J is for Jesus

So, I actually wrote this on 5/21, but got stalled in looking for the item to photograph, and thus am finally posting late.

Yes, you read that right! But Carly, you aren't a church goer. It's true, K-12 in a Catholic school sort of beat most religion out of me, but there are certain symbolic items that I think are special, regardless of how often I go to church. A crucifix is one of them. I can't really say why, but outside of religious settings, it is generally accepted by historians that Jesus was a real man who was put to death by Pontius Pilate, and that has always struck me, something concrete in a realm where little is fact and not faith.

This crucifix hangs in my sewing room and was bought for me by my mum at Notre Dame in Old Montreal. What crucifix? Oh, yes, this is what I've been searching for for over a week. I was CERTAIN I hung this in my sewing room when we moved in, but when I went to take a picture, it wasn't where I thought it was. So I spent a better portion of the last week trying to find it, unfortunately to no avail. I'm strangely upset by losing it, probably moreso because it was bought as a gift and was blessed, than because of the item itself, but it seems to have gone off into oblivion, so no picture of the traditional crucifix I once had :(

This one, a little less traditional, was a housewarming gift from some very dear neighbors in Michigan. They have known me forever, their daughter babysat me when I was small (and always let me win at Candyland and never tired of dress up Barbie.) I have not decided on the perfect spot for this in the house yet, though.

In more recent news, Picovoli is done, just not blocked, and Maude is coming along nicely, though I'm utterly bored with the ribbing. Somehow the stockinette in Picovoli wasn't as bad as the ribbing. . . maybe I dislike purling more than I consciously admit to :) I'm itching to cast on for something new, but resisting the urge to get some of the WIPs that have been sitting in my knitting basket untouched back into rotation (like the hat for Jake's dad!)

We also got a very nice treat from the UPS man from a friend in Alaska today, but I don't have the pictures to do it justice, so you'll have to wait to see what it is!

Spoiled Again!

The mail man has been my friend this week! After the awesome PRGE box on Friday, today brought me another PHENOMENAL box from Aliesha (bamaknitnpurl on Ravelry) for the Ravelry Malabrigo swap. She totally went above and beyond and put together an amazingly thoughtful package. Here are the goodies out of the box. Unwrapped, you see TWO yummy bags of gummi bears, TWO boxes of Endangered Species chocolate, Treats for the pooches , handmade soap from Alabama and a funny postcard. The yellow tissue held some very special treats.Here is the haul unwrapped. You can see 3 yummy skeins of yarn, a book, stitch markers, stitch holders and post its!
Now, this was no ordinary book, it is the Insiders' Guide to Sonoma, to help in planning our wedding. Super sweet, no? And in this picture you also see the two skeins of to die for Malabrigo Silky Merino. The color? Redwood Bark. . . how perfect! I really think this is what I want to have my shawl for the wedding made of. I'll likely need some additional yardage, but since Malabrigo doesn't do dye lots, it's perfect!

Here is an picture of just the so totally pettable Silky Merino.
Here is the cutie soaps. The top is Ginger-Fig, which smells FANTASTIC! The bottom is Oatmeal Almond, and peeking in the side of the shot is a skein of the new Malabrigo 100% Organic Cotton.
The color of the cotton is Turquesa, here in the sunlight. I can't wait to try this yarn! Finally, gratuitous puppy shots. . . Zosia here mid and completed 'roll over' (the newest learned trick!) to earn herself a Newman's Own treat.

Aliesha was TOO good to me, and I'm very, very grateful!

Spoiled!!

On Friday, while I was impatiently waiting for my Mmmmmmmmmmalabrigo Swap Package, the mail man brought me a nice diversion. . package #2 from Kat in the PRGE! It ROCKED!

How cute is the Gumby Stationary?!

How awesome are the rest of the contents?!

Two books. . . Friday Night Knitting Club and 2-at-a-Time socks. I'm super stoked about 2 at a time, because I REALLY get SSS BAD and have to start doing 2 at a time to finish pairs in a reasonable time (I'll do them on two circs rather than ML like the book suggests, though!). Friday Night Knitting Club has to wait until my new Mary Higgins Clark book arrives and is read later this week (one guilty pleasure!). Then not one but TWO skeins of gorgeous Malabrigo worsted in Burgundy! Kat said the the Burgundy reminded her of our getting married in Wine Country . . .sweet, right?! And I adore the Burgundy. I made a scarf for my BF out of it for Christmas and it was hard to part with! For treats there were a bag of Kisses and a deck of Uno cards, a pound of coffee (Kat's favorite blend) and some awesome glitter stickers! I love everything, thanks for being so generous, Kat!

In kniting news, I finally got back to Maude. I had some alone time Saturday while Jake was out with friends and I was able to figure out the pattern mistake and am nearing the end of the lace bodice. I haven't picked Picovoli back up, but I do want to finish the little bit left ASAP (and Kristen, I washed my swatch and it didn't really grow, so I think I really do need to knit the extra!)

PS - I wrote most of this Sunday but couldn't upload photos. My Malabrigo Swap package came today and it is also beyond awesome and as such is deserving of it's own post tomorrow!

