Elegantly Random

A treat from Down Under.

This week marks the beginning of the end of this summer's Parade of Visitors, which has been absolutely epic. But tomorrow, I must begin a new job (yay!) and go back to the real world. To cap off the manic and epic visitation schedule, my knitting friend slash all-around friend Ceylan came to visit. She arrived Friday and just left for the airport a little while ago, and we enjoyed several days of gabbing, sightseeing, shopping, pedicures, eating out, and of course, making stuff. But that wasn't the only reason for her visit.

I think everyone who's been a reader of this blog for a while knows that I'm a big, huge knitting nerd. I make wearable and usable items for myself and loved ones - much of it pretty neat stuff, if I do say so myself. And I get how, to the non-crafter, knitting might seem like an oddball hobby. But I've definitely made some of my closest friends because of knitting.

I've talked often here about Ravelry, which is basically a Facebook-esque social networking and hobby-sharing site for knitters, crocheters, weavers and spinners. It's a great website where you can post your project photos and notes, get ideas from others who have made what you're making, talk to designers and artists, and chat with other makers of things. It's pretty badass.

On the forums several years ago, I made friends with a lovely young lady by the name of Elin. She's Swedish-born, Singapore-raised and a current resident of Melbourne, Australia (and she will readily inform you that Melbourne is the best part of Sweden, bar none). We started chatting online after realizing that we liked a lot of the same knitting patterns and yarns and colors, and overall shared some style similarities and personality traits. We've been chatting regularly for a few years now. (I should mention that this is also precisely how I met Ceylan, who I now share an Etsy shop with). Ceylan and Elin were the first knitting friends I made online, and they also had been chatting for a good long time and are close.

A few months ago, Elin announced that she and her fiance James would be traveling to the United States for a couple of weeks, touring San Francisco, Seattle and New York. I was so excited! Finally, a chance to meet my Australian friend! I'm sure we both felt a little bit nervous at the prospect of meeting in person, but after such a long time chatting and sending each other little packages in the mail and generally getting well-acquainted, I was pretty sure that, as with my other knitting pals, it would be a breeze in person pretty quickly. Ceylan wasn't about to miss out on meeting Elin, so she decided to come up from Dallas for a few days to spend some time hanging out. So, on Monday night, after a few days together, Ceylan and I headed to SeaTac airport to pick Elin and James up...and we were delighted to find Elin every single bit as adorable and fun as we had expected. (Oh, and James is pretty great, too!)

Elin's visit isn't over yet - she and James will fly to New York on Saturday morning - but already I feel so lucky that my far-away friend was able to come to Seattle! We've done some sight-seeing and eating and of course knitting together, but I'm also making sure to give her plenty of time with her future husband, too. It's just so surreal, that this person who lives halfway around the world is finally here in the flesh! Each new friend I make is a gift, to be sure, but it certainly feels like special treat to get to meet someone from so far away. I'm already feeling a little bit sad that when I say goodbye to Elin, I won't see her again for a very long time! 

Which leads me to that all-important question...WHY hasn't the transporter been invented yet?!?! WHY?! I want to just step onto a sparkly platform and tell Scotty to beam me wherever the heck I want to go! That way, when I'm sick of the cold, dark weather in February, I can just get beamed over to Melbourne to hang out with Elin in the middle of her summer. Not to mention visiting all my other friends and family whenever I feel like it. Jay and I could have celebrated my new job by going out to dinner...in Paris!

Elin and I knitting on the ferry to Bainbridge Island, 9/13/2011

Excuses, excuses.

This month has truly been a giant whirlwind of activity. Who knew that unemployment could be so bloody busy? Seriously, I don't think I've been this busy in years, truth be told. Ever since we moved to Seattle, we have just jumped headfirst into a frenzy of activity - I mean, we did travel to Paris and Warsaw just three weeks after arriving here, not to mention a pilgrimage to NYC last week - and this month seems to have been the craziest yet. I feel kind of guilty that I'm not writing more about it all here. But it's tough to make time for writing when you're...

