Thirteen

Here is what I looked like most of the day. It snowed all day. Despite my prayers, I didn't get a snow day. :P Going out in the cold is one thing. Going out in the blowing snow and cold is entirely another. Going out into the city that knows no plows is another thing all together. I really hate this city's snow management. Now everything is packed down and turned to solid ice. Who does that benefit? They need to talk to the girl from Idaho. I'd solve all their problems.

I won't rant anymore. Here is today's warm outfit underneath the coat and winter wear. My sweater kept me toasty warm. My pants did not. I should have put my leggings on underneath but I didn't think about it until just this second. Next time. Heels would have been cute with this outfit! Too bad there was so much snow. :P Cross your fingers for a snow day tomorrow! I don't even know if it's supposed to snow....

 Eliza and I are still working through our 15, but go visit Rebecca's blog for fun. :)

Moment of Truth

As promised last week, I took photos of everything labelled WIP on my Ravelry page (you can see that list to the right, there, and can clicky for pattern and yarn info =>) and I am going to show you all of them*, though nearly every single one is in a "what is that?" stage and not very photogenic.

Lunar Legwarmers:

Sybil (I'm very upset about Sunday's Downton, so I'm hiding this until further notice):

Scaled Armor:

Spring in the Mediterranean (this has been a "WIP" for probably 2 years): 

Smokey Saroyan:

Egg Shell:

Flutterby Cami (it just needs straps! That's all! For about a year now!):

At the Caldron's Edge:

I don't really feel any better. Most of these are actually hibernating, but I know if I change them to "Hibernating" on Ravelry, I'll never go back and look at them and think, "Oh yeah! I should finish that!" You can see I already made the fatal mistake of taking the needle tips off the cord in Spring in the Mediterranean, which I promised myself I'd never do. I do pull it out to work on it from time to time, so having to put needles back on it will be a deterrent. You can see that I have the same problem with At the Caldron's Edge. Fortunately, that pattern is memorized, the project is portable, and I bought new dpns for it, so it will see progress again very soon.

Well, I should bury myself in these things until they are done (or resemble the garment they intend to be)....For more WIP Wednesday posts, go to Tami's Amis!

*You'll notice Tiger Stripe Basic Sock is missing. It is a shop sample and I won't see it until tomorrow.

Twelve

Gap: top, pants; Blowfish: boots; Target: belt; handmade!: shawl

I tried several combos with this top this morning: skirt, knit cardi, belt, no belt, pants, grey cardi....Finally, I landed here. It's not spectacular, but it's likable. The problem with these last few outfits is that I have a few I really want to wear, but I don't want to wear my dress three days in row. Someone might notice that! I'll have to make do! Three days left.

The hair was just a quick and dirty bun. I'm experimenting with ways to get them to stay and this one is a winner. I do a pony, wrapping the elastic around twice, then twirl my hair until it spins itself into a bun and secure it with a third wrap of the elastic. I had a few sprays of hair poking out this morning and I don't think any more have joined them. I was dying to wear my betta necklace today, but I've decided it needs a longer chain. It won't come off the one it's on, so I'm going to have to come up with some creative solution until I can find the time and a chain to fix it properly.

Rebecca's done on time (how dare she, huh? ;]), but I think Eliza still has an outfit.

Eleven

Surprise of surprises, I did get dressed yesterday. I just forgot to document it. :P It was my striped shirt and black cords. That's it. No shoes, no accessories, just a shirt and some pants. Here's today's:

Gap: tee; Banana Republic: cardi; Athleta: dress; Target: tights, belt; Blowfish: boots; Forever 21: necklace; handmade!: socks.

This is officially my favorite outfit! I felt so cute all day today. And comfortable! That's a big thing for me in a dress. I looked much cuter after I put my hair in a pony falling over one shoulder. I was having a decent hair day, so I didn't want to force it to do anything too fancy. :)

I'm super glad that I bought myself short boots because I have discovered that all of my hand-knit socks peek out the top for the world to see! No one asked me about or seemed to notice today's socks, but I smiled every time I looked down at them. They are my Thelonius Andromeda socks. Probably my favorite design- and color-wise. I wear my Dexter socks most often because they are deliciously soft. Unfortunately, I don't have many outfits that will accommodate their orange stripes. ;)

Go see what Eliza and Rebecca put on today!

