Have I finally done it??


A little dark

too bad my check book is in focus in this one...

It was kinda lame, I really don't feel like talking about it. Except for my one class we are going to be doing web based stuff so hopefully I can learn how to do a whole website and not depend on blogger.com

In knitting news, my trip to woolwinders was a success! I walked away with US3 and US6 circular kneedles, and the pattern for Charlotte's Web! I am going to be doing that pattern when I take the class in November. I'm nervous, it looks hard! But that's the point of the class. The people in there were nice, but a combination of them being busy and me being shy and awkward didn't give me the opportunity to really get to meet anyone. Oh well.

So, here are some pictures. So that poncho for my mom...

modeling the poncho. Is it too small? It may make its way to the frogpond... I'm going to send it to her to see if some fringe will make it a good size for her.

So remember that scarf Julia was wearing in Bourne Supremacy? Here it is...

see the rows? I love it!
I got the pattern from a link on KR Forums (find it here)

Cast on an even number of stitches
Row 1: K1 *wyif sl1 K1 rep from *
Row 2: Sl1 *K1 wyif sl1 rep from *

(k = knit, sl = slip, wyif = with yarn in front)

So, I did this exactly last night and it was working. Today, however it wasn't. I just did Row 1 over and over and over again to get the pattern. Maybe I was just being an idiot and forgot was an even # is, I don't know. Whatever, the script looks great. Here are some more pictures:





and, in closing...


Handsome Hunkie getting ready for his first day. We didn't match the walls to the shirt or the shirt to the walls. Its just fate.

So, enjoy the pattern (just a reminder, its done in Berroco Medley and I'm using size 11 needles) and have a good one. I will definitely have knitting time, and am using knitting as hardcore therapy right now! I just love how you can not even pay attention and knit or get totally lost in it.

PS thank you all for your kind comments. I'll try the MVA express. Anyone going to Knit Out in DC on the 19th? I'll be there with my spinning stuff trying to find someone to teach me! I'll post what ill be wearing closer to the day so you guys can find me. I promise it will be something like bright pink!

Ok, so I know I promised to post pictures and tell about my trip to Woolwinders... but life is full of changes and suprises. I'm just goin with the flow.

I woke up this morning at 6:45 to see DH off to his 1st day of work. Everything went great until his car pulled out of the parking lot. At that point, I realized I was alone with a very very frightening day ahead of me... I had to go the the MVA (Maryland Vehicle Administration) to get a new title and registration.

I wish it were that easy.

To complicate things, my title and registration are in New Jersey right now. My dad's name, as well as mine, is on the title. We want only my name on the new title. But of course you cant get anything done without paying for it.

I wish I could tell you what I need to do to get that simple task completed. But I can't because the two times I've gone and the one time I've called, I've been told 4 different things (yes, thats right 4. When I went over today, she actually told me 2 completely different things to do in one explination!)

So anyway, Matt left and I shuttered. I got my stuff together and I headed out the door at 8:00 to be at the MVA when it opens at 8:30. Down the highway I go zoom zoom. I take the exit, and BAM I'm lost. It was so simple when I went with matt... take a right off the exit... what did I do wrong? So, I go to turn around to circle back and it feels like I peeled out of a gravel road... yes, I was instantly hit with a sinking feeling... NOT AGAIN.

I drive half a block and pull into Sheetz. You betcha, flat tire. I started crying instantly. I don't know why, i'm usually very capable of handling these situations. I just broke down.

I called Matt and left a sobbing message on his voicemail. I called my mom and dad and did the same to them. I got myself together, called AAA and had them fix it. No biggie.

BUT, this is what really gets me. A year ago, I went to a Jiffy Lube for an oil change. To make a long story short, that night matt was playing in a concert. THey packed up my car and began insisting on taking out the spare tire. I refused. I KNEW i was going to get a flat and I did... well a flat is an understatment, the tire actually blew up. We went to a station, they said that the tire was filled way past the point it was supposed to be.

So, I go to get an oil change 2 days ago. I didn't know where to go so we decided to go to Sears. UGH guess who they have doing oil changes... YUP JIffy Lube. I said to matt, I'm going to get a flat I know it. BUt, we went anyway... two days later... HI FLAT TIRE.


