2008: Year in Review

Snow...mucky, icy white shit
So started snowing Friday afternoon and didn't stop until sometime last night. Needless to say, I wasn't very motivated to leave the house this entire weekend. So my weekend was filled with knitting, movies, and cookie baking.

I stayed in and finished Krissy's Convertible Mitts. I'm not crazy about them but I'm not really feeling it to re-do them at this point. I think that they just needs some buttons to hold the tops open and/or closed to zest them up a bit.

Then I decided to put my newly received Malabrigo to the test. Will it be soft and cozy or make me breakout in hives!? I hoped for the former. I cast on and finished Crofter's Cowl with my own modification. I decided not to do the mirrored top and bottom and grafting that this project's instruction called for. Instead I just make 7 repeats of the first chart. It turned out rather nice. Still needs a blocking but it was so cold today that I couldn't resist wearing it out.
The lace pattern loses a little of it's interest by the varigations in this yarn but, all in all, I'm happy with this FO. And no hives! This may actually be the best news yet.

So now that I know that I can wear this yarn close to my skin and stay comfortable, I think that I'll make more of these. I already was planning on making my bestfriend one for Christmas since she lives in Chicago and could always use more warm clothing. I'm thinking about designing my own pattern for hers though. We'll see.

I have tomorrow off so I'm going to run over to Windsor Button in the moring and pick up a few skeins of Malabrigo Yarn Worsted Merino to knit up into more cowls! I think that these could be a perfect project for my bus trip to and from NY.

Happy Holidays to all, and to all a good night!


edit: I added rhinestone buttons to the mitts!

I NEED TO STOP!
This "Merry Christmas" to me kick I've been on this week needs to end. I've been done with my shopping for a bit so I've been self-indulging all week. First I purchased Malabrigo Worsted Merino from a Raveler last week. It's gorgeous! My plan is to knit myself a cowl out of it since I haven't knit a damn thing for myself since October. It's so soft-- I hope that I can wear it without a hive fest! My next purchase is practical but just doesn't fit my asthetic-- Dansko clogs. They aren't my style but they are a dream to walk in. I've been having a lot of foot problems and my even my podiatrist think these are great. I feel sort of justified because I donated tons of old (ie. uncomfortable, unsupportive shoes) to charity last weekend.
So, I bought another pair in a slightly different style for some variety (and much needed "medical" comfort, unfortunately). They're actually on their way to my doorstep today. I can finally walk pain-free again.
Then, my most frivolous purchase, is a new bag from Scout's Swag. This item won't be in until mid-January so I don't feel as bad as I could.

It's a gorgeous limited edition Eggplant color. Perfect for a combo knitting and day bag. Love it!

Like I said, Merry Christmas to me!

Oh yeah, wanna see some knitting? I'm almost done with these:I got guage but they still seem to be a little big. I hope they aren't too big on my sister.

My Two Thorpes
I finished, with crochet edging and braids, my brother's ear-flap hat. It was so easy and quick that I made another one for a coworker who I promised a hat to ages ago. Best part-- I knit them both from stash yarns!

My brother's Thorpe was knit from Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice yarn in black. I even learned the half double crochet stitch to do the edging. Then I added the stranded braid to each ear flap. Finito.

Then I cast on last night during the Giant's game and finished today my second Thorpe for my coworker Melissa. I promised her a hat awhile back so I figured that I'd be true to my word. I used some Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride Bulky in Lotus Pink, left over from legwarmers that I made years ago. I decided to forgo the crochet edging and braids and keep it simple.

How Bizarre!

Sunday was the the 2008 Bazaar Bizarre. Of course I got some loot! Jorge bought me a neat resin pendant necklace.
I got him an interesting print which we already framed and hung in our living room. It's odd but very interesting.
Jorge also got us some neat coasters. The mixer is for me and the projector for Jorge! I love vintage kitchen appliances and he's into vintage media players.

I found a cute little change pouch with the PBR logo on it and it said "PBR Powered"-- perfect for Jorge and his love for the cheap brew! Needless to say, he loves the pouch.

Seeing all these amazing crafts was totally inspiring and made me want to quit my job and join the craft fair circuit. I cast on for a hat when I got home and pretty much finished it last night! Oooo...I can sell hats! I dunno.

I'm going to check out Boston Handmade on Saturday morning... so much inspiration that I won't know what to do with myself!

