Crafting Differently

Normally, I blog about yarn and knitting and crocheting. This week, I'm trying some ideas I found on Pinterest.

First: tile coasters.
The instructions I followed are from this blog. The blogger is clear and has a lot of pictures, making it easy to follow along. I was originally inspired by this pin, but, obviously upon further looking, it links to an Etsy seller. So I sought out DIY instructions, leading me to the previosly mentioned blog.

My Materials (Using Something Like Susie Homemaker's list and altering it):

1. 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch tiles --from Menards-- 12¢ each-- might've been on sale
2. Sheets of felt in desired colors-- you won't really see this, I had green, maroon, & black on hand. If you pay more than 30¢ for an 8x11" sheet, you are being robbed. Michael's has them for 26¢ (I think).
3.  Scrapbook paper-- My sister and I did our fair share of scrapbooking, like 3 years ago, so I have one of those really big stacks that orginally cost $20, with a 40% coupon or something. If you don't have that, Michael's has open stock paper- a 12" x12" sheet will cover 9 tiles. Get several coordinating prints for variation! (Shouldn't cost more than a few dollars)
4. Decoupage -- The blogger uses Mod Podge, which is too expensive for me, so I substituted-- 2:1 white glue & water. Mod Podge is just paste anyway.
5. Hot glue gun-- if you're a crafter, you don't need to go out and buy this, so I don't count it in final costs.
6. Scissors and ruler OR Paper cutter--- I am investing in a paper cutter after this. Scissors and ruler were not precise enough-- I actually took my scrapbook paper to work to do the cutting part. Joann's has a Fiskars for $25.
7. Sponge brush-- Hardware store, 69¢
8. Clear Acrylic Spray-- my mom had this already. Triple coat glaze, Krylon. probably $5 if purchased new.

two piles of felt covered tile!

Preparing to glue

First coat of glue

Note: cutting felt during the season finale of Castle is not a good idea. My edges were crooked. I personally cut a bit bigger than needed, just in case. I trimmed them after I glued. I do my best hot gluing before bed, which means I don't get impatient about the next step.

Note: Magazine pages do not work, they are too thin.

16 tiles $2.04
2 sheets of felt $.60
Paper $1.00
Sponge Brush $.69
Total $4.33


Second: polymer clay charms
Inspiration: this pin, step-by-step here.
Gifts for bridesmaids, to be made into keychains.

Polymer clay costs around $2.99, depending on the brand, and whether or not you have a coupon.
I used leftovers from my yarn bowl projects for all of these.
Stamps I had on hand.
Jewelry findings I had on hand. Eye pins are under $5 for a pack of either 50 or 100. Same for the jump rings. The key rings are a bit more expensive- $5 for a pack of 10, 1-1/4"
Acrylic paint borrowed from sister.





First batch of charms!

Close-up

How Summer Flies.

You can see some happy butterflies!

I finally got the butterfly section to work on my summer flies. After frogging twice, I was ready to give up, but I gave it one more shot, putting more space between the first row of eyelets. It isn't perfect, but it's much better than before. The picture does not do this Candy Skein yarn justice. It's the June colorway, from my brother for my June birthday. Because my gauge is a bit different from the pattern's, I'm working additional butterfly and eyelet rows to make the most of my yarn. Besides, I *love* the butterflies, and I think that section showcases the yarn best. 

The weather has been cool; we're hoping it stays this way through my wedding next weekend. 

E's sister and family get into town sometime this weekend, and I expect I'll see a bit of them. Between moving and getting ready for the new school year and getting ready to get married, these next few weeks may be too busy for new yarn projects. With most of my stuff packed up, it'll be hard to start new projects anyway. I'm hoping being exclusive to one or two projects will help me finish them sooner. 

Linking up with Tami and Ginny!

Flowers & Wraps

Finishing up my wedding flowers! Pardon the Instagram pic, I'm  trying out my birthday phone. :-) yep! Fiancé bought me a new phone for my birthday. 

