Looooong background story about my life!

So, I've stepped away from this blog for quite some time. I have also stepped away from my knitting! I have always kept a project nearby (to look at I guess), but when I last wrote any blog posts I was going through a divorce. My knitting was pretty involved with my previous marriage because I was at home alone a lot since my ex worked odd jobs (because he always seemed to get in trouble and get fired, hence the divorce). I actually acquired a new flame at the moment I quit writing back in 2011. I met my current husband, who I think is TERRIFIC! He swept me away. We were involved with all kinds of activities. I didn't have time to be a knitter, even though I loved it. I was busy being a young, adventurous girlfriend. I left my husband right before our 4th wedding anniversary (and my 22nd birthday) on March 7, 2011. 

My new boyfriend and I claimed each other officially on May 1, 2011. He was willing to work with me through the divorce time-period. He was great. It was a rocky year emotionally, mostly because I became pregnant with my first son mid-August 2011! It was quite a surprise and a lot of stress as we both had a considerable amount of college left to finish! On December 19, 2011, M proposed to me at the mexican restaurant where we had the "gender reveal" party for our unborn child. We were surprised as we cut the cake and it was BLUE. We both wanted a boy!

Forward to April 30, 2012 and my first son was born perfect, named Paxton. Pax means peace in Latin. Even though now as an almost 3-year old he is anything but peaceful, he was a sweet little baby with no trouble and rare fusses. He still brings a new meaning of peace to my life each year; parenthood is so rewarding!

We both graduated college; my marketing degree was earned in December 2012 and my fiancee's mechanical engineering degree came August 2013. We moved to my hometown in rural Iowa in June when my husband took a new job for an airplane radio manufacturer as an industrial engineer. I left my wonderful job at a tech company to follow him. I began work in my hometown for a trailer manufacturer, doing all of their marketing to dealers and customers, and also took on the role of creating a Human Resource department. After being involved with both sales AND production, I became very attached to our employees and always tried to look out for them. I became Safety Coordinator. Now with 3 job titles, we are supposed to move away, because my husband accepted a NEW position to assess energy data and implement new energy efficiency strategies for companies - 3 hours away!

Good part - we will be close to M's folks, who are very involved with Pax.
Sucky part - I have to find a new job (or try to get them to let me work remotely with marketing which would help so much). And we have to sell our house. And we have to live apart until we get enough money. With an almost 3-yr-old in the mix!

Aaaaaaaaaaand.......

I'm about 10 weeks pregnant with #2! So it is easy to say we have a lot going on.

What sparked me to write a new blog post was:

1. I have been knitting again, YAY!
2. Things were so outdated, and
3. I found this draft in my blog unpublished:

Things I want to make
Baby stuff- my baby is due May 8, 2012, I have to get to work!This little boy is going to be spoiled with knitting. I wish I had the energy to design a baby quilt for him (maybe?)...but I doubt it will happen (the last time I made a quilt was over a decade ago-in the 5th grade).

• Newborn-sized booties to match the Little Treat hat. I made the hat last month. I'm glad its a boy because I wasn't sure when I picked out the yarn and made it.
• Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I have had the pattern & yarn for a couple of years now.
• Finish the Moderne Baby Blanket. This is getting more and more boring as I go along...

Cool because I did try and make the booties but the pattern was weird so I gave up. Didn't venture toward the baby surprise jacket but thats OK. But I did recently pick back up the Moderne Baby Blanket. And it's not so boring anymore since I am pregnant again and have a cause.

I am hoping for a girl. I found an unfinished twisted cable pink newborn hat that I want to finish!

On my needles:
Aside from the Moderne Baby Blanket of 2011, I have been making baby washcloths for a shower coming up this Sunday from scrap yarn.

M starts his new job 3 hours away on MONDAY 2/16. That means I am going to be lonely and probably knitting a lot more for comfort!

I am excited to get some projects done but I am worried that my journey will be tough.

