Nomsa Knits

Winner!!!

2009-05-04T11:15:00.004-06:00

Thanks so much to those who participated in my blog give-away. The random number generator choose #5, so Megan from http://somewhatvoluble.com/ wins!!!

Hooray Megan!!

She is getting these lovely items....

Thanks to those that helped me out and provided me with some great feedback.

I was at the Summit of Awesome all weekend and will be doing some blog postings about what I learned as well as providing resources for individuals hoping to sell items online or in stores.

Happy Monday Everyone!

Fabulous Give-away!!

2009-04-30T18:30:00.004-06:00

'What's that you say Ashlee? You are having a fabulous blog give-away?'

Why yes dear reader I am. And believe me....fabulous is only the beginning.

Brief story: February of 2009 - Nomsa opens for business on etsy. The store struggles a bit selling this and that...taking crummy photos....not describing items enough....but eventually Ashlee gets a bit better at doing things, spends time reading up on marketing and business and viola...Nomsa is up and running. Hip Hip Hooray! The thing is though...I can obviously improve in many ways. So I need your help. And for your help, you can hopefully get fabulous prizes. Yes....plural.

I will give you any two items in my store that you want. Anything.
*The only exclusion are 'Reserved' listings because someone has specially ordered that item, so I can't give you what is already someone else's. *

So here's the deal. I am giving each of you a chance at three entries to this contest. Do one, do all three. It's totally up to you.

1) Take a look at my store. Leave me a comment here on my blog letting me know what two things you are currently lusting over. These will be the items that you will win if chosen. Entry #1

2) Take a look at my store. Critique it. Tell me something I can improve upon. Bad lighting in photos, wrong prices, poor descriptions? Leave me a comment and tell me. I will put on my big girl panties and take it. Entry #2

3) Tell your social media networks about this give-away. Blog about it, twitter it, put it on facebook, myspace. Whatever your thing is....do it. Leave me a comment with your blog link, twitter name, or whatever so I can see where you mentioned it. Entry #3.

IMPORTANT DETAILS:

* Now I am going to use random.org to pick a number for the winner. So let's say I get 100 comments. Random.org might choose number 73. Comment 73 wins! So it's important that you leave three SEPARATE comments so you can have three separate entries. Get it?

* Make sure to put your contact info somewhere in one of your comments so I can ship your items to you. I totally don't mind sending one thing to one place, one thing to another. Maybe you want to keep one thing for yourself, give the other thing to your mom, bff or teenager. No problem. You pick the items, you pick the addresses. By the way, it's totally cool to keep both items for yourself.

* I will pick the winner at Noon EST on Monday, May 4th. Make sure you have all your entries in my then. If the winner and I are able to get in contact with each other quickly, I will make sure your items go out on Tuesday so you can have the option of giving one of the items away for Mother's Day (May 10th)

* This give-away is open to anyone anywhere in the world. Let me hear it for my Polish Peeps!!

Questions about the contest? Custom orders? Want to send me love letters? My email is nomsaknits@gmail.com. Also, you can follow me on twitter. My username is nomsaknits.

Alright my lovelies....good luck, have fun and thanks!!

Oh yeah....Here's my store.... http://nomsa.etsy.com
PS...This is how excited I am about this!

MIA

2009-04-25T14:38:00.008-06:00

First off....sorry for being a slacker and not writing a blog post in the last three weeks really. I have been a jerk. I know...I know. I am lame. I know some members of my family read this to keep current with my life, so I am sorry that I haven't been more interactive.

With that being said, I do actually have some things to talk about. First off, over Easter weekend, the boy and I went to Georgia to see the actual location we are getting married in September. His mom is a local official of the island off the coast of Georgia and it was our first time seeing the wedding/reception location, so I was a little nervous. Wasn't sure what to expect or on the size...but overall I love it! There are a few problems that we will have to work around (mostly size issues), but overall....it's absolutely perfect and super cute. Here are a few pictures!

This first one shows the outside. The giant turtle is kind of a theme of the island. A lot of the major buildings/businesses have a unique one outside of it. This one features a glass Mosaic shell. Also, you can see that the building has a porch, which wraps around the entire outside. We are thinking of setting up tables outside so people can relax and drink in the evening.

This picture is of the first room looking in from the doorway. Love the color. It is almost a perfect match 0f the classic 'Tiffany' jewelry store shade. Great lighting and naturally a very beautiful room. You can't really tell from the picture, but there is a lot of detailing along the wall/ceiling line.

This room is going to be a bit more of a challenge. The walls are white as well as the floor, and since it is a historical site, we can't tape/hang/etc anything to the walls. I am going to really have to be creative with this room to add some vibrancy/color. Looking forward to the challenge.

This is just a glimpse of the outside surrounding area. I didn't really take as good of pictures as I had hoped. It is really expansive and features some great areas that can be used for games, cooking, socializing etc. There is also a ballpark and playground right next to it, which the boy wants to use for an impromptu kickball game :)

Guess it's not really that impromptu if he is already pre-meditating it....

This last picture is of the gazebo that the actually ceremony will take place. It is a short walk from the reception site, near a stream and has some great foliage. I really think it be decorated in a super cute manner.

So those are some basic pictures of where I am getting married.....in five months....gulp. I have a lot to do still. I have found the invitations that I am going to get though. I am just waiting on some final details before getting them though. Here is a link to their etsy listing though...

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22390204

Um let's see....what else is new....Oh....despite my blog post earlier making fun of twitter....I am now on it.....don't worry, I have already realized my hypocrisy and it tastes good.

If you are hip like me, follow me.... http://twitter.com/nomsaknits

I am not promising excitement...but perhaps an observation or statement might make you laugh every now and again.