Hair Trauma, Nov '08

So I'm over it and now I can talk about it. Two weeks ago I made an appointment with my regular stylist for a cut. My hair was super long and I wanted to cut it short and donate the hair to Lock of Love.

I sat down in her chair, as usual, and we discussed the cut and what I was looking for. She seemed to not really want to cut my hair short. She was not encouraging at all which was a little disappointing. But I stuck to my guns and said that I wanted to get rid of the length-- it was to the middle of my back and too much to handle at that point.

I described the desired effect: long, shaggy bob with lots of chunky layers, short in the back, long in the front and choppy bangs. I got a One-length bob with thin uniform bangs. I have a lot of very thick hair-- it wasn't blended at all. Tons of weight at the bottom. I had a triangle on top of my head. This really wasn't apparent to me until I left and walked past my reflection in a shop window. I nearly cried right then and there. I figured that it was the way she styled it and that I could do better once I got home. Not so much.

It was awful even after I washed it and restyled it the next morning. Doesn't look as horrendous as it was just by this picture. So, against my gut, I called and asked her if she could fix it because I wasn't happy with the cut. She was really sweet about it but AGAIN did not listen to my requests. I walked out with a shorter, more horrible, uneven version of the first cut. This time I did cry. I will never go back to her at this point.

I lived with the results for a few days and just hated it. It wasn't only a bad cut but it was very soccer mom. Totally not my style. So Saturday morning I called my old salon in the Southend, Liquid Hair Studios. My stylist is no longer there but I chose another stylist based on some reviews that I read on Yelp! and also by how cute her hair was in her picture on the salon's website.

I saw Francesca. She was totally in tune with what I wanted and agreed that the cut was NOT for me and done really poorly. She cut in some layers, dried it, and then razors some of the weight out. It turned out a millions time better than before. A little shorter than I originally envisioned but that was because of the 1st (and 2nd) botched cut done by EX-stylist. New cut pics to come.

I'm going to go back to her sometime in the near future for some color. I want foils that are some outrageous color. Maybe for Christmas!

Vested, I mean Gifted!

I finished the Mangyle vest for Jorge the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. He was thrilled-- I don't think he realized how much I did NOT enjoy knitting this vest. It was a total chore. I did already assure him (selfishly) that I will not make another no matter how much he likes his vest.

I also gifted the Fleegle socks to my mom who LOVED them. She went on and on about how much she loved then, how soft they were to wear and how she would like more in different colors. Of course, I created a monster!

No more WIPs...now what!? I want to knit for me but my sister and brother both requested knitted items and I'd like to make my dad a hat to match the mittens that I knit him last winter. My sister wants a pair of Convertible Mittens in black (she wants to blind me apparently). My brother wants a hat with ear flaps, though I couldn't tell if he was just kidding about the ear flaps. Maybe this one? I dunno. I still haven't picked out a pattern for my dad's hat but that should be easy-- something simple to show off the beautiful hand-painted variegation of the yarn. Maybe this one? It's simple enough, right!?

We'll see. I didn't plan on all this holiday knitting. And I'm sure that the fam has no idea how long it will take me to knit them all goodies. What a PIA. What can you do, ya know. If they're all done by the time Christmas rolls around, great. If not, they'll get them when they get them. I'm not going to worry about it. They would be extras at this point since I bought them all gifts already!

Sock it to me!

My Fleegle Socks are done. They aren't perfect but turned out pretty decent. I never wanted to knit socks, but it everyone else loves them so I wanted to see what the big was. Once I figured out the heel turn and gusset (with help), I felt like I could understand why knitters like socks. Though I'm not sure if I really even want to knit more socks but they are a great take-with project.

I don't know what to do with them now that they're done-- keep them, give them to my mom? Would someone else even want "fraternal" socks? Are they thin enough to fit comfortably in a shoe? I did knit them on size 3's afterall. We'll see, but at least I can cross this project off my WIP list.

Goodies!

I had to go into the office early yesterday so I decided that I was leaving at 4. What would I do with this extra time that I had on my hands??? Hmmm...I dunno, go to my LYS!? Ok, that's a great suggestion! And so I did.


I was in search of "real" bobbins used in stranded knitting. I made some bobbins out of tag board and they just weren't cutting it. They were bendy and kept making my yarn unravel. What a PIA! Talk about time-consuming-- I'd have to stop, knitting, rewind each of my eight bobbins several times before I got through a single row of color work. At that rate I'd never finish this godforsaken vest!


