Black Sheep Knits.... and sews, too!

Check one off the list.

2010-03-08T09:45:00.002-06:00

Save the Dates = DONE. And I'm pleased with my work.

The back is a post card so that I can write to everyone I send one to. Not sure that I saw a comic-book-type drawing as my save the date, but I like it. It grooves with my desire to be myself with my wedding prep. Now I just need to figure out where to get them printed....

Slowly But Surely...

2010-02-16T11:16:00.003-06:00

I'm coming out of my hole. (: Just a few more random things to share. After posting my "wish list" last time, I realized that I am kinda artsy - my dad was an illustrator for a long time and owned his own advertising company, and that rubbed off quite a bit. So I decided that I should try my hand at illustrating my own save the dates and invites. Other than the trees, it turned out pretty well. Here's the first draft:

One thing no other illustrator can do is write in my own hand writing. I like it. It's quirky and me. And it is especially fitting to have my own handwriting on these babies because I am a hand-written thank you note queen. I love hand written notes. So my thought is, why would I send a hand written thank you note to someone for having me over for dinner, but have a machine or a stranger write a note to those I love inviting them to the biggest day of my adult life?? Hmmm.... Added bonus: the writing on the invite will actually match the writing on the envelope. And I don't have to pay anyone. (:

The only thing I'm stuck on is how to put an organic element into the illustration. We are not having a very "urban" wedding, except that it is in a major city. We are having as much of a garden wedding as you can have outside of actually being in a garden. The trees say "Lincoln Park!" to me, but I don't know if they read that way. I think it reads as being a bit disjointed. In any case... the treas as they look there are OUT.

Also, I made this hat ages ago (December, I think?) and it needs to be shared because it is a winner.

Pattern: Ariosa Pom-Pom Hat
Designer: Hanna Fettig
Source: HERE! Free! WOO!
Fiber: Malabrigo Worsted in Stone Blue
Needles: Size 10

I wonder why I always look so mad in these photos...

The pattern called for bulky but this worked just fine. It was much floppier and much less pinky looking before I washed it. On cold and everything! And I didn't dry it! But it shrunk and absorbed some nice pink color (the camera didn't pick it up, I guess) and the braiding looks weird now, but whatever. I wear it all the time and I don't care.

Last but not least, my latest quilting catastrophe. I wanted to make this awesome quilt from Twin Fibers. She even posted a tutorial - how nice! Turns out, even with the aid of a grid square thingy, I am totally incapable of drawing straight lines. So, my project went from easy to unbelievably time consuming. 3 inch squares. Nuff said? Here's what I could get done so far:

17 different fabrics. Love everyone of them.

I'm making the quilt for Riley's 3rd birthday, which is next weekend. She is getting a big girl bed and I think she needs a big girl quilt. I hope she falls in love with it. If she doesn't I'm going to steal it back and hoard it for a future pink-lover.

Okay, back to legal misery. Hope you all had a good V-day.

I have more to say than this.

2010-02-08T17:22:00.004-06:00

But I don't have time. In fact, this moment is precisely the wrong time to try an "come up for air" from the depths of the non-blogging underworld in which I have been living for the past... gasp... four months? Really. Wow.

In any case, I'm making my first quilt in months this weekend (Thursday marks the day that it is acceptable for me to come out of hiding for the time being) and I wanted to show off some of the incredible fabric I got from Hawthorne Threads for this very special "I'm getting a big girl bed" quilt. Yeah, it's a cell phone image.... that I took when the fabric arrived at school. So...

Wedding planning is full steam ahead. I wont talk much about it... I don't think. There are certain things that I really really want that we really really (probably) can't afford. Even though I'm D-I-Myselfing a ton - my dress and bridesmaid dresses with the help of my very elegant and talented friend Taylor; the centerpieces; my make up; my nails; my shoes (yeah, I'm going to make a pair from payless look like Louboutins, and I don't just mean make them have a red sole); the save the dates; the table numbers; the escort card box; the huppah - we are still having a hard time making our budget stretch to pay for the rehersal dinner, wedding, and honeymoon. So here are the things I would have if I could have anything (materialistic and wedding related):

1. Betsy Dunlap Calligraphy.

2. Rifle Paper Co. invitations

3. The ability to letter, paint, and illustrate as shown above.

4. To find a place to have the rehearsal dinner that we can afford and that wont burn down.

5. A wedding planner (if this was a longer list, this would be cross referenced with "sanity").

Alright, back in my hole. Hopefully I'll have something crafty to show you for next time. And hopefully that will be before June.

Baby Love

2009-10-28T21:44:00.005-05:00

So, a few months back I posted the beginning of the GLA quilt. I started out thinking that I would do a re-run quilt and make the hand embroidered quilt from Last Minute Quilted. Remember this one?

I had some great fabrics picked out from Purl Soho...

.....that I ended up not loving together.

So I decided to forgo the new fabric for the awesome pink pansy fabric that I used for the first hand-quilted baby quilt. That plan came to a screeching halt when I heard from Fiancee's friend (who is having the baby) that they aren't really into pink. So that meant no Alexander Henry bright pink pansy print.

And thank goodness... because otherwise I wouldn't have gone into my favorite city quilting store - Quiltology - and I would not have seen an urban Amish quilt hanging on the wall... and I would not have fallen in love, all over again, with Amy Butler.... and I wouldn't have made my new favorite quilt:

So I LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. this quilt. Everything about it. The colors. The rounded corners (I had never done that before... I did it using a rotary cutter and a tupperwear lid. Not suggested.). The fact that I wrote "welcome" in stitches at the bottom corner and it is possible that no one will ever see it. The fact that after all these quilts, I still can't seem to cut my corners at 90 degrees, so this quilt is much smaller than it started. I can just imagine a new little baby hanging out in the middle of this blanket. Loving life. Drooling. Looking cute next to the awesome Amy Butler prints. (:

The baby swag does not stop with a quilt, of course. I say "of course" because, as a former buyer for a swanky children's clothing store, I take pride in finding awesome baby gifts. Lookie:

The Bummas are soooo smart. I guess the hospital sends the baby home with disposable, non-chemical wipes that the parents are supposed to use for a few weeks. I guess new booties are too sensitive for normal wipes. So these are cute, eco-friendly alternatives to what the doctor sends home. I think this is an especially appropriate gift, since the father of the baby-to-be is a gastroenterologist (I guessed on that spelling...).

The onesie? It's just flipping cute. Go to www.lovesweetpeas.com to order it. My former boss will appreciate your business. Also from Sweetpeas, my favorite non-handmade part of this gift. I forgot to take a photo, so the stock photo will have to do...

Gorgeous, no? If I had a bajillion dollars, I would outfit my future children's rooms in Serena and Lily, exclusively. Beautiful products for moms and babes. They also have a really great book out about decorating your nursery. Check it. I admit, this is a lot of baby swag. Even for me. But, in my defense, the mother-to-be is Fiancee's best girl friend from his childhood. And this is her first child. And that is a big deal.

Alright. Time to sleep. I get to go see my niece this weekend and I need to build up a reserve of resting hours. For some reason, as a 16 month old, she doesn't understand the importance of her aunt getting a full 8 hours! The nerve! (: I also get to go to my sister's classroom (she teaches 2nd grade) for their Halloween party. I think I am going to dress up as my sister. I think they'd get a kick out of it. That, and I have no idea what is relevant to a 7 year old, so I think it is the only costume they will understand. Any other suggestions are more than welcome. Happy weekend!

Knitting Explosion.

2009-10-17T15:08:00.003-05:00

Something has gotten into me. I keep starting and finishing projects. Highly peculiar. Wanna see?

Pattern: Whirligig Shrug
Designer: Stephanie Japel
Source: Interweave Knits Weekend Knits, Fall 2009
Fiber: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light in Light Winter White
Amount: Barely over a skein
Size 12-18 months

This sweater took me just over 2 days of intermittent knitting. So little time for something so stinking cute. Obviously this is not for my kid, because I have none, but I would definitely slip this on over a plain onesie all the time - the sleeves are short enough that they wont get in food, because it is a shrug, the drool doesn't actually touch the sweater, and it is so easy to put on and take off. Love it. The only thing I would change about it is I would do it in a washable fiber to take all the fuss out. I have some left over Cashmerino, which is washable, and I think I'll be using it to make another for a new baby.

The pattern is very well written with no mistakes that I noticed. I really love the designers adult patterns, too. Check them out on Ravelry. The model is Jayden, who is turning 1 year old on Monday. Time. Freaking. Flies.

Pattern: Habitat
Designer: Jared Flood/Brooklyn Tweed
Source: Brooklyn Tweed
Fiber: Beverslide Dry Goods, McTaggert Tweed
Amount: Less than a skien
Size: Medium

So, this is the 4th (I think) Habitat that I have made. Every one is just a little smaller than it needs to be, as they don't cover the ears all the way. So I made this one with a chunkier weight... but then I got scarred that Fiancee would be drowning in it, so I just did the medium. Boo. It is, once again, too short. But I still love the pattern. Still love the fiber. I'm not too mad.

Pattern: Angora Baby Booties
Designer: Joelle Hoverson
Source: Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Fiber: Diamond Angorissima... or something like that.
Amount: Half a skien

I've also made these on multiple occasions for different babies. They are so fast, so easy, and so extremely cute. They took me 1 episode of Mad Men and 1 episode of The Biggest Loser.... so 3 hours. Well, off to pull my sources - 2 weeks until publication! WOOOOT!

Would ya look at that....

2009-10-03T17:16:00.004-05:00

I actually finished (FINALLY) my hoodie! I even have proof! Look:

Don't judge, but... this is the first non-accessory I've knit that I could not wait to wear. I did a load of laundry last night just so I had a shirt to wear under it today. And I hate laundry. Particularly laundry on a Friday night. This is a GREAT fall piece.

There is this phenomenon that occurs in the city that I don't think happens in places where people drive. It's called Winter Sweat. Winter sweat happens when a person is walking dreadfully fast toward their mode of public transportation during the cold months. You walk so dreadfully fast (because if you aren't in a hurry to be somewhere, why leave your house in the midst of cold weather?!) that you don't realize your body temperature starts to go up. Then, once you reach the train platform/bus stop/taxi, and you stop moving, you become keenly aware of just what a work out your walk was. The indicator is generally a bead of sweat dripping down your back in a slow, agonizing fashion. Why am I sharing this truly useful information with you? Because sleeveless sweaters help keep the Winter Sweat Keeps my warm, but not so warm that when I get to where I'm going, I'm reaching back in my memory, hoping to find an image of myself putting on deodorant. (: An overshare, sure, but I just want to make clear how much I loooooooove this sweater. On with the show.

Pattern: Heather Hoodie Vest
Source: Interweave Knits, Fall 2009
Designer: Debbie O'Neill
Fiber: Beaverslide Dry Goods McTagger Tweed
How much: Eh, a little over 4 Skeins.
Size: Small
Mods: I made this thing two inches longer.

This is the only photo of me looking taller than someone else.
Detail shot. Of the sweater. Not the ring. Can you tell fiancee took this photo?

So the pattern was super easy. I mean idiot proof. I don't know what else to say about it, because it is that awesome. I think that is all I have for now. Back to doing homework!

Slight distraction

2009-08-18T00:06:00.001-05:00

I promised a hoodie vest. But.... Something distracted me...

We got engaged this weekend! I go back to law school Monday, so I am trying to get as much in place as I possibly can in the next few days. Forgive me?

Riddle You This

2009-08-15T09:23:00.005-05:00

Question: What is the most logical thing for one to do when one has only a single seam left to finish on the Heather Hoodie vest?

Answer: Make two quilts.

(I would also accept "finish one quilt that one has been staring at for a year and begin a new one.")

Ahhhh yes. The life of a procrastinating finish-a-phobe. Do you remember when I laid out the fabric for my zig zag quilt last summer? Remember? In July? Of 2008? Well, a year later, and two zig zags fewer, here is the outcome:

The Marsha Quilt

Design: FREE from Purl Patchwork
Fabrics: Mostly Amy Butler, some Joel Dewberry, one Jennifer Paganelli
Bought at: Quiltology in Chicago
For: Follow me here, Boyfriend's Cousin's Sister-in-Law's New Baby

Other than totally sucking at picking out colors for this quilt originally, I really liked making this quilt! It was very interesting learning how to do the triangles, and then the zig zags from the triangles. Oh, more pictures? Okay, okay.

I really haven't mastered the art of taking pictures of quilts. Always a little to much texture in there. Anyone have any suggestions? There is really not much to say about this one, except that it made me want to start making a new quilt immediately upon putting it in the washing machine. I talked a while back about making another hand quilted floral quilt for our friend's baby-to-be (GLA, remember?). I threw that out the window when the mother reminded me how much she didn't like pink. Ooops. So here is what I came up with instead.

