Knitting Adventures

Just Draw It

2012-02-14T16:23:00.000-05:00

Though I am knitting, I have been spending more time these days expressing my creativity through drawing. It is certainly not as warm, but it doesn't take as long and mistakes are far easier to correct!

Knitting Penguin

2012-01-20T14:54:00.001-05:00

Knitting Penguin, a photo by bibi24rafiki on Flickr.

My mascot for Sock Scrimmage

doodling

2012-01-17T20:33:00.001-05:00

IMAG0842, a photo by bibi24rafiki on Flickr.

When I started this piece, I had no intentions for it. It was meant to be totally free form random doodling. I just sort of followed the page and moved along enjoying the colors. The face just sort of revealed itself in this menagerie of shapes. In the end, I noticed something - nearly every bit of the page is entirely covered. And, I realized that this is my life. That face is me peeking out from my abundance of activities. They're all good, they're mostly fun, they're all mostly important - but boy oh boy are there a lot of them!

Art fun

2011-12-22T21:40:00.002-05:00

I'm still knitting, but I have been swept up on an obsession to draw better. This has led to intensive research on art projects and a drive to get the kids involved. This is totally self serving. The more they want to draw, the more I will have time to draw. It also gives me an excuse to buy fancy art supplies so we can all "try' them.

My research recently turned up this site: http://www.artfulparent.com/2011/12/simon-says-drawing-plus-12-activities-to-keep-the-kids-busy-over-the-holidays.html#more

With 12 ideas to try over the holidays. I'm going to try several, if not all and will post pictures here to prove it!

Swimming fun

2011-09-09T21:38:00.002-04:00

I love summer - no snow! no ice! no need for heavy winter coats! no need for socks! I love being able to run out of the house with just shorts, shirt and flip flops.

These are a couple of my favorite pictures from the summer. They fully capture the feeling of freedom and pure joy in just being.

Monkey Fun

2011-08-16T16:43:00.004-04:00

I decided to be my own genie and give myself 20 wishes. One of them is to draw more for no other reason than I like to draw. I got away from it because I didn't think I was very good and I am always pressed for time. But now I don't really care if I'm good or bad - I just feel like I need to do something creative, to put my head in a different place every now and then, to play and have fun. I work a lot - and that's okay, I don't mind, but I want to make sure I have balance. Drawing to me is a way of playing.

The thing that has really surprised me is how much I actually like what's been coming off my pencil. It may not be technically great, but it's not bad.

The monkey's were inspired by an exercise out of Carla Sonheim's book: Drawing Lab I can't say enough great things about this book - fun exercises, delightful artwork, great insights. If you want to try drawing or know someone who does, this is a must.

Try it and I can just about guarantee that you will be surprised and delighted with what comes off your pencil too.

Random Recipe

2011-08-07T21:09:00.002-04:00

How to take perfectly healthy snack and turn into a delicious but decidedly not so healthy snack:

Veggie Dip!

1 cup sour cream
1 cut mayo
2 tablespoons (or so) Rice vinegar
2 tablespoons (or so) finely chopped red onion (could probably use green or other onion)
2 teaspoons dill weed (DO NOT use dill seed)

Chill if you have time or just serve.

Ice cream no calories

2011-08-05T19:41:00.002-04:00

Perhaps it's not unusual to find ice cream in an ice cream shop... but check out who these are made - they're crocheted! Now that's what I call high art.

A little vistitor

2011-08-02T10:11:00.005-04:00

Look who flew off my needles to spend some time with me...
It's a sweet little bird with a whole lot of attitude. The pattern is from one of my favorite designers, a great knitter of all things small and creative: Anna of Mochimochiland. From tiny princesses to tiny toilets, she has got a delightfully off kilter approach to knitting. This little fellow can be knit in the span of a movie -- and the best part is no messy bird droppings!

I am thrilled to report that there will be some sewing going on by the junior set as we have just won a contest by wewilsons for a copy of a new book: Kids Crafternoon Sewing. This is great because my dds have recently begun to get interested in sewing and are looking for projects. I learned to sew as a kid and though I got away from it for awhile, I'm so glad I knew the basics when I wanted to get started again as an adult. The book is on a blog tour so there are more chances to win. The details are on the wewilson's blog and while, you are there make sure to check out her new inchworm!

20 wishes

2011-07-25T21:05:00.002-04:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about taking care of "me." It's something that gets lost in the shuffle. There is always so much to do for everyone else and in taking care of them I am taking care of me. It feels selfish to think about taking care of me - as if I run the risk of neglecting everyone else. But I'd be the first one to tell my friends that they should be taking care of themselves (in fact I'd be the first one to take care of them LOL). With this as background, I was intrigued by another blogger's post that I randomly came across about making 20 wishes for herself and herself alone.
She's got some great pictures of the beautiful tags that she made to go with her wishes.

I'm thinking I will do this -but not all at once.

My first wish is to draw better. I've always loved to draw and I think I do okay but I've never quite been satisfied and then I stopped drawing because I have so much else going on.

Come to think of it, a lot of my immediate wishes are about doing things better. While that's good on one hand, it's also my subtle way of putting myself down. So I'm adding one rule - nothing about "getting better."

I wish to fill a sketchbook with fun drawings
I wish to get a sweet camera and lens
I wish to travel to Mexico to see ancient ruins
I wish to travel to Kenya to see where my husband was in the Peace Corp
I wish to take my younger daughters to Paris (and my older ones if they're interested)

There's more, but I want to move a little slowly to think these through thoroughly.

I wish for you that all your wishes could come true.

yarn choices

2011-06-07T13:58:00.003-04:00

You have just 20 minutes in a new yarn shop and a tight budget - it's sweet torture! If you had big funds, you could just grab and run and sort it out later. But with little money to spend, you need to shop carefully, only there's no time for that!

I had decided ahead of time on fingering weight but that only helped somewhat. I finally settled on Schaefer Anne - but even then with so many colors I could have taken twice as long as I had. I settled on one that matched the dress I was wearing.

The yarn looks much different in a ball - the color actually chnages ever inch or so. That means it will blend together into a truly verigated item. Or, I might be able to try a pooling effect, as in this shawl.

What do you do when you have to shop fast?

Halibut Point

2011-06-05T22:42:00.002-04:00

Sometimes we just have to get away. DH packed us in the car and drove us north to Rockport - Halibut point specifically. It was sunny but not nearly as warm as it looks. We had a great time until CJ slipped in a tide pool and got soaked. She recovered. Not sure my ears will.

Summer fun fun fun

2011-06-01T21:00:00.005-04:00

There have been many days in recent weeks when it seemed that Spring would never come and we were destined to live in a cold, gray world forever. But, as it always has, the sun finally poked through the clouds. We had a grand and mostly sunny Memorial Day weekend! What is truly significant about these pictures is the lack of hand knits - no hats, no gloves, no scarves, not even a light shawl necessary. Up until the weekend started, I was still wearing half mitts on the morning dog walks!

Sewing Lessons

2011-05-26T21:55:00.007-04:00

DD 9 wanted to take sewing lessons at school. Lessons that I would have to pay for. I figured that's a little like a vegetable farmer buying salad fixings at the store. I sew! I have a sewing machine! I teach kids! So, we took the money, along with a friend who also wanted to learn to sew, to the store instead and bought material. I realized right then and there that maybe handing this job off to someone else wouldn't have been such a bad idea. I love DD and her friend, I really do. They are wonderful big dream sort of girls who don't let reality stand in their way. They were crushed when I had to explain that our first project was not going to be a nineteenth century ball gown with a hoop skirt or an extravagant silk pillow with four layers of fringe. How about a skirt? Elastic waist. We could even put lace around the bottom. Oh no, that's not enough - how about this one with three ruffles and ribbon around the edge? Fine.
The pillow compromise went more smoothly - one fabric for the back and one for the front with fringe on the side.

The good and the challenging is that they want to do everything themselves. They are mostly (but just barely) ready. So the cut isn't quite straight and the pins are a little crooked and the seam wobbles. If they're happy, I should be too!

Then there is the challenge of keeping them interested. If they had done the class, it would have been steady with an assigned time every week. Instead, we are subject to the whim of their emotions. A nice day? Lets stay at the playground longer. Sewing? Nah, lets play Barbies. Sewing now? Snack time.

So it's been going slowly, but we're making progress.

The purse from Heck

2011-05-26T21:29:00.002-04:00

About two years ago, I fell in love with some fabric at the store - it was an elegant looking pinkish brownish upholstery sort of fabric that screamed it wanted to be a purse. And right nearby was the perfect pink lining. Conveniently, I found the perfect pattern on the rack next to the fabric. That was the end of the serendipity of this project!

It has been nothing but one problem after another. First of all, this pattern is way more complicated than it has to be. Of course I didn't realize that until I had all the pieces cut out! I bought all of the supplies I needed but then proceeded to lose them during the project and had to repurchase.

In the midst of all of this, I was renovating my studio and tossing out (sharing) unloved, unwanted projects that were never going to be completed - at least by me. So why didn't this one go? Pure pigheadedness on my part. I am determined, for some reason, to not be defeated by this one. I want this purse! I want this purse if it takes me five years to complete. It's not so much that I want the purse but that I want to finish it. It's like a mountain I want to climb - I don't even care about getting to the top any more - I just want to say I did it. It sits there taunting me, laughing at my sewing ineptitude. I also believe, perhaps somewhat irratioanally, that it is the key to finally getting my room organized. It's the one hold over project from the old room. I feel somehow if I can complete this project, everything else will fall into place. Silly? Maybe, maybe not. I guess I will just have to finish it and find out!

Sock Madness

2011-03-15T20:57:00.002-04:00

Knitting furiously on Sock Madness socks - what is this? A crazy contest on Ravelry where knitters try to knit the fastest sock. The first challenge is to knit a sock in two weeks. Everyone is knitting the same pattern with whatever colors they want. If you can do it, you get on a team. Then we're off to the races. I've got one done and I'm past the heel on the second. Love the pattern even though it gave me a giant sock. I can go back later to make it smaller.