What do you think of my story? Is my blog a grain of sand blown into the crater of a grand canyon?

syd

finishing the first block

Day 2 - Finishing Block 1

I was knitting my little fingers to the bone last night, finishing Block 1. It is going to be worth it. Can I just say, what a great project to work on in between homework and while watching shows. Wonderful. I even showed off for my hubbs and did a row without looking down at my knitting.

Here it is, Block 1 with all 36 ridges!

The teal marker is at the end of Day 1 knitting. I am going to mark my pictures with these just for fun to keep track of progress. The orange marker was just helping me count ridges at the time.
Gotta get some homework done now!

beginning a moderne baby blanket

Hi everyone! On Sunday 1/16/11 I began knitting the Moderne Baby Blanket published in Mason-Dixon Knitting. I highly recommend this inspirational book by Ann Shayne and Kay Gardiner; it is both unique and funny. The purpose of my Moderne Baby Blanket will be to use up some yarn-sale stash I bought a long time ago in baby colors and make something for my future kid(s).

Since I am such a procrastinator, I decided that in order to keep things rolling (and to try a new way to trick myself into working on the projects I start!) I will be posting sort of a follow-along with this specific project and my progress. Since the pattern is posted on Ravelry for free, I will be sharing my notes and modifications if I decide to make any. (Also, these posts will contain Ravelry links.)

Day 1 - Beginning the Blanket

I am using Bernat Softee Baby yarn, which is a DK weight and 100% acrylic (this is for a baby, people. think machine washable/dryable) in soft beige, soft fern, and fresh green.

The warm yellow yarn is actually pretty much the same yarn except it is called Bernat Satin Sport. I believe they just made the same yarn with a different name to separate it from the baby yarn market. Basically, what is in the picture is what I have. (This is supposed to be a stashbusting project. No purchasing allowed!)

The pattern says to use size 6 needles. I have nice wooden 7s that will work fine. A little bigger, a little quicker; especially since I knit tightly.

Make sure the first thing you do when you start a project is check the internet for ERRATA for the pattern. This is important. I checked the book out from the library so I would have had no idea that this very project has an error printed in the pattern. In our case, it is the 2nd paragraph for Block 9. What I did was just wrote the correction on a sticky note and stuck it right over the error in the book. Moving on.

Pay attention to special notes; in this case we have to make sure to pick up and bind off stitches on the right side (RS), better known as the front.

The blanket is supposed to measure 38" x 28" at the end (but who says we have to be perfect?) and it consists of 10 blocks.

I am so excited! Starting, I am doing my normal cast-on, long tail. Casting on 42 stitches. Here is a great video if you don't know how to do that.

Now all we do is knit every row! Garter stitch (easiest of easys)! Normally you would keep count of each row, but for this awesome easy project, you only need to count the ridges (the line of bumps that sticks up).

Block 1
Cast on 42 sts. Knit every row. Go until you have 36 ridges (so technically I think you'd have 72 rows).

Baby Socks

I'm so proud of these! I call them Batika Baby Socks after the yarn I chose, made in Turkey. The pattern, Two Tone Socks by Debbie Bliss, was really fun and interesting. I modified it to use one circular needle instead of dpns. Love those blue colors!

So excited to have my baby soon!

beginning block 4

It is Week Three and I have three blocks finished! I hope I continue to make such good progress.

Day 14 - Starting another block

For Block 4 I turned the piece counter clockwise and picked up 72 stitches along the bound off edge of block 2 and the right edge of block 3. I love how in this project when I need to pick up stitches I always come up with the right amount that the pattern says!

Then I knitted 6 garter ridges.

 




End of Week Two! (Jan 23 - 29)









Day 15 - Knitted 7 garter ridges
This morning we didn't make it to church, well, because we didn't feel like it since it wasn't Christian Fellowship. So we watched a service dvd instead which definitely was worth staying home to do. This is what I got done while watching it:

Now I have 13 garter ridges done :)

Day 16 - No knitting done tonight.
Went bowling tonight! And played laser tag! My first time ever!

