I just noticed Marney's comment below, and had to respond because I wasn't that clear when I posted yesterday. I am not worried that the bridesmaid tops will be see-through. I'm worried because the person at the store commented on the thinness of the yarn and now I am afraid it will take longer than I expect to knit the tops and I won't finish them on time. Yeah yeah, I know - if I start now it definitely won't be a problem. Bleah.

No knitting last night and my hand feels better. That's a relief. I'll just try not to do another marathon of three hours with no break on that heavy cotton yarn.

We're still going to go look at cars tomorrow, I think, even though we're not 100% certain of whether we'll buy this weekend or wait until we have the cash from the apartment sale (another month). It's more a question of seeing how much of a difference it makes to pay cash vs. finance. I have car lust so badly.

I also have packing fear. I just dread the whole moving process. Ryan is going to move his stuff on the 12th and I will move mine on the 13th, to make it a little easier. But it's going to suck to have to pack five years of accumulated stuff. I am trying to get rid of as much as I can, of course. But if you've moved, you know it's not so easy.

In wedding news, I won a tiara on eBay! I can't believe I found one there I liked so much, but I did. I have seen tiaras from this specific maker for as much as $250, so I did really well at $66! Ryan's already seen it (I couldn't resist showing it to him) so I can just post it here.



Four more days at work and I am so unmotivated. The client is being a super-idiot, so I am so glad to be getting out of this mess soon!

My caramel lady apples were such a hit at the Halloween lunch! Some people couldn't believe I made them myself. I must say I packaged them very cutely. Someone took some digital pics (I forgot my camera) so if I can, I'll post one when I get it. I am now in a serious food coma.

I just got off the phone with someone at Artfibers and she sort of made me nervous about knitting the bridesmaid tops. Mostly because she said something about how thin the yarn is, and that she's making her stuff out of it on a machine. I hope I haven't gotten in over my head, because topless bridesmaids would be very out of tune with the style of wedding I am planning. I guess I'll have a better idea after I start the first one. Oh come on, they're sleeveless - how bad could it be?!

My left hand/wrist hurts more today than it did yesterday. Well, maybe not more, but equal. Yuk. Too much knitting and too much sitting at the computer, I suppose. I'm sure it will ease up if I do.

So, this is kinda fun - a girl on The Knot saw a post on their message boards where I was talking about knitting the bridesmaid tank tops, and she asked if she could pay me to knit her a shrug to go with her wedding gown. How amusing! Her wedding is in September out on the beach in the Hamptons, which sounds really lovely. I told her I'd be happy to, and if I can't, I'm sure I can find her someone who can. She seems really nice, and I think she may come down to Stitch-n-Bitch one of these days, even, as she has expressed an interest in learning to knit. Apparently she already crochets, so I bet she'd be easy to teach.

The car-lust is growing daily. We may go back out there this weekend. I think it's fueled even more by Dad's new car excitement - they are taking delivery today. And then Leanne told me she and Glen are about to buy her a new car. It seems the thing to do right now! We'll see what kind of deals we can find and work from there.

Today's the Halloween party at work and I brought my caramel lady apples. They are so cute! I wrapped them in a little cellophane gift bag and tied it with a raffia bow. Should have remembered to bring my camera today. Silly me. We are going to have way too much food, and that's a good thing, I think. Plus, it's an hour or so we don't have to work! Yay! Happy Halloweenie, everybody!

I miraculously made it to Stitch-n-Bitch last night, and even got to sit next to Jackie, who I hadn't gotten to really talk to in weeks! We both arrived there very early, and thus got prime sofa seating. It was another huge turnout, with the group eventually taking over both sets of sofas in the back of the cafe. I finally got to see Marney's fabulous new haircut, and I was pleased to see Liz, who is growing her hair by default at the moment. Deb W. showed up a little later with the most adorable pictures of Ryan and Alix, her daughter, along with a few good ones of me and the boy from our trip to the beach club back in August.

