Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Twenty-two of Thirty


Top: Banana Republic
Cardi: Gap
Jeans: Aeropostale
Shoes: Liz Claiborne (Shoe Carnival)
Belt: Gap
Shawl: Handmade!

This outfit is basically a variation on a theme by now. I feel like I've worn it several times already, just with different shirt, cardi, and shawl combos. Oh well. At least now you can see the white shirt! This actually would have been a great outfit with the slacks I haven't worn yet. Shoot. Why didn't I think of that this morning?! I think I have cute slack-outfit for tomorrow, though. I think John and I are also going shopping tomorrow, so I'm glad I finally feel like I know what I need to buy!

See you tomorrow!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Twenty and Twenty-One

Sorry for the absence. Doubtless you've noticed I go quiet over the weekends. I'm lazy. That's why. Saturday, I did get dressed in 30 for 30 wear, but didn't get a picture of it and Sunday, I didn't get out of my pjs, not even to go to McDonald's (that's what the drive-thru's for!), so...yeah....

Saturday I wore my brown silky buttoned blouse (I wore it under my sweater on day Nine) over a not-yet-worn white Banana Republic t-shirt and medium blue jeans. No shoes. I didn't go anywhere. I had planned an outfit for church Sunday, but didn't go....Maybe next weekend. It involved slacks I haven't worn yet. I think the tee and slacks are the only two items I hadn't worn! Amazing!


Top: Banana Republic
Cardi: American Eagle
Jeans: Aeropostale
Shoes: Blowfish
Necklace: Gifted
Belt: Gap

I felt super cute today. I really like this shirt. I think I wore it with my dark grey cardi last time, so I thought I'd try this combo. I like it a lot! I'm always tugging at the shirt, though, because any time I bend a little bit, it falls open in a not-so-pleasing way. A heavier necklace solved the problem for another of my shirts, so I may need to find a new necklace. I could get back into accessories. I did it in high school, why not now? :)

Before I go, Jersey Shore Bunny!


We had a good laugh at his silly mohawk. :) We hope you do too! See you tomorrow!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Nineteen of Thirty


Top: Banana Republic
Cardi: ?
Belt: Gap
Pants: Gap
Shoes: Rocket Dog

Look at that! What wonders some sunlight will do for photography! I've got a decent pose, John's got a steady hand, some composition going on....After nineteen days, I think we've finally got it! The over-exposure is my fault. Yesterday's middle-of-the-night photos required more light and I didn't change the f-stop today (that almost makes me sound like I know what I'm talking about, eh?).

As I was finishing my sweater in this outfit, I looked down and realized that I was wearing the exact same color combination that I had been iffy about from the start. Same red-purple, same light grey. I must be a color phase. I love the purple-grey combo with the brown pants. I'm storing that away for post-30 for 30 consideration.

See you tomorrow! With sunlight again, I hope!

Friday, February 24, 2012

Stripes

Piratess



Pattern: Contiguous Stripes by Isabell Kraemer (forthcoming)
Yarn: Cascade 220 Sport in 8401 and 8885 (and a bit of Cascade Alpaca Lana D'Oro in 1086)
Needles: US 8 and 7
Project Page

March is sneaking up on me a bit, so I made a mad rush to finish this this last week. I ran out of the grey Sport and went to pick some up at work last night, but, despite having received a new shipment of it at the beginning of the week, there was no more light grey! The Alpaca Lana D'Oro hangs above the Sport, though, so I compared color and weight and decided it would work fine. It did. I only used it for 2 and a half sleeve stripes. You can't tell the difference unless you are looking for it with a magnifying glass.

The pattern is magnificent! I was testing it for Isabell (lilalu on Ravelry) and I feel bad I don't have suggestions for her on how to improve it! It was an honor to knit for her, honestly. She was one of my first Ravelry friends that I didn't actually know in person. I just noticed that I loved everything she knit and we have entirely the same tastes in patterns. She does great modifications too. I borrowed some once. :)

Anything I dislike about the finished object is my own fault. I think I knit the armholes a bit too big, so it fits funny around the bust and under the arms and the fabric is kind of stiff, on top of that. I haven't blocked it (I literally finished it less than 2 hours ago), so I'm hoping that will fix most of my issues with the fabric. If the arm-holes prove too maddening, I'll redo the sleeves without picking up underarm stitches. That should fix them.

