In which Jenn gets a her hot little hands on a craft room

So, on Saturday, our roommate P moved out. (Who, for the record, is so selfish & nutty that he banned our friends J & M from coming to the house while he was living there, because he and J exchanged words,(J insulted P's ex-girlfriend and P insulted J's wife) and J apologized. However P wasn't satisfied so he told us that we could never again have them at the house while he was living there. Normally, I would not have agreed to this and would have told him where to stick it, but then Ry pointed out to me that he's on meds and keeps guns in the house, so I kept my mouth shut. So that's the back story about P.) There are three exciting things that come out of this grand move-out: 1) No more P, no more hippy friend and no more stinky tea that's on the DEA watch list!(that all counts as one as far as I'm concerned) 2) We get a dedicated guest room and 3) I get a CRAFT ROOM!!!! Glorious! I spent the day Saturday setting it up. (Truthfully it's not totally finished yet, I need to make up some curtains,get a more comfortable desk chair and slap a coat or two of paint on the walls and baseboards,but I didn't have the time for all of that because Sunday is study day.) Ry hauled two shelving units in and put them in the closet, which is where I have my yarn and fabric organized. I swept and mopped the floors, cleaned the window sills, washed the windows, dusted and organized. All of my woolen yarn is now neatly packed away into plastic bags so the moths won't get to it. I have WIPS on one shelf sock yarn on another, DK, Worsted and Aran weight yarn on their own shelf, and my novelty and cheap acrylic yarn has been segregated away from the good stuff. (I know Rev. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would have something to say about my malicious yarn segregation, but any knitter will tell you, it's not all created equal) All the yarn still in bags is on the top shelf. Then I put my sewing items on another shelving unit, Washed and unwashed fabric is separated out, WIPs have their own shelf, the scissor/zipper basket has a little home of it's own and I have a remnant bag as well. My embroidery floss is hanging from little hooks in the shelf as well. At my built in desk, I went all Martha Stewart-y and strung up my twine an ribbon and I have a couple of glass jars holding crochet hooks and some knitting needles.




I have what use to be P's TV shelf, holding my sewing machine, books and magazines as well as all my vintage and new sewing patterns.


(these pics are before the rug was put in) Ry put in an area rug that the dogs love and I have two big sunshiney windows in there so I can have a lot of natural light during the day. I just love it. While I was putting my room together, Ry was starting the guest room (which also needs paint, it's the most atrocious green I've ever seen in a room.) He swept, mopped dusted and cleaned his little heart out. He moved a dresser up there, all of our shoes, the spare bed and two night tables. We just need to paint and decorate..and put beddign on the bed.

This will also be our first time living ALONE together! Which we are both incredibly excited about. No more, "is this our milk?" type questions, because from now on the answer is "Yes,yes it is." In knitting news I finished the Anouk dress and Saartje's booties(did I already say that?) and I'm almost done with the embossed leaves socks.

I am casting on for the Belle Cardigan this weekend, I even did a gauge swatch!
I am knitting it off-gauge though because I kept reading reviews on Ravelry that it comes out way too big, so I'm knittign a smaller gauge and a smaller size, both in the hopes that the gym will have really paid off by then and it will be a near perfect fit. Oh yes, did I tell you? I found a gym near work, so I've been going on my lunch hour everyday since the 19th. I've already lost some weight! Hoo-ray! Deb really inspired me, she does an aerobics class on her lunch hour and is driven to lose weight. So, I hunted down a nearby gym and joined up, it's the favorite part of my day now. Except, of course, for knit-night on Fridays!

One last shot of my room.

Hi! I missed you!

Where have I bene and what have I been up to that I wasn't blogging regularly? Well, I've been busy! First it was finals, and then on the 17th Ry graduated from lawschool. It was so wonderful to see him in his cap, gown and hood. He looked so handsome. He also won an award, highest achievement in labor law! (So proud.) When his sister S saw him acceot the award she started crying and my FMIL got a little choked up. Me? I thought he was keeping it a secret, so I was excited when I heard, but couldn't beleive he kept it a secret from me! Well, as it turns out, he didn't even know, it was a surprise to all of us. Afterwards we had a drunken grad party at his parents house (just family). it was lovely, lots of food booze and good company, just what a grad party should be!
Then the following weekend we went to the MAss sheep and wool festival in Cummington Mass, where we watched the border collie trials and met up with my friends in the knitting group, Deb, MA and Lexi. I (of course) bought llama and some gorgeous alapca yarn, all natural and undyed, something about that espresso brown alapca and creamy white llama and alpaca really called to me. Then on Sunday we went to Ry's Aunties house for his cousin's girlfriend's baby shower. It was lovely Auntie really knows how to hostes a party! I knit Anouk and matching saartje booties. (pics will be posted soon) I think they were well recieved, she was so excited about all of her gifts it was hard to tell! When we got back I went upstairs for a nap, and then we went over to J&M's place for some drinks and didn't get home and to bed until 3am! MOnday was a study day (because classes started last week), and here I am today. Now that classes have begun, there's not much going on in my life, mostly because we're squeezing a semester of classes into less than 2 months. Can you imagine? The reading load is insane! Well, I'm in class right now, so I'm gonna split, talk to you soon!

