We often feel like we really know each other through our blogs and yet most of us have never met face to face. And, really, when you make friends you have them over to your house. You show them your stuff and you sit and chat. Since you can’t all come over to my house, we’re going to try it this way. I is for Inside My House.
Hope you like the looks of things!

This is my kitchen. We did this about 9 years ago and I still love it. While I’d like to replace the countertop with granite, I do love the green color of the formica.

The bay window lets in lots of light and air as all three windows open. And that kitchen table belonged to Dale’s grandmother. I roll out my pie crusts here and feed my family. And I like to think of Dale’s grandmother hovering over and making sure I’m doing it all right.

The dining room is central to most of our other rooms. The kitchen, living room, bathroom (only one, sadly), mud room and computer room are all off the dining room. The table and hutch belonged to my nana and it’s Rock Maple. Heavy stuff, that. And not really my style but I’m stuck with it.

Yes, I made the quilt on the table. That’s actually the backside but I like to flip it over now and again for a bit of variety. And the piano mostly just sits there looking pretty but I can play.

The living room is where we all hang out to watch television. It’s also where most of the knitting and spinning goes on! That big Longaberger basket under the coffee table holds my current knitting projects!

The wood stove keeps up cozy and warm and the artwork is mostly by family members.

So, here’s the bedroom. We searched high and low for that wrought iron bed and finally found it at L.L. Bean about 2 years ago. It’s one of my favorite pieces of furniture that we’ve bought. I made the quilt. And the drapes, too, because it’s so much cheaper to make them than buy them.

There are other rooms, of course. Three bedrooms upstairs and the office which we recently wallpapered. But, I’m not showing you that until it’s finished and we’re not quite there yet – we still need a rug and a curtain.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tour of Maison Carole Knits. My house is old! The rooms are small and the walls and floors aren’t very straight. But it’s cozy and safe and there’s lots of love inside those rooms. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, I sure hope you’ll stop by fer real!

I finally figured out a way to get paid for my spinning! Have a spinning program at the library. Hee.

Okay, so technically I wasn’t getting paid for spinning, but I have instituted monthly spinning get-togethers at the public library where I work. You see, there’s a spinning guild that meets in the next town over and the president of the guild is none other than my friend Maggie. The guild has monthly meetings but they don’t always have the space available to spin at their meetings. So, Maggie and I put our heads together and came up with the idea that the guild would sponsor a monthly spinning meeting at the library. It’s open to anyone who wants to attend, not just guild members. And, because it’s at the public library, it’s free. Woot.

Monday night was our first meeting and there were 5 of us and I was thrilled. Of course Blogless Sharon was in attendance, plus two guild members, and my buddy Martha. I felt funny taking a picture with the other spinners there but after they left I took this one of Sharon and Martha.

We had a really great evening spinning and chatting. I always learn something when I watch other spinners and that’s one of the real benefits of spinning groups. Plus, it’s just so much fun to spin with friends!

We’ll be meeting again in a month. If you’re in the area and want to join us, just let me know and I’ll email you the particulars. The more, the merrier, I always say!

I hate to be a pain in the ass and repost this but I just want to see if Bloglines (grrr) actually picks up this feed.

My blog is back. Thank goodness! I’ve felt like a fish out of water all morning. Thanks to everyone that inquired about the well-being of Carole Knits. I’m touched that you were worried about me! We now return to our regularly scheduled blog post.

Have you seen this handwriting meme? I saw it first at Mim’s but I’ve since seen it a few other places. And, when there’s nothing much to say a meme is certainly useful.

Here’s what you do: Write a pangram on a piece of paper, sign your first name, take a photo of it and post it on your blog.

I never realized there were so many different pangrams and I couldn’t decide which one to use, so I did two.

The traditional pangram:

The more Carole-like pangram:

I wish I knew how to analyze handwriting! I’m sure mine says that I’m smart, charming and witty. What does your handwriting say about you?

And, finally, anyone want to take a guess as to why this was in my office on Monday?

Details tomorrow.

Well, well, well. All that advice about ditching the wallpaper and going to WEBS? Nice. Very nice. Too bad WEBS was already sold out. However, after reading the post and the comments, Dale offered to drive me out to Grafton on Friday night. Who knew the blog could be a tool for marital communication?

So, off we went to Grafton. We arrived at Classic Yarns at almost the same time as Judy and Cindy. Dale doesn’t know either of them but they were both waving to him from their car. He turned to me and said, “Ummm, I think those might be friends of yours over there.” And Judy told him, when I introduced them, that they recognized him from the blog. It always cracks me up how we “know” each other before we actually meet face to face. Laurie was also already at the shop – she snuck up behind me and gave me a big ole hug. Sandy and Claudia arrived shortly and we all ducked out for a quick visit with Stephanie, Linda Roghaar and her mister, before Steph had to give her talk.

The yarn shop was exceedingly small and packed to the gills with knitters and bloggers.

