Tag Archives: The Fault in Our Stars

Busy as a Bee….on Crack!


This post may be pretty photo heavy, there is no better way to show the progress I’ve been making. It’s been a bizarre (and OCD riddled) couple of days. Someone tried to break into the house on Thursday, I am going to write about that soon but I just don’t feel mentally up to it at the moment. On the plus side it has given me OCD focus on knitting and kept me from getting any real sleep. So, here we go!

** Questing for Finished WIPS **

Warm and Fuzzy Fingerless Mitts

Warm and Fuzzy Fingerless Mitts

I actually found these at the bottom of my WIP bag (oops) and finished these first. They are the Staghorn Mitts by Tera Johnson. I love this pattern and this cable! They were nice and easy to knit up and with Patons Classic Wool they’ll be wonderful for winter.

The Vermonter Hat

The Vermonter Hat

I thought this hat was going to be my first original design, but it turns out that someone already came up with the same thing – and did it better. The Vermonter Hat is by Abi Gregorio  and is so similar to the Etta Hat I’ve made a million times – thus thinking it was an original. Made with Lion Brand Hometown USA it knitted up in about 2 hours. Way to go Abi for getting there first – wish I had beat you there! 🙂

I love this scarf and have made it a quite a few times! I call it my Year of Magical Thinking Scarf – thinking of Joan Didion’s novel of how things just keep changing over and over. It’s just one skein of Red Heart Magical done in seed stitch. I started this in (oh my) February for a Christmas present and now it’s done!

As for the rest – well – I added another 8″ to the Fault In Our Stars Scarf and casted on my socks.

**  The Hunger Games (Cowl) are Catching Fire **

Here is where I broke the WIP diet and started the Katniss Cowl!! Here is the progress thus far – at least until I get a new pair of needles! Can I just say real quick….Lolly of Lolly Knits, you are lovely and amazing!

So that’s it for me right now. I will just have to find a few things to work on until those needles get into my rather greedy hands 🙂 So friends and neighbors, what have you been up to lately?

Read-A-Thon Day #2 – You’re the One That I Want!


PsychopathTest-Cvr-FNL

Okay friends and neighbors, it’s day 2 of the read-a-thon and I just finished The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson. I have to tell you, this book was delectable! The book discusses so many different aspects of psychology that I just found fascinating. It included; Scientologist views (very anti-mental health care), criminal profilers, psychopathy in the incredibly successful (i.e. CEO’s, Career Military, Politicians, etc.) the Bare Method, mental institutes – I could go on and on. I never believed I could be so naive of how the industry works and the  subtle nuances of how mental health is evaluated.

I suck at reviewing books (I’d rather talk about them and inevitably spoil them) so I guess I will just say this: If you enjoy non-fiction books that; make you squirm, make you think and generally keep you reading even though you know you’re starving then pick this puppy up!

My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 5 Stars!! – Well, they’re hearts but you get the point.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

“You’re the One That I Want” Participation Post

  • List your must-have summer reading (the ones you read over and over again) or give us some of your favorite recommended summer reads.

Summer is a fantastic time for reading, the days nice and long and the sun refueling me from a long winter. I tend to read books I haven’t read in the summer, eager and ready to venture into new and exciting places. I save my favorite for the long winter months when the books are as comforting as a knitted blanket and a cup of tea. For the sake of this read-a-thon I will give you a list of a few books that I can read over, and over, and over, and over again and again!

  • The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss – First romance novel I ever read and I will admit it, I bet I’ve read it more than 10 times…all 600 pages of it.
  • The Stand & It by Stephen King – Comfort food, book style. These rather epic tomes feel like coming home to family the characters are so vivid. Sometimes, being reminded that humanity and the belief in magic is not lost is what the doctor ordered. What can I say? I am a Stephen King fan.
  • House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski – Every time I open this book, with its warning “This is not for you” I am once again reminded that not everything has already been done. The style, format and narrative is so unlike anything I have ever read before, and every time I read it I discover something new.
  • The Fault in Our Stars by John Green – This is the newest to the collection. I’ve read it twice already and seem to itch to want to read it again. Working in the ICU all through school, life with illness resonates very deeply with me and this is a heartbreakingly beautiful book.

