Luna de miel

Or, in English, HONEYMOON! It's finally time for our honeymoon, and I am so excited.

You may recall that we had originally planned to get married in early October. When we moved the wedding up to May, we couldn't take a honeymoon immediately after for a couple of reasons: 1) we had no money (because I was unemployed) and 2) Mr Wonderful didn't have a week off from work (because we rescheduled at pretty much the last minute). So we took a "mini-moon" and went up to the Gold Country area for an overnight at a B&B. Mr Wonderful had already requested a week off from work to go on our honeymoon at the originally-scheduled time, and we decided to keep that block of time set aside and hope that we'd be able to go on a real honeymoon when the time came around.

My mom & stepdad then offered us a week at a timeshare in the northern Lake Tahoe area and we happily accepted, so by the time I got a job offer, our honeymoon was already planned. Luckily my new employer was fine with me taking off that week (unpaid, of course, but at least I get to go), and now that time is almost here! This weekend, we're heading off to the great blue lake, to watch the leaves change colors and relax. I'm not even going to bring my computer. If we need a map or restaurant recommendations, I'll have the iPhone with me, but I don't even want to be tempted to check my email or play games on Facebook or anything. Just a week alone with my hubby, and maybe a little knitting or a new book to pass the time when we're not (*ahem*) otherwise engaged. ;-)

I can't wait!

Fresh start

I always love the beginning of the school year. I love the sense of anticipation, the excitement of what the new school year will bring, even though I'm no longer in school.

Back-to-school also means it's time for a new "look" - you get back to school clothes and a fresh haircut for those all-important school photos. Every year around this time I get the urge to change my hair, and this year I'm really going for it. Last night I dyed my hair a dark brown (it was light brown with crappy DIY highlights) and tomorrow I'm going in for a cut. Not just a trim, but a completely new style. I'm tired of the long, slightly layered in front hairstyle I've had for approximately the past 20 years, and it's time to shake things up. I'm planning on letting my stylist do whatever he wants, with the only caveat being that I will not spend any time styling my hair in the morning. I want a wash & wear style, because I don't use anything on my hair that plugs into the wall more than once a month (at the most). Daily blow drying or curling or straightening is just not gonna happen.

It's a bit of a leap of faith, but I'm ready for something new.

The hood of doooooom

You think maybe the hood on this sweater might be a little too big?

The Schuyler Blanket Project

From Ravelry:

The Schuyler Blanket Project began life as The Tammany Blanket Project, as a group of Ravelers came together to provide support for Tammany, a fellow Raveler who lost her baby girl less than an hour after she was born. Members of this group created a blanket for Tammany by making individual squares, providing her with a warm soft hug that she can wrap up in on the bad days.

The original Tammany Blanket is complete, and Tammany herself requested that we carry that mission forward in baby Schuyler’s memory to create blankets for other bereaved families and to provide them with comfort and love. Do you have the time and heart to make a few squares for a blanket that can change a family’s life? Please join us and see how a few hours on your part can bring light and love to a family who is experiencing their darkest hours.

Please visit the Schuyler Blanket Project page on Ravelry, email me directly, or leave a comment on this post if you would like to participate by knitting or crocheting a square for a blanket.

Hood issues, part 2

I finally finished Mr Wonderful's bad-ass cabled hoodie. Only one problem: the hood is large enough for about three heads! I thought it was taking an awfully long time to finish the hood, but the rest of the pattern was so well written that I didn't think much of it. When I finished it and Mr Wonderful tried it on, the error became obvious. I think that instead of three center cable repeats, it should only be two.

*sigh*

I'm going to have to frog it back and re-knit the hood, but I can't face it right now. That sweater has been on my needles for months and I am not ready to pick it up again just yet. So in the meantime, I'm doing something fairly mindless - Rugrat's zip-up skull hoodie. It's mainly stockinette, with a bit of colorwork down at the bottom hem. Once I finish the sweater I'll write up a pattern for it so that others can knit it up if they want to. I'm keeping copious notes on my Rav project page.