Almost a week later...

So I'm not doing too bad so far this year keeping up with regular posting. But the year is young.

Last night I spent a wonderful evening with family celebrating my cousin's and her husband's 25th wedding anniversary. Her daughter, and his daughter, combined forces and put a wonderful surprise party for their parents. It was a great night getting to see extended family members that I don't get to see that often, unless it is a wedding, graduation or funeral. I was happy that my sister was able to make it down from New Hampshire to attend the party as well. It is always good seeing her.

Over this past week or so, I became obsessed with starting new projects that I know will be a challenge for me to work on, let alone finish. But they were all so intriguing that I just couldn't resist. Two of them are Follow Your Own Ending type mystery shawls, while the other is a pair of mystery socks. One of the shawls is a Downton Abbey MKAL, which I am very excited to be joining. However, the yarn that I ordered from Jimmy Beans Wool in the Bated Breath colorway has not arrived yet, so I am already a bit behind in that project already.Episode 2 is on tonight and certain elements of the show are used to provide clues in the knitting project. I will have to DVR the episode so I will be able to focus and do the clues when my yarn arrives. The other project is a Ysolda Teague mystery KAL for which I am using 2 skeins of Malabrigo Sock yarn in Impressionist Sky, which is a lovely, semi-solid blue. I haven't swatched, but other folks in the group who are using the same yarn were able to come close to gauge using size 6 needles, which is the recommended size, so that is what I am going with. That KAL starts tomorrow, but I haven't wound my yarn yet, as I was hoping to have a marathon winding session with my Bated Breath yarn as well. It is on it's way, so maybe it will be here tomorrow and I can at least start one of the KALs if not both.

A new discovery for me this week was downloading E-books from my local library. I knew it was possible, but I had never explored the actual options and titles available until now. I downloaded "The Circle" by Dave Eggers. I am enjoying it so far, and hopefully I will be able to finish it before my 21 days of downloaded time are up. That is the only drawback to not buying the E-book, is the fact that I am under a deadline to finish it. I wonder what the renewal options are for E-book borrowing? hmmmm...

I am hurrying to finish my Rhinebeck Sweater (aka Monday Morning Cardigan) before this weekend's Knitter's Weekend, which is an annual event that is held at the Slater Mill in Pawtucket, RI. The knitting guild that I belong to holds their meetings at Slater Mill, and we are also having a bake sale table as a fundraiser that weekend as well. I am taking a class with Thea Coleman which I need to prepare for this week some time, as well as attending the opening night reception/trunk show on this coming Friday night. It is a wonderful event and I am very excited to be participating in it again this year. Last year I took a steeking class with Ragga von Ericksdotter, which was great. This year will be wonderful as well, I am sure!

I have several quilting type gifts that I need to make very soon as well. I want to make a table runner for a friend who has kindly gifted me her extra seat at a recent performance of "Phantom of the Opera". It was the most amazing piece of theater I have ever seen (and as a theater major, I have seen a lot) Her seats were 4th row center orchestra..amazing! For the last time she brought me, I gave her a gift certificate to Joann Fabrics, as her daughter was making costumes for a play she was directing and could use the money, and also my friend with the tickets does card making and scrap booking, so I thought she might be able to use it for that as well. Now I want to make her a quilted gift to show my appreciation for her generosity. I just have to find the right fabrics to match her dining room.

I also need to make a get well soon quilt for a teacher that I work with who has suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was riding his bike on the Sunday before Christmas when he hit a pothole and was thrown from his bike. Thankfully he was wearing a helmet, but he was knocked unconscious and was in a coma for several days after. He spent several weeks in the hospital and has now been moved to a rehabilitation hospital near Boston to further his recovery. So I want to make him something that will remind him that I am thinking of him while he works to get back home. According to the doctors, it is going to be a long journey, but he should be able to return to most, if not all, of his life before the accident.

Okay..enough jabbering for this week..I am off to work on my sweater and watch a DVD, Cloud Atlas, on the new blue ray/dvd player I got last week. My old one died several months ago, which hindered my dvd playing significantly. And considering I have had this particular netflix dvd for several months now, I think it is time that I watched it and send it on it's way.