ODAA Dinner

So this was the first year that I have gone with my husband to the ODAA seminar, and accordingly the dinner.  He keeps telling me that normally there is not as much talking/speeches/ect as there were this year and I don't quite know if I believe him.  Despite the extreme boredom and my back spasming while desperately trying to sit up straight and be on my best, well mannered behavior, the video at the end that I will likely never be able to show anyone -- EVER -- was worth it.

Sadly, I think that is all that I am allowed to mention about the video.  That's right, all I can say is that there was a video, and that it was worth watching.

If they had something like that video every year, I would say that sitting through the first 95% of dinner would be worthwhile.

I don't want it to sound like the dinner was horrible.  It was pretty standard with speeches, awards, thanks, and the best attempt that chefs can put in to feeding that many people all at once  (if I get to go next time, I will avoid the salmon and opt for the veggie plate if I can do so).  We sat at the same table as the husbeasts' boss and a couple of co-workers of his, but I wasn't sitting next to any of them, only people I didn't know and couldn't giggle with.  Sure, meeting new people is nice, so long as they actually want to talk to you and that was not the case for the people sitting around me tonight.  The new aquaintance that sat to my right was only interested in discussing the proper use of Hawaiian red salt with one of Beau's co-workers.  A great big fail on that man's part of the conversation IMO, that particular salt is only so interesting for so long.  The internet junkie in me wanted to blurt out something like L2USEMOARSALT!

I also found myself wanting to say childish and pointless things through out the night like "poopy" but that could have just been the rum and cokes trying to poke through the proper behavior filter in my brain.

Approximately 30 minutes into the event I was seriously considering breaking out my knitting, and how much of a faux pau that would be in a room full of prosecutors and judges.  I like to think that I choose correctly and did not break out the needles and yarn while the president of the ODAA droned on about people I didn't know doing things I don't remember and that they were giving said people a piece of paper for doing them.  Good for those people, apparently they did something good!  I applaud them, recognition is good, but it just kept going and going and going, like people would expect at a graduation almost.

Afterwards -- and this would be the real disappointment -- we went for drinks... and no one joined us.  For some reason I still don't understand, I thought that the people that my husband works with were more social.  Maybe it's because most of them go out to lunch on Fridays and seem like they are friends.  My bad, that will be a good reminder to not assume that people who work and go out to eat together actually want to spend time together (especially after spending all day together in a seminar).  The supper wasn't like some awkward company picnic where the boss breaks out the "Q" and grills while people hunker down in tenuous cliques with their families and the closest things they can call friends until it is socially acceptable to leave.  It always seems that people genuinely like each other, so really, I was surprised that people were so anti-social after the dinner tonight.

We did get to meet some people from another DA's office in another county, and they were nice guys.  Perhaps at the next conference there will be more people to hang out with.

It's been a busy year! Haha~

Holy zombie jeebus, I have not posted in a really long time for either real life stuff or my crochet and knit!  Shame on me I suppose~
When will I ever learn to be a steady blogger?  The world may never know.

The speedy update since my past post is that I am now married to my long time guy  (woohoo!), we have adopted a new kitten (feisty, teething snuggler of awesome), one of my best friends recently had an adoreable baby girl and another one of friends is soon to have a boy.  The husbeast and I finally upgraded to "smart phones" and now we are addicts like the rest of the people in the world with smart phones.

For part of this week we are in Sunriver, OR, (my husband is attending an ODAA seminar and conference while I get to roam around and play).  It is gorgeous up here if you like high desert, mountains, clear skies, museums, golfing, horse back riding, bicycling, inner tubing and shopping (during the summer).  Come winter, I would say it's a safe bet that there are a lot of skiers out here.  I am hoping that we can come out here again sometime soon, or spend our next vacation.  It has been really nice to go somewhere with sun  (this "summer" has been very cloudy, wet and late in arriving where we live), and I am pretty sure that I would be happy just laying around on the balcony or floating in the water for a few more days.  Sadly, we leave on Friday though  (which is the start of the local music festival here).

When it comes to crafting, geeze I have been busy!  Here is the list of things that I have finished:

