This That the Other

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(May already? Sheesh)

So the last several months have been very very busy and it looks like it will finally let up mid-June! Then, I've booked a trip to San Antonio for my birthday to see my Texas peeps.  Julie and I are both headed to the great SA in July… and I must say, aside from seeing my friends, I am REALLY looking forward to all the delicious Mexican food I plan on stuffing down my gullet. Oh Jacala! Not gonna lie, my birthday dinner is going to consist of a #4B, which I am pretty sure is the only thing I have ordered at Jacala the last several times I've been there over the years. Also, that is the restaurant where this happened. 

A couple of weeks ago I went with Malvina and her friend Katie to high tea for Malv's bachelorette weekend. We are not exactly the type of people who think strippers are a fun time so our wild and crazy weekend was definitely fun, but not really wild and crazy (thank goodness! hah). So we decided to have a bridesmaids bachelorette outing to Lovejoy's in San Francisco. 

I'd been to high tea once before. In 1995, my dad won a trip to Hawaii, and while we were there, my mom wanted to go for high tea that was offered at one of the fancy beach hotels. I think it was in Honolulu rather than Waikiki but anyway, it was on the outdoor veranda that opened up to the beach and was all very fancy pantsy. That was the first time I'd ever had Darjeeling, which still holds a central place in my coffee-loving heart. I drank Darjeeling for years after that (until I had my first Starbucks drink in 1999… and that was that, haha). 

Lovejoy's is in the Noe Valley neighborhood (I think?) and pretty easy to get to off the freeway. if there is one thing that I really dislike, it's driving in San Francisco. I drive a stick shift (now and forever! love it) and since it's pretty hilly in SF, that can be nervewracking. But really, I just dislike driving there in general, the stick shift is just kind of an excuse. BUT as I recall, there is only one hill between the freeway and Lovejoy's, so sometime I might be able to make it work. Yikes. 

Anyway, the tea shop is full of tea frippery and very British. Lots of tea sets set out and lace and mismatched tea pots, it's all borderline twee, but FUN. We dressed up and that was fun – other people had jeans and stuff on, but that just didn't seem right. 

I ordered a black tea with lavender, Malvina ordered a chestnut tea, and Katie ordered a lemon meringue tea. Our tower of goodies consisted of fresh fruit, delicious scones (I think cranberry?), and tea sandwiches. We chose a bunch of delicious sandwiches: classic cucumber, pear & stilton, green apple & cream cheese, mandarin orange & cream cheese, egg & onion, roast beef & horseradish, and turkey & mustard. So delicious! My choices were the mandarin orange & cream cheese and egg & onion. So tasty! I really liked the mandarin orange in particular – who knew that would make a good sandwich??! Fancy British people, that's who.

Malvina's tea choice was actually the best one. I really liked mine, but there was a depth to hers that was unexpected! Actually all three teas were good.  

There were also crumpets, which I was surprised to find out are pretty similar to English Muffins. Since I love English Muffins, crumpets were a nice surprise. 

OH and the revelation of the whole afternoon was CLOTTED CREAM. You guys, where has clotted cream been all my life? I do not know but wowza, amazing. 

We made a pact to have tea on hopefully a quarterly basis. There are several tea houses around the Bay Area that sound like they would be simply delightful to try! Next time, we are wearing hats. Fancy old lady hats.

Tomorrow is Malvina's bridal shower which I have worked hard on planning so hopefully that goes smoothly. Once that is over, I just need to get my bridesmaid dress altered a little bit (straps, hem MAYBE, I kind of like the tea length, it's this dress in black with a pink sash). I also need to finish the bridesmaid jewelry, no lie I'm kind of procrastinating on that. 

My office is currently going through some crazy times right now, so I have been super busy with work and I've developed some sort of allergy to everything related to lettuce and cabbage – at least, it gives me one hell of a stomachache – the last one lasted two days and I'm not super stoked about this. My newfound reaction to these types of food also includes my beloved Brussell Sprouts. SAD FACE. :(

I really could use a day to just sleep in until 11 but I think that will have to wait until a week from now.

And finally:

May the 4th be with you.