Just the top is done so far, but I'm pretty proud of myself. I did it in only one day. Personal Best time, for sure. I got the pattern from Quiltology. This is one of those "Urban Amish" quilts. The way you piece and make the blocks makes me want to go buy more fat quarters and make this baby a king size. It was so easy. And it means that from now on I don't need another Amish quilt pattern because, well, now I get it. (:

Well, I have 7 episodes left of Mad Men, Season 2 to watch before tomorrow night's Season 3 premier. As a result, I can fulfill this promise: The Heather Hoodie Vest will be DONE and up on this blog tomorrow! (:

Selfish.

2009-07-31T10:34:00.005-05:00

Something has come over me in the last week. Something ugly, unexpected, and totally not the norm. For the last week I have become a most selfish knitter. I have socks to finish for my dad's birthday, a wedding shawl that I wanted to have done by now, and the sweater I was making for my mom's holiday present that needs only about 3 inches of trim sewn on. And what do I do? I go and cast on for a new sweater for little old ME.

It all started when I decided to get a KnitScene last week.... which corresponded with the first painful knitting experience I ever had. See, between the lace shawl and the socks on size 0 needles, my hand - the part that runs from my pinkie to my wrist - has started to get crampy. So I decided that, while I couldn't stop knitting (G-d forbid I'd take a break), I could relieve the pain and still scratch my knitting itch by making something out of thicker yarn and bigger needles. And oh shucks. KnitScene answered the question of "but what?!" I actually started by casting on for this guy:

But I relized that I was making yet another project that I seriously would not wear. Ever. Even though it's adorable, it would just sit in my closet until I gave it to my sister. And I was feeling selfish. Remembering that I still have a billion skeins of Beverslide Dry Goods McTaggart Tweed, I searched the ravelry database for something I would wear. And what do you know. It was in my new Knit Scene.

Pattern: Heather Hoodie Vest
Designer: Debbie O'Neill
Source: KnitScene, Fall 2009
Fiber: Beaverslide Dry Goods McTaggart Tweed
Color: Oatmeal-ish
For: Moi.
Size: 35

It's going to look like this:

This thing is knitting up quite fast - which I love. And, I should add, quite painlessly. The amount I have done so far was completed with less than a skien of yarn. Kind of amazing. But here is the problem. Now I want to knit more for me. Here is what I have on tap for fall.

Pattern: Minimissimi Sweater Coat
Fiber: Malabrigo Worsted in Paris Night

Pattern: Old Penny Cardigan (Interweave Knits, Fall 2008)
Fiber: Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Peat Mix

I'm not showing a picture because all I can find are Flickr photos that have all rights reserved and I'm too lazy to ask permission. See? Selfish. To a fault. This is the sweater that makes me want to knit the pattern.

In unselfish news, here is an update on my dad's birthday socks. I'm trying to leave you without the bitter taste of self interest.

TGIF.

I'm blushing.

2009-07-23T12:55:00.002-05:00

Oliver + S (aka: designer of the cutest kids patterns ever) have a blog. They have been doing a series about principles of fabric selection. I just realized that they featured Misha's dress in this week's post.

That pretty much made my day.

Quilts in the front, Knitting toward the back.

2009-07-23T11:53:00.005-05:00

Just a quick post today. For those of you that read for knitting, I put a new WIP at the end. (: This should be my last quilting post for a while.... **sigh**

Evelyn’s quilt turned out great. More forced attachment therapy for Misha. Here is the quilt and its new owner.

Jayden’s quilt. Well....we are fighting. I pre-washed my fabric, I promise, but the red binding bled and made some un-invited pink dye ripples. I was really disappointed, as I’m sure you can guess. I went to a quilt store to ask if there was anything I could do. And, gasp, there was. Cue the hero music. Shout Color Catcher is a truly amazing product. (I promise, I’m not one of those blogs who is getting paid for mentioning products... don’t worry, friends). You just stick in the drier sheet-looking thing with your quilt and it takes up the “loose dye” from the quilt. I admit that it did not take out all of the dye (unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture), but it did take a substantial amount out of the white areas. Oddly enough, I received an email blast from Purl Soho this morning that was singing the Color Catcher’s praises as well. Looks like Purl is selling it too so it must be good. (:

Anyway, I dropped off Jayden’s quilt today and her mom and dad loved it. I am fulfilled. If only for today. Here are some photos.

Quilt + Chicago = a few of my favorite things

Oh, you come here for knitting? Okay. Commencing knitting discussion now. My mom bought me a new book this weekend: Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson. Ummmm. Love it. I am making my dad some socks for his 61st birthday. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled.....er... maybe not.

This is my first project using Malabrigo Sock yarn. Currently, I see no difference between Malabrigo and Kuigo. I'm so unfortunate to have to work with two truly lovely yarns. (:

The color is Chocolate Amargo, purchased at Red Sock Yarn Co. in Door County, Wis.

In any case, I am thrilled to have a fun distraction from the lace knitting, which is going...on...forever. It’s going to be gorgeous. Or at least I really truly hope that it will be. I decided that I will not give it to the bride if I wouldn’t wear it myself, because to do otherwise is cruel. A little peeeeek perhaps?

Speaking of unfortunately gorgeous fibers - if you ever have the chance, use this.

News Flash: Old dog learns new trick

2009-07-10T17:34:00.003-05:00

So, after a year of sub-par machine quilting and oogling others' quilts via the blogosphere, I finally made myself have the attention span to learn how to free motion quilt today. I have tried many times before but my tension was all wrong and I was too annoyed from hours of seem-ripping to figure out how to fix it.

Today I took some good advice from my friend Taylor, who smartly suggested I make a practice quilt sandwich and try different tensions on there. Well. That worked. Thank you Captain Obvious. Here is the result!

First Up: The Evelyn Quilt

Okay, so this is not done. In fact, neither of the quilts I am going to show you are done, but I was really proud of myself and couldn't wait any longer. (: This quilt is not exactly a masterpiece of color, but it means a lot to me. A few months ago I blogged about my Great Aunt Evelyn dying. She had some awesome stuff that a few people wanted dibbs on. Can you believe I got her used hankies without a fight?!? So lucky. (: So I made a little mini quilt out of them.

Evelyn was 96 when she died, and I believe that her hankies were about the same age. To help with the construction I used an iron on interfacing for each square. Other than that, I just squared off some edges and sewed it all together.

I love that she had her first initial on a lot of her hankies. Here is one example.

So this was my first go at free motion quilting. I'm calling it a success. My second quilt of the day was much larger. Does anyone else have achy hands after doing this free motion thing for too long?

Quilt 2: Jayden's Birthday Quilt

This quilt was supposed to be a first birthday quilt. Like, first ever, day of your birth, you are a new human, quilt. Now it will be a happy first birthday quilt instead. Ooops. It's all because I didn't have the patients for learning this free motion SOB.

I really love the squiggles. And actually, I haven't seen very many ways, other than the squiggle, to do free motion quilting. Loop-d-loop is next on my list of "things to conquer." Unfortunately, my summer break will be over very soon, and machine quilting will go back to the place where I put activities that cannot be done simultaneous to homework.

One more project to show. Actually, just fabric. TGIFP (Thank G-d It's From Purl) fabric to be exact. I was delighted to open the box and see this:

Friends of ours are having a baby. At first, before they knew the gender, they were calling it BLA - short for Baby Levin-Albert (the hyphenated being their last name). Now we know it's a girl, so here is the fabric for GLA's quilt:

No free motion quilting for GLA. Going back to my favorite quilt of all time: Hand quilted floral quilt, found in Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts. Also found somewhere on this here blog.

Okay, no time for elaboration. Boyfriend and I are walking down the street to get some Indian food. Vegetarian Samosas and Papdi Chat.... mmmmm.

Happy Birthday Misha! (I actually sewed for this one!)

2009-07-02T10:34:00.010-05:00

I went up to Michigan last weekend to celebrate my niece's 1st birthday. That's code for "I ate 3 cupcakes a day for a totally valid reason." I always have trouble figuring out what to get 1-year olds. Clothes are always a good fall back, but I wanted to give Misha something special. So, I decided to only get her presents that relate to me. Her favorite Aunt. How selfless.

I present to you, the Parade of Presents
There are knitting and Sewing FOs at the bottom for all of you who don't care much for the other stuff. (:

Woolbur, by Leslie Helakoski

I would describe this book as the on about the A.D.H.D. black sheep (literally) of the family. This also happens to be how I would describe myself (the A.D.H.D. being the literally portion in this instance, as I am not an actual farm animal). Woolbur is an awesome book about parents trying to figure out their "free spirited" son who does things like card his own wool.... while it is still connected to his body. And playing with the sheep dogs instead of being scared of them. Highly suggested. It's more of a 3 or 4-year old appropriate book, though, as it has LOTS of words. I ordered from Amazon, so I didn't realize.

Different Like Coco, by Elizabeth Matthews

As a semi-proud holder of a B.A. in Fashion Business, I find Coco Chanel's story to be one of remarkable female entrepreneurship and fashion innovation. I hope that Misha is equally inspired by Coco's story.... and I hope that she is a total clothes horse so we can shop together someday. She's going to have to stop using her dresses as food catchers and drool bibs before we go anywhere near Chanel, though. A good thing, since I currently can't even afford Target, and this will give me some time to find a very lucrative career.

Knitting Nell, by Julie Jersild Roth

This book is relevant for obvious reasons. Not going to lie - and thanks the the 1st Amendment, I don't have to - I didn't like this book. Amazon didn't tell me I wouldn't like it. I'm upset about the lack of 1985/Big Brother technology involved with online book ordering.

Pattern:
Oliver + S
Tea Party Sundress and Bloomers

Fabric:
Net of Jewels (orange) by Joelle Hoverson
Cake Rock Beach (green dots) by Joelle Hoverson
No idea about the sea shells. I tried.
All fabrics purchased at Purl Soho

This pattern was super easy to follow and the instructions are idiot proof - meaning I was only slightly challenged. Liiiiiiike with the seam allowances. I happened to make them 1/4 instead of 1/2. It was only a problem when she put it on and it was huge, which is why I don't have pictures of her in it. My ego came out unscathed, though, as everyone loved the outfit.

Pattern: Elija by Ysolda Teague
Materials: Malabrigo Worsted (almost the entire skein) in Blue Stone
Time: Less than a week, probably 8 hours of work in total.

This pattern called for a much finer yarn and smaller needles, which I disregarded. We (my family) calls this little animal Ellie. As long as I am with my niece I require her to hold it. I call it forced attachment therapy. Anyway, the pattern was super easy to read. So super easy, in fact, that this was actually my second go at it. Here is my first:

Sorry for the crappy cell phone picture. I finished it as we were driving to the baby to whom it now belongs. I used the correct needle size and yarn weight (left over Bliss Cashmerino) this time. It was lovely and very well received.

Well, now I am working on a lace shawl. I am really bad at lace shawls, primarily because of my Woolbur like qualities (see book 1 description). But we'll see how it goes. I am making it for a wedding, though I don't know if the bride will like it, and I don't know if I feel comfortable giving a gift for use on the wedding day. Seems a bit pushy. What are your thoughts? I'd really like to know.

So... How've you been?

2009-06-09T13:22:00.007-05:00

Long time no type, right? Sorry about my absurd absence. This last semester was a whirl wind: I was accepted as a candidate on our Intellectual Property Law Journal (which translates into hundreds of hours of research and writing in the course of the semester), I was on another trial team (and won 2nd place, thank you), I started working at a small IP Law Boutique, and with all that, plus attempting to Dean's List it again this semester... well... blogging was #last on my list of to-dos. Not that I don't enjoy this. I do... but the guilt. The incredible, self-imposed guilt. It is a fun sponge.

The semester ended almost three weeks ago. The day after my last final, boyfriend and I jetted off to Greece for two weeks. Yeah, two weeks. If you are going to Crete or Santorini, let me know and I will fill you in on some good places to go. Here is my top 5 for Greece:

Staka: You can only get Staka in Western Crete. We only found it in Chania. It is something with yogurt fat, cheese, and lots of olive oil. It's heaven. Go to Tamam in Chania's old town to eat it.

Bougatsia: Breakfast of champion. Kind of like sweet cheese pie. But with sugar and cinnamon on top. Can't get more healthy than that! We ate this at least every other day while on Crete. Again, it's one of those regional things. If you are in Chania, go to Bougatsia Jordani (yee-or-DAHN-ee) in the City of Chania.

Chloro Cheese and Abergines with Dill Yogurt: We ate this twice while in Fira, Santorini at Archipelagos Restaurant on the Caldera. Can't explain. You must go to Greece immediately.

Beaches: Red sand, black sand, white sand. Don't care. I was outside for two weeks.

