The title is a line from the song "Together We'll Ring In The New Year" by Motion City Soundtrack. Let's see how long I can keep up this title-each-entry-with-a-line-from-a-song thing before I ultimately realize that I don't listen to enough music...
Yeah, maybe not the most cheery music selection to welcome everyone to my blog, but I think it's applicable :) Maybe the smiley face emoticon will make things better...
Anyway, I hope 2009 has been treating everyone well. So far we've been getting off to a better start than I had been last year with 2008. I think the first step for me was a breakfast on New Year's Day that consisted partially of a homemade red velvet cupcake. It doesn't get too much better than that.
Not the best picture, but those are them - right in the middle in front of the flowers. I love you, red velvet cupcakes!
It's just strange for me to think back to this time last year, and realize that I was still a non-knitter. I think it was somewhere around the evening of January 9, 2008 that my shoe box labeled "Crafts and Stuff" looked out upon me (nearly complete with heavenly, "Ahhhhh" sound effects) from my closet and compelled me to open it again, if only to find an implement to slowly injure myself with. I grabbed my Klutz knitting book, my partially warped from my angry knitting attempt four years earlier size 10 Susan Bates aluminum needles that came with my first knitting kit, the ugliest Red Heart Super Saver yarn and forced myself to get down the cast on, knit and purl stitches with white knuckles and grinding teeth. Needless to say, my gauge was just a teensy bit tight, but I learned in that one night and I switched to some baby blue, acrylic boucle yarn of ugliness, splitty-ness and catchy-ness and cast on for my first "scarf".
I accidentally missed stitches on some rows, picked them up on others, added random yarn-overs to increase, learned how to knit into the front and back of a stitch by complete accident, and ended up with a miniature, misshapen strip of acrylic. It didn't matter, though, because I had done it. I moved on to some blue acrylic and these size 8 bamboo needles that came with the Klutz kit to do my first "real" scarf. I picked out the "Skinny Garter Stitch Scarf" "pattern" from the book and after wrestling the tangled hanks into some sort of ball, I began to knit myself a scarf. Carefully I made neat little knit stitches and I taught myself how to tink back my mistakes. Within two nights, I had completed my first scarf. I put some fringe on it and I wore it practically all the time. I was so proud to have made something all by myself, even if the acrylic did itch me and didn't really match anything. It really wasn't a bad scarf, though. I was so proud of it, and I was hooked on knitting from there-on. There was no taking my needles away from me.
My Firstest Scarf
Knitting was pretty much the only reason I made it through my senior year of high school without severely injuring myself and/or others. Well, knitting and the knowledge that by September I would be out of this place and at the college of my dreams. Haha, it's really funny how that all panned out, no?
Here I am, it is January 2009 and I'm back at home. I'm not here because I can't be away from home. I'm not here because I failed out of school. I'm here because I decided to be honest with myself for the first time in my life. Haha, but that's a story for another day when I haven't already rambled on about one of my life's stories.
I still have mixed feelings about being at home, though. It's so strange to me that I'm not going back to school when all of my friends leave again after break. I feel like I stick out as this enigma of a "smart" girl from Infamous Suburban County, NY that isn't in college, and isn't home because she's homesick or failed out (because her rebellious drunken side took over her intellect at school). I'm just here, and I'm just stuck. I knit all day because I'd rather spend my time doing something that I enjoy for no or negative pay than become miserable working at some job I hate that pays wages that are embarrassingly inadequate. I don't really know what to do with my life. I mean, I know that societally, this is unacceptable, and I feel like I'm being a useless burden at times, but how many yarn shops or places like that are looking for someone whose been knitting for just about a year?
Would anyone like to adopt an 18 year old...
Hi, my name is Kelly. I was attending Franklin and Marshall College, but now I'm on an extended leave of absence because I am not devoted to doing school work right now. I love to knit and I'm entirely self/book/internet taught. I've only been knitting for a year, but I knit almost compulsively, so I've had a bit of practice. I will be your yarn slave. I will work for room and board. I will work just for the opportunity to ogle yarn even semi-regularly. I'm pretty good with kids, I'll wrangle yours if you will let me get away from my family (whom I do love dearly). Please!??!! *Tries to not look maniacal with desperation and love for yarn*
I miss Lancaster tons. I love that little city, but most of all, I love their yarn shop and their fibery talent. I'm seriously considering that visit that was suggested to me on Ravelry. I could probably stay in my old dorm room if I wanted to. I miss everyone! I stalk you all on Ravelry and your individual blogs and Etsy shops (if you have them)! I think of you all the time! Adopt me! I will work for yarn and Oreos! I'd love to come and visit everyone even if no one wants me. *Sniffffff*
Moving to my daily life, I've been having a knittier week than usual. The highlights include me getting asked to make a hat/scarf/glove set for a woman and a hat/scarf/glove set for a child to auction off at a charity event. I don't know what kind of gloves to make for a woman, though. Do women wear mittens? Convertible mittens, maybe?
Hmm, maybe I'm not the authority on mature knitwear...
I taught an 8 year old how to knit (considering she's a lefty and I'm no where near ambidextrous, she's doing pretty well). The most exciting thing so far was my therapist (yeah, I go to therapy, as if no one figured that out by now...I've come to realize that everyone has some sort of problem, and there's no shame in it all) confessed to me that I've made her want to start knitting. She told me that even though she doesn't knit or anything, she just loves yarn. I could've gotten up and just hugged her. Before she knows it she's gonna have a house full of the stuff. Haha, I was so excited.
See, I really do have an undying love for yarn and all things fiber.
Sorry for my rambling, lots of fiber love,
Kelly
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