at last

the booties are done. knitted, seamed, and buttons on. Pretty cute hey?


Someone from the knitting nature knit-along sent me a message today asking about my cropped cardigan. So I went back to look through the knit-along to find my post and man... there are some beautiful FO's on there. I forgot how much I wanted to knit some of the patterns in that book. I did knit the droplet hat, and there are a few hexagons worth of turtle skirt floating around somewhere. I think I'm re-adding the bubble sweater to my "to-knit" list though. As though my to-knit list weren't long enough already. Someday I'll be done with the wedding wraps and will be able to knit freely again...

i did convo the flower maker on etsy, because i saw in her profile that she does large orders for weddings at a discount. still probably going to end up going with the silk flowers, but i thought i may as well find out how much it would be. i'll just file it away in my mental "ideas folder"

something to ponder

i had planned to go with silk flowers for the wedding, mostly to avoid having to hassle with flowers on the days of. the floral woman at michael's said she could do them in july and then i wouldn't have to worry about them once the time got closer. that's still plan a but i found these on etsy last night and i'm intrigued. they are made by therussian




its probably something i could even do, i mean they just look like she rolled them up. or if not i could probably at least get her to make me a big bundle for fairly cheap (i have no idea how much to expect michael's to cost but i'm sure it will still be a chunk-o-change). i think the bunch of six was 25$ so i could do 6 for me and 3 for the girls. then just one of her buds for mr. z and be done with it. its definitely a cute idea. maybe i'll mess around with some fabric scraps once my tests are over.

beetlejuice, beetlejuice, beetlejuice

I have good intentions, I really do. But I actually think that I am at my most scatterbrained ever right now. We're in the midst of the quarter's first round of midterms, which as usual I am wholly unprepared for, though I did surprisingly well on last week's pharmacogenomics test. I don't expect a repeat performance on either of this week's. Plus I have a presentation on Wednesday, a case to write up before tonight AND to top it all off, I have like a week to pick out preceptors for all my fourth year rotations. Not to mention the small task of planning a wedding, which is always there to distract me, whether I want to think about it or not...

The second bootie is soooooo close to being done. I knit an extra row on the strap though so i had to tear it out and redo it, so its not seamed up yet. So without further ado, here is one tiny, adorable baby bootie. I call they the beetlejuice booties because the green/purple/brown thing makes me think of beetlejuice. Mr. Z finds it amusing that I never saw the movie because it scares me... he says its a comedy. I don't want to find out. The buttons also scream beetlejuice to me. why?? well look...

too cute for words!

I swear the other one will get finished... honest. This is why I must never knit socks. It seriously only took like ten minutes to knit one and maybe ten more to seam it up. And I can't spare twenty minutes to finish the other. tsk tsk.

Clumsy me

Some things never change. If you happened to be sitting next to my sister (I know what you are thinking sister) this would be the point where she would turn to tell you how I used to fall up the stairs and into our kitchen trash can. IF she hasn't already told you that story, which if you've ever met her, she probably has. But I digress. Twenty odd years later, and I am still as clumsy as ever and the other day at Apropos, I knocked over my water bottle and spilled water all over my keyboard which promptly went on the fritz and refused to type normally after that. At least it wasn't my coffee I guess. I feel like that would have been worse somehow. But either way, my 'puter is now spending the week at the laptop guy in the hopes that they can replace the keyboard.

In the meantime, all my knitting pictures are in RAW format on my camera. And Mr. Z's computer doesn't have any sort of program that can process RAW files. So either I have to track one down, or switch my camera settings and retake everything. In the midst of midterms, I figured the best course of action was ignoring it all and hoping for the best with the keyboard replacement.

so today's pictures will again be wedding related and not taken by me. as previously stated, I hadn't expected to have a cake topper but developed an infatuation with the idea of birds. And obviously Ann Wood is waaaay out of my budget (if you didn't follow that link, that pair is like $240 or $270). i happened to be putzing around on etsy, refusing to do any studying and found these. The work of etsy seller cornflakegirl.


They are certainly no Ann Woods, but I still think they are really cute. And sort of goofy, which, when you really think about it, is WAY more us than shabby elegance. And, these were far more reasonably priced than anything else I've found. And the designer/seller is a really nice woman from upstate NY and she agreed to make one in colors that would be better fitting for our wedding... and she had them done like two days later.


