January 30, 2011

Catching up

The whirlwind of the first couple weeks of school have settled and I am so excited about all of my new classes/teachers this semester. It's nice for things to finally be settling back into place, getting the new schedule down, meeting the new classmates and getting to know the new teachers.
Also, this past week my dad had a surgery implanting a defibrillator and connecting it to his heart to help with his cardiomyopathy. His surgery went great! It was certainly stressful and overwhelming knowing that he was going through such a big surgery and not being able to be with him or the rest of my family. But God provided and has embraced my family with healing, encouragement, and love. It's so wonderful and in knowing that they aren't going through this alone, but that God has His hand on them and this situation, that I find peace.

January 12, 2011

Snow Day(s): Stockinette Stitch


Greenville has been shut down since the snow fell on Sunday evening. The difference between how South Carolina and Indiana react to a snow fall blows my mind. To pass some of the time, I've completed many extra large granny squares for the afghan, but last night I decided to begin another project on my list and re-learn how to do the stockinette stitch in the process. I love how the stockinette stitch looks, combining the purl stitch and the knit stitch together. Although, the downfall of the stockinette stitch is that it tends to curl at the edges, which can turn out to be a huge disappointment when you've been working on a project for ages, only to have it roll up on you! While I remembered this in the beginning of my project, starting off with 3 rows in garter stitch to prevent curling on the vertical ends of the scarf, I failed to think about how to prevent curling on the horizontal edges of the circle scarf that I'm working on. I'm thinking that I will end up steaming the scarf once finished (before I join the ends; I'm not using circular needles this time), and sew a strip (trim) of 3 knit stitch rows along the horizontal edges. Regardless, I adore the way it is looking so far!
The 'smooth side', also the knit stitch side.
The 'rough side', also the purl stitch side. Notice how it's curling all on it's own?




Yarn:Loops & Threads, Impeccable worsted.
Color: True Gray
Needle Size: 10, 6.00mm
CO: 25 stiches
Rows: Undetermined

January 11, 2011

Birthday Trip to Charlotte

This past weekend I went to Charlotte in celebration for my 21st birthday. It was a great trip and a wonderful time, eating delicious food, exploring, and of course, getting lost. I had never thought of Charlotte as much of a city to go to for a weekend to hang out and explore, but it certainly proved me wrong.

Sleepy Poet Antique Mall
A chair that I sort of fell in love with
Ryan had secretly planned a lovely dinner at Barrington's Restaurant in South Park. It was incredible!
Friday morning we went in search for breakfast. We stumbled upon the adorable Suarez Bakery and picked up some sweet  treats then stopped by Starbucks for some caffeine.
 
Afterward we went to Rebel Base Comics where Ryan did some comic book and figurine shopping.
At last, we made it to Ikea before our trip came to an end. My heart was certainly happy for the many hours we spent here! Even Ryan admitted to falling a wee bit in love with the store :) (success!)
I'm off to bed, good-night, all!

January 07, 2011

21 Before 22



I am so thrilled about this list and accomplishing it! It looks like it will be a fun year!

January 06, 2011

It's my birthday!

 (image via weheartit)
I couldn't have asked for a better day to bring in my 21st birthday (well, if I had my family here, that would be pretttty great). I have felt so overwhelmed with love and thankfulness for all of my friends and family that have made this day so wonderful. Thank you for all of your twitter messages and facebook posts, they have made me feel quite special!

January 03, 2011

10. Learn to Crochet

I won't lie; I've already written out and typed up my '21 before 22' list to post on Thursday. I am so thrilled about this list! As it turns out, I'm already able to cross something off (is that allowed?!). I've been knitting for years and have always been interested in crocheting, but I have just not been able to fully wrap my head around it each time I've attempted to learn. This weekend I stumbled upon these YouTube videos and gave it another shot. Beth, who guides the tutorials explains every move very simply and I was surprised at how easy it was to pick up on once I got into the rhythm of it. I have been crocheting up a storm ever since! It is so fun! I'm not sure exactly what I'll do with all these little "granny squares" I have floating around now, but I'm thinking of sewing them together to make an afghan at some point.


Do you do any yarn or needlework? If so, I'm curious as to how you were taught! What projects are you working on now?

January 02, 2011

2011 Goals



I have such a wonderful feeling about this year. I'm excited for all the new lessons that are waiting to be learned and new experiences to have. I'm looking forward to all of the unknown that this year has to offer. Here are a few goals of mine for the new year :) 
     
        1. Bring my GPA up .35 points by the end of the fall 2011 semester. I googled it and it has been done before (;
        2. Run 5-6 days a week A few weeks before finals began at the beginning of December I fell out of my evening run and daily cardio work-out routine. I am definitely going to stive to pick both of these back up. Exercise truly encourages a"happier me" all around, both physically and mentally, so I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things!
        3. Maintain a steady sleeping pattern (i.e. sleep more)
        4. Read more often (other than textbooks) I have an entire list of books to read and I am chomping at the bit to begin!
        5. Visit my family more often in Indiana, Florida, and Georgia
        6. Blog more consistently
        7. Stay positive


I've been enjoying catching up on all of my friends' 2011 goal posts as well. What are your goals for the new year?