Okay...really quick, I have to throw in one shameless plug. I am encroaching upon 100 sales in my etsy store. Yippee! It's been only a little longer than two months and it is going better than I could have imagined. Thanks so much if you were one of those fabulous customers, and if you weren't....check it out. You might like it. You might not. http://nomsa.etsy.com

One last thing....I highly recommend the band MGMT. I am listening to them right now and if I did drugs...I would do them to this music. They are that good. They could be the 'Grateful Dead' of the twenty-something generation.

Etsy Day!!

2009-04-24T08:01:00.002-06:00

Today is international Etsy day. It's a lovely day to celebrate handmade and the sellers who pour themselves into their craft (cough...cough).

If you have never been to the website before, go take a stroll. They have amazing search features where you can search by craft, locality, color or fabulous key words (i.e. robot...whimsical...wedding....orchids).

Support handmade. It's awesome, cool and unique. Just like you!

Oh yeah...if you want, you could check out my store as well. I think it's pretty cool.

http://nomsa.etsy.com - to celebrate etsy day in style I am offering FREE SHIPPING to anywhere in the world for all orders placed today. Pretty sweet huh?

Not an Etsy member? Click here to sign up! It's easy & FREE!

http://www.etsy.com/register

Never shopped on Etsy? - Here is a helpful guide:

http://www.etsy.com/help_guide_checkout.php

Biting off Chocolate Bunny Heads...

2009-04-09T16:16:00.002-06:00

I like chocolate. Something might be wrong with you if you don't.

To celebrate the holiday that gives me a sugar rush like no other, I have decided to offer FREE SHIPPING to everyone in the continental US. If you live outside the US, I am offering heavily discounted shipping rates (75% off).

I think it's a lovely idea. It's especially nice because my new feather headbands have a higher shipping rate due to it's unique shape.

"Nomsa....are you saying that I can get a beautiful, hip and positively fabulous feather headband for just $15.00 without having to pay S&H?!?!"

Why yes rhetorical reader....I am saying just that.

Check out the goods! http://nomsa.etsy.com

Letters to the nameless people in my life

2009-04-09T08:41:00.002-06:00

Dear Cashier Lady at Freshmeal,

Thank you for always smiling at me when I buy my kombucha from you. You make nice polite conversation and have a nice smile.

Dear Lady who cuts her hair in our work bathroom,

I have been noticing lots of hair clippings in our bathroom lately? Are you trying out a new style? Do you like change? What makes you cut your hair during the middle of the work day? Also, could you please clean the counter/sink when you are done? Your clippings are yicky.

Dear Homeless Man near Metro,

Sorry I didn't knit you a hat this winter. I meant to...but I got selfish and busy. I am sorry. I hope other people are nice to you.

Dear Shy Man at Au Pain last week,

Thanks for your business card. I am sorry but I will not be calling you. You were very nice but I am in love with my boy. Thanks anyway though. I thought it was cute how nervous you are.

Dear Metro Riders,

Please don't judge me as I sit huddled over reading twilight. Yes...I am 23. Yes...I am reading a teen romance/thriller. Yes....I know how silly I might look.

Dear Security Guards at my apartment,

Thank you for making me feel safe. Our building is scary but I know that you are working hard so thank you. I will bake you cookies one day as thanks.

Dear Emergency Room Doctor,

Thanks for being nice to me and rubbing my back after you made me cry. I am sorry I cried. I got startled and you pressed hard on my sore areas. You were the nicest thing about Howard University hospital.

Dear Mail Lady,

Thank you for being the craziest mail lady ever. You march to your own beat and cause me to stare everytime I see you PS...I love your wig.

Dear Chopt Salad Boy,

You are a hard worker and very sweet. Thanks for remembering me each time I come in and telling me you can't wait to see me again. I like seeing you too!

Poopy day....

2009-04-06T19:31:00.002-06:00

Do you ever have one of those days?

I am not just talking about a waking up on the wrong side of the bed kind of day, but falling off the wrong side of the bed, hitting your head on the nightstand and stubbing your toe while grumbling kind of day.

That was my day today. It was like if anything could go wrong it could. In fact....I am embarrassed to say this....but at one point I sat in the bathroom at work with crocodile tears reading Twilight for comfort. TMI....I know, I know.

But still....today was a sad day for me and I was moaning about it to the boy on the walk home from the Subway, when I found a $10 bill on the ground.

This sudden turn of events made the sun start to shine through the clouds and I giggled a little bit.

Everything is okay now due to my new $10. Someone else's day is bad....but hopefully they will find something soon that will make them happy.

PS....my apartment sounds like there are ghosts swirling around it whenever it is windy. I don't like it when my apartment is haunted.

Coolness Occurred

2009-04-02T18:47:00.003-06:00

Oh man.....

Right after I posted the last blog, I had this amazing link in my inbox. Check out my newest favorite blog.

http://greylikesweddings.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/corsages-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new/

Hint Hint...check out number 8

Coolness has occurred!

So Uncool

2009-04-02T18:28:00.004-06:00

I am fairly uncool which results in my lack of blogging. Hopefully coolness will start to pump through my veins, thus allowing me to blog about fascinating topics. But until that happens....

I got to tell you. Today was an exciting day for my etsy shop. The Gods of Etsy smiled upon me and my humble store and gave me front page exposure as well as a spot in the Prom gift guides. This was extremely fantastic and hopefully will result in some more business.

I got to tell you, running an etsy store is WAY more intense than I had imagined. There are so many little details and tricks that I never realized. It's funny because you can have the coolest product in the entire world and if Oprah got her hands on it, she would start to shout and praise you, but if you don't have good pictures, advertising or business smarts....it doesn't matter. This has been a great experience though and it really has opened up my eyes to the business world a little bit more.

