Hi there! It's been quite a while since I've posted, but I promise I have a really good excuse: his name is Charlie.

My mama is already using me as an excuse.

Charlie was born on February 9, two days before his due date, and he is a complete joy. My contractions started to be regular on Monday morning, they got really painful Monday evening around 9pm, we headed to the hospital about 3:30am on Tuesday, and Charlie was born at 10:40am on Tuesday. (and let me tell you I was SHOCKED when they told me what time it was, because it felt like I had been in labor for like 24 hours.)

I had a freaking amazing group of people with me who helped me through every contraction and pushing - ack - and helped me bring Charlie into the world healthy and alert. Jacob, Cathy, our two doulas, and an amazing midwife and nurse were totally there for me the whole time, and boy did I need them. :) It was such an intense and amazing experience.

My family. Minus Bella, of course.

And now we're home! We're still in a bit of a newborn haze, and I'm slowly trying to emerge to get into a normal routine, but I'm also trying not to rush - it's only been about two weeks. I have lots of beautiful handknits to show you - people have been so amazingly generous to us and Charlie and he's got the best wardrobe of knits I've ever seen, and some beautiful quilts as well. He's a lucky baby.

Hi Charlie!

We are extremely tired but so, so happy, and very much in love with our little guy. I still can't believe he's here and that we have a SON. We are parents!

I'll hopefully be back online on a regular basis soon, but I wanted to post and let you know that Charlie is here, he's a healthy and adorable schmoo, and that we're all doing great. Even Bella has been adjusting really well - she's a good dogger. :) so things are good!!

Yayayayay, Charlie is here!

Posted by Carrieoke at 11:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (89)

o hi there! remember me? I'm still here! It's been a pretty busy two and a half months, as you can probably imagine. I've been feeling great - yay second trimester! - and if you can believe it, this week marks the start of my third trimester. holy crap.

my belly at 27 weeks, 4 days.

yep, I'm definitely pregnant. hee.

I've been sewing and knitting a lot. The sewing has been in preparation for a craft fair that I'll hopefully be at in early December, and the knitting has been mostly baby oriented (surprise!) -- some for our baby, some for baby swaps, some for the awesome tiny teamie Hayes.

1. Tiny Schmoo Sophisticate for our little guy., 2. Doodie. , 3. Garter Stitch Kimono Baby Sweater for my doula's son Judah., 4. Buzzbee for Hayes!, 5. Elfin for our little guy., 6. Tubey for a baby hat swap.

Baby stuff is so fun and fast to knit! I'm sure I'll be making a few more sweaters for the littlest schmoo before I'm done.

You can see some of the stuff that me and my friend JoAnna have been sewing here in this Flickr set. If all goes as planned, we'll have a little booth at the 2009 Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa Holiday Market in December under the name "teamie & schmoo", and we're really excited! We've been making lots of cute baby stuff and some box bags and bags as well. I've also had a few people commission me to make some diaper bags / messenger bags for them, and it's been super fun to work on those. Like I said before, I'm trying to take advantage of my energy while I've got it. :)

I also received some amazing handknits from my awesome friend Sarah. I got this package in the mail last week on a particularly crappy morning, and man, did it cheer me up!

amazing knits! and so wee! and adorable!

I don't think it's possible to be grouchy when you are holding teeny tiny handknit baby socks. The littlest schmoo is going to be so well-dressed! thanks again, Sarah, for this beautiful teeny tiny wardrobe. OMG baby knits are CUTE. and Sarah is made of awesome.

In addition to the crafting, we've been working on getting our house ready for our newest family member. There's been painting and carpet ripping and furniture assembling (mostly by Jacob) and we've still got more to do, but we've definitely made some progress. I feel so lucky - we've had so many people give us baby things that they are no longer using, and our kitchen is totally full of baby awesomeness right now - toys, clothes, chairs, etc - and maternity stuff too! We have really generous people in our lives, and we are lucky, lucky schmoos. Hopefully we can return the favor someday!

Anyways, that's the story around here. Lots of things going on, but I'm trying to relax and rest some too - although I *do* like being busy. :) It's been really nice to get things done at home and spend time with Jacob and Bella.

It's almost the holidays! I hope this post finds you staying warm and feeling great and not too stressed about holiday crafting. :)

Posted by Carrieoke at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)

hi there! it's funny that my last post was about summertime and now it's almost time for school to start... Athens is starting to feel like a college town again. Next week will be crazy with people moving into their dorms and no parking downtown and actual traffic in the mornings. le sigh. I can't complain *too* much since I work at the university..but summer is so peaceful here.

Anyways. I have news! I already spilled it on twitter and Flickr, so sorry if this is repetitious for some of you...

here's our family.

and here's the newest addition in progress.

Yep, I'm pregnant! I'm about 12.5 weeks. I have the beginnings of a belly - it feels huge to me already but I know it's not quite huge. Yet. We are really, really excited and a little bit freaking out and just very happy. I've been pretty nauseous and exhausted over the past few months, and it hasn't quite stopped yet, but I'm hoping my second trimester will bring some relief.

I've got lots of books to read and clothes to make and things NOT TO GOOGLE, and lots of resting to do. I seriously can't believe how tired I've been! Even in St. Croix, where all we did was relax, I was exhausted. But overall, I'm feeling pretty good. I just started prenatal yoga this week and I'm already sleeping better and feeling stronger. It's my first experience with yoga, and although I'm not very bendy right now, I'm learning.

So that's the big thing in my life right now! In knitting news, I finished Ishbel:

Finally done!

and started a top for me - Smock in The Simply Sublime Organic Cotton DK book.

in pretty Debbie Bliss Prima.

I also started another Ishbel - it's a seriously addictive pattern. Quick and easy with such gorgeous results! My plan is to make a bunch of them and then all my Christmas presents will be done. hee. I also have a ton of beautiful fabric for making clothes and I'm hoping to get an energy boost soon so I can make some dresses.

So, I've still been crafting, although it's mostly crafting that I can do from the couch. :) Luckily, knitting is just perfect for that. I'll be posting again soon to tell you about the rug we got - we love it, and Bella REALLY loves it.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic end of their summer!

Posted by Carrieoke at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (94)

It is so nice here, y'all. It's been in the upper 60s - lower 70s for almost a week now, and it's unbelievable. I'm hoping that spring is actually here to stay, although I know that's totally wishful thinking and we'll probably have more cold spells. But sitting outside in the sun to eat brunch and teaching knitting on the back porch of Main Street has been sooooo nice.