MORAL OF THE STORY IS:
NEVER GO TO JIFFY LUBE. THEY SUCK.

So now I'm down a tire and I took about 3 steps back with the title thing.

Oh, and get this. My NJ registration is expired... they actually REFUSED to give me a temporary registration. WTF.

THE MVA SUCKS. DONT GO TO THEM EITHER.

THE END.

Have a great day! :)

Well, tomorrow my DH Matt starts work, and on Tuesday I begin another semester. Our time went by so quickly this summer. It seemed to take forever from April til June, but once July came, it flew. Before I knew it, I was married for a month, in a new apartment, and my knitting stash became out of control!

Last night we made a POA for today (that is what I say for plan of action now. It drives Matt crazy which cracks me up. Its become a big joke with us now). I finally got my package from Elann.com with my alpaca to make the the chickami. There I was, ready to cast on and I realized tha I don't own any size 3 or 6 needles. I'm still pretty knew to knitting, so I'm not making myself feel like any less of a knitter because of this. On the contrary, I'm looking it as a GREAT reason to head to Wool Winders to pick some up! Im really very excited. I'm planning on taking their Knitting Safari class from Novermber to December and I've been wanting to go over there to introduce myself and talk about projects that I could do for the class.

After we stop by the shop, Matt and I are going to go see Garden State. He has been wanting to see it for over a month now, and I thought today would be the perfect day to see it. We were thinking of maybe checking out Baltimore or maybe drive to the beach, but it is going to be 97 today, so I thought an indoor activity may be better.

Knitting wise, I finished the knitting on the poncho and seemed the pieces together late last night. I still have to do the fringe and I think im going to have to block it because its not really sitting evenly. I'm a little discouraged, It fits me but I think it is going to be too small for my mom. I think I'll give this one to my MIL and make another one for my mom.

In other news, I cask on to swatch (omg, my first swatch!) for the cork sweater for my father. I love the yarn, Rowan Cork is soft, light, stretchy and a fast knit. I recommend it!

Ok, off to get ready, eat some breakfast and head out for a day of fun. I'll post pictures tonight when I get home. I'll be able to post the poncho, a bit of the swatch and whatever goodies I end up with from woolwinders!

Sitting, in bed waiting for the FedEx guy to come. Don't get to excited, its not another yarn package :*( The title to my car is in my name and my fathers name. He wants it just in my name so if I do something stupid he won't get sued. Since I just moved and I have a Jersey title, in order for me to get a Maryland title with just my name, he has to sign it over as a gift which means stupid pointless paper work and a lot of confusion as to where to sign (if i'm getting it as a gift, why am I a buyer and a seller? stupid.)

So, waiting for the form, waiting to shower, and anticipating my "girl checkup" today. Ladies, I'm sure you know what I mean, and I'm not looking forward to it one bit.

So, school starts in a few days. Here is a brief history of my schooling: I left highschool a year early and went to Philadelphia for fine art (The University of the Arts). I didn't like the school one bit, though I did leave with one really good friend and that is the time in my life when I met Matt (DH). After a year there (and a stupid foundation art program) I transferred to The School for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This school is affiliated with Tufts University, so I did my fine art at the Museum School and I did my academics at Tufts. Hard work for sure. There where no majors, only focuses at this school - I focused on ceramics (mainly throwing) and figure drawing, some photography and I guess we can call it sculpture what it was more like just playing around with different mediums.

Anyway, then I was hopelessly lonely (Matt and I were doing a long distance relationship - he was at Penn State 8 hours away) and after much contemplating, I transfered to Penn State and he proposed to me! Awwweeeee....

So that was the end of my transfering. So I am currently a Penn State student in Human Development and Family Studies focusing on Children, Youth and Family. I have a lot of options with this major, from social work to therapy to teaching. matt and I want to have a family so I think I'll work with infants through preschool in a daycare setting.

So, now that I'm living in Frederick, I had to transfer to one of the Penn State satallite schools - called Mont Alto. It is north west from where I live, and it is going to be about an hour commute. I have class every day (6 classes total) and they are spread out so badly that sometimes I have 4-5 hour gaps between them. Its too long to drive home and go back - so I'll be getting a lot of knitting and school work done I guess.

