There's nothing like new yarn to get you excited about a project! This very real statement is potentially dangerous as I already have quite a bit of yarn (see previous post). I did recently organize it all into one, large, under-the-bed type bin, and one bag for current projects and needles.
But the two skeins I just bought don't fit!!!
I've realized that in order to confront my yarn issue, I must confront my other issue. Throw blankets. Nothing uses up your yarn like making blankets. This is big, for me, because my last throw took me hmm, let's see... 4 years in the making? Mostly because I kept putting it off and putting it off. By the time I got down to it, it only took me a few months!
I've also realized that because most of my projects are for birthday presents (and therefore meant to be a surprise), I don't really share them here. I get all vague and non-commital and then usually forget to write about how awesome the gift was in the first place. Or, because I have no accountability, I wind up missing my deadline. Or giving up altogether. Not so great options, any. So, throwing caution (and the element of surprise) to the wind, I will henceforth be sharing my projects completely, even if they be gifts!
Starting with Ro's.
I feel like I have several years of making up to do for Ro, because she always wants something big and homemade from me, and I am very comfortable NOT doing big. I like the small projects I can do in a day. I get frustrated coming back to the same project too many times. Impatient, much? Anyhow, she's wanted throw pillow covers, which I have not delivered. She's wanted throw blankets, which I have not delivered. I believe the last thing I made for Ro was (drum roll) potholders. Woo wee, calm it down, Bianca! So, this year, I am making her a throw blanket. It's already in the works. I made up my mind and I will finish! I am putting it down for all to see and giving myself a real deadline! This will happen!
I think everyone will get a throw for their birthdays this year, because Ginan and Rick-in-law are the only ones who have one from me so far. So that leaves Ro, Christy, and Leety. And it just so happens that their birthdays are quite well spaced! Excellent. I'm already planning Christy's, as I'll probably have to overlap hers and Ro's. See how good I am at planning ahead when I want to be?? So, sorry girls, but I guess the jig is up. I can't keep these secrets any longer.
Ro's is this really cool variation on a shell pattern. I got the pattern verbally from a woman who sells her own crocheted things in a little shop next the the tea room Mama and I love. I hope I'm remembering it correctly! If not, then I guess it's my own variation! Ha ha! She had done it for a prayer shawl which was lovely, and a few scarves. I didn't like the scarves as much because I feel like the pattern is best for bigger projects. So it's actually perfect, I think, for a throw blanket. I'm about 5 inches in already, woo! =)
Christy's I'm thinking about doing a zig-zag pattern, but not obnoxious zig-zag. Sophisticated zig-zag. And I'm not going to reveal colors. That is one thing that will be kept under wraps. Then it's still a surprise in some way!
Ginan's birthday is Monday, and Husband and I are going to visit for the weekend. That's what the two new skeins of yarn were for. I saw them in the store (on sale, no less!) and they just had Ginan written all over them! I'm very proud to say that her birthday present is all finished and ready to be opened and enjoyed! It's a tea cozy, of course. =P
So that is all that's happening in the world of knittery right now. I'm sure my frustration with the throws will be coming very, very soon. I love the beginning stages when it's all excitement! =)
lots of love,
Bianca
Friday, February 24, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
The First Married Valentine's Day
It's coming as a bit of a shock that I'm blogging about our First Married Valentine's Day, because in all honesty, we aren't really doing anything special. I expect no flowers, cards, chocolates, or extravagant displays of... anything. In fact, I'm cooking dinner for us tonight and we'll probably wind up arguing over what movie to watch. Funds are low for THESE newlyweds (I'm sure there are many of you out there who can identify!) and we decided way back in January that there didn't really need to be any Valentine's gifts this year. Although I cheated a little bit and got Husband a new lunch box.
How romantic!
I've started waking up with Husband in the morning when he has to for work, even though I don't have to for work anymore. We used to get up at the same time and get ready at the same time and I always regretted not being able to make his breakfast or lunch for him to take because I had to make mine. Again, gag if you must, but different personalities make the world go 'round, folks. One of the things I wanted to do when I quit my "day job" was to continue waking up in the morning to make Husband breakfast and pack his lunch. I took a few days to relish sleeping in, of course, but I've been able to do it and I realized it makes me happy and makes him happy, and I'm all about a happy marriage!