Of course, my timing is impeccable because I've just finished winter hats for me and Jacob right when the weather gets warm! HA. I discovered Jared Flood's fabulous Turn a Square pattern on Ravelry and totally fell in love with it. It's super easy and SO fast - I finished both of these hats in about a day or so (per hat). And, you can do stripeys like the pattern:

stripes, for Jacob.

Or, you can do one with just one skein of mmmmalabrigo:

the Malabrigo one is all for me me me.

Woot. Totally versatile and awesome. and perfect for those 70 degree days we've been having. Har.

I'm still plugging away on the Tapestry Cowl. I'm getting faster at finishing a round - I actually did THREE rounds last night, which is totally a record for me and this pattern - but I'm convinced there's a better way to wrangle the two colors. Are there any English knitters out there who have double knitting tips for me? I've been practicing my Continental knitting, but the gauge is still too crazy for me to switch to Continental on this project.

And, my take-with-me-everywhere knitting is a new project: Francis Revisited. I may have used some of my knit teaching money to get some fantastic Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk Aran in Granite and oh my god I am loving this yarn. I couldn't get gauge, so I changed the numbers a bit and now I'm just knitting away. I'm hoping I can finish this soon and wear it a bit before it gets too hot in Georgia for any kind of long sleeves.

ohhh, this yarn. it's so lovely.

I really have been knitting a lot lately. Teaching at the yarn store is making it easier for me to justify new shiny yarn purchases, which makes me excited about new projects, which means I am a knitting. machine. and I like it that way!

Other than knitting, I'm finishing up a quilt,Flickring, Raveling, BODYPUMPing, and watching American Idol intently. Work is good - lots of graphic design lately, which I love. YAY.

Posted by Carrieoke at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Today is my 30th birthday, and I am celebrating by doing absolutely nothing. And it feels GOOD. I've napped, eaten some lunch, napped some more, and eaten a little dinner. I figure it's my birthday, so I can sleep all day if I want, right?

Bella clearly thinks so.

I did get an "early morning" (10am) phone call from my twin sis Cathy, who's been in Europe for a couple of weeks (lucky!! she's in PARIS for our birthday). I was super excited to hear from her - we've been able to email and gmail chat a bit, but it's the first time I've talked to her since she's been out of town. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAT! I miss you!

I'm a sleepy schmoo because we had a super fun party last night with friends, homemade BBQ, a fabulous champagne toast (thanks, Leslie!), cute babies, and sparklers. (The babies didn't get near the sparklers, I promise. Or the champagne.)

This guy makes the best BBQ. EVER.

After our bellies were full of Jacob's fantastic BBQ (smoked in the Big Green Egg for 12 hours, yummy), we discovered a HUGE bag of sparklers in the closet and decided to play with them in the backyard. And somehow, just playing with sparklers turned into let's-spell-words-with-sparklers-and-take-lots-of-pictures-of-it:

Schmoo, indeed.

Of course we spelled schmoo. And seriously, it took us longer than you would think to organize, perhaps due to champagne. (I wonder if our neighbors looked over the fence to see a ridiculous line of people with sparklers....) SO.FUN. After the sparkler extravaganza ended, we decided to head downtown for a few birthday drinks.

Me, Leslie and Jenna. Yay old friends!

I got to see some old friends, taste a Sparks (which I can't really recommend. TOO SWEET.), and take a slightly sketchy cab home. (I was seriously impressed by the availability of cabs late night in Athens. It's not a big city by ANY stretch, but we had our choice of cabs at 1:45.It was my first time ever taking a cab home from downtown! wooo-hooo I'm 30!)

It was a great night - thanks to all my friends who came and helped us celebrate, and to my Jacob schmoo who made awesome BBQ, cleaned our house, and generally made my birthday fantastic.

Oh, and he also gave me this for my birthday:

iPhone!!!!

YAY! He waited in line for four hours for one of the new iPhones, and it's so. so. nice. I was a little skeptical of the iPhone when Jacob got one, and then we spent a weekend without internet somewhere and I realized that I needed one. very badly. Hee. I got other fabulous things too, including some socks handknit by Anne Marie (and an Ann Taylor dress!), some yarn dyed by Melanie, and a bamboo plant. And lots of yummy wine to drink. I am a lucky girl!

Well, I'm going to put my sleepy self to bed now - but I'll be posting again very soon, because I actually have a finished knit to show you! Seriously. I really do.

Posted by Carrieoke at 9:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (39)

I started a post days ago and then work/knitting/Ravelry/life got in the way. So the short version is: Maryland Sheep and Wool was fun times. Saw some really awesome old friends and made some new ones. Bought some excellent yarn. Got sunburned.

I was overwhelmed (in a good way) by all the Ravelry craziness, but it didn't stop me from participating. Jess and Casey have obviously done an amazing thing and I'm so proud of my friends. And a little in awe of them.

Pictures from the trip are [ here ], if you're interested. And here's what I got while I was there:

The stash.

That's some sock yarn, yarn for one sweater, and some clasps and buttons. I was very restrained, actually. Although after seeing all the Namaste bags that Jess and Casey had for door prizes, I immediately came home and ordered this pretty pretty bag:

This is the Namaste Laguna.

It's beautiful and soft. It is also HUGE. If you don't want a big bag, it's not for you, but if you like to carry everything with you, I highly recommend it. Since I bought that the night I returned, I guess that counts as a MDSW purchase. Hee.

Anyways. What else? Well, I finished Anais. The unraveling of the cast on edge quickly turned into CUTTING OFF the ribbing and picking up stitches, but I'm okay with that. It was a messy job, but I'm super pleased with the results:

AND! I finished Jacob's socks today! He is actually wearing the socks right. now.

Finished!

I used Trekking XXL. I think he likes them. YAY. These are actually the second socks I've made for Jacob. The first pair ended up getting felted (although now I have a nice pair of slipper socks), but Trekking is machine washable (right?) so I think these will be okay.

That's two finished objects! woo-hoo, I'm getting crafty things done. I still need to put an binding on my prettypretty first quilt, and figure out what the heck to do with that purple Drops sweater that just needs finished arms and some buttons...but I'm currently distracted by some lace...

Go Fly a Kite Shawl.