My favorite business gadget right now is Google Analytics. It is probably one of the most amazing things ever and really helps me figure out the traffic on my store. If you don't have it yet....drop everything, go to google, sign up for analytics, enter in your blog/etsy store/facebook page/URL and gather the data from it. Bask in the pie charts, giggle over the brillance of the graphs and ponder why you have such a wide following in Poland (shout-out to all my Polish Peeps!)

P.S. I didn't think you could really kill a bamboo plant, but right now I am staring at my pitiful bamboo plant on my table which is obviously dying. Any tips on resurrecting it?

PPS. I have another plant that I had already killed about a month ago, but I continue to water it's dead leaves in hope that I can revitalize it. No luck yet. I will probably give it another month.

Fame

2009-03-18T11:12:00.000-06:00

Heck yeah....

I offically rule.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=297033.0

A tribute in Haikus to my hair

2009-03-14T20:10:00.007-06:00

India Arie
Said it best when she proclaimed
"I am not my hair"

Two long years ago
On this day I shaved my head
And changed my outlook

Eyes stared, mouths whispered
No one seemed to understand
My purpose or cause

Being bald changed me
Lost identification
Fought stereotypes

Blended gender roles
Sympathized with other views
Absorbed my brothers

Became confident
Shattered others ideas of
What beauty can be

Learned to truly love
Learned looks can be deceiving
Gained inner beauty

I do not regret
For a second being bald
"I am not my hair"

India Arie's anthem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZd1KeZhjfU

PPSS...

2009-03-10T20:44:00.001-06:00

I forgot to mention...everything in my etsy store that is green is 25% off until the end of the St. Patricks day.

Hurray for Saint Patrick!!

Check out my store's announcements for all the juicy details.

Adventures in DC

2009-03-10T20:15:00.009-06:00

These last few days have been splendid and warm in DC. On Sunday the boy and I ventured out to explore some the monuments we had yet to see. Before we went to that area of town, we had to be obedient in following our Sunday ritual....Ben's Chili Bowl!

Delicious, delicious, delicious. Also historical and pivotal in black history in DC. This place has seen it all and is rich in culture. As well as delicious. They have fabulous vegan chili and the boy stuffs himself on a half smoke covered in Chili plus an order of chili cheese fries. Needless to say, his butt makes funny and stinky noises the rest of the day.

We finally remembered to bring the camera and took some pictures while we waited in the thirty person long line...

We rolled along to the Washington monument where it was extremely windy. Fun fact: no buildings in DC can be built above the height of the monument to intact the awe-inspiring nature of it.

(The boy claims that I could have just been standing against a wall and could be lying to you. FYI...I'm not. That is a real, full-bloodied Washington Monument behind me.)

We wandered through the WWII Memorial and Vietnam War Memorial (which my mom would like to point out was not a war but rather a conflict), and finally made our way to the treasure.

Mr. Abraham Lincoln.

Fun Fact: Mr. Lincoln apparently had a fetish for midgets. Seriously, I learned it in school. It was apparently quite the scandal in 1864.

I am really happy we got to see this memorial because it had been our 'must-see' list for a while. The area around the memorial was gorgeous and I bet it is just lovely when all the cherry blossoms bloom.

That was our Lazy Sunday, hopefully we have many more!

PS...this is proof I was near the Washington Monument. Notice giant statue in background.

PPS...I added some delicious items to my etsy store. Check it out.

Etsy Treasury

2009-03-05T21:09:00.002-07:00

Hello Hello...

Two posts in one day. Aren't you lucky?!?

Somehow tonight by the luck of Zeus, I got a coveted treasury spot on Etsy. Hip Hip Hurray!

Take a peek...

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=43877

Bandwagon

2009-03-05T11:16:00.004-07:00

I like to consider myself a somewhat hip person.

I got a facebook profile when it was just starting up, I have a blog (obviously) and I listen to a morally degrading radio show in the morning with a full range of crazy sound effects and pop songs (much to the demise of my NPR loving boy). But there is one trend that is escaping me. Twitter. I know that everyone is talking about it right now and hence.... the jumping on the bandwagon.

I admit...I have a twitter account, but after signing up I promptly forgot my username and password and haven't been back since. Maybe it's because my life has taken a sharp turn to becoming fairly boring after moving to DC, but I honestly don't really have anything that is really so fascinating that I feel like telling people about all the time. I have a hard enough time writing something interesting for this blog.

This would be my life on Twitter....

Nomsa @7:45am - Boy took over the bathroom. Threw away some used coffee grounds while waiting.
Nomsa @8:25am - Took a later bus than normal. Pretty packed. I like looking at handknit items on bus. Currently stalking a boy with a fabulous hat.
Nomsa @10:05am - Eating a homemade blueberry vegan bagel. Delicious.
Nomsa @1:15pm - Went downstairs and treated myself to BBQ potato chips. On the way out, danced with the security guard.
Nomsa @4:30pm - Went to the bank for work. On the way chatted with my mom. She is going to start a bakery. I want her to call it Cake Whore.
Nomsa @7:00pm - Really digging musical artist SIA. Listen to Buttons or Breathe Me.
Nomsa @7:15pm - Man on metro just talked to me for ten minutes about chickens and the different breeds of them he has on his farm. Random.
Nomsa @7:30pm - Having an existential crisis on the subway after reading a particularly captivating portion of Siddhartha.
Nomsa @8:45pm - Made an extremely crappy Quinoa curry. Not sure what happened. I think I hate cumin. Wasted lots of ingredients.
Nomsa @10:45pm - Boy reading Watchmen. Tinkering around with items for my Etsy store. Just uploaded some new products. Buy them!

If this is something that is captivating enough to produce an audience, I would consider figuring out my twitter password, but I have the feeling that it is not. I don't feel comfortable talking about my work (thankful to even have a job), I don't have a super-hero alias, nor do I participate in any death-defying activities. I am just a hard worker at a full-time job that spends every spare minute planning her wedding, crafting and giggling with the boy. A simple life, but I love it.

