Sitting in trees

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T16:23:00.000-05:00

Best wishes for 2011!

Hello Again!

2010-08-17T16:26:00.002-04:00

This summer has been wonderfully crazy. My wedding, a big move, and an art show. All went very well and it seems that I will at last have a bit more time with which to visit this place and write.

Crisp Winter

2010-01-08T16:16:00.001-05:00

Syracuse sometime in early winter before all the snow was on the ground.

I've been painting and wedding planning what have you been up to?

Long Time No See

2009-11-02T21:05:00.005-05:00

Things have been a bit crazy and I have to admit I have mostly been posting on painting in trees. Today I stumbled back on this blog, and felt sad that I had let such an old friend fade away. So I will try to come back a bit more often.

I have been knitting and I even got to go to Rhinebeck, hence the furry friend in the picture. I wanted to take her home, but I don't think my land lord would be ok even if I told her it was just like a big cat.

I have plans to knit Vivian by Ysolda, right now I'm yarn hunting and am honing in on Cascade Eco Plus. It would be my first sweater.

The Garden

2009-07-25T15:05:00.002-04:00

It rained so hard yesterday, and the sun barely came out, but it was one of those beautiful tea drinking days. Walking around the garden I saw a ton of humming birds hovering around flowers. I mostly worked on my cabbage painting. Its coming along and the prints of some of my other paintings will be done soon.

Cabbage

2009-07-22T02:10:00.003-04:00

Ok so these paintings have to come with an explanation. First of all I've always loved seeing cabbage grow, its always cheered me up and fascinated me. Come on, those are some of the prettiest leaf bundles around. Plus I think the charm of the cabbage patch kid logo has never really worn off.

In any case I did the smaller painting (the one below) on a whim and now I think I might do a series of them. The larger one (above) is still in progress but I'm very excited about it. The finished painting is likely to show up at my other blog.

New Chair

2009-07-21T19:48:00.002-04:00

Gee, that new chair sure will come in handy. That is if the cat ever lets me sit on it. Maybe I can just pretend she is decorative pillow.

Running Around

2009-07-16T14:45:00.003-04:00

I've been fairly busy recently, most of it is apartment hunting and painting. Tomorrow I have an interview with a gallery, which is pretty exciting. Still have to get ready for that! The garden is bursting here especially after all the rain we have gotten, it really looks stunning.

Getting used to cooking, and acquiring a number of dishes so that I don't get too overwhelmed. Recently I made some german pancakes, the recipe is from Smitten Kitchen.
I absolutely love the recipes on that site. These pancakes are made in the oven, and they just puff up on their own.

Lazy Days

2009-06-25T18:27:00.002-04:00

Drinking coffee and thinking about future paintings. There are a bunch of little black birds grazing on the front lawn. I really should find my oils and turpentine.

Calpurnia

2009-06-20T17:18:00.003-04:00

I believe I already have shown you my kitten, Calpurnia, but I think a more formal introduction is in order. We got her in May from the SPCA, she was born in February. Eric and I picked her because she was the one that purred when each of us held her. She is named after Caesar's last wife, who had the prophetic dream about his death. It is only later that we realized that Calpurnia is also the name of the maid/nanny in To Kill A Mockingbird mainly due to the fact that Eric's dog is named Scout.
Her hobbies are hunting toes, climbing the furniture, sleeping, and cuddling. I think she is right-pawed. She eats everything, which means if you leave your plate unattended she will climb on top of it, assuming that you made her a lovely meal.

One Year Left

2009-06-19T02:24:00.002-04:00

I'm getting married in exactly one year (6/19/2010)!!!!

Goodbye Peonies!

2009-06-18T03:03:00.002-04:00

Peonies are one of my favorite flowers, they look like huge balls of tissue (note: these pictures are not of a peony at its best, for those of you who have never seen one before). The fragrance they give out is also stunning, but alas their season is gone and I have to say goodbye. I can't wait until next year when they will surely play a role in my wedding.

Yellow on Pink

2009-06-17T16:31:00.002-04:00

Recently a yellow rose bloomed from a pink rose bush in my garden. It was really stunning as well as slightly eerie.

Strawberry Cake

2009-06-16T15:43:00.001-04:00

Lots of baking going on! This is one of my own inventions, very fun to make as well as very light. One of my favorite things about it is that it looks like a quilt, oh and my fiance loves it.

The Newness of Summer

2009-06-16T03:53:00.005-04:00

Ok its been a while, a long while, but look I'm still alive! I've been keeping busy mostly by graduating from college, being engaged, getting a kitten (Calpurnia), figuring out graduate school plans, the GRE, and trying to paint more as well as sell more paintings. My eye twitches just reading that list. Speaking of things that I'm doing I also started a new blog its mostly an art journal/ a way to sell my paintings.

This one is called "The Fish".

Like I said school is out (for an entire year!) so at least I'm cooking/baking more as well as taking more walks, I also hope to be blogging more. Seeing as I now have two blogs I pretty much have too.

Dreaming of Summer

2009-01-28T16:57:00.002-05:00

The Morning Flowers

2009-01-25T15:15:00.003-05:00

(Watercolor painting I did in class late last year)

Quiet Days

2009-01-22T14:23:00.003-05:00

Interesting mushrooms, which seem to keep me company during my thesis writing extravaganza.

Lots of snow on the ground here, or at least a lot for a Floridian. I'm dreaming of quilting and typing my little fingers off.

Long Time, No Post

2009-01-14T01:38:00.004-05:00

So...I'm a bum and don't post ever. But I've been a bit distracted recently. Can you guess why? ;) Eric asked me to marry him on December 8th, on the front lawn of the college we both attended. It was right after seminar (so about 10pm) and I turned a corner and there he was on my favorite bench. Everything after that is a bit blurred...but he got down on one knee and I said yes!
Hopefully I will be able to post more in the future but I also have a giant thesis waiting to be written.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T12:39:00.004-05:00

Traveling Days

2008-11-07T16:31:00.004-05:00

Last glimmers of summer, caught a few weeks ago while strolling through Longwood gardens. I love the symmetry of these flowers. Today, driving up to Pennsylvania all the trees were an orange red and some so yellow that they almost glowed. Most of the fields are empty now with one here and there still having some dried corn. In one field I saw about a hundred black birds which took flight just as we were passing by. It looked as if someone had flung a shawl of black lace into the sky. Which reminds me of the black cows I saw standing in an orange field while a pure white cat was creeping about the bushes.

Did another watercolor this time of a sunset over a lake. It reminds me of the Once and Future King in some ways. Like a white horse should just come strolling through the frame at any moment. I really love watercolor there is something so airy about this medium, it is as if one were painting with light.

Morning Glory

2008-10-30T11:51:00.004-04:00

I actually did this watercolor (6x9) sitting on the grass under a huge morning glory bush. I got some wierd looks but hey it was worth it. Working outside was really great, you really can't beat the autumn light around PA. Its beautiful! Again if interested in this painting just contact me by leaving a comment or email.

Two Worlds

2008-10-29T12:45:00.004-04:00

Just finished! This is a watercolor still life on tinted paper. This might appear on my etsy page later, still thinking about the logistics of selling online, but please let me know if you are interested.

Autumn

2008-10-04T12:09:00.003-04:00

Hello and how in the world did it get to be October without me posting a single thing? Its very awful, and I am sorry. But not all is lost, I've been painting a lot and knitting, oh and going to college. Having Eric in another state, a lot of time has been dedicated to traveling during the weekends but this also comes as a welcome change from campus life. Travel has always made me happy, the long stretches of road and the trees passing by effortlessly. Its like a silent parade, especially with this autumn light that seems to bring a new sharpness to the world, as though it were fall and not spring that harkened the beginning of new life. It is this time of year that I find the most distracting and yet it is also the time where I create the most.

During this writing break I have changed my mind about going into psychology, there was always something unnatural in it for me, and a certain desperation surrounded the field in my mind. So, no more of that and on to brighter and more natural things. For now I've made up my mind to go into literature and perhaps write someday but most likely teach as a professor. Stories come naturally to me and writing seems the completion of all the images that fly through my head on a daily basis. It complements the visual side of my mind, to the point that after writing I see the world fresh again, full again, of meaning and brilliance. Which reminds me, if you have not read The Flowers of Evil by Baudelaire, you must. It is stunning!