The other thing I dislike is the way I wove the ends in as I was knitting. I always do it the same way and it typically works okay, but it distorts the stripes just a bit on this sweater. I'll just have to undo the ends and weave them in the right way. The spots on the arms where I did it aren't quite so bad, so it's just the fronts. Not too many ends.

I really enjoyed doing the contiguous set-in sleeve. It was nice to try a new technique! It doesn't offer the garment much support, but, as my friend pointed out to me tonight, doing a crochet chain in the spots where the seams should be would help quite a lot. I recommend this pattern, so keep an eye out for it!

I named it for my favorite band Okkervil River's song "Piratess," but only because the first few lyrics mention lines. And of course I love the song! :D

For more FO Friday posts, hop on over to Tami's Amis!

Eighteen of Thirty


Top: Gap
Cardi: Gap
Belt: Gap (I always wear it and always forget to mention it.)
Jeans: Aeropostale
Shoes: Blowfish
Scarf: Handmade!

Look at that! Got some posin' goin' on....We are arriving at somewhat more photogenic! I took these with my tripod, though. Next step:add John.

I think this outfit was one of my first two or three for the 30 for 30, but the added scarf makes it an entirely different outfit! Am I right? :D It's John's. He's never worn it. It was rainy but not necessarily cold out, so I grabbed it because it's in between my thick winter scarf and my light spring cowl. It was perfect. I finally found a mirror, arranged it handsomely, and just didn't take it off for the rest of the day. He told me to make my own. I told him I am. And it's pink. :) I was going to share it on Wednesday, but Wednesday kind of took my by surprise and then it was Thursday all too soon!

I'll be back later with my FO Friday post. I'm just finishing the last few rows of a sleeve. If I don't come back later, I'll see you tomorrow for sure!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Seventeen of Thirty


Top: Gap
Skirt: J.C. Penny? Gordman's? Don't remember
Tights: American Eagle
Shoes: Rocket Dog
Necklace: Gift from Gma

Today's outfit was soooooooooooooo cute! I couldn't believe it myself! It was inspired by Eliza's talk about her own skirt outfit the other day. She said she had tried to tuck shirts into her skirt and I must admit that I had never considered such a thing. So I tried it! I had another top on this morning, but it looked too formal. I mean, I did have to go to church, but I also had to teach and trek all over downtown, hence, the sneakers. I almost wore my black heels. Usually these sneakers rub the hell out of the backs of my feet, but they didn't today. I'm not sure if it's because my socks are too thick or what. I'll have to look into that.

I searched high and low for white textured tights! American Eagle! You win! They are pretty awesome. I'm less sure about them in this outfit, seeing them in this photo now, but overall, good tights. I need to get some shorts. They'd be cute with shorts.

I tried to do cute things to my hair. It was falling out. Oops. And sorry for the blurry photo. There's a very clear one in the exact same pose, but I made a regrettable face trying to see if John was paying attention. :)

I'll see you tomorrow!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Sixteen of Thirty

I don't know about you, but I can definitely tell the difference between when John takes my picture and I take my picture. His priority is to take a not-blurry picture. I try to take a not-blurry picture that has some attention to composition (though I'm not quite good at that yet). I'm training him well, though, I think! :D Look at this one!


Top: Gap
Jacket: Dillard's?
Jeans: Aeropostale
Necklace: Gma's

I can't believe I haven't worn this shirt yet! It's my favorite! It has a low, draped back, so I typically try to wear something over it, but I've never tried this jacket. I really like it! You can see how the upper arm is a little saggy, though. The sleeves on the shirt are the type that kinda look like wings. They get quite a bit bigger as they approach the armpit. When I wear a cardigan over it, you can't tell, but you definitely can with this jacket. I don't think it was this noticeable most of the day. I hope. I might just try twisting the sleeve around my arm a bit next time I wear this outfit (I love it that much!).

See you tomorrow!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Twelve Through Fifteen

My camera batteries died over the weekend, so I was able to get pictures of my outfits, but lost the juice before I could upload them. :P Of course, I didn't have the presence of mind to bring my charger and, though I did pack it, also forgot to use my tripod (as you may be able to tell).