I saw a girl wearing the most beautiful shawl at Maryland Sheep and Wool at Sunday's Ravelry meetup, and it turned out to be her own design! Holli was super gracious while we oohed and ahhed over her shawl. Luckily I had some Malabrigo lace yumminess in my stash, so I started it as soon as I got home. I'm hoping to have it done by my friend's wedding in the beginning of July. I had to get a little help from my friend Leigha to get going, but I'm totally cruising now!

yay. things are good. It's almost truly summer, which means my lovely town is quieter and slower and emptier. and I'm only taking ONE hour of class this summer, which means that I have more time to hang out with these schmoos:

happy schmoos.

Posted by Carrieoke at 8:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (35)

Hey - I got married! And it was absolutely one of the best days of my life.

May I present: the Mr. and Mrs!

(photo stolen from Vibegrrl.)

Photo by Shawn Fowler.

This will be a series of long posts because I really want to remember all the details of my wedding weekend, and this is the best way I know how. So click below if you want the whole story!

Continue reading "Just Married." »

Posted by Carrieoke at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (179)

So, the Pants and I recently decided that we needed to replace the gross carpet in our den. Old carpet is the nastiest of nasties. Those of you with old carpet - you know what I'm talking about. GROSS. Also, we have a white carpet and a black doggy inside whose favorite pasttime is the wormy worm. (That's when she army crawls all over the floor, dragging her black little legs behind her. Very low quality video can be seen here.)

We've been looking for some affordable floors for a while, and we came across a deal we couldn't pass up, and so we bought 'em. And, in a fit of insanity, decided, let's just go ahead and install the damn things. NEVER MIND that our wedding is a month away. That's OKAY. We can do it! And hey, let's paint the room, too, while we're at it. NO WORRIES.

And we did. But, I say to you: do not embark on major home improvement a month before your wedding. It may cause you to become overly stressed about other things. Like the cake. Or maybe the centerpieces. Or the availability of hotels on your wedding weekend. Or...

Ahem.

I'll just show you what we did.

Before.

After.

Oh how I love it. I am really glad we were able to do this before the wedding, because we've got folks staying with us, but it was a lot of work. And these are floating floors - no nailing or gluing - so pretty much the easiest floors to install. But really, not so easy. Jacob and his dad did the hard stuff and I helped align boards and ran around a lot. I used the miter saw *once*. Note: I did not like using the miter saw.

We still need to finish the kitchen, which we'll work on this week. Hopefully we'll have the entire downstairs done before the wedding. This is the goal.

In other news? Juliet, she is super fun to knit. And she is nearly done...

sorry for the crappy quality, but bathroom light is the best I can do right now.

The garter stitch at the top did hurt my hands a bit, but I think it's because I'm using a cotton yarn. This yarn (Gedifra Softig) is very soft, but the cotton is hard to knit since it's so bulky. Once I got past the garter stitch, it's been smooth sailing. I'm so excited about this sweater. I'm already imagining a long sleeved version in a different yarn...

I'm also coveting this sweater knit by FlintKnits Pam. Awesome. I think I might have some yarny goodness in the stash that wants to become that sweater...

But, I'm thinking I might pick my Kim Hargreaves Maggie back up and finish that baby up...it's starting to get a little chilly round here. OH BOY TIME FOR FALL!

She is so pretty. and ready to be finished.

Lord, I have so much to tell you. Like all the sewing I want to do. And the quilt pattern I bought. and the Emmys! did you watch them? And also, I think I might do a teeny bit of wedding knitting. I have 30 days to do it!

But, I have to go. Next time!

Posted by Carrieoke at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (38)

There are only 44 days until my wedding. So. Close. There are so many little things left to do...

I'm not going to stress.

Instead, I'm going to show you a lovely, relaxing picture of my latest finished project: my Chevron Scarf!

Yay new scarf!

It's perfect scarf weather - ya know, 90 degrees and up - har har har. I actually have worn this already -- it was cold in my class last week, and put my not-quite-finished scarf around my neck (I kinda hid the part that was still on the needles under the desk I was sitting in.) Then, the professor left the room for a minute and I took the opportunity to knit a few rows...and a student across the room said, "Are you KNITTING the muffler that you're wearing?" Hee. I was trying to be discreet. Oops. I also loved that she called it a muffler.

Look how long it is!

I really was going to knit this until I ran out of yarn, but one of my skeins kept tangling, and I'm actually glad I stopped - it's uber long! I can't wait for colder weather.

Last pic, I promise.

Can you tell I love this scarf?

I used two skeins of Socks That Rock (both gifties, one lovely skein from Jodi and another lovely skein from Ashley) and this pattern that I found on domesticrafts (she basically used a chevron stitch - so smart.)

Since I didn't get to finish the skeins, I used some of my leftover to whip up a quickie iPod cover for my video Ipod. I carry it in my purse all the time, and I wanted something to cover the screen just so it doesn't get scratched with bobby pins and ink pens and Pepto Bismol bottles, etc. (My purse is a pit of despair.)

Yay for Photo Booth.
I'm being lazy - it was easier than getting out the camera.
I have a Mac now - oh, how I love it.

It actually feels great to finish that project, because now I feel free to work on some other stuff. I'm getting very close to finishing my cami from Knitting Lingerie Style - pictures soon. And, I just bought this adorable Zephyr Style pattern last night after reading this post over at Elizabeth's ...how cute is that damn sweater? I'm so casting on for it this weekend.

Speaking of this weekend, me and the Pants are going away to the mountains for a mini vacation. We're going to relax and not stress about wedding details - I'm specifically forbidden to do any planning. I think it's going to be a nice break!

Y'all have a good weekend!

Posted by Carrieoke at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)

I can't believe it's almost the end of August. Time is flying around here - my wedding is in less than 2 months, I've been at my new job for almost 3 weeks, and our air conditioning has been broken for exactly 2 hours. Two sweaty hours. Dear Lord. This weather is CRAZY. Twice this week, I got in my car at the end of the day and my temperature gauge said 108. I've lived in Georgia my whole life, and this is the hottest summer we've ever had.

Did I mention that our air. conditioning. is not. working?

So, I'm sitting here with a very hot laptop on my lap, under a ceiling fan, thinking about knitting, but it's almost too hot to knit. I was working on a lovely camisole from Knitting Lingerie Style - but it makes me hot just to think about knitting with a wool alpaca blend right now. So, I've been working mostly on my never-ending Chevron Scarf:

This is gonna be a super long, pretty scarf, if I can persevere to the end of the skeins.

Sorry I'm Grumpy Complainypants. The temperature hasn't been below 100 in days. Weeks. I've just been working hard at the new job and working on wedding stuff. Invitations have gone out, and we've even been working on the centerpieces...