Ruins: The only cool part of Athens. Sorry Athinians, but that is one dirty city. Although the Gazi district was nice. We ate at Sardenes (sp?) in the Gazi district the last night in town. Delish.

If you can't tell, the food was my favorite part. I gained some serious kilos over there. I enjoyed every second of it.

Moving on... to knitting. You'll kill me. But I haven't been so active in the knitting this spring. I finished my second Mini. I still need to get a picture of Jayden wearing it. The only really FO photo I have is of my "spring thing." Here she is:

Pattern: Design A Cabled Short-Sleeved Sweater
Source: Sirdar Eco Wool Dk Book II - 341
Fiber: Cascade Eco Alpaca - 4.5 Skeins
Size: Extra Small
Mods: Pff. As if I know how to "mod" things

Well, this is an awesome pattern. Very easy to execute. My one complaint: BOXY. I have a very boy-ish body. No hips and chest to match. This is not the most flattering thing for me to wear. The cable pattern seems to widen me even more. In any case, the fiber is atrociously lovely. It drapes beautifully and is so so soft. Do this project. Just lengthen it for yourself if you are short waisted like me. By like a foot. (: Actually... it would make a cute dress.......hmmmmm...

And, as I reported... I finished that Colleen or Kitty Sweater... whatever it was called. Here are some photos of it being worn IN REAL LIFE! (This is shocking because usually, after having boyfriend take my picture in my FO, I never wear it again. No shit.)

These kind of look like DROPS Design ads, don't they? (: This is my lovely sister Sasha and Ms. Misha. She's getting so big!

Again, the collar is so freaking floppy. I'm not sure what I did wrong there. My sister took it gladly, however, so I guess she doesn't care! Also, the arms. They are more like wings. She is scrawny, but the arms would be too big for professional body builder ladies. Not sure what went wrong there, either. Again, she doesn't care, so I will say I don't either!

It is my goal to finish all of my WIPs. First up is my dad's sweater from the holidays. Yeah. Only 6-7 months late. I'm sure he hasn't noticed... pff. My mom's sweater is literally 5 inches from done. all I have to do is finish the trim. I'm ridiculous. Speaking of ridiculous, it's time to dive into Entertainment Law homework. Or, so people without a superiority complex call it "contracts." Smooches!!

And for my next trick, I will re-appear with many FOs to share.

2009-03-09T10:48:00.005-05:00

Wow, what happened, right? You probably don't care. Frankly, if a blog I read stops updating, I generally don't want the why... I just want some pretty pictures and some new ideas. NOW.

But, I'll pretend I don't know what you all want and I'll tell you where I've been. (:

First, I was invited onto another trial team this semester. We practiced hard for 2.5 months - about 30 hours per week - and ended up coming in second place at our competition. Slightly anti-climactic, I'd say. But whatever.

On top of the 30 hours per week of trial team practice, I started working 15 hours a week at a small law firm in the city. I get trademark and defamation work mostly, which is really nice substantive experience. I've also been forced into learning a lot about Open Source Software licenses and the legal system's current treatment of those licenses. I'm enjoying my new vocabulary and the fact that I finally understand what Linux is. (:

Oh, but there is more time-zapping activity to talk about. In the midst of working and trial-teaming, I participated in my school's write-on competition to get onto a Law Review. I wont bore you with the details or the meaning of being on a law review, but suffice it to say - it was a long week of writing, I was accepted to the IP Law Journal, and now I will spend the rest of the semester writing a scholarly article about copyrights and fashion. Ta da. Moving on.

Second semester of 2L year sucks. It's really flipping difficult. I'm in an LLM class (an LLM is kind of like your PhD in law... you get it after you get your Juris Doctorate upon graduating from law school) for Rights of Publicity. Rights of Publicity sounded sexy - all celebrities and advertising and un-consented use of names and likenesses - but it's not. It is hard and boring. It's slowly killing my will to live. But then again so are the rest of my classes. I am taking Professional Responsibility right now - a required class - which makes me want to be neither professional nor responsible. Discuss.

And finally, I've been knitting. YAY! Here is what I have been up to. First the FOs:

Project: 04 Cabled Beret
Designer: Debbie Bliss
Source: Debbie Bliss Magazine, Fall 2008
Fiber: Malabrigo Worsted - a little less than one hank

I was in love with this hat. I actually made it as a gift... and then I couldn't take it off. After two weeks of unintended, uninterrupted wearing, Karma came up to me, slapped me in the face and taught me a lesson: If you don't give voluntarily, things will be taken away. And by taken away, I mean I lost this beautiful addiction of a hat somewhere on the streets of Chicago. I'm still in mourning.

Pattern: Subway Mittens
Designer: Colleen Meagher
Source: Interweave Knits Magazine, Winter 2007
Fiber: Malabrigo Worsted

I really have not so much to say about these mittens. I made them for someone on my trial team. I couldn't figure out how to get the stupid pocket on stupid straight. I'm over these mittens.

I have finished the Collette sweater - but the collar is floppy. I'll try to take pictures - does anyone know how to fix a floppy collar?!?

Okay, how about some WIPS:

Pattern: Design A Cabled Short-Sleeved Sweater
Source: Sirdar Eco Wool Dk Book II - 341
Fiber: Cascade Eco Alpaca

I can't say enough about this sweater. I'm in love. And I am determined to finish it by the middle of March. Also, I can't say enough about the alpaca, either. It's incredibly soft and really... I don't know... it just feels like an expensive sweater would. (: I like nice things.

Pattern: Mini
Designer: Else Schjellerup
Source: Pamphlet
Fiber: Malabrigo Lace Weight

What can I say... I love this pattern. Malabrigo lace is the most amazing lace. I hate lace. I love this lace. I don't know what has come over me. I've got the fever.

Okay, so this is not knitting. This is crafty. Beware the glitter:

This is what I call "The Pacie Box." Here's the story: My niece, Riley, turned a whopping 2 years old last weekend. She still has a full on paci(fier) addiction that her parents are trying to break before she does some serious dental damage. So the story Riley gets is that when little girls turn 2, they are "big girls" and big girls, of course, do not have pacies. So, the Pacie Princesses come in the middle of the night and take the Pacies that you put in the very glittery, pretty Pacie Box. Then the Pacie Princesses give your old pacies to new babies - babies like Riley's little sister who is not yet a "big girl." Clever, right? What 2 year old doesn't love princesses and babies?

So, I made a Pacie Box by covering a shoe box with expensive (but on sale!!) wrapping paper from Greer, an amazing paper store in Lincoln Park. It looks seamless because I used spray adhesive all over it instead of glue or tape. Then I sprayed the adhesive inside and just shook in some glitter. And by some glitter I mean like a full cup. It's still in my hair. Anyway, an idea for those of you trying to get rid of the pacie, nookie, choopie (this is what my sister calls it - chupar, in Spanish, means "to suck"... so "choopie" is kind of a sucker?) in your life.

Well, thanks for reading - hopefully this will be a more regular occurrence!

Sweater Purgatory

2009-01-13T22:06:00.003-06:00

I'm being punished for being drawn to complicated patterns. Big time. I've been working on these effing sweaters for my mom, dad, and sister for MONTHS and I feel like there is no light at the end of this tunnel. Lookie:

First the Collette Pullover from Interweave:

I'm still loving these colors together. I'm just going a little crazy, as I'm on the second sleeve, and I haaaate sleeves. Thank G-d we don't have three arms or I would give up knitting all together. (: My goal is to finish this sweater by Saturday - Only half a sleeve and the armpits up. Can I do it? Probably not.

How about Daniel from Twist Collective:

Don't let little Danny fool you. He is a big, man-sized sweater that will not go quickly like you'd assume. Man sweaters take forever. Man sweaters are not my friend. I still have TWO SLEEVES (barf), one front panel, and the neck to finish. I hate me for deciding to make sweaters for everyone this year.

Wanna see my new yarn? Okay, if you insist.

Can you believe this is corporate-ey?! Berroco Ultra Alpaca in some beautiful color. No idea what I am going to make with it. Maybe the Central Park Cardigan or the Minimalist cardigan. Or maybe neither. I just love this color.

And THIS is my new Malabrigo. Just feedin' the habit. It's a sickness. Don't judge. I will be making some leg warmers from Last Minute Knitted gifts using dark grey Kidsilk Haze to go along with it. Yummy.

Speaking of yummy. How DE-LISH is the color of this, aherm, Malabrigo (don't judge) Lace!?!?! I'm going to make another one of the sweaters that I made for Misha, but this time for a different niece. I am totally in love with how soft and gorgeous this is. I bought two skeins. Maybe there will be enough for moi!? (:

Well, that's about all the excitement for now. My 4th semester of law school starts in less than a week, so I'll probably be posting a lot more. When I don't have anything to procrastinate for, posting is less frequent. (:

Warm House, Warm Head

2009-01-05T10:14:00.005-06:00

First dinner party and the first knit of the 2009 all within three days of the ball dropping! Woosh! Shall I tell the story in pictures? Okay.

This year was our second-annual Hanukkah Party and was even better than the first year.... probably because I didn't do the shopping, cooking, and cleaning in the day following finishing my first semester of law school finals. Instead, this year I shopped, cooked, and cleaned for 3 days and it was a much more enjoyable experience. Okay, first up: the house (or apartment, I guess).

After three days of cleaning, everything finally looked great.

We got these dishes and napkins at Crate and Barrel the day after Christmas basically for free. The after-Christmas sales kicked in before Hanukkah was over. So we lucked out big time. (:

Sorry for the gross quality of this and the next few photos. Being in a loft, only the bedroom and living room have windows - we have to rely on very soft natural light coming over the "soft" wall (doesn't go to the ceiling). As you can see, no soft light available at the time of this particular photo-op. Anyway, our office has been an eye sore since we moved in August 2007. We didn't know what to do with the wall space, since all of our "coherent" art was used up in the more general areas of the house.

So finally I went allll the way out to Ikea and got some cheap fabric and frames and made some fabric boxes. We also bought some metal dry erase boards - very industrial meets... uh... me (: Our desk is actually our old dining room table. We didn't want to spend a lot of money on a desk and after buying a new dining room table, we thought this one would do the trick. Reduce, reuse, right? Moving on.

Thanks to track lighting (blegh), this picture is a little more passable. We bought the three big posters (not Gaudi or Job) in a pack of 8 for $20 at Renegade in September. They have been sitting on our floor since then. Good, right? Again, Ikea saved the day and we purchased these glass sandwich frames for $6 a piece. I love deals. The guitar is mine - a Valentines Day gift from my Great Aunt Evelyn when I was still in High School. (:

Pretend this isn't blurry, please. This is my little craft corner. The table is actually a sewing stand: the top lifts up to show an amazing amount of thread and little compartments for all of my needles, scissors, etc. The other two drawers are filled with ribbon and patterns. Another keepsake from Evelyn. Above the table are all of my knitting/sewing books. I'm proud.

More posters. No big. The stools got taken out of the kitchen to make more room and are not generally in such a ridiculous place.

ON TO THE FOOD!

Okay, so I didn't take a lot of pictures of food. Mainly because everything I made tasted great but looked... not so good. (: Fried Latkes and Brisket do not photograph well. But here is my menu:

Winter Spiced Sangria

Seven Vegetable Couscous with Spicy Harrissa

Brisket with Dried Apricots, Prunes, and Aromatic Spices

My Gramma's Latkes (in her own writing)

10-Minute Homemade Applesauce

Our friends always pick up the slack by each couple bringing an appetizer, side, or desert. This year the Aprils brought homemade spinach artichoke dip, Greenfields brought salads from Wildfire (my fave), and Engels brought a Trifle.

If you are interested in making my Gramma's potato pancakes, you should know that they are a little different than what you are used to. The condensed milk makes them a little sweet. They are INCREDIBLE with either Sour Cream or Applesauce. The recipe I included for applesauce is SO good. My friends call it my homemade applesauce recipe. Pff. Thanks, but I couldn't take credit for this. I use brown sugar instead of white. People rave. You should make it.

ON TO KNITTING!

If you aren't familiar with what a "Secret Latke" is, it's the same as a "Secret Santa" but for the Jews. Secret Santa in potato pancake form. (; So my Secret Latke got a hand knit hat and I tried out labels for the first time!

Pattern: Sideways Grande Cloche

Source: Boutique Knits by Laura Irwin

Yarn: Brown Sheep Burly Spun yarn

Yardage: Almost the entire skein

A good start to my 2009 knitting, I think. Hope you are all having a great year so far!

My big steaming pile of holiday failures.

2008-12-29T15:31:00.006-06:00

A little math problem for you all:

1 baby sweater + 3 adult sweaters + about a billion hats = ??

Then divide the answer above by 4 months.

