So I got this freakin’ a-ma-zing order in the mail today from The Loopy Ewe. I was going to tell you all about that. But, believe it or not, something else came in the mail today that’s even better!

What, you ask, is better than a kick-ass order from The Loopy Ewe?

Our Wedding Photos!!

I uploaded my favorites here. Believe it or not, that’s only a small fraction of the photos we got. And lucky for us, rather than prints, we chose to go with a package where we received all the photos on disc (2 full DVDs) with a signed contract signing over all the rights to the photos to us. It was a great deal.

For friends and family members who are going to want to see every single photo, I created a whole other Flickr account and I’m working on uploading every one of the photos here.

I can’t wait to get prints made. We received quite a few photo frames as gifts and I’ve gotten quite tired of looking at strangers’ faces in the frames. Hehe.

Anyway, I promise tomorrow I’ll get back to the normal knitting/crafting related posts. I just had to share this today!

First, I wanted to say thank you to all the new visitors (& old!) who are leaving comments. I enjoy reading them so much, and it’s so nice to know people are finding my lil’ blog!

It appears my case of second sock syndrome is subsiding! This is another pair of socks that’s supposed to be a Christmas gift. I’d knitted the first one probably over a month ago, but it’s been sitting around since then waiting it’s mate. I cast on the second sock last night and worked on it a little last night and today. I turned the heel, picked up the stitches along the gusset, and now I’m starting to knit the foot. This one is knitting up fast because I’m using whopping size 5 needles.

You’ll notice in the picture, also, that I’m using the magic loop technique on these. The only reason I’m doing so is because that’s how I knit the first one (because I was just learning the technique then). The process has been so frustrating! I don’t know how people can stand it — all that excess cord seems to kink and twirl and constantly be in my way! Is it just me? I still love my DPNs best.

So today marked a new adventure for me: shopping in preparation for cooking a Thanksgiving dinner.

It honestly wasn’t something I thought I’d be doing. I figured for the next several years, Nick and I would still be spending Thanksgiving with our parents, and that I wouldn’t have to figure out this whole turkey-cooking thing. Unfortunately, with our work schedules, there’s no way we’ll be able to make it home for the holiday. But I wasn’t about to have a Thanksgiving without turkey, stuffing, and all the other goodies.

So today I braved the grocery store. Wow. It was pretty much a zoo. The baking aisle was particularly crowded, and pretty much impossible to navigate. I managed to get everything I needed (without being run over by any runaway shopping carts) except corn syrup. For some reason that eluded me. Apparently they were hiding it? I’m going to try a different grocery store (the one I usually shop at) tomorrow though, and I’m sure I’ll find it there.

The whole shopping experience was actually a little bit emotional for me. I guess I always imagined that the first time I’d be cooking my first Thanksgiving dinner, that my mom would be there helping me shop and teaching me what to get and how to prepare it. But I’m on my own. Sometimes I really, really hate living so far from home.

I’m doing a pretty simple turkey-day dinner: a turkey of course (I got a 13-pound one), stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, and crescent rolls. Then I’m planning to make pumpkin pie and chocolate bourbon pecan pie (a new recipe I’ve been dying to try) for dessert. I hope it all turns out well. I’m mostly excited about the pies. I love baking.

On another (random) note, I also picked up a pint of Häagen-Dazs today while I was shopping. Believe it or not, I’ve never in my life tried it. I got the Baily’s Irish Cream flavor. Oh.my.gosh. How the hell did I go through nearly 26 years of life with having never tried this stuff!?

I loved my name. My full name: first, middle and last (maiden) name. It just flowed so well, and was so ME. But I guess that’s only natural when you’ve lived 25 years with that name. I’m really struggling to get used to my new (married) last name.

Case in point: in our office, when there’s a birthday or other special event, a card always gets passed around for everyone to sign. Paper-clipped to the front of the card, there’s always a list of everyones’ names to be checked off as you sign so no one gets missed. Well today a card came around and I signed it. Then I sat, puzzled, trying to locate my name on the checklist. Why was my name not on the list? Then I realized: I was looking at the bottom of the list. My maiden name started with a “W”, so I’ve been looking near the bottom of alphabetical lists for the my whole life. My new last name starts with a “C”, so it’s near the top. I had to laugh out loud at myself.

How long does it take to get used to a new name?!

I’ve only been married just less than 6 weeks, and I only “officially” changed my last name about a week ago (as far as actual legal documentation). But I’m just very uncomfortable with it. It’s not that I dislike my new last name. I just feel entirely disconnected from it. It’s not ME, in the least.

