December Obsessions

I'm still recouping from the Christmas weekend. I think my stomach has stretched enough to fit an entire turkey in there. Seriously. I think I have also eaten double my weight in chocolate and cookies. Oomph! That's the sound of me trying to adjust myself in the computer chair. Not a pretty sight. Trust me.

WTF? All of a sudden I'm holding a turkey sandwich in my hand! Before I pass out in a food coma, here are the five things that I've been obsessing about all December long:

1. Dance Central 2. I shit you not. Maybe it's the Asian in me. Maybe it's the gamer in me. Maybe it's both. But I LOVE dance games and would always go nuts whenever I see them at arcades. So when I heard that this was coming to an Xbox near me, I knew I had to have it. I'll confess right here, right now, I'll be up 'til the wee hours of the morning and will possibly spend my days the next few weeks months playing this game. I guess it's one way to burn off those holiday pounds!

2. The Black Eyed Peas Experience. Yeah, I could've clumped this with the first obsession but really, it deserves it's own place on the list. I know the ladies of my knitting group laughed at me when I told them that all I wanted for Christmas was one thing and one thing only. The Black Eyed Peas Experience. Seriously. No jokes. Although, both Hayley and Natalie admitted that they laughed only cause they want to play it too. I've been bugging Brett about getting an Xbox with Kinect just so that I can play Dance Central. Forget Wii, I'd break something with those controllers. There's a wristband on those bad boys for a reason. I wanna be able to get my groove on and not have to worry about whether or not if I'm holding the controller tightly enough so that I won't be destroying my TV, windows, or anyone's sheer amazement at my dance skills. Don't laugh. You'll see. If I ever get challenged to a dance off in some dark alley somewhere, I'll be prepared. If the Black Eyed Peas find themselves down a back up dancer all of a sudden. Yo! I'm ready. Don't hate.

3. Crofter's Organic Fruit Spreads. Holy crap, do I ever love this stuff! I seriously cannot.get.enough.of.it. I really don't like to buy store bought jam and try to get homemade whenever possible. It was a summer goal to learn how to make my own jam but never got around to doing so. Mainly cause I kept missing the prime fruit picking times at my local U-pick farms. I guess I could always use frozen fruit. But I think that'll ruin my first jam making experience.

Last winter I discovered Whimsical Preserves at a craft fair and was sad that I had only picked up 2 jars of their yummy jam and had to go a few month (gasp!) without any homemade jam. Then I found out that they were going to be vendors at an outdoor market that, I kid you not, just happens to be right outside my front door every Saturday during the summer. It kinda got sad cause the lady started to recognize me as I crossed the grassy knoll to get to her stall, and she would have my preferred jam all ready to go. You'd think I'd stock up to carry me through the winter months. Sadly, no. I totally missed the memo about when the last day of that market was. I've been a complete sad face since. Until now. Sometime in November I discovered Crofter's Organic at a snooty (and pricey) grocery store. Curious, I read the label and bought a jar. I was in pure heaven! HEAVEN, I tell you! I had to limit myself though, since this so-called high end market likes to charge an arm and a leg for pretty much everything in their store. So imagine my sheer surprise when a week later whilst roaming the aisles of a local grocery chain store that I discovered my beloved jam! And one week it was on sale!! Hells yeah I stocked up!

I love this "fruit spread" in quite an unholy way. I love it so much that it makes me lick the butter knife I use to spread this goodness on my toast. Yes, I know, it's a butter knife and therefore cannot cut me. But still, it's a knife here people! This jam is making me live on the dangerous side. Not only is there actual chunks of fruit in the jar, but there's absolutely NO preservatives, corn syrup, fructose, cellulose gum, or weird crap like that. The no corn products is what really does it for me. I still shudder at those freakin' ads that used to be on TV, where the American government was trying to convince everyone that high-fructose corn syrup is actually good for you. Yeah um...corn products in general aren't good for you. Your body can't digest it. And sugar shouldn't be man-made chemicals and that highly processed. Don't even get me started on cellulose gum.

I love Crofter's Organics so much, I'm even letting the Munchkin finally have jam on his toast again!

Oh, disclaimer here: please note that Crofter's Organics did not pay or ask me to give my so-called review on them. But if someone from this company just happens to be reading this, I will accept cases of fruit spread. Just saying.

