It’s Friday

Posted on May 30, 2008 by carrieoke13

woo-hoo! It’s Friday! It’s rainy and gray outside, but it is TOTALLY Friday. Hooray.
We totally went to Panama City Beach for Memorial Day Weekend. Fabulous Melanie invited us, and we had a kick ass time. I didn’t take many pictures – I was too busy knitting and relaxing to do that – but I managed to take one or two. This picture is fairly indicative of our weekend.

Woooo-hooo, PCB.

There was lots of game playing (Rock Band, Grand Theft Auto, and Boom Blocks – yes, we had more than one game system with us), lots of beer drinking, and lots of knitting. I may have accidentally started another new project and finished a sleeve…it’s the Dollar and a Half Cardigan [Rav link].

oops, I knit a sleeve.

I’m using my yummy Brooks Farm Willow, and it’s perfect for this sweater. I will say this: it took me a little while to understand the lace pattern. I actually had to call my personal lace expert to get her help. I finally figured out that I was forgetting a YO over and over and over again. Now that I’ve done a whole sleeve, I’ve got the lace pattern memorized, and I can pretty much read the knitting and see what I need to do.
Other odds and ends: I’m doing stockinette instead of reverse stockinette for the panels in between the lace, and I’m also going down a needle size when I do the stockinette panels. I did some research on Ravelry and on some blogs , and apparently some knitters experienced weird poofiness when they knit the lace panels and the rev st st panels with the same needle size. I’m SO glad I read this, because switching needles seems to have totally eliminated that issue.
Once I figured out those initial things, it’s totally easy knitting – it even travels well. Which is great, because I’ve just added some extra knitting time into my day: I started taking the bus to work!

Bus time.

Hee. I am seriously giddy about this. I live about 8-10 miles away from my work, and I’d always assumed that it would take forever to get to work using the city bus. It turns out that it’s a 30 minute ride, AND, it’s free because of where I work. HELLO. Free bus vs four dollars or more per gallon for gas? I am SO taking the bus. I was actually inspired to research it because of a thread on a Ravelry forum, and I’m so glad I did. I was really nervous the first time I had to pull the little cord to let the driver know my stop was coming up, but now I’ve done it successfully. (I know those of you who ride public transit all the time are probably laughing at me. I know, I’m a total newbie to this.)
So that gives me knitting time BEFORE work, and on my way home. How awesome is that?
Let’s see. What else? My nephew, otherwise known as BigHeadSchmoo, turned two this week – can you believe it? I can’t. He looks so grown up!

It seems like yesterday that he was born!
We’ll be celebrating this weekend, which means I’ve got to find the perfect present tonight. After all, I need to keep my status as favorite aunt….

schmoo.

Catching Up

Posted on May 15, 2008 by carrieoke13

I started a post days ago and then work/knitting/Ravelry/life got in the way. So the short version is: Maryland Sheep and Wool was fun times. Saw some really awesome old friends and made some new ones. Bought some excellent yarn. Got sunburned.
I was overwhelmed (in a good way) by all the Ravelry craziness, but it didn’t stop me from participating. Jess and Casey have obviously done an amazing thing and I’m so proud of my friends. And a little in awe of them.
Pictures from the trip are [ here ], if you’re interested. And here’s what I got while I was there:

The stash.

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

This is the Namaste Laguna.

It’s beautiful and soft. It is also HUGE. If you don’t want a big bag, it’s not for you, but if you like to carry everything with you, I highly recommend it. Since I bought that the night I returned, I guess that counts as a MDSW purchase. Hee.
Anyways. What else? Well, I finished Anais. The unraveling of the cast on edge quickly turned into CUTTING OFF the ribbing and picking up stitches, but I’m okay with that. It was a messy job, but I’m super pleased with the results:

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

Finished!

I used Trekking XXL. I think he likes them. YAY. These are actually the second socks I’ve made for Jacob. The first pair ended up getting felted (although now I have a nice pair of slipper socks), but Trekking is machine washable (right?) so I think these will be okay.
That’s two finished objects! woo-hoo, I’m getting crafty things done. I still need to put an binding on my prettypretty first quilt, and figure out what the heck to do with that purple Drops sweater that just needs finished arms and some buttons…but I’m currently distracted by some lace…

Go Fly a Kite Shawl.