Roll Tide

2011-02-24T09:48:00.002-05:00

We're in Alabama this week. Love it!

Must BUY yarn

2011-02-12T20:26:00.002-05:00

At the end of a very stressful week, I had an overwhelming urge to buy yarn. Forget drinks, forget going out dancing, forget chowing a tub of ice cream. I just wanted to buy yarn. Worsted weight, verigated for a hat or mittens. Nevermind that I have projects on the needles and more wool in the wings. I managed to resist, in part because by the time we finally got the kids to bed all the yarn shops were closed. I could have gone online, but I didn't want to wait for delivery. I also recognized at some level that what I really wanted was the burst of pleasure of buying yarn whether or not I "needed" it. Alas, that is a temporary thrill and then I'm left with yarn that I may or may not really want in the morning!

Instead, I picked up the long neglected never ending scarf that is being made in a "simple" feather and fan in a gently variegated fluffy mohair yarn my mom brought back from Scandinavia. Just four row to this pattern - 2 of them are knits and 1 in a purl so how the heck do I manage to mess up every tenth row or so!? The think about this scarf is that every four rows is about a half an inch and yet I've been knitting on it all winter and it seems that I am no closer to finishing it than when I started!

I also realized today as I am still feeling that "must by yarn" vibe that part of the problem is that the yarn and projects waiting in the wings are all in fingering weight. I do love, love, love fingering weight - good for shawls, good for socks, good for gloves. But it's the deep of winter here. It's cold. I'm cold. I want to wrap myself in thick luscious wools. Only, I've knit all the thick wools in my stash that I liked. I'm left with odd balls of yarn that don't really motivate me. deep sigh.

It will warm up again. These piles of snow grown dirty from the rain and road will melt. I will once again want to knit light. Meanwhile....maybe a stop at an lys isn't such a bad idea after all.

Another Nash baby

2011-02-10T21:15:00.002-05:00

My grandmother Celia Nash, was a wonderful, loving, funny, kind woman who could bake like nobody's business. She had seven children and consequently, a slew of grandchildren. She lived in Michigan and we lived in Wisconsin, so we didn't get to see her much. But when we did, it was a full house of fun of laughter. The slew of grandchildren have scattered across the country from coast to coast, so we don't get to see each other too often. But luckily for me, my oldest cousin landed just a state away so I've been able to spend some time with him and his sweet wife and son. Now, I'm excited to say they've added one more to our family. A baby girl. I'm excited not just because there's one more Nash descendant but also because it's an opportunity to knit for a baby, which is always fun. I chose this vintage pattern because it reminded me of my aunts and my grandmother. It seems so classic baby. It's the "five hour" sweater. It might actually have been a five hour sweater except for the fact that there are two ways to do the increase and I chose the wrong one.

If you care to learn from my mistake: a common and nifty increase is to lift the yarn in between two stitches, put it on the needle and knit it. When knitting socks or gloves, you typically knit through the back loop, twisting the stitch so there is no hole. (There is also a bit about which way you put it on the needle, creating a left leaning or right leaning increase, but that's not relevant here). With this sweater, however, you want a hole! If you knit through the back loop, as I did on my first go around, you get a tighter weave and no pretty bobble. I figured this out deep into the top rows. I thought about just leaving it, it looked okay even though it wasn't what I wanted. But, it wasn't what I wanted. I'm hoping this sweater lasts a long time, so what's a few more hours - especially since it's a fun knit and it's great yarn - a washable cashmere blend!

Yes I am a little...

2011-02-06T17:30:00.002-05:00

I'm not quite sure what has possessed me, but I have just signed up for Sock Madness Forever on Ravelry. What is this, you ask? It is an International Sock Knitting competition. From what I gather, we're all divided on to four teams. A sock pattern is released and everyone knits furiously. The first ones done advance to the next round. I am not expecting to win or even to come close to the top. I'm just not that fast and I don't have that much time. But, if I can make it for a few (or even one) round, well that's good. There are new patterns and there's the challenge of trying something I might not otherwise. So, I'm off to check my sock yarn pile. hmmm...looks a little low. hehehe

The hat

2011-02-02T21:35:00.002-05:00

Ribbed, folded brim, squared at the top. Two stripes near the bottom. Finished the hat and the snow turned to rain!

Man Hat

2011-01-29T21:02:00.002-05:00

I have completed a finger! This is very exciting. Now, I'm just hoping I have enough yarn for the others (deep sigh)

I have briefly paused to search patterns because DH has for the first time ever sort of kind of requested a knitted item! I mentioned that I needed to make him a pair of socks that fit Ithe first pair are large enough to fit over his shoe!) and he said what he really needs is a hat.

A hat!? I can do that. I can do that with my eyes clothes in my sleep while reading a book and watching tv. Amazingly, I even have the perfect yarn in my stash - a gorgeous mohair merino blend. So now, all we need is a pattern.

Me: What sort of hat would you like, darling?
He: Uh, you know a hat. One that covers my ears.
Me: Yes, but stripes, beanie, cables, rolled brim, folded brim, one color, two color, three?
He: I don't know. Not red, he says noticing that I'm reaching for a skein of burgundy.

I've been able to get him to rule out anything that looks like a seed pod. Beyond that, can you believe that he just doesn't seem interested in spending hours on Ravelry paging through patterns and projects and comparing and contrasting hundreds (or thousands) of options. Huh.

He says he's a little nervous about how excited I am getting about this project. He simply doesn't understand how it makes a knitter's pulse beat faster to have a project requested. Although he did let slip today that he had contemplated buying me Yak yarn for Christmas. What in the world made him hold back that impulse! I told him that was a worthy idea that could certainly be revisted for an upcoming gift giving occasion.

Still, I'm left with the hat dilemma! I've basically discerned there are a limited number of options for men, the most common being:

cabled

ribbed for 1 to 3 inches and then stockingnet with any variety of stripes. The top is squared, rounded or swirly

ribbed all the way to the top - usually k1p1 or k2p2, but occassionally with a variation such as k2,p2,k4,p1 - again with a variety of striping options.

As for the stripes - thick, thin, even spaced, one, two, three or all the way up.

Giving these parameters, it shouldn't be too hard, right?

Rookie Mistake Number 2

2011-01-25T10:24:00.002-05:00

I was well past the cuff and into the thumb gusset of the Bobbie mittens by the very talented Julie Muehler when the nagging feeling that something wasn't right finally moved from the back of my brain to the front.

The text didn't match the chart. I had ignored that problem for many rows figuring it was my inability to read a chart. Then I completely lost track of which row I was on. After spending way too long trying to figure it out and wondering even more why what I was doing didn't seem to follow the chart, I decided to frog back.

Since I was back to the beginning of the gusset, I decided to think harder about this text chart mismatch. I concluded the chart had to be wrong. I was about to see if I could email the designer for clarification. This is how it would have gone:

Me: Hi, I'm working on this lovely pattern that you so painstakingly wrote and likely had vetted by several experienced knitters, but I think there's a problem with it.

Her: Oh? What would that be.

Me: Well, the text says to start with line two of the stitch pattern, but that's not what the chart shows.

Her: Really? Let me take a look. Okay, the chart shows that on row 34, you start with row two of the stitch pattern, just like the text says.

Me: No, the chart starts with Row 4.

Her: No, it doesn't. It very clearly shows that you start with a slip 1 with yarn in front.

Me: Yes, but that's row 4 of the stitch pattern

Her: Lady, I think you need to take some knitting lessons - maybe next time you should pay more attention to the stitch pattern.

Yes, there on the front page, it clearly says that row 2 of the stitch pattern is slip 1 with yarn in front. Row 4 is the reverse.

Thankfully, I did not make this call.

In fairness to me, the first part of the glove didn't follow the stitch pattern exactly. Still one of the basic rules of reading patterns is that if the text and chart don't match it is much more likely to be a user error than a pattern problem!

Total bummer

2011-01-23T21:22:00.001-05:00

Plant owner: 81 jobs at risk

Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing selling assets, will likely close

Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing was founded 40 years ago by Harold Lonon Sr. (Photo by Mike Conley/nconley@mcdowellnews.com)

By Mike Conley
Published: January 20, 2011

Within the next few months, Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing will effectively shut down its operations in Old Fort.Show all

Jack Lonon Jr., president of the family-owned company, told The McDowell News on Thursday that the company’s assets will be sold to Spinrite Yarns of Canada. The sale will become final on Feb. 25. After that, the future of the business will be uncertain.

“There’s too many things up in the air,” he said. “I am not sure what is going to transpire.”

Full Story

Rookie Mistakes

2011-01-23T12:32:00.003-05:00

I have finally decided to tackle the challenge of knitting a pair of gloves. I've been sort of kinda thinking about it for more than a year but there were always so many other things in my knitting bag. Then someone sent me some gorgeous Koigu hand painted yarn in a color called carnival. Since it's handwash only, I figured its better for gloves which I would (hopefully) need to wash less. And I found these really cute patterns by Julia Mueller.

Last night, I eagerly cast on for Bobbie, a delightful pattern that shows off handpainted yarns. The yarn is a delight to work with. The colors are amazing. The pattern is easy enough - if you don't do something totally idiotic like ignore the first thing everyone tells you about reading patterns, which is to highlight the instructions for your size so that you don't get 28 rows into it and realize you are eight stitches short.

The bright side, I suppose is that I also realized before frogging that I'd missed a stitch several rows back and in this pattern it's really obvious. I might have been able to fix it, but it would have been pretty complicated.

Bella Fun

2011-01-21T21:04:00.003-05:00

It's cold. I need mittens. Thick, warm mittins. Here they are - the Bella Mittens from the Twighlight movie, which I haven't seen. I haven't even read the book. But I love the mittens. Except they are very long. Notice the model in the picture isn't wearing a coat. How could it be cold enough to need mittens but not a coat? The problem is that my coat has cuffs. If I have to take the mitten off to say eat a piece of chocolate (it happens sometimes) then it's a pain in the bum to put it back on again! I actually thought about that before I started, but I thought maybe it wouldn't bother me quite as much as it does. But I love the color and the mittens are super soft. Maybe I should buy a new coat with looser sleeves.......