Nine

Blowfish: boots; Gap: cords; Banana Republic: shirt; handmade by Eliza!: hat

Winter is coming. By that I mean I've begun watching Game of Thrones with my colleagues and there's also actually a wicked storm headed this way. I might get snowed or iced in tomorrow, which would only be a bad thing because I'll still have to go to school Monday. :P Just kidding. School isn't so burdensome this semester. Yet.

This is my inventory outfit. I went to work ready to work and man did I work! I counted patterns 'til the cows came home! Not exactly the work of the lumberjack I resemble. :) The hat's cute, eh? Eliza did an amazing job! It hid my sad braid today. I am terrible at braiding my own hair! I want to teach John so he can do it for me, but he refuses. I could French braid my own hair decently in high school, but apparently that is not a skill you retain after 10 years. Practice makes perfect, though.

Don't forget that Eliza and Rebecca are mixing it up too!

More Mitts!

Between the Branches

Pattern: Branching Out Mitts by Hannah Fettig from Coastal Knits
Yarn: Alpaca with a Twist Baby Twist in Black Pearl and Natural
Needles: US 2 and 4
Project Page

I finished these a couple weeks ago and haven't had a chance to share them yet! I haven't really worn them yet either, though. They are alpaca, so super soft and super warm. I wasn't sure I would like the length, but I love it! My fingers will be toasty and my fingertips will be free. :)

The pattern is good, but fair-isle flat is not my favorite. I actually have learned that what I thought was intarsia is flat fair-isle. That doesn't mean I'm going to rush out and try intarsia again because I know I still won't like it. :P Otherwise, the pattern is awesome! They fit great! I will steam this eventually to get the branches to sit a little flatter in the fabric, but I'm happy overall.

I somehow managed to miss a row of the chart on the left mitt, so ignore the gaps in the branches. I have to go back and duplicate stitch a little bit. :)

For more FO Friday posts, go to Tami's blog!

Eight

Gap: cords; Banana Republic: shirt; Old Navy: sweater; Blowfish: boots; Forever 21: necklace; handmade!: legwarmers

Here is Thursday's outfit. I had hoped to show you today's too, but it is laundry day and half of my picks are in the washer. :P There will be a couple days next week I'll likely wear two different outfits in a day, so I'll catch up. I had a really cute idea for today, but everything was dirty!

So, this is my cheater sweater I swapped with my coral dress. I feel much better about all of my picks with the sweater in there. I've been told it looks like funfetti cake and I am pretty sure that's why it's my fave. :) I used to layer like this all the time in high school, but I haven't in ages! I don't know why. This sweater didn't really like to be layered. It's pretty thin and bunches up in weird places, but once I got it situated in the morning when I put it on, it stayed put all day! More than anything, it was warm!

Go check out Eliza and Rebecca's outfits!

Seven

My Wednesday tv and John's recitation of Men in Black as we watched took up my Wednesday night! Craziness. Here's my outfit after a day of really, really cold, terrible wind (so pardon the hair).

Banana Republic: top; ?: skirt; Target: belt, tights; Blowfish: boots; Forever 21: necklace; handmade!: shawl

I desperately needed a cardi today. I don't know why I didn't grab one. My office swings from molten-lava hot to freezer cold unexpectedly. The tights were definitely not warm enough (they are raspberry-colored, not black like they seem in the photo). I wore boots to walk around in, but I taught in my heels, so they saw daylight today. I kinda feel like I can do this outfit with all of my tops, but it would sort of be cheating to call them different mixes. I need another idea for this skirt. :P

I have decided to cheat, though. I'm going to swap out my coral dress for a sweater tomorrow. I haven't worn the dress, so it could be worse, right? :) It's way too cold for three skirts and four tops are not enough for two weeks. I'm calling this one my hump-slump, so it should be downhill and more inspired from here on out, I hope!

Go see what Eliza and Rebecca are wearing!

Casting On and On

I've been knitting like I'm still on break, but I'm not anymore, so the knitting should slow soon. That doesn't mean it will, I'm just saying it should. I cast on this legwarmer Monday night. I'm kind of crazy about it. The color is phenomenal! It turns my fingers a little pink, but that's to be expected with such a rich color.

And last night, I decided John needs the mittens he asked for last week sooner rather than later. He certainly could have used them this week! It was 13 degrees yesterday! I don't know what the wind-chill was. He's been wearing the scarf I knit him about a year ago (finally!), so he's finally convinced I am pretty good at knitting for him. Hence, the mitten request. He was a little put off by the fact that Jane Richmond was modelling them (he wants boy gloves), but once they are done, he'll forget all about it.

