Wedding Pictures Pt.1

Ok guys, I just got ahold of one source of my wedding photos:
http://www.joelalonzophotography.com/ >>password: joe and anna

P.S- If I look really chubby, I am, but I swear that the camera added 15 more pounds! (Stand up straighter, girl!) *sigh*

Waikiki Beach

Ok gang. Here is part 2 of our Honeymoon photo-capades. Waikiki Beach, which our hotel was located on:

Diamond Head. What we see from our room.

A dinner tour boat that stops in front of the sunset everyday.

The other side of the island, opposite to Diamond Head.

"Just married."

Airplane, Airport & Hotel

Sorry for the wait. I've been spending all my free time cooking, cleaning (yeah, I KNOW!), and trying to update my address and last name to gazillions of companies! Ah!

Anyways, here's the plane ride to Hawaii, the Honolulu Airport, and also the hotel that we stayed in, the Marriott Resort Hotel on Waikiki Beach. We were both sick the entire time, and also from some of the meat (won't eat meat in a tropical place again where they have to import), but we made the most of our honeymoon in the daytime.

He's reading Dan Brown's newest release, "the Lost Symbol."

And surprise! I was knitting on the plane! I just didn't get anything else done when I got sick the whole week...

Walking to the baggage claim.


Wouldn't O'hare Airport be so much nicer if it had palm trees?

The view of Marriott's balconies.

Part one of our bedroom view: Diamond Head (which we climbed, more pics to come)

Part two of our view: the city and ocean.

Joe chillaxin in the beginning.

Our Seattle's Best breakfast nearly every day!! Splurge!



One of the many luscious flora in the hotel.

And more.

Upcoming: Honolulu Zoo, Waikiki Beach, more flora, Diamond Head, farmers market, etc!!!

Parade of photos coming...

Hey Gang. Due to the fact that I have 900 pictures just on the honeymoon alone, I've decided to break of the next posts with a bunch of pictures from various topics of the wedding and honeymoon so I don't overwhelm you with just one post with a gazillion of photos. I'm also in the process of creating a photo-movie, and I'll upload it to youtube when I'm finished so my family and friends can view it as well. Please be patient with me, as there is a lot of editing to do, but my goal is to post each day with something new from our wedding/honeymoon. I'll probably have to start with the honeymoon first, as I still don't have the files to the photos yet. Whaa! (I do have a good portion of the hard copies that I've been showing everyone at work,...and they are fabulous!!)

I've been knitting a little bit to, believe it or not (I bearly believe it), and casted on for my Halloween Stockings that I plan on using as part of a costume, so a post on our Fall/Halloween festivities will appear in the shuffle of posts. Something (or "things") might be felted too...

p.s- the flower above is one of the many, many tropical flora I took pictures of during the honeymoon in Hawaii.

Back!

I'm Mrs. Anna Maliszewski now! We had such an amazing wedding...omg...and the reception was nothing less than superb. I've had nothing but "this was the most beautiful wedding ever" comments since the wedding. I'm soo glad everything turned out as dreamed. We are back from beautiful Oahu, and I have soo many stories (funny, cool, and of course the bad ones) and pictures to share with you all. But until then, I'm still trying to open up the rest of the gifts that's been waiting for us...
(Thanks for the wedding wishes. *kisses*)

I'm getting married!!!!!

Just got back from the rehersal dinner...it was amazing (the priest made us say our entire vows...umm, we might be married already!)...and I just popped in to say that we get married tomorrow!!! Whoot Whoot!!!
Check back with you knitta-s when I get back from Hawaii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

BSJ & Wedding Shower, the sequels

It's been wedding central around here, so I'd like to start this post off with some knitting action. I hope you don't mind. ;)

Project: Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman, the genius
Start: July 12, 2009 Finished: September 7, 2009 (worked real diligently, didn't I?)
Yarn: Bernat Baby Jacquards in "I'm a Big Boy"
Needles: Size US 7 circulars
Recipient: a co-worker's grandson

This BSJ is made for a co-worker's grandson that was born at the end of July. I figured that by the time the little tike needed to wear it, he would fit perfectly into it. The grandma, who is still in her youthful 40's may I add, was thrilled with it and mentioned how "fancy" the stripes looked. (score one for EZ AND the yarn's striping colorway that takes all the work out for me!)

The baby bootie above is a mock-up of a pattern design that I was fiddling around with. The yarn is much to thick, of course, but the colors matched. I would use sport-weight yarn, and I still have to work out the kinks...but it is the start of a baby mochasin pattern.

I have also casted on for Gudrun Johnston's beautiful "Aestlight Shawl." I'm using my fabulous Schaefer yarn in "Anne" that has been saved up for a worthy project for a few years. I casted-on during Labor day and knit during the few spare seconds I had while watching some TV series (Bones & Charmed, mostly). I can't wait to get back some real spare time, after all of the craziness has died down. I was just thinking about my "glory" knitting days, back in college, when school was my only work...and mucha knitting actually got done. *SIGH* Real world. Real pain.

Drum-roll please.....

