Work In Progress- Revontuli

Friday, January 29, 2010
Back in October 2009, I knitted and felted this little number for my grad school classmate's wedding.




I used the free Booga Bag pattern from Black Sheep Bags and Kauni Wool 8/2 solids yarn in color EF that changes colors as you knit into shades of blue, purple, mauve and green. The whole back took less than one skein of yarn to knit up, and I couldn't let such a beautiful yarn go to waste, so in January, I began knitting Revontuli (a shawl) with the remaining yarn.

The pattern is made up of 3 knitting charts that use various symbols to represent different knit stitches. I have been following several Revontuli knit-along groups on Ravelry and modified the make 1 right and left stitches (m1R, m1L) and replaced them with yarn overs (yo) which makes that nice, zig-zag hole pattern.

Four days into my knitting, I got through Charts 1 and 2 and ran out of yarn before I could start chart 3.



And just my luck, when I ordered another skein of yarn I accidentally asked for the wrong color. So, this project is currently on hold while I wait for another skein of yarn in the right color.
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I Heart Mr. Fox

On Tuesday, I got to see the movie Fantastic Mr. Fox at my local, discount theater.


I loved it (and not just because it was a Wes Anderson film)! I liked the animation, the story, the acting, and those quirky awkward moments that Wes Anderson films seem to have. So, if you haven't seen it yet, run out and catch it in the theater, or be sure to rent it or buy it when it comes out on DVD.

In the mean time, if you're a fan of Roald Dahl's books (or the movies based on his books) check out this article about 8 other Roald Dahl Stories that Ought to be Movies .
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How About That Bacon and Scrambled Eggs

Monday, January 25, 2010
Last week I made some bacon and eggs...the knitted/crocheted kind.

During the 2009 Central Kansas Yarn Shop Hop I stopped by Yarn (the store) in Hutchinson, Kansas and picked up their Bacon and Eggs Dishcloth kits (pattern and yarn included) and last week I knitted them up.

 

The egg whites are knitted from white acrylic yarn and the yolk was crocheted from a long strip of yellow tulle.


The bacon was knit with pink, brown and white cotton. The pattern told me how to do the 1st strip and begin the second, but the rest was free form.

And here they are together. The boyfriend wishes that I would make him some real bacon and eggs, but this is cuter and it will last longer. They are wayyy too cute to use on my dirty dishes!
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Headband Heaven or My Week of Headbands

Thursday, January 21, 2010
To some, having short hair isn't as fun because you don't have as much versatility with your hairstyle; you can't put it in a ponytail and you can't pile your hair on top of your head. I've been rocking short hair for over a year now, and one way that I like to dress up and add fun to my hair is with headbands.

On January 4-8th, I decided to make a headband for everyday of the work week.




Monday





On Monday, I knitted and crocheted the Whitney headband (pattern can be found here). The pattern is named after the character, Whitney (below), who wore a similar headband on the TV show The City. I've never seen The City, but I am into fashion and a frequent online browser of the store Anthropologie that also makes a similar headband retailing for about $24.

Tuesday






This headband with a flower is all crochet and ties behind my head (pattern found here). I struggled some trying to figure out how to crochet the tri-stranded headband, but once I figured it out it was a piece of cake.

Wednesday




On Wednesday I took out my Clover Pom Pom maker and made a pom pom headband inspired by the Fall 2009 Diane Von Furstenburg collection (below) using the tutorial from the good people at Threadbanger.com The pattern for this and the Big Bow Headband can be found here

Thursday



The Big Bow headband is all crochet using the tutorial from Threadbanger.

Friday



To end the week, I created this red moss stitch bow headband using the pattern found here. The headband base is crochet using the same pattern as the "headband with flower" from Tuesday, but the bow is knitted in 2 pieces using a moss or seed stitch.

Thanks for looking!
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New Year New Hat

Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Let me take you back in time to the beginning of 2010.

