Holidays

I can't say that I have been scrooge this holiday. But I haven't been totally filled with the Christmashannaquanzika spirit.

Here we are, the two of us young adults, sitting in our living room with the TV off. Michael is listening to a Panther's game on the radio stream and I am just blogging after reading a book I did receive from his parents for Christmas.

The book is, "The Friday Night Knitting Club" by Katie Jacobs. I haven't read a book since the one in 2005, I know it's a shame. I use to spend a lot of my free time with my spiny 'friends' but not so much after high school. Anyway, I'm kind of in the middle about the book. It had points in which I wanted to cry and laugh aloud, but it was definitely systematic in it's style and story plot. And now there is another book, so, with that being said, I don't know if I will read it.

In the mean time, I have finished my hoodie. It's from my birthday this year, Michael bought the pattern and picked out the yarn. I will update pictures later, but you can find the pattern here.

Since we have moved, I've been unpacking and settling. I have also been working on paper garland for the wedding, as well as the normal day to day cleaning.

I haven't received any type of confirmation about my own health. It will be fine I'm sure. Although, I really hate the 'free market' healthcare system. I hated it before and I am still not completely keen about it now.

Better news, is that my bro's chemo is evidently working. His tumor has responded to the recent adjustments and hopefully soon he will be cancer free. I feel like this is the worst part, having him or my mom sick and it not being me. I know that I can handle it and have lived an ok life, but seeing and knowing that he is suffering, stinks.

Well soon, I will post some pictures. To bed I said! To bed Fred!

Finished Coozies

My kitty coozies are done.
I had to refelt this one :


And so is our move in !!!


In the meantime. I am being totally distracted by a few health issues. Wish I weren't. This year has been super roller coaster. My brother is still dealing with chemo. They are switching up his treatments because the tumor came back, evidently it can resist some.

And my mom, still a bit weird after the brain trauma. I know it's not overnight that someone can get over it. Not having any type of therapy isn't great either. It's hard to explain to people who meet her for the first time. They think that she is quirky but ok. For me, she's not ok.

And me, I'm working through a bunch of doctors visits. I'm not really happy about it, no one ever is. I luckily had a mammogram at 27, they found some fibriods, which means I get to go to a surgical oncologist. Just in case there needs to be a biopsy. What spurred this, well, i hate to get into the nuts and bolts of it but I did get to find out that I have a small pituitary tumor. It is affecting prolactin levels. It could be the reason I have been tired for about 6 months. And it's caused other issues. I've almost fainted 4 times this year. Once while helping the vet with Ciera, twice while talking to someone at work ( I was standing up looking down), and the last time was giving red blood cells. I attribute the first and last time to the circumstances.

How do I feel? I am a bit scared. I am a bit tired, of the ups and downs. Obviously, you can't know what happiness feels like if you don't have some pain. I wish that some of the craziness of this year was spread out over a couple of years. I have been sandwiched between happiness of a wedding and buying a house, with pain of my mother's health, brother's health, and my impeding issues.

What I plan on doing about it? Well, I have gotten out more this year than ever. Although just with the knitting groups. Luckily I have all of the wedding planning left. 3 month crunch. Yeay. I do wish at times we did elope or just get it done and over with. But at the same time, I'm excited. It's hard to explain.

Alright, enough complaining. It will all be ok. Absolutely ok. I am off to bed so I can get to work tomorrow and perhaps finish unpacking tomorrow night.

Many Many Projects

So there is a lot for me to do. Most of it is self created work but still, a lot to do.

I went to a craft fair earlier this year and scored some earrings for my wedding. Unfortunately, the lady did not have a matching necklace so I am in the process of either finding one or finding where i put her information to ask for a custom creation. She does beautiful work. I packed away the earrings before getting a picture.

Michael and I are knee-deep in the process of buying a house. We are now waiting for the title company and the seller (bank owned) to get their things together. Since we are going through an FHA program they have to take care of some termite business (normal in south florida). But the house is super lovely. It needs a bit of cosmetic work and eventually an overhaul of the wiring, but it already feels like home.

Meanwhile, the apartment we are in is overloaded with boxes, packed. I'm super ready to get out of here, the leaky roof for 1 1/2 years has gotten to me. I think that it's making my allergies act up more than usual.



So, what am I working on... Well, a bag for a friend for one! It's going to be felted in the end, which I can't wait to do. It's from the Stitch & Bitch book.. Letter Have it! And I'm working on a cat bed to felt for the kids :).

I wish I were more updated on this blog. Shame on me. I've been oober into what's going on but not tracking it.

It's all about the wedding

That's it. I put my foot down on my knitting and focused on my wedding. Ok. I know, not that big of a deal considering it's still crafting. However, I have been procrastinating BIG Time.

Here are my pictures of the two new necklaces I've made for the girls:





I've also worked on the boutonnieres. These are not completely done. I do have to manicure them and I am thinking about a beaded pin to hold them in place instead of trying to rig something hidden.


I purchased the feathers from Good Earth Farm in Loxahachee (spl), Fl.


Alright, I lied. It hasn't been all about the wedding. I have been working on a Hoodie from Blue Sky Apalca. Michael gave it to me for my birthday and I am getting through pretty quickly. I am already on the sleeves and I only started two weeks ago.

We are also in the process of trying the home buying experience again. We had a couple of setbacks earlier this year with the house we originally wanted and my mom getting sick all of a sudden. But, we are plugging through now, hopefully we will be able to start packing soon. I'm collecting boxes and trying to resist the urge to pack, pack, pack. It's hard. However, I did get a paint stick from Amazon. I hope it works because I have painted my apartment lovely shades, one being Chianti (and have heard the comment from the manager, you are going to paint that before you move right?... of course lady or you can paint it and take it out of my deposit) ! Which I realize I do not have ONE stinking picture of.

