Writing Day!

Hello lovely Readers!

Today is a writing day.  What is a writing day, you may ask? Once every other week, a friend of mine and I meet for coffee and writing time. Normally it's on Fridays but today it's on a Sunday because of scheduling conflicts.

Normally I use this time to write fanfiction, but I've rather burned myself out on my fics for some reason.  I haven't updated them in a long time and I just haven't been in the space for it.  So I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to write.  Maybe poetry?  Maybe fiction?  I don't know.  I do have some ideas for stories, one of which is based on this game I play with my sister - Guild Wars.  I have several characters but my favorite is a Nord named Dagny Ravenborne.  She's like a Norse character living in the mountains and hunting with her animals.

I feel like there is a story there that is just waiting to be cracked open.  Do I let it marinate or do I go for it?  That's the big question. 

I think the reason I write so much fanfiction is because it's easier to put myself out there with loved characters and scenarios that may or may not fit those characters.  Creating original content is scary.  It means putting out your own world, your own characters, your own original story.  Will it be well received or will it flounder?  Is my idea even good enough.

I'm thinking about investing in some resources for writing and art in general.  I've discovered I really love to create anything really.  I knit, I design knitting patterns sometimes, I color, sometimes I draw, sometimes I paint.  I write.  I like doing that sort of thing. 

I feel like life is full of colors and bursting with opportunity right now.  It's been a very long time since I've felt that way.  It's like spring is just showering down all these possibilities.  I want to play with color.  I want to play with words.  I think I'm probably rambling at this point.

I want to produce beauty into the world, be that with my hands or my voice.

My friend I write with, she's an editor for a publishing company and runs these events once a month with local authors and open mic time; she's encouraging me to come to open mic night next month and to read.  I think, even though it sounds scary, that I'm going to do it.  How else am I going to fly if I don't fall first?  Birds jump from the nest in order to learn to fly.  This is me jumping.

Also next month is Camp NaNoWriMo.  I think I've talked about this before, where I set a word count of 20,000 words and I'm going to write daily to achieve it.  I'm not sure if I should outline or not, but I do know I've been working on character sketches.  I've got a nice list of characters and I'm not entirely sure the underlying conflict but I have some ideas.  We'll see how this goes.  I really hope it's something I can accomplish.  It would feel good to have written a book even if it never goes anywhere; just the knowledge that I can.

And that is enough for today.  Thank you for reading, dear Readers and go create something beautiful.

~Birdie

A New Start

Hello Lovely Readers!

It's March and I've decided it's time to really push my writing muscles again. That includes getting this blog up and running again!

So while I've been gone, several things have happened: I've graduated with my English Ed degree, I've gotten a job as a tutor with a company that is really great (I teach reading, writing, math, and offer homework help), and I've been writing lots of fanfiction!  (If you feel like checking it out, just look up birdgirl90 on Archive of Our Own and you can read it! Most of it is either Metal Gear Solid - from several years ago - or Marvel, which is what I'm currently working on.) 

I also got a dog and am trying to train her to be a psychiatric service dog to help me with my anxiety and bipolar.  So far, it's slow going but I have hope. I don't fully agree with my dog trainer's tactics all the time - she's pretty hands on and a little aggressive at times - but I am hoping it's going to be okay. Worst case scenario, she stays an emotional support animal.

I'm taking on a new project this month: Camp NaNoWriMo. It starts in April - the wave I'm doing with friends - and I am very excited.  My plan is to outline and flesh out characters this month so that I'm ready to go for next month.  I've always tried to do NaNoWriMo but I always get distracted two weeks in with all the holidays and stuff.  I'm hoping this time to stick with it!  The beauty is that I get to pick my word count. I think I'm going to aim for 30,000 words.

Everything else is going pretty well in my world. Knitting projects have been started and finished, though I have several ones to still finish - including a blanket, a shawl, another shawl, and several pairs of socks, and some handwarmers.  I'm starting to really read books again, which is kind of exciting. I've also been doing a lot of coloring; mandala coloring books are my favorite, done in Sharpie.