To kick off the new year, I wanted to make something fun and sparkly. I had some extra Red Heart Holiday yarn from the Fuzzy Fun Scarf that I made my mom for Christmas, and decided to try making the Lotus Hat (pattern found here).







It only took me a day to knit and it goes great with my new white coat! What a great start to the new year! More to come.
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New Sewing Patterns

Sunday, January 10, 2010
Lately, I have been drooling over Simplicity's new line of Cynthia Rowley sewing patterns, especially...



Simplicity 2512

This skirt reminds me of the skirts Althea made on Project Runway last season.




Simplicity 2443

And...

Vogue 8591

I'm thinking this could turn into a dress ala Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City 2 (which I am super psyched for).


Anyways, I've got the patterns in my possession. Stay tuned for the results later this year.
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Cute Shoes for 2010

Every girl knows that she needs the 10 basic shoe essentials:

1. A flat black shoe
2. A neutral shoe
3. A black heeled shoe
4. A metallic shoe
5.A sandal
6. A sneaker
7. A tall boot
8. Winter boot
9. Rain boot
10. A fun party shoe

I tend to stick to one casual shoe/sneaker and wear it everyday until the sole is worn and pulls away and I get holes in the toes, unless it's a special occasion. This was okay while I was a student, but now that it's time for me to find a job, I thought it was time to expand my shoe closet.

I already have many of the essentials in my closet that haven't been getting a lot of wear which I aim to remedy. So, to start off the new year on the right foot (pun definitely intended), I purchased 2 new shoes for spring.




I got neutral beige flats and metallic gold kitten heels

Can you believe that I was able to purchase both pairs at K-Mart online for $20 including shipping!? I took advantage of their buy one get one half off sale that ran at the start of the new year.
The beige shoe goes with everything and is great for the spring to elongate my legs and give the illusion that I'm wearing no shoes at all. The gold shoe was recently featured on another fashion blog that I read, Fab Finds Under 50 where she gives some great outfit ideas to go along with the gold shoes. While you're there, check out her daily outfit inspiration calender and get inspired on what to wear.
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How to Fix a Drafty Window

Thursday, January 7, 2010
It is my first winter in my apartment and the temperatures outside are in the single digits and the predictions for the rest of the week are just as bad (the current temperature is 8 degrees Fahrenheit). As the temperatures began to drop, I discovered that the back bedroom window on the north side is terribly drafty. However, I didn't want to spend money to fix it. So what is a recent master's graduate to do?

Materials:
  • a Blanket
  • 3 3M Command Strip medium hooks (or 3 nails if your apartment allows)
  • 3 binder clips (fun colors optional)

I only had a 2 pack of medium hooks, so I placed them I either side of the window. Since my apartment isn't picky about holes, I hung a nail in the center. Being a recent graduate, I have a lot of left over binder clips left over from school, and I hung a binder clip on each of my hooks and nail. Then I took this fleece throw from the couch and clipped it over my window using the binder clips.
TA DA! It's not the most elegant or permanent solution, but it will last until the weather heats up. When it does, I can simply remove my hooks, unclasp the blanket and place it back on the couch.


Do you have a solution for drafty windows or have you tried tutorial? Let me know by leaving a comment below.
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Resolutions: Recap and Re-do

Wednesday, January 6, 2010
For New Years 2008/2009 I made 10 resolutions. I thought that I would revisit these resolutions and see how I did.


1. Finish Graduate School. X

2. Find a post-graduation job that will pay me for art therapy

3. Propose a research study to a national conference or journal X

4. Don't be so stressed X

5. Be physically active 3 days a week

6. Make time for art X


7. Stay publicly and politically active

8. Knit for a charity
9. Travel X

10. Have more fun


Total: 5 out of 10


I did finish my M.S. degree in art therapy and attend graduation on December 19, 2009,...

...however I am still looking for an art therapy job. I don't think that I anticipated that school and my master's project would take up so much of my time and energy. While I had to put exercises, being publicly and politically active, knitting for charity, and having fun on hold, I still got a lot done.