The total? FAILURE. Yup. Guess who didn't have anything done as of Christmas Eve. MEEE! It took me most of Christmas day to finish that cute little Danish baby sweater for Misha - the only person who actually got the promised hand-made gift. Want to see?

Yup, that's all I have to show for all of the procrastination over the last semester. Maybe my problem is that I didn't procrastinate enough?? I'll try harder for you all next semester. Pinky swear. (:

A little inside information on moi: My family (parents, sister, etc) celebrate Christmas because, duh, they are Christian. I am a Hanukkah celebrant because, duh, I'm Jewish. Weird, I know, but go with it. So I went home for Christmas and got some goooooood stuff. Here, look and drool a little. (:

These were a bit of an impulse, I have to admit. But they were 50% off! How can you say no to 90 yards for $3.75!? Plus it's bulky, so it will knit up quickly. I'm thinking of doing a little fair isle sweater for baby Jayden - all my other nieces are too big (you did see Misha, right?). While not the softest yarn, I think the tweed-ish qualities in the yarn will help it redeam itself. But really, how can I stay mad at sale yarn? I can't.

THIS is Cascade Eco Alpaca. WTF!? EVERYONE has been holding out on me. How did I not know that Cascade made soft yarn!? I felt this in the store and had to have it. Luckily I had already found a new Sirdar book that I had to have and that called for this DK-ish weight yarn. It was mine. A sweater in 5 skeins? Yes please!

Oh, and how about some new literature?

These are both from my sister and ooooh I was so excited to get them. If the colors of "Seams to Me" excite you, check out the author's blog here. She designs some DELISH fabric and there are some great free projects if you are interested! (I know you're interested, let's not kid ourselves.) I definitely asked for the itty bitty hats book... but I think my sister chose this with a little self interest involved. I mean... she's the only one with an itty bitty baby with an itty bitty head.... well, not that itty bitty, but ya know...

Maybe you can see the knitted pieces on which these books are sitting? Those knitted pieces, my friends, are the pieces of knitting that never made it into complete sweaters for Christmas and which function as evidence of my complete crafty failure. Bah.

Anyway, so after Christmas in the frigid north, I came back to Chicago to celebrate Boyfriend's 31st birthday, our 3.5 year anniversary and, of course, to celebrate the last 3 nights of Hanukkah! Hurray for gelt, candles, presents and a huuuuuuge sushi dinner at Coast.... probably the best place for Niguri in Chicago, if you're interested. (: So what was my Hanukkah present? $100 gift certificate to my favorite LYS!!!! He's gotten me Tiffany silver jewelry for the past few years, which I love and wear every day, but he really hit a home run on this one. I am so excited and I will certainly post pictures of my loot.

I'm thinking of the Addi snap set? Or does anyone have any suggestions for yarn that are wonderful that I wouldn't otherwise be able to afford? I'm all ears! (:

As we say in my family - Merry Christmahanukkah!!!! Hope you all had as lovely a time as I did!

Seriously? ANOTHER hat?

2008-12-09T01:27:00.002-06:00

I knit this up on Thanksgiving Day during the hours I managed to not sleep. It was originally made for a girlfriend, but the hat is starting to give away the fact that I've been wearing it. Often.

Pattern: Koolhaas

Designer: Jared Flood/BrooklynTweed

Fiber: Malabrigo Worsted, 1 skein

Needles: US 7 and US 8

Size: Mens, I think?

A flawless pattern, true to form. I will say that the cables got a bit tedious... I need to learn to knit continental... or whatever the way is that I don't knit right now (yarn in right hand, thrown). I don't have time for all that yarn throwin'.

Speaking of which, I can't sleep. I laid there for an hour just almost unconscious, but thoughts about finals just kept creeping in. One week from today and I'll be sleeping (and knitting) happily.

Oh YAY!!!!

2008-12-05T18:56:00.004-06:00

Can you read that?! It says that tomorrow and Saturday are my favorite days EVER!!!! Renegade is back and I am suuuper excited.

Chicagoans: GO THERE.

The rest of you: WHY DONT YOU LIVE HERE?!

Oh, because it was 15 degrees at noon today? Okay, that's a valid point.

Danish? Yes please.

2008-12-03T00:18:00.003-06:00

There is exactly one bad thing about Ravelry: It lets you discover patterns and fibers not available in the US (or wherever you might be.) Fortunately, Ravelry also provides a remedy for its only downfall: other users who can help!

I have been wanting to make the Mini by Else Schjellerup since I saw it last year. It's not a complicated peice at all. Just a top-down baby sweater or dress (depending on where you stop). Unfortunately, it is only available in Danish and in stores in the Netherlands. Also unfortunate: how badly I wanted this pattern. I tried to make it by sight, but my version was missing something... something that was cruicial to the aesthetic of the dress and why I really wanted to make it.

So I tried and tried to find someone who would buy the pattern for me and send it to me. That was a no go. I emailed the designer. No go #2. I posted on boards, googled, sent emails. No, no no.

BUT! About a month ago, I finally found a website that shipped internationally: www.pinnsvin.no. I got my package yesterday and now I can start this little sweater/dress (I haven't decided yet) for Misha's holiday present!

The pattern is only available as a kit, so I also received some Design Club DK Duo Merino. It says fingering, but it feels like lace. It has beautiful texture to it, and the heathering is really nice. You can barely tell, but this is a grey-ish pink. It's going to be perfect.

So, about the language thing..... right. Well, I spent way too much time looking up Danish words online last night. Then I wised up and thought I should use my beloved Ravelry! So I PMed someone who had made a mini and asked for translation help. True to Rav form, she was totally up for it and so helpful. For all you Ravelers, check out her version here. It's one of my favorites. Another one of my favorites and probably the reason I needed to make this dress is here (for ravelers) and here (for non-ravelers).

I should finish up here. It's finals time and I really should be doing many other things unrelated to knitting right now. Should. Off to my beloved mini before bed!

I do things other than knit

2008-11-24T00:49:00.004-06:00

So... I sing. This is not something a lot of people know about me, but that I am taking more seriously lately. I have recorded a few times with Ghost In The Console Productions (here in Chicago) over the past few years, but my producer, Patrick, is really pushing me more lately. And I like it.

So here is a non-final mix of the latest song I have been working on. I wrote this song YEARS ago - so long ago that Pat and I had to knock it down a few keys so that I could actually sing this song. There will be a real, live drummer in the final cut, but I thought I'd share where it's at right now.

Someone please pay me to sing so I can stop reading this stupid Civil Procedure book. Oh, don't worry (hah) I still knit.

Yup, you counted right, this is the THIRD Habitat you've seen up here. Don't judge me. Boyfriend needed a hat pronto. That's my excuse, at least.

Chicken Soup for the hands... without the burning.

2008-11-20T14:56:00.014-06:00

I have been a knitting fiend lately. So unusual.... (phh) After getting knocked out in the quarter finals of the trial competition, I was feeling pretty low. Then the tidal wave of school work that I put off for trial team came crashing down. All as the weather is turning cold, no - ear-numbingly cold - in Chicago. So I have turned to knitting. Which is the logical choice in the face of finals when my homework is so far from being organized into study-worthy material. You obviously don't have to be a genius to go to law school. So here is what I have been up to:

Lotus Mittens by Elli Stubenrauch in Twist Collective

I am making these mittens and Koolhas by Jared Flood over at BrooklynTweed for one of my girlfriends. She and her husband welcomed their second little girl into the world a month ago yesterday. Her name is Jayden and she is adorable. Jayden is having a rough time, however, and has been in isolation at Children's Hospital more than she's been home. She got a blood transfusion as her one-month birthday present and is looking good today. But I think her mom needs a little knitting love. So these are a little bit of warmth and comfort for my friend. I am using Koigu KPM and KPPM. It's sock yarn, but I love the color variation in the gray, and I couldn't find fingering weight in gray and black, and my friend's coat is black. So there. Oh, and here is Jayden:

On a side note: I am IN LOVE with Twist. After seeing their first issue last quarter, I really didn't think it could be better. I was wrong. The Winter issue is fantastic. I don't want to infringe, so I'll juts give links to the projects I intend on making after the holiday gift rush:

Vaila

Heroine

Cabled Cuff Gloves

I love so many of the patterns, but those are the ones that really fit me best. I cannot wait to be done with my Holiday gifts. I'm actually getting quite nervous about how little progress I've made. Which brings me to my next project. (MOM - DO NOT CLICK THE LINK.... OR YOU GET BREAD CRUSTS)

Yes, this is not an exciting picture, because I can't spoil the surprise. But you must check this project out. I'm in love with it and it is perfect for my mom. She's a University of Wisconsin-Madison grad. It will be worn many Saturdays to come. I can't wait to see it on her. I'm using Berroco Cuzco for the first time. I ordered it online so I wasn't able to feel it before using it. Honestly - I'm not thrilled with the feel, but given what it is being made into, I think it is an appropriate texture. I can't wait to show you guys pictures.

More gifts? Okay. So Jayden's big sister Riley needed a knitted gift since a) she's a big sister now, b) her little sister got stuff, c) I hadn't made anything for her in a while and d) she got a snazzy new purple winter coat that needed a topper. So, I present to you the Thorpe from Through The Loops

I used Malbrigo Chunky for this hat. I'll just say that I like the Malabrigo Worsted much better. But Thorpe is a GREAT pattern. It was a really quick knit and Riley looks amazing in it. If you click the link you'll see that you can certainly make it in adult sizes and all sorts of options for color work. A great great pattern. And one of my favorite blogs! She just came out with a brand new mitten pattern that is really tempting. Oh, and here is a picture of Riley that I took this summer - she was pointing at 'duckies'. She's even cuter now (I know, I know. "Impossible," you say. But it's true.)

Speaking of warm weather wear... I pulled out my copy of Last Minute Knitted Gifts to make another Child's Placket Neck Pullover. But this time I made the matching pants too.

This is a project I will always love to make and love to give. People go nutty for it and I love the way babies look in it. I'll try to get a picture of Jayden in it in the next couple of weeks before she (hopefully) gains some weight and grows out of it. I used Malabrigo Worsted and the outfit is SO SOFT as a result. I went without buttons this time. She wouldn't be able to pull them off, but Riley, as an almost-two year old certainly could. I'd rather not risk it. The pattern originally calls for Rowan Denim for the pants. I had a go at modifying the pattern, but in the end just really wanted pink pants instead. Since Rowan shrinks I consulted the finished measurements in the book and knit according to those instead. Highly recommended. (:

More for the weather and gifts... but for meee!!! This is the Dolores Park Cowl From Six on Seven. Yay free projects from talented ladies. (:

Now, I didn't make it with Malabrigo Chunky. A bit of a mistake. I made it with left over Plymouth Grande. Because it has a much silkier hand to it, the cowl kind of just flops over. Still warm, though! (: During break I intend on backing it with some nice cashmere fabric remnant and quilt batting to give it the stiffness it needs. As it is now, the Chicago wind would just laugh at me.

The remnants for the cowl came from this project: The Sideways Grande Cloche from Boutique Knits by Laura Iriwn. (Link to her blog)

If you like getting complements from strangers on pieces of your wardrobe... MAKE THIS HAT. Classmates have attempted to steal it. Strangers stop me and ask me about it. and every time I put on a different hat, I inevitably take it off to put this one on instead. I love it. It was worth the splurge on the Plymouth Grande. If I look mad in the picture, I was. The sky looked like that at 10am. Completely disgusting. But a good view, nonetheless. The book is fantastic and I intend on spending a lot of time on a lot of these projects.

So now I am going to try to finish two sweaters I have in progress and start and finish another I haven't begun. Also, impatiently awaiting a package from The Netherlands. I have been coveting the Mini by Else Schjellerup. I can't get it in the US, but I found an international shipper in Denmark that spoke English. Very excited. I'll post pictures of what it looks like, but for all you Ravelers, here. The finished pictures of it as a sweater and a dress are incredible. I tried to reproduce it this summer on my own, but I couldn't figure out the measurements. So yay. Anyways, but to being a law student....

But first, just to represent from my own blood line: Misha as photographed by my brother-in-law.

I love those cheeks. Cheers!

Being a B.A.M.F.

2008-11-07T07:29:00.009-06:00

I am composing this post from a coffee shop in Buffalo/Niagra, New York as opposed to the regular location (law school library). The effect is the same, however... as I'm not doing what I should be: reading over law school-ish things. (:

I am here in Buff-Niag for a Criminal Law Trial Competition. No, don't worry. No one is really on trial and law school students have not been dispached to attempt to keep anyone in or out of jail. Instead, we have been slaving over a faux problem for the last two months for 40 hours a week (on top of school). On Friday I represented the People of New York in the matter of People v. Helsfinger. I intended to win. (: Here is my team, looking like B.A.M.F.s (feel free to laugh)

Well, we didn't win. But we did advance to the quarter-finals. We were pretty excited, but that was short lived, as the next round was sudden death elimination. No go. And now we have two days to explore Buffalo, New York. I'll let you know how it goes.