My main goals right now are to keep being awesome at work, keep working with my dog, and to keep writing again. I want to get back to updating this blog on a weekly basis, so possibly every Friday, though I might try to do bi weekly on Sundays and Fridays.  It depends. 

Thank you for still being with me, dear Readers.  Here's to new starts!

~Birdie

Scraps of Yarn and Hearts

Sometimes...I think about the knitting I've done.  Sweaters, shawls, hats, gloves - I've made everything but blankets.

And sometimes, I think about the pieces I've given away.

Knitting is such a personal thing.  I spend hours on a project, days, weeks, sometimes a year or more.  My heart always goes into each piece too, a reflection of what I am going through.  Socks for finals and fear of failure, a sweater when I couldn't sleep and filled the void of seemingly endless nights, hats upon hats because I can't stop the mania from making my fingers shake, a scarf because I'm just happy and can't keep it to myself.  Every single piece has a story behind it - something I designed, something I mastered, something I defeated.

I've given so much away.

A white glittering hat to a girl who shared stories with me as we shivered by the train every night after class during a late fall semester.

A grey dropped stitch hat to a girl who was convinced my soul needed saving.

A pink and green shawl and a beanie to a friend who once was close but now is drifting as we both grow into who we need to be.

Purple socks, endless red scarves, and hand warmers to my best friend who left the state this year, taking them to a place where they're no longer needed because it doesn't get cold.

A hat to someone I never even met because they were important to a friend of mine, even as it crumbled months later.

Hand warmers to a woman who's secrets made me queasy but who offered my friend a home when she and her son were homeless.

Socks to my husband because he doesn't have boots and he needs his feet warm in the winter, socks he cherishes still.

There are so many more too, to family members and acquaintances.  So many things over the course of the years and years I've been playing with yarn.

All of these people shared something with me at some point, stories and intimacies and pieces of lives. I heard stories of breakups and heartaches, disease and sickness, fears of failure, unworthiness, the future.  I heard the joys of life, getting a new home, having a new start, passing something they were so afraid to do.

 I gave them all a piece of myself too.  Things are not one way, you know, and I opened up as I handed out knits.  I gave them warmth and I gave them comfort and I gave them my own secrets and stories and fears.  Souls are interesting things.  Maybe they are like horocruxes - you chip a little away each time you share with someone else.  But that makes me sad to think about.  It makes me sound as if I regret doing what I've done and giving what I have.

Sometimes it's exhausting, but I don't have any regrets about it.  The knitted items were needed at the time to keep someone warm, someone safe, someone comforted; the bits of myself were needed too, forming connections that helped me along my way.  I've grown so much through these threads we weave - I'm learning that while I want to curl into my shell again and not let anyone in, that's a miserable way to live.  Give away a bit of yourself and see what you can learn from it.

But sometimes I think about the hand knits I've given away, and inevitably the people I gave them to.

I hope they're all flourishing.

And I hope my knits are being well taken care of.

Update: Everything That Happened and What's Going On Now

Hello lovely readers!

So here is kind of an update of what's been going on with me since I last wrote a post about what's going on in my life.

Last semester I ended up opting to graduate and drop student teaching.  There were a lot of factors involved, some including me being burned out, some including other people making decisions for me that were not theirs to make.  I'm not going to lie, I was angry about it for a long time because in the end, I felt like I didn't really make the choice but rather had it forced on me.

But things have a way of working how they need to, and this was no different.

I currently work at a middle school with students with severe needs.  It's so very different from what I went to school for (English Ed) but it's been so good for me.  The first two weeks were stressful and I didn't know if I could do it.  But going into week three, I realize I know how to do my job and I actually enjoy it.  I feel better about teaching and working, and the experience I'm getting is invaluable to when I run my own classroom.

Today I received my Bachelors degree in the mail.  It feels so surreal and amazing.  I plan to walk in December, and there will be celebrating and all sorts of good things.  I feel proud of myself for coming this far, honestly.  I now have two college degrees (an Associates and a Bachelors) and the opportunities I have are wide open.  It's an amazing feeling.  I feel like I can take on anything.

I've also made the choice to student teach next fall.  It's something I've been thinking about for a while now, but I'm ready to make that commitment now.  There are two, maybe three, ways it can go.  But to get into those, I need to back up further.