I wrote a proposal to try to get my master's video shown at the 2009 American Art Therapy Association Conference, however it was not accepted. I plan on proposing again in 2010 and this time it will be a lot easier writing a proposal for a finished film rather than one that isn't.

Also, this year was less stressful. I think it helped that my course load was lighter and I moved in with the boy over the summer.

And in 2009, I traveled to Lawrence, KS and Kansas City with the boy, Red River, NM and Aurora, CO (to pick up my brother) with my parents, and Dallas, TX for the 2009 AATA conference.

I wonder what this year will bring...

Edit

I have been snooping around the blog world and found that this year, many are making a list of the 101 things to do in 1001 days. So below is my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days

Sarah's 101 in 1001 (January 8th, 2010- October 1st, 2013)
  1. Find an art therapy job
  2. Be financially stable
  3. Get my master’s project bound and copyright
  4. Finish the art therapy video
  5. Promote the crap out of finished art therapy video
  6. Submit an article to the American Art Therapy Association Journal
  7. Attend 2010 KATA conference
  8. Be more physically active (at least 2-3 times a week)
  9. Take a yoga or Tai Chi class
  10. Make time for art
  11. Keep up with my craft "to-do" list
  12. Get my yarn stash down to one box
  13. Learn how to read a sewing pattern without help
  14. Complete all sewing projects and patterns purchased prior to 1/8/2010
  15. Make at least one blog post a week
  16. Get more followers on my blog
  17. Get more comments on my blog
  18. Finish the Sookie Stackhouse novels
  19. Read one book a month
  20. Travel someplace new
  21. Take Schaeffer to New Mexico
  22. Visit Europe
  23. Drop a dress size (or two)
  24. Make a new friend
  25. Reconnect with an old friend
  26. Visit a friend once every 3 months
  27. Eat more veggies
  28. Drink red wine
  29. Study up on mixed drinks so I know what to order when I go out
  30. Drink more teas
  31. Start an Etsy shop
  32. Sell arts and crafts
  33. Show art in public
  34. Go to a lake
  35. Go to a baseball game
  36. Update my scrapbook
  37. Visit an art museum that I haven’t been to
  38. Re-visit an art museum that I have been to
  39. Go to a concert
  40. See a play/ musical
  41. Learn to play tennis
  42. Move out of Wichita
  43. Do something extra special for my parent’s 60th birthdays (2010 and 2011)
  44. Plan something extra special for my 30th birthday (2013)
  45. Find a good excuse to be wayyyy to busy to attend my 10year high school reunion (or be wayyy fabulous if I do attend)
  46. Attempt to cook a meal from scratch
  47. Go on a picnic
  48. Hang out at the park when the weather is warm
  49. Go to the KC Zoo
  50. Make a Christmas newsletter
  51. Make something unique for everyone for Christmas
  52. Remember family birthdays (mostly, help Schaeffer remember his family’s birthdays)
  53. Spend time with family
  54. Spend less, save more
  55. Spend more time at thrift stores than at retail stores
  56. Knit for a charity
  57. Hang out at Yarn. in Hutchinson (I love that place)
  58. Spend a day on Main St. in Newton (fun little shops)
  59. Hang out on Mass. Street in Lawrence
  60. Regularly clean out my closet and get rid of clothes I don’t/ can’t wear
  61. Re-purpose at least 1 clothing item into something new
  62. Write more letters
  63. Participate in a craft swap on Craftster.org
  64. Participate in 3 Art House Gallery Co-op shows every year
  65. Save up to buy a new computer/ laptop
  66. Get a Wichita library card
  67. Donate old books to a library
  68. Take a glassblowing class
  69. Convert my VHS movie collection to DVDs
  70. Keep up with my KEXP and This American Life podcast
  71. Finally get an iPod
  72. Delete my MySpace account
  73. Wear more accessories
  74. Set up an official art/craft/work space in our home
  75. Start a collection of fun socks
  76. Volunteer somewhere
  77. Buy a gift for a kid in need at Christmas
  78. Visit Melissa in Texas
  79. Go out with Schaeffer once every 2 weeks
  80. Have a guest over once every 2 weeks
  81. Save money for a tropical vacation
  82. Run a mile without complaining
  83. Go to a movie on opening night dressed up like a character in the film
  84. Go bowling
  85. Get an Nintendo Wii
  86. Take the Buy Handmade Pledge
  87. Stay up to date with the fashion trends
  88. Work on developing my own, personal style
  89. Maintain my German language skills
  90. Learn a new language (My Language Coach on DS anyone?)
  91. Take my vitamins
  92. Floss
  93. Knit something out of old plastic bags
  94. Decide if I am ready to settle down or not
  95. Get a pet kitty
  96. Keep up with Fabulous Finds Under $50s style inspiration calendar in 2010
  97. Invest in more fashion basics (t-shirts, jeans, blazers, trousers, etc.)
  98. Travel somewhere by train
  99. Keep resume up to date
  100. Take Schaeffer to St. Louis.
  101. Learn to embroider
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Christmas 2009

