Wow I have been BUSY! let’s see what has happened since I last posted here, well I got married and went on a fabulous honeymoon(I have pictures somehwere!!!) I’ve been knitting a lot… and oh yeah I started a yarn dyeing business Grrrl Shaped Yarns overall life has been good to me.

It’s weird looking back now it seems like so much has been happening i don’t know where to begin or what I should talk about, maybe I’ve gotten a bit rusty as blogger, I feel rusty.

I can’t believe it’s 2010, 10 years since I was in high school come thus June,  8 years since I transitioned come this July, 2.5 years since I moved to New Zealand to live with my husband. I still remember the feeling of being unsure of where I was going, getting lost often, and in general being confused about my surroundings.  Wellington is so big that there are still parts of it I have never seen and parts that confuse me, unlike the relatively small San Francisco I used to live in.  Still doesn’t feel like home, and I still miss San Francisco at times, but things will change. A New year, a new decade, it seems like just last year we were all panicking about Y2K, or in shock over 9-11. It’s amazing looking back at how much I have changed in these past 10 years.

One thing that new years always bring along with them are resolutions, I haven’t made any resolutions so much as a few goals. and in the effort to help me stick to them I guess I shall share them with you.

1. become a bit more fit and healthy(if this helps me lose weight than so be it)

2. Expand my business to the best of my potential

3. Finish at least 12 items this year(after realizing last year I completed one super simple scarf and shawl and that’s it ALL year)

That’s it just a few simple goals, nothing to earth shattering. I like to think I’m doing good I’m eating healthier and participating in the Couch 2 5k challenge even though i am a bit stuck right now… I’m plotting and scheming business plans. I have finished one item already this year that’s my wedding shawl( yes it was 3.5 months late what you wanna make of it?)

In general I think life is good, and although I am busy it’s a good busy I’m enjoying it! I have so many plans for the next year I hope some of them pan out. and with those thoughts I would like at say, I’m thinking of starting an online crafting magazine, if you are at all interested in submitting a project  or article or review please let me know via email Zine AT brooklynnemichelle DOT com

Sorry I have been gone for so long, this wedding has been taking a lot of my physical time and energy. It’s 3 weeks away and I’m excited! Although it’s just ripped right through my budget and I find myself close to broke now… It’s hard to believe how people can afford this considering how much we aren’t doing. I think it’s going to be okay, I hope it’s going to be okay. actually I’m almost completely out of money and have a lot of things that still need paid off. But I guess it will be worth it.

Some History:
Ryan and I met 5 years ago online. I was in a trans community that was about loveing trans bodies and as such we posted some risqué photo’s. A few days later my friend told me there was this transguy who was blogging about loving my photos, so I popped over and read what he had to say and was deeply flattered. That was a beginning that I wasn’t expecting (Ryan says he knew all along). We started with commenting on each others blogs and then those lead to emails. We became close friends and Ryan was there when no one else was. Through the internet and phone I watch Ryan become more of the man he is today and he watch my constant struggles trying to live on my own in San Francisco. After three and a half years of emails and what became daily phone calls I decided it was time to take the plunge. Bush was till in office, I was fed up with everything and Ryan loved me and I loved him, I packed all my possessions into two suitcases(one of which Ryan can report was nearly full of yarn) and a two medium sized boxes and I left America without looking back. On October 15th, our wedding day, it will be two years since I stepped off that plane and I am incredibly happy that in little over three weeks I will become his wife and he my husband.

I should state that that I’m lucky because while Ryan has been able to legally change his gender to male, transwomen have it harder when it comes to legal gender change thus I’m still legally male, but we are able to express our love and commitment to each other legally. My heart goes out to those everywhere that cannot.

