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January 30, 2009

Sick...AGAIN!

I'm living in a freaking petri dish. Yesterday, at the doctor's office, he was positively gleeful when talking about new parents and their illnesses. He even had the gall to say to me see you next week.

This week it's fever and a cough which overnight turned into a cold. (It came on exactly two weeks after I spent twenty-four hours puking.) I feel gross. So far no one else has it and I totally blame the little girl in our music class who wouldn't stop sitting in my lap earlier this week. Actually, I don't blame her, I blame her freaking mother. The little girl (no more than 2 - probably more like 18 months) was obviously attracted by the baby, but she wouldn't stay away from us. She kept trying to sit in my lap, whereby sitting ON Meli and I kept trying to deflect without seeming mean. And she must have sneezed on us a million times. I totally threw myself in front of the sneezes as much as I could. After class I wiped Meli down in hopes of sparing her.

Where was the girl's mother you ask? On the other side of the room. Sure, once or twice she came over to collect her daughter, but mostly she just let her roam. I'm all for the kids walking around and dancing and socializing - it's encouraged and expected. But when you see your kid bordering on harassment - and in the case of my baby - possibly doing harm - GET OFF YOUR ASS AND DO SOMETHING. If your little girl's not going to sit down (which is FINE) then it's your responsibility to get up and walk WITH HER.

In other news, slowly I've managed to knit enough on my sweater where it's time to split for the back and the fronts. Not sure how that happened. Guess those at least two rows a day turned into lots. Last night I took out the pattern and remeasured my swatch and it's not as perfect as it was the first time, but I'm going to ignore that. Also the idea that I had to do math made my fever come back and my head ache even more. I hate math.

One of these days I'll take a picture. Right now I just want to feel better.

Posted by Cara at 08:58 AM | Comments (31)

January 27, 2009

Queen of the Supermarket

Today is a very bittersweet day. Bruce dropped a new one. I love this song and really like this song and I'm still feeling out the rest of the album. It's hard when you alternate between kid's stuff. Lately the kid's stuff has been taking over the car. Meli has a hard time transitioning (from my arms to the stroller, from the stroller to the car seat, from the car seat to the stroller, etc.) When I put her CD on from our music class she instantly calms down.

And Bruce is on tour. Excellent. The last concert we saw was so fucking fantastic I still dream about it.

Anyway, I finally had a few minutes to get on the computer and I see that John Updike has died. I can't tell you how sad this makes me. Harry Angstrom may be my greatest literary crush and I will always remember the summer I read all four Rabbit books with great fondness. (Rabbit, Run and Rabbit at Rest are my faves.) It will always make me a little bit sad that I can't read them again for the first time. You know what I mean? I always looked forward to Updike's inevitable next book - no matter how crappy it might be. Anyone who could write Rabbit could write another masterpiece, no? So I'm sad.

I'm also knitting. A lot. I've done very well with my sweater and I started a sock. My goals now include at least two rows on the sweater and at least one repeat on the sock. I hope to have pictures soon. Meli has begun crawling at warp speed and everything has become that much more difficult. I'm so tired, but I'm feeling okay.

Posted by Cara at 09:26 PM | Comments (11)

January 22, 2009

Knittin' It Old School!

The other night I found myself on the couch, next to my (big) baby, watching TV. There was no (little) baby to be found - she was tucked asleep for the night - and the show on TV hadn't been on for two years at least.

I turned to G and said, do you mind if I knit. He got all excited and said, "You HAVE to knit! You always knit when we watch 24!"

People, it was surreal. Me. On the couch. Knitting. Watching 24 with G. I haven't had a night that good in a long time.

I wish I could tell you how many projects I've started and stopped and started since the baby was born. There were a couple of stuffed toys. At least three cardigans for Meli. I still haven't sewn the sleeves on this one. (OMG! Look how little she was!) How pathetic am I? I've got half finished blankets. A million socks. I actually started a gorgeous Aran cardigan this summer - and made it pretty much through the back and cast on for the fronts before I got crazy busy with work. It's kind of pathetic to tell you the truth and when I think about all these cast-aside projects I get really sad.

So what's a knitty girl to do? I cast on for something new. Natch.