Oh, you want some knitting? Okay.

Project Name: Drops 107-15

Price: FREEEE

Fiber: Plymouth Suri Merino (1 Skien) and a bit of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino

Where to get the free patern: Here

Project Name: Baby Mittens

Price: Debatable

Fiber: Left over Koigu Kersti, less than a skein

Project Source: Me (:

So, here are the deal with these little mitts. I used the measurements originally from a book, but changed the pattern completely after that. Added an i-cord, changed the decrease, made them in the round, and used a different bind off method. So I think these are my first real pattern. I'll think about whether or not that's true and post the pattern in PDF form if I decide it's legal.

Okay, time to be a champion of the people and of justice. (; Have a great weekend!

OH so so so so close.

2008-10-29T11:23:00.004-05:00

I am SO close to being done with Victoria. I am thinking I need to tear out the neck and do it again. I picked up too many stitches and now its a little bit wobbly. No good. I'm determined to do this right instead of getting sick of the "finishing" and then never wearing it. So I'm also going to re-sew the sides. The way I did them, they bulge a little at the patterned portion.... it just so happens that is also the "love handle" region. I'd like not to look like I am larger than I am. I'm also pissed at myself for chosing Cascade to do this project. I'll elaborate when I have the "real" FO pictures up.

Anyway, here are some pictures:

I have a ton of FOs in the works other than Vicky. My friends had a baby last Sunday and I was totally unprepared... knitting wise. So here's what we've got on the needles for her:

I am working off of the pattern in Last Minute Knitting Gifts, but making them look like True Religions. Mommy is very stylish. (: And every baby needs a pair of designer denim, right?

These two projects are out of the book Easy Baby Knits by Claire Montgomerie. The mitts are supposed to be garter stitch. I hate garter stitch. The I-cord was also not a part of the pattern, but I figured that they are 90% likely to get lost due to the size and fact that they are on an infant. So I thought the I-cord might increase their likelihood of sticking around for more than one week.

Okay, I really need to get to Loopy for some buttons. Less than a week until election day! Happy voting!!!

Evidence of "And Sews, Too"... but still a knitting FO

2008-10-20T10:33:00.004-05:00

Well well well. Look who's been finishing some objects. After I wrote the last post about my Great Aunt, my Grandmother died the very next day. I am greatful that her journey here is done, as she had a hard life, and a harder death. However, two deaths in three days put a bit of a damper on my willingness to put law school before family and my own happiness last week. Which is not good. Not good at all... at least for my list of homework to-do.

It has been good, however, for my crafting and the beneficiaries of my crafting. So here are two FOs! One sewing (gasp) and one knitting. We'll start with the sewing.

Since law school started back up, I've really turned my back on my sewing machine. Not because I don't want to sew, but because I can't read cases and sew at the same time. Well, I haven't actually tried... but I'm certain if I tried I'd have some mangled fingers and ugly projects.

But last night, after 11 hours of trial team practice, I found out that great friends of mine were at the hospital to deliver their second baby girl. WTF. My crafting schedule had them pegged for a late October delivery. This was tragic. I obviously couldn't knit the baby something in a matter of hours, so I broke out the most wonderful baby projects book: Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones.

Presenting: The Snuggly Baby Wrap

Fabric: Alexander Henry Zoo and White Minky

Time: About 1.5 hours

For: Baby Greenfield

I'm not sure what to write about it except that I think this is the first project that I've made that I am completely happy with.... !!! ... My stitching was even, the pattern was clear, I didn't make a mistake (amazing) and I learned something (how to make a button hole) without even ruining the project! Super cute. I made a 0-3 month size, but there are 3-6 instructions as well. Do it.

AND a knitting FO!? Yes. The world is upside down. I finally FINALLY finished the socks I cast on in late June. Boyfriend has been waiting for these big time and was so excited to finally be able to wear them.

Presenting: Mr. Pitt Socks

Fiber: Koigu KPPM Merino (2.5 Skeins)

Size: Man sized

Time it took: Too long

I'm not a sock maker. Working with sock weight yarn is, for me, like painting a room with a watercolor brush. I need results. I need them fast. I found out, through this project, that I am not made to make socks. All that aside, this is a really great pattern for a guy who has no interest in cables or anything remotley fancy. The pattern is super clear, FREE, and the FO is gorgeous. I learned, first, what the eff a gusset is, and then learned how to make a gusset from this pattern. I'm glad to know and I'm glad that I know now to never make a sock again. Or two for that matter.

Okay, time to crack the books. Happy Monday to you all.

Sadness, an FO, and a new/old spinning wheel.

2008-10-10T17:54:00.005-05:00

I have been home (at my parents in Wisconsin) for the last few days. My Great Aunt Evelyn, the most quick-witted, giggly 96 year old I ever met, fell on Wednesday night. This is highly irregular for her, so I raced back to Green Bay as quickly as I could. Other than a nasty bump on her head, Evelyn didn't complain Thursday morning, but told me she "bled like a pig" and about how bummed she was about the Brewers. That was at 10 am. We got a call 5 hours later that she fell again and was unresponsive. I held her hand and kissed her forehead as she took her last breath at 6:10pm. She was born in 1912, 70 plus years before I was, but we were kindred spirits and girlfriends of the best kind. I am happy she didn't feel any pain, but am feeling really quite empty without her here. Being 96, I can't say she died "suddenly," but it was certainly unexpected... as all eyes have been on my Grandma as she has slowly been slipping away for the last two weeks. I thought that Evelyn would surely outlive me, and I am beyond sad that I have lost my pen pal, my friend, and a very inspiring woman.

Today was spent sorting through her wishes and all that goes with that. I went down to my parent's basement to find a death certificate for my Grandpa for one of the many forms I filled out today and found this:

F00t pedal.

I remember this being in my Aunt's house when I was little..... being intrigued by the fact that no one actually seemed to use it, but yet Evelyn kept it. And now I know why. Fate. Somehow she knew that I would be an obsessive knitter who wanted to try spinning but who was perplexed as to how I would spin with no wheel! 40 years ago she knew! (Soul mates, I'm telling you).

But now for the serious question: Anyone know what the deal is with this? Can I really spin on it? It is roughly 105 years old, but really pretty sturdy. What do you all think of this?

Okay, and now how about two FO's (Of the same project, though)? My spirits are lower than low, but you should know that I do love this pattern. I just don't feel like talking about it now.

I present: Habitat by Jared Flood

My Dad - Sporting Habitat, texturized to the max by Manos Del Uruguay

Me, in Habitat, made from the stash champion of the world: Cascade 220

I shouldn't be blogging right now. This is like drunk dialing... but... with mourning and blogging. I love the pattern. I'm going to leave it right there for now. That was pretty much all the enthusiasm I could muster.

Evidence and my habitat.

2008-10-04T10:52:00.005-05:00

I'm still waiting to get the energy to make another sleeve for Victoria. I have so many projects up in the air right now - working on Christmahanukkah gifts for 5 people - that I was feeling like I couldn't finish anything. And, if you're a knitter, you know what it's like to weave in the last end and put on your garment. So much content. (: So I started a new project, of course. Logic. We learn this in law school... pff. But here I am, on a Saturday morning in the Louis L. Biro Law Library (my habitat) with my new project (Habitat).

I am one of those people who gets angry when I can't find an opportunity to be creative and explore. Really. I get dark and scarey and no one likes me. So today I decided to bring my camera with me on my walk to school. Here is what I liked:

I want to make this. It was in the window at Macy's which is celebrating Mr. Calvin Klein. If anyone can tell what that stitch is, let me know. It's not garter, that's all I can tell. If it's still light out when I go home (doubtful), I'll try to get a closer shot.

Both of Chicago's teams are in the playoffs. This is the first time in 80-some years that the city has been able to fly BOTH flags in front of the Merchandise Mart.

But I love my Sox more than that other team. (:

One of the many differences between Chicago and New York is that Chicago has alleys. I wish all the alleys were this attractive and pee-free. The orange blobs on the other side is the Goodman Theatre sign.

I love the juxtuposition of the old and new in this photo. One thing I love about Chicago is the architecture... this is an example of some of that.

Another architecture shot. I love that I see this every day on my walk to school. Thank you, Chicago, for keeping me sane.

More later. Happy Saturday

No crafts, just boots.... okay, knitting at the end.

2008-09-27T11:01:00.006-05:00

I saw one of my favorite singers last night at the Lakeview Theater: Marc Broussard. FROM THE FRONT ROW! He put on a RIDICULOUS show.

Obviously, the music was the best part. But the second best part was that my favorite, most well-loved, lived in, comfortable shoes....

got some Marc Broussard on them. (:

I am finishing up Victoria, I swear. I made a trial team at school (this is a big deal, but I wont dwell), which is taking me quite a bit away from my knitting. I'm not complaining. (: So, here is a few snippets of Vicky.

This pattern is amazing, and I'm not kidding. I've learned more advanced-ish knitting techniques from this pattern than anything else I've ever read or made. I was kind of in an advanced-intermediate plateau before I started this pattern. It definitely took me out of my comfort zone and am now back on the learning track. I'm very happy about it.

I have the edging done and all of my ends woven in. I just have to do the sleeves. I positively HATE doing sleeves. They are boring. And what's worse, is I have to do two of them. Hopefully I'll have an FO next time!

All I want is everything on Etsy that I love.

2008-09-15T00:08:00.003-05:00

Just a few of my favorite things to kick off my week.... **sigh** I wish every day was Renegade Craft Fair Day.

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
ElleWoodsHerself.etsy.com

DON'T NOT GO!!!!

2008-09-11T13:02:00.001-05:00

It's going to be amazing.

All sorts of color-ificness.

2008-09-11T09:29:00.009-05:00

Okay, so I said I would be reviewing the Sak's Fall Book for knitwear... but I can't do that while sitting in Civil Procedure. My prof decided to spend two weeks on Joinder, a topic we covered for two weeks in Civ Pro I last semester. I'm going to go ahead and put the "I'm seriously contemplating what you're saying" face on as I copy last semester's Joinder outline into this semester's Civ Pro outline and carry on with this less obvious blog topic.

This one is still for those of you interested in fashion - be it designing or you just like to be that person who says "oh, that's going to be SO big next season - and, if you think of it in terms of fiber color choices, for fashion-conscious knitters, too. (: This post is all about colors for Spring '09.

As we all begin the inevitable stash-buying for winter projects (be it fabric or fiber), all sorts of choices need to be made regarding materials, shape, construction techniques, and, of course, COLOR! Color is so important... we see color before we see the fiber content, the finishing techniques, or the price tag. So, if you're one who looks to the the fashion industry for cues to "what's cool" (I am one of these), here are the top ten colors (complied by WWD) for Spring '09. (The color balance of your screen will, obviously, affect the accuracy of the colors you see)

18-4043 PALACE BLUE

15-3817 LAVENDER

14-0754 SUPER LEMON

15-1626 SALMON ROSE

18-2328 FUCHSIA RED

14-1307 ROSE DUST

16-5804 SLATE GRAY

16-6339 VIBRANT GREEN

16-0435 DARK CITRON

14-5714 LUCITE GREEN

To be clear, these colors are the ones most used by designers this season. This is not the color forecast.... The difference will become clear shortly.

So, who is wondering how the heck these colors are chosen? To those "outside" of the fashion industry, it's a really weird thing. Color forecasts are trending tools used to guide designers in a particular color direction. Color forecasts are put out about 24 months before the collections are "shown".... which happens about 6 months before the clothes shown make it to the sales floor. The color forecast for each season is produced by the Color Institute (no, seriously), which is a the research facility at Pantone (the people who make colors... no, seriously). There are a lot of factors that go into the color forecast. Two factors that I learned about during a recent trip to the Color Institute were the economy (do we have the money for fun colors or should they be practical) and national/international emotional state (do we need comfort colors? Are we in a state of celebration?). The trend cycle - as in: how long has it been since we've seen fuchsia?- is also a large factor. Of course, designers are free to stray from the color direction as published, but this should explain the seemingly uncanny phenomenon of walking into a store and seeing the same-ish colors from so many different designers.

Okay, enough of that. I have an FO!

Pattern: Eunny's Deep-V Argyle Vest
Designer: Eunny Jang
Resources: ?! of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino (yes, the cursed yarn)
Size: Wrong
Gauge: Wrong

Okay, let me explain all that went wrong in making this project. #1 - I didn't make a gauge swatch. So I got about 1/4 of the way through and had to rip the whole thing out, as it was apparent I was making a vest for a 6 year old, not a 23 year old. Sad. So I re-cast on with the biggest needles I could without making the yarn too frumpy - size 5. And I upped my size from a 32 to a 36. It looked bigger, because it was, but it was still questionable. And let me tell you, it turned out more like a Deep-V corset than a lovely comfy vest.