4. Houndstooth Sorel Boots. I was dreaming about them all November and for most of December. Then just as I was about to buckle and buy them already, I found this pair. On sale. Oh yeah. You bet I high-tailed it into the shop, waving my credit card like a crazed boot addict. The weather has been pure crapola here, which means that it's been grey and not so great for photo taking. So I give you an internet-found photo rather than one of my actual boots. Mine came with awesome bright yellow and black plaid laces, but I'm in the process of finding some pink laces....ooohhh...

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Melissa on Pinterest

But just to be sure, I made sure to try on the pair that I had originally wanted:

I knew that if I didn't try them on, I'd always be wondering "what if?". Do you ever get that? Where you see something that you totally heart, but didn't get cause you couldn't justify getting it and then later down the road you find yourself thinking about that item, all forlornly? Yeah, that would have been the case with these. So I tried them on. They were pure awesome sauce but didn't hold a candle to the tall boots. I love these boots. They've already paid for themselves. They are sooooo comfy and sooooo warm! Which, if you've been reading my blog all month, is a must as I've been freezing my butt off all December long!

5. Yarn. OK, so this one is nothing new. I'm sure you were expecting this one. But really, I've been thinking about yarn all.month.long. Twenty four seven. Not just any yarn though, more specifically: my stash. Yeah, yeah, so I acquired quite a bit of new yarn during the month but now I think I've reached my limit. I know my house has. I'm starting to get overwhelmed by the fact that I have a lot of choices. I've been thinking up of a game plan on how to get some control over the stash, besides stop adding to it! I smell a goal cooking up. Just to forewarn you.

Source: threebagsfull.ca via Melissa on Pinterest

Some honourable mentions: warm woollies and Polartec, and most of all - my bed. I seriously think I've slept through the entire month. I've been so extremely fatigued, so beyond exhausted, and feel like I've been battling my eyelids all December long. I'll get spurts of energy (which I would expend on Dance Central sessions) here and there, but to tell you the truth, December was a blurr due to being so sleepy. I'm looking forward to getting my thyroid treated next month (actually, excited isn't the proper word for how I really feel about finally being able to deal with my thyroid issues, but I'm too tired to come up with a better word) and am thinking that maybe, just maybe 2012 will be much, much, MUCH better for me health-wise. YAY!

'Til then, you'll be getting nothing but sleepy posts from me. Oh well. I'm off to make more coffee.

November Obsessions

Technically, it's now December. To me, it's still November 30th. So I can still do a post about November obsessions, right? Whatevs. My blog, my rules. So I'm gonna do it anyways. I would have had this post done a lot sooner, if my keyboard to my iMac was working properly. Or should I say, if it worked at all. Then the laptop decide that it wanted to do something quirky too. Luckily, it stopped being an electrical jerk and started working again. I had taken all these photos to go with this post, but the laptop doesn't have the software I use for my camera and I couldn't be bothered to try to find the CDs and add the software to the laptop. Ugh. Story of the week. Seriously.

All week everything and anything that could go wrong or bad, happened. Such as the computer problems mentioned above. My iPhone is starting to glitch (it was never the same after it took a dive into the Munchkin's bath sometime last year), but it's a super old iPhone (in Apple terms, that's 3G old). Brett bought a new TV 2 weeks and with that we finally gave in and got a digital cable box (I was against it, mind you I don't watch that much TV so felt like there was no need to have the box). Well, let's just say that we've been having issues with this stupid box on a daily basis and we've made a few trips to the cable company and been on the phone with their tech support. Several times. I really want to smash that box Office Space printer style. Something's wrong with the washing machine's agitation cycle, and the dryer is making weird noises. The coffee grinder is dying (we won't even talk about what would happen if I couldn't have my morning coffee!), the espresso machine needs to be de-scaled, my tea infuser somehow fell apart, and the oven is burning everything. Everything.

To top it all off, the Munchkin has decided one night that he doesn't want to take a bath. Ever. Or wash his hands. Or wear half of the clothes in his closet. Or wear sock. Let's not go near the shoes issue. I swear, his tantrums have gotten worse. Volume wise. I'll admit that ever since he turned three years old he doesn't have tantrums as often, but when he does throw one it sounds like bloody murder! Did I mention that he has also become increasingly stubborn since turning three? Oh yeah. His way or the highway stubborn. Some days I'll be lucky if I can get him to leave the house within an hour after the planned time of leaving the house. I thought once the "Terrible Twos" were over, it was suppose to get better??