Wedding Shower, part II. (I'm really getting spoiled, and I'll be rotten after my MIL's "card shower" that she and Joe's Aunt are throwing me this Saturday.) This shower was held by the amazing library staff that I work with! They pitched in for food & oodles of presents! Boy-O-Boy my kitchen is stocked! We are truly blessed that we have such amazing people that have been soo generous to us while we are starting our lives out from scratch.

I was thinking there would mostly be cards and a few gifts, but I was SHOCKED by the magnitude of showering of gifts by my workplace! Holy Chileetos. I got soo many kitchen supplies (mostly baking) now between the two showers, and I can't wait to use them all, because I love to cook. Joe and I really look forward to cooking & hosting parties for the future holidays coming up! Apple & pumpkin pies, pot roast, succulent turkey, casseroles, ah!

This photo above only shows a 1/3 of the peeps who actually attended. Someone had to tend to the patrons!! lol. "Hey guys, the party's here!"

On another note, I've been as busy as a squirrel collecting for the winter. I've chosen my cake options, I've officially got everything important into place, bought my wedding party their gifts, gone to my final dress fitting, worked on RSVP responses, etc, while the guest favors and wedding program is still getting worked on this week. Crazy stuff. This is also happening while Joe and I work on packing up our things because we move out in a week! I'll be moving in on the week that I pull double-shifts at work, while still teaching 14 students. That should be fun, shan't it? By the end of this, I might have more fiber to spin because my hair will be falling out in clumps. At least it will be eco-friendly.(Too far? Yeah, probably.)

22 days.

34 days.

Our napkins have arrived. I think our guests will get a kick out of them, don't you think?

Also, we have sent out 110 invitations, 240 guests. Now if making those invitations wasn't pain-staking, I don't know what is. The ones sent out actually had a heart-stamped seal, unlike the picture above. I've gotten great reviews of the invite, so I'm glad it all was appreciated. So far, we've gotten 99% yeses.We also just visited our catering company's tasting. Let me tell you...the food was excellent! Scrumptious! I brought my friend Jenna, Joe and my mom along, and everyone was surprised on how great the food looked and tasted. My guests' tummies will love cocktail-hour and dinner on our wedding day. (And of course the sweet table, after we decide what we want on it!)

As for other wedding plans accomplished, we finalized our florist, got most of our wedding paperwork sent it, got our wedding marriage license bought(!), got half of our wedding party's presents bought, got the tux place and pieces figured out, got our readers picked, got our music planned, got our hotel and flight confirmed for Hawaii(!), and got our apartment booked!!

Yay! We move in Sept. 17th! (The funniest part is that it's a block and a half away from my parents! Ha!) I'm already decorating in my head. Paint. Couches. Knitted placemats.

I made an Italian Stuffed Pepper dinner some nights ago. It was a big hit. I used Orzo, instead of rice, parmesan cheese, and added Italian spices, including my oregano plant that is still kicking 'n breathin. Mmmmmm.....

And finally, for today's show, I've finally found out what I would like to use my Schaeffer yarn for! I bought the perfect pattern for it, which I'll reveal in the next post! Stay tuned!

The Shower

Hey gang. Here is the promised update about my wedding shower from the beginning of August. We had an amazing time, and we can't wait to use all of our households gifts...especially because we love to cook!

An unbelievable showering of gifts.

Our cake.
The "men's club."

Ah, the "meat mallet." We have arrived at my favorite photo of the day (besides the group pic) that captures the very essence of my culinary enthusiasm. Now if you look at Joe closely, you may just see the fear of God in him...

Watch out, this chick is fully loaded.

Playing Catch-up

Hey Knitters.
Don't worry, I have not forgotten about you, despite my lack of postage this month.

I have had the most wonderful vacation the last week of July, filled with all sorts of "Wisconsin Dells" stuff. We went to "Noah's Ark," rode on the "Ducks," went to "Ripley's Believe-it-or-Not," shopped downtown, ate. Ate some more. Then ate after eating more. We also did fire-pits every night (braved the mosquitoes and ticks), read & swam at the local pool, and even had a couple of "Buff-a-ganzas" (awesome, I know, all you Buffy fans!) I even had a mojito while reading the end of "Girl with a Pearl Earring." I did get to do most of my new pair of socks' legs, as well as work on the baby jacket, but there was soo much to do, I couldn't focus on it. Also, there wasn't much room to sit and knit in a group of 23. If you like to read, chow down on Hostess products, eat other such junkfood, favor white castles and shoot rubberbands, you'll get along great in Joe's family.

As for other such things taking up my time: working extra hours, apartment searching & of course wedding stuff. About 1 1/2 months left! Yowzers! I just did my gown fitting, and the wedding invites go out Monday!

I've got the terrible 'bout of the allergies (chest congestion, weakness & dry-mouth), so I'm pretty much bed-ridden on my weekend off, so I'll post some progress pictures later on my knits, as well as my new chic haircut. It's got soo many layers that she took off probably more than half my hair body, and now my curly hair works great with it! Oh, I also have my first wedding shower pics to show ya!! You've gotta see the pic of me opening up "the meat mallet." Ha! Watch out, Joe!