Also, I somehow completely missed the repeat for a row that hits right through my waist. The result is a mistake that probably I can only see, but I don't just see a non-repeated row. I see structural instability. Seriously. It pulls really strangely at the site of the non-repeated row. Does this make sense? Maybe I'll try to take a picture. Or maybe I'm trying to forget that this, my favorite project yet, is not perfect. **sigh** Quite a disappointment, really. So many people have complimented me, but I can't help but know that I'm only 90% happy because of the flaw. Boo. In any case, I'm proud that my first finished piece of color work didn't totally suck. I'm going to chalk up the mistake to the fact that I was working with the cursed yarn.

Okay, next time I promise to talk about the big book from Saks. Bon Thursday!

Too excited to wait!

2008-09-06T13:15:00.003-05:00

I just finished cutting the steeks... it's more like a Deep-V Corset, but I'm alright with it. Here she is, all unfinished but being worn!

Slightly blurry, but an accurate depiction nonetheless

Don't mind the bra straps.. not so hot.

I should be finished with it by mid week! I'm so excited!

Samsies

2008-09-05T11:33:00.005-05:00

I guess Michael Kors and I are the same height.

Micheal Kors Photo from WWD.com ...............................Me looking like a troll styling Ruthie from Ford Models

Today is crazy - I had my first government-issued drug test this morning. Officer Murgit watched me use the bathroom. I wasn't allowed to flush myself. It was weird to say the least, but she was a very nice lady.

I have orientation with "my judge" today... learning all about the current state of the law in the areas mortgage foreclosures and mechanic's liens. My job, as I understand it, will basically be reading over the briefs and motions of the lawyers assigned to my courtroom to find mistakes and check their application of the law. I'm crossing my fingers that I end up loving the subject matter... or this semester is going to be a bit painful.

Later this afternoon I try out for our Mock Trial teams. I am pretty nervous, but I am at peace with the fact that not many 2Ls make it. So far I've managed to stay a week ahead in homework, so I'm thinking positively about making it but would also enjoy staying ahead of the game if I don't.

Tonight I've got a Trial Advocacy Honors Counsel "meeting"... In law school a "meeting" on a Friday night means one thing: Free beer at a bar in Lincoln Park or Wrigleyville. Tonight is no exception. Unfortunately I have to be in bed early, just like every other Friday night until mid-October. I am training for the Chicago Marathon and have a 19-mile run to look forward to at 6am on Saturday. To that I say *THUMBS DOWN*. I really, truly, hate running.

Beyond today, this weekend is going to be a blur. I wont be done running/showering/bandaging tomorrow until about 12. My parents, on their way to see my seester, BIL, and Misha in Michigan, are stopping in for lunch at 12:30.

Random picture of Misha... because I can't help but brag. (:

In the evening we are getting alllll dressed up to go to a fund raiser dinner for Cancer Wellness (the family of our good friends, who have had an unfair amount of experience with cancer, were very kind to invite us - I hope to have enough $$ to buy a table one day!). Then on Sunday morning we have family brunch with boyfriend's mom, Uncle and Aunt, and cousin and her husband. I haven't seen them since before I went to Delaware, so while it complicates homework getting done, I will be so happy to see them. Plus - who doesn't love brunch!?

Speaking of overcommitment, I've cast-on another sweater. Shame on me, but I can't help it!

Victoria by Connie Chang Chinchio from Twist Collective

I've got all this random yarn that is absolutely begging me to be worn... I can't ignore it, especially since the weather is already starting to change (60 degrees today!) and I'm too poor to buy any of the sweaters I am seeing this season. Speaking of which...

I don't know if anyone else got the new Saks book for Fall (frankly, I'm not sure how I got on that list, but I'm not complaining), but there are just TONS of great sweaters in there that I fully intend on trying to make for myself. Those sweaters and hopefully some good gossip from NY Fashion Week (yay!) on the next post.

Until then - happy weekend!

Adventures in Color Work... oh, yeah... and Law School

2008-09-01T10:34:00.005-05:00

Wow. The last two weeks have been a little bit crazy. I started back to law school on Wednesday the 20th. I, nor anyone else I know, was no where NEAR being ready for that. But we will deal. How, you ask? I will knit to deal with the pain of 40 pound back packs, 12 hours of studying, and the excruciating pain of waiting for a call for an interview... (I have so many projects going that I have to designate each to a day and knit on my way to and from class).

So the first day of class, a week and a half ago, I re-cast on Eunny Jang's Deep V Argyle Vest. I had done about 9 inches previously when I realized that my gauge was right if I were making the vest for a 7 year old. I am using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino (still of the Cursed Yarn lot), a sport weight, and started off with size 3 needles in a size 32. WRONG. I played with my gauge and found that size 5 needles in the size 36 pattern would be best. So there I went. As of Friday morning I had about 8 inches done.

lumpy bumpy color work

My hands were VERY busy this weekend, however, and as of this morning I am about 4 inches away from finished with the initial knit up. (:

Ooh La-La... So curvy!

I have never done this kind of color work before and, as you saw here, steeking is almost always involved with color work in the round. I decided to follow the CORRECT WAY to do it this time, setting up stabilizer rows, decreasing in the correct direction around the steeks, and basically being a professional about it instead of an ill-prepared knitter. This garment is also has lots of shape to it. Decreases for the waist, increases for the bust... it should be pretty fly. (: I have to say, I am really excited to get this done and wear it. I will post pictures ASAP, of course.

I also started my sister's holiday sweater, which of course, I can't post pictures of. ): I am very sad about this as I LOVE the colors. Okay, I'll post colors. She's a new mother and full-time teacher... she probably doesn't read this anyways. (:

The depth of the dye in these yarns is really amazing. I wish I could get a better picture of the blue-green... but these will have to do.

Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light

Last knitting thing: I started and finished these booties from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

I cannot say enough about the awesome quality and aesthetic of Joelle's book. Get it, get it, get it.

Well, off to do homework for Con Law II and Trial Ad. I am trying to stay one week ahead at all times to keep the pressure off and make this semester more enjoyable. So far it's working. I got a job offer from a Judge last week to be his intern. All I have to do now is pass the drug test and I will start next week. I also have trial team try outs on Friday. Yikes.

My personal quilting history - a story of cursed yarn.

2008-08-17T14:01:00.012-05:00

Roughly 11 months ago I bought some Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. And by some, I mean about 11 skiens. No shit. I had just learned that my one and only sister/sibling was pregnant with my first niece and wanted to make something fantastic. My sister is a third grade teacher and so I thought that the Debbie Bliss Alphabet Blanket would be exactly perfect. And it was.... but my yarn? My mountains of cashmerino? CURSED.

Every time I felt like I was getting somewhere with the blanket I would realize I had two too few or too many stitches which, if you look at the blanket, throws just about EVERYTHING off. I was trying not to be obsessive about the blanket's short comings, but my perfectionism got the best of me and rip rip rip - the blanket was done for good. And I was left with lots of expensive cursed yarn.

Still wanting to make the most special blanket I could, but not willing or able to use the un-knittable yarn, I began my slow descent into madness. My Legal Writing teacher, my favorite teacher of all time, actually, is a quilter. A ferociously talented, unapologetic quilter. And a sassy attorney to boot. I was sitting in her office discussing my appellate brief one spring day and we started discussing an article she was contemplating about the trademarking of quilt designs. Until then I didn't really understand how cool a quilt could be. That they didn't have to be all forest green and burgundy and that quilting can be modified by the quilter's own creative style just like knitting. EUREKA. I would make my sister a quilt.

I wanted my mom to be a part of it too, to make it even more special. So before spring break I went to Quiltology (one of my favorite places in the city) and picked out my fabrics and a design. After 3 days of cutting and trying to figure out how to "square off" corners and what a seam allowance should be, we had a beautiful quilt top. It took me quite some time to find the courage to bind the quilt... in fact, it took me about 4 months from start to finish with this quilt. But I am so happy we took on the adventure. Here she is.

I used minky on the back - because I can't help myself with that stuff. The consequence being that Misha will be 12 before she is strong enough to carry the quilt around if she so chooses. Now she uses it for tummy time and for when my sister gives her bed time massages (must be rough). I decided that I love the look of hand quilting, so, starting with the Misha quilt, I have always hand quilted a little on each of the quilts I make. Can you see? Around the two green flowers? In any case, that one quilt created the monster that I am today and sparked all sorts of new sewing projects that I will share soon.

But what about my cursed yarn? Well, I got out all the kinks during the making of.... TA DAAAA!

Pattern: Clapotis (pronounced "clap-oh-tee")
Designer: Kate Gilbert
Get it: Here
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino (about 4 skeins)
Model: My Beautiful Big Sister

This pattern is really an amazing piece of design work. The texture is made by dropping stitches, which are knit on the bias. It actually won Design of the Year on knitty.com (well deserved). The dimensions of the scarf are incredible: A little over five feet long and about a foot wide. It's squishy, warm, and practical. I love it. Oh - and the pattern is free. SCORE. This scarf will be going with me everywhere - especially the cold, lonely library. (:

Something more about the designer, Kate Gilbert. She's great. She and friends came out this last month with a new knitting magazine (maybe just on the web?... webzine?) full of trendy beautiful designs. It's called Twist Collective and you must, must, MUST check it out. I have never seen a knitting publication with so many "hits" and, really, not a single miss. I have picked out 2 projects for Moi, one for my mom, and I'm hell-bent on making the "Daniel" sweater but have yet to find a man in my life that will wear it. It's a goal of mine to make a friend that will wear it (and get A's in school and learn French).

I am in Michigan visiting my sister, bro-in-law and (of course) Miss Misha. My B-I-L is at work, and Sasha (sister) ran to her class room for a few hours. I've got the run of Babyland and all she wants to do is sleep.... for once. OOPS! As always, I spoke too soon. She is starting to fuss. I'll leave you with a shot from bath time last night. We call her The Michelin Man for a reason.

Comme Again?!

2008-08-14T00:01:00.003-05:00

Uhh, okay. It has gone too far. H&M will be featuring a line by Comme de Garcons. Read all about it here.

(Picture from W Magazine)

Okay, sure - fashion should be accessible. But it BLOWS MY MIND to think that 14 year olds from the burbs are going to be wearing the fashion concepts of Rei Kawakubo. I remember doing a pretty intense project on Comme De Garcons back in my days as a fashion student and thinking that I really barely understood what the hell was going on with this brand. It's abstract, it's out there, and it is definitely more art than sportswear. Making Comme de Garcons for the H&M demographic is like handing out original Salvador Dali paintings to everyone on Michigan Ave. Sure, the recipients might say "this is by an important person, so I like it" and then they go hang it in their bathroom. They might understand that it's art, but they'll never understand what it means. This is mind boggling. H&M, you've gone too far. Rei Kowakubo: you were already crazy, but you've obviously recently lost it completely.

I have no excuse.

2008-08-13T08:36:00.007-05:00

I could pretend and say THINGS HAVE BEEN CRAZY!!! But in actuality, the only craziness in my life is the Olympics and I should have more to post today. For the first week I was home I just sat and knit and enjoyed having a couch and a TV again. Total bliss, really. Unfortunately, I had two set backs in my knitting.

1. My mom's birthday present has sadly been a nightmare. I was working on making my mom a birthday gift out of this beautiful LOOKING stuff:

(Jojoland Harmony)

When I realized... I HATE WORKING WITH LACE WEIGHT. A lot. I tried every pattern on ravelry and none of them made me feel good. I just kept thinking "this will not keep her warm, this is not something she'd wear, this is not practical" and then... rrrrrriiiiiiiip! Out came 6 hours of work each time. So I've given up on this very pretty but ridiculously impractical yarn. I have no idea when I will be able to use it again, but I'm moving on.

So, I was in search of the perfect mom gift ALL OVER Ravelry. I found a few small projects that she will actually use, though they may not be so coherent. I don't want to spoil the surprise, so if you are not my mom look here and here for her gifts. I wanted to make more, but I've realized that this "handmade pledge" easily gets out of hand. I don't want to be anti-climactic at holiday time. (:

2. I fell in LOVE with Eunny's Deep V Argyle Vest and have been working on it almost non stop. Unfortunately, my gauge, once again, is off and I'm going to have to tear the whole thing out and go with a bigger needle. Yes, JUST LAST POST I said I was going to start doing a swatch. But I didn't. I'm a bum. I relied on the fact that the pattern called for just sport weight, which I had, and went with it using the needles called for by the yarn req's. Silly me. No I have to pull out days of work. Makes me a little sick.

