"Live" Blogging: My Eventual Descent into Misery as I Attempt to Make Something

Look at the mess I can make!

Today, I was planning on blathering about things I want in my dream home (or at the very least, things I will no longer tolerate in the next place I rent) but, buoyed by a fairly healthy breakfast (oatmeal and bananas, side of turkey bacon, and a cup of coffee), I decided to start on a new sewing project. After deciding what to make, I decided to take pictures to document my "creative process" and perhaps if it turns out nice, I'll share it with the three people that read this blog. But then the coffee finally kicked in and I decided to blog my descent into a hot mess instead. Initially, I was thinking about doing a "live" blog, but then I got realistic about my weekend warrior tendencies. There was no real way I could have finished in a day and be happy about the end product--and I would have gone hungry because it would leave no time to make dinner and eat. So, this will become a diary of sorts that I hope to remember to update as I work on making a knitting needle roll.

Also, that is what I am making: a knitting needle roll. Hopefully it will make starting knitting projects a touch easier if all my needles have a proper home instead of a plastic bag. God, my knitting needles are hobos. Anyways, onto the action!


Wednesday, 1:26pm: Tragedy strikes early.

In case you were wondering what happens if you iron fabric onto your fabric cutting mat, well it warps. And the advertised "self healing board" doesn't necessarily apply to heat. I definitely yelled out loud and then cursed. Oh, there was cursing. Luckily, I had only inadvertently ironed on one edge of the cutting board so flipped it around and continued cutting out the pieces needed for this project.

Why yes, it's nearly two in the afternoon and I am still in my pajamas. (F)unemployment!

Wednesday, 4:11pm: Measure twice, cut once.


I'd like to think that it was the coffee was wearing off, but really I was being careless and not quite paying attention when I accidentally cut a strip of fabric about an inch too short. Well, normally I'd just re-cut fabric, this time in the correct size, but I was trying very hard to stick with the fabric scraps I have accrued and hoarded from various other projects and I didn't have enough of that particular color to re-cut. When that happens, the instruction pages end up looking like this, as I fudge the all the proportions and make my own edits:

Math skillz, don't let me down!

On the upside, after spending a half-hour trying to figure out how it would all work out, I finish cutting out almost all the fabric pieces I would need. I also decided to label all my fabric, which I've never done before, but it turned out to be a good idea. I'm glad that I managed to confuse myself for a bit while labeling the pieces rather than confusing myself as I sewed the pieces together only to realize I did it wrong and then cursing to myself as I rip out all the seams.

I say I'm almost done cutting out almost all the pieces because halfway through putting the fabric together to see what would look nice with each other, I realize that I hate my fabric scraps (which is probably why they were fabric scraps to begin with) and I'll need to make a point of stopping at a fabric store for some sparkly trim and a ribbon that will tie the roll together.

That's it for this week or, really, that's all I'm motivated to do for today. Now is the time for watching Gilmore Girls on my DVR and enjoying a beer.

Achievement Unlocked!

It only took me two months, but I have finished filling out the forms for my federal income tax return! Technically, it took me ten minutes to drive to the library and pick out the forms, leave/ignore the forms untouched on my desk for two months, wait for my appropriate W-2, 1099, and 1098 forms to arrive, 40 minutes to fill out a "practice" 1040A form, 5 minutes to realize that I did the math totally wrong (it somehow ended up showing that I owed $10,000 in taxes), and 30 minutes to refill the form on H&R Block for a more accurate assessment. Now all I have to do is mail it out--which ought to take another week or so.

