Knit Two Together

We got married in August in Connecticut and we had the reception in Vermont in September! Both occasions were so much fun. It did not bother me in the least that it rained both days. I can't imagine how stressful it would be to be one of those brides who obsesses about every minute detail of the big day. I'm just glad we got to share both days with friends and family, and that my dress still fit me on September 24th. Yikes, that was a close one! We didn't even get to have the reception at the place we booked (Simon Pearce in Quechee, VT) due to Irene. Come on, Irene! Luckily the kind people at the Woodstock Inn and Resort stepped in and accommodated us on the same day and at the same time and for just about the same price. Amazing! Without further ado~some pictures courtesy of some wedding guests and our excellent reception photographer, Corey Hendrickson.

New Projects

I finally sent a late birthday present to one of my favorite Scorpios. She wanted Mary Jane style slippers, but when I tried to make them, they wouldn't fit anything that might resemble feet, so I frogged them and made these instead. These slippers are the same style that my great-grandmother used to make for all of us. They're so easy and comfortable, I'm not really sure why I haven't made any for myself yet!

The pattern is Grandma's Knitted Slippers by Zanne on Ravelry. 

I did make something for myself-the Sideways Grand Cloche by Laura Irwin. Her book Boutique Knits has so many fabulous patterns for accessories that I can't wait to make (and I'm sure I'll have to make them in duplicate, so Allison can have one of each too.) Here's the hat:

I already made a gray one for Allison, but forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it to her! 

In food related news, I have been stuffing my face with some veggie lasagna, brownies, and apple bread. Earlier in my pregnancy, I felt that I was eating for one and a half, but now it really feels like it's for two. Here's the sweet apple bread:

It's spiced with cinnamon and has big chunks of apple. Win-win. Win. Because I get to eat it all. 

Last night, I finished this sweet little Baby Aviatior Cap. I don't have a baby to model it yet, but maybe you can imagine what it might look like on a baby based on the picture that goes with the pattern.

Pretty adorable, right? We went on a tour of the maternity ward of the hospital on Thursday night with some other couples who are expecting. The funniest part was at the end, when the nurse giving the tour was so disappointed that she couldn't show us a real baby. The windows to the nursery are covered to protect the babies' privacy, and she needed the parents' permission to show us a newborn. The only one available at the time belonged to a mom who only spoke Spanish, and since no one there spoke Spanish, we were out of luck. I don't think anyone on the tour minded that we didn't get to see a real baby, because I'm sure we've all seen babies before, and will be seeing our own babies soon enough!

Diwali 2011

It's been a few weeks, but I wanted to post some pictures of Diwali. We went to visit some friends and then had a quiet celebration at home. No firecrackers! The first two decorations are from the local Indian grocery store.

Sid's mom and sister brought us the string of lights. I'm leaving them up because Christmas isn't that far away.
(Actually, all of the decorations are still up. Maybe they'll come down after New Years Day?)

Some offerings for Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi.

These little clay lamps filled with oil are called diya. Diwali is known as "the festival of lights". Though pretty, these lights made me extremely nervous because we left them burning unattended while we went out to visit friends. I was filled with dread most of the way home because several fire trucks with their sirens blaring passed us on the way home. We were lucky and nothing got set on fire! 

We wrapped this string around each other's wrists seven times. 

Diwali wouldn't be complete without special sweets, known in Hindi as prasad. 

Clockwise from the top left, these treats are kaju phool (meant to look like a little flower), milkcake (very rich and buttery), soan papdi (a flaky sweet with almonds and pistachios, hint of ginger), and besan ladoo (crunchy and made from chickpea flour). All are fantastic, but there is one I like more than all the others. Full disclosure: I did not make any of them. We bought them at the store. Oh, and we got this awesome spice storage container that has made cooking at dinnertime so much easier and more enjoyable!