Happy New Year?!?

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted since September. When I think about it, there was sooo much going on to distract me.

Let's see, since I last wrote:

-JR broke up with me. Sad day (or rather morning since it was at 2am after a date), but in retrospect, maybe not such a bad thing. Without going into personal details too much, I think it was best for us to both move on and look for people who were better matches for us.

-I dated around a bit and ended up in a fantastic relationship with Bruce, a wonderful guy who fits me to a tee!

-I quit my terrible job at the movie theater. Now I make my money doing a little freelance writing and odd jobs. I've "unofficially" moved in with Bruce and his parents.

-Went through a lot of stressful times with friendships, a friend who got arrested (and to whom Bruce and I gave all our money to help bail out, great for financial security, right?), my car being unable to pass smog and now a broken driver's seat seatbelt.

Knitting has been the one of the only things to keep me sane the past few months, and sadly I neglected my knitting at the turn of the new year, right when I probably needed it the most. It doesn't help when I live between two houses and most of my yarn and tools are at the wrong house.

I have however been knitting up a storm the past few weeks. I completed Christmas presents for the family if not all the friends (before Christmas Day too!), and have since completed a headband, a bikini "rave" top (with fuzzy gogo leg warmers in the works still), and have set to work on a big, colorful hooded jacket.

This jacket . . . well, this jacket. For Christmas my mom gave me several knitting books, including Freeform Style: Blend Knit and Crochet to Create Fiber Art Wearables
by Jonelle Raffino and Prudence Mapstone. I am IN LOVE!!! The jacket is based off their basic long vest pattern, but I'm adding sleeves and a big fluffy hood. And instead of spending a lot of money on yarn I can't afford right now, I've been busting through my stash of all my odd single skeins. I just add a new color and knit until I'm out. Each color gets it's own textured stitch pattern as well, so in the end I'll have a multi-colored, multi-textured hippie jacket! Or a big mess, one of the two. I feel good about it so far.

I also have plans to start creating a few simple designs I can knit and sell on Etsy for some extra income. Wouldn't it be nice to make enough money to knit for free? Bruce and I were even kicking around the idea that I could ask at the local community centers and see if they would be interested in letting me teach a beginning knitting class.

And my "new year's resolution" - to dust this blog off and actually use it!