I am titanium!

Hey blogland....long time no see. I've been quite the busy bee lately with school things--my dissertation proposal defense is tomorrow!  I do hope to get some crafty time in soon. I've big dreams for the Ravelympics! :).
In other news, I've acquired a new accessory for the time being....hopefully it gives me luck tomorrow!

Super Bowl Sunday!

First, woohoo GIANTS!!!! Way to play that game!

During the game I knit a scarf :), yep, an entire scarf!  Maybe it's good luck if I knit during the game ;).  This scarf is for my friend Lindsey who is in Japan for a year.  I made it to go along with the "Really Warm Hat" that I posted about here.  She really likes green and hot pink, so in the scarf there is green and hot pink along with some yellow and a cream.  I think it coordinates nicely :).

I also finished the pink ruffles baby blanket for my friend.  I'm totally happy with how it turned out.  Gives me some ideas for blankets I want to make and sell in my Etsy store (once I have more free time...aka when I have my PhD ;)).

Lastly, I reknit the Make-a-Statement hat for my mom.  As I thought the first one was too small for her head. Soooooo, I made this one this week during my commute :).  She LOVES it!

That's all for now! I hope to finish some more stuff as this week goes on.  I also submitted another grant proposal for my dissertation and I'll hear back tomorrow about whether or not I got accepted to another conference!  Fingers crossed for the grant especially!!!

Productive weekend!

So despite being sick for the entire weekend with a fever and a terrible cold, I was quite the busy little productive bee!  (Both in crafting AND in dissertation proposal writing).  I found it easier to write this weekend because I assigned myself 4 hour work blocks with a scheduled break after.  Soooo, by telling myself, "Jessica, you will work/write from 12-4 followed by a nice cup of tea and maybe 30 minutes of yarn time," it somehow struck a little fire in my brain and the writing just flowed from my fingers.  I'm happy that I'm getting stuff organized, planning out my ideas, and really articulating them on paper.  I'm not saying this draft is great or anything, but it's growing and that is the most important part!

During my writing breaks and evenings on the couch feeling congested, feverish, tired, and sort of miserable I was able to knit about 5 inches on a special Christmas gift, cast on for another Christmas gift, knit a towel for the kitchen, and cast on and knit a few inches of a bag for my yoga mat!


Here's the beginning of the bag for my yoga mat. It's more of a hat right now ;).

Annnnnd here is the kitchen towel...first without a button and then with a button and hanging from the fridge! YAY!

I kind of get ADD knitting/crocheting when I'm not feeling well.  Also, I like to break up the time of knitting/crocheting large presents with making smaller things (especially those that are pretty mindless....).


Oh, I almost forgot!  I'm also making another couch caddy for a friend...here is some of my progress :).  I'll have the pattern up and published as soon as I can!

The Quarter Stitch--New Orleans, LA

Last weekend I attended the joint conference of the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA) located in New Orleans, LA.  I enjoyed four days of the conference--attending presentations and meetings, receptions and get-togethers, and I of course visited a local yarn store.  Before I left for NOLA I googled about the different LYS in the area and I discovered that The Quarter Stitch was located in the French Quarter AND was in walking distance from my hotel.  Perfect!!  So on the last day of my trip I decided to do some exploring and wandered into the French Quarter to The Quarter Stitch.

The store is open every day from 11am to 6 pm and I happened to arrive a little before it opened and the woman opening that day was surprised to see someone waiting for her to open the store.  One of my favorite parts was the knitting/needlepoint post that stood outside the store, welcoming customers in. 

It really was beautiful inside--there was a lot of yarn everywhere and it was in all different colors!  The sales woman was nice enough to let me take some photos in the store and I'm very please to share them! The store also has many needlepoint things for sale, but I wasn't allowed to photograph them since they are copyrighted.

My mom remarked that this wall of colorful yarn resembled part of my yarn stash that "lives" in my bedroom :).

Of course after looking at all of this wonderful yarn, I had to buy some!  I decided on two skeins of Malabrigo Rios in the color way 866 Arco Iris that remind me of NOLA and one skein of Colinette Jitterbug in lilac (which is a yarn I never saw before, but apparently is popular).  I'll have pictures of the yarn soon :).  I also purchased a project bag for one of my very dear friends (KnittyLindsey).  At The Quarter Stitch they wrap each purchase--each skein and the project bag in my case--separately in different colored tissue paper and then put them in a clear plastic bag.  The bag has little tissue paper hearts in it and very cute business cards for the store.  It is all tied closed with multi-colored curling ribbon.  This probably was my prettiest yarn purchase to date!!

I also wanted to share some of my general NOLA photographs :).  This is a picture of the view from my hotel.  It shows the Mississippi River and part of the French Quarter Festival that was also going on at the same time as the conference.

This is a picture of Bourbon Street (of course).  It was jam-packed with people.  It was interesting to see people standing in the balconies in the buildings on the street tossing down beads.

There were different musical groups performing all over the French Quarter.  I found it to be really fun to have all different types of live music all around--and boy, did they really draw a crowd!

On my last day I decided to go exploring and visit The Quarter Stitch.  Since I arrived a bit early before the store opened, I just walked around the French Quarter snapping away.  Here is a man who is painting; I just love how much color he uses in his artwork!

This is a picture of the St. Louis Cathedral that is located right near Jackson Square.  It is so beautifully breathtaking to see it in person--massive and white, standing majestically in the French Quarter.

One of my favorite parts of NOLA was the balconies with the beautiful railings.  I just love the detail of the iron work (I think it is iron work....) :).

I also really like the quaint little shops that you find on all of the streets.  The area just seems so small and the entrances to stores are small as well.  I am guessing that is because the buildings are so old :).  I just really liked the set up of this little store.

So overall I enjoyed my extended weekend trip to New Orleans.  The food was delicious (though very rich) and the atmosphere was fun.  I learned a lot at the conference and I'm filled with positive energy--definitely a good boost to get working more on my dissertation!!! (And I can't wait to knit and crochet with my new yarn!!!)