P.s- I bought a value-pack on "Charms" season 1&2. I'm really getting into it! It's more of a slow pull-you-in than Buffy has for the first season, but I'm really getting hooked.
Plus, Harry Potter 6 was awesome! As well as "Julie & Julia!" Funny!

Razzle Dazzle

Notice anything new? *Squee!* I got my wedding band this week! My engagement ring is white gold, so I searched high and low (ok, well maybe just several stores) for the most complimentary ring. I'm a pretty plain person, so I wasn't all for the "just diamond" band look, as most wedding bands are nowadays, yet I didn't want a solid band...so I finally found a compromise ring between the two, and I couldn't really be happier. I might switch out the band of the engagement ring one day to lay flatter, but right now...I just wish I could "test-drive" it longer without getting teased by the FH.

Here's a snippet of my second BSJ for a coworker's grandson-to-be. I'm planning on working on it in the car while travelling to our vacation destination this coming weekend (yeah, I'm not really wanting to bring baby-knits to my FH's week-long family reunion. Non-knitters sometimes don't get the whole knitting for OTHER people's babies. I'm not wanting their confusion.) Speaking of which, my brain is actually kind of fuzzy on where I put the dang thing. Hopefully I didn't loose it. Stress is frying my brain, I guess.

I also started my so-called "Durable Market Bag" knit with cotton. I'm still on the base of the bag, but I plan on doing lace as the main body, complete with durable straps.

My maternal grandfather was admitted into the ER this weekend, so when I visited him today, I casted on for my mint "2x2 ribbed socks" on size 1's that I plan on knitting during the family reunion (non-knitters are more accepting about sockware rather than babyware, so I've heard). I'll cast on for the second sock soon, because I'd like to nip the whole SSS* in the butt.

*Second Sock Syndrome: a silent, but deadly disease caused after knitting the first sock of the pair. Symptoms: fatigue, groaning, laziness, the throwing of dpns and the extreme dislike of the idea of having to knit up the whole thing again. Other side effects are reaching for other yarns, possibly fondling them while wishing or day-dreaming of the next pair. This disease is treatable by knitting the pair at the same time. Effects are slow, but highly curable.

Let Freedom Ring!

Pattern by: Anna Peck-Maliszewski

Need a quick project that not only can be used in colorways that match your kitchen year-round...but can be substituted in colorway to suit any holiday? Maybe this hanging towel pattern is just your project! It's easy, it's festive, and can be done within a weekend.

Materials:
YARN:
The Border: aprox. 25 yds of a worsted weight cotton yarn in a solid color that compliments your main body yarn (seein in "Lily's Sugar 'n Cream Cotton Solid "Red, White & Blue" for the 4th of July).
Main body Color: 1 skein (95 yds) of a worsted weight cotton yarn that's striped, varigated or "painted." (pattern seen in Lily Sugar'n Cream Stripes colorway "Red, White & Blue")
NEEDLES: US7 circular or straight needles & 1 darning needle
1 Large button

Pattern abbreviations:
k=knit p=purl CO=cast on BO=bind off Sts=stithes Kf&b=knit into the front and back of a stitch

Note on Colorways: Yarns like Lily's Sugar 'n Cream yarns have stripping colorways that are great for the holidays. I used "Red, White & Blue" for the 4th of July, and I believe you can find a stripping Christmas colorway as the season approaches. If not, get two different colors and do your own stripping to fit your own needs. You can do thin stripes, thick stripes...or even skip stipes by finding a yarn that has a "hand-painted" colorway that has an overall blended look. The main thing is to find a solid colorway for the Seed Stitch top and bottom of the towel to compliment your yarn color choices.

"KUAS' Quickie Hanging Towel"

DIRECTIONS:CO 11sts onto US 7 needles using a solid color.

1. Work 1'' in Seed St. (*k1, p1*)
2. Work 4sts in Seed St., BO 3sts, work last 4sts in Seed St.
3. Work 4 sts in Seed St., CO 3sts onto your right needle, work last 4sts in Seed St.
4. Seed st. until your piece measures a total of 6.5.''
5. Kf&B, *p1, k1,* across until last 2 sts; p1, kf&b.
6. *p1, k1* until last st; p1.
7. Kf&b, *k1,p1* until last 2 sts; k1, Kf&b.
8. *k1, p1* across.
Repeat instructions #5-#8 until you have 27sts total on your needles.
9. Work in Seed St. for 4 more rows.
10. Join the new colorway (that's striped or varigated), and cut the solid yarn, leaving a long tail.
11. Kf&B into all the stitches. (54sts)
12. Work in stockinette stitch until a length your desire, while always working a 4-5stitch "Garter St. border" on the edges of the work.
13. Join the solid colorway and cut the varigated one, leaving a long tail.
14. Kf&b, and then work in Seed St. for 1.5-2 inches. (55sts)
15. Weave in all dangling threads into the wrong side of the hanging towel.
16. On the top of the towel, you will need to sew a large button onto the bottom edge of the Seed St. The CO edge of your work folds over around your oven's handle and then gets buttoned.