Busy opening a store.

 

My girlfriend Ceylan (who lives in Dallas) and I opened our very own Etsy shop at the end of June, called Plied Together, where we primarily will be selling hand spun yarn. At some point, I'll do a much more detailed post about this - the art of spinning, what it entails - because when you tell people you spin yarn, usually a look of confusion spreads over their face. Something between "you mean like in Sleeping Beauty?" and "this chick must be a full-on grandma." But I do want to set the record straight - I knit pretty things, and about a year ago I also learned to hand spin yarn. I got kinda good at it and started taking custom orders for hand spun yarn just before moving to Seattle, and it's really sort of taken off. Who knew? This is why I like being a jack of many trades. Anyway, if you're a knitter, or you just like checking out handmade stuff, check out our store. It's pretty.

 

 

 
  Some of my handspun lovelies

And see, what you do is, you take the handspun yarn...

 

...And you turn it into a beautiful, beautiful knitted thing.

Baby sweater made with my handspun yarn 

Which leads me to another point - the knitting. Why is it people still persist in thinking of knitting as a granny sport? I assure you, it isn't. Sure, some grannies do it, and bully for them! But I know a HUGE PILE of awesome, smart, sexy and downright RAUNCHY ladies under 40 (some even under 25!) who are knitters. In fact, I would venture to say that knitting has led me to make some of the greatest friendships I've found in YEARS. And the meetups we plan are some of the most fun I have with anyone. Just next week, I will be welcoming a large group of "my knitting friends" to Seattle for a girls' weekend. It is going to be awesome-tastic. Our weekend plans include a hike, a Mariner's game (Stitch & Pitch Night!), wine touring in Woodinville, a ferry ride out to Bainbridge Island (albeit to visit the famous Churchmouse Yarns and Teas), and a big fat cookout. And yes, knitting.

 

Checking out spinning wheels in Williamsburg with Marianne

 So not only does knitting mean awesome girls, it also means awesome things. Please realize, knitting isn't terrifying garments - unless you have horrible taste. No, no - there's a whole world of high-end, high-quality yarn out there - luxury yarns, hand-dyed yarns, high-end wools from around the globe, all SORTS of stuff. Think of it this way - think how many luxe options there are in a clothing store. There are just as many and MORE options when you're going to MAKE clothes. And patterns don't have to be frumpy - they're often hip and cool! No, really, I swear! A lot of the things I make people ask me if I bought at Anthropologie. 

 

 

  

So really - knitting is cool. And so is yarn spinning. So before you tease me and give me crap about how I'm currently making ends meet by spinning yarn, at least check it out. I know how to do something that maybe .08% of the world still knows how to do. And it leads to knitting, which as we have established is awesome. So there.

Buffy revisited.

Lately, I've been spending a ton of time making yarn - which is a whole other story for another post at a later date. But yes, I spin yarn - on a spinning wheel! The antiquity! The novelty of it all! And can you believe it - people have been paying me to do it. A reasonable number of people, too. So I've been busy spinning straw into gold - or fiber into yarn, take your pick. And it's sort of awesome, aside from the lower back pain I've been fighting off.

One of the perks to this moneymaking venture is that I get to listen to NPR or music or watch movies or whatever while I work. Background noise. My favorite type of background noise? TV shows on DVD. I already re-watched Grey's Anatomy (don't you judge me) and the other day I was in the market for something new, having caught up on all the season finales for the year. And then it hit me - BUFFY! We own all seven seasons, and I have only watched them one time ever.

So...in went the Season 1 DVD. And golly gee, folks, what a fun show it is. It's campy. It's hilarious. It's witty. It's BUFFY! If you've never watched the show, you're probably rolling your eyes right about now, but hold your comments, folks. I realize the market is over-saturated with vamps these days, but Buffy is a gem. Unlike Twilight and today's vampire sagas, Buffy actually featured violent slaying of both humans and vamps, along with every other demon and monster you could think of, and with humor! Teachers who turn into praying mantises! Classmates who have demon-killing puppets! Boyfriends who turn out to be werewolves and vampires! Who actually fight, rather than just sparkling and brooding! It's good stuff.