There are more, and if you are interested click →HERE← for more information!

Getting bored yet? NO! There is still so much more good to come….although Max sympathizes.

Max Feels Your Pain at My Diatribe.

Max Feels Your Pain at My Diatribe.

* New Books to Get My Greedy Hands On *

Books that I want to read this summer? Good grief, the list is ridiculously long. I feel a bit behind in all my reading because I have spent so much spare time knitting and stupid, pesky work takes up way too much time! I have a list for this read-a-thon by it is by no means all-encompassing – so here are the books I am itching to get my greedy hands on!

** Click on the links to read a real review and summary of these amazing books on Amazon. This is not a marketing ploy, they’re just better at summarizing than I am! **

Congratulations, you have made it to the end of a post that was far too long! I cannot help it, something about talking/typing about books just prevents me from keeping it short and sweet. So, friends and neighbors, PLEASE share what books you want to read or think I should read…your suggestions are freaking priceless!

 

Welcome Distractions


As anyone who has been made redundant, or has lived with someone who has lost their job you’ll understand that it can make someone quite jittery. As good as a mood as I’ve been it, it has been a bit hard to keep my focus on just one thing – my mind is a tad jumpy these days. I am combating all this with a few simple (or lots of not so simple, depending on how you look at it) things to keep my mind busy.

˜From My iPod to My Ears˜

  • In audiobook world I am listening to Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth. I always wanted to read this book, but the epic tome is over 1,400 pages long and more than a little daunting. When I found the audiobook at the library I was delighted to see that the narrator was well-known and well-respected, so I snatched it up. Twenty-nine, yes 29 CDs later he was all queued up for my listening pleasure – which so far it has been.
  • The xx are my go to band for pumping me up. I know all the words to every song, both on xx and Coexist. Sometimes you need to sing out loud – in some cases very loud – to relieve unwanted stress. I just try to be careful that I am not causing anyone else any stress with my singing! *Blushing*
  • The Complete Goldberg Variations on Bach by Glenn Gould is another one of those things that I just couldn’t live without knowing it exists. Spanning several decades (1955-1981) the recordings are fantastic, you can hear Gould talking in the background (which doesn’t take me out of the moment) and the music is divine. I can do anything with this playing in the background – if anything it helps me concentrate. I am so glad I grew up with a next door neighbor that played in the symphony, I’m a total classical music whore! (Yup, try to reconcile that statement in your mind 😉

˜On My Bedside Table˜

If you thought I was monogamous with my knitting, you should see how many books I balance at any given time!

  • Platform: How to Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt was recommended to me when I first opened my Etsy shop ( I dearly wish I could remember the blogger). Non fiction that reads like a college text-book, it outlines the best ways to start a business – and more importantly how to be successful in this endeavor. Mine is highlighted, bookmarked, written in, post-it-ed and anything else you can imagine. I like going back and rereading certain sections when I feel it is necessary.
  • Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris is also non-fiction, but of the short (and mind-blowingly hysterical) essay style. This is great to read before bed when you know you won’t be able to log serious reading time. Just read an essay, wipe the tears from your eyes from laughing too hard and turn out the light.
  • A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin is something I never expected to get into. I was at a baby shower for a friend of mine (she’s on her fourth baby by the way) and she ranted and raved about how good these books are. So I figured if someone with four kids had time to read, and enjoy, these books then I should give it a go. So far it is actually quite enjoyable – I just hope it keeps it up, once I start a series it is a OCD thing that I have to finish it. This means if it sucks, I suck it up. So….fingers crossed!

˜On My Knitting Needles˜

So many projects, so many different gauges and techniques needed – I love variety. If I had to knit just one thing at a time my poor head would explode, I need the option to change routes when A) my hand is sore B) I simply cannot do another cable or color change or C) I want to watch a movie at the same time.