I also made pink, mini-chocolate chip pancakes this morning and even made them into heart shapes! I felt so good about my special breakfast that when I announced what I was making, Husband couldn't help but be excited, if only for a moment. Until he asked (very sweetly, knowing I'd be a bit heartbroken if the answer was no) if I had gotten syrup. Which I hadn't. And then I remembered why we haven't had pancakes for quite some time now - because I keep forgetting to get syrup. (It's not on any of my lists!!) He told me later, "You should have seen your face, it was so pitiful!", and I suppose it was my pitiful expression that made him jump in the car, at 7 in the morning, to go get syrup for my special Valentine's breakfast. What a guy, I tell you.
I'm going to be baking some cookies this afternoon, which makes me happy. (I did my Pilates first, so I can sample the cookie dough...) Husband is a simple man, and his favorite is chocolate chip, so I'll be tackling that. But I think I'm also gonna attempt a REVERSE chocolate chip, as in chocolate cookie with white chips. I always like those ones, even though white chocolate chips aren't my favorite. In a chocolate cookie, who cares??! I've held off making cookies for a while because Husband invested in SIX, count them, SIX boxes of Girl Scout cookies that are due in about a week. He heard that I've never had them (due to a misdiagnosis of Celiac's disease that eliminated all wheat products from my diet for 11 years) and told me I had to try them all. I think he only didn't get 2 flavors. With those on the way, I haven't wanted to pre-game with other cookies. But it's a special day. =)
I also decided, to heck with it! and am giving Mama BOTH tea cozies for her birthday, the small version and the large version. Together, they will conquer all her teapot needs! Ginan seemed to be hinting that she would like some more handy crafts for her birthday, so I'll do my best to deliver. January and February birthdays in our family are so close together, it's almost as bad as having to make all the Christmas presents at the same time! But I'm working out lots of new patterns, so I don't mind so much! And now I'm daydreaming about all the time there is until the next birthday, which is Ro's, and how I feel like I give her an I-O-U every year... I'm gonna have to make that up to her. And Christy, too. It's their year. (Rocky fist pumps)
To all you out there who believe Valentine's day is for couples, I challenge you! Long before I had Husband in my life, I had six loves for Valentine's day and their names were Mama, Daddy, and 4 sisters. Cherish your family, they are your FOREVER Valentines, and so are your friends! Don't let a day pass you by just because everyone else thinks it's about being part of a couple. It's about love, and if you have someone you love who loves you, that is precious precious - family and friends deeply included.
I love all of you and hope you enjoy this sappy day of love, too!
Happy Valentine's day,
LOOOOOOOOOOOVE,
B
How romantic!
I've started waking up with Husband in the morning when he has to for work, even though I don't have to for work anymore. We used to get up at the same time and get ready at the same time and I always regretted not being able to make his breakfast or lunch for him to take because I had to make mine. Again, gag if you must, but different personalities make the world go 'round, folks. One of the things I wanted to do when I quit my "day job" was to continue waking up in the morning to make Husband breakfast and pack his lunch. I took a few days to relish sleeping in, of course, but I've been able to do it and I realized it makes me happy and makes him happy, and I'm all about a happy marriage!
I also made pink, mini-chocolate chip pancakes this morning and even made them into heart shapes! I felt so good about my special breakfast that when I announced what I was making, Husband couldn't help but be excited, if only for a moment. Until he asked (very sweetly, knowing I'd be a bit heartbroken if the answer was no) if I had gotten syrup. Which I hadn't. And then I remembered why we haven't had pancakes for quite some time now - because I keep forgetting to get syrup. (It's not on any of my lists!!) He told me later, "You should have seen your face, it was so pitiful!", and I suppose it was my pitiful expression that made him jump in the car, at 7 in the morning, to go get syrup for my special Valentine's breakfast. What a guy, I tell you.
