Chan Vest and Akiko's Sweater

It did not take long to finish the Doris Chan vest after I decided to apply myself to it, and here it is...it looks very cute on, but I didn't want to post yet another picture of me in a vest! Crochet is really a lot faster than knitting, but I had a lot of trouble with the beginning of this. Now I have the confidence to try a sweater with sleeves of Chan's.



Here's Akiko modeling her new sweater (she really makes it look good!):



In other project news, the past week has been very hectic as I had to prepare and submit two grant applications. This meant I had to revise and fine tune several pages of my latest translation project to turn in with the applications, and the actual process of applying is quite elaborate as well. It's highly unlikely that I will get either grant (I'm not being modest, just realistic!), but I'm so glad I did this because it was really a learning experience, and now I am ready to apply for grants in the future. I am amazed at how much I am learning in life at this late stage, but it's exciting because I appreciate it so much now.

Ballet Lessons

Besides knitting and crocheting, I also like to go to my ballet lessons. They keep me in shape and are sooooo much fun. They're addictive, really. Our adult class has women, and sometimes men, of a variety of ages, sizes, shapes, and skill levels. I can't do some of the more challenging jumps anymore, and I can't do anything that involves bending backwards, but otherwise, I keep up pretty well. Here's a small group of us from last night:



And here's our teacher "Dodie":

She inpires us to keep working hard!