I also got highlighter tape to help me follow the chart easily, knit clips to help me with finishing/seaming, and a pair of Addi Turbos just to see if what everyone says about them is true.
Man, those needles are expensive! We'll see if they live up to their reputation.

Mangyle...my arch nemesis!

Mangyle, why do you hate me so? What have I ever done to you? I don't deserve to be taunted yet that doesn't stop you. Just when I get comfortable reading your chart and knitting with 3 different colors (only 3 colors...but 8 bobbins!), you screw with me by tangling and undoing my neatly wound homemade bobbins. You cause a level of frustration that makes me want to throw you across the room in aggrevation. You continue with these antics because you know that I will not give up on you. You know that I want nothing more than to conquer you. You laugh at the thought, but it will happen. I want you to submit!

Progress!

I have been making progress on my 2 WIPs this week but color work....I'm not so sure about it! Any tips? I haven't done very much of it and I'm afraid. So far, I don't feel like I'm very good. The color-work portion seems to be lumpy and tight in comparison to the stockinette body. Ick. I don't know how to fix this. Is this normal? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

As far my socks (sock) goes, I'm almost done with the foot of the first sock and will be forced to turn the heel. Ahhh...a lot of scariness with my projects lately. I have very specific instructions on how to make a basic heel, so I think I've got it under control for now...you'll probably hear me whine about in the next day or two ;-).

I have to say, I don't know why anyone wouldn't knit a sock toe up. It's awesome to be able to try it on as I go. I guess knitting a sock cuff down is like knitting a bottom up sweater. I always feel like I'm taking a gamble when I do that because it's hard to gauge fit when you can't actually try the piece on.

As I knit on the Mangyle and the sock, I daydream about swatching for my February Lady Sweater or my Central Park Hoodie. I'm not even exagerating when I say dream-- I'm literally dreaming that I'm winding my skeins of yarn to begin swatching. I know, I'm totally crazy! Oh well, I'm just selfish and want to knit sweaters for myself! I'm the only one who truly appreciates my knitted FOs. Well, that might not be totally true but I can appreciate all the hard work and time that goes into knitting them.

Good enough to wear!
So, last night, while watching True Blood, I decided to cut the bound off stitch edge of my Hey, Teach! I re-bound off with needles that were a couple sizes larger than what I used to knit the project and it seems to have fixed the problem. This morning I sewed on the buttons, with little reinforcement buttons on the back of the button band to anchor them down. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out!
I also started my very first pair of socks! I used the Magic Cast On with the Magic Loop method to start. I'm following Fleegle's Toe Up Sock pattern. Finally have a use for that lone skein of KPPPM that I had in my stash forever. Of course I had to buy a second skein to knit a complete pair. Hopefully, I don't get too bored and actually finish!

"Hey, Teach, how do I fix my tight neckline?"

I finished my Hey, Teach! yesterday morning. Once I completed the finishing, I tried my new sweater on and, to my dismay, the neckline was bound off much too tightly. Oh man....and I wove in all the ends so well that I can't find the end to rip the bound off edge back to re-do it. What to do, what to do....

I was thinking that I'd just snip a few of the stitches on the bound off edge and try to rip from there. Does that sound like a good idea? Any suggestions? Help! Once I'm happy with the neckline, I'll pick out buttons and sew them on.

I knit Hey, Teach! out of Knit Picks Shine Worsted. I've never knit a garment with this yarn before. I've noticed that it sheds a lot so I'm thinking that it will probably pill quite a bit. I'm wondering how it will wear shape-wise. Will it stretch out and loss it's shape? What's your experience?

My next project is Mangyle. I've cast on and knit a few inches of the back. The main color is black and the two contrasting colors are cream and gray. I've never knit a sweater this larger. I hope it doesn't take me forever. I'm just itching to start my February Lady Sweater!

I'm in the home stretch!


Almost done with Hey, Teach! I just need to finish up the second sleeve, attach them to the body of the sweater and add the trim. Yay!

I decided to make 3/4 sleeves instead of the pattern's short sleeves, seeing how it's Fall already. I used the modification found here to do so. Thanks stashnstitch for doing all the math! I'm about half way through the second sleeve at this point and hope to finish it today on my lunch break. Then maybe, just maybe I'll get to the finishing tonight. We'll see how far I get today.

I'd really like to finish because a) I want to wear it, b) there are projects in queue that I'm dreaming about! I'm speaking literally here....dreaming about! Is this normal? Does this happen to anyone else? Do I just not have enough of a life to warrant dreaming of something other than knitting? Well at least I'm not dreaming of shooting up heroin or something equally disgusting.

