Fourth time is the charm!

Last night I had two dear friends over for dinner and the night. Pina taught me how to knit last night, and this morning she pointed out that she heard the "click click" coming from my bedroom rather a bit after I went to bed! It's really really addictive, and all I've done so far is a regular knit. Once I get this scarf done, I can't wait to learn how to do some fancy stuff...maybe even learn how to purl. (hee hee) But today after I finish a few more rows, I have to find my passport and put the blanket together. Randall's birthday has snuck up on me and now I have two days to put the whole blanket together. I guess I should start felting sweaters (four more to go). And I will, right after a few more rows.

Who knew to bring a project?

Tonight was my first upholstery class. I was one of four people there unaccompanied by footstools, chairs, and the like. It turns out that most of the people have taken the class before, so they knew to bring their current work-in-progress with them. Since I live too far away (in Chicago, not Evanston), I was allowed to go home with promises to start ripping apart my footstool but to take pictures so I'd remember how to put it together again.
I feel quite confident that the new footstool will also have Family Handiman and the latest issue of Domino on it, along with a few books for comfort. Now, I start! The freedom of not knowing where to start taking it apart is quite fun, because I think that means I can do whatever I like! This is my free-with-chair footstool from Craigslist (purchased over two years ago when I first moved to Chicago) so I'm not terribly upset if it doesn't look great when I'm done. But it will...because I will make it happen! I'm excited, can you tell?

We are crazy people!

Yes, another wild & crazy evening here- I'm working at the computer and occasionally sneaking off to take pictures while bbf is reading a paper about a new kind of math. I love how smart he is, but I have to say, I doubt this is what people think "the young people" are doing on Tuesday evenings after dinner!

Dinner was a rather disturbing pasta with Trader Joe's Vodka Marina sauce. No one wanted seconds.

Snow!

Not quite a winter wonderland, but a vast improvement over the 50 F days we had last week! The clinic is closed today in honor of MLK Jr. and I'm curled up with a mug of tea busily working on my parents' 40th anniversary surprise. Will call my big sister in a few minutes to arrange more details... But for now I'm enjoying a snowstorm, city-style. I can hear the cars making a zip-splash sound as they pass on the street. The flakes are big, and melting almost as soon as they hit the ground. I have no plans to leave the apartment until I pick up bbf tonight at the airport, and snow helps cement my no plans.

Randall's blanket

How could I forget? My friend Randall (he introduced me to my beloved boyfriend), also a coworker, has a birthday on January 29! I am making him a felted sweater quilt. Thanks to a fantastic $1/sweater deal at the Lakeview/Uptown Salvation Army, and a trip to Unique Thrift on a half-price Monday, I am felting down (fulling, to be precise) 12 sweaters to make into a quilt. I didn't invent the idea (http://www.blackbirdsf.org/diy/blanket/) but I'm really excited. This is the starter pile of pillows (and some unread nursing journals).

And my other top crafting project right now: valentines surprise for beloved boyfriend. This is our first V-day together and although I'm resolved not to overdo the occasion (a trumped up, false, Hallmark holiday) I'm planning to set up a surprise for him. The "be mine" wheel is from Martha Stewart's website.

Ahem...first ever!

Thank you! To Amanda (soulemama), Sugar Mountain Farm, MommyCoddle, and the other blogs I love to read. I've been inspired. I've been impressed. And I'm hoping that this will give me a format to share my love for crafting with anyone interested...and maybe a little incentive to finish projects.

This is my first blog. I'm a little nervous. I'm excited. And I have a craft-in-progress to share: holiday cards. Okay, I know I'm a little behind the times, but I'm just getting around to it now. Although in the past I've been a scornful critic of holiday letters, I started writing an update of my life (new condo! great boyfriend! love my job!) super-imposed on a cardinal drawing... That's my "nest" envelope in green next to the book on my computer desk.

Current project list: kitchen cabinets; kitchen countertop; quarter round trim around all living spaces except kitchen and dining area; baby quilt for future niece/nephew; wedding quilt for brother (first anniversary March!); cross-stitch for sister; valentines bombardment for beloved boyfriend; quilt for good friend Adam; summer skirt; learn to crochet.