Hey there!

I have had a crazy week...I've already been to karaoke night twice this week (!) and I'm almost karaoke'd out...but not quite. I think we're going again tonight. It's just so FUN.....

And I've been rehearsing like crazy for my show, which opens a week from today. Aack! On Wednesday during lunch, we went to Green Acres Baptist Church and performed a few numbers from the show for the "Jolly Elders", which is their senior group. They were so nice and welcoming...and they invited us to stay for lunch afterwards! (And let me tell you, I haven't had broccoli casserole that good in a long time. Maybe I've never had it that good.)

Then, on Wed night, we saw just about the coolest show I have ever seen...the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players came to Athens and it was awesome. It's a mom, a dad and their nine yr old daughter (she's the drummer) and they take vintage slide shows, write songs about them, and then play the slideshow while they play the song. It's like performance art but it's also really good pop music. SO great. If they come to your town, go see them. I guarantee you will NOT be disappointed.

In knitting news, I am still working on my blue top down knit-it-when-I feel-like-it raglan. Would you like to see? Click here! I'm using blue Lamb's Pride...it's so soft and pretty.

Also, I got a lovely knitting present in the mail yesterday from my new friend Karen at Knit N Purl Diva....and here it is!

A beautiful needle holder! Wanna see it opened?

It's so pretty...Thank you Karen!

In other fun time knitting news, the fabulous bag that my older sister Michelle made me is featured over at Knit Happens this week! Yay! Michelle is so talented, and I have a cool bag.

So this weekend means more more more knitting, maybe finished the body of my top down, and relaxing at home. And not spending money. Everyone please send me thrifty vibes.

[i had to add this... Georgia may ban word "evolution" from science curriculum -- yes, I live here, and I can't even describe how stupid I think this is. Apparently, the school superintendent is working hard to confirm the stereotype that Southerners are all stupid rednecks. !!!! ]

Posted by Carrieoke at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

Or just one pair of finished mittens...ta-dah!

yay! I wore them all weekend because it was FREEZING COLD and my little hands can't take it. My new mittens are so warm and snuggly and fit perfectly, which is exciting because I have tiny, skinny piano hands. I also needed them yesterday because I got a snow day! Or an ice day, actually, but the University where I work was closed due to icy conditions. And what did I do?

So this past Friday I decided to be crazy and enter a karaoke contest at a local bar...and I won! Get this! I got $100 house cash (to spend at the bar...) and I get to advance to the finals on March 19. And the grand prize if you win the big competition...$1000!!! I could REALLY use that. So I'm going to practice my karaoke stylings and win me some money! Any cool song suggestions will be welcomed. I sang "Fame" on Friday....(not David Bowie's Fame, but "Fame! I'm gonna live forever...") Woo-hoo!

In other news, we have 16 members in the Purling Puppy Webring! If you love your doggy, or just dogs, and you have a knitting blog, you should sign yourself on up. You know you want to... Click here to join!

For those who were wondering, my darling twin Cathy did indeed find a wedding dress this weekend and it is bee-yoo-tee-full. I will be posting pics of the reject dresses over on her brideblog sometime today, so check it out if ya get the urge. Bridal shops are fun and very, very scary...I liked wearing the tiaras, as seen in this picture. Don't worry, I'm not going to show you the dress she chose!

Posted by Carrieoke at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I really am so tired of thinking of creative titles for my posts. Why am I so lazy? It is Friday, you know, so it's hard for me to get any work done....*sigh*. But it's almost the end of the day and time to relax!

My weekend will be super fun...I'm going shopping for Cat's wedding dress with my mom and sisters
tomorrow. Whee! Gotta bring the camera for that one. Then, I'll be knitting away all weekend hoping to finish some of the THREE projects I have going right now. Do you wanna see? Well, I only have a picture of one of them, but here it is, modeled by the always elegant Jacob...

I made my first mitten! Can you believe it? I used the Super Mitten pattern from Melanie Falick's Weekend Knitting, and this baby knitted up in about two nights. So fast. So pretty. And I really, really need something to keep my hands warm, so they're useful too. Yahoo! I predict a completed mitten pair by Monday.

I'm also working on a top down and a cardigan. Two sweaters for me! And I just recently acquired some new knitting books, so I'm hoping to find some more fun patterns to work on. One is a stitch dictionary, so I might do a topdown next time with some funky designs in it. Aw, hell, I don't know. I can dream about fancy knitting projects but in real life I'm all about saving the money.

Anyways, this week has been about knitting lots, and spending little, and working my little tail off at my job and rehearsing for my play which opens (gulp!) in two weeks exactly. (For those of you in Atlanta or Athens, prepare to get the mass email that shamelessly advertises my play very soon.) For those of you not in Georgia, maybe I'll post a pic or two of the play. I'm getting a little nervous though...and you know what happens when I get stage fright. Well, if you don't, refer to #64 on the About Me page of my blog.

