to give you a geeky public service announcement.

Some of you may have noticed that when you left a comment on my blog, you would hit "Post" and then (after a long period of waiting) be sent to a lovely blank screen. Some people kindly tried to comment again, and others just crossed their fingers and hoped the comment went through.

After some lovely Googling and forum reading, it seems that this might have been causing the problem, and, dear Movable Type users, may also be causing a problem with the commenting system on your blog. So, if your commenting system has been buggy or slow lately, this could be why.

I'm posting this so I'll remember it, and also so maybe a few of you won't have to go searching!
This is still a bit of a lag after you hit "Post", but it now goes back to the blog entry (and shows your comment) instead of going to the blank screen.

A knitting post will come soon, and lots of modeling shots of BigHeadSchmoo and Trellis.

Well, I guess I can post one picture until next time...

Here's the one where we're all smiling.

Posted by Carrieoke at 3:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (36)

I'm very, very close to finishing BigHeadSchmoo's very first handknit sweater: Trellis.

Seaming.

Here's me setting in the sleeve, with my trusty Vogue Knitting. I get nervous about seaming sometimes, so I like to keep my Vogue Knitting reference nearby.

And here is a sock monkey wearing an almost finished Trellis.

All I have left to do now is pick up the stitches for the cute seed stitch collar, and put some buttons on it. And take a gazillion pictures of my nephew wearing it. OH BOY! His first birthday party is this weekend... It seems like this was only yesterday.

Time flies.

In other crafty news, I may have been dabbling in some sewing. Er, quilting. Well, I'm not quite to the quilting part yet. I guess I'm piecing. A while ago, my lovely sister Michelle gave me an enormous stack of Amy Butler sampler squares, and I'm using some of them to play. Disclaimer: I don't know much about quilting. For now, I'm just practicing cutting things and sewing in a straight line.

Log cabin. Sort of.

Pieces.

One day, I will actually make a large quantity of squares, sew them together, and make a quilt.
Until then, I will play and cut and sew, and maybe make a pillow. Or a dress for a sock monkey.

It's been very nice lately: work is quiet, it's hot outside, our flowers are blooming, and most major decisions about our wedding are made. That leaves more time for knitting and playing the Wii with Jacob. And watching ridiculous amounts of television. That's what summers are for.

Now, if you're feeling curious, click on the extended entry for 8 random things. I was tagged by Jeanne of Knitty Banter, and I'm feeling sort of random today, so here ya go!

1. When I'm walking with someone else, I prefer to be on the left side. I will almost always move to the left side (unless it's a stranger or a job interview or something).

2. I hate cooking. I also dislike cooking related activities, like grocery shopping. Jacob makes almost all of our meals. Yes, I realize that I am very, very lucky.

3. I challenge anyone to a Dr. Mario competition on the NES. I will beat you. I am GOOD.

4. One time, my twin sister couldn't play at a show with her (now defunct) band, so they taught me all the songs and I filled in for her. No one could really tell the difference.

5. We also switched places on April Fool's Day when we were in high school. Our teachers were fooled, but we had to switch back because I had a paper due and Cathy couldn't find it. Har.

6. I know the first verse of the song "Morning Has Broken" in sign language.

7. I got one B in my freshman year of high school. It was in P.E.

8. I can fall asleep pretty much anywhere: car, plane, couch, sitting up right in a chair, in class, you name it. I'm also a bit of an insomniac.

I won't tag anyone else, but you're welcome to consider yourself tagged if you're reading this.

Posted by Carrieoke at 1:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (38)

The semester is over! Yesterday marked the end of the semester for me at work, and it was a v. stressful and tiring day, but it is OVER. Hooray! I will probably be taking classes this summer, and a new semester begins next week, but I just feel the need to celebrate the end of this particularly stressful semester. WOO-HOO!

Just to give you a little taste of my day, it ended with me backing into a brick wall and making my muffler look like this:

Apparently, you shouldn't drive with your muffler dragging. Lesson learned.

Sigh. At least I'm safe and now my car is being repaired.

Now I will make a list of good things, which obviously outweigh any badness that is going on right now.

1. I had knitting at my house this week for the first time in ages. I forgot to take any pictures, but a good time was had by all. We drank daiquiris, sat on my porch for a while, and Melanie even joined us! Yay for new bloggy friends. Bella was on her best behavior and got to hang with the knitters for a while.

2. Jacob and I went to a fancy-pants fundraiser last weekend with his family. There was a silent auction and a live auction, and yummy food and drinks. Jacob wore a tux, and I got to wear a dress I got on super sale at Dillard's:

That might be after a few drinks.

We won an $100 gift certificate to Doc Chey's. Yum, noodles.

3. Ravelry. I'm sure you've been reading about it on lots of blogs, so I won't go into too much detail. I've been a beta tester for a little while, and it is fabulous. One thing I lovelovelove is being able to organize my stash (or actually see how much yarn I have - yikes ). It's a great tool for matching your stash to the patterns you want to knit. It's also fabulous to see what yarns other knitters have used for certain projects, and the interface makes it super easy to see that information! It is seriously addictive, and also makes you feel productive at the same time.

Now you're saying, that sounds great! But I can't use it! I'm not a beta tester! True. Frecklegirl and her husband are working their tails off to get Ravelry ready for full release. It's just the two of them working on it, and it's pretty amazing that they've already got such an amazing tool together. Have patience, and keep watching for news about the full release. And remember that Jess and Casey totally want EVERYONE to be able to participate - it's just a matter of time! They started this project because they care about this fabulous knitting/crocheting/yarny community and they wanted to make something wonderful and useful for us. How cool is that?

4. Mother's Day cookout at my sister's house was fun times. My nephew, otherwise known as BigHeadSchmoo, is almost one years old and absolutely adorable. And he said "Jacob"! He's also a genius baby, clearly.

Genius baby with Cathy and his mama, Michelle.



My stepfather and my mom, relaxing on the porch.

Happy Mother's Day to my mom and my sister Michelle. I love you guys!

Posted by Carrieoke at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)