Dispatches From Maine

2012-04-11T06:41:00.000-04:00

Caitie and her boyfriend Darren left on Monday morning to head back to Ottawa, however we did manage to squeeze a lot of fun into the three days that they were here. We hit the majority of southern Maine highlights including shopping in Freeport, dinner at J's oyster bar, lunch at Duckfat, first Friday art walk, scratch bakery, Willard Beach, Fort Williams and the old port. Jackson especially liked Willard Beach.

Living here in Portland it can be easy to take all the awesomeness that the city has to offer for granted. We are so lucky to live in a city with tough decisions on which bakery to go to, what beach to walk on or where to eat dinner (Duckfat or well.... does anything really compare with Duckfat?)

All in all, was a wonderful weekend. Can't wait for next time!

2012-04-05T21:19:00.000-04:00

Do you have a close friend that you have had since childhood? I do. I met my friend Caitie when I was 6 years old at summer sports camp. On the first day of second grade we met again (I believe I saw her across the room when I was sharpening my pencil) and we have been friends ever since. A friendship this old has been through a lot. There has been the rough times (when I gave her up for lent, when as a result of a rumor I was not invited to her grade 3 birthday party, our fight over which Sailor Moon character was the coolest, nearly lighting her kitchen on fire using the microwave), and there has been the fun times (our trip to Disney World, sleepovers in Prince Edward Island, hours of playing Donkey Kong, making horror movies by throwing her kitten at the baby sitter, Caitie being a bridesmaid in my wedding).

There is something very special about having a friend that has known you since childhood, who has seen you grow up and knows you in a deep and personal way.

This weekend is a very special one as Miss Caitie is driving down from Ontario with her delightful boyfriend to spend Easter weekend with me. I plan to show them all the delightful sites of Portland, spend hours catching up, a cook a pulled pork to be remembered. Good times will be had.

2012-04-02T14:01:00.000-04:00

I spent the morning working on creating a couple new bib and burp cloth gift sets for my etsy shop. I started out with a different fabric and used a quilting cotton print on the outside and diaper flannel on the backing. It looked really cute, but felt very flimsy. After some testing with water, I did not feel confident that it would fully protect clothing from baby spit up/food spills etc. So I tried again with a layer of flannel sandwiched between the cotton/flannel and was very pleased with the result.

My progress with hand therapy is coming along. The range of motion in my middle finger is making steady progress, but my index finger is very stubborn. I think I may have to accept that it is just not going to bend very much. The good news is that apparently the middle finger is much more important in your grip strength than the index is, so if I can improve the middle more I should have a fairly functional grip.

I must say though that the constant pain in my hand is exhausting. I really hope it improves. I am very much hoping not to have to need PIP joint replacements, but if the pain doesn't get better it may be worth it. I would love to able to a simple thing like button a shirt or pick up a plate without pain.

2012-04-01T14:24:00.000-04:00

After pondering for over a year I finally took the plunge and opened a little etsy store. I am planning on primarily selling baby items and purses. Perhaps a slightly odd combination, but they are my favorite things to sew. It's a bit nerve wracking to do, when you list things that you make yourself and photograph yourself, it really feels like you are putting yourself out there. I hope that people like my designs!

You can find the shop here. Special thanks to Ms. Cleaver for the help with pictures today.

2012-03-10T19:03:00.000-05:00

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to pet sit Norm over the last weekend. He is very shy and at first was highly suspicious of me and not interested in any snuggles for me. However after Niall (my brother) had been gone for about 10 hours he accepted that I was the closest thing to Niall in available proximity and we became buddies. By the end of the weekend he was greeting me with puppy licks to the face and excessive wiggles on a regular basis. It was all very lovely.

Jackson deserves all the credit here though for keeping him exercised and tired. They played and played and played. It was all very wonderful.

2012-03-07T20:13:00.000-05:00

I have just had a very busy and wonderful weekend. My brother Niall came down to Portland with two of his best friends, Bob and Jeff. Niall also brought with him his 6 month old Dachshund puppy, Norm. They planned the trip around a Black Keys concert and a ski trip to Sunday River. It was so great to see everyone, and awesome that I got to have a few days alone with Norm while the boys went skiing. There will be more Norm pictures, but here is a taste of his handsomeness:

The Black Keys concert was also great. The last time I saw them was in the summer of 2008. It was my first summer working as an occupational therapist and it was the summer that I learned how to spin. I bought Attack and Release and listened to it on repeat while I spun. The beat and rhythm of the music was perfect to get lost in as I treadled and treadled. Now when I hear that album I see my old Halifax apartment that summer, I feel the wool in my hands and I can almost taste and smell that summer. It's amazing what a powerful association you can get from music.

