Favorite Things Friday: Dyeing Yarn!

Please bear with me. I'm completely out of it. I'm on a cocktail of Butalbital and Prednisone to cure a migraine and I feel completely stoned out of my mind. I've slept all. day, and I'm not even exaggerating. But, as a dedicated blogger, and because I'm so excited about my wool dyeing kit I felt it was necessary to yammer about my dye kit. So if this post seems rant-y, or doesn't make sense you know why. I apologize.

I just bought a knitting magazine, and you know those few pages of advertisements they have before the patterns? There was a "how to dye yarn with Kool-Aid" kit from Wool2Dye4.com. It was only $20, and since I've always wanted to dye yarn and it will fulfill a requirement for my 101 in 1,001 I decided "what the heck" and bought it. It arrived today!! In the one hour I was awake I was able to open it and was all excited. 

(Domo not included.)

I decided to get the Try-It/Dye-It Neckwarmer Kit so along with all the items necessary for dyeing (heh) it also came with a neckwarmer pattern. It came with spoons, gloves, two sample packets of Eucalan wool wash, directions, yarn...basically everything. What a great idea! I got four packs of Kool-Aid: Mango (which I'm guessing will be yellow?), Berry Blue, Cherry, and Lemon-Lime. I can also refer to THIS for what colors, but I'm not too sure about how it will come out because I'm not dyeing playsilks, and I don't really care which color it turns out to be as it's my first time!

As soon as I recover, hopefully next week, I'm going to dye yarn, and of course photograph every step. I found a tutorial on Kool Aid Popsicle Dyeing and I think I'm going to do that method rather than using the oven or microwave. (I heard if you use grape flavored Kool Aid in the microwave then your kitchen will smell like grapes for a few days!) I really like the idea of it being solar powered, adore the colors she came out with, and will be able to use the Washington DC heat and humidity to my advantage. (An hour? Pff, mine will melt and set in about 15 minutes.) 

I'm really excited and wish I could try now, only it's night and hasn't been sunny outside, and I can barely walk from the bed to the bathroom. Curses migraine medicines!! 

Stay tuned for Kool-Aid dyed yarn goodness!

30. Re-read the Harry Potter series. (0/7)

#15, #36, #54, #62, #64

5. Get a job and keep it.
I’m working on it! I applied to the Lakeshore Learning Center, but they never got back to me. I filled out two applications to Forever 21 at the two closest malls, and while I was there I picked up 6 applications: Yankee Candle, The Icing, Charlotte Russe, Gymboree, and two Victoria’s Secret. I turned in a VS, Yankee Candle and Icing Thursday, and had an interview with the Icing to which they never got back to me.  I had an interview with a Forever 21 Monday, and haven't heard back.  I was a bit frazzled at that interview, and she only liked my availability, and asked me two questions about customer service, one of which I just blurted out "I'VE NEVER WORKED IN RETAIL."  Horrible, horrible.  But I really need a job, not because I need money, and really want to move, but because I'm tired of sitting around doing nothing.  Sure, there's plenty of things I could be doing, but you know when you get bored with all the free time and then don't feel like doing anything?  I know if I worked, I'd appreciate and look forward to my days off and actually get something productive done.  I really need to work on that.

Update:  So they apparently called me back Monday at 8 for a second interview/fill out paperwork sesh, but they called 7888 instead of 1888 and I didn't get the message till this morning!  I called and they understood, and they wanted me to come in at 4, but I had a migraine, I'll be in on Monday and hopefully they'll give me the job!  *crosses fingers*

36. Knit a pair of socks.
I turned a heel! Or I guess this is the gusset?

The next part is picking up stitches, so I’m waiting for when I don’t have a migraine and when I’m not knitting in front of the TV to start. I can’t wait to wear them.

54. Knit/crochet 50 dishcloths. (10/50)
#10 for my friend’s mom, Mrs. Goldwater.  When I get a decent picture, I''ll post it.  This is half:

Update with a decent picture!

62. Spend more time exploring DC.
My boyfriend and I went down the other day and had a blast. It was places I’ve already been to, so I guess it doesn’t count as much, but I haven’t been there in ages and he hadn’t been there at all! We went to the National Gallery of Art, the gallery’s sculpture garden, and across the mall to the Hirshhorn’s sculpture garden. It was a photo quest, so check out the pictures on Flickr, HERE are all the digital ones, and HERE are the two rolls of film we used, one using the Fisheye, the other the Supersampler.

64. Go to NYC again.
My boyfriend’s moving to NYC. :( Even though it’s really sad that I won’t be able to see him everyday, I’ll be visiting a ton and hopefully move there! *crosses fingers* We already have a visit planned at the end of August: we’re going to go to the Autolux show either the 26th or the 28th, and the 29th I’m taking a class at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio! It’s by Anna Hrachevoc, of Mochimochi Land Fame. Details HERE! I’m going to make a mini gator!

#36 and #55.

36. Knit a pair of socks.
I'm currently working on my first pair of socks! Just Basic Socks from I Can't Believe I'm Knitting Socks! by Cindy Guggemos in practice/baby yarn, Bernat Softee Baby in Garden Ombre, but it'll help me learn the basics so I can graduate and make fancy socks from the fancy sock yarn using the fancy Tibetan needles I got two Christmases ago.

55. Buy a set of Addi Turbos or a set of interchangeable needles. (19.04.10)
I had a 10% off coupon for KnitPicks so I ordered myself a set of these bad boys:

Awesome! The nickel-plated are my favorite needles. I get US sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10.5 and 11, two sets of 24" and 32" length cables, a needle case, a cable case, 8 end caps and 2 cable keys. Fun! I think I might be able to buy some smaller length cables and then I'd rarely have to go buy needles. Such a great thing.

