Look at Me Go! Photos Ahoy!

Dudes, I am awesome when I get motivated to get shit done, and what better motivation than trying to get closer to a sexy piece of loving man? I know right? So since you’ve last heard, I have picked up a copy of Creating Web Pages for Dummies, which teaches HTML, CSS, Dreamweaver, etc., so that’s exciting. I’m just cracking into it now, so I can’t display my mad coding skillz yet but at least it’s becoming less foreign and frightening. And as Talea pointed out today, I’ve kind of become a graphic designer on the side since I like to create productive projects for myself at work to increase sales. I’m making info packages and brochure type documents left right and centre, and I’m doing it all on friggin’ bitch-face Microsoft Word. We all know what a pain in the ass that program is, so imagine how much easier I’ll be able to get all my pretty visions out once I know how to use the far superior tools of Dreamweaver and whatnot. Awesome.

I can, however, show you some other stuff I’ve been working on, which is my fun knitty projects! I’m planning on whipping up a batch of scarves, ’cause they’re oh-so-fun accessories (really, knitting sweaters may be impressive, but…no, no knitted sweaters for me) and because I can whip them up in a hurry. If I’m going to sell things, I better be able to produce them quickly, right? Then I’ll make a stop down to the public crafty type venue (I’m totally spacing on the name) where you can rent machinery you couldn’t possibly afford on your own, like super awesome sewing machines that I’m hoping/presuming can sew up fun tags and stuff. Tag ’em all up and by the time I’ve got the website up, I’ve got a decent headstart on virtual shelf filling goodness.

Check it out, yo! (Oh, and there’s some fun other stuff mixed in there too.)

Green Waffle Scarf

Green Waffle Scarf

This here’s a super fuzzy green scarf I made with a really simple pattern that Talea taught me. I’m so in love with this yarn! It’s called Sean Sheep and I’m so embarassed to say that I got it at Walmart, but I checked their website and it seems the gigantic bastards have exclusive distribution rights or something. Alright assmonkeys, I’ll play your game. I have to find more, I’m so amazed at how soft this yarn is without costing me an arm and/or leg. Any start up knitters out there, I’m totally pimping this stuff. I really hate the damn Walmart association, but I can’t pretend not to like the stuff. Hate the game, not the player.

Blue Wavy Scarf

Blue Wavy Scarf

This is a scarf that is a duplicate of a scarf I actually made for myself last fall, my first completed knitting project ever! The first one was a burgundy colour, and I had wanted to make a series of brightly coloured ones. You can’t see the shape too well in this photo cause it’s all pile up (on the super gorgeous flower carved wooden box Josh sent me for my keepsakes, awwwww), but the sides wave in and out. You can see better in this pic, I think.

Blue Wavy Scarf

Blue Wavy Scarf

Damn my shaky hands. I’ll probably model it at some point when I’ve got someone else to take a picture, but you get the idea. It’s kind of wooshy. Anyways, it’s just increasing and decreasing, but I thought it was kind of awesome that I came up with the idea all by myself 🙂

This is the next project:

Lime Green Basketweave

Lime Green Basketweave

This is actually a product of some mild math, an expansion of a smaller version of this pattern that I found…somewhere, I went on a crazed pattern collection binge one day, Google is awesome! You’d be amazed at the collection of pattern creators out there. Some of them sell their patterns (and kudos to them, cause I haven’t been able to come up with anything other than skinny-wide-skinny-wide = wavy), some are just spreading the crafty love. Anyways, in future, I will make sure to pay attention to see if someone has requested a credit for their knitty genius, but hopefully I’ll be able to create some of my own.

Future Projects

Future Projects

My stash of yarn, with patterns already assigned. I think I’m going to bead the shit out of that super crazy fuzzy pink stuff (as opposed to that slightly crazy fuzzy pink stuff and the sleek and shiny pink stuff) and do a simple pattern but randomly switch needle sizes, so it comes out kind of funky and uneven and net-like, in a sexy trendy fun kind of way. And I’m going to try my hand at a sort of quilt scarf by knitting patches of that shiny pink and purple stuff on the left and stitch them together to make a piecework scarf. I’m excited to see how it turns out.

My Office

My Office

My itty bitty place. There is a bedroom, but I gave it to the bunnies.

A Bunny! A Bunny named Brutus!

A Bunny! A Bunny named Brutus!

I’m actually kind of in love with the concept of small, compact living, although one of those itty bitty Swedish designed bunkers with bookcases for stairs to a loft bed might be a bit nicer than a teeny apartment with unsticky floor tiles. But I’ve got my TV, my futon (not craptacular, as a matter of fact, it’s pretty and awesome with drawers) my awesome blue trunk that Talea and I dragged up my stairs when we found it on the curb (Scavenging, go! I dragged that dresser under the TV up too, it holds all my shoes!) my fan and space heater cleverly filed away, my clothes dressers that are out of sight and obviously the bathroom. Peep my tiny kitchen! I’m so used to prepping food on a square foot of counter space that even when I bought a table for more space, I covered it with a mini indoor garden. I still really love having the extra shelf space underneath.

