63.

My trip to LA photos are finally edited and posted up in my flickr. Right after I got back my answer to all the "how was it?" questions was something along the lines of - I love my friends, shopping is awesome but I will never, ever live there again. This is still true but I would like to say - I had fun. It was awesome. My friends in L.A are great. Many thanks to those of you who saved me from my early rising mornings and took me on adventures. Being at the mercy of others with no car is a bit of a pain in the ass but, I sorted it out.

I also bought a million things for my shop that I have been slowly adding day by day. Also - I am going to be making jewlery!! Yay!

A couple photos of course : 1. Dance party at The Bar on Bronson. 2. My best friend Katie has never loved anything more than she loves this cat (well maybe she has but, she really loves her cat Prince). 3. Obligatory "I'm on the beach with palm tree's" shot of myself. 4. The littlest jellybean entertaining herself in the sand in Venice.




I have a couple FO's as well! Just full of photos today -

Lady Arms:
Yarn : 2 balls Frog Tree Merino Worsted in black
Needles : US 5 dpns
Pattern : Improvised - I actually kept track of how I made this pattern - I think I may get some better photos and write it out - post it up on the ole' Rav.

Next up is Missoni Inspired Cowl :
Yarn: 3 balls RY Classic yarns - Bamboo Soft in taupe
Needles : US 6 cic 36" needle

It was a nightmare to knit with such small needles. Same thing, over and over and over and over... I was glad to be finished. I was hoping it would be a little wider but, it's good enough. I like it. I still need to weave in the ends.

I am trying to use the yarn in my stash before I go buying new yarn so I have no sweaters/tops in my near future but, can someone reccomend me something cool to make with 215-240 yds of cotton yarn?? I am stumped.

x.
-erin.

My best friend started her own etsy shop!! Hand made awesome jewlery!!

62.

So, I have yet to upload my real camera's pictures. Not that I've taken a million of them anyway but - I have a few gem's. So for now I will post camera phone and photobooth pictures until I get that done. Meet my friend Mel. I love her very very much and I am sad that we don't get to see eachother more often. I'm soon going to start a petition to get her to come visit me in New York. She hasn't been since I've lived there and I think thats a bit ridiculous. She does the make-up like me and is classified as one of my "besties".

Moving on, I've become an aunt. This is Zues the baby italian greyhound. He is currently sitting in my lap curled up like a little leggy i'mhyperallthetimebutirhgtnowi'mgoingtobeadorable puppy face. I want to bring him home to be Frank's brother but, I don't think my best friend would like that very much. He is the cute, I am in like. He is 4 months old and like's to pee under the kitchen table which get's him in trouble so I hope he learns very soon that, that is not a good idea. (Please excuse the "I just woke up" face)


I am excited to go home for sure. This trip has established for me that I love New York SO much. It's way more my speed. Driving everywhere, having so much free time - not really my thing anymore. I have changed since I've moved to New York for what I think is the MUCH better. Different life phases I suppose.

I got a little bit of knitting done yesterday, I think I'll be finished my arm warmers by the time I get back to new york. I have 5.5 hours on a plane to get it all done tomorrow.

I almost bought a taxidermied chipmunk yesterday but, due to the economy - the price has gone way up from what I remember so I didn't buy it. I did buy some byson teeth though which I plan to make earrings with when I get home and put up in my shop!

Well, I'm off to spend my last day in the sun.
Good morning :)

Hope the day is wonderful for everyone.
x
-granern.

61.

Well, I'm here in Los Angeles for the first time since I moved 2.5 years ago. I have to admit its a little strange being back and being somewhat familiar with where I am but not being familiar at the same time. I'm staying with my best friend in her new house being leader of the animal kingdom. There are 2 italian greyhounds here - Apollo Pete who is the neverending-iwanttocuddleforever-dog and Zues who is 4 months old and a complete maniac. Prince the hairless cat is roaming around here somewhere too.

I am about to run out the door so I"m pictureless but, I'll get some uploaded soon.

Its funny how you think that you're going to knit endlessly when you're on vacation and yet I haven't touched my knitting bag since I got off the plane. I did get the chance to finish an armwarmer on the plane though! One more to go!

Also, missoni inspired cowl is coming along but goddamn is it ever boring knitting the same thing over and over and over and over... and over.