Strike One

GAH! So the building inspector came yesterday and basically said the contractor has to redo the work. He made a 2-inch error and corrected it not by cutting new lumber, but by cutting small 2 inch blocks to make up the space. I can assume only 1 of 2 things. 1) He thought this was legitimate or 2) He hoped the inspector wouldn't notice it. Well, the inspector noticed right off and now the contractor is pissy he needs to come back to fix it (contract stipulates he doesn't get paid until we pass inspection!) I don't know how people deal with this stuff, this was a teeny-tiny job and even that can't get done on time and properly! No wonder people complain about contractors!

I went on my first wedding dress shopping excursion last night. I'll share some pictures soon! I didn't have high expectations, we were going to David's Bridal. I want a vintage looking dress, and 95% of what they have are strapless modern dresses. I did find two possibilities. . . one cut tea length number. . . not so vintage-y but very practical for getting on and off a bus multiple times while wearing. The other is much more vintage-y, with tiny cap sleeves and ruching on the bust and beaded lace. It's a little long, though, and would need to be bustled, but it was really pretty and nice and light (despite the beading). I'm going to go to a store that carries actual vintage gowns when I go back to Vermont in a few weeks, which I'm pretty stoked about!

I thought picovoli was done. .. then I tried it on and it's still a bit short. I can't figure out what's going on with my row gauge. . . . it's on in some sections and off in others! Weird, right? So, another 10 rows should do me, and I can hopefully find some time for more interesting knitting. I so want to wear Maude soon!! And if I can get the bodice done, the rest is mindless ribbing, so I can knock that out watching TV and such :)

Who brought back winter?!

OH. MY. GOSH. It is COLD here! And I'm none too happy about it! Yesterday was 53 and grey and rainy. I wanted to blast the heat and curl up in a blanket, but I couldn't because the contractor was here removing my wall (and turning my house into a dust bowl). In the morning, my living area looked like this:

Now it looks like this!


A million times better, right?! I'm so pleased with it. The room feels enormous, and it's giving me some motivation to get more work done!

Also in the news yesterday, Jake's mum sent us a book of his baby pictures. My favorite? Meg. . . ask Bob why he's winking while wearing no pants in the crib with Jake. There are an oddly large number of 'no pants' Bob photos in the collection :)

In knitting, still working on pretty exclusively Picovoli because all I've had is mindless knitting time. I only have about 10 rows to go before I bind off. I won't show you a boring OTN picture, because it looks like a big grey blob, but I'm really pleased with it on! Hopefully a FO shot in a day or two!

Why I must invent teleportation

My day started with a trip to the Dentist. A trip 20 miles away (don't ask why I don't have a closer dentist). 20 miles away with an 8:30am appointment having to drive though the Downtown Tunnel to get there. Really, not the best way to start the day. I left my house at 7:15am, and got through the tunnel in decent time. . .. about 25 minutes from Frederick entrance ramp to entering the tunnel. I knit while waiting in traffic. . . pretty easy to work on Picovoli while barely inching along in traffic. Got strangely FEW odd looks from other drivers who noticed me knitting. As I drive along 464 I hear the traffic report of an 8am bridge lift at the Steel Bridge. I look at my clock and it is 7:55. . . .should be sufficient time for the lift to clear and traffic to be moving again by the time I get there (oh yeah, a tunnel AND a bridge to get to the dentist!). I get off 464 onto Dominion Blvd and see traffic moving. Yay! No bridge issues. . . until I get another mile and see the red lights begin to flash. It is 8:10. . . apparently the bridge lift is running late and I am the 4th car in line. I put the car in park and knit some more while some sort of fire boat makes it's way under the bridge. It is now 8:20. I make it to the dentist at 8:25. I am called back at 8:30. Now, keep in mind, this is an appointment to check my new night guard, no cleaning or real dental work. This means by 8:40, the doctor has seen me, approves of how the new night guard is wearing, and I am sent on my way. My heart sinks, knowing that this was not nearly enough time to clear traffic. I finally get back home at 9:35. . . .2 hours gone for 10 minutes at the dentist. As a result, I ate this for breakfast:
I went back for extra whipped cream when the strawberry to cream ratio dipped too low. If I had to drive every day, I think I would gain 50 pounds!

I is for Ipanema

OK, so I haven't actually BEEN to Rio, but one of my favorite dyers visited her sister there and dyed our most recent Mama Llama club shipment with the inspiration of Ipanema beach. Pretty, isn't it?!?! This is bamboo sock, and a mini skein of perfect sock in the same colorway - Bom Dia (Portuguese for Good Morning).

Thanks, Catherine, for awesome yarn AND a free pass on the ABC-Along! I was having a really hard time thinking of a good 'I' :)

An unphoto related I.. . . I is for Incentive! Krystofer is doing the AIDS ride in California. I saw his post on Ravelry and wanted to pass this along. His goal is to raise $5,000. As incentive to donate $10, he is giving away his yarn credit to his LYS! Seriously, it's a good cause already, but the possibility of that big a chunk of free yarn?! Go here to donate. . .. and go here to the Ravelry group if you want more details!