I'm also working on Michele's Lace, a semi circular shawl. It has really great texture. The yarn is Serenity Sock, a wool/bamboo/nylon blend. I dyed it myself last weekend. 

Linking up with Tami & Ginny for the usual Wednesday link ups! 

A Pile

A pile of WIPs, that is. And it looks something like this:

Are four things too many?

The pink is my Stephanie's Wrap, pulled out of hibernation. The cream is a knitted piece that makes me want to throw everything. The granny in the front is the beginnings of a Rectangular Sampler Blanket, part of a CAL that just finished over at Underground Crafter's blog. Last is my wedding ripple, and I am convinced that it will be finished by August.

It will be pretty when done, but I still dislike the rows upon rows of knitting

I'm listening to The Fellowship of the Ring still, mainly because I can listen and don't need to focus too much on learning the story, since I've known the story since 6th grade or so. I'm nearly finished, so Two Towers will be up next. Also, I love the voice of the narrator, which I am convinced can make or break an audio book.

In more yarn related news, I properly stated my June Goals in the Cold Sheep group on Ravelry.

1. Finish knitting poncho-- commissioned item, on section 8 of 20
2. Make Calorimetry for a friend
3. Finish rectangular sampler blanket from stash yarn
4. Use up at least 6 skeins on wedding ripple to be about halfway done-- not sure if I have enough yarn for this…
5. Get to third section of Stephanie’s Wrap
6. Make at least 3 dishcloths & 2 coaster sets from cotton that is hanging out.
7. Buy no new yarn, unless to finish any of the above projects.

So far, only 5 days into June, and I'm doing pretty good. I'm on section 10 of the knitted poncho, finished & gifted the Rectangular Sampler (pics on Friday), hooked 2 new dishcloths-- ready to make more!- and nearly used up 2 skeins for the Wedding Ripple. 

Linking with Tami & Ginny for the Wednesday Link-ups!

Returning with FOs!

Been MIA for quite a few days- just got caught up in life, and projects, and wedding stuff.

I'm attempting to be more brief, as a way to keep reader and writer engaged and not over-taxed with my chatter. I'll let my pictures do the talking.

3 new hats!

Mustard hat with cranberry rose

Baby blanket for nephew Josiah, expected in September.

Keeping myself entertained while I crochet!

Bridal Shower- the ribbon bouquet is a hat, future mother-in-law laughing at my silliness

My future mother-in-law asked that the guests pray over me. 

It's been raining a bit here, but some beautiful flowers are out in my mom's garden!

So, I've been busy. The hats & blanket were finished this last week. I'm about halfway through the first season of the West Wing. I'm listening to The Fellowship of the Ring again, because I like the reader, and the content is so fun!

My first bridal shower is done with, and it was a lot of fun-- E's aunt and cousin did most of the work, and the food was amazing. Luckily, I have another month or two before the shower hosted by my sister  & aunts.

Linking up with Tami's FO Friday!!!! 

Feeling Unaccomplished

This past week has been a busy one. I worked every day except Friday, the weather has been unseasonably warm, my room went from messy to clean to messy again, I switched over to summer clothes, packed my winter clothes and read at least 2 new books. However, because I have neglected my blog, I somehow feel unaccomplished.

Unaccomplished is definitely not a good state of being. It is also incorrect. I finally finshed putting together the afghan for my parents, and am waiting for Around the Corner Crocheted Borders to come in at the library so I can put the finishing touches on it. Two more infinity scarves were added to my stash for the fall craft shows, and I'm halfway through a third. I have my next half dozen or so projects planned, while still having too many WIPs.