What are you knitting? What are you dreaming of knitting? Let's have a little contest to make me feel more "normal." Leave me a comment and tell me both what you're working on and what you're longing to work on. There's a prize for the winner! Go!

Buffalo's short for Alpaca...

Ok, well not exactly. I was in Buffalo, NY for a wedding this past weekend and couldn't resist visiting a few yarn shops. I got a couple of recommendations from the Buffalo Ravelry group: Have Ewe Any Wool and Knitting Karma. I really enjoyed my tine spent at Have Ewe Any Wool. It was a neat shop full of ladies talking about Ravelry! They had beautiful yarns and....an alpaca. I kid you not!

The shop had an event where a local farm visited bring along their yarns spun from their alpaca's fleeces. It was very lovely! And then there was an alpaca. Yes, an alpaca. He was a little skiddish but he allowed us to pet him a bit. He was adorable!


After my fun with farm animals, we headed over to Knitting Karma down the road. I was less impressed with their product selection but the women there friendly and very willing to help. Not to mention, they had animals too--2 green macaws! Buffalo LYSs are obviously animal-friendly!

Then the last stop was to Elmwood Yarns. Sadly, they are closed on Sundays so I didn't get to check them out. Sad day!

Today I had to see a hand specialist for elbow and wrist pain that I've been experiencing for the last month or so. On my way back to the office I decided to stop at A Good Yarn. I picked up a skein of Koigu PPPM. The colorway is close to the that of a skein that I already have in my stash so I figured that I'd try a pair of fraternal socks! Imagine that-- I was never interested in socks. We'll see.

I also picked up 3 skeins of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in New Age Teal. Was able to find a dye lot that I already had 2 skeins of so I was very pleased! I plan on using this stash for the February Lady Sweater. Just another project in my endless queue!

Look What I Got!

It's a needle gauge pendant! The needle sizes are laser inscribed on the back! You can get your very own at Debra's Garden. I placed my order on Friday and it arrived yesterday! I ordered the Khaki/platinum color. I really wanted the sterling silver version of this unique multi-tasker but, alas, I do not have the means at the moment...This version will do!

I meant to put in on this morning but I was running late, as usual, and forgot! Darn it. Still knitting Hey, Teach! Haven't been too into it because I kept screwing up the lace on the back panel and needing to tink back and re-knit said rows. If only I would use a life line-- I'd be able to save a lot of time by safely ripping those rows out. Sigh.

I NEED frequent breaks to reward myself...

It's true. What I don't understand is why I need these breaks when I'm doing something that I enjoy/love. Make a little progress...take a break, make a little more progress...take a break. It's not like I'm doing anything productive during my breaks. It's like I have ADD and just can't keep focused for periods of time longer than 15 minutes. I don't get it.

I started Hey, Teach! from Knitty's Summer '08 issue. I loved it when it was released as one of the surprise projects. Usually I wait with bated breath for the surprises to be released and then get sort of disappointed when they arrive. It's not because I don't like the surprise projects per se, it's more like they just aren't spectacular, surprise-worthy projects. If they were release within the regular issue I might even really, really like them...know what I mean?

Anyways, I digress...I really liked Hey, Teach! the moment I laid eyes on it. Then Ravelry, of course, has pushed me over the edge. I checked out the 11 or so pages of FOs and decided that this project was to be CO as soon as I finished up my current projects.

Everyone raved on how this was such a fast knit so I was totally sold at this point. After I CO and knitting the first 8" of St st in no time flat, I agreed that this was a fast knit. Then I got to the lace portion.

Charts have always boggled my mind. I don't understand the concept of the "repeat the section in the red box" part of the instructions. Finally I get it know. It took me several tries, tinking back several times here and there, before I had any success with the lace pattern. This lead to numerous breaks! Though I understand why I needed these breaks.

I feel like if I had really put my mind to it I could have accomplished so much more on this project but, alas, I did not. Not to mention that having a horrible cold doesn't help productivity. Sneezing a million times, having to blow my nose even more and the constant need for nasal spray all really cut into the time allotted to knit!

Hopefully, I'll make a good dent in this project this week.

Isn't she cute?

She's been sent to NY for my mom to gift away!

Oh, Baby!

Before I started another garment for myself I thought that I'd knit a baby sweater for one of my mom's coworkers. I promised awhile ago but life got so busy that it just didn't happen. The baby has actually already been born (3 weeks ago!) so I really wanted to knit this one up quickly so I can get it to NY for my mom to give.