I saw a girl wearing the most beautiful shawl at Maryland Sheep and Wool at Sunday’s Ravelry meetup, and it turned out to be her own design! Holli was super gracious while we oohed and ahhed over her shawl. Luckily I had some Malabrigo lace yumminess in my stash, so I started it as soon as I got home. I’m hoping to have it done by my friend’s wedding in the beginning of July. I had to get a little help from my friend Leigha to get going, but I’m totally cruising now!
yay. things are good. It’s almost truly summer, which means my lovely town is quieter and slower and emptier. and I’m only taking ONE hour of class this summer, which means that I have more time to hang out with these schmoos:

happy schmoos.

Almost Anais.

Posted on May 1, 2008 by carrieoke13

So, Anais. I finished the back and seamed it up – and it was looking very promising! Then, I added the lace collar part.

um, yeah.

Y’all, I wanted to love it, but it’s just not working for me. I think maybe because I made my Anais pretty snug, the lace makes it look sort of … trashy. Someone who saw this picture on Flickr may have mentioned Elvira. (And while I may have been Elvira for Halloween, I’d rather NOT channel her in my everyday wardrobe.) It’s just not working. So, I ripped the lace part out, and took Carolyn’s suggestion to add some ribbing around the collar.

Better.

Looks better. But this picture is deceptive – it’s just TOO SHORT. Harumph. So, last night, I stayed up WAY too late and ripped out the cast on edge. (Full disclosure: I began by ripping out the cast on edge, and then I ended up taking scissors to the ribbing. There are no pictures because it was very, very scary.)
So now, I’m going to add a couple inches of length. I managed to get all the bottom ribbing off, get it back on the needles, and now I’m knitting downwards. I’m hoping I can finish it this weekend while I am at Maryland Sheep and Wool, YAYAYAYYAAYAYAYAYAYAYAY and also OH BOY.
ooh! I also took some pics of the finished Mingus socks before I sent them to Emily:

Swoon.

I love.
[BSG geekout]
I have also recently come to the conclusion that I pretty much HAVE to go to DragonCon this year because Helo and Lee will be there. OH YES.
I might have to dress up like a viper pilot too. NO LAUGHING.
[/BSG geekout]

Playing catch-up

Posted on April 26, 2008 by carrieoke13

hi there! My semester is finally, finally over. I have some tiny things left to do (burn a project on CD for my professor, that sort of thing) but mostly I’m done. and it feels NICE. ahhhhhhhhhhhh.
I even had time to finish the Mingus socks! I gave them a bath last night, and they are blocking on a towel right now. Once they are dry, they will be traveling to see Miss Emily, woo-hoo!!!

I posted on Flickr, and the thumbnail apparently looked like I was washing spinach. or maybe kale. hee.

I am so happy with these socks. I am also glad they are not in my size, so I’m not tempted to do a switcheroo and send Emily so Wal-Mart tube socks instead of these. (I AM TOTALLY KIDDING.) And these are officially my FIRST finished object of 2008! isn’t that insane? Hi, it only took me almost 5 months to completely knit something. I AM SLOW.
So, I picked up an old unfinished object so my next finished project will be gratifying and quick. It’s Anais. When you last saw her, she looked like this:

This is a front.
I’m now up to the shoulders on the back, and then I’ll be seaming her up. I’m still trying to decide what to do about the sleeves. I’m not really feeling the sleeves on the original pattern, so I’m thinking about some cap sleeves instead. Or, maybe just making it a sleeveless top? Opinions?
Speaking of opinions, let me get yours on another little situation. A fabulous blog friend from back in the day (thanks, Vanessa!) emailed me this week because of a little sign she saw when she was shopping at AC Moore:

Wait a minute….