This is what we have to wear to work on centerpieces.
We are so serious about centerpieces.

I even got a veil. Not gonna post a picture of that because the Pants is not to be trusted. (the Pants are not to be trusted? Hee.)

So. how's that for a lame catch-up post? I miss blogging frequently. I need to make more time in my schedule for it. I can't complain too much though - my busy schedule is mostly due to a job I love and an upcoming wedding. Things are good.

I'm a tad sweaty, but I can still smile in pictures.

Posted by Carrieoke at 7:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (37)

I confess: my Sockapalooza socks came early, and instead of being a good Socker and waiting until August 2, I ripped into the package. Immediately. And found these lovelies inside:

My Socks!

And also...

My pal totally spoiled me!
A lovely knit pouch and a needle holder.

I love it all! The socks are super soft and they fit perfectly, and I've been using the pouch to tote my iPod around! (And did you see the adorable fabric on the needle holder?) These lovely gifts are courtesy of Elke. She is in Germany, and blogless (hi Elke) and she's a totally awesome Sock Pal. Thanks so much, Elke! I've been so lucky with Sockapalooza, and this year was another great time.

My pal's package went out already, and I'm crossing my fingers that she likes the socks and they fit...

So. I've been a busy girl, with the new job and the wedding getting really, really close...Accccccccccckkkkkkkkkkk. Our invitations are almost done (we'll be printing and cutting this weekend) and they feature a drawing by my dear friend Mary Jessica (who also drew the Carrieoke on the side of the blog). They also feature graphic design by my super talented brother-in-law David. Gotta love having the artistic friends and family!

Speaking of friends and family, my sisters Michelle and Cathy and my dear AM threw me and Jacob a kick-ass wedding shower this past weekend! There was extremely delicious food, and lots of booze, and lots of laughing, and an abundance of gifts... including...

A Wii Steering Wheel!
(Let's hear it for registering at Target!)

It was a fabulous weekend, indeed.

Well, I need to go address wedding invitations. Here's another confession: I sort of like addressing wedding invitations. And also? We forgot to book a hotel room for our wedding night. NOT STRESSED.

Posted by Carrieoke at 6:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)

Two finished projects! I decided that I need to wrap up some projects, and so I had a finishing frenzy this past week. First up: Sockapalooooza Socks!

Two stripey socks, almost identical twins.

My sock pal professed a deep abiding love for striped socks, so I found some stripey yarn in her colors at The Fiber Denn. In addition to being stripey, the yarn is extremely soft. Hooray! I knit these using the toe-up formula in Simple Socks, Plain and Fancy. These were my first completed socks to have short row heels (and toes). I lovelovelove the short row toe - LOVE IT - but I'm not sold yet on the heel, probably because I haven't totally mastered it yet. I am satisfied with the heels on these particular socks, but I think I can improve my technique.

Don't worry, sock pal, these are getting a bath in Soak tonight.

Finished in time! Hooray for Sockapalooooza! I hope she likes them.

And, Finished #2: a baby sweater!

EZ February Sweater.

I've been knitting this on and off for a little while, waiting for one of my pregnant friends to give birth so I could choose a recipient. (Yes, I have that many pregnant friends.) This one is going to little Ava. I used one skein of Cotton Ease and size 9s. I was hoping using bigger needles would make the sweater bigger, and honestly I'm not sure what size this sweater is. I'm going with the whole EZ philosophy that babies come in all sizes and it will fit her at some point....that works, right? This sweater is easy peasy, the pattern is easy to memorize, and it looks super cute. I want to try one of those crazy origami baby surprise sweaters next.

It's so satisfying to actually finish some knits after four false starts with The Impossible Knitted Skirt.

So, what else? This weekend, I read Harry Potter (sniff), watched Jacob play Resident Evil on the Wii (sooooooooviolent), took my dad grocery shopping (fun!) and played with the neph a little (Big Head Schmoo!). Bella got a new toy.

Schmoo's favorite toy.

Friday is my last day at my current job ... oh how I fear change. But it's good change. It is. Still scared, though. Guess I need to knit a whole bunch this weekend to calm my nerves...

Posted by Carrieoke at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (38)

Hi there! The crazy has slowly been winding down around here...the semester is almost over HOORAY and I survived and all of my projects are almost done. Of course, right in the middle of the super busy time of the semester, I got a call for a job interview ... a shiny, pretty job, where I can be creative and learn lots of new geeky stuff, and even work in my Master's field (Instructional Design and Development)...

Guess what? I. got. it.

I'm not gonna talk too much about it, but HOORAY YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY NEW JOBBY JOB! Ahem. I start in August. I'm super nervous but in a good way. Nervous. Nelly.

So, what else? I had a birthday on July 13, and it was very good. My sister was at cross country camp being a good cross country coach (sniff. she's already promised that she will NOT be at cross country camp for our 30th birthday), so I didn't get to hang out with her, which is always a bummer on our birthday. But, I did get to have the best karaoke birthday party EVER. Evidence of that is here:

I think I was singing Vibeology by Paula Abdul.

AM and Jenna.

Don't stop believin'.

Other pictures on Flickr, if you dare.

AM's birthday is July 21, so we rented a private karaoke room for fantastic joint birthday festivities, complete with wireless microphones and TWO TAMBOURINES, and a bunch of great friends. I love karaoke.

Jacob gave me the geekiest earrings ever, which I LOVE, and Bella gave me a prettypretty video iPod. oh boy oh boy oh boy! I can't wait to download podcasts...and TV shows...

On the knitting front, I have tried FOUR times to knit a skirt. Yes, FOUR. Yes, I knitted a (admittedly crappy) gauge swatch. Yes, I did math. They were all enormously huge and ill fitting. Harumph. Why am I obsessed with knitting a skirt? I have no idea. I think I need to put it away for a little while and find another skirt pattern. Or find a skirt pattern that is knit with yarn that I can afford. Or yarn in my stash. arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh the skirt is taunting me.

Instead, I start knitting again on Ye Olde Chevron Scarf That I Cast On in April and May Never Be Finished, and I knitted up a cute Elizabeth Zimmerman baby sweater (the February one - one sleeve to go). Tonight, I'm going to see if I can get gauge for this cute Berroco pattern which Silvia alerted me to.

and I'm gonna finish up my Sockapaloooooza Socks! They are sooooper close.

I hope my pal likes them!

Posted by Carrieoke at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (36)

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.

