Knittens

Hello?

2009-03-29T20:38:00.002-04:00

Wow, I can't believe this blog is still here! Just letting you know that my NEW site is:

http://whismy.typepad.com

you need to take off the /knittens because I changed the name of it!

Hope to see you there!

xo

Saweet!

2005-04-25T19:50:00.000-04:00

Hello Friends!

I have great news! I am officially switching to typepad! I want to thank you all for reading my blog, and I hope that you will all navigate to http://whimsy.typepad.com/knittens for all of my future updates!

Thanks, hope to see you there!

Something New

2005-03-28T19:14:00.000-05:00

I'm trying something new.

For 30 days I'll be taking advantage of the 30 day free trail offered by Typepad. Please find my updates here - at least until that offer expires.

Thanks!

Knitten

2005-03-25T09:41:00.000-05:00

Well, here you go. A picture of what I've been doing. You know, it doesn't look as impressive in picture form.

Yup, thats it... Fiber Trends' "Field of Flowers"
I guess I'm just happy to be knitting again. Around this time I tend to get tired of knitting - probably because I get tired of everything around this time of year. I'm tired of winter, I'm tired of my sweaters (they all need to be dry cleaned), I'm tired of feeling lazy, and I'm tired of school (I think that is because I've been in school for the past 20 years... not because it's winter.) I hope I can finish this soon so that I can finish all the other things sitting on my "yarn basket"

Then, I will begin the spring cleaning. In an attempt to reduce my stash, I'm going to actually pick patterns based on the yarn I have. That's right, I'm not going to buy yarn to fit a pattern, I'm going to USE YARN THAT I ALREADY HAVE. Only time will tell if this will be successful.

Ok, time for me to mold the couch to my butt and start knitting. I leave you with 3 final things.

1) Roxie:

2) DH playing Volleyball:

(nice block, baby)

3) a link

NO WAY

2005-03-24T19:45:00.000-05:00

Three foods I used to hate:
Cottage Cheese
Grapefruit
Pears

I now love them. I still hate asparagus (well, not the actual veggie... i like the veggie. It just totally grosses me out how it makes your pee smell...) and will only eat eggplant depending on the situation.

In knitting news:
The shawl is going great. I think tomorrow I will give in and take a picture of it, even though it will just look like a pile of yarn. I decided it was wrong of me to withhold my progress.

Any of you out there *big* lace knitters? The more I knit, the more I notice my brain thinking in lace. I'm actually remembering the pattern! I'm very impressed with myself.

Also, I was exploring the Interweave website and I stumbled across a link to this. Personally, I think that this little instruction page was just *too* cute. It made me smile and started me thinking about change. As a knitter, I view the work that I do as *creation*. When I first started knitting, I had serious frogging issues. I didn't want to do it. When i read about recycling yarn for the first time (about a year ago i think... when i first started knitting) I seriously considered whether I had it in me to undo what someone else had done.

Then, I would have said no way. Now, I say yes YES YES.

As I'm sure you know, matter cannot be destroyed. It can not be created. It just *IS* and it is continually changing. Each of us has a bit of a star within us! When we knit, we change that tasty ball or delicious hank into something new. I think I'll apply this to some sweaters that I have loved - a lot. Instead of donating them or trashing them, I'm going to recycle them into something else that I can love some more. They'll look different but somehow be the same.

(Like Gandhi said - or was it Buddha?)
"The only constant thing is change"

Photos!

2005-03-23T19:18:00.000-05:00

Day 1 we spent in San Fran and then in the afternoon we headed to Santa Cruz. Here are some shots

In San Francisco at the Golden Gate Hotel. We spent our first night here. We then headed through Chinatown (we didnt see 1 tourist since it was 9am during off season!) to Fisherman's Wharf.

Noisy sea lions at the wharf! We then walked along the water.

Meg and Matt at Ghirardelli - mmmm chocolate to burn off with more walking! From here, we began to head back to the Hotel to meet my brother.

Helloooo Hills. I came home with buns o' steel! After San Fran, we had a scenic trip down the coast. Here I am with my brother at one stop...

Pigeon Point (or pigeon poop...)

Thats my best selection for day 1! Now I'll just mix and match some pictures from the rest of the week. Enjoy!!

Its spring out there!

Its hip to knit in CA too!!

Ever been to the Mystery Spot?
Its soooooo mysterious!!

Why roger, you are standing on a 30 degree angle!

MMmmmmMMmMm Jamba Juice! They just started coming to Boston when I lived up there... oh please please please come to MD soon!

It may be foggy, but our spirits are still high!

Waterfalls on beaches are rare!

Zoolander faces after some serious rock climbing to get to this bad boy!

I'm back

2005-03-23T09:19:00.000-05:00

Sing it like Aerosmith - I'm BAAACK, I'm back in the saddle again...

California was great! Just the break that DH and I needed. Want to see pictures??? Good, 'cause I have hundreds (glad I actually remembered my camera!)

BAH - for some reason "Hello" isn't working and it isn't properly uploading the shots. I'll have to try again later. Sorry guys :(

So, we started our trip with a day in San Fran and then headed down to Santa Cruz. It was amazing. It was *SO* much fun. We made some stops on the way - one of which was at this beach that was all rocks (about the size of footballs and soccer balls!). It was really neat.

So between the great food, the great shoe stores and the great bookstores (thanks for the suggestions, Elisa!,Bunny's was awesome btw!!) the trip was fantastic. We did all the "must sees" and then some. You'll have a beter idea of our trip once I get those pictures up.

So, the knitting is going great. I'm glad I decided to leave it at home for the trip. When I got home, I had a really busy "catch up" week at school (which I still don't understand why - it was spring break for everyone...) when I got back, and then on Sunday night I got really sick - you know, the 24 hour bug that lasts 48+ hours. So with being sick I had to force myself to take a step back and relax. I got a lot of the Field of Flowers shawl done (though I can't take a good picture of it because it is on circ. needles right now).

I also found out some more news - come september, I'm going to be an auntie again! Also, my one cousin is expecting in November and another is trying... you know what that means! Lots of knitting for cute cute babies!!

So, before I go and work out (3 cheers - i'm almost back to my healthy weight!!!) WHOSE EXCITED FOR MARYLAND SHEEP AND WOOL!?!??!

Holy crap I can't wait. I've been counting down the days (hours... minutes...). I've even gotten my parents into the hype, they are planning on coming down!

I have class sat. morning, so I'll be there Sat afternoon and much of the day sunday, i am sure. Are you bringing your DHs? I've managed to get Matt pretty excited :) I can't wait to see you all again! Email me or leave a message! Miss you guys and can't wait to hear from you!

Happy *spring* knitting!

Tuesday

2005-03-01T18:21:00.000-05:00

Just another Tuesday in Knitten-town. I did a little work on my shawl from Fiber Trends. Its a relaxing knit!

A week from today, DH and I are taking a trip to Santa Cruz, CA to visit with my brother. I am really looking foward to the trip. I've been to California, but never this area. I hear it is really beautiful and there are TONS of things to do, though we don't have anything planned yet.

I've got to plan some knitting for the trip. I'm almost thinking of not bringing any and spending the time reading. I'm not sure.

Well, just a quick update. I'll post some pictures of the snow tomorrow :)

What Fun!!

2005-02-25T07:55:00.000-05:00

I saw this yesterday on Lauren's site. WHAT FUN! I've done a lot of traveling in my 22 years on this planets! Along with the states that I've been to, I've been to 6 other countries as well! I'm a busy little bee!

bold the states you've been to, underline the states you've lived in and italicize the state you're in now...

Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C /

Go HERE to have a form generate the HTML for you

This is so fun! EVERYONE DO IT!
I want to get to at least every state before I die. I think I can do it...

Jump Start

2005-02-24T16:18:00.000-05:00

I havent been posting and I havent been knitting because I've been really burned out.

To make a long story short, I was at Barnes and Noble on Saturday and FINALLY got Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I have been jonsin for this book for MONTHS and I can't even begin to express how excited I am to have it.

(Side note, it is snowing here right now - yay for snow days - and the tree outside is covered. There are two cardinals outside on the tree, a male and a female. they are sitting checking out my deck, deciding whether or not they want to risk eating the suet I have out. I hope they come and eat, they are So pretty and look so bright against the white/grey/brown background of the snow/sky/tree)

While at Barnes and Noble I also checked out thelatest issue of Interweave Knits. I was very close to buying it because I had not recieved my subscription int he mail yet, but decided to give it another week. Good thing too, I recieved a copy in the mail on Monday!!

What a jump start. Talk about Spring knitting - there are so many refreshing patterns in the book and the magazine - just looking at them inspired me to start working on projects that I have had lined up.

On Tuesday, I knit this:

Lace Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts

It was a really fun knit. I really really like knitting lace now. I decided next up was a pattern I got for XMas from my mom. I'm using yarn and a pattern from fiber trends:

The purple in the background is the couch. Because of the color of the yarn its easier to see the lace with a dark background. I think it is so pretty and I hope I have have it done by Easter.

And finally, since this will be a small post as I take baby steps back into blogging, here is a picture of DH and me snowboarding at Whitetail a few weeks ago.

Happy knitting!

It's official

2005-01-24T15:47:00.000-05:00

I haven't been posting. I know it, you know it. There's no fooling blogger. You can't trick it into posting for you. Don't bother trying.

I have *sort of* been knitting. But there are a few knitting updates!

I am taking a class on the history of American Women. For the next two classes (and last weeks class) we will be knitting! Last week kicked off the knitting experiance with a lesson for those who have not knit before. Since the campus is small, everyone on campus knows that I knit, so I was basically assigned my own small group of people to teach. It went great. My group had relatively few problems, which was a relief (especially since i was teaching them continental). They were knitting scarves in garter with two strands held as one. I was suprised that that was how they had them start (two strands can be confusing to someone just learning!!!!) but everyone did great!

In other knitting news, Wed. I will try to go to a local knit group. Ever since I came to Frederick, I've been really trying to find people to knit with. I was able to meet Megan and Lauren, which was wonderful! I just wish we lived closer together!!! I'm excited that I am going to be meeting another group. From what I've heard, they are very friendly and range in age.

I've been making progress on the sweater - but not much. The back is finished and I am about 1/8 of the way through the front. The sleeves will be a breeze IMO, so I am hoping to have it done by the beginning of February. We'll see!

I also made a knitting to do list:
1) Finish Baby Sweater for Christian
2) Finish Charlotte for my mom
3) Finish the Jo Sharp socks (with the Infusion Mohair I got for Christmas)
4) Finish the Noro Bag that I started months and months ago by spring break (it will be a great plane carry on!)
5) I need to decide on a few more projects with the misc. yarn I have lying around. I've decided to take a bit of a break on buying until I can control my stash. My apartment is SO tiny that I really need to watch the overflow (which is the perfect way to describe it right now!)

I hope you all are having a great January and are staying warm!!!
Happy Knitting,
Meg

PS I promise pictures of knit group!

What a weekend!

2005-01-10T15:31:00.000-05:00

The comedy club was awesome! We had such a great time! There was yummy food, and both acts were hysterical! I think I laughed at every joke.

The next day, we went to state college to get our hair cut. TOTALLY WORTH IT. I can't believe how long my hair is getting. Exactly a year ago I decided to grow it out. At that point, it was about an 1.5 inches long. Now, its almost to my shoulders! Also, for the first time in about 8 years, it is my natural color! I never thought I'd stop dying my hair, but now its so easy to take care of.

Saturday night, mike came over. We had pasta with veggies, yummy bread and bree and sparkling cider (thanks for the bread, cheese and cider mike!). We then went to see The Life Aquatic. We all LOVED it. If you like other Wes Anderson films, you'll LOVE this!

Sunday, Matt had his first volleyball game. He loved it, but now he is complaining of an achey back. Mom's United did a great job of 3-1. I scored the first goal for our team. It was a great game, I was really on last night. It felt great. I don't have a lot of endurance, so I decided to start running. Today I started with a mile. We'll see how long this routine lasts :P

In knitting news, i've made little progress on the sweater. School started today, but I'm determined to keep up with my knitting. Pictures to follow...

KNITTING NEWS!!!
As said earlier, I have been working on a sweater for one of my baby cousins. Before the wedding, two of my cousins had babies. At this time, I was determined to knit them both monogramed blankets as seen here and here. As seen in the second one, I made a mistake and ended up frogging the whole thing. By the time of the wedding, I wasn't even considering knitting it. So, I found a pattern by Debbie Bliss. Now that XMas is over, I can take the time to knit it.

No rush, the baby isnt even a year, and the smallest size is for a 2yr old. Perfect!

Sweater with ribbed yoke by Debbie Bliss

I'm having a great time knitting this. I'm using Rowan handknit DK cotton. I like it a lot - though i wish the yarn store that I had bought it from had had the debbie bliss dk.

As you can see in the sweater, its coming out great! after I did the rib at the bottom, and began knitting the bottom of the sweater, I realized that somehow, I knit wrong.

What!? How could this be? Every other one of my rows was twisted! Well, the "knit" rows were right, ust be the purling...

Its true! I know how I was doing it wrong, though I dont know how to explain it. It took me a row or two to become efficient. If you look closely at the picture, at the very bottom you can see how they were twisted. The rest of the picture you can see the stitches done the correct way. What a change! My apologies to those who recieved gifts with my wrong knitting!

