The shoes fit!

Hooray! Mike brought the shoes home last night and I tried them on this morning. They fit! And they are lovely! I want to wear them around the house for a bit before I decide, but I have a good feeling about them. Gosh, I really really do think they are perfect.

Geez, Four Months? Really?

I don't know how many more of these posts I can handle! Yes, I'm still alive. No, I don't think anyone is reading.

I've been slaving away on my third semester of grad school, which ended one week ago. I got one grade back so far (A!) and am waiting for my other one. As of this semester, I am officially almost half way through the program. Almost. That gives me some hope for sure, even though the finals period never seems to get any easier, no matter how much older I get.

Now that the semester is over, I can relax! Choose how I want to spend my evenings rather than have them dictated by my class and gym schedule. Free time is a lovely and precious gift, that's for sure. And with my free time, its time to get back in the sewing game. I have lots of things I want to make. To inspire myself, I'm wearing a skirt I made two summers ago, and I have to say, I still really like it. The pattern is crazy easy and it looks so professional, if I do say so myself. No pics, sorry.

I'm also deep into the wedding planning, which often sucks the life out of Mike and I. We just this weekend decided on the wording for our invitations. I think its very sweet. Not too stuffy or formal and very representative of the feel I want the wedding to have: Big Party!! And, yesterday I bought a pair of shoes from Nordstrom's online store that may be the shoes for the big day, depending on how comfortable they are.


This photo makes them look a little silvery but they are supposed to be gold. We'll see what they look like when they show up!

I also had my hair trial. Ok, can I just say, as an aside, that this whole wedding industry sucks? Its all about perfection and spending money to get there. That bugs me. But when you're spending a fortune on a photographer, I guess it makes sense to spend a fortune on primping for those pricey photos! Anyhow, I lovelovelove the gal who is doing my hair and she did a fantastic job with my knotty, curly mess.



Of course, I'm talking in this photo because my sister was there and there's never a silent moment when the two of us are in the same room. And the hair is the general idea. Swept up and back off of my face, and cascading (cascading?!) down in the back in soft curls, and a slight taper at the bottom. I felt so soft and romantic and pretty. Aw.

Ok. Enough. Maybe I'll post again before the next four months fly by!

Brial Beauty

I am super excited - I'm going dress shopping tomorrow afternoon! The dress has been just about the only wedding-type thing that I've been excited about. I don't really want a wedding, I'd rather just be married. But Mike is very traditional and very romantic and all the lovely things you want in a husband, and it is so important to him that we do this the wedding way, that I'm getting myself exited for the whole money-sucking operation. But I didn't need any help with the dress. I've always been excited about the dress.

I just have no idea what I want! I know what I don't want:

1. Strapless. I hate strapless dresses, strapless tops, strapless everything. Hate. Yuck.
2. Big fat ball gown. I'm 5'3" and about 100 pounds. Anything bigger than A-line swallows me whole. A big poufy skirt is the thing I think I'd look the worst in.
   
3. Pure white. I'm super pale, with pink undertones. Bright white makes me look like an alien. I'll definitely be going the ivory route.
   

That's it. That's all I got. Oh, I guess there are a two things I want - I want a low or no back, and I want something that defines my waist/hip area with more structure/curves. That's it. I am totally open otherwise!! Hopefully, these ladies will help me find it.

Wish me luck!!

My Ball and Chain

Yay! My sweetpea finally took photos of my ring with his super fancy camera. They came out so pretty. Of course, I'm totally biased. But I love it so...

Shoes!

I had to do it. I just had to. The prices were too good, and I sleuthed a promotion code from the interweb, which made them all that much cheaper.

I present to you two of my new three pairs of shoes. Yes, I bought three pairs of shoes, online, all at once. I suppose I was detoxing from "No Frivolous Spending January."

This pair wound up costing $15.99. Original price was $89.99, on Naturalizer.com. I love that store! Great comfort and super good styling, especially as of late. I'm headed to a wedding in March, and I figure that these are excellent dress up shoes for a less than formal affair (beach wedding, Florida, etc.) and that they'll be a good addition to my regular rotation of spiky heels.
And this pair I got for $39.99, original price of $79.99. Hooray! So cute. I love red shoes. How adorable with a pair of skinny jeans? Or a denim skirt?
The best part is that I ordered them two days ago and they arrived today. The third pair is probably on its way, but seriously. Who cares when I have these two to keep me happy!