I think I’m going to make one of my first “How To Be Awesome” instructional videos all about cloning (and possibly stealing) plants. For someone who’s never really done much in the way of gardening, I seem to be doing okay! The last time I remember ‘gardening’ up until very recently was wanting to invite all my kindergarten friends over to see the carrot patch (also itty bitty) I had successfully grown in a decorative barrel in my grandmothers back yard. I even drew up invitations saying “Come See My Carrot Patch.” My mother and grandmother humoured me, but the baby hippie tea party was not to be.

The big one is from work, we apparently had too much greenery at reception. And when it outgrew the little pot, I potted it with soil in a bigger one. No point in tossing the little pots, so I decided to try my hand at planting some snipped leaves and seeing if they’d take root. So far so good! I’ve started two others with those brightly coloured leaves there from a big tropical plant I bought that I still don’t know the name of (seriously, if you recognize it, let me know what the hell it is).

The gnome is named Wally by the way, Josh sent it along with the carved box and other goodies. And when I went downt to visit, he gave me a little carved squirrel too, since he knows how much I love squirrels (but won’t let me have a flying squirrel for a pet, harumph!) One day I’ll be able to put them in a real outdoor garden.

He also got us some matching tattoos, for any newcomers out there who haven’t seen them yet 😉

Well that’s pretty much what I’ve been working on the past week and a bit. And right about now is way past my bedtime, (plus Josh is online, so I’m going to spend some time with him first ’cause we’ve both been busy working our asses off lately) so I’ll check in with y’all later.

Goodnight!

17 Comments

  1. August 29, 2008 at 9:36 am

    No flying squirrels??? What a control freak. 😛 Perhaps he’d be ok with a sugar glider??? 😕

  2. Sara said,

    August 29, 2008 at 3:28 pm

    I love the lime green basketweave scarf! Are you a lefty? Because if you are, that would make a totally cool “How to be Awesome” video for those of us who are lefties and want to learn how to knit! I found you and Josh through a series of clicks, and I really enjoy reading you both!

  3. joanharvest said,

    August 29, 2008 at 6:57 pm

    I used to knit years ago. My daughter has learned and knitted me a beautiful scarf last winter very much like your blue wavy scarf. She even progressed to baby sweaters.

    I love your tattoos. I can’t wait for my daughter and I to get our mother and daughter tats.

    I love gnomes and got one for my birthday. I love the bunny too.

    I hate Hell-Mart too but have been forced to buy certain things there.

    I love the photo of you and Josh.

    Keep up the good work, sweetie!!! 😉

  4. birdpress said,

    August 29, 2008 at 7:34 pm

    Those scarves are really pretty awesome! I love the green one especially. I like how you make the most of a small space too. Cloning plants, huh? I tried that once, but, um, I don’t think I’m allowed to talk about that here. 😉

  5. August 29, 2008 at 11:56 pm

    Teach me to knit! Seriously. I can crochet some and while similar, I know the two aren’t exactly alike. But I think that a Type A control freak like me could really find some much needed zen like grooviness in knitting.

    And God knows I need some Zen like grooviness that goes beyond 10mg of Valium.

    Or perhaps, I should say “in addition TO the Valium”.

    Yeah…that’s better.

    LK

  6. 2lazydogs said,

    August 31, 2008 at 3:41 am

    Wooo…look at all this fun stuff! Shit, that reminds me, I must get out my yarn stash and get to work. I’m a bit of a yarn ‘hoarder’ and have approximately 4 large totes full of fabulous yarns. I just can’t say ‘no’ when I see a funky yarn. Geesh. Unfortunately, I’ve given a scarf as a pressie to just about everyone I know so I kinda need to learn to make other objects d’knit. I do need to learn to basketweave and cable…so I’ll be watchin’ for those awesome vids.

    Hmmm…question: whatcha gonna do with your bunnies when you move? Are they going to be expat bunnies?

  7. Emerald said,

    August 31, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    @ Peter Parkour: I know right? 😛 The only question is what would he do if I just showed up with a squirrel and a really guilty expression one day. And whether or not a case of beer and no pants would make a difference, ha!

    @ Sara: No, I am not a lefty, but if I can find a lefty knitter out there I will totally invite them to make a guest video for lefty knitters out there. What a fab idea!

    @ Joan: I am so daunted by the idea of learning to knit things besides scarves cause I don’t do well when I don’t immediately succeed 😦 But I think I could probably start doing pillow covers and purses at some point and then maybe progress from there.

    And I went back to WalMart to buy more yarn over the weekend, and the whole place was under construction. I nearly kicked an old lady in the back of the knees cause she kept cutting in front of me in/out of the elevator and then stopping to wait for her hobbly husband to catch up. Sweet and romantic, but seriously, just walk slowly. No need for Aisle 30 road rage.

