I'm Baaaaack!

Phew. It's been a while, hasn't it?! I have lots to share, so make sure you are sitting down. :)

The first exciting thing I want to share, is a photo of Seth's Dad in the sweater I made him. When we arrived in Rochester for Jonathon's wedding, we drove to the hotel just so he could have the sweater to wear to the rehearsal. He proudly told EVERYONE at the rehearsal that he was wearing a handknit sweater.

It fits him perfectly, and has been "rock climbing tested" in Vegas.

Seth's brother Jonathon got married while we were home, and had a beautiful wedding in Rochester.

Jacky and Jonathon during one of the readings during the ceremony

Seth, Matt, Jacky, Jonathon, Desi, and Mark Arrow

Their cake cutting was especially entertaining! 

We had quite the eventful trip home which also included a 50th Birthday Party for my Aunt Kathleen. The party was in a loft owned by one of Kathleen and Bob's friends and it was a GREAT celebration. 

I have quite a few photos from the party, but I think this one pretty much sums it up. Kathleen looked like she was having a fantastic time surrounded by friends from all facets of her life (and her huge family, of course!). 

Today is Kathleen's real birthday....so....

HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY KATHLEEN!

And now, onto the knitting. There has been quite a bit of knitting and I have a bunch of small projects to show off!

So....before we left for the great white north, I realized that my lone pair of handknit mittens were looking a little sad (after wearing them every day for several winters in Maine) and a new pair was in order. I had finished 1/2 the pair before we left and vowed to knit the other one on the plane. Planes put me to sleep, so I didn't finish the second mitten until the night of the wedding! But, they were finished in time for the cold snap that happened while we were home. 

Pattern: Clap! Mittens by Kim Haesemeyer

Yarn: Handspun yarn (spun by me!) from JulieSpins Polwarth Roving

Modifications: My gauge was off since I was using sportweight yarn instead of fingering weight, so I knit a size smaller than I typically would have. But other than that, I followed the pattern exactly. 

I need to knit more with handspun...I'm so pleased with how these came out!

I've also been working on several baby gifts for someone I know who will be using cloth diapers. 

Pattern: EviePants All-in-One by Marilyn Porter

Yarn: Bear and Pants Cestari Fine Scrappies (I purchased a set of 5 mini-skeins of scrappies from another raveler)

Modifications: None. This pattern is completely customizable and so I just followed the directions for exactly what I wanted. They still need an i-cord for the waist, but I haven't decided what yarn to use yet.

The soaker was also made from the EviePants pattern and knit with Bear & Pants scrappies. It took exactly 2 ounces of yarn to knit the newborn sized soaker. Cute, eh?!

The last thing I have to share is a hat I made for John, who watched Sailor while we were gone. I made a scarf for his wife last time they dog-sat, and so I thought John needed a handknit this time around. 

Pattern: Man Hat by Haven Leavitt

Yarn: Three Irish Girls Galenas Chunky in colorway Riordan 

Modifications: None.

I LOVE the way this colorway knit up. It's manly, but still interesting. And I'll definitely be using the Man Hat pattern again. The whole hat knit up in just a few hours and would be a great hat for those people living in New England! ;) 

I think that's it for now! I just cast-on for a sweater that I'm pretty excited about and have some custom spinning I'm working on. Oh-and a couple of new bags that will be going up in the shop once they're done. 

Seth is running a 50K race on Saturday, so I'll be sure to snap a bunch of photos to post next time!

Love,

liz :)

Beautiful Beach Wedding

*disclaimer* I don't have a good picture of Meg's dress and how gorgeous she looked. Seth had the camera, and was busy running all over the place helping out with wedding things (including kindly asking people to move on the beach so we wouldn't have half-naked sunbathers in the pictures!).  But Seth did take some photos during the ceremony and a few at the reception.

There were a few moments of crisis in the morning, including Sue's (the Maid of Honor) makeup looking like something out of Cirque du Sole show (Sue's words, not mine!). It was scary. I'm not sure there is any other way to describe it. I wish one of us had gotten a photo of the horrifying make up. When she asked the woman to "tone it down" she just put white over what was already done. Even. More. Scary. Thankfully, they did a wonderful job with Meg's hair and makeup, and the florist dropped off 2 fresh Orchids (though she told Meg in the morning she had ordered the wrong flowers), which looked beautiful.

The weather was perfect (although a bit windy on the beach) and the reception hall looked amazing. I'll try and get some pictures from my mom of the reception hall (she was able to get some great photos before people arrived). There was not a single detail overlooked. Meg and her Mom did a wonderful job decorating. And let's not forget the cupcakes. There were chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese and chocolate chip filling and white cupcakes with strawberry butter cream filling (all made by Mom Havens, of course) . Amazing.

The rest of the trip home was great. I'll do a separate post about all of the fiber and yarn I brought back with me. hehe. I got to see Eric, Becky and baby Lucas who is only a couple of weeks old. I forgot to bring a camera with me, so no pictures, but he is adorable.

Did you watch the LOST finale yet? Thoughts?

Hope orientation is going well!!

Love,
liz