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

It was so beautiful this weekend! I had lots of schoolwork to finish up, but that didn't stop us from doing some gardening. People, I love to plant things. When Jacob mentioned going to shop for some stuff for the yard, I almost didn't go with him because I immediately thought, BO-RING. But hello! So. not. boring! and now I can't stop researching flowers to put in flower boxes and thinking of new thing we can plant in our yard. ohboyohboy.

I'll spare you the pictures of our newly planted flower boxes (although I'll probably post some once they're blooming.) I actually have pictures of a finished Morehouse Merino shawl...

It's about time I took at picture of this.

and here's the wingspan shot:

I actually already have another Morehouse kit on the needles - it's just knitknitknit, which is just the kind of project I like to carry around in my purse. Knitknitknit.

And here's what else I've got on the needles...

Trellis for the BigHeadSchmoo.

My nephew is about to turn one - can you believe it? For his first birthday, Aunt Scary is knitting him his very own fabulous cabled sweater. I hope it fits! One sleeve and two fronts to go.

And I couldn't resist the call of the chevron:

Chevron Scarf in Socks That Rock.

I was inspired by Ashley's first Chevron scarf, and then I happened to win some mediumweight Socks That Rock in Ashley's blog contest, and then I saw this lovely version on Domesticat. Non-curling edges? I'm sold.

I'm using Socks that Rock in Nodding Violet and Rare Gems. These colors are working so beautifully together - I want to turn all of my variegated sock yarn into yummy delicious scarves.

Yes, I know that's three different projects. I can't make up my mind sometimes. I have two sweaters I really want to finish too (my Kim Hargreaves kit and my Must-Have) but I just can't handle sweater knitting when it's getting hot like this. My KH sweater is a cotton blend, so I might just work on that after this Trellis is done. So many choices...

This weekend: family reunion and silent auction. Good times.

Posted by Carrieoke at 5:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)

So, I started training for my second half-marathon in January (as mentioned in this post). My training started out pretty well, and I ran at least twice a week mostly and tried to keep up with my long runs, but life got busy (wedding planning and school and other life-in-general stress) and I lost track of how much time I had before the race, and I didn't feel ready. (Not feeling ready could also be a teensy bit of laziness on my part. Just a TEENSY bit.)

So I decided not to run the race. I would go to Atlanta, and cheer on Anne Marie and my friend Cheryl, and just be a spectator. Cathy would be a spectator too, since she is just recovering from bronchitis and really shouldn't run 13.1 miles right now.

Yesterday was that half-marathon.

And I totally ran it!

I think I was scared to run because I knew I wouldn't improve from my first race, and I didn't want to feel like a failure. But my sister Cathy (that sneaky, sneaky girl) was all, "Why don't we just run a little, and see how we feel? We won't run the whole thing..."

Here's me and Cat before the race:

Yeah. She tricked me.

And then it was just FUN. Beautiful day, beautiful course. We took it easy, not running too hard, pushing ourselves every now and then. It was so much fun, laughing and running with my sister, watching all the other runners and the spectators. We kept a good pace, and Cathy didn't let me slack too much. We even got to see the lead runners because the marathon course crossed paths with the half marathon course at several points - that was AWESOME. Dude. They were kicking so much ass - it was really motivating. At mile 8, Cathy wisely decided to stop, and so she did. But she was like, "Finish the race." And I kept going. And I finished!

Here's my medal.

I might have more pics of the race eventually, but I didn't bring my camera -- I assumed I would have access to it later since I wouldn't be finishing the race. Ha. Next time, I'm going to be more serious about my training, but it was nice to do a race in a very stress-free sort of way.

[Note: since I'd done a half before, I felt okay running it even though I didn't feel completely ready. I am in NO WAY advocating just waking up the morning of a half-marathon and deciding to try and run it. You gotta train, baby. I guess the point is: I wasn't motivated to run it, even though I physically was ABLE. And my sister and Cheryl and AM helped me get motivated -- that morning!]

In general, that's the kind of runner I am. I don't like to get caught up in my time because I'm a slow schmoo, and if I'm not enjoying something, I'm just not gonna do it. So, I try to keep running fun and light and not a competitive thing. (Now, that's just me. My friends (coughcough Cheryl and AM and Cathy coughcough) who are fast schmoos do things differently, and I like that. Cheryl rocked the half, and AM rocked the FULL, and I'm so proud of them. Cheryl finished almost an hour before me and when I was coming around that last bend, I saw her waiting, and she ran me into the finish line, which totally rocked. She even cheered me past a couple of runners.

Woo-hoo! Team Schmoo rocks.

In other news - knitting news - I've been knitting a little opera scarf with my Noro Silk Garden Lite, and I ripped it out. It just wasn't working for me. (Although, I will say that I love that pattern, and I'm going to knit it again, but with a swingier, drapier yarn.)

Here's the farewell photo:

Farewell, opera scarf.

Instead, I decided to copy Molly! and make a mini clapotis with it.

Yum. I love this yarn.

And the Forecast? She is literally 20 sleeve rounds away from being done. I'm predicting a finished post by next week. No promises, though.

Posted by Carrieoke at 8:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (45)

... Arthur's Theme is totally one of my favorite songs.

NEW YORK!

What a freakin' trip. It was super fun and totally exhausting and I would do it again next weekend if I had the money and another pair of boots (since mine now have holes in them from all the walking. NOT CITY SHOES.) First of all, I have to give a shout out to my girl Carolyn, who sent me her recommendations for restaurants, and not one of them disappointed. I tried so many kinds of food I'd never had before: Vietnamese, Malaysian, Brazilian, crazy Tex-Mex-Asian-fusion. yumyumyum. The food was my second favorite part of the trip.

My first favorite part was, of course, the people. And the yarn. Ohhhhh, the yarn.

At the subway stop in Queens.

The extremely long and photo heavy play-by-play is in the extended entry. You have been warned about the length. And the photo heaviness...

Continue reading "When you get caught between the moon and New York City..." »

Posted by Carrieoke at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (49)

It's been ... a week. I'm not going to lie: I'm a tad grumpy. There are things in my life that I have no control over -- things I will never be able to change -- that are currently making me a grumpy. schmoo. Harumph.

But I really can't complain too much -- life is mostly good, and the weather here is freakin' beautiful. BEE-YOO-TEE-FULL. I'm talking 70 degrees and breezy. (Don't hate me, my Northern friends.) And? And!! Spring Break is next week, and while I do officially have to work, I've decided that I might take a short little vacation and fly up to New York. Yayayayayay! Me and my sis are going to shop and hang out and eat good food and visit yarn stores. Suggestions? (Trip contingent on a plane ticket, but I think I'm going to be able to swing it.) It's cold up there, right?

