Happy Days

I've been in a great mood since the start of the year, but I confess to feeling just a bit melancholy today. I went home this past weekend for an impromptu surprise birthday party and coming back was not easy.

The party was for my friend Courtney's fiance. We had a great time setting it up Friday and he was very surprised (partly because his birthday is actually Superbowl weekend). We spent Saturday laying around watching really bad tv, ordering Chinese takeout and talking about her impending nuptials. It's the simple visits like that which make me the most homesick.

In other news, I went to the New England Aquarium since I had a Living Social deal for it that I'd been carrying around for months. Zoos make me sad, but I love aquariums! Especially when they have beautiful jellyfish exhibits.

Sometimes You Make Your Own Sun

I love this colorway! I've been waiting for a reason to use it and finally have the perfect excuse. I mean, a color this bright is made for babies!

Funny story: Last week I met with a friend to teach her how to knit. I was working away on my BSJ, constantly referring back to the pattern and worrying I was missing something. I was confused when I first pulled out the pattern and didn't see any notes (I always mark up my patterns), and as I worried over missing something I couldn't remember having so much trouble the first two times I knit it. Then it hit me in a flash of memory, my spreadsheet! Ah, sweet spreadsheet. Ever since I remembered that, this project has been chugging along.

I've been keeping up with picture taking. This one is my favorite of the week. It was taken on Charles Street. The window is street level and looks into a kitchen. I love walking by and seeing the chefs at work, but I'm usually too shy to take a photo because they're there. On this day, I must have come in the short period between lunch and dinner because they had this beautiful display, but the kitchen was empty.

Randomosity

So this year I more or less skipped making resolutions. I know the things I need to do more and less of, and it seems like these same items make the list year after year. I'm not spending next January 1 looking at a list of all the things I'd wished I'd have done. I do love the start of a new year though. It seems like the perfect time to begin a project, so I began two.
1. I compiled all of the work I want to use in my thesis into one document and started revisions.
2. I decided to get back on the horse with photo taking. I'm not talking Project 365. I never, ever complete that project, and I've tried at least three times. It's just too much pressure. So then I remembered there are some people who do Project 52 (I could have the name wrong), where they take pictures whenever throughout the week and choose a weekly favorite. That I can handle! Here's this week's haul of favorites.

This is the result of my first visit to the MFA for drawing in the galleries. I didn't realize it would be figure drawing, not my forte obviously, but I like the drawing I did of the purse belonging to the lady who sat beside me!




I love when the squirrels get all fat and fluffy in anticipation of winter.




And for my favorite of this week:


My friend's puppy, Lambeau!

In other news (and talk about burying the lede!), I got notice the other day that one of my stories will be appearing in the February issue of scissors and spackle magazine! It's my first publication and I am over the moon excited! All in all, I am having a tremendous start to 2012!

Best. Christmas. Ever.

So, remember how I said that my brother has been wanting a sweater for years now? About four? Well, I don't think I mentioned that for every Christmas for the last four years or so, he's made a big deal about how it looks like another year's gone by with no sweater and wah, wah, wah. Cue this year. I'm in the kitchen fixing dinner and I hear him call from the living room.
"Doesn't look like any sweater boxes this year again."
"Well Brandon, I am a student you know. It's not like I can just whip up a sweater real quick."
Then my dad, who knows I made the sweater, pipes up, "Yeah Brandon, it takes a long time to make a sweater you know."
My brother, chastised, chuckles and says he's kidding.

Little twerp opened it while I wasn't looking! I didn't get a picture of him opening it (or wearing it), but he immediately checked it for tags and only after feeling satisfied that the sweater was indeed handmade, he put it on and wore it the rest of the night! Success!

Oh, I should also mention that I finished weaving in the three million ends the night before going home. In a fit of delusion, I soaked the sweater at 11pm and casually laid it out in front of the heating vent in my room. So yeah. That was me lugging a soaking wet sweater in a grocery bag through North Station. Luckily, it was dry in time for Christmas.

I've not yet casted on for my next project but I know it's going to be a Baby Surprise Jacket using a superbright Lorna's Laces yarn I've always wanted to try (Bittersweet). I have a couple of other friends having babies this year, so my goal is to knit a little something for each of them. Wish me luck!