knitting/new outfits!

     As promised, a knitting post!  Finally, I know.  Mostly I'm just excited that I finally have pictures of all my recent work to accompany my projects on Ravelry.  So, first up is the cowl I finished a few weeks ago; I'm not sure if I totally like it though, and I may take it out and re-do it a little differently.  Maybe.  And I know the color of the yarn looks a little weird - my camera just cannot seem to pick it up correctly.  This seems preposterous, for the $1,300 I spent on it..

     Of course, I also modeled it for you...

     Notice this grey striped shirt though -  I love it so much!  I found it today at Forever 21 for only $15.  Because it's kinda slouchy, it's really comfy, but still looks pretty good (if I do say so myself) which = an amazing shirt for work.  Speaking of which, I have successfully survived my second day.  My manager, Stephanie, told me I'm doing pretty well, which is good to hear.  It was a challenge at first due to a very intimidating amount of information thrown at me all at once, but I have almost everything down by now.  What can I say, I'm a quick learner!

     Next up, since I'm talking about work (these being new work clothes), is the second piece I got at Forever 21, a gorgeous sequined sheath dress.

     The stripes are navy, so I found a dark blue belt to go with it.  I'm still not sure about it, but I've been told by Will that it does in fact look good, so maybe it is okay.  As a side note, we celebrated our first anniversary this past weekend - exciting!!

     Last up is my current project: a leaf-edged ascending/descending scarf made out of the yarn I talked about on July 8th.  This is not the project I talked about then, though.  The one I had in mind back then was a long pillow case that folded over onto itself.  I chose this pattern from Ravelry, because someone else had used the same yarn and it looked really pretty when finished.  Easy-peasy!  It's actually been a pretty fun, and fairly mindless (after many rows, from memorizing the pattern) project.  It'll be a nice accessory to have for the fall, too.

     If you'd like it, you can find the pattern for this scarf here.  That about wraps it up!  Have a good rest of your night, guys.

   xo

Etsy Finds!

Hi guys!

     Hope you're having a great week - I definitely am!  I have found a great new job as a receptionist at a hair salon, and I start on Monday!  I'm super excited about it.  Mostly because I can finally leave the job I've held at the movie theater for the last year and four months.  I had my last shift tonight, and even though I've wanted to leave that place for the last 12 months, I was a little sentimental about going.  Anyway, that's behind me now, and I'm looking forward to starting somewhere new.

     I wanted to share some of my Etsy favorites with you, so here they are.  Very adorable finds!

©maechevrette

     This first one is called The Love You Make by maechevrette.  I absolutely love her work; it feels very rustic and personal.  She makes all kind of art in this style, and it is so stunningly beautiful.  The one below is the other one tied for my #1 fave.  I was a competitive swimmer for 11 years, and the water is such a big part of my life; I feel I could stare at this for hours!  I don't have words for the beauty she creates.

©maechevrette

     This paper lantern made by Zipper8Lighting, is also on my list.  It just looks so awesome!  Unfortunately, this particular lantern has already been sold, but check out some of her other creative (shout out to the cocktail umbrella light!) hanging lights.

©Zipper8Lighting

     I have to admit, I fell in love with this yarn by YOSPUN the instant I saw it.  But how could you not?  It's like cotton candy in a skein of yarn!  I'm at a loss of words to describe my love for these colors.  Just wish I wasn't a broke college student, so I could buy it..!

©YOSPUN

    So I'm kind of obsessed with finding cases for my laptop, and this one is definitely at the top of my list.  Even though its elements are simple, put together they are simply gorgeous.  The bronze closure adds a subtle rustic feel, and I love the nautical stripes.  You can find this bag and others like it on BagyBag's page.

©BagyBag

     The last one on my list is this "Picture Me Pretty" camera necklace by chenzi.  At first it caught my eye because I'm a photographer, but I bookmarked it because I'm ridiculously sentimental, and the phrase 'capture life' struck me.  It is kind of ironic though - when I was a kid, I took pictures of everything, for the sole purpose of documenting life; so I wouldn't forget anything.  So I suppose this necklace sort of suits me. :)

©chenzi

     So that's it for tonight.  I hope these cute finds opened up some doors on Etsy for you!

     

     I'll be sure to make a knitting post soon - probably on Tuesday, because tomorrow is my anniversary, and Monday is my first day of work (on top of classes..).

     A final question though: should I make an Etsy finds post a weekly thing? Maybe a bi-monthly thing?  Is it helpful or enjoyable at all?  Let me know!

xo

All Sorts of New Stuff!

     A change of scenery is in the air!  Lots of new happenings to report on.  First, is my semi-drastic haircut that I got today.  Below are photos of my 'before' hair:

     And here are the 'after' pictures:

     All courtesy of Will! :)  In the bottom picture, only half of my hair is pulled back; you can see the tips of it if you look closely.  So short!!  This is only the third time I have ever cut it so short, and it's been super hard to get used to.  The other two times were to donate my hair to Locks of Love, so the (lack of) length was necessary (and somehow thus easier to accept, for lack of a better word).

