So, the KOARC and I went out to the Apple store on Friday and we came home with this:
We unpacked him and set him up. And I realized the surge protector I had available had too short a power cord to reach. So one quick trip to Radio Shack later, we had this:
We plugged everything in and started him up. No fuss, no muss. Within 90 seconds of pressing the power button for the first time, I was connected to my wireless network.
And here’s MacDougal, in his new home, next to my Windows XP laptop.
So far they are co-existing peacefully. 
Even with all the excitement, I managed to get some knitting done. Here’s the Hot Stuff! Mitten completed.
And the palm:
Okay, to tell the truth, I finished that Thursday night. But I have the second Millefiore Mitten almost done.
I managed to complete the pattern without making an error. I think.
And Lucy is taking all this excitement in stride.
She is, no doubt, resting up for the Superbowl.
Welcome to MacDougal. Love the name!
Oh, I’m so jealous. I’m in dire need of a new computer and can’t make up my mind. Now if my budget would just get in line for a Mac…
Love your mittens. You are an Incredible knitter.
Any special reason you got a Mac? (It’s certainly beautiful.) Can you send files easily between it and your PC? What will it do that your PC won’t? Will Lucy be loyal to one or the other? Hope she stays awake through the Super Bowl (that’s asking a lot, I realize).
We just got a Mac! It’s like a whole new world when you turn it on and then it just works!!
Congrats and beautiful work. I’m looking forward to trying your no pick up stitches necessary heel. Those stitches are a pain in the neck and drive me crazy. The knitting can be flawless and then I get there and it’s like war ( I loose). I almost gave up on the sock thing but I’m looking forward to this approach…I’ll do anything to not pick up stitches!! The two circulars saved me from the devil sticks! I’m excited! Thanks Wendy. Enjoy your Mac!
Smart girl getting a mac. Once you go mac you never go back! Ok well maybe not never. I adore mine.
which team does lucy favor in the super bowl?
if she is like my steven and meredith, she will yawn, say “who cares?” and go back to sleep.
for the record, s & m’s mommy and daddy don’t give a damn. because BASEBALL season starts in 3 weeks! YESSSSSSSSSSS!
You’re gonna LOVE the iMac. I didn’t think it was possible to love my computer. Until now.
Lucy is of course exhausted from all the excitement — Macs AND Mittens! But she is bearing up well. What a trooper!
Those mittens are marvelous. I especially like the Hot Stuff mittens; the Wollenmeise is set off so well by the dark and by the pattern. Yowzah!
Wish my husband would let me get a Mac again. (That makes me sound abused, it’s just that he has strong opinions and I don’t, so I let him have his way. He gets ticked about Apple’s proprietary stuff and programmability etc. That being said, I don’t remember our Mac freezing and bugging and crashing and Blue Screen of Death all the time like our PC does. Of course, our program selection was less. Ah well. I just loved the plug and play and intuitiveness of my Mac. Everything halfway intuitive about Microsoft was copied from Apple’s operating system initially….remember MS-DOS? Remember typing in every single command? Weren’t those the days? NOT!)
You will love your iMac. I bought my second one in August when the Intel iMac’s came out – 24″ LCD screen, lots of memory and super fast. My original iMac is three years old and still running perfectly – my son has it. I used to use Windows computers, but would never go back. Your mittens are cool too.
I covet your Macdougal. No, that’s wrong. I lust after Macdougal. My Mac mini is very nice and does everything I want it to, I just want moremoremore Mac. Congrats.
As a PC technician, I never imagined that I would want a MAC, however, after playing with one last weekend in the Apple store with my sweet man (who is also a PC technician), we are both wanting one.
Mazel Tov on your new MacDougal!!!
Gorgeous mittens, gorgeous Mac. I’ve been using them for ages, but can’t quite justify the latest one, yet.
Hey Wendy! Congratulations on the new Mac and welcome to the Mac lifestyle.
I heard that you can use a program called “Boot Camp” to set up a dual boot Intel based Macs. You might be able to run Win XP and Mac OS on the same machine. Something to look into… 
Why does this style of mitten have a different pattern on the palm from the back of the hand? Is this traditional? Is there a functional reason for it?
So gotta have the fire mittens pattern, please, please, please? Too many firefighters in my family will just have to have them. And it is great to know that baseball will return in a few short weeks. I am way tired of basektball and they have at least 6 more months to play, or so it seems.
My old Mac was about to die so I got my new iMac about two weeks ago. I love it, but it doesn’t spell any better than the old one. I know you will enjoy yours. Now I just have to get a laptop and I’m set. I had to look very closely to find the mistake in the first mitten. I might try a pair someday, but right now I’m stuck on socks. How does Lucy like your new toy?
Oh, am I jealous! I would shoot our old Dell PC if I thought I could get away with it, but fortunately I now have a MacBook for ME, me, me, and won’t ever go back. And I avoid the beast upstairs as much as I can. Love your mittens!
Welcome to the dark side! I’ve had a Mac for 25 years (no, that’s not a typo) and love them. Though I have to use an IBM at work, I find it less intuitive than my Mac.
Love the desktop pic of Lucy!
I just got a MacBook myself three weeks ago, I couldn’t be happier! Enjoy!
