She's got Bette Davis eyes. (P.S. Rock the Vote today!!!)

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Bette!

You are a Bette -- "I must be strong"

Bettes are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Stand up for yourself... and me.


• * Be confident, strong, and direct.


• * Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.


• * Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side.


• * Give me space to be alone.


• * Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me.


• * I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.


• * When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.

What I Like About Being a Bette

• * being independent and self-reliant


• * being able to take charge and meet challenges head on


• * being courageous, straightforward, and honest


• * getting all the enjoyment I can out of life


• * supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me


• * upholding just causes

What's Hard About Being a Bette

• * overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to


• * being restless and impatient with others' incompetence


• * sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it


• * never forgetting injuries or injustices


• * putting too much pressure on myself


• * getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right

Bettes as Children Often

• * are independent; have an inner strength and a fighting spirit


• * are sometimes loners


• * seize control so they won't be controlled


• * figure out others' weaknesses


• * attack verbally or physically when provoked


• * take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings

Bettes as Parents

• * are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted


• * are sometimes overprotective


• * can be demanding, controlling, and rigid

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Gettin' Halloweeny with it!

In honor of the Halloween season, I decided to strike a campy pose for the debut of my Ms. Marigold at Night. I've spent the past few weekends going to Fright Nights at Kennywood Park and hitting the haunted house circuit in honor of the season. Having gone to Fright Nights on Saturday, Oct. 11, I would have to say that we hit the busiest night of the season. In 5 hours at the park, we were able to ride only 4 rides and didn't get to visit any of the haunted houses. Last weekend, we rectified this a bit by going to the Scare House and One Hundred Acres Manor. Both haunted houses were a lot of fun. If you choose to go to the Scare House, purchase your tickets online before you go. There are 2 lines, one for advanced ticketholders and one for people who need to buy tickets. Having been in the need to buy ticket line took probably 3 times as long to get into the haunted house as those who had bought their tickets in advance. If you are going to go to one haunted house in the Pittsburgh area, I would recommend going to One Hundred Acres Manor in South Park. It takes about an hour to get through the extensive series of buildings connected through outdoor trails/haunted parkways. So using the inspiration of the haunted houses, I am pleased to bring you Ms. Marigold at Night.

Pattern: Ms. Marigold by Zephyr Style
Yarn: Knitpicks Elegance in Coal 70% baby alpaca, 30% silk
Needles: Knitpicks Options size 5 and Knitpicks fixed circular size 3
Notes: I did the modification of finishing the armholes by picking up stitches and knitting 5 rows of k2p2 ribbing rather than the ruffle. All in all, I am extremely pleased with this vest. I love the feel and sheen of the Knitpicks Elegance and believe that this knit will become a wardrobe staple.

Happy Haunting!
jsins

Score!

I stopped in at Joann Fabric today to check out the patterns and found a Butterick pattern that was exactly what I was looking for to make a purse for my mom. When I went to the register to purchase Butterick 5054 (for view E), I found out that the Butterick patterns were on sale for $1.99. Not one to pass up a good deal, I went back to peruse through the book more thoroughly and ended up with 4 more patterns!

I thought 5145 was fairly cute and could either be used for a casual coat or something a bit more dressy.

I loved view B of 5089 for a cute cropped jacket to wear in the fall. I think this would look nice with either jeans or a skirt.

I've been seeing a lot about wide legged pants this season so I grabbed 4861.

I've always been a fan of vests and liked each of these four patterns in 4815.

I am about to embark on a marathon knitting project. I have had the pattern book for the Great American Aran for a while and have not yet had the courage to start it. In some great news, my brother is getting married next spring and I am going to knit this afghan for his wedding present. I ordered Cascade 220 Superwash in cream that is supposed to arrive Monday and hope that I have the perseverence to finish the GAAA in time.

Happy knitting and sewing everyone! Soon, I should begin posting cabled square after cabled square to the blog.

And the band played on...

Long time, no blog. Well, my knitting seems to be getting back on track. I've had a few fos of late and will be taking pictures and attempting to blog about them and to get my ravelry projects updated throughout the week.

First up, we have Tube Toporini, which made its debut this Saturday evening at the New American Music Union Festival here in Pittsburgh. Tube Toporini was knit in Knitpicks Main Line in the dusty lavendar colorway. This is a fairly quick knit and spent a bit of time languishing while I procrastinated on crocheting the straps and sewing them onto the top.
Next up is the Baby Bib o' Love from Mason Dixon Knitting. I knit this for a co-worker who had his first baby this summer. It was a fairly quick project but I have to admit that I got more than a little bored with it and put it aside for a while. All in all, it probably took 2-3 hours to knit but I have never had the strongest attention span.
I only have time for quick post today but want to leave you with a little puppy love! It's great to be back and to be feelin' the knittin' mojo again.

It's alive!

It may appear that I have fallen off the face of the earth due to the length of time it has been since my last post. It has been a hectic few months! I've moved. Dealt with family illnesses. Worked my butt off at work and... have not accomplished much on the crafting front. Things are starting to return to some semblance of normalcy and I have been knitting and have a few sewing projects planned. Heck, I even got a chance to take some pictures last night for today's post.

My Gryffindor Toe-Ups are moving along nicely. I finished both heel turns recently and have reached the mindless part of knitting the leg. I'm hoping to wrap these up soon so that I can move on to one of the gazillion other sock projects for which I have yarn.



I have also been plugging away on Tube Toporini. I think I may have 4 or 5 cable repeats to go before this officially becomes an FO. I'm looking forward to wearing this top over the summer and have a pretty serious queue full of other warm weather knits that I am itching to cast on.

