But, while we’re in the topic, it is actually my summer reading assignment for AP English. I got my schedule today, which is both a good and bad thing — I got my schedule exactly as I want, so there’s no complaining there, but schools starts soon!! Which is not all bad, but I am just fearing the exhaustion that haunted me last year. I feel like after November I entirely ceased getting enough sleep. I really am hoping I can improve time management and not do that again this year…I also feel like fundamental differences this year will allow me to have more time, as well.

I keep listening to this oddly awesome CD. Okay, most would not call Elizabethan music awesome, but oh my goodness Greensleeves is so catchy. So, really, music from the time of Shakespeare cannot be entirely discounted.

Ahh, and I’ve made progress on that Celtic bag, in which I am just combining a bunch of cool Celtic symbols. I promise it will be cool and I promise to get pictures soon. Speaking of all this stuff I say I will do I still need to write down those patterns…yeah, I’m getting to that.

It’s simple, but I’m pleased with it. The yarn is a silk/wool blend, so it is very soft and surely will be very warm in the winter, although it’s hard for me to picture that right now while it’s 110 degrees outside.

Today I went about two hours across the state to meet with some students in the National Honor Society of another school. We’re going to co-sponsor our state NHS convention with them this year. I’m very excited, since they all seem very enthusiastic and have many great ideas. It’s also pretty cool, because their school is improving very rapidly, but currently doesn’t have as many resources as ours, so it’s awesome to be able to cooperate on this, since they wouldn’t be able to host the convention themselves.

And thanks very much to Judy for her kind comment!! (:

I’ve started work on a new hat. I was considering adding cables or fair isle, but I’m thinking it might be best to just do ribbing all the way up. I don’t know…if anyone has any insight on the latest hat fashions, I’m dying to hear.

I’ve also started a…hmmm…well, I don’t know exactly what it will be yet. I wanted to make a full out bag, but I’m limited in my red yarn, so it may result as some form of pencil case. Anyways, I’m knitting together white and red yarn in Celtic patterns, with a tiny bit of moss stitch along the edges. I’m loving the way it looks, so hopefully I can make it into something useful!

I started filling in the simplest portions of the Common Application today. It did a lot to relieve stress — applying to college really isn’t that intimidating after all, especially when the best schools seem to be the ones that require the least essays and such. I don’t mind writing, but it’s very intimidating to be entirely judged on what you write down. I mean, anyone could turn in anything saying anything…a scary thought indeed. So much weight on just a few words. And the topics…oh, I love to write about interesting things, but it’s always hard to make ME, MYSELF sound like the most fascinating thing. Anyways, there’s a rant for today. Hope you’ve enjoyed. Hmm.

Ah yes, sorry about no pictures this time. I’ve gotten lazy. But I will post pictures soon, of course.

It’s very nice, we’re FINALLY getting a thunderstorm! It’s been so hot and dry. Too much so.

I’ve also started making a variety of Fair Isle inspired bracelets. I knit a long strip, making a buttonhole at the end, then line it with a cotton fabric and add a button. Since I love to wear bracelets, I really like these. They also give me the opportunity to experiment with different designs without having to spend a lot of time. They take me about 3 hours or so, so they’re pretty quick!

I’ve also started working on a hat. Really, I should be reading my summer reading assignment, or practicing viola, or cleaning my room, but this is all just too fun! I did bake cookies today. I don’t know if that falls into the “productive” or “waste of time” category, but I did quite enjoy that as well. At least I am enjoying my summer! The college applications came out today, and of course I got half a million emails from different places informing me. It just make summer seem like it is ending sooner and sooner…one school district in my area started back to school today (they’ve recently started on year-round schedule), but thankfully I still have almost three full weeks! I do kiss Oregon, where I will still have five weeks at this point. And it’s been well over 100 degrees here every day. In Oregon it’s been 75. Hmph.

So, you might remember that I started making this bag a verrrrrryy long time ago…in 2007, as a matter of fact.  Well, four years later I’ve finally gotten around to finishing it.  Okay, I’m not quite finished yet, but getting close.  As you can see,  I have completed the main body of the bag.  All that’s left are the handles.  I have to say that it went rather well.  It’s actually turning out better than I expected.

So, basically what I did was cut up plastic bags horizontally (so that I was left with loops) and hooked them together, and just knitted from that.  I found newspaper bags to work very nicely, since they’re long and narrow, and easy to cut into loops and hook together.  It makes a material that would be classified as “bulky weight” I believe, and can be a little difficult to knit at times if you’re not careful to knit loosely.

