fabric/crochet circle scarf!

wow.  i did it again.  dropped the ball on blogging.  for the record, i manage a good amount of blogging for my work over with Fifth House Ensemble!

anyways, in my defense (again...) i was in a wedding in august and moved apartments.  i can't even begin to tell you how good it feels to be living on my own.  i loved my roommates, and still do, but i finally live in my very own apartment.  a super cute little studio in rogers park.  i'm in love with everything about it...the neighborhood, the building, the apartment, the location, everything.  it's definitely a 100% upgrade from my situation in uptown.

anyways, i've got a new FO & WIP to share with you!  allyson at the sweatshop of love put out a tutorial for a crochet/fabric infinity scarf pattern.  i got super excited to make myself a notre dame scarf with the pattern, and while allyson can't support my choice in colors/teams (look, she's a michigan fan), she totally supported my project on the twitters!  thanks, allyson!  we'll just not talk about it...or saturday's game...which almost killed me.

anyways, here it is!

Go Irish!

And here's the next one.  I may or may not be obsessed with this rainbow yarn. 

Another FO! Window Pane Scarf!

I bought this yarn from my momma's & my favorite LYS in Indy back when I was home for 2 weeks in May.  Ok, fine.  My momma bought it for me.  One skein for me to make something for my cousin Megan, and one for me to make something for me :).

I finished Megan's window pane scarf a while ago...I just haven't gotten in mailed yet.  Her birthday was this week, though, so I think I should probably get it sent...

The middle picture was taken with flash & is more true to the color of this yarn.  Anyone who knows me (and my cousin), knows that everything I own is blue.

FO: Giant Granny Afghan!

Bailey Dog loves the blanket :)

I can't believe I'm becoming a once-a-month-blogger.  How embarrassing...


For the record, however, I've been doing lots of blogging/blog managing with my new job as Operations and Marketing Director over on the Fifth House Ensemble website/blog.  (5HE is a chamber ensemble located in Chicago that specializes in innovative and mixed media performances.)

In the mean time, I finished my second adult sized blanket!  This Giant Granny Square afghan is my wedding gift for my second BFF whose wedding I'm in this summer.  Her wedding isn't until August, but her shower was a couple of weeks ago back in our hometown-Indy.  Since she and her fiance live in Brooklyn, and the wedding is in Cleveland, and they are asking for gifts to be mailed instead of brought to the wedding, I decided (with approval from the bride) to get the afghan finished & give it to her at her shower.  (Also, then I didn't have to be crocheting a giant afghan in the middle of the sweltering summer in my non-AC apartment...)  It actually worked out wonderfully...she mailed all of her shower gifts back to NYC and was able to use the blanket for soft packing.

Also.  She loved it.  We both teared up a little when she opened it.  It is TRULY an amazing feeling...giving something you have hand made with love & devotion to someone who is one of your closest friends in the world who really loves and appreciates your work.

Me, August Bride, May Bride

I used 3 skeins of Caron One Pound yarn...it's not super soft to begin with, but HOLY COW when it's washed, it is unreal soft!  And a J/10 hook.  I decided to treat myself to a Tulip ETIMO hook for the last 1/3 of the blanket.  It was TOTALLY worth it.  I'm in love, and I hope to purchase more of these hooks in the VERY NEAR FUTURE.

Lots of Jobbing!

Man, it seems like I say this every time I post.  I have been obscenely busy the last few weeks!  I told you about my new job with Fifth House Ensemble here in Chicago, well in addition to that, I got another new job as a barista, too!  (If you're in Chicago & want to know where so you can visit me, let me know & I'll share!)  And, of course, still running my last show at VG.  I thought I wouldn't be starting the barista training/job until after my show at VG closed (yesterday), but I was wrong.

So, for the last few weeks, I've been working 3 jobs.  But, now that the show is closed, I can focus on repping Fifth House on the interwebs (that's right, I run their blog, twitter, and facebook!) & making lots of coffee!  Check us out!

I did get to spend Memorial day laying in the sun, reading, and riding my bike out at Montrose Harbor!  Included pictures are from that gloriously relaxing day.

As far as crocheting goes, I'm working on cranking out Wedding Afghan #2!  This BFF's wedding I'm in isn't until August, BUT her shower is on 6/25, AND I was able to get off work so I can go.  So I'm trying to get it finished to give her at the shower.  We'll see how that goes.  It's hard to crochet an afghan when you don't have AC...

New Yarn

Above & Below:  new yarn bought in Oberlin.  A bunch of threads + some ribbon.  Methinks a cute springy scarf is in order!

Below:  Not yarn...  At the final performances of The Weaver's Tale with Fifth-House, they presented me with a HUGE, GENEROUS gift certificate to my favorite Chicago Yarn Store (Loopy).  These aren't something I'd normally buy, but with my fancy gift certificate?  Yes sir!  A pouch for crochet hooks & a case for notions (with a magnet for my needles!).  By Namaste.

