Resolutions for the New Year

I really should make some resolutions because, although this year has been pretty good and I'm not all that disappointed in my lazy arse ;-), there are improvements to be made.

1. CRAFT MORE. Like, srsly, I should really spend far less time on LJ/craftster/Ravelry/Neopets/etc and more time actually doing something.
2. I want to post here at least twice a week. I'll need to keep up on #1 so I have stuff to post! I love it when goals work together.
3. Keep my yarn buying down. I did well last year with my no-yarn-for-a-year thing. I only bought enough for two projects (one of which is about 1/2 done) and only a couple skiens of sock yarn. Oh, and stuff for projects for other people, but that doesn't count. I have plans for a particular yarn acquisition shortly after the beginning of the year to reward myself, but after that I think I shall follow these rules:
*Before I buy any new yarn, I need to finish a project with yarn that is at least a year old
*STOP BUYING SOCK YARN at least until I finish a couple pairs of socks.
*Finish one of the complicated projects before any major yarn acquisitions (that is, before I go out and buy enough for a sweater/stole/something else large).

I think I can do this. Not quite as restrictive as last year, but now I have rewards for meeting some of my goals. Let's see if I can stick to it!

One more Christmas knit plus an extra pic of my fair isle vest

So, my mom FINALLY decided to put on the vest I made and pose for a picture with me:

(she's not usually that squinty, but apparently both pics that were taken ended up the same)

So, I guess I should give you some info on this
Pattern: Tori from Magknits
Yarn: Swish DK from Knitpicks.com 7 skiens
needles: US 4
Notes: knit in the round, and used only one type of yarn. Cast on for the ribbing first and just continued up for the body. Didn't see any point in picking up for the ribbing at the bottom as I was knitting it all in one yarn. Other than that, I followed the pattern pretty closely.

My aunt Sandy finally emailed my dad and my dad finally emailed me the pics from Thanksgiving and here's a much better picture of me in my vest:


If anyone asks, that's sparkling cider in that wine glass, mmk? Not quite 21 yet (a week and a half!!)

I need to snap some pics of the yarn my dad got me for xmas. It's gorgeous and squishy. Oh, and I need to block the scarf for my aunt Sally. I need to get off my bum and do some work!

I have been knitting, I promise

It's just all been Christmas-related for my family, who tend to be a bit camera-shy. I did manage to get a couple shots of my bro wearing his new fingerless gloves:



(eating Jelly Bellys, yay for way too much sugary stuff)

yarn: Knitpicks essential in ash and pine, leftovers from his socks
pattern: Kat's Paws by ScarlettKnits, though not exactly. Modded as it pleased me.
needles: US 1 DPNs

I also finished the vest for my mom in time (two days before Christmas! I did it!) but she hasn't put it on long enough for me to take a picture. I'll make her put it on soon, though.

Seeing as Christmas just passed I should mention all the awesome things I got. Handspun yarn from my aunt in blue and green (I WILL take pictures and post here, but maybe later) and some Opal sock yarn, which is already on the needles to possibly become knee-highs, though I'm not 100% sure I have enough yarn. We shall see. I also got a HUGE spice rack that I'm incredibly excited for. Also, a new paring knife and a sharpener, so I can now sharpen my favorite chopping knife. I also got a ton of food in the form of a giant bag of rice and a box of granola bits. Yum. I'm supposed to get one more gift from my cousin Jessica, but apparently it was forgotten and still at her house. I'm not incredibly concerned, but everyone else thought it was a tragedy. At least I have some fodder to make fun of her for a while?

I also just finished a scarf for my aunt but it requires some intense blockage. I may get it to her today so she can block it, and the only pictures I will have will be pre-blockage, if not it will be taken to my apartment and blocked and multiple pictures will be taken and posted all up in here. I have a feeling she'd rather have me block it, seeing as she paid me a bunch for it and it's already late another week won't hurt.

In the next couple days I'll be posting my new years resolutions. I've been working them out in my head, figuring out what I really need to be doing this year. I'm sure it will be fascinating.

Productive weekend

I baked pumpkin cookies:

This pile got bigger, then got smaller pretty rapidly. These are quite yummy!

I used a recipe on Vegweb, Who Knew It Was Vegan Pumpkin Cookies. I'm not a vegan nor do I think I will ever be, but my roommate is and I wanted to try out a vegan recipe. I know I can bake normally, do my skills stand up to the Vegan test? Well, if these cookies are any indication, I would say so.

I also finished a cardigan yesterday. The one I started last week, with a deadline of today to send out tomorrow. I am insane, yes, but I have mad skillz, ya know, and pulled through:



obligatory taking-a-picture-of-myself boob-shot.

Did I mention last week was finals week? Yeah, uhm, multi-tasking and not sleeping are hobbies of mine.

The specs
Pattern: Cropped Cardigan With Leaf Ties on Knitty.com and in Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel
yarn: Dark Horse Fantasy, 50/50 Acrylic/Nylon. Colors 22/Brown and 33/Pink. Softest stuff ever. Feels like butter.
Needles: US 7's, same as pattern. My size 7 circs are horrid, I need new ones.
Mods: Knitted the sleeves in the round, not quite sure why Glampyre always writes her patterns for knitted flat sleeves. Other than that, nothing really.

I'm a bad swap partner

So I received my package from my Ravelry Scarf Swap partner AGES ago, and I took pictures right away but I didn't post them! Shame on me! My partner was Bowcolors, and she spoiled me ROTTON. I should show off all the lovely things I received:


Everything together


First of THREE scarves she sent me. Three! This one is soooo squishy I LURVES it.


The second scarf, zig-zag crochet. Very pretty colors. So fun!


Third scarf. Very classy and sophisticated!

The boxes they came in. So cute!

Extra yarn. Yay!

LOVE these notepads. So cute!

Candy (Looooooong gone! Yummy!)

pretty mug + yummy tea + fancy potholders = happy Tina. Srsly, those potholders are amazing, they have a slit in the back so you can use them to pick stuff up.

So that's everything. It seems when I don't have time to do anything is when I do everything. Next week is finals week, and I need to study like crazy. But what do I do? Post on my blog, and then start a cardigan for my cousin that needs to be finished in, oh, like a week. I also went and took pics of some of my WIPs. That list has changed since the last time I posted it here. Perhaps a new one is in order? Progress report? Tomorrow, perhaps. Sleep tonight.