Hope you all have a great week!
Happy knitting (and purling!)

Tonight!

2005-01-07T09:21:00.000-05:00

Tonight is going to be a great night! DH, cousin Mike and I are all going into DC to the DC Improv. Todd Barry is going to be there. I dont know if any of you have heard of him - if not, you should try to find some of his stuff. He really is VERY funny.

Tomorrow, Matt and I are driving to State College for our haircuts. I know, it sounds crazy, but the lady I go to is the ONLY lady that I have liked how she cuts my hair, and I'm not giving that up! I think she may have to cut off a little more than I want because its been awhile since we've been there.

After that, cousin Mike is coming over (we can't get enough of him!) And we're going to make some din and then head to the movies to see The Life Aquatic. Oooh what fun.

As for now, I am going to finish my yogurt, work out, and then knit knit knit!

Hope you all have a great weekend! I'll try later this afternoon to post some pictures of the toddler sweater I'm working on :)

A few things

2005-01-05T13:05:00.000-05:00

It has been so long since I've updated, after I posted last night I thought of a million more things that I wanted to post! Of course I can't remember more of them now...

My engagement ring broke over the New Year. Thankfully I noticed it before it fell off or the diamond popped out. I'm still really upset about it though. The ring was given to my Gram by my Gramps when he proposed to her during the depression. It was passed down to me. Its old, beautiful and has so much history. I'm heartbroken! Maybe they can fix it with little alteration.

It's funny, I got all this great yarn for Christmas but all I want to do is knit things for other people. I have a whole list... later this afternoon I will change my template and put it on the side.

Is it diffecult to put thumbnails on the sidebar?

Here are some family pictures, as promised!!

Christmas Party with Matt's company

Brother Roger - SMILE!

Trimming the tree!

Cousin Mike! I need to knit him a sweater!

Nate, sorting ornaments

Say Cheese, Maddie!

Gram - I love this picture!

The tree - man, look at all those presents!

Dad and me in front of the tree - you can really see the presents there... they are piled all the way under and behind the tree, as well as behind that couch!

Mom, dad and Maddie

Nate & Amanda (maddies mom and dad) and Gram listening to my mom and dad read the night before christmas

Oh, they caught my knitting by the fire

There's my handsome man! Wonder what he is so excited about...

And finally...

My MIL, Pat, and I at a New Years Party

Sure were a lot of pictures! Hope you enjoy them :) More knitting news later!

What a break!

2005-01-04T13:18:00.000-05:00

Well, we're back! Our holiday trip went something like this:

December 19: I got over heated at soccer and began feeling pain in my chest. I slept 12 hours that night and woke up with an aweful head cold.
December 20-27: Head cold got worse and worse. Of course it did, its winter break - who wants to be healthy on break?
December 23: We drive to NJ. zoom zoom... we get in late - but not as late as my brother. He arrived at midnight and was waiting for his bags until 3:30 am!
December 24: Ho Ho Ho! Christmas Eve! I'm feeling crappier and crappier by this point. We had a yummy dinner of seafood lasagna that I didn't really feel like eating because I was sick. Oh well.
December 25: What a Merry Christmas! It took us from 9am to 2:30pm to open all the presents. There were 10 of us - unbelieveable!
December 26: We went to see the NJ Ballet version of The Nutcracker. It was awesome. I think PA does it better though.
December 27: Back to MD
December 28-30: I layed on the couch and knit. I was starting to feel better by this point :)
December 30 - January 2: We went and spent New Years with Matt's family. We had a lot of fun! We played a lot of poker, video games and ate yummy homecooked food. We're still eating the cookies! Delicious. We also went to a New Years party, but Matt had some stomach problems so we had to leave early :(

It was a busy yet laid back week. I had a great time seeing all my family, but I'm sad to see it come to an end.

PICTURES!!!!

I didn't forget my camera this time. Thank goodness! We got a lot of great shots. First, family pictures: (NOTE: these pictures will be added tonight or tomorrow - I can't find the camera - I think Matt may have brought it with him to work by mistake)

PRESENT PICTURES!!!
I got so many great presents for Christmas. My brother and sister-n-law got Matt and I the Worst Case Senerio board game. SO much fun! My other brother edited and burned us a DVD of our wedding! It was wonderful. He worked so hard, and it came out great!

Knitting wise, I got tons of great gifts.
From my parents:

Jo Sharp Rare Comfort Mohair and Mohair Infusion - Delicious!!

HUGE skeins of yarn from Inspirations Yarn. Casual Grey and Wild Flowers Its beautiful! I'll definitly use the blue for the shawl, but what should I use the other for? Its spectacular and about 300yds!

Clockwise from bottom left: Jo Sharp book 4:Home, Jo Sharp book 5: Gathering, Fiber Trends Field of Flowers, and Weekend Knitting
I'm also expecting Latvian Mittens, Last Minute Knit Gifts, Scarf Style, Simple Knits with a Twist, and The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns
Also, after seeing the size of those seins for the Fiber Trends pattern, I'll also be getting a plastic/metal ball winder and swift from Halcyon Yarn

Non-Knitting gifts included:

African Autumn tea from Pat

Isn't this the coolest tea bag you've ever seen? Its actually plastic-y!

Shell and Driftwood windchimes handpicked and handmade from my niece, Maddie

Chest of drawers from my cousin, Mike

Jewelry Amoir from my folks. I LOVE IT!

What great gifts. I am so thankful for all of them! There are also so many other things I can't possibly post them all!

Two more things. First, everyone LOVED their presents! What a succesful Christmas! Lastly, while in NJ, I was able to start and finish this:

Martha in Rowan Cork. Pattern was in The Cork Collection by Kim Hargreaves.

Its great to be back and I cant wait to catch up on blogs! Hope you all had a happy holiday and happy new year! WOW, 2005!!

Ho HO Ho

2004-12-22T19:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays!

Matt and I went to a holiday party on Saturday. We had such a great time. We sat with one of his coworkers and her husband - she is the one that I play soccer with on the weekends. We had a lot of fun.

I was planning on posting a bunch of pictures for you, but appears that something weird is going on with my computer. As soon as it stop misbehaving, I will post some pictures.

In knitting news, I have completed my dad's sweater! I know it is going to be too short, but it is my first sweater, I did the best that I could! I must say that I am proud of the finishing job that I did!

I'm working on my second sweater now... one for me! I am looking forward to finishing it! I've almost got the entire back done.

I promise I'll post pictures as soon as things start working normally!

Any special holiday plans? DH and I are leaving for NJ soon. I"m excited!

I'm Famous

2004-12-17T16:14:00.000-05:00

Check out the Woolwinders website! I'm famous!!!

Oh woe...

2004-12-15T11:38:00.000-05:00

You know, it is really a turn off when it takes 10 mintues for my "edit post" page to open. I guess I can really take the time to think about what I am going to post. Or I can do what i've been doing and just not post :( I'm seriously considering changing my site from blogger. What do you all use? Do you love it? let me know. I'm even considering paying *gasp*

Well, Its been a long time since I've blogged. I'm sorry. I'm finally done with school, and it feels great! I havent been very productive, but I've also been feeling sicky, so i think its ok.

This weekend was great. DH and I spent Saturday afternoon with my gram at a XMas party at her home. She sang "Grandma got run over by a reigndeer" with the other old ladies and gents at the home. it was hysterical. We then spent the evening with my cousin Mike and his girl who is a friend, Dana. We really had a great time.

Sunday was spent with Megan and Lauren. We all gathered with our hubbies at Megan's for some wonderful food and socializing. It was so much fun. Megan is an amazing cook. She made this great spinich and artichoke dip that ive been dreaming about for the past 3 days. She also made a fantastic veggie soup and an zuchini parmasean thing. SOOOO GOOD. and she made chocolate mint things mmmmmmmmm.

You can check out lauren's blog for pictures. The megans were too lazy to take pictures!

Today, I'm going to dye some yarn with koolaid. Ive decided to skip out on my knitting class tonight so Ill hopefully have time to post pictures of progress.

Check out THIS site by the way. I got it off of Megan's blog. It is so much fun. I had done it before and was searching for the site, so I'm super excited that she posted the link :)

Have a great afternoon!
Meg

Satisfaction - and a lot of it

2004-12-06T11:35:00.000-05:00

I dont know about you, but I get a lot of satisfaction out of the holiday season. Here is a quick list of the things that help me get this great feeling:

1) I get to make lists. I also get to cross things OFF the list once I accomplish the task. To me, this is VERY rewarding.
2) A lot of FINISHING goes on:
1) The semester comes to an end. This means final tests, final papers, final
projects, final classes. I love it. Friday is the end for me - then one
test on Monday and it will be over and done.
2) I get to start and finish my Christmas shopping. I find this very rewarding.
I like stores a lot, I like the lighting and the colors, the smells and the
music. Sometimes I could do without the people, but hey, its just as much a
part of it as the traffic!
3) I get to WRAP presents. I LOVE wrapping. I'm a wrapper. I was born a wrapper
and I will die a wrapper. I wrap well and I'm not afraid to say it. Crisp,
clean edges and folds gives me an overwhelming feeling of pride. This year,
we're bringing or wrapping to a new level. Instead of wrapping paper from
the store, we're using paper grocery bags. We have been drawing motiffs on
each present - trees, snowflakes, snowmen, etc. We've also attached a
hershey kiss to each present (the holiday assortment, of course). I LOVE
WRAPPING!
4) This also means a lot of hand knit gifts, ie FO! By the end of this week I
plan on having... no, not one. Not two, not three, but FOUR FO! I have
finished the fringe on my mom's scarft, Charlotte is being blocked and ready
for fringe as we speak. I also finished up a cape/shawl/vest thing for my
mom (Pattern here in this newsletter).
I will also finish my dad's sweater (yay for pressing, seaming, blocking!)
Wow, what a week.
4) During this season, I also get to send out holiday cards. OOOOH i love it!

So, Right now I have no pictures. Instead I have 2 projects, 2 tests and 2 objects that are screaming "FINISH ME YOU SLACKER!" I have a doctor's appointment, internship resonsiblities to take care of, 2 papers, 2 journal entries, 2 group/peer evaluations and a website to do.

It will get done, I will cross more off my list, and I will enjoy 2.5 weeks of knitting before Christmas. I will buy the rest of the presents, I will wish you all a happy holidays, and I will have one myself!

Have a lovely, stress free week, friends!

My 100

2004-12-02T20:40:00.000-05:00

Since ya'll asked for it...

1. My middle name is Grace
2. If I was a boy, my parents would have named me Andrew
3. Before I was born, they were unable to tell if I was a boy or a girl, so my family called me "shim"
4. I played soccer very aggressively for a very long time.
5. I injured both my knees because of it.
6. I don't drink
7. I left highschool a year early.
8. I've been to 5 different colleges/universities since I left highschool
9. I've been in college for 5 years!
10. At one point, I was enrolled at 4 schools at once.
11. When I was little, I wanted to be a teacher.
12. When I was in highschool, I wanted to be an artist
13. After 3.5 years of art school, I decided I wanted to be a teacher
14. I'm a vegetarian
15. I used to be vegan, but I starting eating dairy and fish again because of health issues.
16. No, I don't miss it
17. I've been to 6 different countries
18. I've been to about 25 different states
19. There are about 500 places I still wan to visit
20. I'm 22
21. I used to be left handed
22. When I was in 2nd grade, I switched to my right hand
23. I favor my right hand, but still do a lot of things with my left hand
24. I knit continental
25. I miss art school, a lot...
26. I dated a drummer once
27. After that, I would never date another drummer
28. I've now been married for a little over 4 months
29. I met my husband at a "root beer" party
30. My husband doesnt drink
31. None of my closest friends drink
32. I have 3 cats
33. I have dreams about angora bunnies
34. I'm afraid of ghosts
35. I have a gaurdian angel
36. It's my sister
37. I HATE SPIDERS
38. My husband has to monitor my sugar intake. No, I'm not diabetic... I'm hyper.
39. I bought my first car when I was 16 with my own money
40. I like chocolate
41. I used to love sour patch kids
42. Now I just like chocolate
43. I have been knitting for a little over a year
44. My dream would be to design my own yarns and clothes
45. I want to get an old old home and restore it with my husband
46. When we buy a home, I want to have a pottery studio and a room for all my yarn and sewing
47. I'd love to have some alpacas
48. I used to ski, now I snowboard
49. I was born and raised in New Jersey
50. I'm proud of it
51. I like to read
52. I love to write poetry
53. I wish there were more hours in a day
54. I like music even though I can't play an instrument for the life of me
55. Matt plays guitar
56. After I met my husband the second time, I tracked him down and talked to him online for eight straight hours.
57. I still remember the first time I talked to him on the phone. I was blown away by the sound of his voice - it made me tingle :)
58. I've had pnemonia
59. I get scared really easily
60. When I was little, I used to have parakeets. I named them all Parri
61. I love Survivor
62. Spelling is not one of my strong points
63. I love movies
64. I used to be OBSESSED with the beatles
65. I found 3 grey hairs on my head a few days ago!
66. I love to cook
67. My brother is a chef and a father
68. My other brother is a marathon runner and a scientist
69. So is my cousin
70. What am I? Crafty?
71. I get overwhelmed easily
72. Sometimes I'm over sensative
73. If I won the lottery, the first thing I'd do is take a vacation
74. Then I'd buy some yarn
75. I love taking pictures
76. I love sleeping :)
77. I like white lights more than colored christmas lights
78. I want to get a hybrid
79. i think smoking is uber gross
80. I don't have a lot of really close friends
81. The friends I do have i love and miss
82. I was born in 1982!
83. I am ready to graduate
84. I go to Curves
85. I wish I had long hair
86. I know a lot of random information
87. Polar bears have black skin and hallow hair
88. My husband and i were engaged after a year and a half
89. we were married a year and a half after that
90. I'm not much of a dog person
91. I really live the show "24"
92. I hate asparagus
93. And eggplant
94. and onions
95. I won a science award in high school
96. I find joy in humor
97. I love laughing and I love making my husband laugh
98. My favorite movies include: Shuan of the Dead, Neverland and Bridget Jones (the first one)
99. I read books before I see the movie
100. I used to be a blonde, but now i'm a brunette (as i should be!)

