Updating...

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I'm working on simplifying and streamlining my life at the moment. That's translated to my blog here as well.

I'm most likely going to do a series of posts on my other blog, and since some of my readers here might want to see what's up on my other blog, I added a feed under "about me" to you can see what's going on over there. There might be some posts that really could fit in either of my blogs, but the other one needs a little love as you can see haha!

I might eventually just combine my blogs, but for now, this should work.

To finish off this post, I leave you with this:



Yes, I lied. I started another project (the mesh bag pattern on the Sugar & Cream wrapper thingie). But in my defense, it is for my mom for mother's day. And it worked up REALLY fast. And it's crocheted, so it could be said I didn't lie (Ok, that's another lie). I'm nearly done with the mesh part (one or two more rounds), and then I just have the top edge and the handle to finish. I'll put a few things in the bag when I give it to her (like chocolate).

Here's another picture so you can see it in all it's glory:



It feels good to be working on a crochet project again. My poor neglected crochet hooks. *sigh*

Bad Day --> Good Day

(Warning: This is another "stream of consciousness" kind of post.)

Yesterday was not such a good day (if you couldn't tell by my somewhat depressing post), but today has been MUCH better! Last night I pretty much took it easy (I skipped out on choir! *Gasp*), even though I ended up staying up late to finish studying for my test today. But mostly I just chilled and "watched TV" (in our home, that means either watching TV shows off the network website or iTunes, or a Netflix DVD). Oh yeah, and I had fun texting Tracy back and forth for a little while...oddly it helped me focus on my homework (and made me feel better).

At work I've been kicking butt (nailed one account I've been trying to get, and nearly have another one for an airplane - first one of those! - that my dad's been pressuring me about. Hopefully tomorrow.) and I've got like 5 other clients that I need to quote new policies for. I might delegate a couple of those, though. If I can get all of them booked this month, I'll exceed my goal for March!

This coming Sunday Nathan's working, so I'm going to just take it easy, at least in the afternoon. I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to do Sunday AM. The current plan is to go to Christ Presbyterian with Chaun & Tracy, but I found out that the pastor at my parents' church (the one I grew up in) is leaving and his last Sunday is this coming Sunday. I'm not *super* close to him, but enough that I might feel kinda bad not going to my parent's church this week. *sigh*

But anyway, I'm gonna try to take the afternoon to just relax at home and do what I feel like doing...or not do anything at all. I might work on the crochet blanket I haven't worked on in forever. For some reason I thought about it today and thought it might be nice to do some crocheting since I haven't done any for quite some time now.

Knit is the new black

Black is the theme today. My New Wristies are black (and therefore make me feel slightly badass when I wear them, especially with the black long-sleeved shirt I've got on....though I am completely aware that I could never be 100% badass). My poor crochet hooks are crying. The poor lonely, abandoned hooks.

In other news, we have a new kitchen table and chairs (read: we have a REAL kitchen table and chairs...gone are the card table and uncomfortable folding wood chairs that no bum should ever have to endure sitting upon).

It's so perty! I wasn't sure that I'd like the pub-style height, but I actually do. I think it looks better in our small kitchen and it s comfortable to sit at, despite my short legs. Plus, even though the table is small, it has drop-down leaves, so we can put it right up against the wall like it is in the picture and it comfortably fits 2 place settings.

Back to a somewhat-knitting-related topic, I am in love with the square canvas tote bags (bottom right of picture) that Tracy owns. I did a somewhat quick search on Google to see what I could find and the closest thing I could find are these canvas box thingies from LNT.

So not the same.

I have half a mind to make some of my own, but then I'd have to spend money on zippers, plastic stuff for the little window to display the name of your projects, etc, etc.

I'll just have to scrounge around Random, Ross, and the various thrift stores around town for other cheap and hopefully comparable organizing thingies. Cause my knitting area (aka, the space between the keyboard, the wall, and the couch) is in desperate need of organizer thingies considering how often poor Nathan is attacked by skeins of yarn, needles, and wayward pieces of paper alternately displaying my scribbles or any one of the million patterns I've collected (barely any of which I actually USE).

I'm gonna be keeping myself busy in 2007!

I got a set of circulars thanks to my dear hubby!





I LOOOVE these needles! I switched the sweater over to the Boye needles so I can see all my work stretched out as I work on the sweater.



I'm still getting used to having the wires attached, but I like that the actual needle part is shorter and doesn't get caught on blankets/pillows/couches/husband/person that are near my elbows.