No worries, I’m still here!

Hello, my friends. I've been missing blogland. As ususal, life (and Ravelry) got in the wayof some serious blog time. I have been knitting, though. I began the embossed leaves socks (which I will be making for Ry’s Mom because they’re easy and pretty), I’m also about halfway done with an Anouk baby dress. I did make some modifications to it. The original pattern calls for it to be a little pinafore, which meant that it was unattached on the sides and would have to be put over some kind of poufy dress. I did not like that, so I am knitting it in the round and then dividing it and knitting back and forth for the top. I’m using Blue Sky Dyed Cotton as the yarn, it’s my first time using anything by Blue sky, I have to say that I just love it. So soft to the touch, such delicious colors and such whimsical names! The dress is knit in pickle and circus peanut and the pockets will have flamingo colored flowers on an orchid background. I just adore the pattern and the mods were not a big deal. This baby dress has gotten me addicted to knitting for babies. They’re such fast little knits. A friend of mine suggested that perhaps I should just knit up little baby things, box them up and wait for more people to have babies. Not such a bad idea, although I don’t know how Ry would feel being overrun with baby knits! I other news, our roommate P will be moving out on June 1st, so we’ll (finally) have the whole place to ourselves. Which also means that the sunshine-y room upstairs that is currently being used for P’s plants will be my office/craft room. I am, of course, very excited over the prospect of this, as is Ry (he’ll finally have his office back). The first order of business will be to paint the room in something that will be both bright and calming, then I will make some curtains and set up the room. We will also have a nice big guest room (P’s old bedroom), which we will move the spare bed into, paint and furnish. This will be a nice summer project for all those weekends Ry will be his little patootie off. It’ll keep me busy and out of his hair and will allow me to have a nice, freshly painted interior. (Oh, did I mention I plan on repainting the bathroom, hallway and hopefully the kitchen and living room too? Yep it’ll be a whole new house, ladies and gentlemen!) Moving on, Mom and I got Ry his graduation gift this weekend. We gave it to him early so he could enjoy it before finals. We got him a gas grill, something he’s been wanting for a long time. He loves it and to “Christen” it he grilled up some delicious steaks from whole foods. Yum! The next night we had hotdogs on the grill. Double yum! This grill is so nice, even I might use it! I forgot to take some action shots of the first using of the grill, but I intend to either recreate it (by having more steak) or take other action shots. (Burgers, maybe?) This week is the last week of classes for Ry FOREVER, and for me, until the resume again in the summer. Next week begins finals, so I will probably not post again until afterwards. I had registered for and was hoping to see the Yarn Harlot in Noho this weekend, but unfortunately, I will be studying. Deb and MaryAlice will be there and they promise to tell me all about it. MaryAlice even bought me her book, so they could get it autographed for me. (Aren’t they the best?) Finals also mean no knitting group for the next three weeks…I am already going through withdrawals! The ladies in the group are great and our time together is filled with lots and lots of laughter. For the past two weeks MaryAlice was bringing in her spinning wheel, and she even let me spin some yarn! Now, of course, I want a spinning wheel. I even have it all picked out, so that it can be my gift to myself after the bar! I say after the bar, because I really do not need the extra distraction of spinning. I already have loads of fabric and knitting calling my name I don’t need that spinning wheel whispering to me too! Hmm, well sorry about no pics, I’ll go back through and update this post with pics. (If Blogger isn’t a pain about uploading pics like last time.) In the mean time, have a fabulous week!

Arizona, baby!