Till fascinating things begin to happen to me...I resonate with the wise words of Jon Stewart.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=219519&title=twitter-frenzy

PS...My Save-the-Dates came in the mail yesterday! Hurray!! I don't like the color of the cardstock I got to go with them, so after I get new cardstock and figure out how to make envelopes, those will be out the door. In other words, probably not for another two weeks.

PPS...I think that it is so funny that the acronym for Save-the-Dates is STD. tee hee.

Etsy shop update

2009-02-28T14:08:00.011-07:00

Hello All,

I added some new items to my shop today and I wanted to share them.

* First up, a felt bead headband. There is a freshwater pearl in the middle and it is attached to a black elastic headband.
* Next, I used some more felt beads to create bobby pins. Jazzing up my work outfits!

* I made some earrings with more felt balls.

* I also crocheted some small flowers that one can use them as make-up remover pads, exfoliating pads or mini washclothes. Lovely, reusable, eco-friendly.

I made quite a few other things, but I didn't have enough time to take proper pictures.

I hope you enjoy!

A word about public transportation...

2009-02-25T20:09:00.003-07:00

I don't know if I will ever be able to accurately describe my love of public transportation. There is just something about getting from point A to point B with other random people that I love. The noise, the people watching, the excitement....it stimulates all my senses. With that said, public transportation in DC is far different than any other public transportation system. This city is really blessed to have such a wonderful system that enables one to get almost any where in this city and surrounding areas.

I enjoy people watching and everyday my commute is the best eye candy one could ask for. Last week I had the pleasure of watching a little Asian man intently read his well-worn romance novel with Fabio barring his chest on the cover. Despite the commotion around him, this man did not break his focus from the gripping erotica. On the bus this morning, the older women sitting next to me decided that my down jacket + shoulder was a desirable resting spot for her weary head. Honestly, I didn't mind but it made for an awkward exchange when I had to wake her so I could get off at my stop.

When I used to take the bus in Colorado from Boulder to Denver for my internship twice a week, I had a 45-60 minute ride. Depending on the time of the day, the bus wasn't packed but there usually weren't too many extra seats. I am not sure what it is about me, but I have a very nonthreatening physical appearance. I was always the first one to have someone sit next to them on the bus which lead to many interesting encounters, which included trying to convince an old man that I was in fact NOT his granddaughter, despite his certainty. During this same internship I shaved my head for a fundraiser for cancer and instantaneously I became a threat in people's mind. I was always one of the last one's to have the seat next to me fill up and strangers stopped talking to me as much. Honestly....I don't blame them. I might have done the same thing.

But I digress....I love public transportation. I get a serious sense of accomplishment each time I navigate myself around this city and it is a host of inspiration to wonderful crafting/knitting projects.

Dollar Store Disappointments

2009-02-23T20:25:00.002-07:00

Honestly....I am one of the first ones to sing the praises of the dollar store. There will forever be a special place in my heart for the Dollar Tree (or whatever variation you have near you) and their bounty of glorious goodies. I think that the wonderful thing about dollar stores is that it is really hard to be disappointed. If something doesn't quite work out like you wanted or breaks easily, it's easy to be like...eh....it was only a dollar. Plus....they can be a crafters paradise. So many different supplies and trinkets.....I can get inspired while in there.

The most that I have ever spent at a dollar store was around 60-70 dollars, which is almost embarrassing/shameful. That is a hell of a lot of stuff. I spent that much when the boy and I went to the dollar store in Richmond, VA when we first moved there and didn't have ANYTHING. We had packed up a rental car and moved across the country in three days. We bought groceries, cooking gear and basic necessities like soap/toothbrushes there. It was pretty pitiful but that is all we could spend for a few weeks until our first paychecks from our new jobs.

Thankfully, we aren't that impoverished anymore, but still the dollar store continues to be a beacon of light for our modest paychecks. But sadly....I have been disappointed by the dollar store. I decided to be frugal and purchase quite a bit of our needed cleaning supplies from the dollar store a while ago, and each week when I clean I try to convince myself that everything is clean, looks good and is hopefully sanitary (fingers crossed).

Tonight though, I think I need to step out of the denial. The blue colored water that the dollar tree markets as 'toilet bowl cleaner' has actually stained my toilet bowl blue from whatever dye they put in it, and I highly doubt it sanitizes. The imitation Clorox wipes don't have any sort of absorbancy or gripping power, so I just wipe dirt and germs all around, but actually can't pick any of it up. And don't even get me started on my Windex imitation and paper towls. My mirrors were fuzzier than a teenage boys' upper lip.

There comes a point in everyone's life when their hero falls, and tonight.....I heard the crash. Sob.

P.S. Something cheap that actually does work....I use Dryel to dry clean my own clothes since dry cleaning is so darn expensive. The Target near me doesn't ever seem to carry the refill kits, but if you wet a dryer sheet and throw it in the Dryel bag, it works like a charm. Steams and freshens. Yippee!

Loop D' Loops

2009-02-17T08:13:00.004-07:00

I received a few questions about how to go about making one of these things, so I figured I might as well post a quick pattern. It is super duper easy though, cuz all you need to know is how to make a chain.

Gauge is not important with this. Just grab a lonely ball of yarn, an appropriate sized hook and start chaining.

Chain until your little fingers grow tired/you run out of yarn. After you have chained the entire ball, borrow a cute person's arms or use table legs if no cute person is around. Wrap the chain rope around the arms/legs until you get to the end of the rope. Create some sort of fashionable knot and hide the ends.

Wrap, twist and manipulate around your neck until you look cozy and hip like so.