Speaking of the sweater....I am DONE swatching! I don't have it down 100% perfect, but as long as I'm paying attention to what I'm doing, I can get it right and usually fix any mistakes I do make. Plus, since I've got it mostly down, the mistakes aren't as noticeable.

After Chauntel & Tracy's help:



Finished! (the extra mini-swatch was done on the circulars to make sure the gauge was still right because ny straights were *slightly* larger even though they are supposedly the same size):



I stopped by Chauntel's house on Saturday to say hi and borrow some knitting books. She gave me a TON of yarn (yippeee!) and so far my favorite is this mill-end cone that is a beautiful lavendar color. I already started on a scarf for MIL's (other MIL - not the one I made the belt for) birthday in January. On my new circs of course!




(The ball is the largest center-pull ball I've ever done - and by hand!! LOL)

Lastly, a non-yarn creation :)

Christmas Breakfast!!



I hope you all had lovely Holidays! Hooray for a short week :)



PS: Oooh, I almost forgot....the last crochet project I did was the java cozy for my mom. I love how it turned out and she loved it too!

Updates and Patterns

I've been tweaking with my sidebar (so easy in the new Blogger!) and notice that there is now a FREE
PATTERN section!

Which means.....*drum roll please*

I finished writing the pattern for the purse!

Also, I've been meaning to check out Google's relatively new Document & Spreadsheet thingy, but I haven't really had a reason to. Turns out that it's very handy for publishing patterns or other documents (plus, if you use the new Blogger or gmail, all you have to do is sign in to use it).

Here's the pattern, courtesy Google's fantabulousness. (PS: check out the knitting Kangaroos on this holiday Google Doodle).

If you make the purse, please send me a link so I can see! And if you find any pattern errors, let me know.

The Purse!

Here it is! Happiness!





I love how well the crocheted scallop edge adds the perfect feminine touch, but the wide ribs give it structure. I am kinda amazed that I actually made this!

Everyone really liked it at knit group, so I will post the pattern for everyone! (I've got a good chunk written out already).

This was SOOO much fun to make, it went pretty quickly (it's a really nice yarn to work with), and it looks so great. Even though the blocking took for-freaking-ever, I'm super happy with how well it worked. YAY!!!

I can't wait to see how my sister likes it :)

Necessity = Mother of Invention

Projects

My original holiday gift plans have been totally turned on its head (thanks to over-estimation and sickness) and last night I had a near panic attack about how I was going to manage getting everything done in time (this unfortunately involved yelling at my husband, but he's much better than I and forgave me and even did the dishes for me when he had already made dinner).

So, I have a new plan.

Unfortunately, the beanies-by-Hannukah got tossed out the window. Nathan and his step-brothers don't typically exchange gifts anyway, so they'll get beanies after the holidays "just-because". And this after all my agonizing. Oh well. At least I'll know what I'm doing this time!!

The shawl for MIL was not going to get done in time, so it became a large belt (she likes them). The "shawl" wasn't really long enough anyway, so this is what I did:



I borrowed the corset lace-up idea from a pattern in SnB Happy Hooker.



I'm quite please with how it looks. I just hope it fits. If not, there's enough holes in it to make it tighter. Or she could also wear it as a scarf.

Now, on to my last two fiber projects... Sis #2 gift and Mom gift. I decided to knit these two items since I've made crochet gifts before and I wanted to add a different feel (plus, I think I made a scarf out of the one of the yarns I'm using and I don't remember for sure who I gave it to, so if it's the same person, at least it's a different pattern).

For Mom: A ribbed skinny scarf using Homespun yarn (2x2 rib).



I decided to make it ribbed to give it a little extra texture and thickness. Plus, I know how to do that already.

For Sis #2: A ribbed purse.



I'm branching out on this one.....it's a 4x2 rib! This is actually a yarn I bought pretty much cause it was on sale (and it looked cool and fancy). It's an Italian yarn made of 60% virgin wool, 30% Alpaca, and 10% acrylic. I'm not making a scarf because the yarn does irritate my skin a little and I don't want to risk it irritating my sister's skin. I can work with it without too much irritation, though, so that's good. I am making a simply pocket purse with a flap and I think I'll add some sort of border to the flap using crochet.

This project is also going to be interesting because it will by my first project with... *gasp* ...a decrease! I'll need to decrease a bit once I get to the flap, especially since it will have a border. The only thing I haven't decided what to do about is the handle. I think I may buy one, or make one out of something other than knit. If you have any ideas, let me know! (If anyone reads this anymore...I've had a comment dry spell lately).