25. Read the books I own but have never read or don't remember reading before buying any more.

The whole "before buying anymore" should be deleted. I don't ever think I can stop buying books. Or yarn, for that matter. As long as I keep reading these ones and stay on track I should be ok. I finished Zen and the Art of Motorocycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig a few weeks ago. It was amazing. A friend said it was life-changing, and it definitely was. I learned so much. And the way he wrote was exquisite. I'll probably be peppering the blog with quotes for a while, but for now I leave you with this:

    This explanation, I suppose, is that the physical distance between people has nothing to do with loneliness. It’s psychic distance, and in Montana and Idaho the physical distances are big but the psychic distances between people are small, and here it’s reversed.
    It’s the primary American we’re in. It hit the night before last in Prineville Junction and it’s been with us ever since. There’s this primary America of freeways and jet flights and TV and movie spectaculars. And people caught up in this primary American seem to go through huge portions of their lives without much consciousness of what’s immediately around them. The media have convinced them that what’s right around them is unimportant. And that’s why they’re lonely. You see it in their faces. First the little flicker of searching, and then when they look at you, you’re just a kind of an object. You don’t count. You’re not what they’re looking for. You’re not on TV.
    But in the secondary American we’ve been through, of back roads, and Chinaman’s ditches, and Appaloosa horses, and sweeping mountain ranges, and meditative thoughts and kids with pinecones and bumblebees and open sky above us mile after mile, all through that, what was real, what was around us dominated. And so there wasn’t much feeling of loneliness. That’s the way it must have been a hundred or two hundred years ago. Hardly any people and hardly any loneliness. I’m undoubtedly overgeneralizing, but if the proper qualifications were introduced it would be true.

Brilliant, isn't it.

81. Write a letter to my future child.

I found this on tumblr, but it's along the lines of what I want to say. Some of these things shall be incorporated. 

1. You will come across music that not many people are into. Like what you like. Take the time to understand what you hear. Music makes the world go round. Listen to everything in the song. The beat, the sound, the voice, the lyrics, the meaning. Take it all in. Lyrics will make you cry sometimes. But that just means that you can relate. And being able to know that there is someone out there that knows exactly how you’re feeling, is one of the most amazing feelings in the world.

2. Stay true to yourself. Once you know who you are, don’t change. Don’t let the bitterness of your peers bring you down. Enjoy the beauty of the world, look past all the flaws. Remember to breathe.

3. Don’t be afraid to fall in love. Forget the judgements, love is love. Take the risk of the fall. Let yourself be happy. Live for the moment. Forget about the future. Forget about the past. Cherish what you have.

4. At one point, your heart will feel broken. Your mind will be consumed with pessimistic thoughts, and there will be no other time in your life that you will be thinking as much as you will when something bad happens in your life. Try not to let it get the best of you. Live for what you have. Remember what you have. As much as you’re going to want to think that you have nothing, make sure you turn around.

5. Be kind. Be blunt. Be rude. Be sarcastic. Be lovely. Be original. Be whoever you want to be, but be friends with everyone. Enemies will come and go, but don’t hold grudges. You will like and dislike, but still find the decency to be civilized.

6. You’ll grow, and you’ll want to try new things. Don’t be afraid to, but always listen to your gut instinct. It does not matter what you do or how you do it, but it does matter if you have a good heart. Love everything at one point or another. If you can’t explain how you feel, write it down. Keep it for a time you’ll need it.

7. You will dwell on things that have happened in the past, but remember that sometimes it’s okay to let go. You will at some point have to let go of someone, and even when it feels like they’re gone, you will still have their memory. That is what matters.

8. Make love. Nothing more, nothing less.

9. Don’t follow a trend. Start one.

10. Lay in bed and listen to the rain. Go for a walk when it’s the perfect day. Spend time with people that are worth spending time with. Laugh at moments that aren’t worth laughing at. Smile when it’s the right moment. Kiss someone you know you’re in love with. Dream. Rebel.

#13, #14, #25, #62, #73, #100

Oh my dear 101, how I've forgotten about you! I need to get things crackin again over here.

13. Have over $15,000 in my ING account by the time this list is complete.
I currently have 1,513.18. Bitch what! I need to start putting more cash in there, though.

14. Start an Australia fund.
I think I may change this to a Travel Fund.  At first it was Ireland, now Australia, and now I want to change it to France and/or Sweden.  Travel Fund would be best.


25. Read the books I own but have never read or don't remember reading before buying any more. LIST HERE. (5/56)
I finished reading The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton. (RIP)  It was pretty good, not as good as Prey or Next, but still good.  It's weird that it was written in 1969 and dealt with a disease and such, and it really hit home with H1N1.  It reminded me of a short story by Stephen King written in the 1970s (I believe) that dealt with the same premise.  It was spooky.  In any Crichton novel there's a ton of technical information, too.  I learned a lot, but at the same time it was interesting and quite a good read.

62. Spend more time exploring DC.
Over the break, a few friends and I wanted to go to Eastern Market.  We didn't know Eastern Market was closed on Monday, which was quite disappointing, but we walked around the hill and found this really awesome bookstore.

 

  

  

  

 

  

  

The store was also featured in the Washington Post Magazine. I plan to do more exploring once the weather warms up... and this string of blizzards ends.


73. Learn German.
Can I change this to learn French?  Or Swedish?  I'm currently [attempting to] teach myself French.  We'll see how that goes.

100. Complete Keri Smith’s 100 ideas (14/100)
I don't know if I've honestly finished 14 or not.  I really need to go through these and see which one I've finished and get a proper inventory, and then I can start to finish them.  I really like her prompts, too.

#44, #96, #97/#66, #91

44. Splurge on expensive yarn.
I was reading my blogs one night and came upon THIS post on Rhinebeck from the lovely ladies of Mason Dixon Knitting. But, what, wait is that exquisite hat?!