When the lastest issue of the Twist Collective came out, I fell in love IMMEDIATELY with a featured yarn. The yarn is used in the pattern Garbo, which isn't really for me, but that gorgeous purple tweed jumped off the screen and BEGGED me to buy it. Of course, I obliged. It's Fiddlesticks Knitting Luscious Tweed in the Amethyst and it's 90% wool and 10% silk. I swatched immediately upon receiving the yarn from The Needle Arts Book Shop, which has great customer service. They send you my absolute FAVORITE rubber stitch markers when you make a purchase over $30, which, let's be honest, you blink your eyes and thirty bucks flies out of your pocket.

I saw the sweater I wanted to knit in my head right away - a nice comfy shawl collar sweater. The yarn reminds me a lot of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed, which I used for this vest, and the tweed and the yarn lend themselves to stockinette. It's kind of slubby, if you know what I mean. I started scouring the internets for patterns, and finally realized that the sweater I really love is my Central Park Hoodie. It fits great and I wear it more than any other hand knit sweater I have. And it was an easy knit. So I decided that a new CPH it will be - only without cables and without hood. I'm doing the body all in one piece, the way I did my CPH and I'm going to leave off the hood and add a shawl collar.

The best parts of this project are that I hit gauge after I washed my swatch and that it's a stockinette sweater that I should be able to knit fairly quickly. The picture I've posted is a bit deceiving - I've already cast on three times (third times the charm!) and knit the 4" of ribbing and a bunch of rows of the body. My goal is to knit at least two rows a day - one knit row, one purl row. Should be doable right? Stayed tuned for more on this project! (And others, I hope!)

There! I blogged about knitting. With a picture and everything and I even got it in before the day was out. Now I have to go try and knit those two rows. Wish me luck!

Posted by Cara at 11:51 PM | Comments (18)

January 21, 2009

Dance Dance Revolution!

I swear to you, come hell or high water, tomorrow's post will be about knitting. For today, though, I have some super cute video of my girl.

For the longest time now, whenever she hears music, Meli shakes her head back and forth. She's kind of got a Stevie Wonder thing going on to be honest. But today, when we were watching the sing-a-long episode of Sesame Street, she started dancing with her whole body! Check out how she works that tush!

Dance! Dance! Dance! from January One on Vimeo.

Meli has also found her tongue - and man - she's not afraid to use it!

KISS! Gene Simmons Wanna Be from January One on Vimeo.

Yes sirree folks, we've got another member of the KISS Army!

Thanks for indulging me - KNITTING TOMORROW!

Posted by Cara at 11:02 PM | Comments (11)

January 20, 2009

Change Over

Today is a brand new day and I'm going to do my best to be positive. So far, I've had a little trouble, but I'm hoping to be struck by inspiration in a couple of hours.

Today is also the perfect day for the Shehecheyanu:

Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-noy Elo-heinu Me-lech Ha-olom She-he-che-yanu Ve-kee-ya-manu Ve-hi-gee-ya-nu Liz-man Ha-zeh

Blessed are You, our God, Creator of time and space,
who has supported us, protected us, and brought us to this moment.

May today bring inspiration and hope and a more positive outlook for all of us.

Posted by Cara at 09:56 AM | Comments (13)

January 19, 2009

Blue Monday

I read this and was like, huh. It all makes sense now.

Meli and I arrived home yesterday and apparently brought the plague with us, as G took ill last night. So none of the fun things we were going to do today got done. We did go to music class, and that was good, but Daddy couldn't come with us. And my errands were pretty much a bust. Not to mention there was a fender bender literally every two miles.

I'm in a rotten mood, but I'm home. And I'm not leaving. I might even knit a little bit.

Hope your day is better.

Posted by Cara at 02:45 PM | Comments (10)

January 16, 2009

Ugh 3.0

Spoke to soon. The day got worse - much worse. A couple of hours after I posted my head was in the bowl and I puked for the greater part of the night. Really I jinxed myself because my sister and I were talking about my having another baby and I told her that I almost wished I would be sick like the last time because I barely gained any weight and it all came right off. She told me to be careful what I wish for.

I don't know how I got through nine months of that. So gross.