The Family

2004-12-02T16:32:00.000-05:00

As promised...

The Fam!

Cousin Mike is holding my niece, Maddie. My Gram is the old lady sitting in the chair :) She's 90. Next to her is my brother, Nathan and his wife, Amanda (Maddie is their little girl). Then, next to them is me and Matt :) Behind me, Justin, Pat and Bil (Matts Brother, Mom and Dad) and then next to them, between them and Mike/Maddie are my mom and dad!

This picture was taken on the camera's timer. Sometimes you can get some pretty silly pictures, but this shot was pretty good!

Enjoy!
PS I love how you guys have been doing the 100 things. Ive read them all! I think I'll do one too soon!

Is anyone out there?

2004-11-30T14:11:00.000-05:00

Do ya'll still read my blog?

I'm just kidding. I know you are all out there because I have been getting wonderful comments, great birthday emails and ecards, fantastic holiday wishes!!

I miss you guys. I've been so aweful with this blog lately. Next week is my last week of school, so between that, finishing xmas presents and playing World of Warcraft, I've really been hurting for time. Oh my gosh, WoW before I blog? well yes, it was just released so I'm super addicted. Don't worry, it will wear off soon.

So, first Thanksgiving Pictures! I only have a few because my brother and dad took more than me. They haven't sent them to me yet, but once I get those, I'll have a great group shot of my whole fam (minus one grandmother and one brother who couldnt make it for thanksgiving. they will be at christmas).

So, here we go:

Matthew, enjoying the good company. What a cutie! And, for once he wasn't wearing his baseball cap. i have some great pictures you will see later on. His hair will be all plastered down because of the hat.

DH Matt with my 4yr old niece, Maddie. She is a cutie too, but a handful. Whatever silly face you make at her, she will copy so you have to be careful!

Here is my dad. I kept getting silly pictures of him because he kept putting his arm out like he was a polititian. This is the best one I have of him... HI DAD!!

This is my brother Nate. He is the younger of the two brothers - the next closest in age to me... but still 11 years older! Ok i guess i could have just said that I'm the youngest and he is next - but 11 years older... Think we look alike? I'm not sure. We have a very similar sense of humor though.

Here is my cousin Mike (left) and DH. I caught them sneaking in some football when dinner was being served! They didn't get in trouble, though we did make them wait until everyone was done eating before they could eat. Just kidding :) we all LOVE football.

Ok, thats it for thanksgiving. Now, here are some general pictures/one bday picture:

Matt, Winnie and our tree! Matt waiting until I fell asleep on Saturday night and got the tree out of storage and put it up! Hes so sweet!! So Sunday we spent trimming the tree and putting lights on our deck. YAY FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

Oooh... pretty balls!! I think I'm going to redo my blog soon for the holidays and have this for my banner. so perdy

ITS A GIANT CAT! no it isnt silly, its a mini spinning wheel! My MIL and FIL gave this to me, as well as class information for a spinning class at Mannings (and a check to cover the class!!) THANKS GUYS! I loved this present! This wheel is 100 yrs old, and was used by a salesman to show the wheel to potential buyers. COOL!

Another Irish Hiking Scarf! This one is done in Noro Silk Garden for my mom. I think I'm going to block it. I've noticed whenever people see it, they have a tendancy to stretch it out. She also insists on fringe so I will do that too.

Well... thats it for now. Charlotte is getting her crochet trim tomorrow (yes, shes done!) I will take pictures once i block her. Hopefully by that point I'll have the group thanksgiving shot.

Before I go, I want to thank you all again for your comments and birthday wishes. I hope you had a great thanksgiving (and got lots of knitting done!). I also want to tell you that I my posting will be scarce over the next week or so because of school finishing for the semester. I miss you all and cant wait to read your blogs again!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2004-11-25T08:33:00.000-05:00

I love thanksgiving! I hope you all have a GREAT DAY!

Birthday and Thanksgiving photos to follow!!!!!!!!!!

Remember me?

2004-11-19T18:29:00.000-05:00

Wow, I feel like I have been out of the blogger loop. This week has been crazy, mainly because next week is Thanksgiving, and my break doesnt start until Wed; however, I wanted to get all my work done so I could stay home all next week and knit :)

I've been reading your blogs, but apologize for my lack of comments, or my lack of posts here. I have been knitting Charlotte, slowly and steadily. There really isnt much to show though, so I am not gonna post any pictures!

Like my new colors? Yay fall and thanksgiving!

So, here is some news that doesnt have anything to do with knitting.

We've been working on websites in one of my classes at school. Check it out! Ive wanted to make my own banner for awhile now, and really appreaciated the comments I recieved months ago on how to do it. Well, this finally inspired me to make one. It was done pretty quickly, but it will do for now! Buttons are next!

Well, happy knitting. I'm planning on knitting this whole weekend while I bake pies for Thanksgiving. I also plan on knitting when I should be cleaning.

I've missed you guys, and I can't wait to get back into reading your blogs and being more active in my comments.

As per usual, thank you all so much for your great feedback and support. You've put smiles on my face, especially when Charlotte is being a little more difficult.

Have a great weekend!

PS - My BDay is Tuesday! Its tradition that we get Praulines and Cream Ice Cream Cake from Baskin Robins (we've been doing it for decades, why stop now?) MMmmm I love it and I cant wait! I also cant wait to post pictures of my friends, family and presents!!!!

Me and my yarn...

2004-11-15T10:09:00.000-05:00

Dear Charlotte,
My yarn and I threatened a couple of times to take our time and energy somewhere else. Apparently, these threats did not fall on deaf ears. We would both like to commend you on your efforts to shape up, and would like to add that we have noticed a sizable difference in your attitude.

My yarn and I did a little searching on the internet. We were half looking for another project, half looking for some supplemental material that may help explain why you were being so difficult! Luckily, we found a fair amount on the later. Will you take a look at this? An entire post all about you! What wonderful tips were hidden throughout this post. Not only did I find a couple of links that wrote out the pattern better, but I also found a great Spreadsheet (link on the left hand side of blog) that outlines all the rows and numbers of stitches!

There seems to be an entire community of knitters out there who are dedicated to taming you!

I must say, the progress that my yarn and I have made is incredible. We may be finished by next weekend. We love the colors, and how you highlight each and every one.

Oh Charlotte, please forgive us for being so cranky before. We didn't mean to hurt your feelings, we just needed some change. Its nice to be working with you now, and we really do have high hopes for our future together.

Thank you again, Charlotte, for staying with us, and hanging on til the end.

Regards,
Meg

WOOOT!

2004-11-12T19:01:00.000-05:00

I GOT THE JOB!

Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts! I got the job, and a ton of great things along with it that I wasn't expecting!

THANK YOU!!!

Interview

2004-11-12T06:41:00.000-05:00

A quick life (and knittingless) update:

I have an interview today for a summer internship. The reason why this is such a big deal is that it is the first internship opportunity that I have heard of that will (drumm roll please) PAY!

Unfortunatly, it is about 45min - 1hr from my home. Good news is, I would have the freedom to plan classroom schedules, cirriculum, field trips, etc. This may seem like a give if you are a lead teacher in a room, however... aparantly corporate daycares are springing up all over the country side. Most of their classroom activities and ciriculums are planned AT THE CORPORATE OFFICE! What does this mean? A board of individiuals are deciding what your child, and a gazillion other children will be doing each moment of each day. Sounds cold to me. It also runs the risk of being age inappropriate and it hinders a teachers ability to plan a schedule around the needs of her children.

Ok, rant over. Please, keep me in your thoughts on this cold, rainy day. I would love the chance to work at this center!

Knitting Safari - Part 2 of 4

2004-11-11T13:21:00.000-05:00

OR, You're so vain, you probably think this post is about you.

Dear Charlotte,

I am at a complete loss of words. Last week, you made it clear to me that our relationship wouldn't be an easy one. I picked up on your cool attitude, but I thought that in time we would be able to make things work. Afterall, I was willing to give as much as I could to you.

Please, stop playing these games with me. If you don't want to see me again, just tell me.

I know I didn't give you enough time and effort last week. I know that you need undivided attention, but you can't expect me to drop everything for you all the time! I have needs too, and I just can't afford to neglect the other things in my life for you, especially when all you do is take, take, take!

Last night was unacceptable. I studied you, I swooned over you, I even pictured us getting together again, when this fling is through. Your response was hurtful, depressing, and yes, stressful. If you continue to treat me this way, I am going to have no choice but to replace you with...

Don't interrupt me. This is important!

In two hours last night, we worked through 4 rows. "We" meaning me and the teachers at the class, NOT you and me. You have done nothing to make things easier, explain yourself, or even give a hint as to why you are acting this way.

Don't think you are getting the easy end of the deal here. I am NOT going to just walk away. I intended on finishing you, and I WILL. Give me everything you've got, because I've got a little more.

Things are going to change. You are going to listen to me, respect me, and most importantly, RESPOND to me. If I purl a row and then have to work on the pattern, you WILL have the correct number of stitches on the needle, understood?

Good.

We have a long weekend ahead of us. Take this time to get some fresh air, and then be prepared to put your heart into it, got it!?

Best regards,
Megan

Ok, enough said about Charlotte. She hasn't exactly been cooperating. She thinks everything is all about her.

The knitting safari was great last night. I honesty don't know what I would have been able to do without the help that was provided. Well, I do know actually - everything I did would have just taken 10x longer on my own.

Yesterday was a crappy day. I had an unreversable string of bad luck. Seriously, everything from dropping my spoon into my soup, to my fly being down all day, to being stuck in traffic for 1.5 hours only 5 minutes away from getting home, to my knitting bag spilling out all over my car, and to me dropping my phone, the battery unattaching and dropping down a crack in the pavement. Unbelievable.

However, I am the luckiest girl in the world, with a very understanding and loving DH. He helped me through the evening, and kindly suggested by the end that maybe, just maybe I should go to bed. I did. Things have been much better today.

I hope you all have a great end of the week. I honestly haven't had the time to do a lot of knitting because of school work and traveling. I plan to show Charlotte who's boss this weekend, pictures will follow.

And with that, I leave you with my progress on The Web, with my first color change. Please enjoy!

Happy Knitting!!

WAHOOO

2004-11-07T20:43:00.000-05:00

Moms United kicked butt tonight! We won 4-2, but I didn't score tonight because I spent the whole game in goal. The first goal I let in I could have stopped, but the second one was a great goal. She chipped it right over my head. Since I'm so tiny, there was no way I would have been able to stop it!

In knitting news, I'm almost done with my mom's Irish Hiking Scarf. i also finally have a good pattern for her poncho, so I'll start that once I'm done with the scarf. I cast on and knit a little for my niece's leg warmers, but I've lost interest in them for now. I want to work a bit on Charlotte this week before I go back to the class on Wed night. I was planning on doing some this weekend, but that didn't work out. oh well.

Well, as usually another busy week is coming up. I'l post as much as possible, but probably not until Wed :)

Oh, and lets hear it for World of Warcraft open beta starting this week!! YAY!

And please, everyone keep my DH and me in your thoughts this week - we are down to an all time low in our bank account, and payday isnt until NEXT monday! Eeeeeep! Looks like we'll have to cancel our haircuts for Saturday :( and no oil change for me! I can't wait until we have a dual income :P

Happy Knitting, Have a GREAT WEEK!

A halloween shot

2004-11-06T09:17:00.001-05:00

I know i promised that i would show you all a halloween shot or two. I haven't gotten any pictures from my friends yet (probably because I havent asked yet), so here is one that my dad took of us before we left for the party.

I think we look cute. Well, I look cute anyway, matt just looks rediculous - I'm sure that was the look he was going for. My cheeks aren't normally that shiney... I am covered in sparkles (my mom and I got a little sparkle happy just moments before this shot was taken)

Afro Spidey and Tink (or, as my dad would say, T-Bell). We had a great time at the party, but next year I want to be something much more creative and fun. I'll have to start plannnig earlier!

Today Matt and I have a whole schlew of things that we want to do, but we're really slow moving. I hope we get it all done!

I hope you all have a great weekend, Happy Knitting!