Tops: Gap and Banana Republic
Cardi: N/A and Gap
Pants: Aeropostale and Gap
Shoes: Blowfish and Rocket Dog
Accessories: Pearl necklace (both) and a hair-tie :)


Tops: Banana Republic and Woot
Cardis: Gap and J.C. Penny? (it's a hoodie)
Pants: Aeropostale and Gap
Shoes: Blowfish
Accessories: Pearl necklace (both) and Rikke hat (and my Anne Klein glasses too, I guess!)

I had some cute outfits over the weekend! Then, day 15 happened....I didn't sleep much the night before and didn't have my laundry done, so I fell off the 30 for 30 wagon and into that mess. :S Don't worry, though, outfit 16 is really cute. I even accessorized it a little more (which isn't saying much, but still...).

I don't know if I've ever said anything about the necklace. My grandmother gave my mom and her sister pearl rings for their 16th birthdays. The pearl was too big to be a ring, though, so when my 16th birthday came around, my grandma had it turned into a necklace and gave it to me. I used to wear a little crucifix all the time until the chain broke last year. I haven't gotten around to fixing it, so I've been wearing this instead. I never used to because I'm not much for yellow gold, but it has grown on me. When I get my crucifix fixed, I'll try to switch between the two often.

I suck at accessorizing because a) I don't have very many accessories, b) it takes time and I'm super lazy, c) I'm very routine-oriented, so wearing the same necklace every day is just habit, d) I have accessories that I wear every day already and point c) makes it very hard for me to deviate from them. I am positively lost without my rings. I've been wearing them for at least 7 years. It was really hard for me to retire my high school rings and get these ones on the right fingers and get used to them. Same with my watch. The battery died about 6 months ago and I went two or three without it before I found a place to get a new one. I was incredibly anxious without it (but not enough to get a new battery, apparently!). Fortunately, there are clocks all over the university, so I always knew the time. Honestly, I rarely look to my watch for the time. It's there for comfort. :)

I will see you tomorrow! Promise!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Eleven of Thirty

Short and sweet (I've got a movie to get to!):


Top: I remember buying it, but not where...
Cardi: ?
Pants: Gap
Shoes: Shoe Carnival

Ironically, John's best shot was the first one (which he told me when he took it), but from the most unflattering angle (which I told him when he took it). He took two more to make me happy and both are just fuzzy enough that I'll stick to the unflattering one. :) I need to learn some new (and flattering) poses. :P

I shouldn't have picked this top for the Remix. It only mixes with two other things I chose. I do love it, though. I folded up the pants a bit because I have noticed (from Kendi mainly), that skinny jeans that hit the ankle look best with heels. I think it looks less sloppy than I normally do in the ankle-region (damned short shins!). These are my new heels to replace my ratty black heels. They are great! I literally wore them all day (except going up The Hill between my classroom and my office)!

I'm out of town and scrambling to get homework and family stuff all into a couple days, but I do suspect I will see you tomorrow!

Checking the List

I asked you guys to help me decide what to knit next and you came to my rescue. The List looks thusly:


1) Star Crossed Slouchy Beret
2) Sweet and Bridgewater
3) LOFT gloves and Still Light Tunic
4) Slouchy Socks.

Here is the first item from the list:

Star Crossed


Pattern: Star Crossed Slouchy Beret
Yarn: Quince and Co. Lark in Egret
Needles: US 10 and 11
Project Page

I had a full skein leftover from my aunt's (and now my cousin's) Rocky Coast Cardigan and wanted to make this pattern because a coworker at the yarn shop used to teach a class on cabling with it. When the sample sits around in the shop long enough, I have to examine it and frequently come to find that I feel I'd like to make it too! I wasn't sure I would have enough yarn, so I came up with a contingency plan (leaving out half of a repeat) and soldiered on. I didn't have to resort to that plan because I didn't run out of yarn! I bound off with one yarn left over. Perfect. I haven't yet decided if it's a hat I'll wear much, if at all and I think one of John's sister's would look cute in it (if she could be convinced to wear hats), so I may see if she wants it. If not...someone will. :)

This is a really great project, honestly. You do have to read the instructions, though. Every project page I looked at on Ravelry said "I didn't read it very closely..." and I fit in there too. I did twice as many cables as I should have in the first full pattern repeat and had to rip back to the ribbing to start again. I felt pretty dumb. I read the rest carefully. :) I made it in less than 24 hours, I think. I probably should have been doing something more productive, though....