     Now for my knitting.  What I have on my needles right now are my very first two cable projects!  First the socks (completed August 10; picture below), and now my very own cables - I feel like I could literally conquer the knitting world now that I have these two skills. 

     The first one I started is a very chunky white scarf, with a 12 st cable; I figured, go big or go home!  It's knitting on size 15 needles.  Already, I am on the second skein, which I'm really disappointed about, because I was hoping that the yarn would go farther than it did.  But, oh well.  It's still going to be a really comfy, and warm scarf for the fall.

     The other cable project I started is a black cowl.  I'm not very far into it though; mostly I started it just to see what it would look like with 6 or 7 cables on a single project.  Either way, here's my progress, and I apologize for the lack of detail, due to the black yarn:

     And, since I promised, here is a picture of my newly finished socks:

      Pretty aren't they?  I knitted them in two different colors to match the rest of my mis-matching pairs of socks - ironic, right?

     So for the week, I'm down in Carmel, and staying in the house my dad's family owns, with Will, my mom, and grandmother.  These pictures are of the "courtyard" that is overlooked by the dining room and master bedroom.  You can also notice that this was where my 'before' pictures were taken.

     So, while here Carmel, I made a special stop at a local yarn store, called Knitting by the Sea.  A very quaint, and well-organized shop.  The woman working there was very helpful, and really knew her stuff about yarn.  She even had all the yardages of the different skeins memorized!  I was very impressed, to say the least, when I asked how many yards were in a particular skein, and she replied without even a blink of an eye.

     Will and I were in there for at least half an hour, because I found three skeins that I couldn't decide between.  It being Carmel (a very high-end town), and I being a poor college student, I had to pick only one, and in the end I went with a teal blue, hand-dyed, 4 ply yarn.  Absolutely stunning, if I do say so myself.  Slightly more expensive than I would have liked, but I'm satisfied with the yarn, and the quality definitely makes up for it.  I plan on making another cabled cowl out of it, and perhaps a matching beret to go with it!

     If you would like them, here are some links:
  -   Knitting by the Sea's website
  -   Anzula Yarns website


xo

Sydney ♥

     Happy Thursday!  Sorry I haven't posted anything for the last week - been doing stuff, but mostly I didn't really feel like it.  >.<  But, to make up for my absence, I've included pictures of what I've been up to.  Will owns a sheep ranch, and this was the week they had to be shorn, so on Tuesday night we went up on the ranch to herd them into the pen that leads into the shearing barn.  Yesterday was when we sheared them, and these are pictures from it.

     Below, Denise (Will's older sister) and I are "sheep surfing" - they keep themselves so close together that it's nearly pointless to try and walk between them; not to mention it keeps your toes safe from being stepped on!

     This is where the magic happens.  Will is in the background, in blue, and his dad, Glen, is in the foreground.  It is absolutely mesmerizing to watch them work, because they do so in a way that ensures the fleece comes off the sheep in one piece.  The sheep pictured below are the same two, and it's almost comical how naked they look after being shorn.

     These pictures are of the ranch.  The first was taken on Tuesday night, around 6:30 PM.  The ranch is only a ten minute drive from the beach, so fog out here is a constant all year long.  Below that is a picture I took heading back down to the house on Wednesday, around 4 PM.  Their property line ends at the line of eucalyptus trees that meets with the gravel path, and extends out of the frame both left and right for several acres.  They own 365 acres, which is much bigger in person than it actually sounds.

     So that's what I've been doing the last few days!  If you'd like to know more about the ranch, you can read Will's most recent blog post about it here.

     Finally, on to my knitting!  This is the project I have on my needles right now: my first ever pair of socks!  I have successfully conquered my fear of making socks, and I'm really excited.  For years after I learned to knit, all I made were scarves and hats, because they were easy, and because I was terrified of doing a pair of socks (socks being the entry level project to the next skill level of knitting; to me, at least).  I swear, the stigma surrounding them is astounding.  They were actually much easier than I had thought - minus the gusset, which I ended up doing mostly by ear.  But, somehow, it still turned just like the picture! All's well that ends well.

     The last thing I want to talk about (well, really it was the first thing, but no one else really cares) is my dog, Sydney.  Today would be her 11th birthday.  She was a beautiful golden retriever, that I picked out!, but on February 3rd, she was diagnosed with lymphoma - a shock to all of us, because her symptoms had started out of the blue, and after being completely healthy her entire life.  A week and a half later, on Valentine's Day, we put her to sleep, and it was the hardest thing I've ever been through.  I cried for two hours straight afterward; it was awful.  Anyway, these are some pictures so you can see the beautiful dog she was, inside and out.

     The first picture was taken last October, on her last road trip.  The second was taken nearly 11 years ago - and yep, that's me!

xo