1. Baby afghan for C's September baby-- will probably be a Christmas gift
2. Wedding afghan for me! (I told E we would get a blanket...)-- I have 100 or so days to finish this on time... The last one took me 6 months. I think I'm cutting it close
3. Fjaril cardigan-- the Cold Sheep CSAL just finished up, and I won a prize. I picked out this cardigan, and excited to expand my knitting skills- Probably going to use Knit Picks Palette in Whirlpool after frogging my Blue Pineapples shawl that just wasnt working
4. Chevron Cardigan-- a less ambitious project than the Fjaril, because it is crocheted, but still will be one of my first proper garments. I dyed the yarn for this project over a year ago, and it needs to get out of my stash and into my wardrobe before I move.
5. Infinity scarves by the dozen-- A few weeks ago, I posted about a great deal I got on some Lion Brand Homespun Thick & Quick. I want to use it up as quickly as possibly, so I'll have more merchandise for my fall craft shows, and so I won't have to transport the excess yarn when moving.
6. More hats! Scarves have been my primary focus, but I still have quite a bit of yarn for hats. I need to use it!
7. Shawls for the mothers for the wedding. I have no yarn, no pattern and no plan, but I know I want to make something. (Ones for the bridesmaids are out, as they wont appreciate it)-- I'm thinking of Knit Picks Stroll Tonals, but am currently undecided- I would need to buy yarn, which I dont really want to do....

Yeah.... These plus my WIPs will definitely keep me busy... I should stop worrying about feeling accomplished and just start knitting :)

WIP Wednesday Again!

I feel like several WIP Wednesdays passed without me noticing them. Being busy with student teaching and musical rehearsals and work and wedding planning has left little time for blogging and crafting. But I am still managing to work on a few things here and there.

I have so many pictures to share, but for today, I'll keep it to one.

Quite a mix today

I'm reading the World History textbook in preparation for my next round of lessons-- Kingdoms of Africa. Hopefully the students will take to it, as it is not my best area of knowledge.

There are 2 different hats in progress, both commissioned items. The black is the start of another Toothless hat, and the pink is a new design. To the far right is my finished Citron, which I will share on Friday. The green smack dab in the middle is my second Snowdrop, in Knit Picks Chroma.

I've finished my first audiobook of Lent-- CS Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Definitely one of my favorite books to read, and easy listening, especially when knitting or crocheting.

Linking with Ginny and Tami today!

Weekend Roundup

Another typical weekend for me.

Working all day Saturday, with some attempted lesson planning and the like. I did get some crocheting done in the evening, mainly powering through an infinity scarf for someone I was seeing on Sunday.
I also started working on my Snowdrop, as part of the February CAL that the Crochet Shoulder Wrappers group is hosting.

Top: Red Heart Holiday Hunter/Gold
Bottom: KnitPicks Stroll Tonal Stonewashed

My mom had the US Figure Skating Championship Women's Finals on, so I watched a bit of that with her, remembering how I used to love watching the female figure skaters.

Sunday morning Mass, breakfast with the family, a bit of a nap. More crocheting. A prayer meeting in the evening, with a speaker sharing about the youth programs. A variety of people asking me how wedding plans were going. By the last one, I was a bit flustered, mainly because right now there is not much wedding planning, as both E and I are finishing up school, and the big things are all planned and out of the way.

This morning, I woke to a text from one of my friends, informing me of the snow day. It was way too early for her to be texting me, but we're both teachers, so I guess she thought I would be up. That text was followed shortly by a text from my host teacher, telling me to go back to sleep. My fiance called 10 minutes after that, because he volunteers to be my secondary alarm clock. Because I was in no rush to get up, we actually chatted for a few minutes before he had to go. He has to get up for school too, and his wasn't cancelled.

Since I got a bit of a lie-in, I was not overly productive today. Errands mainly, plus chores that I don't have as much time to do when I'm in and out of the house for school and work. More crocheting, working on my "Ten-minute" projects. (both of my 10 minute projects take more than ten minutes, but it is good to spend some time with them.)


10 minute project- trying to finish Mom & Dad's afghan!

 Not much else-- Hope you all have a lovely week!

Reading

I'm reading a new book in the New Year.