This is my last year of class. Then i have an internship to graduate. Though I am excited about working with children, my dream is to own a yarn shop. It would have books, coffee, tea and cookies (and chocolate of course), yarn and happy people. I'd also love to make my own designs. My first goal is to learn to spin and then learn to crochet.

Anyway, thanks again for reading my blog and your comments! Until Saturday, my in-laws will be here so I don't know if I'll have much posting time. I'll be lurking, however. I'm so excited that you guys are up for getting together. Looks like Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are the days that I will be home by mid afternoon - and the weekends of course!

Happy Knitting! I hope to finish the second half of the poncho for my mom today (i'm doing the two rectangle meathod - i'm on rectangle #2) and then finishing work!

I want to start by thanking you all for reading my blah... er blog, and all your great comments! I read every one of your blogs, and its great to know that you're reading mine too!

Next - this last package I got from Yarn Market. I did find the yarn for less expensive on other sites, however I found the conveniance of having all the yarn offered in one place very appealing. I must admit, it was a spur of the moment splurge and I didn't do much shopping around!

I don't know why, but kind of unrelated it got me thinking - have any of you done the secret pals thing? I was thinking of maybe doing it and was looking for some feedback. Let me know what you think!

Anyways, have a great night! And for those of you who I live close to... once school starts up (tuesday) I'll have a much better grasp on my new schedule, and want to plan a lunch date or something!

To start, I'll respond to the comments asking about the coolest vegetarian place on the planet. It is called Yuan Fu Vegetarian Chinese Cuisine. It is located at 798 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. #301-762-5937 or 762-5938. Its a tiny place, so look hard!

Ok, NOW ON WITH THE SHOW! Mr UPS stopped by my apartment yesterday. This is what he had for me:

Thank you Mr. UPS!

Oh goodness... look at that corner!

Hope my yarn isnt hurt...

I don't like the look of that. Mr. UPS and I may need to have a little talk. Better take a peak inside...

Whew... everyone is ok

What goodies. I got 4 pairs of crystal palace needles (2 US11 and 2 US10.5 - so I can do more than one sweater WIP at a time), grey and green rowan cork for the sweaters for matt and dad, the rowan cork collection book, the berroco medley for mom's poncho and a few balls of the berroco medley for me :)

Anyway, take a look...

green for dad and grey for matt

Berroco for mom

start of poncho - mmm texture

Alright, I'm so excited about the berroco that i just cant put down my needles. I'm going to go do some more knitting. Hope you all have a great night! Happy knitting!

Roxie playing

Well, we sucked it up last night and drove all the way back to Ikea to get some parts that were missing/incorrect. We left the house at about 4:45pm. About a block from our drive, Matt gasped and said "we really need to rethink this, look at the time. We'll be on the beltway at 5:00ish" UGH what a bad idea. So, we decided to get a bite to eat and then make the treak. Thank goodness Ikea is open until 9pm.

So, we continue driving, brainstorming where we could eat. We went through all the ones close by, but being new to the area, we really want to try new things until we find our staples. We had a very bad run in with some Japanese food the other day, so both of us are a little hesitant about the experimenting thing. We finally decided to head to Rockville, which is about halfway to Ikea for us, and look around there. Tonight, we are going to the Cheesecake Factory in Rockville for some dinner with some of our friends. So, we thought we could check it out so we don't get lost tonight.

Anyway, so we're driving down the road, and all of a sudden, seriously - out of the blue - Matt screams "VEGETARIAN!" and I look around (as he swirves the car into the proper lane) and see it! VEGETARIAN WAS ACTUALLY A PART OF THE RESTARAUNT'S NAME! It was fate - the vegetarian gods were looking down upon Matt and I and they granted us this blessing.


A quick excerpt from Matthew's Blog "Not 1 block later do we see Yuan Fu VEGETARIAN restaurant. I swerve across 3 lanes, pull a u-turn, and fly into the parking lot faster than you can say tofu."

It was, by far, the best food I've ever had. And I've had a lot of food... a lot of VERY VERY good food - between my brother being a chef and my parents having a love for 5 star restaurants, I've been around the block a couple of times. Ok - it wasn't the best food I've ever had - that would be at the Alpenglow Stube at Keystone Colorado, ontop of one of the peaks.

