Yvette's Inner Geek Blog

I just wanted to share some of the crafty things I’ve been working on this past year in an effort to feel better about myself for procrastinating. Cross-stitching while watching TV or talking with friends makes me feel more productive! I find that I’m usually working on two patterns at a time, so if I get stuck or bored with one, there’s a back-up to prevent my hands from idling.

After I finish a pattern, the addiction makes itself clear. I can’t wait to start another.

It’s to the point, though, that I have about a dozen finished or nearly finished patterns laying around unframed. It’s really sad, and my friends are mad at me for not having any hanging on the walls yet. Well, that leads me to this first design.

Decisions are hard, yo!

My husband and I are both Libras. This is pretty much our mantra. In fact, I had the idea to use a strand of gold for one column in the uppercase D, but I still haven’t decided if I’m going to keep it that way… so the needle with a bit of gold thread is still there as a reminder to make a damn decision already.

The Libra pattern is from “Cross Stitch Borders and Motifs” by Jana Hauschild LIndberg, as are the letters. I just put the sentiment together.

This next “Irony is Not Dead” piece is actually the first cross stitch I ever attempted. The pattern is from Julie Jackson’s Subversive Cross Stitch book which, along with my friend Marie’s own brand of subversive embroidery, was responsible for this crafty addiction.

Instead of using the recommended 14-count Aida fabric, which I’ve used for almost everything since then, I used a 28-count linen that I’d purchased before I read the book. Along with a very pointy needle, that made for an interesting first cross stitch experience.

(I still prick myself with the blunt embroidery needle I use now, but it’s not as gory or painful. Impossible and unintentional self-injury is just a fact of life for me.)

Okay, that’s all I’m going to share today… next time I’ll have some geekier needlecraft works of art to share with you. Because if I can’t put the real ones up on a wall, at least I should share them online. Way more people will enjoy them that way!

This semester, along with everything else I have going on simultaneously, has not yet beaten me. There was a kid at my university who, on Tuesday, nearly jumped off the ledge of the building where I have most of my classes. I don’t know who it was, or what his overall situation was, but I’m glad he was talked down. I feel that my advanced (for college) age has provided me with a greater perspective on managing college stress… There, but for the grace of coffee, go I.

The most exciting thing I’ve done in the last couple months ended up looking like this:

Purple hair with bright blue streaks on top! Plus a layer of dark violet underneath.

Much more my style than the haircut I suffered in February. I took my aunt’s advice and brought photos (from haircrazy.info) of what I wanted to my new hairdresser. I met Erika while volunteering at Sundance Film Festival last year and decided from her hair and her personality that I’d give her a shot. She’s currently attending a schmancy hair/cosmetology/things-I-don’t-get school across the street from UVU, so it was convenient and far less expensive than it could have been. It took longer, but the end result was soooo worth it.

Because I did it mid-October, people assumed that I dyed it for Halloween. Total coincidence! I’ve been wanting to dye my hair blue or purple since my late teens, but there was always a reason not too: jobs, fear of my hair falling out from over-bleaching, and just being a plain old chicken. I’ve had purple streaks recently, but they weren’t as bold and only lasted a few days. Technically, having purple hair right now may affect my professional image, especially here in conservative Utah. Know what, though? Fuck it. I love my purple hair.

I’d have a pretty little nose stud, too, if I didn’t have legitimate concern about the teensy injury developing into a keloid scar.