Now I'm working on a matching hat with the left over skein. I feel like I'm in a Goldilocks story - the time I cast on, it was too tight. I've added stitches and now it's too loose! At least I think it is - it's hard to tell because I'm only a couple of inches into it. I don't want to keep going if I'm right about it being too big, but I don't want to frog if I'm wrong. I just want a new hat. Now. Please.

Snow coming

2011-01-11T11:21:00.002-05:00

The weather reports are calling for upwards of 17 inches of snow tonight into tomorrow -

I'm ready - I just went out and bought a new sled. It's a very pretty shade of purple.

I was, however, bewildered by the abundant number of choices. Eco-friendly, saucer style, tobaggan, one-person, two-person, blue, orange, green, $10, $15 or $20. Is the $15 one really better than the $10 one? It does come with the rope attached. Do I need one? Two? I have two kids of sledding age, but we already had one working sled.

Thankfully, mine are not the type to argue over who should have the new sled, so though I was tempted to buy one of each type just 'cause it would be fun to try them all, I settled on one that can carry two people - the one that comes with a rope. Not that I couldn't supply one, but that's one that doesn't even have to get on my to-do list, which is worth at least $5!

(the sled in the photo is not ours)

Must knit mittens fast (hahahahaha)

Brambles

2011-01-10T21:42:00.002-05:00

This is the knitting that did happen over the weekend. I loved knitting this pattern - Brambles from Knitty.com.

It's charted but the chart is so easy to follow that I now really get how to read cable charts!

I love the yarn - a verigated wool I picked up at an LYS last winter. (I think the nifty pattern would show up better with a lighter, non-verigated yarn)

But the hat itself ... that I'm not so certain about. It's quite a bit of hat and I'm not sure it's the best style on me. Still, my 8 yo says it looks great.

The head band part was very sretchy. I think I've fixed that with fleece band sewn in.

I've finished this just in time - we're supposed to get slammed with a storm tomorrow night.

Work interferes

2011-01-09T17:17:00.002-05:00

DH wonderfully took the little ones off on a winter hike so that I could have the afternoon. First, had to get work done. Now they're were back and I've been tagged to take over as parent. Not a stitch knit. Not a seam sewn. NOT FAIR. (not that I don't love my children and not that I'm not absolutely thrilled to take care of them, of course)

2011-01-04T20:18:00.004-05:00

This is an old fo - the Calorimetry from Knitty.
I had it on and I had a camera in hand so I decided to post it all over again. It's still loose. I don't know how I think it would have changed since the last time I had it out! Still, it works okay because there are extra holes. It's perfect for a warmer cool day. It's also fun because it's a quick knit. For this one I used glittery yarn for the first and last three rows. You can't tell but We are both wearing Wisconsin sweatshirts. This makes my dad, who gave them to us, very happy.

Header photo

2011-01-02T23:18:00.004-05:00

The photo from the header is of the fireworks on New Years Eve in Boston. That's what you get without a tripod!

The dog shots are of New Year's Day. Perfect hiking winter hiking weather - just warm enough without too much mud.

Secret Pal

2011-01-01T20:42:00.003-05:00

I've gone and done it again - signed up for Secret Pal. I'm addicted. I love "meeting" new people and it's fun to put together surprise packages (and to receive them). Anyway, here's my profile:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely not like? I love natural fibers – wools, cottons, etc. I love to try new and exotic yarns. I use novely yarns sporadically.
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I have a couple of different cases with zippers for the interchangeables and a vase for the long ones.
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I taught myself when my 8 yo was little. I’ve had a few classes since then and taught others. I would say I’m closer to advanced, although there is so much more to learn.
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? no
5. What’s your favorite scent? Lavender is my favorite – none that I don’t like.
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I like Kit Kats, malted milk balls and dark chocolate. I'm a coffee drinker and sometimes tea.
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I sew and do lots of crafts with the kids. I don’t yet spin, although I have all the supplies waiting in the wings.
8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Yes on mp3s – popular music, Blues, classical, celtic, bagpipes – I like a wide range.
9. What’s your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can’t stand? Pinks, purples, browns and blues – not pastels, but muted. I’m not keen on bold or bright colors or jewel tones.
10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? DH; Five kids ranging in age from 5 to 18; two delightful Springer Spaniels
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Scarves, hats and mittens. Not so much on the ponchos.
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Usually smaller things because I like FOs, this includes socks, mittens and hats. I also like shawls and have made two sweaters.
13. What are you knitting right now? A scarf, mittens and a shawl for DD
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Definitely
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Primarily interchangeable – I have a Denise set and a Knit picks metal and bamboo
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes to both
17. How old is your oldest UFO? A scarf with yarn my parents bought in Scandinavia. It’s been on the needles for a few weeks. I tend to have several running at once, but I’m actually caught up for the most part.
18. What is your favorite holiday? What winter holiday do you observe? Christmas for both.
19. Is there anything that you collect? Knitting supplies – measuring tapes especially also pens. I have an affinity for penguins
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? No knitting magazines subscriptions at the moment – books - sock techniques, Knitters Book of Wool, One-Skein with Sock Yarn
21. Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn? I’d like to do more with cables and intarsia and more with designing
22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I am; size 7
23. When is your birthday? June 24th
24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what’s your ID? yarnscribe

Merry Christmas

2010-12-27T20:57:00.003-05:00

Per usual, we came slamming into Christmas. Although in truth, we were more ahead of the game than usual. The cards had been sent, all the shopping and some wrapping was done and cookies were distributed to the neighbors. Now, all the presents have been unwrapped, the games have been played, most of the cookies have been eaten and it's time to get serious again about running! Only, we got socked with a wicked snow storm today. Pretty to look at, fun to play in but not conducive to hitting the pavement!

Why I love knitting

2010-12-15T22:23:00.002-05:00

I got to go out with my girlfriends tonight for some fun frivoliti and a good old fashioned Yankee Swap. Me, being the creative type, whipped up a quick, cute little felted bag, labled it "emergency kit" and filled it with chocolate. One night of knitting using yarn on hand. A close friend picked it and was over the moon. How awesome is that. My gift was just as fun but more in the unmentionable category...

forgot to take pics, but here's the pattern link:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/felted-ipod-cozy

It is Christmas

2010-12-14T22:44:00.003-05:00

I've decided I need a change in attitude. I've been feeling a bit holiday overwhelmed. Sort of like heading toward a wall at 102 miles an hour with no breaks. Can't get it all done fast enough and I want to just sit back and enjoy Christmas instead of running so fast I can't soak it all up. Then I realized - Christmas is here. I'm not preparing for something, I'm in it. This is it -- all the shopping, writing Christmas cards, wrapping presents, making holiday school bags, visiting Santa, making sure a little elf moves every night ... we're here and I can either savor it or let it fly right by me. I feel like there is so much to do to get ready - but "getting ready" is Christmas, not something to be rushed through.

The harsh reality is that my regular life is so busy that you throw something like Christmas in and it seems nearly impossible. I wasn't wasting time before so how can I fit anything more in? Be that as it may, here we are - trying to make this season special.

According to my Christmas philosophy, it's already half over :( But, it's been good so far - we went to cut down our own tree, I've gotten together with cousins in Boston, we've saw the trees lit in our little down town center, I've gotten private shopping trips with each of my girls and I've already gotten a few holiday cards.

"Pine Mouth"? Really?

2010-12-10T19:14:00.003-05:00

This morning I swigged down a cup of milk my dd left on the counter and I nearly gagged it tasted so spoiled. It was vaguely troubling because it was fresh milk and hadn't been out long. Then the cracker I ate to get rid of the taste was bitter. So was the clementine. So what is the one thing that has to taste good when nothing else does? Chocolate of course. The sweet taste of chocolate on my tongue was a relief for about ten seconds until it too turned bitter. Same thing all day no matter what I ate. Allergic reaction? Fatal illness? Fearing that I was doomed forever, I turned to the Internet to find that there are others like me with this sudden bitter mouth onset. The culprit?
Pine nuts apparently. I had a few the other day when I was trying to decide if they would go with salmon.
This is just one of the many articles I found:

It's a chef's worst nightmare: to wake up one morning to find that food has lost its flavor -- that every morsel to cross your lips tastes bitter, metallic, and inedible.

Virtually undocumented before 2009, "pine mouth", a bizarre taste distrubance, has been brought to...

(Getty Images)

This was the fate of San Francisco-based chef and food critic Jenna VanGrowski, 30, who suffered from a bizarre taste disturbance last month known as "pine mouth."

Though she didn't know it at the time, the bitter aftertaste that came with anything she ate was due to a rare and seemingly random reaction to eating pine nuts. She snacked on some two days before.

Various "palate cleansing" foods failed to get rid of the metallic aftertaste, known medically as metallogeusia.

When even the taste of toothpaste was "almost unbearable," she says she started to worry.

"I'm a chef, so I started getting really scared and frustrated because I need to be able to taste to do what I do. I had no idea what the heck was going on."

Van Growski works for ChefsBest, an organization that judges food products.

But as she soon found, she was not alone.

A quick Google search uncovered dozens of others on blogs and Facebook reporting her same symptoms and calling it "pine mouth syndrome."

The cause? It seemed the handful of pine nuts she snacked on days prior was the unlikely culprit. (the rest of the story.....)

I share this first because I want a pity party - it's the holidays for crying out loud. This is the time to be eating all sorts of scrumptious things. (Then again, maybe this is a blessing?) and second just in case it happens to you or anyone you love, you can assure them that they aren't dying and that it will (most likely) go away.

Internet Shopping bleh

2010-12-09T17:58:00.003-05:00

I love the idea of Internet shopping - no crowds, no parking, no stops for OMG priced gas, BUT, then I get the message from Littleknits that they aren't shipping the orange yarn I ordered more than a week ago after hunting through bunches of stores both land and online until Friday. The cousin for whom I needed it to make a scarf is coming on Saturday to celebrate Christmas. Hmmm. Without a time machine, I am obviously not going to have the present done on time!

Then another package I ordered to be sent to my mother in Wisconsin for her birthday arrived here, in Massachusetts. So much for the free shipping, which lured me in to ordering it in the first place.

