Addicted

We may have a problem.

I'm now addicted to knitting shawls. I'm on number 3.

This might not actually be a problem because a) I am a scarf/cowl/shawl/wrap person the minute the slightest hint of fall settles in and b) I'm only allowing myself to use my stash or buy wool for one project at a time (and fortunately, shawls don't need that much wool).

Seriously folks. It's not even cold out and I'm on #3. (Evidence on Ravelry).

Who wants a shawl for the holidays? I'll start taking orders now...

 Ferrous

Ishbel

Wool, now on the needles for Traveling Woman

Hot

DC has ridiculous summers. Seriously. I'm done. It's TOO HOT. Though I must say, today is the first day in a while that I would actually not pout about. I'm sitting here with the windows open... and it only hit 89 today (ONLY?!).

Even more hilarious: I'm the crazy girl who is knitting in this heat. Sitting here in shorts/tee shirt, happy knitting and purling away on cowls and shawls. Totally nuts, I know.

I go through these phases with knitting but I think I'm officially back into it. It really was only one phase and that's because quilting has sort of taken over for the past few years...but now that I'm comfortable with my quilting, it's like I finally have room for both again! Heehee.

Come follow along with my knitting and stashing madness on Ravelry.

Ferrous shawl

I finally finished my Ferrous Shawl! This is my first completed shawl. Let me tell you - it started out shaky and then I got the hang of it...then had a bit of a blip at the end. Silly me, didn't do a gauge so I ran out of yarn with about 7 rows to go. Doh! Fortunately, the yarn isn't too expensive and I got it at my LYS. Now I just have to soak this and then block it. Oh yeah, and wait for chillier temps...

[Check out my Ravelry page for more info]

Knits

Clearly my whole attempt at a 365 project failed miserably. I think I lasted about a week, haha. Oh well - since most of my time is spent at the office, not too many terribly exciting things to take pictures of.

I did finally get around to organizing my knitting - unfinished projects, supplies, etc. - and have some pics for you. First, I have 2 unfinished sweaters for myself. The black one is this funky Teva Durham pattern with these random honeycomb cable patches throughout. The tweedy one will be an open cardigan by Jo Sharp. I'm determined to finish them both (they're more than halfway done!) by spring.

Also, I finally finished my cashmere scarf. Waaaaay back when Purl moved to their new digs, my sweetie won this in the raffle (of course we both entered and of course he won - thankfully, purple is more my color than his!). It's worth over $100 and is SO COZY!

Where has January gone?! Eeesh. Work has been busy, busy, busy and last weekend my sweetie and I headed to check out wedding venues. We think we found the place and have decided to wait until Summer 2013 - plenty of time to plan and make it awesome. :-)

Have a good week!!!

Call me crazy

As temps near 100 degrees (again!) here, I find myself craving some knitting. I know, I know, I must be completely insane thinking about heavy fibers in this intense heat, but I just can't help it! All this quilting (which I LOVE) has gotten me in the mood for my true craft love: knitting. As soon as the thermometer hit 70, I pretty much put my woolens safely away but now I'm regretting it. Seeing this gorgeous shop makes me want to pull out my unfinished projects and pick up where I left off. Not to mention, I have a pretty incredible collection of knitting books/magazines and there are some that I'm eager to try out. I'm also thinking that a knitting project would be a great thing to take along to Maine for my vacation (even though we're driving, lugging my sewing machine and all necessary accoutrements is out of the question).

So am I crazy? The dog seems to think so: he eyes me skeptically as I tell him I'm going to head into our storage closet and dig up some knitting. Then he sighs and lays his head back down on the cool floor under my desk.

Good thinking, buddy.

The only normal people are the ones you don’t know very well. – Joe Ancis

Celebrations

Today was a BIG day: my sweetie was officially admitted to the New York State Bar - WOOHOO! Hard to believe I remember the days when he was doing practice LSAT questions on his morning commute. Sigh. They grow up so fast. :) Congrats, baby!

We plan on celebrating at our favorite Italian restaurant tonight (though we had quick celebratory milkshakes after the ceremony). Laid back, always good food, and a waiter that looks like John Heder (seriously, it's creepy). It's definitely a neighborhood type of place - a rarity in this big, impersonal city - though there has been many a celebrity sighting there! (Friends of ours saw Kevin Bacon/Kyra Sedgwick and Amy Sedaris, and Frank Langhella sat at the table next to ours once!)

In other news, we hit up Purl this weekend. We didn't stay for long since there were a gazillion people there, but long enough to ogle the goodies and enter the raffle. And guess what? My sweetie WON! Oh and you will not believe it: the winning item is a cashmere wool scarf kit! And being that I'm actually the knitter AND the wool is lilac colored, looks like I'm truly the winner here. :)

(It's so rainy and gross and dark here so I'll take a picture of the kit in all its glory later in the week when the sun is supposed to come back.)

