Projects!

Just as I say I'm transitioning into wedding blogging... I knit something!

My cousin is due this week - the first baby of the next generation in the family - and I used the occasion as an excuse to knit an oh so adorable Tomten.



The pattern is an Elizabeth Zimmerman classic. I have her book "Knitting Without Tears" and this is my first project from it.

I used some Shibui sock yarn in Peacock (I think that's the color) that had just not been working out as anything else. It clearly wanted to be this sweater, as it knit up nearly perfectly. The pooling you see on the arms is from the additional skein I had to buy to make it through the arms. Now I have enough leftovers to make a cute pair of booties. Probably not for this baby, but one of the other three that will be born in the next six months!

This patttern is fantastic, and pretty easy. No crazy shaping or stitches - it did take some imagination to figure out how to sew the arm seams to the underarms, but really, it just works.

The next project is not knitting, but making the backyard ready for a wedding (we're into the four week countdown!!). Right now, we're working with this:

While it's pretty green, the bed is full of weeds. We took out everything that was planted there, and nothing we planted grew! So, Roomie Liz and I bought a ton of flowers to plant in there:

Foxgloves, hydrangea (four different colors!), a gorgeous red rose bush (that might go in front actually) and a bunch of shade loving annuals.

I also have these to dress up the plain old fence with:

I'll post some "after" shots when it's all pulled together. Cross your fingers for big improvements!

Goin to the Chapel

Well, actually, we are getting married at home.

Last month, I asked if any readers would like me to blog about wedding planning, and a few said yes. Unfortunately, I have not blogged since then. Mike is out of town for the next two weeks, so maybe I'll take this time to post our wedding inspiration on the internet for all to see.

First up, an overview of what we are planning, and a preview of posts to come.

Because we are who we are and we want our wedding to reflect that, our wedding is going to be inexpensive (by industry standards) and every detail is planned with an eye towards sustainability. Most elements are thrifted, homemade, or scrapped altogether if neither is possible.

Source: gathered photos from el internet. I don't have specific links, sorry!

We are getting married at home.

We are having a friend marry us. One to do the ceremony, perhaps another to make it legal. We might actually go to the courthouse. This is still being figured out. Maybe I'll do a longer post on this topic soon.

We (Mike & I & friends) are making all the food for the wedding night dinner!

Our housemate is making the cupcakes.

Source: unknown, apologies!

Mike's friend and his band are playing post-dinner dancing music.

Out other housemate designed the invitations, which we printed at a local print shop on 100% recycled paper. There were no reply cards or envelopes, cutting down both on cost and wasted (in my eyes) paper.

He also is making playlists for dinner music & post-band dancing. Another friend is putting her incredible love for all things Frank Sinatra and post-war era to work making a pre-ceremony playlist for cocktails & lawn games.

My step-mother-in-law and mother-in-law are carefully scouring thrift stores for complete sets of vintage china and dishware.

My mom is making my dress!

Source: A Backyard Wedding
(I'd really just insert myself into her wedding, if I could. I'd bring Mike and all my friends, too.)

We're going to a local farm to pick produce and flowers for eating and decorating.

Most of the lawn decorations will be plants planted about our yard.

We're shuttling our guests between the house and their hotel in a 22 passenger van to cut down on cars & save our neighbors from a parking nightmare.

If everyone is interested, I'll do a separate post about most of these details.

Then, there is also the most important detail - Mike! Perhaps I'll post our vows when the whole thing is said and done.