Last but certainly not least. . . a teaser trailer of Hannah's birthday gift! Whatever could it be??? Knitting updates to follow!
halfway finished. The second one will be done with the colors reversed, so the twins will have similar but not identical gifts. The pattern works up insanely quickly, making this a great project for work. It's been a hit with just about everyone, too! I'm hoping she'll like them just as much! In other news, I've finally begun winding up the gigantic skeins of yarn I bought last Christmas at WEBS yarn factory, thanks to Jen and her lovely winder. I'll post photos of the many, many yarn cakes as soon as they're finished.
mom ::cough cough:: that I accidentally told her was coming. Whoops! This is the only color/pattern combo that she's ever liked straight out of the book, so here's hoping she still likes it! The pattern is from Vanna's Favorite Crocheted Gifts, the yarn is (of course) the gorgeous papaya Simply Soft that Julie sent way back when. The pattern calls for a discontinued shade of LB wool-ease, so that was a no go! Does anyone know if there's any stock to the rumor that Simply Soft pills after washing? I hope not!
NOT a good laugh, see The BreakUp -- it's wonderful, but definitely not the romantic comedy it's advertised to be! We've also upgraded our apartment with a new shelf from IKEA, soon to be filled with yarn, books, and video games. For the moment though, it's acting as a kitty lookout. Poor Ra is less than thrilled that we've added a dog to the menagerie.
Now that I'm back from spring break, I thought I'd update my blog with loads of photos -- the best kind of updating, right? My mom's aran tote is almost finished, and she chose a great Celtic button closure. I'm still working on getting the lining material, but my *new early birthday sewing machine* will certainly help with that! I've lined two bags by hand this month, and it's SO NOT FUN. Vera Bradley has a great
quarters), and I think it's achieved just the right "feltiness." The square is my usual pattern, following instructions written by a fellow Crochetviller. This time I steamed it 
that was yesterday! I've frogged it in an effort to make a tighter base, as cotton yarn often stretches a bit and I was worried that even a liner wouldn't fix the problem. So, here we go again! The yarn is a really gorgeous dove gray/olivey color, and I'm using cream for the secret design. Sorry, but no pictures until Melissa's received it! It's Jo Sharp's Soho Summer in Crete and Calico, from Herrschners. I'm also working on the Booga Bag from Julie Anderson, in luscious Noro Kuryeon (color 95, just like the pattern. . . there's a first!). I got three skeins of it from mom and dad for the holidays, and am finally 
getting around to working on it. See the pretty print in the background? That's my new Vera Bradley bag, courtesy of my lovely sister Hannah, and it's the perfect size for toting around small projects! Thanks, Hank! Now, with all this happy news there's some sad -- Valerie's February square is apparently MIA. That's the first and LAST time that I send anything without delivery confirmation, or at the very least a little insurance! I'm really bummed, because I'd included a few extras and some candy for her kids. Hopefully it'll show up soon, but I'm going to work up a replacement square to ship out if it's not there by Tuesday (the last day to send for this month's swap!)
I've also selected my yarn for the CAL. . . Simply Soft Brites in Berry Blue, which is actually a really lovely french blue/periwinkle color. This project is meant to be worked on a little bit each day, on my bus rides, etc., as my other afghans have become unwieldy!!!
She used the "Racing Stripes" 12" pattern from Crochet Pattern Central, and SS yarn! Robin also had impeccable timing, as I had just finished my February swap square before going to get the mail. This square (see below) will be heading out to Valerie in TN tomorrow:
