Art is ...

Weird.

Sun, 25 May 2008 01:02:56 GMT

I have an obsessive personality.

If I try something I like -
I usually become obsessive about it.

Maybe that's why I'm so..

Weird.

And, for the record..

Fri, 02 May 2008 23:48:51 GMT

Swap Bot rocks.

I won a Winner Takes All contest/thing and now I get goodies from Etsy.
Woot.

South Beach is good.

Fri, 02 May 2008 23:47:03 GMT

I've lost 16 pounds in 10 days on the South Beach Diet.

'Nuff said.

Dying Wool

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 01:53:14 GMT

I've decided that I'm going to use the Knitty Tutorial to dye my own yarn with Kool Aid.

I'm going to get myself some are Peruvian Highland Wool Yarn from KnitPicks.com to dye. Once I get the money, that is. And tons and tons of Kool Aid in all sorts of colors.

I think it'll be better to make my unique hats and such from yarn I colored myself. I bet they'd sell better, too. Yay.

Hmmmmm.

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:45:04 GMT

I need to set up a blog for just my stuff that I make for my weee little shop.
I sure do.

*think, think, think*

Heaven. I'm in heaven...

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 23:41:40 GMT

I've come up with some great scarf and hat patterns. I'm working my butt off trying to get items done to post in my Etsy Shop. We REALLY need the money. So, hopefully, I can get quite a few items done. And it helps that I've been commissioned to do a couple of hats. Yay for excellent customers that return again and again! :D

Besides all that, I have two doctor appointments coming up.
I'm not looking forward to them at all.
Maybe this doctor will be able to help me, though.
I've got my fingers crossed.

So, yeah. :D
I need some Fearless Fibers yarn.
Ohhhh, and some Mohair, too.

Dye, dye!

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:40:03 GMT

I want to learn to dye my own yarn.
I'm currently talking my partner into buying me stuff.

Muahahahahahahaha

Gone to long.

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:50:21 GMT

It's been crazy busy.
I barely have time to breathe, let alone post.
Blagh.

I start work again next month.
I've been busy dealing with fussy children and over-bearing mothers.

I could of swore I moved out of my mother's house to get away from all that.

It followed me.
Yay.

I'll update this weekend sometime.
Honest.

Ugh.

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:28:50 GMT

I'm debating getting myself a laptop. I want to start school this fall, but I can't if I don't get a full time position this summer. IF I do, then I'll get to start school (Woot!). I'll do online courses from a semi-local college.

Here's hoping I get a full time position!

Ho hum.

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 05:52:50 GMT

I've really been wanting to get back into reading everyday.
I bought two books from a local author that are fanfreakintastic!

I'd like to find some other mystery/drama novels to read, too.
Any suggestions?

And, yeah.
Sunday we had a ice storm.
No electricity for 8 and a half hours!

Ugh.

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 03:34:27 GMT

I'm sick.

But, on the bright side, my birthday is in 9 days.
And I bought a new outfit for my interview.

And yarn to make my daughter a OOAK top.
She'll love it.

Now, I'm off to buy THESE!
(And to find a quick beanie pattern for the girlfriend. She's demanding a hat.)

Hmmmmmm

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:10:07 GMT

I think I want to make my own crocheted version of these gloves.
Pssst. I still want to make the original ones, too.

AND this sweater.
I can't knit very well yet, but once I can... this sweater is mine!

Spoiling myself silly.

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:42:19 GMT

I just bought myself a small, personal teapot and some tea from Adagio Teas.
Yum.
I love green tea.
I love it even more if it's sweet.

Update coming soon.

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 03:37:09 GMT

The past couple weeks have been major busy.
I don't have time to update right at this very moment, but I will on Wednesday. :D

My Questionnaire :D:D

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:39:13 GMT

Your Knitting/Crocheting Habits & Desires

1. Do you knit, crochet, or do both?
I can knit and crochet. I've been crocheting A LOT longer then knitting, though. I'd love to get better at knitting. =)

2. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
Knitting = a little less then a year, Crocheting = 8 years. I took a class to learn how to knit at my LYS. And I taught myself how to crochet with a book. I'm advanced in crochet and a beginner in knitting.