WHERE IS MY SUPER SUIT?!?!

2004-11-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

Go see The Incredibles - because it is just that - INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!

Knitting Safari - Part 1 of 4

2004-11-04T13:40:00.000-05:00

I feel like I havent talked with you all forever! It has been a very busy week for me and DH. I don't know why, but I have just been so bogged down with school and commuting, when I have had a free moment, I've been knitting or spending it with DH.

Exciting news! Wireless internet is now available at school, so I am able to bring in my laptop and blog on campus! Yay pictures! Because of this new capability, I will share a picture of the bucket hat I finished for my niece. I took the picture this morning with the intention of posting it between my classes - its an aweful picture, but I didnt have the time to make it brilliant. I'm sure you all don't mind though :)

Maddie will just LOVE it! I really enjoyed working with the Ironstone, and I agree with Megan the hat is MUCH nicer once it is felted (with this yarn, anyway). I made a medium, and I made the mistake of letting it felt a little longer than I wanted - so its a good thing because it was actually too small when it came out. Thank goodness I'm buff and not afraid to show my knitting whose boss. The hat is going to be the perfect size - at least for another few months! She is growing so fast...

So, onto the knitting safari. I had my first knitting class last night at Woolwinders from 6 - 8pm. Boy, did the time fly. I picked Charlotte's Web as my project, seeing as how confusing the pattern was written out, I think it was a good pick. After much deliberation and reading the pattern about 15 times, my teacher and I came to an agreement on how it should be tackled. It will be a good proceedure until I come to row 29. I understand all the stitches that are needed, it is just sifting through all the info on the pattern and figuring out what is meant. I feel like I could make a ton of cash going through patterns and writing them out so they are EASY to read.

Here is a picture of my progress on Charlotte. Again, crappy picture.

Its only a tiny bit, but not bad for about... oh... an hours worth of actual knitting. This is my first time doing lace, and I must say, once I figured out how to read some of the pattern, it was easy!

When I went into the class, I was suprised. Not to put down anyone's knitting capabilities, and with the risk of sounding pretentious - I was suprised at the level of knitters who were there. But, the class is set up well, because the only person who needs to know more than me is the teacher. There are only 6 people in the class, so its a nice small size and will allow me to meet some new people. Do I feel challenged? Yes, I am taking on something that - for what ever reason - has intimidated me. Do I feel like I am growing? Yes! Could I have done this pattern without taking the class? Probably, but it is nice to have someone right there the second I have a question.

I have some goals for the shawl - I want to do at least one color change this weekend so I can go in next week with the problems that I am having.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my little note today. I hope you all have a great day/night (yay thursdays!!) and a lovely weekend!

Before I go, I want to apologize for my lack of involvement on all your blogs. Its been so busy here, I havent surfed blogs all week! I have off tomorrow though, I can't wait to catch up with all your lives :)

Happy Knitting!

HEY YOU!

2004-11-02T08:42:00.000-05:00

Stop reading my blog --

GO VOTE!

Home again Home again!

2004-11-01T17:52:00.000-05:00

We had a great weekend in NJ! We got in late on Friday night, so we went straight to bed, but Saturday and Sunday were packed with fun. I spent most of the day on Saturday shopping with my mom (unfortunatly it didn't involve the LYS, but thats ok, I walked away with a beautiful coat and the perfect dress for Christmas - thanks mom!!) and Matt spent some time bonding with my dad. After dinner and a trip to Barnes and Noble with them, Matt and I got in costume and headed to the costume party.

We had a really great time. Everyone showed up in costume and had a blast. We got to meet a lot of new people (married couples! hurrah!), most of which were suprised that we could have THAT much fun without drinking. We were all in rare form on Saturday, to say the least. I promise to have pictures to follow, I just won't have time until Wed. or Thursday (maybe even Friday...).

Halloween was a ton of fun too. I don't know what happened, but I slept until 11:30 - even with the clocks adjusted! We got in around midnight the night before, so I'm a little surpised I slept so late. Usually 8:00am is the latest I go!

We headed back (thank you DH for driving!!) and got in late last night. Now, we're both sick :( I have a huge test tomorrow, so hopefully this is a 24 hour bug.

I did make some knitting progress this weekend! I finished the bucket hat for my niece and worked through my mom's scarf. Hopefully everything will get done for Xmas ! Oh, and I think it is just about time to make a thanksgiving motiff :)

Quick Note...

2004-10-28T17:50:00.000-04:00

Hi Guys!

I just want to write a quick note, thanking you all again for your fabulous comments. My self - esteem has been tripled this week! I think that last post had an all time high number of comments!

I've also noticed some new bloggers who have stopped by and left little comments. Welcome! It is so nice to hear from you!

Since a few folks have asked, here is the link to the irish hiking scarf pattern (the cabled scarf i'm working on). And again, I want to recommend using Noro Kochoran for it, or something with a similar fuzzy angora feel. I seriously get tingly looking at the scarf and its fuzziness.

Oh, and btw, I've decided to be TinkerBell for halloween (because its cute, and the only costume I could find hahaha). Also, I missed the eclipse too, lol I fell asleep

Have a great night, happy knitting! And thanks again for your posts - looks like there are a few more blogs i've been checking regularly that I have to add to my links!

WAIT! Don't go yet! I remembered something else - I found my folding scissors! They were in a book! Mental Note to Self: don't use folding scissors as a book mark again!

HOOOOOOOOWWWLLL

2004-10-27T18:58:00.000-04:00

First things first, there will be a full lunar eclipse tonight! I love this stuff. Matt and I have plans to go out at 9:30 to take a peak, and then again at 10:30 to see it during the full eclipse.

Next, I want to thank you all for your kind posts! Its so nice to hear from all of you! All of you who asked me questions - I answered most of them in comments on your blogs! Let me know if you missed them :) (Lauren, we should totally take Amie up on her offer!!!)

So, it has been a busy week! Busy for everyone else? I dont know what it is, it just seems like everything is going on now! Yesterday was a great day. I finally got my registration and title taken care of, so I have MD plates (yay!). Also, after class I decided to take a small trip to a LYS near campus. One of my teachers told me about it. I was a little scepticle to go, but then I checked out their website. Learn about The Yarn Basket Here. Their website looks a little outdated, but take a look at their selection! Oh - and their sale yarn!!!

(A side note before I post pictures - do any of you feel incredibly guilty after buying yarn? I felt this way yesterday after I left the store. All I could think about is all the projects I have planned and all the projects I'm working on, and how I shouldn't have bought the yarn. It was an aweful feeling. I felt like I was being selfish and spoiled buying it. I dont know where the feelings came from. I'm glad I bought it now. I know those feelings were rediculous because I knit EVERY day for an average of 2 hours a day I bet... some more some less. Anyway...)

Here is the progress on my scarf, and some stash enhancements...

Noro Kochoran - lushious!

Progress of my Irish Hiking Scarf

Rowan Cork - same stuff I'm making my dad and DH's sweaters out of. 12 balls at 1/2 price! Holy Sale! I couldn't resist. The color looks grey here, but it is actually a beautiful lilac color. There is a swatch here it is #32 - Chilly

When I was in the store, I picked up a Noro book - Noro Knits by Jane Ellison. I opened up to this page and KNEW I had to make it for my mom. I thought it would be perfect for her to carry some snacks and a good book on car trips, or when she and my dad go to car shows!

Noro Iro - 75% wool, 25% Silk - softer and lighter than their other wools. Its perfect for the bag!

And now, in closing - I will leave you with a photo of what we had for dinner. This is out of one of my vegetarian sandwich cook books. Basically it is a mixture of 3 bell peppers (i like using red, orange and yellow for the color and nutrients!), beans, garlic, onion cooked with a bit of oil. then add tomato, oregano, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. spread it on cheese and sprink the top with more cheese and top with another tortilla. I baked it for about 5 minutes and served with sour cream!

Mmmm Quesadillas for dinner! (and my cute little fishie spoon holder)

I hope you all have a great night. Enjoy the eclipse!

And if you get the chance, dont forget to wish Megan a happy 24th birthday (a day late!)!

A Great End to a Great Weekend!

2004-10-24T17:48:00.000-04:00

Matt and I had such a great weekend. Yesterday we did a lot of driving around, thinking about our Halloween Costumes, rented movies, went to the snowboard shop... but best of all, we went to a yarn shop! I love Woolwinders (see link below, I'm too lazy to paste it)!

Here is a picture of the Koigu KPPPM or whatever it is. OMG I LOVE IT. My gram is going to love charolette and love the colors. I wouldnt have picked the colors for myself, but I think they are beautiful. All the ladies at the home will be jealous, and she will eat it up.

I also got some needles (you dont need to see them sillies!) and I got some Noro Silk Garden in #37. My mom saw the picture of the Irish Hiking Scarf (again, link below because I'm lazy) and LOVED it, so I will be making her one as well. She deserves it! (She buys a lot of my yarn, so she TOTALLY deserves it!)

I hope you all enjoy the pictures!

In Other News
-Moms United won their game tonight 5 - 2. Knittens had a great game, scoring once and having a great header for an assist!
-We're having homemade pizza for dinner, and it smells GREAT!
-Birds finally found my feeders outside. I was so excited that I bought Suet at the store today to fatten those guys up and keep 'em here through the winter. I love birds as much as flowers!
-I have been having dreams about knitting and spinning every night. I'm addicted. Last night was bad though... big knot. I dont want to go into it.
-The leaves in PA were spectacular. I am happy that Matt now knows where I drive every day :)
-We're going to have another fire in the fireplace tonight!

I hope you all had a great weekend. Another busy week coming up (semester is half way over - lots more work) so I will try to update as much as I can.

Happy Knitting!
Meg

WOOT!

2004-10-23T09:01:00.000-04:00

Where will I be this morning? WHERE!??!? WHERE!??!

I will be at WoolWinders picking up Koigu for Charlotte!

I am so excited that it finally came in, and I am so excited to be going to get it! Thank you DH for agreeing to go so last minute!! Though, that could be in part to me promising to go to the snowboard shop downtown.

We'll also be driving up to PA to look at the pretty trees and to check out a ski place up there. We need to decide if we want to buy a pass or not.

Have a great weekend! Yay Koigu!!!!!!!!!

YEEEEEEEES!!

2004-10-22T15:45:00.000-04:00

Ok, before I get to the pictures...

I'm a member of Curves, and I LOVE it. I've been a member for about a year now. I'm not usually one to tell this to the world, but from last November until before the wedding, I lost 10 pounds and went down 3 pant sizes. I easily adopted the workout as a part of my daily life, it helped my mood, my energy level, and it made me feel so good about myself! I have never been overweight, however when I moved from Boston to Penn State, I started gaining weight very quickly because at Penn State I was able to drive everywhere... NOT something I was able to do at Boston. In MA, I probably walked about 2 miles a day, easily. Since then... I'm lucky if I walk 1/2 a mile I bet.

So anyway. After the wedding, obviously my Curves routine was hurtin. After the honeymoon, we moved, and after the move I unpacked, and after I unpacked, I started commuting. I have tried to go at least 2 times a week, but I'm having a hard time with it. Honestly, I havent been in two weeks as of now. The facility is about 15 minutes away from my house, which makes that an hour a day to work out. I can do that, however to get there I have to travel on a busy road that frequently has accidents and backups. Therefore, I can't get there before my class (they dont open early enough) and by the time I get home, Matt is home and I would rather spend time with him. At least I'm still working out on Sundays with soccer!

So anyway, the point of this long story - I was flipping through a coupon thing I got in the mail today, and there was a flier for Curves in there - one is moving right down the street from where I live!!!! So, 3-5 mintues there and back, 30 mintue workout! THIS IS TOOOOO COOOL! I am so excited. They open a week from Monday. Between this and me only having to commute to school three days a week next semester, I feel like I have so much to look forward to!

On to the good stuff, pictures!

irish hiking scarf - omg, i love cables!!!!

bucket hat for maddie. sooooo cute, she is going to love it

have a great weekend guys... any big weekend plans out there? :)

HI GUYS!

2004-10-22T07:11:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!

Wow, this week has been hectic! Thanks for being so patient with my on the posting front - any time that I have had, I've been knitting and cuddling with DH. You guys are so great, thank you all for your comments :) I love reading your blogs so much, and I'm glad you enjoy visiting mine!

So yah, I've been knitting like crazy. So much so, I've been having dreams about it. Yesterday, I searched Lauren's blog and found the link to the Irish Hiking Scarf Pattern. I frogged a Noro Kochoran scarf to use the yarn for this pattern (it was just a big and super long garter stitch scarf. No biggie!). The yarn is perfect, fuzzy, has some body and is SOOO soft because of the angora. It is the first time I've knit cables, but its coming out great. However, I had a nightmare last night that I kept forgetting that I was knitting cables so I had to keep unknitting and reknitting the damn pattern. Just a dream though :)

I have also started my niece's Bucket Hat. I am doing the whole thing on 10.5 24" circ, so I'm concerned that it won't come our right - the brime calls for 9 24" circ and then to change to 10 16" circ. I'm sure it wont make that big of a difference, and the only reason you switch to the 16" circ is because of the decreases - lets just hope for the best.

