No more the BlogSpot Virgin!

So I have much catching up to do. I wish I could find the time to blog some more - I really like to do it! As many of you know, Gene's grandpa died a week ago. Sharon (Gene's mom) was already in town because it appeared to be close to the end, so she was there. That was good. He had been sick for so long - Parkinson's and Dementia - that it was actually a relief.

Another relief is saying goodbye to your mother-in-law as she leaves after a very long two weeks in town. I love Sharon. She is a very dynamic person, and she has a way to get what she wants, every time. I tend to feel quite inadequate in comparison, and it gets to me after a while. Two weeks of Hurricane Sharon was quite enough, for now, thank you. :)

So, to catch up a bit...
I have done a bit of knitting, mostly on Delores' sweater. I just want to have that done and out of the way. (Delores is Sharon's sister, and Gene's aunt. The family resemblance between Delores and Sharon is more than either of them would like to admit. They wear each other out.)


This picture is the pattern that the yarn made on, I think, the back. This was an unexpected surprise. I just picked a varigated yarn that matched what Delores had picked out. I'm pleased with the result! (Gretchen, if you're reading this, the yarn Delores picked out looks exactly like the carpet in our room growing up. Brown, orange, pink...stunning :P)

The sweater overall is coming together slowly. I had almost finished the collar, when I realized I hated how it looked. I know, I know, it's not for me, but I can't give someone an ugly sweater that I have made. It's bad knitting karma. I will probably use the fluffy stuff Delores picked out just for the cuffs and the banding around the entire thing. I'm kind of over the "accent a sweater with a novelty yarn" thing, but I have to use the yarn Delores picked out (but that I paid for). Right? Fashion be damned. I am a knitter. This is a sweater. I am going to knit this thing, fuzzy or not! (With kind regards to Utah Phillips.)

Th sweater, when put together will be cute, I hope. The body is mostly assembled, if not completely sewn up (an older photo of The Sweater in progress):

And the buttons I will use to close it up (Notice I will not need to make button holes. I am a thinker, yes I am.) :

And while I bought the buttons, I bought fabric. See, the Hancock Fabrics in Glenview is going out of business, and everything is on super super sale, including the fixtures, and I saw the fabric that is the closest to what I have been looking for.

The best part is that it's 72" instead of 54" wide and it cost $8.00 a yard instead of $25.00 a yard. Woot for closeouts!

The fabric, when it grows up, will be curtains and possibly pillows or a cushion on this amazing piece of furniture I have in my head that will hopefully someday make it to my office. If anyone would like to make/invent it. The fabric doesn't show the lime green as much as I'd like (it doesn't even look lime green in this), and the blue is a bit more than I wanted, but other than that, I like it. You wouldn't think lime green and chocolate brown would be hard to find right now. Retro style (the 80s are not retro, no matter what the radio stations say...) is very popular right now. Anywho... it looks like this:

From a certain angle, anyway.

Well, it's 1 AM, and I should, probably, get some work done tomorrow. That means I should, probably, get some sleep now. Since working with BlogSpot is sooooooooooo much easier than working with MySpace, I think I will (hope I will) update more often. Seriously, I took 140 pictures off my camera. I have lots to say! :)

Ciao for now!

J