3. What are your favorite yarns or fibers to knit with? What yarns/fibers do you avoid, dislike or hate? Are you allergic to any fibers?
I LOVE wool (not super wash - I LOVE felting). As long as it's soft, I'll use it. :D I'd like to try bamboo, too. I'm not big on acrylics and those fun furs and eyelash yarns. Not allergic to any fibers. =)

4. Do you spin? Dye yarn? Are you looking to try any of these and, if so, which ones?
I've tried spinning once and failed miserably. :( I just can't get the hang of it (although I'd LOVE to spin my own). I'm just not coordinated enough. I've never thought about dying my own yarn. Hmmmmm.

5. What do you use to store your needles/hooks? How about your other tools, like stitch holders and point protectors? Where do you store your yarn?
I store ALL of my needles and tools to go with the craft in a makeup bag. =( And all my yarn is in trunks and storage bins.

6. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Do you have a needle preference—bamboo, aluminum, plastic, etc.? Are there any needles you would like to try?
I only have one circular needle and it's rather large. :( I want some circulars pretty bad. =) Ones with the mid-size cables and smaller needles. I don't have a preference for what the needles are made of. I'm pretty easy to please. :D

7. Do you own a ball winder and/or swift? Would you prefer to receive center-pull balls of yarn, if the person that has you owns a winder/swift and is so inclined?
I don't have a ball winder or a swift. =) If my partner wants to wind the balls of yarn into center pull balls, that's fine. If not, that's ok, too. :D

8. Are you a sock knitter? Do you want to learn?
No and YES!!!! I want to make socks. I can't really get the hang of it. =( But, I want to make some socks. Lots and lots of pretty socks.

9. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit and/or crochet?
I love making handbags and clothing. They're my two favorite things to create. :D

10. What is your current knitting/crocheting project? Do you have any current obsessions like socks, lace, felting, etc.?
I'm working on a crocheted and felted handbag for a friend. =) It's nearly done. I wish I could say my current obsession is socks. :D:D:D:D

11. Are there any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? What have you always wanted to try knitting/crocheting?
Not really. =) I like all things fiber. Books, yarns, needles, patterns. Anything is good. :D

12. How old is your oldest UFO (UnFinished Object)?
4 months or so. Not very old. :D

13. Do you have any knitting/crocheting magazine subscriptions? Are there any that you love or buy regularly?
I have Crochet! Magazine. =) I'd like Interweave Crochet (or whatever it's called). :D And I have no knitting magazines. :(

14. Do you have a ravelry account? If so, please list your username.
Yup! znowwhite

15. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Of course!

16. Would you like to receive hand knitted socks? If so, what are your foot measurements? (i.e. measure around the ball of your foot and also the length from heel to toe.) Of course, giving this information is no guarantee that you will actually receive knitted socks. It's just in case.
Who wouldn't? I wear a size 9 and a half. I'll have to find my tape measure to get the actual measurements.

Non-knitting Information

1. Do you have an Amazon, Etsy or other online wish list? Please include a link.
Yes I do. :) I have an Etsy List. ( Right Here )

2. What is your favorite scent? (i.e. for candles, bath products, etc.) Are there any you can't stand?
Vanilla is one of my favorites. Shea and Rice Flower are another. I'm not big on floral or food scents. :D

3. Do you have a sweet tooth? Do you have a favorite candy or snack? Is there anything you would hate to get?
Yes, yes I do. I LOVE grape gummies of any kind. And chocolate. I LOVE chocolate. I don't like anything with fruit centers or actual fruit in it. Not big on lemon and sour, either. No white chocolate. Ick. :D And I LOVE Japanese candy (especially sweet donuts).

4. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (Just in case your pal wants to make you a CD.)
I LOVE 90s Rock/Alternative and Classic Rock. :D And yes my computer and stereo can.

5. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas. The presents!!!

6. Do you have a favorite animated character, animal, etc.?
I love penguins and any other cutesy-type animal, too. :D

7. Are you into any fandoms? (Harry Potter, Buffy, etc.)
Nope.

8. How do you decorate your room/house? Is there anything that you collect?
It's a mixture of tons of things. I LOVE posters (Broadway, musicals, movies, art, pop art, etc).

9. What is your favorite color(s)? Are there any colors you just can't stand? Is there a specific color family/palette that you enjoy knitting with or wearing?
I love pinks, greens and oranges. I do not like browns and blacks. Nothing specific, though. But, I do love bright/bold colors. :D

10. Would you like and use icons, layouts, banners or wallpapers? Anything specific?
Sure, sure, sure and sure!

Other Information About You

1. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
Decoupage mostly. There isn't much time to do anything else but crocheting and knitting. :D

2. What is your family/living situation? Do you have any pets?
I like with my girlfriend. :D I have a 5 year old daughter that doesn't live with me (but I visit often). We have a dog and a cat. :D

3. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens/gloves, slippers or ponchos?
All of the above!

4. Do you make graphics? Do you have a paid Livejournal account?
No and no.

5. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
February 25th. :D

6. Is there anything else you would like to add for your pal?
If it looks fun and girlie, then I'll love it! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D I'm super easy to please!

Ho Ha!

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:54:50 GMT

SPLJ5 is here!
*Insert squeal*

Now, let's see if I emailed my application before all the spots were full.

To keep busy while I wait, look what I found - The Cult of Perfection: Making Peace with Your Inner Overachiever by Cooper Lawrence. She supposedly made some rather idiotic comments on a television show. And in doing so, everyone went to Amazon and gave her BAD reviews on her newest book (I think - I'm not sure exactly how the story goes). As of right now, there are ~~433~~ 545 reviews. Should make for some comical reading.

50 Books in 2008

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:41:46 GMT

I plan on reading at least the first 50 books off this list (I got the list at: Penguin Classics) this year. It should be fun. I LOVE reading (and I've already read quite a few of these books). I plan on re-reading Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, too. Want to read along? :D Broaden your horizons? Please do! And comment often. :D

1. The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck

2. The Crucible Arthur Miller

3. On the Road Jack Kerouac

4. Three Theban Plays, (The Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus) Sophocles (Author); Robert Fagles (Translator)

5. The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer (Author); Nevill Coghill (Translator)

6. Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller

7. Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck

8. East of Eden John Steinbeck

9. The Odyssey Homer (Author); E. V. Rieu (Translator)

10. The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne

11. The Epic of Gilgamesh N. K. Sandars (Translator)

12. The Iliad Homer (Author); Robert Fagles (Translator)

13. The Last Days of Socrates (Euthyphro; The Apology; Crito; Phaedo) Plato (Author); Hugh Tredennick (Translator)

14. Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad

15. Utopia Thomas More (Author); Paul Turner (Translator)

16. Great Expectations Charles Dickens

17. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain

18. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave Frederick Douglass

19. Candide Francois Voltaire (Author); John Butt (Translator)

20. Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte

21. The Awakening and Selected Stories Kate Chopin

22. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man James Joyce

23. Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories Washington Irving

24. Confessions Augustine (Author); R. S. Pine-Coffin (Translator)

25. My Antonia Willa Cather

26. The Oresteia (Agamemnon; Libation Bearers; Eumenides) Aeschylus (Author); Robert Fagles (Translator)

27. Moby-Dick Herman Melville

28. The Adventures of Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes (Author); J. M. Cohen (Translator)

29. The Divine Comedy (Volume 1: Inferno) Dante Alighieri (Author); Mark Musa (Translator)

30. Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte

31. Cannery Row John Steinbeck

32. Frankenstein Mary Shelley

33. The Prince Niccolo Machiavelli

34. The End of the Affair Graham Greene

35. Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen

36. The Koran N. J. Dawood (Translator)

37. The Power and the Glory Graham Greene

38. Black Lamb and Grey Falcon Rebecca West

39. A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens

40. Hamlet William Shakespeare

41. The Winter of Our Discontent John Steinbeck

42. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (Dual Language Ed) Pablo Neruda (Author); W. S. Merwin (Translator)