    @ Birdpress: The key to small space living is lots of storage, using the walls, and things on wheels. That could make a good instructional video too! And as for not being able to talk about your cloning experiments here, you should probably check out the ‘about us’ page 😉 This here is a fine venue for that sort of talk, I am the non judgementally type. At least not on that topic, but if you wear open toed shoes in the winter I will totally call you on it 😛

    @ Laurie: I wasn’t planning on doing too many knitty videos, cause I really don’t know that much, but I think I should anyways. Really, I ought to be learning more and sharing with others, and most of my scarves are doing with really really simple knitting techniques. The concept of slip-slip-knit NOT meaning ‘slip two stitches and then knit the next one’ totally breaks my brain, so I think I should learn stuff like that and reteach it to others in a non-brain-breaking sort of way. Also, I tried crocheting and failed miserably 😦

    And I totally hear you. The doctor won’t give me Valium so I just smoke weed and tell her about it every time I’m there, hahah!

    @ 2lazydogs: Oh dear god, I do the exact same thing. Except on my first trip to WalMart, I bought about $200 of yarn, and most of it was cheap crappy stuff that I wouldn’t sell to someone I totally hated (that’s a lie, I’d sell it to someone I totally hated and overcharge them too, mahahahahahaha!) So this time when I went again over the weekend I made sure I only got squishy pretty stuff, and a ton of it was on sale! The best way to use up funky yarn I find is to just get a really simple pattern that you don’t need to bring along a pad of paper for counting stitches, and that way you can just go. You can pick it up and put it down without it having to be a whole big production, and that makes it easier to get motivated.

    And as for the bunnies, May has a friend who has had to move from Canada to the States and from coast to coast with…2 dogs! Haha, I don’t know if they’re lazy though. But she had to use a company that keeps them for a week or so, gives them some tests to make sure they’re not sick, give them more tests another week later, and then sends them to you at your new place, cause obviously you can’t just stroll across the border with possibly infectious critters. So if I have to, I’ll use this avenue. Or if I drive down, I’ll probably just put them in little travel cases and see what happens, I don’t know yet.

  8. sleepyjane said,

    September 2, 2008 at 9:01 am

    Awww! LOVE your tattoo’s. J also has one on his elbow (a little above his elbow actually) that looks exactly like your red and black star 🙂

    I love all the pictures!

  9. September 2, 2008 at 1:30 pm

    […] 2, 2008 by 2lazydogs Emerald’s post reminded me that it’s time to get back into my knitting/crocheting projects (thanks, Em!). […]

  10. Ginny said,

    September 2, 2008 at 3:59 pm

    How much do you want for the green scarf? Seriously.

  11. Emerald said,

    September 2, 2008 at 6:21 pm

    @ sleepyjane: Thanks, I’m a fan of them too! 😛 Nautical stars are pretty popular, I think it’s probably the only form of ‘old school’ tattooing?…tattoolery? that I love even though it’s seen everywhere. Mostly I’m all over the custom stuff, I’ve got a massive backpiece with an artists version of the Emerald City (natch) but I was going for the Americana sort of vibe.

    ps. If you go under your WordPress profile settings, and where it asks what your website is, put the URL for your WordPress page. (Most of us leave it blank when we first sign up thinking ‘website? I don’t have a website…’) If you do that, then when you leave comments, your name becomes a link back to your own page. WordPress pimping, yo!

    @ 2lazydogs: Sweet, thanks for spreading the love!

    @ Ginny: I presume you mean the fuzzy darker green one, not the half completed not-at-all fuzzy lime green one. But either way, if you’re interested, all scarves are going for thirty bucks right now. When I launch the site and maybe feel like I know what I’m doing a bit more and have tapped into bigger markets/more complicated patterns I’ll probably up the ante a bit, but for right now I figure I’ll start simple. I should have paypal up in a couple of days, but you can also hit me up at raspberrykoala@hotmail.com 😀

  12. QueenBitch said,

    September 3, 2008 at 9:36 am

    Good lordy girl! your $30 scarf is goin to cost me $41.29 not including postage! I guess its for a good cause. I shall wait as the green scarf already has a new home 😦

  13. Emerald said,

    September 3, 2008 at 2:17 pm

    @ Queenie: Yeah, I’m going to have to figure out how I’m going to handle shipping and postage and all that jazz, I’ll see what kind of deal I can get with Canada Post or FedEx or something. I was taking a look around Etsy, and holy crap, there’s like $70 scarves out there! I don’t think I’d do that unless someone requested a custom made alpaca wool something or other. But I’m going to be doing other crafty things too that you might find a little more affordable, cause I know what its like to want fun funky things without breaking the bank. I’m all over the decoupage and I might make some earrings too!

  14. September 7, 2008 at 12:40 am

    […] public links >> quilt Look at Me Go! Photos Ahoy! Saved by practum on Sat […]

  15. September 7, 2008 at 7:31 am

    The model should be selling themselves as part of the entire product experience when the camera starts snapping photos. Mini Garden Tools

  16. cowgalutah said,

    September 12, 2008 at 3:05 am

    well the hell have I been? I was not sure why you were not comming up on my google reader…I still had the old place up there…Sorry.

    I love the matching tattoos.

    Geesh…I have a ton of reading to do.

  17. Emerald said,

    September 17, 2008 at 7:12 pm

    @ Mini Garden Tools: Cool site but who what now?

    @ Cowgal: Haha, update your links and come on over! This here blog has a different vibe so I figured it was best to keep it seperate. It’s still pretty new though, so you don’t have too much homework 😉


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