Cat on a bookshelf

Just because my life for the rest of the week is going to involve allschoolallthetime doesn't mean we can't enjoy this lovely photo of Gus the old man cat perched atop my 6 foot high office bookshelf.

For a cat who usually hangs out flat on the floor, this is pretty impressive. Also, you can see Knitted Totoro's belly on the right side of the shot, but he always lives on the bookshelf, so that's not big news.

And then, I became a bad-ass

Ms. J and I ran a 5k on Sunday morning...

Photo from J's instagram

along the lakefront, in 14 degree weather, while it was snowing.  I am claiming official bad-ass status for myself now. J's husband, also pictured above, ran the 10k, which means he's basically twice as awesome.

To top it all off, I got a PR time, beating my previous best time by about half a minute. Hey, when it's really freaking cold, you move faster!  Apart from undertaking this feat of insanity/athletic excellence, I've spent my entire weekend knitting, spinning, and frantically watching episodes of the West Wing before I have to return to a regular weekday schedule of doing massive amounts of academic work.

I think I've finished enough knitting to put together a few posts this week - keep your peelies peeled!

Run away!

On Saturday night, I ran a 5k with some of the awesome running ladies I hang out with. I took this picture while we were all pinning on our race bibs and admiring everyone's neon running gear. You can tell I was pretty excited. Or maybe I just look insane. You decide!

Both of them are also knitters, which explains why we are so amazing.

We have a few more races planned for the next couple of months, and I'm really excited to continue practicing (training, even? Wow. That sounds intense.) and racing with this group.

Yarn crawl, year 2

photo credit to the fabulous LEO of Hungry Knitter

 Yesterday our regular group of knitters drove off on an excellent adventure (no Bill or Ted involved, unfortunately) to several yarn stores in Chicago. Along the way we picked up a couple of visitors who fit right in with the group; seriously, have you ever met a knitter you couldn't get along with? I haven't yet. We started with brunch at a cute cafe where we filled every available seat and moved on shortly thereafter to the yarn fondling and yarn purchasing portion of the day. Check out my haul below:
 

Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Vanilla Bean

Marks and Kattens Fame trend in colorway Party
(I did not notice that name yesterday, but it only would have made me more eager to purchase the yarn!)

Noro Kureyon in color 267, one I hadn't seen before and which I love

My new yarns are from Windy Knitty and Knit 1.  Both stores were new to me, and both were pretty great.  Windy Knitty has a fantastic selection, including a number of yarns I haven't seen in person before, and the shop space is really large and welcoming.  Knit 1 was a more cozy space, also with friendly and welcoming staff and some really pretty colorways of Noro and sock yarn. I would happily go back to either shop at the drop of a hat.

We made a relatively quick stop at Sifu, which was not my favorite, although they had a ton of interesting handspun that made me feel even more inspired about picking up my drop spindle again... and dropping it. Ha.  I didn't make any purchases there, but I found some cool drawers full of interesting items.

I also picked up some ribbon and buttons at an amazing store called Soutache, and I'll share those in a bit when their purpose becomes clear. I made that sound really mysterious, but all it means is that I am not sure what I'll be using them for.

There was also car knitting, of course, so pictures of my latest super-fast FO will be coming up tomorrow... Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Be Mine

Did you know that Ravelry lets you send valentines to all your knitty friends? They have a whole bunch of cute ones, but this is probably my favorite. 

Hope you have enjoyed a very happy Valentine's day!

Goodbye, 2011!

2011 has been a wonderful and eventful year! Here are some of my favorite moments...

January - knit myself a sweater with colorful stripes

February - took photos in the aftermath of a giant snowstorm

March - enjoyed an evening of making ridiculous faces with these ladies

April - dyed Easter eggs

May - knit some baby booties

June - visited Milwaukee for the Polish Fest

July - bought flowers at the farmers' market every weekend

August - enjoyed more farmers' market purchases, this time vegetables

September - hung out on the roof of my new home with my temporary roommate

October - dressed up as a creepy, creepy baby for Halloween

November - laughed at some funny roadside signs in California

December - got dressed up and went out for my birthday

Ways to be strong today

images selected from my favorite board on Pinterest, original sources linked below

Whether you're struggling through a tough day or just looking for a way to make a good day even better, here are some tips that I love for how to find strength in the middle of the everyday (it might be a tiny boost of energy, or it might be like jet propulsion for your afternoon).

1. Make a list of things you're grateful for. Make them small or big, things about the world around you or things about your own body, mind, and spirit. Maybe you're grateful for dreams and ambitions - jot them down and get started on making them happen! Write your list down in pencil on a post-it note, type it up in an e-mail and send it to yourself, or get out the markers and stick the finished product to your fridge.

