A brief post

Ok. For those of you who don't like personal posts, or who can't so much as hear the word "penis" in public without turning red (Jonathan), this post isn't for you.

So. Recently I've noticed that I've been having problems with my underwear, particularly my Victoria's Secret "Pink" briefs, riding up. Sort of like a persistent wedgie. Now, having many thongs in my personal panty stash, I am quite used to this feeling. However, it is not a sensation I enjoy from my briefs. When one reaches for briefs, one expects coverage, people!

Now, I had not given this phenomenon much thought, other than to notice it.

Today, though. . .today it hit me.

My ass is no longer small enough to fit this size panty!

And there we have it. Obviously, I was horrified to admit this to myself. But, it being too late for sublime ignorance, I made up my mind. I am going to lose at least 8 pounds. Which would make me 110 pounds.

Now, I really don't want to hear it from those of you out there who would love to weigh 118 pounds, because I'm so over comments like "Why are YOU eating Lean Cuisine?" or, "You have the smallest thighs I've ever seen." Well, maybe they look fine to you, if you yourself weigh 250 pounds, but to me whose underwear no longer even fits they're starting to look and feel a little chubby. Besides, I have that big corporate pool party coming up next month, and I've gotta live up to the expectations! *grin*

The plan of attack at this point involves drinking a lot more water, doing about 500 butt lifts a day and playing tennis at least twice a week with my hubby. (I now have a pink Barbie tennis racquet! What can I say? I'm short, I have small hands, and I have to use the kids' size. . .the Barbie thing is just a bonus!)

So. . .wish me luck on becoming fantasstic!

Till next time,
Sarah

Okay, I lied about pictures!

So sue me.

I just found this really cool free men's knitting magazine online, called, uncreatively enough, MenKnit Magazine. It's brand new, so everyone go check it out and start contributing! Really, it's fairly interesting. The Winter 2006 magazine has a pattern for - get this - iPod Mittens! Nifty! Also, there are some interesting patterns for socks, scarves & the like (of course all for men), AND they have knitting crosswords, for those of you that like that kind of thing!

*update to this post* Also, I came across another site that has over 1,000 free patterns of all types - men, women, children, babies, accessories, felted, toys, interior decorating, etc. These are mostly knitting patterns, but they do also offer some patterns in crochet. These are modern designs, not something my grandma would make. If my grandma could knit. Check it out!

Till next time,
Sarah

Knitting Spots & Ice Cream in Pots

Ok, I don't really have ice cream in a pot, but I couldn't resist a cheesy rhyme. Actually my homemade ice cream mix is sitting in the fridge in a big pink bowl, ready to go into the ice cream freezer as soon as I have time to watch it. (Cookies & Cream! Yummy!) My brother arrives tonight at 5:15 and preparations are all finished! The snack basket and mini fridge in the guest room have been stocked with his faves, the homemade bread formed into nice little bread bowls sits in the freezer ready to bake, and all the other fun things I have planned to do are well under way. Yippee!

Unfortunately, his rug is still a shameful 2-foot circle. Oh, well. At least he will get a chance to have a creative say in its making before it's too late. : )

Ok, here is my entry for Kat's contest. Five interesting places I have knit:

1. Standing in the cash stand at the Olive Garden - while waitressing there!

2. Lido deck of many cruise ships - sun, ice cream & knitting, who can resist?

3. In a hospital room - while living in it for two months! (My husband, a doctor, had a rotation at a hospital in Nowhere, Texas. Think one hospital bed pushed up against one cot, covered with king-size sheets and a hand-knit comforter. Comfortable it was not, but I did get a LOT of knitting done!)

4. Front desk of two law firms while working as receptionist - any job that I can knit while doing without anyone complaining, I'll take!

5. While performing in a play - the arts combine!

Well, that is my contribution to the contest. If you think yours was more interesting, post a link in the comments section and I will come and make pointless fun of you. I mean, look at your entry. ; )

Till next time, (and there will be pictures next time)
Sarah

*singing* "I've got a golden ticket"...darnit!

As promised, here is an update on the progress of the rug. I completed the circle part of this design tonight while watching Rambo. Such a political movie! Never knew that before. . .

I love crocheting with fabric! This thing is already about 2 feet across. Greatness.



And here is the rough design for this piece:


The pointy-ness of the edges is intentional. I want it to look artsy, not finished. And I'm also being intentional about having the edges face out, so that they get frayed nicely. Sort of that weathered, beachy look my bro's going for.

Till next time,
Sarah

1 pint of ice cream, 1 blue rug

Check this out! Now you can make ice cream in a plastic ball! Looks like a hamster ball to me. Still, though, I wouldn't even be able to make it to the store & back in 20 minutes for ice cream, and besides, this looks like fun. And they come in pink!



And speaking of ice cream, I gotta stock up on heavy cream and half & half for when my brother comes to visit me next week! YAY! He is going to be so spoiled on this visit, hehehe. . .let me tell you, if you do have to move away from your familiy/friends, move somewhere people actually want to visit. (Read: NOT Temple, Texas!) That way, you have something more interesting to show them than the Wal-Mart. (Read: Temple, Texas!)

And speaking of my brother, I owe him a rug. A little over a year ago, he decided to decorate his apartment ocean-style, and asked me if I could make him a rug to go with his new decor. I picked up about 20 yards of fabric; 10 yards each true blue stretch knit and sky blue flannel. As of last night, the most progress I'd made was cutting said fabric into 1-inch strips. (And, thanks to ABC Family, now I've got the "Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" songs stuck in my head today. . . Gene Wilder was genius, I say!)

