all over the map

this is so random i had to go back and add bullet points just for a flow of some kind. my brain sometimes... it goes errrvrywhere!

• The past few days have been a rollercoaster! and I don't like rollercoasters! They SUCK! We knitted 85 things in like half a second and put them all in Etc., Inc. (my sister and niece). It's really taking off! Super. Excited! (take a look at the gallery here if you want to custom order anything!) 
• A few things have happened in my personal life that caused me to literally break down but afterwards a strange sense of peace came over me just kind of letting me know, again, "You're mine. I got this." Hear me out. I'm kind of stupid. God takes care of me. Left to my own devices I would be way worse off. God takes care of me. 
• I've started to take lunches to work. A world without Sarku is a MUCH better world I've realized. Also I love taking clementine oranges to work. They're so. CUTE. Part of my change1 initiative paired with frugality haha. If I buy something it'll be at Trader Joes getting an apple and hummus (oh hummus how I love thee...). I will sacrifice my parking space! (oh man. giant sacrifice inDEED)
• I actually had an entire entry ready about why I'm weird and I put in a mock q&a format but... if you know why I'm weird it doesn't make me weird anymore! That's no fun! Where's the air of mystery about myself! Ok in reality I'm really not that mysterious at all. I'm pretty transparent. I laugh too much. I'm awkward in social situations. I can ACTUALLY dance but I don't ever show it... I do the robot a lot to cover it up : ) That's how I roll. Awkwardly.
• I group hugged about 20 of my co-workers today which made me really happy. Oddly enough I've group hugged 450 co-workers before... because apparently that's what we DO. I love having a work family - I'm always so busy trying to push everyone away from my bubble that I didn't notice I HAD one til recently. It's pretty great. I'm full of bubbly love right now. And Reese's Peanut ButterTrees. (for the holidays.)
• I have an ugly sweater party coming up soon. Pictures (and hopefully a video) coming SOON! So excited guys. 

This post is so. Random. Also my mother just shuffled into my room and tried to get into my bed. She was shooed. I figure I'll just keep on the random track.

For this last random part of this entry, that I just realized has nothing at all to do with Christmas... Oops. Anyway for the last part of this entry I present an image:

How beautiful is this? There is never a point in time I will be able to move like this. I only dance like this in my dreams but... it's a huge inspiration to me. I think part of the reason why I enjoy drawing dancers so much is I know I can't move like they do. I take joy in studying how their muscles move. We'll see if a contemporary dance class is in my near future. *oh geeze*

g'night! 

birds... fly to the stars i guess

I just wrote an entire post, published it and my weefee's went out. Stupid weefees.

my title is a quote from one of my favorite movies. Kudos to anyone who guesses it. No but seriously go get a Kudos bar if you guess it. Kudos bars are dang good.

I'm listening to the most delicious song right now. It makes me think of being in Paris wearing a red knit beret walking hand in hand with a guy and having French bread be our BEST. FRIEND. Take a listen. Or I'll be mad that you're missing out on this crazy awesome song. Seriously it's SO tasty.

Happy news friends! Blueberry Cobbler Knitting Co. is LIVE! In living color (except way less awesome than the tv show was)! We're selling our things in Etc., Inc. in Frankfort. You should totally go and buy everything which makes our life harder because we have to keep making things but it's still awesome because obviously we'll be THAT popular. It's obvious. A no brainer.

This means this will be the end of custom knit orders for Rhode Island. I can't take and finish orders AND make stuff on demand. I only have two hands and I'd like to NOT have early onset rheumatoid arthritis. I'm not sayin I'm just sayin. Baking list still comin though! It's so complicated to do this...

I... on a completely random and unrelated note the past couple days have been really... interesting. That is all. Goodnight

'If the stars were mine I'd tell you what I'd do... I'd put those stars right in a jar and give them all to you' SUCH a tasty song!

Hats for Baby Ella

I just finished my first knitting project, shipped, handled and all that jazz! I'm so excited. Baby hats are probably one of my favorite things to make... they're super quick and almost always turn out way more adorable than you ever expected... especially if you put a flower on them. hint: always put a flower on baby hats. it will turn even uncute babies (don't get me wrong... i love ALL babies but... i witnessed my first not cute baby and now i know. i've seen that light.) super cute.