Still, I know she will love it - no spoilers though, mom!

Hats R Fun

2010-12-08T22:00:00.003-05:00

Maybe it's just the cold weather, but I have an undeniable urge to knit hats. This is my first of the year. I finished it during an overnight stint with DD17 in the ER while watching an endless loop of Wizard's of Waverly place. I loved the color, loved the concept, but on my head it looked more sloppy than slouchy. The yarn just didn't have enough stretch so it just sort of plopped on my head. Not wanting to frog and not having any other brilliant patterns in mind, I came up with an alternative - a fleece lining for the headband part. It's now stretchy and warm. The pattern is based on a formula from Crazy Aunt Purl.

The photo was taken by DD17 having recovered from the infection that sent us to the ER. We were out chopping down the Christmas tree that is now sitting rolled up tightly on our porch because we haven't had the time to put it up. How sad is that - we cut a tree so it will be fresher and then let it sit. Deep sigh.

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T21:23:00.004-05:00

Ravelry seems to have taken over the knitting world. And I love it for many reasons, but it has pulled people - including me - away from our blogs and that I don't like. I enjoyed being able to catch up with the lives of my cyber friends. I had a good little circle going. Now, I'm out of touch. We're on Facebook, but that doesn't accomodate the long updates and doesn't seem to engender much by way or a knitting discussion. Ravelry forums are good for discussions, but not great for catching up. So here I am again.

I am once again faced with the realization that Christmas is just weeks away and that suddenly I have a desire to knit bunches of presents for people. I probably don't have the time and I am now obsessing about pattern and yarn and the clock is ticking and ticking. I just have to somehow convince the over enthusiastic part of me who seems to have no sense of time that world peace does not rest on my success at knitting the perfect present for everyone in my life.

My plans right now are simply an orange scarf for my cousin who joked long ago about me knitting him one to replace one he'd lost. The challenge was that what he described was bright traffic cone orange. This is a tough color to find in an acceptable yarn - one that is soft, machine washable and not cheap acrylic. Finger's crossed, I found it on mail order.

Then there will be a pair of green mittens. This was supposed to be a green hat, but then I found out the intended recipient doesn't really like knitted hats - she's more of a bowler gal. I could felt one, but the yarn I have is washable!

And maybe, just maybe, pink felted slippers for the girls. I have to first find a pattern I like well enough and then find the time.

Also maybe, some knitted tree ornaments. The likes of which I've made one. Very cute, very easy, but still takes time.

The other photo is of the sky in my little town shortly before our annual Christmas Tree lighting.

make overs

2010-09-20T10:35:00.005-04:00

For the past several months, I have been renovating my studio. It is in a room that was once used as a tiny kitchen. For years, I made do with what had been there - ugly pea green tiles on the wall and ugly dirty green tiles on the floor. It was hard to feel creative and energized when I spent much of my time there thinking about how much I hated the colors. It didn't help that it was considered the junk room or that I am just not naturally a neat person and I had way too much stuff for the space. One Saturday a friend offered to keep the kids for the afternoon. My husband and I got so giddy with the thought of actually having free time that we launched into tearing down the tiles. What we didn't stop to think about was that we had just two hours and we were embarking on a job that was going to take about a hundred times that! Adding to the challenge was that beyond getting rid of the tiles and the ugly metal cabinets, we weren't really sure what to do with the space. I had visions but the man who had to do the work couldn't quite see them the same way. I think I've watched too many home decorating shows where the designers toss a few ideas at the carpenter who then works his magic and voila, a beautiful room. DH is handy, but not a carpenter by trade. I'm not a professional designer or even a very good amateur one and we're not on a television show. If we were, the project would have been done in an hour instead of the months it has taken us!

Still, I am inspired by those shows and by all the creative makeovers I see on whipup.net and other people's blogs. So here, finally, is one of my own. This was a garden shelf that we bought at the unfinished furniture store years ago. It sat unfinished because I couldn't figure out what to do with it. I decided to keep it in the room because it's quirky and I need storage. I wanted it to look finished, but I wanted to retain the shabby chic feel. So, I gave it a white wash with a gel stain. This allows the grain of the wood to show through. Then, I took the back off and painted it the color of the wall. To add a little more flare, I used wall stickers of the Eiffel tower and flowers that came with it. Even though I put stuff on the shelves, you can still see the stickers in the behind them. This also gives me an incentive to not let the shelves get junked up!

bagging it

2010-06-20T23:20:00.002-04:00

The kids came up with a great idea for the last day of school - bags that they could have their friends sing.

They looked at me with their bright shining eyes and asked ever so sweetly, every so slyly if I couldn't help them sew the bags they had in mind.

My studio is mid-renovation (as it has been for month) my supplies are scattered about the house. I have no idea where any suitable material is, but they are so earnest and it is the end of second grade.

I sacrificed a pillow case. Finding time was another matter. One sweet child , friend of dd, gave up movie time to sew hers! The other, my own dd, managed to squeeze it in just before bed time on the night before the last day of school. (a little too much like me sometimes) and that left just the bag for the one who couldn't stay to finish the project. Which meant me up late sewing a little bag the night before the last day of school!

It's on them to remembe the permanent markers and get the signatures!

class addendum

2010-06-17T23:06:00.003-04:00

I was supposed to be paid for the class. It's not that I care all that much about the money. Money is good, don't get me wrong, but I certainly wasn't doing it for that. Still, money buys yarn and yarn is good. The problem is that I'm not a teacher and most of the people who do the afterschool program are so they didn't know what to do with me. First, I had to fill out reams of paperwork. Then, I had to go on line to take an ethics course that all government employees have to take. It was part course, part quiz with tough questions like if you are on the planning board is it okay to take money from someone who is applying for a building permit? Do they really think that the people taking bribes are doing so only because they don't know any better? And, if you're the sort who would take a bribe, is taking a course going to change your mind?

I was a little worried about not passing, but it turns out that if you get the answer wrong, you get to go back and fix it. Whew. I don't always perform well under pressure.

I've finally taken the test, but I still have to go back to the office with the document to prove it. Until then, no money. No money, no yarn. I sort of kind of have my eye on this Cashmere I saw in Connecticut a few months back. The shop had the softest, prettiest stole I've ever seen. The pattern takes just two skeins. At a mere $50 each, that would pretty much be the entire check. This project would definitely require lifelines!

My latest accomplishments lately have been in the sewing room rather than on sticks:

These were for a Birthday swap sent to a fellow Red Sox fan. The flat bag clips on to a loop inside the tote. The draw string project bag has a zippered pocket on the outside. It's from a tutorial on bag designer Terry Atkinson's blog. Very fun pattern and much less complicated than it looks

Thank goodness for spit splicing

2010-05-20T16:40:00.003-04:00

I have sadly said goodbye to my blossoming knitters, although that is a somewhat generous description. Only one child actually finished a project. It was a very small and very lopsided little coin purse. But she was as proud as if it were a high end fashion designer handbag, as she should have been, of course.

The problem in finishing the project was that she, on the advice from another student, had cut the yarn after she finished the last row. One of the best decision I made, however, was to use not-superwash real wool. That meant a little bit of spit (ewwww, say my students) and a lot of rubbing and we're back on our way to casting off. (A friend pointed out that I could have used the crochet cast off, but that's a new one to me).

A few of the other seemed to sort of get the idea. I think a couple more weeks or a couple more hours of sitting with them and they would have gotten it. They could all do it with some help, but sadly, I can't split myself into seven! At least they all seemed to have fun, and at the end of the day, isn't that the most important thing? Next year or in a few years when they see some needles and yarn, I hope they remember liking knitting and that they believed me when I told them they could do it. I would do it again in a heart beat. I don't think I would do much differently. It just takes time.

The teacher learns

2010-05-12T21:42:00.002-04:00

I must admit that my capacity for patience has been exceeded by several of my young pupil's lack of fine motor skills and abilityto focus. A couple of the second graders have gotten the hang of it but the others are struggling. They get the concept but they seem unable to bring the new loop through the old loop. I think they could get it with a few more lessons, but we have just one left. I had hoped we'd complete little purses or small bunnies, but now I'll settle for them being able to knit a few rows.

This last week, two students were absent attending communion rehearsal. I thought that would make things go more smoothly but amazingly, there was still an intense amount of energy. They are having fun and that is the most important thing. I, being ever driven, want them to learn and forge ahead, but I do recognize that they are only 7 and 8. There is plenty of time for them to pack their schedules so full that multi tasking will become a way of life. For now, they are goofy and happy to chase balls of yarn off the table and around the floor, so why not? They have years and years of productivity ahead of them.

Of course I want them to leave accomplished novice knitters. I want them to be able to cast on, knit and cast off with finesse, but that just is not possible for all of them right now. They have, however, learned to make a slip knot, finger knit and cast on. It's a good start. They've seen wool and they've been smitten with the wonderful colors. They have plans in their head for what they would like to make and they have a sense of how to do that. This is all good. So, though we're not as far along as I'd like, I think the class was a success for all of us. They learned some things about knitting and I learned a whole lot about teaching. I would do it again in a heart beat.

Patience Learned

2010-05-04T20:46:00.003-04:00

I have gone through my life with the unexamined belief that patience is something you either have or you don't have. This class has changed my mind.

I think instead that patience is more like fitness - you can become more patient with practice and determination. Last week when I was trying to explain something for the fifteenth time, I could feel my frustration rising and sarcasm bubbling in my brain. But I took a deep breath and searched my brain for yet another way to explain the same thing.

Honestly, with five children, I've had a lot of practice with this patience thing. I'm not the most patient person in the world or even as patient as I would like to be, but I do believe I'm better than when I started. Maybe it comes from exercising empathy. The more you try to put yourself in another person's shoes, the more patient you can be with that person. That and deep breathing!