Anyway, the vegetarian place - it had a full chinese menu, all the basics and some fun ones - the catch - EVERYTHING was vegetarian. The pork, beef, duck, chicken - all made with soy proteins, wheat glutens and layers of tofu. It was, really... very... amazing.

So then we went to Ikea, high on life and General Tso's, and speant more money. Aparantly, my chair didnt come with wheels. You have to buy them seperately. Yes, of course - it makes complete sense now.

Dear Ikea, PLEASE, PLEASE - I beg of you... include wheels in your chairs and charge me the extra money. It will make life that much easier for all of us.

So anyhow. We got the wheels and replaced the defect part of matt's desk. We also bought a TV stand, a glass stand for our DVDs and a lot of lighting. Its so hard not to at $9.99 a pop.

As for today, I'm expecting a VERY special package from Mr. UPS today. Like I said in a previous post, I'm going to make my mom a poncho out of Berocco's Medley (and of couse I got myself a few extra balls for a scarf). I also ordered a lot of Rowan's Cork so I could make Cal for my dad and Ronan for my DH.

Have a lovely knitty day, and I will certainly post pictures of my wonderful package once it arrives!

EDIT: I also wanted to tell you about a blog I read this morning. I found the link on Elisa's blog. It is a post by Alison on her blog, brainylday. Very funny - enjoy!

So, knitting wise, I haven't gotten much done. After reading, you'll understand why. I've been super duper busy. Saturday, we went to the Spy Museum in DC. It was a lot of fun, but just a little too long. I was so tired when we were done. Afterwards, we went to this big swing thing near Chevy Chase/Bethesda. Frankie Manning was there - he is 90 years old! He is the guy who invented a lot of the moves for Lindy. Hes been around. He is still moving too, he did some dancing! 90 years old! Dancing! It was very cool. Matt and I aren't very good, but I think we may take some lessons locally.

Yesterday, we spend about 4 or 5 hours at Ikea. For those of you who have been before, you can understand why so long. For those of you who have not. Check it out.

We got 2 desks, a bookshelf and a bookshelf/cabinet thing. Our office is turning into just that! I also got a cool chair named Lenny. The wheels were missing, but whatever. I'm still sitting in it, and it whobbles back and forth on the uneven base. Its actually very exciting, and sometimes if i lean to much I get a rush of adrenaline because I feel like I'm going to fall. Sometimes, when i'm feeling extra risky, I'll use the lean function on the chair and rock back simultaneously. I love living on the edge.

So, we now have to drive to Ikea. I'd bring my knitting with me, but I think I'm goig to offer to drive because Matt has been driving so much. Tonight, I hope to finish the front of my sweater and being the sleeves!

Have a great night, will post pictures soon!

Man, am I beat.

It has been a long couple of days. My folks came up, and decided to stay with us after all. We had a great time, but we did a LOT of running around. A lot of driving, shopping, unpacking, packing, organizing, laughing, talking, walking walking walking. We had a great time, and I now have some wonderful dishes, flatware, wind chimes and a finch feeder. I love cute little tiny birds.

I'm sorry there aren't any pictures for me to post. There is a lot that I could show you. I could put up my favorite wedding pictures, I could show you the new dishes I got, I could show you the great progress I've made on my sweater (back done, almost done with the front!). I could show you links to the yarn I bought to make my dad and DH sweaters, my mom a ponch and me a scarf (the scarf Julia Stiles was wearing in Bourne Supremacy - just a different color.) But, I'm so so so so sorry that I'm just too damn tired to too any of that. Instead I want to watch volleyball, eat watermelon italian ice, and knit.

Oh, what the heck, here is a picture of the scarf.



It is Berocco Medley

I am going to use the same yarn to make my mom This Poncho

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy your weekends! I am going to be SUPER busy tomorrow (going into DC and then we are going to some huge swing thing tomorrow night), but hopefully Sunday will calm down and I'll be able to update!

Oh, and one more thing... does everyone see my bar up at the top all smooshed into the left corner like Lisa? I saw it smooshed for myself once when I was updating, but the rest of the time it looks normal to me. If everyone else sees it smooshed then I'll fix it. Let me know!