I'm surprised that my hair hasn't gone completely grey. With the major lack of sleep that I've been dealing with these past few weeks and the overwhelming decline of knitting time (not to mention my extreme online absence...so sorry to those who have emailed/messaged me and have yet to hear a response...I'm alive, just rarely online), I'm amazed as to how well I've been handling all of these...inconveniences.

Ok. End rant.

Let's just hope December goes more smoothly. In the meantime, here's November's obsessed list. I had to dip into the interwebs and borrow a few photos. I've linked to where I got them from, but if I missed one and the owner just happens to stumble upon their unlinked photo, please note that I tried to give credit where credit is due and I'm sorry if I missed crediting you on your photo. I've currently run out of luck. Please let me know nicely and don't send me hate mail! Thank you.

So here we go, the 5 things that I've been obsessing over all month long:

1. SweetGeorgia Yarns. Do I really need to say why I love SweetGeorgia Yarns so much? I'm such a sucker for colour, especially bold and vibrant colours - points that SGY is so well known for. It's no wonder why I mesh so well with SGY! This month I've started and finished two projects with SGY and am still plugging away on a cardigan I'm knitting for the SGY Winter KAL. Just when the thought of knitting up my SGY stash, a box full of SGY arrived at my door last week. Felicia really stuffed the box so full of yarn that it was practically bursting at the seams!! I can definitely see a ton more cardigans knit out of SGY in the future!

Source: flickr.com via Melissa on Pinterest

2. Jane Richmond patterns. This month alone I've cast on the Oatmeal Pullover, a Shannon, and I just finished winding yarn for a Rae. What do they all have in common? That's right, you're so smart. They're all designed by the talented and lovely Jane Richmond. The Rae though, is to be a Christmas present...but to tell you the truth, I think I just might keep it for myself. Shhh! Don't tell anyone! I had also plan on casting on an Audrey hopefully in the week or two. I promised myself that I wouldn't cast on until I got caught up in my sewing...and once I at least swatched for Brett's sweater...and once I decide on a colour...but then earlier today Jane just had to go and release another pattern that went straight into my queue and is begging to be knit up pronto. I swear, we share the same knitting brain! Ever since the weather turned chilly here I've been thinking and wanting to knit nothing but comfy pullovers to snuggle up in to stave off the freezing cold. Jane must have heard my knitterly cries and produced exactly what I was looking for! Yes, the Classic Raglan Pullover must be knit. Now.

Source: etsy.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: janerichmond.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

3. Winter Woollies. I'm being a complete and total wuss. I swear it was colder this time last year and I was fine. This year, I'm a freakin' pansy and can't seem to get warm. Anything that guarantees to be warm and a quick knit, I'm all for. I just.want.to.be.warm. And it's been forecasted that it'll just get colder. Great. According to one weather network it's going to be the coldest it has ever been in 20 years!! Fantastic. Just freakin' fantastic. Can't you just hear the sarcasm dripping off that last sentence?

4. Signature Needle Arts. I've been impatiently awaiting the arrival of some new needles...by, you guessed it, Signature Needle Arts! When the opportunity of getting my hands on some more of these fabulous needles arised, you better believe that I took it. The first pair (which I got in the summer and have been using non-stop ever since) I got in a size that I used the most - a 3.5mm (US 4). The first time I used the needles I knew I was going to be hooked and that I was going to want more of them. They are simply amazing and worth every penny...but a goal that I was going to have to save up for and would probably take me quite a while to accomplish. While I don't have a complete set, I do have a few more to add to my "collection" (and by collection, I mean my solo circ). I'm one happy knitter! One that is dying to cast on a project using each and every single needle!!

5. Sorel Boots. Not just any Sorel boots though. Just this pair:

I'm seriously drooling over them and so want them to be mine. Obviously I would replace the red laces with pink ones. I've been lusting after these babies since last winter, but didn't think our mild winters warranted such a warm boot. Yes, I'm a fool. I'm still kicking myself hard for not purchasing them on sale when I had a chance earlier this spring. Funny how growing up in the Kootenays I used to hate Sorels and thought they were the ugliest things known to man, but now that even uglier boots have come on the market Sorels have definitely dropped out of the race. A few years ago I had even told Brett that I wanted to track down a pair of old school white Sorels and make it my mission to make them en vogue. While I have seen them in a few stores, sadly I can't find a pair small enough to fit my feet. Even more sad is that the company doesn't make this white boot available in kids' sizes. But oh, if they did...I'd be running to the cash register with credit card in hand!