And there's Angel, which is a pretty good reason to tune in. Mmmm...David Boreanaz...

 

But I'd have to say that my favorite thing about Buffy, and believe me, there are MANY reasons to love the show (SPIKE!), is the HELLMOUTH! For those of you who don't know, in the first few episodes of the show you learn that Sunnydale (the town Buffy calls home) is located directly on top of a HELLMOUTH that threatens to open up at any minute. And this HELLMOUTH is surrounded by tons of mystical and magical energy and paranormal activity. So basically, this simple little plot device suffices to explain every single element of the show going forward. Your local fraternity worships a lizard beast? HELLMOUTH! Your girlfriend is an Inca mummy come back from the dead? HELLMOUTH! It's Halloween and everyone is turning into their costume characters? HELL to the MOUTH, people! There's nothing you can't explain when you've got a hellmouth to work with.

It's a plot device so genius, I really wonder why more shows don't use it. Not just shows, but people, in everyday life. You know, I'm sitting here in Seattle right down the road from a giant, enormous volcano (Mt. Rainier), one in a SERIES of active volcanoes - so you might say I, too, sit atop a hellmouth of my very own! What about you? Surely you've got SOMETHING to call your own hellmouth! Something to explain all the evil in your midst!

No?

Well, then I'll just have to hope you've got a vampire boyfriend as hot as David Boreanaz. Mmmm...DavidBoreanaz....

 

"You smell pretteh..."

Pirates, sheep and atonement: an excuse.

I know it's been slow around here - and I've been making excuses for weeks. But SERIOUSLY! I have a good excuse! Several of them! And I actually have about four half-written posts saved that I just have to look something up for or come up with a witty comment or two and they'll be done and in your hot little faces! Which I realize is little consolation, but it's true! They're good posts, too! They even smell nice.

I'm rambling. I ramble when I'm nervous about losing my four readers.

Which leads me to another point, and I promise then I'll get to the excuses. I know that this blog gets a decent number of page views every day. More than you might guess. Recently, my friend Adaena wrote asking her readers to be more involved with her blog, and I'd like to ask the same of you. I've got several faithful commenters, but where are the rest of you? Lots of you leave me comments on Facebook, and that's nice and all - but I'd love for the comments on my blog to live at my blog, if at all possible, so that they can become a discussion, an interactive amusement for all to enjoy. And also so I can give you more of what you like to read! So if you're reading this, and you have thoughts, share them. On the comments section. Which should be open to all readers who want to post a comment. Thank you, and have a blessed day.

Ok, yeah, I didn't type that with a straight face. Don't have a blessed day. Have a nice day, and cap it off with a strongly mixed cocktail, mmkay?

And now, without further ado, I give you THE EXCUSES FOR WHY MY BLOG HAS BEEN BLANK!

Pirates have invaded.
It's true. For the past few weeks, I've been busy directing a children's show called Peggy the Pint-Sized Pirate at the university where I work. The cast is made up of college students - awesome college students who are smart and talented and a credit to their parents - and geared toward children. The performances are this weekend. If you're interested, send me an e-mail and I will provide you with a treasure map to the location!

Sheep have invaded.
Last weekend I attended a spinning workshop with four of my knitter-friends in the Raleigh area. You can read all about it on my side-blog, i make stuff. In case you haven't realized, over there in the left-hand column is a link to i make stuff, where I post about all my geeky, crafty hobbies. I stuck it all over there for the 99.999% of you who likely don't have much interest in knitting or jewelry making or whatever other oddball thing I get my hands on. But I'm learning to spin (as in fiber into yarn, not straw into gold - maybe later!) and I actually ordered a spinning wheel. Yes, it's true. Shush. So now, in addition to the 8-10 hours I spend in the gym every week and the 14-ish hours I spent crafting and the 5-ish hours I spend cooking, I've got to make time for ANOTHER hobby. Wowza. I forgot to include the freelance writing and graphic design! And World of Warcraft! My mage is probably pouting in a cave somewhere. I don't sleep much, friends.