After I was done, I was inordinately proud of myself. Then I had a craving for chicken wings from the Wheelhouse, but mostly I was really proud of myself. I am not sure whether it's because I underestimate myself and it comes as a surprise when I finish things or if I am just easily excitable, but I often give myself a self-five, no matter how small or large the achievements are, such as:

• Successfully programming the Comcast remote to our television
• Figuring out what that light switch in our living room turns on
• Making it up the hill, on the way out of Skyline, on my bike (well, any hill for that matter)
• Figuring out what is jamming the copy machine and fixing it
• Planning out what to make for dinner, thinking that I might be missing an ingredient, but when I look into the pantry or refrigerator there it is!
• Tasting chicken stock after it has been simmering for over three hours. Hellloooo, flavor country.
• Any time the seniors at the Center call me a "computer guru" because I know how to restart the computer, which usually fixes whatever problem they are having
• Successfully fixing the flushing thing/wand on the toilet
• Wandering into J.Crew and discovering that all they are offering an additional 30% off their already on sale items
• That one time I was thinking about making sangria and I walked into Crate Barrel at the U. Village they were having a sidewalk sale and I found a slightly dinged (but otherwise perfect) pitcher on sale for $6. We had sangria that night.
• Passing cars stuck in traffic while walking on foot (happened a lot when I lived in Seattle)

Although, I am also uncertain if I do this to keep me sane (reassuring myself that I am able to accomplish things despite the fact that I haven't worked in nearly a year) or if by continuing to do this I am going insane.

I made a hat! (and other things I with which I pass my time.)

Among the things I have done over this period of (f)unemployment, I have started and finished (!) a few knitting projects. Although, this might just be a record for me--I have started and finished knitting a hat in under a month. And with plenty of winter weather left to spare. It seems like winter will never end, despite the daffodils blooming in our yard.

True story: I actually got dressed in "real" clothes for this picture.

I got the pattern through Ravelry, which is the most awesome website ever if you are looking for patterns or inspiration for your next knitting/crochet project. Starting the hat was a bit tricky because I had never done an Italian Tubular cast-on, so I had to look up instructions and sort through all the different YouTube videos out there. But once I got started, I only made like 5 mistakes, which seems really low considering that most of the time I was knitting while watching Gilmore Girls.

A few months ago, I also finished a cowl scarf. I had bought the yarn on clearance not really thinking about the color only that I liked the yarn. So once I finished, much to my chagrin, I realized that with the color and the way it's striped, it kind of looks like a bacon scarf.

Bright side: My bacon-looking scarf is ridiculously warm.

Lest you think that all this time spent not working have been toward productively knitting cold weather accessories for myself, I have also wasted countless hours on Interwebs watching cute animal videos. True story: One night I stayed up way too late, just watching a dog named, Murkin, and his cute little kittens. You are just going to AWWWW all over the place. Behold:

EXTRA BONUS CONTENT!
So, here's an outtake of me trying to figure out my PhotoBooth program on my computer. It had been a while since I last used it, and my laptop is getting into its twilight years, so I kept on hitting the button to set off the camera, but when it took it's sweet time to load, I got up to open the door for some fresh air. And that's when the little punk decided to start working.

I can't wait to have a job again.

Lazy Wednesday Blogging

If I could spend all day just riding the ferries, it would be awesome.

I am congratulating myself for following my self-imposed mandate to blog every Wednesday for the last month by writing bits of random thoughts, because I am too lazy to organize them all.

So, where are you from?
I feel, as of late, it's become a bit difficult to give people a straightforward answer to this question. Technically, I am from Seattle, because that's where I last lived before moving to Anacortes. But I didn't really grow up in Seattle, I've only lived there since college (and for three of those years, only during the school, I'd peace out before summer officially began). I'd like to think that I'm a California girl at heart, but I think I relate better to the Pacific Northwest now. And don't even get me started on the people who ask me where I'm from only to follow up with, "No, really, where are you froooommmmm?" With the barest hint that perhaps I truly hail from a place a bit more Oriental than Seattle or Los Angeles.

Alternatives in case this whole finding a job does not pan out:
All this time not working has given me ample opportunity to consider my alternatives if I never am able to find a job when we move to North Carolina. Chief among the current alternatives I am thinking about is to learn how to print screen t-shirts and posters. Then I can create some witty one-liners, print them onto t-shirts, and peddle them to all the Marines and their families in the area. Right now, I'm thinking something along the lines of "Semper Fly for a White Guy"...of course not all Marines are white, so I'm going to have to think of more ethnically diverse options. Or, I can print something like "Marine Wife", but in a hipster-esque print for all the trendsters in the service so that they may rock the t-shirt ironically. Perhaps I should give this more thought.