Well, I've come to the conclusion that the smell you are hit with when entering our new apartment is not paint smell, it is old stale cigarette smoke smell. ive been getting headaches and random sore throats - both causes of this stench. My solution? well someone recommended febreeze, so I've been soaking the carpet in it, hoping to get rid of the smell (it is getting better but it still stinks). i did a little research on the internet and a lot of places recommended white vinegar. So, i have bowls of it all over the apartment. Does anyone have any suggestions? I hope the vinegar works... All my stuff is starting to get this musty gross smell - including the cats.

Other than that, everything is great. I went to Curves this morning and had a good workout. Its great to get back into the groove. There was a deaf lady there and she was signing with another woman. I was SO excited! I took ASL last sememster and I LOVED it... i hope she goes back so I can talk to her some more!

Knitting is great, I BO the back of the sweater and I'm starting the front.

Ok, I have to go. matt and I are going to see collateral. I hope its good!

Can't wait til this afternoon, My parents are coming, which means they are bringing the wedding pictures!!!! WAHOOOO!!!!!!!!

Have a great day!

We moved into our new home on Saturday. Its great! At first I was a little nervous that it was too tiny, but after unpacking all our boxes, it has really opened up. We got our internet and our cable hooked up yesterday, its nice to be connected again. I was thinking about updating last night, but I got too busy knitting and watching the Olympics!

So, here are some pictures of our new pad. Matt and I are going to paint the whole thing, but so far we've just done the living room and the dining room.

Doorway

Living room

Painting the Dining Room

We have already gotten a ton of unpacking done. We have 5 boxes left to go through! The kitties LOVE the empty, collapsed boxes. They run over them, through them, under them - to them, moving is the best thing we could have done!

Afterwards, they get sleepy...




They've been cuddling together a lot more lately :)

Knitting wise, my booga is done, it just needs to be felted, which I havent gotten around to yet. By the end of this week, probably. As far as the sweater goes, I'm almost done with the directions for the back. I'm starting to get a little nervous because I'm confused by the next set of directions. Does anyone have SnB? It's the To Dye for Sweater - If you have it let me know!! For the back, the last direction is to loosely BO all stitches. Got it. But THEN, it says "work as for back, including all shaping." Check... got it... "at the same time, when piece meas 22 from beg, beg neck shaping" Ummm... ok you got me. Does that mean do the same thing for the back as the front? knit them at the same time on 2 different sets of needles? I dunno, i'm lost.

Anyway, here it is so far...

I suppose I'll just guess my way through the rest of it. I'm about to BO the back... so lets hope for the best!

Will keep you updated!

We made it to the Hampton Inn last night. To our (overjoyed) suprise, they have complemtry wireless internet! Oh my, how we LOVE the internet. I've read all my favorite blogs this morning, made a few posts, and now I'm updating my blog! All from the comfort of this king sized bed.

So, I have to go and shower, then we're going to eat breakfast and sign the lease and stuff. Then we begin the long process of moving in and unpacking. I'm very excited though. We snuck by the place last night and it is cooler than we remembered it being. We ran into a neighbor, and she was SO friendly. I CAN"T WAIT!

Last night while watching the opening games, I got some knitting done on my pink mohair sweater. Its so soft, so fuzzy and SO PINK! The cats love it (and love to lick it - eeeew).

Alright, Matt brushing his teeth and giving me "a look". I better go and jump in the shower. See you guys on Monday from my new apartment!!!!

70 boxes, 9 rolls of tape and 25 garbage bags in the dumpster later, we're ready to move. What does the rest of this evening hold? MORE packing (funny how we're done packing and yet there is still more to pack... i mean... where exactly was i supposed to pack the fuzz roller and the cat toys? soon the "misc" box will begin!!) Then, we will probably eat dinner. mmmm pizza for our last night. Then?!?! Then we start to clean. Tonight we'll probably do the bathrooms, the kitchen and wash all the windows, and then tomorrow all we'll have to do is vacuum and mr. clean magic eraser all the marks on the walls.

I'm tired. Very very very tired. I dont know how I'm going to get through all of this. luckily, I've packed most of the boxes so I dont think matt is as tired as me (though he is the one who piled them all up, so maybe he is). We'll do it... i know we will.