Unfortunately, I have a sore hand today, and I think it is from knitting with the thick cotton yarn. Ever since my marathon "Moo" knitting day (half a baby blanket in one day) my hand has gotten sore when I knit too long, mostly with cotton yarn. I think it's because of the lack of "give" in the yarn - it forces me to maintain too much tension in my left hand. I suppose I could try using my right hand to hold the yarn and "throwing" for a while, but I just don't feel comfy that way. I'll see if it continues or not.

Something tells me most of my aches and pains would go away if I would just get my ass back to the gym. But now in the midst of moving preparations, it is so not going to happen. There is a New York Sports Club about five blocks from our new apartment, so I think I'll be letting my Crunch membership lapse when it is up in January.The end of an era.

So many things feel like that now that I am moving and getting married. It's a good thing, don't get me wrong - it's just such a major change. No more Manhattan lifestyle. No more cramming things into my studio apartment (now I get to cram them into a bigger apartment). As excited as I am for all the days to come, there is a twinge of sadness that feels like I am losing a little part of my identity. I never expected I'd feel this way - I love Ryan with all my heart and I want to marry him equally as much. Apparently, I am not alone in being excited for this but still a little melancholy about letting some stuff go. I actually got a book that covers this very subject very nicely and emphasizes that it's very common for women marrying "later" to feel this way.

While I'm on this subject, thanks to all of you who actually read this blog even when it's not about cool knitting stuff. It's nice to have friends riding the rollercoaster with me!

I am such a dork. I thought Halloween was tomorrow! We're having a party here at work, and I am making Caramel Lady Apples, so I set to making them last night, thinking it was my only opportunity. The first batch (1 dozen) stuck to the waxed paper, and I nearly went ballistic, thinking I'd have to miss Stitch-n-Bitch again tonight in order to make a fresh one. Boy was it a pleasant surprise when I watched the weather this morning on TV and saw the little jack o' lantern on Thursday rather than Wednesday! I can buy more heavy cream tonight and make another batch tomorrow. Yay!

I think that little anecdote illustrates how crazed I've been over the past few weeks. I am normally very aware of the date, time, etc. But with so much going on, it's started to get away from me. I guess moving and getting a new job while in the midst of planning a wedding will do that to ya.

This weekend was fun and mellow. Spent some good time with my bro before he went back to San Francisco, and then went car shopping on Sunday. We're looking at buying a "gently used" Honda Civic. Probably a '99 or thereabouts. We test drove an older one and it was better than either of us expected, which was a nice change of pace. We had a lot of conversation about buying or leasing, whether we should get something newer or nicer, etc. But it really seems that if we are going to park this sucker on the street in Brooklyn, no matter how nice the neighborhood is, we shouldn't go for a brand-new fancy-schmancy car. I don't want to cry when it inevitably gets scratched. And since there seem to be lots of good deals on cars that are just a couple of years old, this seems like a good move.

I cannot wait to get that car. Whatever car it turns out to be. After growing up in the 'burbs, living in the city without a car was fun at first. The subway was novel. Taking the train out of town was novel. "Leave the driving to us!" Hmm, that was Greyhound. "All Aboard Amtrak!" Yeah, I think that's their slogan. Anyway, now that so many friends live out of the city, and I've gone eight years without a car, I am so ready to have one again. Our marathon trip home from Wendy's housewarming party (should've been 1.5 hours door to door, turned into 3) was even more fuel on that fire. So, after we close and get the money from the sale of Ryan's apartment, we are going to use some of that to buy a car. Yippee!!

I actually have something to work on at Stitch-n-Bitch tonight. That scarf I was making over the weekend is about twice as long as in the photo, and I totally love it. It's soft and pretty and squishy, and I like the random garter stitch texture. It's also nice and mindless so I can catch up with everybody. After the scarf, I have to start Kristy's bridesmaid top. I want it finished when we go there for Christmas. I also want to make Kate's oh-so-comfy-looking Top Secret sweater for myself, using the Gedifra Dandy (colorway #45) I bought on eBay last Spring. But I am going to force myself to hold off until I finish the Kristy tank. You heard me say it - if I don't do it, feel free to yell at me!