The Post

The opportunity for this post came sooner than I'd hoped! I've been sort of holding out on you guys since October, though I left hints here, here, and here if you have microscopic vision and hella-great perception. :D And if you are my Ravelry friend, you've likely seen me favoriting and queuing more hints every few weeks since. It's not really a secret, just something I haven't gotten around to telling anyone who isn't family or a close friend...or anyone who has prying eyes. :)

Way back in October, the day before he ran the Chicago Marathon, John proposed to me. It was really sweet and an absolute shock to me. Of course, I have known for a long time that we would get married, I just had no idea he would ask when he did! He asked me under a willow tree near the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago with the skyline behind us. Chicago was our first trip as a couple. As a matter of fact, I was wearing the sweater I knit with yarn from that first trip when he asked me. It was all too perfect!

Okay, okay, enough gushing. Here's the big news: I received yarn in the mail a few weeks ago so I can begin knitting my wedding dress! I was super excited until I held the yarn in my hands and realized how much knitting it will take to use it all up. O.O

I've changed my mind about what the dress will look like 3 times, but yesterday, looking through knitting books at the library (looking for dress idea #2), I found The One. I realized immediately that I had gotten too ambitious and complicated for a dress only a handful of people will see on the big day. Remember, I'm a relaxed, easy-wear sort of knitter. This dress is much simpler! I could even wear it for more than a wedding (though I think I'll keep it white). I'm sorry the picture tells you absolutely nothing. I don't know whose idea it was to do a lace dress with dark yarn on top of a dark slip....

In any case, don't worry that this space will suddenly become a wedding-planning pit. We plan to elope probably next year, so not much planning needed besides the dress I don't necessarily need anyway. I also know myself well enough to promise the dress won't turn into my only knitting project for a year (you have seen the WIPs bars on the right?). I will share my progress as I go, though, nice and slowly. No need to hurry when you're knitting with alpaca-silk yarn. Mmmm. I will likely need your help, since the collective knowledge of my beloved readers is much greater than mine alone! I have sewing and modification questions piling up already. And I'll be damned if I'm going to frog thousands of yards of lace yarn even once!

I'm actually very excited to finally be sharing this with you! All of my knitting friends have been the most excited and most willing to help. I was going to do a collective effort on the dress, but I won't inflict this lace on anyone else. :)

Because I don't say it enough: thank you. Thank you for reading, thank you for commenting, thank you for caring. You all are the very best, honestly!