I guess I missed blogging, being that this post makes it twice in one week when I've blogged twice in the last three months. Ok. I'm back on it.

Still Still Alive

Hmm, its almost February and I realized that I have barely posted since December. What up? I guess part of it is guilt, part of it is laziness and part of it is time.

1. I'm guilty about not doing much knitting or sewing these past several weeks. I started a beret that I didn't finish, and I still have some old old projects in the works that I don't know if I'll ever pick up again.
   
2. I'm lazy about everything these days as I had my winter break from grad school and thoroughly enjoyed doing anything I wanted.
3. I don't have the time anymore, with my new job (not so new anymore, I guess) and school and planning a wedding.

Mike and I booked our location for the big day, and we just love it. We went back and forth about a lot of different sites, their advantages and disadvantages, and couldn't really find many negatives about this place. We both got a really great vibe there, both from the space itself and from our contact, the lovely J.

And I still owe pictures of my beautiful ring to so many people... I think I just have to buckle down and photograph it tonight after class! Its still just as perfect, and I love that it is mine. I also love the reactions I get from people who notice it - it makes me really proud and happy to have something so meaningful, and to have that be recognized by strangers who notice how unique and lovely it is. Someone called it "thoughtful" the other day, and that really touched a chord with me. It is thoughtful. And I love it.

Still Alive

Not much to say, just wanted to alert the masses that I am indeed still alive. The one thing of note:

I'm in to run 100 miles by April 1st. I'm pretty excited about this and I'm already on my way!

He Did It!

Its official, folks. I'm gonna be an honest woman.

Pictures of my beautiful ring to come...

Skirt! Skirt! Skirt Alert!

I totally made the coolest skirt ever. In the absense of my knitting, I've been sewing up a storm. Some good, some bad, but with each project, my technique is improving by leaps and bounds. I've also been collecting vintage sewing patterns, which I just adore. Like this one (I made View 2):



And here it is. I made it out of brown velvet that I got in Ohio last winter but never seemed to find anything to use it for. Its a good thing I waited! This skirt has a waistband, a hook and eye closure at the top of the back zip, and is so awesome.



This is the fully clothed view. I love how a skirt that sits at my actual waist makes my legs look longer, not that you can tell from my top-down photo, which actually makes me look about 2 inches tall! Though, perhaps my midgetness will distract you from the disaster that is my bedroom. In my defense, I cleaned the bathroom today AND baked a sweet potato casserole from Cooking Light Magazine to contribue to my mother's table tomorrow.



Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Flaws are Fabulous

I had an exciting day today. Firstly, working for the city is great because we get just about every single holiday there is. This week, I had election day off and today as well, for the observed day of veteran's day. I thought I would get to sit around in my underwear and watch tv all day but my sweet pea had other plans.

Today I went to a gem laboratory. To get our diamond certified and appraised. It was so freaking cool! The guy I had the appointment with, a Gemologist (even typing that is cool), even showed me how to work this ENORMOUS microscope so that I could see my diamond for myself, under a bazillion magnification. Seriously. It was pretty cool.

The coolest thing, I think, is that inside my diamond there's a crystal that contains a garnet. You can't see it at all by just looking at it, or even with a simple magnifying glass, but under the jeweler's doohickey it is totally there. Its a unique thing that is rather rare, but does not decrease the value of the diamond. I happen to find it very cool. Mostly because my grandmother's favorite stone was the garnet and I have inherited a lot of her garnet jewelry. I think its a special connection, especially since the diamond is the one that my father, who died eight and a half years ago, gave to my mother when they became engaged way back in 1967. Its like this was the one meant for me, and here it is, mine, but also my father's, my mother's and my grandma's.

Aw.