I will end with a quick note about the pictures, the second is me playing with my watercolors on an old envelope and the third is a pumpkin growing in Eric's yard. When the sun has been on it all day I just want to lay on it, the heat makes it feel as though it is teeming with life under its hard glowing shell. But enough about my strange pumpkin fixation, I hope to have many more posts in the future, see you soon!

College

2008-08-31T14:40:00.002-04:00

Summer is still fresh in my mind all the the meadows and their smells seem to stay in my hair for months after. Pennsylvania especially has wonderful meadows, filled with flowers and long grasses. My whole stay there was beautiful, besides going on many hikes I also did some baking, knitting, beading, and lots of reading. I finished War and Peace with time to spare, and now I'm settling in to another year of college. The room I'm in this year is very nice, its a good shape (which believe me is rare in these old buildings) and I think all my stuff fits in quite pleasantly. My window is right next to an oak tree, which means that the more daring squirrels will sometimes peak in. In the winter I will be able to see front campus and the houses across the way. I like to be able to see the lights in other people's windows not really to spy on them but just to know that they are there and awake.

Hydrangea

2008-08-30T19:55:00.005-04:00

I bought a white hydrangea today on a whim and right now its peaking over my computer, making me smile with its hundreds of petals and its dark green leaves. I also ran into a black and white great dane named Duke who came up past my hip, I don't think I've ever seen a dog that big before but his owner assured me that he was just a lap dog (not on my lap!). He stretched out his tongue to lick me and I realized that it was as big as my hand! I stood there petting him for a while, fascinated at his sheer size. I would consider buying one if I ever have lots of land. These dogs almost look otherworldly.
The weather here in Maryland went from strangely cold to sticky hot, there is even a haze in the air from all the humidity. Its dark out now and a chorus of cicadas and crickets are chirping away, no stars yet just passing headlights and a vague outline of trees, there leaves still in full summer green.

Going

2008-08-14T16:12:00.003-04:00

Summer is now officially dwindling away, and my stay in Pennsylvania can no longer be counted in weeks or even days. Its afternoon and the sky gives the vague impression of impending rain, the shetland tea shawl is off the needles but yet to be blocked, War and Peace is very close to being done but I seem to have lost all energy and taste for it. So it seems a strange time of half endings and near beginnings for me.
Some sort bush full of white flowers is leaning into the windows and the sounds of work and sleep are all around me. I'm not packed and feel a sort of loathing for Flordia and its constant reapperance in my life. I want it put away in a neat box marked "past" but this is not likely to happen. Nothing, it seems, is so easy to put away.
Tired and restless is the best way to describe me these days. Yet I seem to get things done, and to at least appear active.

Dusk

2008-08-02T19:31:00.003-04:00

Oysters lay opened.
soft pale cadavers,
Pillow like corpses,
Pale in their discovered weakness.
No pearls, only flesh
Mortality exposed.
Yet the coffins
Of their shells
Seem to dream on,
In milky white reflections

-Kristina

Almost

2008-07-19T16:36:00.000-04:00

I've been working on the edging of my shetland tea shawl and I'm getting really excited about how its turning out. So I thought I would post some progress pictures. Enjoy!

I have also made some progress on my embroidery.

Time and Eternity

2008-07-15T10:15:00.000-04:00

MY cocoon tightens, colors tease,
I ’m feeling for the air;
A dim capacity for wings
Degrades the dress I wear.

A power of butterfly must be
The aptitude to fly,
Meadows of majesty concedes
And easy sweeps of sky.

So I must baffle at the hint
And cipher at the sign,
And make much blunder, if at last
I take the clew divine.

- Emily Dickinson

With the Coming Rain

2008-07-13T15:18:00.000-04:00

Poppies are growing all over the garden. Along with a ton of other little flowers and pumpkins, tomatoes, sunflowers, squash, beans and gourds. All thats missing is a few chickens and maybe a sheep or two :).
Its been a sort of sleepy day today, mostly going around and doing errands. A storm seems to be coming and I'm planning on cuddling up with a good book (War and Peace) and drinking some sort of spicy indian tea.
Its been a very hectic week, and relaxing seems somewhat hard to do after all the unrest and anxiety. This anxiety seems to stay with one, like an echo, fading slowly, but nevertheless present. I don't quite remember a time when all of these little echoes have completely left me. However they fade, and what are they but memories?

I told you in my last post that I have been painting a bit, this is an unfinished watercolor that I have been working on. I'm also getting ready to do some embroidery, and hopefully work some more on my shetland tea shawl. And with that I will leave you with a picture of the sky at dusk as seen from Pennsylvania.

And the Days Go By

2008-07-13T00:38:00.000-04:00

Its strange how time flies, how quickly the hours pass, not to mention the days. The corn outside my window has gotten huge, it seems like yesterday I could just barely see it sprouting up. I have been feeling very creative recently and drawing a few things here and there. Also I've managed to start the edging on my Shetland tea shawl, and decided to delude myself into thinking that it will be done soon.
On another note entirely I've fumbled upon the many delights of etsy recently and have begun to daydream of selling stuff through it. But this would require A)stuff B) time to make stuff C) mailing stuff on time (this, I'm sure my friend Natalie will agree, is not my strong point). So for now I will keep to my daydreams.... which also include making a quilt (that I can manage, hopefully).

A Moment

2008-07-10T14:12:00.000-04:00

WILL there really be a morning?
Is there such a thing as day?
Could I see it from the mountains
If I were as tall as they?

Has it feet like water-lilies?
Has it feathers like a bird?
Is it brought from famous countries
Of which I have never heard?

Oh, some scholar! Oh, some sailor!
Oh, some wise man from the skies!
Please to tell a little pilgrim
Where the place called morning lies!

-Emily Dickinson

Unexpected

2008-06-25T11:56:00.001-04:00

There is a softness all through the house today, everything seems lulled or wrapped up in an invisible down blanket. Even the air seems somehow smoother or quieter. It is an unexpected stillness after lots of rushing about and doing. And it seems I have a huge swath of time to myself which is always comforting.
I've been thinking about psychology, as it is the field I'm thinking of getting into, and wondering what purpose it serves. It, at least outwardly claims to help people, but does it? Is there too much distance between client and doctor for any sort of real connection? It also seems strange to me that one must wade through six years of what seems like psychology history to be allowed to work with people.
This seems to be the summer of big projects. Both fun and exciting but also frustrating at times.

June

2008-06-23T19:31:00.000-04:00

Its June...more importantly nearing far to fast upon the end of June, which means I've been a very bad blogger. But rest assure I've been plodding along on my shetland tea shawl which still has a non-existant edge, but someday it will be finished. My internship, however, is happily drinking up all my time (not that I'm complaining or anything like that).

Its been hot here in PA so the drive to and from work is extra taxing, but the early mornings and dusk are magical. The fire files are out and twinkling all around the trees and today it seems that a thunderstorm will come in with the night. There is even a little groundhog living in the backyard, who comes out every morning and grazes among the flowers.

Its with summers like this that I feel drawn to a quiet life of painting, writing, and knitting. I want to take all the intricate plans laid out in front of me and throw them away, with one long and dramatic stroke. But it somehow does not seem right to retreat from the world so quickly and so decidedly.

Eric and I went hiking the other day around a national state park that is close to his house. The grass was high and they had a beautiful meadow (I personally love meadows and fantasize about spinning round and round in the middle of one, that or having a tea party on an old quilt while the bees buzz around me). One day I will do these things ( the day I get over my paranoia of deer ticks and lime disease ).

(found these lovely pigeons nesting in the nook of a front porch)

Blueberry Fields

2008-05-30T14:13:00.000-04:00

I went blueberry picking recently with my parents and aunt. We left home very early in the morning and when we arrived there was still a soft fog all around the fields. It was wonderfully cool and the ground still had dew on it. Each of us was handed a bucket and away we went. I got lost along the forest line, far away from the others, just picking blueberry after blueberry. It was wonderful and so relaxing. The only thing you could here was a crow and I thought I heard a peacock or maybe it was a hoarse rooster.