This is a sign advertising their knitting classes – notice the Carrieoke cartoon on the sign?
Now, my dear friend Mary Jessica drew that for me years ago, and it’s been on my blog for a long time. At first we were like, HEE! that is funny. And then we thought about it…and they should’ve asked, ya know? Mary Jessica is a writer and an illustrator, and her work belongs to her. I’m totally assuming the best here and thinking that whoever downloaded the cartoon just didn’t realize that it wasn’t free clipart.
So, what should we do? For starters, I’m going to make it clearer on my site that the illustration belongs to Mary Jessica, and that it’s not okay for people to take. (I think I might add a copyright statement to the bottom of the actual image.) And actually, in this case, I probably would’ve been okay with it (after checking with Mary Jessica), as long as they credited MJ at the bottom of the image.
But, I think we should communicate to whoever borrowed it that it’s not okay to just download it and use it, just so they know for future reference. It seems like a letter would be the best way to go about it – what do you think? I do think it’s cool that they liked the drawing enough to want to use it on their sign, BUT, they should have asked.
So. bizarre!
Well, I’m off to enjoy this lovely Saturday. I’m going to knit some, and maybe even put a border on my quilt. It’s so awesome to not have schoolwork to think about. YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!

Walking ’round the room singing Stormy Weather…

Posted on March 9, 2008 by carrieoke13

Seriously, Georgia, WTF? This weather is incredible. Last week we saw 60 – 70 degree temperatures, followed by tornado watches, followed by snow flurries. It is insanity. March is usually a pretty stormy month in Georgia, but this is weirdness. I know there are some massively dangerous winter storms out there right now, so I pretty much have no right to complain, but it’s just WEIRD. And I’m really, really scared of thunderstorms and tornadoes, as are both of my dogs.
I’m also just ready for spring. The cold and I, we are not friends.
Sigh. At least there have been some outrageously beautiful days in the mix.
I have been so busy with school and work! Luckily, I’ve had some cool projects at work lately, so I’m okay with the busy. I sort of like the busy, even. Tomorrow, I’m taking pictures for a client, and I needed a way to get some great macro shots, so I got to do something I’ve been wanting to try for a while – make a lightbox! I used this tutorial and was very inspired by Lolly’s tutorial also. In my work, we often need very clear macro shots with backgrounds that are easy to take out, and this seemed like the way to go.
I used stuff that we had laying around the office – some foamcore, shipping tape, and a box cutter. To set it up, I grabbed one 650 watt studio light and just start shooting to see what things looked like. Of course, I used my knitting for some test shots.

My Minimalist Cardigan

yay! full disclosure: the color is WAY OFF in this picture. The actual yarn is a burgundy red. I’ll have to play with white balance and camera settings to make things look just right. But overall, this was the effect I was going for. I’m excited about using it tomorrow for work (and continuing to test it by bringing some more of my knits in for a photo shoot. hee.)
And, as you can see, I started knitting the Minimalist Cardigan. I decided to brave the seed stitch, and I’m so glad I did – I love the texture. It does move really, really slowly, though. It’s good bring-everywhere knitting, and also good TV knitting (as long as I look down occasionally to make sure I’m not knitting ribbing instead of seed stitch).
I’m also working on the socks for my raffle winner! After we emailed, I decided to knit her a pair of Mingus socks. Dude. I love this sock pattern. It took me a little while to get the hang of the pattern – and I definitely still need the chart – but it’s super interesting and gratifying, because the longer it gets, the cooler the pattern looks. I hope they turn out well!

Mingus progress.

I’m about 1/4 of the way done with Jacob’s second sock, but I put it on hold for the Mingus socks because I needed my size 1 Addi Turbos. I think I’ll be done with these pretty quickly though – they are fun, so they go fast.
Well, I’m off to finish the laundry and play some Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii. I’m not usually good at fighting games, but I loves me some Super Smash Bros.

Super Tuesday!

Posted on February 5, 2008 by carrieoke13

Lots of primaries today! I voted before work this morning.

I’m rocking my sticker.

So, get on out there and vote today if there’s a primary in your state! (This message inspired by the post at Mary-Heather’s blog.)
This weekend was fun filled. Including, but not limited to, new hair fun:

Let’s try red for a while.