_________

p.s. CLOTTED CREAM

On Pottermore and HP Love

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So Pottermore is finally out of beta or whatever, and I signed up. I love Harry Potter and so this is fun. I suspect I'm not THAT huge a Harry Potter fan like all those people who went to the midnight release parties and dress up in costumes (I have a job, guys) and I didn't sign up for the original Pottermore beta last year, but you know what? Harry Potter has been a part of my life for almost thirteen years. I will love HP forever. 

My user name is CentaurFeather13013 (they assign usernames). I will never remember this. Let's be Pottermore friends!

Anyway, the other Harry Potter thing that hit my desk this week is that there is an avatar creator at Deviantart where you can make yourself into a Hogwarts student. I wound up having to print screen, paste into Paint, and crop the image – not sure how to save it, if there is even a way. But regardless, here I am, Slytherined out:

(My current Harry Potter dream is that Malvina and Sam will bring me back an elder wand from Harry Potter land in Florida when they go there in June)(Geesh I'm a self serving nerd.)

2012 Knitting Update

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So in January/February, I knit a Daybreak shawl to wear for Stitches West. (I wound up wearing the Eiki shawl.) This shawl really kind of knit itself – so awesome! I think because of the striping. I may make another one sometime. It would look great with black and a blending stripe yarn (like Knitpicks Chroma or similar).

It was knit out of Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga (love that stuff!). I forget what colors, alas. The brown is a rich, dark copper, and the blue is more of a turquoise, of course – turquoise being my most favorite color of all time. While the Sanguine Gryphon is no more, the two studios are still producing the various iterations of Bugga, and I picked up some from Cephalopod Yarns at Stitches in a rich royal purple blend. Not sure what I will make out of it, but I just purchased two fabulous shawl patterns from the new issue of Twist Collective. 

First up is Stellarina. This is a crescent shaped shawl with a beautiful lace edging by Susanna IC. I have knit her pattern Annis and really enjoyed it, so I'm looking forward to this one. It will probably be blue, but I had a hard time making a decision last night. I have yet to make a blue shawl (despite my rainbow of shawls!) so I have been considering some yarns in my blue cubby in the Expedit Of Yarn*.

I also got Elysium by Janel Laidman. This will be out of Fleece Artist 2/6 in their pale grey "Smoke" colorway. I have been wanting to make something with my two skeins of that yarn for a long time. I previously had started a Laminaria shawl with it, but didn't like knitting the pattern (which is a shame because it's a beautiful shawl). I want that yarn to be involved in an heirloom piece, and I think I've found it in Elysium.  I really like Janel Laidman's patterns – the Eiki shawl I knit last year is one of my most favorite pieces I've ever knit. 

I have also completed two hats from the Weekend Hats book. Pics at some point. 

2012 project completions: 3 (half of last year's! Doing okay.)

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*Lo, the Expedit of Yarn (uh, much more full since this picture was taken in January 2009… and the room itself is crammed full of other stuff too. Oh dear.):

March Earrings Week #5

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Here we are with the final day of March Earrings Week! Wow, this week has blown by!*

Today I have two final pairs of earrings made with filigree I got at the Gem Faire. 

These first earrings feature dyed agate in a variety of pretty purples. They hang nicely and go with a lot of different outfits!

These next ones I used some of my favorite shade of Czech glass to complement the copper colored filigree. I have the distinct impression that these earrings will be staying at home with me (along with Tuesday's turquoise ones – though I have more of those beads so there will be more of those made).

THE REASON FOR THE WEEK OF EARRINGS:

I am busy building up stock for the impending launch of my small jewelry business, Postscript Jewelry. Please stay tuned for more news and a date of the launch! 

It was kind of fun posting earrings every day this week. I may have to make this a regular feature! 

____________________________________________________

*No it hasn't, this week has been interminable. SO GLAD ITS FRIDAY YOU HAVE NO IDEA. 

**No lie, I wrote most all these posts for Earrings Week on Monday, hahaha. Yay for pre-scheduling! :P In fact, this post is posting itself while I'm at the new Neiman Marcus.

March Earrings Week #4

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Here we are on day 4 of Earrings Week, featuring some components from Michael's Industrial Chic line. Today you get a two-fer!

I haven't purchased much of this line but these twisted links were interesting. I also like their bezeled rings which I have several of to fill with resin but in general this line is sadly not my style. Definitely interested to see what other people make of it, however! I am always surprised by how people use supplies differently. 

