Wednesday, August 30, 2006

A Beach Weekend With The Girls!



Last weekend I went to Cape May in New Jersey with two of my bestest friends, Kaylia and Deb. We had a wonderful, relaxing long weekend together. There are more pics here.

We had one fab beach day, one slightly cloudy day (ideal for shopping, meandering and observing the ocean with out fear of extreme sunburn) and generally pleasant weather. We lucked out and avoided major rain that hit everywhere around us. It would have been nice to have a bit more sun, but the company was what was made the vacation.

We stayed in a charming B&B barely a block from the beach. This seems to be the norm for where we were. So much so that the three of joked we should buy one that was up for sale and take up permanant residence. If it weren't for the impossible price tag we just might have thought about it more seriously. Of course the men in our lives might have something else in mind!

We did decide that this should be an annual affair...perhaps extended into a week of fun with a short time allotted for outsiders to visit (previously mentioned significant others and perhaps nieces and nephews). This was a fantastically relaxing weekend filled with lots of girl talk, celeb gossip mags, yummy dinners and a true sense of "getting away from it all." Even Calgon couldn't have done a better job.

Arriving back in NYC definitely caused the care-free feeling to quickly dissipate and made me realize that I do look forward to living out side of this place I call home. Don't get me wrong...I love the city but there are certain aspects I could do with out. And I do look forward to having a house and a lawn and a garden sometime soon. It is like a weird limbo...I want to be here and enjoy NYC's many wonders, but at the same time I am itching to start something new.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Oh yeah! Another finished project!


Since I was finally able to send my felted purse to my swap partner I can post it! I blended a few designs from Pursenality Plus by Eva Wiechmann to get the right shape and handles. The main yarn I used was Knit Pick's Wool of the Andes in Chocolate and the pink details were knit from the leftover yarn I used for my ribbed scarf.

I used a magnetic snap to keep it closed. It is pretty cute and I hope my partner loves it. I must admit it was hard to send it off! I also really liked the way the yarn felted or fulled to be more techinically correct. The color stayed true to the pre-felting color and it was a nice wool to knit up.

On another note I think I may have another soon-to-be finished project! Yesterday I mentioned that I am waiting for buttons to finish my cropped cardi from Knit1. This past week I won two auctions on Ebay for potential button candidates. The first arrived yesterday...


They are a nice pinkish Lavender which looks nice against the Rose Heather yarn. These are also big...2 inches across. Did I mention I got 50 of them?!? I need three so I have a few (47) to spare.

My other win was this lot...



The mother of pearl buttons are 1 1/2 inches across and look nice. I also got a couple of slides. One of which will probably grace the shoulder of my Tempting II if all works out as planned.

I have to wait the second lot to arrive before I make a decision and even then it might involve input from outside sources.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Yarn Habit...

Ok...I'll admit it. I am a yarn/knitting addict. I can't stop thinking about it! I officially have a stash and it is growing...probably too quickly. I am also developing a taste for the nicer yarns!

I started out with Lion Brand Wool-Ease. A nice yarn to be sure, but I have quickly moved on to Rowan Calmer, Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora and others. Granted many came from the sale bin at my new fav place to spend Friday afternoons...The Point. What could be better than a great cup of coffee, great yarn, wonderful knitters and me knitting!

In addition to the projects listed below I have a few other yarns in the stash. I have to figure out what to do with them but on to the good stuff! (Of course the pics are barely doing the colors justice but you get the idea)

So here is my list of WIPs:

1. Cropped Cardi from Knit1 (only waiting for the buttons to arrive so I can finish the button band)- Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Rose Heather























2. Tempting II from Knitty- Rowan Calmer in Blush


























Soon-to-be WIPs:

1. Sizzle from Knit and Tonic- Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora in color #18 (a lavender purple)




























2. Green Gables from Zephyrstyle- Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Columbine Blossom

























3. Tzarina Wrap from Wrap Style- Adrienne Vittadini Nadia in Copper (#807)

Green with envy!



I have my first wearable sweater...at last!!!

I knit the Shapely Tank from White Lies Designs using Knit Picks Shine in Grass. When the yarn arrived I could not believe how green it was. This is definitely the brightest thing in my wardrobe butapparently this is a good color for me. I got lots of compliments when I wore it last Friday. (Yes it has been done for almost a week...I just couldn't blog it until now.)

Apart from making the sleeve opening a tad small (should have knit another 1/2" or so) I think it looks pretty good. You can see the close fitting sleeve here...



This is a good pic of the over all fit...



And this is the closest I could get to the actual color (and it is a nice view of the side detail)...

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Ack!

That about sums up how I am feeling lately. Partially because of the heat (getting better) but also because my summer is almost over and not one thing has gone as planned.

I thought I would have a leisurely summer to work a few hours a week in the office, work on some projects and frequent the beach regularly. Ha! That plan fell apart when the newly hired secretary walked out one Friday in June never to be heard from. As the assistant I was asked to step up and fill her place until a replacement was found. This should have taken a weeks, but when I left on my pre-determined last day of employment on July 31st there was still no new secretary.

Needless to say very few fun projects have been completed...a few but not many. I did finish my "Fill-A-Purse" swap on Craftster. My swap partner should receive her package soon! I will post pics as soon as I know she has it!!!

The other major plan that completely back fired was my intention of going camping with my parents, my sister and her family and other friends that I used to camp with every summer growing up. This is the saddest part...I am not going because my husband's grandmother passed away. She had been ill so her passing was not shocking, but still sad. The funeral is in the middle of the camping week so it will be impossible to meet up with my family. I am where I need to be but I do lament not being able to be communing with nature.

On a more positive note...my studio class's art work has been transferred to Pearl Street Gallery in Brooklyn! The gallery site has not yet been updated, but I can say I have my first real show in NYC!!! I used a different selection and arrangement of pieces which seemed a little less contrived than the school show.

Now that I am done working I am hoping to get a little fun & productive time in before student teaching. We shall see!