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2. Stretch your muscles. Go for a walk and enjoy the cool air, or pick up a shampoo bottle and do some bicep curls.  Head to the gym and run until you can't run another step. Put on your favorite playlist and dance around the living room, pumping your arms and spinning until you're dizzy. Just get moving and enjoy how far  your body can carry you.

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3. Hunt for positive influences. Call up your most cheerful friend and ask for a pep talk. Go to the kids' section of your local bookstore and pick up a picture book that makes you smile. Write down the wonderful qualities of a person you admire, then come up with a strategy for how you can emulate that person.

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4. Turn your next task into an adventure.  Whether it's taking out the trash or writing a grant proposal, the next item on your to-do list can be an adventure.  Homework time? Put on your birthday tiara (what, you don't have one of those?) or your fancy socks, and now it's a homework party! Need to hit the grocery store? Challenge yourself to be a cart or basket organizing superhero - do not smash the bread! Put the cans in rainbow order! Seriously, there's no better way to get an energy surge than to turn the ordinary into something extraordinary in your own head.

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Did you take a moment to try one of these? How did it go? Any other tips to share in the comments?

A-Z

Some random facts, from A-Z


This fun activity has been popping up on several of the blogs I read daily, and I'm enjoying learning interesting tidbits about some of my favorite blogging ladies.  I thought I'd chime in with my own version, too.


A. Age: 27
B. Bed size: Double
C. Chore that you hate: Washing dishes is the WORST.  Thankfully I know that one day I will own a dishwasher or at least be married to a guy who lurves washing dishes (because I tend to fall for weirdos like that).
D. Dogs: No! Cats!
E. Essential start to your day: Gummy vitamins, coffee, and "liquid breakfast" (smoothie) or eggs on toast.  I never used to be a fan of breakfast, but recently it dawned on me that I can be totally boring and just eat the same thing every morning, and no one will care except me. And I'll be perfectly happy.
F. Favorite color: Blue (periwinkle, steel blue, navy, all of them), but sometimes pink or lime green or teal...
G. Gold or Silver:  Silver
H. Height: 5’7", although last time I was at the doctor they said I was 5'7.5" - am I still growing or has my posture just improved?
I. Instruments you play: Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, a bit of French Horn
J. Job title: Student, Instructor
K. Kids: Someday
L. Live: Intentionally. For laughing until I cry. Joyfully. To love God and others. In Chicago.
M. Mother’s name: Liz
N. Nicknames: Allie, Al (don't you dare!), Ali G, Alsie
O. Overnight hospital stays:  None
P. Pet peeves: Terrible grammar, willful ignorance, and snorting back one's snot instead of blowing one's nose 
Q. Quote from a movie: "Buzz, your girlfriend: Woof!" (Home Alone); "Whaaaaat happened?" (The Kid)
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: 2 younger sisters and a little brother
U. Underwear: Ubi sub ubi
V. Vegetable you hate: None! Veggies are my favorite.
W. What makes you run late:  I tend to forget to put things in my bag when I'm on my way out the door. I always leave my umbrella behind the first time.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth, ankles, foot
Y. Yummy food that you make: All of it is yummy! My chicken marsala is pretty great, and I make very tasty enchiladas and guacamole.
Z. Zoo animal: Monkeys and apes


Want to fill it out yourself? I hope you'll leave me a link to your post if you do!

7 Things (not to be confused with 10 Things)

To kick off the series of posts that are all about living in a fantasy world, how about a big old list of dreams and goals? I've seen a few of these posts around various blogs, most recently on Pie N' The Sky, so I thought I'd do one of my own. If you fill out the lists, too, won't you put a link to the post in the comments? I'd love to get to know you better :)


7 Places I Would Like to Visit:
Rome
Florence
Venice
Paris
Edinburgh
Athens
Cappadocia

7 Things I Would Like to Make:
Interesting courses that students really enjoy and from which they learn important things
A giant layer cake with different colored cake layers and delicious frosting
My own line of hand-dyed sock yarns
Macarons, obvi
A very pretty quilt
A glorious home office and craft workspace. You can watch me build it after the move!
I would also like to make a dissertation that turns into a book


7 People I'd Like to Meet (Dead or Alive):
My grandma Clara, who passed away when my mom was still a teenager
Gregory of Nyssa (read about him here); I'm writing my dissertation on this guy, and I'd like to get his input.
Macrina, Gregory's sister, who might also be part of the dissertation
Jacques Cousteau, so we can do some deep sea exploring
Jane Goodall, and we can both go spend time with the chimps
Alicia Paulson, because I would love to hang out in her amazing, crafty corner of Oregon
Ashley Ann, for an afternoon of camera lessons and crafting fun