A few quick pics for you.


yeah there's no way you can resist a baby in a hat with a flower. I'm not saying but really? I'm just saying.

for more information on how you can request knits and see what's for sale go here! for the complete story on why I'm knitting at ALL go here! : ) I'm also baking! That list is coming soon...

love for sale

Here is a selection of knits I will be making. I will also be taking special requests to anyone that FB messages me or emails me - otherwise there will be set things I'll make in a series of colors. I also make baby blankets, mohawk hats (only for Raiye...) and tea cozies... only cuz i enjoy typing and saying the phrase 'tea cozy'. Better yet just come over and have tea with me. Before that take a look at the knits you totally want (don't deny it!) THEN come over and have tea. I'll bake for you. (click on any image to make it larger!)

Hats (the slouchy awesome kind, the mustache kind, the baby kind) 

Scarves (cabled, ribbed, striped, plain, fancy, double long or airy!) 

Handwarmers and armwarmers (preeetty much just like a scarf for your arm. it's slightly more awesome) 

Cowls - i really like these... they're like mini scarves - my sister also enjoys making them - oh and that's my niece Autumn aka the model for all these lovely knits - she'll be taking over IMG soon... when she learns how to walk in heels. workin. on it.

Legwarmers - do not under any circumstances underestimate the AMAZING COMFORT of these legwarmers. Made from 2 soft knits they're stretchy and durable and... like a tiny fuzzy monster of love is hugging your legs. Leg Love. Renaming them "Leg Love" officially.

Again I'll be making these in set colors and styles except for special special requests. As for baking just click on Adventures in Cooking and eeeeverything I've eeeever made pops up! aka... multiple links to Joy the Baker's website. I'm an advocate for her. She doesn't know that though... so I think that makes me creepy. Unfortunate right? But it's for a cause! justified. yessss.

RHODE ISLAND HERE I COME!!!! W00! WAH00!

get the cool shoe shine

I just wanted to show you these:

My sister made them! Don't they look like the best ice cream EVER... uh... on your hands? Blueberry Cobbler - whaaaat?!

OK i also had to tell you a story. Yesterday morning I woke up and decided I needed an ice cream sundae. And I made one - it was extra tasty for 9 am. Then I had a bite of a cinnamon roll haha and fell into a sugar induced little nap. It was actually pretty awesome. After I woke up the second time I called my mom and told her what I had for breakfast and was like, "Isn't that nuts? I'm so weird." She responds, "Noooot really..." and goes into this story about when I was 4, after dropping my brothers and sisters off at school we went to eat cuz we ran out of the house without eating. Apparently I was in my pajamas... no time for that either - fantastic haha. But I ordered a sundae... then ordered a hamburger and thought it was perfectly normal - and I guess my mom did, too, cuz she let me eat it haha.

So, YES, I AM weird, but somehow this weirdness is normal for me. Does that make sense? I know... I'm out of the box, but that's like 26% of why people like me.

writin' this down!

This keeps poppin up in my head and I want to get it out:

I want to own a knitting shop/bakery one day. I think it would be awesome. As soon as I typed this my heart went a little sour. I don't know if it's nerves or the wrong thing to want. I think my mom could work there and my niece and sister as well. It would just be a family run... cute little business. I like it. And my heart is still like, "NOOOO!" lol mixed emotions...

Also, goin' down to Olivet this weekend for homecoming and copious amounts of eating haha. I think I'm going for the gospel choir concert as well in two weeks. I can't resist good music/dancing all for Jesus whaaat?! haha

b the dubs i finished 1 hat. workin on the reincarnation of the other one now. same style. same button. same color. same AWESOMENESS.

preeeviiiiew!

my entire family does this

when my brother was 15 he sat in front the t.v. and copied down Macaulay Culkin's entire bathroom/bathrobe scene on an index card while play/pausing on the VHS. Almost 20 years later here I sit in front of my computer on Hulu pausing and playing a scene from Community and copying it down on a giant musical note shaped... note pad. We don't change much. It stays within the fam and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Donde? Esta? La Biblioteca?

Me llamo T-bone, la aranja discoteca

Discoteca, muneca, la biblioteca

Es un bigote grande, perro, monteca

Monteca, bigote, gigante, pequeno

Cabeza es nieve, cervesa es bueno

Buenos - dias, me gusta papas frias

Bigote de la cabra es Cameron Diaaaz

Boi!

Love it.

Let's move on from that though eh? Let's. I finally finished the hat. I might remake the hat. As it turns out the yarn was really REALLY soft and supposed to be knit on smaller needles so it revolted a little bit. It's gorgeous. I've got some ways to revamp it though. Make the brim smaller so it'll actually FIT. I had to put it away though I couldn't look at it, I was so frustrated.