Patterns and Pattern-Writing

Lastly (and slightly un-related to the rest of this post), I have been wondering about patterns and pattern-writing. When does an altered pattern become your own? Case in point: MIL's Shawl-turned-Belt/Scarf. Since it is now a completely different item (even though I followed the pattern exactly except for excluding the beads, making it shorter, and adding some chains), can it become my own pattern?

I wouldn't call a pattern my own if I changed something simple on a complicated pattern (ie: altering a border on a detailed blanket, or excluding beading). On the flip side, if a pattern is simple, and I make a couple alterations to spice it up, I would call it my own (ie: changing the patterns on a basic granny-square blanket pattern).

I'll have to look around some more and see if there are any websites that address this (maybe crochetme.com or knitty.com will have something about it...). Again, if you know anything about this, please let me know! I'm curious about it, before I start posting my patterns.

The beanie saga continues...

Thank God for Chauntel! Seriously, if not for her help (and moral support), I would probably have given up by now.

BUT, I have finally figured out what works for me. It's a combination of the "Secret Method" and Chauntel's Beanie Theory. I crochet a bit tightly in my single crochet stitches, apparently, so I had to go up a hook size and add in some all sc rows for the beanie I'm making out of Caron Simply Soft.

So, I started one beanie in woolease. The gauge is a bit tight, but it evens out when I try it on my head, so I changed up a hook size when I got past the increase rows so that there's enough stretch. If it turns out that it's too small, well, my brother is getting a beanie for Christmas and at least one BIL will have to wait a little longer.



The beanie I'm working on now is definitely a good size for a man (although I hope it's not *too* big). The only thing is that I'm realizing that in-pattern, this yarn may not really be either BILs style. So, I can either risk it and give it to the one who might like it more, or else I'll add a girly embellishment and give it to one of my sisters.

Also, yesterday I made it over to Knit & Pearl downtown for a book-signing. Mel Clark (who wrote Knit 2 Together with Tracey Ullman) came up to our little hamlet and signed books and chatted away with fellow knitters. I bought the book and chatted with her for a few minutes. I wish I had been more familiar with the book beforehand because I've been reading through it and it's delightful! I'm so glad I splurged on it (and supported K&P in the process) because it's got a TON of great patterns (in other words, I would actually make and wear almost all the items in the book, rather than just a few of them) and it's definitely going to inspire me to expand on my knitting skills once I'm done with Holiday projects (especially if I get some circulars for Christmas!)

And finally, I am feeling better! I've still got a little bit of congestion hanging on, but not too much. I also ended up getting food poisoning or something Saturday night (and slept it off for 16 hours), but that seems to be over as well. My tummy is just being a little sensitive since I didn't eat much since then.

Man, what a week THAT was! *whew*

It's DONE!

Behold, the blanket is done!





I'm really pleased with how it turned out overall. The picot edging is perfect and I'm sure the mom-to-be is gonna love it :)

Hmmm, Secret Method eh?

I have to say, unless I have a pattern (with exact yarn weight and hook size), I have a HECK of a time working in rounds. These stupid beanies are gonna be the death of me! I may just cave and do a double-crochet version from Happy Hooker since there's a pattern in there.

My little disc started out fine for the first 4 rows or so, but now it's starting to buckle and I hate buckling. I can never figure out what I'm doing wrong. Maybe I should try it with a different hook? I don't know and I don't have time to figure it out. Gah.

*grumble, grumble, grumble*

I think I'm just gonna do a dc beanie and get it done with.

I WILL figure this out though! It's gonna keep bugging me until I do.


Oh yeah, and I've got a cold, so I can't make it to knit group tonight (I don't want to get anyone sick, especially the preggos). *cry* So I'll be crocheting at home with Nathan, probably watching some Sex and the City or whatever movie we currently have from Netflix (I think we might be getting Vanity Fair today!) as I use up mass amounts of Kleenex.

YEEEEEESSSSS!!

I have been having issues finding a beanie/hat pattern I'm happy with, or could alter to do what I wanted it to (because we can all see how many times I change my mind, haha!).

Chauntel started giving me a pattern in sc verbally, but I knew there was no way I could remember it (sorry!).

Well, Chaun posted that the new issue of Crochet me Mag was out....... LO! and BEHOLD!!

Secret Method!! (for top-down
hats)

This is exactly what I needed, since I can alter it for any type of yarn size of head, etc. The search is over. *whew!*

And, to top it off, there's a sweater pattern I kinda like (though I may alter it to make it a little simpler) and I've been keeping an eye out for decent ones lately.

