I had difficulty posting yesterday, so if you saw an errant post from my show up in your Google Reader then I apologize!

Yesterday I started a brand new journey. I joined an Atlanta bootcamp (www.FitWit.com) and started eating on the paleo “diet.” I say “diet” because it isn’t so much a weight loss diet as it is just a healthy way to eat. I gave up bread, pasta, corn, cheese, milk, and other dairy yesterday. If you follow me on Twitter, you know I was struggling with the milk part. I’ve been a devoted milk-drinker my entire life and saying good-bye was not easy. Thankfully, someone suggested I get almond milk. Sure enough, almond milk is TASTY and good for you. I tried soy milk a few times but found it too grainy.

It’s already been difficult for me to start this new lifestyle, but I have to say, what I was doing before was causing me harm. The main reason I decided to make a change this time was… money. I had some extra cash and I decided that rather than spend it on eating out, going to a movie, or even my beloved yarn that it was time to make a down payment on the rest of my life. I am by no means a rich person, but I knew that if I made a major financial commitment that I would have a harder time backing down.

So here I am, day 2 of bootcamp and I can barely squat to sit down. My shoulders are burning, my ankles are sore, and I’ve never been more proud of myself!

To celebrate, I offer you a great Spring desktop wallpaper. In my neighborhood, the dogwood trees bloomed a week ago and their blossoms are gorgeous as ever. I took a few photos and one in particular is so nice that I want to share it with you and spread some positive energy. To save it as a desktop background, click on the picture below- it will take you to Flickr. Above the photo on the Flickr page there will be a magnifying glass button that says “All Sizes.” Click the button then select “Original.” Then you can right-click (PC) or two-finger-tap (Mac) and choose “Select as Desktop Background.”  Enjoy!

I don’t have much to update about in my life. I seem to have fallen into a rut that includes constant reading and ignoring housework. But at least everything’s going alright- nothing negative to report. Except for the fact the comedic episode yesterday when I bought Jason an iPod, thinking I was surprising him with a fancy schmancy new 5th Gen, 8G do-dad and workout arm-band until he gets his iPhone for Christmas, when his Dad actually gave Jason an old iPod to see him through the end of the year. The girl at the Apple store gave Jason some crap when we returned the iPod and I was grateful. Oh well, there’s $200 back in my wallet to be used for yarn…

But Halloween is coming! I haven’t dressed up for Halloween in two years. My last costume was awesome- at least I thought so! Here I am with my former roommates:

I am both sushi nigiri (the tuna on my head) and and sushi maki (what’s wrapped around my body). I love that costume, but most people couldn’t figure out what I was.

This year I’m attempting my own version of Elphaba from Wicked. Yes, I will actually paint myself green. Jason’s going as Luke Skywalker when he’s training on Dagoba. (I hope I got that right!)

And now for something completely different…

A $15,000 hand-built spaceship on Etsy:

DUDE. Maybe it’s this whole “Balloon Boy” (or “Crawlspace Boy,” as aptly noted by Mo Rocca on Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me) controversy with fake spaceships and what-not, but this thing is INSANITY. It fits 4 adults inside! The seller says it took him 8 months to build and that’s why the price tag is so high. I didn’t know what was missing from my life until I saw this thing. And this guy’s in Georgia- I really could get it! Put some wheels on that baby and you’re cruisin’. This was just too good not to share.

And now I take off for Covington, Georgia to visit my dear friend’s drama class to help with their production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and pretend like I know what I’m doing. It’s 45 minutes from Atlanta, but worth the drive because I get to SING and DANCE and TEACH some high schoolers… for fun, haha. My friend and I were best buds in high school and did theater together for a few years and now she’s a lead drama teacher- very exciting!

Coffee? Check. Sanity? Questionable.

Damn you, Laurie Berkner, and your catchy “hip” kid tunes. Ever since the rain subsided and the weather cooled off last week, I’ve had “What Falls in the Fall” stuck in my head on heavy rotation. I am so very thankful, however, for the beautiful fall weather Atlanta experienced over the weekend. I took the opportunity on Saturday to have a “Cassie-Day” in Atlanta.

My first stop was at Sublime Doughnuts in my old Georgia Tech neighborhood. Just around the corner is the house I used to live in with my boyfriend’s college roommates after the boyfriend moved to Cali, and just next to Donut Heaven (as Sublime Doughnuts is now known in my head) is where I got my yarn ball tattoo. All that to say: I CAN’T BELIEVE I MISSED THIS PLACE! How do you say no to a chocolate-glazed doughnut topped with Reese’s candy chunks and a center hole filled with peanut butter? Unless you’re deathly allergic to legumes, YOU CAN’T. It’s impossible- you will eat two of them and fall into a choco-donut-peanut butter coma and you shall die peacefully. Okay, so I didn’t die, but I did go on to eat a doughtnut filled with light cream and fresh strawberries coated with powdered sugar. AND THEN I DIED PEACEFULLY. (And there are no pics because I ATE THOSE SUCKERS. The doughnuts, not the pics…)

So I went to Oakland Cemetery near between Grant Park and Cabbagetown and made some new friends.

