Future's lookin' so Bright!!!!!!

First sunburn of the season. It hurts so good. It's been too hot to knit and I'm back to school as well so the knitting seems to be going on hiatus. I have to rip back and make the skinny clapotis longer as soon as I finish making a small bag from the same yarn. I needed to make sure that I have enough yarn for the bag, but now I'm thinking I might look for something different to make the little bag out of. I have been more inspired to draw lately and I think that I'm going to try to get in a few art classes stating Fall semester and build up a portfolio that I can have on hand. I'm still toying with the tattoo artist idea. If I can get my foot in the door it would so be worth it, but it's finding someone to train you that becomes the problem. That and I need a little more training in the art department (I think) before I start putting permanent ink on people's skin. I'm trying really hard to find my niche and I'm starting to think that learning to work on cars wouldn't be such a bad idea if my whole "life as an artist" doesn't pan out. I don't know what to do with myself. Time to find some new knitting projects to project the CALM again.

The Earth Moved and the Water Washed Away

I'm saddened by the events that took place in Japan. An 8.9 earthquake and then a tsunami just a few minutes later while the terror was still pulsing through their veins. What a double finger flick from Mother Nature. As I watch the videos of the earthquake I can feel a rush of fear in my chest as I remember with clarity the seven pointer that I experienced in Guam. It started out gentle rolling and then all of a sudden BOOM! I can only think that it would be like being in a box, set on a nervous giant's knee. It wasn't nearly as devastating (only a lamp fell over), but it lasted for over a minute and every time you thought it was getting ready to taper off and stop it would suddenly start up again and shake even more violently then the last bit. I remember actually saying "Please stop, please stop, please stop" over and over again as it continued because you just didn't know how bad it was going to get the longer it lasted. It's a complete sensory overload because it throws you off balance and the noise is buffering you and it's scary wondering if the next big rattle is going to bring something down on you. There is absolutely nothing you can do, but hold on and pray you're not unlucky. That particular earthquake woke my kids in the dead of night. I could go in their room right now and send a parade through and they wouldn't wake. But as I said before it's more than just one thing with an earthquake. I still get nervous any time it feels like something might be moving even a little even though I live on the East Coast of the US where we don't get earthquakes (I know it's possible because of a fault line that runs close to here, but not common). You do get used to them after a time and the little ones don't even cause a blink in your day, but those that last a good long while ..... you don't forget those. A minute seems like five. I've heard the one in Japan lasted about three minutes. That must have felt like an eternity and that wasn't even the worst of what was to come for some areas. Then to make matters worse, you're keyed up from the initial earthquake and then you have to deal with after shocks. I'll take a hurricane over that any day. At least I have plenty of time to get the heck out of the way in that case and can avoid it all together. I'm praying the death count doesn't climb much higher and that nothing else smacks them around while they're trying to recover from this. I hope every one else out there is praying for Japan as well.

No Time to Say Hello, Goodbye......

Busy times. Now that Spring Break is upon us I have time to blog a little. And knit a little. No lie. I have hardly been able to knit since school started, but I finished one of my classes (it was a short session) so I'm hoping that I'll have a little more time on my hands. If my Art HIstory class study list is any indication though, that might just be a pipe dream. They seem to be getting longer and LONGER and more detailed with every quiz that we take. I skipped the last quiz because I didn't think there was any way that I could cram that much info into my brain and have it still be functioning. By the end of last week I was convinced that my brain was going to liquify and seep from my ears. I still have work that I need to get done before the break is over, but I'm putting it off and knitting in the hopes that I find the CALM again. I was able to bang out these cute hand warmers while school was in session. Now that I'm on break I've started a few pairs of socks and an afghan. I don't know what I was thinking, but I'm sure that I'll have more cast on before the week is out. The socks are just standard toe up socks that I'm making for my little boy (should be quick knits) and the afghan is the Entrelac Baby Blanket from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. It's being done up in a super chunky and super soft LionBrand yarn. I've got these bad boys on size 13 needles, which I've never used before this except once and that was to make something that was to be felted. I'm finding that I have trouble knitting big. I keep dropping my yarn and my hands and arms are aching like they never have before. But I am determined to finish this blanket and give it to my daughter, who will be overjoyed that I've knitted her a blanket at last. I've started it out with 5 triangles on the 1st tier so I'm sure that she'll be able to use it the rest of her life. How's that for longevity?!!! This blanket might be a lesson in longevity for us both. I found that it takes a whole skein to make one triangle. I only have 22 more to go. Woo hoo! Now that I'm thinking about it I might rip it out (again) and make it one triangle smaller (4*3 instead of 5*3).
Oh! And I've been working on this bad boy since Christmas. It's a clapotis, made with KnitPicks Imagination on US 3 needles so it's a cute skinny scarf. I've just started the decreases (since I just picked it up again last night after not working on it for almost two months) so I should have it done before my mom comes to visit and I'll actually have something to give her (it was supposed to be this and 12 tiny stockings as well as some tabi socks....... she always wants the tabi socks).