It all starts Tomorrow

Well folks, my 101 in 1001 "officially" starts tomorrow. It's kind of weird that I chose the first day of Lent to begin a project of self-improvement. I mean, Lent is a time of reflection and sacrifice (somewhat) and in some ways I'm not going to be sacrificing much, but in other ways I think I will be. So here we go, and I'm working on improving my religious/spiritual side. I've already fulfilled 2 of the items on my list pre-March 1, which I'll elaborate on later. But I've got to get myself in order in other respects to complete this project well. More on that soon.

Knitwise, I completed my iPod cozy with a cable, and am currently working on one for Steph. Hers is out of Peaches n Cream cotton in a beautiful sky blue. I used slightly smaller needles than called for in order to make a dense, protective fabric. I also have the most adorable buttons for it, but those are at home, fruit of a wool baby sweater that accidentally got felted.

I'm having some camera problems, which I'll work on, to hopefully get you guys some pictures in the near future.

Now I'm going to bed so I can wake up early and attend Mass, which has a whole lot to do with #32. :D

Week of Doom

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions about books and the like on my 101 list. I've added the books to my list, and have bookmarked the websites both for tea and sewing machines, for when the moment arrives to bring those into my life. You guys are so awesome!

I have been knitting, believe it or not, despite this week's stress levels. Yesterday I managed to complete one more repeat on Laura's wedding bedspread, bringing the grand total of completed repeats to 6. Only 14 more to go on that strip. It's really quite enjoyable, and the pattern is so easy that I've practically memorized it. However, there's one section where I tend to add an extra ssk, and then start freaking out that my numbers don't match, so I rip back, knit and screw up again, rip once more, and then realize, "Oh! There's only one ssk on that section, not two!" I highly recommend the pattern, even if you decide just to make one of the narrow strips and turn it into a scarf. The leaves just pop out, and the cabling without the cable needle is a great thing. So pretty, so easy! (Doesn't that remind you of the whole "Very easy, Very Vogue!" label in Vogue Knitting? hee!)

Speaking of cables....
I've been working on writing a pattern for an iPod cozy, much along the lines of the digicam cozy I made my sister for Christmas. It's going to be made out of the Rowan Calmer I used for hers, and it will also have a cable running down the middle. However, I'm having a little trouble getting the cable to match when I pick up the stitches from the provisional cast on. So I'm going to start it again, even after having frogged it 6 times. It will work. I'll also provide instructions for iPod nanos, the new iPods, and ye older generation iPods. Also, it'll include ways to knit your own, sans designs, and based on the gauge of whatever yarn you have available. (Whoa, Scary!. Me, giving instrucions on how to do math? Scary, indeed). Never fear, the pattern will be free, since I'm all about the free.

Speaking of free patterns... (I'm on a roll here, dontcha know?)
I know I promised a .PDF version of my Dragon Scale Gauntlet pattern some time ago. However, I'm not sure of how the heck to post it to Blogger. I'm going to look into Blogger's help system, and that'll be one more thing I get up on the website as part of #91 of my 101 in 1001. If you feel a .PDF would be better for you and you're anxious to start soon, be sure to email me, and I'll send a copy your way.

Despite this week being one of the most hectic I've experienced in college thus far, I'm surprisingly upbeat, happy, and tranquil. So let's hope it stays that way, with two exams down, and two to go. Onward!

Template

3 posts in a day... impressive, I know.
Sorry folks about updating a gazillion times today. Blogger ate my template source code for some obscure reason, and since I'd saved a copy before I even had Haloscan, I decided to simply forgo altering it again, and got a new template. I managed to insert the important things in the sidebar, and I'll be tweaking it some more in the future.

So I wanted to apologize (if you have Bloglines or another feed aggregator) if it says I've posted 20 times. It was just the template messing up, mostly.

Now, on to study for this semester's first week from hell!