I got it cut and colored, and I’m loving both. It is super red, which I love, but was a little bit of a shock at first. It’s exactly what I asked for, but I haven’t seen myself with red hair in a while. Jacob is still getting used to it.
Other weekend fun times? Eating chili and watching the Super Bowl with my family:

Yes, that is Cathy. Not a floating head.

and coming very, very close to finishing the never-ending Drops sweater. Ya know, the one that knits up SO quickly. Gah. Here’s where I am:

Almost.

So here’s my question. I think I only have enough yarn to make the sleeves that length (the one in the picture above), but I’m not loving what the double seed stitch is doing. It looks chunky and puffy and weird. What would be a good alternate for the double seed stitch? Carolyn suggested possibly keeping it stockinette but turning a hem, which I’m seriously considering. I just don’t like the way it looks currently. The sleeve length is okay, but not the edging.
There have been exactly ZERO strips cut since I took that picture of myself cutting quilt strips. I’m going to try to dedicate sometime to my quilt this week, but school is eating up all my free time. well, school and bad television.

so much happy

Posted on January 16, 2008 by carrieoke13

Well hello there! Thanks for the love on my last post. It’s nice to feel like someone’s reading, even if it’s not the ONLY reason to post, ya know?
I have recovered from the nasty crud cold that was going around (and of course gave it to everyone in my office). Theraflu + tea = my friends. and also SLEEP. I realized that I’d been running on basically no sleep since the Christmas holidays, and my body just couldn’t take it anymore. So, I’m trying to make it to bed before midnight these days, which is hard for me, but so far, so good. I’ve noticed also that my bedtime directly correlates with what time I arrive at work. Later bedtime = later work arrival time. Now I know that correlation doesn’t necessarily equal causation. BUT, I’m going to make an assumption here that earlier is better.
We celebrated my mom’s birthday this weekend! Yay family time. Got to hang out with the Big Head Schmoo and my absolutely adorable stepnephew Mason. Here’s my mom with her two favorite grandkids:

So much happy.
Mason on the left, Bradypants in the lap. CUTE.

They are schmoos, all of them. We had yummy lasagna and played catch outside. Then my sis and her husband came up to Athens for fun times, which meant tapas and beers. and wii, of course.

Nerds.

It was a lovely weekend. It’s a good thing that the crud went away and I had a nice weekend, because this semester has already started full swing. I’m taking two classes with major projects in both (don’t you love group work in grad school?) and then I have to, ya know, work. Luckily, I really, really enjoy what I’m doing and work and grad school are closely related, so it’s like one big mashup of technogeek fun. Hooray!
And then when I come home, there is the knitting.

Sleevecaps.

As you can see, I’m still working on the sleeves of my Drops sweater, and I did try the short row set in sleevecap method in Knitting from the Top. My first effort (to your right, above) was, um, rather large. I did the math required in the book, but you base all your calculations on the first measurement, which is “measure around your upper arm.” So, that raises all kinds of questions – how much ease? what part of my upper arm? – and I realize now that she probably covers these questions in the first part of the book, but OF COURSE I DIDN’T READ THAT. So, I did the best I could and got a huge sleevecap.
The good thing is that once I saw how it works, I could tweak the measurement to fit how I wanted (see Sleevecap 2, to your left, picture above). I think this one is going to work out great, and man, it looks SO NICE. Much nicer that a seamed sleevecap, or at least, much nicer than MY seamed sleevecaps.
So hooray! I think I really, really like this method, and I think once I’ve figured out the numbers that work for me, I’ll use it all the freakin’ time. It just looks really clean and pretty. Yay for new techniques, and learning from your mistakes and all that.
I should probably go prepare for class tonight. Next time: my new sewing nook with my new sewing machine and my new sewing table that my schmoo husband helped me build. YAY.

So. Hot.

Posted on December 10, 2007 by carrieoke13

Seriously. It was 77 today. What. is. going. on?
I’ll survive. I guess it’s better than snow and ice storms. I’m relaxing on the couch right now, watching guilty TV (so not even confessing what I’m watching because it’s SO BAD) and indulging in my other guilty pleasure: lurking on the Ravelry forums. I am so addicted. At least I knit and lurk. And I try not to lurk at work. Mostly. (who else does this? Big Issues Debate, anyone??)
It’s been busy around here. We celebrated Jacob’s 30th birthday last weekend and there were many fun times, including but not limited to: grilling of ribs, eating of ribs, poker, karaoke, Dance Dance Revolution, tube lights, and dancing with tube lights. And just in case you thought I was kidding about the tube lights…

Soundtrack: Girl Talk.

