lipsticks::

Look what I got in the mail the other day! Heather, another blogger (she plays the banjo AND she's learning the fiddle!!!), sent me some lovely lipsticks and eyeshadow! I haven't had a chance to play with them yet, but I'll take pictures when I do and blog about the shades.

Well, I'm off to work. New schedule, which means very little online time. I'm giving myself five minute breaks every hour to keep my sanity. It seems to help. I usually spend that time reading old Blueprint magazines. Have a great week and a happy Hallowe'en!

wool socks.

I finally finished knitting my first pair of socks! I can't tell you how many times I started on a pair and never finished them and it was beginning to get very frustrating. There are sooooooo many patterns for socks out there, but to find one that actually makes sense? Ugh. It's been hard. I mean, most of them I could follow okay, but there were about a million instructions included with each pattern and frankly, I don't want to have to read through the whole dang thing every time I am knitting a sock. Finally I found a pattern that worked pretty well along with the use of some great YouTube tutorials. Now that I have the basic sock pattern down, I am using the instructions to make other sizes (by comparing the pattern I have with other patterns). I still need to figure out how to make a basic sock using sock yarn instead of worsted weight. But for now worsted weight is just fine. I like a good thick wool sock for winter. I also discovered my gauge is a bit tighter than it was a few years ago (that's a good thing for me! It was way too loose before!) So yeah, I could spend the next five paragraphs talking about my thrilling sock making experience, but I won't bore you. My goal is to learn how to make socks without the use of a pattern, but we'll see on that one. Here are my notes on Ravelry. (Sorry, I am so bad at uploading projects to that site!)

Edit: I'm going to include the tutorials (they are mostly videos) that helped me a lot. In case you are interested...

• Basic socks pattern (worsted weight, women's size 8.5-9).
  
• How to SSK (Slip Slip Knit).
• Joining a new ball of yarn (in case you run out or your yarn breaks).
• Make the heel.
  
• Turning the heel.
• Shape and graft toe (video) and (instructions, scroll down).
  

vintage lips.

Lately I have kind of been obsessing about make-up. I'm not exactly sure why. I guess I just feel kind of girly sometimes and I like dressing up. The other day I was at the store and picked up a cheap stick of NYC "Retro Red" bright red lipstick. I was looking for MAC products, but all the stores around here don't seem to sell MAC (go figure) so instead of splurging I spent less than one dollar. And it doesn't look all that bad, though I am very curious to compare it to the expensive brands. Now here is the problem I have with lipstick. First of all, I have no idea how to wear it without getting it on everything or obsessing about how I look every time I pass by a mirror. At the moment I haven't worn it out, but I would like to. Is there anything I can "seal" it with so it doesn't rub off on things? I hate lip gloss and much prefer matte lips, so maybe there is something that won't make them look shiny. This time when I tried it, I decided not to put any other make-up on, besides the usual concealer. I'll probably experiment with it a bit more. I'll let you know if I'm ever daring enough to wear it out!

Listening to some great old tunes. SO GOOD!

whoa.

Has it really been almost a month since the last time I updated this thing? Yikes. Sorry, time flies! I've been out of town almost every weekend out of the month and then during the week spending my time playing catch-up. Oh how time flies. It's cold outside and I've already started two new knitting projects added to my never ending knitting pile. But you see, I have to have a few mindless knitting projects to stick in my purse for moments when I can knit a few rows. I am starting a pair of warm stockings and some delicate undersleeves from a knitting manual I found on Google Books (by the way, amazing resource!!). I also have some gift ideas I'd like to start on for Christmas presents. When will I find the time to make those? I have no idea.

I feel like there is so much I want to talk about, but I'm all scatterbrained today. I'm in a very girly mood these days and thinking a lot about make-up and hair and silly things like that. I've never been the sort to really get into that stuff and when I do, I don't like to over-do it. Yesterday I picked up some gel eye liner and experimented with that last night. I think I need some practice, though. Instead of looking like this, I ended up looking like a drag queen. I also need to purchase some make-up remover 'cause that stuff does not come off with just water! And then I got soap in my eye and now my eyelid is all puffy. Argh! No one ever taught me how to apply makeup or do my hair. It's all something I've had to teach myself. So all this eyeliner business is new to me. If I can get it to look classy and vintage, I might wear it now and then for special occasions.

Also, I have three weddings I'll be in and they are coming up fast. November, January and March. Whoa.

• I love her style.
  
• Her hair.
• Cute. {via}
• Red lipstick.
• Awesome necklace.
• Isn't she gorgeous?
• Barb'ry Allen.
• It's apple season.