I decided to knit the Seamless Yoked Baby Sweater. I cast on Friday night and started actually knitting on Saturday. I'm almost done! One more sleeve! I'm knitting this sweater in Red Heart Ltd. Designer Sport in Blush Rose. It's turning out to be really cute.

Disclaimer: I'm really not into babies. As a matter of fact, I don't really like them-- they freak me out. But their clothing...freaking adorable, not to mention total instant gratification projects.

Blocking, pulling, stretching, and more blocking!

That's what I did to my Hexacomb Cardi and it seems to have worked! I got the sleeves blocked and then last night I sewed them into the armholes. There was a little finagling but it worked out for the most part.

As predicted, I don't love this sweater. It's ok, but at least it's finished and I can move on to something bigger and better. Of littler...

Last night I began swatching for a baby sweater for one of my mother's coworkers. Hopeully I van finish that fast and move onto something for me! I know, what a selfish bitch I am!!!

Guess what? I don't care.

Do You See What I See?

What's wrong with this picture? Mmmmmmm....do the set in sleeves look like they'll fit in the armhole? Don't think so! The sleeve caps are much too small. WTF!?

I've been working on this f'ing cardi all summer and when it's finally time to put the pieces together they don't even fit not to mention that it's at least a size too big. I'm blocking the sleeves right now in hopes that I can get a couple of inches out of those bitches so I don't feel like I've wasted the entire summer's knitting on a frogged project! Cross your fingers for me please.

So irritating....

Oh well. I'd like to start Hey, Teach! from this Summer's Knitty.com. I'm thinking of using my supply of Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Grass for this one. Gotta swatch-- we'll see.

It's Been Awhile...

and I didn't even realize it!!! I feel like I just posted. The summer has really flown by. I feel like though I was really, really busy I didn't get to do anything for me. I've been busy for 7 out of the the 8 weekends doing family, obligatory stuff. Not that I even mind but I'm exhausted and I haven't accomplished nearly enough for myself. Selfish, huh!?

I'm still working on my Hexacomb Cardi. Before I seamed the shoulders, I tried it on and it was too big so I ripped back a bit and then did a three-needle bind off. Hopefully that helps a bit. Now I'm working on the first sleeve.
I bet it's going to be too big on me...but it's not like anything I knit for myself turns out the way I envisioned it anyway. What a waste of knitting time....I don't get it. My gauge swatch was even a bit on the small side yet the sweater itself is loose. This always happens to me! Well, I'm going to finish it and if it doesn't fit me I will find someone that it does!

There's so much that I want to knit and I hate wasting time on pieces that don't fit or look nice on me.

Tattoo Review

So the summer's got me thinkin'...I see all these scantily-clad boys and girls bopping around my neighborhood showing off their body art...and I want more ink. I've got the itch and now I want to scratch it. Only problem is that my artist is booking out until November. So much for instant gratification!

So to make myself feel better, I'm going to celebrate the art that I DO have! Here it goes:

The top center piece was my first (Oct 1998-9?). I found the image in a Mehndi henna design book. I held onto it for long enough that I figured I was ready to put it on my body permanently. It was done by Tattoo George of The Portsmouth Tattoo shop in Portsmouth NH.

Then a few years later (Sept 2001 & Jan 2002?), I felt like I was ready to add to it! I had a roommate that had recently graduated from RISD and was a fabulous artist. He and I came up with the concept and the rough sketch of the larger piece to go below my first.I met with Fat Ram of Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo in Jamaica Plain, MA to finalize the sketch and we completed the tattoo in two sessions.

Then the shoulder idea came along. I came upon some plum flowers and peonies in a Chinese brush painting book that I had forever and all of a sudden the idea was born. Through some research I found that I like Japanese cherry blossoms better and went to see Darlene Dibona at Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo (April 2006). I get tons of compliments on this piece.

My maternal grandfather passed away March 2007. It was a horrible time for me. The thought of that night still brings tears to my eyes. I've never been much for memorial tattoos but I for some reason I really needed to do it. My Pop was an amazing man who lived 30 years with heart disease. He was a strong yet sensitive person who played an important role in my life. I wanted to have something that would always remind me of the good times. I chose a (healthy!) anatomical heart image to be tattooed on the inside of my right wrist by Justin, also at Fat Ram's (see my loyalty to local business!) in August 2007. He did an amazing job with the detail of this tiny piece. When people see it they think that it's weird but I love it for many reasons and always will.