On that note...Have a great weekend! :)

Posted by Carrieoke at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

It's so cold outside! And our little old house doesn't like the cold at all. It creeps inside through all the old cracks and crooks and holes in the wall...brrr. I need to knit me some gloves SOON.

This weekend was great fun. I got to see a lot of my twin sis, Cathy (and yes, Rachael, I love knitting sisters! And sisters in general! Ain't they great?) and we even took a trip to the yarn store here in Athens...we are so bad. But Cat's been wanting to try something a little harder than a scarf so I started her on a Glampyre top-down raglan...I think it's such a good, easy pattern that makes such a fabby sweater! You should have seen the bag of yarn she left with....I hope her fiance isn't reading this.

I actually started a top down of my own this weekend, in some leftover Lamb's Pride blue worsted. It knits so fast! I'm thinking that it's going to be a cardigan, and I actually practiced doing crocheted steeks this weekend on a sweater that I knitted that I HATE. And it worked! The sweater may actually turn out wearable. Pics of that later.

And now, for some pictures! Here is my sister Michelle's latest hat, modeled by her husband David....

Also, here's a hat that I knit for Jacob's sister's boyfriend Kendall ....modeled by my dear boyfriend Jacob....

In other knitting news, I have added two new knitting blogs to my list on the right....Two Purls and Knit N Purl Diva. Check these ladies out! They are new to the knit blog world, and I already love reading their entries.

Also - where are you, knitting dog lovers? We've got six sites in the Purling Puppy web ring...come out of the woodwork! We know you love your doggies! Proclaim it to the world! Go here to read the rules, and here to join!

Posted by Carrieoke at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

The Purling Puppy Webring
(thanks for the great title suggestion, Sarah!)

P.S. I'm the only member right now. So join me. :)

Posted by Carrieoke at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Okay, so my sisters are so cool and not only did they learn how to knit, but they RAWK at knitting. Check above to see Michelle's fun hat that she made and see how excited she is about knitting it.Clearly, knitting makes her a happy woman.

Now, my twin sister Cat has also made her first fabulous finished object:

First Scarf, modeled by the lovely Cathy herself!

Ha.

But wouldn't that be fun? And I'm so glad they like it as much as I do!!! I think both the hat and the scarf look fabulous.

So, in non-knitting news, I have been rehearsing for a play that opens in less than a month (so if anyone is planning a trip to Atlanta, or ha ha, Athens, please schedule it so you can be here the weekend of Feb 5-6. That's when my play is and you should come see it). It's a musical and I get to sing and dance and be ridiculous. It is really fun, but I think that might be contributing to my exhausted state. I'm rehearsing three nights a week for 3-4 hours after work. Then, on the weekends, I usually stay up late and wake up late, which throws my schedule off for my work week. Aack! What gives? I need....a month off to adjust my body schedule? ....or a million dollars so I don't have to work?...or more exercise? What ? What? Maybe I'm being too hard on myself. But I want to have more energy, and feel 25, instead of...older than 25.

Or maybe 25 is old.

In blogging news, my friend Valerie, who is in grad school in CA, just started a new blog to document her grad school experience. You should visit it and say hi to her ...she's a cool, smart girl and she knits and crochets too!

Fun things today:
*I have a Scrabble Page A Day calendar on my desk now (courtesy of Jacob's mom) so I can BEAT JACOB the next time we play. And also because I love Scrabble.

*I am starting a blog for my sister's wedding, mostly for the bridesmaids, since we all live in different places and I don't have long distance on my phone. Does anyone who uses Movable Type know how to password protect a certain page? Or is that super advanced coding? Anyways, until I password protect it so Cathy can't see, you can look at it!

No rehearsal tonight...just knitting group! Yay!
Is there a knitting dog lovers web ring? If not, I want to start one.

Posted by Carrieoke at 2:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

So yesterday I wasn't feeling so good and I stayed home from work. And what did I do?

Well, I knit!

I have now finished two kitty hats...one for Alison (Jacob's sister) and a black one for myself. And I love it! Here's a picture of Alison's hat modeled by me and here's a silly picture of my friend Rob wearing the hat. (He said if he was a 'chick', he would love it. haha!)

I also have pictures of the long skinny scarf I knitted with 35s and Wool Ease Thick and Quick. (Please excuse how goofy I look in these pictures..) Here is a long shot of the scarf...it's 8 feet long! This is a close up of the stitch and color. It's just knit knit knit on 35s, and it was done in about 2 or 3 hours. Easy peasy.