So my husband's family is all in New Mexico.  We currently live with my parents in Colorado.  His grandfather had a few strokes last year and could use some help getting around and stuff, and his mom has her hands tied.  The decision we've made is that next summer we're going to move down there and live with his grandfather, helping out while getting a huge house to run rent free.  It actually is a pretty great deal - we're allowed to do what we want with the house, I can have a garden, we're going to get a puppy, and there's room for us to expand our family in a few years.

How does this affect student teaching?

Well, there was a girl in my class last semester who was moving to Washington and they made it so she could student teach in the program out of state.  It's something the school does that I completely forgot about; I just emailed one of my mentors at the school to verify that it can happen.  So if we move to New Mexico, I can student teach through my school out of state.

Then, another plan.  My husband is finishing his degree and has two semesters left.  He has to appeal for financial aid because the government is denying him it, because he has too many credit hours total over his college career.  There are two ways this can go, and it's fairly stressful.  One, he can finish the appeal process and they'll cover him for this semester and next, and we go ahead with moving, and I student teach out of state.  Two, he has to take a semester off and work for a bit, and finishes next fall, which means that I student teach in Colorado next fall and we move during January to New Mexico.

Another plan.  We end up staying in Colorado because of the job market and I student teach then get a job here in Colorado.

Final plan, and the one I hope it doesn't come down to.  He moves to New Mexico and I stay here a semester to student teach, then move down to join him.  I pray this does not happen this way.  But if it does, we deal one day at a time.

Regardless, I'll get my license by the end of next year, and he'll hopefully be able to graduate.  I plan on getting my sub license as well, so really, my job options are endless.

Anyway, that's what's been going on.  A lot more happened over the summer (we went to Disneyland!) but that's for another post.

~Birdie

A Letter to the Dead

Sometimes, I find myself thinking about you.

We never had a good relationship.  It was bumpy and up and down, your moods and mine clashing.  We could have been good friends, I think.  If things had been different.  If we had met at different times.  If things were...just different.  You had your issues and I had mine that I didn't want to deal with.  And so we were oil and fire.

Sometimes, it makes me incredibly sad.

Sometimes, it makes me so very angry I can't stand it.

But mostly now I feel numb.

It's been over two years and you've still left a mark on all of us.  I could talk to you about how much my sister has blossomed and grown and still struggles, how my parents don't talk about it unless we bring it up now, how my husband has made promises to me in the middle of my breakdowns that he won't do what you did.  But that's not what this is for.

This is for me.  My words.  To you.

I thought I saw your sister at Wal-Mart yesterday.  I was getting my nails done and she was getting those white tips she was so fond of.  But when she turned her face, it wasn't her.  The damage was already done though.  It's amazing how something so small can still trigger a wave of intense emotion.  I couldn't stop thinking about you, about your family, about what happened, all running in the back of my mind.

They've told me I have PTSD from you and what you did and how you left.

Did you know I had flashbacks last month?  It all came rushing back - the screaming, the crying, the sirens, the numbness and shock and how dazed and confused I was.  When I woke up in the morning, I was afraid to get out of bed.  I was afraid something would happen to my husband if I did, that he somehow wouldn't be breathing when I came back later, that something would happen to me if I left the security of the blankets and faced the world.  It took me an hour to finally move.

This morning was the same.  I woke up praying my husband would be safe and protected and that nothing bad would happen, paralyzed by the fear that he would somehow be taken from me.  Later this afternoon I broke down and cried, sobbing my worries and once again hearing the words I needed that he wouldn't willingly leave this world.

Sometimes...sometimes I think I almost understand why you left like you did, you know?

Sometimes my emotions run so hard and heavy that I can't see straight.  I lash out or poke at the people I care about the most because I can't think right, I say things wrong, I worry on one thought for hours, days, weeks, I itch, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe...the sorrow hits and I cry for what feels like days, for no visible or obvious reasons.  My meds are working now though.  They have been for a while.  I still have those moments where I lash out or poke or cry, but they're more manageable now.