Grease Lightning

2009-02-16T17:12:00.010-07:00

Happy Belated Valentine's Day to Everyone. I hope yours was filled with romance with a loved one or perhaps sadistic revenge. However you celebrate...

Mine was filled with baking and cleaning. The boy had been out of town for a few days for a work retreat, so I had to clean up the mounds of yarn and fabric that had made its way to covering our floor. I baked some delicious vegan treats. First up, heart-shaped vanilla sugar cookies with raspberry jam frosting. I added extra jam to the frosting so that way they would be pink for the holiday. I also made some peanut butter cups, but I don't have pictures of those. They were so incredibly delicious, and we ate those right away. The boy was good to me and had flowers delivered. The entire time that we have been dating, he has given me flowers twice. Both in the last month. He told me that he is going to wait a few years before giving me flowers again, just to keep me on my toes.

Our Valentine's was lovely and low-key which is how I like it. We watched part of the second season of Heros on Netflix, which could possibly be one of the greatest shows ever.

Now our Sunday took an interesting turn around 11am. Let me preface this story by describing where I live. I live in DC, in the city. The building that I live in is HUGE. Beyond massive. It has over 1,000 units in it, and most of them are breaking safety codes by the number of individuals that cram into these units. With living in this apartment building, there is just some things that can't be controlled due to the sheer number of people. 1) Bugs. I have a bug problem that I do my darnest to fight, but I can't kill them all especially when others breed them. 2) Water issues. This second problem is the topic of today's sad story.

At around 11am, I am fixing brunch for the boy and I. He is on the bed doing his Sunday ritual of coffee and Meet the Press. I am in the kitchen doing mine, fixing biscuits and gravy for the both of us. During our routines, the kitchen sink starts gurgling and talking to me. I comment to the boy that the sink is making funny noises. No answer from the boy. After another few minutes I announce that I think the neighbors are plunging their sink because ours is gurgling something fierce. The boy brushes me off, tells me he will look at it later. I continue to putter about the kitchen, when a minor explosion occurs and blackness comes spewing up out of my drain, all on my countertop/food. Many naughty words came out of my mouth after this occured. The boy and I then scrambled with all of our pots and pans scooping out black gunk from our sink and dumping the contents in our toilet. After we got the water level down, we went downstairs and bought Draino from the convinence store in our building. Within the five minutes we were gone, our sink filled back up with black gunk and was starting to overflow. Once again, we ran around scrambling with pots and pans draining our sink. The boy started plunging it to clear the drain and we poured draino in our sink, praying that the blackness would go away.

Fast forward 15 minutes....more gurgling, more explosions, more naughty words. We scrambled to call the front desk and told them send up someone to help. In the meantime, we continued to scoop black gunk from our sink. Finally our rescuers arrived, but we had a language barrier. Both the boy and I studied different romance languages in high school (me = french, him = german), and didn't have the common sense to study the all-practical spanish. After attempting to explain to our rescuers that plunging didn't work, they decided to start plunging. They had this crazy pressure plunger that had guages and knobs out the wazoo, but I don't think they were using it right. Because after five minutes of plunging....our pipes exploded. Black gunk (which we have determined to be built up grease) comes spewing out extremely fast at this point, filling my cabinets, spilling to our floor and spreading out through our apartment. Literally tens and tens of gallons of grease came out of my pipes.

At this point, I began to reconsider my marvelous idea of decorating our apartment in white towels and rugs.

After spending an hour observing the maintainence men snake/fix my pipes, they left. I then was left with a big mess. I grumbled to myself for hours as I cleaned, scrubbing my toilet for the second time in 24 hours, and mopping my floor again and again and again. I then had the pleasure of cleaning ALL my dishes by hand. But at least I looked fabulous while doing so, wearing my fashionable leopard print rubber gloves, courtesy of my mom :)

After all was said and we done, we did get to go out and enjoy some daylight. I made some scarfs this past week and wanted to show them off/get some pictures of them for my etsy shop.

Things I currently dig...

2009-02-11T17:15:00.003-07:00

**Beware...shameless product endorsement ahead**

1) Bleach.

After living in a dorm for four years and learning that shoving all your socks, towels, jeans, cashmere and silk into one load would save you enough money a week to buy a pint of ice cream....my clothes took a dingy turn for the worse. Upon graduating and discovering that all my white clothes were various shades of blue...I realized the awesomeness of sorting ones darks from the whites. And that's not all...using bleach on these whites.
Growing up my mother did a bleach load of clothes each week for our socks, etc...but I never had the importance of bleach built into my fiber. That has all changed. On a whim, I bought a gallon of classic Clorox Bleach at Target for $1.54. I had big plans in mind for crafting, but decided to use it one evening to wash our white towels.

Oh my gosh......... I will never look back. It is incredible!!!

I keep finding new things to bleach and marvel at their whiteness in the laundry room. I mumble to myself about how they smell like a pool as I stuff them into my Ikea laundry bag. I keep creating conversations with people just so I can discuss how awesome bleach is.

I give myself one year until I am spinning and dancing with a crisp white tuxedo shirt.

2) Sabra Roasted Garlic Hummus.

Last Sunday I happily clipped a coupon for this hummus from my newspaper. $1.50 off!! The economy must be bad when they are practically giving hummus away. I went grocery shopping and threw the roasted garlic hummus in cart, while congratulating myself on being an excellent bargain shopper.
Then comes Monday. I packed the hummus in my lunch with some baby carrots and was very excited for my afternoon snack. The Sabra company places a enormous pile of garlic in the middle of the hummus, so I stir away.

Okay...seriously....this was the most delicious hummus of my life.

I wrote a letter to the Sabra company thanking them for making me so happy and that I was a customer for life. If you have never experienced their hummus, I suggest you do so now. It might just make your life a little better.