I do think part of the wacky appeal of the first pair is the bright colors, but I think ours turned out pretty darn cute. Mr. Z actually said he thinks they are kind of cute too, which was a surprise. I really expected him to find them heinous. He did say, however, that a cake topper is not worth $55 (good thing i didn't get the AW's. he'd have shat himself). So I've had to find a way around this. Luckily for me, I have a co-conspirator who is basically always on my side. She had recently asked me to do some knitted gifts for a friend of hers and said she would compensate me appropriately. Turns out the cost of said knitted items is exactly one pair of wacky birds. Convenient, no? Love her. :)

I'm in love...

... with these cake toppers. Pretty sure this is the greatest cake topper ever. I didn't even want a cake topper because I hate them and their cheesy-ness. But these are just too cute. These adorable bird couples are the handiwork of a woman named Ann Wood. You can find her cake toppers here. Just to share the awesome-ness, here is my favorite pair.


I am seriously coveting these. I have probably checked out her page like a thousand times, even though there is no way I can afford them. They are just all vintage-y and simple and perfect.

And, to tear myself away from the birds, there is a small amount of knitting going on. One saartje bootie is done. I've taken to calling them the beetlejuice booties, which I will explain when they are done. Suffice to say, super cute. The Koolhas hat continues to spite me and once again ended up too long (though less so than previously) so its been ripped back to shorten the rib section. Third time's a charm, eh?

Seriously...

I should have been a wedding planner. This is fun. We got stuff set up with the caterer and the cake people this weekend. We decided to go with Premier Pastries in Rochester, NY. It was the only cake we tried last time, and it was really good, so we decided what the heck, let's just do it. (though I tried Holy Cannoli's cake at the bridal show, and I must say, it was tasty too...) The cake guy became my instant hero when I handed him my ideal cake, torn straight from the pages of martha stewart, and he said "oh I love this cake, I even have the pattern for it already." The cake in the magazine is blue and brown, which obviously won't work for our wedding so we're going to go with a cream colored base with the brown decorations. Ours is going to be four layers, a raspberry chocolate truffle cake, a lemon cake, and a raspberry almond white cake, though we may substitute something for the raspberry in the almond so we don't have two raspberry layers. Our top layer, which we're saving for ourselves the next day is going to be peach melba... raspberries and peaches, mmmm...

Edited somewhat in photoshop to get the colors more like what we would have. actual picture from ol' MS.

In addition to getting the caterer and cake squared away, we also stopped at the "church" so I could get some pictures of the inside. these are for sister, so she can figure out some way to decorate it for me. I think its the perfect little space, its plain but really cute. i think anyway. There is a balcony around three sides and it has a piano and an organ, though we don't really need them because I found a harpist at the bridal show (only thing that place was really good for). It was really pretty and much less expensive than I expected, in fact she was right about what I had planned to put towards a pianist. I'm pumped.

off to the left is the cemetery that goes with the church. there are graves there that date back to the civil war.
it should be really pretty in the fall.

worst panoramic stitching job EVER, but you get the idea.

There are 10 windows on each floor, which works out alright because I have 10 votive candles with leaves, so I can put one in each of the downstairs windows. there's a huge grapevine wreath to hang between the windows in the front that we can decorate anyway we like. And there are oil lamps on each of the posts that we can light. so yeah, sister, go nuts.

Weddingy type things

I finally have some knitting pictures to share, but they are on my camera at home and I am on campus, so they will have to wait. I just want to say that the Saartje bootie (I only have one done) is adorable!! The yarn did pool a bit, so that was disappointing but it doesn't look as bad as I thought. Maybe not the best yarn pick, but certainly usable.

On to wedding stuff... things continue to come together nicely. I have picked the bridesmaids' dresses and ordered my shoes. Well reordered really. They already came once but turns out I only needed a 9.5, not a 10. w00t!

Bridesmaid dresses... the Sophia short silk dress from J.Crew. Going with the espresso (aka... brown). Their shoes are up to the girls themselves, I really don't care what their shoes look like. Plus, that's just one more thing to stress about and I am trying to choose my battles wisely. Therefore, if I don't care about it, I'm not taking responsibility for it.


My dress... I still occasionally have flashbacks to the gorgeous french lace gown in Rochester. I still sometimes wonder if there isn't a prettier, more vintage-y dress out there somewhere that I would like better. So I may have to go put it on occasionally just to reassure myself that I do actually like it. I will say it looked better when I had my hair darker so I will probably recolor it again just before the wedding (like just a few days before... not JUST before. obviously). but anyway


and my shoes, which i may possibly be even more excited about than the dress. Well, maybe not really. But I do like them a lot. Got them from Steve Madden online.