People have asked if they can donate to help my wedding costs, yes they can through paypal (any excess funds will be donated to Marriage Equality We would like to provide Marriage Equality a rather nice donation(in my head I’m hoping for 5,000)

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So when Ryan gave me the amazingly beautiful Vintage Purls yarn as part of my engagement ring package, I knew instantly that something that special needed to be part of my wedding and as a shawl. Next started the search for the perfect shawl, first I checked Elann.com for something and found the luna moth shawl and moonlight sonata but neither were exactly what I was looking for. So my next stop ,should have really been my first stop, was to see Anne over at Knit Spot to have a peruse of her beautiful sexy patterns. Seriously if you thought knitting could never ever be sexy you should check out her patterns. I browsed and many MANY of her patterns spoke to me but none of them were saying wedding to me, tho they were throwing themselves at me they really have no shame. It was while at her site that I realized I wanted something that was vintage since my dress is going to be very Victorian inspired. It hit me suddenly like a ton of bricks exactly what I wanted it to look like I thought I had seen a pattern I like, months maybe years ago. I did and it was at Knitting-And.com(BTW congratulations to Sarah and her new baby son Charlie) it was this absolutely beautiful table cloth pattern from the 1940’s by Herbert Neilbing and updated and corrected by Sarah Bradberry who runs Knitting-And.

This was perfect so I instantly set to working on it. The cast-on was really interesting and fiddly at first but I just kept trucking and soon found it had to transfer it over from 4 DPNs to 6 DPNs It was just going so fast… Well now I have just finished 52 out of 238 rows and I just can’t stop knitting the rows are now getting bigger and more complicated so I only get to knit on it a little here and there. On Average I get about 2-3 rows a session now. I know you want another picture so here is a close up of the texture, I really hope the rippling center blocks out.

Isn’t that just the most beautiful think you ave ever seen? I am absolutely in love with it and think it will make my wedding day just a touch more special wearing my handknit shawl made ith yarn my fianchad dyed to match my engagement ring. If that doesn’t signal a heirloom in the making I don’t know what does.

I owe you guys at least three posts but for now I’ll give you this meme.  Now I don’t usually do memes unless they tell you more about me this one is a bit of an exception because it’s specifically a knitting meme.

Mark with bold the things you have knit at least once,
with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn(I want to spin the Camel first..yummmmm)
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting (I have no idea what this is)
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles( almost predominantly)
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers (I want to knit those clogs that everyone is always on about)
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book(was working on the Mosh Knit Book but then we had a flood of punk pattern books so maybe not anymore)
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money (not recommended involves lots of knitting very little money)
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dyeing with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding (well I am starting soon on my wedding shawl)
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting (I was a total failure at that…. not enough time)
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dyeing yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO ( and HATED IT!)
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows (um WHY?)
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair (ewwwww)
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Wow I have done a lot of things when it comes to knitting but then again I have been knitting for 15 years now :-p That was courtesy of Bear over at Bull and Bear.

Briefly I also started a wedding blog at which me and Ryan will document the months leading up and after our wedding; you can find it over at www.brooklynneandryan.com

Hope you are all well and are having a great 2009 and hope to be back sooner than later

When getting engaged there were a few things I wasn’t aware would happen. As much as I wanted to get married I really wasn’t prepared with the fact that I basically had to start planning yesterday! I wasn’t prepared for the fact that I would actually enjoy the organizing and planning the scheduling and calling. As much as I am an artist I am also a virgo and my analytical brain can easily sort that kind of a thing out. I Think it also helps that I have done a lot of event planning. I also wasn’t ready to be bombarded with never ending questions. How did he propose? Have you set the date? Where is it going to be held? What are you serving for dinner? What flowers? What colours?

Jeez people it’s only been a week since I said yes to a question that came with a ring. I have noticed already there will be somethings that are a bit harder to get done. Like convincing your fiancé that music from the Doctor Who soundtrack would be wonderful to walk down the aisle to. Or finding comfortable cute white shoes in my size. Making my own dress and invites without going insane. And most of all not to natter on about it incessantly until you all leave for more interesting blogs. These are my challenges and I fully accept them.

Ryan and I also thank you whole heartedly for all of your well wishes and congratulations I will still try to thank each one of you individually(this last week has been a real headspinner) but in the mean while Thank You!!