2012-03-01T10:35:00.000-05:00

Carnaby oh Carnaby what to do with you? I finished this skirt ages ago but never actually seamed it. You are meant to put in a button band and use buttons to close it, but buttons holding together a skirt seemed like a really bad idea so I planned to just add decorative buttons after the fact. So I seamed it closed but it is not quite snug enough. Anyone have any ideas on how to snug up the top and still have me able to pull it on and off? I tried machine sewing an elastic and that failed, but hand sewing one might work. Ideas? Suggestions?

2012-02-28T21:26:00.001-05:00

Last night and today I whipped up a cute little dress from the Sew Liberated School House Tunic pattern. I am beyond pleased with the results. The pattern can be sewn in a couple hours (took me one Freakonomics, one This American Life and part of a Radio Lab podcast to make one). And I think a second would be even faster. I found that pattern to be very quick, easy and fun to sew. There are minimal "fussy" bits and the whole thing is really rather gratifying.

I was home alone and thus had to take my own pictures. Sorry for the poor quality!

I plan to make several more of these. It would be great in a wool fabric for winter or a really light one for summer. Best part? No notions needed, just the fabric and some thread, making this an even more quick and inexpensive project. Yay

2012-02-27T18:03:00.000-05:00

On Saturday I headed out to the 2012 Farm Fair to see about picking a CSA share for the year. In the past I have hesitated about these programs for fear that I would end up with a box of squash and sweet potatoes (ick, my most hated vegetables), but I was pleased to see this year that a lot of the farms allow you to choose the vegetables you like.

I bought a small share from South Paw Farm, I liked that they had lamb and pork as well as vegetables. I also picked up from frozen lamb shoulder while I was there that I hope to turn into a lamb vindaloo this week. So much nicer to buy lamb from Maine than New Zealand like they have at the store. It blows my mind that the only lamb options in the store are from half the world away when we have perfectly yummy sheeps in Maine.

I was also very pleased to find some pasture raised eggs while I was there. I love real farm eggs, not the "cage free" eggs they have the grocery store that are only marginally better. I was talking with a friend about how when you buy eggs from a farmer you are taking their word they are true free range only until you crack the shell. You can instantly tell from the beautiful orange if you are getting an egg from a happy chicken or not, and these delivered! Yum :)

2012-02-26T13:24:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned yesterday I spent the day at NETA's Knit and Spin gathering in Freeport. It's always a really nice time. It is always very loosely organized, you can spend the weekend, shop in the vending area or just gather in the lobby and spin and knit with friends. It's fun to see spinners and knitters take over Freeport.

In our group we had two wheel spinners, two spindle spinners and four knitters.

Much yarn/fiber was purchased (although I held back, my stash is very healthy right now). And much beautiful yarn was created. But most importantly much laughter was shared.

It was also really nice to see so many displays of beautifully worn knit ware. Bristol had many compliments on her Winnowing shawl (deservedly so, it's beautiful).

Although probably the most special part of the day was coming home to flowers and chocolates from a wonderful friend who knew this has been a rough week (thank you so much Ms. Cleaver!)

2012-02-25T17:47:00.000-05:00

Knit 'n Spin was today. Rose and I are exhausted! More on our shared adventures tomorrow.

2012-02-24T08:55:00.000-05:00

It's a bit of hard day today. I have been back at work light duty, part time, since about 4 weeks after the accident. I found out yesterday that they do not have any more light duty for me at present so I need to go back home and be on short term disability. Today is my last day.

It's a bit scary because I am running out of my protected leave, so my job will be at risk soon. I work for a great department, and I am confident they are going to hold my job for me for as long as possible, but it is hard for them to operate when they are down a staff person.

I am sure it's all going to work out in the end, but it's all a bit scary at the moment.

My hand has certainly come a long way. Below is a picture from shortly after the accident and then a more recent one.

I am confident my hand will get better, now I just need to put all my strength into fixing it!

2012-02-23T07:35:00.000-05:00

I think I have created drug addicts out of my cats. This past week there has been daily demands for cat nip from one or both cats. Hobbes like to sit below my desk and meow/yell at me until he is provided with adequate cat nip to meet his demands. The worst part? They refuse to clean up after themselves.

