May Madness

It's definitely been an action-packed few weeks. Between job hunting, hosting out of town friends, and helping keep the Professor (a.k.a. the husband) sane during finals month, I've had my hands more than full.

Doesn't mean I haven't found time to knit, though, and I actually completed a pair of projects, which makes me quite proud.

Coffee Talk (with Linda Richman)

The most recent is a classy little cozy for my French coffee press:

This was born of practical reasons, more than aesthetic. Though pressed coffee is awesome and delicious, it also gets cold really quickly. I found a quick and easy pattern on Design*Sponge, and within a couple weeks, I had a lovely little cozy.

I used a trio of random vintage buttons I had in my collection. I picked them out in dim light, though, so I didn't notice until the next morning that the bottom button was brass colored! I kind of like it, though. Non-conformist button.

Flower Power

I also whipped up another little dishcloth, as a Mother's Day Gift for my Mama.

It may be hard to see the design, but it's flowers in bloom. I'd seen this free pattern on Kris Knits months ago, and knew my Mama would love it. I was right.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

You may remember the Striped Scarf of Awesomeness, which I completed JUST in time for the end of the 2009 baseball season. Well, it's 2010, and last week was the Striped Scarf of Awesomeness' first field trip to AT&T Park.

It was also my friend Erin's (center) first foray to the stadium. He flew in from Milwaukee to watch the Giants vs. Padres series, and it became a mini film-crew reunion at the ballpark when Abena joined us for game 2. Garlic fries, $9 beer, and many laughs were had by all. Good times.

Writing Update

Last I wrote, I had entered into the NYC Midnight Screenwriter's Challenge. I'm still waiting to hear the results of the first heat, but I'm feeling really good about the script I wrote. I got lucky: my genre was horror. More than anything, it felt good to have a goal, a disciplined writing routine, and to come out the other end with a script I may want to produce.

It's strange. Writing is like exercise to me. I bitch and moan about starting it, but once I have, I feel great. If I go too long without doing it, I start feeling weak and cranky. With all the craziness, I haven't had much time or energy for writing or exercise. But I've got that listless crankiness setting in, which means I'm overdue. For both. Gym today. Writing tomorrow.

Knitted dishcloths galore

I'd like to say there was some big, important reason I've been absent from my blog for a few weeks. But I have to admit, it was merely a combination of work woes, lots of social time with good friends, and -- my main culprit -- a little too much gaming.

I've spent more free time with a Xbox 360 controller in my hand than knitting needles (damn you, Dragon Age, and your addictive ways), but I have managed to stitch up some lovely little dishcloths in my relaxed time:

This was made using a free pattern I'd discovered online a few months ago. I wish she had more patterns, because this one was so much fun to stitch up. I used Lion Cotton yarn in Poppy Red.

The other project I was working on was a set of lovely blue dishcloths, requested by a crafty friend of my mama's:

These are from Knit Dishcloth Corner, a bilingual French/English site with dozens of gorgeous free patterns for various skill levels.

These are "Petit Panier 1" (Little Basket):

and "Dunes de Sable" (Sand Waves).

Both were stitched with Sugar n' Cream verigated cotton yarn (Shaded Denim and Swimming Pool).

I'm kind of at a loss for major crafting projects right now. I have materials and patterns, but I just haven't found one that makes me sit up and say, "yes! I'll spend umpteen hours on you!" So I've just been poking at these little things, which I'm finding surprisingly fun. I'm really enjoying making designs in dishcloths...though I refuse to use them to wash dishes! They're far too pretty to gunk up!