knitted mood blanket 2014

Guys.....for real....I've found the most wonderful project of all time! My friend Holly over at Crafty Holly Louise posted about this particular project she found on instagram(there's a blog now!) that has taken the crochet world by storm!! It's called the Crochet Mood Blanket 2014. The idea is that you designate a number of colors of yarn (as many as you wish) to moods that you feel. Then you pick a pattern to crochet and each day make 1 block with the color of your mood that day. Awesome right?! Except for that minor detail of the fact that I don't know how to crochet!! Obviously I wasn't going to let that stop me so I decided on knitting my instead. duh. 

Most people are making it in a DK weight so I chose Tosh DK by madelinetosh....because their yarns are my all time fave. A girl that comes into the yarn shop where I work is currently working on a blanket with miter squares and I love the way it looks so I decided that would be my pattern. With those decisions made I went about choosing my moods and colors. Since madelinetosh comes up with such great names for their colors I wanted to base my moods off the color names as much as I could. This is what I came up with and I couldn't be happier!

Last night I went about figuring out my moods for the days in January I missed so I can catch up and today I decided that I needed a yarn for good ol' happiness so I chose Courbet's Green. My squares come out to be about 3 1/4 inches and I want the finished shape to be square as well so I decided 20 rows x 20 rows (with a few extra squares to fill the last row) will do and make a nice humongous blanket! I can't wait to sit down and catch up!! I see a lot of edison bulb and courbet's green happening in the month of January.

It's especially awesome to see the way this blanket idea has taken off. There's a Facebook group for people making it with over 3,000 people in it. Everyone shares their progress, asks for suggestions and really encourages each other. It's really amazing to be a part of. And if you feel inspired and want to join in the fun DO IT! It's not too late and who says you can't start your year today! There really are no rules! I can't wait to share my progress with you all here and see this blanket take shape. It's my first, so it's even more special.

missed stitch

So I stumbled upon this illustration this morning and instantly fell in love with it. Upon further investigation I learned that it's from a series of wonderful illustrations by Sophie Blackall that gives those Missed Connections posts on craiglist some life. They're amazing and for purchase on Sophie's Etsy page here (for someone whose birthday could be coming up in March{cough, cough}). As I was looking through her website I also realized that I've been looking at her work for over a year now and didn't even realize it. Her work was chosen for the Art in the Subway paintings that you can find inside the subway cars here in the city.

you never know.

The Alex Beanie

This year I decided that I would make some winter hats as Christmas gifts for the folks I work with at the wine store! The yarn shop I work at had just gotten in some really great chunky yarn that came in the most magnificent colors so I just knew it would be perfect to use for some hats. I thoughtfully chose a different color that I thought would compliment each of my co-workers. I took into consideration their skin tones, winter coat colors, and favorite sports teams...it was a process I took very seriously.

And because I wanted these hats to be just right and made with love and intention I decided to go ahead and make my own pattern for them! I wanted a pattern that I could knit on the subway and that looked good on a man or a woman. And since the yarn is so beautiful I knew the pattern wouldn't need a lot of detail.

So, after a few trials, frogging, and re-knitting I came up with a hat that fit all my criteria! And since I'm such a swell gal I thought I'd share the pattern with all you folks! I give you...

The Alex Beanie

 Materials:

            - 1 skein of Malabrigo Mecha

            - 16" size US9 Circular Needle

            - Stitch Marker

            - Tapestry Needle 

Gauge: 

16 stitches = 4 inches in Stockinette 

Pattern:

Cast On 80 stitches and join in the round

K4, P4 in Rib Stitch until the piece measures 7 1/2 inches from beg.

Decreases for cap: 

Row 1: (K2Tog, K2Tog, P4) Repeat to the end of the round (60sts)

Rows 2-4: (K2, P4) Repeat to the end of the round

Row 5: (K2, P2Tog, P2Tog) Repeat to the end of the round(40sts)

Rows 6-8: (K2, P2) for 3 rows

Row 9: (K2Tog, P2Tog) Repeat to the end of the round(20sts)

Row 10: (K1, P1) Repeat to the end of the round

Cut a long tail and weave it through the remaining stitches.

Weave in all ends.

I hope you enjoy making this hat! It's quick, easy, and makes a great gift for anyone...even yourself! 

all the cozies!

