Honours Symposium, Crafting, and Light Box, Oh My!

On the Needles: "Untalkative Bunny" scarf
To knit this week: Above scarf and a pair of baby booties!

So, we're gearing up for our Honours symposium for March 16 and 17th! The title is (Re)Scriptae, and the blog is here: http://ucalgaryenglishhonours.blogspot.com/ We'll be adding more information as we get it, like posters, and there might be individual paper information going up. We're just trying to get everything sorted out.

It's going to be awesome, though, no matter what!

It's now reading week, which means that I need to get a 40 page draft of my paper done by next Thursday/Friday. My boyfriend and I were supposed to go to Victoria this week, but excitingly, he got an interview with Husky! So, we're staying in town. Which will work out better, considering the fact that I have a a group presentation the week after the break, and I have more work to do than normal. Still somewhat disappointing. Coincidentally, my horoscope two days later said that I would be invited to something wonderful, but something marvelous might have to be cancelled. Which is what happened!

But, staying home, also lets me do a lot of work on the Etsy shop, which is fun, too. And we'll go out to Banff/Lake Louise on Tuesday for (as my boyfriend's termed it) "Valentine's and a Half." hehe Which also means, we're going to go "Knit 'n Caboodle" in Canmore, which I'm excited for. I haven't been there before, but it looks awesome!

Yesterdah, I made a light box. So, my photos are going to be coming out a lot better, and it means that I can also take pictures at night, which is a big advantage for me! Not that I won't take natural light photos, especially of my knitting projects, but there's a big (good) difference between the two:

The one on the left is the edited version of natural light; the one on the right is the "point and click" version from my light box.

It's going to be lots of work, but fun, to replace all the listings that I have already.

Other than that, just trying to keep afloat with school work!

And now, I run away~! (I'll post after Banff. I'm sure I'll have more yarn to add to my stash and to show you guys!)

Take care!

Katie =^..^=

Clever Photos are Clever

On the Needles: "Untalkative Bunny" Scarf; Sashay scarf in Salsa

In the Plans: Knit cat from the logo; cabled scarf

Oh yes, I'm quite proud of this picture, actually: 

I was having a very creative moment, and ended up being able to take this picture. 

And this was an experiment to try out the "Changes" yarn by Red Heart.

And this is another chunky knit hand muff! I love how this one turned out. I have done one before, in a faux fur sort of yarn, but I like how this one is curled at each end!

Otherwise, just plugging through school. Super happy that I have less than four months left! Then time for the terrifying job search. 

All right! Just a quick update, and now of to study again! 

Katie =^..^=

And the Super Busy Time Begins Again

On the Needles: Seafoam Stitch Shawl
Waiting: "Untalkative Bunny" scarf; felted rose bag
Planning: Mittens; shrug/bolero (for myself)

That's right! I'm now officially back at school. Which means that the crazy reading and paper writing schedule resumes after a (fairly) leisurely winter break! Well, who am I kidding? The last two weeks of Christmas break were just as crazy as term work, except that the craziness that ensued with my Honours research and writing is now spread over three classes AND Honours. (Oh, Joy.) And, if it sounds like I'm sarcastically excited, I am. This term is going to leave me with hardly any time to pursue anything outside of school or my job at the theatres. And that includes time with my boyfriend.

However, there are some very exciting things about this term! First, I get to go present a portion of my Honours paper at a conference in Edmonton in the first part of February. Second, I get to present a longer portion of my Honours paper to students, friends, family professors, and community members, at the University of Calgary, as part of my Honours work. And then, June 5, I will graduate and be a proud holder of an Honours BA in English. That is going to be the best day that I can foresee this term. haha And my boyfriend and I are going to go on a vacation to Victoria (also in February!), which I am also super excited for.

(It may sound glamorous and exciting right now, but all of it has me swamped. haha)

Once we get back from that vacation, though, it'll be full steam ahead for the rest of term. (Note to self: make sure to pick up cold medication for exam week/week after exams.) And I'll be looking for a job at that point, which is terrifyingly exciting.

At the same time that I'm really glad I'll be graduating, I'm also kind of sad. I've been so immersed in student life for the past five years that it's going to be very strange to hold a full time job . . . year-round! But, I can't wait. I'm ready to start doing other things (i.e. travelling). Although the plan for this summer is to work, buy a hammock, and have my stack of books beside me so that all I do when I get home is eat and then lay on the hammock and read and/or craft. Hopefully the weather is nicer in Calgary than last summer!