Well that's my update from the last 3 days.

the week flew by

Day 8 - Some progress


Day 9 - No time for knitting!

Day 10 - Too much homework!

Day 11 - Went snowboarding and had outrageous fun again.


Day 12 - Knitted about 10 garter ridges

Day 13 - Finished Block 3!

This week was a little crazy because I was planning on being gone all night Wednesday so I was booking to get my homework done.  It totally paid off; I got to knit a lot at the end of the week in front of The Big Bang Theory.

My baby blanket is coming along so well! I figured I have knit about 180 rows in 13 days. Not too shabby.

Block 4 is looking really intimidating right now. Instead of 60 stitches wide it asks to pick up 72 stitches along the right side of Block 3 and across the bound off edge of Block 2. Block 4 will also require 36 garter ridges before it can be bound off.

Now I am switching to my final color, Fresh Green.

I think I will start that later.

block 3 going fast!

Day 7 - Major progress on Block 3
We went shopping in Des Moines, and with the father-in-law along to make conversation with the hubby, I got lots of knitting done! The 16 garter ridges I have left don't seem so far away.

End of Week One! (Jan 16 - 22)


I think for the first week, this project has gone really well and its helping me work on my Photoshop skills.

This is really fun :)

finishing block 2 and beginning block 3

Day 4 - Knitted but didn't get a whole lot done.
I went snowboarding tonight what do you expect? & watched Conan when I got home.


Day 5 - Barely got anything done.
I went to hang with friends on Welch Ave.

Day 6 - Block 2 complete
Finished 18 garter ridges! This project is way more fun than people credit it with. Binding off after each block is a satisfying experience that usually only comes with finishing a project, and another thing that adds to the satisfaction is changing to a new color each block.

2 out of 10 complete! (It looks as if there are 12 blocks total but Block 9 and 10 use the Intarsia technique to knit with 2 colors at once to make less to seam!)


Here is a new progress photo starting with Day 1's progress on Sunday to Day 6's progress today (Saturday). It was super fun doing Block 2 probably because it will be the smallest block.

Now I will just turn the work clockwise and pick up 60 stitches in the lime green-ish color:

It may be difficult to get used to 60 stitches that I need to knit into for 36 garter ridges! Perseverance.

adding a new block

Day 3 - Adding a new colored block

Now I did a little research before I bound off the last square. I was wondering if I should keep the stitches live (on holders) or do the bind off and picking up stitches like the pattern says. After consulting the Ravelry forums, I decided that I would try it the bind off way because then all the blocks will have a distinct edge, and some Ravelers preferred the look. I don't have any problem with picking up stitches anyway.

So here we go, Block 2
Pick up 36 stitches along the right side (I did 1 in each "valley" between ridges).
Knit 18 garter ridges. All I got to tonight is picking up the stitches in yellow, and I just turned the block on its side to knit into the right side of it.

One thing I know is that Calculus homework really sucked tonight. Then I realized all of the answers were in the back of the book! Wondering if this is a trick. Maybe they want to see how many people get A's on homework but fail the tests? No idea. What a boring semester though. I hope knitting keeps my busy and makes it fly!

Well almost 2am better hit the pillow.

