Making Stuff Again

Okay, so I haven't posted a craft-related entry in quite some time. I realize this. So, I figured I had to change that, considering that I hadn't necessarily stopped crafting all together--I've just been a little/hugely busy, and I don't have a sewing machine (tear!! this saddens me greatly). But, I have been able to knit and crochet, and I have produced something. Technically it is only half of something, and I don't even know if I'm going to finish the other half, but I will post about it anyways. Because I feel I should.

So without further ado, I give you my very first knitted sock!

Hurray! Cheers! Woo!

Except, not so much. I really don't like the sock, aesthetically. Plainly put, I think the stripes are ugly and the fabric was a poor choice. Also, it's all a little saggy, especially around the ankle/stripe region. Hmmm...part of me says "That's enough! Knit a new pair of socks from a prettier pattern, with lace, and with nicer yarn that is thinner and less bulky and of higher quality!" but the other half of me says "You've already got this far! And it was so easy! Just do the other one so you can have a pair of socks for the winter, instead of just one warm foot!"

What should I do? Be a one-socked-wonder for the time being as I work on a completely new pair, or should I finish this rather ugly one? I'm leaning towards scrapping this stripey sock and beginning a new pair...but I want to get some secondary opinions!

In other news, I bought a nice little pencil holder at this store called Muji in Soho (I was tipped off by Kristina, by-the-by). I really like its simplicity and all that.

Lookin' good

So yeah, that's what's goin' on for me. I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to buy art supplies and film and everything that I need. I'm blowing through money like a wind blows through ... something poetic, and it's crazy. Life's crazy! Ah! I need to get a handle on things, and then get a job. Good plan.

(P.S. It was cooler today, and it rained and thundered and stormed yesterday, which was SOOOOO exciting for me)

Lacoste : Yes!

Lets talk about how great the first portion of Lacoste's Spring 09 Ready-to-wear collection is:

I think it's pretty fab for several reasons.

1. The colors and fabrics are gorgeous. They are the perfect dusty, sandy colors and they looks especially great paired with these skinny little waspy white models. For reals!
2. When I got back from India, I really wished that turbans would be in-style, and that girls would start wearing them. In India, obviously, its only a man thing, but I thought that it was so so so awesome and elegant that I wanted to figure out a way to wear one myself without looking like a moron. Case closed!
3. I love how these are draped. The flow and cut to each piece is oh-so-perfect. And the shoes are very nice too.

All in all, go Lacoste! However, I did not like the rest of your line; it was very...Lacoste-y. Too sporty, bright, jocky/tennis player-ish. Yeah, I know that's your thing, but you are so good at fashion too!

(P.S. I got 8-cent unlimited serving size frozen yogurt at 16 Handles in the city today. EPIC!)

Neat-o

How much does this storage chair rock??

A lot, to be sure. It's from fawn & forest, which you should browse through because its pretty cute and designy. If you know what I mean.

Mr. Softee

Livin' the dream, NYC edition

Hello College

So I guess this is college! It's here! First post in NYC! Living in a dorm is exactly as I expected it to be, especially because my dorm is such the quintessential dorm. Shitty furniture, ugly linoleum floor, fluorescent lights...you know. But I'm working on making it nicer with posters (which I have yet to buy) and postcards. I'm pretty sure my roommate thinks I'm really weird because I have a postcard of Einstein, a turkey (its an Audubon print), and Louise Bourgeois holding a giant metal sculpture of a penis. And then I'm going to put up another one which is a Cindy Sherman photograph of this weird, mutilated face.

Anyways, today I went with the studio art department on a field trip to PS1 on Long Island. It's a museum, I think an extension of MoMA, and I really loved it. The building is an old public school that has been entirely converted into a museum, but without being remodeled, so it still looks like a school. There is art everywhere: in the stairwells, basement, bathrooms, dusty corners, etc. There were a lot of installation pieces, my favorite of which was a bunch of old scuba diving outfits (think metal helmet and all that) which were constructed just a little larger than life, and they were hanging in this dark, small room. They would alternate having a light turn on inside their helmets and then the ones in the back would raise their arms and hit this giant metal sheet with a hammer. It was cacophonous, scary, and amazing. It was actually pretty frightening, especially because they moved on their own accord and were pretty big.

Tomorrow I am going to the Guggenheim with two other girls in the studio art department to see the Louise Bourgeois exhib and whatever else is being shown there. I can't believe I am in New York City!!

Today, I ate a lot

I swear, I am a 101 cookbooks fiend. Whenever I want to cook something, and I have an overabundance of some ingredient, I just check her archives (sorted by ingredient) and pick something delicious sounding. Today, in preparation for an ultimately unsuccessful color photo printing session at my old photo teacher's darkroom, I used up all of the remaining Quinoa in my house to make "Delicious Big Bowl" but I substituted the asparagus with broccoli. It was so. good.

And after Taylor found out that we wouldn't be able to go to the darkroom, we were feeling a little bummed, so a picnic with some the Quinoa and some rice cakes was very nice. We even met a very audacious squirrel, to whom we fed some of these rice cakes.

Afterwards, we went and got some tea at Busters and perused a makeup shop. I'm not much of a makeup person, but I did end up buying some lip stain--my weakness, to be sure. I really wanted some of this pretty perfume (mainly because I'm a sucker for nice packaging and design), but my desires were quickly thwarted by its $89 price tag.

Following this, we made our way through the Farmers Market, sampling fruits and buying honey sticks. And, if you are ever buying some, you simply must try the Cool Mint Honey flavor. It's seriously tasty. Anyways, the market was fun, but hot. Soon, we parted ways and I went with my brother and his girlfriend to get some boba. Boba was then followed by a dinner comprised of a variety of tacos from a taco truck, shared with the rest of the family. I'm trying to fit in as much Mexican food before I head eastward. And then, my dad baked some chocolate chip cookies (with raisins and walnuts of course).

END RESULT: very, very full. Oof...

Oh L.A...

A (delicious) failure

Hi.

So...yeah...my dad and I attempted at making a chocolate souffle a few weeks ago, and...it was a bomb. Literally. It was overflowing and bubbling and all "bubble bubble toil and trouble." And the worst part is that we have NO IDEA what went wrong! My dad had even made the recipe before, and had it turn out quite tasty, but this time something/someone messed up.

The recipe we used was from the Larousse Gastronomique, which also has a recipe for a savory ham and cheese souffle that we had also made, with quite less disastrous results (it was excellent, in fact). I'm still a little perplexed; it was like we totally forgot an ingredient or something, because, even after we baked it for an additional 15 minutes, when we tried to pull it out of the oven it jiggled and quivered, obviously still liquified on the inside. I must say, however, it was still delicious--seriously, how can you really go wrong with butter, eggs, sugar, and chocolate?

Anyways, I leave for New York City and NYU on Saturday. It's weird--this is such a huge event in my life, and there have been so many events, ideas, emotions, thoughts, whatever, leading up to it, that now that I am so close to it, I don't know how to feel! I'm just sort of waiting for it to come...

But I am pretty excited.