I've been knitting easy stuff for several years now - baby blankets and scarves and such. Finally my baby sister gave me an easy knitting patterns book at Christmas and I decided to try a sweater. It was a very simple pattern - really a glorified sweatshirt - knit with chunky yarn on big needles. I've been working on it about 2 1/2 weeks. Tonight I came home and worked in the final loose ends and here is the result (prior to washing, which will soften a great deal):

I MADE THIS MYSELF!!!!

And on a totally different note - as I was leaving work today I turned on the radio and heard the news about the death of Anna Nicole Smith. It was one of those celebriaty deaths where my first thought was it was wrong. Like Sonny Bono and John Ritter. Surely the news got it wrong. But it's true. I checked it out on the internet when I got home and the internet is never wrong.

Not that I was a fan, and not that I ever watched her reality show. But she was a character and I have a great deal of respect for anyone who is a character as a living. I think her only claim to fame was being a character. She was stupid/smart. Stupid outwardly but so ingenious in keeping herself out there soaking up media attention. She was beautiful, even without makeup. With makeup she was a tragic goddess of pseudo-beauty. In her life she certainly achieved what she wanted and for this I have great respect. My greatest respect was for the fact that she alwyas was so beautiful and her lip gloss was such perfection. When I wear lip gloss it gets gunky and god forbid I should blow my nose while wearing it - white kleenex flecks imbed themselves and I look like that monster from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Anna could wear lip gloss to perfection.

Her life was tragic and self-inflicted and as much a guilty pleasure for me as a one pound honey bun. Delicious. I wanted to be her but only once a year for about 2 minutes.

She was not even yet 40 but I predict she is the Marilyn of the 21st century.

RIP Anna Nicole! Ganbatte doll! You were so wonderful - I will miss the enjoyment.