Do they look like a mess? You should see them now! :S When a little voice in your head says, "Wait, this needs to be a center-pull ball, which won't work very well wound around your hand. Take it up to the swift and winder before you wind anymore..." listen to it. I'm knitting these two-at-a-time because I have to (no US 6 dpns). When I tried to knit the legwarmers two-at-a-time, it ended in disaster. These look like they are going okay, yeah? Besides the mess, I mean.

Do you have this weird January startitis too? I think I'm a little afraid that it's going to warm up a lot very soon and I won't have time to knit and wear winter things anymore. Please tell me I'm being silly. You must realize I'm not showing you even half of what I have on the needles. Maybe next week I'll be brutally honest. It'll be good for both of us. :)

For more WIP Wednesday posts, go see Tami!

Six

Gap: top, cords; Banana Republic: cardi; Blowfish: boots; found: scarf

First day of school. I had three outfits planned for today, but thought they would be wasted on the one and only class I have on Tuesdays, so I'm saving them for the rest of the week,when I teach. This one isn't the smartest, but it definitely got the job done. I tried accessorizing, but this outfit was resistant to it. This scarf was the most agreeable solution.

I've never really worried about how visible my sleeves are beneath this cardigan. Now I kind of do, seeing photos. Does anyone else look at me in this cardi and think, "Her sleeves are visible and they aren't full-length. That's weird."? I hope not. Maybe no one cares. Who knows.

Go see Eliza and Rebecca's outfits!

Five

My five-year-old computer is trying very, very hard to continue to be awesome for me, but it won't charge anymore, so I have decided to replace it. :P I've been a little sad (and mad) about the whole thing, so I have been staying away from the computer a little bit (except to try diagnosing and fixing it), hence the blog silence. The good news is that a new computer is en route and everyone will be happy again soon!

Banana Republic: top; Gap: cardi, cords; Blowfish: boots; Forever 21: necklace; handmade!: shawl.

Anyway, here's Saturday's outfit! I have been in my jammies since Sunday morning, so I'm now three outfits behind everyone else, but I suspect it will work itself out. :) This one started as just the top and pants, which looked pretty boring, so I suped it up with the shawl, then the cardi (I knew it would be cold at work), and the necklace. Not bad. I hope accessorizing will save a few other lack-luster outfits I expect to come up, too.

Nothing fancy with the hair. It's a pony I didn't pull all the way through the last wrap, then I slapped a headband on. Usually the headband gives me a headache after a few hours because my head is too big for elastic headbands, but it didn't today. My stylist thinned my hair out a lot last time I had it cut, so that may have helped. High ponytails give me a headache too. Too much hair. (Thanks for the comment on bobby pins in the last post, Ivy {Pumpkin}!)

Rebecca and Eliza have been doing much better than I. Go see what they are mixing up!

Four

Banana Republic: shirt; Gap: cords; Blowfish: boots; Forever 21: necklace; handmade!: cardi

Here it is in all it's first-day of wear glory: my new cardigan! I made it so I could wear this outfit, pretty much. It's kind of lumberjack-ish, which I love. It's partly inspired by the idea of this pin. I wanted to mix in my khakis to give it a real try, but 15 slots fill up pretty fast!

The hair is pretty easy (and falling out as I type): make a ponytail, twist some random tendrils, pin them up around the elastic of the pony. Ta-da! I don't know if a) I don't know how to use a bobby pin correctly, b) I don't have the right bobby pins, or c) my hair just isn't grabby enough for bobby pins (which I would find hard to believe), but damn...they just don't like to stay in my head. Must investigate.

I think pretty much all of my remaining outfits involve this cardi, so sit back and enjoy the cabled goodness. :D

Go see more outfits at Rebecca Lately!

Infatuated

Lovesong

Pattern: Exeter by Michelle Wang
Yarn: unlabeled mill-spun Polworth and silk blend
Needles: US 5 and 8
Project Page

This sweater was a long labor of intense love (though I did swear at it a lot in the end). It shouldn't have taken me six months, but other things got in the way and I was frequently overwhelmed by stress over whether I would have enough yarn to complete it. The thought of getting to the last stretch of this gorgeous cable pattern only to realize that I'd have to rip the whole thing out and find a new project was enough to make me shove it out of sight for a while.