I've also been working on my quilts! I am FINALLY SATISFIED with Dara's baby naming quilt, so here it is:

I have gotten RAVE reviews from friends (other than Dara's parents) who have seen the quilt. I am pleased with the results and at peace with the fact that the hand quilting took over two months for me to finish.

I'm also very close to finishing one of the "sister quilts" that I have been working on. My friends are having their second daughter and I wanted to make the new baby a quilt without making the soon to be big sister feel left out. So for the past month I have been working with way too much pink fabric. Maybe that is why I have been so slow to finish?? Here is my modified Coin Stack Quilt from, you guessed it, Last Minuted Patchwork and Quilted Gifts. It was originally a much larger pattern so I shrunk it down to a crib size. I'm IN LOVE with it.

The minky on the back is proving difficult in the quiting process. Being a knit fabric, it loves to move and stretch when it goes through the machine. I've had to tear out more than my fair share of quilting to reposition the fabric. Another reason it has taken me so long. (:

I have battled with the zig sag quilt from day one and have decided that it is a no-go to copy straight off the pattern. I just don't like the look of it. I have a few ideas from Denis Schmidt's book, but I'm running out of patience.

Yup. Yuck. I don't even want to talk about it anymore. Today I am off to Stanley's (the best and cheapest place in Chicago for fruits and veggies) and then running to Jo-Ann to get zippers and some interfacing to finish my Amy Butler Weekender Bag! I am so excited. I'll post pictures soon - I'm going to my Sister's to play with her and Misha on Saturday. I'll try not to saturate this blog with baby pictures. (: 'Til next time...

It is SO GOOD to be home... and to have some FOs.

2008-08-02T16:42:00.008-05:00

Well, at this time yesterday I was living here.

Now, after 14 hours of driving straight through the night, I'm back home.

(View from the roof deck and my couch/favorite piece of furniture ever)

I'm never, ever, ever leaving again. Ever. This is the first time in 6 years that I have lived at an address longer than one year and it's given me the opportunity to decorate how I want. Of course, once I got it the way I liked it, I left for Delaware and left my pretty pretty apartment to my boyfriend to live in alone. Not fair.

In any case, I am back and inspired to make this place even more like home. I am totally inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Green Apples. I want to paint my office now, more than ever, and in a wildly romantic colors like she has chosen. We live in a condo building that was formerly a spaghetti factory. The timber loft can be so cozy and warm, I'd like to get ride of just one of the white walls. To me, they just don't go with how well the brick and the woodwork play together. To demonstrate: My dad eating cereal this morning at the kitchen table.

Unfortunately, every wall is white except for one... and on that wall the landlords did something, uh, interesting?

It's a real library ladder - it moves and everything. Unfortunately, the books that you see are wall paper. I want nothing more than to knock out that wall and make it into an actual book shelf. As a result of us both enduring law school (he did it 7 years before me, however), boyfriend and I have TONS of very cool looking (but now useless) books that need a good home. Right now they are shoved into an Ikea book case. It's just not right.

Anyway, an FO! Here is the Mrs. Darcy sweater (ravelry link), in all of her glory.

Mrs. Darcy Sweater
Published in: Ramblings of a Knitting Obsessive

Yarn weight: Aran / Worsted

Gauge: 16 stitches and 20 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

Needle size: US 9 / 5.5 mm

Fiber: 3 skeins (645.0 yards) Berroco Ultra Alpaca
Size: SMALL.

Okay, so what did I learn this time.... TO ALWAYS SWATCH AND CHECK YOUR GAUGE. The pattern actually calls for about 900 yards. As you can see, I made mine out of just under 650 yards. Not good. Thankfully it fits, but I'm uncomfortable with the fact that the V-neck is so wide. I think I am going to attach a wider ribbed neck band and continue down for the buttons. It's also too short - and I am probably a world record holder for short torsos. I will likely pick up and cast on in order to make it longer. I haven't decided yet if I am going to do a ripped bottom or not, but I think it might be too much next to the twisted rib.

I love love LOVE the idea of this pattern, I only wish I had executed it better. If only I did a swatch! But I'm already learning from my mistake! I am going to do a swatch of my bro-in-law's holiday present sweater even though I've already cast on. I'd rather tear the whole thing out than make him a sweater he can't wear.

Speaking of WIPs, I started Clapotis by Kate Gilbert last week. It is a genius pattern that I will certainly discuss when I am finished and have some sweet photos to show off to you. In the mean time, here is the big bad WIP Pic:

By the way... I am probably the last known knitter to have cast this on. Ravelry shows that this pattern has been made 7007 times. I think that is pretty effing amazing.

Well, I am tired, hungry and have 20, no 19 minutes to get ready for my best girlfriend's house warming party. (I am so excited to have her close... she moved 6 blocks from me and now we can walk to school together...**nerds**). Wish me luck.

Racing the Clock

2008-07-26T16:21:00.003-05:00

When I came to Delaware for my internship, I rationalized that it wouldn't be that bad, since I had my knitting. (It looks more geeky when typed than it sounds in my head....). Well, 6 days from now I am OUT OF HERE and, of course, I haven't finished the projects that have been on my WIP list for the longest time. On both the Tilted Duster that I'm making for my sister and the Mrs. Darcy Sweater that I'm making for myself (would you believe this is the first time I've made anything for myself??) I have less than one sleeve to finish. And I HATE sleeves. I am determined to finish both of these sweaters, sewn up and blocked, before I go to bed tonight.

In non-knitting news, I finally finished the Follow-The-Lines baby quilt I've had going for a couple of months. I have to say, I love it and I am very proud of it. While I was here in Delaware, our friends held a baby naming Ceremony for their daughter Dara. I felt bad that I couldn't go, so I thought a handmade gift would be most appropriate. I had a little left over fabric, so I'm whipping up a "peanut" to match. I can't help myself! I love that effing Elephant! I am taking pictures tomorrow of all the things I finish this weekend and will post as soon as possible.

And, my most exciting new? (well, not as exciting as going home for good, but...) I ordered Amy Butler's new book Little Stitches for Little Ones this week - it should be at my office by Tuesday!!! Here are some pictures from her site

I cannot wait to get my hands on the Kimono pattern or the diaper bag... and that monkey clothes hamper? RIDIC. Anyway, sorry for the unfun, pictureless blog post. I'll come back strong on my next post!

Ziggity Zag... part one

2008-07-21T22:41:00.007-05:00

Now that my crim pro class is over, I finally have time to work on the zig zag quilt! I have had my fabric for over a month and it has been staring at me, begging for a little attention. I bought my goods at Purl Patchwork (of course!) when Boyfriend and I were in NYC in June. This was my original pallet:

Unfortunately, that turned out to look pretty spastic when I put it all together. I was going for two different color groups - the hot pinks (fabrics 1, 2, and 3 on your left) and the reds/light pinks (fabrics 4, 5, 6, and 7). I fabrics 1 and 2 are Amy Butler and 3 is a part of the Rowan Aviary Collection. I love all three..... and they completely wash out anything in the same color family. So... now I am left with random triangle/squares of the pink and reds. I'll figure something out, I'm sure.

Anyways, I brought most of my fabric home last weekend (I'm moving back one suitcase at a time so the final move in the Mazda isn't so very packed), but I had just enough to give me an idea of what I wanted to do instead of the reds: ORANGE. I'm using Joelle Hoverson's Net of Jewels in Carnelian. It is really beautiful fabric that I bought to make a dress out of... but it's going to a good cause, so I wont morn. I am going to my local quilt store (one of the only good establishments within walking distance) to see if I can find anything worthy to go along with the bedazzling fabric. Cross your fingers.

Okay, so after a night of cutting and pasting, here's what it's starting to look like:

You may have noticed that I didn't zig-zag the white... I am leaving that portion "clean" so I can embroider the baby's name and birthday when she's born. I am hoping to have a bit extra - this is for the aforementioned quasi-niece's baby sister, due to arrive in October - to make a big sister blanket too.

I am really excited to see what kind of personality this blanket takes on. I haven't decided what to do with the binding yet or whether I want to do a border (I have a stock piled of minky with the bumps in white and light pink and you KNOW the babies love it). I was thinking about a border but I'm not so sure... We shall see.

In any case, I'm off to bed. I finally finished a memo today I had been working on for a couple of weeks. Too little case law on the real basis of the inquiry, too much on the underlying substantive contract law. Blegh. My head is swimming due to my late arrival last night and my apparent obsession with torture (as I hit the 5 minute snooze button on two different alarms more than 5 times a piece this am) and the memo. It's better I put down the rotary cutter and back away.

Good night!

I'll be brief.

2008-07-21T02:10:00.004-05:00

I spent the weekend in Chicago - it was SO GOOD to be home. Boyfriend dropped me off today at the airport for my light at 8:20 but, in true O'Hare style, my plane was delayed over three hours. Actually, it's Philadalphia's fault. The weather sucked, is what I hear.

Anyway, it's 3am and I just got home. I need to go to bed, but thought I'd post pictures, quickly. In no particular order:

McTagger Tweed.... delish.

My Beaverslide Dry Goods order was waiting for me at my house in Chicago when I arrived on Thursday. I am SO pleased... for two reasons: First, because I have been excited about this since BrooklynTweed featured it, and second because boyfriend actually liked the color! I can't wait to start on his adult tomtem when I get home. (: The fiber is really great - awesome tweedy flex of color and VERY soft. I will add more later... it is 3am, you know.

My quasi-niece/Best girlfriend snuggling with me before bed.

I was home so that boyfriend and I could watch this little nugget while her mommy's sister got married. She is Boyfriend's bestfriend's daughter, which qualifies me as an honorary aunt, you know. So I spent all weekend singing The Itsy Bitsy Spider and running around with her like the wild women we are. (: I had been gone for 2 months, so she took a lot of pleasure in showing me all of her new tricks, like answering the question "what does a turtle say?" WAY TOO CUTE. I also was exposed to the Shushabyes. Scary. Very scary. And now their little songs are haunting me in the silent scene that is Delaware.

Well, off to bed. A quality post is on its way tomorrow.

Cheers.

I usually love sick days....

2008-07-15T15:26:00.003-05:00

....but let me tell you how un-fun they are when you don't have a couch, a tv, or any mode of transport other than your sick legs to get to a store for gatorade and crackers. VERY UN-FUN. So, I pacified myself with Law and Order CI (blegh, I hate that one) and this little girl:

I love love LOVE the buttons. A lot. :D

This is the Baby Placket Pullover from Last Minute Knitted Gifts from the people and Purl Soho. I adore this book - I'm making at least 3 ChristmaHanukkah gifts out of it this year. Adorable. An added plus about Purl? THE PEOPLE WORKING THERE. I purchased a skein too few of Koigu for some socks when I was there. I called 5 days later and the woman helping me remembered who I was and exactly what colorway I bought (that's not easy with Koigu!). Anyways, I'm a Purl fan for life, so excuse my pimping them out.

Anyway, I am now down to the last 2.5 weeks of my internship. My goal was (outside of having a great work experience) to get a lot of ChristmaHanukkah knitting finished... I'll give myself a zero F- on that train. Instead I'm making a lot of right now gifts. Socks for boyfriend, baby sweater for my sister (adult size, but as a new mommy gift, you know), birthday scarf for boyfriend's mom, and other things that I just can't seem to wait to betroth! (: Meh. I'll use the C-H gift knitting for when I need a reason to procrastinate during school.

Tonight I am trying my hand at making two aprons and embroidering (is that a word?) them by hand. I am GOING HOME TO CHICAGO TOMORROW!!!!! because a friend's sister is getting married and boyfriend and I are taking care of the friend's baby. So I am making wedding gifts - hand made aprons. Mine will be the weird gift in the middle of all the nice shiny ones... I guess it's good to stand out. Anyways, I've never embroidered anything in my life, so I will chronicle the experience to the fill extent. Blunders and all. We're here to learn, right?

Busy weekend...pff.

2008-07-13T22:00:00.004-05:00

Well, I took most of my weekend to do nothing. I thought I deserved it after my 3 day work week. (: I used what was left of my Sirdar Snuggly Bamboo from the Misha Tank and use it to make this little thing:

I put the spool of thread by it to give a little size prospective. It still is ridiculously small. But so is Miss Misha! Tomorrow night I am going to finish my Follow The Lines Baby Quilt from Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts. It has so many cute projects. I'm obsessed with the Elephant and have already made one for Misha that matches her quilt and I'll make one to match the FTL's quilt, too. Here's a sneak peek at the blankie:

If anyone is wondering (as I was when trying to plan my fabrics) the fabric I used and that Joelle used in the book is an Alexander Henry print called "Ava" from the black and white collection (counterintuitive, no?). Anyways, more tomorrow. Time to get more Criminal Procedure in my head before the final this week!