So, this is probably my last post until monday. In the next few days I'll be painting and moving in (and knitting at night to relieve the stress!) so I'll probalby have lots of pictures and a great update when monday rolls around.

I hope you all enjoy your weekends! I can't wait to read all your blogs when I get back!

Here are a few photos of today's progress. After a hard day of packing, I treated myself to some
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

mmm it was good. Last night I stayed up late and frogged/fixed my Booga bag. I decided there were just a few colors in the bag that were really bothering me - the painfully primary red and blue, and the equally disturbing green. Now, I am pleased. I finished the bag today and have about 2 ft. of I-cord done. I hope to get round 1 of the felting process done tonight. So, without much ado, here is the picture of the fixed bag


I really like the colors now. Here is a close up


After I am finished felting and blocking, I'll post a pic of all three together.

One last thing before I go. Quick update on projects. Right now I'm working on a sweater and my booga. I have to sew on buttons on my moms change purse and some eyehooks. Then i'll make a change purse to match mine and pat's boogas. Projects waiting on deck are two scarves and a debbie bliss sweater for my cousin's new baby :) Also, FYI tomorrow is probably going to be the last day I post until monday or tuesday. We are leaving for MD on friday and wont be able to get internet hooked up until monday.

So for the past few months I've really been itchin' to go to some sort of knitting thing. Well, after visiting Lauren's site, I saw information on Knit-Out & Crochet 2004 in DC! OH HAPPY DAY! Its a dream come true! And Matt has already said he would come with me (maybe because he's still waking up!?!) Anyway, more info here.

I have to go get dressed now, we have to bring Winnie to the vet. There is something wrong with her paw :( It's all pink and raw and bleeding, and thats just not OKAY.

Oh my gosh wouldn't it be great if we all saw eachother at the knit-out?!?! YAY!

Well, I made it through the day! And boy what a day it was. I woke up at 10 (I don't think I've done that since highschool), stayed in bed until noon writing thank you notes and then made my way out into the world to do some errands. *insert scary music* ERRANDS FROM HELL! I waited 45 minutes at the postoffice in some stupid line to get my picture taken for a new passport (new name...) well, after 45 mintues we find out that I dont need a new picture... I don't need the form that I had... I don't need my checkbook... hell, i didn't even need to wait in that line because I only needed one stupid form to hand in with my current passport and marriage certificate. UGH.

Anyway, after like an hour I was over it and having fun again. Then i came home and spent the whole afternoon packing. Pack pack pack pack pack. We finally made a dent! We only really need to do the kitchen now... and some other little stuff... no biggie.

Knitting news: I went to both Michael's and Joann Fabrics today for buttons, snaps, velcro, etc to figure out how I want to fasten my mom's tiny purse that goes with her Booga bag. No decision made yet. I have made a lot of progress on my Booga as you can see here:


Oooh the colors are cool and wavy.
And here is the bag ( I'm not sure if I like it... what does it look like? oh, right...)


Fruit Loops

Today I also ordered the pattern for the tank recommended by May and some Yarn from elann to knit it up with! What fun!

Ok off to climb in bed with hubby and do some more knitting of this fruity loopy looking bag. Hope I like it more when its felted. We'll see. Maybe its bright, vibrant, Rainbow Bright look is just what I'll need when its winter and I'm stuck in teh doldrums.

G'night!

You realize that you've only dont about half of the apartment.

All this time, I thought my 2 bd, 2bth was "cozy" - yes, we have space... but how big could it really be? Well, yesterday it seemed massive. Like in the movies where there is a never ending hallway. *insert fisheye lense here*

Well, its getting done. Slowly... but getting there. Yesterday, Matt offered to pack up the bathroom stuff while I took a knit break (shocking!)... I gazed through the doorway at all my bathstuffs - bath salt, milk bath, bath oil... and decided I better do it. So, I suggested he do some thank you notes! After some play squirming he did - and got 12 done! I'm so proud of him... every little bit aleeves a little bit of stress.

So, there really isn't much knitting news. I'm thinking about taking a class in the fall at Woolwinders . Probably the Safari class. That way I can tackle a project like Charlotte that I'm a little intimidated by because its a tad over my precieved skill level.