Anyhoo, after I witnessed my sweetie officially becoming a lawyer, I ventured back down to Purl to pick up the kit and get some Little Folks for my stash. I'm planning on SLOWLY getting the whole line. They have most of it there (yipee!) so little by little, I'll keep adding.

Time to go work on some real stuff. Ugh, how is it almost 4 pm already?! Who votes for more hours in the day?

Keeping the Peace

My professional aspirations consist of working in the field of international affairs*, specifically related to conflict and conflict resolution. I could go on all day about what drives me but this space isn't really for that. However, what I do want to ask is, how do you keep the peace within yourself? One of the most important parts of being a practitioner who works in high stress situations is taking care of oneself. And we're not just talking about hygiene.

I'm not going to get all preachy (my "religious beliefs" pretty much consist of simply tolerance, respect, and honesty) or touchy-feely (well maybe just a little touchy-feely) but this is a serious issue. What do you do to take care of yourself? While life would be all well and good if we could simply "leave" our jobs at the office, that's certainly not the case. Coming from a long line of people who help others handle difficult situations for a living, I'm more aware of this issue than probably the average person.

So, let's bring it back. Friends rock. Vacation is a must (who wishes we were more like the Europeans with 8 weeks a year?!). Hobbies and other activities that you love to do can help bring that peace. This is why I've been quilting/sewing/knitting so much. I'll be honest with you, this is a pretty tumultuous time in my life right now and being crafty helps me feel productive. Each day is uncertain and I've been in transition, so to speak, for what seems like forever. Making something, even if it's just for me, helps me feel like I'm moving forward. I also read, play with Louie (SO much research about the benefits of pets to stress and anxiety), and spend time goofing off with my sweetie. I need to get back into running and yoga. I'm learning about mindfulness and meditation (and so psyched to hear the Dalai Lama speak next month!). These things help me keep the peace. Without them, I might just stay hidden under the covers.

I know that this isn't some groundbreaking revelation or anything. It's pretty simple: do the things in life that make you happy. This is something that I will try to internalize so when I'm finally doing what I really want to be doing professionally, I'll already be able to manage the stress. Well, hopefully. For now, it's keeping me sane.



*For more about my background and experience in conflict resolution, check this out.

A good start

I woke up in a good mood this morning. I think mostly because it's Friday! My sweetie and I don't have any specific plans for the weekend but he doesn't have any work lined up so that's good. It's supposed to warm up here a bit which means a trip to the dog park is probably on the agenda (Louie is wagging his tail as we speak). What are your weekend plans?

I'm not sure how it got to be March already! That means we've been here in the Big Apple for over 3 months. It feels both way shorter and way longer than that (funny how that happens, huh?).

I may be going into work this evening (on call) so I don't want to make the day TOO busy. I do plan to do some crafting this afternoon.

In light of the economic times (ahem, my sad little bank account), I've been trying to be thrifty. I'm a total book-lover, the type who loves to OWN my books, but I've been so good lately and haven't bought anything in months. One of the many benefits of living in New York City is a fantastic public library system. This week I requested a whole bunch of books and they're slowly making their way to my local branch. Yesterday I got a copy of Sublime Stitching and after a quick trip to Michael's (embroidery has to be the cheapest hobby - spent only $5!) started to work on stitching. It's easy! I'm definitely going to keep this up and integrate into my quilts.

Speaking of quilts, I've been steadily making baby quilts to sell on Etsy. I know that there are many more experienced quilters out there but I like to think that I have good taste and a decent ability and people will want to buy my quilts! I'll post some pics later. So far I have two completed quilts, one quilt top, and one other top in the works (squares cut, ready to sew).

I've also decided to make my first quilt gift! I have a dear college friend getting married this summer...in Hawaii! Unfortunately, my sweetie and I won't be able to go - it's just too expensive - but we still wanted to give a meaningful wedding present. Will keep you updated on the progress (though maybe not too many details in case she reads this...)

And I still promise to post about my knitting. This week somehow got away from me.

Oh! And yay for a new month for quilting bees! Can't wait to get fabric in the mail!

Behind

Sorry I've been delinquent about blogging this week! I promise I will today or tomorrow. Hints at what's to come: knitting projects, baby quilts for sale, embroidery beginnings...

Stay tuned...

I want a snow day!