I'm going to be baking some cookies this afternoon, which makes me happy. (I did my Pilates first, so I can sample the cookie dough...) Husband is a simple man, and his favorite is chocolate chip, so I'll be tackling that. But I think I'm also gonna attempt a REVERSE chocolate chip, as in chocolate cookie with white chips. I always like those ones, even though white chocolate chips aren't my favorite. In a chocolate cookie, who cares??! I've held off making cookies for a while because Husband invested in SIX, count them, SIX boxes of Girl Scout cookies that are due in about a week. He heard that I've never had them (due to a misdiagnosis of Celiac's disease that eliminated all wheat products from my diet for 11 years) and told me I had to try them all. I think he only didn't get 2 flavors. With those on the way, I haven't wanted to pre-game with other cookies. But it's a special day. =)
I also decided, to heck with it! and am giving Mama BOTH tea cozies for her birthday, the small version and the large version. Together, they will conquer all her teapot needs! Ginan seemed to be hinting that she would like some more handy crafts for her birthday, so I'll do my best to deliver. January and February birthdays in our family are so close together, it's almost as bad as having to make all the Christmas presents at the same time! But I'm working out lots of new patterns, so I don't mind so much! And now I'm daydreaming about all the time there is until the next birthday, which is Ro's, and how I feel like I give her an I-O-U every year... I'm gonna have to make that up to her. And Christy, too. It's their year. (Rocky fist pumps)
To all you out there who believe Valentine's day is for couples, I challenge you! Long before I had Husband in my life, I had six loves for Valentine's day and their names were Mama, Daddy, and 4 sisters. Cherish your family, they are your FOREVER Valentines, and so are your friends! Don't let a day pass you by just because everyone else thinks it's about being part of a couple. It's about love, and if you have someone you love who loves you, that is precious precious - family and friends deeply included.
I love all of you and hope you enjoy this sappy day of love, too!
Happy Valentine's day,
LOOOOOOOOOOOVE,
B
Friday, February 3, 2012
Am I Boring You?
Hmm... I wonder...
Today, it is officially NOT Christmas in our home any longer. I took down the decorations today. I didn't feel like I'd ever be ready for that step, but somehow with it being 65-70 degrees for the last 3 weeks, I felt it was time. I don't even feel like it's winter anymore; I don't even feel like we had a winter at all! For someone who loves cold weather as much as I do, this is tragic. Last year, I was watching Christmas movies long into January and felt a little sad to think that this year (living with Scrooge, er, I mean Husband) that I wouldn't really be able to. But I gotta say, I had about a week after the new year of Christmas-y fuzzy feelings and then the warm weather struck in. There's nothing like 70 degrees to kill your white Christmas! (Which I now have, thanks to Leety!)
I'm now officially ready to start blogging because I'm settled in with my mug of tea. Husband asked me the other day if I always blog while drinking tea, and when I thought about it I realized I do! Not to say that I only drink tea when I write, of course. But typically, I share my cup of tea with all of you. =) I kinda hope that now that I've shared that, I'll get a bunch of people who drink tea while READING this, so that we really are sharing a tea time!
Man, I'm cheesy!
My birthday is coming up in a few weeks. Or in a little over one week, as I just realized... this whole week has been a bit of a blur. I'm going to visit Ginan and Rick-In-Law for the weekend, which will be loads of fun and I'm really looking forward to it! We haven't been to visit them since the summer, unless I'm mistaken, because when we visited last, Husband was still Fiance, so we were in separate bedrooms. No longer the case, ha ha!