I'm sending out good vibes that not all my electronics will have to be replaced and that I can somehow obtain a pair of warm winter boots...and the time to knit. C'mon December, let this month be a good one!

PS: I don't know if it's just me, but my PC laptop is editing this post funny. What's up with the different font?? This isn't Arial! I want my Mac back!

October Obsessions

Ooohh...I'm squeezing this post in before the month is over. October has been a busy month, knitting wise (and I've been trying to stay off the computer to avoid time-sucks...not sure if that's working). There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to get all the knitting and sewing that I want to get done, done. I'm not sure if it's the cold or simply the changing of the seasons, but my body seems to want to poop out earlier than normal. I'm going to say that my medical condition has something to do with this though, which makes my crafting time less than what I already have.

This weekend wasn't a productive weekend for me. Brett went to Vancouver for the weekend to attend a Halloween party that friends of ours throw every year. Seriously, their Halloween bashes are always epic. They throw two major parties a year and they are always Epic, with a capitol E. I can't remember if Brett's brother was spinning at this party, but the last time I went to an infamous Sasha and Shawn party I danced until my feet swelled to the size of boats. Fingers crossed that maybe I can go to next year's party. So while Brett was being Dexter all weekend, I was busy building marble runs and chasing after rogue marbles. Not really an activity where I can sit and knit with.

Before Brett took off to Vancouver, he carved some pumpkins. The above is Michael Jackson in zombie form from the Thriller video. And with that, here's a quick run down (I have to go pick up Brett from the ferry terminal soon) of the 5 things that have been plaguing my brain all month:

1. The Dahlia Cardigan. Yep...this pattern has made the Obsessions list twice now. As the number one obsession. Even though knitting on this cardigan did not commence until the 24th at Beer Knit Night, I was thinking about this pattern all.month.long. I kid you not. I was extremely impatient on waiting for the yarn to arrive in the post, and as soon as it did I couldn't wait to wind it up and start swatching! But then life got in the way and I didn't do anything about this cardi. Except think about. A lot. I had promised the ladies that I wouldn't go crazy and knit this at breakneck speed...after all, I have so many other projects on the needles that I need to work on too. But ooohhh...I can't wait for this bad boy to be finished! It's going to be so divine when it's done!

Source: interweaveknits.com via Melissa on Pinterest

2. Winter accessories. As in knitting winter accessories. Hats, mittens, cowls, you name it and I want to knit it. Every time the Munchkin and I are out and about I always think about how the kidlet needs a hat, mittens, a warmer sweater...and how I really need mittens and/or fingerless gloves. Then after half an hour at the park or playground I really wish that I had a hat myself...and maybe a thicker scarf or a cowl (since cowls won't unwrap around your neck as you bend down to pick up your kiddo to put him in the swing!). I'm sure that as the weather becomes even colder I'll be even more inclined to knit up some more winter woollies.

3. Fear Fest. After all, it is October and the month is all about Halloween, horror, and any and all things scary. I'm a H.U.G.E fan of horror and zombie flicks, so you better believe that I'm absolutely loving and watching all these movies in my favourite genre on the telly on a daily basis!

Image via

4. The Walking Dead. I guess I could categorize this with the above, but seriously this series is so freakin' awesome that it deserves its own mention. I love the fact that throughout the entire series thus far they never once use the word "zombie", and the fact that this show isn't all about guts and gore. Actually, in some episodes you rarely see any gore. In the last episode only one "Walker" was killed. But oh, the suspense! This show definitely makes you think about what you would do if you were in any of the situations that arise!