I even saw a baby raccoon crawl out of his den and snack on some blueberries and then quickly crawl back (very cute). There was also a lot of grasshoppers flying about, rushing for new cover when you disturbed their particular bush. I have to say that its a lot easier to pick blueberries than it is to pick strawberries. The bushes are so much higher and more accessible, bending down in the summer sun is not my cup of tea. But then again the strawberries that are fresh picked are out of this world.

Three hours went by and our buckets were mostly full. All of us went to get our blueberries weighed to pay the owners, but more importantly to see who won (aka picked the most). I was the clear winner with 5.35 pounds of berries! Go me! It turned out that in all we had picked 18 something pounds of blueberries. Clearly more than enough.

We then packed up the car and proceeded to a yummy sushi dinner in town.

Oh and here is a picture of my shetland tea shawl progress (hehe...so close but so far)!

Different Perspectives

2008-05-22T17:32:00.000-04:00

I love experimenting with different visual perspectives and materials. Its such a rush finding new things to work with, its still amazing to me what you can make with a ball of yarn. Lace especially fascinates me, its so delicate and ethereal. I'm always amazed that it doesn't just fall apart in my hands, and the intricate patters are breath taking.
But I feel like painting and drawing are my first loves and sometimes there isn't enough time in the day to do everything and while I love knitting sometimes I feel like I should be painting. Since going to college I feel as though I've had painting block. I mean I do a few things during the year but not nearly as much as I used to. One of my friends from college has a similar experience of not being able to sit down and draw. Its strange and sort of depressing but I know that I will get back into it. In fact next year I'm planning on setting up a painting corner in my tiny dorm room. Sure it'll take up lots of space but its worth it.

Stitches

2008-05-19T22:55:00.000-04:00

Embroidery and knitting. Baking and dreaming. Oh my free time goes by so strangely like sand pouring through a large sieve, it sweeps through me all at once and I can almost hear the rush. So its nice to make things to see solid evidence of time passing. Soon I'll be out of Florida and starting my internship at a psychology lab in Delaware, I'm really excited. I love the woods up there and the deer and fireflies, its beautiful. I'm hoping to get some hiking and camping done out there.

Home

2008-05-15T13:49:00.000-04:00

Home again and its surprisingly nice to be in a warm place. I left Maryland during a huge rain storm, and during most of the day I was in between being soaked and slightly moist. But I had my knitting to keep me company at the airport, which always seems to draw a lot of attention. So now I'm just relaxing at home and fantasizing about spinning and quilting as well as making some ultra healthy blue berry pancakes.

Graduation

2008-05-11T17:27:00.000-04:00

Today was Eric's graduation, it was overcast for most of the day and now its raining. My hands smell faintly of cardboard and dust from packing away the last of my things. I walked around town some to forget how much I will miss this place over the summer and how strange it will feel to be alone here next year. I wonder how senior year will feel, will it be mystical like freshman year when the campus felt as though it was under a spell and everything had a glow to it, even the night seemed to shine then. Or will it just be the same, a shuffle of seasons, lots of reading and then the end. And when it is over, will I long for it again? Will I always come back to this place that changed me, that lives in me; the place of my youth where I found a part of myself? I don't want to think of it, but seeing graduation seeing what is before me makes me remember that this place is passing too. The freshman year illusion that this would last a good while is gone and four years does not seem long enough. Oh but I'm feeling dramatic, and part of me does not feel this at all and craves the future.
I'm flying home tomorrow night, with a lot of knitting to keep me busy. The shetland tea shawl is coming along nicely and I'm excited to wear it. Hope all of you are well!

Rainy Days

2008-05-09T19:30:00.000-04:00

Its been raining a lot around here recently. The ground is wet and everything seems to be green and lush. Knitting is fast and the shetland tea shawl is coming along, although I have one of the ferns colliding into another (but I'm not going to fix it) and probably live to regret it. But its fun to knit and thats all I ask of it, besides the center while seemingly important really can't be seen when worn (or at least thats what I tell myself).

I'm excited for summer break, which will hopefully be filled with hiking, camping, floating down rivers, along with an internship and lots of application writing. Of course much painting and knitting will be done!

Spring and Summer

2008-05-05T14:15:00.000-04:00

My poor poor blog. Neglected, starved and alone. Life got a bit hectic around here recently, my father was very ill and Eric is graduating soon, all the while I'm trying to figure out what life beyond college holds for me. So logging on seemed near impossible, but spring seems to have lifted me up. The petals, falling down like rain, make you forget. And the trees with their new leaves, seem to remind you not to live in tomorrow but rather now, not in years but in moments.
There are flocks of red bellied robins hopping all over campus and little yellow birds that are very shy and seem to climb trees rather than fly up into them. Yesterday I sat outside in a secluded garden and saw a rabbit laying down in the shade, there was so much stillness and yet so much movement as the wind moved the branches, a hushed pulse to everything. Summer is here, and spring a new memory.

Sunny day Babbles

2008-03-24T09:15:00.000-04:00

Sitting up in bed, looking at all the construction stuff outside and drinking my coffee. They are digging up selected parts of campus to "fix" the heating pipes (they do this every two years it seems). I'm willing to give up a bit of the esthetic for water that doesn't burn off a few layers of skin, or at least I would be willing to if I thought that their little dig would actually amount to any change in the hot-cold fluctuations. On an up note the birds seem unaffected by said digging and are twittering their little heads off (I love it) I suspect its because of all the worms that feel the need to sacrifice themselves on our sidewalks. I try to save as many as I can by throwing them into the grass, but I'm not sure this actually works, seeing so many robins around I imagine it just makes them a little harder to find.
Part of me wants to go live in the woods and forget that I ever heard of graduate school...maybe someone could pay me to draw twigs and leaves, I could even sell overpriced- handmade quilts to yuppies and a painting or two on the side. I could own a herd of cats and dye wool on the weekends and and....the artsy-craftsy madness goes on and on. So I find it particularly strange that when I have a semi-viable way of actually doing all this I spurn it, and drive towards a "real" career.
I still need to re-start that lace project. Blah. Not much knitting is being done recently.
P.S Check out Library Thing if you haven't all ready...its like Ravelry for book addicts!

Almost Spring

2008-03-19T13:12:00.000-04:00

These pretties were waiting for us when we arrived back to Maryland after spring break. Some trees also have buds on them...I know I'm excited. The big winter coat is starting to feel stuffy.
I started the Shetland tea shawl, which after a few rows I had to frog because it was doing that ugly ladder thing. I think I ran into the problem using magic loop, and just have to restart and try to pull harder at the joints.
Anyway its pouring out and I'm going to make myself some tea and get some editing done.

Strange Days

2008-03-15T18:54:00.000-04:00

Please give me some good advice in your next letter. I promise not to follow it.

-Edna St. Vincent Millay, Letters

Sleep

2008-03-14T03:04:00.000-04:00

It is far too late to be up, but here I am in a cosy chair by a lamp and the house is stilled with the sounds of sleep filling it. I am aware of only the present and do not remember the past nor do I dream of the future.
Looking out the window, I see a car driving by, its headlights cut through the night and I wonder who they are and where they are going and whether they have someone by their side.

Pennsylvania

2008-03-12T21:05:00.000-04:00

I'm in Pennsylvania again. Its beautiful here, even though March is generally an awkward in-between month. The light in the early evening is stunning and the farmer which lives across the way has begun to work on his field in preparation for the coming summer. We have fires most of the day, and basically try to remain under blankets when reading. Tea is perpetually being prepared and the dog is always ready to cuddle. So its an ideal place to hide away and knit, read, write, or draw. We go on late night rides through the countryside, which might be my favorite part. The trees and the hills by the moon light are stunning and the deer and foxes are everywhere.

Today Eric and I made chili and cornbread, it was fantastic. One of my friends gave me the recipe, thanks Molly! I have been drawing and reading a lot recently, taking a break from my Middlemarch paper. I really want to get started on my Shetland tea shawl but I find it very frustrating so I may not attempt it for a while yet.

