5 months later...

I know, I know. 5 months without blogging? Shame on me. I've been really busy...I promise!
Well first, we obviously got married on May 2nd.
The wedding was in my hometown of Spearfish, SD. I'd really forgotten how gorgeous it is there. This pic was taken in Spearfish Canyon, in front of Bridal Veil Falls. We had two weeks at home after the wedding to get packed, and headed out on our honeymoon. We blogged about it here.

As a wedding gift, my grandma presented me with a vintage sewing machine which my grandpa had bought for her shortly after they were married. It's a 1963 Singer Slant-o-matic, aka 'Rockette' for the streamlined shape.
Since I've used a sewing machine once in my life (when I was 12 with help from mom!) I've mostly been playing with scrap fibers just to learn everything that the machine will do, and trying to sew straight lines! This machine is really a workhorse. My grandma really only used it for hemming and repairs, and had it serviced before giving it to me, so it's practically like brand new.

I've made a couple of really cute little drawstring bags to hold my projects. I love shoving my knitting into my purse, but I hate getting my keys or other things caught. I also wanted to make these because now that we're watching our nieces, it's hard to be knitting around them if I'm up chasing after them, getting snacks/bottles/bubbas, etc, so it's awesome to have my yarn in the bag with the cord around my wrist...I can knit when they're content, and run around with my knitting still with me, not having to worry about a 2-year old accidentally pulling it apart.
And of course, I've been doing my Christmas knitting like a good girl. I started in late August, and have a few things to show for it.
First is a shawl I knitted for Rick's grandma. She gave me this vintage baby yarn, saying she couldn't crochet with it because it was too thin for her to work with. So I dyed it her favorite color, and set about to knit her a shawl. (Pattern is Gail/Nightsongs) Grandpa is in the final stages of Alzheimers, so I thought gramma might like something special. Every time I completed a pattern repeat, I had Rick say some prayers for her. He'll write about it in her card, and I think it will be really special for her.

The second finished gift is for my mom. Last time she was here we were discussing knits, and she mentioned that she would really love a looong rectangular stole to wrap around her. I improvised an entrelac shawl in Paton's SWS and it turned out phenomenally. The colors are perfect for mom's skin tone, and I can just see her rockin this with a white shirt and some jeans. She'll probably receive this at Thanksgiving when we'll be in SD, since we'll be in MN for Xmas.
We finally got a Christmas tree, so I've also been stash-busting with some teeny tiny mitten ornaments...aren't they the cutest!?!
Another stash-buster, I had a skein of Misti Alpaca Laceweight in my stash, and this seemed like the perfect pattern for it. It's the Qiviuk Webs scarf from interweave knits. Of course it looks crappy right now since it's unblocked, but this yarn is so freakin soft you'd never care. I have no one specific in mind to give this too, but I'm sure I'll think of someone. (Or keep it if I'm feeling selfish.) So, there! I have been busy. And now I'm off to watch some awesome ghostly halloween TV and cast on for a new hat/scarf set to match hubby's new coat.