Also, I ordered two top whorl drop spindles and the "bag of candy" from Mielke's Farm. They promised me they would wait until Thursday to send it out, and send it to my new address! I LOVE getting mail and packages, and this is the BEST FIRST package I could get!

Check back later today. I'll have more on my boxing progress, thank you note progress, KNITTING PROGRESS, and progress on all the forms I have to fill out to officially change my name to Fahrenbach!

My dad finished the Wedding Website! You can see pictures from Matt and my wedding here!!

I've been very interested in spinning lately. By all means I'm a new knitter - I haven't even been knitting for a year yet - but I've been doing it enough that I've a lust for fiber and color has emerged. I call it a lust because thats what it is. I find myself NEEDING visual and tactile stimulation for the colors and the fibers!

Ok, now that you all think im nuts...

I want to start spinning and dying my own yarns... I've even been having dreams lately that I've bought angora bunnies and litter trained them. I figure instead of buying rabbits, its probably better for me to buy a spindle and give spinning a whorl. Unfortunatly, I don't even know where to begin.

When I taught myself how to knit, I took a trip to Barnes and Noble and bought Knitting for Dummies. From there, I went to Walmart and bought some bright yellow acrylic yarn and a pair of metal kneedles. Within a couple of weeks I was making scarves for every member of my family.

Anyhow. I think maybe ill take a trip to Barnes and Noble and take a look at some books. I'll also check to see if they have any magazines. Someone on Knitter's Review recommended Spin-Off. From there, I'll take a trip to EBay and buy a spindle and some wool. I'm nervous about what would be good for a beginner... and what ill be able to use the yarn for later... how much will i end up with?!?! but what the heck! I found a seller on EBay who has spindle/wool/book kits for like $10. Thats less than I spent on learning to knit. And, the spindles are pretty... hand painted... i could always use them for ornaments if im evaded by spinning!

Anyway, does anyone have any good suggestions on where to start (fiber/spindle?) Any help would be appreciated!!!!!!!!!

Sitting in bed right now on my laptop watching Tomb Raider and eating Honey Graham Oh's with my hubby. A lot of progress was made today, on both the knitting and the packing fronts. Here are some pictures of today's knitting:


Blocking Booga for Pat

Change purse in the AM

Chloe with change purse in the PM

A bit of progress has been made :) I hope I made it big enough so that when it felts it will fit credit cards (like I promised my mom *eep*) I also have to take into consideration the button i was going to add... maybe ill just add a snap or velcro so I dont have to worry about making a button hole big enough that wont close up when i felt it (I'm a felting newb).

We did a TON of packing today. We decided to tackle all of the closets, and have basically finished them! Things look very messy, but I know its all an illusion and we dont have much left to go. I'm getting into this kick of throwing things away... I hope I don't regret any of it when we are moving in next week :)

Well, thats all I have for you tonight. So, enjoy this picture of Chloe, and don't be shy, let me know you've stopped by!


Chloe's cute act

Its been a busy day! I've completed my mom's bag (please ignore my stupid puffy hair in the picture!)


Mom's Booga

and have finished knitting the bag for my MIL (now working on the i-cord) as you can see below.


Pat's Booga

i-cord

i-cord with yarn

I've also started my bag - I just picked up all my stitches and have knit a few rounds :)

My Booga

I can't believe that I've done so much in the past few days. I've needed to unwind badly after all the time put into the wedding, and what better way to do it?! I've been working on these simple projects, because they are fast knits and are very rewarding. Its like instant gratification! After I finish these and they are blocking, I am going to make little change purses to put inside (my mom says to make sure they fit credit cards and cash!). Once all are felted and mailed to their respective spots, I will work on the pink mohair and the scarves for matt and me for the fall.

And, sometime in there matt and I will do close to 100 thank you cards *groans* i hope we can get them all done before we move.

Thats all for now, and matt has given up control over my blog after I tempted him with a candy bar.

Muahahahha this is her husband and I hereby decree that this is my blog. That is all.

Ok, here are some pictures of the Booga I'm blocking, and the one I started last night for my mother-in-law...
This one is the one I'm blocking for my mom. I used color 96 for the bag and the i-cord. I really like the colors, I was thinking of keeping it for myself but I decided to give it to her (I want to mail it to her by the end of this week).