Droid blog

I finally downloaded a Blogger app for my phone!
Now I can update more often. Right now I am working on a pair of crocheted booties for a friend. They are orange, the yarn left over from another baby gift. So cute. The pattern is from Crochet Today! Magazine. Pic coming to Ravelry.
Last night I pulled out my Delphine lace knit top. Just started the main lace pattern. Have just about 3 inches done. Pattern is in Interweave Knits spring 2009 issue. It's also in the book French Girl Knits. Pic also in Ravelry.
Ugh I have such bad news...I think I am developing an allergy to wool! I wore a sweater the other day and after I took it off I had red hive bumps that are still there. And when I was knitting my Delphine (100% wool, Blue Sky Alpacas yarn) my hand started to get red bumps on it where I was touching it! All I know is I am not giving in! Wool and I are such good friends. Plus I want to learn to spin so this can't be. All my dreams of sheep and llamas running through fields are now beginning to make me itch with despair. I will do what I have to do to stay on good terms, even if it requires medication! Heck don't all of us knitters require medication at some point? Or at least all of the non-knitters in our lives might say so.
I have here now a couple of book reviews. Go get these from the public library (my new favorite place)!
[Grade: A+] I just finished the Yarn Harlot by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee...hilarious and I was laughing so hard at some parts. She tells stories about experiences with knitting blunders and creates a yarn world that us knitters can relate to.
[Grade: A] I also just finished reading The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood. It's fiction and interesting if you like reading mini life stories about women from different worlds meeting together and knitting. The only bad part is that the main character lost her little daughter and it takes the whole book for her to deal with the grief. But its ok because it was still a good read, even though sad at times. But real-life.
Well my fingers are freaking sore from texting. Thanks for reading!

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new wordle

This is a great Wordle =) 

colorado calls

Well starting by looking at my last blog post, I sort of dropped that friendship...good thing, huh?

Anyways- this week is looking crazy. That's why I'm still awake, I have so much on my mind.

In the midst of school, work, and "finding a new church"...CFC is still my church though. I miss it :,( ...I am jumping in an ISU van at 4 AM this Saturday to leave for Colorado, for a group trip with the Ski & Snowboard Club. I have obviously spent some money on this trip which has me feeling a little guilty.  I'm trying to think how this will be a fun experience and not about the cost. I always pinch my wallet so there comes a time for my own sanity that it needs to be opened!

I am really nervous because I have never boarded in the real mountains.  I have heard that you can't see the top and that it takes hours just to get down the mountain. It sounds so scary. I am hoping I don't forget anything, hoping that I will be warm enough, hoping that the trip is worth it.

One good thing is taking a break from classes. And spending time knitting. I have to show you what I am working on! I am in an "intermediate knitting class" through a student organization called the Workspace in the MU on campus.  The teacher is a Chemistry grad student.  The pattern we are making is called Fiddlehead Mittens. We have had 2 classes and we have 2 more left. I am enjoying the fellowship with other knitters. Otherwise I am sad without a knitting group. (Shoutout to Gen, Michelle, and Jill...I miss you girls!!) I knit in class sometimes if it is a really boring lecture. Actually I knitted through all my classes today working on this mitten. It actually helps me pay attention.  So here it is, my Fiddlehead!

So having a small project with on the drive will really help the hours go by.

Well when I get back I will probably be sponsored by Burton to compete or something :P if only I would wake up from my daydreams :P ;) !

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! <3 <3

Suffering

I am so depressed right now. My friend said I was pushing my beliefs on him. I had to walk home, and it took me about an hour. I can't put up with that crap. You listen to your friends...and if you feel uncomfortable, you explain why and talk about it. You don't just blow up and act like a goon. That is not a good way to keep a friend.

I just wish my head would stop pounding, and that I would quit crying. I wish I could distract myself from all of the events that happened.

I wish my car wasn't in the shop at that time. And I wish Brandon didn't work 2nd shift. It is scary walking at night when guys drive up to you and ask, "Baby are you ok?"

I just hope I can make more friends, especially Christian ones, and forget about the ones who screwed me over.

my first finished sweater :D

Hey all you.  So I meant to post in April again but my computer was being slow so I forgot to finish it and I guess I didn't say anything too important in that post.  I just talked about how I wanted to see Kate get kicked off DWTS already and thank goodness that did happen since then!  Her complaining just annoys me. I was also trying to share pics of a month-by-month crocheted afghan I was working on.  But you can always visit me on Ravelry - sydOsyd is my username - to see my WIPs.

So anyways, I started watching the TV show 10 Things I Hate About You and I really like it.  Takes me back.  Except Heath Ledger was a way hotter Patrick Verona in the movie.  I like the episodes because they load so fast on Hulu.  I just watched episode 13 last night about Kat's first date with Patrick and Bianca's first date with Joey.  Cute show.