I also whipped this thing up for John for Valentine's Day. I promised it to him when he first moved into the condo...a year and a half ago. Oops. :) Lucky for him, Slytherin house (of which I am proudly apart) in the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup on Ravelry was doing a Carp-a-long to rack up some points in detention with fish-shaped objects, otherwise he would have had to keep on waiting and wishing and hoping. I think it looks super home-ec.-y, but it's cute. It also doesn't photograph well. It makes much more sense in person. I promise. You can find my notes on it here. I owe him a few more decorations, so it's not an official finished object, just...a thing I finished?

Next week, I shall finish a striped test-knit and have at least one more item from The List (as we shall come to know it) to show you. You guys chose well! I do wish I had made a Sweet hat for V-Day. :/ It would have been super cute (and warm!). We haven't done V-Day dinner-out yet, though, so there is still technically time.

For more FO Friday posts, hop on over to Tami's Amis!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Ten of Thirty

I'm getting to the point where I have to refer back to the blog to see if I've already worn an outfit. :S Oh well. Repeats aren't the end of the world. :) Here's another awful closet photo (don't mind the little pile of dirty clothes!). It might become a habit after all...if I can't start going to bed at a decent hour!


Top: Gap
Cardi: It says American Eagle, but I've never shopped there.
Jeans: Aeropostale
Shoes: Blowfish (not pictured)
Hat: Handknit!

I actually wasn't crazy about this outfit. I think it was the sweater with the t-shirt. The sweater just can't be dressed down, I think. Oh well. It wasn't a terrible outfit, just not as awesome as I had planned.

I have lots of Greek to do, so I better keep this short and sweet! See you tomorrow (not in the closet)!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Is It Only Wednesday?

I got bogged down in Greek for a few hours, sorry for the delay! Greek would be the more accurate work-in-progress, but here's what I'm knitting:


Same as last week: a stripey test-knit. At least it looks like a sweater now! I'm hoping to finish it this weekend, but I have LOADS of school stuff to do and I'm going out of town, so we'll see!

The winner of the yummy Dream in Color Classy skein is: Eliza!

" my very favorite stuffed toy was shelly, a cabbage patch doll. i still have her, in fact."

Congrats! You can email me at vespin1[at]juno[dot]com to claim your prize! It looks like the blog has been eating some of your comments, but I assure you all that they are safe and sound in the blog management part of this confounded machine, so no one was overlooked. I'll have to see if I can figure out what's going on.

Thanks so much to all of you for reading and commenting! It means so much to us! I would give you all yarn if I could afford it!


Here is the lovely little betta who inspired my yarn choice. She was a pain to capture! We got lots of other fish photos while we were at it, so hopefully John will post a fishy post soon. :)

Head over to Tami's Amis for more WIP Wednesday posts!

Nine of Thirty

One object of this venture was to get better in front of and with the camera. We are not making those strides, but the dressing better part is all right, at least. :)


Blouse: ?
Sweater: Gap
Pants: ?
Heels: Payless

We were too lazy to properly light. Sorry. I looked super school-marmy today. I blame the glasses. Maybe the pony, too. My contacts didn't want to go into my face today and my hair never behaves, so this is what happens. I actually styled au John today and would have taken a photo of him in his usual dressed-up garb, but he didn't wear it today! He likes a button-down under a sweater. He wears it much better than I do. I do like this outfit, though.

I swapped the slacks with a pair of grey jeans I had been iffy about. The slacks are in sad shape, though. I'm short, so I walk on the backs of my pants and they get torn to shreds. I may have my gma hem them this weekend. I do like their shape. I'll have to take that into consideration next time I buy pants.

Super cute heels? Not that comfortable. They just have no give in the toe box. I'm not sure if they can be broken in, but I'm going to try.