I also have a few sewing projects planned. I was at Joanne Fabrics last weekend and noticed that Butterick patterns were on sale for $1.99. As most of my summer work clothes are starting to look a little worn, I thought I would attempt to make a summer top. The pattern is Butterick 4549 and I am going to make the sleeveless version pictured.

I picked up this shirting fabric that was also on sale to make the sleeveless top. I think it will look nice with khakis.

I also picked up New Look 6843. I am going to make the A-line skirt shown in black and white. I found this brown floral print fabric for the skirt.
I also bought the entire bolt of the burgundy paisley fabric pictured below. I am going to use the paisley fabric to make curtains for my new place. The curtains will be in a yellow room and the fabric matches a quilt that I have.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

The Movie Quote Game - The Answers

I saw this on Jeneration-X Knit Blog today and thought it was a really fun idea. Here are the rules:
Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie. (I'm not sure how to strike out the text so the ones in Green have been guessed correctly.)
Looking them up is cheating. Please don’t.

1. A lot of people enjoy being dead. But they are not dead, really. They're just backing away from life. *Reach* out. Take a *chance*. Get *hurt* even. But play as well as you can. Go team, go! Give me an L. Give me an I. Give me a V. Give me an E. L-I-V-E. LIVE! Otherwise, you got nothing to talk about in the locker room.
Harold and Maude

2. I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.
Excellent job Shadkitty! This quote is from The Shawshank Redemption.

3. They're either married or gay. And if they're not gay, they've just broken up with the most wonderful woman in the world, or they've just broken up with a bitch who looks exactly like me. They're in transition from a monogamous relationship and they need more space. Or they're tired of space, but they just can't commit. Or they want to commit, but they're afraid to get close. They want to get close, you don't want to get near them.
The Big Chill

4. I realize that when I met you at the turkey curry buffet, I was unforgivably rude, and wearing a reindeer jumper.
Shadkitty got this one as well. It's Bridget Jones's Diary.

5. Oh man! How'd you get the beans above the frank?
Way to go Karen!!! It's There's Something about Mary.

6. Now if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed before either of you can come up with another clever idea to get us all killed - or worse, expelled.
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone

7. What are you gonna do? Nice college boy, didn't want to get mixed up in the family business. Now you want to gun down a police captain. Why? Because he slapped you in the face a little? What do you think this like the Army where you can shoot 'em from a mile away? No you gotta get up like this and, badda-bing, you blow their brains all over your nice Ivy League suit.
The Godfather

8. Henslowe: Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster.
Fennyman: So what do we do?
Henslowe: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.
Fennyman: How?
Henslowe: I don't know. It's a mystery.
Way to go, Courtney!!! It's Shakespeare in Love.

9. Maria was married on Saturday. In all important preparations of mind she was complete, being prepared for matrimony by a hatred of home, by the misery of disappointed affection, and contempt of the man she was to marry. The bride was elegantly dressed and the two bridesmaids were duly inferior. Her mother stood with salts, expecting to be agitated, and her aunt tried to cry. Marriage is indeed a maneuvering business.
Courtney got this one as well - Mansfield Park.

10. You know what? I respect women! I love women! I respect them so much that I completely stay away from them!
40 Year Old Virgin

Socks, Socks and More Socks

My knitting has fallen a bit behind lately but it is gearing up to full swing again. I've had a birthday since I last posted. (I'm an April Fool's baby, literally.) Between the celebrations surrounding my birthday and taking up spinning, the aerobic kind not the yarny kind, my knitting time has been a little cramped. I've decided that 33 is not only the year for me to get financially fit but that I might as well throw physically fit onto the list as well.

Given all the hub-bub, my March socks are a bit late but I was finally able to finish them this weekend. Without further ado, here are my Embossed Leaves Socks.

Project Details

Pattern: Embossed Leaves Socks by Mona Schmidt available in Interweave Knits, Winter 2005, and the Interweave Knits Favorite Socks book

Yarn: Miss Babs Superwash Sock in the Grasshopper colorway

Needles: Addi Lace size 1

Start Date: February 24, 2008

Completion Date: April 6, 2008

Project Notes: I loved this pattern. It was very fun to knit and very intuitive. I knit the pattern backwards as it was my first time knitting from a chart and I read it from left-to-right like I would a book. It threw the star toe a bit off but overall I am pleased with how the socks turned out. I would have finished these socks much more quickly if I hadn't put them aside for a little while. I would also highly recommend trying out Miss Babs Superwash Sock. It has an almost velvety texture to it and the Grasshopper colorway had just the right amount of semi-solidness to it. The only thing that worries me about the yarn is that it had a tendency to pill while knitting with it so I will have to wait to see how it wears. It might be better suited to scarves or other items than get less wear and tear than socks due to the pilling but only time and wear will tell.

Upon completion of the Embossed Leaves Socks, I got out my instructions for Judy's Magic Cast-on and am embarking upon my first toe-up socks. I am using Vancalcar Acres Flock Sock in the Something for Gryffindor colorway and will knit these in stockinette. I am also using Wendy's Basic Toe-Up Sock Pattern to complete these socks. I hope that they will go fairly quickly and put me back on schedule for my sock a month goal.

In keeping with the socks theme of this post, I grabbed a model shot of my Evening Stockings for a Young Lady since I had finally dug out my tripod to take better photos of my projects. These photos aren't very exciting as it's my first foray into using the tripod but I am hoping that a little practice will lead to better project pics.

Have a great Monday!