Memories of a More Daring Time

My first new item in quite some time is up at the shop, with more to follow for the week. She's called "A Shock of Pink" and was inspired by my own hair coloring antics. I used to color my hair often, and while I've been jonesing to add a shock of color back for some time, I simply can't right now with grad school connections and full-time job interviews looming around the corner. I made this lady so I could relive those days, and imagine for a moment that the professionals in my life would appreciate a pink streak or two in my mane.

When I decided to color my hair the first time (blue), I knew I would get some stares and maybe some comments. After all, throughout my childhood I remember my Mom telling me, "People who do things like that are just starved for attention. They're just doing it to get attention from you and it's obnoxious." I hope she's since changed her mind. I didn't do it for the attention; I really just love unnatural color against natural things. It's kind of like fashion where you mix brights with neutrals because together they make a bigger and more beautiful impact than either could alone. Regardless, the hair did get quite a bit of attention.

Children were the most upfront about it. They yelled things like, "Mommy, she has rainbow hair!" Or, "Ooo... can I have hair like hers?" as their mothers shushed them, dragging their babies away from the obnoxious woman looking for attention.

Then there were the adults. I learned from the whole hair thing that people really do see colors differently. My blue was often labeled green. Purple became blue. Pink was red or raspberry or maroon, even as it faded to an obvious shade of magenta. Oh, and they always wanted to touch it. Without asking. As though dyeing my hair meant I wanted strangers touching my head. They don't approach little old ladies with blatant dye jobs and immediately grab for their hair, do they?

Not that my hair and I didn't have good times together, especially the pink. I had a lip stain in the exact color as my hair, which looked so smashing together. I also had pink streaks for both proms, although the color was really set off by my senior prom dress (a black Betsey Johnson with pink embroidered roses). However, my favorite thing might be that the boy next to me in the senior yearbook had green hair while I had my pink, immortalizing us in all our glory (and in full color). I think he's in the Navy now, which makes two of us who had to leave our color in the past.

By the way, the pouch can be found:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6615694

Possibly The Cutest Thing I've Ever Knit

So, my latest FO also happens to be my smallest ever. These little booties are for a cousin who is due at the end of August. I actually learned cabling for these little guys!

The mother-to-be isn't especially savvy when it come to hand knits... and with babies it's so important for everything to be washable, so I knit these in CHICCO Merino Superfine in color 32. It's so soft and nice to knit with, if just a bit prone to splitting. However, the best part is this yarn is machine washable! I thought that was really important.

The pattern is really easy, too. You can find it here: http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/babybootscable.htm

Not only is the pattern free, but I think these little booties are just perfect for little boys or girls. The pattern suggests ribbon, but I thought i-cord seemed somehow more masculine, plus I really love the look of it. They knit up really fast and the purled ridges, cables, and eyelets add enough interest to keep even the most impatient knitters knitting. However, I warn you: if you're going to KIP with these, be prepared for lots of questions and puzzled looks because, unlike socks, they don't really look like booties until the very end when you seam them up (don't be afraid, it's just a couple of inches, honest!)

On the other hand, if I had a dollar for every time some one asked me, while knitting a nearly finished sock, "What is that?" or "Are you making a scarf?" or "Ooo... is that sweater going to be done for Winter?" Well, let's just say my stash would be stuffed to the gills with the most fabulous yarns the world has ever seen.

A few more pictures:

It's Been A While...

So, I haven't written anything recently. A lack of grad school acceptance letters definitely put me in a funk for a bit. However (!!) I've been tinkering and I am working on some crafty stuff (hooray!)

Recent Crafty Adventures:

-lots of cooking (my new favorite thing)

-finished zippered pouches for my good friend Roni (a nurse gal and one with her likeness plus her name embroidered)

-a nearly finished pair of Knitty's Pomatomous socks with my lovely hand painted yarn-- I'll post these once they're done (you should try these if you haven't, they're deceptively simple)

-my lovely shrug in the plum mohair, which I love, but I bound off WAY too tightly the first time around (I remember being quite stressed that day); once I bind off reasonably I'll post

-two super cute cabled baby booties for my new cousin (I learned cables for these babies, pun intended; so easy and so tiny)


I also started a part time job at the university's library, which has made me feel more like knitting lately. It's probably because not only do I get one hour(!) for lunch, but also I must wait for the supervisors to be ready before I begin my shift. So I've had lots of chunks of time to fill, and knitting is so perfect for that. Plus, like a lot of crafters, library work just makes me have visions of super hip, sexy librarians who knit and wear little pencil skirts with heels and cashmere sweaters that cling in all of the right places. Although I've never actually seen a librarian like that, I have lots of hope that other libraries are just full of these women, like 1950's time capsules. Not all librarians really wear mom jeans and orthopedic shoes, right?

We are also so very close to Fall, my favorite fashion season. Every year Fall gets me all giddy. I realize it's coming early July... then, I comb through the ELLE runway shows and fantasize about everything I would wear if I had unlimited funds. Next, I snap back into reality and think about what I'll really wear, and what I can make to fulfill my designer fantasies. I'm really jonesing for the little knit cap Ralph Lauren featured on all of his models for Fall... it's so fantastic. I'll have to see if I can knit one, but I'll need some help. I do have some brand new cashmerino around, which is asking to be made into fingerless gloves, and I'll grant it that. I've always wanted a pair and although some complain they're completely useless because the fingers--which gloves are made to protect-- remain cold while wearing them, I think fashion can walk a fine line between glamorous vision and function. In fact, it must.

So, dear readers, do yourselves a favor and get into the Fall wardrobe mood. You'll have no one but yourself to blame when you get to autumn and hate everything in your closet. Which I do, every year.