First up I used these long links for some lengthy earrings. The pale aqua Czech glass at the bottom are attached with ball headpins (my favorite, what can I say?). 

These earrings use some of my extremely precious and uber-hoarded pressed Czech glass leaves. I have a hard time parting with them. I'm not sure why, it's not like they're very expensive or anything. I just like to keep them! They are my precioussss, I guess. 

Next time: Fancy Filigree!

March Earrings Week #3

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Day 3 of Earrings Week is here! 

Now, normally I'm not a very sentimental person and Valentine's Day ticks me off on a variety of levels that I'm not going to complain about here, but sometimes a girl has to have heart earrings, amirite?

I got this nice filigree at a booth at a Gems Faire, which sets up shop around these parts several times a year in Pleasanton and Sacramento. In fact, they were just at Pleasanton this past weekend but I was not feeling like I wanted to pay $10 for parking so I didn't go this time (the NorCal Bead Expo is next month, it's one of two really big shows at the Oakland Marriott I always attend, so I am just waiting for that). I believe the ball headpins are also from a booth at Gem Faire www.dragonfindings.com. The red glass is presumably from U Bead It in Sac – those beads have long marinated in the stash. 

These earrings hang well and have a nice heft to them without being too heavy!

Next time: A rare use of Michael's Industrial Chic line…

March Earrings Week #2

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Welcome back to March Earrings Week! 

Today I'm displaying a pair of turquoise earrings on which I used a sort of new technique…

These turquoise (actually dyed howlite) beads are available at Michael's. I got them on sale for $4 for a strand of four beads – Michael's has been having a lot of 40%/50% off sales lately. They have holes in the top and bottom presumably so you can string them all the way through. Instead of stringing the beads all the way through, I wanted the cut-out part to be free of any other attachments so I only strung a round headpin through the top part to create a dangle. These simple earrings are pretty lightweight (considering how big the stone is) and fun to wear!

Next time: hearts!

March Earrings Week #1

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Welcome to March Earrings Week, where I showcase some of the stuff I've been making lately. A couple of weeks ago my cousin Janelle came over and we both resolved to actually finish some things – my goal was to make five pairs of earrings. Since then, I've been building up stock and creating different earrings for the mythical launch of my Etsy shop. (Someday, someday…)

Each day this week (partially to get back into writing regular entries), I will post a pair of earrings that I have made recently. 

First up, the prototype pair for the Supernova collection:

These elegant earrings are made of large kidney loops and sparkly acrylic beads. They are very light weight and catch the light very well! I have been pretty impressed with the quality of acrylic/lucite/plastic beads these days (technology has marched on from 1991, I guess) and have been amassing a nice collection of these types of beads. They have some very nice mixes at JoAnns and I eventually plan on making some nice lightweight necklaces, probably for me but potentially for the shop. 
 
Next time: turquoise, of course! 

A TALE OF TWO PACKAGES

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Alas my friends, I seem to have not posted for over two months! The longest stretch I have not posted since, I believe, I started blogging in 2001. 

But never fear, the internets, I should be posting a little more frequently from here on out (she says, optimistically, if not completely realistically). 

ANYHOODLE, I've just been busy. I bought a new car, went to Stitches West*, etc., etc.

I also ordered some fun stuff from Nordstrom's. Did you know that if you wander into the store and they don't have what you're looking for, you can order it in store and they ship it to your house for free? I think their website has free shipping too. 

Last Monday I wandered in there to buy something, but they were out of stock. So the nice Burberry girl ordered mah shizzle for me and on Friday, there arrived my package(s) on my front door step. 

What could they be? 

The first box was filled with brown packaging paper.

Once I removed all the wrappings, there, all by its lonesome, was a singular Deborah Lippman nail polish. The color is Mermaid's Dream from the 2012 Spring Collection, and it is beautiful. So, if ONE nail polish was in one of the huge boxes, what was in the other one??

Yes! Another, singular nail polish! This time it's Deborah Lippmann's Across the Universe. This is the nail polish that sent me into a tail spin of unadulterated nail polish lust, and turned me to the dark side of expensive, designer nail polish. I love it. When I went to buy it, the other one caught my eye as well, and so yes, friends, I did go out and spend $40 on two nail polishes. (Luckily it seems to be out of my system now… AND WORTH EVERY PENNY.)