Yeah, that one! I didn't know, and no one replied to my plea in the comments section. Long story short, while reading another blog, Knitting in Color, I followed a few links and discovered what said beautiful hat is! It's the Selbu Modern.

Since I have no fingering weight yarn in my stash, I'll have to buy some. (along with itty needles) Since the recommended yarn, Canopy Fingering, is $13 a skein, I figure $26 for a hat is a splurge. I'll probably buy it after Christmas.


96. Plan a “mom and me" trip.
Which brings me here. All the excitement everywhere made me really bummed I missed out on Rhinebeck, which is the third weekend in October up in Rhinebeck, New York. Since I was studying for midterms (and didn't know until the day of) I wasn't able to go, but my mom and I are planning on going in 2010. A whole festival dedicated to sheep, and wool, and knitting!? I think yes!

97. Plan a “daddy and me" trip. and 66. Visit California again.

Which also brings me here! My dad and I are going to Los Angeles January 10 - 14th! I know we're going to check out a few art museums (we're huge art nerds, and I especially want to see the Chimera of Arezzo), see the Pacific!, maybe hang out with some stars. Ya know, touristy stuff. I'm excited!

91. Make a pie with my mom.
Thanksgiving might produce a pie. Not sure yet, it's still in the planning stages. But oh yum, pie.

#25, #35 #74, #56-58

#25. Read the books I own but have never read or don't remember reading before buying any more. (5/56)
I finished my Michael Crichton collection. It had Congo, Sphere, and Eaters of the Dead (or The 13th Warrior) Congo was excellent; I gobbled it up in a few days just like I usually do with his works. Sphere was meh; I probably won't read it again, but I'd like to see the movie. Eaters of the Dead/The 13th Warrior was surprisingly really good; I really enjoyed it. It's a story about a Muslim who travels with the Vikings. It's based on the real personal journals of Ahmad ibn Fadlan's journey with the Vikings, and Beowulf. There are the "mist monsters" aka the wendol (or Grendel), and from ibn Fadlan's account and the appendices and other sources of scientists who have translated it and studied it, who are thought to be Neanderthals. This poses the question, were there Neanderthals alive in modern times? It was really interesting, though if I read the word "verily" one more time, I'm going to shoot someone. ibn Fadlan used it like 10 times on each page. Other than that, it's good. I'd recommend Congo definitely, Eaters perhaps, if you find the Vikings/Beowulf interesting, but Sphere not so much.

#35. Knit a sweater. (completed 17.10.09)
OK, so I wasn't exactly clear about anything on this task, just to knit a sweater. Friday night I did! It took me two hours, and here is the finished result:

OK, yeah, so it can only fit my thumb, but who's really counting?! I knit a sweater! Technically, it counts. For the purpose of this list, it counts, especially since I can just about guarantee I'll have a full sized one finished before September 2011. But it's so cute! And it only took two hours. Now I know all the basics about knitting a top down raglan, and I'm itching to start, but it's the pre-Christmas season so what little free time I have is being used on Christmas crafts. Not that I mind. I'm just itching to make stuff for me, and try new techniques, and challenge myself, like knitting socks and a sweater. (Socks are my "after Christmas project aka what I'll be knitting on Christmas day.) Go check out EVOLUTION 101 on my craft blog for step-by-step pictures and all the information and details.

#74. Visit the countries/places where my ancestors are from. (Ireland, England, Germany again, Panama, Trinidad, the Dakotas)

Remember in my last post how excited I was about going to Germany again? Well, it fell through. Turns out we didn't have enough money for both me and my mom to go, and I really, really wanted her to go, so that kinda killed some of the fun, and I started getting bad migraines which freaked me out. If I'm here, it's easy to just miss class because my head is throbbing. What would I do over there? I'd hate myself if I stayed in the hotel room all day, and there's classes to take over there, too, and museum/city tours during the day and operas and events at night. And what if it gets really bad and I have to go to a hospital? Granted, a lot of people over there speak English, I barely speak a word of German or Czech. It scared me, especially since they aren't really that in check yet. And I got into a car accident, (No one's hurt; she hit me.) so that's a $250 deductible. By the time that happened, we had already decided we weren't going, so we're getting my bumper fixed (I haven't had my car in almost two weeks. I'm getting withdrawal symptoms) and my mom's fender, so there's money there. Oh well. I know I'll get back over there eventually. Maybe over the summer, or next winter. Hopefully by then I'll be able to know more about my migraines and how to care for myself when I have them.

#56 through #58 have been deleted, because unfortunately (and unforeseeably [it's not a word; I don't care] at the time I wrote the list) my boyfriend and I have split. Since that's the case, I doubt there'll be any trips to Peru or Disney World, or love letters. But it's life, so it goes on.

#45 and #46

Remember that whole "50 Projects in 2009!" thing I was going to do, and my mum thought it was hilarious, because there was no way I'd be able to do 50 projects in a year? Yeah, well I'm at number 46, with a whole lot more Christmas presents to go. Take that momma!


#45: Lavender Pink Twist Hat for my Grandma.
Pattern: Garter Stitch Hat with Square Raglan Crown by Zachary L. Loomis (You'll be seeing this hat a lot. I love it. This is my fourth, I'm working on my fifth (as another Christmas present) and I think I have at least one more planned as another Christmas present. I just love the square top!

Yarn: RHSS in Lavender; Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in Rose Mist
Needles: US 8 16" circs and DPNs, KnitPicks.com's fabulous nickel (nickle?) plated ones.
Notes: My whole family is working on a large project (which will not be mentioned here because I'm not sure who exactly reads this) and I requested pinks and purples. My grandma (this is the one who taught me my yarn and needle/hook skillz) had some of this yarn left over, and it looked really good together, so I decided to make her a hat, and a matching scarf. My other grandma will get the same set, only with the colors inversed.



