Crochet and Big Life Changes

So, I started this blog originally because I felt like my creative life was being drowned in dissertation work and other obligations.  Last semester was a time of huge upheaval in that regard, and I ended the semester by going on academic leave.  So now, a month-and-a-half later, I'm still hunting for a full-time job, but I have a part-time job writing scripts for study guide videos for an Australian company, I've started a new class in bellydance, and I'm excited to not be constantly dogged by the guilt and stress of the dissertation.  I may go back next fall, but I'm not sure.  The unfortunate truth is that the Ph.D. CAN be worth it for an alt-ac/non-ac job, but it can also be a hindrance.  So, we'll see.  In the meantime, I'm trying to jump back into craft mode (and blogging mode!) post-holidays.

I have a bellydance costume in the works, but I keep struggling with some beautiful but very unforgiving fabric and a deadlock over how to decorate the bra.  I've got a ton of ideas, but I'm just not sure which one to run with:

I cannot get this darned thing to load right-side up.
And this one is my favorite, too.  Sigh.

In the meantime, I finally got around to learning a new hobby that I'd attempted, failed, and put off at least twice: crochet.  I've been knitting for years, now, although I rarely do anything more complicated than a basic garter stitch or knit 2, purl 2.  I mostly make blankets and scarves for family members, and it gives me something easy but productive to do while watching movies or TV.  Decorating a dance bra requires a lot more concentration!  Anyway, I'd been interested in learning crochet with the number of neat patterns online, especially for bellydance stuff.  But every time I'd tried, I kept making miserable, curled up swatches that looked terrible.  So I gave up and figured I'd try again another time, maybe when I had an actual person to show me how, rather than a YouTube video.

Well, true motivation came last week, when my bellydance instructor asked us to bring zills, preferably with mufflers.  I finally bought my own zills back at the Texas Renfaire in the fall, but I had no mufflers.  So, I looked up some patterns, bought lace weight yarn, and I was ready to try learning knitting in the round (something else I'd never attempted).  Unfortunately, it was the day of the class, and I got home to discover that I didn't have the right needles.  I have a huge stash my grandmother gave me, but it's a random assortment.  There was no going back to the store, so I decided "what the hell" and pulled out a crochet hook and a crochet pattern, ready to learn, hardcore.

Before I started the crochet, however, I knew I didn't have time to finish them before class, so I made some fabric zill covers according to this SUPER EASY tutorial at The Tribal Way:

Tribal Way Zill Mufflers -
She takes lovely pictures and also has lovely hands, don't you think?

So anyway, I knocked those out in 10 minutes, and then realized bellydance class was cancelled due to Louisiana's uncommonly cold and icy weather.  So I went back to crocheting.

It was HARD.  I probably unpicked and restarted the pattern 7-10 times before I actually started getting it right, and I watched and re-watched one particular video (I'll link to it when I can find it again).  I actually ended up switching patterns halfway through, too: I started with the Pretty Petaled Zill Covers by kNew England Knitter, but I couldn't understand how to get from one petal to the next, so I switched to Shira's Large Spider Web Zill Mufflers. The spider web pattern was much easier to follow, but it still took a few tries to get it right.

I finished the first one that night.
Tada!  Here is my first one and my fabric muffler:

I didn't get the center shape in the crochet quite right, but once I got farther out, I got more used to the tension and technique.

I was ADDICTED.  In the past 5 days, I've made three more covers and attempted a crochet slave bracelet.

For the bracelet, I used the free bejeweled bracelet pattern from The Joyful Dancer.  I didn't understand parts of the pattern I, so I just did what seemed right.  I got pretty much the right shape, but it's very loose.  Also, the edges are a bit wonky.  But for kind of making parts up, I'm okay with that!

Overall, I'm still working on loosening my stitch tension, but I'm getting better.  I really enjoy how crocheted work comes together, and I like having only one needle.  The only downside is that my left wrist hurts from the effort of controlling the work, the working thread, and the tension.  But it's worth it!!