You never had that luxury, did you.  Finding the magical combination.  I remember we once picked you up from an electric shock treatment you had at the hospital to see if they could help your mind.  God, I can't even imagine.  My old therapist once told me that when someone is physically sick for a long time - like they struggle with cancer - and they pass, we say it with compassion.  But we don't account for the people who are mentally hurting without help who can't bear it anymore.

I used to be angry.

Now...mostly I don't think about you.  I've boxed you away for the most part, put in a corner of my mind to be dealt with later, whenever that is.  Not totally healthy, but it's what I did.  Now on Wednesday I'm going to have to dig you back up.  I don't know what I will find.  I don't know where you stand with me.  It's confusing and painful.

Every once in a while, you come back to me though.  Just in waves.  Usually with a small trigger, something inconsequential - thinking I saw your sister, someone telling me a dream about suicide, hearing something in the news or a song on the radio.  And then when you do, I don't know how to handle you.  So I cry usually.

Because it's just so goddamn sad, okay.  I'm sad.  I'm sad that you felt this was your only option, that you couldn't get better, that you hurt my sister like that, that you hurt your family, that your family acted the way they did towards you, that life and love and everything you tried ran through your fingers like sand.

 I know how it feels to try to catch all the grains.  I know how it hurts when they fall.

I used to worry I would end up like you, did you know that?  When I got my diagnosis.  Sometimes even now I have those passing thoughts - will I end up like him?  Our disorder...it never gets better.  I think you probably knew that more than anyone.  It changes our brains until we die, progressing; at least, that's my understanding.  I have to remind myself from time to time:

I am not you.

I never was you.

And it'll be okay.

I guess this is a long letter to tell you that I was thinking about you today.  I listened to one of the songs from your funeral before I wrote this.  I cried to my husband about my fear of losing him, losing people I care about in general.  Part of me almost wants to go to your headstone, believe it or not, but I don't know what I would do there.  Last time I went was  over a year ago and I just ended up standing there awkwardly.

I wish things had been different.  I hope you're at peace.

~Birdie

Friday Friday

Hey readers.

I don't even know.

It's been a long week.

I need sleep.

~Birdie

A Word to the Wise

Hey readers.

I know I haven't published on this particular blog in a year, but a concern of mine has brought me out of hiatus to write this warning: at all costs, avoid a user named vividlygeneric.

The backstory:

Vividlygeneric seems incredibly sweet and cute on the front.  And initially, this person seems like someone you want to be friends with.  However, this isn't the case.  As soon as you no longer have anything to offer them, this particular person turns on a whim.

The first case of cyber bullying was when my sister started dating vividlygeneric's brother.  The user got online and whined to her YouTube fans about how "betrayed" she was.  Really?  She basically turned the YouTube sphere against my sister to the point where my once brilliantly creative video making sister quit making videos to avoid being harassed.

But what vividlygeneric has done now takes the fucking cake.

My sister was living with the user's brother.  They were engaged.  My family and I did not get along with the guy (he sent me threatening text messages last summer and I reacted poorly and basically it was a mess), but we recognized that he was the one my sister wanted to be with.  He ended up taking his life and my sister found him.

My sister knew he was depressed, her therapists knew he was depressed, and his therapists knew he was depressed.  My sister, knowing we were going out of town, left him a note of things to do - a list that she believed would keep him alive while we were gone and would give her some extra time with him.  She did the best she could in the situation, and frankly, situations like this have no right answers or solutions; you just have to do the best you can with what you have.

Vividlygeneric is now blaming my sister for his death in very indirect but biting ways.  This is bullying and slander, and if I really wanted to, I suspect  I could get this user blocked on YouTube.  But I don't want to do that.  I just want to warn everyone that this user is toxic and dangerous.

The text messages that this user sent my sister make the ones that I received last summer look like friendly conversation.  Vividlygeneric is dangerous, mean, and out for attention.  They claim to have survived 12 suicide attempts, which in my mind means they need some serious help which they aren't getting.  They are unpredictable.

On all media, this person is known as vividlygeneric.  I am not going to give actual names.  I am not advocating you harass this person or send mean messages to them.  They aren't worth that.

I am advising that everyone avoid them like the plague.  It's really for the best.