#46: Apple Cozy for my Daddy's birthday
Pattern: Adorable Apple Cozy by Theresa Grant

Yarn: Lily Sugar 'N Creme Twists in Green Twists; Pisgah Yarn Peaches & Creme Solids in Red
Hook: G (4.0 mm)
Notes: My daddy likes apples, and I like making cozies. This has been on my list for him for a while. And it kinda matches the ice cream cozy. (No More Cold Fingers When Eating Ice Cream) He thought they both were funny, so I'm not sure how much he'll use it, but oh well, it was quick and cute. And I might steal it for my school apples.

#13, #14, #19, #23, #25, #73 and #74, #90, #100

#13. Have over $15,000 in my ING account by the time this list is complete.
After the 17th of September, after my $210 goes in, I'll have $1, 268.90! Go me! Unfortunately, some of this money will be taken out in January, but that's ok. Read more to find out. ;]

#14. Start an Australia Fund.
This used to be "Start an Ireland fund," but then I read The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (A MUST READ!) and I desperately want to go to Australia. I know by the end of this whole 101 thing I won't have nearly as much to afford to go, but at least I'll start putting money away so sometime in my life I'll be able to go to Oz.

#19. Let 5 different people read a different poem I've written (2/5)
I let my friend Nijean read one of my poems. Maybe I'll get the courage to post it on here. Not today though.

#23. Learn how to play my guitar.
I found a website that has some chords, and I've been trying to practice them. I haven't had that much time to practice, nor do I know any through memorization yet, but it's getting there. There's an acoustic music store near my house, so maybe I'll take lessons.

#25. Read the books I own but have never read or don't remember reading before buying anymore. (4/56)
I finished Peter Benchley's Jaws when I was on vacation. It was really good; I finished it in two days, but the book doesn't focus as much on the shark as it does on the effect the shark has on the people. There's so much more involved in the book, like the wife of the police chief cheats, and the mayor is involved with the mafia. Great read, really.

#73. Learn German and #74. Visit the countries/places where my ancestors are from. (Ireland, England, Germany again, Panama, Trinidad, The Dakotas.)
!!! Both of these tie in together, because at the beginning of January my mom and I are going abroad!! It'll be the same countries/cities I visited when I went in 2004: Munich, Germany; Vienna and Salzburg, Austria; Budapest, Hungary; and Prague, in the Czech Republic! I'm so excited, especially since my mom's going, I'm much older now, so I'll have a new appreciation for things, we're going to see new things and it's EUROPE! How I love thee. So I'll probably pick up a "Learn German" book before we go so I know some key phrases. I know the majority of people speak English, but I remember when we stopped at a rest stop in Slovakia the guy couldn't speak English, and none of us could speak Slovak, only a few German phrases. That helped, so it'll be good to know a few. And besides, people are shocked when "stupid Americans" can speak another language. I'm so excited!

#90. Try 10 new restaurants. Finished August 18.
When I was up at Lake George, we decided to order pizza from the Firehouse. My grandma and I wanted to go there last summer, but it was closed, so yay, it counts! Even though it was thin crust, the pizza was so good. I'm totally craving some right now.

#96. Plan a "mom and me" trip.
This is going to be our "Great Cities" tour. :]

#100. Complete Keri Smith's 100 Ideas.
I finished five more of these, but I only found four. *shrugs* Here goes:

#93. Write your own definition of one of the following concepts: sitting, waiting, sleeping, eating: sleeping - verb. (1) to give the body and mind rest (2) to escape pain both physical and mental (3) a place to hide (4) a means to quicken recovery from certain illnesses (5) what people do when its dark (6) to refresh both body and mind (10) what I do when in the car on long drives (11) something to do when you're bored (12) magical with the one you love (13) where I can dream (15) where everything that can seem stupid during waking life is erased (16) the only place you can unlock your subconscious to reveal your true feelings, fears, and desires you hide when you're awake and your conscious mind can't feel or doesn't want to admit (17) what insomniacs wish for (18) what narcoleptics hate (19) what most Americans wish they could spend more time doing

(Some were too personal to post.)

#52. Record all of the sounds you hear in the course of one hour.
This one was interesting. It's weird, I heard so many things in this hour!
8.50 PM - 9.50 PM on 14.8.09

• parents conversation
• page turning
• cicadas
• Marina and the Diamonds
• door creaking
• vent fan
• toilet
• shower
• paper bag rustle
• M&M bag crunching
• nose blowing
• 9PM medication alarm
• click of my mom's curlers
• The Beatles
• my voice
• pills in pill case
• pen on paper
• ceiling fan
• old beds creak when we move (I was at my grandma's house.)
• cars in distance
• exhaust fan
• my mom brushing her teeth
• the sink go "glug glug"
• Kings of Leon
• knitting needles clicking
• door open
• squeak of crochet hook against nylon cord
• footsteps
• rings on glass
• The Ting Tings
• iPod button click
• Hercules and Love Affair (ha, my iPod was on shuffle)
• cabinets
• clang of pencil and crochet hook
• lead in mechanical pencil
• suck teeth (you know that noise when you suck your teeth?)
• crinkle of plastic wrapping to protect library books
• burp!
• measuring tape zing!

It's weird how much you can hear in one hour. And I'm sure I missed a few, too, but that's ok

#54. Cut out all media for one day. Write about the effects. - 17.8.2009
Though ALL media hasn't been cut out for the past few days (iPod is still on, I've been using my phone as a clock because I don't have service, and the TV's been on because of the PGA Tour.) there has been a dramatic increase in productivity. I'm burning through knitting my Reverie Beret, and have been writing multiple journal entries. Granted I have had a lot of emotions bottled up I needed to get down on paper, I haven't written like this in a whole. It's so relaxing, and at a different slower pace. Knitting and watching boats go by, or swimming, or just hanging out. The computer sucks away so much time, but as I write this I know I'm going to blog about it, so there goes that hour. And instead of knitting in front of the TV until I feel tired, I knit outside until it gets too dark, then knit and listen to music until my eyelids get heavy. On the downside, there's a lot more time to think, something I'm not too pleased with now.