I made a couple modifications through fear of yarn shortage. I did only half of the shawl collar increases and half of the sleeve increases. I'm very happy with the slightly smaller shawl collar, but I do wish the sleeves were a little bit bigger. If I block them on a form, they might be okay. I finished with two little tiny balls of yarn left!

I named it for Adele's "Lovesong", originally by The Cure and first covered by 311. I still can't decide which I love best, but Adele's is most befitting the sweater, I suppose. There's clearly no answer, but I'd love to hear which you like best if you feel like rocking away about 12 minutes of your life. ;) I'll tell you right now best video goes to The Cure (it always does!).

For more FO Friday posts, go to Tami's Amis!

Three

Gap: cardi; Athleta: dress; Target: tights; Blowfish: boots; Forever 21: necklace; handmade!: shawl, legwarmers

I have used up all my creativity mixing my impossible choices, so don't expect any creative scenery away from this spot in my house. :) This outfit was too monochromatic, so I opted to add punches of color. This is the only time I've ever wished I had pink socks (to balance my pink shawl). I think the red legwarmers were adequate. I have legwarmers planned in the knitting queue for the next few weeks so I won't have to rely on the red ones alone anymore. None are pink.

Nothing too fancy with the hair today. Just a simple half-pony. This is my favorite of the new necklaces. The tights I got the other day. They are pretty fabulous. Target. $5. I'll tell you about the ring sometime soonish. Promise. :)

There are more remixes at Rebecca Lately!

P.S. My remote decided it wanted to start working. It. Is. Awesome.

She's from a Castle!

This is Sybil, my Downton knit-along project. We (Sybil and I) are discussing some things. I have two very lightweight, white cardigans in my wardrobe and she needs to be different somehow. My idea is to colorblock a bit with some leftover Cloak I have. Something like this Gap sweater. What we can't decide is how long to make her or how deep to make the colorblocking. We have some time to work it out.

I also still have one mitt of my two pairs of mitts I started weeks ago to start and a little bit of Levenwick on the needles, but Sybil is my main project right now. It's weird I don't have more...(ignore the progress bars over there =>. They lie...a little). What are you working on? Knitting anything for Valentine's? I think maybe I should and maybe I should get started very soon!

For more WIP Wednesday posts, go to Tami's Amis.

Two

Gap: cords, top; Kauni?: tank; Blowfish: shoes; Forever 21: betta necklace

I did a shopping thing today. I think it's technically against the remix rules, but it was a necessary evil. I needed a brown belt and tights, so I got some. I also got leggings I'm not sure whether I'll wear, but some much-needed baubles from Forever 21 were the true treasure. Holy crap that store scares me! It's HUGE and so full of clothing! But, the jewelry is cute and super cheap! I'm terrible at accessorizing, so new baubles and a new belt will get me on the right track, I think.

I couldn't leave without a betta necklace. :)

I got a remote for my camera for Christmas, but it doesn't work anymore and I can't figure out why! So frustrating! Hence the dark, inside photos again (because I spent too much time trying to figure out what is wrong with the remote). :P So here's a dark hair pic. I did a simple pony-flip today. I think it's pretty cute! I used to do it all the time when I was young because my mom had bought a little tool. I think it was called Pony-Flip, actually....It is much easier with the tool than my fingers, I'll tell you that much.

I'm pinspired today too! Go visit Rebecca's blog for her outfit and links to everyone else's!

Les Messy Ness

Outfit the First! (I'm a day behind, it seems)

 Banana Republic: cardi; Gap: tee; mystery: skirt; American Eagle: tights; Blowfish: boots

From this pin. In assembling my picks, I realized my wardrobe really lacks any subtle color like the one I pinned outside of my sweater stack. I either have crazy bright colors or gray scale. When I shop, I really need to be more conscious of color-choice!

For the next 14 days, I'm going to try to be more adventurous with my hair. I got this bun to stay up for five hours with just a hairband and two bobby pins. That's kind of a miracle for me! My hair is so thick and heavy that it is impossible to up-do for more than a half-hour before it falls all over the place. Luckily, messy is in now, so my heavy hair has a chance, eh? My make-up was super cute too, but this is a post-Les Mis shot, so...no make-up survived. :)

Go see what Rebecca mixed up! She's got a list of everyone else participating too.

