Fun Finds: Literary Love

It's been a busy couple of weeks, and I can't tell you how glad I am to be able to just relax a little this afternoon.  Which of course means that I'm doing a little online "window shopping."  I wasn't looking for items of a certain theme, and yet all of these items are distinctly literary.  I guess that means I'm studying the right subject!

1. Make Your Own USB Typewriter (Etsy) - I saw a short feature on this USB Typewriter, and immediately fell in love.  I have wanted a typewriter for as long as I can remember, but have never had cause to get one as they become more and more obsolete.  But this is pure brilliance, as it can be used with any computer or iPad.  Talk about up-cycling!

2. The Remains of the Day (Amazon) - Kazuo Ishiguro is one of my favorite authors, mainly because of the amazing lyrical quality of his writing.  I've read Never Let Me Go about four different times, and have had this next novel recommended to me on multiple occasions. Maybe, as my school work starts to wind down, I'll find time to actually fit it in!

3. A Writer's Ink (Threadless) - I used to submit t-shirt designs to Threadless, but I only learned that they also sell prints of their artist's work recently.  I love this piece because, well, what writer doesn't feel like their ink and writing brings something alive?

De-Stress

Over the past week or so, I've come to realize that I am a very stressful person.  I like to hold onto things and obsess and generally drive myself a little crazy.  So this past week I decided to start making some positive changes to lessen my stress, such as doing deep breathing exercises, journaling daily, and just trying to maintain a more upbeat mood.

Today, I decided to try something a little different and came across this wonderful video.  Even if you're not into meditation (I certainly haven't ever been), I think you'll find this to be very helpful.  My entire body felt lighter and looser after just this eight minutes.

Back to Haight

When wondering what I was going to do with my afternoon, I realized that I hadn't been to Haight Street in a while.  So I took a walk in the sun, enjoying the always eclectic crowd as I headed to Mendel's Craft Store. I was completely surprised to find it jam packed with other college students, all buying some finishing touches for their Halloween costumes.

Now I know for sure that I'm not embarrassed to buy knitting supplies in front of other people my age!

 I managed to limit myself to only these two skeins of Lion's Pride Wool Ease Yarn, and I have big plans for them!  I bought this highly suggested Vogue Stichionary a couple of weeks ago, and I plan on going through it and knitting little squares of each and every stitch in the book.  I'm hoping that after I've finished going through the book, I can crochet the squares together in a sort of variation of the granny-square blanket.

I finished up my jont among the hippies and excited college students with a Chicken Pesto Panini at the little shop called Panini.  My friends and I discovered this place our freshman year and it was great to finally satisfy a serious craving.

My plans for this Halloween weekend?  Keeping happy and keeping busy - more specifically on a lit essay for next week.  Anyone doing anything more exciting?

Wall Wednesday: For Giants Fans

It's really starting to feel like fall here in San Francisco.  We had our first few rainy days of the season, it's starting to cool down, the Giants are in the World Series... That's right, I'm actually watching now as I write this post!  In that spirit, I wanted to add some decorations to my room that reflected the season and what I love about it most: post-season baseball.

The first thing I added was a little Giants garland out of string and construction paper.  It was super easy (I did it while watching one of the NLCS games) and I love the way it adds a touch of black and orange without dominating the wall or making the room feel darker.

On my closet, I'm collecting pictures from the SF Chronicle of my favorite players and moments.  I'm sure it will only get bigger as the World Series plays out!

Finally, I completed my Giants scarf!  I started knitting it during the last week or so of the regular season while I watched the games, and just finished it during Game 6 of the NLCS.  And, because I'm a superstitious fan, I've been wearing it as much as possible.  Who knew that the free pattern that came with the yarn would be so cute?

Well, off to keep watching the game.  The Giants are already up 4 - 0!