One of the best gifts ever

So a few years ago when I began knitting, one of my first projects was a red wool cardigan sweater. Yeah, I know, ambitious! I made the thing, then found out how horribly hot I got in it, no matter how cold I was. I decided it was a bit too thick for me, so I was kind of disappointed... until I remembered that my aunt Laura, who also happens to be my godmother, was always cold in the winter, and is also approximately the same size as I am. So, I gifted her with that red sweater, and she loved it nearly to bits.

Flash forward to a little more than two years ago, when I found yet another awesome cardigan pattern, and began to knit it. This time, I had Laura in mind. It took me almost a year to knit (sporadic, I am) and once I had it completed, it had to be assembled, and then the edges had to be crocheted (this is where my mom helped out) and then I had to come up with a clasp (the photo just had a big safety pin to close the thing... (ugh, remember when safety pins on clothing was hip?) so I knew I needed a cool clasp. I found one at a local craft store, but it was gold and I thought silver would look better with my color, so I ordered one online but it came too late for last Christmas.

So this Christmas, my aunt got her sweater—with "some assembly required" because I left the choice of gold or silver clasp up to her, and she's much better at sewing than I am anyway (in the photo, the Minnesota Cross-Stitch in the background was made by you-can-guess-who).



She sent me this photo with this message a few days after Christmas:

Beth,
Thank you for this amazing sweater!! It is such a beautiful color - it just makes me feel calm when I see it. And it is wonderfully warm. I feel very special to have a godchild who would make me such a gift. Thanks so much!!!
Love,
Laura


That thank-you note was one of the best gifts ever.

Girl from the North Country

I have plans to buy this coat for the winter months. It is, as we'd say in Minnesota, "a bit spendy," but it looks beautiful, and with the Thinsulate lining, probably quite warm, and up here, when the North Winds blow, that is invaluable. Also, it may hold up and serve me as long as I remain a size 6. I am already working on a new winter scarf for myself as well, in the following pattern:

Row 1:
P2, *K1, P1, K1, P2
Repeat from *

Row 2:
K3, *P2, K3
Repeat from *

I have a lot to go, with only about a foot of knitting completed, but it's something nice to do when I'm not otherwise engaged with schoolwork, my GA, and working.

A work in progress

No, I am not knitting a Thneed, but it sure doesn't resemble anything whatsoever wearable. I have to thank the boring and vaguely pointless movie "Wah-Wah" for the progress I made on this item in the last week. I am now six inches closer to being done with my shrug. This means that inevitably by the time the weather necessitates something much warmer than a shrug, I will probably be done, unless I happen upon a string of bad movies from Netflix.

I plan on adding some embellishments once I am done with the majority of the construction work, probably using my very favorite pattern book, The Arco Guide to Knitting Stitches. I have made a few scarves using patterns from that book, and I just love the old photographs and the simple directions. I also really love the book I'm using for the shrug pattern, Speed Knitting, which, as it's taken me months and months to get 40 inches of my project, is not exactly true for me, but probably for your average knitter. I am just particularly slow, and/or distracted by other hobbies.

P.S. Those IKEA tape measures work great for carrying anywhere to measure progress. Plus, they are FREE!

How I spent my day off...

Today after spending the morning and lunchtime at S's, hanging out and making egg rolls with his mom, I came home and blocked the sweater I've been knitting since March. Yes, March. As you can tell, my fascination with knitting has dwindled somewhat, considering that I used to crank out scarves, hats, and other objects with a passion almost unknown. Then, something happened. I think it's called "summertime" and also "graduate school" and then something known as "time spent with a boyfriend who was gone for six months." So, this is the sweater, drying, waiting for it to be pieced together, a collar to be knitted, crocheting to do around the edges, and a clasp to be sewn on. I am pretty excited about that last part:

I love this clasp! I kind of wish it were silver, and I will probably check another craft store before finalizing it, but I love how it hooks and will close the sweater in a casual way, vs. a row of buttons or a zipper. Edit: I just found a silver version of the same JHB clasp online and ordered it up. So pleased about this!!

S will be gone until Sunday evening-ish (not exactly sure when) on the Calvary Chapel mens' retreat at a cabin north of Onamia, near Mille Lacs Lake. I will miss him, because hey, look at that cute guy! But two days (really only one—Saturday) without seeing S is not really the end of the world. He didn't bring his cell phone with him, which made me kind of sad and also really proud. He will be okay, and I'm sure the guys will have a great, blessed weekend. Pray for them, please, if that's your bag!

I'm actually feeling much better and very happy because a little birdie told me that someone very special is coming for a visit this weekend, someone I haven't seen since August, someone I have missed very much. We don't know when to expect this person, but I'm hoping it's sometime when I'm home, since I work tomorrow...

Completely unrelated topics entry!

I think I'm going to get back into my knitting sometime soon. I tend to watch movies and knit mindlessly, but lately my wrists have been hurting/tingling, and that's never a good feeling. It's too bad that some of my favorite activities (checking books in and out, knitting, typing) involve my stupid wonky wrists.

On an unrelated note, I plan on being a friendly, customer-service oriented librarian when I grow up and finish my degree. Being kind and "service with a smile" makes patrons want to use the library time and again, and will convince them to vote for more library funding, and on down the line. One smile at a small child, one "hello" to anyone who enters the library, goes a long way toward making an entire library system a place people want to be. For real.