And, for a final, ferret note for the day, Ferret Nation cages are the best.  We finally ordered one and set it up last Thursday.  It's great and the ferrets love it!

Look how huge!

A General Post about Things. Also, Getting Fillings at the Dentist's.

So, still no strict crafty updates as of today, but I will definitely have at least one for Sunday.  I promise!

In other news, today is Mr. Couchcrafting's birthday!  Yesterday, I was busy making his birthday cheesecake and then got caught up playing Guild Wars 2, hence why I'm updating before he gets home from work today instead of yesterday.  Haha.  ^_^;;

Cleanliness and Dissertating

So, first things first, I finally submitted chapter 2 of my dissertation.  Yay!  I have about 35 written of the next chapter, but I have a lot left to add (and my introduction is terrible).  It's funny though--I have a couple of job applications to do and some conference proposals, and I so don't want to write the cover letters and proposals that I actually worked on the dissertation instead.  You know it's bad when your dissertation serves as a form of escapism.  But at least I was working!  My goal is to continue working on one of those tasks this afternoon and finish the job applications tomorrow.  *fist pump of commitment!*

I also managed to clean the study this week!  It stills needs a little work, but it's a definite improvement.

If you'll remember, we went from this:

Before

To THIS!

After!

And here's the piano--You can actually see it now!

I do still have my fabric box out and a couple of boxes of DVDs and random stuff that we never unpacked taking up floor space (you can see the boxes at the bottom right of the piano pics).  But my space is much tidier and more open.

I also finally made true, dedicated filing folders for all of my paper work. All of these documents used to be either in 1 of 6 unmarked folders or on my desk.  (Yikes!)  Now I have 14 nicely labeled folders.  Funnily enough, it actually made me feel less generally stressed, just having all my documents organized and well labeled.

Meanwhile, all the crafting stuff has moved to the closet, either nicely laid out or hung up.

Or as nice as random stuff like this can look on a hanger!

Fillings, Wussiness, and Survival

Today, I also had my first real fillings done at the dentist.  The numbness is finally going away about 3 hours after the fact, and it looks like the most discomfort I have is where I got the novocaine shot in my lower jaw.  Speaking of...

So, I've never had a cavity.  I grew up in an area with lots of flouride in the water, so I have super-tough teeth.  The downside is that they stain/darken relatively easily.  But that's just a vanity issue.  ^__^  My molars have really deep grooves though, so apparently it was just a matter of time before I'd need fillings, and today, it was time.  I was nervous as hell.  

Growing up, I always thought I was tough, that I had a high pain tolerance.  As I get older, I find it's not quite so, especially if the pain involves surgical stuff, infected injuries, etc.  We learned this in full when the mister tried to help me clean my newly pierced but infected ears a few months ago.  I passed out.  And not prettily.  I got dizzy, passed out, apparently had a mini-seizure, and then barfed. (Thankfully I was right next to the toilet).  After that, I was woozy for a few minutes but otherwise fine.  The sad thing was, the cleaning didn't hurt or anything.  I was just having a weird, paranoid panic attack over something going horribly wrong when he put my earrings back in.  And it wasn't a matter of distrust, it was more like a phobia of my earrings suddenly not fitting properly or popping back on in such a way that they crushed my earlobes...or something.

So...that was weird.  Before that, I'd only ever passed out once, while my grandfather was removing a splinter, and that was just because I was concentrating so hard on what he was doing that I stopped breathing.  No panic.  Just VERY INTENSE CONCENTRATION.  ^_^;;  (I still do sometimes forget to breathe while working on something very meticulous....I'm weird like that).

So today, going to the dentist for a procedure that I would be awake for, I was totally stressed.  I did my best to keep calm, and it helped that my dentist(s) and their hygienists are awesome people.  My pulse was an even 68.  But on the last novocaine shot, I felt that panic rush come over me again.  I think it was because it took so long, and I was trying to stay still, and that one actually HURT.  The topical anesthetic wasn't as strong on that side, and the needle was deep and very close to the hinge of my jaw.  ANYWAY, I thankfully DIDN'T pass out. ^__^  The rush faded and I was okay.