Have any of you felted Ironstone "New Wool"? Maybe Megan? Does it shrink a lot? I'm kinda guesstamating about my 4 yr old nieces head, but I def. dont want to felt it if its too small!!!

I finished my booga at the conference yesterday, it is sitting on my couch waiting to be felted. I also worked a little on the Berroco Medley Scarf that I was making, but I got bored with it - probably why I cast on the hat and the hiking scarf.

Man, I sure do make a lot of scarves. But where are they all? I have one and matt has one that i've made - where are the rest? It seems like I'm always knitting them! Maybe i've given them away? Who knows.

Ok, i have to go blow dry my hair (wearin it straight today! oooh la la!) and head to class. Have a great day guys! When I get home today, I'll be sure to post some pics of scarf, hat and booga!

BUSY DAY

2004-10-20T07:08:00.000-04:00

Today is going to be a busy day. I have a test first thing this morning and then a big group presentation/role play that I am very nervous about. I really can't wait until its over!

In other news, Matt and I decided to go to NJ for Halloween, to a friends Halloween party. We're really excited, but have to figure out what to wear! I was thinking Marilyn Monroe. I'd love to be able to something *with* Matt though. Any ideas?

I hope you all have a great day. Tomorrow is going to be busy too. I am going to Messiah College in PA for a conference. This has been a loooooong week. I'll update again on Friday, with pictures of knitting progress of course!

Have a great day!

Here's a story

2004-10-17T17:46:00.000-04:00

Dear Lauren and Megan,

I want to thank you both for such a lovely time today. I had a great time visiting with you, chatting and munching at Folk Arts Studio Cafe. I feel so lucky to have been able to spend this time with you, and I am so glad that you two are a part of my life!

I can't wait to meet up with you again soon! It would be great to have you come up to Frederick or even Rockville (or heck, even Bethesda).

Anyway guys, thanks for a wonderful afternoon! (To see pictures from our trip, check out Lauren's Blog)

Now, on to some stash enhancements! I was planning on getting all the yarn for the stockings I'm making, but I felt a little overwhelmed, so I only got enough for 2-3 presents, and enough needles to knit everything at the same time :) Here are some pics of my enhancements:

Purple and Pink Ironstone for my neice's bucket hat

Araucania Nature Wool for a green, red and gray argyle stocking

Forest Green and Faded Red Fuchsia Rio De La Plata - SOOO SOFT! Chloe LOVES this stuff

An action shot of Chloe on the Rio De La Plata. The only other time she acts like this is when cat nip is involved.

Like I said, I had a wonderful time chatting and knitting. I made a lot of progress on my new Booga, and I really loved seeing a cardi that Lauren was making. Megan also knit up a storm on some socks for her DH, and showed us her amazing work on some Latvian Mittens!

Now, before I go, please click here. You won't regret it! LLAMAS!

Have a great evening everyone! As for me, I will be balling yarn and knitting some more booga!

I'm Blue, but in a good way!!

2004-10-16T08:21:00.000-04:00

What Color is Your Brain?
brought to you by Quizilla

Well, we didn't win the lottery, again. If we win on Tuesday, I promise that I'll buy all you regulars $200 in yarn! Not that I'll win though, but its fun to dream.

My brother, SIL and niece were all up in NJ (where I grew up) this past week. A friend of the family passed on, and they drove up from SC to be there for the funeral. Now, they are heading back to SC and stopping in Bethesda at my cousin's for the night. I tried to get in touch with my cousin to invite DH and I over for dinner (hahah I'm so sneaky) but haven't been able to get in touch with him yet :( I'll keep trying. So the plan for today is the orchard and then Bethesda if all works out.

Tomorrow, I hope to go yarn shopping. Keep your fingers crossed!

Lazy Day

2004-10-15T15:08:00.000-04:00

Today my kitties and I are taking it easy. I did a little cleaning this morning and am concentrating on getting all the wash done and put away. I've took a trip to the food store and got some lottery tickets and a few ingriedients I was missing. I want to try to make the recipe that Michelle posted for us back in September. Looks delicious, I can't wait to try it! I'm going to multitask and make some brownies while I'm at it too. I just feel like DH will flip coming home on a friday to the smell of dinner and warm brownies!

I'm also thinking of sneaking him off to see Team America World Police tonight. He really wants to see it, and today is payday, so why the heck not!

Oh, in KRSPII news, I got a great e-card from my secret pal the other night. Its wonderful having a secret pal, and to get things that let me know that someone out there is thinking of me!

I hope you all enjoy your weekend. Lauren, I'll write you an email as soon as I talk to DH about Sunday. It should be a go!

Just One of Those Days...

2004-10-14T14:46:00.000-04:00

I've been having a lot of these lately. Once I get over the hump it'll be all good, I know it. However, first I had to deal with this:

MVA: My insurance wasn't exactly ok with MD. I say wasn't exactly because the name on my insurance card didn't match the name on their insurance list exactly. Name on my card: Chubb. Name on the list: Chubb National. Gimme a break. So Matt gets his plates and title and registration no problem (of course). Not me though. And, from the looks of it I'm going to be charged 5% tax on the book value of my car, which is almost $9,000 right now. Yea, like I have that money.

Doctor: The lab didn't accept my insurance (its the theme of the week), so I didn't have any work done. This means more hassel for me in the next few weeks, which happen to be busy weeks.

The Good News: You remember how I broke my TV? Well right next to the TV place there was an insurance place. We just popped in to get an estimate on car insurance. The lady there was *SO* nice. Basically she gave us free advice to put my name on my DH plan and that would be the cheapest. When we stood up to leave, I hear here cry "ooooooooh, you made a booga!" I couldnt believe my ears. DH couldn't believe his ears. Another fiber lover, right here, right now, where i live, and she recognized a yarn and a pattern! The conversation went as follows:

Me: "Oh my yes, I love knitting. I think I've made one for every female relative in my family"
Her: "Oh dear yes. I have one with very similar colors as yours. Two different colors in that one, yah?"
Me: "Yup, thats right. I use this thing everywhere!"
Her: "Hun, you should join our knitting group"
Me: *So excited at this point I'm squirming and can't forumalte any words. I keep looking from DH to her in joy*
Her: "oh yes, you would love it. We meet every second Tuesday at the Roy Rogers in Frederick"
Me: *giggling* Oh I would love to! *beaming*
Her: Here, take my card. Call me this weekend. I'll give you directions and more information. Have you been to the yarn shop?
Me: "YARN SHOP!?!?! IN FREDERICK?"
Her: "Oh yes, brand new, diffecult to get to." - proceeds to give me excellent directions.
Me: "Oh I am so excited, thank you so much, I will call you."
DH: "Wheres the Roy Rogers?" Obviously impressed by her directions to the yarn shop.
Her: Begins to explain how to get to a Roy Rogers RIGHT BY MY HOUSE!

This is toooooo cool. I am going to call her this weekend and find out more about the time and the place. I wonder if they eat there. I'll have to bring my own food, I'm not really a fan of the fast food thing (only fast food I do is Chilis or Cheesecake Factory. Is that even considered fast food?)

So, I am going to go to the yarn shop by me tomorrow on my day off. She also recommended going to The Mannings which she described as heaven. i have heard others say the same. its only about 1/2 an hour away from Frederick. Shes interested in spinning as well! Oh I just loved her. I can't wait to see her and her friends.

Anyway, Matt and I are also going to Butler's Orchard this weekend to do some pumpkin picking and apple picking (it may be too early for the later here though). I am also crossing my fingers that LollyLauren will be up for a trip to a shop this weekend. If not this weekend, no biggie, a weekend soon! I'm making you promise :)

Happy Knitting... have a good evening!

meg

PS. Wahoo Survivor and Apprentice on tonight! I'm such a chump for these shows...

Update

2004-10-13T13:15:00.000-04:00

I went to the doctor today. Basically, to sum things up, she thinks that half of my symptoms are from allergies and the other half are something else. So, she gave me some perscrptions to help these allergies and I am going into the lab tomorrow for bloodwork.

I was kinda turned off that she was pushing the allergy thing so hard. I've had a history with allergies before, and it has never made me feel like this. However, she said that where I am going to school now is very bad allergy wise, and she also said that my alleriges have become a little more advanced than the runny nose watery eye feeling. She said that it is not even dripping, just stuffed up my sinuses.

Well, I hope the lab work explains the rest.

Oh, and I have VERY EXCITING NEWS! Matthew told me what he is going to do for me for my birthday this year (November 23! Mark your calendars!). He is going to give me money to spend on yarn! He is going to make it into a fun trip. We'll go to the shop, i can pick out my yarn, then a special dinner afterwards! I am beside myself! We are on a limited budget right now, so I am so grateful for what he is doing! The reason why he told me in advance is because he said that the project the yarn is for HAS to be for me. That is so sweet! He said all the knitting I do is for other people so he wants to treat me to something special.

I love him so much :)

MORNING!

2004-10-13T07:05:00.000-04:00

So, how ya'll doin? Thats some southern twang in case you didn't catch it.

I wanted to share something with you all before I headed to class. Last night I was in a snowboard shop, looking at all of Burton's new Sweaters to see if I could figure out some patterns/yarn combos. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted some scarves and headed over there - this was starting to feel like a knitting gallery (on my way, I found some handknit fleece lined wool hats. smart smart smart!). I got to the scarves, and they were definitely made by a local crafts person. $69 a scarf! There were a couple of different types. There were a few striping ones that she knit width-wise, not lengthwise. She probably used a total of one ball of each color for 4 - 5 of the scarves! She then had two other types, one of just a novelty yarn knit up in garter stitch, and another with two strands of novelty yarn held together. I have the same estimate on those scarves - one ball of each type made at least 3 of her scarves.

And, they were SO simple and fast. I bet she sat down and knit them all in one afternoon. Thats IT. I've decided to do this myself, find some local shops and try to sell my stuff to the shops. I bet she got close to $35 a scarf selling it to the shop. She had about 30 scarves there, probably all knit in one afternoon from about 15 - 20 balls of yarn. So, we're saying what? Like $7 a ball? tops that it $140 worth of yarn. If she sells all of her scarves (which I am sure she will, they were very clever), she will make $1050. Minus the $140 is $910. I think thats a pretty good deal. And, of course she will have these scarves in more than one shop! Oh, I am so proud of her! All of those people who hate scarf knitters - some scarf knitters are smarter than you think!

Well, just some food for thought.

Quick knitting news: I am waiting on the two more balls of yarn to finish my dad's sweater. Yesterday, I took a trip to State College, PA for a family symposium. I brought my knitting! I was able to get a big chunk of the bucket hat for my niece finished. Next project? Sweater for Matt. I want that to be done by the end of the month. Then, I will tackle stocking until thanksgiving, where my mom will be bringing me two things. A poncho that fits her perfectly so that I can get the measurements to make her one, and also a sweater of my dad's so that I can compare measurements and tweak the sweater as needed.

I will then knit my mom's poncho, finish my dads sweater, finish any extra stockings, and end with a quick knit lace scarf for my gram. Oh, and I'm taking a class in there at some point to do Charlottes Web. Maybe I'll give that to my gram, it would make her feel so elegant!

Have a great day guys! Can't wait until my first class is over so I can surf some blogs!

HOW?

2004-10-11T15:40:00.000-04:00

How am I still awake right now? I'm so tired. I feel like I could pass out and not wake up. It took me SO long to get out of bed this morning (and I'll tell you what didn't help... Chloe looking all cute and climbing under the blankets with me, purring and cuddling and kneeding... THATS WHAT!) And then, after the long-time-to-get-out-of-bed fiasco, all I wanted to do was stand in the hot hot shower. Then, after that... I took way to long "doing my hair" - the end result being a poneytail.

Then, I drove way to fast and got to school early. The sky was beautiful and I listened to some great music. It really cheered me up! Then I went to class and I was exhausted again. Then I did some work, went to a group meeting, did some more work, ate, and now I'm here - pretending to do work when I'm really doing ZzzzZZzZZzz

I really like the sweater for dad. Once I get more balls of yarn and finish it, it will be great. I also am about 1/4 of the way done with a bucket hat for my niece. Poor DH stabbed himself on the needles last night in bed. Sorry DH, I won't leave them laying around again!

Everyone is wearing sweaters today. The first real day I think. Lots of cables, cuddles and fuzz. I don't think I have seen one hand made though. Oh well.

I also put a little hole in the knee of my favorite jeans :(

Im still feeling crappy. I made an appointment on Wed with health services (only $15! less than our copay!). hopefully theyll give me a diagnosis.

Well anyway. i gotta get some work done. have a great afternoon!

Aye Aye Aye

2004-10-09T08:39:00.000-04:00

So, yesterday (after Matt and my lunch date!) I was watching Suprise by Design. Normally, I can just *watch* it, but yesterday was different. Yesterday, for what ever reason, I took it as a sign that I needed to rearrange some furniture in my apartment to suprise DH when he comes home.

Everything looks great! Both of us love the new layout - and boy was he surpised. However, I don't know if the surpise was from the change, or from when I gave him the news that I broke our TV.

Thats right. I was moving the "entertainment unit" and the TV went crashing to the floor. Big ass TV! I tried to stop it, but even having my whole body behind it barely even cushioned the fall.