K so I know you are dying to hear about the title of this post.  Wrenna, the finished sweater that I knitted.  Well on my trip to Yarnover with the Knit Wits, we all started a sweater together, the Wrenna(rav pattern link), a pattern from the book French Girl Knits.  When I first saw the sweater, I didn't really care for it, I think because the neckline wasn't quite my style.  But the chunky yarn and the big needles intrigued me, that and the peer pressure of course.  So it is a good thing I did it because I am very happy with it. It was fun. Girls just wanna have fu-un.  Like the song I requested to be on our girls weekend playlist mix! And that's why it is named Girls Just Wanna Have Wrenna (Fun)! Here is the FO!

It was pretty easy! I started it Saturday April 17, that night I had to go buy cheap junk needles from Michael's by our hotel just to get it started, and the next day I bought awesome Addis at the Yarn Garage, then I returned the junky wooden needles at a Micheal's nearby.  I am just so smart.  I had it finished by the next Friday night, in 6 days, and I worked all week!  Ya I rule!

Yarn Garage in Rosemount, MN.

A really useful tool that we used to find yarn stores is the KnitMap.  Just type in your location and it gives ratings, and shows a nice map.

The yarn, Misti Alpaca Chunky, was found at the Yarnery in St. Paul.  I enjoyed that store.  The Knit Wits will tell you that I only liked that store because everything was 20% off that day.  That is not true.  I liked the store a LOT reGaRdLess because it was cute and homey and the yarn swift they had was the easiest to use.  Speaking of swifts: what is up with Twin Cities yarn shops not winding your purchased skeins into balls?  I mean do I have to ask?  Why can't you offer?  Bad customer service IMO.

Me and Gen using the swifts and ball winders in Depth of Field Yarn.

Man we had a blast up there though.  Stayed at the Sofitel, I highly recommend, of course, we got a deal through PricePoint, so that always helps.  We enjoyed other stores like the Depth of Field Yarn (aka: Field of Dreams LOL), Needlework Unlimited, NU Outlet, Borealis Yarns, 3 Kittens Needle Arts, and I super duper absolutley LoVeD the Knitter's Palette in Lakeville, MN.  That store was the most organized and the owner so helpful.  She was nice enough to wind 6 skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca 100% baby alpaca sportweight that I bought at the Yarnover market.  I only bought like a $8.00 Borocco pattern book so I didn't expect her to say yes but it was very nice of her to do that. Also, she was the only yarn shop we visited to have an electric ball winder.  So it didn't take her too long.

Knit wits! Michelle, Jill, Gen and me.

Wow I didn't want to go home.  But I came home a very happy camper.  The best (and totally impulsive) thing I came home with was a Namaste kntting bag.  I fell in love with it at first sight so what do you do.  It was out of my budget but hey I made up for it these past few weeks and hubby paid for a lot of my other stuff.  That's what hubbies are for. Hehe he was happy that I splurged on myself "for once" as he says.

Me with my loot in the hotel. =)

Yarnover 2010 was so much fun.  Next year we will be taking classes at the school it is held in instead of just the morning keynote speech and shopping.  The classes sounded so cool but I still think we had a great time.  And I learned a thing or two from the speaker, Cat Bordhi, including that I have it pretty good with my knitting.  One lady Cat Bordhi taught in a knitting class told Cat the story of how she learned to knit.  She had little money so she could only afford to buy one pair of needles and one skein of yarn (prob Red Heart x_x) so she knitted with that one skein of yarn until it was all used up and then she would unravel everything she made and reknit with the same yarn again and again.  One day she could afford a new skein of yarn and so she chose a different color.  She has come very far since then I guess but wow what a poor lady I would die using the same Red Heart over and over, and this story still makes me cry every time I think about it.

I have been getting so many new inspirations lately for things to knit and its hard to tug along on my on-goings like the purple February Lady Sweater, and my year-and-a-half socks (another inch of leg and I'll be ready to turn that heel LOL).  I love little things to start and complete, like last weekend, I made my lil sister Sierra a Webkinz dress.  Hope she likes it.

