Finishing touches

Hubby and I started dating when I was 19 and he was 18. I hated that I was older and when I found out his age I even tried to break up with him over it. Well, you know who won. We met at the Honda dealership where we both worked. He sold cars and I was a receptionist. He was tall and handsome and after he asked me out for about three months (and shaved off that silly mustache) I finally said okay. He lived with his parents, but made a bunch of money, so in my eyes he was rich, and just about spent it all on me! What was not to like about him? Why am I telling you all this? Isn’t this a blog about knitting and cooking and gardening? Bear with me a bit longer. One of our favorite ways to hang out was to go shopping. He looked good in anything (remember tall and handsome) – especially a suit. I recall one occasion at Off 5th where he purchased his “legendary” Hugo Boss suit, strutting out when he tried it on (giggle, giggle). He looked amazing! Sure, it had a European cut, which his broad shoulders filled out perfectly, but that waist of his was still slimmer than those slim Europeans! Of course, he was fit back then (weren’t we all?), so all his suits had to be taken in. (Really, I’m gonna get to the point of this story.) I adore a man in uniform – and isn’t a suit basically just a uniform? Okay, fast forward 13 years. That fabulous Hugo Boss suit no longer fits (it’s not that he got taller, lol). Having fun afternoons of shopping and spending silly amounts of money are long over. However, he still needs something to where to our meetings. I think June Bug was barely born the last time he got a brand new suit. So, tomorrow we are going to mall (big family outing, lol). I doubt the suit he chooses will need to be taken in. Maybe he’s finally grown into the man he was meant to be, who I love. :)

The real reason you’re here.

Cookies that June bug and I made yesterday. 

Neon food coloring is way cool! Not natural, but it’s not like we eat it every day. I forgot I had it until it fell out of the cupboard at me the other day.

And the first loaf of “white” bread I’ve made in a while. Even all those delicious whole grains get a little boring. Couldn’t just make it all plain though, I threw in some herbs, garlic and minced onion – yum!

And finally the knitting. Before my last post, I got into a major knitting groove. I finished the baby romper for Leslie’s baby. 

I’ve only made one attempt to give it to her, so better try a bit harder, since she might see this post and wonder if she’ll ever get it!

Then, what next? It’s funny how when I finish a knitting project, I immediately want to start another one. However, those finishing touches are what really slow me down! I’m not alone. Many knitters hate the finishing part of knitting. All the weaving in of ends and seaming things up – we just want to knit! And, knitting is something to just pick up to de-stress for me, so if there’s nothing there to pick up and knit, then what, chocolate, bread, chips? So many calories!

So, right after I finished the romper, I grabbed my shrug and I actually finished the last 14 of the 15 rows in record time (remember there were over 250 stitches in each row). I realized I was going to be about 3 ½ rows short and I didn’t want to purchase another ball of yarn, but I really wasn’t sure if it would be okay, so I procrastinated – a bunch. But, I was determined to finish. I’d come all this way, I’d hate for it to sit in my knitting drawers with all those other abandoned projects! So, I brought my project with me everywhere: to my moms, to my sisters, to watch TV, to the coffee shop. I even weaved in all the ends and seamed the arms together so that the second I was done knitting, I could be done with the project and just put it on! However, it sat (right next to me), unfinished for the last two weeks. Last Friday I visited my grandmother, who, in her heyday used to make all my grandpa’s socks! She’s actually quite proud that I’ve taken such a liking to knitting. I showed her my nearly finished shrug (yes, it was right in the car with me) and that purple shirt that’s been about half done for about 6 months (yes, it’s been in my knitting bag sitting underneath the shrug all along). She loved them. She realizes that she’s likely not going to be making all the little doll clothes she used to make for my sister and my cousins and I, so she gave me a bunch of knitting books. Oo, fresh inspiration! I tried to start a project for one of June Bug’s dolls, but couldn’t get the gage right, probably because the shrug was calling out to me to be finished! So, tonight I sat down and about 15 minutes later, it was done. 

I tried it on, spun around and yes, wondered, what next?