One more thing on public transit:
I neglected to mention this a few weeks ago on my thing about public transit, but one thing Skagit Transit does have on Metro is that the drivers are quite personable. Perhaps it's the low rider volume or maybe it's just that Skagit is better at customer service, but for the first time in years (or ever for that matter) I know what my bus drivers' names are. We have pleasant conversations on the way to wherever it is I am going for the day and I ask them about their weekend plans. I know that Sam the bus driver does not care for mussels. It's a weird experience, because I am so used to just turning up the iPod and zoning out until I get to my stop. Now, I hardly pull out my iPod, even though I still keep it on me, and the conversations definitely make for a more enjoyable ride.

Exploration! Destination: San Juan Islands

We live close to the ferry dock in Anacortes, so Jack and I have taken a few trips over to San Juan and Orcas Islands for the heck of it (mostly upon my insistence). Most of my previous experiences on islands have been of the tropical kind...so it was interesting to explore the San Juans.

San Juan Island:
Friday Harbor is the main the town on San Juan Island and it's probably the most rocking joint out of all the islands. There's restaurants, bars, and the Whale Museum. The best part of the island is that it's so pedestrian friendly--you could very well just walk onto the ferry and get off in Friday Harbor and be totally fine without a car.

Jack and I decided to drive onto the ferry once--just so we could drive around San Juan Island and holy cow is that one expensive ferry ride (I think it was about $56, round trip, for a car and two passengers). It was fun driving around the island; they have a sculpture park (think SAM's Olympic Sculpture Park, but with smaller pieces and a denser collection) near Roche Harbor, a wine tasting room, and an alpaca farm!

Silly alpaca.

Supposedly the best part of the island is Lime Kiln Park (aka whale watch park) because in the summer, you could just sit on the shore and watch orca pods frolic in the water. Well, since neither of us were willing to pay the $10 to park at Lime Kiln, we decided to go to another park just north of it. Then we waited and waited...and waited. Nothing! Not a single friggin' whale showed up!

Nothing!

Orcas Island:
While San Juan Island seems like a bustling town, Orcas Island is a sleepy little place. Sleepy and dark (there seem to be no street lights, just whatever light is on the front porch or from your car). Jack and I went to Orcas Island for a stay at the Otters Pond Bed and Breakfast--it's a cute little place run by a husband-wife team, kind of reminds me of staying at your grandparents.

One of the highlights was our hike to Mt. Constitution in Moran State Park. While there is a road that allows you to drive straight up to the top, Jack and I decided to hike it instead--even with the threat of rain on that day--because it's easy to be hard, but hard to be smart. The hike went as good as it could get considering that it started snowing once we made it to the top, we didn't plan for any emergencies, there was only one water bottle and we drank all of it. It's important to note that the hike was fairly difficult--just in terms of elevation gain--the first third of the hike was more or less switchbacks as you gain about 1,000 feet on the way up.

But the view on the top is amazing (well, what we could see anyways): Anacortes, Guemes Island, Mt. Erie, the base of the Casades, and the beautiful Puget Sound.

Check out my awesome collage skillz.

Another highlight (though probably more for me than Jack) was dinner at Allium. I'd like to pretend that I'm a snobby foodie and I heard of the restaurant because the chef and owner, Lisa Nakamura, used to be the chef de cuisine at Woodinville's Herbfarm, but I only found out about it through my old work's annual dinner event. It was delicious though--a bit pricey, but well worth the price. They have these tiny little biscuits, which I'd like to call butter squares, and they were just so, so delicious (especially with their caramelized onion jam--it sounds weird, but trust them on this one).

After dinner and feeling a bit lazy, we went to the grocery store for some beers in classy 22 oz bottles, but it was very nearly dead at 8pm. It felt more like shopping at 1:00am when the sots are leaving the bars and hitting up the grocery stores before they stop selling booze. It was an entertaining weekend on Orcas although it's definitely not a place to go for the night life, unless you enjoy walking around in the darkness.

