Jananas

Jason & I are planning on traveling later this year. However, this means that we won’t be around for Badur’s birthday. I decided that I was going to be extra organized and make him something way, way early. I knit him a Tudora neckwarmer (asymmetrical & cabled) in silky Malabrigo’s vigo colourway. Below is the neckwarmer when it was still on the needles and before I got to the asymmetrical portion.

Part of why it took me so long to ‘finish’ this is that I knew that it needed a special button. It took a few months, but I found one earlier this summer. Yesterday was a day dedicated to finishing projects, and here’s the final product!

I had a little yarn leftover after knitting this and it somehow didn’t feel like a complete ‘gift’. I hemmed and hawed and finally decided that what it really needed was a matching pair of mittens. I decided on the Peekaboo mittens, since they are practical enough for someone running errands and making deliveries all day. Plus, in this swanky Malabrigo in a very Badur colourway, they add a little luxury!

I have to day that I really like how to varigated colours pool and part. I think it makes these extra fun!

I had bought a bunch of cheap cotton yarn last summer and had yet to use it. I was looking for some easy projects to whip up to use up the yarn. Even better were projects that made good gifts. The best idea, handmade crocheted cotton dish cloths. I found some basic patterns online (although I hesitate to call anything that is simply, chain a bunch of stitches, do rows of half double crochet, bind off a pattern), and took the presentation idea below from one of them. I made up 5 of these in a matter of days.

I think that these will make awesome housewarming or little gifts for people. They were relatively quick to whip up & used up a bunch of yarn that was just sitting around in my stash. All around, the perfect idea!

I thought I’d update about Jason’s sister’s wedding, held in Athens Ohio on July 4th. It was a lovely & simple affair, with good friends, homebrew, and bbq! The rehearsal was fun, even if the reverend almost went through with the marriage by accident…

The wedding was the next day and equally lovely, even if the rain threatened to stop the ceremony. I was just glad that it didn’t rain hard enough to soak the shawl I made. Nothing says celebrate a union of two awesome people quite like the smell of wet wool.

My dad has been going up to Lake Mazinaw since right before he was born (back in ’49!). I’ve been going up since before I was born as well – first to the original family cottage, and since I was about 10 to our family’s cottage. As a child, we spent entire summers at the cottage – swimming, playing board games & cards, sitting in the sun, and roaming the woods. Really though, we swam regardless of whether the water was warm or cold (and trust me, its a deep lake – I remember summers where the water never made it above 70F). I even got my bronze medallion and bronze cross through the swimming lessons offered down at Bon Echo Provincial Park.

Tomorrow morning we’re heading up to the cottage, to spend the rest of the week in a little piece of heaven. Oh, and because we’re taking Jason’s sister and new brother-in-law up to the cottage for their honeymoon. Somehow we’ve all managed to keep it a secret from his brother-in-law and I can only hope that he appreciates the surprise and that they both enjoy themselves!

When afghans attack, knitting nerds end up with giant, giant scarves…