Anyhoo, so yes. I have a diamond. My mom gave to Mike and I for our engagement ring. So, yes, I know we are getting engaged, I have known for a while, but the fact that we're not is still a big deal for me. Its like I can't see past my own nose far enough to tell that there is indeed a future out there for me, and that future, very soon, will certainly include a marriage proposal from the man I would very much like to marry. Its frustrating. I'm trying the whole Be Here Now stuff, and sometimes it works for me and sometimes it doesn't. These days it seems like nothing works.

Interestingly, I just finished reading a book by Elizabeth Wurtzel, the famed depressive author of Prozac Nation. The book I read is about her subsequent struggle with drug addiction, More Now, Again. I was frighteningly fascinated to see that her experience with addiction is not all that dissimilar from my experience with panic and anxiety. It turns out we're all the same, after all.

Two Months, Really?

Wow, I had no idea so much time had passed! Let's do the quick update and then I'll start to get back on track over the next few days/weeks:

1. Still not engaged. Am now pissed off in addition to broken-hearted.
2. Started and then frogged the Diamond Fantasy Shawl (in Debbie Bliss Pure Silk) for my mom's 60th birthday. Am too tentative to cast on again, though I have only one month to go.
3. Suddenly, blogger won't let me link links in Safari, what up?
4. Still at first color for my Charlotte's Web shawl. That may actually take forever to knit.
5. Still have not finished the Green Gable.
6. Started a scarf a la Yarn Harlot - that one row repeat scarf? Its in this gorgeous Cherry Tree Hill stuff with mohair, silk, wool and you name it. So pretty. Its my subway scarf.
7. Bought two skeins of Noro Cash Iroha to make the handwarmers in Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Shortly thereafter I realized that I do not have the right needles but am too lazy to buy them.

Well, I guess that sums it up. Oh, and my new job (THAT's why I haven't posted in two months! Now I remember!) is very hard but very very very awesome. School is taking a bit of time this semester, too, but at least I'm scratching my brain.

Okey dokey. Welcome back to me.

Stash Time

I know that I am not the most prolific knitter. But what I lack in production I sure do make up in inventory. I've never photographed my stash before. But last week, when I had the time off before starting the new job, I realized that I had yarn all. over. the. house. Literally. Yarn on the bookshelf in the living room. Yarn on the coffee table. Yarn on the kitchen table. Yarn in the office. Yarn on my dresser. It was everywhere. Some were WIPs and some were just balls of yarn. And I decided to get it all together and then put it all away. And here it is.



In the left corner, we have some lovely orangey-pumpkin coloroed Sunshine that was an aborted poncho from when I first started knitting. I got it on MAJOR sale at The Yarn Connection on Madison. Next to it we have some Knit Picks laceweight whose name I can't remember and the pattern for which I bought it is nowhere to be found. One extra skein of it is wound and may become a cowl-like thingy but I'm not sure yet. Next to that is leftover Knit Picks Elegance, which I may use to become a Ms. Marigod, but I promised myself that I cannot buy another shirt pattern until I finish the stupid Green Gable. Also of interest are one and a bit skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Glenwood that I used to make Mike's newphew's baby blanket. Yum, that yarn was amazing to work with. Perhaps a scarf out of it for this winter?



More random balls of leftovers that I can't seem to part with even though I know I'll likely never ever use them.



This is my yarn for a soon-to-be Charlotte's Web. I am probably the last knitter on earth to make one of these. I was reading a blog sometime not too long ago and the now-forgotten writer was on her 5th or 6th. I actually started it on Memorial Day weekend while visiting friends on Shelter Island and made a mistake in the second color change and ripped it all out. I may start again in the spirit of the holiday weekend.



Here we have 8 skeins of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk that I got for 50% off at the Suss closing sale. Its a lovely pale lemony color, and I believe that some of it will become a Diamond Fantasy Shawl for my mom's birthday in December. She's allergic to wool, so I'm glad I can finally make her something. I think she'll love the color.



Also from the Suss sale, 4 skeins each of Fishnet. I have ideas in my head for a top-down raglan in a large gauge. I saw something similar on a designer when I worked at a boutique in Park Slope last summer. I think I may be able to recreate it. Here's to hoping!