Purple Haze

Thank you (yet again!) Chaun! :-)

*runs off to look around Crochet me*

Not just a project post

I'm worried about getting gifts done on time for the Holidays. This does not make crocheting and knitting more fun.

Yesterday, this was the state of the baby blanket when I left for the shower:



The mother-to-be will be getting it later! It won't take too much longer to finish, but I was pretty bummed I didn't get it done in time. Actually, I kinda got depressed. I was working so hard to get it done in time, that I stopped having fun with it. Then I just kept spiraling downward about everything else....I was wearing the same shirt I wore to church the night before (most of the gals at the party were from church), and wasn't wearing any makeup since I ran out of time to get ready. I didn't feel put together at all, I didn't have the gift, and it even got to the point where I was bumming out about finances, about our future plans, about kids, etc. At the shower, I had a hard time keeping myself together by the end after holding a couple of the church babies. I nearly started crying. Then my pastor's wife asked me about my request for a raise from my dad, and that brought up some frustration from that whole situation. Once I got to my car, I did start crying.

I realized on the drive back to town (from Buellton), that I could allow myself to "grieve" the loss or delay of certain dreams...and to cry over the frustration of not even being close to where I want to be, or know I will be someday. To be sad that I can't even buy cute clothes that fit me well. To be frustrated with how I look and how hard it is to lose weight.

But that while I can allow myself a "moment", I need to remember that I am SO incredibly blessed. I have a wonderful husband who loves me dearly. I have family and friends who will help me when I need it. I have a church family that supports Nathan and I as individuals and in our marriage, and most importantly, that we have a loving God who is taking care of our needs and I know that He will give us the blessings we desire at the perfect time for us. He knows our frustrations and sadness and He is there blessing us along the way if we (if *I*) just look for them.

Even in the 3 months we've been married, God has provided for us right when we needed it, even if it was a bit scary in the moment.

Anyway, to get back to yarn stuff....

Here is a detail pic of the blanket. I am joining the squares using a whip stitch in the contrasting color. I may add some detail in the corners or something, because it's not as *clean* as I'd like it. I was going to use The Crochet Dude's "Dudessembly" method, but it would have taken too long (thanks to Chaun for the Dude's website!).



And, as if I needed another project, Nathan decided that he liked my scarf (Chenille Thick & Quick)....



...so I'm making him a green one that's a little wider:



Even though I don't generally like chenille since it's a bit...erm...tacky, I LOVE it as a skinny scarf. It's so fast to work up and it's perfect for Santa Barbara winters. It's actually the first scarf I ever crocheted for myself and it's definitely my favorite.

In case you want to make one, it's very easy and only requires one skein of bulky (I used Lion Brand Chenille Thick & Quick):

Ch 4 (5 for wider)
Ch 3, dc in 4th chain, dc in each chain
Ch 3, dc in each chain
repeat to desired length and tie in ends.

That's it!

I think this post is long enough now.

Christmas/Holiday Progress!

I am lame and didn't get around to taking progress pictures, so you'll have to just imagine until I put them up.

First, non-Holiday gifts:

• Baby Shower Blanket - The light purple squares are done! (I'm doing 5 squares by 5 squares) I found a pretty raspberry color in Caron Simply Soft that is much nicer than the rougher Red Heart cream color. It's more fun, too. 4 Squares completed with both colors. 21 more to go (about 5 1/2 hours of crocheting at 15 min/square...)
• Knit Scarf - I've got a good foot 1/2 or so done on it and it's coming along nicely. It's great to have a project that uses different motions for when my hands get tired of crocheting. This may end up becoming a Christmas gift. Not sure on that one.

Chanukah Gifts (as a side note, why are there multiple ways to spell Chanukah? I really don't understand that one...):

• Shawl for MIL - About 1/3 of the way done. I may have to be creative and add some length on the sides, though, because it doesn't seem long enough.
• Beanies for 2 BILs - Deciding on yarn colors and pattern

Christmas Gifts:

• Scarf for Sister A - DONE!
• Scarf for Sister B - Yarn and pattern picked out
• Blanket for parents - this may get scrapped last minute if I don't have time

So, we just have to buy gifts for my brother, FIL, each other, and possibly my parents (depending on how other gifts go). I think that's everything....

The beanies I should be able to work up quickly, same with Scarf for Sister B. The shawl for MIL has been working up pretty quickly also, but I am hoping I don't run into issues with the length. *sigh*

I have no idea if I can actually do this in 27 days (17 for Chanukah). Oy.