Writing and Reading

2008-03-03T19:32:00.000-05:00

My portrait of an old man, done with pencil on standard sketch paper. I'm hoping to enter this in our yearly art show at the college. Very happy with the way it turned out, I like that the skin looks like cloth.
Hope everyone is well. I've been reading Pride and Prejudice and Little Women. I love Little Women and highly recommend it. I've also been writing a monster of an essay on Middlemarch, which still needs loads more work, so wish me luck.

Steaming Cup of Anxiety

2008-03-03T00:45:00.000-05:00

Its now spring break, and I'm anything but relaxed. This has a lot to do with the up coming senior year and my final decision on a career track (eep). I guess thats why I've been sort of hiding out these past few months from friends and family and even myself. Not wanting to face the final choice (which has been so built up over the years). Sigh, but I will work it out one way or another.

Anyway, onward to less anxiety inspiring topics, I have the yarn that I ordered for my Shetland tea shawl! Its Jagger Spun Zephyr Wool -Silk in Mahogany and the color is perfect, just what I wanted. I've been trying to cast on for days now, and the circular cast on is giving me so much trouble. Its especially frustrating because after the cast on it seems like smooth sailing. So if anyone has any tips I would be overjoyed to have them.

And Day

2008-03-01T22:20:00.000-05:00

There are mornings and evenings
days and nights
the tapping of the clock
and the skipping of the heart
I am here
cold and warm
decided
and undecided.

How Many Stitches?

2008-02-11T14:28:00.000-05:00

Icarus is finally finished, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. I was a bit hesitant with this color (blue-green isn't really my usual) but now that I see it all finished I'm glad I took the risk.

I've been really really sick recently, with the college wide plague that seems to have infected everyone. Of course it doesn't help that people have no qualms about hacking right in your face (grr). But, at least this little phlegm filled vacation has given me a chance to think about my yearly essay. I think I'm going to write on Middlemarch. So not all was lost and I also got some knitting time. (hurray) Now if only I could get myself to call people (sorry N!).
These are the only photos I could manage, I hope to add some full length ones soon. So stay tuned!

Cuteness

2008-02-04T18:03:00.000-05:00

E.'s dog, Scout, making sure I don't have any food hidden away inside my computer. Thanks Scout, for thinking ahead!

Slowly

2008-02-03T15:58:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the long absence, I'm still alive and doing well. Lots of work just got piled on to me. I have lots to talk about and lots of pretty things to show you all. But for now I just wanted to check in and confirm that I am not laying dead in a ditch somewhere. Hope all of you are well.

Again

2008-01-14T10:56:00.000-05:00

Oh my, its been a while since my last post. After winter break I sort of ran out of steam and needed to get back into the swing of class and what not. I've also been exercising a lot more this past week, so that has cut into my time significantly. I haven't really sat down to knit in a while, which is sort of strange because I'm so so close to finishing Icarus that its ridiculous (I have two more rows!!). I think the main reason is a sneaking feeling that I mussed up something in the pattern toward the end, it looks ok its just I don't think the final stitches are really lining up like they should and I fear for the state of the bind off. Oh well I'll hope for the best and recount. I'm looking forward to starting my shetland tea shawl, although I'm still debating on what color it should be.
Driving down from Pennsylvania to college was beautiful, we left around dusk so the fields took on this golden mist and there were deer everywhere and as we headed into Delaware we saw this huge, and by huge I mean miles long tunnel of starlings. There must have been thousands and thousands of them and from a distance it looked as if they where not birds at all but a massive cloud on the horizon.

Winter Travels

2008-01-04T23:57:00.000-05:00

Pennsylvania is beautiful, and I will be sorry to leave on Sunday.

Did you know that gourds did this when they get old and dry? They almost look like shattered ceramic. Its odd to think that when I saw them last they looked like this...

Look Dear, Deer!

2008-01-02T02:05:00.000-05:00

Slow day...consisted mainly of reading, writing, knitting, and some drawing. I went to the book store and was vastly disappointed to find that they did not have the book I was looking for, oh well. On the drive back we saw many deer near the side of the road, I always find this thrilling, although it is very dangerous both for us and the deer.
Its supposed to snow tomorrow, so E and I decided to make some more cookies, you know because we haven't had enough already and surely the blizzard will trap us so that our cookie supply will be threatened.
Well happy 2008 everyone!

New Year

2007-12-31T14:20:00.000-05:00

It is cold and sunny outside my window, and I am looking across a large field where the corn will be planted and grown high this summer, as it is every summer. But for now it contains only the broken, yellowed remains of last year's harvest I wonder what I will be doing then, what will have happened while the stalks are growing. How much change is to come, how much joy and sadness will the year hold for me.

Patterns

2007-12-27T12:06:00.000-05:00

I have the house to myself, for the first time in two weeks. So made myself a nice breakfast, with some creative detours. It was so nice to be alone again, to be able to have a quiet moment and think about things. I woke up too early, with going to bed too late. Reading late into the night is something which I always seem to fall into around here. Of course there recently seems to be an added anxiety when I try to rest, thoughts, memories, the future keep drifting in and out of my mind. I've always been anxious, and don't easily relax.
Planning on getting some flower bulbs soon, seeing them on other blogs (yarnstorm) makes me crave them even more. They evoke a feeling of home and comfort which I need right now, at a time when "home" does not feel like Home anymore.

Love at First Click

2007-12-26T19:42:00.000-05:00

I love my new Nikon! Its so sleek, I've been walking around all day snapping pictures. Here is a prime example of how green Florida is in the dead of winter.
Getting ready for my trip to PA on Friday, with three hundred pages of Middlemarch to read on the plane. Not to mention all the gifts that are to be wrapped (not on the plane of course) for my friends up there. Oh and the packing, that will inevitably turn into crumple-stuffing.

This was the sky near sunset today, as we walked to a local coffee shop to get our coffee fix. I think this photo really reflects the day I had, very slow, soft and relaxing. Despite some small family squabbles, but thats normal (or thats what I keep telling myself).
I'm planning on doing some more knitting and reading tonight (now that my shoulder is rested up).

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T21:19:00.000-05:00

Hope you're having a great one! I got a shiny new camera (hooray) and a bunch of gift certificates...which I have great plans for. Did you know that digital cameras don't come with memory cards? I didn't either, oh well, I'll get to try it out tomorrow, but for now here are some pictures from my older camera.
I think I pulled something in my shoulder with all the knitting that I've been doing recently so I've taken a break (ha, its come to this already). Anyway have a great Christmas!

Dreaming of a White Christmas

2007-12-24T15:51:00.000-05:00

These are photos from Maryland, earlier in December when the first snow fell.
I can't believe that its Christmas eve already. Hope everyone is having a happy one.
Knitting a lot, just started chart 4 of Icarus today. So very nearly done, about 30 rows more. I can hardly wait to block it. Enjoying staying at home, and reading a bunch. I've also been drinking lots and lots of tea. Soon I'll be off the Pennsylvania, and I'm hoping that a winter wonderland will be waiting for me. I especially love all the deer and foxes out there and driving around the country side late at night. Well have a Merry Christmas, I'll show you all the loot tomorrow!

Rest

2007-12-22T15:01:00.000-05:00

Hello. Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season (tip: avoid malls). I know I've been enjoying myself, knitting and reading up a storm. Speaking of storms we have been getting some excellent ones here in Florida, of course they come through late at night and I feel the need to stay up and watch them. As a result my sleep schedule is somewhat off, but well worth it.
Its very much summer-like the rest of the time, the sun is shinning throughout the day, and the temperatures reach a humid 75 degrees. If there wasn't for the christmas tree, I would forget that it was december.
My laziness knows no bounds now, but I've managed to buy (almost) all the presents, just two or three or four more (ahh). But on the upside I'm now on the edging part of Icarus, it looks so cool, I'm so addicted. My next project is going to be the Shetland lace tea shawl from A Gathering of Wool. I recently picked up this book and its so gorgeous, even E. agrees with me on this one. Of course I think he just likes the pretty girl on the cover, while I like the shawl she is wearing (oh well).