This book was suggested by one of my recently married friends, and so far, it is an inspiring and challenging read.  The Power of a Praying Wife starts with being solid in your own relationship with God, and moves into the idea that one has to be totally self-sacrificing when praying for your husband. He may not be praying for you, but by praying for him, you can draw closer to him and to God.

There are 30 sections in the book, each covering a different aspect of your husband's life to pray for. I've only made it partway through the first, but I really like the challenge it presents me. The format makes it great for a daily study book-- though I won't have the time for daily reading, I still hope to finish most of it before I need to return it to the library.

Are you reading anything challenging or inspiring?

When Life Gets Busy

I feel a bit like I fell off the edge of the earth when 2012 disappeared and 2013 came to be. Spending New Year's with my fiance's family was great, but trying to catch up the rest of the week has been crazy. Student teaching starts on Monday, first with observation, and then a gradual movement toward more responsibility in the classroom. I'm both nervous and excited.

However, being at school, during the 'regular' school day-- meaning from 7 to 3-- will cut down on craft and reading time, which is slightly disappointing. Wedding planning will also be put aside, at least for a bit.

My camera battery died, otherwise I'd share a few photos from my Christmas adventures. My future sister in law ordered hats for Christmas-- ages ago!-- but now I finally have modeled photos of most of the hats I made for her. I'm planning on sharing those soon, just because her kids are so cute :)

Even with a busy life, I want to make a few goals for the new year:

1. At least one craft show item made a week-- like a hat or scarf. This should eat up some of my stash so I won't have to move all of it come August.
2. Craft with purpose-- this means dyeing yarn as well as making things. I have so many items that were "cute" or "fun" to make, but now I don't know who to give them too.
3. Do that exercising thing. Being on my feet all day in a classroom is not going to be great for my physical well-being-- at our student teaching "training" they told us to make sure we are exercising-- Plus, I have a wedding dress that needs to fit properly.
4. Only buy new yarn when I need it-- no need to explain this one
5. DO NOT overcommit yourself. I've done this a bit already, but I really need to keep it in check. I have projects for other people that I really don't want to make, but I've already committed.
6. Blog for me. I've found that blogging holds me accountable for finishing projects, and I love sharing my journey with a particular bit of yarn.

We'll see what I make of these goals come the end of January when I'm in the thick of things.

Wednesday!

Wednesdays are fabulous days, especially when my semester is OVER!! It's been a really stressful semester, but it's over and I get to spend next semester with a variety of high-school students, teaching them about my favorite subjects: Government and History!!! All while planning a wedding and looking for a house and a job in a different city. Yay me!

In Progress

But for now, I'm in a Christmas gift-making frenzy, hoping to finish orders for a few close friends (who ordered ages ago and deserve to have their stuff finished) and FINALLY spending time with some books.

One done, 2 to go!

Even though I swore off infinity scarves, I actually am supposed to be making some for people. So, I have more Lion Brand Homespun in my bag for my 5 hour shift at work. It's okay though, because I like the mindlessness of making them.

For my reading, our priest recommended I look for something to read and reflect on as I prepare for marriage. So off to the bookstore I went yesterday, and found Chosen and Cherished: Biblical Wisdom for your Marriage, by Kimberly Hahn, which reflects on Proverbs 31. It looks really good, and since Fr. Dan told me not to look for stuff about being a mother, and go more towards reading about being a wife, I thought this would be a good fit. Though I am totally open to other suggestions, if people have them.

Excited to be reading new things!

My other 2 reads are also non-fiction: In the Garden of Beasts (about the US Ambassador in Germany pre WWII) and Six Armies In Normandy.  As you can tell, I'm on a WWII kick. I'd welcome some historical fiction, but 1) I haven't actively searched, and 2) I don't have that much free time.

I'm hoping to have a few more interesting crochet projects soon, so stay tuned for those!!

Linking up with Tami and Ginny today!