Here's a bit of a funny Christmas present from my best friend! We've been trying to do things together for the last few year fro Christmas rather that exchange presents. It's so much more practical and less to travel home with!We chose a protection symbol-- the seven-pointed star and we both got the same image tattooed. I got mine on the inside of my left wrist and she got hers on her left hip. We had them done at Stingray Body Art and Tattoos by Ray (Dec 2007). Not only did he do a lousy job and totally overcharge us, he was the most unfriendly, impersonal artist that I've ever met. I've had thoughts of going back and having it touched up but he did a shit job the first time so I'm not sure if he'd do much better with a second go around. I guess you win some, you lose some...unfortunately it's a visible piece.

The Vitruvian Man, one of my favorite Leonardo DaVinci sketches ever! The original resides in Venice, Italy but is only shown on special occasions. Being that I've worked, in one way or another, in the health care field for the last ~15 years, this image has always been prevalent in my life. So I decided that it was something that I want on my body. Again, it's the work of Justin at Fat Ram's (Jan 2008). It's not straight up black-- he muddied up the black with brown to achieve the actual tones of the original. I love it. Hurt like a bastard but I love it!

Then my latest (May 2008) is my lovely Day of the Dead Skull done by Dee at Great Southern Tattoo in Alexandria Va. She whipped up her own rendition of a dia de los muertos skull with my input. It's over the Achilles' tendon on my left ankle. I've gotten mixed reactions to this one. Some think it's lovely and actually know what it is, and some think it's hideous. Oh well. I love it!

So that's all for now...I'm sure that there will be more to come. It's addicting.

Rest

I had a very restful weekend, finally. I've been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off so I really needed the rest. But resting doesn't give me a lot of content to blog about!

I did knit a little. I'm still working on my Hexacomb Cardi. I just finished the first 8" or so. I'm up to the point of separating the front and back. To tell ya the truth, I want to be wearing this sweater and not knitting it at this point. But I will keep on keepin' and finish this cardi.

I don't know what is next up in my project queue. I kind of like this but will I be done with it in time to actually wear it before the Fall rolls around? I have a great charcoal color for it but I'm not sure. We'll see.

Bridal shower, pole dancing and margaritas-- in that order!

Rebecca's bridal shower went very well on Saturday. Unbeknown to Rebecca, I volunteered to meet a friend of Rebecca's at the airport whom I'd never met. I totally made a bright pink sign with her name on it so she could find me easily, not to mention that I thought I was being funny. Since I was picking up the surprise out-of-town guest from Logan and her flight was delayed, we ended up getting to up to Salem, NH after Rebecca already arrived. That was a bummer but she was really surprised to see her friend Edith from Chicago walk in with me!

I pretty much missed all the delicious food I'd help select due to my tardiness but what I did get to shove in my mouth was pretty tasty. I thought that the cake was ugly as sin but reports show that it tasted better than it looked, thankfully. Looks like the bride to be liked it-- that's really all that matters!

If you notice in the picture above, there's a lovely flower arrangement behind the hideous cake. This pic doesn't do the arrangement justice. Jamie found these gorgeous watering cans to use as centerpieces and Rebecca's mom, Ellen, actually arranged the flowers. She did a beautiful job. I'm telling you, it looked as if a professional did the arrangements-- gorgeous.

Now it's safe to show the shower favors and the finished garter! The favors were filled with one of Bec's favorites-- conversation hearts. The garter turned out nicely and I just loved the Swarvoski crystal in the center of the bow. Of course when she opened my present, she had to point out to everyone that I made the garter and the stole...embarrassing (blush).

So her "something blue" in now covered with the garter, along with a funny pair of blue boy-short undies that say "Newlyweds" given by Jamie. Her "something borrowed" will be Jamie's veil, her "something new" will be her dress, and her "something old" will be my great grandmother's wedding band.
If there was a "something handmade" she'd be all set-- tenfold! I'm really happy that I could do this stuff for her. She's so excited about the wedding and I'm glad that I can help make it really special.

After the shower and some bridal party/family time, we headed back to town to take a pole dancing class. It was hysterical. Don't tell anyone but I'd definitely take the class again (shhh). Unfortunately, all pics taken were with my friend's camera so I don't have anything to post....maybe that's a good thing!

After our hour-long class were were famished and grabbed a bite at the Cactus Club. Margaritas and empanadas....yummy way to end a long, hot day!