I also got a knitting present this weekend! How fun! Look what my sister Michelle made me ... and here's a close up of the patch! Isn't it so awesome? I have my own Carrieoke knitting bag now! I love it. She used the pattern from the Stitch N Bitch book, by the way, if anyone is interested in making one for themselves.

Sorry if I'm overloading you with pictures. I just like to take them so much...especially with my new digital camera! And when my little dog jumps up in my face like this, I just have to snap a picture.

Anywho, I had a nice, restful sick day, but I just can't seem to get my energy back. I feel like I'm tired ALL the time! Anyone have any advice? We did do a lot this weekend...and on Saturday we celebrated Jacob's dad's birthday...and I could hardly keep up with Jacob's parents!! :) We had Cajun food and then we went to a bar to hear some music....It was really fun but I was exhausted the next day. Maybe I'm still recovering from that.

In knitting news, I have finished Alison and Kendall's presents and they are off to Florida today. I finished my own kitty hat as well, and now I'm kind of lost. I have a little bit of yarn left over from Christmas, so I'm working on the Must Have Cardigan from Hip to Knit, but I need more yarn! (I mean, some people say that and they really don't, but I really do, I swear.) Payday is inching closer...maybe I can pay the bills AND get yarn! (In that order, I promise.)

We'll see.....for now I'll just knit with what I have. As long as I have somethin' to knit with, I'm a happy girl!

Posted by Carrieoke at 8:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

what a week!

this week I learned how to:
*blow out my computer and rebuild it.
yahoo! now I have windows xp and my little computer is running fast fast fast because of the neat partitions on my hard drive we built for data, etc. not that I really understand it all, but I'm on my way.

*make a little photo album on Dreamweaver.
This is so easy! And looks pretty. Check out the album I made with my Christmas pictures (although you've already seen half of them). Do you see a trend? I like to play with computers.

I also learned that lots of people I know are learning how to knit... Including my two sisters! Yay, keep it in the family, girls. I have some great pictures of Michelle's hats that she has knitted but I can't access them right now due to work server issues...I plan to post them on Monday, along with a really long 8ft scarf and a bulky cable hat I made. They are both in a luscious dark plummy red color...yummy....

I'm almost done with Alison's (Jacob's sister) kitty hat...all I have to knit now are the ears. The kitty hat is so much fun to knit. I think I'm going to make myself one in black next.

And then, I get to sit tight and wait until I get paid so I can buy (a little) yarn. I really want to make myself a top down raglan, and I've been admiring Rachael's Noro raglan that she cardiganized...it is so pretty (Look in her finished projects.) The idea of crocheting down the middle of a sweater I just knit and then cutting it is kind of scary...and exciting....Anyways, I can't spend too much because I'm on a budget right now but I would love to buy some affordable, pretty yarn and knit me up a sweater...Maybe I'll just raid my stash....

It's the weekend, it's freezing, and me and Jacob are poor as church mice so I think I'm going to curl up under a blanket, get my needles, and knit my little heart out. Or, I could party like this....

Nah. That's what happens when you have a few beers and you own a karaoke machine. "Fame! I'm gonna live forever.."**
**my friend Christina took this picture of me singing karaoke at New Year's. It's a silly picture, but I've been wanting to post it, so I did...Now you know that I like to boogie!

Posted by Carrieoke at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I cannot wake up. I slept ALL weekend...and I mean, all weekend. I managed to squeeze in some house cleaning, knitting and eating, but mostly it was all sleep. If I was in a video game, my little energy bar would be at least 3/4 gone. (Can you tell I've been watching Jacob play Playstation2??) I guess a little exercise and yummy healthy food would help my lethargia....the other reason I'm tired is because our little schmoos have gotten out 3 times this week...and this morning at 7:30 was the third time. They scrambled through a little hole in the back fence and had a lovely morning stroll in the neighbor's yard. Luckily the neighbors have a fence, or my schmoos may have been long gone...they are driving me crazy! They need training. And a better fence. And....oh, just look how cute they are. How can I stay mad at them??

My sister Cathy was very adamant that I post different pictures of her in her fabby new top down raglan. I thought the other ones were cute, but she will have none of it. So here are the new actions shots of Cathy in her Kureyon top-down, in two different styles! (click to enlarge photos)

without turtleneck!
(with turtleneck!)

She is so stylish! What a versatile article of clothing, if I do say so myself. Doesn't she look happy? That's the engagement ring on her finger making her smile, not her hand-knit sweater....or maybe a combo of the two. :)

So, for your viewing pleasure, I'm going to post a few pictures of New Year's....We stayed in a three-story cabin up in Ellijay, GA. It was right on the Coosa River (I think it's the Coosa) and we had a hot tub, a pool table, a roaring fireplace and friends to share it with. It was very relaxing to knit by the fireplace and do nothing. I ate some yummy barbecue too!

here's me and my boy Jacob...love that cowboy hat.

here's Drew. He loves the nightlife. He likes to boogie.


