The Sweatshop of Love Blog

I had to leave Pudge Rodriguez and Velma in Chicago while I went to Michigan for Christmas because they are both spoiled and hate other people/animals. Especially Velma. I left the house in tip top shape.

Six days later, not so much.

My apartment has five rooms. Four of them were covered in yarn and three of them had puke in them.

Three balls of yarn got it bad, and one rug.

I love them but they are menaces. I blame Pudge for the yarn and Velma for the puke. They were both looking seriously guilty for hours after I got home and Velma avoided me for the rest of the day.

My mom made me these pillows for Christmas! She knit them with strips of fleece, then used them to cover pillow forms. And, looking at my futon, she made almost everything on it! That quilt, the other pillows behind the new ones. Everything but the knitted shawl over the back. That was my first knitting project!

Which brings me to my random facts! Anne at fANNEtastic food gave me the Beautiful Blogger Award! How sweet is that? It is funny when you are reading someone’s blog and then come across yourself. I recently found Anne’s food blog and have been really enjoying it. She is fun and genuine and a really engaging writer. Thanks, Anne!

So the deal is I’ve got to share 7 random facts about myself, then choose 7 people to pass it on to.

1. My first knitting project was that gigantic shawl on the back of my futon. I learned to knit when I was a senior in high school, and my knitting teacher found the pattern and just told me to go for it. The pattern ran out but I just kept going, figuring it out along the way. It’s too big to wear, but makes an amazing blanket! It taught me to never worry about trying to do something you don’t know how to do, in knitting and in life. Try it, figure it out, make it happen.

2. I was bitten by a dog when I was little. I’ve got a big scar on the left side of my forehead and my hair doesn’t grow very well on that side, so I’ve got to have a right side part to cover it up so I don’t look like I’m bald, or scare small children. I call it my Harry Potter scar. I’ve got cuts around my nose from it, too, but they kind of look like freckles, so they are actually just enhancing the cute.

3. But I still love dogs! I get super irritated when people go on and on about how they got bit by a dog when they were little, so they are scared of them. Buck up, dude. You can’t live your life scared.

4. I really, really, really, really love baseball and football. I joke around about it on the blog and in person, but in a list of people/things that I love, baseball and football would be in the top ten. I read about it excessively, I get depressed and happy depending on how my team is doing. I even cry about it. It’s sick. I love it and it never loves me back. I hate it, but I love love love it.

5. I used to be an ugo fatty. I was a dessert vegetarian for years before I got it together. I stopped eating red meat when I was in 5th grade, and replaced protein with sugar. I weighed 180 pounds at 5′ 6″. I made up for it by being funny. When I was 21 I started taking care of myself, working out and eating better, lost 50 pounds, and now I’m a hottie. I’m still not used to it. Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and don’t even recognize myself.

6. I don’t do fancy. I’d much rather buy fancy ingredients and make a meal at home than go out to a fancy restaurant. I gauge the worth of food in terms of burrito prices – if I’m spending $20 dollars on a meal I better want that meal more than I would want 6 burritos. And can you really want anything more than you would want 6 burritos?

7. And I don’t like jewelry. I never got my ears pierced. I wear bracelets sometimes but not really. I can’t remember the last time I put on a necklace. I always joke that if someone wants to propose to me they better bring me an engagement couch or put a down payment on an engagement house, because if you spend a million dollars on an engagement ring I’ll return it and buy myself a room full of engagement yarn.

And now for the people I’m choosing:

1. Noel and Joelle at The Owls are Not What They Seem, for having super style with a hit of crafty diy love.

2. Jeanna at I Didn’t Hit You, I Just High-Fived Your Face, for always being funny, no matter what crappy things might be going down.

3. PT at Acme Valley, who needs a little blogging motivation.

4. Sarah at Brainphreak, for her ability to just jump into things! Figuring out patterns herself and being a ridiculously fearless crafter.

5. Beth at El Dugan, for being an amazing and seriously funny writer.

6. Nick at NICK HAUS. EVERY post makes me happy.

7. Julie at Knitted Bliss, for always knitting the most beautiful and the most silly patterns out there.

So again, Anne, thanks so much for the blogger award! I hope y’all have as much fun with it as I did.