MIA

Ugh. I know, I know... It's been ages. And I'm sorry.

I decided to get a second job to help cushion my sub earnings. At the same time, I ended up getting a 2 month long-term substitute job. I started in November, and I've been teaching 5 math classes every day. Between the 2 jobs, I've been working 60ish hours a week. It's exhausting. And it's left very little time and energy for blogging. I've still been knitting a little, and I plan to get back on track once I finish my long term sub job.

Meanwhile, I appreciate your patience and understanding with my absence. I like both my jobs, but I'll be happy when I have more free time!

Off the Needles: Plucky Honey

I've been finishing a lot of projects recently, and haven't had time to share them with you! After my Drapey Sweater, I made this shawlette from some of my Plucky Knitter yarn.

This pattern was really easy to memorize (4 stitch repeat for the win!), so I didn't mind that the rows got longer and longer and looooonger! The texture is enough to make it interesting without being overwhelming. Sorry I don't have any pictures where I'm actually wearing it. I never think to take them until it's dark out.

Pattern: Honey Bunches, from Irish Girlie Knits Designs

Yarn: Plucky Knitter Plucky Feet, in Princess Phone (90% Merino, 10% Nylon)

Modifications: None

Ravelry Post: here

Off the Needles: Drapey Sweater

from Vogue Knitting Winter 2011/12

The photo of this pattern in Vogue Knitting looks so comfy and warm! After knitting some complex things this summer, I wanted an easy knit. With no shaping and loads of stockinette stitch, this sweater was perfect!

The knitting itself went fairly quickly. As always, I avoided the finishing details for a few weeks.

I'm pretty pleased with the results. I wasn't sure I could pull this look off... Part of me wishes I had gone with a more drapey yarn. My sleeves don't fall exactly the same way as the model (but that could be me over criticizing myself? Or sewing the seams too tightly?). I love the twist in the front too! It's not often that the reverse side of stockinette stitch is shown, but it's beautiful in its own way.

Weekending

I took advantage of the gorgeous weather this weekend to get my autumn on! Saturday was The Boy's high school homecoming game. It was a great day to watch football! The trees and National Cathedral made the perfect backdrop. They even had the president mascots from the Nationals race during halftime!

Today we drove to a corn maze in Maryland with some friends. There were a lot of pumpkins, farm animals to pet, and dead ends in the maze. Again, the weather was perfect! It was great to get out of the city for a few hours.

A Dream Come True

I'm unbelievably lucky. Recently my LYS back home asked if I would be interested in knitting samples to display in the store. Since I have an abundance of free time (and I love knitting), I said yes! I am getting paid to do something I love. It's awesome. Even more awesome is the fact that both projects I was given are made with really nice, soft, expensive yarn. The kind of yarn I can't normally afford to work with. It's making me knit more quickly, because I don't want to put it down!

I'll put up more pictures when I'm done! Hopefully there will be more sample knitting in my future...

Chicken Soup Weather

This weekend made it impossible to ignore fall any longer. It's cooled down a lot, and I turned on the heat for the first time today. I decided it would be the perfect time to try a chicken soup recipe I found on Pinterest. The recipe can be found here.

To make chicken soup, you will need:
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 can cream of chicken soup (10.75 oz.)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 can corn (15 oz.), drained
• 1 package egg noodles
• 2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
• seasonings to taste

Plucky Knitter Trunk Show

I've seen Plucky Knitter yarns featured a lot on other blogs, and on Ravelry. I was always tempted to buy some, but was nervous about spending so much money on yarn without being able to feel it in person! That sounds silly, but I didn't want to throw money away on yarn that could be scratchy or rough. Recently, the Plucky Knitter had a trunk show at my new local yarn store! It was the perfect opportunity to scope out the store and the yarn.

I got there about 40 minutes after the store opened. It was packed. I knew it would be good when I was walking down the street and saw a lady with an armful of yarn leaving. She warned me that some colors were already sold out! I picked up my pace and entered a sort of paradise. Yarn. Everywhere. Soft. Colorful. Expensive. Immediately I regretted not planning to buy sweater yarn. I had no idea how much I would need for a sweater, so I stuck with my plan of buying a skein or two of fingering weight yarn. That thickness is good for a pair of socks or shawl out of one skein.