Trip Trip Trip. This will probably mean no Maryland Sheep and Wool this year, but I need a vacation and this is a perfect opportunity. Hopefully I will have a finished pair of Anemois in the mail by the time I leave, and a finished Forecast to wear.

Here's where I am tonight.

There! That's my challenge to myself: finish Anemois and Forecast by Wednesday of next week. Then I can actually wear Forecast in cold weather! It's a plan.

In honor of happy things, here's a picture of my cutecute nephewschmoo.

He didn't like my flash. Schmoo!

Now, a meme.
Stolen from Carolyn.
It's in the extended entry...

Continue reading "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm." »

Posted by Carrieoke at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (35)

So, I didn't have enough yarn to finish Forecast. I only had one tiny ball of yarn left...

Definitely NOT enough for two sleeves.

So, I undid the cast off edge and started winding.

Guess I should've checked that before I ordered the Cascade....

Because they TOTALLY still had the yarn!

So, I put Forecast right back on the needles.

I knit the ribbing longer, and did my buttonbands, and now I'm on the sleeves.

So. Close.

Posted by Carrieoke at 4:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (33)

That's right - I got a day off yesterday! I woke up from a lovely dream where the University was closed due to inclement weather, got on my laptop, checked the university website, and found that the University WAS closed due to "deteriorating weather conditions." Now. I know there are a lot of Northerners out there who are snickering at us behind their hands, and that's okay. Because I had the day off, and so did Jacob. yayayayayayayayayay! (Admittedly, everything was melted by 8:30, but who am I to question the University's authority? SNOW. DAY.)

I slept until 11:30, had a lovely breakfast, and then settled into the couch for a long day of knitting. I finished this:

One Anemoi Down. One to Go.

After I finished that, I decided to work for a while on this lovely sweater. Oh, how I love to knit with Rowan Wool Cotton. It's so soft and squishy and yummy delicious. I finished one sleeve (gauge swatch), and then I immediately cast on for the back:

Picot edging + garter stitch = cute.

I also ventured into the stash yesterday to try and match up stash yarn with future projects. I know, I know -- it sounds insane. But, I think I succeeded! I have plans to knit Stefanie Japel's Simple Knitted Bodice next (long sleeved), and so I dove into the stash to find a suitable yarn. I came up with two options: some worsted weight organic cotton that I bought at Rhinebeck (in a creamy natural color, it's super soft), or this Elann Baby Silk (with two strands held together) in Salmon. I'm leaning towards the Baby Silk, but I'm not sure. I guess I COULD knit up a swatch in each and see which one I like better...but that's more crazy talk.

The second Anemoi will be on hold for just a bit -- I'd like to make some headway with my Maggie. But I can't wait for too long -- the colorwork is addictive. I WANT MORE.

Posted by Carrieoke at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)

The new swift. YAY! My crafty-schmoo-fiance built me my very own swift. He was able to make this:

I'm working here.

into this:

It works!

Now. A fun activity from the fabulous Fricknits: ten topics that begin with the letter E. Yikes. E seems hard. I guess everyone thinks their letter sounds hard...

English : I majored in English in college, and I now work in an English department. I am a stickler for correct spelling and grammar in writing. Questionable grammar in spoken English doesn't bother me as much as written mistakes. I am especially appalled at spelling errors on websites -- if you see one on my blog, you can tell me. I will luv u 4 it.

Exercise: It's starting hardcore in January. I got a step and hand weights for Christmas, and I just ordered that Nike-iPod thingy that Rachael was talking about. I'm planning to run a half-marathon in March -- and I'm mentioning that so you'll HOLD ME TO IT -- and I need to start training. MUST. DO. IT. Did I mention that I'm getting married in October of this year and I want to be my super-cutest self for the wedding?

Espresso : Every morning, I get a 16 oz vanilla latte from Jittery Joe's, our local coffee shop. Sometimes I get an extra shot of espresso if I'm feeling extra droopy. I realized over the holidays how much money I spend at said coffee shop. Woo-hoo! I'm supporting local business, so that makes it okay, right?

Election: I volunteered for our mayor's re-election campaign at the end of 2006. And it was FUN. Extra-fun activities included playing an election benefit show with Bling and creating a banner ad for our local online newspaper. She won!

Explosion: We set off fireworks last night. Lots and lots of fireworks. Jacob loves to be the dude that lights the fireworks and then runs like crazy away from the fireworks before they blow up. (Which makes me, inevitably, the girl who's yelling "Be careful, schmoo! Are we being too loud?") Don't worry, we're careful. And we're all about fire safety -- my future father-in-law is a fireman.

Entertaining: We had a little New Year's party last night, and it was really fun. Our new house is perfect for having guests. At one point, we had a poker game, karaoke, and Wii-playing all going on at the same time. Good times. And we still have leftover pigs in a blanket and tiny cheesecakes. Mmmmmmmmmmm. Tiny cheesecakes.

Evil: Tiny cheesecakes! You are evil! Stop tempting me from the fridge...

Education: Semester two of grad school starts next week. I'm taking one face-to-face class and one online class. We had a few online sessions of class last semester in my theory class, and it was sort of awkward and painful. I'm hoping a whole semester of online sessions aren't as painful...

Engaged: So I have the date. And the place. And the dress. (And the Pants. hahahahahahahahahahaha.) Apparently, the REAL planning can start now. Note to self: Must consult excessively organized and already married twin sister.

And, finally...

Endpaper Mitts: Finished!

My First Endpaper Mitts. Certainly not my last.

Excellent.

Later this week: Progress reports on Maggie and Forecast.

Posted by Carrieoke at 9:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (34)

Ah. The holidays are so, so lovely. I've been sleeping until embarrassingly late hours, wearing my (new) pajamas all day, and knitting constantly. One of the perks of a university job is that the university is closed the last week in December, so I've got lots of time off. It's a wonderful thing. Luckily, Jacob works with schools as well, so we're both at home relaxing. It's given us lots of time to put the house in some kind of order and play with our Christmas presents.

Christmas was totally awesome. We got all kinds of great stuff for the house, loads of gift cards (LOWES! HOME DEPOT! BEDBATHANDBEYOND!) and lots of other fun things. I got some great Sephora stuff and the perfect jewelry box. So much good stuff.

The Pants gave me two ultimately awesome presents: this necklace

SchmooTag.

and... a camcorder!