Seriously, am I back upstate? We've gotten a fair amount of snow here - and it's still coming down! Remember how great it was to have a snow day? We had so few when I was growing up. That's what happens when you live in a place that has winter from November through April! I remember learning to drive (one January way back when) and there was about 2 feet of snow. We called it "bumper driving!"Anyhoo, unlike the kids who go to NYC public schools, I have to go to work today (actually already went in for a training this morning and will be heading back for a real shift this evening). But in the meantime, I'm home in my sweatpants, cuddling with the dog and admiring the snow. I think it's time for lunch, Project Runway from DVR, and some knitting*.

For now, here's a crafty-themed wishlist! I've been eyeing all the beautiful stitchery over on Flickr and I guess it was only a matter of time before I jumped on the embroidery bandwagon. Thanks to John for the encouragement! Once I have a little more money in the bank, I'm going to get myself some supplies and start stitching! For now, here are some delicious craft-related wants...

Sublime Stitching by Jenny Hart (though her website already has awesome instructions - free!)

And eventually, for when I get good enough, this ADORABLE pattern by Aneela (sold in her Etsy shop!)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the "Little Folks" line from Anna Maria Horner. I think I need a quilt made of just this and some bright Kona solids

Yummy cashmere yarn by Lobster Pot (from Purl Soho)

*Knitting is my absolute favorite craft. I've been doing it for over 10 years and like to think that I'm pretty good. My newfound love of fabric has sort of monopolized my crafty activities lately (and this blog!) but I assure you, there are many yarn projects currently on the needles. I promise to devote an entire post soon to my knitting projects and adventures.

More winter

Outside

Inside

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

I'm in sort of a random mood today. I think all this chilly weather is getting to my head (though it's practically a heat wave with the thermometer hitting 37 degrees here in the Big Apple). My sweetie's parents had the right idea and escaped.

Randoms...

1. The pipes in our apartment building are making a weird noise. It sounds like a washing machine gone wild but after calling the super he informed that in fact, it is the pipes and they're working on it. Just hope the wall doesn't explode (and I can still take a hot shower!)

2. My sweetie and I have perfected a chocolate chip cookie recipe after catching a tip on the Food Network: make the dough and refridgerate for a few days. I promise, your cookies will taste amazing! (The ones we made last week are all gone.)

3. I started free motioning on my crazy Tina Givens quilt. It's a lit

tle scary but also exciting. I'm just doing horizontal waves across the whole thing. Even after just working on a little bit, it already looks really neat!

4. 36 hours until I'm a year older. Yikes.

5. The apartment is looking better and better. I got this nifty cleaning device for the blinds in our place and it seems to help. A little. Sadly

, our couch is still (gulp) probably a month away. Oh couch, if only you knew how much we're anticipating your arrival. We're tired of sitting separately in a too-small La-Z-Boy and awkward disc chair (but the dog loves it).

6. I finished my first sweater of the season! It was the one I mentioned a few months back. I still need to put the hooks and buttons on it but I promise I'll take a pic as soon as it's completely finished. Woohoo! As for now, I'm working on this one in black:

...and she's back!

Helloooooooo! I've missed you all. But I'm FINALLY back after a long hiatus. Things have been super busy but all is good.

I've now relocated (finally!) to New York City. This had been my plan since finishing school last May. My sweetie had to start his new job in the middle of last month so after whirlwind apartment hunting, crazy traveling around the globe (unrelated, but added to the mayhem), and a big move we are here and happy and loving our new home. NYC has always been one of my favorite places in the world. I spent a lot of time here as a child and lived here for a few years before grad school and now I'm back, living in a GREAT apartment with my awesome boyfriend and our wonderful little dog.

Now if only I had space to put my sewing table...

So I realize this post isn't very focused on LittleOliveBranch but in a way it is. With the move, it was very hard to keep making items for the shop so I sort of missed out on the holiday shopping season. While it would have been nice, I feel like there's still so much for me to do regarding my products, shop, brand, etc. that I'm sort of OK with it. I had a little table set up at a craft fair last weekend but it was pretty small and sort of off the beaten path so not a lot of exposure (though had a GREAT time meeting up with old friends and making new ones). Always a learning experience.

So as we approach the new year, I will be working on my products and my shop to make it all more cohesive. I am also, as many of you know, truly a knitter (sewing is a new love!) and am seriously considering selling knitwear too. This is a MUCH bigger time committment but my skill level is significantly higher and I find that market to be more accessible. My only reluctance comes from the fact that my Etsy shop is not my full time job so we will have to see how things go. In the meantime, I continue to look for aforementioned job, more related to my academic/professional experience.

But I will always be crafting away, even if it's in the corner of our "living room."

(Note: We do indeed have a fabulous apartment - duplex with 2 full bathrooms - but as of yet only really have half a living room. Bookshelves are full, TV is set up, but we are waiting on "grown up furniture" which is supposed to arrive sometime in February. For now, it's a bit of a dorm feel but it's still home.)