P.S. They have a new cranberry/fig hummus that I am dying to try.

3) Hulu.

My boy and I have this little 13" tv that on a good day gets three channels. When it is overcast, two. Once the world goes digital next week, we are going to be cast into a world of static. I recently discovered Hulu from my cousin's blog and now I have no fear of being completely unhip about the pop culture world. I knit...I watch TV...I discover shows I didn't even know I loved. This brings to my last love....

4) The Biggest Loser.

I laugh. I cry. I become inspiried. All from the comfort of my apartment while eating oreos covered in peanut butter. I don't think that there is any feeling that will compare to feeling like a giant hypocrite due to a reality tv show. Each week I spend two hours watching a shameless plug for 24-hour fitness, Yoplait and Cheerios while eating nachos. It's divine.

Oh yeah....My etsy shop is on the up-and-up. I hope to get a decent amount of products in there over the weekend. But feel free to check it out and provide me with some feedback. The next great Martha Stewart empire must start somewhere.

Botox

2009-02-05T16:06:00.005-07:00

So its all the rage....I improved/redid the look of my blog. I think it looks fabulous. I got a tip from the Vegancraftastic blog about a seller on Etsy who designs banners and logos for blogs and Etsy on the cheap. I couldn't pass it up. I picked out my one-of-a-kind design and had it patiently waiting for me in my inbox in less than 24 hours. Beautiful.

I don't know about you but I am one of those people who has to purchase items to feel more productive. Hence why I love grocery shopping so much. Nothing gives me more of a sense of accomplishment than picking out a delicious head of kale. With that being said, perhaps my newly designed blog will actually make me want to be more productive and a better blogger. Perhaps....

On a completely different note, I feel in lust yesterday with a few things for my wedding. I probably won't be able to buy these details because I am working with such a small budget, but sigh ....aren't these things sexy?

This are biodegradable/disposable bamboo plates. These are made by a company called Bambu who practices fair trade policies and have designed/created these awesome plates. They are made from 100% organically-grown bamboo, peeled directly from the stalk and compose within 4-6 months. Also you can get a case of 100 11" plates for $128.00. Love them!

When I emailed my mom an image of these, she thought that they were horrible. But then again she has an irrational fear of birds. These are mini bird nests that are filled with Jordon almonds. I love that these can be used as wedding favors/placecards. You can buy a 12-pack of nests for 9.00 and add the price of Robin Egg Blue Jordan almonds and I think you can do wedding favors/placecards for less than $1.00 a piece. I am really hoping to fit these in my budget.

Little girl fancies

2009-02-02T19:36:00.005-07:00

I think at some point as a small girl, many of us dreamed of getting married. For the longest time of my childhood, it revolved around the wedding scene from 'Little Mermaid.' I would have my whole mer-family there, my favorite crab and seagull and of course....a huge rainbow. But as one gets older, realities set in, budgets get finalized....and you begin to realize...rainbows are freakin' expensive. And you never realized how big your entire mer-family was until you tried to feed all of them. And you can't even decide if you are going to have kids attending, let alone crabs or seagulls.

To me...weddings are a party and should be celebrated as such. I am throwing out much of the traditions that come with regular weddings and celebrating in a manner that will be extremely meaningful to my future husband and I for years to come. I also care about my guests, their needs and that they witness a true expression of love and devotion. I am going to try to do all of this without pulling out my hair.

That being said, today started the first true day of wedding planning. I have been engaged since August, and have yet to set a date or location. Hopefully by the end of the week, I will be able to finalize on a location and start planning for the wedding I never dreamed of as a kid.

Baking Frenzy

2009-01-31T11:06:00.004-07:00

I have to say...I love weekends. Even more so now that I am not a student. I did my grocery shopping last night (i didn'tget much though because I only had a $40 budget this week) so in theory, I don't have to leave the apartment at all today. I also have complete solitude because my boy is working.

I decided to celebrate the day by baking my little heart out. It's one pm and so far today I have made one dozen vegan bagels, tofu scramble for two, and six dozen non-vegan cookies (for the boys work). I am planning on making approximately 4 dozen burritos today (breakfast & lunch for the boy and I throughout the week), and a few dozen vegan cookies. Delicious. I am super proud about my bagels. They are cinnamon with green/purple raisins and craisins. I also added some cinnamon and sugar to the top for an added crunch. I got the recipe from this fantastic website called Vegweb.com. They have thousands of fabulous vegan recipes. I absolutely adore the happy vegan chocolate cookies and the kale chips. I made this tofu scramble for breakfast this morning with some toast and Earth balance. Mmmmm....

My boy bought me a new sewing machine for my birthday in December, and I have yet to use it today. That all changes today. This afternoon is filled with hours and hours of sewing goodness. I have a pair of flared jeans that are just screaming....'We want to become skinny jeans. Please!' I can't deny them this privilege. I am not too sure how skinny jeans will look on me....but lets give it a shot.

Oh and this is something completely random....I think my right armpit is sweating more so than my left one. It's very unbecoming at the gym to have sweat all on my right side...but not my left. I don't like sweating very much in the first place, but if I do sweat, I expect it to be even at least. I feel like it is the least that my body can do for me since i am trying to be healthy.

A year has come and gone....

2009-01-27T15:03:00.004-07:00

Oh my goodness.... I can't believe a full year has passed since I last wrote in my blog. So much for this commitment. I have decided though to post fairly regularly though since I now have internet connection and have decided that I want to be a famous crafter. Like Martha, but only a lot hotter. So, I guess I have a lot of updates to do (not that I have any readers, but more out of formality).