I hung in the back, allowing those who didn’t know the guest of honor, to move to the front to hear her speak. Besides, there was too much knitting and gossiping and planning going on in the back of the store. I didn’t want to miss out on any of that! While I was hanging out, Cece told me that the plug I gave for sponsoring here in the Breast Cancer 3 Day had gotten her some sponsors. But, she could always use more. Just saying.

I was so happy to see Mamacate and Marcy! I know we’ve discussed Cate’s status as my spinning wheel pimp, and it’s still true. But all I can say is that I’d better stay away from Marcy. I’ll have to move to a bigger house to make room for all the wheels she wants me to buy.

After the yarn shop there was dinner with a whole gaggle of knit bloggers.

left to right, Cate, Stitchy, Wendy, Jackie

The Boston girls were there in full force – Stitchy, Wendy, Jackie, Maryse and Kellee. Both Kate and Kristen had driven down from Maine and Kat had driven down from New Hampshire. Theresa was there, too. And Maryse’s husband Joe really does exist because he was there. Until we scared him off, anyway. Special thanks go out to Amy Sue who hooked us up with a fantastic spot for dinner! I understand the margaritas were excellent but I stick to my usual martinis.

We didn’t get home until after midnight but it was worth it! The rest of the weekend was all about painting and wallpapering but letting those things slide for a gathering of friends was definitely the right thing to do.

I know, I know, it’s only been a week since the last Good, Bad & Ugly post but, honestly, other than Good, Bad, & Ugly, I’ve got nothing. Nada. And I’m too cranky to try and come up with something else that’s clever or witty or even remotely entertaining. So, this is what you’re getting. Sorry.

Good: Hannah is home from New York. She had a wonderful time and was bursting with stuff to tell us. Thanks again for all your encouraging words of support during this little trip. Feel free to tell me all of your school trip horror stories now.
Bad: The boy that liked Hannah apparently doesn’t like her anymore. (While this is a bad thing to Hannah, I can’t help but be relieved. Sorry, Hannah.)
Ugly: Hannah called her sister, Jessica, to discuss the woes related to the boy. Not me. Her mother. And I’m sure this is just the start of things she won’t talk to me about. Waaah.

Good: Wicked. It was wicked good. If you live in the Boston area and you can get your hands on some tickets – GO.
Bad: People bringing children to see this show. While it may be the untold story of the Witches of Oz, and therefore loosely based on The Wizard of Oz, this is not a performance intended for children.

Good: The second wedding of one of my dearest friends. Linda, the bride, and Tracy, the other woman in this photo, and I have been friends since high school. Linda’s first husband was a real ass and I’m so happy she’s found a wonderful guy for her second go.

Good: Blue Cross approved a Zyrtec prescription for me.
Bad: The paperwork hasn’t come through yet so I still don’t have allergy relief.

Good: Mim’s Seraphim Shawl pattern. It’s easy but very pretty.
Bad: Running out of yarn. This is my own fault for not using the recommended yarn weight but it’s still a bad thing.
Ugly: While Robyn at Red Bird Knits is able to get the yarn for me, it’s going to take 4 weeks or more. And, of course, this will make my $45 shawl a $90 shawl.

Good: To Do Lists. I love To Do Lists. I love finishing something and crossing it off. The sense of accomplishment I get at that moment makes me giddy.
Bad: Honey Do Lists. These are the lists I give to the hubbo for him to accomplish. The things on these lists generally get started but not often finished. Or, at least not finished according to my time frame.
Ugly: My reaction to the unfinished Honey Do Lists. You see, the major item on the list is to paint and wallpaper the room that we reorganized a few months ago. Painting is Dale’s thing but wallpapering is something we need to do together. However, Dale is behind schedule and the room isn’t ready for wallpaper yet. This means that I won’t be able to go to WEBS on Saturday and see Stephanie. Shouldn’t it also mean that Dale doesn’t get to go to a Civil War monument re-dedication on Friday? Shouldn’t both worker bees have to make sacrifices for the cause? You’d be correct if you surmised that this is the cause of my previously mentioned crankiness.

Good: Because I must end on a good note, some sky for Sandy.

Have you seen the contest that Kat is having? You are supposed to list 5 places you have knit other than your own house or a yarn shop. Want to know something really funny? I’ve never actually knit in a yarn shop.

But I have knit loads of other places and narrowing it down to 5 was tricky. Here’s my list.
1. At the top of a lighthouse on Martha’s Vineyard. I also knit on the ferry going to and from Martha’s Vineyard.
2. At the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four.
3. At Wicked.
4. At the Public Library Association Annual Conference.
5. On the Gettysburg Battlefield.

That list doesn’t include all the times I’ve knit at the library, at the beach, in the car, on the subway, at parties and nightclubs and outdoor concerts, in restaurants and bars, in the pool (that’s a tricky one) and at reenactments. If I’m there, so is the knitting because I don’t leave home without it.

None of these places are particularly unusual places to be knitting, are they? I think it would be interesting to know where you wouldn’t knit. Where do you draw the line and say, unh uh, can’t knit here. I guess I’d have to say that I wouldn’t knit at a funeral. What about you guys?