Ry and I went to Arizona for spring break, it was a whirlwind trip and, as always, it felt like it was just not enough time. Ry fell in love with AZ and just yesterday asked me when we can go back. I just laughed, he has to take the bar exam, and then we have a wedding to plan and save for! Silly boy. While we were in AZ we got to visit with Ry's friend D and his family, D & K have two kids and they are just absolutely adorable. I also got the opportunity to get to know my Cousin's Future Wife a bit better, she's a charming girl, a bit quiet, but than again my cousin and I tend to be loud and talkative, anyone who ends up with us would have to be a bit quiet. (and they both are!) We went to Tombstone, Bisbee and the Grand Canyon. The hotel we stayed at in Bisbee was The Copper Queen Hotel, which is haunted by three ghosts...and I know you're going to laugh (ahem, Grampa), but I swear the female ghost was in our room. All of the sudden at 2:30am I woke up from some extraordinarily vivid nightmares, I out on my glasses checked the clock and lay back down. Suddenly I was freezing. I felt like i was outside in 10 degree weather with nothing but a swimsuit on, that is how cold I was. Then I felt a cold arm lay over the top of mine and a cold hand squeeze my own. Needless to say I freaked out, I was yelping and kicking Ry, and he would not wake up...it went on for maybe 15 or 20 seconds and then it stopped. I didn't fall back to sleep until dawn (just incase she came back). I know it's my fault, see she used to conduct business in a room that was just a door down from mine, and apparently she was a Lady Of The Evening... Except I kept calling her a whore, but with a cheesy Boston accent, so a "Hooah". Pretty sure she didn't like that, so she woke me up. Well anyway, it was creepy, and weird, but kinda cool. From Bisbee we spent some time in Tucson and I showed Ry around my old haunts, we even went to Gentle Ben's! I haven't been there since my Dad was going to UofA! When we got back we spent time with my Grandparents and had a picnic and played some games and just generally relaxed and had fun, which is easy to do with them. Then Ry & I went to the Grand Canyon, he was astounded. His jaw literally dropped when he first saw The Canyon. It was great we had a picnic and went all along the South Rim. Then we spent some time with my grandparents, and Gramma and I dyed Easter eggs and ryan saw an old family video of all us cousins when we were kids. It was such great fun. We had a wonderful time. So, without further ado, here are some oice from the trip.



(at the canyon)

(the desert in bloom)

"Smelly cat, smelly caaat what are they feeding you?" ~Phoebe

I work with a person who smells. Bad. Really bad. Lest you think I am a small and petty person, let me say this: This is no ordinary b.o. It does not smell like sweat. I have lived in hot and sweaty states and been around my fair share of sweaty people. That is not this odor. This odor is acrid, it stings the back of my throat when I breathe it in. It is almost as though this person keeps the litter box in the closet with the clothes. The problem with this theory is that GP does not own a cat. I asked. No cat because of allergies. So where is this odor coming from? I cannot look this person in the eye and say “You know something, GP? You smell. I mean really, really smell bad. What’s going on? Are you ill?” I cannot say this anymore than you can look someone in the eye and say “Why yes you are quite unattractive. People do care, and it’ll probably be harder for you to be hired as say, a model, but not to worry I’m sure you’ll find love. There are plenty of other unattractive people out there, and if that fails your mother will always love you.” Um, no. That cannot be said, it can be thought, but never said. The odor ebbs and flows, today it flowed. It flowed right over to my cubicle, if it hadn’t been so chilly out, I’d have opened my window. However it was chilly and I was stuck, stuck with this odor choking me, stinging my eyes. Thinking about it now I can taste the odor in the back of my throat. It is truly an awful smell. I deduced today with the help of a co-worker, that it is a very bad case of Vinegar Foot. Feet that smell so bad it is like leaning over a vat of vinegar and breathing it in. That is the acrid odor. (That, by the way is what comes of buying cheap “leather” shoes.) Now my problem is that GP keeps a spare set of shoes at work. So, I ask you, how can I sneak into GP’s cube and spray down the spare set, wrestle the regular set off GP’s feet and spray those down all without GP’s knowledge? Horse tranquilizers? Tranquilizer darts? A quick bonk to the head? Let me know.

Swap Package Received!

I received my swap package today! What a lovely surprise at the end of a crap day! Claudia did a wonderful job with my mittens, they are the herring bone pattern in a lovely pale blue and plummy purple. I just adore them! They will go with EVERYTHING! She also sent me some Scottish and Welsh Yarn and most favorite chocolate, Cadbury's!! Thanks so much to her I just love everything, it really brightened my day. The package is wonderful, I adore it, but enough gushing, here are the pics!

Ugh

So I got up ths morning and decided to make a protein shake for breakfast. I took the shake mix, some milk, a banana, and some ice cubes, threw them in the blender and BAM! Deliciously good shake. I had a few sips and boy was it tasty. Then I gathered up my things and headed out the door to work. Ivery carefully placed the shake on the roof of the car and began throwing my bags onto the passenger seat. As I was moving Ry's driving glasses and repositioning my bag...WHAM SPLOOSH! The whole DAMN shake came crashing down on me. Needless to say not only was I mad that I was covered in banana protein milk, but I also had to change clothes, rise off my coat make another shake (this time just with mix and water to save time) and left late for work. Thank God it narrowly missed my hair, otherwise I would ahve been REALLY pissed!

On the knitting front, I finished the mittens for my swap partner, a pair of baby booties (which will be going on the feet of a doll, because the first one is not as good as I'd like it to be and Trish really wanted them) and the campfire socks. I'm startign a gauge swatch for a pair of socks for my FMIL and for a sweater (I know sweater season is almost over, but hopefully I'll have it done before the next sweater season).