Image via

5. Knit-a-longs. Ok, so this one really isn't an obsession. More like I've been thinking a lot about and participating in KALs all month long. So I figured this has to factor in somewhere on this list somehow. So far I'm involved in five KALs: there's the sock one that I'm doing with my friend Hayley and her friend Kairee (both of them wanted to learn how to knit socks...Kairee really took off with it, Hayley's sock is on hold...so is mine), Hayley and I are also doing Owls (which is a yoke away from being done!). I'm also knitting the Dahlia Cardigan with a few lovely ladies from my knitting group, which just started a week ago at beer knit night. Then there's the official KALs that have way more people involved and are a lot of more organized, such as the SweetGeorgia Winter KAL (the North Wind Hat was for this KAL and I plan on casting on for another hat...did I mention that I had cast on another cardigan for this too?), and the Carefree Cowl KAL that is being hosted by Shannon of luvinthemommyhood. I was hoping to take part in the Jane Richmond Rae KAL, but with the five that I'm already doing plus the sweater that I promised to knit Brett (which I have yet to even swatch for) and shhhhhh! some secret knitting, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I really shouldn't add more to my plate. But definitely check out Jane's KAL. Her Rae scarf is truly classic, a timeless piece to add to your wardrobe, and from the looks of it - it seems to be an addictive knit too!

Ok November. Whatcha got for me?

September Obsessions

Oh! It's the last week of September and I have yet to say what I've been obsessing thinking about all this month. I seriously can't believe how fast this month has flown by, and just how close the winter holidays actually are! I think I should start my present planning...I think I'm already behind!

But for now, let me share with you the 5 things that I'm currently obsessed with this month:

1. The Dahlia Cardigan. I.Want.To.Knit.This.NOW!!! Ever since my copy of Interweave Knits arrived in my mail box and I first laid eyes on this pattern I knew that I was going to have to make it. I absolutely love it. And I've been thinking about it ever since. I've been obsessing over what yarns to use, what colour, should I purchase new yarn or dive into the stash (I'm going to say I should really use stash yarn)? I'm seriously dying to cast on right now, but promised that I wouldn't. Not only should I really get some other projects off the needles, but a few girls in my knitting group and I have decided to do this together as a KAL (hi Jennifer, hi Michelle!). Casting on doesn't commence until mid-October. Or whenever Michelle finishes her shawl...

Source: interweaveknits.com via Melissa on Pinterest

2. Tim Tam Slams. I used to do these on my lunch breaks when I used to work at Starbucks. Ok, and most mornings. Ok, ok, ok...you got me, I also do them in the afternoons when I need a pick-me-up. They are highly addicting. And extremely yummy. I was first introduced to the Tim Tam Slam when my manager and I were sitting in the office talking about coffee tastings and how we could get customers involved in them. Coffee tastings (which is a must-do if you work in a coffee shop...and as often as possible) were a big part of my "coffee career" and it was always fun learning and trying to come up with the different ways you can enjoy a great cup of coffee and bring out the different characteristics of a roast. Tim Tam Slams are by far my most favourite of coffee pairings, I mean what's not to like? You got chocolate and you got coffee...and if you get the Caramel Tim Tams, even better! But shhhh! Don't tell Stroopwafels, Madeleines, or jelly beans that they've been bumped down the list!

3. Grey. As in the colour grey. Lately I've been all about the grey. Even during those rainy, gloomy, and wet days that we've had so far I'm still thinking about grey yarns...as evident in my yarn purchases as of late. I think it all started with the Mystery Shawl and when I was trying to come up with colour combinations. I'm a huge fan of pairing bright colours with monotones. I was all about colours paired with chocolate browns, but of as of late the brown has been overtaken by shades of grey. I'm thinking the next project I cast on for will have to be knit in grey yarn. It's the only way I can overcome this obsession!

4. Madelinetosh's Steam Age colourway. Of all the greys that I've been obsessing over, this one is Queen Bee in my heart. It's the perfect shade of grey and I'm absolutely loving the streaks of pink and turquoise running through it. Le sigh. Be still my heart...

5. Slow Cooker Recipes. I recently acquired a slow cooker in hopes that it'll help cut down my time in the kitchen cooking this fall and winter (so that I can spend more time doing other things...like fashioning food out of Play Doh with the Munchkin, and oh maybe get some more knitting time in?). Not to mention that there's nothing that I love more than a nice big bowl of soup or stew on a cold Autumn day. I could seriously live off of nothing but soups and stews. And I would. If only Brett would consider them meals. To him, soup is an appetizer. No matter how hearty the soup could be, it's just not a meal on it's own. Mind you, Brett is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. I'm determined to sway him over to Team Soup. So I've been trying to accumulate as many yummy slow cooker recipes as possible. They don't all have to be soups or stews, but I am limited to the fact that Brett doesn't eat beef. So a beef pot roast is kinda out of the question. I still have October's meal plan to sort out, so I'm open to any and all suggestions. Anyone got a good recipe? I'm all ears!