43. The Republic Plato (Author); Desmond Lee (Translator)

44. The Razor's Edge W. Somerset Maugham

45. The Histories Herodotus (Author); Aubrey de Selincourt (Translator)

46. Leaves of Grass Walt Whitman

47. Siddhartha Hermann Hesse (Author); Joachim Neugroschel (Translator)

48. Uncle Tom's Cabin Harriet Beecher Stowe

49. The Moon Is Down John Steinbeck

50. The History of the Peloponnesian War Thucydides (Author); Rex Warner (Translator)

51. The Theban Plays (King Oedipus; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone) Sophocles (Author); E. F.Watling (Translator)

52. Dubliners James Joyce

53. The Communist Manifesto Karl Marx (Author); Friedrich Engels (Author); A. J. P. Taylor (Author)

54. Ethan Frome Edith Wharton

55. Medea and Other Plays Euripides (Author); Philip Vellacott (Translator)

56. The Autobiography and Other Writings Benjamin Franklin

57. Winesburg, Ohio Sherwood Anderson

58. Passing Nella Larsen

59. The Pearl John Steinbeck

60. The Twelve Caesars Suetonius (Author); Robert Graves (Translator)

61. The Letters of Abelard and Heloise Peter Abelard (Author); Heloise (Author); Betty Radice (Translator)

62. Eichmann in Jerusalem Hannah Arendt

63. The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde

64. Gravity's Rainbow Thomas Pynchon

65. Common Sense Thomas Paine

66. The Jungle Upton Sinclair

67. Northanger Abbey Jane Austen

68. Othello William Shakespeare

69. Lysistrata and Other Plays Aristophanes (Author); Alan H. Sommerstein (Translator)

70. Leviathan Thomas Hobbes

71. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Brian Stone (Translator)

72. Hard Times Charles Dickens

73. A Doll's House and Other Plays Henrik Ibsen

74. Travels with Charley in Search of America John Steinbeck

75. Walden, or Life in the Woods, and On the Duty of Civil Disobedience Henry David Thoreau

76. Little Women Louisa May Alcott

77. King Lear William Shakespeare

78. The Decameron Giovanni Boccaccio (Author); G. H. McWilliam (Translator)

79. The Log from the Sea of Cortez John Steinbeck

80. The Ramayana R. K. Narayan

81. The House of Mirth Edith Wharton

82. The Tempest William Shakespeare

83. Seize the Day Saul Bellow

84. Les Miserables Victor Hugo (Author); Norman Denny (Translator)

85. We Yevgeny Zamiatin (Author); Clarence Brown (Translator)

86. The Complete Poems of Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker

87. The Social Contract Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Author); Maurice Cranston (Translator)

88. Gulliver's Travels Jonathan Swift

89. The Quiet American Graham Greene

90. Revelations of Divine Love Julian of Norwich (Author); A. C. Spearing (Translator)

91. Herzog Saul Bellow

92. Henderson the Rain King Saul Bellow

93. Beyond Good and Evil Friedrich Nietzsche (Author); R. J. Hollingdale (Translator)

94. The Age of Innocence Edith Wharton

95. The Twilight of the Idols and The Anti-Christ Friedrich Nietzsche (Author); R. J. Hollingdale (Translator)

96. Daisy Miller Henry James

97. The Bhagavad Gita Juan Mascaro (Translator)

98. Sense and Sensibility Jane Austen

99. The Metamorphoses Ovid (Author); Mary M. Innes (Translator)

100. Sister Carrie Theodore Dreiser

I just realized I'm going to be buying tons of books this year. Yay.