Making our rental a home

So far we're managed a couch, curtains in the living room/kitchen, and new pots and pans. 

Now, we also have a table!!!

Isn't it pretty?

We picked it up at the Pasadena Flea Market last weekend. Its replacing the really wobbly table we got from my parents. 

Now what fabric should I use to replace this?

May Knitting Update

For the month of May I participated in a celebration of Madelintosh, one of my favorite yarn companies. 


Basically we all knit only with one brand of yarn for the month. Giving us a chance to use some of what we have stashed and have support from fellow knitters. 


It was a lot of fun and I managed to knit two sweaters, even with John travelling all month and house guests. Go me!

Project 1:


(Mad)rigal for Madelintosh aka Madrigal from the Twist Collective
Dates: May 6- May 30, 2011
Yarn Used: Madelinetosh Tosh Sport
Color: LaVie en Rose
Yardage: 1050 yards


Great sweater. So soft and comfy. I know I'll get a lot of use out of this with sundresses. I purposefully made it shorter so I could wear it with my full skirted sundresses and still look like I have a waist. The color is awesome! The perfect mix of pink and purple without making me look like I'm 5 years old. Someone even stopped me to ask where I bought it. Truly the best compliment. 


Project 2: 

Betty Draper's a Witch aka Elphaba Pullover
Dates: May 1-May 28, 2011
Yarn Used: Madelinetosh Sock
Color: Betty Draper's Blue
Yardage: 990 yards


Not my favorite picture ever, but oh well. This sweater also fits great, though I made it extra big in the hips and I really didn't need to. I learned a new skill with this sweater, something called horizontal dust darts. Basically the HBDs add a little extra room in the bust so your sweater doesn't pull upwards. Since I'm rocking size Ds, these little darts made a big difference. 


All in all it was a fun month and it was a lot of fun to knit along with other people using the same patterns and yarns. 


I also finished this sweater in May 

Akoya 
Dates: April 8-May 6, 2011
Yarn Used: Madelinetosh Tosh Sport
Color: Porcelain
Yardage: 1110 yards


Love this sweater too. Makes me happy that my skill has improved so much since last year. 


Wow! That's a lot of knitting. 


So far for 2011...9,263 yard in finished projects. That's 5.26 miles of yarn. And its only June 1st. 

Sewing...my first passion

Lately I've been making more of an effort to get back to my first passion, sewing.

I think if I could spend my days sewing sundresses and my evenings knitting, I'd be a pretty happy girl. So its been especially fun making a few things lately.

Sewing project 1 - Victorian blouse

What do you do when a major museum event is in 3 days and you don't have a top?

You dig through your fabric stash to find something suitable and then whip that sucker out.

Sorry for the poor quality photos, but I was on my own.

Here's the back.

I also recently made a new dress and finished a new sweater.

The dress is still a little plain. Could use some trim or a sash or something. The sweater...oh its awesome. Soft 100% wool. You would think that would be too warm for LA, but not really. Wool is pretty breathable in a hand knit, so this was just right for a day in the 70s.

There is also what I'm wearing today...

Not the most flattering photo...but I love this dress. Cute tie around the wait. And its a wrap dress. So it wraps around the back to create a V.

Can't wait to make a few more from my vintage patterns, and who knows, maybe this is my business plan. A little help from my husband for good photos and I could be on my way.

Oh, and here's Dottie's latest photo. She's sleeping with us now (not all night, but part of the night).

I think she's getting too comfortable.

So you're married? When are you having a baby?

As John and I come to our 1 year anniversary, there is a question popping up with increased frequency...

When are you having a baby?

That's a very personal decision. One left between John and myself.

But, as I've been chatting with my girlfriends, I discovered some alarming issues we all seem to share when it comes to family planning. 

All of my friends are in the same spot as me. We've all married men who have careers in creative fields and work freelance. Meanwhile all of us ladies are working steady jobs with benefits. 

What does this have to do with having babies? A lot. 