In Preparation

Saturday I have my final craft sale before Christmas. So, hopefully, peace at last. E and I also have our first meeting with the priest who is going to marry us. There are some things that I like preparing for, and my wedding is definitely an exciting thing to prepare for.

Preparation for the craft show will just continue up until I start selling, though, as I was not as prepared as I wanted to be. But I did finish new hats!

Here they are:


The totally finished ones



Still in progress-- 2 dinos, a duck/bird, and a flowered one



My favorite shade of Bernat Super Saver is this peacock color



This is what my bed looks like when I am trying to match colors

 Lots of colorful stuff going on right now! But you can tell that blue is my go-to color for hats, simply because blue can be both boy and girl. The light blue hat with the puffy flower is my sister's favorite-- she loves the dimension that the puffy flower gives to the hat (last minute Christmas gift for her?)

Linking up to Tami's FO Friday.

Thinking about the Future

It's  December, and I'm thinking of goals for the new year. Right now, I live with my parents, in the room I grew up in. It's tiny, and my yarn overwhelms me. But in less than 9 months, I will be moving into a new apartment with my new husband!!! However, I don't really want to start married life with a whole slew of WIPs and lots of yarn that I will never use.

I really want to get a head start on my craft show stock, something that I NEVER do. Let's face it, we all have goals that we never follow through on, or that remain incomplete for a while. Truly, I want to make it a goal to get through all of my Lion Brand Homespun yarn before I move out of the house. I definitely need a count of how many skeins I have-- I bought 9 skeins a few weeks ago, but am not sure where that puts my grand total. It takes me about 3 hours to crochet an infinity scarf, and some days I've been able to make 3-- especially when I'm sitting through several hours of lecture. Though, without hours of lecture in the coming semester (*me* lecturing, instead of me sitting through someone else lecturing), and more hours of lesson planning, it might not be as easy as I want it to be.

However, I do plan on keeping track (to the best of my ability) of my "Cold Sheep" progress. I joined the Cold Sheep group on Ravelry, and they are an inspiring group. The Nov-Dec "Cold Sheep Along" is helping me keep track of my stash reduction. BUT, it's only been one week since I last bought yarn. At the beginning of this year, I stopped buying yarn, and I believe that lasted about 6 months. i'm not really sure if there is a best method to solve my yarn-buying problem, especially since I work fall craft shows.

So far, the best method I can think of to effectively reduce my stash and still build up my craft show merchandise supply is to stick to my yarn budget. Like, really stick to it. And to do that, I really need to watch sales and clip coupons. Even though the *really* good sales tend to happen around this time of year (especially on yarn) if I only buy yarn with Michael's and JoAnn's coupons-- which would be 2 skeins of yarn a week, at the most--I think I would be keeping under budget. And it's also a matter of knowing my stash, so I can buy yarn that will be the most helpful for my projects. (If you're wondering, my current yarn budget is about $10 a month-- but I'm also working minimum wage/part-time, and going to school).

A List-- because lists are easy to look at--

1. Use 250 yards a week (minimum)
2. Make one craft show item for every personal item
3. Make one afghan square for every skein of yarn finished
4. Keep within monthly yarn budget

I'm not sure if I do better when the goals are broader or narrower. (I shall re-assess in 3 months)

Something Blue

I laugh, because I am more than 8 months away from my wedding, and I nearly have my "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" figured out. (sorry, no yarn today)

Necklaces that my mom requested.

A week or two ago, we were out running errands, and stopped at the bead shop on the way home. It is everything I wish for in a LYS, except it sells beads. Sarah and Vicky remember my name, and always greet me with a pleasant smile and "hello". Their shop is less than 5 minutes away from our house, but both my sister and I have not been beading as much as we did when the shop first opened.

A full view of the neckalces that Mom requested.