The San Juans are fun for a weekend, although it boggles my mind when I think about what it's like to live there. I mean, if Anacortes seems dead on the weekends, the islands seem like a ghost town outside of tourist season. While that means that we get to have much of the outdoors to ourselves, it also means that we have to suffer through dinner sitting next to the only other couple at the restaurant where the guy is discussing loudly how some craft beer or another is a sipping beer, meant to last through the whole night. Dude. It's beer. Just drink it. 

Adventures in Public Transit

True story: I was asked by the bus driver to put on the seat belt before the bus would leave the stop. Also: Buses in Anacortes all have seat belts.

For someone that's grown up in Los Angeles' car-centric culture, I am really taken by public transit. It's probably because I've never really owned a car and so I need rely on public transit and the occasional ZipCar to get around town, but I really do enjoy taking public transit. Luckily, Seattle has a fairly robust and reliable public transit system (barring any budget cuts and service reductions) and I've been able to get by without a car. When I decided to move up to Anacortes, I was worried that I'd need a car or risk becoming shut in since the area was not nearly as dense as the city. Fortunately I quickly discovered that there is a small fleet of buses servicing the Skagit County--with TWO WHOLE BUS LINES in Anacortes alone. Woo!

It's a different experience riding public transportation in Anacortes. The service hours are more or less for people traveling to/from work, so if you want to go anywhere after 7:30pm you're shit out of luck. The buses really only come once an hour (twice an hour, on certain smaller local routes) so if you miss one, you're shit out of luck. Along with the limited routes, there are only so many stops along the route, luckily the buses do serve the main drag and most businesses, but if you want to go anywhere that's just slightly out of the city (say Edison, WA), then you're shit out of luck.

However, the system does have some pretty cool upsides. Bus fare is only $1.00 and, depending on where you want to go, it's like a super cheap taxi. Skagit Transit is not nearly as frequented as the big city transit, many of the stops are "by request", so unless someone requests that a bus stops at a certain stop it will be bypassed. So, I can go from my house, walk three blocks to catch a bus, and be dropped off at the front door of the Senior Center (where I volunteer) for $1.00 and one bus transfer.

Additionally, Skagit Transit seems to dovetail well with the other transit systems. I can take the bus from Anacortes all the way down to Seattle and Seattle back up to Anacortes. And so can you! All you have to do is:
1. Take any bus from Seattle that will take you up to the Everett Transit Center.
2. Make sure that you arrive at the Everett Transit Center between the hours of 5:50am - 8:35am or 4:10 - 5:35pm (Monday through Friday only), so that you can catch the hourly 90X bus up to Skagit Station in Mount Vernon.
2a. Skagit Transit does not take ORCA cards, so you're going to want to make sure you have some cash on hand.
3. Once you're at Skagit Transit, wait for the 411W heading to Oak Harbor on Island Transit. Get off at the March's Point Park and Ride.
3a. Good news Island Transit is free!
4. Get off at March's Point. Wait for the 410 to Anacortes.
4a. You're going to want to break out that coin purse again to pay for your bus fare. Also note that the last bus leaving March's Point leaves at 6:25pm (Monday through Friday, earlier on Saturdays). If you get there after, you might want to phone a friend to pick you up.
5. Once you're on the 410 toward Anacortes, it'll take you through town and to the San Juan Ferry dock.

Believe it or not, the bus trip only takes about 3 hours in good traffic (driving takes about 1.5 hours). However, these times and routes are only applicable Monday through Friday. There's a "Plan B" Saturday public transit option, which goes through the Mulkiteo-Clinton Ferry and up through Whidbey Island, but that takes a mind boggling 5+ hours.

Glutton for Punishment (Part 2: The Epic Conclusion!)

When I last left off, my poor unfinished quilt was quietly folded aside and quickly forgotten as Spring finally rounded the corner in Seattle. Happily, eventually I got up off my lazy ass and started working on the quilt again. It was about the same time that I was making plans to move in with Jack, I realized that I still had my co-worker's sewing machine and perhaps it would be a tad gauche if I end up taking it with me to Anacortes. For one thing, it would make returning the machine infinitely more difficult. So I started working again, hoping that I would be able to finish by the time I moved.

