a week before the event i came up with these armwarmers that cover up to the elbows or scrunch down to be super slouchy.  they were the most popular item at the sale which i’m really grateful for since they’re so simple.

*view from my bedroom

the designers find time sale was a great success!  congrats to all the amazing ladies and gents who participated.  great work!  many thanks to 255canal who were the wonderful hosts of the show.

my awesome friends came out to support me and took some photos:

thanks everyone!  now i gotta fill those orders!

look!  it’s me in the corner!!

i’ve gotten together with other designer/crafters for a weekend sale of all our goods.  i’m showing all that i’ve knit up and i have a few pieces for sale but not much.  this is my first time ever showing in public so i’m excited to see how people react to my work.  if you’re in the area, come visit and shop!!

p.s. i’m calling myself LINAhandknit for now.  (ja)knit is still alive but i think others may have the name already.  thinking about going etsy soon but i have a lot of research to do…

back in august, one of my oldest friends, alice came to ny for a wedding and stayed with me one night before going back home to sf.  it was just enough time to discuss what she wanted me to make for her and her mom to wear for a fall wedding.  this shawl is what she picked for her mom:

this is the shrug she picked for herself.  her arms are much longer than mine and she wanted the optional thumbholes in the sleeves which i thought was a great idea.

and on a lazy saturday, this is what i made for myself.  another slouchy hat but this time in a dark navy.  i love how this huge hat never gives me hat hair.

things are finally settling down.  i say that with apprehension for i’m not completely convinced that good luck has finally found me or our economy.  buying a couch, a tv, a mattress was supposed to be fun but it wasn’t because what if it happens again?  what if i lose it all again?  being tied down by all these material things makes me nervous but i have to continue on.  i think about what would have been if i’d stayed in austin or picked a different, possibly more stable career.  i wouldn’t have memories like this, that’s for sure:

versailles

paris

barcelona

madrid

florence

lucerne

heidelberg

berlin

amsterdam

bruges

stonehenge

bath

london

needless to say, i have no regrets and no hard feelings about my months of chaos and homelessness.  what i’ve learned from this roller coaster ride so far is that the support from family and friends is priceless.  i count my blessings everyday and try not to take them for granted.  so as we approach the last months of this year i find myself reflecting on what places i’ve seen, all that i’ve learned and i’m hopeful and ready for what’s to come…

(hi jill!)

spring was a bit busy for me.  i had to move out of my apartment since my lease was up and i took off to europe for about 6 weeks.  upon my return to nyc i was miraculously able to find a job.  this is my 2nd week back to work after 8 mos. of couching.  i have to say, i was getting really really good at couching and i kind of miss it but it’s great to get a paycheck again.  i’ve moved back to brooklyn but to greenpoint this time.  i’m hoping to get my own place by the end of the month.  details/photos of my trip and my new residence to come…

i flew home to texas on april 10th to greet my brand new nephew, nicholas edward, who was born april 8th at 12:47am weighing in at 7lbs, 15 oz.

he’s amazing!  i miss him already…(sorry, no pics with daddy this time)

whilst in austin, i was able to visit with my good friends and their children and also friends i hadn’t seen since college who’ve made austin home again.  of course, i had my fill of bbq, tex-mex, sonic, and chick-fil-a but there was still so much more to enjoy.  i plan to be back mid-june, but who knows what the future holds.  i’ve offiicially stopped trying to forecast my life.

oh, and no knitting right now.  the yarn is packed in boxes unknown when they’ll see the light of day again.  it’s just too hot.

the last time i was in boston, i was a bratty teenager being forced to go on a tour of new england with my family.  boston was the last stop for us.  out of tireless frustration, my parents ended up kicking us out of the van in front of my cousin’s apartment.  the only thing i remember was shopping in urban outfitters for the very first time and getting into jillian’s with my sister’s college i.d.  this time around, my friend invited me up to show me what i should’ve rememebered before.  i made a short list of buildings i’d wanted to see and to my surprise, we were able to see most of them.  i didn’t know boston was such a small, pedestrian-friendly city.  weather was fair…only needed my wool coat.

frank gehry’s stata center at MIT.  I used the restroom in this funhouse.  Toilets were normal – guess there’s not much else anyone can do there.

here’s the only le corbusier building built in the u.s. – carpenter center for the visual arts at harvard:

i definitely feel like i got a good taste of what boston has to offer.  it was great to see what i’d missed out on before.  my only wish is that i’d gone a little later when the trees were filled with leaves and everything was in full bloom.  must be beautiful!

here’s one of the only pics i got of jess’ visit – us on the brooklyn bridge:

gosh i’m short!

one of my oldest friends is here for a long weekend and i’m so excited!  she’s sleeping right now after an early flight, a heavy late lunch and lots of girl talk.  tomorrow we’ll probably walk the brooklyn bridge, eat at grimaldi’s, take in some great views of the city and hopefully catch a show!  i made this sweater for her daughter and now that she’s received it, i can post a photo.  finished object #1:

this is my 2nd sweater to date and i’m starting to feel more comfortable with all the seaming, picking up stitches, etc.  i’m currently working on a sweaterdress for myself now but i was getting pretty anxious to get another project done so i started and finished this last night – finished object #2:

super easy and so fast holding 2 yarns together.  i don’t care if it looks like a pumpkin.  it’s finished and that’s all i wanted.

i was afraid that i wouldn’t get these done before winter’s end, but i finished them today and my only wish is that i’d finished them sooner:

1×1 rib all the way up with just a hole for the thumbs…BORING!  but i like the slouchy look of them.  i also made them long over the fingers for that extra-long-sleeve look.

i’m headed to jersey this weekend to visit my cousins and their baby so i made this with some leftover yarn:

they look really long and awkward, and i’m not so sure that they’ll work.  it was my first try with booties.  must say, my confidence is DROPS patterns is starting to drop itself.  they’re not written clearly and the photos that are available are weak.  then again, they’re all free so i guess i shouldn’t complain.

in other news, i applied for JET  (the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program) back in nov. when i was let go from my job and i was granted an interview this past week.  i’d read dreadful things about the interview and how it was designed to show how you’d react to awkward and uncomfortable situations.  luckily, i wasn’t thrown any curve balls and i left feeling pretty confident that i hadn’t completely blown it (i’m not THAT confident).  i’ll hear in april whether or not i head out to japan for a year to teach english.  it would be completely unexpected since i’d just applied on a whim as a backup/option if i couldn’t find a job here.  so far, the job market for architects here sucks beyond belief.  the only response i’ve gotten after sending my resume out almost everyday is one email containing craigslist spam.  if only i could knit fast enough to support myself…sigh.