There you are. Jacob loves tube lights. So much that when we first moved to Athens, we lived in a friend’s attic (Anne Marie) and our main light source was many, many tube lights nailed to the ceiling. We also had a vinyl door with a zipper for our bathroom…some of our design choices were slightly questionable. Har. Those tube lights actually blink and flash in time to any music that is playing. fun. fun. fun.
So. then, THIS weekend, we babysat my nephew, otherwise known as BigHeadSchmoo. The babysitting of the nephew, it is different than the visiting of the nephew, especially when bedtime is involved. He was not even *remotely* interested in bed. AT ALL. He was interested in running around the house with Jacob, reading Chugga-Chugga-Choo-Choo multiple times, and then finally watching Baby Einstein Christmas (and omg those Baby Einstein videos are so weird and hilarious. it’s like, a puppet with the puppeteer’s hand showing, and then a baby laughing, and then a polar bear, and my nephew was MESMERIZED.) We finally got him to sleep (and secretly I don’t mind at all that he wanted to stay up and play with his favorite aunt and uncle.)

Uncle Jacob is WAY MORE fun than sleep.

I got some knitting in too. I’m about halfway done with the back of Anais, and I’ve been thinking about doing the sleeves a little differently. The sleeves as they are in the pattern seem — strange. I don’t know. I’m thinking I could make it a sleeveless vest, or maybe do a solid cap sleeve? Is that hard to do? Although I do also like this fluttery sleeve version, but I’m not sure those sleeves would be practical for my wardrobe. They ARE very cute…
I’ve worn my Maggie to work several times! I want to take a picture every time I wear it – it’s exciting for me to wear a knitted item so often. (However, it must be noted that I had someone compliment me on it, and I said, thanks! I knitted it! and then I looked down and noticed old mustard from lunch on the buttonband. Hi, I’m Carrieoke. I am proud of my handknits. I spill food on them. )
In other knitting news, I’m working on a sock for my husband. I made him a pair of socks previously, and they mostly fit him, and then he machine washed them and felted them and they fit me perfectly. (Hooray for new slippers!) This left Jacob wanting another pair, of course, and I’m finally giving it a shot…

Almost to the heel.
The yarn is Trekking, and the pattern is Manly Socks from Knit Six. (Found by searching for “man socks” on Ravelry, by the way.) I think they’re going to fit him perfectly, mostly because I’ve made him try them on a million times. It’s hard knitting for size 11 feet, but I’m determined to finish this pair.
And that’s all I’ve got for now. Me and Bella, we’re just gonna sit here on the couch and keep watching bad TV and resting.

Bella loves bad TV.

More.

Posted on November 26, 2007 by carrieoke13

Thank you so much for all your sweet comments on our wedding! I love having this blog as a journal for myself, but it’s also pretty awesome to have bloggy readers. Jacob and I really appreciate all the happy thoughts!
I have so much to say about the rest of the wedding, and our trip to Costa Rica, but really, I’m too tired to write it all out. I will say that the reception and the wedding made all the planning and the stress totally worth it, because it was so much damn fun. I was really worried about our wedding becoming this big fancy affair that wasn’t really like me and Jacob, and over and over I heard from guests that our wedding was unique and an expression of who we are. And I felt that way, too. That made me so happy. It was amazing. All of it. Totally exceeded all of my expectations – the wedding, the honeymoon, everything. Yay.
If you want to see pics of the wedding and Costa Rica, there are about a million over at my flickr account…[ Weddin' Pics, etc.]
I also highly recommend checking out Jacob’s Costa Rica pictures, which are here:
[ Jacob's Costa Rica pics ].
And really, you should probably go there first, because his pictures are really, really incredible. He’s a photographer, ya know. Here’s one of his pics.

See? Go check them out.

So. It’s been awhile. I’ve been busybusy trying to catch up at work and school – my semester is over in about a week. Yikes. There has been knitting, though. I actually finished something!

Maggie.