FULL STEEK AHEAD!

2008-07-12T15:58:00.015-05:00

I was in New York a few weeks ago and stopped in to The Point NYC. First of all, they were so sweet. One of the women working there (maybe the only one that day) walked all around the store with me in my hunt for the perfect fiber for my mom's Christmas gift. I finally found the perfect stuff AND the cutest pattern for my then yet-to-be-born niece. A tank top.

I had started and ripped out 4 different projects using Sirdar Snuggly Bamboo bought at Loopy Yarns in the loop. Because it is bamboo it is a "super wash" (meaning you can throw it in the washing machine) and it is super cool and breathable. Perfect for a tank top! So I started the tank and decided to stripe in my three colors - putty, lilac, and rosy. I had never made anything in stripes before so I didn't know about the phenomenon called "jogging." Basically, when you are knitting in the round, the beginning of your stripe is always going to be lower than the end of your stripe. See:

Woof. So, I decided to take a deep breath and try my hand at steeking. Steeking is a method of finishing a piece knit "in the round" by cutting the piece either to insert arm holes, make an opening, or to line up your stripes. I refuse to pretend I would teach this well, so I suggest looking here for a wonderful and thorough explanation. But I will show you my pictures. Here goes...

Because of all of my color changes, my project ended looking like this: All hairy and tangly and gross. Two things needed to happen here. 1) I needed to weave in all of my ends so that it wasn't hairy, 2) I needed to block the piece, meaning steam it with an iron or wet it and roll it in a towel so it would lay flat and look like it didn't just come out of a suitcase that has sat on my floor since returning from Michigan a week ago.... (: I knew that I would be cutting the piece wide open and it would be easier to block then, so here it is with just the ends woven in, no blocking:

Now for the scary part! To prepare the tank top for steeking, I stitched a thread line down the portion I wanted to hide to use as a guide for the sewing machine that was to come later. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of me sewing the tank, and the picture of my thread line was not great, so... STRAIGHT TO THE CUTTING!

I really wasn't too worried about the cutting. I'm not sure why - probably because it was 2am and I knew if I screwed up I could throw out the project and go to bed. (: But it went just fine! As soon as the tank was in one, flat piece, I blocked it:

Much better, no? The little kind of divots you see are where I had to decrease - I should have done it in a middle color row to make it less obvious, but I did it on an edge row and that made it pop out a bit. Live and learn! So now the tank is not curling up or wrinkly. One good thing to remember is that when you steam block something, to make sure the water doesn't stay in the fabric and help it start to curl again, take a pillow and press it to the fabric right after you take the iron off. It'll absorb the steam that wants to stay in your garment.

After that, I did a standard mattress stitch to join the sides ......

and, ta daaaa!!!! Looking MUCH better! My stripes line up a lot more accurately, which was my main goal. I didn't prepare to steek like I should have, so I'm not upset that it doesn't look perfect. Plus, shomehow when I bound off I mis-counted and so the steek isn't exactly in the middle. It bothers me, alot.... but I will send it off to my sister and try not to let my knitting OCD get the best of me. Here it is before I attached buttons:

At this point, I was home free. I just added a couple VERY cute buttons and was finished. (FYI: I added the button holes on the i-cord straps...usually you'd just sew them on, but I thought buttons would be cute and make it easier on my sister getting Misha into her tank top. (: Here are the Final pictures!

DONE AND DONE!

After staying up until 3am finishing the tank top, I slept until 3:30 this afternoon. I still have to run 12 miles (damn you, Chicago Marathon), and study for my criminal procedure final. Yikes. Happy Saturday!

(PS: If you like the tank, the pattern lists the email Info@knitbykiana.com as a contact)

Preoccupation to the max

2008-07-11T00:50:00.003-05:00

Okay, okay. Not only am I working a ton this summer, I'm also completely preoccupied by this little thing. My brand-spankin' new niece, Misha Evelyn. I went up to Michigan (over, maybe?) right after my last post to help out my sister and brother-in-law for a week. Really I just sat and looked at Misha for a week while thinking to myself "I should really study/finish that memo/run/etc." But it was a great week.

Now I am back in Delaware with only 20 days left of my internship.... which I don't think I've explained, yet. I am working for the worlds largest clothing company as the legal intern in the trademarks/licensing department. It's a really amazing experience that I really never thought was out there. A little leg work and a lot of uncomfortable emails and phone calls really paid off. While Delaware is by far my least favorite place I've ever lived, I would not trade this experience for anything.

In any case, I need to head off to bed. I've resolved to get some of my summer crafty projects up here soon. Until then!

Long Lost

2008-06-30T08:04:00.002-05:00

Well, after very few posts I went under the radar - I've been living and working in a different state and blogging has not been atop my list of to-dos. Although, in Delaware, there is not a lot to do at all... so all I can say is sorry!

Quickly - Vuitton won its suit against Ebay! HARRAH! I'll post a comprehensive review of the opinion a bit later after I read it over lunch. For now, back to legal research. Happy Monday.

You know you're a law student at the end of a semester when...

2008-05-09T17:42:00.003-05:00

1. You use the money from the book buy back for groceries.... and it's the first time you went grocery shopping in a month.... and you've been making mixtures of whatever you have left in the cupboard until this lovely grocery trip.

2. All the "finals" knitting projects you start you have to tear out because you realize you've dropped stitches/twisted stitches/hate what you decided to make after surfing Ravelry for an hour instead of studying for civ pro.

3. You haven't worn make up, moisturizer, matching clothes even when you leave the house for 5 minutes to remember what the outside looks like

4. You are REALLY surprised when you walk out of an interior room to find that it is not only completely dark outside, but that everyone else doesn't think it is so weird that it is completely dark outside.

5. When you watch Grey's Anatomy, you think about how much easier Med school would be and that there is still time to switch.

6. People ask you if you if you feel okay... all. the. time.

7. Caffeine has lost all of its magical powers.

8. You don't have money for yarn, so you look through your "bag to donate" that's been sitting around since last spring and start unraveling old sweaters.

9. You have 418 unread RSS feeds on your Google Reader page and you haven't been on Perez Hilton in 2 weeks.

10. Working 40 hours a week and taking a class this summer seems like a vacation.

11. You don't post any quality content on your blog for a long long time.

Patent-ly horrifying...

2008-05-01T09:06:00.005-05:00

I'm settling in for another studying marathon, but thought I'd share an interesting topic that's buzzing on the web today, first. After all, I'm trying to enjoy my breakfast and the Parol Evidence Rule tends to ruin my appetite. So here we go:

Click here for an article in the NY Times about a proposed bill that would, in my opinion, be the most direct route to mistrust of the patent office - in the eyes of consumers, small time inventors or companies that just aren't as big as the pharmaceutical giants.

A quick background (in English): The main issues in regards to validity are whether the invention is "novel", useful, and "non obvious".

A patent is not novel if it has been already been invented, whether or not that previous invention was patented, or "if all the elements of the patent, or their equivalents are found" within a single description or incarnation of a previous invention. Kiva Corp. v. Baker Oil Tools, Inc., 412 F.2d 546, 552 (5th Cir. 1969). So basically, if I want to patent a type of button making machine, I can't if someone has already made that machine before or if someone has invented a larger machine that includes the same button making machine. Capisce?

Non obvious means that an invention "must not have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter of the invention pertains at the time of the invention and in the light of the teachings of the prior art." I know, I promised English. This just means that if you are in the button making machine business, you can't take two patents that pertain to button making machines and put them together in order to patent them.

The person looking to get a patent on his or her invention has a duty to disclose all "prior art" - basically any prior invention that has elements of the new invention. But sometimes that doesn't happen...

One last patent vocabulary lesson: Inequitable conduct. Inequitable conduct is established when the inventor doesn't share all of that prior art and “(1) the omitted…information [is] material to patentability of the invention; (2) the applicant [knew] of the existence and materiality of the information; and (3) the applicant intend[s] to deceive the United States Patent and Trademark Office.” That is a big no-no. Any patent acquired through the inequitable conduct is unenforceable... unless the bill goes through.

My mind is running absolutely wild thinking of the repercussions of this bill. The article does a great job of confirming that I'm not alone. Read it.

Okay, time for another 12 hour day of studying.... my breakfast is gone, my music is off.... life just got more lame.

Of all the things to get mad about...

2008-04-30T00:11:00.002-05:00

There are a lot of maddening things in the IP world. Consumer ignorance is near the top of this list.

Here is a link to an article about a Forever 21 knock off of a Phillip Lim dress. The knock off makes me mad, but the comments to follow aggravates the entire situation. I kind of flew off the handle in my comment, but I couldn't help myself.

After finishing my oral argument today, I slept from 3pm to 11 and am returning to hibernation now. Finals studying starts in full swing tomorrow morning at 8am.

For Shaaaaame

2008-04-28T10:52:00.006-05:00

Well, the US Trade Representation board came out with the 2008 Special 301 report, and I can't say I'm very pleased with the findings... nor am I surprised.

The 301 report is basically the Who's Who of Internationally IP Piracy. The report says that the committee looked at 78 countries this year and found that a whopping 46 of those countries should be placed on the "Priority Watch List."

The report starts out with warm fuzzies - Who is getting downgraded either to the regular watch list or off both lists entirely and why. Congrats to past year: Belize (removed from the Watch List), Egypt (moved from the Priority Watch List to the Watch List), Lebanon (moved from the Priority Watch List to the Watch List), Lithuania (removed from the Watch List, Turkey (moved from the Priority Watch List to the Watch List), and Ukraine (moved from the Priority Watch List to the Watch List).

Then the report goes on to pat the US on the back over and over and over. Why? Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with countries on the naughty list, Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Reviews (I'll talk about this some other time), the proposed IPR practices in Russia, Lebanon, and Uzbekistan under ongoing GSP reviews.
Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), and the STOP! Initiative (Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy... basically a collaboration of administration agencies and public and private industry leaders).

Great job America. BUT THERE ARE STILL 46 COUNTRIES ON THE PRIORITY WATCH LIST. Now, I know we can't reach into the countries on the Priority Watch List, but why aren't we employing tougher sanctions when dealing with countries that continue to show up on that list? This goes well beyond 16 year olds buying fake Prada bags on Canal. The report sums up how serious this issue is on page 6, saying:

Counterfeiting not only affects the profits of legitimate producers, but also impacts consumers who waste money and sometimes risk their safety by purchasing fake goods. It also damages the economies of the countries in which it occurs by decreasing tax revenue and deterring investment. Counterfeiters generally pay no taxes or duties, and they often disregard basic standards for worker health and safety, and product quality and performance. Piracy of copyrighted products in virtually all formats, as well as counterfeiting of trademarked goods, has grown rapidly because these criminal enterprises offer enormous profits and little risk. Counterfeiters and pirates require little up-front capital investment, and even if caught and charged with a crime, the penalties imposed on convictions in many countries are so low that they offer little or no deterrence.

My only request is that you be a savvy shopper - or maybe more importantly, a conscious shopper. By that I mean when you're about to get a screamin' deal, look around you... Do you think you can get Windows Vista at the dollar store? Or that the bodega on the corner is really an authorized retailer or Burberry cologne? In our present state of economy, many of us are looking to save a buck. Buying Skope mouthwash at $2 is an appealing alternative to the real Scope mouthwash for $5. If we all close our eyes to the fact that this is an obvious piracy, the aggregate effect will NOT help our economy. Not only that, but "Skope" and other knock off labels aren't tested for chemicals or contamination by any other means. So please, for the health of the global and national economy, and possibly for your own health, be savvy and conscious while shopping.

I need to stop here, as I'm in the midst of studying for finals. I'll likely resume the topic later. You can also read the report yourself here.

They Should Do This On Project Runway...

2008-04-27T12:09:00.003-05:00

Okay, this is an amazing video. Video: Predictions on Fashion in the year 2000 from the 1930s.

A few points here that I seriously love:

1) Even THEY knew the dress/skirt would "disappear" (See my previous post)

2) Men SHOULD have that many pockets always... and they should always be carrying coins and "candy for cuties." In fact, it should be illegal NOT to have candy in a tin connected to your belt.

3) Mesh Dress? Oh boy were they right. Remember the 1998 VMAs?

4) And what about the WEDGES!? I love it. These people had some serious insight.

5) The modesty dress? It goes perfectly with our abstinence only sex education and our rising teen birth rates. Has the President seen this??? I see public school uniforms coming back in our future if he does......

Brilliant.

I enjoy being ahead of the game....

2008-04-27T04:16:00.002-05:00

As my wardrobe has confirmed.... "the dress is dead."

I think the fashion world was waiting for me to donate that last shift dress to confirm.

Read all about it here.

I've been studying since 11 o'clock this morning. It's time to call it.