Finished Gemini

The title says it all... I really need to get pictures up.. le sigh...

Quadrennials

Olympic selection years always depress me. I listen to who made the team and I feel like dieing a little. It's probably for the best, though. I feel like I am useless. I deserve to be working in a grocery store- I can't make any of my dreams happen. No matter how hard you work, it really comes down to whether or not you have the guts to actually reach out and take what you want. I didn't.

I'm scared to go back and really start fencing again. I remember all the frustration and anger that I felt. I remember how terrible I felt after a competition. Most of all I remember how terrible of a person I could be. I don't want to lose myself like that.

I don't know how I should feel. I know that I feel like I've wasted time. That people were right about me- it /was/ a huge waste of time to teach me how to fence... especially knowing now that I'd just quit and whine about how "good" I used to be.

I'm afraid of failure... failing again, at any rate.


Olympic selection years always depress me...

Finished my first sewn project

I finished my first project. A simple tote bag with some pockets. It turned out reasonably well. I'm glad that I'll get better at this sewing thing, though. Just need to practice. There were only a couple of flubs... and I didn't tie in very many ends. That will definitely be something to fix for the next project... ^_^

I'm thinking a simple sweatshirt or a t-shirt... something squarish and simple... that will be the best way to practice.

Also, I've been keeping up with my knitting. I'm about halfway done with Gemini. It's looking great- I am still concerned about if I have enough yarn, though. Three skeins left of the Lepur linen. It's a delight to work with, but it's frustrating having only 126 yards to work with.

I feel really good about the fact that I've been doing so well on my projects. I can't wait to learn more things about sewing and to start making some of my wardrobe (in any case, to supplement the items that I've knitted.)

Learning new tricks

I recently invested in a sewing machine... I would like to become an all around crafted and believe that it would be a lot of fun to make my own clothes, bags, accessories, etc... Between the knitting and this sewing business, I think I will be pretty well set. I would really like to start a business, but can't seem to get a cohesive idea. I'd like it to involve my block prints, my knitting, and my new sewing venture. The trick will be to find the time to create back stock. In any case, wish me luck. On a separate note: I /finally/ finished my Delphine top!!! It looks amazing. Pictures will hopefully be posted tomorrow.

Looking back

It's always interesting to go back and look at things that I have written in my other blog. There were definitely a lot of fun adventures had and a lot of wonderful photos taken. It's a pity that I had to abandon it. I suppose that's inaccurate... I didn't /have/ to abandon it, but I did indeed choose to. Inevitably, we can't choose our readership (not that anyone actually reads my stupid thoughts anyway), but it is made really difficult to want to write when we know that our families are reading... especially if they are assholes.

That's the way of it.

But, now I have this blog and while my writing will be far more banal and boring (and, alas, fewer pictures- because, really, who cares about my knitting or other artistic ventures?) I will try to keep the writing fresh and fun.

To start, I managed to find a pair of new work shoes that I am very pleased with. Dr. Marten's are not only stylish, but practical and comfortable. Tomorrow will be a great day to break them in. I wish that I had've been able to find a tall pair of boots, but they were so damned difficult to get on (way more effort than I was willing to make for work boots, in any case.) I ended up getting a pair with a zip on the side but short boots (like ankle boots, I guess).

Et voila! That's the end for this entry. More retrospective/ introspective writing to come...

Finishing projects

Today was so gorgeous that I had to go for a walk. Inevitably, that ended up at the LYS. It moved to a new location and it is AMAZING! I think it has the potential to become one of my favorite spots on earth. There was a staff member there who was incredibly helpful and gave me a lot of great suggestions.

Since I saw so many FANTASTIC fibers today, I made it a point to finish some of my projects that have been on my needles for quite some time. I finished two today. "Citron" and my "Knotty" gloves. Tomorrow, I hope to pick back on the "Delphine" project that I've been working on for ever. I'm a bit nervous because I haven't worked on it in quite some time, so I'm not really sure which direction I need to be working back from. It'll take a bit of brain-work, but I think I'll manage. I've only got a couple more projects to finish.

Also, since I've got a reasonable amount of scraps, I'm going to try to knit some amigurumi from Hansi Singh's wonderful book, "Amigurumi Knits". The colors won't be quite right, but it'll burn through some of the yarn I've got left over. I love this book. There are a lot of clever designs and it definitely has been giving me some inspiration. At the very least, I am going to change the some of the designs.

Upcoming projects:
- Satine (floaty tunic). I plan on knitting this up in Knitpicks Aloft. I am determined to finish a mohair project. I have a feeling that I will go insane.

- Gemini: I want to use Lenpur linen (rowan), but it is a bit expensive. It would be ideal to have four skeins of either the Jungle, Lagoon, or Incense colorway... preferably the Jungle.

So that's what's new for me... I will be getting some pictures up (hopefully in the near future).

A citrus sort of day

Yesterday I began Citron. A free pattern found on knitty.com... I love this website for all of the great patterns. It's very inspiring. I've decided that it would be best to try my hand at designing a knitting pattern of my own and try to share with others and/or sell. I've been thinking about trying to sell some of my artwork at work. I've got a couple of block prints that I believe would work really well on a tote bag. Not only art, but practical, too! The best of both worlds. I was inspired by a tote bag that I found at Powell's books. It was a crappy tote bag (being flimsy and probably easy to tear) and was way too expensive. It would be nice to have a heavy duty bag with a super cool block print on it. That would also give me an opportunity to create more prints.

Progress has been made on the comic- I'm pretty pleased with it so far. The trouble is staying motivated enough to continue. It shall be an uphill battle, but I think it's going to be worth it. ^_^