and so it has been a month

since my last post...  don't say i didn't warn you.

lots of bullshit has been going on with my job, including, but not limited to, the bistro closing for two weeks without notice, and severe cuts to my hours, so job-hunting is taking up a bunch of my time.

i've also been working on music a bunch...  with nothing to show for it...  but anyway.  my mom got me this:

for chrismukkah, and my dad got me these:

so of course planning new things to make has been driving me insane.  having no money (STILL, WTF) does not help much, but i have a gift certificate to jimmybeanswool, so maybe if i stop drooling over sweaters i'd like to knit and pick some smaller projects, i could at least have something to work on.  trying to pick the first sewing pattern to break in my new machine seems impossible as well, so far it's between four or five patterns...

a vintage vogue dress,

this simplicity x project runway dress,

a simplicity skirt pattern i've had for probably 5 years,

and a few patterns from twinkle sews, which would be too annoying to try to find images of and i am too lazy for scanning right now.  but i can't afford fabric right now anyway, so i mean, i have time to think about it.  but OMG skynet-free hello kitty sewing machine guise. 
♡o｡.(✿ฺ｡ ✿ฺ)

but the access to seemingly endless knitting patterns on the internet is making it hard to decide what to make first (on my new turbo clicks aaahhhh ♡＾▽＾♡) but the spending limit of the gift certificate will help with that.  hopefully.

also i don't have a digital camera anymore (did i already mention that?  probably...) so you may have to suffer through phone camera pix soon (i actually think my phone camera might be better than my parents' old digital camera, megapixels-wise).  but also i might be moving soon-ish, so yeah.

until next time...

OH HEY I'M BLOGGING

sup y'all.  so yeah i warned you that i'm the worst blogger ever.
BUT my excuse is my ridiculous new job, which means $$$MONEY$$$ (yay!!!!!) but way less free time (booooo), and getting way underpaid and being tired a lot.

anyway, i'm super excited about the toulouse pullover from the winter issue of knitscene:

 it's basically perfect.  and i found out (using mad calculator skillz) that for a mere $10 extra, i can use aslan trends royal alpaca (yummmmm) instead of the classic elite mountaintop vista.  i can't waiiiiit to get started.

also i actually feel like making gifts for people this year...  bradley is of course getting his obnoxious lime green socks...  and then basically everyone else is getting bunny slippers (tiny owl knits's hopsalots).  trying to pick colors for everyone is so hard!  and i don't want everyone to end up with something they hate...  this is why i'm a selfish knitter!  ugh.  at least the pattern's easy.

the teen bitch denim jacket is coming along nicely...  i've already dyed it once, but the black dye just made it a darker navy/purply blue (i used rit dye).  so i'm probably going to dye it again, maybe using a higher-quality dye?  if anyone actually reads this thing, i'd love some suggestions!  anyway, the patch design is going well, i'm just not sure how else i'd want to embellish the jacket.  i made a pin already, i'm not sure if i want to put some spikes or studs on the shoulders, or spray some bleach onto black lace and sew that on, or sequins, or what.  oh, and we're slowly starting to work on music and whatnot.

bleh bleh bleh i have to go to work soon.  hopefully i can remember to post stuff more regularly.  i guess when i actually have stuff to write about?

d.i.y.-er's block?

i'm in a bit of a rut when it comes to knitting, sewing, etc. right now.  i guess partially because i can't afford the fabric/yarn/supplies i need to make the things i want?  i have tons of patterns, sewing books, and i even scored some sewing/pattern books while i was in japan.  i was also trying to get rid of a bunch of my yarn so i could get new yarn that i would actually use, but that is proving to be extremely difficult.

i'm just not feeling the doctor who sweater right now, it's being too much of a pain in the ass.  and i was thinking of using my blue velvet big wool to make a twinkle cardigan, but i'm having trouble deciding which one to make, and if i'd be able to fit a very dark blue cardigan into my almost entirely black wardrobe.  right now it's between the best friend cardigan (left) and the vineyard potter's cardigan (right), but i'm concerned about bulky knits and, y'know, actually having breasts.

there are so many things i want to sew as well!  i have plenty of vogue, simplicity, etc. patterns but i really wanted to show off some scans from those japanese pattern books.

this one is from "hooray!  dresses and tunics," which has tons of cute patterns but i ended up only feeling like scanning this one:

so cute!  and pockets!  pockets are always important.  there's also a really great wrap coat/jacket pattern in this book, but it's hard to really see the construction of it in the photo.

these are from a magazine called FEMALE, i have the summer issue of course, since i was there in may, but i can't wait to order the fall issue.  this magazine is a bit more "trendy" i suppose, but you could make practically an entire wardrobe from just one issue, and i think it was something like 840 yen.

 (this said "sherbet color" but my scanner cut it off!)

there are way too many great designs to scan them all, but it was definitely a great find.  a lot of japanese sewing books have that sort of "art teacher" vibe, if you know what i mean, and it was really cool to find a sewing book geared towards girls around my age.

and these last few are from "yoshiko tsukiori's easy cute straight stitch sewing," and it looks like it'd be a lot of fun to make some of these, just for the instant gratification factor.  almost every pattern in the book is based upon simple square shapes.

my scanner decided to change what it was doing to the images for those last two.  anyway, how adorable is that model???  and the construction of the second garment is just so interesting.  also, i'm a huge sucker for those harem pants that haven't seemed to go out of style yet in some asian countries.

i've been making sketches too, i just have so many ideas and no cash.  i mean absolutely no cash, not even enough to go fabric-hunting at thrift stores.  i have a job interview on tuesday, though, so hopefully my cash situation changes and i can make stuff!

oh gaaaaahwd y'all

by y'all i mean the nobody i'm typing this to

so basically fffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuu because i have to go get my brain scanned and have machines strapped to my head and junk.

also i need $$$ c.r.e.a.m. get the money dolla dolla bill y'all $$$

to buy things like fabric and yarn and amazing jewelry and tattoos...  and to pay for doctors ew boring

yeah, so the only thing that's left to do with my mega-destash is to take photos of the yarn and put it up for sale/trade.  i have a specific yarn wishlist so...  yeah....

but um, i have:

• a huge amount of rowan big wool in a variety of colors
• a bunch of rowan felted tweed in various colors
• blue sky alpacas organic cotton in a really great shade of green (i think the colorway is pickle)
• and uh...  i can't remember, but that might be it?  but seriously, you would not believe how much rowan big wool i have.  i might be willing to part with some other things, like i have a ton of dark purple malabrigo worsted...  but yeah...  also i need a job.

anyway, my brain's screwed up, i need money, i've got some yarn i'll be selling (or trading), needin' a job, gotta save a lot of money, etc.

'cause i'm probably moving in november/decemberish...  yes!

ok yeah pictures will be taken tomorrow.  so look out.