Could this be a window into my future?? Possibly. 

And I don't hate it.

get your lady on in 2014

I was watching the 4th hour of the Today show this morning....because it's part of my morning ritual.... and overheard my gal pals Kathy Lee and Hoda talking about this list of ways to be a lady in 2014. They discussed a few and before I knew it I was online reading the official list. {Wo}Man is it good! So of course I had to share. 

 

 

24 Rules For Being A Lady In 2014

It’s time to talk about what it means to be a Lady, in a more updated way than swilling vodka martinis while pushing a vacuum, or getting your hair set once a week into a beehive. We’ve set down some ground rules for modern gentlemen, now it’s our turn 

 

    1. Master at least one dish that you can whip up on relatively short notice, for when you’re having people over and don’t want to be like, “There’s a box of stale Wheat Thins left if you want to fight over those.”

    2. Hold doors for everyone, especially older people or people carrying heavy things.

    3. Make plans with friends you haven’t seen in a while, and actually follow through with them. (This includes not scheduling things on a morning when you know you’re going to be too hungover to go anywhere.)

   4. If one of your friends is a little too drunk to handle herself at the bar/club/house party, do the right thing and remain sober-ish enough to properly babysit and facilitate her trip home. 

  5. Do not assign moral value to food items, on your own plate or anyone else’s. A mozzarella stick is a mozzarella stick, and nothing more.

  6. When another woman compliments your cute bag/shoes/dress and asks you where it’s from, it is your moral obligation to tell you where you got it — especially if it was on sale. Thou shalt not withold the deals.

 7. When taking a boy shopping, always make sure there is at least a comfy place for him to sit if you’re going to be trying on more than one outfit (and you know that you likely are, even if you state otherwise upon entering the store).

 8. Always give someone the chance to make up for it if they’ve hurt your feelings, and the best way to start that process off is giving them the dignity of telling them how they hurt you. Ladies don’t subtweet, they earnestly reach out on Gchat.

 9. Be happy for friends when they announce big life moments, such as engagement or pregnancy, if only on the surface. (Exceptions of course being made for situations that are seriously unhealthy or endangering.) When it comes time for your big moment, you’ll want the same kind of support.

 10. Have at least one outfit in the closet for job interview, one for first date, and one for going home to see family (yours or someone else’s). The amount of headaches that can be spared by simply having a versatile blazer and pencil skirt at one’s disposal are incalculable.

 11. Never disparage another woman for choosing and embracing the domestic/housewive/stay-at-home-mom life.

 12. Never disparage another woman for choosing a really demanding career instead of family life, if that’s what she wants. 

 13. Keep a small bar in your apartment with the basics to make a few classic, tasty drinks for a small variety of tastes. There is a time and a place for having only a bottle of Mad Dog and some Boone’s in your cupboards, and that time is 19 years old.

 14. Learn the worlds of options there are between “orthopedically criminal high heels” and “computer programmer running shoes.” Find something stylish that also works for your life and tastes.

 15. Never base your feminism in telling other women what makes them a “good” or “bad” feminist. Being a good, compassionate person should be your only criteria, and wearing makeup or liking Sex and the City should not be an issue.

 16. Keep fresh-cut flowers in your house.

 17. Be a good hostess — learn how to make people feel comfortable and welcome in your house, and leave feeling like they got to be themselves.

 18. Stop looking at marriage as the defining endeavor in a woman’s life, no matter how much it has been ingrained into you. It should neither be something you actively disdain, nor something you seek out with white-knuckled deadlines.

 19. While you are not obligated to like any other woman strictly on the basis of being a woman, and there are certain things that are totally fair criticisms, her weight is never one of them.

 20. Do not consume media which you know, before you even see it, is going to make you feel badly about yourself. If you watched the VS Fashion Show and spent the whole time liveblogging about how ugly and inadequate it made you feel, do not give it your mental health next year. It doesn’t deserve it.

 21. Always have a backup plan.

 22. Give other women compliments when they are sincere and non-selfish, because girl-on-girl compliments are the greatest thing and the mark of a true lady.

 23. Do not hold gender-based expectations about who is “supposed” to pay for things. Everyone contribute, everyone do what they can, everyone take pleasure in being the one who gets to treat the other sometimes.

