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Friends, Community, Conversations, Inspiration.....

This is my 100th post. I started my blog last fall...but didn't get posting until after the 1st of the year. And even then, I didn't know how important this would become to me until I joined the SFBE.

K.Anne, my SFBE downstream pal, commented on my wire knitting that she was in the process of a Bauble. Her's was done...before I could wait for her to post pictures, I had to make one. This is a bit more gaudy than what I usually wear...to be honest...my usual jewelry is just my wedding ring and a watch. I think I'll add this to my Christmas gift pile. (gotta love the Hello Kitty bandaid...we don't have any plain ones here) I bought the beads on a whim...and they weren't the size called for...but I knit anyways. This still took me 2 nights to thread the beads. There was some hint about making a gadget to string beads...and if I were to make a bunch of these as gifts that would totally be the way to go.

In June, I won a blogiversary contest (honorable mention) over at Days Go By, and Nancy sent me some great yarn. I immediately remembered this scarf pattern that I had pulled from a magazine 2 years ago.

I had misplaced the pattern sometime in July...and just found it between the pages of my Mason-Dixon Book. I cast on for this the night of my MRI. When compared with the magazine photo here, the yarn looks purplish...and it's not...but he magazine photo isn't peachy either. I love the diamonds...but the is a huge step for me. It's hard to keep all the YO's straight. I have to count every stitch. I've knit this first repeat 3 times.

And in my SFBE loot, Miss Me, my upstream pal, sent me a pattern for a Lucy Bag, and yarn too. I don't think I've ever told her that I've cast on for this so many times. I think it's my fault, that I can't read a pattern. I end up knitting on auto pilot and can't remember to increase. It's currently frogged. The needles you see in this photo are US 10 1/2. The pattern calls for 10's. I wanted to start with shorter DPNs and work up to my longer ones before putting this on a circ. Well...I only have short 10 1/2s and long 10s. I didn't read the writing on the needles until I saw the change in gauge... I'm going to CO for this again once my FFBE bag is in the mail.

I was knitting the Lutea lace shoulder shell, and looked at other blogs on the Unsocialized knitters ring, and found Tammy who was knitting the same thing. I'm just trying to school one...and there are only 3 children in my house. I totally don't know how she gets all this knitting done with 5 boys.

And she is reading this book with Julie, and they've invited me to read along. Julie: I have the book. I picked it up at B&N over the weekend. I can be a quick reader, but I have 2 more girls purses to finish this month.

I'm so excited for the FFBE to be revealed...and for the new friends I've made along the way. U.P. this photo is for you. It's the Cranberry Maple Nut...and it's almost gone. I just bought the Loaded Fruit & Nut too.

If I keep mentioning friends I've made, I'll never finish this post. I've come a long way since January 2007. I really needed this blog in my life when I started. And this week has been a lesson in how much I've come to depend on it. When Miss Me told me about her 100 things, I decided I wanted to do something special for my 100th post. I started typing this last week, but just couldn't get it posted. And then my camera died. It's not a matter of batteries. It's really DEAD! When I realized that I couldn't take any more photos for my blog, that's when it hit me. This has become a special part of my day...a part of my day that's just Kristen...not mommy...not wife...not teacher. I can just be me. Thanks for reading. Thanks for commenting. Thanks for being friends...having conversations...being my inspiration...letting me be a part of this community.