And for my next trick, I will re-appear with many FOs to share.

Wow, what happened, right? You probably don't care. Frankly, if a blog I read stops updating, I generally don't want the why... I just want some pretty pictures and some new ideas. NOW.

But, I'll pretend I don't know what you all want and I'll tell you where I've been. (:

First, I was invited onto another trial team this semester. We practiced hard for 2.5 months - about 30 hours per week - and ended up coming in second place at our competition. Slightly anti-climactic, I'd say. But whatever.

On top of the 30 hours per week of trial team practice, I started working 15 hours a week at a small law firm in the city. I get trademark and defamation work mostly, which is really nice substantive experience. I've also been forced into learning a lot about Open Source Software licenses and the legal system's current treatment of those licenses. I'm enjoying my new vocabulary and the fact that I finally understand what Linux is. (:

Oh, but there is more time-zapping activity to talk about. In the midst of working and trial-teaming, I participated in my school's write-on competition to get onto a Law Review. I wont bore you with the details or the meaning of being on a law review, but suffice it to say - it was a long week of writing, I was accepted to the IP Law Journal, and now I will spend the rest of the semester writing a scholarly article about copyrights and fashion. Ta da. Moving on.

Second semester of 2L year sucks. It's really flipping difficult. I'm in an LLM class (an LLM is kind of like your PhD in law... you get it after you get your Juris Doctorate upon graduating from law school) for Rights of Publicity. Rights of Publicity sounded sexy - all celebrities and advertising and un-consented use of names and likenesses - but it's not. It is hard and boring. It's slowly killing my will to live. But then again so are the rest of my classes. I am taking Professional Responsibility right now - a required class - which makes me want to be neither professional nor responsible. Discuss.

And finally, I've been knitting. YAY! Here is what I have been up to. First the FOs:

Project: 04 Cabled Beret
Designer: Debbie Bliss
Source: Debbie Bliss Magazine, Fall 2008
Fiber: Malabrigo Worsted - a little less than one hank

I was in love with this hat. I actually made it as a gift... and then I couldn't take it off. After two weeks of unintended, uninterrupted wearing, Karma came up to me, slapped me in the face and taught me a lesson: If you don't give voluntarily, things will be taken away. And by taken away, I mean I lost this beautiful addiction of a hat somewhere on the streets of Chicago. I'm still in mourning.

Pattern: Subway Mittens
Designer: Colleen Meagher
Source: Interweave Knits Magazine, Winter 2007
Fiber: Malabrigo Worsted

I really have not so much to say about these mittens. I made them for someone on my trial team. I couldn't figure out how to get the stupid pocket on stupid straight. I'm over these mittens.

I have finished the Collette sweater - but the collar is floppy. I'll try to take pictures - does anyone know how to fix a floppy collar?!?

Okay, how about some WIPS:

Pattern: Design A Cabled Short-Sleeved Sweater
Source: Sirdar Eco Wool Dk Book II - 341
Fiber: Cascade Eco Alpaca

I can't say enough about this sweater. I'm in love. And I am determined to finish it by the middle of March. Also, I can't say enough about the alpaca, either. It's incredibly soft and really... I don't know... it just feels like an expensive sweater would. (: I like nice things.

Pattern: Mini
Designer: Else Schjellerup
Source: Pamphlet
Fiber: Malabrigo Lace Weight

What can I say... I love this pattern. Malabrigo lace is the most amazing lace. I hate lace. I love this lace. I don't know what has come over me. I've got the fever.

Okay, so this is not knitting. This is crafty. Beware the glitter:

This is what I call "The Pacie Box." Here's the story: My niece, Riley, turned a whopping 2 years old last weekend. She still has a full on paci(fier) addiction that her parents are trying to break before she does some serious dental damage. So the story Riley gets is that when little girls turn 2, they are "big girls" and big girls, of course, do not have pacies. So, the Pacie Princesses come in the middle of the night and take the Pacies that you put in the very glittery, pretty Pacie Box. Then the Pacie Princesses give your old pacies to new babies - babies like Riley's little sister who is not yet a "big girl." Clever, right? What 2 year old doesn't love princesses and babies?

So, I made a Pacie Box by covering a shoe box with expensive (but on sale!!) wrapping paper from Greer, an amazing paper store in Lincoln Park. It looks seamless because I used spray adhesive all over it instead of glue or tape. Then I sprayed the adhesive inside and just shook in some glitter. And by some glitter I mean like a full cup. It's still in my hair. Anyway, an idea for those of you trying to get rid of the pacie, nookie, choopie (this is what my sister calls it - chupar, in Spanish, means "to suck"... so "choopie" is kind of a sucker?) in your life.

Well, thanks for reading - hopefully this will be a more regular occurrence!