The Postman

2007-12-21T02:03:00.000-05:00

"For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream."
Vincent Van Gogh

Cookies

2007-12-20T01:14:00.000-05:00

Oh my so much baking, knitting and reading. First the cookies, my initial attempt to make short bread christmas cookies left me with a kitchen filled with cookie carnage, switching to a much easier sugar cookie I ended up with very nice (and tasty) results. I'm not much of a frosting person, so I will probably decorate some of them because lets face it, thats the main glory of christmas cookie making. I fear that I've already had too many, they taste too good with tea.

I really wanted to make some lavender cookies but I can't find dried lavender flowers any where. So I have to put it off, whether I like it or not. But on my hunts, I've discovered the wonder of Whole Foods (I am very glad that this store is 45 minutes away from my house because I would spend a fortune). Every time I walk in to that place the desire to cook is over-powering. Oh and the flowers, vegetables and fruit....sigh the colors and smells.
My knitting is progressing, I'm hoping to finish my lace shawl before I go up to Pennsylvania, but I think that might be a little to ambitious seeing as I have a 800 page book to finish before then. Middlemarch is slowly becoming one of my favorites, its so so beautiful. Eliot's writing is breath taking. Thats all I can say.
I'm freaking out a bit about all the people left to shop for. I wont see them until after christmas so that gives me some extra time but I'm a little nervous anyway.

Green Winter

2007-12-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

Oh my so much to do, so many presents to buy, its a bit overwhelming. But I finally untangled the knot that is my parents internet, just for you (and my sanity). I've also managed to do some much needed relaxing. Its so nice to watch the news and see that some of you are getting snow, lots and lots of snow, its a warm 61 degrees here in Florida, and of course this is considered "cold". As you can see I'm still a bit bitter about not having any snow for Christmas. Hopefully my Pennsylvania New Years will be snow filled.

While traveling home I discovered the hypnotic magic of knitting in airports. I brought my lace with me for my five hour wait before boarding and I think I drew at least seven people, one of which was an army boy who informed me that his mama also knits. Most were nice, some slightly odd. The airplane was a bit less enjoyable, some gentleman thought it would be great to get really plastered before and during the late night flight....let me tell you the entire airplane cheered the second he left. And the trip was ended by me forgetting Middlemarch in the airport, and after traveling to four different book stores (Florida seems not to like George Eliot) I finally found a copy, not the one I was looking for though. Oh well, it could be worse. Overall I am quite happy and much more relaxed now that first semester is over.

Looking Up, Looking Down

2007-12-12T21:30:00.000-05:00

My don rag has come and gone, and again I have escaped unscathed. For those of you who may not be familiar with a don rag, it is basically all of your professors sitting in a room ( with you in it ) speaking of your performance in class and speaking of you in the third person...as if you weren't even there. This clearly has the potential for much trauma and countless comfort cookies (consumed both before and after). Luckily, I have never had a bad one and if I did I think I would just crumple up and die. This is all made worse by one actually knowing ones professors, or tutors as we call them.
Anyway on to more pleasant subjects, I am working hard on my lace shawl (Icarus) and should be done fairly soon-- I shall then proceed to take hundreds of pictures of it :). Speaking of Icarus, I feel compelled to make an announcement (to all the non-knitters out there), each pattern has a name given to it by its designer, I don't name my knitting (this is not to say that I wouldn't, only that I don't currently ; ) ). Now I wont name any names but one of my best friends asked me why in the world I had named my knitting (thinking that I had clearly gone mad playing with pointy sticks and string). I, of course, found this very endearing.

Slowly realizing how tired I am, and how much I need home baked goods. I really want to try making lavender cookies, or maybe I'll just stick to good old chocolate chip (for sanity's sake).
Oh I got a christmas present today! A ball of Lacey Lamb lace wieght yarn!! Its so pretty, sort of a deep eggplant purple and so so soft. Thanks Molly!

Done!

2007-12-10T12:12:00.000-05:00

Or pretty much done, classes are drawing to a close and my Blake project is complete ( as you can see). All is well and I am preparing for a huge knitting/reading binge which will last an untold number of days and nights. Sort of sad that I am going to be spending Christmas in Florida, which is anything but Christmasy. However, it can not be helped and besides I will be going up North for New Years (and much yarn buying). Its strange that Florida (at least my area of it) has no decent yarn stores. But this means that I can justify buying a whole bunch of yarn at once when visiting E. because who knows when I will be able to restock?!?! Or at least thats what I tell myself when I total up the damage.

2

2007-12-08T23:39:00.000-05:00

Today was mine and E.'s two year anniversary. It feels like we have known each other forever and seeing that only two years have passed seems unthinkable. We celebrated with one of our best friends who was in town visiting. All three of us went out to eat at this Irish pub, and I had a "special" coffee with some really great chocolate cake.
Also I finally finished my Tychus! No pictures yet I'm afraid the person I was making it for was very eager to receive it, so now I have to chase him down and make him pose. I think it turned out quite well. Plus I can finally work on my poor Icarus shawl which has been very much neglected.
My blake project is nearly done, which is great because its the last thing I have to do before my winter break! hooray! Freedom, I can almost smell it. I can sit in front of the fire and knit until my fingers bleed ( attractive image I know). I'm also going to be reading Middlemarch during the break for seminar. I've been wanting to read this book for a long time, so I'm excited!

Beauty

2007-12-06T22:00:00.000-05:00

The snow has begun to melt and all the green leaves, which had not yet turned, have fallen and lay green on white snow.

Snow

2007-12-05T10:34:00.000-05:00

Its snowing, and I am very happy! Now there isn't a lot of it, but for Maryland its decent especially this early in the winter. I was looking through some other (clearly arctic) blogs today which had mountains of snow in every picture, this I must admit puts my snow to shame but never-mind. This is the first snow of the year, and its amazing how one day its still pretty much fall, leaves are blowing around etc and then you wake up one morning and poof everything is blanketed.
The urge to make/eat many cookies is strong, but must be overcome. Also the urge to just sit here and do nothing...you know like those clever bears...must be controlled for I have much more papering and illustrating ahead of me.
Hope its snowing where you are!

Peaceful

2007-12-04T21:02:00.000-05:00

Painting by Vanessa Bell of Virginia Woolf knitting.

The Wind is Windy

2007-12-03T10:42:00.000-05:00

Its a very windy day today, and of course I have decided to wear a skirt, because you know its great to be on the verge of flashing the whole campus at any moment.
There are leaves flying about everywhere and the wind is literally howling ( I love when this happens ). I usually enjoy very bad weather, as long as I don't have to do anything or go anywhere but am safe and sound inside my house. E, also shares this love of observing the fierce elements.

Sitting in my room and watching the wind or staying up all night to look at the lightning storm gives me a feeling of warmth and security because my appreciation for a home, a warm bed, and cosy quilts is heightened and I am no longer jaded to what I have. This always reminds me of something Lucretius said,
"Sweet it is, when the wind whips the water on the great sea, to gaze from the land upon the great struggles of another, not because it is a delightful pleasure for anyone to be distressed, but because it is sweet to observe those evils which you lack yourself." (Book II, On the Nature of Things)
This passage always communicates that soft comforted feeling that one gets when seeing great turmoil and realizing that one is safe from it, free from the struggle. Many people take this as heartless, a casting away of sympathy for others, but I do not think that is Lucretius' intention. It seems he desires to communicate the joy which we feel at being safe from trouble, almost a thankfulness realized.

Hope you are safe on a shore (with lots of hot chocolate and plenty of yarn).

I Flit, I Float

2007-12-02T18:30:00.000-05:00

Cold and rainy Sunday, not much to report, although I did get a bunch of work done on Tychus. I really do love the alternating colors, they look so neat and put- together.
My bedroom is a complete mess, but my light paper is finished and I am properly inspired to begin working on my Blake poems and illustrations. I also brought out all the christmas decor, or that is to say E. did. He was very excited to begin, I helped by oohing and ahhing from the comfort of the bed as I did my homework/ surfed knitting blogs.

So there it is, the mini-christmas tree is up, the wreaths are hung and the candy canes abound. I have not bought any presents, and the pressure to do so is mounting, especially because I have no clue as to what to get anyone. Knitted goods are out of the question because I would just stress out about them, while finishing them on time and convincing my self that they were not good enough to gift to anyone and thus keep them. Oh well, I'm sure it will come together at the last minute (ha).