Honoury mention should go to the purging mission that I'm still on. It's a slow process, but a freeing one. It's amazing just how much weight is lifted off your shoulders when you finally go through a stack of papers that's been on the desk for ages, just to discover that you didn't need any of it! As much as I would love to plow through the house in a power purge, I can only do little piles (or a shelf...ok, half a shelf) at a time. That's ok though, my goal is to get the top floor of the house sorted by the end of the year. Plenty of time. If I even get started on the main floor before the new year, I'll be laughing!

August Obsessions

It's the last day of August but I figured it's still not too late to share what I was obsessing about all month long. If you've been a long time reader I'm sure you already know what a fickle, fickle bitch I am! It's like I have the mind of a magpie. Anyhoo, the 5 things that I've been obsessed with all month:

1. Westknits' Mystery Shawl KAL. Even though I haven't shown any photos of my shawl, other than what colour combination I decided to go with, trust me when I say I've been knitting like a fiend on this! I know there's been mixed reviews about this KAL and shawl design and whatnot, but I really like mine and don't have anything bad to say about this pattern. Yes, my rows are getting insanely long and it takes seriously 10 minutes to do just one row, but I absolutely love the colours I chose and can definitely see myself wearing this in the fall. Here's a sneak peak...this is after knitting up clue #2:

2. Chromeo. Still. Can't stop, won't stop...listening to this duo!! They are still in serious rotation on my iPod and their beats are played on a daily basis. The Munchkin and I regularly have "dance parties", especially to the song 'Night By Night', which is the music video that you see below. Every time I hear this song, I think of this video. He's so not my type, but I think Dave-1 in this video is seriously hawt! I think it's the slick moves. Oh yeah...

3. Hexipuffs. As in the little polyfil stuffed knitted honeycombs for The Beekeeper's Quilt. As in THE quilt that everyone is raving about and madly knitting on as well. I seriously can.not.stop.knitting.these!! Even though I only have 12 knit up so far. When I'm not knitting them, I'm definitely thinking about them! I really love the idea that I'm finally going to have a use for all my fingering weight leftovers. I also love the idea that I'll finally get to use those skeins of yarn that I didn't have the heart to destash/trade away but have no idea what to use them for. I feel like I have too much yarn lined up for this on top of the leftovers, but when I think about how many hexipuffs I need...yeah, it's actually not enough!

4. Canning and Jams. I am so beyond determined to try my hand at canning and making jam. I've been dreaming and thinking about this, seriously, ALL month. I would love to try making some blueberry jam, peach jam, and canning jars of peaches and dill pickles. I've been searching for pots and and all the accessories needed for successful canning, and spotted a starter kit that I must get my hands on. The wheels are turning...

5. Signature Needle Arts. My friend Michelle was über lucky to get to go to Sock Summit back in July. Not only did she score an incredible haul of yarny goodness, but she was also able to score me a set of circular needles from Signature Needle Arts. I've been dying to try these needles out and now that I have a pair of my own, I can definitely see what the fuss is all about. Don't get me wrong, I still have major love for my Knit Picks interchangeables, but if I had a choice I would definitely go for the Signatures. I use 3.5mm (US 4) needles the most and had contemplated between a 32" or 40" cable (I went with a 32"), so that's what Michelle brought back. I've been knitting Emelie with these needles and I swear they are the reason why I managed to knit that cardigan up as fast as I have! Signatures are so amazing that it's my new mission to save up my pennies so that I can get a set in each size available!

I should also make an honoury mention to my month long yarn diet that I had put myself on. I had gone a little overboard with the yarn purchases and swapping in July and decided that the month of August should be a no-buy month. Even though the month isn't technically over, I did it! I didn't buy any yarn and really held back on the swaps. The only time I allowed myself to swap was when a skein of STR or a colour of Wollmeise that I've been seeking was put up.

Now that I'm jobless I don't know if that means I'll have more time to craft, but it definitely means I won't be purchasing as much yarn as I would like or normally would get. But you know what? That's ok. I have so many projects lined up that I already have the yarn for that I really don't need to add to my stash since I probably won't get to the new yarn for quite a while (sounds like I'm trying to convince myself of this, huh?).

Ok September...bring it on! Whatcha got??