~Birdie

Addicting Little Knit

I am completely in love with this awesome pattern for handwarmers.  One skein of cotton yarn, one set of size 6 double points, and I am in heaven. 

 

 

I love it.  I can not seem to stop knitting them.

I like the Sugar and Cream or Peaches and Creme yarns.  The cotton is nice and the colors are awesome.  I highly recommend this pattern.

I'm off to knit more.  (What am I going to do with all of them, lol?)

~Birdie

Tough Choices

As some of you may know, I have an Etsy shop.

Or rather, I had an Etsy shop.

See, my whole dream was not to make things for other people.  It's to open a yarn shop.  A nice place with shelves of yarn and tables for crafting.  Comfy couches maybe.  Nice windows wide with light.  And an area for consignment, where people like me can sell their items.  Cause it's hard to find that anywhere. There will be classes and knit alongs and crochet alongs. 

It's been my dream for a long time.

My mom and I were talking about it today.  Etsy and farmer's markets and craft shows are all good, but they aren't what I want.  I've been fooling myself and in the process, taking away from my real dream.

So I made some tough choices today. 

They really weren't that tough, though.

I closed my Etsy shop.  I enrolled at the community college I graduated from last year.

My plan is to take business classes and maybe get a certificate.  Then hopefully in the next year or two I'll be able to get a business loan and get things cooking. 

I need this.  I need this to happen.  I need to have this purpose.

I'll keep you posted.

And don't worry.  There will be knitting still. :)

Here's to chasing dreams.

~Birdie

The Letter of the Day - S

Snow.

Socks.  (Finally finished. :D )

Scarf. (The Doctor Who has begun.)

Also, a shoutout to Trevor, who turns 22 today.  He is the most wonderful man and I am so blessed to be spending my life with him.  I love you, handsome. :)

~Birdie

Random Patch of Blue

So.

It's supposed to snow.  We're surrounded by grey clouds and the temps are starting to drop as the wind picks up.  But above us is a bright blue patch of sky.

(Also, it smells like cows outside.  But let's not worry about that.)

I don't know if I want snow or not.  I also don't know if I want to finish my blue socks or not.  Indecision much?  Oh, while I'm thinking about it (thank you random brain), I would love for you to meet the cactus Trevor and I got.  Or rather, the one that I picked out and called him about, asking if it would be cool if we had one in our room.

His response? "Yeah, that's fine as long as I'm not going to faceplant on it."

Isn't it great?? I love it.  I find myself talking to him (I think it's a him for some reason) every time I enter my room. 

I hope I don't kill him.

Okay, so that wasn't a very knitty post, but hey.  At least there was a picture.

~Birdie :)

Saturday Recap #1

Hello and welcome to our first Saturday Recap where I go through the week in terms of family, knitting, and life. :)

So, this week I had the unfortunate favor of catching a stomach bug.  For the most part it's gone.  So don't worry.

Work has been going pretty smoothly.  I'm doing Crystal Light Liquid, which is very similar to Mio water enhancer, only not as sweet.  It comes in really fun colors and makes me want to knit things in the electric blue and neon orange.

My sister started school this week.  It's strange being the one taking her to school instead of being the one taken to school.  I'm super proud of her for taking everything in her stride and making it. :)  She's the best little sister ever and I could not be happier to be her big sissy. :3

Project wise this has been a pretty good week as well.  I started a slouchie beanie.

And worked some more on my socks.  Hopefully those will be done today.

Maybe tomorrow...

I got 50 yards or so of some beautiful homespun, dyed by Kristine.

And I have a little bit left to spin and ply.

The yarn for Katie's Doctor Who Scarf came in with the exception of the Saddle Tan.

I love the names of the yarn.  Spiced Plum, anyone?

And in the next week, the love my life turns 22. 

Isn't he cute when he's sleeping??  I would knit him something, but he doesn't really wear or use a lot of knitted items.  Instead, I think I'm going to get him some movies...

Have a wonderful weekend, my readers, and enjoy life today!

~Birdie

Slouchie Beanies and Doctor Who Scarves

Hello dear readers.