Picking up the mat for the guestbook tonight and leaving for NY tomorrow morning. We are meeting with the caterer tomorrow and the cake people on Saturday. I think I'm most excited about the cake. And maybe I'll have some pictures of the ceremony site when we get back.

In the meantime I should probably go to class... so that I can work on my koolhaas hat.

at last...

...something knitting related. really, i did start this blog mainly for my knitting. right now its sort of a knitting blog cleverly masquerading as a wedding blog. but i finally have some knitting pictures to share.

first off is some knitpicks essential in meadow multi for some saartje booties. i really like this color combo, but variegated yarn can be weird, so hopefully i still like it once its knit up.


this is the Reynold's Whiskey for Mr. Z's Koolhaus hat. We've sort of run into a dilemma with that project, hence no progress shots still. While my gauge is now better on the smaller needles, the yarn is lacking the soft fluffiness it had when I knit it on the larger needles. Soooo, i may frog it yet again and put it back on the larger needles and just adjust a bit for the gauge difference. i know the two will work, i just need to get the yarn and pattern to play nicely together.


and a finished object that has actually been finished for a while but i don't think i have blogged its completedness. shooting a decent picture of a wrap without an assistant is very difficult.

Pattern: Feather and Fan (co 164 stitches and work in pattern until desired length)
Yarn: KP Shadow in Campfire Heather, just under 4 skeins

And here is the progress on the second wrap. same yarn, but a slightly different pattern. I am almost through the second skein of yarn. it will probably use up four skeins since it is a bit wider than the first one.

Pattern: Fishtail Lace Scarf free pattern from Knitpicks.com (cast on 180)
Yarn: KP Shadow in Campfire Heather

We've also settled on our wedding invitation design and even figured out how to print them on cardstock that has already been cut to size using Mr. Z's work computer. Now I just have to finalize the RSVP card and the sheet with all the location information on it, but knowing that we really can make it print the way we want to has been a real relief. And I've found some fabulously unique jewelry on etsy.com that should match my dress. One of the jewelers has agreeded to make me a necklace to match the earrings (that were already in her shop) that i really like. YAY! I'll share pictures when i get them.

huzzah!

my knitpicks order hath finally arrived. i can now restart mr. z's koolhaus hat. you may remember that I blogged about starting it and then it disappeared. turns out my gauge was a bit off and i needed to to restart it on smaller needles, BUT a certain dog ate my smaller needles. henceforth, all needles must be metal because the bamboo has proven too much for poor kodiak to resist. he hadn't chewed anything in a really long time so i got lazy and left them on the couch and returned home to find the ends all mangled :( lesson learned, until the next time i forget i guess.

so hopefully i should have some koolhaus pictures to share soon. I will say, the first time around I decided that I HATED the pattern before i'd completed the first row of the lattice. that cabling needle is so bloody awkward. then i remembered something i'd read a long while back... i googled "cabling without a needle" and Voila!! things moved much more quickly after that and i actually started enjoying the experience. I'm also enjoying the Reynold's Whiskey, it knits up nicely.

My order also included one skein of KP essential in meadow multi for the knitting of the saartjes booties. Even though the only pregnant person i know is my hairdresser, whom i've only been to twice and therefore probably don't know well enough to knit for. but they are so cute and tiny, i'm just going to knit them anyway.

Internet shopping orders have been arriving here left and right, though the majority are wedding related. The most recent was a paper cutter to aid in the putting together of our invitations. I experimented by cutting cardstock to make a sign to accompany our guestbook. The "guestbook" is going to be one of those picture frames with a giant mat for people to sign. So, while i assume people would instinctively know what to do, I thought it needed a clever little sign to accompany it.

totally stole the pine cone idea from another fall wedding on craftster

i love the little pail for the pens. it was a JoAnn's find

at last...

we have FINALLY gotten leaves glued on all the centerpiece candles. they look really good, so hopefully the adhesive sticks and they still look good ten months from now when we actually need them. now my concern about the arrangements is having enough large leaves to scatter around them and the tables. i've found a place that has fairly realistic looking ones that i may order if the need arises. Here is the final product of all that sticky work...


turns out our basement actually has better light for indoor photography than any other room in the house. who knew??