Back to the rug! I decided to try my hand at freeform crochet; I'm thinking a circle, with waves, and. . .stuff. Will post the draft sketch tonight when I get home.

The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last!

Till next time,
Sarah

They Sew. . .She Cuts

Well, Project Runway, Season 3 is well on its way to being cast. After watching every single episode of Season 2 (Santino was robbed!), I was seriously contemplating driving to Miami to audition for Season 3. (Even though, generally speaking, each show of Season 2 started with me thinking, "I could do this!" and ending with me watching the runway show going, "I could never do that. . .") After reading Tim's Blog I think I'm glad I didn't. I know that my designs are unique and interesting, and I know that if I invested enough time on my pieces, the quality of the work would be quite good, but my pattern-making skills when it comes to the sewing machine are rather sad. (Read: nonexistent.) My plan as of right now is to work on honing said skills this year, and completing some pieces to show the audition panel for Season 4. Please, come back to Miami! On the other hand, had I driven to an interview, I would have gotten to meet Tim Gunn & Chloe Dao in person, which would have been cool (though I would not have been able to stomach Ms. Priss telling me, "Auf Weidersehn" as though winning Season 2 makes her some sort of fashion-judging goddess), and I would have gotten a feel for what needed improving, and whether or not show producer Richard Bye thought my personality was TV-level. (As if that's even an issue. Please!) Anyway, I was a bit sad to discover that the auditions have already been held. Ah, well. That leaves more time for knitting! : )

13,800 stitches in time. . .

Well, one sleeve of my fabulous kimono is finished! At 120 stitches per row, 115 rows, this baby took me all week to complete. Turns out not steaming that recycled-sweater yarn was a brilliant idea, because now the fabric has this great, knobbly texture to it that would not have been there had my yarn been completely smooth. I hope it doesn't go away with blocking. This texture has given me an idea to do a fabric with "accidental-on-purpose" purls on a stockinette stitch background. No pattern, just random purls. I think it might give an overall bumpy, raw silk textured effect. Swatches to come.

Here are my sleeves in all their half-finished glory:


Now, I know you're thinking, "Those doesn't look at all like sleeves, they look like big rectangles!" And that is why I am designing knitwear, and not you. ; ) Just kidding! (Mostly. . .)

Here's a shot of the sleeve-in-progress:


I attempted close-ups of the teeny tiny stitches, but we all know that my camera sucks, so I decided to go with the more broad shots instead.

I am so excited about this piece! Being in Florida doesn't often call for long-sleeve ANYTHING, much less a sweater, but this 3/4 sleever is going to be great for going to the movies! Why are the movies always so darn cold?

Till next time,
Sarah

Big Kimono, Little Stitches

This weekend my wonderful husband decided to take me to Disney World! I have been feeling very depressed as of late (moving 3,000 miles away from one's family and friends is harder than you might think. . .even if you have the ocean to comfort you), and I think he wanted to try to cheer me up. We went to Animal Kingdom and rode the newest addition to the park, a very cool roller coaster. Fun, fun. During the three-hours-each-way car trip, I began my next design project, an adult-size kimono. The sleeves will be knit in black cotton, and I haven't decided on the bodice yet. Some combination of the cotton and/or satin ribbon. But, at 6 stitches/8 rows to the inch, I'm thinking the sleeves will take me awhile. I just hope I don't run out of yarn, which was harvested from a Gap Kids sweater. (Why did I ever think it was a good idea to wear a boxy sweater featuring a huge snowflake on my chest?) Hopefully I will have at least enough for the sleeves. I'll post pictures later of my progress.

In other news, after three weeks of hoping and waiting, I found out this morning that my best friend from Texas did not, in fact, get the hospice job she interviewed for here. Sad for me, especially since she has decided it will be best for her to stay in Texas for now. Guess I should call the two people I've met in this state and see if they want to hang out again. . . *sigh*



Till next time,
Sarah

Kyndall

It's official: I've finally finished designing my first garment, complete with pattern! I've named it Kyndall, after the baby it was designed for. It is knit with Lion Brand Suede (yarn snob I am not) and craft ribbon. Yes, I said craft ribbon. The stuff is great! It comes in 10-yard hanks, so it's best for smaller projects, but is the equivalent of a super-shiny tape yarn. (And at 3-6 hanks for $1.00, who's complaining? Not me!) The ribbon I used here is a double face satin ribbon, quarter-inch wide. I knit it up on my size 9 needles; the same size the Suede is knit on. It is both beautiful when worked and easy to maneuver on your needles!

This kimono-inspired cardigan features stockinette stitch for the body and sleeves, and seed stitch for the ribbon at the waist. It is put together by threading the long end of the pink "ribbon" through a hole in the left front, from front to back, then pulled through the center front and down, attaching to a tiny ribbon rosebud, which acts as a button to keep it all closed.

Won't she look delicious in chocolate brown?

I love the little puff of the sleeves:


Close-up of the ribbon closure (my camera is awful and will be getting the upgrade soon):


I'm shipping this (along with some registry-approved gifts) to the parents-to-be tomorrow, so I won't know what the verdict is for a couple of weeks, I assume. The ladies at my work did a lot of oohing and ahhing though!

Man, my camera sucks! Sorry to all of you who have to suffer through this with me.

Till next time,
Sarah