The Book List

Here is the list of the 50 books I want to read during my 101 in 1001. I was going to attempt 101 books, but I realized that for some, the approximate 10 days of reading per book would not be enough. Besides, 20 days per book is more doable, and I can get ahead more easily for times when I probably won't be able to read.

The list is incomplete as of now because I don't have my well-stocked bookshelf to look at and say "Ah-ha! I had forgotten about that one, and so I'll read it!" In addition, I'll admit that I have read a few of these books before, but either don't remember, or wish to re-read them (Lord of the Rings fits the latter, Alice in Wonderland fits the former). Also, if anyone has a recommendation of a book that I *must* read, I'll put it on here! Email me or post your recommendations in the comments!

So without further ado, here goes:

1. Long, Dark Teatime of the Soul – Douglas Adams
2. The Handmaid's Tale – Margaret Atwood
3. Sense & Sensibility – Jane Austen
4. The Wizard of Oz - Frank L. Baum
5. The Adventure of English – Melvyn Bragg
6. Angels and Demons – Dan Brown
7. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass – Lewis Carroll
8. Under the Black Flag – David Cordingly
9. Timeline – Michael Crichton
10. Little, Big – John Crowley
11. The Name of the Rose – Umberto Eco
12. Middlemarch – George Eliot
13. Middlesex – Jeffery Eugenides
14. The Jane Austen Book Club – Karen May Fowler
15. Love in the Time of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
16. Wives and Daughters – Elizabeth Gaskell
17. Faust – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
18. Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
19. Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
20. Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
21. The Sand Man – E.T.A. Hoffmann
22. The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table – Oliver Wendell Holmes
23. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man – James Joyce
24. The Phantom Tollbooth – Norton Juster (Complete: March 5, 2006)
25. Sons & Lovers – D.H. Lawrence
26. The Republic – Plato
27. All Quiet on the Western Front – Erich Maria Remarque
28. Midnight's Children – Sallman Rushdie
29. Ivanhoe – Sir Walter Scott
30. Pygmalion - George Bernard Shaw
31. The Road to Middle Earth and/or Author of the Century – Tom Shippey - recommended by Jeff R.
32. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
33. The Fellowship of the Ring – J.R.R. Tolkien
34. On Fairy Stories – J.R.R. Tolkien
35. The Return of the King – J. R. R. Tolkien
36. The Two Towers – J. R. R. Tolkien
37. The Silmarillion – J.R.R. Tolkien
38. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Orfeo, The Pearl – J.R.R. Tolkien
39. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court – Mark Twain
40. Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami - recommended by Kym
41. Everything is Illuminated - Jonathan Safran Foer - recommended by Erin D.
42. Snowcrash - Neil Stephenson - recommended by Jeff R.

The List

Well folks, Here's my 101 in 1001.
The list still needs improvement, additions, etc. As I've perused the various blogs of participants in this project, I've gotten several ideas for things I'd like to do. So if you see something similar to what you're doing, you probably inspired me to do it! Also, feel free to adopt some of my goals as your own. If something's slipped your mind and you see it here, woo hoo! Take it and run, my friends!

(I also dearly hope that I'll accomplish this, as I looked through the initial project ring, it was so sad to see that many, many people had given up about a few months in, especially after extolling the virtues of the extra length of time, etc.)

As an explanation, I'm putting things on this list that I've already made plans for, was going to do anyway, etc. That way, when some of the more difficult and time-consuming tasks come up, I'll have some major things crossed off my list, and thus will be motivated enough to finish.