Yesterday after an epic cat battle occurred after the administration of the cat nip, which eventually resolved itself with Chase being victorious. I think this makes her a mob boss/drug king pin.

I hope Chase is happy... alone... but with all the nip

2012-02-22T07:44:00.000-05:00

I recently started working on Debbie Bliss' Farm Animal Play Mat. Back in college I made this project, but skipped the actual mat (I just made the animals that went with it). I recently started thinking how wonderful it would be to make the whole thing, mat and all. After finding Cashmerino for an amazingly good price at Webs, I decided to go for it.

Those of you who know me are well aware that I am not a perfectionist with my knitting. I am unlikely to rip something back unless it is really, truly a problem. I have also re-written patterns on multiple occasions because I didn't like the original instructions, or thought it would be irritating to knit it that way. "I'll make it work" has become a running joke at my knitting group.

But I just could not ignore that top left brown square. Clearly it was larger than the others. I tried to ignore it. I told myself it would block out. I came up with an elaborate plan to stuff it and make it into some kind of "dirt mountain" on the mat. Eventually though I had to acquiesce it was just not working.

As I had already sewn it in, I had to cut it would out of the mat to get rid of it, but I am glad I did. It has since been replaced with a smaller, mistake rib that looks much better.... and my play mat was able to avoid having a large dirt pile as a design feature.

2012-02-21T08:06:00.000-05:00

Things have been a bit rough over here for the past couple months. On December 9th, the Mr. and I were in a car accident and I sustained 5 finger fractures along with a host of ligamentous/soft tissue injuries. My hand is undergoing therapy/rehab now, and some slow progress is being made but I still don't have very good functional use of it yet. I have been on light duty with a modified work schedule for the past month (was out for the previous month). And with this loss of productive occupation I have been engaging in more leisure occupations, especially crafting as it allows me to feel some sense of accomplishment/completion. Crafting takes me longer than it used to and I can't do it for as long as previously, but I enjoy what I have churned out.

On Sunday I did venture over to Ms. Cleaver's house with Bristol for an afternoon of sewing (although Bristol cheated and brought knitting). I completed 4 placemats which I think will be just perfect for eating outdoors in the summer. The pattern is Simplicity 3695.

I think I will make another set in more subdued colours to use in our dining room (our dining room is a stone green and we have sage/cream/burnt orange plates).

It's curtains for you! Lacy, gently wafting curtains

2011-07-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

I finished painting the office, but making the curtains has been taking me forever! Not because curtains are difficult or challenging, but because they are boring me out of my mind. I am usually really good about not procrastinating, and just getting things done that need doing, but these curtains have been my nemesis. Several times I have gone to the sewing room, sewn one seam and then promptly decided that really I better go brush the cat, empty the dishwasher, get the mail... you get the idea.

I now I have two of the curtains completed, and have conveniently run out of thread so I am unable to make the other two right now. I must say, I am pleased with how they turned out. I didn't really follow a pattern, I just took some muslin and sewed one inch seams on all sides then folded the top over to make a pocket for the rod. As you can see from the photos these curtains are multi-talented and are capable of both opening and closing.

Mike and I are so pleased with how much better the room looks, it was very much worth the labor I put into it. I included this last photo below because the colour is more accurate. It's very bright, but we like it. The rest of our house has very neutral colours, and we wanted something a little more funky and fun for this room.

Appropriate Punishment?

2011-07-04T20:01:00.000-04:00

I had a great start to the Tour de Fleece. I finished spinning 8 ounces of bamboo/merino/silk (most of it was spun prior) and plied it, and began spinning from the fleece I bought a couple weeks ago. I was starting to think "wow, I had forgotten how much I loved spinning!) and I was really excited about actually finishing Tour de Fleece this year... when I came downstairs and found that Chase had eaten my driveband. This is actually the third driveband that she has eaten (with shipping they cost about $20 dollars).

So what should I do with her? My initial thought was that she should have to buy me a new one out of her allowance, but Mike pointed out that she is a cat and does not actually possess or understand currency, so I am out of ideas.

2011-06-23T21:27:00.003-04:00

While Mike was away last weekend at a conference, I took along around our office and decided that I had reached my breaking point with the peeling wallpaper and decided to fix it. When Mike and I first moved into our house we said that painting the office would be one of the first things that we would do, we told ourselves that we would never be the kind of people who would just live with something that ugly in their house without fixing it.