Good News: the screen is undamaged and still "works". We tested out the DVD player and tape player on it - no problem!

Bad News: the cable jack was ripped out of the back of it, leaving a big gapping hole. Matt says that he can try to fix it, but I think we're going to have to bring it to a repair shop. Hopefully, repairs will be less than it would be to buy a new TV.

He wasnt angry with me at all, which was nice. He actually thought it was pretty funny that I was so upset. So, we stuck to our original plan and went to see Shaun of the Dead.

It was pretty funny in a stupid spoof movie type of way. I admit it, there were parts that I laughed out loud - hard. Which probably says a lot since I busted our TV earlier.

We also saw previews for I *heart* Huckabees(can't WAIT to see this!!) and Team America World Police(which I was not planning on seeing until I saw the full preview last night. Goodness me, was I laughing!)

So, that is all for now. I have some pictures to post later this weekend, but thats about it. DH and I plan to do nothing, and enjoy it. I would say watch TV all weekend, but thats out :(

Enjoy yourselves, happy knitting!

Too Much

2004-10-08T09:57:00.000-04:00

You all are too much! Thank you so much for your kind words and thoughts! I am sure you are all right, it is just stress, but it will be much better to have tests and stuff done to make sure. There are just so many things that it could be, this will make me feel better!

So, want to hear about my day so far today? Well I'm going to tell you regardless.

I woke up this morning at 6:30 in a very pleasant mood. I found out that DH was sick last night (HA maybe I am sick and I gave it to him!!! HA HA!) - poor DH. He thinks that it has passed and went to work with positive thoughts.

I took a nice shower... mmm I love hot showers on cold mornings! I got dressed, had some cheerios with Eden soy (my fav soy milk!) and headed off to class. The drive was amazing. I drive on Rt. 15N to rt 550N - basically you drive through peoples farms the entire way. Well, the fog was insane this morning! Now that the sun is changing, the sun was just waking up, and there was very dense fog in some areas (ground level) but in other areas, the fog was hovering about 10ft above the ground, creating this translucent, dark smokey look. It was amazing because you could see the sun and it was casting light on the dew soaked ground (mmm sparkles!) and then this shadowy fog was lingering... Amazing.

So, I think today is Maryland State Yard/Garage Sale day. Come one, come all! Unload you crap on some unsuspecting soul! Not even kidding, I saw about 15 yard sales on my way to class this morning (7:30 am! Get out early, get them while they are just waking up! They wont know any better!!)

Class flew by *thankfully* and now I have my time on the computer until I meet DH for lunch. I have about an hour left of browsing blogs, yarn sites, yarn patterns, etc. I *LOVE* Fridays.

So tonight, Matt and I are going to go to Gaithersburg to see Shaun of the Dead. It is some English spoof on zombie movies. I guess it got great reviews by critics and viewers alike. Just what I need, a zombie movie making fun of zombie movies!

I plan on finishing the front of the sweater tonight (well, I'm afraid I don't have enough yarn, so finishing meaning: knitting until I'm out of yarn and then buying some more online after this fear is confirmed) then, hopefully this weekend (if I do have enough yarn) I will do the finishing work. If I don't have enough yarn, I'll start Matts sweater. Man, I'm like a little knitting machine lately!

Anyone have a favorite sock pattern that they can email me? All I can say is that it involves something for my KRSecret Pal, but I don't want to give any more details in case "they" are reading this!

Have a lovely weekend!
Happy Knitting!
Meg

what's wrong with me?

2004-10-07T13:04:00.000-04:00

thursday post part 2.

I dont know what has been wrong with me. It started after the wedding. I've been going through dizzy spells, bouts of nasau, soreness, stiffness and lathargia. What is wrong with me? No, I'm not pregnant.

I don't know what it could be. After Curves today, I became really dizzy and tired. I called my teacher and skipped my classes today - no big deal. I'm just tire of not being 100%

I never used to get sick, now all of a sudden (in the past 3 years) I get sick frequently. Why? I don't know. I eat right, I take my vitamins, I excersise and I get PLEANTY of sleep (that certainly will never be a problem).

So, I tried to make a doctor's apartment. Next avaialbe appointment: October 20th.

Ugh, gimme a break.

So what am I going to do today? Homework, hang out with the kitties, and KNIT until my hubby comes home.

Something has to be wrong with me. Im almost 22 - I'm supposed to be energetic, stable and feeling great.

Maybe all the stress from the wedding just took a big toll on me and I'm still recovering? it has been a very tough year, academically I've takin very heavy loads the past 3 semesters. Socially, I got married! Planned my own wedding, etc. Maybe its all catching up with me? Maybe I'm not working out hard enough? I try to go to Curves 2 - 3 times a week, and I play soccer on sundays.

I dunno.

THANK YOU!

2004-10-07T07:09:00.000-04:00

I want to thank you all for the support! The interview went well, but the center is not quite what I am looking for. Also, there are all sorts of certifications that you need to go through, and seeing my educational background, I feel that I'm a little over qualified for working in the position that would be open, so I'm going to look into private schools.

I did a lot of work on my dad's sweater yesterday. I now have the back and both sleeves done, and I am working on the front. I'm a litle nervous though because I just started the second to last ball of yarn and I'm only like 15 rows in. Something is telling me that I'm going to have to order some more yarn. oh well. Maybe if I worked hard to get a perfect gauge it wouldnt be a problem. but, i didnt, so i'm running out of yarn. Oh well. IMO the sweater looks great anyway so who cares!? Not me. Yes, I'm anal about my stitches and doing things right, but gauge hasnt really taken a hold on me yet. Do you think I should take it more seirously?

Since i want to start designing my own things, perhaps I should take it a bit more seriously.

well, Im off to work out now, and then off to a loooooooong day of classes, wrapped up with a night of left over tacos and reality TV.

Have a great day!

THE INTERVIEW

2004-10-06T11:14:00.000-04:00

As you all know, I am currently wrapping up my time as a Penn State Student. I am studying Human Development and Family, with my real focus in Children, Youth and Families. I start an internship in May, and I am currently taking a class that is preparing me for that. We do it all, resumes, cover letters, thank you letters to liability, background checks... the whole shabang.

One requirement is that we make appointments with four "agencies" (they call them agencies in the human service professions - but I dont like calling them that) and conduct an interview with someone there to find out more about the facility. I'm interested in working in a child development center, so basically i am interviewing daycare centers. (to make a long story even longer, before I moved, I was in children youth and families, but at Mont Alto, they only have human service professions as an option, so everyone else in my class are actually going to agencies. Im the weirdo in the class who likes kids).

So anyway, today is an interview with a center right down the street from me. I'm going to dress all nice, carry in my (DH's) portfolio with my resume (just in case they ask!!) and my questions. I feel like my questions are lame and generic, but i dont think it would be in good taste to ask "do you offer paid internships, and will you offer me one? Im going to be desperate in a few months and you are in walking distance to my home. please please please?"

I'm excited and anxious at the same time. I wish that these were actual interviews where i was going in looking for a job, not just me going in to find out more. I mean yah, there are some differences between centers... but a daycare is a daycare is a daycare.

Anyway, wish me luck. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they are looking for extra help, but who knows.

Have a good one!

OUR WEEKEND

2004-10-05T15:32:00.002-04:00

We had a great time in VA! The weather was good, the views were great, and it was nice to just relax. I got some knitting done, but unfortunately, I only remembered one out of the two pairs of needles that I needed, so I only got one sleeve finished.

View from our window

Another view from our window

It was so beautiful! I was hoping that the leaves would have started changing, but I guess they still have a few weeks yet. It was nice overlooking the golf course, and having the little pond with the fountain.

On our trip, we spent some time looking around the town, went for a hike, went horseback riding, watched football, played minigolf and played pool. Here are some shots from our hike and horseback riding...

DH at the overlook!

Me at the overlook! I would have posted the picture of both of us, but it came out fuzzy

getting ready to ride horsies! Mine was the little one on the right - his name was Holiday (probably because he would stop and take a holiday in the middle of the trail!)

And finally, here is the progress on the sweater:

this is the back, one finished sleeve, the start of the next sleeve and Roxie. I would have had both finished if i didn't forget a pair of needles that I needed!

Man, Did I have to rip and rerip that sleeve over and over and over. Finally, its about right. I messed up one row at the beginning, but it doesnt really make a difference on the count or the increases, so i made sure I did the same thing on the other sleeve just to keep the two consistent.

Hope you all had a great weekend, enjoy the rest of the day!

WELL, WE'RE OFF!

2004-10-01T14:35:00.000-04:00

In about 2 hours, we're leaving for VA! Im very excited. It looks like it is going to rain all weekend, but I'm not too upset, we're going to have an incredible time!

As far as knitting goes, I'm going to bring my dad's sweater. My goal is to finish the arms and at least cast on the front. I'm a little more than halfway done with the first sleeve, but i realized that i increased to late at one point, so i'm going to have to rip out a bit. I'll still be about halfway I think.

So, I'm off to pack. I hope you have an incredible weekend!

Meg :)

PS -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY
ELISA!!!!!

NEW SCARY FONT!

2004-09-30T14:23:00.000-04:00

Hi Guys

I'm at school, waiting for my next class to begin. I was thinking of doing some of next week's homework, but I worked so hard this week, I am not very motivated.

Can you believe that I forgot my knitting today? The one day that I would have really loved to sit outside and knit. Oh well. I'll just have to do more of a "planning" day today than an actually knitting day.

I have a new font, as you can see in my header and on my sidebar. Its call "Chiller". Ooooh Its scary for Halloween!

I ordered two books the other day, and I am patiently waiting for them to arrive. I ordered Knit Christmas Stockings by Gwen Steege and Christmas Stockings: 18 Holiday Treasures to Knit by Elaine Lipson. I am really looking forward to recieving both of these books. Along with Nicky Epstein'sbook i am really set to go on stocking. All I need is the yarn!

So, anyone planning on watching the debates tonight? Im taking the election very seriously this year. Last election, I missed being able to vote by a week! So, this is the first year that I am allowed to vote. It is timely too, seeing as I am going into a Human Services profession, our next nation's leader will have a huge impact on my job!

DH, Matt, has his first review at work today. Hes been a busy little bee, so I'm sure they will have only kind things to say.

My scissors are still missing :( Hopefully I will find them soon!

HAPPY KNITTING!

THE SASS - INATOR!

2004-09-29T17:34:00.000-04:00

Here she is folks, enjoy!

please ignore my zits!

PICTURES!

2004-09-29T14:41:00.000-04:00

I promised... and I promised... and then I promised some more!
It took me awhile, but here they are!

This is the back of sweater for my dad!

Here is a close up of the yarn/pattern

I also want to put up pictures of "the sassinator" but, i didn' like the picture that i have of it, so when DH gets home tonight Ill have him take another one of it.

Here are two more photos. One is me with Chloe knitting the sweater seen above, and the other is roxie, my develish little halloween baby!

Me in my hole-y shirt with Chloe. She looks so happy! This picture shows the color of the yarn more accurately

The fuzz ball you see stuck in the chair used to be attached to a long elastic. Roxie managed to gnaw it off and is now in love with the fuzz ball. She will play with it around the chair, and when someone walks by, she will knock it under the chair, look at you and yowl. This is her way of hooking you in and making you play!

Its a start

2004-09-29T10:22:00.000-04:00

last year, hubby gave me a book - "learning web design"

I remembered I had this book and brought it will me to school today. i was able to fiddle with my blog a little.

I like it better but there is still stuff I want to learn how to do. Thanks so much to Lisa and Lauren for offering their help on the design stuff. I will definitly be email you guys questions I have about doing a header!! and, how to stick in my email address in my blog so people can email me!!!

Good news. I will be home today around 2! That means, before I tackle homework, I will post pictures!!! Unless of course our internet is down... but then i wont be able to do homework either.

Have a great day!

Update

2004-09-28T14:31:00.000-04:00

1) I know I promised pictures, and I really feel bad for not putting any up. I HAVE in fact taken them, I've just been so busy with school, I haven't had a moment to post them. I promise, when I get the chance, it is the first thing Ill do.

2) It sure is raining hard, huh?

3) I want to thank my secret pal for sending me an Ecard. I recieved it this morning after a big presentation I gave. It was very nice getting the card, it really turned my day around!

4) I'm sorry I changed my template again. I really wanted to make my own banner and my own template color and such, but honestly I dont really know how. I want to make it orange like it was before (i just didnt like those arrow things down the side) and maybe cream for the side bar. I also want to make my own banner, like i said, but I dont even know where to begin - aka how to put it into the template correctly.

5) I lost my folding scissors and I'm really upset. I remember where I got them and every moment of that day. It was the second yarn shop I was ever in! I'm sad that my scissors are gone.

6) Roxie, my kitty, has found my hair twisties (yay my hair is finally long enough!). She now plays with them (especially under the area rug by the door). Every morning, there have been twisties in my shoes! Thanks for the presents cutie!

7) I have finished the back of my dad's sweater and i am working on the sleeve. This is what I should have pictures of! I also finished Chester's sister, The Sassinator. I will also have pictures of that.

8) I went and worked out today! I've been playing soccer every sunday, and now im working on getting back into my routine of going to curves. it was great to go back, and i feel great today!