This is the cutest thing ever!

How to Stay Married (From Lion Brand Newsletter)

A man and a woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside.

She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000. He asked her about the contents.
"When we were to be married," she said, "my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll."

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

"Honey," he said "that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?"

"Oh, that?" she said. "That's the money I made from selling the dolls."

I want to make those dolls...they are just too cute not to make. I think I have enough similar yarn and notions to make them. My Oma (my grandma who taught me to knit and crochet) would have loved them.

Project ADD

So, I convinced DH that I *needed* the Good to Go Knitter's Tote from Michaels (and I did have a 50% coupon that Chauntel gave me (THANK YOU!) that saved me $20. Yippee! I even justified buying some yarn (Caron Simply Soft in black for the shawl I'm making for my MIL).

As Michael's says:

You’re going to love this Knitter’s Tote! It’s crafted exclusively to hold everything you need for storing or transporting your knitting project. Outside pockets hold plenty of yarn. Each skein pocket has an eyelet inside so that yarn can be threaded into the interior of the bag. Protect your yarn when you pull it through without having to take out the skein. Inside pockets hold all your accessories, like scissors, tape measure, and pins. Zippered and clear acetate pockets make all your supplies easily visible and accessible. Rulers and knitting needles have a spot at each end of the bag secured by elastic bands. There is plenty of room inside to hold your project and books.

And love it I DO!! I currently have all six pockets full of yarn (two for the afghan, two for the baby blanket I'm working on and two for the shawl). The inside fits my notions box, the afghan (which is nearly halfway done), the baby blanket squares I've made so far (about 10 3.5" granny squares), and a few books. As long as I finish at least one project before too long, I should be able to carry all of them in there (the afghan might be kicked out eventually).

Speaking of projects. I am suffering from project ADD. I have two projects in the works (plaid afghan and baby blanket), yet I'm feeling bored and ready to start something new (namely, the shawl). I'm trying to finish the items I really NEED to do first, though, and using the plaid afghan as my "I don't have to think while I work on this" project. The baby blanket squares are easy to work on since they're small, but I feel like I'm doing chain loops every 5 minutes (oh wait, I am!), and that's getting old faster than I thought. *sigh*

Oh well...press on Marieke, press on.

Anyway, off to finish my workday...

Project ponderings...

So, last night at knit group, I was just not doing well! Yarn was getting tangled, I kept dropping things, and was just all around discombobulated. Gah.

I was also (and still am) at a loss as to what I will do for my friend's up-coming baby shower. Thankfully, I still have a few weeks, but time tends to fly and I have Christmas presents to work on also. (I ended up working on the to-be-plaid blanket and getting a good few rows down...after catching myself making stupid mistakes. Thank goodness it's a forgiving pattern).

So, the baby blanket.

I have two colors I want to use (ie: already have) are lavender and off-white (which I just found out go along with her colors already - woot!). I could alter the pattern for the Seija set to work with only two colors. Or, I'm thinking of possibly doing a granny square pattern with the two colors. This would be a little bit of a challenge since I'm not proficient in granny squares (although they're easy enough), and I've never done something that I have to sew together. I'd also have to figure out how the design will work with two colors. I may just make a bunch of squares in various color designs and then throw them together. It can't be that bad.

Methinks I'm leaning towards the granny square idea...

Oh what a beautiful moooorning!

(Disclaimer: This post is more of a "life" post than anything)

So, DH started working opening shifts this week and will hopefully get an official promotion by the end of the month (although he's getting a bit of a raise, in effect, since it's easier for him to work overtime a few days a week since he gets off at peak time).

Anyway, since we only have one car, I've been getting up to take him to work at 6:15am, then I have the rest of the morning to do my thing until I have to be at work at 8am. I've never been much of a morning person, so I'm appreciating the kick in the pants to get going in the morning. I start off my day feeling so much more productive and ready to go.

For instance, this morning I baked banana bread (a mix, but still!), took a shower (which I usually do in the evenings), boiled some eggs for breakfast and snacks, cleaned up the kitchen a bit (I haven't been as on top of doing dishes, since I'm getting tired earlier now) and even stopped by DH's work to give him something he forgot at home. Go me!

This morning I packed in a little more than normal, though. Mostly what has been nice is getting back into reading my Bible every day. After getting married, my relationship with God has gone down the tubes a bit. It's a weird transition and all my relationships have changed to a degree, including how I relate to God, now that I am half of a whole instead of solitary me.