Other than that, not much has changed in the last week. haha I got my paper draft into my professor, and we've discussed what I need to edit/change about it. I finally got a thesis statement, so I should be able to get away from the phrases that keep annoying my supervisor. :)

And right now, I'm enjoying the view out of the new library on campus, because from the fifth floor on the west side, you can sit by the windows and look straight out to the Rocky Mountains. Best view I've found on campus.

Now, after all that complaining, I will say something about Etsy. I've made two sales in the past week to people that I don't know! One item is currently making it's way to Michigan, and one item will be in the mail today to Australia! What I think I'm going to start doing is take the map my brother gave me for Christmas and put a pin in the places that I send orders, as I get them. (hint, hint! Order from me, and I can put a pin in a different place! hehe) I have lots of new items that I will post here soon (in fact, some of them are in draft stage as we speak, so I should be able to post a few over the weekend), and I have lost more to make!

I've also joined a really cool Team, called the Handmade Circle! You can find them here: http://www.etsy.com/teams/11451/handmade-circle They are who I got my second sale through! :) Super friendly and awesome team. ^^ You can find them on Facebook, too, if that's more your style.

Anyway, I should head out. It's almost class time, and I kind of want coffee. haha

Take care!

Katie =^..^=

Christmas Time Review!

On the needles: Custom "Untalkative Bunny" double knit scarf

Planning: mitten, hat, and scarf set, plus a kitten stuffy! :)

So, to start out December, my boyfriend and I went out with some of his friends to get a Christmas tree!

Yep, real tree. We were trying to decide between a real and a fake, but I would have missed the smell too much. And, as this article points out on Etsy, it's not as bad for the environment as everyone thinks: http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/noted-fake-fir-real-problems/

After Christmas tree hunting (and school was finished), I made yummy chewy ginger cookies!

Don't they look yummy? This is them in the bowl:








And the finished project! They stayed chewy for quite a few days. I was really happy with them!

My boyfriend was highly amused by this set of twisted yarns. He was very puzzled that that pile could turn out into this scarf: 

Yay, intarsia! How I love that I finally learnt you. I'm really happy with how this turned out, especially considering that it was a special order, and it was my first time working intarsia!

It's been a ridiculously busy Christmas break! Not only have a I been working on custom orders, I've also been doing that baking and working on my honours paper. But that parts almost done.

My boyfriend and I have also been watching InuYasha, which is just as good as the first time that I saw it!
Although I'm kind of disappointed that the final season hasn't been released yet. Oh well. Soon enough. It only ended about two years ago (when I was still in Japan, lucky me)!

I didn't end up getting to my casual reading list, but that's OK. I actually bought myself The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami when they were on sale at Coles. They're on my bookshelf waiting to be read now.

I did read most of the texts I was planning for my paper, though. There's really only one left that I need to read.

But my plan now is once I've graduated and got a couple pay cheques under my belt, I'm going to go buy a hammock and then start the stack of books waiting for me. This summer will mostly be spent reading and crafting. My "resolution" (if that's what it can be called) is to read and craft and get a good tan. haha

All right. This post has taken a really long time to write, so I'm going to leave it here and I'll write another soon! I promise. haha

Take care and Happy New Year!

Katie =^..^=

Busy, busy, busy...

On the needles: Armwarmers and custom order scarf
Designed: Untalkative Bunny Scarf
Waiting for: Yarn for projects

All right! Number one thing on the agenda today is...*drum roll*...I am a guest contributor on the blog "Art for Art"! You can find my post here: http://art-four-art.blogspot.com/2011/12/ian-tyson-old-cheyenne-katie-harris.html?showComment=1323186171331#c1725771085579273842 Please make sure to head over and give the blog some love. This is a wonderful project, and I want to be able to continue to share my work with others in a different space. Also, this blog gives me a more academic take on my projects, which is interesting. The project is likely to change, considering that I need to learn more about intarsia before I actually start. And I need to knit a gauge swatch to figure out how many stitches actually need to go into the design. haha The mittens don't have to be finished until around the beginning of June, so I at least have lots of time to work on them!

Quite a bit has been happening around my Etsy shop, too! I've had lots of views, and I've posted lots of items, although I am still lacking in sales. However, I was the "Etsians of Facebook's" Featured Seller last Saturday! http://www.etsy.com/teams/10355/etsians-of-facebook/discuss/9404784/ The topic's closed, but it's still really cool! I've posted lots of hair accessories the past few days, and I have some yarn garland decorations that will be posted sometime this next week. :) One last shop thing is that my legwarmers are currently 15% off with coupon RENEW15 Check them out here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/80110896/15-percent-discount-striped-corset

Classes end this Friday, which will be good. I won't get much of a break over Christmas, however, considering that I need to do lots of reading for my honours project and to fix up my master's application. What I really want to end up doing is getting all of my readings done and then to be able to get some more of my writing done...Approximately 25-30 pages out of the 40. I'm sitting at about 15 right now, which needs to be edited down, but I think that it's reasonable to get about 30 pages done by the end of Christmas break. I need to do this because I want the full week off in February, since my boyfriend and I are heading out to Victoria for a much needed vacation! I'm really excited for it, since it means I can go visit Beehive Wool Shop and bookstores!! And visiting with people I haven't seen since Japan! It's going to be a good trip.