I've been atoning.
Well, not exactly - but my husband has! He's Jewish, you may recall, and the past two weeks have included the biggest holidays of the year for the Jews - Rosh Hashanah (new year) and Yom Kippur (day of atonement). This means lots of hours singing Hebrew music in temple. I didn't go this year, for lots of reasons, but still. It's busy times. And FYI - say what you will about the Jews, man, but they have this shit figured OUT. You devote 24 hours of the year to atonement. That's what I'm talking about. Most people have to atone, I don't know, at least once a week, but often way more than that. But not the Jews - no sir, they condense that shit to one long-ass session of apologizing and I think it's BRILLIANT. Kudos, Jews!

I've got secrets.
This is a big one. There's a lot of stuff going on that I'm really not able to discuss yet, so it's making my posts more of a challenge. And no, I'm not pregnant. And yes, I'm "nearing thirty" (GOD I love saying that!) and I don't care. Shush. Soon enough I'll be able to open up a bit, but for now - mum's the word.

So! That's my List O' Excuses and hopefully they'll pass inspection. But as I said, I have a doozy of a list of posts coming at you in October, not to mention a ton of fun activities to share, so please stay tuned and PLEASE - leave me a friggin' comment, will ya? LOVE YOU MEAN IT!

Special changes...

I'm sorry - I know I have a whole other designated place to talk about knitting and handmade stuff, but this is just too rich.

I knit in the English style - meaning you hold the active yarn in your right hand. But many people find the continental style to be faster - you hold the yarn in your left hand instead, and it cuts down on the time it takes to complete a stitch. And you know, I'm a pretty skilled little knitter but being faster at it surely wouldn't be a bad thing.

I know that at some point I taught myself to knit continental style, but I wanted to refresh my skills. So I hopped on YouTube during my lunch break today, where there are tons of how-to videos. Just the other day, Jay and I learned how to patch a hole in drywall via YouTube.

This right here is the most outstanding how-to knitting vid I have ever seen:

I can NOT stop giggling over this video. It's nearly pornographic - they even change angles midway through! HA!

As my friend Cheryl so aptly put it, "I feel like they're getting ready to tell me about the special changes about to happen to my body."

The only thing that would make this video any better is if there were a blue screen of Antonio Banderas in the background, wearing a billowy white blouse blowing in the wind...

Calling in the troops.

I know I have a designated space for talking about handmade stuff, but bear with me, because it's rare I get such an opportunity to display the full range of my geekiness for you all to see.

Perhaps you've noticed the frequent photos of yarn on my Flickr sidebar. This may sound foreign and crazy to most of you, but there is a whole community of yarnies out there - those obsessed with yarn - spinning it, dying it, knitting it, crocheting it, weaving it, whatever. One of the biggest underground communities is dedicated to finding and obtaining gorgeous, hand-painted yarns by indie dyers - usually not sold in stores, many times only available through dyers' personal Etsy shops or websites, often by subscription (pricy!) only. We're talking about skeins of yarn that cost $25/each. To put this in perspective for you - one skein of a fingering weight (re: thin, for lace and socks and etc) will get you one pair of socks. Twenty-five dollar socks, people. It's insane. Oftentimes, if you want to make a sweater, you're going to spend a hundred dollars for three or four skeins of yarn.