1) I graduated from University. Hurray for two degrees, a failing economy, and student loans out the wazoo.
2) I moved from Boulder, CO to Richmond, VA to Washington, DC.
3) I started dating a cool guy named John, got engaged to him, and we are celebrating our one year anniversary today. We are going to get married sometime in September of 2009. Hip Hip Hurray! Expect lots of wedding details here.

I think those are the biggest updates. I still love to knit. Still hoping to design some fabulous items. Still trying to get down to my fighting weight for my wedding.

PS...Oh and seriously...I love Jared Flood and all of his delicious knitting goodness. I drooled all over my keypad today staring at his beautiful knits. I just don't know how he does it. Sigh...

Fetching...

2008-01-20T23:42:00.000-07:00

So I finally joined everyone in the knitting community by knitting 'fetching.' They are a gift for one my best friends, Naomi. I knit them with RYC Cashsoft DK. I think the 'DK' is what caused my problem. I think they are a little too tight. They are still wearable, but they look like they are hanging on for dear life. They are stretched pretty thin. See --->
I am also kinda unsure about the yarn. Super soft...but it is already pilling which makes these things look so scruffy.

Also this week I knit a basic scarf for one of my guy friends birthday. I just used Lion Brand Wool-ease Thick and Quick. I attempted to make it not roll by having an inch of garter stitch on each side, but that didn't work at all. Still rolled like nobody's business. He loves it though and that is what really matters. Plus it is machine washable which is a must for this guy.

Tomorrow morning I am starting 'Foliage.' This is the hat that when I saw it published a few months ago, I fell in love instantly with it. It is what made me what to take knitting seriously. I had no idea that you could do those sorts of designs and patterns with two needles. I still haven't made it though. I had to get my Christmas knitting out the way. I still have one more Christmas/Birthday thing I have to do right now.....but I want to make foliage!! So I will. I am using Malabrigo for the first time and I am tickled pink by it. It is sooo beautiful. I think I am finally becoming a true yarn snob. Lovely!! Sigh...its called Verde esperanza. I really am in love.

Also I have decided to join the entire knitting community once more and make "Clapotis" for my mother for her birthday in April. I still haven't found a good yarn in my stash for it, but I haven't given up the hunt.

Man.....school is really getting in the way with my knitting desires.

PS This yarn website rocks.

Sabatical

2008-01-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness...I can't believe almost a month passed between posts. Ish!

This holiday season was crazy. I didn't get all of my Christmas knitting done, but I did come very close. I still have to make my stepdad's golf club covers, but his birthday is the 31st of this month, so I will give them to him by his birthday.

This weekend I made Saartje's Booties like everyone and their mom. I used some cute bee buttons that I found at Joann's. My biggest flaw as a knitter right now is my seaming. I honestly suck at it. Hard core. I can knit something that looks great and as soon as I have to seam it up, I mess it all up. That is something I have to work on.

Over winter break, I started on the 'So-Called Scarf' pattern. My local LYS (A Knitted Peace) was having a hard-core yarn sale after Christmas, so i picked up some Elizabeth Lavold 100% Alpaca yarn. My scarf keeps rolling and the ends look iffy.....hopefully blocking will work some sort of miracle.

I also picked up some RYC Cashsoft DK weight. I made the infamous calorimetry with it. Love it. I think it probably looks better on someone with longer hair, but I am going to rock that many a times this semester.

School offically starts today. Thankfully it is my last semester and I also only have classes on Tuesday and Thursday. How lovely!! I am going to start hopefully earning just a little bit of extra income through my etsy shop. I am going to start off with slowly selling earrings. Take a look!

I hope everyone has a happy monday!

Knitting while driving....

2007-12-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again when the stress of the season makes us do silly things. All we can focus on are our Christmas knitting guidelines. That is what lead me to attempt to knit while driving. I was thinking one day about all the time I spend doing other things, when I could be knitting. Driving takes up a lot of my time. Therefore, if I knit while I drive, I could save a ton of time.

Thankfully, no car accidents occurred and I only did it while completely stopped at traffic lights. I hardly got any knitting done. And the alpaca yarn was so slippery, I lost a row because of it sliding off my needles. So all in all....don't try knitting while driving. As much as you reason it to be a good idea, it's not.

I finished up my other cousin's Ipod holder and I did a super cool Mosaic design, but I was in such a frenzy to mail it that I forgot to take a picture of it. I still have the pattern, so I might design another one eventually.

I have my last final tomorrow. WooHoo!!! Then I can finally finish up all this knitting.

Death to Finals

2007-12-14T23:46:00.002-07:00

So throughout this hellish week of finals, I decided to unleash some creative energy by creating my first pattern. I apologize if there are any mistakes or if it is not written properly. I dig this Ipod holder though. It is for my cousin Ben for Christmas. I present....Death to Finals Ipod Holder.
Size 3 Needles
Worsted Weight Yarn (Main Color and Contrasting Color)
* I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Black (Main Color) and Cream (Contrasting Color)
* I am not sure about yardage. I don't think I used even 75 yards of each. But have 100 just to be safe.

With the MC, Cast on 24 stitches
Work 10 rows in K2, P2 rib
Work 1 row Knit, 1 row purl
**Start Pattern**
The shaded areas are the contrasting color (cream) with the empty squares being the main color (black).

Work these 24 rows of the pattern in stockinette stitch (aka alternating knit and purl rows).

After the pattern is complete ten rows of stockinette stitch in MC, ending with a purl row.

Repeat pattern again backwards, staring at Row 24 and working up.

Work 2 rows in Stockinette stitch with MC

Work 10 rows in K2, P2 rib with MC

Loosely Bind Off

I blocked mine before stitching it up by wetting a washcloth and ironing over it.

Stitch up sides using mattress stitch. Weave in ends.

Sew button in middle of rib stitch on one side. Braid yarn for two inches for the closure. Sew to opposite side.

Rock out.