I enjoy this project because it provides a way to reuse plastic before recycling it…recycling is a fantastic way to reduce waste, obviously, but it requires energy, and the more you can reuse something before tossing it out, the better!  Hence the common slogan, “Reduce, REUSE, recycle!”

Here is it currently (sorry if it’s blurry…I used my cell phone camera):

Hopefully it will be done soon! I also started working on the PDF for the pattern, so be expecting that in the Ravelry patterns soon! This is going to be my first pattern to put up there, so I’m very excited! It’s a simple pattern, I admit, but a pattern nonetheless.

Right now I’m working on a few projects — right now I’m designing a cabled iPad case, and I think it’s going pretty well. I’m planning on posting it’s pattern, as well as the pattern for the tote I made a couple of summers ago, on Ravelry very soon (for free, of course)! Time permitting, I hope to design a few more things in time for back-to-school.

I’m going to be a senior in high school this year, so things are going to get awfully busy with college applications, auditions, and stuff like that, but I generally knit for relaxation, so hopefully that won’t be a big problem!

Glad to be back (:

I was very excited to find out yesterday that I am going to be able to attend our state’s Summer Arts Institute. It’s pretty selective and intense, but I can’t wait! It’s going to be for two weeks in June. I’m glad because I think it’s going to be very helpful for me to have some instruction over the summer, especially for like eight hours a day.

Next weekend I have my auditions for youth orchestra.  I’m hoping I’ll be able to move up to the highest orchestra in the program.  Really I should be working on that right now, but my solo’s pretty good…grr I just have to pick which three octave scale to go with.  My friend thinks I should do B — the complete hardest.  I’m thinking more of G though…I just hope I don’t mess up!

Speaking of my EOIs, they went great!  I only missed one on both of them.  I don’t know which on the math, but I have a feeling about the science one.  Something about the unit of measurement you should use when measuring a cork cell.  Previously on the test, and in class, it had been mentioned that we use micrometers when measuring a cell, but I guess they wanted me to go with nanometers since it’s the smallest.  Ack so complicated!

I got a haircut recently!  It’s much shorter now (though I guess still considered long).  It feels so nice!

Anyways, next New Year’s (not this coming one, but the one AFTER that) our orchestra is going to London!  We’re going to go see pretty much everything you can possibly imagine going to see in England!  I am SOOO excited!  We also get to do some performances and march in the London parade!  (We get to carry one of the balloons!)  The only catch is that it costs us each $3000 to go…the price went up $800 since four years ago.  We’re having LOTS of fundraisers for it — today we each got a bag of lollipops (mine had 35) and sold them for a quarter each.  My bag TOTALLY sold out by the time we were done with lunch.  There weren’t anymore bags I could go and get, though, so I can’t sell them this weekend.  So far I’ve raised almost $20, since we had an entertainment book fundraiser a little earlier.  Still, 20/3000…I’ve got some work to do.  By November we’re supposed to be able to pay the first $300.  I’m hoping that our teacher has more fundraisers we can do on Monday, because I am so excited about London and I want to be able to go!!!

Oh, by the way, like how I spelled principal backwards?  It’ll give you an idea of what’s coming up maybe…

Ok I’ll post an annoying little story from today so that this post isn’t totally boring!

I am in Pre-AP Biology.  Well, apparentaly Biology is the cool thing to take Pre-AP or something, because they don’t have enough room for everyone who wants to take it to take it.  The created a new regular Biology class the same hour I have my class, so the principal came in and told us why we should be taking REGULAR biology instead of Pre-AP.  Ummm…isn’t this, like, the OPPPOSITE of what she’s supposed to do?  Of course, in the end she disregarded it all, but it was a little frustrating.  Almost noone is thinking of switching EXCEPT the two other girls in my group, one of which who is one of my really good friends, so that’s not good.  I don’t think she would need to — she’s very smart!  But anyways, instead of creating a new Pre-AP Biology class, they’re just creating a regular one, which is pointless, since no one wants to take it!

Our teacher seemed really quite worried.  Apparentally, an Anatomy and Physiology class had been completely removed on Monday, so a class of 30 people didn’t get to take it anymore and suddenly were told they had to find something else.  Our teacher is worrying that, since the new classroom can only hold 21 people and in our class we have 35, they’re going to just pick 14 of us to take regular Biology without or wishing to do so.  Talk about a REALLY messed up school system.