hard won.

my diploma finally arrived today! seems i graduated with honors! how nice.

i actually almost shed a tear at the sight of it, as i pondered (and shuddered at) the actual cost of that piece of paper, not to mention all the mental and physical stress and whatnot i went through to get it! *groan*

however, the diploma did arrive a bit wrinkled! i blame both the new school (who are notoriously negligent in things of an administrative nature), and also our local post office...they do not have a very good track record when it comes to all things mail. *sigh* but it's here, and for that i'm thankful.

i must also admit: i miss being around people, learning, and having something significant to do. yes, i need a JOB. :) that will be one of my major tasks once i get to san francisco (one month until the big move). i'm truly yearning to get out there and work and do something with myself professionally...whatever that is. working for someone, working anywhere, working for myself, etc. making money and paying back what i owe, saving for the future.

things in our apartment are in a state of disarray at the moment, as the process of sorting through our things and doing a little packing has already commenced. i'm ready and eager to get out there, to california, and to get settled, and to start the next part of the journey...

no idle hands.

i can never, ever keep still. always doing, dabbling with this, that. ***

for starters, i decorated the front and back cover of my sketchbook/croquisbook:

***

i'm taking a sweater design class at downtown yarns, a local yarn shop. i kind of know what i'm doing in that arena, but my knitting and crochet design legs are still wobbly, so i figured i'd take a class. it gives me something to do in this limbo period i find myself in of late. i like taking classes. if i could, i'd be a perpetual student. okay, maybe not... :)

anyhow...here's my preliminary sketch: the sweater i've designed, which i've nicknamed "the age of acid empires" sweater (due to it's acid-green color and shape), is the one on the far left in this sketch (with the front and back views). it's a tent-shaped, empire-waist affair, with a lace panel down center front. it's also got a loose low neck and small, short sleeves which shall also be a little on the loose side. i'm thinking floaty and comfortable. something worn over a brightly colored cotton camisole, whose printed fabric can peep out of the yarn-over lace holes in front and back.

i made some swatches, one with the leaf motif lace pattern i plan to put up the center front of the sweater: i had originally intended for the sweater to be white. unfortunately, the white was sold out when i went back to get more, so i ended up with a quite lovely acid-green. the yarn is blue sky yarn's 100% cotton worsted.

i'm a little more than halfway through the back of the sweater. i had to make some increases on the back as i was approaching the armholes, and the class instructor suggested doing them in a different manner (with one increase in from the edge, and others 14 stitches in), but i thought paired yarn-over increases looked more interesting and achieved the same end, while sort of echoing all the lace and yarn-overs that i intend to have in the front of the sweater.

***

and lastly: i've decided to test my mettle as a newly-minted "designer" and have given myself the task of making a small capsule collection based on my own measurements, using almost all recycled (read: vintage, thrifted fabrics) from my own collection. in the end, each piece will be something that i can actually wear, and will be representative of what my design sense is all about. which is, in a nutshell, "cute". :P above are some of the fabrics i am intending to use.

moves made.

so, i recently made a move from livejournal, to my very own wordpress blog, now run off the server of a friend. i made the move for a myriad of reasons:

firstly, using a personal publishing platform like wordpress allows me more control of my blog, allowing me to shape it and mould it to my liking.

secondly, running a blog off our friend's server allows me to track traffic to my blog more easily. i can see where people are coming from, which is really, really nice.

there are other reasons, but suffice it to say, it was just time to go, and it was an amiable departure. i plan to check in with friends and communities from time to time over at livejournal, but i intend for this blog to be my main home on the web from here on out.

***

with this move, i also intend to streamline my blogging content even more than i had before. i want to focus *even more* on:

• street fashion and it's intersection with art and culture. this is probably one of my greatest obsessions.
• fashion design, in general. this is the field in which i have been recently trained, and perhaps this blog can be a window into where that career track may take me.
• fashion and/or design pieces that moves me, what i'm currently obsessed with, and why. this might or might not intersect with what's "trendy," but i could give a crap! i tend to prefer smaller, artisan-esque, mostly foreign labels, but i am not really a supporter of fashion elitism, or and generally not a slavish fan of labels or a member of the cult of high couture. i feel that fashion can come from anywhere: the garbage, second-hand, and one's own hands, in addition to the usual suspects (high-street/mass stores, boutiques, major labels, etc.). i love to see how high and low fashion mix, mesh and intersect.
• the process of making things. i make lots of things (sewn, knitted, crocheted, etc.) and blogging about my ideas, my process, and the results helps me keep track of the creative insanity.
• the visual arts, with a particular focus on the fiber arts. when i find amazing, inspiring art or artists (past or present), i like to spread the word.
• thrift-reports and thrift styling sessions. thrifting is a huge obsession of mine as well, and i rather love showing off and mashing up my thrifty finds and seeing what comes of it.
• the wardrobe_remix project: i'll likely keep up the wardrobe_remix posts, wherein i show off particularly interesting outfits i wear, and occasionally, the amazing outfits of other group members.

generally, i like to keep personal things personal, but being that i'm a human, and i have a blog, the personal stuff is bound to slip out on occasion, and that's not always totally awful. but i want to try and keep that to a minimum.

i was doing all of these things, to a great degree, over at livejournal, but i suppose i want to make an even greater effort to stay on topic now that i have made a fun, fresh start.

***

down the right side of the blog, you'll see that i have added a list of fashion/art/craft-related blogs, and websites, and a huge list of street fashion links. these are all blogs and websites i follow and love, and i highly recommend all of them.

if you are aware of a great fashion or art blog or street fashion website that i don't already have listed, i would love to hear about it/them! i'll be adding and changing the list of blogs and websites as the blog matures. ***

and i have to ask, who are you? how did you find this new blog? i'd love to hear from you, if you are so inclined.

cheers!