I actually didn’t want to change my last name when I got married. Not for feminist reasons or anything like that — but just because I was so fond of my maiden name. But it was extremely important to my new husband, and therefore it was important to me too. Does every newlywed woman go through this? How long will it take me to get used to this new name? Will there ever come a time when I see my new name written on paper and not think, “Who the heck is that?”

Anyway… exciting yarn news!

I managed to get my hands on some Wollmeise! LOOK! Is that not droolworthy?! And I had a $25 store credit from The Loopy Ewe, so that actually offset the cost quite a bit. I don’t have a particular pattern in mind really. I actually wanted to get Wollmeise sock yarn, but there was none of that to be had, so I snagged up the lace yarn instead. I’m extremely intimidated by knitting lace, though. But I’ve recently faced my fears of sock knitting and cables… so I suppose lace is next? Can anyone recommend a good pattern (a beginner-level lace shawl perhaps) that would be nice to use my lovely new Wollmeise in?

Nick turned 25 today. (Happy birthday, honey!)

He asked for a brown Jeep cake (to match his Jeep CJ-7). So I made one. It’s not too pretty, ha ha, but it’s exactly what he wanted.

We had dinner at Prime 108 in Union Station downtown. Our friend Alan is a chef there. We had sushi and rock shrimp tempura for appetizers. Nick had duck and my mother-in-law and I had fish. Then for dessert they brought out a giant platter with chocolate mousse cake, spiced pear cheesecake, and crème brûlée. Oh. my. gosh! It was all absolutely to die for. I’d never tried crème brûlée before, and I absolutely loved it. The pear cheesecake was amazing too.

Needless to say, no one had room for Jeep cake when we got home.

We did put candles on the cake and sing “Happy Birthday” even though the cake just went back in the box afterwards.

Nick opened his cards. He got a couple giftcards and some money to go shopping with. (’Cause what do you get a guy who doesn’t even know what he wants!?)

Now we’re just hanging out watching the Monday night football game on DVR. (Go Pittsburgh!)

Hopefully Nick had a good birthday. I know his mom and I did!

Today marks 4 weeks since our wedding day. It hardly seems like it’s possible that 4 weeks have passed already.

Nick’s 25th birthday is on Monday. I was at the store tonight getting a birthday card for him and out of nowhere it hit me: I can buy him a card that says “happy birthday to my husband” on it. I actually got misty-eyed at the realization. I felt like an idiot tearing up all alone in the card aisle at Target.

I’m looking forward to this first year together for us. It’s going to be full of special moments like that, I think. Holidays and special occasions take on a whole new meaning now. It’s just lovely.

Nick and I have a house guest at the moment… of the fuzzy, feline variety.

She actually showed up on Erica & Alan’s doorstep on Halloween night. They searched the next day for her owner but had no luck. She wound up at our house because Erica & Alan already have two cats and couldn’t take in a third (apartment complex restrictions). So that’s how she wound up at our house instead. I took her to be checked for a microchip today, but unfortunately she wasn’t chipped either. We’re going to check again with our apartment complex and the local humane society, but if the owner doesn’t turn up, we may just have another furry family member.

And speaking of house guests, Nick’s mom is also flying in to Nashville tomorrow evening. She’ll be staying with us for a few days, so that should be fun too.

The kitty and Gracie-dog are already sleepy and it’s rubbing off, so I’m off to bed. G’night!

I’m currently installing OSX Leopard on my MacBook Pro. W00t! I’m so excited! (I am the domestic geek, after all.)

Today is also an exciting day because this evening marks my first trip to a midnight showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show. I’ve been a fan since high school, but my hometown didn’t do the whole midnight show -thing. So tonight, I finally get the opportunity! I’m going with one of my very best friends, Erica. She a huge RHPS fan too, so it’s sure to be a good time.

I even knitted for the occasion!

I mean, why buy a feather boa when you’ve got eyelash yarn? I used Lion Brand Fun Fur and Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky to knit this up. Originally I’d meant to make the scarf skinnier, but now I’m happy I didn’t because it’s looking like it’s going to be a cold, rainy night. ::shivers:: I also bought iron-on transfer paper for the ink-jet printer, and I made t-shirts for Erica and I too.

The last few splurge-purchases I made online came in the mail yesterday:

I wanted to include both those photos because honestly I was a little disappointed with the hank when I opened the package. The colors didn’t look as vibrant as they had on The Loopy Ewe website. Or, perhaps not so much as “vibrant” — but there’s white spots in the middle of areas that should be dyed. But after I wound the yarn into a center-pull ball, I perked up — it looks much prettier! This yarn is definitely going to be socks for ME. Hehe.

I also finally broke down and bought some sock blockers (also from The Loopy Ewe).