The worst is that my littlest nephew woke up with the same thing this morning. It's been ginger ale, cartoons and the sofa all day for us. Thankfully my sister and my mom are helping out with the baby.

Be back when I feel human again.

Posted by Cara at 02:11 PM | Comments (17)

January 15, 2009

Ugh 2.0

Thank you all for your comments, commiserations and counsel. I really appreciate it.

Yesterday was a classically shitty day (no pun intended.) I was the most anxious I've been since I got pregnant, probably because of a nice little trifecta called going off the meds (because I was feeling so freaking good!), exhaustion and PMS. Yeah. PMS. My little friend returned at the 5 month post-partum mark. WHOOHOO for breast feeding on demand!

Anyway, yesterday was crap for me and Miss Meli because it seems she had a bellyache and the accompanying poop problems to go with it. I told you it was a shitty day.

We're also at my sister's through the weekend, and while I brought my laptop, I can't get it to talk to her wireless network. So not a lot of blogging for me.

Today, thankfully, was a much better day. Meli's stomach's been fine all day. Mommy's head seems to be on straight. And we had a lovely day with my sister and her baby at the Philadelphia Please Touch Museum. If you live around Philly and you have young kids - RUN - don't walk. They've moved and completely renovated the museum. It's really spectacular. I recommend it highly. (Even for the young kids - they have areas set apart for kids 3 and under. Meli had a good time!)

The best news I can give you, besides that we're feeling a bit better, is that I'm knitting. I"m really and truly knitting. I'm saving the deets for my fun post, which I hope to have up soon!

Thanks again for all the mom-love!

Posted by Cara at 02:45 PM | Comments (8)

January 13, 2009

Ugh

I was really excited about the post I had planned for today, but then I was putting stuff away in the bedroom and turned my back on the baby for a second. Of course, that was the moment she decided to crawl right off the bed. Alas I wasn't able to really catch her. (In the horror movie I have playing in my mind over and over again, I caught a little bit of arm.)

She is fine. Absolutely fine. Just as cranky as she was before she fell.

I, though, feel like the most horrible mother in the universe. You can rest assured that I cried almost as hard as she did - and about ten minutes longer.

My happy fun post will wait for tomorrow.

Posted by Cara at 09:29 PM | Comments (81)

January 12, 2009

Let's Try This Again!

I've only heard from one winner, so here's another way to go. Please look for your name and your blog or the first part of your email address (the one you left in your comment.) If you see yourself, please check your spam filter or leave a comment and let me know who you are! THANK YOU!

Kate (tntkate)
Rebekkah (bowerbirdknits)
Melissa (melliska)
Roby (crobyb)

For those of you that didn't win, January One, G-Rocks and Never On Sunday are all available for sale now on the Blue Moon website. Also, I recently bought some new camera equipment, so here are some new shots of my girl. Notice the two bottom teeth, nice and sharp.

Thanks for reading. I hope to be back with a knitting post soon. Like maybe even tomorrow.

Posted by Cara at 09:31 PM | Comments (27)

January 09, 2009

You win some, you lose some

And some of you have definitely WON! Please check your email - don't forget your SPAM filters!

The winning numbers were:

Grand Prize Winners
908
340

Single Skein Winners
441
82
422

Thank you all for playing! I will announce the names of the winners as soon as I hear back from all of them. And I will try to do my limited skills analysis - it might take me awhile - but I think there's some interesting stuff in those comments!

In other news, the baby has decided that she likes to take a quick nap anywhere between 6:30 and 7:30. Which is fine - I get some time to myself - always appreciated - but she doesn't sleep long and then I can't get her to go to sleep for the night until somewhere between 11 and 12. The evening nap isn't really long enough for me to get anything done and then she goes to bed so late I don't get anything done at night either. It's frustrating. Yesterday I was trying to keep her awake but she was so cranky and practically just fell asleep anyway that I couldn't keep her up. She did manage to go to sleep for the night at around 10:30 - but then I did too. (Of course then I was up at 6:30 unable to go back to sleep!)