Yay for nice weather.

I still love New York way more than Los Angeles.

But, shopping in L.A win's times 1000 over New York - goodies for the etsy coming up soon!!

x
-erin.

60.

I should be doing laundry right now but, I got caught up in editing old phtoos that I've uploaded and not touched in 2 months. I'm a little behind on the times. I worked at my old bar last night and it reminded me why I'm not a bartender anymore. Last call being at 4am is really mean to bartenders in New York on friday and saturday nights. Its totally inevitable that you won't be able to get out of the bar until at leaaaast 5am because how the hell does one girl get 25 drunk people out of a bar when they still have full drinks (because of course I serve right up till 4am - gotta make that money)? I ended up sitting at the end of the bar at 445am last night pouting at my barback hoping he will just kick them all out for me. Needless to say, it worked. I woke up at 1pm today - record time for me as of late considering I've been waking up at 8am everyday.

I have knit 2 things (and I'm on my 3rd) since I finished my cardigan which reminds me that I haven't updated in a while. I have no good reason for not updating but, you know. It happens. Heres a few photos of my FO's :

meret beret (ravelry)
yarn: Lion Brand LB Collection 100% Cashmere
needles : size US 7 16" circulars
size : LG with 1 extra repeat
notes : I should have done one more pattern repeat but, I was scared already that I wasn't going to have enough yarn to finish the hat because the pattern called for 200 something yds. I ended up with a bunch of extra yarn (but of course, not enough to knit something else of decent size) and my had is a TAD smaller than I'd like it to be. Before blocking I was terrified that I hated it. I put it on my head and the shrunken little thing just looked like a weirdly shaped beanie so, I did the dinner plate trick and drenched that bastard hat! Now - Its pretty :)

Frank's end of winter sweater - improvised pattern.
yarn : something half acrylic from italy that my roomate bought me for my birthday
needles : US 8's DPNs
notes : I could have made this a little bit bigger but I was scared he was going to get pee all over it so I decided to stop a little short on the underbelly. I also decreased a few stitches too many around the sides so when he runs around in the sweater it kind of ends up looking a little bit like a cape. But, he seems to like it - I like it so we're all happy.


I should be doing laundry right now but, its one of my most hated chores (notice how I keep mentioning the laundry - that's me telling myself to get off my lazy ass). I would rather clean 10 toilets than do laundry. I almost feel the same way about the dishes but, I think I'd rather do the dishes than do laundry. I have no idea why laundry plagues me so much but - I hate it, and I think hate is a strong word.

On tuesday, my co-worker and I decided that we were going to dress up for work for our own entertainment reasons. This proved to be quite successful and entertained the customers at the same time! I'm not sure about a few of them - I think they thought I actually liked to wear red lip liner with light pink lipstick and cut off shorts in the middle of winter. Viva white trash tuesday!


Okay, I guess I'll go do laundry.

x
grenern.

p.s - I added a few buttons to my scarfy - cardi and it's so damn sexy. I will have to post some pictures of me wearing it out in the world.
p.s.s - I go to LA in 5 days!
p.s.s.s - This is my inspiration for what I'm currently knitting (stollen from restless grace's blog)

59. FO Scarfy- Cardi

Great news!! I FINALLY finished my Scarfy-Cardi. Had I actually marked down how I made it and wrote a pattern for it I don't think i would have called it Scarfy-Cardi but because I'm not sure I'll ever be able to make another one - I am going to call it that for now because it is in fact : A Scarfy- Cardigan.

I used the Peruvian Tweed Superfine Alpaca I color way 127 (off white) - Knit the cardigan in a basic raglan increase in stockinette, I then knit the scarf seperately in heel stitch and sewed it onto the neckline. It took just BARELY under 2 skeins (aprox 1200 yards).

I then decided that I wanted it to have 2 front panels in a different stitch so I picked up stitches along the front open seam and knit for about 5" in seed stitch and VOILA! I was finished. Everything was done on size US 8 circulars.

I am going to be sewing on snap buttons so I will have somewhere to pin the ends of the scarf when I'm not wrapping it around my neck. The shape they're going to make is beautiful (and I'll post more pictures of it - I just got excited to have an FO!)