Speaking of family, I have a ton of those h.s. graduations to hit up. Including my sister Josie, who just got accepted as an ISU cheerleader (yay, Josie! as a freshman BTW!) and my hubby just graduated from college (yay, Brandon!), with an Associates in Criminal Justice and his ceremony is in June.  Yay now I get to go back to school !! Thinking Buena Vista and/or Waldorf in Forest City.

Well thanks for hanging in there, I know it was a long one!  God is doing great things right now and it is GOOD. =)

preparing for yarnover 2010

Haven't posted for a while...I have been busy dreaming about Yarnover 2010, a knitting event near Minneapolis scheduled for April 17.  I have found out that I may be driving up with my vehicle, which I'm kind of excited about, being in control and stuff - maybe it will help my say in where I want to go!

The Knit Wits will be traveling together (my knitting group: me, Gen, Michelle and Jill) and we might be changing our name before the trip because Michelle desperately wants to be known as the Chicks with Sticks :-\ not bad but we've all heard that one before. We could spell it Chix with Stix though.  Here are my ideas: Loopy Ladies, Stitch Hustlers,Yarn Tarts, Yarn Wenches, Yarn Swindlers, Knit Kibitzers, Knitting Divas, Yarn Flirts, Spicy Stitchers, Yarn Tasters. Just to name a few. Haha some weird ones in there...

Anyways back to the Yarnover...we are staying in a hotel together and we will be yarn shop hopping all day.  In order to spend wisely, some of us are planning ahead on what projects we will make so that we can buy the yarn we need, and not come home with 50 single skeins, instead of what we may want to make a sweater or two.  Ravelry queues are helping with this.  Something I would like to knit is a tank, or a bolero/shrug/cropped sweater, and anything raglan-style, or knit in the round.  I don't really want to seam or have many ends to weave in.

So we won't be taking any classes, since we'd rather spend the money on yarn.  But they are having a marketplace with tons of booths so that will be neat to check out. I think we are also going to see the Keynote speaker in the early morning.

Now, to show off...I have been trying to keep up with my FLS, photo below.  It is exciting to try it on and see how far I've gotten.

 

Yes that is hubby in the back wearing a PINK SNUGGIE ! Ha HA, I told him I was going to put it on the internet!

I have also been working on my 2010 Crochet Block-of-the-Month afghan, with 8 squares completed last week.  The color scheme is green and pink with some white, I am thinking it might be a baby afghan, or smaller lap blanket when I finish.

All in all, I just keep knitting and someday I hope to have my own yarn shop.  I am loving it and I never get sick of it.  It is fun, but also calming and therapeutic.  It's always there for me to pick up at the end of the day (or lunch break)!

ravelympics medalist

I would like to proudly show off my finished projects that I entered into the Ravelympics 2010.  I am a medalist for two of my projects (which means I completed them!)


Medal for my Tiny Turtle and for my Rubber Duckie Baby Hoodie!

Here is my completed baby hoodie.

The buttons are little duckies. I started this hoodie March 31, 2009 and finished it February 28, 2010.  There was no excuse except for my laziness.  This was my second baby sweater and I admit I hated doing it.  I got sick of the pattern and I really got bored with the finishing.  I'm glad it is over with!

One thing I would like to share is the creation of the buttonhole band.  See, the original pattern was a misprint and so only 3 buttonholes were made on the top half, even though the pattern photo featured buttons all the way down.  So after the sweater was knitted, I picked up stitches with a needle 1 size larger.  I just knitted two rows then spaced yarnovers for the buttonholes. I knitted one more row then bound off.  The buttons fit perfectly. =)

I never got the lining sewn in to my purse.  Oh well I think the baby sweater was a good enough accomplishment, and at least I got 2 out of 3.  Now I guess it's back to work on my FLS and my crocheted squares. (rav links)

Thanks for checking out my progress!

knitting with my fave tv shows

I wanted to post about my favorite TV shows.  I have been so into watching so many different series lately it's bad.  It is also really ironic because we don't get TV! I watch TV on DVD, Netflix instant viewing, and network web sites.  TV and knitting go together hand in hand!