 Above & Below:  This is the yarn I used for my drop stitch knitted circle scarf, that I never really posted about, but I did post some pictures of it.  I'm basically in LOVE with it.  Super-wash Merino.  SUPER SOFT.  and BRIGHT COLORS!  These hanks were on the sale shelves at Loopy (and are usually out of my budget), so I couldn't pass them up.  Especially with a gift certificate!  I still have one wound hank left from when my mom bought me two hanks for my birthday, so I have a total of 4 (at 225 yards each, worsted weight).  Not sure yet what I'll do with them...but I'm excited nonetheless!

And lastly, Above:  I also have one small ball of this already, but these guys were also in the sale area at Loopy.  When I got the first ball, there was only one, but now that I have three, I think something awesome is in order!

I'm Alive, and I have a New Job!

Wow...it's been a while.  Things have been pretty crazy, but at the same time, I haven't had much to blog about.  I was home in Indy, mom & I visited g-ma & family for Mother's Day, back to Indy, then the following weekend in a wedding the wedding in Cinci, then back to Chicago a few days later to start back at work right away.  My new show is open & running, and I have to say that this is one of the most talented casts I've worked with so far.  I love listening to them tell their story every night.  (I listen b/c from where I am backstage, I can't see them.)

But there is one big thing to report...I have a new job!  This past year, I did some stage managing for a group here in Chicago called Fifth-House Ensemble.  They're a chamber orchestra (10 musicians), who specialize in innovative, mixed media performances. This season, they put together a series (3) shows that used actors to tell fairy tales with movement set to their music.  The shows were directed by a director I worked with my two years at ISF; she's brilliant, and I love her, so I agreed to do the work for free.  Obviously, the shows turned out amazingly.

While in Indy, I got a phone call from their Executive Director.  The person who had been helping with their Operations & Marketing was leaving, and she was curious if it was something I'd be interested in doing.  Long story short, I'm the new Operations & Marketing Director for Fifth-House Ensemble!!!

I started my training this week, and am super excited to get going!  Today was my first staff meeting, and I already had some ideas & thoughts to share.  One of my current tasks is brainstorming ways to boost their social media use.  Obviously, an exciting task for me, the Twitter & Facebook obsessive!  I think my work with their blog, twitter, and facebook will be my favorite part of my job!  I will also be helping a little with their education & outreach programs.  Mostly scheduling, I imagine.  Bringing the arts to children is something I believe in very strongly; I think children experiencing the arts is crucial to their development & growth as humans, even if they don't end up pursuing the arts as a profession or hobby.  So, obviously, I'm super excited about this part of my job too.

The pictures I've dispersed throughout this post are from my time in Oberlin visiting my g-ma and from the wedding in Cinci.

Wedding Crochet & New Yarn!

I finished 2, count them TWO, more projects last night for the wedding this weekend.  The first was the ripple shawl I made to keep me warm while bridesmaid-ing.  My dress is strapless AND cocktail length (and super pretty!), so there's a pretty good chance I'll get chilly in the cathedral style church or at the reception.  I used Caron's Simply Soft, an I/9 hook, and the Sarah London Ripple Chevron pattern (modified in length & width for my purposes).  I used three colors: purple, turquoise, and a really light cream.  I alternated them 2P, 1T, 2C, 1P, 2T, 1C three times to make some cool stripes.

in progress last night on my parents' porch

finished & folded!

My mom and I went to Oberlin, OH this past weekend to visit my Grandma.  When I agreed to go, I said "ONLY IF THERE'S A YARN STORE IN OBERLIN!"  This was my first trip back to Oberlin (where my mom grew up) since I learned to knit & crochet; and yes, I still would have gone had they not had a yarn store.  Luckily though, Oberlin has a LYS!  It's a generations old Furniture & Floor Covering store that the current owners brought yarn into.  The front half of the store is FULL of yarn & notions & stuffs, and the back half is floor covers, etc.  Pretty awesome!  I got some Sidar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK weight yarn in light blue, turquoise, and bright peach.  It's 80% bamboo & 20% wool and SUPER SOFT.  Sure it's "baby" yarn, but I fell in love with its texture and the colors, so whatever!  It was my first time crocheting with bamboo yarn, too.  I loved every step of this scarf. 

It took me a while to figure out exactly what to do with it, but I knew I wanted a springy, open weave scarf.  I finally remembered a pattern I had seen on the CRAFT blog for a Window Pane Scarf.  Perfection.  I used my H/8 hook for this guy.  I plan on wearing this one with my dress for the rehearsal dinner on Friday. 

And last but not least, mom and I visited our favorite Indy LYS last night.  We got some yarn for family members for some super secret projects.  But I love the yarn so much, I have to share it!