So far, all six students can make a slip knot and do the backward loop cast on. From there, we've got issues. One kid is going gang busters, but I think she came to class knowing how to knit. After demonstrating over and over and holding hands to show them the process, I think I finally hit on an explanation that works. I tell them there is an old loop on the left hand needle. Put the right hand needle through that loop. Wrap the yarn around the needle to make a new loop. Pull the needle through the old loop. Then the old loop can hop off the needle. I found that it seemed to work best if I stopped and asked them to point out several times where the old loop was and where the new loop was and then explain to me what had to happen.

I think at least three were getting the hang of it by the end of the class. Just two more to go. I wish I could sign them up for another 6 weeks, but summer is coming too soon!

My own knitting has been slowed by a need to detangle the yarn DP (dear puppy) tangled on a romp through the house. Amazing how much damage can be done in such a short time. It's taken literally hours. The thing that keeps me going is that it's strangely meditative and engaging. I wouldn't think detangling yarn would keep my attention, but it does. Not that I would recommend it.

I may be doing more of it - these girls in my class have managed to make some pretty snarly messes of the balls I sent home with them. I honestly didn't know it was possible to get yarn into the jumble that they've made!

Lessons learned class day 3

2010-04-27T21:46:00.003-04:00

Okay, here is my big lesson for the day - if you are going to send 6 8yo's home with their own knitting needles, make sure to bring extras to the next class, because there will be some who don't remember to bring them back!

So I had four students with needles and two without. Time for plan B - how about more finger knitting? This time with more fingers. I hadn't expected to teach this, so I hadn't done a lot of practicing on it, which meant I was a little rusty. Thankfully, one of the students was quite adept at the technique. I had her demonstrate it figuring in part that she would speak their language better. Low and behold, I learned something from her! My way of doing it involved wrapping the yarn around the fingers twice and then lifting the bottom strand over the top. She wrapped four times and then lifted the bottom two over the top. This makes for a thicker cord.

Only one student had done any significant knitting over the break - she had three inches on the needles already. A couple had at least remembered how to do the backward loop cast on.

I worked with three students who had needles on the actual knittng. Holy mokes does this take a lot of patience and then some! I explained, I demonstrated, I explained, I literally held their hands. I don't mind at all, but I can sense them getting frustrated with themselves. I know they want to just be able to knit, but as with so many things in life, we just have to go through the process of learning how first. And then, we have to practice, practice, practice to get good at it.

Despite the challenge, they all seem to be having fun.

I have been getting just a little knitting done myself. This friendly croc was a gift for my nephew. I have to admit that I started it in July. I am happy to say that it took just 9 months...

This sweet little doll is from a eleather for a Ravelry Wee Swap. Isn't she just darling? The hat has a tiny little flower on it. And that itty bitty sock just blows me away.

Class Day 2

2010-04-13T18:59:00.002-04:00

I thought I was fully prepared to face my seven little will-be knitters having already gotten a taste of their rambuctioness and silliness. I spent more than an hour making balls of yarn I bought for the class (note that if you want to turn one skein of Cascade 220 into three, it's 220 feet per ball. Being a bit math challenged, I actually converted to feet and then divided by three to get the number of feet I needed!) I even untangled bunches of yarn that had become nearly hopelessly tangled by dp (dear puppy) during an unsupervised romp. I then diligently printed out instructions and practiced. I opted for the long tail cast on figuring that it is a quick way to get loops on the needle and it would be easy enough for them to learn quickly.

HAH! HAH! and HAH HAH!

I had it all broken down into easy peasy steps - or at least what I thought were easy peasy steps. I was met with a uniform chorus sung by seven of, "Huh? What are we supposed to do? I don't get it." When I started to hear "I can't knit," I started to get worried. I know that a kid can get discouraged easily if she feels she can't accomplish the goal.

Thirty minutes into the class, I scrapped the cast on and switched to the backward loop. I don't like it for learning since it's so loose, but there wasn't time to teach the knitted cast on and I really needed them to make some progress. It's relatively easy to learn - certainly easier than what I was trying to do anyway. Most of them got it but we had just 15 minutes for the actual knitting part. I can now definitively report that this is not nearly enough time. Just as my young students were sort of starting to get it, their parents were arriving to take them home. I guess the good thing is that none of them wanted to leave when the class was over! (My apologies to all parents who were in a hurry)

We now have a two week hiatus for Spring Break. I wonder if some parents are going to learn how to knit just so they can help the kids along?

I need to remember to get more pink yarn. I probably could have gotten away with getting only pink yarn!

This is a good exercise for me in seeing how far I've come as a knitter. I remember those early, frustrating days of wanting to whip through even just a simple square. I also remember becoming totally addicted once I finally got the hang of it. Now I'm just trying to spready the love!

Knitting Kids

2010-04-06T18:56:00.001-04:00

I think there are exactly 52 ways to mess up a slip knot and my seven students discovered each and every one of them. I expected that teaching this fundamental element of knitting might be a little challenging, but I didn't realize it would take up more than half of the class.
They are, at least, an enthusiastic bunch of girls who got just a little frustrated at not getting the knot immediately. Mostly they just seemed to have fun trying. I will say that I am glad there are no more than seven, however!
I tried showing them everyway I could think of - setting the loop on the table, wrapping the yarn around their hands and wrapping it just around their fingers. There are just only so many ways to explain it. We had barely enough time to learn that and basic one-finger finger knitting. I'd hoped to move on to four-finger finger knitting but that just wasn't going to happen. I also made the grave mistake of thinking that 15 minutes was enough time to teach pompoms. Oh no, not by a long shot. I was frantically trying to tie off bundles of yarn one at a time when parents were arriving and wondering (like I used to) why the teacher was taking so long to send them to the lobby! I think I sent everyone home with at least a little bit of yarn to practice on.
The highlight was when the cooking class in the next room started to get loud. One little girl said, "They're out of control. We're calm because we're knitting. Knitting calms you down."
Yes, that's a large part of why I knit it calms me down (when I'm not getting frustrated from having read the pattern wrong or dropped a stitch while frogging.)
P.S. I will confirm that it generally helps if you read the directions. I finally did that for the yarn meter - now I know why my count was so far off!

Math?

2010-04-05T21:59:00.004-04:00

So I've chosen four bright colors of Cascade 220. I have 7 students. That means splitting up skeins. That means I finally get to use the yarn meter my wonderful husband bought me for Christmas (with heavy hinting). The thing is, it measures feet. Skeins and patterns are in yards. I know, how hard can it be - three feet to a yard, right? It's just that I can't do these things in my head. I tried to recruit DS into helping, but he was too absorbed with posting to facebook.

Class starts tomorrow. Finger knitting and pom poms? I'm planning on saving the Cascade for the real project. I'll get them started with my scraps. I don't have much left - I'd given away bunches to my older daughter's class before I knew I'd be doing this. Even so, everywhere I look there are little bits!

So, will they knit outside of class? I probably shouldn't expect that. They have a lot going on and homework, plus moms who probably don't knit.

I'm excited and nervous all at the same time!

Indecision Central

2010-04-03T23:49:00.004-04:00

It's all well and good to think about teaching knitting in the abstract. Teaching one-one-one is pretty simple -round up some needles and spare yarn. But now I've got a real class on my hands. A class that needs structure and organization. And supplies.

I have a hard enough time picking out yarn and patterns for myself and now I have to do it for six little people I've never met! White? Pink? Blue? Purple? Verigated? Wool? Superwash? Six skeins of the same color? Six different colors? I've loaded, unloaded and reloaded my virtual shopping cart several times already! I'm spending more time stressing about this than I will spend teaching.

I forgot that I don't like this part of teaching a class - choosing the supplies. This is the only thing I don't like about teaching beading classes. I drive myself crazy trying to make sure that I'll have the right color for everyone.

In this case I have just $10 per student and six weeks so I have to think ahead to the projects.

The class starts Tuesday.

Game On

2010-03-31T21:22:00.002-04:00

I got word today that at least six young'uns have signed up for my little o' knitting class, so here we go...it's all too real now. I have to get serious. I have to plan. I have to buy supplies. I have to figure out what I'm doing so I can show them!

I think I'm going to start with finger knitting. It's a little more like crochet than knitting but it's yarn and loops so I figure it's a good introduction. I've been practicing. I made my daughter and her reluctant friend learn and I cornered a 9-year-old in the waiting room.

I think I've got the slip knot down - make a pond (loop the yarn into a circle) and then go fishing (for the yarn).

Then on to the finger knitting - still working on that explanation.

So that is either the first ten minutes or the first class. I really have no idea how fast (or slow) these kids will catch on. Then what? One seasoned instructor suggested casting on for them. Then once they learn to knit, it's easier to teach the knitted cast on.

I think a book mark to start - maybe knit the long way so they can have long rows. Then a small bag maybe? Pot holder? Head band? Oh my goodness, I'm actually going to have to make decisions about what someone else will knit? I have a hard enough time deciding what I should knit!

I also have to buy supplies. Needles, of course. Yarn, obviously. Needles? Pins? Ruler? Row Counter? What's absolutely essential?

This should be interesting...

Marine life

2010-03-27T21:41:00.004-04:00

For those who are big on things small, Ravelry has a wee-sock exchange group. Every month, members are paired up to exchange tiny footwear and other goodies all in good fun. The theme for March was marine life. This is certain to spark some creative thinking since socks don't normallygo swimming, right? My partner certainly got creative with a mermaid sock, a seahorse and a starfish. Amazing what yarn can be turned into.

Instruction

2010-03-19T19:42:00.002-04:00

I usually say I learned to knit a few years back when my little ones were littler. I rememered recently, however, that I really learned to knit when I was a youngster. There were some community classes offered at the local school. My parents took woodworking and I took knitting. I started but never finished a pair of mittens.

Still, maybe that early instruction set a pathway in my brain that made it easier when I took it up as an adult. So, I feel it's only fair to pay back. Which means that when I found out they couldn't find a kntting instructor for an after school program at my daughter's school I felt obliged to raise my hand.

Do I have enough patience? We'll see. First, we need to have at least six kids. If that doesn't happen, I'm off the hook. Not that I really want to be. I'm kind of excited about this. I did successfully teach Z to knit at age 7.

I think we'll start with finger knitting - it's essentially crochet without a hook. I decided today to experiment on my daughter and her friend. The slip knot was much harder for them to learn than I expected. The rest was a little bit trickier than I anticipated as well.

