Finally finished some UFOs

When I woke up Saturday morning, I was trying to think about what I wanted to accomplish.  I was looking around my craft room and realized I had four unfinished knitting projects still sitting on my shelf.  The part of the projects I really don't like doing is the finishing work (tucking in yarn ends mostly).  So if I don't have some kind of deadline for the project (meaning if I'm not giving the project to someone in particular), I usually put the project on the shelf and let it sit there until I find the motivation to complete it.  The reason I don't like tucking in yarn ends is because at that point, all of the knitting or crocheting is done, so when I do this, it doesn't feel like I'm making any sort of progress, which is not very motivating.

I decided to finally complete those four.  Two of the projects needed yarn ends tucked and needed to be sewn together (one was a cushion cover for my rocking chair in the living room and the other was a pair of baby booties).  One project only needed yarn ends tucked (a baby hat) and the other project, a baby blanket for donation, needed a border crocheted. 

I first finished the booties and hat and with my sense of accomplishment and momentum, I moved on to sewing together the cushion cover for my rocking chair.  After finishing that, I started crocheting the border on the blanket.  I will still need to block the blanket, but the fact that I've finishing tucking in the yarn ends and finished the border was amazing progress.  I still have a number of projects on my needles, but at least I've completed those that were sitting on my shelf waiting to be truly finished. 

Banjo's new sweater

Because Banjo doesn't like his sweaters that have to be pulled over his head, I made him one that straps on his chest and belly (not literally).  Here it is:

 

 

He loves it, can't you tell?  Hee hee.

1/2 done with mending

I am finally using my Home Ec skills: I finally fixed our comforter (Banjo attacked it way back at the apartment) and I fixed part of Chris's superman photography belt.  That sewing stand is working great Dad!  Still on my list: Chris's fleece blanket and my gray pants.

I hope I can finally get to the part of winter that involves planning my to-do list for the new year and catching up a bit from the last.  Part of that list is tone up for the wedding dress.  I don't want to look flabby in my dress, so I asked Kim for some advice on how to tone a bit.  She has me on a simple yet painful list of exercises: planks (actually my favorite even though they are really tough for me), squats, lunges, push ups and military press.  My goal is to firm up a bit before the wedding - I think I have plenty of time, but if I don't start now and make it a part of my routine, it will never happen.  I love encouragement!

And for your entertainment, here's Banjo in one of his doggy sweaters.  It cracks me up that we put him through this (for those of you who think it's a form of torture, we did it because we wanted to keep him warm on the trip home from my parents...still funny as hell).

 

I'm thinking of knitting him a dog sweater this year that will not only be easier to get on him (i.e. two straps instead of leg holes) but also a more flattering color scheme.  Plus the horizontal stripes make him look fat...haha - couldn't resist.

Celebrations in Longville

Chris, Banjo and I finally got up to my parents this past weekend to celebrate Christmas - we didn't go last weekend because of the potential Snowmaggedon.  I finished the animals' stockings finally - I made one for Pokey, Banjo and Slasher, complete with their name.

We opened presents on Friday evening (at my insistence of course).  We all greatly enjoyed Chris's calendars and great fun was had by all...including Banjo who attacked the cat while we were upstairs.  To all of our surprise, Slasher did not slash Banjo - instead, I had to break it up.  The cat spent the rest of the night behind the toilet and the rest of the weekend in the bedroom with the door closed.  Banjo tried to convince us he just wanted to say hi, but we didn't fall for it.

There was a lot of really great food: Mom made Snickerdoodles for Chris and Russian Teacakes for me.  Plus she made broccoli bake (my most favorite side dish ever) and waffles and everything else under the sun.  So good. 

Pokey and Slasher and Santa got me pennies for penny poker (I have the reputation for not having many pennies in my jar).  This time, I came away with some pretty big wins - big wins for penny poker of course.  We also started a jigsaw puzzle Saturday morning after stockings were opened since the power was out and the sun was up.  I of course chose one of the most difficult ones: polar bears in the snow.  Needless to say, we didn't finish by the time we left today, so we'll see if my parents finish it (hee hee).

Happy New Year to all!