All this packaging left me with a pile worthy of a landfill on my kitchen table: 

BUT: hot damn, that nail polish is gorgeous:

Mmmm hmmm. 

I have no regrets.

It has been interesting, this year so far. After the emotional wreckage I found myself in after 2011, I decided that 2012 would be better. This sort of freefall into ridiculous purchasing behavior actually started with Hubert/Herbert the hot pink cow/deer, and has led me down a path to the following realization:

I'm not going to be that person who doesn't do stuff or buy stuff because "I'm not the sort of person who does that or is somewhat irresponsible about consuming."

This year? I AM THAT PERSON. I bought a new, turquoise, fabulous car**, people. I love it. I bought two $20 nail polishes! I am paying all bills on time, I'm single, I have no kids, no responsibilities, so I'm not going to waste my life with "shouldn'ts". 

If I want to occasionally indulge myself, then I'm going to. 

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*Stitches West was great. We only went one day this year, and I didn't spend all my money for the first time since we've gone, but the amount of silk and cashmere I now possess is delightful. I also knitted a new shawl which I shall debut later on this week. 

**Granted, my old car refused to start (until I had completely lost patience with it, and then my uncle installed a new battery and it was fine, but still – this is the same issue that cropped up in this entry) so a purchase of a new car wasn't irresponsible, but it was a big purchase, the most expensive car I've ever bought. Out of two. Both of which were not that expensive, but taking on that kind of debt is always a little nervewracking.

Knitting Review 2011

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So! 2011! Let's review the notable knitting projects from last year (about 2/3 – 3/4 less than the year before! oops):

  • The mustard yellow Brandywine shawl! All that garter stitch – heaven. Also notable for being the first project I ever made out of Sanguine Gryphon Sknny Bugga! – a major new favorite.
  • The magenta Bellingrath shawl! This too was a darned pleasure to knit with. This was knit with Madelinetosh sock yarn.
  • EZ's Katmandhu bonnet, knit in Dream in Color Classy. I can't remember if I ever told this story, but I spied the book (Knit One Knit All) at the local Beverley's and had to have it. I assumed it was about $30 or so, but there was no price. I figured they would scan it at the register and the price would pop up. Except – it wouldn't scan! The number wouldn't load either! So the teenager behind the counter sold me EZ's new book for $11.99. SCORE, Y'ALL! Poor Beverley's. I never did look up what it really cost. Anyway, this hat was really fun to make and I will likely make more. There is another version with a different back design. 
  • Started a pair of Hedera socks (Cookie A) from the Knit. Sock. Love. book, which I have a digital copy of. These are knit out of the Loopy Ewe Solid Series sock yarn that is on the Dream in Color smooshy base (if I recall correctly). While these are taking forever, they will be a worthy addition to my sock collection once I complete them.
  • Janel Laidman's Eiki shawl – this is truly a beautiful design and my very favorite thing I knit last year. Because it's knit out of regular Bugga!, it's soft and squishy and gorgeous. And one of the few things I managed to knit with my Stitches West haul the very same year I purchased it! hahaha
  • Boutique Stripey Socks – knit from Knit Picks Felici Sport, my new favorite striping sock yarn – I like regular Felici a lot, but Felici Sport knits up super fast! One other thing about Felici – it wears like iron.
  • Peeps socks – I finished these in the summer, but forgot to take an FO picture. And right now they need to be washed, so it may be awhile (if ever)
  • Bas-Relief socks in the Emerald Isle (?) colorway from Three Irish Girls. I need to finish these but they are further along the second sock now. I really like this sock yarn.

So, I didn't get a whole lot of things completed last year, but the shawls definitely make up for lack of quanitity with their amazing quality! I hope this year I feel more like knitting – I lost my mojo over the summer and it hasn't really returned. I do feel like making a couple of new winter hats so we'll see where that takes me. Whatever I do knit this year it will ALL BE FOR ME. And maybe try to finish those rainbow socks for Abby. 

I do currently have some things still on the needles from last year that I need to decide whether to FINISH or FROG. A couple of shawls, several socks, etc. etc. So, we'll see. 

I kind of feel like knitting a sweater this year, so maybe that will happen too! MAYBE. No promises.

At any rate, I don't have to work too hard to beat the actual number of FOs from last year (six).

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