• 16 amigurui turtles (wedding reception table decor)
• 7 purses for the wedding
• Matron of Honor Purse
• Brides Maid Purse (friend)
• Brides Maid Purse (sister-in-law)
• Mother of the Bride Purse
• Mother of the Groom Purse
• Bridal Purse (used - and apparently I never took a picture of it specifically. lol Apologies!)
• Bridal Purse (unused)
• 2 coffee sleeves
• Feather Scarf
• Iris the Gourmet Monster
• Learn to Knit Cuff
• Head Band with Vintage Crocheted Flower (no picture)
• Bear Ears for Newborn Hat (made for my friends' new baby)
• Harvest Hands (made for my mother)
• Crochet Lace Fingerless Mitts (made for sister in-law)
• Yoga Mat Bag (no picture)
• Pineapple Scarf (made for sister in-law)
• Honeycomb Lattice Cowl (made for my mother)
• 20 Coffee Sleeves (made for my husbands office as a generic winter holiday present)
• One-Skein Scarf (from Stitch 'n' Bitch Happy Hooker - made for one of my aunts)
• Victorian/Steampunk Ruffled Spats
• Easy Adjustable Slippers (I do not think that the pattern was well written at all).
• Crochet Spring Scarf
• Cabled Mitts (crocheted - the is the project where I really learned that using dark yarns for things that involve important design elements such as texture or cables, is not a good idea. lol)
• Fit to be Tied (no picture)
• Perfect Purse (no picture - made for my mother)
• Airport Scarves - Romantic Hippie

Amikomo-9 Yawaraka Lace Café Curtain

Day One:  This is the first time I have ever really used a chart to follow a pattern.  If the pattern were written out in Japanese I would have a much easier time of it since I speak and read Japanese (luls).  Eventually my brain kicked in though and I am done with the first motif square.

Something important for people to note on the chart that at the very center of the motif, the character for "wa" indicates to ch2.

Initially I attempted to Magic Ring this pattern but the look changes and the yarn I am using made the ring more difficult in the pattern than just doing a straight ch2 start.

Currently, I am wondering how it is I am going to be joining all of these motifs together.  I have never done a piece made up entirely of motifs so my brain is wrapping itself around that issue at the moment.

First Etsy Shop Listing!

I am so excited, my first listing is finally up!  When I first took the Census job I thought that I was going to be working a lot less than I am (I'm not complaining), but it has taken me such a long time to get my shop going!

Hurrah for having it up and a listing to show!  I will upload more in a day or two to keep my listings fresh and at the top of the pages. :3

Blue Face Scrubbies (or Coaster) Gift Set

Honestly, these little scrubbie sets are a breeze to make and if I have the dedicated time I could make a lot of them in a hurry, but after the ones that I have made I will be so glad to go back to making purses, hats, scarves and little, random projects!

I worked the majority of Memorial Day Weekend in our states attempt to catch up the people in Cannon Beach to the rest of the nation.  It was a lot of fun even if frustrating to go through a ton of EQ's with so many brain fart errors.  I really do not see how so many people just do not understand how to fill out a questionnaire correctly.  EVERYONE had at least 5 days worth of training.  There is no reason to have any of these mistakes. Rabbble rabble!

Anyway, as I said, it was fun!  I had lunch with my CL and FOSA both Sat & Sun at Mo's and both times we had a fantastic table right at the windows.  It poured on Sunday and I was soaked for almost the entire day, BUT I got to meet 8 corgi puppies when I went to someone's house in an attempt to find a proxy that could tell me if the other houses in the area were seasonal/second homes or not.  I still have a joygasm whenever I think of all those little puppies.

Granny Square Market Bag - Completed

I am still not in love with this pattern, so much so that it's a "I barely tolerate it's existence and it's glad that I cannot see where I sewed in the ends otherwise I would have three balls of yarn back to use for something better."

The bag functions just fine.  Aesthetically it's a mess unless it's in use because of how the pattern is structured in making the bottom and side panels.  I was going to put a flower on the bag, but that just didn't look good on the bag for some reason. =^O.o^=  Over all, I love the front and back panels, but I hate the bottom and sides.  The pattern would be much better served if the sides and bottom were done in three separate pieces and attached rather than one large piece of floppy doom.

Materials used:  Lily Sugar'n'Cream cotton - Key Lime Pie (3 skeins), US H hook

Generic picture

Close Up of Front/Back Panel

What the bag looks like when not in use.... 

Etsy Shoppe Now Open!

That's correct, I finally have my Etsty store!  Now I just need things to sell. =^>.>^=;;

I've been so busy with the Census that I have had hardly any time to work on my current projects, but I am almost done with a second granny square market bag for my future mother in law. :3  I hope that she likes it when it's finally finished.  And I am hoping that I DO finish it before they take off into Portland because I had originally wanted it done for mothers day but I messed up on my counting for the sides and bottom. =^>.<^=;;;

Max's Shadow Cap

My friend on Ravelry (Melbav) sent me this pattern. :3  I am really happy with how the hat turned out, but I will do some tweaks to the brim and make it smoother and rounder than how it came out this time, the next time I make it. xD

Beau thinks I should make one that is green and yellow to show my UO pride. =^>.>^=;;  That might look a little odd, but that's OK!

Currently, I do not know what to make next.  Since I started taking belly dancing classes off of FitTV, I really want to make one of the following, but I don't have a color of yarn (or enough of it) right now to make a set.
Josephine Halter
Josephine Scarf
Josephine Gauntlets
Although, I could always just make the belt!  (Huge image, apologies!) Josephine Belt