I'm crafting...

...but it's all for the I heart the library swap on Craftster, so I can't say anything about it.

But I will say that there is no bunny fabric to be had in the tri-city area.

And then I was going to post the rest of my ceramics pieces, but then I remembered they are in boxes, somewhere. I will find them at some point over the summer.

I'm lazy, I know.

I've been a bit naughty.

Instead of working on my last final paper (and again asking myself, why are you an English major? and then being slightly cheered by the fact that creative writing people only have to take 3 upper-division lit. classes) and preparing stuff for the house I'm living in next year, I went shopping.

First stop was Borders, because they give me more coupons and better sales than B&N. And the people there are helpful and nice. I will refrain from ranting about B&N's customer service. I bought Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid by Lemony Snicket, which isn't exactly crafty but writing counts too, and I love Daniel Handler. I read my mom "There are some people who say home is where one hangs one's hat, but these people tend to live in closets on little pegs," and then I had to explain it to her. Oh dear. Nothing he says is profound, but I think he has an amazing ability to describe emotions and interactions honestly and in such a way that you feel exactly what he is talking about. I'm sure there is a word for that last part, but lately my recall has been impaired. I then browsed the craft section and decided I need Knitting Lingerie Style. Sehr sehr schön. (Hey, I don't know French, so lemme use German, k?) It's mostly things one would wear in public, inspired by pretty underthings.

Then I went to my LYS, the Happy Cat, and spent $50, on top of not getting any of the yarn I came for. What I did get called out to very core of my yarn soul, so I had to get it.

Lovely sock yarn from SWTC--a blend of wool, soysilk, cotton, and chitin, which is made from crab and shrimp shells and is anti-bacterial. I had to get this for many reasons. It's enough for two socks, it's sooo pretty, it feels delicious, and I get to say I have yarn made from crabs.

3 hanks of artful yarns serenade, which is 70% cotton and 30% angora, and is just yummy. The pink is a bit brighter than the photo, and the green is quite bright. There was a whole pile of hanks of this on a table, and I could not resist. Plus they wound it into adorable little balls for me. I'm going to make a sexy little summer tank out of it, something that screams "touch me!" It does seem that I can't multiply in my head, so I think I need to go back for another hank tomorrow. I'm going to use my best friend's method of paying cash so it's like the purchase never happened. In the mean time, I've been on the hunt for a suitable pattern, and discovered that lace tops tend to show off the nips. Have a gander:







I do like that first one though. What I really love is this:

The only problem is it has no bust shaping, which I clearly need. I finished the front of Cupcake from SnB crochet the other day, and you can see I just had to do a wee bit:

Photobucket is being mean and won't let me rotate it. Anyway, the sides are supposed to be straight. I pinned it to the back and tried it on, and it has killer bra of doom straps. Hopefully once I add the sleeves and shell stitch edging, that will go away.

In other crafting instead of working news, I finished Dogmar's "formal" collar today.

It's very simple, just nylon webbing, D ring, plastic snap buckle, and cheap faux crystal trim. I did the construction by machine, and stitched the trim by hand. Hopefully now Dogmar won't be mistaken for a boy all the time. Her "casual" collar is pink and green, but it doesn't seem to help. I guess pit bulls just look like boys. I'm putting it on her tomorrow, and I hope the massive buckle I used doesn't bother her. She has almost no fur on her chest, belly, and insides of her legs, and she has a little bald patch on her neck from the collar she had at the shelter which hasn't grown back yet. The vet said she was either just naturally naked, or still stressed from all the recent getting adopted and returned crap she's been through. I used a small, smooth buckle for the first collar I made her, which she recently snapped with a good lunge towards her bathroom spot. (Somebody always waits until the absolute last second to ask to go out.) Normally she gets walked on a harness, but I wanted a sturdier collar for quick trips to the bathroom / in case she gets loose.

That was a bit excessive, but I'm done now, and I should really get to bed.

Craftster Swap Info

Because let's face it, I tend to be a little sporadic and contradictory. So here for the ease of my swap partners, is lots of stuff about me:

~*~*~ last updated November 1 2009~*~*~

Name: Holly, but I don't care for things with my name on them.

Age: 22

Work: I work as a virtual receptionist for a pretty awesome company. The hour and a half communte each way--not so awesome.

Crafts I do:
--crochet
--knitting
--sewing: bags, clothes, quilts, toys, whatever
--polymer clay
--stenciling
--decorative painting on boxes, frames, journals, etc.
--needle felting
--origami
--woodburning
--stamp making / linoleum block printing
--loom beadwork
--a little jewelry
--resin
--needle tatting
--spinning

Crafts I'm in the process of learning:
--bookbinding (made one, need more practice.)
--shuttle tatting (I just don't get it!)
--embroidery, both regular and punch needle
--chainmaille

Crafts I need to learn:
--pmc(have pmc, but no heat source.)