*hem-hem* Without further ado, here is The List:

101 Things in 1001 Days:

1. Blog about the 101 in 1001 (Changed because some of these things can't be photographed)
2. Keep a notebook chronicling the 101 in 1001

Learning/Scholarship
3. Read 50 Books (list here)
4. Get into the English Honors Program
5. Write an honors thesis
6. Study abroad
7. Graduate from college
8. Learn to use Flickr
9. Learn to use Photoshop
10. Memorize 10 poems, so that I can recite them on command (0/10)

• The Lay of Leithian – J.R.R. Tolkien
  
• Kubla Khan – Samuel Taylor Coleridge
• Believe Me if All Those Endearing Young Charms – Thomas Moore
• Earendil the Mariner – J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Bells – Edgar Allan Poe
• Nostalgia – Billy Collins
• Somewhere I have Never Travelled – e.e. cummings
• The Naming of Cats – T.S. Eliot
• Birches – Robert Frost
• Strange Fits of Passion – William Wordsworth

11. Learn 10 classic fairy tales and learn to tell them (0/10)
12. Learn to use my manual camera
13. Take a course in Classical Philosophy
14. Take a course in Latin
15. Take a course on Anglo-Saxon England
16. Maintain a GPA above 3.5
17. Learn the names of 5 different constellations and their location in the sky (0/5)
18. Take the United States Foreign Service exam

Aesthetics/Habits/Health
19. Get into the habit of going to the gym at least twice a week (for two months straight)
20. Get down to 145 lbs, or a size 8
21. In celebration of achieving the above, buy a whole new wardrobe
22. Learn CPR
23. Stop biting my fingernails/cuticles
24. Get a manicure
25. Let my hair grow out

Food
26. Make sushi from scratch
27. Learn to cook 5 traditional Spanish/Family recipes (0/5)

• Cocido
• Tortilla Española
• Paella
• Croquetas
• Mom's Cheesecake

28. Visit a registered dietitian
29. Pack my own lunch for a week
30. Drink 3 different types of alcoholic beverages in each European country I visit, though not all in one sitting ;-)
31. Make a scrumptious cake entirely from scratch

Relationships/Friendships
32. Find a man who makes me swoon
33. Get into a serious relationship with said man
34. Repair a certain broken friendship
35. Write letters of appreciation to my immediate family, grandparents, and cousins.
36. Organize a Family Reunion
37. Kiss a boy on New Year's Eve
38. Take pictures of all my friends

Fiscal
39. Save $2,000 in my bank account
40. Get employed
41. Go 1 week without spending any money

Crafting
42. Knit a bedspread in time for my best friend's wedding
43. Knit an “heirloom” shawl (Garden Shawl from Fiddlesticks' Knitting)
44. Make gifts for family and friends' birthdays and Christmas (0/2)
45. Catalog and knit entire yarn stash (new stuff can be added provided the current stash is gone)
46. Finish cross-stitching my enormous princess/unicorn tapestry
47. Make a quilt
48. Learn to make crocheted lace
49. Knit something purple and lacy for my Grandma's birthday in 2006
50. Learn how to make a pattern for an article of clothing, and then make it

Shopping
51. Find and purchase my perfect satchel-purse (must be leather)
52. Get all new underwear
53. Get a good sewing machine
54. Get a serger
55. Find the perfect little black dress
56. Buy a special ring to celebrate my 20th birthday
57. Buy a shirt from jinx.com
58. Buy flowers for no reason other than to make my room look pretty
59. Buy a poster, have it framed/matted and hang it in my room
60. Have a gown made like my sister's green Cotillion dress, but in red and black
61. Test drive a Mercedes (Complete: 15 March, 2006)
62. Buy the Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit game

Fun/Entertainment
63. Go to at least one awesome concert with my sister here in Austin
64. Play one videogame from start to finish without hints
65. Watch 15 “classic” movies I've never seen (1/15)

• Back to the Future
• Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
• Evil Dead 2
• Army of Darkness
• The Producers
• Casablanca
• A Clockwork Orange
• Rebel Without A Cause
• Fight Club
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
• Dr. Strangelove
• Princess Mononoke
• Blade Runner
• The Goonies (Complete: 18 March, 2006)
  

66. Pull an all-day Lord of the Rings Marathon
67. Learn to play Cribbage
68. Learn to play Poker
69. Learn to play Monopoly
70. Play a live-action roleplaying game
71. Watch 5 Entire Anime series