DH and I went on a marriage refresher this past weekend (yes, at just over 2 months of marriage *wink*), and it really was worth it. We needed a spiritual refreshment and to gain some wisdom as we are in the process of building the foundation of our marriage. (As a sidebar, We are both people who "resource" ourselves. I tend to research and pick up info on topics that aren't immediately imminent, but that I will need in the future. DH does as well, but with different types of things.)

Anyway, we realized that the biggest mistake we've been making is not involving God in our relationship in a way that we will both grow closer to Him both individually and together. So, we're making it a habit to pray more together, which is so awesome.

The timing of our schedule change was perfect too, because it's given me a new time in the day to have some quiet and spend time in the Word. It's made all the difference with how my day goes! I don't know why I let myself get out of that habit sometimes...

Ok, to close off, I'll talk about crochet a bit. :)

I haven't crocheted since Sunday. I haven't even touched any yarn. But Knit group is tonight and I'm gonna have to figure out what I want to work on. I think I'm going to start another Seija blanket (but in two colors, rather than three) for another Baby Shower coming up Dec 3rd. I'd like to NOT be finishing it at the last minute! I might make a different blanket (maybe tackle a granny square one), but I'm not sure yet. Maybe I'll make up my own pattern! The options are endless!

I also have Hanukkah/Christmas presents I need to get cracking on, so I'm definitely not in any shortage of upcoming projects...

All Crocheted Out...

Sunday, I finished the "Seija Set" Baby Blanket from Stitch 'n Bitch, the Happy Hooker. Well, I ended up having to alter the edging since I didn't have time to finish it according to pattern, but it looked finished and that's what matters!

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture in my haste to wrap it (yes, I was down to the wire THAT much! I ended up being 15-20 min late). Crap!

I basically crocheted all day Sunday like a madwoman, so I have given the hooks a rest since. *WHEW!*

I have a few more projects in the works. Here is an incomplete and somewhat-in-order list (to be organized once I gather my crocheting wits about me again):

- Blanket (Seija maybe) for another Shower (purple and cream colors)
- Shawl for MIL for Hanukkah/Holiday gift
- One-Skein scarf for Sister #1
- Ipod Creature for Hubby (he wants one, haha!)
- Gift for Sister #2 (I can't remember what I was planning)
- Other stuff that I can't remember off the top of my head

Lately I've been getting the knitting bug. I see everyone making comfy-looking sweaters, and socks, and I want to get in on the action. As much as I love crochet, there are certain things that just aren't the same in crochet, compared to knitting. It'll be nice to expand my horizons (But don't worry, Crochet...you will always be my first love).

PS: My toe is still a bit swollen, but I can wear shoes again! And I'm not walking funny! As long as I don't step on it too hard, bump it, or wear shoes for too long, it's not really a problem anymore.

Woot!

Our professional wedding pics are up! If you'd like to see them, email me at "mariekeluvsjesus at hotmail dot com" and if I know you, I'll send you the info :-) They are so awesome!

My toe is feeling a bit better...it's just making my foot a little achey and it's still bruised and swollen, but I can walk on it easier, so that's good!

As far as the work stuff, Nathan didn't take the position. We both didn't feel at peace about it. I am hoping to meet with my dad (boss) this weekend about my future here, and I've sent my resume to a realtor for an assistant's position that sounds like a pretty cool job, and also possibly flexible enough that I can have more options for classes when we go back to school.

Finally, getting into the INTERESTING stuff ;) .... I'm working on a blanket for a friend of mine who is having a baby shower this weekend. It's small, but I just started it last night, so we'll see if I can actually finish it. It's 44 rows, plus a border, and I've already finished about 6 1/2 in about an hour or so. Thankfully the shower is Sunday evening, so I can work on it all Sunday if I need to. It's the Seija Set blanket from "Happy Hooker" (it's really cool cause it has a little hole built in for a car seat/stroller buckle, so the blanket won't fall out or anything). It's striped and I'm using a dark blue, lighter blue, and cream for the stripes. I'll post a picture after I get some more work done on it at Knit Group tonight (yippee!).

The Shawl...so far

In all it's currently-skinny glory:



Detail:



I really hope it turns out! I'm writing down the pattern as I go, so I don't forget (and can reverse it if I decide to keep the pattern "even" forwards and backwards, if that makes sense).

I started off with a 250 st chain, then single-crocheted all the way across, then alternated single- and double-crochet stitches with 1 chain in between, now I'm doing longer chains and will keep going with this for a while so that the design is mostly open.