And #3. But something inexpensive as a symbol for your need to create, (new pen, a tea cup, journal.) Use it everyday.
I got me a snazzy new purple pen I yoinked from my mom and have indeed been using it every day.

#6, #13, #31, #35, #36, #38, #94, #100, #101

#6. Donate blood three times.
I'm really going to try to do this this semester, but whenever the blood bus comes on campus, I'm always walking to class, and after class it's always gone. I should try to see when it's actually coming. But if I'm on a lot of different medications, can I still give blood? Hm. Must research. I still want to donate. Even if it ends up in the refrigerator of Mick St. John. :E

#13. Have over $15,000 in my ING account by the time this list is finished.
I have $1,057.66! Go me! Of course I just want to cheat and like $300 in, but that's not the idea.

#31. Buy all the Harry Potter movies and see the ones that are released while this list is in progress. (1/5; 0/3)
I just bought Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and watched it this weekend. All the kids were so young! I also plan on seeing Half Blood Prince Sunday with some pals. Even though it was my least favorite book, I'm still looking forward to seeing it. Damn I love me some Weasleys.

#35. Knit a sweater.
I have three sweaters planned: first the $5 in Paris by Anna Peck in my Murphy's Mart Wintuk in Brite Pink from my friend, the Cozy V-Neck Pullover With Deep Ribbing from Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel in TLC Amore in Fawn, and the 97-18 Tailored Cardigan from DROPS design in the yarn from my unraveled sweater. Oh, I also want to make a Weekend Retreat Cardi, but I'm not sure if that will count. It's not really what I had in mind when I made the list. When I made the list, I had planned to make the $5 in Paris in Caron Simply Soft, but I bought and acquired more yarn for other sweaters, and the CSS I had planned to use are slated for other projects. Now just comes the tough decision of deciding which one to knit first!

#36. Knit a pair of socks.
For Christmas I was given 8 skeins of awesome sock yarn and gorgeous needles. Before I start working with the serious nice stuff though, I want to practice, so I plan on using a skein of baby yarn to practice my socks. I also plan to start them when I'm on vacation. Socks here we come! Once I knit socks and a sweater, I will be a bonafide knitter, not just some kid with needles and some string.

#38. Deplete my fabric and yarn stash and #39. Sew two quilts (0/2)
I'm participating in the Block a Day 9 Patch Quilt a Long! I'll be doing a 9 patch block every day for 70 days. (I'm a week behind, so it'll be longer, and for the past three days I haven't done them. Oops. I'll catch up tomorrow.) I'm really excited. I'm using all my remnants that I received in the "shopping bag full of remnants for $10" from Hancock Fabrics, so I'm depleting my stash and sewing a quilt. I'm not sure what's going to happen when I come to the quilting part, since the arm of machine is kinda small. Hm. I also need to finish my mini "Owl and the Pussycat" quilt. I have an idea to use the scraps to cut 2.5" blocks out for a border, like THIS quilt's border. Watch my craft blog for updates every Sunday. (See: Squares on Sunday!)

#94. Take my car to it's inspection/oil changes instead of my mom.
Though I haven't taken my car by itself, I am getting better about being more responsible for my car. (Gosh, I'm spoiled.) I've had two air valve mishaps in the past two weeks, and had to take it to NTB to get everything fixed. Even though she went with me (she has the monies) I handled everything. I'm not going to mark this as complete though until I take the car for an inspection/oil change/repair/what have you by myself.

#100. Complete Keri Smith's 100 ideas. (9/100)
I've completed three more. The first was 94. List ten of your habits. Not sure if they're good or bad. Some include: I pull on my left earlobe when I'm nervous, I make up my bed before I sleep, and I can't have my food touch on the plate. (Ha, I've been like that for forever. Drives me crazy.) I also 17. Go to a paint store. Collect "chips" of all your favorite colors. on July 29th. My mom and I were in Wal-Mart, and they have a paint section and I picked some nice colors. I didn't want to just walk into a paint store and take random colored chips without any purpose. I'm too lazy to scan the colors in. Maybe another time. And last but not least: 5. Find a piece of poetry you respond to. Rewrite it and glue it into your journal. I found Sonnet XX by my favorite poet Pablo Neruda.

Here it is:

I can write the saddest poem of all tonight.
Write, for instance: “The night is full of stars,
and the stars, blue, shiver in the distance.”

The night wind whirls in the sky and sings.
I can write the saddest poem of all tonight.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.

On nights like this, I held her in my arms.
I kissed her so many times under the infinite sky.

She loved me, sometimes I loved her.
How could I not have loved her large, still eyes?

I can write the saddest poem of all tonight.
To think I don’t have her. To feel that I’ve lost her.

To hear the immense night, more immense without her.
And the poem falls to the soul as dew to grass.

What does it matter that my love couldn’t keep her.
The night is full of stars and she is not with me.

That’s all. Far away, someone sings. Far away.
My soul is lost without her.

As if to bring her near, my eyes search for her.
My heart searches for her and she is not with me.

The same night that whitens the same trees.
We, we who were, we are the same no longer.

I no longer love her, true, but how much I loved her.
My voice searched the wind to touch her ear.

Someone else’s. She will be someone else’s. As she once
belonged to my kisses.
Her voice, her light body. Her infinite eyes.

I no longer love her, true, but perhaps I love her.
Love is so short and oblivion so long.

Because on nights like this I held her in my arms,
my soul is lost without her.
Although this may be the last pain she causes me,
and this may be the last poem I write for her.