 24. Be the one to kiss first sometimes, and don’t ever think that makes you weird or too forward. First kisses are too great a joy not to be shared by all genders.

[via: my new fave website and written by Chelsea Fagan]

Settle

: to move to a place and make it your home

: to become fixed, resolved, or established

: to be content with


This word has been popping in my head a lot. Mostly in terms of my life lately and how it seems to pertain to more than one aspect of it. There seems to be a good deal of non-settling that has lead to other ways of settling. So settle in and hear me out.

In college I slid down the slippery slope of settling (5 points for alliteration!). I dated the wrong fellas and invested in maybe not the best friends. Finally, in my 26th year I'm feeling really clear from all that settling smog. I won't settle for a jerk just because he's cute or shows me a little attention. Deep down if he's a jerk, he's a jerk, and ain't nobody got time for that! I'm feeling really great about the friends I have. They're swell and I love them dearly and we've invested in each other.

Now you might be thinking to yourself "well good for you Sarah....but what's the malfunction"? Oh it's a great thing indeed, except for one simple fact. In my new found non-settling, I seemed to have back-lashed in the total opposite direction too. I've settled into a life of staying home, watching DVR'd television, knitting, and not spending time with my wonderful friends or meeting fellas to even determine whether they're jerks or not. I've settled into being a hermit. You know I've lived in NYC for a little over a year now and I haven't been on 1 date. Not 1. And I can't even sit here and blame the men of the world for that. How could a man ask me out when we don't even meet due to the fact that I've Rapunzel'd myself in my 5th story apartment?? 

I settled in NYC, am finally feeling settled in this place and the people in my life, and somehow settled on just that. Nothing more. It's a real problem.

So, as they say, admitting the problem is the first step. Right? Right. I can only assume that taking action is the next step then. So that's what I'm resolving to do. Time to remain settled in some things and shake things up in others. Find the balance. (I did some yoga last night for the first time in longer than I'd like to admit....so much balance to find) This city is overflowing with great things to do and stellar people to do them with and now that I've been here for a year I have no excuse not to take full advantage. 

Here's to an unsettled settling!! Does the word settle sound and look as odd to you as it does to me now?

a holding pattern

I'm in one. And I don't really mind being in one. And that worries me a little.

I do the same thing every day. I wake up and knit. I go to work. I come home and knit. I go to bed.
NYC is expensive and Christmas is coming so it doesn't really bother me that this is my habit lately. That being said I do feel a small restlessness inside.

I miss my sewing machine. Some days I think about how great it would be to spend a whole day sewing. I have quilts I'd love to finish, projects I'd like to make but I have to keep telling myself "Apartment #2. Apartment #2 will be bigger. Apartment #2 will have room for my sewing machine". I can only hope it's true.

I think about college times a lot lately. How carefree life was and how much fun I had. My biggest worry (other than classes of course) was trying to find a parking spot near my dorm. I was surrounded by a great group of friends, I was involved in things that were really fulfilling, and I lived in St Pete! It was wonderful. Maybe I used up all my fun in college and now in my late-ish 20s I'm paying my dues for it. I'm certainly paying the loans for it.

There's a hole in my heart that only the theatre can fill. It's coming up on a year since I moved to the city and I know it's about time I start really pursuing my career again. No more excuses. No more "I just need to get through X,Y,Z". The time is now; even if I have to hold 2 jobs and volunteer as an usher. I've done it before and I'll do it again if it means getting my foot in the door. I need theatre.

I don't spend enough time here. I look at how many posts I've written in years past and I can't believe how much they've tapered off. I love having this blog! I love being inspired by other blogs! It's such a wonderful online community. Just the other day I was riding the subway and I recognized a woman as she got on. It was Cara from Maskcara! I couldn't believe that of all the subways, here she was on mine. She lives in Utah for crying out loud! I mustered up the courage to say hello and she was amazingly friendly of course. For a blogger it's celebrity status when you see the person who's words you read on a regular basis. It was awesome to say the least.