Yes, I realize that I am subjecting you to yet another poorly lit gross mirror bathroom shot. I’m sorry about that. I just got REALLY excited when I finished it and had to take a picture. RIGHT. THEN. So I did. I did try to take a self-timer shot, which failed miserably. Here it is.

Dork.
(Can you spot a sleepy Jacob in the background?)

Obviously, Maggie deserves a grand photo shoot with natural lighting. Maybe one day. But oh how I love this sweater. It fits perfectly – the yarn is yummy soft – it looks like it’s supposed to. I don’t have to tug at it to cover my belly. I can button it, or not. It’s cute BOTH WAYS, instead of being cute only when I have it pinned at a certain angle and hold my breath (Juliet, I’m looking at you). I am going to wear the crap out of this thing, and she’ll be even prettier when I block her. If I block her.
It only took me about 11 months to knit it! Har. It really did – I started knitting it in January of 2007. It’s actually a simple pattern and should take much less time, but I may have lost two completed sleeves for a while. I want to knit more things with Rowan Wool Cotton – I may have to start cruising ebay for some deals.
I knit the pattern exactly as written [pattern available here]. The only thing I did differently is that I flipped the included buttons over – the right side of the buttons are shiny, and it didn’t really match my color, so I flipped them over and used the darker brown side. Worked out great.
Ah, the happiness of a wearable finished knit. It’s so nice. And so rare, for me. I immediately cast on another project in hopes of scoring another wearable knit: Anais.

Front.

We shall see. I’m using some leftover Silky Wool – I miraculously had the EXACT amount that the pattern called for, so I decided it was fate. That piece looks cute, right?

Getting There

Posted on October 12, 2007 by carrieoke13

My wedding is in 9 days.
While the rest of the knitting world prepares for RHINEBECK!, I am immersed in final wedding details. There are so many things to finish! Programs, decorations, centerpieces, packing for honeymoon…I have always considered myself a low maintenance kinda girl … and I am *so* the stereotypical insane stressed out bridezilla.
BUT! Today is a good day. Work is great, if a tad busy, and wedding stuff IS coming together. For example, this is finished:

Wedding Shawl. Check.

I. love. this. shawl. It’s knitted with Rowan DK Silky Wool, which is good enough to eat, and it drapes beautifully. And the shoulder shaping WORKS – the shawl stays on! I couldn’t believe how nicely it fits. (Full disclosure: I ran out of Silky Wool and knit the last row and cast off edge with another yarn. Don’t tell.)
I really wanted to knit a wedding shawl, but I didn’t want it to be too complicated, and I also didn’t want it to be super long and overwhelming. When I saw Ms. Flint Knit Pamela’s pictures, I knew that was my shawl, and I’m so, so happy I took the time to make it. (Which, surprisingly, was really not that much time at all, as Pamela also noted. It took probably three good TV nights to finish.)

Front shot.

The lace is not complicated, but if you get off track, it’s hard to get back. I actually did have to rip back once or twice, but I’m so glad I did – the lace is so pretty! And I love how my tattoo peeks through. Hee. I’m seriously considering making a few of these on colors for gifts. I love.
Now, more wedding knitting! I am carrying calla lilies, and my toss bouquet will also be calla lilies, but callas of a different type: knitted ones. I have a few friends making one each, and I’m going to make a couple, and then tie a bow around them and throw those suckers at Anne Marie. (JUST KIDDING AM.)
I still haven’t gotten a chance to blog about my fantastic weekend, where I went to the beach with some of my bridesmaids and friends and had a bit of a bachelorette celebration. It was more relaxation than debauchery (I left that for the Pants, who was in Vegas), but we did eat a lot of good food, drink lots of vodka tonics, and do some karaoke. They did make me a dirty cake. I will not post a picture of it here, for various reasons (Hi, Mom!), but you can imagine. Tee hee.

Contrary to the photo, I’m neither pregnant nor that well-endowed. hee.

Good times were had by all. Thanks, ladies, for making my weekend so fabulous!
I imagine I’ll blog again before the wedding. Or maybe not. I don’t know. I do know that I’d better stop writing and start CHECKING MY TO-DO LIST OH MY GOD.

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