This is just some pretty, pretty Koigu that I got at Downtown Yarns to make some sort of poncho-shawl from one of their original patterns and then decided I hated the pattern. Now, I have three skeins of it and I love love love the colors but I'm not sure what to do with it. Perhaps a lacy scarf? Any ideas are quite welcome!!

And there you have it. There's some other random skeins that I didn't post, such as the two socks I am working on now that I doubt I'll ever finish. It was just too sad to post them in their current state. And I didn't re-photo the Green Gable, as it too is much too sad to show.

If anyone is interested in taking some off my hands, just let me know!

Channeling Pippi Longstocking

I love my hair. Love it. Of course, there was drama. This is me, remember ?

For several years, I had been seeing a gal over at Salon Bohemia in Park Slope. She was great - she gave my a wonderfully inspired hair cut my first time out with her that was a big change from my regular cut, and I just loved it. But it seemed that everything afterwards just went downhill from there, though I kept going in the hopes that we could recreate that first sense of magic. The things I hated about her included: a) She was always late. Not just a few minutes late, but often a FULL HOUR late. That is just unacceptable, especially when I caught on and started calling before showing up to see if she was on time and she lied to me every time, saying, yes, sure, come on in its all fine, and I'd STILL have to wait an hour to get my hair done. b) She fucked up a few times. I used to get it cut much shorter than it is now, with lots of rock n' roll style layers. But she would always do it uneven, as in, the left side of my head would have much longer pieces than on the right side of my head. As in, depending on how you looked at me, I had two different haircuts going on at the same time. Not cool, especially for someone as self-conscious as I can be at times. After the 3rd time of going back for her to "fix" it, I decided enough was enough. c) She never quite paid attention. She was always talking to someone else while working on me. Part of the experience of getting your hair done, I think, is the relationshp you have with your girl (or guy). She just wasn't interested in me except for a tip. Eh. I was so done with her.

Which brings me to this wonderfulness. Almost.

My friend Julie recommended her girl, whom she loves. So I started seeing the new girl and I loved her too. But she was a bit awkward with me, and it was not uncomfortable but it wasn't as personal as I would have liked. But she did a great cut and decent color, so it worked. So, I've been seeing the new girl for over a year now. But when it was time to do my roots again, and I called to get an appointment with her, I learned that she broke her knee. Yes, you read that right, she broke her knee. Aparently she was doing some sort of athletic move while playing around in the park and shattered her patella. Ouchies. She won't be back for a while but I still had roots and didn't want to show up at a new job without new hair, you know what I mean? So there's an even newer girl at the same salon and it was love at first sight.

I lurve her. And she made me pretty. Not that you can tell here, but I couldn't wait to show just how amazing the color is. It'll tone down after a few washings, as reds do, but its perfect. She gave me a great cut, and a great blow out, but unfortunately, what you guys get is me, photographing myself with an unwashed face and just a few minutes out of bed. I'll try for a better pick post-gym/shower.



Its redder and little darker than I normally go, but I'm looking forward to that, because in the past its gone a bit too golden after the fading and I think that this will not do the same thing. And, I secured my new new girl for the future - I told her that its nothing personal about the knee girl, but I just loved the way everything came out today and that I'll be seeing her from now on. And I tipped really well, so I'm sure she'll be excited about seeing me again, too. Hooray for great hair!

Eventually I'll be knitting and sewing again, I promise. I just don't have the bug right now, though I do have huge aspirations. We'll see what happens.

Who Does This?

So, this is my week off inbetween jobs. I left my last job on Friday afternoon, and it was so sad and exciting all at once. And now, with this week off, I get to make a true transition. But it makes me wonder - who is out there during the day time? Yesterday I went to the dentist, did a little shopping, got some fake ice cream, and there were all sorts of people around my age just hanging out. Who are you, people of the daytime? They can't all be bartenders, right?

On the way home from the gym this morning, I saw a couple my age walking there dog. In Brooklyn, at around 10:15ish. Just hanging out with their dog and their coffee. On a Tuesday morning. No work? Really?

Walking to Park Slope yesterday to get my Tasti DiLite was the same thing - lots of youngish adults just hanging out. I want their job, I tell you that much!