We're doing a trial of a new (to us) class today at The Little Gym. My sister's kids have all taken classes there forever and I've been to a bunch of them. When they opened one close to us I jokingly told myself that now I could have a kid. And here we are. Monday we start up our music classes again. I think Meli's really going to love it and it gets us out of the house. Winter is hard.

I still haven't measured those swatches. Maybe I can do it now - the baby's still asleep....

Posted by Cara at 07:54 AM | Comments (13)

January 07, 2009

915

After going through all the emails, deleting the dupes and the Russians, there are 915 entries for the contest. 915. That's a new record, folks! WOW! Thank you all for participating!

As I was going through the entries, I thought wouldn't it be cool to analyze the results? 915 is a pretty good sample, no? (I don't really know anything about statistics, so this could be way off.) Kind of like the State of the Knit, as based on what we'd all like to do for the next year.

Alas, my laptop temporarily died on me this afternoon. (It's be subsequently resurrected.) I got stuck getting out of the city for FOREVER today. Due to some more technical glitches G and I can't be on online on our laptops at the same time. Just to write this post I had to drag myself out of bed and get on the desktop. So, anyway, I used my alone time today to get through the emails but Miss Meli started calling before I could pick the winners. Hopefully tomorrow - pray for naps. Meanwhile, I have some swatches that I washed DAYS ago that I haven't had a chance to count and I was going to cast on for a new sweater today. Sorry to be a bummer.

Oh and here's one piece of analysis paralysis I can share with you: No one, not one of the 915 people who entered the contest, said their goal for 2009 was to knit less.

Chew on that one awhile, why don't ya.

Posted by Cara at 11:46 PM | Comments (14)

January 06, 2009

KnitPeace

Read what my beautiful friend has to say, then come back. Go. I'll wait.

I've been thinking a lot about what Tina wrote and maybe it's selfish, but the peace I've always wanted more than anything is peace of mind. Living with anxiety as long as I have, internal peace always seemed so fleeting. Every year it's getting better and better as I get older and my life changes and I learn to accept myself and the world around me. Giving up control is a huge part of it - at least for me. Adjusting expectations. And just knowing that it's okay to fail sometimes.

What's this got to do with knitting? Just everything. I've talked about this before, but I think knitting has taken me far in my quest for peace of mind. When I'm involved in a project, it soothes my monkey mind and carries me away just like a great novel. If I'm anxious, I can pay particular attention to what's in my hands and it distracts me - count those stitches, pay attention to that pattern - let the anxiety flow through my fingers to the needles and out of my body and my mind. Knitting has allowed me to indulge my perfectionist tendencies, but it's also humbled me. Learning when a knit is working and not working has taught me patience and when to just give it up already. There's a reason EZ said to knit through crises - because it WORKS!

So I knit and I find peace and what does that do for the rest of the world? Can one person knitting really bring about world peace? Maybe not. But if I'm centered and balanced and content: AT PEACE, then maybe the way I live my life will somehow rub off on the person annoyed behind me at Macys all pissed off because I have a complicated return. Maybe my inner peace and a conversation about knits will calm an anxious relative waiting at Sloane Kettering. It could be that my daughter will find her own peace at the sound of my needles clicking - mommy's calm, all is right with the world.

Maybe knitters, one at a time, can bring about world peace. I don't know, but I wish it for me and for you and for all of us.

Posted by Cara at 11:28 PM | Comments (22)

January 05, 2009

She's Got Skills, They're Multiplying!

Dayum, you guys have a lot of knitting goals! Keep them coming! The contest is open until Tuesday at 11:59 PM - but remember - leave your comment HERE, not here. Thanks!

Meli gave me a most wonderful (and frightening!) birthday present this week. My sister was up with the kids early in the week and on New Year's Eve, before they left, my oldest nephew started yelling for me, "Aunt Cara, Aunt Cara! Meli can crawl!" I said sure she can!, knowing that she would really just flop onto her belly after being up on her knees for a few seconds. Or she'd do a downward dog type stance with her feet and hands flat on the floor with straight legs. She couldn't really crawl. But he insisted. "Come quick! I taught her how to crawl!" Sure enough, there she was, up on her knees, belly up, one hand in front of the other. "WOW!" I said, "She really is crawling!"

