Hi. How ya been?

I had a big party last weekend. I threw it for myself because I was so pleased about having patterns in Pretty Little Potholders and Pretty Little Patchwork. I called it Pretty Little Party--why miss out on the opportunity? It turned out just right. There were dancing and drinking pretty drinks and cupcakes and lilacs and bunches of fresh mint. We live a ways out from most people, so we don't entertain very often--it was nice to do it up right!

The spools (in a compote dish) were a gift from my friend Joe's mom. She gave them to me because she knew I would like them-- you know how it is with that sort of thing? The colors are so pretty, and it's so much easier to repurpose wooden spools than plastic ones. They make me happy.

Post party, the house is so clean I can't believe it. There has been no posting because I have been doing things like dusting the high shelves. I suppos I could have turned this into a cleaning blog, but um, that's just not my thing. It's probably somebody's thing though, right? Anyone down with the clean blogging scene?

Isn't it nice to make something that you've wanted to make forever? The charming bag from Amy Karol's book has been on my list forever. I've even had the fabric picked out. I finally up and made it, and I'm pretty pleased with the way it came out.

I added a pocket to the inside because I really need a place to put my chapstick. I am wishing that I sandwiched a tie closure in between the lining and body layers because it doesn't so much want to stay closed when I use it. But, it's very cute and has made me happy this whole one day that I've carried it. The fabric is a leftover decorator's sample of chintz I got at the flea market last year.

The chicks are doing very well. They'd like to give a shout-out to their adoring public.

We are officially chicken people. This is our first farm animal experiment. Previously all the animals in our household have been cats. The chicks are here with a job to do: in about five months they will lay eggs. (It would be unfair to say that the cats are not as useful. They may not produce food, but they manage to fulfill their roles as lap warmers and comic relief.)

The chicks are funny. The red one (a Rhode Island Red) is sweet and friendly, the black one (a Barred Rock) is a little stern, and the brown one with fluffy cheeks (an Ameraucana) is worried. I did not expect them to really have personalities, but they do. When they get big enough, we are going to tractor them around the yard. They can find delicious bugs that way.

I didn't think I would have chickens. I though I might have any one of a number of other farm-type animals, but not chickens. I think it's because my BFF is chicken phobic and I love her. But Elie was really down with the idea of chickens and they're a pretty practical animal to keep, so here we are. (Plus, said BFF lives halfway across the country.)

It's been a weekend of food for thought, much of it thanks to Lisa, our local food diva. She had chickens and demonstrated how not hard or weird it was, and she also posted links to all the local CSAs, which was so nice because I thought there was only one and it was sold out. I joined up and am now thrilled about the idea of my veggies arriving once a week in a box, not in the least because this means that I won't have to think about what to buy. It is lessening my domestic thought burden. Back to this weekend. So then to top that all off, my friend Joe got me into the sold out Ebertfest showing of Farmer John, which was just oh so good.

Also this weekend, a tiny bit of crafting for another tiny person. Bibs for baby showers. I swear, there are as many babies as bunnies this year!

A friend of mine is having a baby, so two other friends of mine and I set out to knit the baby an outfit. We didn't give ourselves much time. But, we did it, with perseverance and a plan. I did the arms on this little sweater and my friend Kristin did the rest of it. I know, it is very risky business to have two people working on the same knitted garment. Our gauges are a little different (I am a loose knitter), but I don't think it shows much. The pattern came from an Australian-published book, and it's funny you wouldn't think that knitting instruction would be very different between two English-speaking countries. Well, they weren't that different, just different enough to be confusing. Like, they say "increase at each end", which 2 out of 3 US knitters take to mean "increase at the end of the row" but which really means "increase at the end and the beginning of the row". I never thought I'd say it, but thank goodness it had a chart.

My other friend Ellen made the little denim pants from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, and they turned out so cute it will kill you. If only I had a photo.

I am now a member of the tendonitis club. I was worried that this little sweater was what did it to me, and that I would have to give up knitting and mousing and other essentials. But no, it was that gosh-darn eliptical machine. See what you get for starting a fitness routine? If I rest it, it should go away and they I can take up the needles again. Thank goodness.

Books! With me in them! Eeeeee!

I went to Barnes and Noble on Saturday to get a baby shower present and these two covers just accosted me from a little stand in the craft section. (Oh, you know the craft section is on the way to the baby section!) I didn't think the books were out yet because I don't have my copies yet, but OMG, there they were. It made me eep!

I have a project in Pretty Little Patchwork and a project in Pretty Little Potholders, both published by Lark. The books are really cute, and there are some other nice people you might know in them. When I get my own copy, I am going to be sewing some projects. (They will be pretty little projects, of course.) My patchwork project is a star pincushion like these ones, and my potholder has yo-yos. You know I love a yo-yo.

I've been excited about this for a really long time, but I wasn't sure when to bring it up. I mean, what's the protocol on that? At first I didn't want to blog anything because what if I somehow didn't make it in at the end? Then once everything was finalized, it seemed randomly in the middle nothing in particular. So here I am, seeing books in the store and sharing right now. E!