I'll be back later with a work-in-progress and the winner of a shiny new skein of Dream in Color Classy!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Eight of Thirty


Top: Gap
Cardi: Gap
Jeans: Aeropostale
Shoes: Blowfish (not pictured)

Why yes, I did take a terrible photo of myself in my closet at four o'clock in the morning! I won't make it a habit, I promise. Look at those hand-knit socks! I had a hell of a time getting them off my feet. The pattern isn't very accommodating of taking them off. This is probably my favorite outfit, as blah as it may be. It's super comfortable and constituted of all of my favorite items of clothing. What's not to love?!

Happy Valentine's Day! John and I spent too long watching the Westminster Dog Show and wanting all the dogs and we're going to bed early after last night's super late night. :P I hope your day was great! See you tomorrow!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Six (and Seven) of Thirty

Oh no! I disappeared this weekend! I didn't mean to!  Here is Friday's outfit (I post these the day after I wear them). I didn't get out of my pjs Saturday and forgot to photograph Sunday's (you didn't miss anything), so I'm an outfit behind, but it'll work out. :)


Top: Banana Republic
Cardi: ?
Jeans: Aeropostale
Shoes: Blowfish
Shawl: Handmade!

I finally got a hand-knit in! I love this shawl and wear it often. You'll see it a lot more, I suspect. I almost wore it today, actually, but decided not to. I like this shirt paired with this cardi. The only time I've ever worn the shirt, I think, is for my knitting friend's wedding in October. I like it dressed down! I'm going to have to move away from my jeans and into my slacks this week....

Sunday, I wore a brown 1/2 sleeved top from Gap, my black cords, and my Blowfish shoes. Ideally, I would have worn my nude pumps, but I only left the house to run errands (my new black pumps came in!), so I didn't think that would be practical. Hopefully the snow we got today won't impede my ability to wear heels tomorrow!

I promise I'll see you then! There's still time to win that delicious skein of Dream in Color Classy, too!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Elephants!

Done! It took me forever to get my French knots to work. :P It always does. I have a French knot deficiency.

Elijah and Joseph


Pattern: Elijah by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Berroco Remix in Patina and Smoke
Needles: US 4
Project Page

These guys took a lot longer than I had planned! I've been too focused on school. I should knit more!  I had hoped to get them done while it was still January because that is when my little second cousin's birthday is. He is my great aunt's first grandson and they don't live very close to one another. I don't think they get to see each other often, so I thought it might be a nice thing to knit something for the baby (who turned one last month) and a twin for my aunt. She collects elephants, so Elijah was the obvious choice.

A friend had made an Elijah with Remix not long ago and I fell in love with it, so I had to copy. :) I'm having a hard time deciding which elephant to send to whom! I may embroider the recipients' initials on their feet or something before I send them off. I'm really happy with them! I hope to wash them tomorrow so the yarn softens up and they get a little fluffier, but Remix was a great choice!

I also picked up some yarn to give away! We got this Dream in Color Classy at the shop a couple weeks ago and everyone has been swooning over it! The colors are fantastic! I picked up this red skein in keeping with the blog theme. As I walked by the 55 gallon tank housing our older angelfish and a few bettas, I happened to notice a gorgeous little red female betta just hanging out, watching me walk by. She was so bright and pretty that I knew I'd have to give away some red yarn in her honor! I was going to take a picture of her too, but there are too many hiding places in that tank and I haven't seen her again. Maybe I'll hunt her down for next week's post.


If you would like to win this pretty skein, leave me a comment here telling me about your favorite childhood stuffed animal or a pretty fish you had or...something. I'll let you comment until 5pm Central Time Wednesday, February 15th (Lupercalia!), at which time, I will use a random number generator to pick the winner!

For more FO Friday posts, head over to Tamis Amis!

Five of Thirty

Late/long day means this is the best photo we got. I had cute poses and everything....All blurry! This weekend's photos are going to rock because we'll actually have light!


Dress: Old Navy
Jacket: ?
Jeans: Aeropostale
Shoes: Payless

My big adventure today was to wear this jacket with the dress. I pretty much always wear this dress over jeans. It's just a tad short otherwise....I normally go with a brightly colored hoodie over the dress, but didn't mix one (good thing). It was between this jacket and the white sweater I wore on day two. Since I wore the sweater two days ago, the jacket seemed like a good gamble. :) I found the belt for it finally, but it looked awful with the dress. Overall, I like this outfit. John does too. And all the Knit and Wine ladies as well. An all-around winner (though you wouldn't know it from the picture! Blame the camera, though, not John)!