Remix

Tomorrow (I haven't gone to bed yet, so it's not Tuesday yet!) I will undertake a 15 for 15 Remix with Eliza, so I have spent a bit of my afternoon on Pinterest scoping and reviewing pins for ideas. I think I had a decent 30 for 30 last go-round all on my own, but this one (if it is any good) will be due to Pinterest! So many cute ideas!

These are my picks:

I chose 2 dresses, 1 skirt, 2 pants,

3 cardis, 4 tops,

2 pair boots, and 1 pair heels. 15 is much harder than 30!

I'm feeling dresses and skirts even though it's winter. I've seen some great layering ideas with them that I just have to try. I finished Exeter just in time too! I can't wait to mix it up! Because it is winter, I really need to find some tights or leggings. I saw some colorful ones at Target, but is there anywhere else I should look?

I always have a blast doing these remixes. It'll be refreshing to do a shorter one, but no less exciting! It coincides perfectly with the first week of classes, so I'll be styling for my 150-80 new students (D:)! Join us, if you like! We'd love your company!

A Tunic

Geez. My title bank is drying up majorly.

I have two orders of business before I show you my finished object: 1) I've been a little slow going back and replying to your comments for the last couple weeks, but I've done it and I want to thank you (I don't do it often enough) for leaving comments in the first place! I really, really love reading them, especially when you talk about yourselves. 2) I just visited nook. and Rebecca shared that knit designer Laura Aylor is giving away a free pattern to everyone this weekend for her birthday. She has some really great ones (I snatched up Fabrege), so go get one!

You, Me, and the Moon

Pattern: Still Light Tunic by Veera Valimaki
Yarn: DROPS Alpaca in Eco Medium Grey
Needles: US 1 and 2
Project Page

I started this tunic in the summer, when it was unbearably hot. I finished it within a month, too, but I didn't like how short it was, so I set it aside until I had the time and inclination to revisit it. The time came in December. It took me ages to unpick the sewn bind-off, but the rest came easily. I increased enough stitches to get it to fit over my butt and made it tunic-length. I really like it, though it could probably still be an couple inches longer (as is probably evident in the photos!). I swear I managed to get it an inch or two longer for Christmas mass...hopefully....

I made major modifications to the stitch count under the arms, but I didn't keep them because, honestly, this pattern doesn't need any modifications. I think I would like it a touch better if I hadn't messed with it at all. I love it quite a lot regardless. The yarn is also fabulous. A lot of knitters love it and I can see why! It's buttery soft, and even frogged it was still awesome. I have two skeins left. I think I'm going to make John some socks like Lincoln's (from the movie) with it if I can find some grey nylon to carry with it.

I named it after my favorite Magnetic Fields Song.

Now I have to go sew the sleeves into Exeter so I can show you next week! It feels good to finish things, doesn't it? It feels good to start them too! What to start next....

For more FO Friday posts, go to Tami's Amis.

Yarn

My computer and I are having a disagreement about how well and quickly it should (and doesn't) work, hence the late post. :P Oh well, it's still Wednesday somewhere.

I don't have much in the way of progressing knits to show you since the two pair of mitts I'm working on each have one finished mitt (and they don't look very unfinished), and the cardi I started Sunday looks longer, but not much different. Oh, and the socks I started in Idaho haven't got a stitch more on them.....I spent all day seaming Exeter, though, so it's not like I've been sitting on my hands! I just have to set in the sleeves.

Yesterday was my birthday! I'm 27 and I feel a little bit tired. I did get lots of yarny goodness, though, so that makes up for the tiredness, I suppose. This isn't actually birthday yarn, per se, but yarn I ordered a couple months ago that just happened to come the day before my birthday, so I'll share. Isn't it yummy?

The dark purple will be leg warmers and the light purple (which looks very grey in some lighting) will be Buckwheat. I waited an incredibly long time for these skeins, so I hope it's great yarn. I've never used it before. They have incredible yardage! When I get all my actual birthday yarny goodness, I'll share that too.

The disadvantage to having a birthday in January is that my annual resolution to destash is always thwarted by knitting gifts like certificates for shiny new yarn....What are you working on? Do you find that you buy a ton of yarn in January too now that your Christmas knitting for everyone else is all done (in theory)? It's kind of a terrible and wonderful cycle, isn't it?

For real WIP Wednesday posts, go to Tami's Amis.