Flash forward 18 months and somehow we just never got around to it (although to our credit in the meantime we painted the mudroom, kitchen, hallway, bathroom, kitchen and dining room, we also put in a front garden, got new appliances, changed the bathtub and toilet, put in a new light fixture, got a new roof and installed a gas stove and dishwasher).

In any case here are our before office pictures:

For the record, Jackson just inserted himself in this picture.

Most of the room had this pink wallpaper on it, but one of the walls had almost all the wallpaper gone, revealing a neon yellow plaster under neath. It still baffles me that someone would sell their house with a room in this bad of shape (and that Mike and I would be crazy enough to buy it).

As it stands right now I have stripped off all the wallpaper, primed and painted the trim and painted about 25% of the room. I plan to finish this weekend. Today I bought some fabric and plan to make curtains. After pictures to be shown when completed. Stay tuned.

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

2011-06-18T09:20:00.003-04:00

Yesterday after work Yesterday after work Bristol and I took a road trip up to River croft Farm to procure a fleece for my tour de fleece project. I have not decided yet what my goal will be for Tour de Fleece, other than to spin every day. I do plan on spending the majority of it though working on spinning from my fleece (which I will have processed and carded myself) and increasing my skill with woolen spinning.

For those of you unfamiliar with the tour de fleece (have you been hiding under a rock?), is you spin everyday that the cyclists participate in the Tour de France. You get to rest on the two days that you rest. Most people also set a personal goal. The idea is to challenge your spinning ability and develop new skills. A lot of knitter also find that it can be hard to make time to spin, and this is a nice way of building up a stash of hand spun.

River croft farm is run by Joe and Judy Miller, it is located in Starks, Maine. They specialize in fleeces for handspinners. Most of their sheep are coated (meaning they wear little jackets in the winter to prevent them from getting hay and straw in their coats) and they do an amazing job of properly shearing the fleece and caring for the animals. I have been very impressed with the quality of fleeces that I have seen from them before at Common Ground Fair and Fiber Frolic, but since I was unable to attend either of those fairs this year I decided to go right to the source and buy one.

We had a really fun trip up, Bristol was very helpful when picking out a fleece for me, and manage to find a great one for herself too (which she totally 100% NEEDED). I came back with a Moorit Ewe fleece that is about 5.5 pounds. Moorit refers to a colour, not a breed, but Judy thought it was likely a Merino/long wool cross, so it is likely similar to corridale or polwarth. In any case it's beautiful, soft, and I loves it.

This morning I filled a Tupperware basin on my deck and I have laid the fleece out to soak and ferment for at least 3 days (although if you can wait a week it's better) to get out as much suet and dirt out, after that I will do a hot wash and get as much lanolin out as possible.

Check out the crimp on it, totally drool worthy. Now all I have to do is complete the agonizing wait to start spinning with it.

2011-06-13T20:01:00.002-04:00

I feel like it has been so long since I blogged that I don't even know where to start. I am not really sure why I stopped blogging, but I am pretty sure it had something to do with buying a house that has taken up way more of my free time than I meant it to.

Sometime last year I also lost my knitting mojo, and while it has been slowly returning it has not come back full force. I am not sure exactly when that happened either, but I think it was related to knitting two sweaters back to back that turned out really truly awful. One was the Vine Yolk Cardigan and one was Vivian. They turned out so badly that it sort of made me want to give up on knitting. I have since made some ok things, but I just haven't knit as much.

So what I have been doing with my spare time? Lots and lots of sewing and a little bit of running. My running has been on hold a bit since winter due to shin splints, but I presently have no injury restricting my sewing!

I recently bought a serger and have been having lots of fun sewing with knits and doing my apparel sewing. This is my most recent creation. It is knit with a cotton jersey, super comfortable. The pattern is Simplicity 2219. I found the pattern very easy to follow, except I had a few issues with the neckline, but I think that was more sewer error than the patterns fault. Now all I have to do is wait for it to get warm enough in Maine to wear a dress!

Final day of rest

2011-01-02T11:51:00.006-05:00

It's the last day of my Christmas/Holiday Vacation today, I am trying to soak up as much relaxing and resting into one day as possible. Everyone in our house has their own way of relaxing, Mike likes to sleep in as late as possible, I like to finish (not just start) crafting projects, and the animals like to maximize their lounging time. Chase and Jackson had marathon lounging sessions this morning. I envy the animals in our house, they are able to attain a state of supreme relaxation that I did not know was even possible.