All I'm doing is working these days, its killing me. Luckily I managed to get friday and saturday off. This will be my first 2 days off in a row in 3 weeks. I am SO excited.

x.
-granny.

58.

Well, another day of working ahead of me and another day of waking up incredibly early because of an alarm on a cell phone that isn't mine... *ahem*. Next time said alarm on said cell phone wakes me up to the point where I have to wake up its owner to turn the stupid thing off, I'm going to throw it out the window. Not even kidding. Bye Bye iPhone.

Anyway, I got some new stuff that I'm going to be posting up on etsy in the next day or two. I found some killer stuff at a somewhat secret thrift store right by my house... A sneak peak?

I was almost tempted to keep that purse for myself but, I figure don't get too attached to things otherwise I'm never going to be able to part with anything. There are other purse fish in the sea. This skirt I'm pretty amped on. Its a Liz Claiborne with the tag's and all! Its even got the extra buttons in a little baggie on the skirt! I already have it posted up here.

I've been doing a lot of freelance work lately, which is why I think I'm so tired. I've been working as much as I normally do at my coffee shop job but I've been doing way more freelance work so I've barely had any time off. It pays off in the end though. Yesterday's call time was 630am so, I was up at 5. Awful time of day to be awake unless you've been up since the night before.

It was my first runway show yesterday and I didn't do makeup but, I did hair and it was AWESOME.

Nanette Lapore :




My roomate and I got excited about the knit hat's and arm warmers that were in the collection.

Anyway, thought I don't have pictures of it yet, my Scarfy-Cardi is coming along sooooo beautifully! I sewed on the scarf yesterday and now I'm working the front panels. I can't believe how well its turned out and now I'm kicking myself for not keeping track of what I did to write a pattern for it.

FO to come soon.

x
-granny.

57.

Things on etsy have been selling pretty good, I'm rather excited about it. What I am not excited about is, I bought a dress for my birthday that cost a pretty penny... In my shopping I found another dress in a similar color and almost identical style to said expensive dress for 98% less than I bought the birthday dress for. arg.

I am on a cleaning frenzie before I have to work tonight but, I figured why not throw up some pictures of Frank doing things he's not supposed to be doing like eating my yarn :


But, then again he does things like this (he needs his face hair trimmed as he cannot see me as well as I can see him) :

And, finally... Progress on le scarf. Almost there ! :

Long work week ahead of me. I'm tired already!

x
-erin

56.

Today so far has been a pretty good day off. I woke up relatively early and cleaned my room. I took frank to the dog park where he proceeded to get really dirty and decided it would be a good idea to get mud all over me and my white shoes. I walked, I coffeed, I talked, I (window) shopped. Not so bad.

Upon arriving home, Frank couldn't go without a bath so, that happened which is always relatively easy but, the whole cutting of the hair thing after the bath was not a fun one. He hates it for some reason when I try to touch his paws. I can cut everything else whenever I want to but as soon as I go for the paws it's life or death and he will gnaw on my fingers until I either get pissed off and yell at him a bunch or give up. Today... I WON THE BATTLE. I did yell at him a little, yes but - I ended up winning. He fell asleep while I was cutting his leg hairs! I feel like I've conquered the Frank.

In knitting news, there hasn't been much knitting. I'm on the scarf part of my cardigan and I HATE knitting scarves so I'm about halfway through the scarf when I could very well be finished by now. I haven't started another project in fear of abandoning my scarf but, I think I might have to. Its either Frank sweater or lace beret pour myself. Hmmm.

I've also decided that I'm going to sell vintage clothes on my etsy store as well as my knits. I figure I have an entire wardrobe that I like to circulate clothes in and out of so why not try to fund the clothes I buy with money from the clothes I sell!

Here are a couple things I'll be posting in the next few days :
Suede brown boots

Suede/Leather tan boots
Tie dye tank topI've got a few things that I've posted up already. Who knows how this will go, I'll call it an experiment for now.

Does anyone prefer etsy to ebay or vice versa? I like how much neater looking etsy is and I feel like its less confusing but as far as clothes selling goes - etsy vs. ebay?

Tonight, I go for dinner to some fancy fondue place in Soho where they serve wine in baby bottles. Possible go out dancing after... I do have the day off again tomorrow!!

I love days off.

x
-erin.