Here are some pictures from the summer when I visited Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, I keep daydreaming about sitting in a big green house and drinking some sort of delicate tea while the rain pours down the glass roof and walls, so I thought these images fit my mood pretty well.

Agora

2007-12-01T14:52:00.000-05:00

Today was the Agora, it went pretty well. In my opinion, there weren't enough people there. But I sold some photos and had fun knitting my hat and talking to other artists. Now I'm settling in to do some other work and watching for the snow (squeak). I think my love of snow comes from spending my childhood in Florida, where the christmases are green, bright, and 80 degrees.
Oh which reminds me, happy December! Can you believe its already winter, I was just settling into fall. Soon I will be sitting in front of a fire, drinking tea and not writing papers.
Hope your December is starting well!

Sleep and Waking

2007-11-30T12:44:00.000-05:00

I've been so worn out the last couple of days, on Wednesday it got so bad that a half hour nap turned into a seven hour snooze, with a rude awakening at midnight and then after about a hour of reading I went right back for another seven hours or so of sleep.
But the good news is that I convinced my preceptorial professor to let me hand in an illustrated series of poems rather than an essay (hooray). Blake doesn't really lend himself to the essay form, and I'm sort of sick of writing essays at the moment.
Also tomorrow is the Agora art fair, which I am very excited about and they are predicting some snow for the weekend ( thats always good news).

Kristina Knits

2007-11-28T14:12:00.000-05:00

Lots of knitting and writing going on. With winter pretty much here, the weather dictates that I must knit and I follow its decree with the utmost sense of duty :) Also working on an essay about light for my lab class. Its going pretty well I already have most of it down.

I got my brand new rain boots in the mail today! YAY they are full of rubber goodness perfect for those dark, rainy days; during which it seems women (including myself) feel the need to look like their former six year old selves as they dawn their pink and green duck patterned boots---mine are not so drastic--- and prepare to explore the puddles. E., does not understand this overwhelming need and just shook his head as I paraded up and down the room. They are surprisingly comfortable for being made almost completely of rubber, I think they are well lined inside with some sort of soft fabric. Anyway I love them and I'm hoping it rains tomorrow.
I've started the tychus hat. Thank you very much Eliza for your help!

Past and Present

2007-11-27T22:58:00.000-05:00

Each has his past shut in him like the leaves of a
book known to him by heart and his friends
can only read the title.
-Virginia Woolf

Routine

2007-11-26T10:22:00.000-05:00

Its back to classes today after a nice week off. Its sort of funny to be back because there are only two more weeks until winter break ( which I long for ). However there is much (too much) to do and I unfortunately could not bring myself to do any work over break. So here I am ready to take on a nice long winter break with a stack of work by my side! Oh well, I like class and thats what I plan to keep repeating to myself until December 12.
My shawl is going well, I've sort of not been working on it very much but I'm nearly done with chart one. Also if anyone has ever made a Tychus hat, or is familiar with the pattern or with using short rows, I need help, I just don't seem to understand how to alternate the colors.
Hope everyone has a happy monday. Good luck with all the holiday shopping ( I know I'll need it)

Change

2007-11-25T13:03:00.000-05:00

I love fall, it is my favorite season, but nevertheless it is sad to see the flowers go and the leaves laying, brown and crisp, on the ground. They always remind me of the passage from Milton's Paradise Lost where he is describing the fallen angels.

"Of that inflamed Sea, he stood and call'd
His Legions, Angel Forms, who lay intrans't
Thick as Autumnal Leaves that strow the Brooks
In Vallombrosa, where th' Etrurian shades
High overarch't imbowr; or scatterd sedge
Afloat, when with fierce Winds Orion arm'd"

The first time I read this I lived in Florida, and the image didn't really stick out, but now as I drive through the country roads in autumn and see the forest carpeted with these fallen leaves, I think of Satan's newly banished legions and try to comprehend there number.

Winter, I think, has its own beauty because with winter comes snow, fires, cider, scarfs and boots. And there is nothing quite like the stillness which is felt when crossing a freshly snow covered field late at night and seeing the stars, bright and far away. On those nights it is as though the atmosphere had dissolved with the cold and that there is no barrier between heaven and earth. And as I look up at the sky and see my breath, I am struck by the vastness of it all.

Sitting in the Park

2007-11-24T14:22:00.001-05:00

I am a park sitter. I bring my books along and my softest wrap, and find a bench preferably near some lovely trees. There I will stay sometimes only for an hour and sometimes for five, depending on my mood and the weather conditions. Today was a perfect day for us park sitters it was crisp, bright and the benches where moisture free, I had my new shoes on, my camera, a well loved shawl, as well as Blake and Baudelaire as my chaperones. Didn't get a stitch of work done but was relaxed and happy at the end of it.

While I was at my parents, I framed and matted all the photography that will be sold in the up coming craft fair my college is hosting -its official name is Agora which is greek for marketplace. It was a lot of work but I did it, all 35 pictures framed and matted (and anxiously awaiting their new owners). Oh which reminds me, if you ever get a burning urge to own one of my photos all you have to do is email me and we can work it out as far as pricing, size and frames are concerned.

The Road Home

2007-11-23T18:17:00.000-05:00

Oh, how nice it is to be back again. No more airport pushing and shoving, dragging enormous bags, 'handling' strange relations, eighty degree weather, or dealing with odd bus drivers who seem intent on telling you all about how the British once ruled America and then how the settlers rebelled, as if all this were news to me. He seemed very much to expect me to gasp and say WOW really? You mean America was not founded at the beginning of time?? The fact that we had about eight other stops before mine didn't really help matters, his deep southern accent made it near impossible to help him navigate ( the GPS thingy was down). But then again thanks to all of this we went through some really beautiful back roads where there was a carpet of orange leaves on the ground and bright yellows and reds still on the trees. At one point I saw this large clearing with a lake and the forest line on the other shore, the setting sun's rays were hitting the trees and the lake in such a way that everything took on a golden hue, there was even a deer at the edge of the water (and this competed the postcard beauty of it all). So I was appeased and decided to calm myself even though a half hour of navigating was ahead of me.
I finally got back at a very decent hour even with the strange bus ride ( thank you nice man at the check -in- counter for moving me over to a better flight- I did not relish waiting five hours in the Georgia airport even with icarus to knit and a french poem to memorize). I bought myself a few goodies, like some maple tea, mint hot chocolate mix, and a movie, before I settled in for the night. So here I am cosy and warm ( with a bunch of work screaming my name ) but the important thing is that I don't have to take off my shoes again and go through the puffer ( the newest in airport security, if you've never had the pleasure imagine a glorified metal detector that blows air at you and has doors).

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T14:45:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, from Florida. :) Eats lots of turkey and mash potatoes ( I know I plan to). Sorry to people who are trying to leave comments but can't. My tech incompetence is very high so I will fiddle with it some more. New Pictures soon...but for now here is a nice picture of a faux liberty tree.

Progress

2007-11-19T18:50:00.000-05:00

Hi, this might be the last post I do for the next four days. So I wanted to show you a few things I've been working on. There is Icarus which is coming along very fast, almost done with the back. I've also been working on this pencil drawing (its actually pretty big in real life), which I mentioned before, and finally remembered to take a picture of. I've got a lot more in the works but nothing really photo worthy.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Strolling Sunday

2007-11-18T14:37:00.000-05:00

Relaxing, slow, Sunday. Is there anything better? There was a chill in the air as E. and I walked to get breakfast, the sky was sort of grey but the yellow leaves brightened up the atmosphere. It was like being in a postcard walking down the quite streets. I really do love the northern east coast, changing seasons seem so much more natural than the perpetual summer of Florida. We both had coffee and a croissant with eggs, cheese and bacon inside of it. All was warm and crispy and I am healthy as well as relaxed.

Blake needs to be read, but that is all, classes are off all of next week so I have a nice long break to look forward to. I also need to memorize The Albatross by Baudelaire in french, to recite in front of everyone (scary). But right now I'm dreaming of lilacs, wool, sheep, England, Virgina Woolf, and Christmas. Strange combination I know.

