A little about me

OK, well I'm a procrastinator, and tend not to keep up on stuff I start, I've never updated my Myspace (except for adding a few pictures) since I created it so lets see how this goes. I've been thinking about blogging for awhile now so I hope I will update this at least occasionally, and figured if nothing else I can just put up pictures of my knitting for anyone else who is obsessed with it (knitting in general, not just mine) and is always looking for new interesting patterns. I guess I should tell you a little about me then.

So yes, I knit, and spin, and do yoga (even if I only have time for 10 minutes a day most of the time), love to cook (pretty much no time for that right now), I prefer my hand spindle for it's portability, that and my wheel needs fixed (bad buy on Ebay maybe I'll complain about that later), oh and my spindle was always allowed on the planes, thank god! because otherwise I would have gone nuts. I tend to need more than one thing to do and will switch between knitting, reading, and spinning if it's a long plane ride. I can spin in a small space, and can even do it in the car. Don't worry only as a passenger! I'm also getting married in about 6 months and have decided it's a wonderful idea to knit my own veil, sew my own dress, and make our wedding bands. Yes, I think I am insane and know I don't always have a grip on time reality. I do have a backup for the wedding bands. A friend of mine gave me the name of an artist that made her wedding bands, so I figured if I have a total meltdown (and yes I can totally see that), then I will ask him if he can do it.

So why have I decided to add all this extra stress, because you know, planning a wedding isn't stressful or anything. Because once I get an idea in my head I tend to not be happy with anything else. I know what I want my dress to look like and no one makes it, I know how to sew, so why not make it myself? I also like the idea of knitting my own veil so sure I can do that too, and since I've taken some jewelry classes before and would like to some day get my masters in it why not make the bands that much more personal and create them myself (that and I know what I want them to look like and again have not found the design I want anywhere). Yes, I can see it, I can visualize the meltdown happening and me walking down the aisle as I'm trying to finish knitting my veil while it's on my head and exchanging over worked sloppily made bands. I can totally can see this.

How do I see this coming and continue you may ask? Because it's similar to what I do every christmas. My family laughs about my insanity every year. I typically stay up all night finishing hand made presents and do not get any, or maybe 2-3 hours of sleep on christmas eve. Last year I didn't sleep at all, but managed to make and can pumpkin butter (yes I canned it on christmas eve), for my entire family as presents (pumpkin was requested by one member as I tend to give a jar of some kind of jam to each family group every year), and knitted 3 ear warmers for my little cousins, although the last one was finished after she got to my Dad's house, but before the presents were opened, so I slipped it into her bag and in my book that counts as done in time) I also knitted a first cousin, my Mom, and a friends girlfriend a scarf.

I tend to knit something for my 3 little cousins every year (I guess they are second cousins I'm not sure how that really works, they are my cousins kids), although this year in a brilliant flash of insight I told everyone that no one would get knitted gifts this year because I don't have the time. But I've been thinking maybe I could just do a little hat for just my 3 little cousins instead of the poncho's and cardigan I was planning, they are quick right!? Yes, I have no concept of time, but I am now finally beginning to realize this at least.

Wait, so if I keep making all these comments about not enough time (would I love a 30 hour day!) why am I blogging? I don't know. It could be because I just want to talk, or share pictures, or maybe, as I may have been told before, because I feel the need to do too much (thanks Mom). Oh yes, I grew up with a super overachieving mom. Yes, yes, I know a lot of you are thinking so did I. But when you went on vacation did your mom hand you an itinerary? By half hour increments? And free time was scheduled?! I vividly remember one vacation where my mom was so proud because we actually had ONE half hour increment of free time scheduled. Let me say this again, this was a week long vacation, which is 168 hours, or 336 half hours and in all that time she had scheduled and one of those half hours for free time. You can not believe how proud of it she was either, we could do whatever we wanted! Read! Lay by the pool! Swim! Take a nap! BTW just for a little more clarification this was a driving trip about halfway across the country from IL to Philly and back. We did get to do a lot, we made pretzels, went to Hersey's, saw an Amish town and farm, saw all the historic sights in Philly and I distinctly remember Chinatown (probably because the dead goat hanging in one of the shop windows completely freaked me, the vegetarian, out, that and at first glance I swore it was a dog). So it was a fun, educational, and did I mention an exhausting trip. Oh, and since I was 15 and was soon to get my license I had to log 50 hours with my mom (this was her rule not the states) before she would let me get my license. I thought I was going to kill us all when she insisted that I drive on a mountain, during construction and it was night time, because she insisted I needed more practice and experience. I do think her making me drive in all conditions did help to make me a better driver, and now that I'm older and out of the speeding like a banshee stage (or maybe I inherited it from my father) I'm glad she made me be a better driver. Another proof of my Mom's insane energy (I would be so rich if I could bottle it and sell it). My mom would call one of my Aunt's up on a Saturday around 10 am to see what she was up to and my Aunt would tell he that she had just gotten up and was drinking her coffee. My mom would then tell my Auntie M all the stuff she had already accomplished by that time, breakfast, laundry, cleaned the house, and possibly canned something from the garden, or had sewn my brother and myself a new outfit. I think my Aunt was annoyed by this list, just a little.

OK, so I am planning on posting how my veil is coming, I've decided to splice two doily patterns together so we will see how this works. Oh, I've never knitted a doily in my life and have only knitted some simple lace a few times before. If you want to see the patterns I'm using go to Yarnover's site and look at the Egeblad pattern, and for the second part I'm planning on doing the leaves from the Rose of England design from the Second Book of Modern Lace Knitting. I chose Egeblad because it reminds me of a lilac flower, my favorite flower, and it's what I plan on holding as I walk down the aisle and the Rose of England because I'm planning on putting vines on my wedding dress though I'm not sure yet if it will be embroidered or appliquéd on. So we will see if I can keep this up, at least post occasionally.