And it's been nonstop since then. In a few short days she's gone from those few tentative creeps, to scattering about like some kind of crab. Or really, honestly, she reminds me of that brother and sister in Turkey who only walk on all fours. That or a lame dog. It's cute, but also kind of creepy (no pun intended.)

For awhile she's been trying to pull up on things, but on the same day she started to crawl, she really mastered the standing up trick. You can barely get her to sit down now! She even lets go and stands for half a second on her own - bascially until she realizes there's nothing there! Add to this clapping, kissing, waving, throwing her hands up in the air to say YAY! or HOORAY! or her favorite: SO BIG! She's literally EXPLODED in the past week!

Lucky for you, I've got video. ;-) Let's go to the tape!

Meli's on the MOVE!! from January One on Vimeo.

In this next one, I promise no babies were harmed during filming!

Strong Girl! from January One on Vimeo.

And finally (because you can never ever have enough!)

Meli's STILL Moving! from January One on Vimeo.

The astute moms among you will no doubt recognize the humongous pile of laundry on the couch. I think we should get points for the fact that it's CLEAN laundry - I just haven't gotten around to folding it yet. It's mostly sheets which, as you all know, are a pain in the ass to fold.

Suffice it to say there will be a helluva lot of baby proofing going on tout de suite. Ah, the joys of parenthood! (I love saying that!!!)

Posted by Cara at 12:05 AM | Comments (40)

January 02, 2009

A Family Affair

Sorry it took me so long to get this together! Meli and I trekked out to LI today for a wonderfully WII visit. Ann got a WII for Xmas and I took my remote and my mii and we all - Annie, Flair, Meli and me - had a blast! Thanks girls! I needed that!

Here's the contest I promised! Tina at Blue Moon gave me a most excellent birthday present! A COLORWAY FOR MELI! It's called NEVER ON SUNDAY and it's beautiful!

Meli's Color: Never On Sunday
Thanks to Tina for the picture!

In honor of this new gorgeous colorway, my beautiful daughter and my lovely friend Tina, I'm going to give away my family of yarn. Two grand prize winners will receive THREE skeins of Lightweight Socks That Rock in the January One, G-Rocks and Never On Sunday colorways!!!

(l) G-Rocks; (r) January One

Three prize winners will receive ONE skein of Lightweight Socks That Rock in Meli's Color, Never On Sunday.

All winners will be selected from the comments by random. Here's how to win:

Leave me a comment (in English - sorry all my Russian commenters!) and tell me one of your knitting goals for the coming year. For instance, my knitting goal for the coming year is to actually knit. One comment per person please. Comments will close at 11:59 PM EST on Tuesday, January 6th. I will announce the winner on Wednesday.

Just so you know - the colors are currently not available on the Blue Moon website, but all three colors will be up there sometime later this month. I'll let you know when they become available. In the meantime, you can try to win them here! Go ahead! Leave your comments!

Thank you!
L, C

Posted by Cara at 11:11 PM | Comments (970)

January 01, 2009

January One

Today I turn 51... I mean 39. But Wii Fit thinks I'm 51. (Apparently I suck at the whole balance test thing because my weight and BMI are within normal. I'm skinnier now than I was before I got pregnant. I think there should be some kind of dispensation for the kid under one....)

Today is my birthday and I'm getting old. My reality is that even though I'm more tired than I've ever been in my life, I feel young too. Maybe the youngest I've felt in a long time.

Age is a very strange bird.

I've read lots of things lately about how 2008 was a very up year and a very down year as well. Amazing highs and super lows and the thing of it is - it was possibly the best year of my life. The most fulfilling year. Certainly the hardest. And on this, the first day of the new year, I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

I'm hoping to post on a regular basis this January. It's a slow month and I feel like I should be able to make the time to get back the blog. It's important to me and there's no better place to start than the new year. I'm going to kick things off tomorrow with a fabulous contest with some prizes you'll only see here! Right now, though, I'm off to play Guitar Hero. I'm telling you, age be damned. I'm just a kid! (And my Wii might be one of the best presents EVER!)

A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOURS FROM ME AND MINE!
THANK YOU FOR READING JANUARY ONE!
L, C

Posted by Cara at 10:26 AM | Comments (105)