Big Happenings

2007-12-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

I have some big news. I finally figured out how to take decent close-ups on my camera! I never knew how to do it, and when I zoomed in....life became a bit fuzzy. But now i know i just have to press the flower button. I'm not sure what it does or what it means....but the flower button works.

I finished the sari silk scarf for my grandma. I think she will dig it. I also got into jewelry making yesterday and busted out half a dozen pairs of earrings. I made some wooden ones for her. I think she will enjoy those with her scarf. Here a few of my other earrings I made. Freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals. I think they are b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. Good first attempt at jewelry.

Started my Aunt's scarf. Simple drop stitch but done in Patons Rumor (Alpaca/Nylon blend). I dig it. I think she will too.

Oh and sad news about my good Samaritan. His car was gone in the morning. I had to recycle my thank you/go out on a date with me note. Apparently he isn't my soulmate. Too bad.

To My Large and Faithful Audience

2007-12-10T00:37:00.000-07:00

I know that everyone has been waiting all weekend to hear about an update on my life. Well...the hour has come.....

I just burned popcorn. Seriously. In my microwave. Actually....I ignited popcorn is probably the correct terminology. I am inept.

I had a good Samaritan help me today. There has been some crazy snow the last few days in Boulder and I had to run some errands today. Since I had my car out, I figured that I would just drive it to the library to save me some time. I came out of the library around 10:30 and couldn't get my car out of the stupid parking spot. The ice was too extreme. I skidded and burned rubber for about ten minutes, poured antifreeze on the ice near my tires (sorry environment!), and called my parents. Then a handsome young man came up and started pushing my car for me. As he is pushing my car, my stepdad is on the phone yelling that I need to ask him out. Weird to be peer pressured from your parent. Anywho, I totally wussed out....which I regret. He was pretty cute. So I am hoping that his car will still be in that parking lot in the morning. I wrote him a thank you note with my number in it. I gave him the option of dinner (meaning - has no girlfriend) or a knitted hat (meaning - has girlfriend). We shall see.

Not that my popcorn and damsel in ditress updates weren't thrilling....but lets get back to knitting. I have almost finished my grandmas scarf. I am making it out of the recycled sari silk. The person I bought it from said that it was picked up off of factory floors in India and then spun into this yarn. I believe it. I can't tell you how many sticks, dirt clumps and what not I have picked out of this darn yarn. It does go far though. One skien gave me about 5 feet on a scarf (drop stitch). I am hoping to finish it tonight/tomorrow (pulling an all-nighter). Stupid school.

I have to have all of my out-of-state christmas presents done so I can mail them out hopefully by Thursday. Latest is Friday. For those boxes I still need to make.....

~ Finish Silk Scarf for Grandma
~ Drop Stitch Hat and Scarf for Aunt Kerry
~ Embroider Towels for Aunt Kerry
~ Ipod Holder for both Steven and Ben
~ Earrings for Aunt Kerry

With all the schoolwork I have this week....I don't think I can do both the scarf and hat for my Aunt Kerry.

Oh yeah....I also got some yarn this week. I had ordered from Knit Picks a while ago and it finally came yesterday. I don't really have any projects in mind for this yarn.....just got it to see some of the different types that they had and to see if it was cheap. I also bought some natural yarn so I can try my hand at dying it. I think that will be a winter break activity. I am pretty stoked for that though. I have no clue how that will turn out....hopefully not like my popcorn.

On a roll....another FO!

2007-12-07T00:43:00.000-07:00

I have completed another Christmas gift!!

I will wait for your applause to finish.

Thank you, thank you.....my studies have suffered, but I managed to finish up the seaming for the argyle Ipod holder I was working on for my cousin. I think he will love it. I have to make two more for my other cousins. One is going to have a skull and crossbones design on it and I haven't figured out how to decorate the other.

Other than that, I didn't do much in the world of knitting.

I did make some mice though. The bodies are chocolate covered cherries, the heads are hershey's kisses and the ears are sliced almonds. I am making a couple hundred of them for small gifts to friends and for a baking contest this Sunday. I will also be forming a giant cake to look like cheese. If it comes out at all like I have envisioned, it should be adorable!

Cable Hat FO!!

2007-12-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

Huzzah!!!

I finished one of my hats! It's a cable hat for one of my good friends. I made it using Patons SWS in the colorway of Natural Geranium. It turned out pretty good. I had to fudge the pattern due to a difference in gauge, so if it was for me, I would have liked it a bit tighter, but the recipient has uber curly hair, so this should be perfect.

Random thought.....I don't know what it is about me, but I can't properly pop popcorn. I always manage to burn it, and have set it on fire on multiple occasions. I blame my frugality because something inside of me feels like I am wasting money if I don't eat every kernel.

I actually really don't enjoy popcorn. But when I get that craving twice a year, it never turns out well.

Isn't knitting supposed to be stress relieving?!?

2007-12-04T23:04:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. When absolute panic sets into the hearts and souls of crafters. When the joy of making handmade items is diminished because of deadlines. Also....being a college student with finals starting in a few days doesn't help either.

Right now....I currently have 8 WIP's.....wow.....

Afghan for my mother - 50% completed
70's golf club covers for my stepdad - 15% completed
Cable Hat for my stepmom - 75% completed
Sari Silk bag for my grandma - 5% completed
Candle Votives for my mom- 50% completed
Felted Jewelry for my mom- 50% completed
Argyle Ipod Holder for my cousin - 95% completed
Tea Towels for my mom - 40% completed

Yikes....and I still have about 30-40 other things to craft.

Tick....Tick....Tick....

gosh....I am starting to sound like Scrooge. I swear I really enjoy Christmas....I am only temporarily cranky because it is 11:30 and my bedtime is nowhere in sight because of a silly paper.