The black heels are really comfy! I've worn them on several occasions but don't remember them being so awesome to wear! I'm still waiting on new ones though, as the straps on these are really in sorry shape. I should hop over to Shoe Carnival this weekend and see where the new ones are.

See you tomorrow! I'll post FO Friday a little later tonight with info on the anniversary giveaway, so stay tuned!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Four of Thirty

I reverted back to my comfort zone with this outfit, but thought of a great combo I'll have to use next week, so that's cool, eh?


Sweater: Gap
Pants: Gap
Shoes: Rocketfish

My grandma took me shoe-shopping a while ago. I was looking for heels probably (I always am, even though I don't wear them. I'm delusional...or hopeful, maybe), and found these on clearance for $7 or something. Couldn't leave without them! My grandma scoffed, but she knows I love my weird sneakers. :) They won over the plaid ones for the 30th item of clothing because John said so.

I have no idea what I'll wear tomorrow...but join me to find out!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Double-up

I'm going to do a double post because I can. Thanks so much for the anniversary comments! I'm nudging John towards a fish post. We have too many gorgeous angels now not to share. Now, WIP Wednesday:


Still working on those elephants. I just received some sad news about someone one of them is intended for, so I need to send them this week to make her feel better. One needs ears and they both need eyes, then they will be ready to go. I should have them done for Friday. I'm also working on a test-knit for Isabell over at Grasflecken. It's a contiguous sleeve striped sweater. I'm really digging it! I'm iffy about the colors, but they might work out.

Go visit Tami for more WIP Wednesday posts!

And next: A third outfit! I'm in it to win it! I think I wore these jeans on day one, though...hmm....


Top: Banana Republic
Cardi: Gap
Jeans: Aeropostale
Shoes: Blowfish
Necklace: gift from Gma

Let me tell you my BR and Gap secret: I have an insider. One of my dear knitting friends works there, so she frequently brings our knitting group 50% off coupons (50%!). She talked me into a card when we re-wardrobed last fall so I pretty much never pay full-price for anything (I know, I know, it's not really a price reduction as a price inflation that brings it back down to normal price, but I'm talking no more than 40% off or I'm not buying it...usually). The cardi was a super happy accident. I fell absolutely head-over-heels for it when I saw in the store and was willing to pay full price, so I dumped it into my pile of half-offs and bingo! It was half-off too! Score! It's my favorite!

Sorry for the socks. I always take my shoes off when I get home and I was too lazy to go downstairs to get them. :) Photography better? Poses not so much. One step at a time.

See you tomorrow!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Blogiversary!

Today is our blog's first anniversary! A year ago, in a desperate move to find some new way to procrastinate from studying for my 2nd Year Exams, I created a blog that I thought would equally showcase John's fish hobby and my knitting hobby. We didn't think anyone would read it, but we didn't care. Here we are, 19 followers, 900 fish, and not quite that many knitted objects later! :D


I'm hoping this year, we'll get the fish mixed back in, Spike becomes a regular, I can find a day just to blog regularly (not associated with WIP Wednesdays or FO Fridays, though I'll definitely keep up with that), and that maybe I can realize my dream to dye limited quantities of fish-inspired yarn at least once. Just think of how cool orange, white, and black yarn that looks like koi angels would look! Or yarn with that hint of blue mixed into a silvery grey...like our Phillipine Blues! It was a cooler idea when the bettas were still a go, but, I'm telling you, angelfish are diverse in their colors too!


Now for the important part: THANK YOU!!! Thanks for reading and following and commenting and all that you do! It has really been a blast being able to share my knits with a wider audience than my local knitters and getting to know fellow blogging knitters (and non-knitters too!). I want to give some yarn away in honor of the blogiversary, but I haven't yet decided what kind! So, stay tuned and I'll find something in the next week or so to give away as a thanks to you all.

Thanks again and happy knitting!


Two of Thirty

Outfit two:


Top: Banana Republic
Sweater: gifted?
Jeans: Aeropostale
Shoes: I think my Gma gave them to me. Maybe.
Necklace: not sure, but my mommy is in it. :)

This not-so-great photo is brought to you by me and my self-timer. At least the location improved. :) That's right, I wore heels ALL DAY! Except walking up the hill from class to my office. These heels are super comfortable! I was surprised! I'm pretty sure my other two picks are not so much.

