingers/wrist (which is a mess anyway) will hate me eventually. Bonnie's socks are on size 3s with a weight 2 sock yarn.
So, I'm loving my new sock stuff! It's so fun because it's something wearable that doesn't take long! I just have the trouble of not wanting to make the second one. I get the "I just made that, and I have to make it again!?" mentality. Kinda bad I know.
Speaking of wearables, I finished the first ever wearable item I've ever knitted! (Not counting hats) It was a vest from the November 2009 issue of Creative Knitting magazine! And what's even crazier, I started and finished it (save for the zipper and end weaving) in one week! I started it on the car ride to Texas, worked on it all week (along with Bonnie's first sock), and finished it on the car ride back! Before we ever hit Arkansas!!!! This is saying a lot since I've been working on that jacket since last summer....but I chose Lion Brand Homespun for that pattern, its double knit, and I keep running out of the six-dollar-a-skein-yarn. So sue me.
That's my update and I'm sticking to it! Happy knitting!
OH! And before I forget, here's the pattern for my niece's socks. Baby Socks I'm not changing colors though.
This isn't the pattern I used, but the first pair of socks I made (well, still working on the second one) was a pair of pedicure socks. My good friend (the one I made the Jayne hat for) found one of those tear-off free patterns they have in the yarn sections at Joann and she insisted I make them for her, so we got some Serenity Garden yarn that was on sale in Grass.
The colors look sorta camo-esque except there's no brown in them. One skein as made 1 sock and I've had enough to make a good bit of the second sock so far. Dunno if I'll have enough to finish the second one or not, but I have another skein if it doesn't. Once I finish both I'll post pictures.
About a year ago I visited a yarn shop in Little Rock, AR called Yarn Mart. It was my first time in an actual yarn shop. Needless to say I went crazy! I grabbed without looking at prices, and had to put back a LOT so I could afford the rest. I think I spent like $90....and I only bought one skein of everything I bought. Oh well. I can always go back! All that to say, one of the skeins I bought was a sock yarn called Jawoll Cotton, which I can't find pictures of in the color I bought. It's pink with green, yellow, and navy blue variegated and I'm using it to knit baby socks for my niece!! (Or if they're too small for my good friend who's just a few days from her due date with a little girl!) This is a weight 1 yarn and I'm using size 1 dpns. Very tiny work and it's my first time with size 1s. Good times, but I have a feeling my fingers/wrist (which is a mess anyway) will hate me eventually. Bonnie's socks are on size 3s with a weight 2 sock yarn.
So, I'm loving my new sock stuff! It's so fun because it's something wearable that doesn't take long! I just have the trouble of not wanting to make the second one. I get the "I just made that, and I have to make it again!?" mentality. Kinda bad I know.
Speaking of wearables, I finished the first ever wearable item I've ever knitted! (Not counting hats) It was a vest from the November 2009 issue of Creative Knitting magazine! And what's even crazier, I started and finished it (save for the zipper and end weaving) in one week! I started it on the car ride to Texas, worked on it all week (along with Bonnie's first sock), and finished it on the car ride back! Before we ever hit Arkansas!!!! This is saying a lot since I've been working on that jacket since last summer....but I chose Lion Brand Homespun for that pattern, its double knit, and I keep running out of the six-dollar-a-skein-yarn. So sue me.
That's my update and I'm sticking to it! Happy knitting!
OH! And before I forget, here's the pattern for my niece's socks. Baby Socks I'm not changing colors though.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
A Few Shiny Things
For all my Firefly fans: I have made a Jayne hat! I made it for a friend who's been into Firefly much longer than me. (As I've only been watching it for a month or so.)
A couple of WIP pictures. (This hat literally took me about a day altogether.)
And the very happy recipient! She loves it and wears it everywhere! I'm currently working on my own hat now. (As according to a Facebook quiz I'm Jayne....weird....)
Jayne Hat
There's the pattern. I didn't have the right cable length, so I transferred it to size 10 1/2 dpns, dividing them into 16 stitches across 4 needles. My first ever project using a set of 5 dpns rather than 4. It was rather exciting. I used the Red Heart Super Saver yarns, and if you do that too bear in mind that it'll be a bit loose when using the dpns. Especially at the beginning try and knit a little tighter than you normally would.
On another exciting note: I'm playing with cooking! I LOVE it! In perusing Crazy Aunt Purl's blog, I came across this. It's a wonderful salad with blueberries and carrots!! It's so happy!
7. Grate carrots, toast some sunflower seeds, and toss with blueberries, olive oil, lemon juice and plenty of black pepper. Sweet, sour, crunchy, soft.