#101. Save for a pug.
I changed this one to say Save for Owen the pug. I want a pug and I want to name him Owen! I want to get one so bad. And I see adorable ones like Violet who was feature in a photoshoot from Fat Orange Cat Studios HERE and I want to go out and buy one RIGHTNOW. But I need to save money so I can buy his food and accessories, and pay for his vet bills. Because pugs have funny noses, they some times require surgery to fix their nose so they can breathe better. I want to make sure I have money to provide for little Owen.

#25, #48, #71

25. Read the books I own but never have read or don't remember reading before buying any more. (3/56)
So far, I've read three: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, and Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, but the one I just finished, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See was amazing! I'm on an Asian kick right now, after just gobbling up Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth, and Snow Flower takes place in the same time period. It gives you a completely different view of pre-Revolutionary China, from a female perspective and how differently they conducted their lives compared to men. See describes foot binding (which makes my feet hurt just thinking about it), to the upper chamber where women spend their days talking and embroidering and the process of childbirth, from sex (known as "bed business") to births and deaths. Lily, the narrator and protagonist describes her life as a peasant girl who gets paired with Snow Flower forming a relationship known as laotong that will last their entire life. Their mother's bound their feet at the same time, and the experienced everything life threw at the together, friends until their death. It's not a happily ever after tale, pre-Revolutionary China was rough, and there's a few plot twists, too. So, if you're reading this blog go to your library now and check it out!

48. Teach mom how to purl. (Completed July 3)
I taught my mom how to purl! I'm so proud. She picked it up very quickly, quicker than she picked up knitting to begin with. But the purl stitch is basically the opposite. I'm so proud of my little student! Now she can make fancy things, though I doubt she will never give up her title as being the queen of garter stitch. Here's her gauge swatch: she's done stockinette, ribbing and some seed stitch! Aw, my little student is all grown up.






71. No cell phone, internet, TV and computer for one whole weekend. (Completed weekend of June 26 - 29.)
For my mom's birthday, my family went to Shenandoah National Park. (Pictures on the main blog HERE.) They don't have televisions in the cabins we were in and they have Wi-Fi but it's in the main lodge place so I didn't bring my computer. I did cheat a little and checked my cell phone every night to see if I could hear from Mr. mochaxlight who was in Canada, but he didn't want to pay the international rate and I didn't have service anyway. Even though I cheated a little, I still think it's the closest I'll ever get to completely unplugging. When I returned, I realized how much of a time suck the Internet is. But alas, it's so addicting!

#100

100. Complete Keri Smith’s 100 ideas (6/100)

I've been on a journaling kick lately, and have completed 6 out of 100 of Keri Smith's ideas. I've done:

12. Make a map of everywhere you went in one day.
It was quite a while ago; I don't know the exact date. But my drawing skills are pretty lame, so I'm not going to share.

70. Do nothing.
May 21, 2009, I did nothing. I think I slept all day due to migraines. What a waste.

11. Make a list of everything you buy in the next week.

• 6/16: mini Iron Man frisbees for Mr. mochaxlight, fish carabiners, two collars for Arwen, a stretchable hippo, Father's Day and graduation cards and four skeins of TLC's Amore in Fawn, for which I'm going to make THIS sweater, all from the Dollar Store. Take that, Michael's. I can get four skeins for a dollar when a skein itself would cost $5 or 6 at Michaels. Nyah nyah. Oh, and so much for depleting the stash. Oops.
• 6/17: Nothing
• 6/18: Ginger ale from 7-11; postage; two paninis and one lemonade from Panera
• 6/19: Nothing
• 6/20: fish food, hermit crab sand, hermit crab coconut soil, (which he loves. He's been hiding in it since I put it in his cage yesterday.) a hermit crab pooper scoop and hermit crab banana treats from PetsMart
• 6/21: root beer and instant iced tea mix from Giant; a book on amigurmi from Herrschner's.

Not too bad. I should still work on saving, but some things were needed. And can you really give up purchasing stuff at the Dollar Store? I mean, it's a DOLLAR!

60. Glue a photo of yourself as a child into your journal.
This is me in 1988!


97. (One of my written ones. Keri Smith gives you the last 5 out of 100 to write your own prompts) Describe in detail the dream I had last night.
Way to personal and long to fully reproduce here, but Lindsay Lohan and Vin Diesal were in it (mental note: don't let Perez Hilton be the last thing you look at before going to sleep.) along with murders and West Side Story. I have really odd dreams.

34. Fill an entire page in your journal with small circles. Color them in.
By far the most fun one to do, and I love the colors.

I have a ton in progress, too. Mr. mochaxlight gave me a cool journal (for our anniversary last year? Birthday? I can't remember; he spoils me too much.) that has lined pages on the right sides and blank pages on the left sides, thus bringing out my more artistic side. If you don't have a paper journal, I'd highly recommend getting one just to do these prompts. They're a lot of fun. Some are silly, some I know I'm going to fail at because I can't paint (we might do photographs instead) and some really make you think.

#90 Try 10 new restaurants (9/10)

90. Try 10 new restaurants. (9/10)

In the past few days, I've been to two new restaurants. First was Blimpies. My mom had a flat tire and we had to go to two NTBs to get a new set of tires, blah blah. We didn't want to walk all the way to McDonald's or Five Guys so we chose Blimpies. Plus they were advertising paninis that looked really good. I got a panini that had turkey, pepperoni, roasted peppers and provolone cheese with creamy Italian dressing. It was DELICIOUS. In fact, thinking about it now is making me drool. My mom got a different panini. After we ate, we were like "oh, we don't have to have these every day," but yesterday we were like "damn, those were good." Yummy. I hope they're part of the regular menu and not a special.