Crafts I have no interest in:
--scrapbooking
--ATC's
--candle/soap making (really I'd like too, but I'm allergic to tons of stuff.)

Colors/Styles/Things I love:
--purple
--earthy greens and browns
--purple and light / lime green together
--silver
--black
--tropical/ocean blue
--60's/70's kitch, especially the floral fabrics and paintings
--fun, little-kid stuff, like pooh bear, my little pony, unicorns, toys from when I was little (late 80's/early 90's), and the children's section of Ikea.
--dinosaurs and other ancient creatures. But do your research, please. Incorrect dinos, be it name (it's an apatosaurus, NOT brontosaurus!) or posture, really irritate me. And none of these scene kid "dino love" things. My favorite ancient critters are: any sauropod (but especially apatosaurus, brachiosaurus, and amargasaurus), protoceratops, trilobites, and nautiloids.
--birds. I used to volunteer at a raptor rehab center and I love love love owls.
--manatees
--snails
--rabbits
--adorable animals
--trees/vines/leafy things. The only flowers I'm particularly fond of are orchids and tiger lilies.
--Swarovski crystals. love the violent sparkle.
--German, especially Barvarian things. I was a competitive German folk-dancer in high school and I went on an exchange to Bavaria one summer.
--Wisconsin/Packers
--Darwinism/evolution
--things from the 90's.
--socks
--books! My favorites are Dinotopia by James Gurney, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, White Oleander by Janet Fitch, Visible Amazement by Gale Zoe Garnet, and anything involving Raskolnikov from Crime and Punishment is awesome. I also have a thing for King Pellinore and the Questing Beast from The Once and Future King. And I really like Joyce Carol Oates. Children's books are my favorite genre, and chick lit, sci-fi, and mystery are my least favs.
--Kurt Halsey's art work
--clocks. I'm a time whore, I always need to know what time it is.
--logic puzzles, especially the kind with a list of facts and a grid and you make x's and o's on the grid to solve.
--cute, but not baby-cute, things
--celtic knotwork

Favorite Movies, in no order:
--The Lion King
--A.I.
--Ghost
--Peter Pan
--The Fountain
--A Knight's Tale
--Toy Story
--Finding Nemo
--The Last Unicorn. It's also a book, which I have been unable to find.

Colors/Styles/Things I do not like:
--orange and yellow (acceptable in kitch)
--gold
--brass
--hot pink
--plaid
--trendy
--prissy
--animae
--emo/punk/scene kid
--art dolls in general and human (as opposed to animal) dolls. I do like revamped my little ponies.
--religious/spiritual stuff
--really feminist things
--being cold
--mohair
--violence/gore

Measurements:
--wrist: 5 1/2 inches
--ankle: 7 3/4 inches
--head: 21 1/4 inches
--bust: 33 1/4 inches (size 30-32 E-F...I have a tiny ribcage.)
--waist: 25 inches
--hips: 33 inches
--back waist length: 16 or 17 inches. I have a long torso.
--total height: 5 feet 4 inches
--shoe: 6 1/2 or 7, usually 6 1/2 now
--ring: ranges from a 7 for my thumb to a 3 for my pinky.
--store bought tops: adult small in unisex or misses, medium in juniors
--store bought bottoms: 0 or 1, and occasionally 3 depending on the brand.

Things I can always use more of:
--craft supplies! Everyone who knows me will disagree, but the goal is to have the biggest stash, right? In that vein, I love vintage yarn, especially "Dawn Odyssey." It feels so horrible, but it sparkles!
--clothes, especially fall / winter tops.
--socks
--non-dressy earrings. I have two holes in each ear, one regular, one gauged to 6.
--warm cuddly things. I am a camel living amongst polar bears.

Things I don't usually need/want:
--small pouches/bags/cozies. medium or large bags are ok.
--blank journals. I can't bring myself to use them.
--any sort of "feminine supplies" item or holder

Allergies:
--any strong scent, especially violet or lavender.
--for the most part earrings have to be hypoallergenic/nickel-free/sterling silver/surgical steel.

Other info:
--I don't care if something's vegan/organic/whatever.
--my inner child is seven, and loves to come out and play!
--I like thinking type stuff, but no math!
--I cry a lot at movies. It's a little embarrassing.
--I am one of those super-true-love, attached-at-the-hip, type people.
--organization, smorganization.
--the most important part of a skirt or dress is the twirl factor.
--I am the mom to a black and white mystery mutt named Dogmar, and I wuv her. She likes pretty things and pretending to be chain chomp, i.e. eating/chewing everything. I also have a Dutch/lionhead rabbit named Bigwig. He is quite adventurous and loves to chew everything except his toys.
--I have a Nabaztag/tag named WinnifredPHastings, but Winnie is easier to say. She likes to play dress up, as you can see in my profile pic. Her ears are 3" long and 3.5" around at the widest point. Her "waist" is 13" and her "hips" are 16.25" Length between her waist and hips is 3"