Valentine's Day

I love Valentine’s Day.  I am not sure why I love it so.  I am fully aware that it is a made up holiday, so commercialism can dig its claws even tighter into us as society.   The money spent on roses, dinners, jewelry is a little ridiculous.  Yes, even I can admit that. 

And I saw the worst part of Valentine’s Day yesterday.   I was in Kroger buying some cream cheese and a few other things.  (I attempted to make Crab Rangoon last night, and definitely will try again, but a post on that when I actually get it right.)  Anyways, while I was in Kroger, I saw all these men rushing around trying to find something, roses, orchids, a box of chocolate.  They were in search of anything that they could take home and their significant other would not be pissed at them.  That is how Valentine ’s Day gets a really bad rep.

I view it a little differently.  I view as an opportunity to share with Justin, my friends, and my family just how much they mean to me.  I honestly try to spend as little money as possible.   Actually, this year I only spend $35 on Valentine’s Day.  This is what I bought for $35 dollars.  Ten cards, 1 gift card, crab meat, wonton wrappers, cream cheese, cake mix, powdered sugar, sprinkles, and two skeins of yarn.  What did I do with all of this stuff?

-I made two attempts to make crab rangoons.  I came really close to getting it right, but Justin would not let me make a 3^rd batch.

-I sent 10 of the most awesome ladies I know a card.

-One of those cards included an extra special gift card.

-I made cupcakes for my favorite people at the bar Monday night.

-I made a fingerstache.  It is awesome.

-And finally, I made Ness.

Now Ness is the main character from Justin’s favorite video game.   He has played Earthbound every year since we have been together, and I sure that tradition started before we were together. Justin’s morning alarm is Ness’s wake up music in the game.  Yes, he is that big of a fan.

I am not sure how I thought of this idea.  I have no idea where it came from.  I just know that I was sitting at my desk as work, letting the creative juices flow.  Then, out of nowhere, came this awesome Idea.  And I knew if I could get it right, it would be awesome.   There was no pattern for a Ness doll, so I had to create this one from sheer skill.

Here is the picture I started with.

Here is the head and the hat.  I know that logic would suggest that I completed the body and then add the features.  But I could work on the naked body at home in front of Justin.  However, the clothes I worked on during my lunch breaks.  So yes, I am in my car, crocheting.   And yes, I may be a dork.

He is really starting to come together here, although he still has no legs.

And here is my Ness doll, complete with his backpack.  I was proud of him, but nervous as to what Justin would think.  Justin loved it.  He immediately posted it to an Earthbound fan site.

So Valentine’s Day is not about chocolate, flowers, and jewelry.  Although those things are nice, and the flowers I received from my sister made my whole day. My Valentine’s Day is about taking a little extra time, and doing something that wasn’t “expected” of meto show those closest  to me that I care for them.  

The Grand Debut

Have you ever worn something really new and super cute to work, and then waited for the compliments to come flooding in? 

Yes, I may be taking the long way to the water fountain today.  Yes, I may be striking a pose every now and then.  Yes, I may be a tiny bit obsessed with my outfit today. 

But, come on? It’s amazing!

 

And I made it!

Are there mistakes? Absolutely.  Are there different knitting techniques I would use in future versions of this sweater? Yes, sir. 

But for my first sweater, I consider this a huge success! 

I love it! It’s amazing!  I am amazing!

PS – I am trying to remain humble, because there is a super secret project in the works that I haven’t quite figured out yet. More on that next week.

PSS – But come on,  it's amazing, isn’t it?

More Progress

It seems the two biggest things that I have going on right now are the upcoming half marathon and my sweater. And while they seem very different, there are a few similarities.

1.      Time - Both require a lot of time that most people wouldn’t spend on this.  The training hours and the hours knitting are extensive.

2.      Soreness - My legs and the rest of my body are seemingly continuously sore from the training runs.  While I am recovering from the runs, I usually participate in marathon knitting sessions that my hands sore and stiff.

3.      Training – Both of these things require a lot of skill.  You can’t just leave your house and run 13 miles, or at least I can’t.  You can’t just pick up some knitting needles and knit a sweater, or at least I can’t.

The similarities are there.  If I could figure out how to run and knit at the same time, my life would be complete.

 I ran 10.6 miles yesterday.  It sucked, but not near as bad as the 10 mile run last week.  My legs today feel as if only a little train has run over them.  So definitely progress is being made.

And here is my sweater on Saturday evening.  I know it is a short sleeve, but I wanted to be able to wear this throughout the spring. Progress!

Since then I have added another sleeve.  All that is left is the finishing and the mistake hiding.  I am saving the final sleeve for the final reveal.  I am excited.  I am really doing this!!

I also have a super secret to show you, next Friday.