The salad comes from 101 Simple Salads for the Season.
It's the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. I underestimated the tartness of the lemon. (I used half of an actual lemon, rather than bottled lemon juice. I don't know if it makes a difference, I just happened to have a lemon I'd taken from the school's cafeteria.)
I cut the lemon in half and squeezed all the juice out of it I could, and only added a little bit of olive oil. It made it rather tart, but it was still amazingly amazing. I am utterly in love with this salad. I also didn't use but a tiny bit of pepper because I've never liked pepper in salads. I didn't bother toasting my own sunflower seeds. They come toasted in bags at Wal-Mart. So its really up to you how you do it.
I did all of my grating, cutting, etc. by hand because I don't have a food processor, but one will easily work for the carrots. Just remember not to get the slices too small.
My favorite thing is that this salad is only 4 weight watchers points! (Which I am doing at the moment.) It's very healthy, very delicious, and has no greens so it's different and fun!
Give it a try, let me know how it turns out for you!
A couple of WIP pictures. (This hat literally took me about a day altogether.)
And the very happy recipient! She loves it and wears it everywhere! I'm currently working on my own hat now. (As according to a Facebook quiz I'm Jayne....weird....)
Jayne Hat
There's the pattern. I didn't have the right cable length, so I transferred it to size 10 1/2 dpns, dividing them into 16 stitches across 4 needles. My first ever project using a set of 5 dpns rather than 4. It was rather exciting. I used the Red Heart Super Saver yarns, and if you do that too bear in mind that it'll be a bit loose when using the dpns. Especially at the beginning try and knit a little tighter than you normally would.
On another exciting note: I'm playing with cooking! I LOVE it! In perusing Crazy Aunt Purl's blog, I came across this. It's a wonderful salad with blueberries and carrots!! It's so happy!
7. Grate carrots, toast some sunflower seeds, and toss with blueberries, olive oil, lemon juice and plenty of black pepper. Sweet, sour, crunchy, soft.
The salad comes from 101 Simple Salads for the Season.
It's the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. I underestimated the tartness of the lemon. (I used half of an actual lemon, rather than bottled lemon juice. I don't know if it makes a difference, I just happened to have a lemon I'd taken from the school's cafeteria.)
I cut the lemon in half and squeezed all the juice out of it I could, and only added a little bit of olive oil. It made it rather tart, but it was still amazingly amazing. I am utterly in love with this salad. I also didn't use but a tiny bit of pepper because I've never liked pepper in salads. I didn't bother toasting my own sunflower seeds. They come toasted in bags at Wal-Mart. So its really up to you how you do it.
I did all of my grating, cutting, etc. by hand because I don't have a food processor, but one will easily work for the carrots. Just remember not to get the slices too small.
My favorite thing is that this salad is only 4 weight watchers points! (Which I am doing at the moment.) It's very healthy, very delicious, and has no greens so it's different and fun!
Give it a try, let me know how it turns out for you!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
No I'm not Dead...Really
Wow...I'm bad...almost three weeks without a post. Yeesh. Too much homework and stuff.
Let's see. I finished my shawl and am totally in love with it, finished both pairs of fingerless gloves, Mom's scarf, and I still haven't finished the drop-stitch pattern scarf....I just don't like working on the pattern. It's really complex and so I can't work on it in chapel or class or anything like that. I know it's a bad excuse but its the one I'm using!
I've been loom knitting on the long looms. Using an entire skein of Caron Simply Soft I make a great big rectangle, and now I'm going to use colors that work well with the first one, and I'm going to make a nice baby blanket!
This is the yarn I used for the first one! (As well as a blue/white/seagreen soft one. Looming is best done double knit)
The second section of it I've finished was made of a green Joann Sensations in a light green and Bernat Baby Softee. It's going to be epic! I love it!
Let's see. I finished my shawl and am totally in love with it, finished both pairs of fingerless gloves, Mom's scarf, and I still haven't finished the drop-stitch pattern scarf....I just don't like working on the pattern. It's really complex and so I can't work on it in chapel or class or anything like that. I know it's a bad excuse but its the one I'm using!
I've been loom knitting on the long looms. Using an entire skein of Caron Simply Soft I make a great big rectangle, and now I'm going to use colors that work well with the first one, and I'm going to make a nice baby blanket!
This is the yarn I used for the first one! (As well as a blue/white/seagreen soft one. Looming is best done double knit)
The second section of it I've finished was made of a green Joann Sensations in a light green and Bernat Baby Softee. It's going to be epic! I love it!
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