On the upside of things, I've gotten requests for that particular hat from... 6 people! yay. I've made a baby hat and I'm working on additional hats. P.s. Knit is getting off the ground... like... hovercraft height haha but it's off the ground! As my niece enjoys shouting out at random times: Progression!

The Baby Beanie

and i found more

they're done!

knitted inspiration

knit alert :0)

I am almost done with the second leg warmer! It's been SO LONG and I'm like 4 inches away. I've resorted to taking it to work with me. I'm that determined. I am attempting before Saturday so I can get them on my niece and pictures up. They're so warm... I want to live in them.

I am a fair-weather knitter (lol a good name too - yaay i thought of one!). I knit, knit, knit then stop. for like 60 years. then all of a sudden it's Christmas... and i knit, knit, knit, Christmas is over then i'm tired and i stop for 60 more years. then summer comes haha. but when i need a knit-kick-in-the-pants i look at these:

her name is Siobhan (pronounced Sha-VON - WHO KNEW?!) from moocowhandknits on Etsy. She is my favorite etsy seller at the moment because she gets me in the 'let make something AWESOME' mood. I have made the drop stitch scarf and I REALLY want to make the the magic ring wrap cuz it's so versatile and comfortable. One day I'll work up to that black button up wrap. and then of course i'll rule the world afterwards. it's all in the plan, keep up!

I ordered a pair of needles for a hat I'm making from a knit shop I decided to patronize (the good kind of patronize), but as it turns out all the ladies are 97 (cute as pie though) and keep losing my order for the right size needles.

My conversation with them:

Me! I need size 6, 16 inch, circular needles.

Gma-97 - FIVE SIX??! We don't sell that. We only sell 5 OR 6.

Me! I need. SIZE. SIX. 16 inch circular needles.

Gma-97 - OH. oh. okay. what kind?

And apparently they do inventory once a YEAR. If they don't get here soon I'm just going to adjust the pattern cuz this is ridiculous... but I will get their yarns... love em.

on a completely different note - right now i'm into shoes with stories behind them. shoes with impact. first TOMS now these from Sseko (courtesy of designmom). i can't wear heels. i can't wear boots. i can BARELY wear TOMS - but trust me... when those shoes come back i will wear them. i will wear them like the stepsister in cinderella that tried on a size 5 shoe with size 12 feet they WILL FIT. just sayin - but i am very sure i can wear THESE:

mhmm. don't you wish summer wasn't ending? go ahead. get them. save them but secretly wear them in the house.

love.

knitting and shoes where your feet can breaaathe. the ideal day. for me haha

free fallin'

Let me start out by saying I'm in a dilemma. With myself. 'Member the competition? I'm so done with it. SO done. it's not over yet but I've been done with it for AGES. In fact I'm so done I've started going backwards. No joke it's like... Abby's will went AWOL and... I can't find it. Seriously every time I try to hold onto some type of discipline I go, 'CHIPS!' and suddenly they are there. I dunno what's... yeah I totes do. (and OMG I can't stop saying 'totes' instead of TOTALLY) I need to hold onto it or... disastrous things are ahead.

Anyway moving on (I hope you made it past that haha). I wanted to show my current knitting project. You remember me. I'm a grandma in training. Except the type of grandma that. is. AWESOME. and I'm 23 so... I'm clearly NOT a grandma. There is something both relaxing and satisfying when you make your own stuff AND people think it's stylish. It is no longer a 'granny' antiquated art. It's considered contemporary yet traditional. SWEET.

I'm currently knitting wool/mohair/silk leg warmers.

Why in the middle of summer you ask? Mainly, because I got so excited about their potential cuteness I couldn't wait until it got cooler. I'm using Cascade yarn (on the left color Puget Sound) which I've never used before - can I say I'm excited? I'm excited! - and an old (not really) friend Rowan Kidsilk Haze (on the right color Hurricane) . I love the fuzzy little fibers in the kidsilk. It makes the legwarmers look like they're glowing, while adding some color depth. I'll post after pictures. I'm only on the first warmer but blazing through it. I knit during tv shows - I can knit without looking so after an hour I've gotten pretty far. 26" is long though!

I'm starting a knitting design series I've been thinking about for a while. They'll eventually end up as tags for gifts. I need names. I've come up with The Whole Knit & Caboodle and Sterling Knits (I live on Sterling) but that's... really prosaic. lol or Knit in Thyme. music, cooking and knitting. mmmm. ANYWAY i suck at this unless it's very late at night and the project is NOT for me (can't explain). so help.

please & tanks. (a good name for a line of tank tops!)

what DO i like about you?