  • Men’s Cabled Beanie – This one is great because every row is different, no repeats on this baby. I tend to gravitate to this pattern when I need a solid distraction from the world. Just me, my needles and my counting.
  • Roman Pillar Baby Blanket – This is a 6 row repeat that I just can’t seem to finish – it’s like I develop ADD the moment I pick up the needles. Luckily, there is only 7 more inches to go. I just need to push through.
  • Length Wise Linen Stitch Scarf – Nice and neat, easy to repeat. I like working on this sucker when I am watching TV or find my mind is a little distracted. It is also great to work on in the car when going to see my mother and father-in-law.
  • The Fault in Our Stars Scarf – I have no idea what I was thinking when I casted on seventy (70) stitches in the round for this scarf. All I know is that Gloria and I loved the idea, wanted it made and so shall it be. I just have no clue how long it is going to take, knitting endlessly in the round can be really tedious.
  • Another OSU Buckeye Hat – You guessed it, a family member asked me to make them (for free…grr…) the hat I have on my Etsy shop site. Since I have no backbone – and I was in a spectacular mood this week, I relented. I am just hoping for good word of mouth at this point.

˜In Which I List Everything Else I Do to Keep From Pulling My Hair Out˜

  • Learning to spin.
  • Working – Have I ever mentioned my job? Eh, it’s not really worth mentioning.
  • Playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf – OCD porn I tell you! Collect things, cross them off lists….amazing. Plus, Gloria loves it so when I play too much or too long I just send it to her house.
  • Cleaning the house.
  • Organizing my workroom.
  • Cooking all sorts of new things, within our budget of course.
  • Long walks.
  • Taking/Editing loads of photographs.
  • Gardening and drying fresh herbs.
  • And of course…Making Lists.

I think that may be all I have to start this Monday morning with a bang. I sincerely hope I haven’t bored you into a coma. It feels good to write, to share – cathartic is the wrong word but the best I can come up with at the moment.

So, friends and neighbors, what do you do to keep yourselves busy? I love new ideas!

Wednesday’s WIPs & Setting a Good Example


Hello Wednesday, I cannot believe you are here already! This week seems to have sprouted wings and flown away from me a bit. So many things to do and so very little time. The needles are busy here in the Buckeye State on all sorts of goodies. As I am sitting here in my knitting/reading chair and looking at the profuse amount of yarn around me I am a bit terrified, how did I end up with so many things on the needles at once? Let’s see if I cannot break it down a bit:

  1. The Fault in Our Stars Scarf (my first every design!)
  2. Roman Pillar Stitch Baby Blanket (super-duper snuggly and soon will be off the needles)
  3. Magical Thinking Scarf (saw the yarn, thought of Joan Didion’s book and went with it)
  4. Stitch Pattern Week 9 ( better be off this morning – No peeking at the pattern yet though!)
  5. Another scarf (oh…when did I start this? Oh Right! Super soft scarf for a friend with radiation burns…that needs to get done yesterday…)
  6. Chevron Stitch afghan (this doesn’t need to come off till December 24th at the latest)
  7. Hot Water Bottle Cover (off the needles…NOW!)

Too many things going at once? Nope, don’t think so. When it comes to knitting I am like a swinger – married to knit but will knit anything….anytime and anywhere! 🙂

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

-Good Examples-

As the weather warms and summer approaches that means more time for me and the munchkin. My brother works at Muirfield and the summer’s are so busy that I get to have her all to myself, where as in the winter I have to share her more than I would like. As she has gotten older and developed more of a personality and we have grown closer, she seems more and more adult every time I see her. In the back of my mind though, as we spend this time together I worry I am a bad example.

Due to a series of unfortunate events (putting it lightly) I am not where I thought I would be at 28. When I lost functionality in my hand I just quit writing, taking photos and expanding these things that used to be concrete dreams. I gave up a bit – okay, a lot – and it has been through knitting, my husband and the munchkin that I am slowly getting back to where I want to be. This doesn’t erase the fact that I am still not there, and since Gloria’s mother is not in the picture I want to be a strong female role model for the munchkin. Am I cut out for that?

