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March Earrings Week #1

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! 
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A TALE OF TWO PACKAGES

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.

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Knitting Review 2011

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).