I will, however, have six weeks.

I'm now scouting for simple, quick patterns. Any suggestions are welcome.

Something is fishy

2010-03-18T23:03:00.003-04:00

The theme for the Wee Sock exchange this month was marine life.

Initially, I was thinking about a mermaid sock with a flipper but it morphed into a tiny flipper sock. Very much fun to design on this scale - everything goes so quickly.

I am also going to take credit for the warm spell as of late. I just finally finished a pair of half mitts to match my cabled hat. I've been wanting to make these all year round, but just recently got to it! Now, we're ready for shorts, hah hah.

2010-03-03T21:09:00.003-05:00

I keep telling the kids that they have to put their things away or the puppy will get it. Now, in my defense, this yarn was sort of put away - it was in a stuffed in a bin. Apparently, it's great fun to tip over the bin and pull out and then scatter the contents. DH says Purl just wishes she had thumbs so she could knit!
And the rest of this isn't Purl - it's me. We impulsively decided to renovate the office/studio. At first it was going to be just some paint, but it was going to be so much work to get the room ready for that, we decided to gut the room! At this point, most people would sort and then pack everything up. But it had taken us so long to get to this point, we were afraid we would change our minds if we didn't decisively launch into the project. I moved everything out of the room as fast as possible while Dh chiseled ugly green tiles off the walls putting us well past the point of no return.
This isn't the most organized way to become organized, but sometimes, you just have to take a leap. Already, I've sent all (yes I said all) of the knitting magazines to my daughter's school, where they have a knitting school. I've also packed up several bags of material and at least two unfinished projects for a charity pick up. These are things that have been in my closet for years and years. I feel some angst at sending them away being taught to always finish what you start. But I don't want them anymore. I'm not sure that I ever did. Sometimes I think I start things just to see if can do it and once I know I can, I lose interest. Of course, by this time I've usually invested beaucoup $$ and hours into the project. So it's tempting to just tuck it away for some day when I have hours and hours of extra time on my hands (as if that day will ever come). This time, however, I'm letting go of the guilt and the stuff to make way for new stuff and, hopefully, a wave of creativity.
I will keep my favorite yarn books and the good yarn that I've collected. I've come to the belief that yarn isn't just for knitting - it's for collecting too. It's good to be surrounded by wonderful yarn. I hope someday to find the right project for all of it, but in the meanwhile, I'll just enjoy the color and the texture and the potential it holds.

dog gone it

2010-02-26T16:00:00.003-05:00

Isn't she cute? It's gosh darn lucky for her that she is, cause...

This is how I think yarn should be:

This is how my puppy Purl thinks it should be:

Thankfully, it isn't one of those kinky yarns that folds in on itself and gets all tangeld so I was able to undo the damage with relative ease. (Thank goodness also for the ball winder - if I didn't already have one, I'd certainly be getting one!)

I'm not sure what this yarn will become. I bought it for the capitan's hat, but in looking at the pattern again, I think it is just a tad too bulky. Maybe the yarn harlot's unoriginal pattern.

mousies

2010-02-24T12:38:00.003-05:00

Not only are these mice fun to knit, it turns out they are great toys for standing in line at Disney World! Dd was perfectly content to set up an entire fantasy world while we slowly moved along waiting for the next ride or show. That made everything more pleasant. The last picture is the wildlife at Disney. What a great place to be a squirrel!

The pattern for the mouse can be found at
http://yarnigans.vox.com/ Just scroll down a ways. The doll is a blast to knit too - pics coming soon.

2010-02-10T17:38:00.004-05:00

One of my prizes for finishing the sweater was a great apron and a bunch of cupcake cooking supplies, which arrived today just a head of the kiddos getting sent home early for a giantsnow storm (which was just rain for most of the afternoon)

Perfect activity. Some how, miraculously, I had all the ingredients for the cupcakes – but just enough butter. I used a “Boston Cupcake” recipe that called for mace, which adds great flavor. I filled up the 12 baking cups as the recipe specified and wondered briefly why I had extra batter, but I figured that happens. Well, half way through the cooking time I figured out why - I’d added twice as much milk as called for! It turns out, however, that this is okay, it just takes way, way, way longer to cook! But they are so worth the wait.

Then for the frosting – again miraculously, we had enough powdered sugar, but not really enough butter. I found a recipe that would work anyway – hot water and powdered sugar, but why stop there? I added what little butter I had left, some milk and Fluff! I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a frosting recipe calling for Fluff, but it works pretty darn good. The kids loved it. Of course, how could they not with all that sugar?

If you're interested, here's the recipe:

2 tablespoons of hot water, 1 tablespoon of vanilla in a bowl.

Mix in 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Add 2 tablespoons of melted butter and 2 tablespoons of half and half (or milk)

Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of Fluff

Add another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar if it doesn't look thick enough.

Add a few dabs of food coloring if desired.

It occurred to me later that I could just have used the fluff.

Haiti

2010-02-08T23:16:00.002-05:00

I've had no time to post and little time to knit because I've been doing double duty around here. DH was sent to Haiti last Friday to write about Harvard's humanitarian efforts there. After reading what he has written, I'm glad he went. He is a marvelous writer who can show readers with his words what he sees. And, it's so important to see what is going on there! These doctors have created hospitals out of virtually nothing. They are doing it on largely on their own dime. They didn't take the time to raise funds, they put up their own money and took off hoping to work out the finances later. They are giving up so much to take care of some of the poorest and neediest people in the world under some of the harshest conditions in the world. I may be giving up some free time, but it's nothing compared to what these people are enduring. If you are looking for a worthy cause or a way to help - this is it.

Al's first article:

FOND PARISIEN, HAITI — Nearly a month after a massive earthquake devastated Haiti, paramedic Anthony Croese looked into the crowd outside a destroyed orphanage near Port-au-Prince and spotted an emaciated baby cradled in his father’s arms.
The baby looked far too tiny for his eight months of life, and a short conversation explained why. His mother died in the Jan. 12 quake, and his father, Emilio Eliassaint, in the weeks since had been feeding him sugar water, devoid of the nutrients in mother’s milk.
Croese, who feared the baby wouldn’t survive long on such a diet, bundled him into a car and sent him to a field hospital that has sprung up amid the thorny trees and dried grass at Fond Parisien, near the border with the Dominican Republic. full article

Mousie Mania

2010-02-02T19:20:00.003-05:00

What could be better to follow up a long complicated pattern than a really quick easy one? Enter the mouse. I found it during the great sweater race and even enticed Allison to take a side tour to knit one (sorry about that).

This one is for a special certain 4 year old who loves yellow!

Check out this site: http://yarnigans.vox.com/ for the mouse pattern, a darling bear pattern and a delightful doll.

Mr.Greenjeans complete

2010-02-01T12:13:00.003-05:00

I told my friend Allison and Bonnie that I wanted to knit a sweater this year, so they challenged me to a race. First one done gets a prize from the other two. Who could resist such a challenge? We all used the same yarn, but different patterns. Mine is Mr. Greenjeans from Knitty.com.

I wanted something with special details but knit from the top down to avoid seaming, which I hate because I don't really know how to do it. I also knew from all my reading is that the advantage of top down is that you can try it on as you go to make sure the size is right. That's a great idea if you know what the heck you are doing, which I don't. I tried it on at several points and it always seemed fine. Except that it really wasn't. It's too big. Not a lot too big, maybe a size or so. I will admit that I didn't actually check measurements - I just assumed I should use the size I usually wear.

I modified the collar, making it a shawl collar using short rows. It doesn't fold over like it should and keeps coming around to being flat. I wonder if I should have done the short rows at the edge of the collar instead of closer to the body?

I'm also not terribly pleased with where the button falls. It's not quite as flattering to my body type as I had hoped. This is one of the disadvantages of not being able to try on a style before you spend hours and hours knitting it!

Overall, however. I love the color and the yarn is wonderfully soft and warm.

I am also thrilled to be done. which I am only because of the motivation of my friends. Being in a race helped me stay focused and put off other projects that would otherwise have distracted me.

I am now more determined than ever to figure out how to design my own patterns. So often, I like some of this one and some of that one. I want to become proficient in putting all the pieces together.

Oh, and by the way, yes - I did "win" :)

A mistake discovered - what to do if you find a hole

2010-01-26T09:35:00.004-05:00

So I was knitting along on a sweater the other night - the one in which I'm in a race with two other friends to finish (The first one done gets a prize from the other two) - and I notice that I seem to have created a gap between stitches. At first, I wanted to believe that it was just a normal space caused by uneven stithces. Afterall, I'm in a race and I was in the middle of the collar, which is 238 stitches.

This has happened to me before only I didn't have enough experience then to realize that something was wrong. First, I checked for a dropped stitch, which of course would have been easy to fix. Alas, there was none. I thought about keeping on and figuring out later, but I know from experience that's never a good idea. So I pondered. The hole looked vaguely familiar - like something achieved during making short rows. Then it dawned on me. There was a reason why when I had gotten to the end of the previous row that I felt like I was on the wrong side - because I was. As I was knitting that row, the puppy did what puppies shouldn't do in the house so I promptly dropped the work and took care of her business. Then I plopped back down and a little too carelessly picked up my work and took off, only I'd taken off in the wrong direction! I didn't pay close enough attention and turned the work in the middle of the row, just like you would for a short row only I didn't want one at this point. There is only one way to fix this - tinking back to where the work was turned. I didn't actually time it, but I'm fairly certain that it takes three or four times longer to tink than to knit. I was relieved, at least to discover that I had correctly diagnosed the problem.

I'm sharing this story not only to brag a little but also as a warning/guide for my fellow knitters who have to stop in the middle of the row or who find an unexpected gap.

Here is the aforementioned puppy - doesn't she look so innocent?

We love Santa

2010-01-25T12:09:00.004-05:00

You should wish you were at our house today. CJ and I have been baking with the supplies Santa brought for Christmas. I'm not entirely certain, but I think Santa must have dusted them with magic powder because everything seems to taste just a little bit better than usual!