• Ayashi no Ceres
• Cowboy Bebop
• Trinity Blood
• Neon Genesis Evangelion
• Legends of the Galactic Heroes

72. Go to Austin City Limits or SXSW music festivals
73. Dress in costume and go to class that way (NOT on Halloween)
74. Create a “Soundtrack to Annemarie” playlist
75. See the Brobdingnagian Bards in concert (Complete: 2/25/06)

Religious/Spiritual
76. Read the Catholic Catechism
77. Go To Mass every Sunday for a year
78. Take a class on Hindu Religion or Buddhism
79. Visit the Cathedral next to the Royal Palace in Madrid and attend Mass there.

Travel
80. Watch all Spain World Cup games at German pubs
81. Take a road trip
82. Go the Texas vs. OU game, or the Texas vs. A&M game with someone
83. Sing folk songs with my dad and siblings on a long car ride
84. Photograph my favorite places on our farm in Spain

Kindness
85. Knit a blanket and take it to an elderly person in a nursing home
86. Genuinely complement 5 complete strangers (0/5)

Organization
87. Organize my hard drive, renaming folders and files and organize appropriately
88. Alphabetize and categorize all my books at home
89. Put all my books at home into a cataloging system on my computer

Miscellaneous
90. Build a tea collection (15 different types of loose tea that I love)
91. Revamp my blog, and learn things like posting pictures in the sidebar, percent bars, etc.
92. Attend the Honors Colloquium
93. Learn how to thoroughly clean a house the right way, not necessarily the easy way
94. Update my blog for an entire month
95. Get a professional portrait of my dad and me, and my sister and me
96. Write a short story
97. Publish it in a campus literary magazine
98. Donate Blood
99. Keep my college dictionary with me wherever I live
100. To be Determined
101. Create a new 101 in 1001 List on October 6, 2008.

My Beautiful Sister

Because a big sister must brag and show off her gloriously gorgeous and hot younger sister, I present you with a few pictures of my sister's dress and date from the Cotillion Ball this past weekend. Her date is an incredibly sweet (and cute) German exchange student named Meikhel. He's incredibly polite, a little shy, and apparently, a phenomenal dancer. Her dress was made by an incredibly nice, elegant, and beautiful Mexican seamstress with incredible talent and an eye for design. It's made from a traditional hand-embroidered Spanish shawl and green chiffon.

Now let me introduce my little sister. Not only is she a bombshell, she's also incredibly sweet, loving and funny. She's amazingly intelligent, determined as ever, and energetic to boot. She pressures me to watch new episodes of Yakitate Japan when I'm in town, she has her heart set on being a University of Texas Longhorn, and she wants to travel to Germany this summer to learn ze Deutsch. She loves Orlando Bloom, she loves animals, and the Sims. She is strong-willed, generous, and a phenomenally good person.

I love that girl, my Bulbie, my Gigi, my Palomita. I couldn't have dreamed of a better sister.

Super-Luxe Minisweater

Behold: *update: pictures fixed*

Glampyre Knits Minisweater (Pattern)
Yarn: RYCashsoft DK in cream, (57% extrafine merino, 33% microfibre, 10% cashmere), Habu Textiles Kusaki-zome Silk in color 23, a mint green (100% silk), and Misti Alpaca laceweight in cream (100% baby alpaca).
- 3 balls of Cashsoft
- 2 balls of Habu Silk
- 1 ball of Misti Alpaca
Cashoft had about 1/2 a ball left, Habu had about 1/6 of a ball left, and Misti Alpaca had about 1/4 of a ball left
Started: A few days before going to Disneyworld, so December 26? 2005
Finished: February 5, 2005
Embellishments: Antique mother-of-pearl buttons found in Houston (I *did* have them with me!)
Pattern modifications/notes: The combination of these three yarns is probably the nicest thing you can do for your hands... it's on par with angora's softness. All three are luscious on their own, but together...WOW! Since I made a minisweater before, I was able to modify this one to suit my tastes. I changed the garter-stitch border to seed stitch, and began the bust increases about 16 rows into the raglan increases. Good thing I did. I was aiming for more boob coverage without having to lengthen the body substantially. It worked out perfectly. Those increases also allowed for a slight overlap of the edges, for a less strained fit at the bust. I also lengthened the sleeves and made them less puffy because that way, the design is a bit more elegant. Overall, the pattern is quite well written and I will probably be making more of these soon, since they seem to be a hit amongst fashion conscious teenage girls (*cough* my sister *cough*).

