Wheel in the Sky has Stopped Turning

I promised an update of my Girasole blanket (pattern by Jared Flood) to many of you, and I can finally show you the finished product. I honestly thought I would be finished with this about a week sooner than I actually was, but the darn lace edging took me forever!

It is a great pattern and if you don't have it already, I highly recommend it. I know a few of you have already bought it and I would love to see your progress along the way!

Because it is knit in a worsted weight yarn, the blanket knits up fairly fast (well, except of course for the lace edging, but we already discussed that!). The end result is truly magnificent. I have never been so impressed with something I have knit myself. Measuring in at over 6 feet in diameter, it really is a remarkable piece.

A Birthday Wish

Rumor has it that today is my 28th birthday. Boy, they just sneak up on you, don't they?! As a gift to you, I went on a mission at my parents house to uncover pictures from birthdays past. Here's what I came up with. This first picture is at my fourth birthday. Take note of the shiny, puffy sleeved, lavender dress. I loved this dress. I remember it well- the look of it, the feel of it, and how I used to pretend I was a rich girl from Little House on the Prairie when I wore it (no joke).

That's right, folks! Apparently 1988 was the year of the bow. Notice both me and my sister rocking the 'large bow on headband' look. This is not the only trend I found while scouring old pictures. I also peeped some nice one piece 'sun suits' (tank top and shorts attached- all in the same cotton material, did you wear these?), jelly shoes, and Pound Puppies (I totally forgot about those). It's always fun to look back and have a blast from the past moment on your birthday!

My wish this year? Finish this darn blanket! Things were going along swimmingly until I got to the lace edging. There I was, thinking I was almost finished, not suspecting at all that the short rows would take me hours to complete. I have about 3 feet left- down to the home stretch. Problem is, that interprets to a few hours of work and my attention is waning.

My other birthday wish (am I allowed to have two?)... is to see my nieces sing Happy Birthday to me.*

*Ahem....SKYPE....cough cough- you know who you are- make this happen (I'll be waiting) :)

Resolutions

So at this point I realize that I may be a little too late for New Year's Resolutions. Seriously...is it already February?!

I'm usually not one for coming up with a grand list of resolutions when New Year's comes around, and considering my tardiness, I suppose this year is no different. My excuse (and I am always prepared with an excuse) is that I have a birthday coming up next week- so my 'new year' actually starts then! In this situation, I am actually a couple weeks early with my resolutions.

My main resolution is this: spend time knitting for myself each day. This doesn't mean I have to be working on something I plan to keep for myself- just something that I want to knit. This resolution is kicked off with the above project. It may look like a knitted squid now (or so Joe says) but I am excited to get it off the needles to see the end result. It is the Girasole blanket by Jared Flood, a pattern I have admired for quite a while.

The yarn- sadly uninspired. I decided to start this project while I was in Chicago a few weeks ago and literally just snatched up whatever I had the most of as I ran out the door. It's Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool, and of course I have massive quantities of it (It's one of my favorite for the French Press Felted Slippers). Despite the fact that it was a last-minute grab, I'm excited about the progress and how it is working up.

So far I have been keeping up with this resolution (ok...there were a couple of crazy days with no self-knitting) and I'm so glad I am making it a priority. I love to knit- and with all that's been going on here, I want to make sure I continue to love it.

What about you, any resolutions this year? Any you are still keeping up on?