Our husbands are business owners, artists, and working in careers. They are actually using their degrees in their fields of work. 

The ladies are all working jobs. None of us are using our specific degrees or working in a field we feel passionate about. 

Our husbands bring in more money, by a lot. But, and this is a big but, its all freelance. So there is no guarantee the work/money will be consistent. 

The ladies all make substantial less money on average, but its a consistent paycheck. 

None of the men's jobs offer insurance. 

All of the ladies jobs offer insurance. 

So when it comes to having babies, what do we do? 

Do we keep working? Full time? Part time?

None of us want to totally stop working. I like working. I like my job. I like my coworkers. 

But, childcare is so expensive it would eat up almost my entire paycheck. 

But if I quit and stay home John will be solely responsible for supporting our family, and bringing in enough income to pay for our health insurance too. 

Is that fair?

If John's not working steady, he can stay home with our children, but my paycheck is not big enough to support the family. Also I know I'd be jealous. I already get a little jealous sometimes because I must go to work 5 days a week, 50 weeks of the year. John only works about half the year and spend the rest of the time surfing the Internet, playing with Dottie, brewing beer, napping, etc. 

There's also the travelling element of the husband's jobs. 

John travels a lot when he's working. So will he be jealous that I'm home with the kids, while he's missing all their ballet recitals and soccer games? And will I survive having to be the sole parent a lot? And how will I work full time for insurance benefits and be a 24/7 single parent?

But besides all the financials, there is also the issue of passion. One thing all the ladies have in common is sacrifice. In some ways, we all have put some of our own passions aside so our husbands can work towards their dreams. We're sold our souls for money and insurance. When is it our turn to follow our passions? Something tells me kids are not the answer, so I'd better get off my ass and work towards my dream now, while I still have free time (even is its not much after my full time work week).

So ladies what should we do? And when will/can we have babies? And will socialized health care ever come through, so the ladies don't have to work full time just for insurance? 

Waiting for John

Yesterday Dottie and I waited in anticipation for John's return...from soccer.

BBQ started
Wine poured
Knitting project
Dottie anxiously waiting at my feet

Derby Party Wrap Up

Last Saturday was the Kentucky Derby. Party time!!!

We drank Mint Juleps...

Recipe: Pour 1.5 bottles of Maker's Mark into a pitcher. Add a couple cups of mint simple syrup and some mint leaves. Serve over ice. Become drunk very quickly.

Dottie helped people place their bets...

My Mom came wearing a really nice hat...

And my sister came too!!!

Her hat was made of a shoulder pad and it was awesome. 

So who won the pot?

Kristin!!! What are you plans with those winnings lady? Are you going to Disneyland? 

Anyways, I'd just like to say a big thank you to everyone who came out! It was an awesome day and I can't wait until next year!

Its a dream come true!

I was walking through Union Station this morning trying to figure out why there were so many heavily armed Sheriffs walking around and then I remembered the top news story. I can be so dense sometimes.

Moving on...

Here's a fact about me no one knows besides John. I really want a hexagon or octagon side table.

Weird right?

My person taste in furniture is usually like this...

But back in 2003 when I was shopping thrift stores for apartment furniture I found a little side table. I tried to find a picture to show you, but basically it had 8 sides and 4 of those sides had paintings of middle ages dudes to represent the 4 seasons. I think it was $20, but that was too much for me back then, so I passed on it.

Biggest furniture mistake of my life!!!

I became obsessed with finding a hexagon or octagon table (minus the paintings), but so far no luck. Sure we'd see one at the thrift store, but it'd be missing hardware, chipped, and uneven.

But this weekend I finally found it.

John, Yuri, Andrew and I hit up the PCC flea market. John and I had just been discussing our need for a side table in the living room. One that I could stash my knitting in.

And there it was...

See how well it hides my knitting? And holds my coffee cup?

I'm so excited and it looks so nice next to the couch. Yay! Success!!!