Mental illness makes me goofy. My OCD panic monster has given me noticeable quirks that have always been accepted by the munchkin, but is seeing them bad for her? I try to get her to read as much and as often as possible (without being pushy), but do I know what is the best things for her to read? She spends time in our library at home, but have I filled the shelves with the best possible things for her to read?

We play Scrabble, we read, we talk about writing, we watch movies, we giggle….we do cool aunt stuff. I just want her to know how proud of her I am, and I want to be someone she can look up to.

So friends and neighbors…how do you set a good example for the people in your life you love? Any advice is good advice in my book.

* * * *

-Finding My Way Back-

I am trying to get back to my photography roots, trying to remember my dreams. Have a look!

My Conflicted Mind- Part 1 (Oh My! So Fancy!)


Part 1 – How Best to Spend Time on Your Bum

I didn’t realized until we went on vacation this past weekend that I am not reading nearly enough! I know knitting is a passion – I have lots of passions – but my first true passion was always reading. From a young age I became a library scavenger,  spending hours amongst the stacks careful in my selection and confident in my choices.  As a teenager and college student I read for both pleasure and academics, sometimes they came together like with William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury  which is still one of my favorite books today. After I finished college I was reading about a book a week (this is an average I am pulling off Goodreads here) which seemed to satisfy my needs quite well. But since knitting has morphed from a passion to a possible business venture my reading has dropped by the wayside. My spare time is spent reading other blogs, knitting, blogging and then some more knitting. It is quite a dilemma.

So, at around four o’clock this morning I picked up Just One Day by Gayle Forman,  a book my lovely niece left at my house and which had peaked my curiosity. I got my niece started with her first two books, both of which I highly recommend, and the book seemed to be taunting me all night long. Knit, purl, knit, purl -look at book- knit, purl, knit -look at book- knit…oh Sh!$ that wasn’t right! After having a few disastrous rows completely shatter my focus I went ahead and fixed the work so I could continue on with the pattern and put it aside, then I dove at the book with a single minded purpose. I was going to read.

And read I did. But there was something missing from the magic I usually feel when I am reading. Typically, I pick up a book and have no problem losing myself in an imaginary world which always seems that it was created just for me. The weight, texture and smell of the book all invaded my senses and I become more and more curled up in the couch, as if protecting the book from being snatched out of my hands. The books was a quick, easy read and very enjoyable but still….what was missing? Where was the magic? Well friends and neighbors (yes, I am stealing this from Stephen King) there was also guilt invading my imaginary world.

While trying to lose myself in my story I was constantly distracted by other things; I should be blogging, I should be taking pictures, I should be knitting, I should be doing my budget. I have begun to loath any thought that starts with “I should…”. Knitting, blogging, editing pictures and reading all involve sitting, which is a concept I take issue with. When there is abalance between activity and leisure the world is pretty much okey dokey in my book -pun intended- but when you spend so much time sitting in comparison to moving, I feel like my time sitting should be productive. I row every morning, and usually run every night. The best part of being an insomniac is that there are more hours in the day to accomplish everything you want to, but between work and sitting at home working I just feel lazy. So now the internal debate of how to handle all the things that bring me joy while off my feet is raging in my head.

How to handle a conflict of interest with two things you love? Striking a balance seems the best way, but can that fully eradicate the feeling of guilt? When you know how short and precious life is, how can you not want to do everything you love everyday? Besides the fact that I know this is an impossibility, I am still going to figure out if I can do it. Denial is a strong motivator.

Want to get to know me a little better? Here are some of my favorite books (or at least the first ones that popped into my mind). Enjoy.

Stay tuned for Part 2! And if you are still with me, let me know what you like to read or how you balance your time, I would love any suggestions I can get.

The most technologically efficient machine that man has ever invented is the book.

-Nathan Frye

The Cabin in the Woods


Oh sweet oasis, how I have needed you! We have been renting cabins in Hocking Hills for years, the quaint cabins are set deep into wooded groves surrounding a lake where you can frolic in the clear water or waste an afternoon in one of the boats just drifting away the hours. I love it here, it is the only place I’ve ever been to that can completely purge my scatterbrained mind so completely. It is my Heaven on Earth.

