Round up

Ever have those days where you just aren't listening to the powers that be?

Today, after lunch at work, I wasn't hungry, but had the munchies for something a little sweet so I headed to the lunch room with a handy dandy dollar coin. After multiple attempts, the vending machine refused to take it. (Hint #1) So, I went back to my desk and picked out the exact change needed to purchase the peanut butter M&M's that were taunting me. Upon plugging the change into the machine, I promptly proceeded to purchase Skittles. (Hint #2) This time I figured that I should just not eat any more junk food today and will have the apple I brought a bit later.

The last couple of weeks have been terribly busy. I finished up the last of the custom orders just before Christmas and sent it out. It feels good to have that off of my shoulders. I have been knitting like crazy and sewed two skirts for Christmas for two of my nieces who are sisters. They were a huge hit! I used this tutorial which was extremely easy to follow. The only change that I made was to do rolled seams because I don't have a serger. (I also found this great link for a bunch of cute girls clothes!)

I also got buttons and sewed up the seams on the BSJ (Ravel it). The orange is bright, but not quite so retina searing in real life. I am thrilled with how it turned out. The buttons aren't quite perfect, but will certainly do until I can find great ones. I do like them, they don't detract from the jacket itself.

The count is down to just 6 weeks for this little one to arrive. At Christmas, my uncle was the unofficial photograper and he snapped this gem of me and my sister who is due 9 weeks after me. (sorry it is so small - it is the only size I have...) Our bumps are near matches!

Finally

Wow - it has been such a long time since I posted. There are lots of good reasons for it, but mostly, I just haven't had the energy.

The craft show is finally over. Actually it was the weekend before Thanksgiving and I am just now recovered. All in all, I did well. I made slightly more than last year, but had hoped for much better than I actually did. Given the economy, I'm not complaining. I took a couple of custom orders as well during the show and have finished up about half of them. I just need to get boxes from the post office and off they will go.

DH is finally into interview season. He has spent all of November and will spend the remainder of December preparing for board exams (blech) and interviewing for residency positions. Some have gone well, some not so much. I will be glad when it is all over. Living until March 19th has become the only main a big goal. That is the day that we find out where we will be living for the next 4 years.

DS is doing well and his prognosis continues to be good. I don't know that we will see any further improvement in his status, but where he is at will not hinder him tremendously, so I can't complain.

Baby Girl is active and, well, a night owl. We are down to 10 weeks and counting. Now that the craft show is over, I can finally get down to doing what I have been itching to do for months. Knit for this little one.

The last few nights have been spent swatching. And swatching. And swatching. I loathe swatching. I must have tried 4 different yarns from my stash before I finally found one that matched the gauge I wanted for the BSJ (Ravel it). Knowing that I am probably the last knitter on Ravely to try it, it has has been preying on my mind for quite a while. Normally garter stitch is not my favorite stitch, but when paired with a hand-painted yarn, I think the results are stunning.

This is Claudia's Handpaint in Fingering - Passion Fruit Colorway.

Yum!

There has been a slight bit of pooling, but it is better than I expected because the stitch count changes on just about every row. I will try to post a picture shortly, but I am stealth blogging at work