Thank you all so much for the good travel vibes for Hannah. It means more than I can say – really. I talked to her late yesterday afternoon and she is having a ball. She had been to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty and was getting ready to go to Phantom of the Opera. I feel much better knowing she has arrived safely. Now I just have to worry about what she’ll do while she’s there. Oy.

I honestly did spend the whole day knitting yesterday but I have no pictures to show you. I’m chugging forward on the Seraphim Shawl and the endless stockinette part is finally over. I’m about 1/3 of the way through chart 2 and now I’m worrying that I might not have enough yarn. I’ve gotten in touch with Robyn at Red Bird Knits and she has assured me that she can special order a skein of Fleece Artist Silk Stream in Rosey for me but the lead time is four to six weeks. So, I may not be finishing this shawl as soon as I had hoped. I’m just so anxious to either run out of yarn or finish, you know?

I can’t give you a post without at least a picture or two, so here’s the latest from Ambrynn.

Isn’t she gorgeous? And she’s starting to like me, I think. We sat on a blanket in the backyard last Friday afternoon and she kept smiling at me and she even let me hold her. Then, when they were getting ready to leave, I was waving to her with both hands and she reached her little arms right out to me. Of course I snatched her away from her mom for a nice little snuggle!

Good stuff, that. I think I might need to knit something for the little cutie. Any suggestions?

My baby is on a bus to New York City. She left this morning at 5 am with the History Club from school. She’s going to see West Point and The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and Ground Zero and the musical Phantom of the Opera. And probably a gazillion other things she’s never seen in her life.

Now, I am a very practical mother. I don’t get overly sentimental about things and, while I love my child fiercely, I’m used to her going away on vacation with other people. So how come I keep seeing this face in my mind?

And how come, the minute she left, after I gave her all my last minute advice about being careful with her money and staying with the group and paying attention and not kissing any boys, how come a million other things I should have told her started playing in my head? Things like, call me when you get there and don’t talk to strangers and wear a shirt over the skimpy bikini you talked me into buying because there’s a pool at the hotel. Sigh.

I’m sure she’ll be fine but, Betty? And Juno? And Cassie? You guys know me so could you do me a favor and keep an eye out for her? If you see her, stick some yarn in her hand and get her back on that bus, please.

I took this picture last Thursday when we went to see Wicked (which was wicked good, by the way) so this is what she looks like right now.

Kind of like me only younger and thinner and prettier. And everyone else, would you send good, safe thoughts in her general direction? Those of you who have kids young enough to know where they are every minute, enjoy it while it lasts. Because before you know it, they’ll be on a bus going somewhere without you. And you’ll be at home, knitting furiously, trying to stay calm about the whole thing.

Good: The newly created, thanks to Susan and Teri, DeStash Blog. You can post the yarns, books and fiber you no longer want and sell it to others.

Bad: The temptation to buy yarn, books and fiber that I don’t actually need!
Ugly: Being too late for a couple of items I really would have bought.

Good: Health insurance with prescription coverage.
Bad: Prescription coverage that doesn’t cover Zyrtec – the one medicine that consistently relieves my seasonal allergies.
Ugly: The headache I get when I don’t get to take the medicine that helps my seasonal allergies.

Good: We get Panera for lunch every Friday here at the library. It’s something we all look forward to for the end of the work week. We especially like their soups.
Bad: Our particular Panera does not adhere to the soup schedule. There’s one soup that we all really love and it’s seasonal. So, of course, everyone gets excited when we see it on the website. And then we call to order lunch and find out that they don’t have it. What’s the point of having a soup schedule if you’re just going to serve soup all willy-nilly? I mean, really.
Ugly: The reactions of some of the library staff when they are told the soup they want isn’t available. I’m telling you, it can be downright violent around here when that happens!

All I’ve got left are goods, isn’t that great?

Good: Hand dyed sock yarn from a friend. That’s not just good, that’s awesome!

Good: 91 knitters signed up to make a pink square for little Grace. When we pull it together, we really pull it together!

Good: Cece is participating in the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk. Good for her! And good for you because you can go here and support her.

Good: Winning the photo caption contest at Mason Dixon Knitting. I’ll be getting a signed copy of the book AND a dishrag kit. Doesn’t get any gooder than that, really.

Allow me to present a Project Spectrum: April post. Lots of pictures, very few words. Because, frankly, the pictures speak for themselves!

Jessica’s socks. Modeled by Jessica.

How convenient that the yellow and orange daffodils are in bloom right now!

A close up. These are right back my back door and I just love having them there!

And look at this one with the bright orange cup! I think daffodils are stunning in their simplicity.

I made this wall hanging several years ago and it hangs in my office at work – on a yellow wall.

This just came yesterday from Mama-E. Since the other sock yarn is Cheez Whiz, this must be Velveeta!

Ahhh. Orange fiber, drafted and ready to be spun. Don’t you just want to reach out and pet it?

In no time at all, that orange fiber was turned into orange singles.

And, then, of course, the orange singles were plied and become orange yarn.

That’s all the yellow and orange that’s fit to print. Orange you glad you stopped by today?