9) Today is my Gram's birthday. She is 89 years old!! I can't believe it. I love her so much and I'm so happy I get to celebrate with her tonight. Between my classes today, I went to The Butcher Shoppe and picked out some carrot cake for her. She LOVES carrot cake. Tonight is the perfect night for her to splurge. I also went to Origins and bought her Spring Fever - a great scent. It is light and flowery and fresh. I love it, so I'm sure she'll love it. I just wish I had enough cash to buy myself some too!!!

10) This weekend, Matt and I are going on a romantic getaway!!! We are going to Massanutten , VA. I can't wait, I am SO excited. Its going to be nice to take a weekend together to do nothing! I will bring my dad's sweater and Maddies Bucket Hat. Hopefully I will be able to get them done and add some flair to the hat. I just got Nicky Epstein's Knitted Embellishments in the mail. I love it and highly recommend it! I'm going to use it to make XMas stockings too!

Have a great day guys! I dont know if I'll be able to post pictures tonight, but I am done with class at 1pm tomorrow, so hopefully when I get home!

A few weeks ago

2004-09-25T08:40:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, i began surgery on my mom's poncho. Much too small, it needed to be reknit. No biggie, the yarn knits up very quickly.

So, I'm sitting on the couch, and I began pulling out the seams. It must have been pretty early, Matt comes walking into the room with this groggy look in his eyes and says, "what are you doing?"

I smile at him. As Lisa has explained, boys don't always understand the concept of undoing whats been done.

His eye widen...

"Are you going to rabbit it?!?!" He says, shocked.

"Rabbit" I say outloud and repeat in my head a few times, just making sure I've heard him right.

"yea, rabbit!! Hop Hop"

"Ummm.... OOOOOOH You mean rip it?"

"yah, rabbit!"

"no no dear, its rippit - like a frog. Frogging"

"oh."

eyes widen again

"are you going to frog it???"

"yah hunkie, its about 2 sizes too small for my mom"

"oh ok"

wanders back into bed.

Watch out for those rabbits, ladies.

Quick quick!

2004-09-24T16:31:00.000-04:00

Before Matt and I go see The Forgotten...

I came home today and I just sat and knit. It felt so good. I also realized that I haven't posted pictures in like a month. I'm so lame. I promise I'll post progress this weekend (mainly because I havent had much progress to show until now).

So... I just want to whine for a minute...

I have this routine. I like watching Buffy on FX and then Suprise by Design on Discovery Channel, then Jugding Amy, Angel and Charmed on TNT. Today, I get to TNT and Nascar is on. Ok, no big deal - I just like watching Tyne Daley (sp? is that her name?) knit and she doesnt knit every episode. So Nascar ended a little late - yay, still time for Judging Amy - but whats this??? Real Police Vidoes!??! NO NO NO NO NO... its friday at 4pm. Its still stay at home mom time. why is this junk on!?

:(

Oh well. I better go cast on the poncho again so I can knit during the movie.

Have a great night!!

Morning!

2004-09-24T07:11:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note before I head to campus.

I checked my email this morning, and YAY! I've gotten my secret pal notification! I'm so excited! I'm going to think and plan all day today about what to get them. I think I want to do a theme - other than knitting, duh. It will go along the whole time until the big final package!

This is so much fun. I think I better budget myself though, I could totally see myself getting carried away!

I'll post more info, but its secret, so most of what I'll post will be what I got!

Have a great day!

One more thing

2004-09-23T14:31:00.000-04:00

I was just atElisa's spot, and she recommended checking out Stitchy McYarnpants

Please, follow her advice. It is well worth the time. And, as Lisa said... click on the Santa!

HAHAHAHHAHAHA!

new traditions

2004-09-23T14:00:00.000-04:00

First, lets talk about Thanksgiving.

Every year, since my birth, we have had Thanksgiving at home. This means a number of things.
1) My mom and I make the traditional trip to the food store (though which store has changed over the years) and buy more food than my family could ever possibly consume
2) My family miraculously manages to consume the food (though this comes later on)
3) The people who spend Thanksgiving with us every year changes. It ranges from 4 to 6. Last year we had one of the biggest Thanksgivings in our family's history: 9!!
4) My mom makes her mashed potatoes. MMmmmm they are so good. I know the secret, but I can't tell you.
5) We go to the bonfire, we go to the football game and then we eat. We aim for 1 but usually its at 3.
6) We then have pie and birthday cake! Pralines and cream ice cream cake from Baskin Robins. We've had it every year for 21 years.

My birthday falls around Thanksgiving every year. This has its ups and its downs. It usually means I get more than one BDay celebration because my family members remember its my birthday BECAUSE of thanksgiving.

My brother, by the way, thinks my birthday IS thanksgiving. I'm ok with this. However, he is almost in his mid 30s. Someone should clue him in.

This year, we are breaking the tradition. We are having Thanksgiving in Maryland at my cousins house. I like this, and I hope the tradition continues. We're making it a potluck, and I am taking on the responsiblity of assigning everyone dishes to bring.

I cant friggen wait!

I, of course, will be making the dessert.

This year, my inlaws will be joining the family fun. I am overjoyed! We will kick the attendance up by 4 people, bringing the all time total to 13! I can't believe it! Glad I'm not cookin the turkey *snickers* More Quorn Roast for me!

Now, Lets move into Christmas.

We NEVER spend the Holidays at home. NEVER EVER EVER. And, I am completely ok with this. I remember when I was little we used to, but for about the past... oh... at least 10 years we have not spent it in NJ.

This year, it looks like the masses are voting for Christmas in NJ. I'm still torn on the idea. It will be what we make of it. Maybe we'll be able to mix things up a bit, and can form different traditions, different than the ones we have.

I think I'd like to start this by making everyone christmas stockings.
My mom says she wants hers and mine to be HUGE. No problem, I can do huge.

So, we have Roger, Nathan, Amanda, Maddie, Mom, Dad, Gram, Grandmother, Mike, Me, Matt as "for sures" though - before you jump to any conclusions, Matt and I have not yet decided how we are goign to work xmas. NY or NJ? My folks or his? I do kinda one up him with family coming from all over the country.

Maybe New Years in New York? It sounds romantic! Maybe MIL and FIL will come to NJ. Regardless of what we decide, I am going to make them stockings too... Pat, Bil and Justin. That way, when matt and I have our own house, we can MAKE EVERYONE come to us and make sure they bring their stockings.

So, the point of this post.

New Traditions are springing up everywhere, and i am going with the change. Knitting wise, it means people will open presents, see some got handknit goodies and others did not. Thems the breaks. However, everyone will get a stocking.

Anyone recommend a good stocking book? I was to knit BIG fun and whimsicle stockings.

Man, I feel like its XMas already!

A long time coming

2004-09-21T14:01:00.000-04:00

This post has been a long time coming! It has been a long time since I've done a knitting update, or posted any pictures, so I am going to try to do a two for one (though they aren't going to be MY pictures, because I am at school without resources)

First, I want to start by saying there is a big ol' nasty fly on the monitor that wont go away. better on the monitor than on me!

So, I have many projects going on right now! Here is my holiday list so far:

~Rowan sweater for Dad - 10% complete
~Rowan sweater for Matt - 1% complete (I say 1% because I have all the supplies just ready to be worked!)
~Poncho for Mom - -100% done. It used to be done, but its back to the drawing board because of my miscalculation on the size. woops
~Bucket hat for Maddie - 40% complete but thinking about frogging it because i knit two stitches wrong. however, they are on the inside bottom seam of the hat. probably totally not worth it. I will keep truckin with this one.
~Lace scarf for Gram - 3% complete. However, i have never done lace before. I understand most of the direction to make it, but have yet to find an actually pattern - i was just wingin it. Anyone have a good lace pattern? I'm using Pure Alpaca from Elann.
~ Something for my cousin mike. This is 0% complete because I still dont know what I want to make. im thinking afghan or pillows for his couch. maybe a sweater (he only has 1 sweater, can you believe it?!?!). I think maybe something from the Jo Sharp Home book - book #4
~Chickami for my MIL

Thats it for presents. OMG THATS IT? crap I'm totally screwed. How can i possibly knit this much by that time?!?! Especially now that school is in full swing. I guess less time blogging! :(

Ok, well I think thats all i have for you guys. Oh wait, I promised a picture.

This is Simply Marilyn by Debbie Bliss (you can get the pattern for free at Interweave Press!!!) I love everything about it. The model, the fluffy skirt, the color, the off the shoulder. Mmmmm. I love it. However, when I make mine, it won't have a mistake in it like this one does. Can you see the mistake? Its very easy to see if you open the pdf file from the website.

Anyhow. Have a great day. I love you all and I thank you all for visiting with me so regularly. It is so much fun to have knitting friends. I love being a part of your knitting lives, and I love having you a part of mine!

HAPPY KNITTING!

2004-09-19T20:53:00.000-04:00

Ooooh, what a great day!

It started out with working internet - how? I do not know, but I do know enough not to ask questions.

Then, matt and I went to see some model houses and townhomes that the company he works for (NVHomes and Ryan Homes). Hopefully someday one of those will be our home!

Afterwards, we drove to Bethesda to hang out with my cousin for a little, and then grab the Metro and head to the Knit Out. It was wonderful! I was at the edge of my seat the whole ride to The Mall because I was afriad that everyone came and went (I was running a wee bit late - sorry ladies!). Matt and I headed to the Fashion Show tent and looked for Lauren but couldnt find her! So we checked the other tent out and then headed back to the Fashion Show tent. Then, we spotted eachother!!!

It was so much fun meeting everyone. I got to meet Amie, Christina, Lauren, Jenna, one of Lauren's library friends and her mom, and some other girls - who I think were from KR and were named Kim. But, I'm not sure :/ Sorry ladies, I didn't catch your names. If you are reading this, let me know!

We talked for a bit, Amie and I made a swap (you know, the kind that involves money and yarn - but there is NO SELLING ON THE MALL - so you didn't hear it from me) and then we all headed to the fashion show and talked a bit and knit while we watched.

It was a great time! I had to head out for a number of reasons. Reason #1 being that matt and i had burritos for lunch, and mister burrito and matts tummy weren't getting along. Reason #2 is that I had a soccer game and we were cutting it close.

So, we headed back, i ate some pasta and went to soccer...

AND MOM'S UNITED KICKED BUTT! We won our match 3-1! I played goal for half the game, and then the rest of the game I played center forward and at one point center defense. It was so much fun!!

I scored! WAHOO!

And, I took out a lady who was like 6' 200lbs - if you dont know me, i'm about 5'3" 135. Ok, I didn't really take her out. I kinda tripped and she saw it and tried to play it up so she could have a rest break - she was SO acting "ooooh my knee" and she was grabbing her ankle... ugh whatever

I had a great time. Now I'm pooped! I'm going to go watch Charmed and then climb in bed. If you would like to see pics from the Knit Out, check out Lauren's Blog (yea yea how could I have forgotten my camera, right??? i dont even know.)

Happy Knitting!!!!

Its working! I better type fast before it goes back down....

2004-09-19T08:49:00.000-04:00

THE INTERNET IS UP! I REPEAT, THE INTERNET IS UP!

A quick post - for fear it may go back down!

I WILL be at the knit out today! I have decided to wear my bright pink shoes, pink pants and a shirt that is yet to be determined. I will also be wearing my Booga bag and Jordana Paige bag.

Hair still in pig tails, but since the weather is cooperating, I will leave the green glow umbrella at home. Still will bring the bright white water proof jacket just in case...

Can't wait to see you all there! And just realized that I posted on two blogs under my hubbys blog name, so will repost so you all know it is me!

WAHOO, KNIT OUT 2004!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EDIT: I will NOT be wearing my pink shoes - I can't find them :(

The Internet Hates Me

2004-09-17T09:53:00.000-04:00

Our Internet at home is all messed up. I'm having Matt deal with it, so I'm not quite sure how to explain what has been wrong. I think the last explination that we got was "its down everywhere, we'll credit you the money until it is up again". So, who knows how long it will be.

So, just a quick note from campus until I start the drive back home. I am sorry I havent been posting, but I keep forgetting to do it from campus and then i get home and the internet is down. I am really excited about the Knit Out. I think I'm going to wear my hair in pigtails (I'm growing my hair out, it used to be about an inch long - so its excited that i can pull it up). Since its supposed to be raining all weekend, I'll probably have on my bright white waterproof jacket and my sexy green umbrella that puts a green glow on my face when i use it. So look for the freak with the green face and pigtails.

I was thinking about bringing knitting stuff, but now i'm not so sure since its supposed to rain. I could just bring my jordana paige bag, but now I'm thinking i may approach this more casually to just meet blogger and KR friends and find some free yarn/patters to knit up for donation. I'm also thinking about learning to crochet.

So, I hope you all had a great week. I'm kinda nervous that I will not be able to coordinate with you all because my internet is going to be acting up. I think what I will do is email Lauren and Amie my cell # so that we can meet up during the event.

As i said on the KR forums, i plan on going on the early side because I have a soccer game at 7pm sunday night that i can't be late for!!

Have a great one, and i cant wait to see you guys! Amie and Lauren, check your emails!!