Guess what? It ended up pouring down rain while I was on my guided walking tour, but I love this place. When you take the guided tour, you get a sticker that gives you a $5 discount at the restaurant Six Feet Under (cleverly named, huh?) across the street. And I learned that this cemetery is HUGE: over 40 acres of burial plots, mausoleums, and green space. It’s Atlanta’s 3rd largest park. Yes, you heard me right- park. People play Frisbee on the Potter’s Field. A little creepy, but apparently this place was always intended to be “Living Friendly.”

It was such a fun excursion into a part of the city I pass on a regular basis, yet never before stopped to explore. Glad I did because now I have a coupon to blow on oysters at my birthday part next week!

And here’s my Daily Moment of Shame: I bought Eclipse at Target today. I feel weak and inferior.

I’m at chapter 7 of Twilight and I am so far quite unimpressed. I feel like I’m reading my high school diary about this guy I used to be obsessed with in theatre. Oh, how his eyes smoldered, too!

All I can think about is Peter Facinelli as Dr. Cullen and I just giggle my ass off every time I think about it. He’s Mike of “I’ll kick everyone’s ass in this room!” from Can’t Hardly Wait, for cryin’ out loud. And Coop! Friendship-bracelet-wearin’-Dr. Coop!

Sorry, I’ll stop being mean. I know there are people reading this who loved the dang book and I’m sure in another 100 pages I’ll be eating my words, but yeah, so far it’s just not the amazing literary tome the kids I sub for would have me believe.

I do have a hankering to travel to the northwest coast now, though. Maybe not Seatlle, but Portland maybe (”Disneyland for Liberals,” a friend claims).

And to follow up from last night’s desperate post- today was muuuuuch better. It included ice cream and a trip to an outdoor park that, to my surprise, had inflatables set up for opening day of the local city’s soccer league. Major bonus with a four year old in tow! I figure if I get to read The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog, get a Chick-fil-a milkshake, and slide down an inflatable slide all in one day, then things must be alright.

The title says it all.

I’m so tired I can barely move. I just passed the 12 hour mark for my 48 hour babysitting extravaganza with a 1 year old and 4 year old. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve done overnight babysitting and an extended sitting for a 4 year old. Both girls woke up at 5 am and were in crap moods all day. The older sister misses her mom and combined with being overly tired, the entire day has been one tantrum after another. Every little thing we do is accompanied by, “Mommy doesn’t it do it that way. That’s not how Mommy does it. Did Mommy tell you that?” Bedtime was an hour ago and the light is still on in her room because I’m exhausted and fearful of a crying fit that will wake the baby.

The 1 year old almost weighs 30 pounds and doesn’t walk so going anywhere with her is quite the trek and my body is sore. I really don’t feel like having to go console a crying tanker truck if she wakes up.

I have only once or twice before consumed alcohol while babysitting and usually it was at a parent’s insistence when they got home. Like a single beer or glass of wine. So don’t go calling DFCS on me here. I’ve barely been able to take three sips from this thing because I’ve been standing at the bottom of the stairs debating which moment will be the best to start a small riot when I go up to turn off the light.

Question (because I’m rusty): Would Super Nanny go upstairs and just turn off the light and leave the room without saying anything, or would she say, “It’s 8:30, lights out now. Goodnight?”

Yay! Another year and a half to rack up student loans. That’s right, I got into graduate school. I”ll be attending the Atlanta campus of Mercer University to get a Master of Arts in Teaching for Secondary English and initial certification. Wanna hear something bizarre? My mom is currently a student there getting her M.A.T. for elementary education and we’ll be in school at the same time for awhile. She currently teaches kindergarten so she’s taking school kind of slow, but I’m hoping to get out by Fall 2010- we shall see!

And speaking of my mother, she somehow got some sucky malware on my parents’ home computer and I spent three hours this evening attempting to get rid of it. I tried nearly everything I could think of, but nothing worked and I sent my evening getting to the realization that nothing could be done for now. When I got home, I had an update from Nerd Merit Badges in my inbox and guess what their new badge is? “Family Tech Support.” Yup. Love it.

Playing around with the toy I got in my Easter basket:

I thought I liked pastel jelly beans, but I was very, very wrong. Pass me a toothbrush, please.

Hey Kids!  I’ve got my blog up and running now and I’ve decided to call it Knit 2.0!  The premise will be similar to what I’ve been doing here, there might be more sci-fi and anime involved and probably some more personal stuff from time to time, but still nerdy, still crafty.  So come on by and check out emily-frank.com, I hope to see all of you there!!