I'm a little surprised at how these pants look. They are short-cut skinny jeans, but they are not short enough for my stubby legs. :/ I'm normally proportioned throughout the rest of my body, just not below the knee. I'm built like a wrestler. That would be fine. If I wrestled. Hopefully I can figure out what kind of pants I should be wearing. I just love my skinny jeans so much!

I went out on a limb and accessorized! With a necklace I haven't worn in years, haha. It's a pretty little locket with flowers on it and my mother's picture inside. Should have taken a picture of it....I'll try to accessorize a little more, even though I don't have many accessories. I'm also going to have to start being a little more adventurous with my hair. Have any good places to go for hair-styling tips?

Homework time. See you tomorrow!

Monday, February 6, 2012

One of Thirty

Here's the first outfit! I decided to start in my comfort zone (besides, I only got dressed to go to Walmart). I fear that this is as casual as I'll be able to get with the pieces I chose, but we shall see!


Sweater and shirt: Gap
Jeans: Aeropostale
Shoes: Blowfish (I searched long and hard for these! Found them on eBay!)

It's super comfortable and about as dressed up as I get for no reason at all. Hopefully, I can change that for the next thirty days (if not longer)! Also hopefully our photos will get better. John took this photo very well, I just didn't chose a very good spot to do it....

See you tomorrow (at an earlier, scheduled time. Let's say 6?)!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

30 Picks

I'm going to do the 30 for 30 with ifandany starting tomorrow, so I better share what I picked out! I'm not very confident that these things can be combined in 30 different ways, but I will certainly try!


7 pairs of pants:  black and brown cords, 3 pairs of blue jeans (medium blue, dark blue, and really dark blue), grey jeans (which I may swap out), and grey slacks.

5 "fancy" tops, we'll say: an off-white one with an open back and drapey sleeves and neck, a silk purple cowl-neck tee, a linen-like lace tie-back blouse with cap sleeves, a silky green lace-bibbed tank, and a drapey purple tee. The one on top has a mysterious stain on the bottom front and back, but it's my favorite! :( I don't think it's too noticable. I'm trying to move away from my usual jeans and tee style and into my more formal stuff, hence the fanciness of this line-up. I'm hoping I can figure out how to dress my fancy stuff down just a little bit to get the look I've been trying to achieve for about 6 months now. All my colorful stuff is either packed away as spring-wear or too casual, it looks like! :)


5 "casual" tops: A dark grey, light grey, and white tees, a brown 3/4 sleeve shirt that I love because it has baggy sleeves like the stained one up above, and a purpley-pink sweater.

6 layering pieces (mostly cardigans because I'm a cardigan addict, I've discovered): at the top is a cute little brown short-sleeved jacket that I'm pretty sure I bought as a pre-packaged ensemble with the lace tie-back blouse up above, a grey swingy cardi, a silky brownish crinkled blouse that I need to learn to love or learn to leave, an off-white cardi, a grey cardi, and a dark grey cardi. I sense a color-saturation theme here...hmmm. I'm not in love with having both the light grey and white cardis in the 30 for 30, so I might swap one out, but then again, each is different enough to create different characters for whatever outfit I'm wearing. The grey one is lacy and the white one is winter-thick, but nicely feminine. Also, the brown jacket has a belt. I cannot find that belt to save my life. I may need to improvise....


A black skirt because I love it and can never figure out what to wear it with and an old jersey dress that's really too short to wear as a dress, but I love it just the same (over jeans). I need to get some white leggings to ward off the winter. Don't let me forget!


And of course shoes! I have three pairs of heels: new nude pumps, older chocolate pumps, even older black pumps that are on their last leg. I'm hoping to be able to replace them soon with some shoes I ordered from Shoe Carnival...two weeks ago....I never wear heels, but I want to. I'll carry flats for travelling up and down the hill between my classes, but I think I can do the heels. I really do! Wish me luck!


My trusty new Blowfish boots.