7 Things I Would Like to Own:
A spinning wheel
An enormous home library that has every book I need for my work and every book I want to read for fun (I am working on this one)
A truly fabulous party dress, such as this one, found via Pinterest

A Kitchenaid mixer (this little dream is going to come true next month!)
A car (this little dream is not going to come true for a very long while!)
A house with lots of windows and an awesome yard and friendly neighbors and a garage for the car and a dreamy kitchen for the Kitchenaid and all the things it will help me cook and a giant closet for the dress and its friends and a nice office for the library and a craft room for the spinning wheel, plus some room for me and my future family.
A mechanical pencil that reloads itself


7 Things That Annoy Me:
Flagrant abuse of or disregard for basic spelling and grammar rules
Excessive negativity Targeted personal criticism of people you don't even know. Lay off!
Cat litter particles on the rug or in the sheets or on the couch or just underfoot
DVDs that don't let you skip the previews
A toe that starts to itch in the middle of a Very Important Meeting
People who hog the sidewalks to mosey on city streets (sorry, tourists! You're otherwise very lovely.)

7 Films I Love:

Red Violin
Little Women Real Genius
Disney's Robin Hood/Sleeping Beauty/Sword in the Stone (see how I cheated there?)
The Other Side of the Mountain (saddest movie ever, so of course my sister and I watch it together whenever we see each other)
Wimbledon
White Christmas

7 Funny Words:
chortle
flamboyant
creamsicle
fudgesicle
disheveled
balderdash
poppycock

Snow Day!

Yesterday, Nicole and I braved the outdoors in the aftermath of the blizzard to get some pictures of my latest cowl design, the Lakeshore Cowl (they're up in the shop!).  Turns out these things are really warm and perfect for winter walks. 

All the cars were buried, and this street hadn't even been plowed yet, so you could walk (by which I mean lumber) through 2 foot drifts!

This building facade is one of my favorite on the street.  I think it looks even better with the lions all coated in fresh powder.

Out on the main streets, the snow plows had been through, but there still weren't many cars. Plenty of people came out to take pictures and enjoy the scenery!

I think I like this park better in the summertime.

Hope you're all keeping warm and having a really enjoyable week! I have yet another day of cancelled classes and work lying ahead of me, which means lots of time for catching up on work (schoolwork and housework), making new items for the shop, and watching Netflix to my heart's content. How do you spend your snow days?

Fab thrift finds

Hyde Park has a new little clothing resale store, which is really exciting! It's great that we can donate close to home and also find some fun deals, with the proceeds going to a good cause in the city.

I went over there last weekend (can't believe it's taken me a whole week to post this!) with a girlfriend, and I came home with a few excellent items.

The Adidas tank is in excellent shape (in fact, it seems like it's brand new), it's just the right size, I've been in the market for some more pretty workout gear, and it was only $2. Can you say bargain?

That scarf is clearly hand-crocheted, and I am pretty sure it's made out of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick.  I feel only a tiny twinge of guilt over the fact that I'm going to pull it apart and make a Laura Cowl plus a few other items.  Again, only $2 for all that yarn!

I saved the best for last - the super modern and spacious gray bag hiding under the other finds. This one I got for free, grabbing it from my friend's donation pile before she handed it over. Thanks, Y.! So far I've used it as a knitting bag and as an extra bag for carrying student papers to and from campus. There's something about the soft color and that great boxy shape that I just love. Plus it has mini tassels on the zipper pulls!

Have you had any thrifting successes lately?

In my bag

I thought today I would share a peek inside my bag - my lovely (very fake) Prada bag from SF Chinatown that my brother got me for Christmas. He has excellent taste! It's navy blue, big enough to hold all my essentials plus the books I need for class and a scarf or hat that I'm not wearing at the moment. And if I want to bring along my camera and a knitting project, it can handle that, too. I love this bag.

Check out what's inside.

Roughly from left to right: trusty cell phone, inspiration notebook with a million pens and pencils, vintage rosary, sunglasses, two kinds of lip gloss (coconut and honey-orange, yum to both), two kinds of gum (that tropical one is way more delicious than the other), my wallet, some Lush hand lotion, a small pouch of girl essentials, and a cute little pouch that holds my gift cards.

 Doesn't he have the cutest rosy cheeks? This was also a present from my brother. Joe, you seriously win for gift-giver of the year. Tied with everyone else :) Clearly I am easy to please.

This is the first page of my small notebook, and as you can see I use it to jot down little thoughts - what I want to pick up at the grocery store, what I want to knit next, where and when I have plans to meet friends, you know!

Today my bag is going to carry a workout dvd over to N's house, a knitting project for movie watching, and any small purchases I make at Hyde Park's new thrift store. I'm pretty excited for my Saturday adventures. What's in your bag?