So - thanks to the awesome yarn community Ravelry, I have fallen in love with a whole bunch of indie dyers and developed an addiction to really high-quality fibers in gorgeous colors. It's kind of sick. A few (in case you care) are Mama  Blue, Sundara Yarn, Sunshine Yarn, Madeline Tosh...I have a problem. I'm currently subscribed to two of Sundara's yarn clubs at more than $50/month. *sigh*

Last night, Mama Blue had an update on her Etsy shop. For days, people were talking about it on the Ravelry message boards - strategizing how they were going to get their hands on some of this gorgeous stuff. Last time she updated, there were fewer than 150 skeins of yarn available, and the entire sale was finished in less than 7 minutes. I had four in my cart, but by the time I checked out, three had gone and I only ended up with one. It's a crazed, frenzied adrenaline rush made up of tons of F5-ing, hand-waving and cursing.

When I saw how quickly this yarn was flying out of the Etsy shop, and then the aftermath of people trying to trade and swap or even buy it from each other on Ravelry, I realized this is an opportunity for me. I vowed that next time that stuff was for sale, I was going to buy as much as I could without even bothering to peruse the options - I would just grab it and then trade what I don't want, or sell it for an inflated price (I've seen these skeins go for as much as $40/each - that's $15 profit!).

SO - last night, I called in the troops (re: Jay) and we set up two computers, both logged in to Etsy. Between the two of us, we nabbed three skeins of yarn (that's nearly $100, fyi). We barely even looked at colors - we just shouted to each other what we were getting and did it. We could have gotten more but I was starting to feel bad because people were crying about not getting any on the message boards. Next time, I'm not going to be so merciful! And already, I have had five people message me on Ravelry to see if I'll trade or sell them some of what I scored. Seriously?! It's like finely-dyed crack!

I feel a teeny bit ridiculous for having forced my husband to help me score in a yarn auction. But remember what I said about embracing our inner geek? So don't you dare judge me - we all have geeky pastimes and hobbies and interests!

And after the sale was over (in less than 6 minutes), I logged back in to World of Warcraft so that my human rogue could meet back up with Spragg's paladin and resume slaying bears and wolves.

.........................

60 minutes! Is that too much to ask?!

I have a really bad habit of working through lunch. That's five extra hours I work every week - and for what? That's just stupid. It's not like I'm going to lessen my load with five hours, and there's no chance in hell that working extra would ever yield me a raise or a bonus or anything. So when you get right down to it, I'm basically wasting the 60 minutes allotted to me every day to spend some time with myself.

It's easy to sit at my desk and work through lunch since I bring my food almost every single day (the only way to be healthy and save cash). But I've been telling myself for a while now, "Sarah, you really need to take a lunch break. Every single day. Do it. Get away from the computer and have some quiet time. Read a book, take a nap, whatever." And then, along came the perfect thing to jumpstart my forced lunchbreaks - Jay's Mystery Gift.

I'm making something really, really neat for Jay for Christmakkah - which I clearly cannot reveal here but I can't wait to unveil. Trust me when I say it's cool. And time consuming - if I really want him to be surprised, I need to work on it when he's on business trips or - bingo! during my lunch break. So today, I brought the project with me to work (I started it yesterday while he was out for a few hours) along with several skeins of yarn and at noon, I sat down with my sandwich, some grapes and my knitting for a nice leisurely lunch break. Right...

I didn't even start my break till 12:20 because I was busily trying to find something for the intern to do. Then, when I finally got started knitting, my boss came in at 12:30 and asked for my help with something - 7 minutes. Then my coworker needed help with something else - 6 more minutes gone. By this time, it was 12:43. I spent the next 13 minutes working on my knitting, and then the phone rang. At 12:56. My lunch break was thus concluded, as I didn't get off the phone until 1:05 and at that point I had three people needing to talk to me.

I can't help it - I'm pissed off. Irrationally pissed! I cannot believe that out of a 60 minutes break, I was only able to enjoy 23 minutes to myself. And you know why I was so rudely interrupted? Because I didn't go OUT to lunch. That is so unfair! I shouldn't have to leave my office to take my break if I don't want to, but I can't close my door since the intern sits in my office. I guess tomorrow I could try sitting in the conference room, but I just know the same thing is going to happen again. I'm so angry! I hate to use the big e-word, but I'd say I am entitled to my 60 minutes, regardless of whether I take them in my office or at Applebees!