And, last but not least, a pair of sneakers. I can't decide whether to choose the argyle or the plaid! I'm leaning towards the argyle. They have such character. :)

7 pants + 5 fancy tops + 5 casual tops + 6 layering pieces + 1 skirt + 1 dress + 3 heels +1 pair boots + 1 pair sneakers = 30!

Note: there are no hand knits! D: I know! Honestly, those are the easiest pieces of my wardrobe to wear. It's the hard stuff I have to force myself to wrestle with this month. You'll see some knit accessories, I promise. :) And of course, Fridays when I have a sweater to show off, I'll find a way to work it into a mixture of the 30 pieces you see here. This is going to be fun! I'm amped! See you tomorrow!

Friday, February 3, 2012

Yay for Fridays!

Sometimes you just desperately need one, you know? Well, we've got one! My week turned around a little bit, so I'm a happier camper. I hope your week was better! I still haven't found my missing LOFT, but the mystery should be solved in the next few hours as I wait for a call from the post office. I'm feeling better about it now, anyway. It seems less likely someone snatched it and did something terrible like toss it when they realized it wasn't the crown jewels or something. :)

But, down to business. Elijah #2 needs arms, ears and a face, which he will get tonight so I can mail both Monday. Here's an FO from a couple weeks ago so as not to leave you hanging.

Fingerless Mitts


Pattern: Improvised
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Fez
Needles: US 7s
Project Page

I love to knit for friends. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe just thinking about what they will use and love and what colors they like or look great in...I don't know. But I like it. I asked my friend if she would like some mitts a while ago, after I finished my Timothy Hay and Fluffy Bunnies mitts. I thought I might have enough yarn for a second pair. Unfortunately, life got in the way and I didn't even start them, let alone send them to her in a reasonable amount of time. In fact, I didn't even get these done before Christmas, as I had plan-B-ed. But, they are done now, and school ebbed just long enough for me to remember to email her about where to send them (I'm really not a very good friend :P). They will be off to her next week too, probably when the elephants ship.

She lives in the south for now, so knitting projects for her has been a challenge. I figured it must get cool enough for need of mitts, so I hope she likes them and uses them. I made up the pattern as I went. They aren't too girly (she isn't either), and they are practical (like she is). I used ribbing because I don't know her precise hand size and garter at the top to keep the ribbing from bunching in the palm of the hand. I hate when that happens! They are super soft (love the yarn!) and the color is a little strange, but should go with most anything. That's the nice thing about green. It's a versatile color.

Monday, I'm taking the plunge and joining ifandany for her winter 30 for 30 challenge. Tomorrow (time permitting), I'll post about my clothing choices. I'll have to remind myself of the rules. At first I worried I couldn't come up with 30 items of clothing to mix and match, but now I've got too many in mind, I think. This will be an adventure. The intent is twofold: I have new clothes, but I only wear them in the same combinations, so new outfits will be fun to try and I want John to figure out how to use my camera as well as I do so I don't have to take photos of myself all the time. :P We're both super busy all the time, so hopefully we can find a few minutes every day for a month. :)

The poll results are as follows: 1) Star Crossed Slouchy Beret, 2) Sweet and Bridgewater tied, 3) LOFT gloves and Still Light Tunic also tied, and 4) Slouchy Socks. Caramel made it to 2nd place too, but I'm using the yarn for a test-knit for the same designer, so I won't be making it any time soon. I want to spend some time adjusting it a little anyway. I'll get started knitting these in roughly the same order as soon as Elijah #2 is done tonight! Thanks so much for the input!

Head over to Tami's Amis for more FO Friday posts!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Humph

I made it to Hump Day. I hope you did too! This week has kind of sucked so far. I hope it turns around soon. I've been working super hard and don't have much to show for it. Knitting included. :P I'm still working on the second Elijah (you can vote on my next project until Friday, I think). He looks like an elephant now. Just needs arms, ears, and a face. Sorry, no photographic evidence. I'm not sure whether I'll have them both done by Friday, but I'll have an FO Friday post about something for sure.

Hopefully my missing LOFT yarn will have turned up by then (pretty please, mail gods!), I'll have translated 406 lines of Homer (D:), gone through the better part of a book of Latin, taught at least one engaging class, and graded all that needs grading....

Better get started! :D

For more WIP Wednesday posts, check out Tami's blog!