I worked in fits and starts. One weekend I managed to finally piece together what would be the back of the quilt. But then the next step was to baste the quilt, which is sandwiching the face, the batting, and the back together and loosely sewing it together so that it wouldn't move while I quilted the thing together. Faced with a seemingly mountainous job ahead of me, I once again folded the quilt and put it away.

In another weekend, particularly rejuvenated after brunch with my friends at Toulouse Petit, I started working on basting the quilt. The only good thing about basting was that it is sewed together VERY LOOSELY.  The bad thing about basting was that I did it all by hand while watching Azumanga Daioh, in the original Japanese with English subtitles. Considering that I don't speak a lick of Japanese, the subtitles were necessary for my understanding their hilarious shenanigans. I found that I could focus on only one thing: either I work on sewing or I watch the cartoon. Eventually I decided that the quilt was basted enough (I sewed it down the middle horizontally and vertically and then diagonally twice making an X), taped the rest of the quilt down with blue tape, and spent the rest of the afternoon watching cartoons. And so it was until it came time to move.

I had a week in between my last day of the work and when I had to move. I thought I would have all the time in the world to slowly pack, run some errands, take it easy, and maybe work on my quilt. Boy, was I mostly wrong. Aside from deciding that taking the bus/light rail was too expensive and walking to places instead, I also tried to cram in as many happy hours as humanly possible. There were lunches with old co-workers; then my dentist found a pocket (a pocket!) of bacteria that may spell bad news down the line, and especially since I was giving up insurance for the foreseeable future, she suggested I get a few visits in to thoroughly clean the area, so I had three more dentist appointments scheduled; and the one day I spent shopping for and wrapping potstickers for dinner for my friends. There wasn't a lot of time to pack or to work on my quilt. However, I did find one afternoon to work on it, and I managed to finally quilt (as in officially sewing it all together) my first line. But, the apartment was such a mess, and quilting required so much space (since the whole thing was basted together), that I eventually packed it all away.

Long story: No, I did not finish my quilt before I moved to Anacortes.

However! Now that I was in Anacortes, I did managed to finish it sometime in the first month that I moved in. Partially because, finally, there was nothing to distract me, there was a ton of space (none of Jack's furniture had arrived yet), and there was nothing to do in Anacortes.

Check out the quilt in action! Draped on the couch!

I ended up spending about two days just quilting it together. The problem I had was the excess fabric that I needed to support while I quilted. Occasionally one of the blanket that I wasn't working on quilting would slowly slide off the table and then it would screw up the straight line I was sewing on--and, yes, it led to tiny little bunches which drive me slightly crazy, but not so crazy that I would want to fix it.

Another issue I had was cutting off the excess batting and backing fabric. I mentioned that my fabric cutting board was only 18x24, but now I had to cut excess fabric off something that was now about a twin sized blanket...and the living room floor was carpeted. So I had to wrangle the fabric, cutting every two feet or so, hoping that it would come out straight, and worrying that if I accidentally cut off the board, I would take a bit of carpet fuzz with it. But I finished anyways and now the only thing left was to sew on the border and I'd be finished!!

The border was the final bit of pain for me, because, as it turns out, I didn't cut the quilt out exactly straight. So where the border met the not so straightened edge of the quilt, it ended up bunching together. But, at this point I didn't care. It was completed....mostly. Some of the quilt came undone at the border about a week later (again with the not straight edges, it didn't quite meet with the border the first time around to get sewn together) and I had to fix it together.

It seems to have held up quite well now I've finished it. I've spilled juice on it and it has gone through two regular wash and dry cycles without looking worse for wear.  I've grown to love it and all it's small imperfections--although I'm not sure I want to attempt a second quilt, just to build on what I've learned the last time around. Anyways, let this be a lesson to you all--making a quilt is not for the weekend warrior, but it is pretty awesome once it's finished and your hate for the process has subsided.