Happy Birthday!

2007-11-17T13:48:00.000-05:00

It's E.'s birthday today! He suckered me into giving him his present at the stroke of midnight, not that I could stop myself from doing so. See I have this thing with presents, where I can't wait to give it to the person, this makes me awful at keeping surprises. This year, however, it was a complete secret, he had no idea what it was. Unlike last year when I made the mistake of googling the item on his computer and he "accidently" saw it. Anyway happy birthday!

While shopping/scrambling for E.'s wrapping paper at the last minute I decided I needed some retail therapy in the form of fancy pants chocolate. I bought two kinds, dark lavender and jasmine green tea milk chocolate both were amazingly good. And as I strolled down the street eating this fantastic chocolate and looking into (the already up) christmas displays while debuting my extra long fetching fingerless gloves ( knitted this summer ) I felt quite content. This feeling was heightened by random women stopping and cooing over my "lovely" gloves. Don't you love it when people notice things that you made? Some even started to pet my hand, because you know even non-knitters know the importance of squishy yarn. And then to make my excursion complete I ran into a dog that squeaks named Stella, who promptly jumped on me. The owner jokingly (much to my regret) offered her to me. But don't get the wrong impression, after pretending to shoo her away the woman promptly picked her up ( like a little kid) and started to swing her around and give her kisses. That dog, my friends is loved. All this made me eve more happy as random dogs, cats, birds, children often do.
My plan for today is knitting some, and then going out for a birthday dinner at a sushi place which we both love. Hope you have a happy weekend!

Tonight, Today, Tommorrow

2007-11-16T17:42:00.000-05:00

There are days which we all want to forget and days which we fight to remember. And then there are the ones that just pass by and we tip our hat to them, but let them go their merry way without a single word spoken. Today seemed one of those silent days. Not much was planned, E. and I might go to a lecture given by Andrew Young tonight, but otherwise its just more of the usual relaxing after a long week.
I have been working on my Icarus shawl a bit more, no real picture worthy progress though but it is coming along. I have also been drawing more, currently I'm working on a large pencil sketch of an old man's face. I think I'm going to call it Man's Veil, alluding to the passing away of the human body ( this fits because I've made the skin look almost cloth-like ). I have yet to take a picture of this, and hey look the sun is down! which means the light is gone and I like my drawing too much to take it with indoor light only. (Plus its upstairs and I'm feeling lazy )

Although I did take a picture of something else I made...look clay ducks! I remember making a whole series of them a long time ago and I'd line them up by size. Thinking of making more, maybe selling them? Or just for fun, who knows with me. Well tell me what you think. You know how I love comments...I really do... hint...hint

Fog

2007-11-14T11:04:00.000-05:00

The fog rolled in last night, and has stayed thick throughout the morning. The leaves are strewn all over the ground and the brick buildings and streets look very picturesque today. There is silence all around me, which is rare in a dorm, usually someone is playing their music or stomping down the hall. Yet I can't seem to settle down, a desperate urge to create has taken over.

College is a strange place, one in which you meet yourself, shake hands and then proceed to change. I feel as though the girl who came is no longer, there is another in her place, different and yet the same. And as my time here draws to a close, I panic and yet am happy. The future is not yet clear but the fog is lifting, slowly.

The Art of Resting

2007-11-13T12:14:00.000-05:00

Resting is an art, one which I have never been very good at. I am constantly worrying about what to do next or what I'm missing by "just laying here". The only way that I can tune the world out completely is by making something but then some professional resters may argue that this is not really rest in its purest form. Never-the-less rest is required of me this week, I am sick, and yet it is still highly guilt laden because its the sort of sick where you don't feel to bad just laying there but an hour after leaving the bed your mind gets sort of loopy and your body just sort of slumps over. Its always easier for me to justify staying home if I'm hacking out a lung or have some obscene fever. But reason tells me (aka E. tells me) that I need this. So here I am resting.

Icarus is coming along well, I've just started on the second repeat of chart 1. There is a lot more to do but I feel happy with its fast growth. Lace is amazing that way, you look at the tiny thread and the tiny needles and say to yourself "OK, I'll be knitting this for a few years" but then you start and it just blossoms, seemingly of its own accord. I love this, and plan to make many more lace shawls in the future. In fact I have my eye on the metaphorical white whale of lace knitting...the wedding ring shawl from heirloom knits....If you don't know what a wedding ring shawl is its a very large lace shawl which is made of such fine thread that it (even when completed) can be pulled through a wedding ring. I sort of want this to be my wedding shawl (NOTE: I have no plans to get married in the near future nor has anyone asked me) but it would be nice to have when I do and I could pass it on to my daughters. But then again I fear that I would be so happy to have completed it that I would take it off repeatedly to show people the cool trick my creation can do (very undignified ;) ) Fate seems to have stopped me from any foolish dreams of starting it now because heirloom knits does this weird thing where they don't sell a pattern for three years. But if anyone wants to fuel my whimsical dream and has the pattern, I would be happy to buy it from you ( if thats legal I'm not yet well versed in the knitting copy right laws).

I'm going to my parents house for Thanksgiving early next week, much knitting will get done so as to hide from the usual onslaught of advice and questions. Not sure how much blogging will take place seeing as how my folks don't have wireless and the PC they use is extremely virus filled and hence very slow. But I will take many many photographs to compensate for my absence.

I'm going to attempt this resting thing (which means I'm going work on Icarus some more).

Sunday fever

2007-11-11T21:19:00.000-05:00

So sick today. Not much knitting went down, although I'm hopeful that I'll get a bit in before bedtime. Rough homework assignments coupled with an unwillingness to do them didn't really help me get anything done, but after a trip to the math assistant, I was alright. However my sleepy-lazey state has determined that this is going to be a very short post (sorry). So I will say goodnight, and thanks for visiting!

Look Lace!

2007-11-10T20:00:00.000-05:00

As promised I took pictures of Icarus today, or the mossy looking blob that will be Icarus after blocking. I'm excited, its my first lace project and I'm already fantasizing about where to wear it and what to wear it with. I seem to immediately fall in love with a lace pattern if it suggests that this particular shawl would be perfect for an afternoon stroll around the garden. Images of pebbled paths, roses, large trees, trimmed hedges, an ever so slight fog descending and the slowly setting sun start dancing through my mind along with flashbacks to all the Virgina Woolf books I've ever read (especially To The Lighthouse). Hence I loose all will power and reach for my credit card to purchase this item which is clearly all my favorite things in concentrated form. The problem is that this happens at least five times a day, now usually I only go so far as the put-in-cart option but sometimes I hover dangerously close to the place order button after having filled in all my information. Usually this graceful dance ends in my bowing out but recently my yarn resistance has been extremely low, resulting in a consuming fear of my credit card bill.

One step closer to reaching semi-prepared art fair status. I got all my photos printed today, with much assistants from the photo people. The machines seemed to keep breaking when I walked into the store, first friday when the machine had just broke and today when the machine would not enlarge to the one size that I needed. After a half hour of fiddling and slight cursing the employes were able to subdue it once more. And after a cup of coffee my prints where out and beautiful. I'm very excited now and glad that I did not throw in the towel. Well thats all for now, I'm slightly sickly at the moment so I'm going to go drink my ginger peach tea and do some calculus problems( or knit more or gaze lovely at my glossy photos)

Knitting and Pomegranates

2007-11-09T22:39:00.000-05:00

Its Friday! Which means as much knitting as my heart desires, or that my hands can stand (which ever comes first). It was a nice rainy day today, my schedule was a bit hectic and my nose a bit snuffly but I managed to do everything I wanted and after two o'clock in the afternoon I was free (which of course meant that much knitting was going to be done) .

Eric and I also went to a lecture this evening, it was on the golden ratio. It was enjoyable mostly because of the speaker's sense of humor, which made up for his lack of any real content. Icarus ( which was worked on during said lecture) is coming along fairly quickly. I really like the pattern, I know some people find it sort of monotonous but I find it relaxing as well as calming. Can't wait to actually wear it!