Today is my special day. I'm going to see my therapist and then I'm getting my hair done. I always feel like an old lady when I say that, but I love it. I love getting my hair done. I'm revamping the color, and I'm totally overdue for a little trim. I think I'm going to keep the layers long this time and really try to grow it out. The color will be a va-va-voom red of the likes you've never seen. I hope. I'm excited!

Of course, as soon as I get over this bout of laziness, pictures of the new hair to follow.

I did it!

Last week, I quit my job. And this Friday is my last day.

Whew.

More details to come, but suffice to say that I am done with the corporate world and am returning to my true love, public service. So public that I'll be working for the city. I don't think excited is a big enough word to contain how thrilled I am with this opportunity and all it can bring me, and me to it. Its so perfectly aligned with my Master's degree, which will make it all the more bearable when I consider that I have about 7 semesters left! And I'm happy about it. Its going to be a challenge for me but I am ready for it.

There, I said it out loud. I've been keeping it under wraps for months because of the nature of the hiring process, but its all approved and ready. For me. Me! Doing what I had labelled as a long-term goal! Hooray!

It So Pretty

I finished my dress! For a week, I let the poor dear languish in unfinished limbo. But on Saturday, I strapped on my working hat and set to finishing. I put in the invisible zipper down the back, then added sleeves (my first time making/inserting sleeves!) and hemmed up the bottom.

I swear, each time I do a zipper they come out better and better. I have finally got the hang of the bottom part, where it rests into the regular back seam. Whew.

And sleeves! I love sleeves!



I don't know if you can tell in this photo, but I had to pleat the sleeves. I wound up altering this dress down a few inches (inches!) once I had cut and assembled the main pieces. So, even though I tried to compensate for that by trimming the sleeves, it didn't work out quite as I had envisioned. Hence, the slight pleating/gathering at the shoulder on both sleeves. I actually much like the detail, to be honest. I think it gives a little charm.

See? Full dress:



I have a photo of the back, which is, well, the back. I'll keep you in suspense for that one. The front has angled darts from the nipple area down and out to the waist. Both sides of the back of mid-center darts as well. I love the shaping of this dress. The waist/hip area fits very well, but the shoulders are a wee bit big. I know how to correct for this if I use this pattern again, and intend to do so.



This is a close-up of the front dart shaping. I truly just love it. In fact, I am wearing it today to work. Its that good. Mike left early this morning or I would have asked him to take a photo of me in it. Someday soon, I will share with the blogosphere.

And I cut the fabric for a new dress right after I finished this one. I already altered the pattern down to a size 10 or so, give the issues with fit I had with this finished dress. Seeing a finished product that I actually feel proud of and want to wear is making me want to make even more. I'm so excited that my skills are improving and I am technically proud of what I have accomplished.

Yay!

Its Hot. And Oh, My Hair

Its hot. We all know this. The even worse thing about it being hot is that I can be very vain when it comes to my hair, and oh, the heat and my hair just don't get along very well.

I have very fine, thin hair. I also have very curly hair. But, and I know you know where this is going, the combo of fine hair and curly hair can only lead to one thing: frizz. Fluff. Not nice hair. To control it and feed my hair-vanity, I have a very systematic process that involves spray-on leave-in conditioner/thickening lotion, the perfect amount of gel, and my trusty hair dryer with diffuser.

But its hot. Its so hot that the mere thought of using a hair dryer makes me start sweating profusely. So all summer I've been on the hunt for products that I can throw in there and let dry naturally. It has been quite a struggle. I know this post would be better with pictures, but I'm at work now and no-can-do captain. But I thought I'd at least share my top faves of the moment:


This is MOP Form Foaming Heavy Hold something or other. It looks liquid in that bottle but when you pump it out, it turns into a foamy, sticky cloud. It is EXCELLENT as a thickener but can leave you a little sticky.

Then there's this, ThickenUp by Paul Mitchell. Now, I know people either love or hate PM, but I love this stuff. I love all PM products, really. And this one is good. I could also see using this one as my first step in the diffuser process, not just for drying naturally.