BTW. Side note. I took a One a Day walgreens brand of a multivitamin with time release guarana and that thing nearly made me fall out today. I was talking to my boss and my vision started to narrow and my pulse raced.. not to mention I felt like I had to vomit. The only thing I can think of that would have made me feel this way was the stinking vitamin. I didn't read that it was a much caffiene as a cup of coffee, and I had one of those as well. I've been on a low caffiene diet lately so.. you can imagine.

Well.. 20 minutes to 10pm. And I am an oldie but goodie so if I want to get some knitting in, I better go to bed soon.

Complete

I am totally complete with the MudFlap tank. I added a small sleeve and took in the sides so it doesn't gap. I am a proud person of a finished item. I have to block it, though I am not sure how, but for now, it's awesome.
This sleeve is an update that I made because the tiny tank top looked a bit weird on me. Oh really, I realized that I was a little too old for that type of look, no longer a junior. It's weird to have your craft speak to your age, it's actually quite RUDE!











Ok. Meanwhile I still haven't done much of my wedding crafts. But I have found a invitation that I think will be the one that I am sending. In fact, I know it. I just have to decide how many I need since it's a minimum 50. But it is a put together, pre cut craft project:
Well, that's all I have time for today. On to the cleaning and crafting!

Labor filled Labor Day

Ok. Perhaps not so labored, since I am not at work. However, I did tie up a few loose ends. (slap your knee and lmao). I finished my second sock and then I worked on the too big mudflap tank. I am moments away from the tank being done but am having an issue with the whole crab stitch.

Meanwhile. I am watching too much weather on the news. Waiting or finding out rather, that the hurricane is almost out of the NOLA area. My mom is in Baton Rouge and my brother is in Hammond. And my friend got out as well. So hopefully things will pass quickly.

Michael and I took some time too look at houses this weekend. We are teeter-tottering on buying a home and which one. We found a 1000 square foot pool home, 2 bedrooms and a bath that has only a shower. Everything is top of the line and done in my taste. However. There is no room for expansion and the closets are small. Our other choice is a fixer upper. It has a pool and is about 1200 or more square feet. It's marketed as a 4/2 but it's really a 3/2 with an enclosed garage.

Well that's all for now. A little bit more than my crafting but it's all affecting my progress on my little things.

Things left undone

Another week has gone by. I think that after all that wishing that my days at work would be quick, I forgot how much I was wishing away my wedding planning and also my craft time. I've been more than tired each night that I've come home but have been trying to complete ideas, as they are stuck in my head and I am looked at like a crazy person when I describe what I want.

So far I have collected a metal basket for my flower girl. And started a flower shaped pillow for the ring bearer, however, I realized that I had a metal purse that looks like a pillow in the closet. I am not sure if the young boy would want to cry a purse, but I am torn between the pillow and the purse. I guess, I have to finish the pillow first for comparison.
The next couple of pictures are of my crochet hook holder that I made and a coffee cup sleeve. I have this beautiful burgundy piping that my mom gave me years ago and I wanted to play with it a bit. It makes my things look much more polished than they would normally.

Meanwhile, I have been dutifully working on my Mudflap Tank. I am so close to finished, I can almost feel the cotton on my skin. The piece is very heavy now, as I have been knitting it on circulars to try to get away from side seams, sneaky!!

Well that's all for now. I'm extremely tired but I have a lot to do if I want to squeeze out every bit of this weekend.

Too Little hours

I envy those who are working in Utah now. They have 4 day work weeks with 3 days off. I'm not sure if it applies to the service industry because theoretically, they would have more people coming out to eat and things on their long weekends. Anyway. I have too little time to do housework and crafting equally. Regretably my crafting wins out and my house looks a bit disheveled, depending on when you catch me. I guess it doesn't help to be going to sleep by 10 pm but what can a girl do?

So what have I been working on? Well, wedding things. For one I am doing my guy's boutonnieres. I think that I will save some funds making them myself from peacock feathers. I need to add something to it though but I can't figure out what.




I have also finished matching aprons for my friend and her daughter. Granted her girl is not even a year yet but I had a request that I had to finish.


And here is Cedric modeling this cat stole. Really it's something I had buried in a bag that I made on the plane last visit to NOLA.
I am still working on my mud flap t but it's almost done. I can probably push myself tomorrow, after cleaning up of course! ;). I have to move on to other projects, one being a felted purse or two.

See you on the next update.

First Post... Time for Catch up

So it's time for my own crafting and a personal release blog. I think that I spend a whole lot of time on creating my sewing, cooking, knitting and hopefully crochet crafting projects and little time highlighting the finish products. I hope that one day I can create my own knitting patterns for others and possibly some tutorials. Lately, I've been trying to use my crafting as bit of therapy. Which I am sure that a lot of people use it for. With a wedding and both my mom and brother being ill, I've needed an escape.

Lately, I have been consumed in making the Mud Flap Tank Top from the Stitch and Bitch book. It has actually taken over my sock time (now on sock two of Monkey from Knitty) . This is my first adult project that is wearable. It's also for me so I hope that it turns out really well.

Meanwhile. My soon to be hubby and I went to a farm to purchase peacock feathers. I hope to use these feathers in my up coming wedding. We are having a Moroccan themed wedding with lots of colors and hopefully a lot of decor with little buck bang. We'll see how it works out.

So that's my craft blog number one for now. I hope to do more later... Nah.. I WILL do more later.