Oops! Missing posts!

Somebody has hacked into my blog and deleted some of my posts, a couple of which I have been able to recover (though I had to make an educated guess on the dates). Sorry for the mix-up! It won't happen again.

Promised Pillow

I kid you not, I did not plan a single thing before making this pillow. I just started cutting and pinning and sewing. No sketches, just a general idea of what I wanted which continually evolved throughout the creation process (no puns were harmed in the making of this blog).

Here's my pillow next to the pincushion I knit for myself last year or the year before and the Hello Kitty sewing machine I got for Christmas from my brothers. I love them to distraction. And I really hate the red color on my bedroom walls. I am waiting for the weather to cooperate so I can paint it the color the Pacific turns in just the right summer conditions, at which point I will redecorate with my pretty Simply Shabby Chic duvet (and shams, I think?), this adorable little accent pillow (and hopefully some new friends for it soon), the "Sweetest, Softest Nap Blanket and Lambie (pillow) on Earth" (from Bath & Body Works) which I also received for Christmas, from Mom, and pink sheets yet to be purchased.  I will also be repainting all my furniture ivory and sanding the edges for that coastal Shabby Chic look I love so much but can't afford (Can't you drop your prices a little, Rachel Ashwell?)

Here's the front:

And the back:

Close-up of front:

 

Up and Up

So, what have I actually accomplished since my last post?

1. I frogged my sweater fronts down to the beginning of the neck and have started to knit them up again the right way (albeit slowly), both on the same circular needle to avoid the "Sweaterfront" variation of Second Sock Syndrome;

2. I finalized my collar pattern (or so I recall);

3-5. These are useless to start until the sweater is actually finished, so I haven't bothered;

6-7. I decided to start spending some alone time with God and my guitar, so there's another accomplishment;

8. Just 1500 envelopes left, and my gym dues just came in yesterday, but I may have a new job looming on the horizon (praise God!);

9. Camp meeting was last night, and there's another meeting for the girls tonight, and I'm so excited!!

10. Mom has decided I have enough underwear, seeing as I "can only wear one pair at a time," so that's that;

11. $5 for 8oz. of my signature fragrance is pretty sweet: I--I mean, Mom saved $7;

12. The new Guitar Hero III controller actually works (what a concept);

13. PacSun just ran out of Zach's size belt in that style (every store all at one, I kid you not), but he found one he really liked instead (for the same price! Isn't God good?), so it's cool;

14. Vitamin levels are looking good;

15. Mom wasn't in the mood to buy me extra supplements that weren't essential (and by the time I found them it was too late anyway), so no glutamine;

16. Lunch was smashing for two Wednesdays in a row (though the second was eaten on the way home from study as I wasn't needed in the Office);

17. Both Bible studies were finished (the important parts, anyway), though the second was finished at study;

18. Found out online that I just needed to loosen the screw on the bobbin case, so my tension problem's fixed;

19. Calibration is for wimps! Who needs accuracy anyway?

20. I made my discipleship calls a week late, and I have some more to make by tomorrow;

21. I'm still working on the whole "bedtime" thing, but I'm getting better;

22. Made that training appointment and a few others;

23. Threw out some bad stuff, and this morning I found some rice from the ninth in the back of the fridge that needs to be thrown out;

24. Used up my iTunes gift card but I'm waiting for some yarn to come back in stock at Knit Picks;

25.  Cam up with new to-dos and such, blah, blah, blah.

The important thing is, I actually got some stuff done, and more besides! For example, I have a pillow ready to be sewed that took me all day Tuesday to cut and arrange (you'll see why when you see the pictures of the finished product). I also knit and unraveled a rainbow-colored beret --twice. I have returned the yarn to its former skein form, complete with reattached label. I'll try to find another pattern for it someday, but it just wasn't enough for a beret. Oh well.

So that's all for now; I'm too tired to think right now and Mom promised to knit.

And knit she surely shall.

To-Do Blues

To Do:

1. Unravel both sweater fronts to top of button band, put band stitches on holder, reknit the rest (with slight shaping modifications).
2. Make final adjustments to collar pattern and knit the collar. Don't forget to factor in the white trim!
3. Weave in all loose ends.
4. Block and assemble. Take pictures for blog.
5. Redraw charts and write out pattern. Prepare Sailor Sweater pattern for submission.
6. File nails short enough to play my guitar again.
7. Practice playing my guitar.
8. Stuff 9,000 envelopes to pay off bills. Try not to think about the gym dues coming in later this month.
9. Prepare for High School Winter Camp '08. Make a list, check it twice, don't forget organic snacks for the girls in my cabin. And extra underwear.
10. Buy said skivvies.
11. Buy more body lotion at Bath & Body Works.
12. Exchange Zach and Nate's Guitar Hero III controller at Best Buy.
13. Exchange Zach's belt for the next size up at PacSun.
14. Buy more coral calcium and fücothin at Vitamin Shoppe. Make sure everything else is well-stocked before you go.
15. Oh, and pick up some glutamine while you're there.
16. Pack lunch tonight for between bible study and volunteer work at church tomorrow morning/afternoon.
17. Finish Bible study before it starts tomorrow morning.
18. Call Janome and find out how to fix bobbin/thread tension on Hello Kitty sewing machine I got for Christmas. If they aren't helpful, try a Jo-Ann store. Or Nancy your next-door neighbor.
19. Find a composite track and calibrate Nike+ sensor so it stops grossly overestimating your achievements. Try not to be too disappointed with the truth.
20. Make discipleship follow-up calls later this week.
21. Start going to bed the night before the morning on which you plan to awaken.
22. Get ready for personal training session Monday morning at 0830 hours.
23. Check kitchen and medicine cabinet for products of questionable viability and throw out anything that's expired. Look surprised when all of the boys' horribly unhealthy foods magically disappear around the same time. ("Who, me?")
    
24. Figure out what you're getting with your $15 gift card for iTunes and your $40 gift certificate for Knit Picks. Have fun spending other people's money again. (^_~)
25. Try to remember anything else I may have forgotten. Sigh.