It's become clear to me that I'm not the best at staying in touch with the people I care about. I talk to my immediate family on a regular basis but I have some really wonderful people in my life that I don't talk to nearly as often as I should. And that makes me feel like a real shmuck. What kind of friend can I expect others to be to me if I don't put some effort in on my end too? Distance is no excuse in these times. With facebook, skype, and even a good ol' fashion telephone there's no reason to not stay in touch better. It's shameful really.

I didn't mean for this post to get so down! I'm not depressed or anything, just introspective lately, and maybe that's the silver lining of this holding pattern. It's giving me the time to step back and evaluate the things that I want to change so when the pattern has run its course maybe just maybe I'll be a better me.

Does this mean I'm an adult or something?? Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

public displays of knitting

I've become that lady. You know, the lady who sits on the subway and knits. Yup. It was really only a matter of time. I mean, what better way to occupy my commute to work than by being productive too! It's the best of all worlds.

That being said, I'll never be a normal subway rider again. I've been jaded by my multitasking. I find myself getting really irritated whenever I ride the subway and there isn't a spot to sit and knit. "That's a whole 25 minutes of great knitting time that I am cheated of! Do you know how many rows I can get done in 25 minutes????" I find myself thinking. It's bad. When I get ready for a night on the town I look back and forth from my tiny purse to my knitting, rationalizing whether or not I would be able to fit my knitting inside said tiny purse and God forbid something happens to my knitting while I'm at the bar but damn I could get so much done on the 35 minute subway ride there. I may have a problem.

The other part of knitting out in the open are the looks. When I was college, taking theatre classes, we did an exercise where everyone would choose someone else in the class to look at until they could feel it. It's an odd thing but it works. We've all been there. You're going about a task when all of a sudden you get the feeling that someone's watching you. Chances are there is someone watching you. I've never felt this feeling so much as when I'm knitting on the subway and to such a point that I look up and almost always make eye contact with the person looking. It's a little crazy. And every now and then one of them will be brave enough to tap my on the shoulder and ask me what I'm working on. They don't know a thing about me and have never seen me before but because I'm a gal knitting on the subway that must mean I'm safe to chat with. I love it.

The consolation in all of this is that I know I'm not alone. Every now and then I'll see others like me in the same car and one time I even shared a seat with a crocheter. It felt like we had our own designated spot on the train. Sorry folks, hand crafters only on this seat. More proof of this was pointed out to me by way of a friend who found an article about a man who was questioned about his knitting by the police. His blog, madmanknitting, is all about his journey as a man knitter (or as I like to put it, a Mitter) and the cute bears that he makes and sells to get by. His story is pretty inspiring so I encourage you to read a few of his posts.

I'm sure all this public knitting makes me a bit of a granny but i guess thats's okay with me. I love doing it and so far anyone that I interact with seems to enjoy it to. It's made me think about what I can do to share my joy with others. But there will be more on that to come. 

via tumblr

There's something reassuring about seeing a man walking down the sidewalk or riding the subway with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. It reminds me that chivalry may not be dead after all. 

I wonder to myself if those are "I'm sorry" flowers or "Happy Birthday" flowers or "Just Because" flowers. I think about the lady who will get to enjoy seeing those flowers in her living room for the next couple days and the feeling she'll get knowing that someone was thinking of her.

someday.

feeling less

The other night I was on the phone with my mom when I felt the need to tell her how I've been feeling lately.

"I just feel less........less."

And that's all there was. I searched for the word to come after the less but there seemed to be too many to pin one down.

less rested             less happy
less qualified       less talented
less attractive    less social
less young             less bright
less ambitious    less fit

Just a lot of less. And I'm not really sure why. Sure some things have happened in my life lately that weren't very ideal but I felt that I had worked through them. I certainly didn't think they were events that would effect me to a point that I can't figure out how to fix the way I feel. The usual chocolates and happy TV hasn't worked. I've been trying to really make myself enjoy the simple things every day like drinking my morning tea and feeding my fish but the joy of those doesn't really last as long as I need it to lately. I don't expect anyone to come along and "make" me feel better either. I do know one thing and that is that I really don't like this. This isn't me. It feels like I'm wearing 3 winter coats at the same time....it doesn't hurt, it's just uncomfortable.


Maybe this thing will work itself out on its own. Maybe I need a solid cry. Maybe just writing it down and getting it all out will help it along. I don't know.

In the meantime please excuse my blue-ness.

bleh