Last week, I finished The Penny Pinchers Club by Sarah Strohmeyer. I was surprised by how much I liked this book. I initially thought the book would highlight penny-pinching techniques, but the main plot surrounding a married couple became far more intriguing. The story was easy to read and interesting; the author opened with a flash forward, offering the reader a nugget of what was to come. The technique definitely encouraged me to read the story quickly. Oh and I did pick up a few penny pinching ideas too!

Books of 2010 total: 3

Late update on the Stash Afghan. Not much work has been done on it, other than a row here and there. Until next month!

Things I’m happy about this month.

1. scoring great clothes at great prices

2. a brand new electric blanket that keeps me warm at night

3. finally finishing my scarf that matches my hat

4. fantastic pilates ball workouts

5. smudging my apartment with a good friend

6. pretty orchid plants that brighten my day

7. delicious coffee in the morning

8. vosges barcelona bar

9. discovering dinosaur kale at the Dill Pickle Co-op

10. volunteering

I finally finished up the Pink Dishcloths I’d been working on. I had wanted to use all of the remaining white and pink cotton I had on hand and so powered through the creation of eight dishcloths based off of the Double the Fun Dishcloth pattern.

They are double sided with one side featuring the pink and white waffle pattern and the other a solid pink. I’ll pull these out in the springtime.

stash knit down 2010 total: 2 project

My So-Called Scarf turned out pretty nice. I knit up two skeins of Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica to make this scarf, which will match my Spring Beret. It took forever since I felt the pattern got a bit monotonous. What do you want from a scarf. Alas, it is done. So I look forward to wearing it this week.

stash knit down 2010 total: 1 project

While I was in Vegas, my mom took advantage of my electric blanket being at her house. Unfortunately my blanket is a few years old and has started to wear out—I get a lot of use out of my electric blanket! So she took it upon herself to upgrade my heat source. Ethan has been appreciating the blanket too!

A few weekends ago I went with my mom to this organization she volunteers for. They were having a sale, which is how they raise money to provide services to woman looking for a job. Because I was feeling quite under the weather, I went along to help out where I could but with no intention of finding anything. Well, boy, was I wrong! I ended up getting a bunch of great pieces that fit great and I couldn’t pass up—all for a couple of dollars a piece. Sweaters are $3 and the suit was $8. Saying I got a bargain doesn’t even seem to capture the truth!

J. Jill White Short-Sleeve Sweater

J. Jill Black Sweater

J. Jill Gray Cardigan

Gap Brown Short-Sleeve Cowl-Neck Sweater

Tahari Black Suit