Then, yesterday was Boyfriend and I's three year anniversary, and he took me out to dinner to a small place in Old Town Fairfax, Bellissimo Northern Italian Cuisine. Oh my goodness, this food was definitely bellissimo. Fantastico. Delicioso. (Is it the same in Italian as it is in Spanish?) In fact, just thinking of the yummy oil and Parmesan cheese they gave us with the bread I had to go get some downstairs and the only bread we have is Sourdough and it was rock hard. My jaws hurt but damn, it tasted good. Boyfriend got ravioli and I got the special: mussels and grilled spinach on linguini with garlic and wine sauce. It was so. good. I wish I could have it right now. I could eat it every day for a month. Ok, maybe not, but still, it was damn good. And mussels don't have the boogery texture that clams and scallops have. Yum. I need to go down to the Waterfront and get some mussels and cook those suckers up.

#13, #27, #54, #68, #70, #90

13. Have over $15,000 in my ING account by the time this list is complete.
I have $934.10 in my ING account. Take that parents! They laughed at me when I said this one. Granted, I don't have to pay rent or for groceries, it's still good that I'm saving and not spending all my earnings on yarn.

27. Plant herbs and use them, including cat nip. (Finished May 19, 2009)
I haven't actually planted them in the ground yet, per se, but I did purchase herbs yesterday. I would have planted them today but I had a migraine. :\ I bought thyme, parsley, basil and catnip. I'm excited for them all. And the cat nip will be great to dry for my kitties. I also bought tomatoes (cherry ones like I had two years ago) and cucumbers! I've never grown them before. I really hope the squirrels don't get to any of my plants. Two years ago, they attacked my mom's hibiscus but left my tomatoes alone. Hopefully they'll leave them alone again this year, too.

54. Knit/crochet fifty dishcloths (9/50)
I did two granny's favorites for my grandmothers for Mother's Day. I really like the randomness of the striping. (Excuse the less then perfect lighting.)




68. Get a 3.0 GPA. (Finished)
Spring 2009 semester I got a 3.17! Overall it's still under 3, because I've failed two classes, but it's still good!

70. Make a list of 100 things that make me happy. (32/100)
I've added 11 more things:

1. Chuck Norris facts. (They're lame, but they crack me up.)
2. belugas.
3. black pearls.
4. lolcats
5. getting snail mail.
6. photography
7. seeing AWESOME movies at the theatre
8. mythology
9. symbols/symbology
10. marine biology
11. art

90. Try 10 new restaurants. (7/10)
Mr. mochaxlight and I went to Virginia Beach and tried four new restaurants. The first, Angelo's By the Sea was in the hotel we stayed in and we had a coupon for a free shrimp cocktail. Yummy. I ordered seafood pasta and I'm positive I don't like scallops. The texture is just disgusting. I don't like clams (from the shell) either, same reason, that boogery texture. The clams were DELICIOUS though, I don't even think they needed any seasoning, you could taste the salt water. Good despite the funky texture. The next morning we went to The Jewish Mother and had french toast, eggs, and pancakes. It was good, but I'd prefer to go there at night and check out some of the live music. Hootie and the Blowfish played there, along with the Wallflowers and tons of local bands and singers. That night we tried a seafood buffet, the King of the Sea, but the buffet didn't have a lot for $25. Mr. mochaxlight got lasagna and I got shrimp scampi. (For some reason, at all the restaurants down there they have shrimp scampi with rice instead of pasta. Weird. But I was able to substitute pasta.) I got an ENORMOUS platter of scampi. Seriously, it was enough for like 5 people. The shrimp was good but a little too garliky, and there was this odd oily flavor. It wasn't that good. And I felt bad for wasting it, but I had no idea they were going to give me a giant's portion. Then, Friday morning, we went to the Maple Tree Pancake House, hands down the best out of all four. I had french toast and they loaded on the cinnamon and it was so so yummy. Mr. mochaxlight had a begian waffle with blueberries and whipped cream. This place was SO delicious, I'm definitely definitely going back there next time we're down there.

So far, I've completed 9 out of 101 items on my list. Go me!

#12, #19/#34, #21

Just a quick update about what's going on. It's crazy I haven't even gotten halfway through this and I already have plans for the next 101/1001 list. :P

12. Join a yoga class.
This didn't work out. The first class it was pouring rain and my mom and I really didn't feel like going. (I know, it's the reason to take the class, to make us feel better, but alas.) Then the next class was cancelled because it was Good Friday. The third class I couldn't attend because I had a migraine and my mom didn't want to go without me. :\ Hopefully we'll get our money back. I still want to take a class not only because it's on my list but I want to have the basics down before I jump into doing it on my own. Maybe over the summer it'll be better, and we can take it at the dance studio right down the street.

19. Let 5 different people read a poem I've written. // #34. Start a DevaiantART for my poetry
I let my mom read "The Death of Lolita," inspired by Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, which we just finished reading. You can read it here on my DeviantART which I started for my poetry, but it's also inspired more photography.

#21. Finish my fairy tale.
I added to this "OR finish the future story with Allyn." Ideally, I would like to finish both, but I've been reading and watching a lot of sci-fi and things on the future (like the History Channel's Life After People which has given me more ideas for the future story with Allyn. (I don't have a title yet, so that's what it'll be called until I get one. EDIT @ 9.10: I found the story and the WIP title is "BlackBurn." Not the greatest, I know, but that's what it'll go by until I get a formal title figured out.)

I keep on thinking I have to finish these things before the end of the year but I have until 2011! I can go through and finish these as leisurely as I please.

#32, 38, 62, 70, 90

No, blog, I haven't forgotten you. I've been busy! Let's see what's been going on recently:

32. Watch the first 25 of AFI’s Top 100 Movies of all time. (1/25)
A week or so ago my mom and I watched Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), #13 on AFI's list. It was really good. Obi Wan Kenobi was in it; he was so young! I also didn't know where that whistling tune came from, it's the POWs' working tune. Unfortunately, it's been stuck in my head for the past few days and I can't seem to get it out.