Insert Hysterical Laughter HERE

2004-09-14T14:08:00.000-04:00

You know, the kind that has people give you strange looks. The kind that causes your eyes to tear and your stomach to hurt. The kind that has some people ignore you, others take a step back in suprise and some mutter "god" under their breathes.

That is what I just did. I laughed that hard.

I think it was a combination of things. First, I don't really know anyone at this campus, and the two people I do know aren't here with me right now. Where!? The computer lab. What is the state of the computer lab? PACKED. So, I'm alone in a crowded room... whatever, right? Wrong...

I was thinking to myself "ok, I have a plan. I'll do my homework tonight so I will have tomorrow afternoon open!" So, I sat down and started reading my favorite blogs. I jumped over to Megan's to find a link to another blog. Hmmm... I like living on the edge... I clicked the link and came to

Drum roll, please

Yarn Harlot'sblog. You really should check it out. It is really very funny.

So, thanks to Princess Papaya for the link!

Anyone doing KRSecretPalII? I am! I'm excited! Maybe I'll get you!!!!

This post is dedicated to the Fall...

2004-09-13T17:04:00.000-04:00

Im so sore. I had SO much fun playing soccer... But man am I sore. I played 2 games!After our game was over, they needed a few extra people in the next match so I volunteered. I played keeper in both matches, and had a blast. I forgot how much fun I used to have in goal! It also was nice because I think people were shocked that such a little person can have such a big kick!

So, today I am on campus until 8pm. My next class starts at 6pm, and I've done so much work today, I'm going to give myself a little bit of a break now. I have all my work done for tomorrow and Wed., so tomorrow I will do all my work for Thursday. That will leave me with easy days on Wed, Thursday and the weekend.

I decided to change my template - don't get freaked out. I just needed a change. And this is why.

I love the seasons. I love that every so many months, the weather begins a transition into something new. Every new season, I declare that season my favorite. Therefore, right now FALL is my new favorite season (though, in all honesty I really do love fall - November is my birthday month and I have so many fond memories of this time of the year - not just because I get presents, but because so many special things happen!)

Therefore, I have changed my blog to represent the Fall! Here are some reasons why I chose this one.

Why I have a Brown Blog:
*Its the color of pumpkin pie
*Its the color of the bark that falls off of the trees - I used to run around my neighborhood when I was little and jump on the bark to hear the crunch
*It makes me think of cinnamon - mmm
*It makes me think of mulling spices!
*It is the color that the leaves turn after they have fallen to the ground. These leaves help insulate the grass and protect it from the snow!
*My favorite sweater is brown
*My hair is brown
*My eyes are brown!
*I have lots of brown freckles (even one on my lip and in my eyes!)
*Logs are brown and I will get to burn brown logs in our new fireplace this fall!
*Turkey is brown, but even better - Vegetarian Quorn Roast is brown (this is the best substitute for a thanksgiving turkey. i HIGHLY recommend it to meaties and veggies alike!)
*I'm wearing brown shoes
*Apple Cider is brown
*Hot Apple Cider is brown
*Hot Chocolate is brown!
*Brown is a warm, cozy, comfy color
*Brown can be rich, brown can be soft, brown can be timid and brown can be aggressive
*My first knit project was knit in 2 different browns

And, the number one reason why I have a brown blog...
*CHOCOLATE IS BROWN!!!!!!

Our Happy Weekend

2004-09-12T09:30:00.000-04:00

I'll start by introducting you to Matt's new scarf. I've named it "Chester" by Matt's request.

Its going to be so warm!

He just woke up, but still makes a great model!

Close up

For my other knitting news, I am making the same scarf for myself right now, but in pinks. Its very sexy. It will be perfect with a black coat on a cold snowy day!

Yesterday, our adventures took us into Washington, DC. We drove to the metro and took it into the city, and it was a long trip... about 20 minutes longer than it should have been because they kept sitting at each stop for 5 or so minutes. Anyway, we got there and were hungry, so we found a restaurant. It was really really good mexican, the name was Andale I believe. Afterwards, we headed back to The Mall to walk around and enjoy ourselves. We checked out the

New museum for the American Indian
It really is an amazing building. The museum opens on the 21st. If you are going to the knit out, you should check out the building!

We then headed over to the Botanical Gardens (thank you DH for coming with me! You really are a good man!). Fun was had by all. There were

Amazing colors,

Amazing flowers,

and amazing mysteries!
There was also

Handsome Husband!

Afterwards, we swung by Captial Hill. I can't even begin to remember the last time Ive been here.

Its a beautiful building.
Today we are planning on heading to some 75ft waterfalls in the area, and then tonight is my first soccer game! I am really excited and I can't wait to meet the rest of the team! I'll probably finish my scarf tonight, so pictures of that and of the falls to follow.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Day Off

2004-09-10T20:05:00.000-04:00

Today my classes were cancelled, so I had a nice day off. I woke up and knit as I drank some TV and watched the news. It was very pleasant, I think the news in the morning is the best - I think its the Today show that I watched, I'm not sure.

I finished Matt's scarft and I'm half way through mine. They are heavy and thick and... well... solid. I dont know how else to explain it. They are great though, I'll post pictures this weekend.

I also ordered some yarn from WoolWinders today. Their sale started yesterday, but a full day of classes kept me from buying anything. So, today after some searching on the web, I called up and bought some yarn! A lot of it was already sold, but I ended up with 6 balls of Debbie Bliss DK cotton in tan, 6 balls of Debbie Bliss DK cotton in purple (for two Chickamis), and 2 ball of Dale of Norway Salve in hot Pink (bucket hat for my niece). I can't wait to get it in the mail! I could have just gone down to the story but i was feeling tired and I always like getting things in the mail.

Alright, off to watch TV w/ DH. I'll post pictures this weekend!

Today

2004-09-09T07:33:00.000-04:00

Today my plan is simple. I am going to get better.

I am off to Curves to work out (I need to start going regularly again), then home to make my lunch, pack my bag and head to campus. I'll be there until 4:50 or so - home by 6. I'm actually very happy with Matt's scarf, and I'm actually kinda sad that I'm more than halfway done now. Luckily, I am making a similar one for myself so that is something to look forward to!

Anyway, just a quick note. Its going to be a long day, but I can do it! Oh, honey if you are reading this... don't forget to pick up stamps on your way home!

Have a good one!

Storms a brewin'!

2004-09-08T19:35:00.000-04:00

Well, matt and I have been sick... very very sick. Well, hes been very sick I've been kinda sick. I hope I don't get worse because I really don't want to get what he had... though I would probably come out 5 or so pounds lighter...

No no no... tahts bad.

So, I've been kinda bumin' around. I did get some school work done *sigh of relief* but not much knitting. Matt and I used to be pretty serious gamers. We played Everquest, and if you know anything about it or know anyone who played it, then you know that it is very addictive. Well, about six months ago we gave up that life. We swore we'd never get into gaming like that again, and we were confident that there were no games out there that could take our attention like EQ... that was until we got into the World of Warcraft closed stress test beta.

So, thats what I've been doing since last Thursday... playing World of Warcraft. We put in some serious time, but we only plan on playing it casually when it is released (I've heard November - December for release now). If you want to see screenshots and stuff from it, click on Matthew's blog on the right to see shots in his blog.

So knitting wise I'm now getting my act back together. I'm going to finish Matt's scarf by Friday, I'm knitting it using Mission Falls 1824 Wool and Berroco Softy held together. Its very pretty, will be very soft and very warm. Everything a scarft should be! He'll love it and I'll post pictures once I get my butt off the couch!

I can't wait until the knit out. Only one more week! Oooh, and that reminds me... Woolwinders if having a sale, get your butts over there! The holidays are coming, and there is no better way to start those projects than with a sale!!

So, we've been getting all sorts of storm warnings today... flash floods, hail, sever t-storms, and... get this... TORNADOS! Unbelievable. I've been in a tornado before. Years ago, in NJ where I grew up we had one. It was very intense. We saw the storms swirling and the sky became a very eerie green. Afterwards, there were downed trees everywhere. There was speculation that it touched down on our street and sweapt through the town for almost 2 miles. We lost power, of course, and I had to do my homework by candlelight. It was cool, but I dont want to relive it.

Have a good night, watch out for the twisters!

I'm still here

2004-09-05T19:32:00.000-04:00

Hi guys,
I'm still here, I promise. This week was so hectic. Driving to school an hour and ten minutes and then back an hour and ten minutes is hard, and with classes to boot! Well, I'm tired.

I've been knitting, and it feels nice. I need a lot of mindless projects right now, and that is what I'm doing. Im going to frog the poncho and start over because it is definitely too small for my mom. I'm knitting scarves, of course, but I've put the sweaters on hold until I can get a better grasp on the school thing. I get sick very easily, and if I'm stressed it is even worse. So... I'm taking it slow.

I hope you have all been well. Any plans for the weekend? hope you all enjoy your labor day! as for me, I'm heading to virginia to have pool and bbq! wahoo!

enjoy yourselves! Happy knitting! I'll be back soon, I promise

One more try

2004-09-01T21:20:00.000-04:00

So I wrote this whole update earlier but then there was some error and it got erased *moans*

It went like this:

omg omg omg I'm so excited matt met someone at work who has a spot open on their indoor soccer team and I want to play and the lady said I could play and I haven't played in like 6 years so I'm kinda nervous but apparently they are a bunch of soccer moms or something so maybe they aren't that good omg omg omg im so excited its going to be so much fun.

So yah. I'm really excited. I played pretty seriously in a serious soccer town for a long time (uh... like my whole childhood into high school). I ended up quitting because the team that I was going to be on was a lot of partiers and I'm not that kinda girl. But this team is a team of adults, so I don't think ill be put into any uncomfortable situations.

I cant wait. I got some nifty indoor soccer shoes today and a ball so I can practice before the season starts in 2 Saturdays. Games are on Sunday nights between 4 and 10 pm depending on when they are scheduled. There are 2 24 minute halves.

This better not interfere with my knitting.

Have a good one!

OMG

2004-08-31T17:37:00.000-04:00

Have I finally done it??

A little dark

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

1st day

2004-08-31T16:18:00.000-04:00

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!

MVA HORROR STORY...

2004-08-30T10:29:00.000-04:00

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! :)

The last day

2004-08-29T09:51:00.000-04:00

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!

Waiting and waking (not knitting related except that I've been knitting while doing these things)

2004-08-27T08:55:00.000-04:00

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!

Quick note

2004-08-25T23:27:00.000-04:00

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!

WOOT

2004-08-25T20:17:00.001-04:00

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!

2004-08-25T20:14:00.000-04:00

Roxie playing

Ikea Update

2004-08-24T10:07:00.000-04:00

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!

Not much news...

2004-08-23T16:03:00.000-04:00

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!

Holy moly

2004-08-20T20:06:00.000-04:00

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!

Febreeze

2004-08-18T13:39:00.000-04:00

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!

Home Sweet Home

2004-08-17T10:31:00.001-04:00

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!

2004-08-14T08:47:00.000-04:00

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!!!!

This is it...

2004-08-12T19:19:00.000-04:00

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!

Tonight

2004-08-11T20:19:00.000-04:00

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.

WAHOO!

2004-08-11T09:24:00.000-04:00

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!

I made it

2004-08-10T23:08:00.000-04:00

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!

And just when you thought you couldn't pack any more boxes...

2004-08-10T10:30:00.000-04:00

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!

Update!

2004-08-08T19:14:00.000-04:00

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

Hmm

2004-08-08T11:09:00.000-04:00

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!!!!!!!!!

Oh's

2004-08-07T22:08:00.000-04:00

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

Sprinkles

2004-08-06T20:32:00.000-04:00

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.

Knittens

Hello?

Saweet!

Something New

Knitten

NO WAY

Photos!

I'm back

Tuesday

What Fun!!

Jump Start

It's official

What a weekend!

Tonight!

A few things

What a break!

Ho HO Ho

I'm Famous

Oh woe...

Satisfaction - and a lot of it

My 100

The Family

Is anyone out there?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Remember me?

Me and my yarn...

WOOOT!

Interview

Knitting Safari - Part 2 of 4

WAHOOO

A halloween shot

WHERE IS MY SUPER SUIT?!?!

Knitting Safari - Part 1 of 4

HEY YOU!

Home again Home again!

Quick Note...

*HOOOOOOOOWWWLLL*

A Great End to a Great Weekend!

WOOT!

YEEEEEEEES!!

HI GUYS!

BUSY DAY

Here's a story

I'm Blue, but in a good way!!

Lazy Day

Just One of Those Days...

Update

MORNING!

HOW?

Aye Aye Aye

Too Much

what's wrong with me?

THANK YOU!

THE INTERVIEW

OUR WEEKEND

WELL, WE'RE OFF!

NEW SCARY FONT!

THE SASS - INATOR!

PICTURES!

Its a start

Update

A few weeks ago

Quick quick!

Morning!

One more thing

new traditions

A long time coming

HAPPY KNITTING!

Its working! I better type fast before it goes back down....

The Internet Hates Me

*Insert Hysterical Laughter HERE*

This post is dedicated to the Fall...

Our Happy Weekend

Day Off

Today

Storms a brewin'!

I'm still here

One more try

OMG

1st day

HOOOOOOOOWWWLLL

Insert Hysterical Laughter HERE

Sprinkles