I finished my scarf! I'm just so excited and I wanted to tell... no one in particular so i posted here haha. i'll put a picture up soon. It's kind of vintage-y. It's a grass green (not celadon, not kelly, not moss) deep double rib called the Cartridge stitch with black satin bows at the ends. I feel like it should be worn with a cute trench coat and a cloche. So if I ever sell my designs one day I will specify how they are to wear it ;0)

I'm also starting these SWEET sleeves (super large... arm warmers) made out of Kidsilk Haze and its like... knitting a whisper. Seriously it's messed up but it'll be so pretty. The OTHER bad thing is somehow my knitting needles are the EXACT same color as the yarn. I don't know how that happened it was the only pair they had and it just turns out that they're the same color. So... you're knitting invisible fluffy whispers. Sweet. It'll turn out ok... 'specially since I painted one needle silver so I could SEE.

Did I tell you I like knitting? I do. Totally do.

at the carwash

I'm currently staying at my sisters house for a few days... oh Valencia. er... Hinsdale.

I can't really tell you whats going on with my family right now? but i can give you my current thoughts :0)

• I have a wedgie the size of the great state of Texas


• I believe the librarian behind me has been inspecting said wedgie for going on 20 minutes now


• My legs are caveman hairy. but they are out because its raining. and my pants are long


• I believe the librarian behind me is also inspecting said caveman hairy legs and writing them in her memoirs.


• I broke out the GULP'D today (Ginormous Polka Dotted Umbrella of Life)


• Currently listening to Putumayo Presents: Paris at the moment. love!love!


• Wishing I could listen to blog 28 from Imogen Heap


• Cable knit scarves are really easy. And I'm going home to work on it.


• Wondering how people can be so stupid - "i think he's attracted to me but he has a girlfriend..." ah the makings of affairs and daytime television

Dance in the rain today!

love is a house and you got the key!

Have you ever tried narrating your life as a book?

mmkay.

Explanation time! okay so see... I like to read... and usually it comes in bursts of reading love and then not so much (kind of like knitting) but i've been on a reading kick lately mostly cuz i don't have a tv (but i do now! WHOO) and i find myself like... narrating.. things? yeah is that slightly creepy? no. not if you're a reader haha all i do is add ", says Abby in a haughty slightly condescending tone." its not so creepy... even ever so slightly at all. at all. *shrugs* i just like books ok? haha

in other news i am officially finished with the Aurora yearbook... FOREVER. *insert giant sigh here* as much... blood sweat and tears literally went into this whole 2 year process of life and sometimes wasted time i am SO ready to be done with it! well i mean i AM done with it so... iii'm glad i was ready? I'm glad i learned from the HORRIBLENESS that was last year and i'm glad i got to produce something so gorgeous (its my child. don't take that away from me! what if i was unable to have children??? ok too far... bringin it back.) and it was worth all the crap that went down... sometimes... but... yay for closure. haha i swear its the one thing people are always looking for and when you get it... you don't actually believe you have it. 

spiritual update! (its like the weather report... no? no.) i'm still definitely working on forgiveness in all areas of my life. it stretches farther than... i could have imagined... i said before that with reading it comes and goes? thats how i feel about my spiritual life sometimes... like ohhhhhhmygoshisoooooloveGooood... and then other times its like... i don't feel like getting into the Word or my devotions tonight. OR why can't i forgive easier? God forgives us 490 times a DAY... haha i think i could lend a couple people forgiveness... Can anyone tell me why is that? 

I just heard a message about being bold the other day... handing out tracts to people on the street. It's just a piece of paper that you give to them... they can choose to read it or not read it... and it's one of the most gut wrenching things you do... the awesome thing is God made you bold... not boldness comes in time God formed you... to be bold. Boldness is instilled in us its part of our make-up as a person. So us NOT being bold... though it may seem like its not a choice us not choosing boldness makes us cowardice because thats WHAT we are! BOLD! I just find that to be really cool...

and in thinking about that why can't i get on board? why is there this burning desire to know God to want to get closer in my walk with Him and other times i feel like it's being put out or like i have ZERO will power in any aspect of my life starting with my spiritual life? does anyone else ever feel like that?

It's getting late and i should finish what i was doing... 

what am i gonna WEAR tomorrow? and i started a scarf :0)