A Weekend of Celebrations

This weekend was full of celebrations! The Boy's birthday was last week, but we decided to wait and celebrate on Saturday. We went to Dogfish Head Ale House, and it was amazing. Seriously. We couldn't move afterwards, we were so full and the food was so good! Since it was The Boy's "birthday," I was driving and couldn't sample every single beer... So clearly we have to go back! There is a picture of the beer menu below, it's huge! (The checkmarks are what is available, not what we drank!)

Did I mention that the food is delicious?!

That night, we attended the wedding of a friend from high school. It took place on a paddleboat, and we cruised up and down the Potomac for a few hours. It was beautiful, the wedding was beautiful, and the bride was beautiful! I wish I had taken more pictures.

 

The boat was docked in Old Town, Alexandria. I had never spent time there before. It's adorable! There are a ton of shops and restaurants, and a free trolley! It's also very close to a yarn store...

Last List! Lists to Make...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

I know that font is a little difficult to read, so here's the list:
• Knitting goals
• Blog posts
• Recipes to try
• Books to read
• Christmas presents to buy/make

I hope you enjoyed the listing with me! I'm excited that I completed my goal of blogging every day for 30 days! I hope to continue posting at least twice a week in the future. I'll see you there! :)

What I've Finished This Week...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

What I've Finished This Week:

• Season 2 of The Walking Dead
• Journey to the Centre of the Earth, by Jules Verne
• Scheduling appointments
• Swatching for a new knitting project


Sorry for the lazy post, but I have to get ready for a wedding tonight! (Don't worry, it's not my wedding)

Little Joys in My Life...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

Little Joys in My Life:

• Reading until I fall asleep
• Homemade garlic bread (and my new garlic press!)
• Knitting with soft squishy yarn
• The Walking Dead


Yes, I finally started watching The Walking Dead. And I'm hooked. I'm almost done with season 2, and I can't wait for season 3 to start!

The Bravest Things I've Done...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

I've always laughed at myself for wanting to go into teaching... I hate getting up early, and I hate being the center of attention. Yet somehow I love teaching. Yes, it terrifies me. The responsibility of being the only person to teach X, Y and Z to a group of kids is a lot.

Studying abroad was also scary. I realized I was going to an entire continent where I didn't know anybody. Eek. I was so nervous that I couldn't eat! Luckily, the group I was with was amazing, the dorm I was in was amazing, and I made a lot of incredible friends.

Moving in with The Boy was definitely brave. We've known each other for 6ish years now, so we knew we would get along. But it's stressful to not have a job! And I spent the first week in our apartment by myself, because The Boy had to travel. It was actually good for me, because I spent a lot of time walking around my new neighborhood and discovering things. I'm pretty sure I know our area a little better than The Boy!

Trends I Cannot Stand...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

List 26: Trends I Cannot Stand

• #usinghashtagsEVERYWHERE Don't get me wrong, hashtags are useful on twitter. But other places, where you're just using them to look cool... Don't bother

• Glasses with fake lenses

• Running marathons (seems like all my friends are doing it... it's making me look bad!)


I can't believe I'm almost done with my 30 days of lists already!

Places I've Lived...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

Places I've Lived:

1. Indiana (yep, I'm a Hoosier!)
2. Central Pennsylvania (2 lovely houses that I grew up in)
3. Salt Lake City, Utah (as a child, for a year while my dad was on sabbatical)
4. Middle of nowhere, Ohio (college)
5. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (study abroad!)
6. Indiana (again... Masters program)
7. DC Metro Area (for the past month, and I'm loving it!)

Yesterday Was...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

Yesterday was yummy because my boyfriend and I went grocery shopping while we were hungry! So we bought a lot of snacks, haha. We ended up needing them, since both the Redskins and the Steelers lost...

Current Favorites...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

List 22: Favorite Photos of Myself...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

Today's list is favorite pictures of myself! It was fun to go back through my old photos. I'll try to limit what I post here, haha. And I know it doesn't look as nice, but I'm going to caption them all... One of my pet peeves is a huge span of photos, and no explanation until the photos are off my screen. I like seeing the photo and caption at the same time!

Photoshoot with my friends at the Whitsunday Islands, Australia. Beyond beautiful!

Feeing cockatoos in Sydney. I was lucky enough to do amazing things while abroad!

Pretending to eat like crabs! Mexican food was hard to get in Australia, so my friends and I were excited to find one.

From my 21st birthday.