So, here's the big news: for my birthday present, Husband got me a tattoo. =) We've talked about it for a long time, and I've had the idea for this one for nearly 4 years, so it was time. And let me just tell you, that no matter how lovely the tattoo may be, there are 2 truths: 1) it will still hurt, and probably more. The more artistic, the more the pain. And 2) it will itch like crazy after! First, it will be sore, which is a given and I was expecting that. But for the last 4 days I have been dying to scratch the heck out of that one spot. There were a lot of things about the healing process that I wasn't prepared for, because I hadn't done my research. I was depending on Husband's knowledge and experience to clue me in and while he did alright with some of the bigger things, I am MUCH more detail oriented than Husband. So things he didn't remember and therefore didn't warn me about got me really freaked. Like that you bleed ink. Not bleed like real bleeding, but how when you wash a new pair of jeans with a white shirt and now you have a blue shirt, bleeding. I had to wash all my "tattoo clothes" today because they all had some amount of ink on them. So, now I'm almost completely healed except for 2 little spots, which itch the most. I'll try to post a picture once it's totally healed, because it really is a beautiful piece of artwork. It took 3 hours, it outta be.
I hope that I am not boring my small audience of readers, but I get the feeling that I am because my small audience has dwindled to tiny. This makes me sad. I know I'm a little boring, but couldn't you just view that as charming and still read? It would help with my ego a little. =P However, my faithful readers I adore thee, and will try my best to entertain, even if it's only a little bit!
love love love,
Bianca
Today, it is officially NOT Christmas in our home any longer. I took down the decorations today. I didn't feel like I'd ever be ready for that step, but somehow with it being 65-70 degrees for the last 3 weeks, I felt it was time. I don't even feel like it's winter anymore; I don't even feel like we had a winter at all! For someone who loves cold weather as much as I do, this is tragic. Last year, I was watching Christmas movies long into January and felt a little sad to think that this year (living with Scrooge, er, I mean Husband) that I wouldn't really be able to. But I gotta say, I had about a week after the new year of Christmas-y fuzzy feelings and then the warm weather struck in. There's nothing like 70 degrees to kill your white Christmas! (Which I now have, thanks to Leety!)
I'm now officially ready to start blogging because I'm settled in with my mug of tea. Husband asked me the other day if I always blog while drinking tea, and when I thought about it I realized I do! Not to say that I only drink tea when I write, of course. But typically, I share my cup of tea with all of you. =) I kinda hope that now that I've shared that, I'll get a bunch of people who drink tea while READING this, so that we really are sharing a tea time!
Man, I'm cheesy!
My birthday is coming up in a few weeks. Or in a little over one week, as I just realized... this whole week has been a bit of a blur. I'm going to visit Ginan and Rick-In-Law for the weekend, which will be loads of fun and I'm really looking forward to it! We haven't been to visit them since the summer, unless I'm mistaken, because when we visited last, Husband was still Fiance, so we were in separate bedrooms. No longer the case, ha ha!
So, here's the big news: for my birthday present, Husband got me a tattoo. =) We've talked about it for a long time, and I've had the idea for this one for nearly 4 years, so it was time. And let me just tell you, that no matter how lovely the tattoo may be, there are 2 truths: 1) it will still hurt, and probably more. The more artistic, the more the pain. And 2) it will itch like crazy after! First, it will be sore, which is a given and I was expecting that. But for the last 4 days I have been dying to scratch the heck out of that one spot. There were a lot of things about the healing process that I wasn't prepared for, because I hadn't done my research. I was depending on Husband's knowledge and experience to clue me in and while he did alright with some of the bigger things, I am MUCH more detail oriented than Husband. So things he didn't remember and therefore didn't warn me about got me really freaked. Like that you bleed ink. Not bleed like real bleeding, but how when you wash a new pair of jeans with a white shirt and now you have a blue shirt, bleeding. I had to wash all my "tattoo clothes" today because they all had some amount of ink on them. So, now I'm almost completely healed except for 2 little spots, which itch the most. I'll try to post a picture once it's totally healed, because it really is a beautiful piece of artwork. It took 3 hours, it outta be.
I hope that I am not boring my small audience of readers, but I get the feeling that I am because my small audience has dwindled to tiny. This makes me sad. I know I'm a little boring, but couldn't you just view that as charming and still read? It would help with my ego a little. =P However, my faithful readers I adore thee, and will try my best to entertain, even if it's only a little bit!
love love love,
Bianca
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)