Our favorite is he square muffin pans. What will they come up with next? I'm not entirely sure there is any advantage to them, but they certainly are fun. We used them today for apple muffins. I think CJ might have preferred chocolate chip. Maybe next time.

The business of Yarn

2010-01-24T19:04:00.002-05:00

Part of my day job is writing a column for the Boston Herald about small business. Every now and then, I find a way to sneak in a bit of yarn talk.... afterall, fiber is as much a business as anything else!

Doing good can be good for business
Charity gives customers incentive to buy
By Jennifer Heldt Powell / Small Business Matters

It can be difficult to entice shoppers into a store in the dead of a chilly winter when they’re still tallying up their Christmas bills, but last weekend Yarns in the Farm in Beverly was hopping.
Yarn enthusiasts were drawn in by a “reverse sale.” Ten percent of everything they bought was sent to Haiti to help earthquake victims. Full Article

gratuitous dog pics

2010-01-17T21:58:00.002-05:00

Too tired to write too much - puppy is an early riser. I'm hoping some exercise will help her sleep! We spent a good chunk of the day at Nahant Beach. We managed to get out before the rain.

2010-01-13T20:49:00.002-05:00

This wonderfully gorgeous puppy represents a whole new way of doing things for us. Usually, we are impulsive. Usually, we get the fever and have to have it now at any cost or interest rate. But this time, we talked, we planned, we dreamed, we researched. We found the breeder we wanted and then we saved and waited, and waited, and waited and waited. She was born on Veteran's Day, which meant nine weeks of excruciating waiting and longing for sweet puppy belly. Today was the day, at last, when we got to drive up (three hours) to retrieve her. It didn't matter if it was six or nine or twelve hours, it would have been worth it. She is as adorable and sweet and soft as we'd hopes. We're sure she's wicked smaht too.

organizeder?

2010-01-05T11:04:00.002-05:00

I finally returned to my studio/office after two weeks of working anywhere else in the house since we had guests and little people mucking about. In the intervening time, this space was the dumping ground as other rooms were cleaned. As a result, I literally couldn't see the top of the table that serves as a desk and crafting space.

The frustrating thing is that I could have written this post last year! I remember distinctly starting out 2009 determining that I was going to get organized once and forever. Every room in my house would be clear of clutter. Everything would have a place and I would return it to that place and stay stocked up with just enough of the right supplies so that I would have what I needed in hand. So why, a year later, did I have to spend 30 minutes moving piles just so I could put down my computer?

I should let myself off the hook at least a little bit in that I share this house with a number of other people who have various capabilities and desires to clean up after themselves. There are, in fact, several areas of the house that have been organized several times over the year because little people have repeatedly unorganized them.

Still, it seems that if organization is my goal year after year after year, I should be further along than I am! It makes me wonder if I should just quite torturing myself and give in to the chaos. Can organization be achieved? I am as organized as I ever will be?

I think an honest assessment would reveal that things are better than they would be if I weren't trying so hard. I'm not naturally inclined toward neatness. I'm just too busy. I buzz from one project to the next and I hate stopping the progress to put things away. (Yes, I do recognize that sooner rather than later progress stops anyway since there is no longer room to move).

I also hate throwing things away. I am plagued with the common "I might need it someday" syndrome. There is a reasonable basis for this issue. Often, I find that I really do have need of something I saved. And, at least once this year I was seriously burned because I disposed of something I shouldn't have.

I guess the quesiton is do I have too much stuff or that I just don't know how to put it away properly? Or that I don't put it away even if it does have a space?

If you've got any suggestions - send them my way. Meanwhile, if I discover any silver bullets, I'll post!

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T22:38:00.004-05:00

This sweet little puppy by the name of Pearl (or Purl as I prefer to spell it) will be joining our family next week. To say the least, we can hardly wait!

Pics for post below

2009-12-22T23:18:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas

2009-12-22T21:43:00.003-05:00

Christmas is coming wicked fast (as we say around here). I was way far ahead and now I'm way far behind - how did that happen? At least I've managed to finish the one gotta present - a mistake rib scarf with a ruffled edge and an unoriginal hat (yarn harlot pattern.) The yarn is Webs Valley - very nice to work with. Two for the scarf, one for the hat.

The knitted crock will likely have to wait a bit longer. I have a backup present ready to go just in case.

I would dearly, dearly love to finish a lace scarf I've been working on, but with each row taking 90 minutes, it's unlikely.

Hope your fingers are flying and that you're having fun!

(pic to follow if I can talk blogger into it!)

note to self about home made coffee mocha

2009-12-10T00:15:00.002-05:00

Note to self (and anyone else who likes chocolate coffee): It is not a good idea to put a packet of hot chocolate mix in with the coffee grounds while brewing coffee. It does work out wonderfully well, however, to put said mix in the coffee pot.

The Christams Season has begun

2009-12-06T21:06:00.004-05:00

For us, Christmas unofficially begins after Halloween and with the the official launch on the day after Thanksgiving. It's just too big of a holiday for one day. Above is what Massachusetts looked like this morning. One day we had record warm temperatures and the next day it was snowing. It's amazing how exciting a little bit of snow can be for a couple of little girls who are already jazzed up about Christmas. This is our Christmas tree - or at least it might be in a few years. As it was, we went to a place where we could cut our own only to find that the place had been over cut and they had to ship in trees from other farms! They had them all propped up and you got to walk around holding a saw as if you were going to cut one down. They even had a tractor that would give you rides as if you were going to the fields where you would cut the tree. They're growing trees as fast as they can and hopefully they'll have more soon. Now, on to the celebrating....

the happy dance is being done

2009-11-30T00:10:00.004-05:00

I never really doubted that I could crank out a 50,000 word novel in a month but there were many times when I felt pretty lost in the middle of it. I pushed my own creative limits choosing subjects that are on the outskirts of my comfort zone - a male main character and a fairy god mother. It was fun getting to know them although there were times when I felt like we were treading water in some fairly boring territory. What's good about the deadline is that you have to push on whether or not you like what you're writing at the moment. It would otherwise be tempting to stop and wait for some bolt of inspiration that might not ever come. What this proves to me yet again, is that mountains can be climbed. Given our lives, completing a novel like this is nearly impossible, but I have the support of a great husband and a little cheering section in the form of two little girls who like to fall asleep on the bed next to me while I write.

My other lesson is this - that sometimes you just don't know where you are going until you get there. You may feel lost and like you are never going to arrive at a destination and then suddenly you are there and all the pieces make sense. That's how I felt at the end of the book. I felt for much of it that I was just wandering aimlessly, trying to force the story in some direction, but it didn't entirely make sense until the end when it all came together.

Now what happens? I hope that I go back and edit this and smooth out the rough parts and turn it into something that might actually amuse and interest someone other than my mother, who is obligated to love anything I write.

My husband and family will be happy to have my attention back and just in time for Christmas. We've started the shopping and I've even started the knitting believe it or not! I have a scarf finished and half a crocodile. I love a deadline as much as the next person, but I'm not going to go over board. I want to finish the croc and make two scarves. If there's time, I'll add in a pair of half mits for my God daughter. I'm hoping that since they're in stores everywhere, she'll consider them fashionable instead of just an oddity.

amazing pompoms

2009-11-17T14:40:00.003-05:00

I found a great quick-arts-and-crafts fix that can not only use up stash, but also make for cute floral arrangements, wreaths or package toppers: pompom flowers.

This one was made from using a tutorial at Blue Bird's Blog. The link will take you to her pompom wreath and off that is the tutorial for making great pompoms. I've tried several methods, including store bought plastic templates and this was the first time I was actually pleased with the result.

These could be almost as much fun as googly eyes.

garter stitch fabulous

2009-11-16T19:44:00.002-05:00

My friend Allison found this pattern last year. At first when she described it to me, I got confused and knit the stripes vertically. It came out really cool but with a bus load of ends to weave in. Plus, the stripes took forever. Okay, not really because I did finish that hat - it just seemed like the project was endless.

After that, I got it in my head that I'd like to try the original pattern only in all pinks instead of the multi-colors in the pattern. I had a bunch of pink scraps and it's for a little girl who loves pink. The original pattern is much faster and still way cool. The flowers are crocheted with buttons sewn in the middle.

The only "problem" is thay my girls like it so much that they want one too but I used up most of my pink scraps! I think it's too funny that I might actually go and purchase yarn to make a hat that's so great for using up bits of stash.

The knitting has slowed down around here this month since I've once again taken up the Nanowrimo challenge to write a novel in a month. This one is about a low level ad exec living a completely boring life and the flawed fairy god mother sent to save him. Sometimes what I write makes even me laugh some of it I'm sure is the most boring prose ever. So far, however, I want to see how it turns out badly enough to keep writing.

hats

2009-11-07T19:25:00.003-05:00

Is it possible to get a tight enough hat band using a three and one ribbing - ie knitting three stitches and purling 1? I'm trying to figure out if I
a. have too many stitches
b. need smaller needles or
c. need to give up on the idea of a 3-1 ribbing since it won't ever be tight enough.

I actually undid three hours of knitting because the hat was on track to be too loose. As much as it troubled me to frog, I knew it would bother me every time I wore the hat - if I ever wore it - if I didn't. Besides, the fair aisle I was trying out wasn't showing up as much as I would have liked anyway.

Maybe I should swatch? Now that's just a radical thought!

The Angel Made Me Do It

2009-11-03T15:49:00.009-05:00

I gave up dressing for Halloween years before had kids. Nothing against it, just too self conscious really. But when the sweet blue eyed wonder turned those sweet blue eyes on me and asked if I would please, please be a devil for her angel, how could I resist?

The problem was that the devil wasn't as popular this year as say Kate Gosselin. Then she got sick and I thought I was off the hook. Then she had a miraculous recovery. I had less than a day and no time to run around in search of a costume. Thankfully, I've been hovering on the blogs of some creative people, who must have sent out some creative fairy dust or something. As I was in the target, it suddenly occurred to me that I had all I needed for a costume right there in the little girl's stocking aisle. Cut off the legs for a tail, sew horns on what's left. I even made half-mits out of what I didn't use for the tail. (They were absconded by a little trick or treater by the time this pic was taken.) Now if I had truly thought ahead, I could have knit my horns, but that would have been asking for just a little too much planning on my part!