WOW what a difference they make in the way the socks look. I’m definitely photographing my socks on blockers from now on. And I’m also definitely taking the time to block socks before I give them as gifts. They look SO much better this way. I think I’m going to order a size large in the sock blockers as well because all my friends and family seem to fit into one of those two sizes. The neat part is — the blockers are so cute and beautifully finished that they’re decorative as well! They have little holes at the top to hang (which I intend on doing as soon as I find some nails long enough). Fun!

My knitting hasn’t been especially successful the last couple of days. I think I mentioned that I cast on Cherie Amour twice and frogged it twice. Lace apparently just isn’t my friend.

Then last night I cast on a new pair of socks for my mom. I had planned on making her two pairs for her birthday in two different styles. I’d finished the first sock for the first pair, and I figured I’d start the first sock for the second pair, so I could switch back and forth when I got bored looking at one color/pattern. I got about 20 rows into it and didn’t like the way the yarn was looking in the pattern I’d chosen (a lacy pattern again) so I frogged it too. UGH. I went back to knitting the second sock for the first pair instead. That, thankfully, went well.

I guess maybe I wasn’t meant to have more than one project on my needles at a time.

It’s official! We’re married!

Nick and I tied the knot on Saturday, October 6th. The day went flawlessly. All the craziness and stressful planning paid off several times over. The ceremony was beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever smiled as much as I did when I walked down the aisle, arm-in-arm with my father, and saw all the faces of our loved-ones in the pews. And then seeing Nick — it was the most emotional moment I’ve ever felt. The reception was SO much fun too. (I hope all our guests had as much fun as we did!)

My favorite part of the day had to be the horse-drawn carriage ride. It was great because it was just Nick and I snuggled together in the carriage. It gave us some private moments between the ceremony and the reception to just glow and bask in the idea that we had finally become man and wife. It was also amazing because as we rode all over downtown Erie, people cheered, waved, and yelled “congratulations” to us. Kids hung out of car windows to wave. As we rode passed the Star 104 radio station, they turned on their outdoor loud speaker to shout their well-wishes. It was so neat — complete strangers offering such kindness.

Believe it or not, I spent the week prior to the wedding finishing up a “Fill a Coffee Mug”-swap for Craftster. It was my first ever swap, and it really helped me keep my sanity! I didn’t get a chance to photograph my swap items, but my swap partner posted some great photos on her Flickr here.

I’m starting a sock knitting class at The Neighborhood Knit (blog) shop on Tuesday. They have a nifty “Sock Club” going on, and I signed up for it before we left for the wedding and honeymoon. As part of the class, we got copies of the new Cat Bordhi book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book One.

In preparation for Tuesday’s class, we had to knit the two pairs of practice socks from the book. The first sock is a top-down baby sock, and the second is a toe-up baby sock.

I had to warn Nick right away that I wasn’t knitting baby socks because I’ve got a case of baby-rabies or anything! Just because we’re married doesn’t mean I’m itching to start a family (yet!). Ha ha.

Anyway, I knitted the top-down socks (pictured) first. I used size 3 DPNs and Adriafil Knitcol yarn (colorway #43). I screwed up and left out a couple rows in the first sock, so they wound up being two different sizes. (DUH.) But it was just for practice, so I wasn’t too concerned about it. (Besides, it still looked pretty good on Gracie!)

I knit the first toe-up sock last night, and I cast on the second one this morning. I’ve never knitted toe-up before. At first I was going to attempt to do it via the Magic Loop method (because that’s what we’ll be doing in our class) — however, learning two new techniques/styles (toe-up and Magic Loop) all at once was just too hard, so I switched back to my trusty DPNs. I struggled at first with the figure-8 cast on but once I got the idea of it, it turned out to be really easy! I actually like the toe-up method quite a lot: it seems like you get a better idea of what your sock is shaping up to look like.

For our sock class, we’re going to be knitting the Lola Walking Rib Socks pattern. I’m anxious to learn the Magic Loop method. The ladies at the LYS swear by it, saying its much fater than using DPNs. I just hope I can catch on to it!

Finally on Sunday, I finished my craft studio.

Well… okay, technically it still needs curtains and some other “finishing touches”, but for the most part, it’s done. It’s definitely a space I can work in, at long last.

It’s pretty impressive: I managed to fit all of my sewing, scrapbooking, embroidery, knitting, and other craft supplies into one room, along with my computer stuff, my books, my ferrets, my hamster, and two small aquariums… and there’s still space to work!

I sat in there last night chatting on AIM with Erica and finishing up my Harry Potter Gryiffindor scarf. I could seriously just stay in that room forever. I love it so much — it’s so “me” and everything is in perfect order and right where I want it. It really makes me giddy.

I actually finished the HP scarf last night, all except the fringe. I hand-washed it and laid it out on my cutting table to dry today while I’m at work. Hopefully I can finish it up (and take photos) tonight.