*Blush*

Wow you guys! I feel so very very special! Melanie, THE Melanie from Daily Guilt commented on my blog! That's like getting a visit from a celebrity! Hi Melanie! *waves* So so very cool! (end exclamations.)

This got me to thinking... I'm not really sure who reads my blog. I know a few friends read this (hi guys!) and a few very sweet knitbloggers pass this way from time to time (Hey there! to Knitannie and Carola and all you other peeps out there!). But one of the cool and weird things about having a blog is that you're never really sure of your audience. A number of people comment, but far more read through and lurk. So anyone who passes by and sees this post should leave a small comment or something, just to know who's out there! It can be a quick hi or a long-winded greeting (we all know my tendency towards verbosity, so if that same quality is in you, feel free to go on...and on)!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go off dancing and smiling joyously for the rest of the evening. :)

How do you Angst?

Everyone has their share of troubles in life, right? We all deal with death at some point, we all deal with loss, and only a minority of people are strangers to tragedy. And even so, with all this hardship, our lives are considerably easier, less grim, and, some would say, less traumatic than those of our predecessors. Gone are the days when we would give little girls coffins with their dolls, so that they could play "funeral" in addition to "wedding" or "house." Gone are the days when smallpox ravages entire villages, and no one is safe from a torturous, painful death. It is an anomaly to have a woman die in childbirth, and infant mortality rates are a meagre percentile of what they once were. We have more property, overall, than at any other point in history. We can travel and communicate at speeds unheard of until the past century. Gone are the days (mostly) when entire communities would lose their men in war, leaving countless widows and orphans in their wake. Gone are the days (in our culture at least) when women and men were unequal, and marriages were arranged. Now we can marry for love (multiple times, even) and women enjoy unprecedented status and wealth alongside men. And finally, we live in a time when one of the greatest afflictions that our poor face in this country is obesity, that is, an excess of food.

These changes in our way of life in a single century raise various questions: Were people in the past more preoccupied with life, and therefore happier since they knew death and suffering was a part of life? Are we weaker, both emotionally and physically, and can we sustain this life with our ingenious, though artificial, means of support? If we were to revert to a more primitive time when machinized artillery was nonexistant, how many of us would be strong enough to wield swords, or in times of peace, labor under the sun with our beasts of burden, tilling the earth to survive? What does this do to our status as a species, if it becomes increasingly easier to have weak, sickly, and ill people live longer? I know that sounds very harsh, but what I mean is, it allows people who otherwise would die to have a great chance at life. Yet when Natural Selection can't take place, what happens?

It would seem that as our physical chances for survival increase, we tend to be weaker emotionally. Since we don't deal with massive epidemics or the destruction of our life as we know it as often as other people did in their lifetimes, what is it that causes us modern people to break? Do we simply not deal with death the way our ancestors did? Do we reach an emotional breaking point far more quickly and for a comparably lesser trial? I don't believe there's much evidence in favor or against this assumption about our human ancestors, since proper psychological diagnoses were nonexistant until this past century. Still, it raises the question: were people more or less depressed than they are now? Were people more emotionally equipped to deal with hardship and sorrow simply because they were exposed to it throughout life? Or did they simply deal with it as many do today, with suicide, silence, and depression? Did they blame themselves as many people do nowadays? Or did they trust to God and move on? My hunch is that people are much the same as they always have been. Some people harden under the strains of dealing with the death of a child or spouse, or of war and disease. Others break and shrivel to become hollow beings. Others become angry at everyone, and seek to enact revenge on those they feel have wronged them. And finally, others grieve, accept, and move on, working toward the hope that they will experience joy again.