Balancing on our ocean kayak in Byron Bay, Australia! We didn't even flip over when we sat down.

My friends and I on a cruise in New Zealand. Again, unbelievably beautiful.

Ice bar in New Zealand. I told you I got to do cool stuff!

Halloween in college. A pot of gold, a leprechaun, and a rainbow!

Four of the five roommates from senior year.

Company party of some occupational health party. Balloons make amazing props.

Got my Master's degree!

At a friend's wedding last year. We're cute, if I do say so myself.

Umm, apparently I don't take pictures with my family haha. I've got to get on that...

Everything I bought this week...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

Everything I Bought This Week:
• Groceries.


The end. Haha, somehow I've been excellent at not spending money this week! Although I admit I plan on buying some yarn and a new pattern before the week is out...

Fictional Friends

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

I've gotta admit... this list doesn't really do it for me. I think it's silly.  But here it is:

Fictional Friends:
• Arya Stark (Game of Thrones and sequels, by George R.R. Martin)
• performers in The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstem
• Richard Castle (tv show Castle)
• Pam (tv show Trueblood)

I'm sure there are many more characters I would love to befriend, but I can't think of them!


Also, I hope you've noticed the blog redesign. I'm pretty happy about it :)

Events I'd Like to Attend...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

Favorite Names...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

This list was hard for me. I'm not one of those girls that constantly makes lists of what she's going to name her future children. I've always believed that you can't name people or pets ahead of time... You have to wait and see them, and choose a name that fits. On top of that, working with students for the past two years has really affected how much I like (or don't like) certain names. So this list is the result of about 5 minutes of thinking, but I guess they are my current favorites.

List 17: Excuses

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

Is it appropriate to start today's post with an excuse? Haha. I got so distracted reading that I almost forgot to do today's post! Without further delay... 

Excuses:

1. I'm too tired
2. I can do it tomorrow
3. I don't want to do it by myself
4. I'll do it later

Things I'd Like to Learn

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

I Know I'm Young at Heart When...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

Yes Ryan, these is such a thing as playing too many video games ;)

I Know I'm Getting Older When...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

Dinner Party Guests

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

September 13, 2012
Dinner Party Guests:

• Rutherford B. Hayes, Josh Radnor, Paul Newman (all graduates of my college. I'd love to chat about how much has changed/ stayed the same!)
• President Obama and Michelle Obama
• Arya Stark (more Game of Thrones references. READ THE BOOKS.)
• Kate Middleton
• Anthony Bourdain

Person I'd want to travel around with: Anthony Bourdain for sure. He always manages to find amazing food no matter where he goes, and his excellent conversation skills would overcome my awkwardness, haha!

Fictional Places Where I Would Like to Live...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

I think a lot of people making this list would put Hogwarts near the top! So many places to explore, both inside and out... Candyland popped into my head, and I decided I had to add it! I might get realllllly fat living there, but it would be amazing. Which makes me think I should have added Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory to the list! Can that be my #4?

For those of you that haven't jumped on the Game of Thrones bandwagon: DO IT. Either read the books, or watch the tv show. They're both amazing, and that's where the Westeros is located.

Favorite Scents and Smells...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

I'm At My Best When...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

Color Run Recap / Today You Can Find Me...

This month, I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. 30 Days is a challenge to journal every day, even if it is just something small. The topics will range from serious to silly, and I'm excited to spend each day on a new topic!

We had to get up super early for the Color Run, but it was totally worth it. We arrived about 7:30, and the race started at 9. But the event was really well organized. There was a DJ, lots of dancing, freebies, and lots of pictures being taken. And there were sooooo many people! I'm surprised The Boy and I didn't bump into anyone we know. We saw some girls with t-shirts from our college, so maybe that counts?

The weather was beautiful, and the run was really fun. It's low key, so a lot of people walked the whole thing. Every so often, there was a color station along the trail where volunteers would douse you in dye (colored cornstarch). I wish I had worn some sort of eye protection, but otherwise it was perfect! At the end, they had a dance party, and more color dye. They had guys with leaf blowers that would remove most of the power before you left. I'd definitely recommend it as a first time 5k. Insider tip: Be sure to get to the starting line early. They let people go in waves, so some people were still starting by the time we finished!

Pre-race. 

More pre-race.

Starting line.

Behind us...

Finished!

Post leaf blowers.

It looks like I have a green moustache and bruised eye. Yea color run!