Hocking Hills

Pieces of my most favoritist place on Earth!

I packed my bag with almost no care; changes of clothes and my ever ready dopp-kit were thrown haphazardly into a duffle bag with almost no thought, except maybe for comfort. It was the other bag, the goodie bag of awesomeness that I took care with; my camera, my iPod and it’s speakers, two books and a couple of WIPs for good measure. These were the items I cared about, the ones that wouldn’t make a trip into nature feel complete without their presence, and the best part of this nature is NO CELL PHONE SERVICE. That fact alone removed the knots in my shoulders and the heartburn that starts in my knees.

When we arrived, did I mention my husband was along for the trip? Well, he was, so there. Where Trevor and I are concerned there is no such thing as awkward silences, and being in the cabin we tend to do our own things together. If that makes sense. We’re both so absorbed in soaking up the carefree vibes that even being apart brings us together. This probably makes no sense, every marriage is a secret between two people as it should be, but I always feel closer to him in the cabin. Getting away from all the distractions that make you want to pout like a big, pissed off baby are all gone and you are just with each other again. Peace can do that I suppose.

The view from the cabin's deck.

The view from the cabin’s deck.

Anywho- Arriving made the stress melt away almost immediately, as if it never existed. We curled up on the outdoor couch and began devouring the books we had brought. Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects and John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars were my picks for the weekend and although they fall on very different ends of the literary spectrum, they were both incredible. If I had half the talent of the book reviewers I have read recently I would review them for you, but since I don’t I highly suggest you look into them for yourselves! There was a natural, natural to me it seems, migration from the couch to the boat with our books, the water lapping against the sides lulls one into a story, and for me this is the most conducive environment for creativity. So, on to the knitting.

WIP- Baby Blanket

WIP- Baby Blanket

Of course I only took one picture of things I am working on, I am prepared like that! The baby blanket to the left is for a friend of mine. I always do a swatch to see not only gauge and texture, but also to frame. I think it is nice to have a frame swatch of the baby blanket you bring your baby home with to keep as a memento, plus I never feel like I am wasting yarn! This swatch is going to suck to frame because the texture is so raised, the the blanket (God willing) is going to be beautiful.

Second in progress baby blanket.

Second in progress baby blanket.

This second guy here is also a baby blanket but will be far easier to frame. I love doing baby blankets for people because it is fun to always try out a new stitch pattern. I sit down, or email people all the different stitches and patterns that are available to them and let them choose. We go through size, weight, pattern, color and of course material. Most choose acrylic for obvious reasons but I have made several christening blankets from silk that were just a joy to have on my needles. Also, just as a forewarning, this will probably be my stitch pattern for this week. It was taken from my great-grandmother’s book and is absolutely hysterical the way she wrote it.

If you’re still with me, thanks for hanging in there because this post is turning into something more like a tome. The vacation was great, the knitting is fantastic, but life can still suck the root when you get back home. The biggest part of living in a society where everyone is sharing everything is that, well, baby pictures are everywhere. Baby pictures, pregnancy pictures and manically grinning families is something you are bombarded with on a daily basis. The biggest hiccup in my life is that I have always suffered from severe emetophobia; a fear of vomiting. To be honest just typing that word has the ability to make my heart start to race and my palms sweat. When you desperately want to be a mother but know that where you are now, even with therapy and medication (yup, they medicate phobias) would never work, it is fucking devastating. Pardon the foul language but I know no other way to get my point to bluntly across.

Knitting baby blankets is something I do because I LIKE doing it. The idea of making something that will bring a new life into their new home is pretty amazing, it just knowing you may never get to bring your OWN baby home in your creation that is devastating. I won’t go any further, for another post perhaps, just popped into my head. Even if nobody reads this at least the thought is out of my head, forever in black and white, and I can go back to doing what I do, going back into the real world, needles clicking all the time.

Besides, who looks happy to see us!

Look at the excitement!

Look at the excitement!