I’ve had my iMac for almost two years now and would never go back to a PC. I started out with the original Mac (the little box) in the 80’s, switched to an IBM clone laptop (my decline into the dark side), and have been using an HP laptop for years. When I dumped my coffee on it and fried it, I bought the iMac. Now I remember why I love Mac. It’s so user-friendly and is built for people like me who don’t know anything about programming. Everything is simple, laid out for you in a way that anybody can understand, and is bullet-proof. Even though Hubster is a senior engineering programmer for Cisco Systems, I’ve rarely had to ask him for help with anything. Apple has always been known for its graphics, and the iMac certainly excels in that area. There is also a lot more software for them than there used to be. Now, if they write some more software for the knitting series, I’ll be a happy gal. They have the Sock Wizard, but I’d like to get some of the others. I’m sure they’ll catch up eventually. In any event, if I want software that isn’t Mac-compatible, Hubster just rewrites it for me so I can use it. I realize that not everybody has that capability, but I’m sure you’ll love your iMac and won’t go back to the dark side. Congratulations!
to self: “breathe, Heather, breathe. It’s just a photo of a brand… spanking… new… SKINNY… Mac. Sheesh, woman, you get yourself in this worked-up a state over a Mac photo, you’re gonna have a heart attack if you set foot in the Apple store!”
Ah, congratulations. My Mac is about 6 years old and its memory is fading a bit (just needs more RAM, don’t panic).
You will love your mac! I have had a mac since 1987 and work on PCs at work. I equate it to “driving a bulldozer at work and a BMW at home”
Enjoy!
A new computer isnt in our budget and with 3 dell pc’s in the house right now there isnt a need for one. No matter, I love my Dell laptop but…when it comes time to replace it i will be considering the “darkside ” of the computerforce and look into a Mac
welcome to the easy side of the computer world.
our mac mini almost gets fought over, it’s so beloved. my granddaughter plays games, her mom and uncle and i watch movies/lucy videos, etc and play games, and her mom does college homework on it. it’s a great evening when i get it all to myself. bwahahahaaa!
We have only had Apple computers in our house…our first was over 24 years ago. I hope you have a long and crash-free life with yours.
I’m a newbie knitter and have a question. If I make two pairs of socks with the same yarn/needles do I need to work a gauge prior to the second pair? I understand the reason behind finding the gauge, but don’t want to waste the yarn (or my time) if it isn’t necessary.
Wowie Zowie what neat computer stuff you have! And I love the mittens – and Lucy of course, especially Lucy! luv.m.
Welcome to the Other Side! I just love Macs and will be getting myself a new one very soon.
Was Lucy pleased with the outcome of the Super Bowl?
Beautiful mitts, kitty & congratulations on new computer! Noticed back to dp needles on the thumb. Any reason why you choose not to make 1 thumb on 2 circs?
Wow, that’s a beauty. Nice choice. I *almost* got one this past week, but decided on an HP. Now, after reading some of your comments above, I’m wondering if I made the right choice…
MacDougal looks happy in his new home!
The Hot Stuff mitts are wicked!
Tell Lucy not to fret, I missed the Super Bowl, too. (And it sounds like it was a good game, for once.)
Congratulations on your new Mac. We have been a Mac familiy forever, and have always loved their products. Hope you purchased the Apple Care warrenty-no questions or hassels when and if anything every goes wrong with your computer.
Love the mittens. You are such an inspiration!
is your new computer’s namesake, by chance, the Father Ted character?
MacDougal seems like a dream. It took me several tries over two days to get my new baby, Ankhesenamun, onto the network. She is still in new baby mode.
Windows Vista is not Leopard for ease of use.
You should make the Brother Amos socks in the Hellfire colorway to go with those neato mittens!
Enjoy your Mac. I switched from PCs to Macs about four years ago, and I’ve had no regrets. I just love Macs, and I’ll probably get a new desktop like yours (with the huge monitor) a bit later in the year.
And, of course, the mittens are fabulous.
My high school used to be Apple so I had to learn that platform. I’m sorry. I hatehatehated it. I didn’t mind MS-DOS. I don’t want my computer to be “intuitive.” I want my computer to be obedient. I want it to do what I want it to do, not what it thinks I want it to do. I hate that I can’t get behind the desktop and into the OS on an Apple. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Blue Screen of Death on a PC. I realize that I am probably more techno-saavy than your average user, but give me PC any day. The only thing Apple has going for it is sleek design.
Oh don’t you just love that iMac? I have one at the office, and it’s the envy of all the poor PC grunts. ;-}
My screen saver is a life-size photo of the kitties. I keep waiting for my boss (who shares the computer with me) to ask why I don’t have HIS photo on the screen…
I have had my iMac for two years now and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!!! (heaves a huge sigh of contentment) We are the best of friends, my mac and I!!! Congratulations!
i really like the mittens! wow, you got a new computer! lucky….
Dude, seriously here. You need to stop giving me heart attacks.
I read that title in my feed-reader, and did NOT immediately think of a computer. I thought you went and had yourself a baby.
I blame tequila.
Congrats on the non-crying/diaper-changeless/no-putting-through-college-in-eighteen-years new one.