I recently bought two pomegranates, mostly because of their staggering beauty both with their peel on and off. I love the way the seeds look and taste. But the problem is that it takes me forever to peel them, and I do know the 'correct' method of cutting off the crown and soaking it in cold water..etc but there is something just wrong about this to me. I can't really explain it, but it seems to somehow violate the beauty of it all. (Maybe I'm just a weirdo?) So instead I sit there for 45 min. peeling and at times getting sprayed with red juice ( which stains ). This time it must have been very ripe because I walked into the bathroom to wash my hands and there in the mirror I saw that there were little red dots all over my face. But all my toil was well worth it when I dug into my full bowl of seeds. I usually eat them this way but I've also been wanting to try some recipes which call for pomegranate, I think I've heard of some soup made out of them.

I will leave you with some pictures of my past knitting projects. (Sorry there are not pictures of Icarus, I promise I'll take some tomorrow) :)

Earthly Delights

2007-11-08T16:17:00.000-05:00

Hello! I was thrilled to get my first batch of comments. I can honestly say that they made my day! Much to tell you about, first of all a story: I was walking through town the other day and I heard all this rustling inside a bush, so being curious I stopped and tried to see what was making the noise. As I gazed into the shadowy depths I realized that another pair of eyes was also watching me, in fact there were many pairs, I had stumbled upon a flock of sparrows hiding from the wind and as I stood there, one after another would grow bold and peep their little heads out. Now wanting to show all of you I slowly raised my camera to take a few shots, this didn't really disturb them (in fact it heightened their curiosity) of course it also did not make for a terrible good photo. So pushing my luck I got a bit closer--and closer and then I heard a loud PEEP and out all of them flew. In a matter of seconds they were eyeing me from the safety of the trees. I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty, they looked so cosy in their bush and I really had no intention of bothering them. Oh well, I'm sure they returned to their little haven the moment I turned my back. But while I was watching them, I kept thinking I was in some sort of fantastical story or painting complete with magical creatures(aka the sparrows) and the unsuspecting mortal (me). For some reason it reminded me of the painting The Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch, only much (much) more innocent.

Yesterday, after my exciting bird adventure, I started my Icarus shawl! Its going well, not as difficult as I expected, but then again I am only just starting. I've already gotten lazy about the stitch markers, but I think the amount they recommend is a bit ludicrous (about four in every single row). I'm using Jagger Spun Zephyer wool-silk 2/18 in juniper. At first I wasn't too sure about the color, the intense blue green is not exactly my usually style, but as the shawl began to grow I started to like it more and more. And hey who doesn't need some variety in their closet? ( I am a very monotone sort of dresser, usually black with some earth tones and if I'm feeling jazzy I'll throw in a dark red or dark purple.) It has gotten to the point that when I hang my clothes out to dry it looks like I've just done laundry for a large party of mourners.

In other news, I consider it officially November in Maryland the light is golden, the air is crisp, and the leaves are orangey-red and the urge to knit is overpowering. On the down side it gets dark pretty soon after my last afternoon class is over, which is somewhat depressing. But I think night ( as well as rain and cold weather ) add something to tea drinking that sunny days just don't. One of my best friends once said that only the really dedicated tea drinker can be found sipping his hot brew in the summer months, this was said as he fixed us some tea in a room with no a/c (in the middle of August). So I plan to compensate for the lack of sun with an overabundance of tea.

Well, I have a Blake preceptorial to go to fairly soon, and so I will say goodbye for now.

Plans

2007-11-07T13:41:00.000-05:00

Beautiful days and math homework do not mix well. This combination is particularly distressing because I often find my homework interesting and (gasp) fun. However when the sun is shining and I feel drawn to gaze out the window with a cup of tea in one hand and my sketchbook in the other, nothing seems to get done, not even the sketching because I am so torn between the two. Total distraction can best describe my state at the moment, where my brain flits from one idea to another with no particular direction.
Blake also sits unread at my side, but fortunately the readings tend to be on the short side. Speaking of which, ever since I've started reading Blake I've been having the strangest dreams about walking through the woods with him, and he is telling me about lambs and tygers. Then the trees start wrapping around each other. This isn't as random as it sounds if you've ever read any of his poetry but its still a little strange.
In other news, I've signed up for a craft fair which is on Dec. 1st. I'm sort of freaking out about it because I feel unprepared. I basically have all the objects that I plan to sell (mostly photographs and a few drawings) but I need to get the photos developed and the drawings framed. This shouldn't be hard, in fact I've done this many times before, but for some reason its really eating away at me. But I'm staying clam, and refuse to back out. I'm also flirting with the idea of selling stuff on etsy, maybe not very soon but say in a few months.
The guilt of procrastination is setting in, so away I go to do math/stare out window.

Blue

2007-11-06T19:49:00.000-05:00

I'm tired. Long day of class and much too much homework. The only thing I seem to want to do right now is curl up and sleep. So despite the sweet siren call of my lace project, I will resist if only to save the last thread of my sanity. Hence I will distract you from the obvious lack of posting with pretty pictures of yarn and other such things.

Autumn, Poetry, and Icarus

2007-11-05T22:08:00.000-05:00

Its gotten cold outside, all the heat of the past month seems magically drained away. And the days seem to be sinking further into night. Yet around three o'clock in the afternoon there is still that golden fall light, the one that I love the most. It casts beauty on the mundane and makes the world seemed edged with gold and during this time men seem to have flames about their heads as if bearing halos. And I sit and gape at the world like an infant, drunk with the color and smell of it all.
With the darkening and coldness winter steps closer, knitting seems a more apt activity than it did in the high heat of August or July. As I drink my rose tea, a new favorite of mine especially with milk and equal, in the evenings I feel comforted in the warmth of my room and the softness of my bed.

Tonight I went to another Blake precept which is basically 7 students, a mixture of juniors and seniors, and a tutor, sitting around a table and discussing the text. It was our second to last class on the Songs of Innocence and Experience. Its been really great so far, the poems while at first appearing to be songs addressed to children prove much darker carrying a sense of mortality in them. This sort of contradiction has always fascinated me; beauty and ugliness, death and life seemingly standing hand in hand.
It is also nice to have Blake's engravings which always deepen my understanding of the poem. They are so bright and vibrant, each seems to capture fluid motion and yet each retains the done- by- hand feel. T.S Eliot said of Blake's work that it, "resembles an ingenuous piece of home-made furniture." A description with which I tend to agree with. Next we are moving on to his Marriage of Heaven and Hell.
On another note, everything my heart desired seemed to come in the mail today yarn( 2 skiens of JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk 2/18 in juniper), a pattern book ( The Best of Interweave Knits), yummy lotion (Avalon lavender), and needles from knitpicks. I can now start working on the Icarus shawl which I have been dying to make. It will be my first lace project and I'm hoping I take my new books warning of do not work on lace when tired seriously, or else I fear there will be much ripping and cursing. But hey if things get too intense I always have my new lavender body lotion to calm me down, sigh. Maybe, I'll start it tomorrow, that is unless Eric wants me to go to fencing practice (which by the way I should go to). So if not tomorrow then Wednesday. Oh by the way another exciting thing is scheduled for Wednesday, my first knitting request. One of my friends wants me to make him a hat, he has even offered to pay for it. This has never failed to thrill me, that someone would want to pay for my art.
I'm starting to ramble and I've been slouching further and further into my pillows, a sure sight that it is time for bed. So goodnight hope to see you soon. Oh and if you get a chance please leave a comment :)

Hello.

2007-11-05T13:32:00.000-05:00

It was inevitable. I tried to warn myself that reading blog after blog would only lead to this, but alas I did not listen. And so here I am starting my very own. Hopefully someone will read it besides myself (although the idea of this boggles my mind).
Now that I've signed up and named it I feel a certain buyer's anxiety the kind I imagine one would get after buying a puppy. Thoughts such as....will I forget to feed it?....will it hate me?.....race through my head. But the blog wont die (right?) if I miss a few posts. Puppies are hardly so forgiving.
Anyway enough of my anxiety fit. I hope to show you many pretty things such as photographs, knitting, art, etc...
So welcome and wish me luck. :)