Progress

I am feeling a little on top of the world right now!  I ran 10 miles yesterday, and survived.  My legs feels as if they have been ran over by a train.  And on the last 3 miles, I really did consider sitting down and waiting for Justin to come pick me up.  But I kept on, and I finished, so I am beyond excited.  I am going to celebrate this feat for a little more, before I start thinking about next week's long run.

Anyways,  I am plugging along on my sweater.  I wish you could understand how much I am in love with this.  I could not be happier at the moment.  And much like running, I am going to celebrate this accomplishment a little longer, before I start thinking about the sleeves.

I have made some serious progress. This is Saturday night.

And this is this morning...

This is around 7:30 before hair and makeup, so no judgement. 

I hate short sweaters, so I am going to knit on, and then the sleeves.  But who knows?  I may be wearing my first sweater as early as next week!!  



Finally, A First

I have said for at least 3 years I was going to do this, and I haven’t even made an attempt to start.

I read a lot of knitting blogs, and I always see these fantastic sweaters knitted with fantastic yarns.  And I want so bad to be able to knit one for myself or my hubby, if he would ever wear it.  But I have been scared and nervous about starting one.

Until Now

 I am finally starting, and as you can see from the pic it is going pretty well.

Pattern:  $5 in Paris

I found this pattern on Ravelry, and a lot of people used this pattern for their first sweater.  One of my hang-ups, is that most sweater patterns call for really nice (read: expensive) yarn.  I was nervous to invest that much money into something I didn’t know if I would or could finish.    However, this pattern was written for cheaper (yet, still nice) yarn.  So I thought, I will give this a try and see what happens.

I am very excited, and thrilled with how this is going.  I am anxious to work on it this weekend.  I will keep you informed on the progress.

I am doing it, finally doing it!!

Happy Friday, Friends!

Izabella Miya

Like most people my age, I had quite a few toys when I was growing up.  Nothing like the kids today, but I still had quite a few.  And my parents taught me from a very early age that “things” don’t matter.  It is about the people around you and the experiences that you share.    My memories of my childhood are filled with people, fun times, and times when my sister got me in trouble, which was always. J

My mom and I didn’t keep a lot of my toys after I outgrew them.  We lived in a small house and there wasn’t room for two teenage girls and a whole lot of toys.  So we donated what we could and threw away the rest.  I have a teddy bear that has a special meaning to me, but that’s about it.  I am okay with that.

However, I do miss one toy, one baby doll, one red-headed cabbage patch doll.  I can remember everything about her.  What her hair looked like, what she wore, and I also know that there would be a stain on her chest, where I mimicked my mom changing my sister’s bandage on her chest.  I wish I had had the foresight at 13 to know that even though I had outgrown her at the time, that I might still want her in the future.

Whenever I am in a toy store, I take a quick look at the cabbage patch dolls, hoping to find her or one like her.  Now they have corn silk hair, preemie cabbage patch dolls, newborn cabbage patch dolls, and so forth.

So when this came in the mail yesterday as a belated Christmas present, I was pretty excited.  Justin had done a lot of searching for a vintage style, red headed, green eyed cabbage patch doll.  No, this is not exactly like the one I had.  The clothes are different.  The hair color is right, but the style is not.   It is still pretty dang close. Close enough that when I texted a picture to my mom, she recognized that it looked like the original.   I can assure that I am going to take better care and track of this one.

Please meet Izabella Miya.

This is me and Izzy on my new chair.

P.S.  Next time I am in Alabama, I plan to dig up a pic of me and the original and add it to this post.

2013

2012 was a great year for me.  I had a lot of fun.  I learned a lot of new things.  I met new people.  I traveled to new places.  It is going to be pretty hard for 2013 to top it, but I am excited to see what’s in store. 

Now Justin and I aren’t very superstitious, but we make sure to eat some black eyed peas.  And I make sure to eat something green. 

As Justin and I were taking the Christmas tree down last night, we were talking about goals for ourselves and our family.  Things we wanted to do and accomplish, our dreams for our future.  It was a great time of reflection and of looking forward into the future.

Some of my personal ones are...

1.      To knit and crochet things that I want to make, and challenge myself.  Even if this means I have to cut other things out.

2.      To be healthier than I was before.  And to continue to run.

3.      To keep not biting my fingernails.

4.      To be more organized.

5.       To look for the adventure and make the most out of it.

Some of our family ones are...

1.      To watch less tv.

2.      To save more

3.      To not “buy” any Christmas tangible Christmas presents next year.

Yesterday was filled with everything that I want 2013 to hold.   I had breakfast with friends.  I ate some great food.  Saw some beautiful scenery.  Had plenty of time to knit and crochet.  Didn’t spend any money.  Organization of the pantry.  Watched some great football.   Spent quality with Justin.  Yes, 2013 is going to be a great year.