Finally, what happens to those of us who have not experienced tragedy and loss to the extent that others have? Does this make us weaker, less prepared for catastrophe? Fewer of us experience death at an early age, and many of us are not greatly attached to those we lose, such as grandparents we rarely see, or a great-aunt or uncle who pinched our cheeks when we were five, or something like that. We grieve, it's true, but not with the overpowering wave of grief that afflicts those who lose someone they are well and truly attached to, like a parent, a spouse, a sibling, or a grandparent who we in fact are close to. In my opinion, these people who emerge intact from an emotional cataclysm are more prepared should the world end. They are the ones who can survive, they are the ones who would know what to do when the rest of us would go insane with terror and curl into a ball and blubber like idiots. They are the ones who can handle the angst hurled at them by life. But what about the rest of us?

I apologize for the pessimistic tone of this digression. I contemplated the blog of a friend, the blog of a friend of a friend, as well as the plight of the Rohirrim (and by proxy, King Theoden) in the Lord of the Rings, and came up with this thought process. Let me know what you think.

Quizzy Quiz Quiz!

Your dating personality profile: Intellectual - You consider your mind amongst your assets. Learning is not a chore but a constant search after wisdom and knowledge. You value education and rationality. Conservative - You take a conservative stance on most issues and aren't shy about saying so. Your political views are an important component of who you are. Romantic - You know exactly how to melt your date's heart. Romance comes naturally to you and is an important component of any relationship you have.

Your date match profile: Intellectual - You seek out intelligence. Idle chit-chat is not what you are after. You prefer your date who can stimulate your mind. Traditional - You need someone who is a bit old-fashioned. A person with traditional values and beliefs will perfectly compliment your lifestyle. Shy - You are put off by people who are open books. You are drawn to someone who is a bit more mysterious. You want to draw him out of his shell and get to know what he is all about.

Your Top Ten Traits 1. Intellectual 2. Conservative 3. Romantic 4. Religious 5. Traditional 6. Outgoing 7. Wealthy/Ambitious 8. Adventurous 9. Stylish 10. Big-Hearted

Your Top Ten Match Traits 1. Intellectual 2. Traditional 3. Shy 4. Religious 5. Conservative 6. Romantic 7. Practical 8. Funny 9. Adventurous 10. Stylish

Take the Online Dating Profile Quiz at Dating Diversions

Except for me liking really shy guys, this is pretty much correct. wow.

A little bit of the knit-blues

I haven't had a finished object in over three weeks. Despite having knitted like a madwoman on various works-in-progress, I haven't made much of that "p-word:" progress.

See, I have a grand total of 4 projects on the needles. Salina, the Luxe Minisweater, Natalya Gauntlets, and Jaywalker Socks (speaking of joining bandwagons...). Luxe Mini just needs sleeves, but I left my gorgeous mother of pearl buttons at home in Brownsville, so I can't wear her until I get those. I'm looking forward to wearing her soon, and I'll post pictures once I get the sleeves done.

Salina is a project on the cusp. I don't know if I'll have enough yarn to finish her. And if I don't, then it looks like she'll either be frogged or made with 3/4 sleeves. I hope neither is the case, since I'm quite fond of the sweater. All I have left is that small ball of yarn and two hanks for the sleeves. And that's it. I have no idea if there'll be enough for seaming.

The Natalya Gauntlets are pretty much doomed. Behold:
That is how much of the mohair I have left. And here I was, thinking I'd run out of the cotton/silk Dale yarn. Unless I can find another ball of that olive green Katya, these babies will remain unfinished, or will need to reincarnate as shorter gauntlets.


