I'd love to attend another get-together. I'm a horrible organizer (I still don't have all of my wedding pix developed, much less put into albums), but I'll happily contribute whatever an organizer would ask of me.

Thank you both for your kind thoughts. The baby shower I co-hosted yesterday was a bit muted, as we were all missing our dear friend and still wondering what happened, as she was very healthy, athletic and only in her early 50's. I was hoping that another close friend at the shower who's a judge would have more info to tell us, but she hasn't heard anything more yet, herself. So, we're all still waiting to hear what the police investigation finds. Jeanne, thank you so much for that lovely quote. I've never heard that one and really like it. I'm going to send it to my friends and to my brother, as well. Lynn

For the beanies, if they are ribbed at the edge, I would go with the rib cable cast on. There is a video showing how to do it. The lady in the video is a thrower, but you could do it in continental or combination just as easily. It makes a very nice edge. http://www.keep-on-knitting.com/rib-cable-cast-on.html Here is great bind-off for a shawl or scarf. It is stretchy and pretty. It also blocks beautifully and pairs well with the knitted cast-on. http://www.knittingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2008/07/30/a-stretchier-bind-off.aspx If you want a slightly more decorative edge on a scarf or hat, you could use a frilled cast on and a picot bind-off. Frilled cast on: http://www.knittingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2008/07/30/a-stretchier-bind-off.aspx Picot bind-off: http://knitting.about.com/od/learntoknit/ss/picot-bindoff.htm These take a little practice and may seem awkward at first, but the effort is worth it. Enjoy! This post was edited by aliceinwonderland_id on Wed, Jan 16, 13 at 14:21

Terri_pacnw, I love that Offbeat Bride website. I love the fashion and creative decorating pics. The happy couple always look sooooo, well happy! Not the typical wedding photos with the stoic bride flanked by bridesmaids with crimped faces. There is also lots of advice for the wedding planning dealing with issues that the typical brides magazines don't tackle, like "How do I tell my parents I'm that I am wearing black to my wedding?" or "I'm getting a tattoo instead of a wedding ring. Should I wait until after the ceremony to show it off or is it OK to show it before the ceremony?" ------------- Zeeta, I have only attended one Pagan ceremony and part of it entailed a smudging. Just a FYI. As a guest you may be cleansed with a sage smudging or maybe just the bride and groom participate in the ritual. It is similar to the incense that a priest waves over the crowd at a Catholic high mass. Nothing to be afraid of unless you have a smoke allergy or asthma or something. Pagan ceremonies are natural and easy to follow. Just go with the flow. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/62607/how_to_perform_a_native_american_smudging.html?cat=34 http://greenfield.fortunecity.com/dwellers/564/ceremony.htm Here is a link that might be useful: Smudging Ceremony