First scarf of the season

Here it is - the completed Lace Ribbon Scarf, which I'm really, really pleased with.

4 skeins Sublime Soya Cotton in Indigo, size 6 needles
(and yes, that's actually my scarf pictured there!)

Onwards and upwards...I've about got my fall projects lined up. Here's a sneak preview of what's coming...

The Wrapigan, 3 skeins Joseph Galler Peruvian Tweed
(this will be my big, ongoing fall project)


Spring Forward in Art Yarns Ultramerino 4
(a pinkish/mauve hue)


Liesel, in either a gold or orange-ish fall color, Malabrigo yarn

Foliage, in the same yarn as the scarf above

Perfect Baby Booties, in several shades for several newbies
(I'm throwing in the towel on time-consuming baby projects for now, seeing as how the little rugrats just keep coming)

I'll keep you posted! Oh, yes, and I have to finish my Razor Cami (getting close, this photo is a little behind where I actually am in the pattern):

Ravelympics update

The Olympics have come to a close - and so have the Ravelympics, which were a lot of fun. I'm pretty pleased with myself, as I finished several of my projects and made progress on the others.

First, I had promised myself I would finish my portion of a baby gift for my friend Nicole which I'm making with my sister - and I did. Maggie got the short end of the stick on this project, as it's primarily she who has made the gift, so when we present it, we'll give credit where credit is due and make sure to inform Nicole that I'm only responsible for about 30% of this gift. I can't wait to share a photo with you, but it's not totally finished yet.

Second, I finished my Lace Ribbon Scarf. It's still blocking right now, but when it's totally dry, I will get some pictures up. It's gorgeous!

Third - I completed my first sock, and it looks grand! I'm so pleased with it. I'm about 25% through with its mate, but I'll go ahead and share photos of the sock. My goal was to learn to make a sock during the Olympics, and I succeeded. This is a very simple pattern, and from here on out I'll use nicer yarns and more interesting patterns, most likely, but the point was to get through it and I did. And it's quite cozy.

As for my camisole, it's not done. But I did do some work on it. The baby gift and scarf sucked up most of my time. I'll finish it soon, and then there will be pictures. Keep your pants on.

Friday randomness.

TGI-freakin'-F, people! I am so tired! I have been nearly killing myself staying up late every night to watch the Olympics (and for what, really? Michael Phelps wins everything, it's suuch a yawner! I jest, I jest). Monday & Tuesday I'll thankfully be out of the office - I'm using my last two vacation days, and Dog and I are hitting the road. We're going to Georgia to see my auntie in St. Simons Island - BEACH! Thank you, beach!

Now that we're a week into the Olympics, a few thoughts:

• Do you think the Chinese have a firing squad waiting outside each event to dispose of the useless team members who can't seem to win medals? Or do those people just eliminate themselves after failing their team and country?
• Eastern European men = terrifying.
• Beach volleyball seems to serve no purpose aside from nudity - and I don't really have a problem with that, per se...
• The coolest sports are still the original Olympic events - more on this in another blog...
• Does it really matter if the Chinese gymnasts are 12? Or 9? Or 5? Because it could be worse - they could be making a penny a day in a sweatshop somewhere. At least this way they have makeup.

Okay, I might be going to hell for that statement.

To update any of you who care - The Ravelympics are going well! I knitted all last weekend, it was awesome. No, really, it was. And I'm about 20% done with my scarf (I don't know if I'm gonna be able to finish that one by the end of the Olympics, but I'm trying), halfway through my camisole, and almost done with my first sock. I love socks! I have also purchased an incredible amount of yarn this week, because I realized that I need to start working on Christmas gifts. Seriously. Art takes time, people. And I have more babies to make things for...*sigh*

For your Friday pleasure, please enjoy the following awesome blog. It will make you giggle. It's about cakes. Trust me. And then you can check out Fail Blog - if you haven't already, then FAIL!