And finally, Jaywalkers. I love the pattern and the look of the socks, but as I tried them on last night, I realized that it was quite difficult to get them over my heel. And since I don't have inclinations of chopping it off (a-la Grimm's Fairytale version of Cinderella), I probably will *sigh* rip these back and start afresh with the larger size. But re-starting a pair of socks is not quite high on my "things I want to do" list.

Oh well, that's the project lineup for now. Yet once the Knitpicks yarn gets here, I'm going to be leaf-knitting like crazy! I even made a chart and everything! I probably should finish a project or two before tackling the bedspread. You know, victory before the battle even begins? ;-)

101 Things in 1001 Days

Whilst surfing my blogroll, I came across this splendid Idea.

List nerd and bandwagon fiend that I am, I can't help but jump for joy at a project that's been in my mind for a long time, but has never found the time to materialize. What exactly is this project? Well friends, it is a project called 101 things in 1001 days. Apparently, much like the 52 books in 52 weeks project, the goal is to complete a certain number of things in a certain amount of time (duh!). However, many of these "overarching projects" involve a short period of time to complete a rather large amount of tasks. This "101 in 1001" project is a bit more manageable, in my opinion, since you're given 1001 days as opposed to 100 or so to complete a number of tasks. These tasks can be anything that you've been "meaning to do" or have "always wanted to do," but haven't really been able to accomplish in three months or whatever. This project gives you the freedom to plan and organize big events, little events, classes, or trips over a period of almost 2.75 years. For example, if you've always wanted to take a yoga class, it's perfectly possible that you can complete that task, without simultaneously having to manage 30 other projects at once.

That sort of flexibility appeals to me.

In addition, the goals you set for yourself should be tangible, definitive goals... not something vague like "lose weight" but something like, "get back to a size 8" or whatever. And it can be anything from "read something I've never read before" to "get married."

So I've decided to do 101 Things in 1001 Days. And my beginning date is March 1, 2006. That means that on October 6, 2008, I will have completed 101 things I've been meaning to do or have always wanted to do. I may keep a link in my sidebar to keep track of these projects, and those of you with an interest can join or watch along. Naturally, I don't pretend to be on the level of "Daily Guilt" in coolness or interest with my 101 in 1001, but I do hope to catalog my own progress, and maybe get other people interested as well.

Plus, it'll allow me to prove to myself that I can actually have the self discipline to accomplish a feat like this. Want to join?

Holy Crap!

I just spent 100 dollars on yarn. At once. And it's for a crap-ton of yarn. 27 hanks, or almost 6000 yards of peruvian highland wool. That's verging on four or five miles of yarn. Miles. Whew, I need to breathe.

"What," you might ask, "is such a collossal amount of yarn for?"
"Well," I shall respond, "I love my dearest friend enough to knit her one of the most complicated and intricate bedspreads ever conceived by knit-kind for her wedding."

Yes, people. That's love. The foresight to realize my sanity might not remain intact. Enough love to realize that I probably will knit the bulk of it in September of next year, when the deadline steadily approaches. And yet I will do it anyway. And it will be a masterpiece.

My greatest wish is that once this ordeal is complete, my darling friend will cherish and love this thing and pass it down in her family, complete with stories of swearing, insanity, hilarity and triumph, all told in her inimitable style. And that anyone who sees it knows that each and every stitch was crafted with love.

I just won't think about if it accidentally gets felted at some point in time. Even if it's years later, I do believe my world will come crashing down should that happen. There might cease to be Annemarie.

Perhaps I should stop being pessimistic before this knitting marathon even begins.

I'm sure you all are incredibly curious as to what this mammoth undertaking will look like:

Here's the link, should you decide to tackle it yourself. It's beautiful, ain't it? Picture it entirely in cream-colored yarn, though. Hooray for Knitpicks and their high-quality inexpensive yarns. Otherwise, this might've cost my firstborn.

An aran bedspread. Wow. I like it.