First, I would like to start off with a story.

A Christmas Miracle

About 5 months ago, soon after the boy and I moved in together, I was asking him what my next series of drawings should be about, and he suggested anthropomorphic animals. I had recently seen a series of illustrated anthropomorphic animal pictures at Urban Outfitters, so I poo-pooed that idea, and after a quick google search we were browsing the work of Ryan Berkley. After browsing the etsy site, we both fell in love with the sloth image (and sloth became the punchline for a lot of inside jokes).

The boy had told me that he was going to take me work clothes shopping for Christmas, and he'd told me that he only wanted a video photography book for Christmas, but I wanted to have one surprise gift so I ordered an 8 x 10 of the sloth to give to the boy for Christmas. So I was really surprised on Christmas Day when the boy handed me two small packages and told me that he had a surprise for me. Inside the 1st package was a 5 x 7 picture of sloth. He had remembered the sloth picture from 5 months ago and had given it to me. Immediately afterwards I asked him to open up his 8 x 10 of the sloth. Apparently, great minds really do think alike.




In my second package was a picture of a squirrel.
In the end, my real Christmas present was learning that I am dating the right guy. End of story.

Now, for those of you that are curious, here's what else I got for Christmas from my family and Schaeffer.
Stuff I Got for Christmas 2009
(Please note that items pictured are similar, but not exact to those I recieved)
Purple plaid shirt from JC Penny
Royal blue blouse from JC Penny
White puffy coat from Target
Triple buckle belt from Target
Knee high black boots from Target
Big Teal "grown-up" bag from TJ Maxx (actually a graduation gift)
Grey belted flirty skirt from JC Penny
Khaki and brown pants from Target
Grey plaid skirt from JC Penny
Rent money, cookware set and fabric not pictured.
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It is Better to Give than to Recieve

Monday, January 4, 2010
Hi! Welcome to my first ever blog post.

Each Christmas I like to give handmade gifts to my friends and family, but I always get off to a late start (after Thanksgiving). Usually, I don't get to make as many gifts as I would like, or I end up giving unfinished gifts with the promise that they'll be finished in January.

This Christmas was my most successful yet. I was able to make everyone in my family a present and I finished them all before Christmas.



I knit these socks for my dad using Ditto Universal Yarn in Bryce Canyon Black that I purchased in Minneapolis, Kansas during the Central Kansas Fall Yarn Shop Hop. I used the Thuja sock pattern found here





I knit this fuzzy fun scarf for my mom in just 3 days using Lion Brand Homespun, Fun Fur and Red Heart Holiday yarn in just a simple knit stitch on size 35 needles.



Then I made 10 Christmas Crochet Coffee Cozy's for my family using this pattern


Everyone truly loved their handmade Christmas gifts. What did you make for Christmas? Feel free to leave your comments below.
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