Day 42: The Albatross, A History Of

Matt's mum, who is possibly the nicest lady in the world, saw me crocheting... a year and a half ago. I forget what I was making then, though we can all rest assured it was never finished. There was the adorable and terrible companion cube scarf, any number of half finished and lumpy hats.. who knows? My lack of follow through didn't bother Mum, though, and she asked me to make her a blanket. Something bright, she said. And a year and five months ago, I started working on this. Red and orange, in stripes of graduating sizes. I can't say I have worked it for all this time, and for months it sat in my room, its weight heavy around my neck. Now, I am a one and a half rows from finishing the main body, and then I just need to edge it. The end.

A made a few mistakes with this. I picked a crochet needle so small (a J) the blanket is kind of flat. It's not all that fluffy or comfy. I don't even known how it make a granny square, so there is nothing astounding about it. Just.. flat stitches. A smaller stitch would have taken even longer, but made it more like a sheet.. a bigger one would have made it cuddly and fluffy. I picked the maximum amount of stitches for the least amount of reward. Terrible. So much work for not too much. I am a bit embarrassed to give it to her... But at least it will be done, and I can work on giving her something better. On the plus side, it's a strong (and cheap) acrylic, so it'll at least get washed well and hard. So. It has that going for it.

On the more amazing and pathetic side, this blanket has gone across the country, from Connecticut to Denver, to LA, to San Fran, and back home.. Oh yes, and it's still not finished. But I am close. So close.

Day 40: Projects

And then Matt came, and it was good. I spent my time in San Francisco happy and feeling human for the first time in.. months and months. I watched movies with Carter, I explored the city with my family, and when Matt came it felt like an expensive but wonderful paradise. Matt and I went to LA, where we stayed close to the bosom of Sam and Shannon. Matt melted in the heat, I gained weight, we ate like kings, we had so much fun. We'd never been on a vacation that wasn't to each other's houses, before. It was wonderful.

We came home, and he left. In the interim, I've gone to a convention and a dance, slept over friends houses, and been up and down this little slice of the east coast. I sleep a lot, panic quietly, and never feel more alive and whole and like myself when I am surrounded by people.

Of course, I'm stranded at home, and doing my best to feel productive. I am tempted to make this a project blog, which is a bit like what I always wanted it to be. Of course, I ignored it for weeks while I traveled and struggled with my visa, but like an neglectful parent, I'm back now, so you should appreciate it while you have it. :awesome:

Oh, and my netbook nomadness was fine except when Skype was a little bitch and we had to beat the stupid out of Hex. But it's fine now. I missed Carly a lot.

The current projects I am working on are:

The Albatross
This is a blanket for Matt's mom. It's red and orange--bright, she asked for--a little too long to feel like a blanket.. Aaaand it's possibly the simplest and crappiest blanket ever. Just straight single crocheted stitches. Terrible. I have been working on it for a year and a half with no real progress. It's just so huge. I'd like to have it done before to England. And then I can make her a less terrible blanket.

I need to: Finish the final orange panel. Add a border, and use the border to make the blanket a bit more.. blanket shaped. I need to wash it and never, ever look at it again, because it is terrible.

Elenor's Blanket
My advisor at school pretty much saved me from paralysing fear after graduation. She kicked my ass and made me a better person, and as a gift I started a blanket for her. It's actually awesome; a bunch of really thick huge squares of dark purple and baby blue. It's got nothing fancy, where fancy means "a granny square", but it's plush and heavy, and needs at least two more blocks and to be sewed together. I should also email her and let her know she changed my life, and I love and adore her.

Weight Loss
Vacation was great, but I gained back all the weight I had lost. I still feel fine, though, which is good.. but it's a sad thing. I am 205 now, much to my great sadness. My goal is to be 180 by my wedding day. I expect this process to be hurried somewhat by being poor and having my own kitchen. I am taking a more active roll in the food at my house. There will be more vegetable soups and lentils.. Though it's hard. My mom doesn't like vegetable soup and my father would be content being a carnivore. I am a flexitarian now, aka a bad vegetarian, and I am trying to keep my consumption of meat to once a week or less. I plan to re-read my Michael Pollan books to give me a head start. I'll report on it if anything noteworthy happens.

The Bag Of Holding
So, I bought this as a going away present to myself. it really is MASSIVE, and can fit so much.. But no less than two months after purchasing it, the front zipper broke. This past weekend, the middle/main zipper broke. That was annoying, to put it mildly, on the subway in good old NYC. I need to buy some big, bright, plastic zippers. I also need to affix two patches to it.

Leather Cuffs
I bought a bunch of leather scraps and double holed dichroic beads to make bracers and cuffs for nerding out and LARP. I have a few designs in mind, especially after hanging out The League of Steam all weekend. I'd love to make a few Fantasy LARP cuffs, and then make a steampunk set. Maybe with some lace and cogs.

The Visa
I need to.. finish as much paperwork as possible, make an appointment, collect all the papwerok I need.. And I can't do anything until Matt gets his first pay slip, and other information from work. I'm sure I'll write a MUCH MORE DETAILED and stressed out post later.

Right now, those are my projects. I think I need to start work on at least one of them. Oh, and plan some Alcohol-Based EXP Table Topping Systems. More on that, later, too.