I went back to the yarn shop to buy more of color 96 to make another bag for myself, but they didn't have any left. So, instead I bought 2 skeins of 92 and 1 skein of 40 for my mother-in-law's bag. I'll use 92 and 40 for the bag and then the other skien of 92 for the strap.



For myself, I got 2 skeins of 126 and 1 skein of 131, as seen below. Hopefully they'll look great together. Like my mother-in-law's, I'll do 126 and 131 for the bag and then the other skein of 126 for the i-cord.



So, I'll probably put together my mom's bag tonight and send it to her tomorrow. She doesnt like bags that are just on one shoulder... she likes the bag to be around her hip and the strap to be over her head on the other shoulder (does that make sense?!) So i'll have to attach the strap a bit differently. Depending how it turns out, I may do that for the other two. Im also thinking of getting those magnet snaps to close them because of how the strap will be.

Hope you enjoy the photos! So right now I have 3 WIPs. I have a scarf I'm making for Matt (no photos yet until the pattern is noticable!), the pink mohair sweater for myself and the Booga for my MIL (its my new abbreviation for Mother In Law... get used to it!)

Matt and I are going to go see The Manchurian Candidate tonight... however you spell it. I hope its good. I think I'm going to bring my knitting... especially since this is a fast knit and easy by touch. We saw The Village yesterday - I really enjoyed it!

Happy knitting, enjoy your day!

You are Merino Wool.
You are very easygoing and sweet. People like to
keep you close because you are so softhearted.
You love to be comfortable and warm from your
head to your toes.

What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Well, looks like today is going to be another long day. Just woke up and I already have a ton of things happenin. First thing I stuck my Booga in the wash to felt. This is my first attempt at felting, so lets hope all goes well. My main concern about the bag is that it knit up kinda small and Im worried its going to be too small after it felts. I was under the impression that it was going to be a big satchel hobo bag type thing... I think I may have to make my own pattern!

So anyhow. Today we are going to empty out Matts apartment and fully move him into mine! We also have to pay some bills, fax some papers and rethink how we're going to design the new place we're moving into!

Then, this evening I have a teleconference with some group members for an online class I'm taking. Its the last meeting, and it is going to be a huge relief when it is done!

On a side note... when I got back to my apartment I noticed my plants have bugs :( either aphids or white flys... i cant tell the difference, but the spray to get rid of them is the same. Unfortunately if I can't get rid of them in the next two weeks, I am probably going to have to pitch the infected plants because I dont want to bring them with me on the move if theyve got bugs. Hopefully it will work itself out.

Happy knitting!

I'm back! This has the potential to be the longest post in the world, but for now I am going to keep it short and sweet because i have a TON of unpacking to do, knitting to do, organizing and kitty loving to do!

I want to start by saying YES i'm now a married woman! I am the happiest girl in the world, and the first week of married life has ROCKED (due in part to it being the honeymoon of course!). I didn't get any knitting done on the honeymoon, however before I left I started a booga bag, and finished it on the way back to PSU today. Well, the knitting part anyway, I still have to felt it.

The wedding was amazing. It was under 80 degrees, overcast (in other words, GREAT pictures!) but a little muggy. Everyone LOVED the wedding and had a BLAST, including me... from what I can remember ;)

So, heres the deal. I have no time to go through my directories now to do photos. Matt and I are planning on creating a honeymoon blog, and my dad is making a wedding website, so when those are finished (or at least started and up on the web) I will post the links for those of you who are interested.

As for my knitting and kitties, I will add some photos in the next day or so.

And, an update... the move to Frederick, MD is still on for the 15th... though I think we're going to try to get out of State College by the 11th, even if it means spending a few days in a hotel with the kitties. I am still very excited. I can't wait to be closer to a metro area, meaning more yarn shops and more knitting circles that I am going to try to become a part of.

So anyway, if any of you are in the Frederick, MD area (which by the sounds of it you are) shoot me an email at mga117@psu.edu and when i get settled in hopefully we can get together, even if we just meet at the yarn shop :)

So, happy knitting, its great to be back, I'm so excited to start surfing blogs again to see what you all have been up to!