I'm gonna video you.

That one was a bit of a surprise. So. Excited. About. Video. I have a feeling that videos of Bella, Chili, and other adorable thingsin my house may be making a more regular appearance on this here blog. Woo-hoo! I also taped ridiculous amounts of nephew cuteness on Christmas Day -- the child has gotten SO. BIG. I got to feed him a bottle, which was really fun and also kind of scary at the same time.

Here's the BigHeadSchmoo:

I'm the king of this blanket.

The sis finally got her Central Park Hoodie, for keeps:

Finally!

And there was also some intense game playing: both Texas Hold 'Em:

Jacob won. Again.

And Clue DVD:

Wes is a sleuth. He had the time ALL NARROWED DOWN.

Good. Times.

Now? I'm going to sit on my butt some more and surf blogs and knit and not have any responsibilities. We are having folks over for New Year's, so at some point I need to clean a little more, but NOT NOW. Now is for lounging. And building a swift...more on that later.

Hope everyone is having a happyhappy with their family and friends. This is the FOURTH Christmas I've celebrated with my blog, can you believe it? I can't. Time flies when you're having fun. And other cliches.

Happy New Year from our house to yours!!

Posted by Carrieoke at 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (34)

So, the Pants had a birthday was November 28, and we did lots of fun things : went to the casino, hung out with his family, ate yummy food in Athens. We also got up at 5:30 on a Sunday the weekend before his birthday to obtain the best birthday present EVER: a Nintendo Wii (pronounced Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!).

The man loves his Wii.

We managed to get one on release day even though we didn't camp out or pre-order. We just got lucky. Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. And dude, I was not all about getting up early that morning, but I am all about the Wii. It is SO MUCH fun. One of my favorite parts is that you can create a little character called a 'Mii' (hee) that you play the games with, and you can make them look like you. So, when Jacob and I play Boxing, it's a tiny Jacob on the screen boxing a little tiny Carrieoke. funfunfun.
Here's Jacob's:

Tiny cartoon Jacob.

Doesn't it look like him? I heart technology. And I heart my Jacob.

Anyways, now that things are starting to slow down at work and my schoolwork is done for the semester, I am really looking forward to more nights like this: right now, I'm sitting on the floor in my den with Jacob and Bella watching Tivoed Studio 60 by a roaring fireplace. Seriously. Jacob had to clean the chimney before we started using it and I'm so glad he did. Chim chim chireeeeeeeee.

Cute. Schmoos.

I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy and Christmas-y tonight, so I think I'm going to go knit and relax with my schmoos. Ya'll have a good night, and go give your loved ones a squeeze.

To the family: I added a link to my holiday wish list on the left sidebar (under the Carrieoke cartoon).

Posted by Carrieoke at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)

Yay for looooong holiday weekends. It's beginning to look a lot like that time of year where classes wind down, the students go home, campus gets deserted, and I get to relax a little. I'm not quite there yet .... but it's close. So. close.

Thanksgiving was so nice. Lots of family time, although my nephew BradyPants was whisked away to my brother-in-law's family for the weekend - (I call dibs for Christmas, people). We had a lovely Thanksgiving brunch with my mom, my stepdad Mike, Cathy, her husband Wes, me, Jacob and Anne Marie (who totally ran a half marathon on Thanksgiving and then came and hung out because she is a ROCK STAR). I ate an enormous amount of food, and then I worked on this all day:

Central Park. Modeled by Cathy.

Front view.

I was trying for the J.Crew catalog blurry shot.

On Friday, we headed to Missisippi for a visit with Jacob's grandparents. And I got out an old project that's been sitting in my knitting basket...

The Must-Have Cardigan.
One trip to Mississippi = two fronts complete.

A trip to Mississippi with Jacob's family almost ALWAYS means one thing: a casino trip. And so we went. Here's what went down:

Jacob hit it big on the slots.

Yay fun weekend. I'm so thankful for all the wonderful people in my life.
And also for yarn.

Posted by Carrieoke at 8:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (56)

Thanks for all the nice comments, ya'll. Clearly the really kind and supportive commenters outshadow the nasty anonymous meanies, and I shouldn't have let it get to me. It was just one of those days where I couldn't handle ANY negativity...thanks for letting me explain myself, even though I was preaching to the choir.

And thanks for all the furniture info! We ended up ordering some things from JcPenney's, and we have a trip to Ikea planned for the near future. I'll ltake some pictures when it gets here!

We are so not unpacked, and we're not even totally out of the old place yet - we still have a few odd and ends, a Crossbow, and some cleaning to do. But we're THIS close. Oh yes. We are close. And the new place? It already feels like home. Pictures soon.

One thing I've already discovered about the new house is that my bathroom mirror totally kicks ass for knitting pictures! Check it out:

Central Park. One side seamed up.

It is going to be REALLY hard for me to give this sweater away. I love it so.

Here's a shoulder seam for ya.

Although, I figure my sister deserves it. She deserves it for many reasons, but one reason is this: she's been the (gracious) recipient of a few ill-fitting handknits, and it's time to give her something she can wear FOR REALS. And I'm not being hard on myself - it's actually kind of fun to look back at the sweaters I've given her, and see the progression of my knitting. I like having the visual reminder that I've improved, especially with my seaming skills. I love my shoulder seam.

Gratutitous shoulder seam shot.

Isn't that a nice big old bathroom mirror? I'm so close to finishing this thing - last night, I finished the other sleeve/side seam, and now it's just knitknitknit until the hood is done, do the buttonband, and I'm finished! Do I want to immediately cast on one for myself? YES. Am I going to? hmmmm....

Posted by Carrieoke at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (50)

Jacob keeps teasing me because I haven't posted on my blog since returning from Rhinebeck... he keeps saying "I'm checking my Bloglines, where's your post?" Har, har. It's because I haven't had a second to breathe since returning from my relaxing yarny vacation. Work + school + 10 year reunion this weekend + HOUSE CLOSING OCT 30 makes for a crazy Carrieoke. Gah. And also aaaaccccccccccccccccckkkkkkkkk.

But also yay. Rhinebeck was wonderful, as expected. And the weather was PERFECT, as in not too cold, not too hot, and the leaves were brilliant, and the company was splendid. I didn't take as many pictures as I normally do because I was totally overwhelmed by peopleyarnnewyorkfuntimes all weekend. But I took a few.

This was at the Point.

