Camel Motif

I have a friend who is really into bactrian camels and wants a hat featuring such animals. I worked up this motif pattern and you are welcome to it. I really like the way the stitches mimic the hairiness of the camels.

As you can see, Rocky helped and looked sad. He always looks like that.

coin purse

I needed to take a break from the new york times bags to make something a little more my style. I started this little thing while babysitting last night and finished it up this afternoon. I think I'll sew a zipper in and use it to hold all of those little cards that have accumulated in my wallet.

I think that I was a little inspired by one of the blogs I've been reading lately, especially on the back.

I want to be the Marc Bolan of knitting

A lofty goal to be sure.
Over the past few months my obsessions have progressed in the following order:
The movie Velvet Goldmine: The soundtrack for Velvet Goldmine: The Song 2HB from said soundtrack: Looking into real glam rock bands: T-Rex (fronted by Mr. Bolan)

Wow, T-rex was amazing. I'm an American from the south so my education in classic rock was somehow completely devoid of this band, but now I've discovered them and I'm really glad. You should certainly do a you-tube search for the band to find some music videos.

How does this relate to knitting? I don't really know, but I think it has something to do with art. Knitting may not be a high form of art, but to avoid the dilettantism that I am so prone to I decided a couple of years ago that I was only going to express my creative drive through yarn-based activities. Its cleaner and more mobile than other such forms of self-expression. Although I certainly do manage to make a mess. I was never particularly good at any one of the hobbies I had taken up so I thought some focus may be just the ticket. I promised myself that if I wanted to make something that I would have to figure out how to make it with knitting needles or crochet hooks and other such fiber art paraphernalia.

I want to knit in a joyful individual kind of way that will make all of the frustrations of the craft totally worth it. That's the feeling I get from watching Marc Bolan perform...he looks like he's having a blast while being innovative and artistic. None of that Billy Corgan tortured soul stuff (ask me about the time I met Mr. Corgan). Sharing yourself through your desired medium can be joyful without being fluff, and that is what I strive to.

Is this whole thing a bit to grandiose? I'm just a girl who likes to knit funny little flowery shapes and try to make something useful out of them. But I think even if you're making piggy banks out of laundry detergent bottles (like that episode of Malcolm in the middle where the mom loses it) having such a motivation would still be valid.

Anyway...would anyone wear a scarf shaped like a lizard?

Plarn!

hello, I am sorry for the long long absence.

I finished my thesis about 2 hours ago.

Wow.

Now I can knit again.

This is the only thing I've created since my last post (except for 15,000 words about plant disease resistance {Viva la RESISTANCE!})

I'm taking a current events course this semester, and all of the students are required to subscribe to the New York Times. The times, you see, is delivered to your doorstep in these lovely blue plastic bags. Now, back in my DIY junkie days I had seen patterns for making things out of plastic bags and as soon as I saw these things I knew I'd be saving them.

But

then

My pack rattiness went to the next level. In a fit of insanity I e-mailed my professor and asked her if I could ask the WHOLE class (and its a big 'un) to bring me thier New York Times bags.

And they did....

And I have a large amount of bags in our apartment.

And I have finished a single solitary bag because I've had a cumulitive 3 hours to make creative messes since February.

But it looks like my summer work schedule is going to have lots of bus riding so I'll have lots of time to make more plarn bags. They'll be posted to my etsy as I finish them!

Yarn Dyeing!!!

I'm not sure if I'm tearing up from the watching the inauguration or from the fumes of dyeing.

I've decided to celebrate my last day with no classes and the new president by dying up some yarn. This is how it came out.

And this is what my hand looks like.

Yep, that's my Christmas Tree in the background...I like to keep it up until Easter.

We won't even get into what the kitchen looks like. I'll be spending the rest of the day trying to make it look like nothing even happened before my boyfriend gets home. Maybe I can convince him that our cabinets have always had a green tint to them.

One chihuahua is cute, two is an infestation

Although it is the cutest infestation ever! We're dogsitting and my life is very chihuahuaful at the moment. That's all...I really should get back to working on my thesis.

Mwah!

iGoogle How to of the Day, or How Does Google Know So Much About Me?

I don't know if everyone who signs in to igoogle has this, but on my page there is a section called "How to of the Day". How can a person like me resist seeing what is up there everyday? I mean, I obsessively watched DIY network to the neglect of my school work, apartment, and personal hygiene until all of my favorite shows got cancelled. Needless to say, I usually end up reading whatever article is up there. I am a little concerned though, and I am fully aware that expressing this concern will make me sound like a conspiracy theorizing narcissist.



I feel like google is trying to tell me something.



It was all fine and great back when the topics coming up were things like "How to take better pictures" ( http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Better-Photographs) or "How to make a yarn octopus", (http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Yarn-Octopus). You know these are things that I genuinely want to know how to do.

But

Lately, the How tos of the day have been getting a little personal. "How to Lose Belly Fat" (http://www.wikihow.com/Lose-Belly-Fat), "How to Stop Being so Needy" (,http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Being-Needy) "How to Stop Procrastinating"(http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Procrastinating). Then, the worst one so far "6 Ways to be More Feminine." (http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Feminine) OK, igoogle I get it...hints taken.

jeez.