And all my books have finally arrived. I treated myself to several craft books using christmas giftcards/money and i can't wait to put them to use.

Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts - Joelle Hoverson and Anna Williams
Knitting Without Tears - Elizabeth Zimmerman
Handknit Holidays - Melanie Falick
The Complete Book of Sewing - DK Publishing

someday i will be done with wedding crafts and will actually be able to do other fun stuff. someday...

change of plans

went shopping for bridesmaid dresses with ashley today. the separates at david's did not look as good as i remembered, or at least was not as flattering on ashley. and there was really nothing at david's that was appealing. so we moved on to alan ray where we found "the dress."

oh yeah. lime green with purple accents. (this picture just doesn't do justice to the brightness of the green) the hilarious thing is, ashley totally rocked the dress. at least she did from the waist down. the bust was way huge but the rest looked really cute. so lime green and purple it is.

which i guess would make these candles we did for the centerpieces very much the wrong color.


ok, now that these are dried and the glue is finally off my fingers, i think they look really awesome. this is the shortest of the three candle sizes. i finished 8 of the 12 middle sized candles this afternoon before my fingers were too stuck together to continue. the leaves are from multiple sources. We preserved a whole bunch of really pretty ones this fall by either drying and pressing them (those HUGE pharmacy books are finally proving useful) or soaking them in glycerin. if anyone is interested, the pressing maintains the colors far better, but the glycerin preserved ones are more flexible. they both seem to work fairly well on the candles. in case we did not preserve enough, we also got two variety packs from Nature's Pressed

i got the giant pack of 48 candles (12 in 4 different sizes) from candles4less and they are decent. there are a few that have dings or slightly smashed spots along the bottom edges, but they are hardly noticeable or can be hidden by a strategically placed leaf. the leaves are put on using spray adhesive, and there is probably a better way that wouldn't result in everything sticking together, but the spray works well enough.

back in the ring

nothing is as much fun as working in a pharmacy at the beginning of the year. its the time of year when companies are changing insurance companies left and right and the average citizen has no idea what the hell is going on with their health care. honestly, i probably spent a total of two hours on the phone today calling insurance companies to find out people's ID numbers and group numbers and carriers and person codes and all sorts of other information that is contained on handy little cards that people never bother to bring in. and half the time, they come in to pick up their prescription and don't even know that they have completely different insurance carriers than they had last year and that we've tracked down who their new carrier is and wasted ten minutes of our day finding their new information, just so we don't have to call them at home and listen to them insist that they do not, in fact, have new insurance.

not that i'm bitter or anything, i actually rather enjoy my job most of the time. but it has its frustrating moments.

i don't really have much to share on the crafting front today, though i do have lots of things lined up to do in the near future. there was some progress on the candle centerpieces last night. and by progress i mean my fingers were pretty much glued together and ken gave up after one candle. and there was some un-knitting of the wrap when i discovered an error during class today (yes, i happily knit through the first day of class). i have tomorrow and saturday off though so hopefully there will be some more time to work on things. tomorrow afternoon, though, is to be devoted to looking at bridesmaid dresses and probably drinking with lunch.

since i don't have any crafts to show, i'll borrow a page from knittycrafter's book and share a food picture. ken made these a while ago and they were so cute i had to take a picture.

Recipe: Individual Blueberry Cups
Woman's Day (some back issue that i've cut all the recipes out of)

mmm... they were tasty. its pretty much a cornmeal mix, some sugar, and some blueberries, all baked into warm, crumbly, deliciousness.

The crafting continues

here are the finished flower girl baskets, which i think look much, much better than they did before. i think they look pretty darn good, considering they were a total of $1.18 at Goodwill. moral of the story... when you can't find what you want, find something else and force it to conform to your wishes. or something.

ken laughed at me for looking up instructions on tying a bow

also got the unity candle set (and some spares) put together using some ribbon and a couple of the leaves that we preserved with glycerin. the spray adhesive works really well on the candles, though it seems to end up all over my fingers, which results in me having bits of ribbon, leaves, and dog hair stuck all over the damn place.





(not the best focus on these, forgot how crummy my lens is when its all the way open)

tomorrow is the last day of break before school starts back up again and i don't have to work, so maybe i'll work on the centerpieces. and i guess at some point i ought to actually clean the apartment, instead of just talking about how i should do it...