38. Deplete my yarn and fabric stash.
I am going to attempt to complete 50 projects in 2009. My mom was like "bah, you can't do it!" but I'm already at 20. And this scrapghan I'm working on is depleting my stash quickly. Unfortunately, I've been pushed back because I saw an amazing sweater on the March/April of Crochet Today! that I just had to make and went out and bought three skeins of Caron's Simply Soft. BUT I'm going to crochet it up right away so it won't linger in my room and collect dust. I have SO MUCH YARN for SO MANY PROJECTS. It boggles the mind sometime. For more information on the scrapghan (my main source of stash depletion), head over to my main blog, mochaxlight.blogspot.com. :D

62. Spend more time exploring DC.
I haven't really been exploring per se, but I've definitely been there more in the past two weeks that I was there all last year. I went to the Zoo, saw a kora player at the Natural History Museum (which I still need to see its new Ocean Hall), a jazz performance at the Kennedy Center and art by Anselm Kiefer for a paper due tomorrow. A lot of these are for school. I have one more music report due that's going to get done this Sunday at the Kennedy Center. Apparently there's some Japanese band playing. He kicks off the Cherry Blossom Festival.(I'm in a world music class, and only one of our reports can be on "Western" music. The jazz ensemble completes that.) I'm planning on going to the Kite Festival Saturday, I just hope it won't be too cold. And I need to view some more art for my African and German art history classes. I can't wait until it gets warm enough to scoot around Eastern Market comfortably. I'd rather not bundle up. Plus, they'll be selling peaches. Yummy.

70. Make a list of 100 things that make me happy. (21/100)
I've added six new things to my happy list: my iPhone, giving people nicknames and naming inanimate objects (like, my iPhone is named Iffie), when my cats come sit on my lap when I'm reading or knitting (they always come purring like crazy), juice boxes, Flight of the Conchords and (I can't believe this isn't #1) HIPPOS!

90. Try 10 new restaurants. (4/10)
My mom and aunt and I were going to Costco and to visit my Grandma and decided to grab breakfast first. We ate at the Springfield Restaurant and Pizzaria. It had a small town feel and reminded me of the Burnt Hills Diner in upstate NY by my grandparent's house. I ordered french toast and they put gobs of cinnamon on it. Cinnamon + syrup = fattening deliciousness. It was awesome. I should go there again and try some of their pizza.

#12, #26, #34, #74, #90

#12. Join a yoga class.
My mom and I signed up to take Hatha yoga starting in April. I'm really excited. And of course, because I'm a crafter I have to make us yoga mat bags. ;) It won't be marked complete until we attend a class.

#26. Make a dish using ingredients I wouldn't normally buy.
For Valentine's Day, I made the boyfriend Peruvian Fish Soup. It was incredibly delicious. Spicy because of the cumin and jalapeno, but delicious. I used bacalao (cod) and scallops, both of which I've never used before. The consistency of the scallops started to get to me after a while (that mucous-y feeling going down my throat just isn't right but it was delicious nonetheless.



#34. Start a DeviantArt for my poetry.
I have a DeviantArt for my poetry: http://twopetals.deviantart.com/. There's nothing there yet, because I haven't gotten around to writing anything new or typing anything up. I'm also going to put pictures in there (mostly macro shots of flowers; they're my favorite thing to photograph) and any original crafty things, like amigurumi that I didn't follow a pattern for. Keep yer eyes peeled for updates!

#74. Visit the countries/places where my ancestors are from. (Germany again.)
I think I'm going to Berlin for two weeks at the beginning of June! I'm really looking forward to it. It's going to be with Mason, the art history and history department is conducting a trip chock full of museum visits. It looks really interesting, and I'm seriously considering it. I've been to Munich, and I loved it. I really hope I get to go! Except it's not all going to be a walk in the park, there'll be homework. Like a 10 - 20 page paper due at the end! . (!!) But I do get 6 credits, and it's totally worth it. I'm a little concerned about the workload (stuff every day, plus a Saturday class!) but hey, when am I going to get to go to Berlin again, AND explore museums. Plus I need to get more involved in school.

#90. Try 10 new restaurants. (3/10)
The other day Boyfriend bought over some sushi from Matsui Sushi. (New restaurant!) He had California rolls and some other kind that was spicy and had shrimp. I didn't try the second spicy ones (I'm not a fan of spice), but the California rolls were pretty tasty. I don't know if I'm a big sushi fan, but it was pretty yummy and nice to try.

#38, #53, #54, #70, #76

38. Deplete my yarn and fabric stash // 53. Complete all projects I have yarn for in Big White (1/43)
I'm pushing through my stash, one project by one. Today I finished my Le Slouch hat. (More details here.)



54. Knit/crochet 50 dishcloths (7/50).
I finished 3 more dishcloths. Two scrap Petals, one for me and one for my mom and a heart dishcloth for my swap partner in my VDAY Cookie Swap on Craftster.






70. Make a list of 100 things that make me happy. (15/100)
I've been working and thinking of things that make me happy. All the things on this list make me smile when I think of them.

1. office supplies
2. cupcakes
3. poems in Spanish
4. Imperial Walkers from Star Wars
5. my kitties
6. my boyfriend
7. my family
8. knitting and crocheting
9. the first snow of the season
10. yarn
11. being able to see the stars and Milky Way (there's too much light pollution in NoVA, the best place to see them all is in the Shenandoah Mountains.)
12. Bob Dylan
13. taking mini bottles of shampoo and conditioner, pens and pads of paper from hotel rooms
14. the ocean
15. when strangers call me "sweetie" (not in a creepy kind of way.)

76. Learn how to blow dry my hair straight. (Finished January 24th).
FINALLY, for the first time ever, I succeeded in blow drying my hair straight without looking like a frizz ball. I feel so accomplished. Now I don't need to rely on my mom to do it. Now I need to learn how to use the curling iron without making my hair look like stair steps.