We were lucky enough to drop in on a knitting night with the Spiders, and I got to meet some bloggers that I've been reading forever, and also reunite with an old friend. It was really nice and cozy and comfortable. We stopped in after seven hours of shopping in New York City, and although I had a fabulous time shopping, my tired little Georgia legs were ready for a coffee and some knitting. Perfect.

This is a llama. He is chewing.

The animals at Rhinebeck are totally one of my favorite parts. Ya know, after all the yarn. and the people. and the hot sauce.

My girls AM and Sarah. And a sheep.

This is the last picture I took. We had to do a quick drive-by on Sunday, due to extreme paranoia that we would miss our flight (we missed our flight to NY on Friday morning...security was atrocious in Atlanta).

I had a wonderful time, I didn't buy too much [ the haul: a sweater's worth of organic cotton, a triple skein of laceweight Morehouse, a shawl pin, some delectable bulky weight yarn from Decadent Fibersand and a piece of pottery for HEJ. I also got my usual yummyyummy hot sauce from Hudson Valley Homestead ]. AND I got to see old friends and talk to new ones. This picture (shamelessly stolen from Snargle Sarah ) pretty much sums up how much fun I had this weekend.

That's Frecklegirl, Sarah, and Maya in the front.
I'm in the backback. With some leftover ribs.

We even stopped by the Morehouse store which is beautiful and spacious and well-lit and so dangerous. Thank God that place isn't anywhere near Georgia - I would be broke fer sure.

You won't see me at Rhinebeck next year because I'll be getting hitched (woo-hoo!), but I'm going to try my hardest to be at Maryland. I love sheep and wool festivals.

Ah. And back to reality. Central Park is zooming along - I've finished the back and fronts, and now I'm halfway through the first sleeve. And in other news, we are totally grown-up and closing on our house on this coming Monday. I can't even believe it. ohmygod. So I'm a little jittery this week, trying to process everything that is going on, and not be too anxious about it. I'm just accepting that I will probably have explosive diarrhea while we are signing the closing papers, but it will be over soon, and then we have a HOUSEHOUSEHOUSE. House. How cool is that?

Okay. Time for bed. It was real nice to see all ya'll at the festival, for real.

Posted by Carrieoke at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)

That is a ridiculous title for a post, but I do have hair news. I changed up the color for fall...

Red. Head.

My friend from class asked if it was "funk red, or day job red." I'm thinking it's funk red. And I lovelovelove it! Since Jacob's known me, I've always had shortish hair, and he wants me to grow out my hair for the wedding, which works for me. So we made a deal -- I'm growing it out, but I get to do whatever I want with the color. Woo-hoo! (Although -- shh! --- I'm starting to really love having it longer again. But you can't tell him that...)

And, I got the color done by an old old friend - someone I've known for 20 years. Crazy. (The wonders of myspace...)

So. House news. Everything looks good so far, inspection has been done, and we're in those stages of negotiating and finalizing everything. My twin sister came up this weekend and gave it the Cathy stamp of approval. (and also brought me clothes. She rocks.) If you want to see more pictures of the place, I've got some posted on my Flickr account:

[ House Pics ]

Thanks for all the good wishes. I'm so excited about being an almost homeowner, especially being an almost homeowner with the boy that I love, in a town that I love. It doesn't get much better than that!

School is moving right along. The midpoint of the semester is next week - it's flying by! Tonight my grad class was online - which means two things.

1. I got to wear this totally awesome headset so I could talk in class:

I am futuristic.

2. I got to knit while I was taking my class.

The Cowl part.

Okay. I've gotta go study some Flash now. Here's some of my remedial Flash for you. It's interactive! Make the car go boom!

Posted by Carrieoke at 12:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (39)

So, we installed my side view mirror successfully. Here's proof that I was involved:

I'm a mechanic. Sort of.

In between car part installs, I've been knitting on the Somewhat Cowl. I've got one sleeve and the cowl left to go, so it's definitely going to be ready for Rhinebeck.

See that sleeve? The second one's almost done!

I may even have something else started by the time we head up. My twin sister keeps requesting knitted items (including but not limited to Ms. Marigold, and Something Red, although she REALLY begged when she saw Rachael's Central Park.) She really wants a cardigan now, and I'm trying to convince her that the bobbly zippy sweater in Paton's Street Smart is perfect.

But here's my dilemma: I think an 100% wool sweater is going to be too hot. She's like me: she's cold often, but she's a sweat-er. (as in, she sweats a lot). I'm wondering if a wool-acrylic blend wouldn't be as sweat-inducing? Any yarn suggestions?

Oh. And.

I might have been holding out on you a little. There's kinda sorta something else that I've been doing recently...

House. Hunting.

The Pants and I have been in the market for a house, and we are actually now officially under contract on the cutest house in town. Seriously. That's the name of my new house.

And here's what it looks like.

I haven't mentioned this before because we've already had one heartbreak (sniff), but I feel certain that this house is the right one. Send good vibes and cross your fingers and all that ...everything looks good so far.

So, that's what's been taking up my time lately...that, and my ridiculously full Tivo.

Posted by Carrieoke at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (54)

Yay for blog comments. They don't bring Jacob's camera back, but they do remind me that people are nice and good and not all meanies who take things that don't belong to them. And apparently knitbloggers are easy targets for car robberies...

Now it's time for a list of things that make me happy.

1. The new Ipod shuffle. Um, have you seen it? It's SO. CUTE. It's like an inch long. It clips onto your belt. It wants to get in your pocket and hang out with you ALL THE TIME.

Tiny clippy cuteness.

2. Bella.

Bella, gazing in adoration at Jacob.

3. Pam from Lick My Sticks totally helped me get the Purling Puppies webring back in working order! I had a really long queue and didn't have time to deal with it, so I closed the ring for a while, and Pam offered to help me check the sites. So. Nice. So now the webring's open again! How cool is that?

4. THIS JUST IN! The insurance company is going to be able to reimburse us for Jacob's camera. YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY. and also YAY. Renters of the world, get renter's insurance.

5. I'm so going to knit this: [ Intolerable Cruelty ]. I know, it's a knitted skirt, but it's a sexy knitted skirt. If I'm going to have a booty, I might as well show it off. Rachael's gonna knit it, too!

6. Currently, the Pants is listening to Axel F on his computer. And giggling to himself. I love him.

So, hooray for good things. My Somewhat Cowl is coming along - I'm doing some waist decreases right now - and I might swatch tonight for the knitted skirt. Hee.

Thanks again for all your comments! It's almost the weekend....

Posted by Carrieoke at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)