Hello, everyone. Cassie here.

Obviously it’s been a long while since I posted on this blog. I want to make a post about something serious (not that geekery isn’t a serious thing), but I want to let you know that by making this post, this is not an attempt to garner your sympathy and make a bunch of excuses for myself. I just really wanted to share my thoughts and feelings about a few things and let you know what’s been going on lately. I also wanted to inform you about the new direction of this blog, hence, the title (clever, huh?)

When I first started this project over a year ago, I was skeptical as to whether or not I could actually pull this thing off. Don’t get me wrong- I was excited about the concept and even more excited about the possibilty of getting an earlier than planned marriage proposal, but I seriously wondered if I could get this scarf to come to fruition. I knew it wouldn’t be an easy task seeing as I was still a novice at intarsia knitting and decided to forego planning and charting. Nonetheless, I embarked on this project skeptical, but optimistic.

As news of my scarf spread across the Internet like wildfire, my energy peaked and working on this scarf was a top priority. I knitted as much as I could each day, even if that was only a couple of inches at a time. I loved figuring things out and enjoyed watching my intarsia skills strenghen. I was even knitting other things like socks and simples scarves for myself and others. Then the economy took a nose dive and everything chaned in our household.

In November, December, and January, I had virtually no substitute teaching work. I decided to take on a part-time nannying job to make enough to pay the bills. My boyfriend started having concerns about paying for law school. Between all these stressors, time to sit down and enjoy knitting became more and more scarce. The stress from working hard and still not having enough money to pay bills was starting to get to us both and the joy I got from knitting began to evaporate as worry began to take its place.

I know many of you are suffering through this recession, too, and often times it’s our hobbies that go first. I’ll be honest- I haven’t touched the scarf in a little over two months. I rarely start any other knitting projects either, and when I do pick up the needles, I start a pointless swatch of garter stitch that only gets ripped out ten minutes later. I think I’ve started the same coffee cup cozy about twenty different times. I haven’t even visited my local yarn store in two months because I just don’t have the money to get new yarn or needles. Times have been tough.

In the past few weeks I’ve been scouring through my budget looking for anything superfluous to cut. When I came to the monthly expense I pay for this blog’s web hosting, I decided to make a decision about what I really want to do with this. I realized that the moping just has to stop. The only thing to do when you feel like you’ve lost control over several areas of life is to find something you can control. Something that can give you a sense of accomplishment and pride when there is so little to go around.

I decided to take control over the Mario Scarf project again and to this blog. I decided to give myself a goal that I really can accomplish in the face of such doubt in my life. I want to be able to get things moving on the scarf again and share the excitement all over aain. This means that I will have to put forth a sincere effort to knitting daily and to posting regularly. I’ve heard that in order to make something a habit, you have to repeat the behavior at least twenty-one times. This means that if I want to post on a regular basis, I will have to have reular content. For me, this means taking the blog in a new direction and making it more personal and opening it up to more of my life. I don’t intend on getting downright diary on y’all, but I’d like to include more of my daily life and crafts. Hopefully by doing this I will jump start my motivation to keep crafting an integral part of my routine and in return, post more often. So in the future, you will see updates about the Mario Scarf, but you will also see more about me, other knitting projects, probably the cats, and other crafty elements of my life.

I realize this may turn many of you off from my blog, but let me say this- I truly appreciate any and all readers of this blog. Your support from the beginning means so much to me and if you stop reading now, thanks for reading at all. There are so many great crafting blogs out there and I don’t know how I can offer material that breaks the mold, but I hope that you’ll continue on this journey with me and see where it heads.

This leads me to thanking the wonderful Emily Frank who has worked so hard to maintain a strong presence on this blog in my absence. Her posts have been just absolutely brilliant and have covered so many facets of geek crafting that it’s so hard to cut back. So, in order to allow Emily to continue posting, I decided to get her own domain name and sponsor her web hosting for the next three months. I definitely want Emily to stay on as a contributor to this blog, but I really feel that Emily deserves her own web identity since she is such a great blogger. In the near future, you’ll be able to find her at www.emily-frank.com and don’t worry- I’ll provide a link on my sidebar and will be promoting the hell out it!

If you’ve gotten this far, thanks. You’ve got a lot of patience. I can’t wait to embark on this semi-new journey and hope that you’ll join me.

Cassie

I’ve been coming across a bunch of Mario Mushroom items lately so I figured I’d share!

From the etsy shop that brought us the Princess Peach scarf, the 1up mushroom scarf!

I keep meaning to make these cute little guys, but I keep never getting around to it

Know your mushrooms!  This afghan is highly educational, and even if you don’t want to make the whole thing, the mushroom charts could prove useful

Not all knitting, but nevertheless a mushroom baby hat!

This DS/PSP cozy is officially awesome, I may need to make one

Remember, don’t touch the poison mushroom!!

-e