I generally do not do New Year's Resolutions, I feel that they only set my up for failure. However last year I had great fun with setting knitolutions. I had only one last year, and that was to spin and knit a sweater. I spun and knit Metro over the month of November (pictures to come after it's blocked). I have spent part of the past few days planning out my 2011 knitolutions. I don't have them set in stone yet, but I have a few ideas:

1. Spin and knit something out of cotton. Can be very small, such as a wash cloth. I just need to do it.
2. Publish at least one knitting pattern (I actually have a good start on this one, I designed and knit a slouchy hat over break, I just need to take pictures and write out the pattern).
3. Knit three sweaters, including the one that I have started over break (1.75 sleeves done!)

Of course, I still need to get final approve for these knitolutions, from the committee which is made up of my Tuesday night knitting group. We will have to wait and see if I get approval.

Finally, I have a little bit of handspinning to show off. On the right is my first attempt at kettle dying roving, spun and plied. The colors are a little whacky, next time I am going to make the dye a little less strong and use a but less contrast between colors. Still it was a good first attempt and I think I can make something cool out of it.

I also have some hand dyed that I did more of a painting method, and with more subtle color variation. I left in single ply and I am not sure what to use it for, but I am really happy with how it looks. I have yet to knit anything out of my single ply, so that will be another sort of experiment. I am a little afraid that it will either be so under spun that it will fall apart, or so over spun that it will warp into a wacky diamond shape when knit.

2010

2010-12-31T12:31:00.007-05:00

It's New Years Eve, Mike and I are having a potluck party tonight. I've got the lasagna made, the drinks chilling, vegetables cut up, hummus ready, and crackers out. Mike is mopping the floors. It feels refreshing to clean the house and get it ready for 2011, which I hope will be a little less stressful than 2010 was.

This year was highly eventful, and often not in a good way. There was a lot of changes (good and bad) as well as a lot of loss. However, it was also the year that I was able to marry the love of my life so I can't harp on it too much. Here's a summary of the year:

In March Mike and I became engaged! And on raverly no less! Mike gave me a beautiful sapphire ring as an engagement ring and we excitedly began to plan our wedding!

In June I had a wonderful bridal shower, I felt so special to be surrounded by so many friends and to be given such wonderful presents. It was a ton of fun. I was also lucky enough to have a second bridal shower in late summer with my work friends. I shared my work shower with one of my best friends, Katie, who was married a week before me.

Very sadly, in the spring my step sister Irene became ill. She fought a long and courageous battle with a chronic illness, and in July she passed away in Halifax. I was able to go home for her funeral and appreciated being able to spend some time with my family. Irene was an amazing person who had to fight her whole life. She took on a struggle to ensure more equitable drug coverage for persons in Nova Scotia who were battling illness. CTV wrote an article about her here.

While I was home in July, the day of Irene's funeral, my Granddad fell and sustained a traumatic brain injury. I was able to visit him in the hospital for a few days, but he didn't really know I was there as he was in full blown delirium/active brain bleed. Over the summer he made gradual improvements until he drastically declined. We think he had a stroke, but can't be sure. He didn't want any surgery or intervention so a CT or MRI was not done. He passed away September 26th. I am grateful that I was able to spend some time with my family during that traumatic event. I miss him and think about him daily. He was a great man, and a wonderful grand father.

In September Mike and I had our wedding. The whole day was perfect and wonderful and special and amazing. We felt so lucky to have such amazing friends and family, and we enjoy remembering the specialness of the day.

Sadly, in October I lost little Cocoa Bean, she was a little off one day and the next day she died while I was at work. I still don't know what happened to her, but I really miss her. She was a great rabbit and I learned a lot from her about how to care for Angoras.

In the fall I was able to go to Rhinebeck with my knitting friends and we had a blast! We stayed for two nights in a sketchy hotel in upstate New York and spent both days that weekend immersed in yarn and fiber and soft animals. I can home with Petunia, a Giant Angora. Petunia has not been as easy to train as Cocoa Bean was, but we are getting there.

I was lucky enough to have two thanksgivings this year. My Dad, step mom and Nanny came down for real (Canadian) thanksgiving in October and we had a wonderful time. I was able to cook the turkey myself on my big green egg (wedding present from my Dad!). You have not had turkey until you've had smoked turkey! In November Mike and I went to Orono for fake (American) thanksgiving. We had a great meal with my new in-laws and a wonderful visit.

Which brings us to December. This month has been a little rough. My grandmother who I love dearly had a heart attack a couple weeks ago and has been in hospital in Canada. I have been unable to visit because I am in limbo right now with my green card, but I hope to have my travel documents by mid January so I can visit.