It seems that Blogger doesn't want to load any more photos, so you kids are outta luck and get links only.

The final waste of my money has been this lovely yet strange thing. I initially purchased it almost a year ago as a second-day-curl-enhancer which never quite worked out. It got too sticky and hard and cracked and strange. But its smells delish and I never gave up hope. This morning I used it on wet hair for the first time, and oh, the goodness. Its soft and curly and smells so good I want to eat it.

If anyone has curly hair and has questions, let me know. In my next life, I will definitely be a hairdresser. And now I go to work.

Race Day!

I. Am. Awesome.

How awesome am I? I ran my 3.5 mile race, with 5,000 other runners/walkers in

35:30

That's thirty-five minutes and thirty seconds. That's two and a half minutes down from my practice run on Friday evening, and a minute faster than my first ever 5K (3.1 miles). My goal was under 40 minutes, and I more than beat that.



This is me, eating a peach right after crossing the finish line. Note the dorky knee brace (for stability) and the red face. Trust me, the red face is much more red and eggplant-y in person. Plus, the sweat. Oh, the sweat. It was nice and breezy at Jones Beach, but it was still humid and for the first part of the race, the sun was kinda hot. But I loved every second of it.

Oh, and I started the heel flap on my Jaywalker on my LIRR rides yesterday. I love the k1 sl1 heel flap - so awesome. But, not as awesome as me.

I suppose that awesome is the word of the day. I feel great. Hooray!

Say Wha?

I did this today:

What NYC yarn store are you?

You are The Point!http://www.thepointnyc.comYou want it all. You might have a hankering for the most luxurious handpainted silk yarn. Or maybe a couple of skein of Kureyon. Don't worry, you can sit down, have a latte and absorb it all...
Take this quiz!








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And its interesting, because I have only been there one time. Don't get me wrong, it was great. The gal I spoke to was lovely, but I didn't purchase anything. I couldn't find a thing that interested me. Not a pattern (I was looking for a rectangular lace shawl at the time) or even a skein of something lovely to hold on the subway ride home. I know that lots of people love it and there's some Friday night thingy that happens there... I was surprised.

I favor Downtown Yarns and Purl. Interesting, the first time I went into Purl, I was so intimidated that I left almost immediately. But its now where I spend most of my yarn money (mostly because its expensive, no?) I felt right at home at Downtown Yarns right away, and think its my number one.

This morning on the LIRR (I'm working from the HQ today) I picked up my forlorn Jaywalker that I started in February. Yes, February. I started the heel flap and its so exciting. I love how the knit one slip one is looking and I can't wait to finish and start the other foot.

I'm feeling better today. I think I've relaxed a bit and am once again ready to face the world. And tonight is my race! It's 3.5 miles, and my goal is to complete in under 40 minutes. My test run on Friday night was 38 minutes, so I figure I'll give myself two extra minutes to deal with outdoor running and the hills that I just learned are part of the course. I'll let you know how I did!!

Best of Times or Worst of Times? Mostly Worst.

I feel so battered right now. Could it be due to the asshole who manhandled me on the subway platform in his effort to RUN FOR THE TRAIN? I swear, this man tred to pick me up by grasping the outer edge of my shoulders and lift me clean off the ground to get me out of his way. I have a slight bruise blooming on my right shoulder, but I'm more startled than hurt. C'mon, fucker. There's an E train every 30 seconds in the morning at 34th Street. There was no reason for you to hurt me to make just this one. No job is that important that you have to hurt a girl in your effort to get there. I can only pray for karma, right?

But that isn't what really hurts me right now. I just did something that I have only done one other time in my life - I have called my therapist and asked for an emergency appointment. How's that for ominous?! I'm fine really, sure, I'm just fine, its only that I can't stand to be inside my own head and I think I need a wee bit more help right now and waiting until next week just isn't going to cut it.

(Edited, sorry if you missed it)

I'm sure I'm making a terribly psychotic impression on the Fort Greene knitting gals I met this weekend. I truly had a great time and hope that we can do it again. It just so happens that I need a little time like Saturday in my life right now, so it couldn't have come at a better moment. Thank you all for a lovely day!