Besides that, not much. I'm getting excited for Christmas, especially since my boyfriend and I are supposed to be going to get our tree this weekend! If it's nice weather, we'll go cut one, and if it's note, then we'll go buy one. However, the forecast is looking good.

Oh yeah, and the other part of Christmas break? I have a whole stack of books to read, and I'll be knitting lots!

On the Christmas reading wish list (starred (*) books are books for honours; this list will likely extend well into the following term, besides the honours books):

*Beauty by Robin McKinly
*Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley
*Beastly by Alex Flinn
*Beast by Donna Jo Napoli
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
The First Stampede of Florence LaDue by Wendy Bryden
*Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion by Jack Zipes
Circus Nights by Angela Carter
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

And others. I'll add to this list as I go. Although I definitely need to finish Tigana, because it's a friend's book that I've had since about last February. haha

All in all, it needs to be a productive break. We'll spend Christmas around Calgary, and I have tickets to "Beauty and the Beast" at the Jubilee on December 27th! And then we'll head out to see my parents for a few days. :)

Hope everyone is well, and please make sure to go give the "Art for Art" blog some love!

Take care,

Katie =^..^=

Sneak a Peek at the Activity!

In Design: Scarves (yes, still)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86092397/shabby-chic-autumn-flower-barrette-brown - Listing for these barrettes!

So, these are what are going to be posted over the next few days. I particularly like the brown flower...And there's two of them! :)  And the headband (last picture) is actually part of a set of four. I figured this would be excellent as a set for a bridal party. They can be more customized if required.

Went home this weekend, since it was reading week. Then wrote three proposals today. At least these short blurb exercises are a good way to practice writing the longer works! And I've gotten really good at them now, since there has been so many this year already!

But at least I've had a breather before the end of the term. I'm still really looking forward to Christmas break, though!

Not much else happening right now. Just figured I would do a quick update and get back to school work and crafting. Or maybe go play some Bayonetta!

Take Care!

Katie =^..^=

Flynn Rider Vest

On the Needles: Advent Calendar
In Design: Scarves

That's right, folks! I made a Flynn Rider vest for Halloween (including under shirt) for my boyfriend~! Here's a picture of us two:

I also made the braid, but the dress is from my grad. :) 

And, of course, I had to almost beat him over the head with my frying pan! 

I am very happy with how this turned out.

Now, what's happening next? Well, I've got more Christmas ornaments to picture, and then I have lots of hair accessories made and just calling my name for me to take pictures, which I'm hoping to do this afternoon! :)

It's started snowing here, which sucks, because now it's cold an there's ice. But at least it isn't a bad as out East...And it gives me an excuse to curl up inside with a blanket and hot chocolate and read without feeling guilty! 

Over two months through the semester, and there's a reading break next week, which I'm really excited for, because it means that I can go home and see my cat and parents and soak in the hot springs! (Whoot!) Well, and work on conference proposals for the 15th...And doing readings. And edit my honours paper for a WIP talk, and get a proposal together for a paper, and...Yeah, my school work doesn't end this semester. And it won't even over Christmas break. Although I will be able to sleep in at that point! And go see "Beauty and the Beast" as the Jubilee Auditorium! (So excited for that!)

I am in the midst of a book for my honours paper right now, but it's taking me forever to read, since it's something I've taking intensive notes from. And, for my children's literature class, right now we're reading Nation by Terry Pratchett! And finally! Someone spoke up in class about the whole "traditional female roles" and said that she felt like they were being devalued all the time. And it wasn't just when women took on those roles, but men, too. Any of the nurturing roles in either sex. I was so glad that someone finally spoke up (and that it wasn't me, because the other girl was much more articulate. If you don't believe me, read the previous blog post where I ranted.)

One good thing about November is that in about a month, we can go get a tree and set it up! I can't wait for it. hehe

All right, it's almost class time, and I need to do some more reading. But have a good day, take care on the roads wherever you are, and keep an eye on the Etsy shop to see new items posted soon! :)

Katie =^..^=