Tessa was looking for chain to finish a beading project, and I was looking for anything to spark my interest for bridesmaids' gifts. I knew I wanted to make a piece of jewelry for each of my girls, but the debate was what sort of jewelry, and in what colors. They are wearing blue dresses (if anyone frequents David's Bridal, the color is horizon. And don't get me started on them. It is a relationship of convenience) but have a choice of necklines/styles. Tessa's dress is a floaty one-shoulder, which totally rules out a necklace. But I also knew that Tessa dislikes bracelets. So I thought earrings. But one of my girls doesn't have pierced ears. My sister than decided to tell me that bracelets would be fine...

As we were getting ready to check out, Mom spotted a style of necklace that she really liked (we were shopping for necklace ideas that day too), and that reminded me of a set I had made to wear to another wedding. So it was decided. Swarovski crytsals in a deep blue and clear, on bracelets, made to look like they were just floating. 

The rest of my day was spent making these bracelets, then running out of beads, having to go back to the store (the beads were on sale that day) and finally finishing. I made 4 matching bracelets for the bridesmaids, then my mom said she liked it too, so I made 2 for the moms (his and mine), and one for me. I still have enough beads for something for my 2 flower girls, but I haven't decided what to make yet. And my hand was starting to hurt from using the pliers.

Possible ideas for Flower Girl bracelets

On the second trip to the bead store, I noticed that they sold jewelry boxes, and I knew there was no way Mom had 6 little boxes at home, so I got some of those.

All in all, I think I spent under $10 on this project, mainly because I had the beading wire, all the findings, and the tools on hand. The only thing I purchased were the Swarovski crystals and a package of sterling silver round beads (2 mm) for filler.

Linking up with Tami's Amis for FO Friday-- there should be some yarny goodness!

Stash Bash-- off the Wagon

New Homespun- Hiding in the trunk of my car!

I've fallen pretty far from the Stash-bashing Challenge that Tricia started earlier in the year. Just this week I bought 13 skeins of Caron Simply Soft for a wedding afghan (mine!) and 9 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun for craft show items.

Yes, this is hiding in my car too.

But I have been making something close to progress in the moving out at much yarn as I bring in. I've made these four scarves since Sunday. They are all in Homespun- from top to bottom: Cherry Blossoms, Painted Desert, Olive, Mixed Berries.

 

Now, they don't quite cancel out all the yarn I brought in this week, but it is a start.

In: 9 skeins @ 185 yards= 1665 yards
Out: 4 scarves = 740
Total: + 925 yards in stash. (not counting the wedding blanket)

That's all I have right now. And yes, the yarn will stay in my car for a bit. Probably until I have used 5 more skeins, then the new nine can replace the empty space in my yarn bag :)

No Knitting Progress...

I am making wedding progress, though!! We've set a date, we've set a budget, and we've locked in the church and the hall. And I have to say, having a big family is definitely a good thing when planning expensive things like weddings. Two of my uncles are already locked in for photography and music-- for FREE!! It's just such a blessing to have that support as E and I plan our wedding.


I've also picked out my wedding "projects". I'm crocheting all the personal flowers, as well as crafting some of the other reception decorations. I also just purchased a bunch of ivory colored blank cards to  rubber stamp & decorate for thank-yous.

On the "legit" crafting front, my knitting has slowed down to 2 major projects, the poncho I keep showing (it's not worth a new pic this week) and the sweater that is still not on the needles. Numerous crocheted infinity scarves still need to be made for my craft show next weekend.

Annnnnnndddddd I can't get my internet to allow me to upload pictures. Maybe later this week...
Linking with Tami & Ginny!

The Summer Winds Down.

August is drawing to a close. Next week, my final semester of regular classes starts. This is the stack of books for 4 of my 5 classes this semester:

I'm trying not to be depressed about the end of my summer leisure, especially since I have had such a great summer. Here are some snapshots of my summer:

Out with my friends for my birthday

Bachelorette Party 

Me & my sister @ the Idina Menzel concert

Me & E at Allie's rehearsal dinner

Me and Allie (the bride)

My cabin of "Dragonflies" at summer camp

Me and my counselors at camp

I passed my certification tests too!! Found out last week, and forgot to share my excitement! Since those are done, I just have to finish my degree, and I will officially have a teaching certificate next summer!