July Obsessions

It's a month of C's! The 5 things that I'm currently obsessed with this month:

1. Capes. There's a ton of cape action that I've been seeing lately. I like how Vogue Knitting dedicated their early fall issue to knitted cape patterns. The summer issue of Knitscene even has a pattern that I am dying to knit. Question is: can I pull off wearing a cape? Even a small one? Man, I want to make that and wear it so badly!

2. Chromeo. Brett introduced me to the Canadian duo years ago and I was all, "they're ok" about it. When I went to the Kootenays my cousin had a playlist that included one of their songs that made my ears perk up a bit. I've heard this song before...but where? When I got back to Victoria I kept hearing snippets of songs that I really liked. All from Brett's playlists. Curious, I checked out what we've been listening to. Yup. Chromeo. Brett only had a few songs but I quickly changed that! And now all the albums are in very high rotation on my iPod. Some songs are even on repeat. You know you've been listening to something too much when you're dancing to the music and it's not even playing!! Oops!

Image via Pitchfork

3. Caprese salads. With a balsamic vinegar reduction drizzled all over it. Pure heaven. I know I've mentioned it a few times on this here blog my love for this salad. Especially when the warmer weather rolls around. Sure enough, when the basil plants started appearing at Thrifty's Brett brought one home and I started chowing down. I seriously think I need to invest in a few more plants though. I'm eating the basil faster than it can grow! This salad always fills me up, and yet keeps me wanting more. Before I know it I've already gone through an entire carton of grape tomatoes and a container of pearl bocconcini...and in one sitting. Yikes!!

4. Coffee. More specifically, coffee from Oso Negro. Whenever I go see my family I always have to stock up. And when I say stock up, I mean I'm packing at least 6-7 lbs worth of this black gold into my luggage!! All other coffee beans have nothing on Oso Negro. Mmmm...I think I might go make a cup of it now...it's so freakin' good!!

5. Castile Soap. But not just any kind of castile soap. It has to be Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap. A cousin of mine had introduced this liquid soap to me ages ago...like, we're talking early 2000 here. Although, back then she had presented it to me as more of a shampoo than a soap that has a million uses. So I tried it on my hair. I didn't care for it. I kept the bottle though and had used it to wash my makeup and hair brushes. Then at the beginning of this year I was talking to the same cousin on the phone who was telling me to try Dr. Bronner's again, but this time not as a shampoo. So I did. I absolutely love it as a body wash AND as a face wash! It make for a fantastic all-purpose travel soap (during my trip it was my body and face wash in the shower, my hand soap when I went anywhere, and I had even used it to quickly hand wash some clothes!), but I also carry a little squeeze bottle of it with me for when I'm out and about cause I find the hand soap that you find in restaurants and public bathrooms to be extremely heavily scented and super drying. Sometimes I even use it to wash my delicates. And shhhhhh! Don't tell anyone, but the Tea Tree Oil version makes for a great household cleaner!

I wasn't sure if I should have added the Westknits Mystery Shawl KAL as one of my July obsessions, then decided not to since I haven't been obsessing about it all month. Just recently. But now you know what I will be obsessing about next month!

June Obsessions

5 things that I'm currently obsessed with:

1. Hummus. With carrots. I've been eating this combo for snacks, with meals, in place of chocolate. I think I'm starting to smell quite heavily of garlic. Could explain why people are steering clear of me?

2. Coconut water. Insanely delicious. Yes, it's an acquired taste but when guzzled down ice cold, it's so, so, so good! Not to mention it's really been helping with my headaches, and quenching my thirst when I've drunk enough water to drain a huge ass lake.

3. Paper Mate Flair pens. Watch out Sharpie, there's a new kid in town. And man, does he ever write oh so good! I seriously can't.get.enough. of these pens! Screw typing out lists on my iPhone or texting Brett "I love you" notes, I've been handwriting lists galore and leaving cheesy Post-Its for Brett just so that I could use one of these pens. I'm a dork.

4. Actually knitting with my Wollmeise stash. Gasp!! Pure craziness, I know! You mean, you're suppose to use the yarn? Not just hoard it??

5. I think this last one is an obsession that borders along hard core girly crush. But I've been obsessed with Joy the Baker. And her podcasts, Homefries. Yes, she only has 5 podcasts to date, but seriously, she's freakin' hilarious. I love her. I want to be her friend. Oh, who am I kidding?? I want to be her. But not in a Single White Female way. Cause that's just creepy.