Hot Off the Needles

It seems that my normal winter blah mood has set in the past weeks, leaving me nothing to be inspired to write about. Sorry patient readers! I will do my best to not let February suck me into apathy as January did.

A bright spot during January was the process and completion of another sweater, this one at the request of Jon G. In an attempt to sell more of the supplies needed to make this particular sweater, it will be hanging on a model board at Franks for the next six months. It was quite fun to browse through all of the patterns and choose something different. This sweater introduced me to several new techniques, such as the honeycomb stitch pattern and the three needle bind off. It turned out nicely, and I'm sure the pattern book ($17.95) and yarn ($7.99 per skein x 4 skeins) will be flying off the shelves in no time! All available at Ben Franklin Crafts, Moline, IL!

Over the weekend, I delivered the sweater on a weekend trip to visit Scott-o and Jon G. Mom and I spent Saturday cranking out Dana's wedding flowers. We accomplished a lot, and only quit once we ran out of supplies.

Sunday was the annual Methodist Church Ladies Luncheon. This year's theme was sports, so I can't say as that spoke to my heart, but it was a delightful afternoon spent with some of my favorite ladies. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Okay, February. Let's get this over with :0)

Fall Projects

It seems that Fall is on it it's way (cooler weather and back to school is here!), and with it has come some fun projects.

When we first moved in to our lovely home, we got right to work on several projects to bring it up to date. (I'm sure you're thinking back to all those blog posts with new paint, curtains, and organization.) After this initial push to get things done, much has stayed the same, until very recently. I got it into my head to take down the ugly scalloped wood piece over the sink that I've hated for two years. It came down in less than five minutes, and then I promptly decided that the grape-themed light fixture had to go as well. Here's what I came up with.
Yes, I installed it on my own (after Dad helped me changed it from a pendant to a semi-flush mount). Go me! And I love it!

The only problem was an adorable matching fixture for the dining room. After all, is a green clover light fixture any better than a grapes light fixture? After hem-hawing for a couple of weeks, Shaun bullied me into it yesterday (I needed the push), and the two of us got it up. Go us! Quite the handy ma'ams (anybody else watch that PBS show in the mid 90s?) Also noteworthy, my projects have come full circle. After spending an afternoon taking down many plant hooks, I installed one of my own for the light fixture. Made me smile.
I couldn't be happier with the result, although now Shaun is pushing me to buy the third matching piece in the collection for the entryway. I agree it would look fantastic, but fixing up an older home has to end somewhere. Also, the three-way switch that it's on has me flashing back to terrible memories of the ceiling fan installation nightmare that ended up costing $800. No, thanks. I'm done, unless the lighting fixture fairy stops by :0)

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The project list goes on, with a very fun knitting project for my favorite soon-to-be one niece baby.

Knitting Success

I've been knitting like crazy the past couple of weeks. I'm addicted, and not to dishcloths any longer. Here's my first real project, as in it's not a square or rectangle :0) It turned out so cute and really didn't take all that long to knit up (and no, Jenna, I'm not pregnant, just too nervous to attempt a larger sweater). The pattern is from ravelry.com, a fantastic site that has tons of patterns and helpful hints. Now that I've completed my first sweater, small though it may be, I have the confidence to try other projects. So fun!

Well, now that took awhile.

Exactly a year ago I took up knitting. After a very frustrating couple of months, it seemed that knitting wasn't for me. I was still working on the same scarf and not enjoying it. I put it aside for a couple more months and thought my knitting days were done. Then one day after joking about my poor skills, one of the ladies at work suggested I make a dishcloth, a fun, easy, and basically mindless project. While I scoffed at first, I decided to give it a try.

After only a couple of evenings, my first dishcloth was done, and unlike the scarf, it looked great! Since then, I've been dishclothing away. Friends and family have received them. (If I've left you out, write a comment, and I'll get one made up for you!)

So, with my confidence increasing, I was inspired to attempt a more challenging project, which, of course, requires new supplies. I researched needle sets and came upon one with great reviews, and a store location in Morton. I got them last week, and after a quick dishcloth project to test them out, I have started a more challenging knit. I'll be sure to share some pictures after I see if it's going to turn out. Until then, here's my latest dishcloth and needle set. I'm quite excited!

Getting Through February

Oh, February. Each year it's a struggle to find positive things to say about this horrible, cold, depressing month. There have been a few bright spots this past week.

I finally finished my scarf knitting project, which I started lasted August. No pictures because I'm over it completely. Instead, I've been knitting several dishcloths, a much faster and rewarding experience than a scarf. Here is a picture of me, happy as can be, beginning a new dishcloth, watching Lawrence Welk (I love that show!), and wearing new black boots that I've been searching for for at least four years, found on clearance at Bergner's. (They're so close to actually fitting my silly, skinny, chicken legs!) Yes indeed, a fun Friday night at my house.

Also this week, we celebrated Wes' birthday. Shaun and I like to make a big deal out of birthdays; it's how we do it in our family, but Wes wasn't really having it. We made nachos for dinner, our new favorite thing - chips, cheese, black beans, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and pulled pork, with apple pie for dessert. So delicious.

Ready for March. Age 26, here I come!

Going on Vacation

Tomorrow we're leaving for a week of vacation at Joshua's grandparents' house in Wisconsin. This has become a yearly tradition for me, and has always been part of Joshua's life. Lots of time in the sun and on the water await us, so it should be a fun time. Hopefully I'll do a better job of taking pictures this year, so I'll have them to share in a week.

In other news, today I started knitting. I woke up and said, "I'm going to knit!" After a trip to Michael's, I had a beginner's booklet, some yarn, and needles, and I was ready to begin. Several hours of practice later, I think I'm ready to start on a scarf. Not exactly what I had in mind in my knitting dreams, but it seems that lovely sweaters like this one are a bit challenging to begin with. Maybe someday...