Yes, the summer was definitely good :-)

Even though the summer is quickly ending, I will do my best to make the most of this last week-- read that as Mary is going to craft, A LOT.

Holiday Stashdown Challenge: Week 7

Marie was stuck for a prompt this week...But she has released them! This week, we're looking at scrap yarn/one skein gift ideas.

And I just realized that this set I just finished is a good example of a one skein gift.
It is a basic hat/fingerless mitt set, with a flower for embellishment. I did the hat first, and then worked the mitts from both ends of the yarn so I would use up all the yarn- and it was nearly exact! One skein of this yarn made both the hat and mitts!

This is the pink colorway from Lion Brand Tweed Stripes. I did not have a pink that matched as well with this one, so I just added the rose to the hat and called it good. The rose is from the May Roses pattern from Lucy @ Attic24, and I love it! I have a handful in my desk drawer, waiting to become something.

Another great scrap/one skein project are these Ripple Lace Fingerless Gloves. I have the smallest hands imaginable, so making gloves using this pattern doesn't take much yarn/time at all. I was testing out some of my birthday yarn using the pattern last night, and I still need to show them to Mom and Sis for approval. The pattern is so simple and pretty, and I think they would look very cool in the Tweed Stripes yarn. Another great thing about this pattern is the instructions allow you to create a pair in any size or length you desire. I can see several pairs of these in my future.

I'm racking my brain, trying to come up with more pattern suggestions, but can't think of anything off the top of my head. I crochet loads more than I knit, so anything that I can think of is going to be small and stripe-y (for crochet). But I do know that there are a number of knitting patterns (scarves and the like) that use only one skein of yarn, or have alterations in the pattern to adjust for more or less yarn. I LOVE using Ravelry's pattern search, because I can narrow down patterns by yardage and weight of yarn-- very handy!

I hope this was helpful and not too ramble-y. I've got a lot going on this week- I just finished taking my first final exam, and turned in one of 2 final papers. The second final paper will be turned in this afternoon, and my other final is on Thursday.

The bachelorette party was this past weekend, and I leave for Detroit Friday afternoon, and my best friend gets married on Saturday!

Bachelorette Party

A Time for Celebration!

Dorky picture of me that I cannot figure out how to rotate. 

This week I celebrated my birthday. I also celebrated finishing a really big project: the wedding ripple afghan.

My dad wrote me a birthday message, also sideways...

It took 8 skeins of Caron Simply Soft, and I used Lucy @ Attic 24's ripple pattern, which is absolutely lovely. I like that it does not have any ch increases in it, as the holes created have always been what I dislike about some ripple patterns.

Here is the ripple in all of its lovely ripply goodness:

Ignore all the ends that haven't been woven yet. Please :)

I'm also celebrating the end of the semester. This coming week I take my finals, turn in 2 research papers, and then freedom! I'm looking forward to free time, even though it will mean lots of cleaning. But it will also mean more reading time too! (I have a stack of books to read- to see if they are worthy of remaining in my collection).

Here's a look at my birthday haul:

Several skeins of Bernat, the nice self-fair-isle-ing type (I'm itching to try it)(from sister) A really lovely burgundy colored Scrumptious superwash 4-ply (from E) A basket of miscellaneous acrylic (from godmother)(the basket's really my favorite part)(she also got me these awesome earrings, that I forgot to photograph) Amigurumi Toy Box is finally mine! as is Aladdin on DVD (brother #1) a cute dragonfly travel mug and instant coffee (brother #2, not pictured) On the right is a photo album with a old world map print, and the far left is a Freeset bag from Better Way Imports, both from the parentals.   


Anyway, I'm looking forward to the week- finals, Idina Menzel Concert, WEDDING!!!