So that was my year. I had some really hard times, and some really great ones. Here's to 2011 being a little less stressful :)

September 25, 2010

2010-11-18T06:35:00.003-05:00

Mike and I got married on September 25, 2010. It was a beautiful day. We really were so happy with how everything worked out. I can't think of anything more perfect than marrying the one you love while surrounded by all of your favorite people in an idyllic autumnal landscape.

My mother in law did the bouquets, which were just stunning. I can't believe how professional they looked and they were just how I envisioned the perfect flowers! I had a mixture of red and orange roses with burnt orange calla lilies.

My mom made the cakes. The cutting cake was Vinatarta, a traditional Icelandic wedding cake. The main cakes were black forest (inside was a hazelnut torte with a layer of chocolate ganache and a layer of cherries all soaked in liqueur, yum!)

The covered bridge was a great spot for a quiet and elegant wedding.

Hot Water Bottle Cozy

2010-10-29T10:32:00.003-04:00

It has come to my attention that my Hot Water Bottle Cozy pattern that I published on Raverly a couple years ago is no longer available from the link I had up (it was hosted on my university's website, I guess they cute me off when I was no longer a student!). So here is the pattern written out:

This herringbone pattern was inspired by my love of hot water bottles and my sadness when they get cold so very fast. This cozy wool hot water bottle cover will keep you and your bottle warm and snuggly. The yarn that I used, Briggs and Little, is great for this project and has the added bonus of being very economical. One skein will cost you less than $6 Canadian.

SIZE: One size fits the standard red hot water bottle sold in drugstores

MATERIALS:

- Briggs & Little [100% wool; 215yd per 113 g skein]; color: Grape 1 skein

- 24 inch US #7/4.5 mm circular needle

- 4 double point needles in US# 7/4.5 mm

GAUGE:

14 sts/25 rows = 4" in Herringbone pattern

Pattern:

Cast on 64 stitches on your circular needle. Join, being careful not to twist and begin working in a knit one purl one rib. Work until piece measures an inch or desired length.

Begin herringbone pattern. Work pattern until piece measures 11 inches.

Shape for top: Cast off 17 stitches, knit 15 stitches, cast off 17 stitches, knit 15 stitches.

Begin ‘neck’ ribbing: Switch to double points, and equally divide the 30 stitches you have left. Work in a knit 1, purl 1 rib for 4.5 inches. Bind off all stitches.

Herringbone Pattern

(adapted from Vogue Knitting: the ultimate knitting book)

Row 1 and 3: Knit every stitch

Row 2: *K2tog, k2, inc in next stitch as following: place point of right hand needle behind left hand needle, insert port of needle from the top down through the (purled) head of the stitch below next stitch, and k this stitch; then k the stitch above, k2; repeat from *, end k1.

Row 4: k1, *k2, inc in next stitch and k the stitch, k2, k2tog; rep from * to end

Finishing:

Close the holes you have on each side of the ‘neck’ by sewing them closed. Fold the ‘neck’ ribbing in half. Wash piece and block using the hot water bottle to shape it.

2010-05-01T16:35:00.002-04:00

I question if I am meant to be a blogger, I do maintain this blog off and on, but really it is far more off than on. I think the biggest barrier for me is the time consuming aspect of taking pictures of my finished objects and loading them on here, which isn't very satisfying for me, because I don't have a good camera and I am not a good photographer :(

I have been pretty busy with wedding planning. Mike and I are getting married September 25th at the Newry Covered Bridge, we are having our reception at the Phoenix House and Well. I have been working on setting up registry's (Amazon and Macy's), booking our DJ (Northeast DJ), finding accommodations for us (River Ridge House) and our guests (Grand Summit), buying a dress (David's Bridal), setting up the photographer (Corey Michael Photography) and more. The whole thing is rather exhausting!

The wedding registry has been fun, but also tricky. I worry that the items I have put on my be too expensive (in my mind I thought a few people might get together to buy a larger object or two so I put some bigger ones on there), or not "traditional" enough. Mike and I have a lot of basic kitchen things, so we registered for some more fancy items like accessories for my stand mixer, a steam cleaner for the floor, and a kitchen island.

Anyone else think I should also be able to register at a yarn store? I am still trying to figure out how I can add a Patrick Green Deb's Delicate Deluxe drum carder to the registry, maybe Susan's Fiber Shop has a registry option? haha