Here are my current watches:

Gilmore Girls Season 6.
Borrowed the set from my mom, she has all 7.  Started with 1 and went right on through.  I have already watched each episode at least 3 times. LOVE IT!

Life Unexpected Season 1.
Couldn't wait for this to air and now I log on each week to CWTV site to watch.  The only bad thing is that sometimes they take 4-5 days to upload the episode.  But I wait. Patiently!

Seinfeld Season 5.
I slowly borrow the DVDs season by season to watch these (perfect knitting material because you don't always have to stare at the screen to get the jokes and very lighthearted material during those crazy frogging sessions!)  My brother-in-law owns the whole series.  He started me on seasons 3&4 before I became a fan.  I know, I have great hook-ups!

That 70's Show Season 1.
I've seen the seasons in bits and pieces, but my bro-in-law owns the whole series so I am going to start all over again.

Heroes Season 3.
I am "instantly viewing" this season on Netflix.com and I don't even have to pay for it! I use a friend's log-in.  I watched the first two seasons when I borrowed them from the bro-in-law (I know like I said, hook-up, and he has even more series!)

Now I am super excited for Parenthood with Lauren Graham.  Well just add it to the list!

So tell me, what TV series do you like to watch in order? If you don't do the DVD thing, or religious weekly viewing thing, what do you do? Add a comment!

rockin the ravelympics

The Ravelympics began on the day of the Olympics opening ceremonies and continues until closing cermonies...which is 5 days from now.  During this time, all Ravelry projects that are entered into an event must be completed!  I entered 3 projects into WIPs (Work in Progress) Dancing event.

The 1st project I entered was Tiny Turtle which I started in September.  Now he is finished and on his way to my desk at work to hide from my cat who loves to bite him and has already ruined him but I fixed him back up. (Oh my.)

The 2nd project I am still in the process of finishing (help me Lord) is Adorable Baby Hoodie which I started waaaaay back in March 2009.  I just had to buy 1 more skein of yarn today to seam the sleeves on, and hopefully I will get it done before the deadline.

The 3rd project is a felted tote called Diagonal Stripes Bag that I completed in June 2009 but I have yet to sew in a liner which is keeping me from putting this purse to use!  My goal is to finish this, along with the first two projects, before the deadline.  This is good because my WIPs will be knocked down to half as much and then I can get going on my FLS which I am in LOVE with knitting.

Wish me luck!

finished a purple project, started a purple project

So for an update of what's happening on my needles: I FINALLY finished those purple mittens for my friend Kristen on Jan 27.  I think they turned out fantastic!  They were really worth all of that work, because she loves them dearly, and the hat to match looks so adorable on her with her dark hair and big brown eyes. =) What do you think?

After that weight disappeared from my shoulders, I embarked on the
February Lady Sweater. I am so excited about this sweater and I can't wait to post pictures. I completely recommend using this pattern as a guide for your first sweater!  I started it last Wednesday night. I am making the size 37.5" bust and I am already almost to the part where I separate the sleeves.

It is the most fun thing I have ever knit, oh and it's purple. I guess Kristen put me into a purple phaze!  The yarn I used is Lanaloft by Brown Sheep Company in Violet Shimmer.  It's worsted and 100% Wool, though it does turn my hands purple when I knit with it for a while...weird that has never happened to me before, and not with Lamb's Pride or anything.  Could be the dye.

I have so much going on right now with my husband having finals so I really have to let him have the computer and help edit his final projects.  He doesn't deserve me...so thanks for reading.

i love photoshop

So I just got done playing around and this is what I ended up with:

I am pretty impressed with it.  I love this picture even though it is from Christmas 2008.  It was taken at my parents' house.  I heart pasting layer styles once I have found one that I like.

Better help the hubby with his homework now.