what on earth could be wrong with me to make me so slack in keeping up my obligatory blog, and for once I do have several legitimate reasons... But I must admit: mostly, I just didn't feel like it.
Let's see, what has happened since August sixth?
1)I'm working on a sweater I designed in hopes of a perfect fit and a Vogue Knitting-worthy design; 2)I haven't been called on to volunteer but a few times in August, and not at all since September; 3)my brothers and I were given a fairly steady fulfillment job by my dad's boss to be done at home for very good pay; 4)I dragged my family into joining LA Fitness; 5)I've been adding to my bento collection (I promise pictures as soon as I get batteries for my camera!); 6)I got my first real credit card (pink, with Hello Kitty, no less! ^v^) and was recently approved for a very nice (very free) checking account so I can stop paying my dad to pay my bill from his; and 7)Women's Inductive Bible Study started back up in Romans.
Prepare yourselves, faithful readers: this one's a doozy.
The Sailor Sweater
I came up with the idea almost by accident, actually. I was toying with the idea of knitting a kimono-inspired sweater and quickly realized I would also have to design it, as I was immensely dissatisfied with the existing patterns available. So one day at the beach as I flipped through my Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book for tips (I got it because of the sizable chapter on design), stumbled across the section for collars, and was immediately drawn to the sailor/midi collar, reminiscent of those super-cute Japanese schoolgirl uniforms, and since I was already planning on a v-neck sweater, the idea was just perfect, and my design was completely redrawn.
I ordered fourteen balls of Knit Picks Swish DK (100% superwash merino wool) in Dusk, a bright navy(ish) blue, and one in white for accent, knit a gauge swatch, printed out graph paper in exactly the right proportions (knit stitches are not quite square, they're a bit smooshed from the top), took my measurements, and started drawing.
Here's an early sketch before I decided on a color, and here's my test swatch:
The whole thing is going to be knit in this unbelievably soft Dusk (which looks much less royal and much more navy blue in person), and the parts colored in the sketch are where the textured seed stitch pattern seen on the edges of the swatch will be placed. I will later embroider in a white trim around those edges and sew on beautiful gold buttons with anchors on them. God took the picture I'd had of them in my head and made sure there were real (and inexpensive!) buttons to be had; isn't He the sweetest Daddy ever?
Here they are, wrapped in the swatch to mimic the finished look of them being sewn into the textured trim:
I've also added vents to the back and to the sleeves, the latter having the smaller decorative buttons holding them together (two reasons: 1) I never unbutton my sleeves anyway, and 2) I forgot to knit in the buttonholes ^_^;). The collar also will sport a small button in either corner for decorative purposes only.
Currently, I have finished the back, both fronts, and the left sleeve of the sweater, and have only the right sleeve and collar left to be knitted, and then the assembly. After the sweater itself is finished and many artsy pictures taken in and around Newport Beach, I will rewrite the pattern and redraw the charts so that they may be easily understood by anybody else, and they will be sent off for submission to VK and Knitty in hopes of publication. Ooh, or maybe in a book or something. I'm finding myself increasingly dissatisfied with the knitwear design I've seen in books and magazines, and discovering that just maybe I might be able to do something about it. God help us all.
The Fulfilment Job
What was once a sporadic rush of envelopes, booklets, cards, boxes and packing tape has turned into a steady stream of activity around our house, between my dad, my brothers, myself, and, lately, my mom. And since the boys bought a TV to replace the one that died in the game room downstairs, we are no longer limited to only the family room or to a single program, movie, or game (as played by someone else, obviously) to distract us from total boredom as we stuff envelopes. The money is pretty nice, because the boys are both saving up for cars and stuff like the very nice HDTV they just bought to go with our (I pitched in too) Xbox 360 for playing Halo, my parents are looking at future home improvement projects, and I am happily spending most of mine almost as soon as I get it (and until I tightened the loose screw in my head, sometimes before ^_^;) on specialty groceries and phthalate-, paraben-, and carcinogen-free personal care products (gotta love Burt's Bees!), bento boxes and accessories, Sanrio stuff (I'm a sucker for cute) for a buck at Target, baking stuff for a buck at Target (okay, maybe I'm just a sucker), dishes, and presents for my family. The latter are by far my favorite expenses, and I have grand plans for my youngest brother Nate's upcoming birthday at the beginning of Christmas shopping season especially. Christmas...? Well, let's just say I'm keeping my options open. (Read: "I have no idea what to get anyone!")
The Gym
I love working out. I really do. I don't know why, but for some reason, when we get to the gym, I like to really push myself. For example, on Saturday it started raining as soon as we got to the beach for our bike ride so we came home and went to the gym to ride theirs instead. I just felt like running at first, so I started on a treadmill and wound up running a mile in 9:11! That is a big deal for me; my last record run was over a minute longer! Since we've started, I've noticed a reduction in some of my measurements, which although they may affect the fit of my sweater once it's done, are immensely encouraging to me after a loooong plateau.
Mom and I go four days a week, and would go more were it not for church services both morning and evening on Sundays and Wednesdays, and for our bike rides on Saturdays, and I absolutely love it! My brothers come with us often, and my dad comes occasionally (because of work and stuff lately, it's been hard for him to make it). We have a lot of fun, and I really enjoy having something we can all do together as a family. Here's a shot Mom took of me on the assisted dip/chin-up machine with her cell phone:
At the time I was not amused, but now, after seeing the shot, I can better appreciate the long and lean silhouette produced by the stretching effect of the machine. (^_~)
I will post more on some of the other subjects later, especially on my studies in the book of Romans, but right now Mom just got home from grocery shopping so I really need to get in the shower so we can go to the gym soon.