And it was all fine.  The anesthesia kicked in, and everything was great.  And for any of you who might be in my situation (no previous fillings, discomfort with people messing with the inside of your face), fillings are no big deal.  The dentist soothed my fears with a surprisingly simple statement: "If you feel anything other than a cool breeze, lift your hand."  A cool breeze?  Really?  I knew the anesthesia was working, so if that's all it was, then, hey, I could do this.  And it was just like he said. The rest went well, and the biggest discomfort I had was my stiff neck and a little lingering soreness where that last shot was.  

I'm sure folks who've had full-on cavity fillings are like, "Geez, what a wuss," but this was a milestone moment for me that I felt I should share for any other cavity-less, panic-potential folks out there.  

So, was it pleasant?  Hell no.  But was it scary, painful, or terrible?  Having gone through it, I can truly say, "No.  The bad stuff is minimal and passes quickly.  You'll be fine."

And now, to wrap up with lighter things!

Guild Wars 2

I won't do a full review of this game, but let's suffice it to say that I have never gotten into an MMO before this game.  The mister loved the first one, and part of his birthday present last year was that I would get it and play with him.  And we're still playing.  It's a great game, with a great wealth of depth and history, and the people on the game are as nice as everyone says they are.  If I had any complaint with the game, it's simply that the story gets a bit redundant after level 50-60 when you play through with a different character.  There are still branches in the storyline path to give you some variation, but the milestones are the same.

But anyway, I wanted to take today to introduce you to my characters.

First, we have my primary character/toon, Ororo Wakandas.  Yes, X-Men's Storm (Storm and Ororo Munroe were already taken...).  She's always been one of my favorite X-Men, and when I saw the mohawk hair (with little lightning looking strips shaved in the sides) and knew elementalists could use lightning, I had to make her.  

Sadly I can't really get a look that fully feels like Storm, but I got her looking pretty badass, and I love running around with her using daggers (hello, fight with Marrow in the Morlock underground!).

Then I have the other character I created at about the same time: Kadhrin Wyrshor, a ranger.  She's made to look like me, and originally she had my name, because the mister did the same thing with one of his characters (whom he later deleted).  I felt silly running around with my own name after that, and when the game announced renaming a while back, I switched to a name that recalled my own (Catherine-->Kadhrin) and took the last name my totally awesome sister used for her main character (who happens to be the same race and class, haha).

I'm still working on getting her final gear, though, so these are previews of my two possibilities.  I'll probably use different colors and leave off the masks, but at least you can get an idea.

Which look do you like better?  This one...

...or this one?

Then, we have Aurevia, my Sylvari necromancer.  One thing I love about this game is that the elf folk aren't your typical elves.  They're a race only about 20 years old, born from a mystical tree.  Their designs are very plant-like (their skin has a bark-like texture and their hair consists of leaves and branches, etc.).  They also have bio-luminescence, so you glow at night!  It's so cool!

Glowing!

Her current look.  BTW, look at the awesome glitch in her mugshot, which erased every part of her head except her eyes!

I still don't have her final look either.  I came up with a cool design, but if I use it, it really limits how much you can see of her nighttime glow. 

 The other design uses her cultural armor, and that's just ridiculously expensive.  Alas.  I don't mind her current look though, so it's all good.

And lastly, we have Jixet, a Charr warrior.  This is another awesome race design, humanoid cats with horns! But Jixet is only level 45, so she has a ways to go yet.

I also still need to create an Asura, the one race I have used yet, but I can't pick which class I want to do.  Besides, I need to work on Jixet and the others before I wade into a new character.  ^__^

Anyway, that's it for today!  It actually ended up being a much bigger post than I expected.  Whew!