The world of Birdie has been rather fun lately.  Mainly, I got a stomach bug.  Nothing too severe, but enough to throw off my game for the past two days.  Thus, this blog is lacking pictures.  My apologies guys.  Give me a few days and I'll show you what I'm working on.

I got a book of slouchie beanies to knit.  I cast on yesterday and am part way through my first one.  I'm kinda excited - these should be good items to sell at the Farmer's Markets this summer, plus they're fun and easy to knit. :)

We (meaning Katie bought it and I'm going to knit with it) got yarn today for a Doctor Who Scarf.  The yarn shop had special ordered it for us.  Everything came in except the Saddle Tan.  So we're waiting for it to come in so that I can start the scarf.

Other wise, all is well.  I finished setting the twist in that pretty homespun.  I have a little bit of fleece left, so I'm going to spin that up soon.

Hope all is well in your world.  Pictures soon.

~Birdie

A Brief, Non-Knitting Post

Today, my little sister started college.  I am so freaking proud of her.  She's turning into such a beautiful, wonderful young woman and I am so happy to be her big sister.  :)

She is one of my best friends.  I could not ask for more.

Got get em, kiddo.

I love you and I'm so proud of you.

~Birdie

(Knitting will resume tomorrow, dear readers.)

It's Nearly Done! Also, Question.

Remember that beautiful stuff from Kristine I was spinning?

I got it plyed. 

Now the twist is setting.

This picture was taken when it was hanging this morning in the shower.

My boyfriend went to take a shower and came out with the saddest expression on his face, asking why I do this to him.  Which made me laugh, cause he knows I'm a crazy Knitter.  We moved it to a towel rack to finish drying.  All should be well.

Isn't it beautiful?  I love how it's turned out so far.

Here's my question for you guys:  What should I make with it? 

I currently have 55 yards.  There's some fleece I still need to spin up, so I think at most it'll be maybe 100 yards max when it's done.  (I'll let you know when I'm done spinning the rest.)

I kinda want to make a hat, but I'm not sure if I have enough.  Thoughts?

Thank you!

~Birdie

Love of Yarn (Spin)

My friend Kristine (found here and here ) is totally awesome.  She and I have been friends for what feels like forever; maybe 7 years?  Maybe more?  Anyway, we talk about everything.  And we both knit.

Well, Kristine spins.  She makes this beautiful yarn that she dyes and spins herself.  It's always amazing.  For the past year for various occasions, she's gifted me this incredible stuff.

(This is what I made with the beautiful merino she dyed/spun for me for graduation.  The picture is a little grainy, but you can see how beautiful it is.)

So when I got a pretty gold package from her and her boyfriend when they came to visit around Christmas, I thought I was going to get some more pretty yarn. 

Wrong.

I got something (and I hate to say this) better.

That's right.  She gave me a drop spinner, some natural brown fleece, and then this beautiful stuff she custom dyed for me with some of my favorite colors.  Kristine then proceded to teach me to spin.

My stuff is still pretty uneven, but it's so much fun.  I've always loved the creation end of things when knitting, and this is just an extra bit.  Check it out:

 

 

 

 

Isn't her colorwork awesome?!  I can't get over how many colors are hidden.  I keep finding all these different shades as I spin, yellow green and dark green and mid green and blue green and deep purple and almost neon purple and everything in between. 

I only have one ball finished; the other is in the works.  When I'm done, I'm going to ply them together and set it.  Then we'll see what pretty knitting I can do. :)

~Birdie

P.S. - I looked into the pooling of my socks.  Turns out that the particular kind I'm using is known for having large twists of color.  I still love them.  And now I know for future reference.

Mitten Issues

Well, my mitten looks a bit like a bubble.  Not a good bubble either, more of a puffy bubble.   But that's alright.  I think I may have found out the issue.

I'll keep everyone posted.

(It might be a few days before the next update.  I have to work my real job this weekend.  Yay employement!)

~Birdie

When It's Cold...

..cast on a new project!

I was trying to come up with some new things last night.  My friend Kristine knits mittens and has a really cool way to formulate them.  It's incredible watching her go.  Mittens have always kind of made me nervous.  (Thumb gusset?  What?)

So last night while charting out some new colorwork, I attempted to write a formula for knitting mittens.