Me, Mark and Christina dancing like crazy.


Me and my old friend Taylor. Notice that he is wearing the devil hat from Kittyville...knit by me. Everyone wore it at least for a little while....

There's a little taste. I might actually post all of mine and Jacob's pictures onto a webpage so everyone who came with us can see them....we took a group shot with Jacob's fancy cam that looks great. At any rate, fun times were had by all.

Hope this one isn't too long. In knitting news, I made a scarf last night using 35s and some super bulky yarn, and it's actually really elegant! I will post pics tomorrow. We went on a Michael's shopping spree with my $50 gift card and it was fun times.....if you have a Michael's near you, all their baskets are half off and lots of other good stuff too.

time for lunch!

Posted by Carrieoke at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Wow, is it really Jan 2? Is it 2004? Has it been 4 years since I graduated from college? Time flies when you are a grown-up...or a pretend grown-up, whatever the case may be. Anyways, happy New Year! I had such a nice holiday, spent time with my family, Jacob's family, and lots of friends over New Year's. And I have so many pictures to show you!

First, I have to show my knitted presents, since I've been dying to ever since I started making them. So bear with me.....

To begin, we have the top down raglan that I made for my newly-engaged twin sis, Cathy...I used Noro Kureyon colorway #130 (thanks, for the yarn, Matt and Rob! ) and I used Stef's top down pattern. Check out the pics:

Cathy opens her sweater...

Cathy wears her sweater!

isn't she cute? And the sweater turned out great. I love the colorway....

Next, we have Mom's Felted Bag ...I used an awesome Fiber Trends pattern and some Lamb's Pride Bulky and big old needles...

(before felting)

(after felting! it's like magic!)

Next up is another felted bag...the fabulous pink and black felted bag for my older sister Michelle. I used the Marsupial Tote pattern from Debbie Stoller's Stitch and Bitch Book, although I didn't follow the pattern exactly, and I used Lamb's Pride Bulky instead of two strands of Worsted.

before felting...

After felting, with the happy recipient!!

Isn't Christmas fun! Here's the bag I knitted up for Jacob's mom...my own pattern and Bulky Lamb's Pride again. I got the handles at JoAnn's.

Lovely!

And, since I wanted to make a little something for myself, my very own felted Kureyon bag. I used the Booga Bag pattern and just made my own handles. I love the way Kureyon felts....yummy.

Yay! I also made a hat and dishcloths for my dad, and I would have a picture, but I managed to erase all the digital pics I took while visiting my dad in Mt Olive, NC. You see...I got a new digital camera for Christmas! (Thank you Jacob!!)..and I was little impatient when I was learning how to load things to the computer....and I fried about 40 pics. All from my trip to Dad's. I was really, really pissed.

But, at least I salvaged most of the knitting pics, and now I know how NOT to download pictures from my shiny new camera. I got some new knitting books, too, - Weekend Knits and Hip to Knit - both awesome and from my dear twin.

So Christmas was fun, and pretty stress free for a change. I saw Jacob's family for a day, my family for a day, and then me and Jacob and my sisters and their men all hung out for drinks and a little Trivial Pursuit. Then, it was off to NC to see my dad! Unfortunately Jacob was too sick to go...so it was just me and Michelle. We had a blast getting lost on the way up...and having fun with my dad while we were there. (Sorry I lost all the pics...grrrr....) And then, I zoomed back to Athens, and got right back in the car to drive to the mountains for New Year's. Those pictures will be posted at a later date...and some may not be fit for all eyes....just kidding. We did have fun though.

My New Year's resolutions?

1. START EXERCISING AND EATING RIGHT. I know, it's so boring, but so necessary....I am really unhealthy. Our little schmoos got out yesterday and I had to chase them all over the neighborhood...the wheezing and aching that ensued after I finally caught them means Carrieoke needs to work her muscles a little more often.

2. KNIT FOR ME! I love to knit. I wanna make some stuff for myself! And I will! You watch me....

3. DON'T TAKE IT ALL OUT ON JACOB. Bless him. I keep all my venting about work or whatever inside all day and then I come home and let him hear it. I'm going to try and spend more time dealing with my work issues, money issues, etc during the day so when I come home at night, I'm not a ball of stress. But I won't be anyways, because....

4. LESS STRESS! Life is too short to worry about everything. Money is my biggest stress, and you know what, it'll work itself out. I've got a great job, a roof over my head, two doggy schmoos, a great family, lots of friends (both online and offline!) and a boy that loves me, what more could I ask for? (Well, maybe more yarn....)

Sorry this is so long, but what can I say? I missed ya. Leave me a comment, and Happy New Year's, everybody!

Posted by Carrieoke at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)