Sunday, August 26, 2007

Hmm, I Wonder Who This Belongs To?

The Tattoo:
Does she look familiar? (Please ignore the less than model-perfect body.)

I can't believe I did it!

I have been thinking about this for a long time now. Ask my sister, she probably got sick of me bringing it up all the time. I've gotten hooked on some of the tattoo shows on TLC, such as L.A. Ink, and a few of my work friends have tattoos. I have been scanning the internet for knitters with tattoos, and became so intrigued and mesmerized by the idea. So at lunch on Wednesday, when Sarah asked if anyone wanted to go with her to get a tattoo Friday night, I jumped at the chance. I went home that night and searched online to create the perfect knitting tattoo design.

Right after work on Friday, Leah, Sarah, and I headed to Trader Bob's, where I got my first (and let me clarify, only!) tattoo. Leah and Sarah already each had one, so they were getting their seconds. Being able to go with them was such a bonding experience. However, I have never felt such excruciating pain; I can't imagine doing it a second time!

My tattoo artist spent a lot of time really working with what I had brought in to create something that was absolutely perfect. Interestingly enough, Sarah's took around 10 minutes, Leah's took around 5 minutes, and mine took 35 minutes! Everyone kept saying they were so proud that I was able to sit through a fairly large and detailed tattoo for my first time. Let me tell you, I honestly didn't think I was going to make it. But I knew if I got up to take a break in the middle, I would never sit back down in that chair. Somehow, I made it through. And now that it's over, I feel it was totally worth it.

I had known I wanted to get a knitting related tattoo for quite a while. To some, that may seem corny or trite, but to me, it symbolizes the person I have finally become, the person I have grown into over this past year of transition. Being a knitter has brought me into a world of friendship, honesty, and value. I now know what it means to be true to myself, and to be a part of a "culture" of acceptance, uniqueness, and creativity. I would not be who I am today if I were not a knitter.

I was so touched at the timely Knitting Daily post for Friday. I firmly believe in the healing power of knitting. Some people may think I'm crazy for doing this, and a small part of me thinks so too. But I know I did it for me, not for anyone else, and I know how meaningful knitting is to me. I will remain a knitter forever.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Just a Quick Blurb

Yes, I'm alive! I don't know what my deal is lately, but my time management skills suck. I think this is due in part to the fact that now that I have friends and go out and do things, I finally have a life, which prevents me from having time to blog, clean the house, etc. (I know, cleaning the house isn't really a SassyKrafty topic, but I thought I'd throw it in there. I honestly really need to clean. And let's not even discuss going to the grocery store.) I do have a lot to share with you, and to prevent a super-long post, I'm going to do this in smaller increments. Stay tuned for posts about Stitch n' Pitch, Stitches Midwest, and new yarn. For now, I wanted to show you the absolutely fantastic present my friend Mindy made for me following my surgery.

Yes, those are Gall Bladder Gift Tags and Stitch Markers! How creative - they totally cracked me up. And, how thoughtful. I really do like having friends, even if it does mean I have less time to clean the house...