 

 

Which I then promptly ignored and cast on with abandon and scrap yarn.  Dangerous, I know.  But sometimes danger is good for the soul.

This is what I have as of five minutes ago:

I would like to note that this is without a pattern.  It's a little big, but that's okay.  I'm more or less experimenting.  So far, I like it.

Also, in case you were wondering, I have not forgotten about the nice blue socks I was working on.  Today I made it to the heel flap, all while in the car.

Do those stripes look a little wonky?  Cause they do to me.  I know that's the beauty of hand painted yarn, but I still can't get over how this is pooling.  Also, I know they're from the same dye lot, I know the Loopy Ewe wouldn't send two from different lots, and I double checked when they came.  But look at this:

Isn't that strange? 

I still love them though.  They're my odd little blue socks, full of soft warmth and personality.  :)

My sister Katie wants me to knit the Doctor's Scarf.  We ordered the yarn today, and it should be in by this time next week.  The Yarn Harlot did it in a week; Kate's expecting her within ten days of the yarn delivery.  I'm not sure how I feel about it.  I mean, that's a whole lot of garter stitch.  I'm excited for the challenge though.

(It does mean putting these cuties on hold though.  That's okay, I can't afford yarn at the moment anyway.)

And that is that.  Back to my mitten now. :)

~Birdie

I Finished!

Migraine and all, I finished my Heart Hat today.

 

(If I look a little zoned, it's my migraine meds.  They are goood.)

 

 

It's a really nice, warm hat.  Today is like 15 degrees, so I was wearing it around.

 

I love doing Fair Isle.  I think it's one of my favorite knitting techniques.  I don't do it like most people; I keep both strands on my right finger instead of one in each hand.  (I knit the "throw" method.  I can't remember what that's called off the top of my head.)

My only thing is weaving in the ends.  Does anyone else get paranoid about the ends unraveling, or is that just me?  I always get nervous weaving in the ends.  Mainly, I'm afraid all that effort is going to come unraveled.  Oh well.  More practice.

I think I deserve a nap now.

~Birdie

A Need for Color

Hello, dear readers.

It’s a very gray January day here in Colorado.  Really, what else would I expect?  The cold and I don’t get along very well.  Right now it’s 5 degrees and overcast.  Lovely.

(My boyfriend, Trevor, has been in New Mexico visiting family this week.  I imagine this cold is going to be quite a shock for him…)

All my knitting is incredibly colorful.  I think it’s the only way I’m going to survive.  Lots of color, lots of yarn, lots of warmth.

This is my current sock project.  Just a standard sock made with ShibuiKnits sock yarn in Sky.  I love the stuff.  It’s so soft and the colors are brilliant.  This is the second one cause the first is already done.

This stuff is so comfy.  I swear, I could knit it all day. 

The ironic part is I used to be one of those people who was intimidated by socks.  They looked so scary.  But, like most knitters, once I started, I couldn’t stop.  I almost always have a sock project in my purse anymore.  They’re great for car rides, bus rides, lectures, meetings, and just about everything else.

These lovely blue socks are replacing my old merino socks that wore out last year. 

(Koigu hand painted merino.  I don’t remember what colorway it is, but I loved it.)

(I don’t darn socks.)

These autumn socks were my first pair of actual sock yarn socks.  I had only made socks with worsted weight up until that point.  I bought the yarn a local yarn shop when it was slushy outside around Christmas of 2011.  I loved them.

And now I’m hooked.

Anyway, back to color.

The other colorful project I’m working on is a hat I designed last year.

I call it the Heart Hat.  This one I’m knitting up in Lions Brand Wool-Ease worsted weight yarn, in Deep Forest Heather, Rose Heather, and Paprika.  I love Wool-Ease cause it has wool in it, so it feels soft and warm, but it also has acrylic, so it’s machine washable.  Great stuff.

I’m reading Kaffe Fassett’s autobiography, “Dreaming in Color”, and now I think I’m going to have to take all my scrap yarn and cast on for a crazy colored cardigan.  We’ll see how that goes.

Stay warm, dear readers.  I’m going to go play with my projects now. :)

~Birdie