The wings and halo are from Jo Ann Fabrics. The dress is a nightgown that almost wasn't. I bought the fabric during an optimistic fit of high hopes. As always, my sense of what can be accomplished in a given period of time is far removed what can actually be accomplished in that given period of time. Adding to the fun, we could only find the sleeve portion of the pattern my mom loaned me. Thankfully, I'm just crazy enough to have tried pattern making so I was able to piece together the rest. According to my little angel, it is "exactly" what she had in mind. As you can see, it's about perfect for chasing Luke Skywalker around the park.

As an aside - I noticed that Target was selling a large selection of half mits. Nothing as good as what we make, of course, but at least they are growing in popularity making that a potentially great (and easy) gift.

2009-10-25T20:37:00.005-04:00

If recent weather is any indication, we'll have a cold Halloween here in New England. I wanted to make sure my little Tinker Bell is ready. I've been saving this handspun yarn from my friend Lisa for a very special project. It matches the costume perfectly. And coincedently, it also matches our favorite bear - Binky Blue. She is so named since she contains the girl's binks (aka pacifiers). Knitting to accomodate ears is a little tricky - but not too bad thankfully. I suspect that the bear will actually wear her version more than the girl. The girl likes to walk out of the house with hats on, but she seems to have something against keeping them on! This one, however, is wonderfully soft so maybe...

What The?

2009-10-20T17:37:00.003-04:00

This is thing that sort of looks like a crocodile carcas is -- indeed -- a crocodile carcas, ala the Twist Collective (thanks Allison). I started it in July. Yes, July. I thought it would take a couple of weeks and I could hand it over to my young nephew. Silly me. It's now on it's way to becoming a Christmas present.

This is the blocked body ready for stuffing before finishing off the head. Just don't look too closely at the short rows - they were a total disaster. I even practiced on scrap yarn and I can't seem to get rid of the holes. I've tried several methods and it's still a problem. I may need to go in to a shop for remedial help. I managed to sew them up well enough to hold the stuffing in. I don't think the recipient will notice - he's not much of a knitter after all.

What's left is the nose, kitchnering, four legs and a hoodie. I'm thinking maybe a matching hat for the boy.

Happy Birthday Ruby

2009-10-18T21:05:00.005-04:00

The child - if at 16 she can be called that - requested a Teletubby cake for her birthday. It's actually the third (fourth?) year for the request. I had no more luck finding Teletubbies this year than any other. Maybe I could have looked on line but I swear her birthday came out of the blue. One day she was turning 15 and the next she was turning 16. Poof. Just like that. Really.

So her birthday was here and no teletubby figurines. I want ed her to be happy. It is the big 16 after all. So we drove all over town to several stores, but nothing. What to do? What to do?

And then a little voice in the back of my head whispered a reminder of a long-forgotten craft: Shrinky Dinks! Why didn't I think of this before? The incredible shrinking toy. Color, cut, bake and play. What could be better? From big to little in under 3 minutes. So much fun.

Also, great project for little sisters to help out with. They were so proud of the cake - or at least their contribution.

The cake itself is supposed to be the Teletubby house. It is not, I freely admit, the prettiest of cakes. I certainly won't be lining up for a job in the bakery any time soon. But I think I get points for creativity.

I'm not sure, however, it will satisfy the longing for a teletubby cake since it's not the one she wanted...hmmm....should I go on line now?

Happy Birthday to DS

2009-10-17T21:06:00.002-04:00

It might be easier to decorate a cake if I could give it some thought at least a few days rather than a few hours before it has to be done - but that's someone else's life! Mine is speeding along at a breath taking pace and so we improvise a lot. I got the idea for a football cake and discovered via the internet that there are plenty of cute football related items for a cake, but of course I had no time for ordering them. Off to Michaels. There are figurines playing golf, soccer and baseball but not football. So, we headed to the scrapbooking aisle for the next best thing. I think he liked it - as much as any 15 year old likes a cake his mom made anyway...

Next up is the 16 yo who wants Teletubbies - and you thought football players were hard to find!

Happy Birthday to DH

2009-10-14T21:17:00.003-04:00

October is our birthday month, which means way, way too much cake. (is there really such a thing?) So, this year, we decided to kick off the season with a birthday pie - apple to be exact. And not just any pie, but one made with the special help of a delighted 4 yo who said, "When I get big and I'm a mumma, I'm going to bake apple pie." That made it all worth the effort. The big grin on DH's face when he saw his present was just icing on the pie. We used the miracle baking powder crust recipe from allrecipes.com except that we used butter instead of shortening because we didn't have any shortening. Also, we didn't refrigerate it because we didn't have any time. The real miracle was that I actually made a pie crust since that's something I hate doing since I always have such problems with it. I come from a long line of excellent pie making bakers but the excellent pie gene seems to have skipped me. (It could just be that I need more practice.) Honestly, I would have bought the crust, but the store had none.

A note of caution - we learned the hard way that hot apple pie melts birthday candles quicker than you can blow them out. Thankfully, give DH's "advanced" age, we used just one.

spoiler alert for grandparents

2009-10-12T20:04:00.005-04:00

I have come to the conclusion that crafting is something that can not be denied. It builds like a fever and the only way to quench the burning thirst is to craft. And the longer you wait, the more crafting you will be compelled to do. And so we had a crafting explosion this week fueled by my discovery of bloggers making incredibly cute and creative things from neglected treasures at the dollar store.

We love Dollar Tree. Everything there is less than a dollar. Yes, everything. It's a kid's nirvana.

Most of what I made is cribbed from other bloggers with original twists inspired by the imaginations of the 4 yo, 7 yo and an extra 7 yo who has a particular penchant for crafting. There was one sort original craft, however. It's Halloween Cards!

We found these very cute paper gift bags at the store and now that my eyes have been opened to thinking about things for uses other than what they were intended, we did just that. We cut out the great pictures, attached them to heavy paper and added googly eyes. It's perfect for a note to go with the specially designed original picture frames we're sending to the grandparents (see below). We coated them with a glossy varnish, but that step could be skipped.

We have fallen in love with googly eyes. It started with a frame by Swell Life. Once freed from the idea that you should use just two to fill in as eyes on a drawing, we were off to the races putting them on everything and anything that didn't move too fast. (The dog wisely went upstairs)

The eyes started the frame frenzy. We went from eyes to glitter glue and eyes to paint. Those are poka dots. We figured that would be a little more fall for grandparents who might like to keep them out past the upcoming holiday.

Once we started, we just couldn't stop. This bowl of bones is a take off from another decorating idea.

There were some great terrarium ideas with moss and other fancy items, but we live near a beach and we're frugal. Our version uses only things found on the beach, except for the skeleton and the spider (dollar store).

Next came the wreath. The one I saw was a lovely feather and fancy ball version. We were going in that direction when I found a pre-made black wreath at Michael's for 40 percent off. It's embellished with plastic party favors from (can you guess?) Dollar Tree!

There's more, believe it or not. We found these two great pumpkin stands at Target on sale after Halloween last year. I didn't want to use them for the pumpkins because I feared they would roll off. We were going to get the fake pumpkins, but they were $10 each on sale. At the dollar store, we found black buckets and fabulous masks. (Notice the googly eyes on the witch?) $4 total.

True confessions - after all was said and done, we had a great time and ended up with lots and lots of stuff while keeping busy for an entire three-day weekend, but in total it wasn't exactly cheap. Even at $1 a pop, things add up more quickly than one would expect. Add in a few $4 and $5 items from Michaels and pretty soon, we're talking big bucks. Still less expensive than department store, however, and way more fun.

2009-10-08T21:48:00.002-04:00

I'm in that phase of week (okay that phase of life) when I have not nearly enough time to try all the crafts I'd like, so I've been living vicariously. For those of you who appreciate creativity, check out the swell designer, who is doing a 24 crafts in 24 hours. There are some unbelievably great ideas.

And in the really appreciating creativity realm - check out dollar store crafts. I guarantee you will never look at a dollar store the same way again. I have long appreciated the dollar store for kitchy kid birthday favors and such but my mind is blown by the possibilities. I am in awe of the people who walked down the aisles and saw treasure where I saw junk. I can hardly wait to go to the store and try my hand at it - if I can ever find the time!

boring, not crazy or wise beyond imagination

2009-10-06T09:30:00.005-04:00

It's October and that means just one thing for parents of enthusiastic tots in America: Halloween is coming. Plans must be made.
Costumes must be chosen.

So we trucked off to the fabric store, the 4yo and I, in search of black and red material to make a cape so that she could be the cutest vampire ever.

Then something happened on the way to the bolts of velvet and satin - we passed through an aisle of (gasp) ready-made costumes. Before I could say "shield thy eyes from the evil ways of marketing my child," she had grabbed a tinkerbell costume off the rack and began dancing around with that gleam in her eye - that "my life will be perfect and sunshine will last eternally if you buy me this," look.

All is not lost, however. We're in a fabric store - surrounded by patterns and gorgeous fabric. I turn my attention from black to green. Never mind cheaply made (but not cheap) ready made, I can create the best most wonderful Tinker Bell outfit ever. After all, I've been watching Project Runway - that practically makes me a designer.

So we page through the books and we stroll down the aisles looking at the brocades, the satins, the tulle and I dream of what could be. All the while, she dreams of what already is - namely a soft velvety dress with curly green wings and a shiny wand with a star.

She grows impatient as I pile up the bolts in the cart and puzzle over math in my head. This subject isn't my strong suit but I am competent enough to realize that as the yards add up, so does the bill. Soon, I'm approaching the price of the costume even with a 40 percent off coupon for the $15 pattern.

There is the priceless satisfaction of seeing my child running around in something I made and being able to boast that it is my creation to be considered. There is the amusement and thrill of trying to make a deadline and blogging about how crazy it is to try to get everything all done.

But then there's also the often under appreciated peace of not having way too many projects on the books. Breathing room? A schedule that isn't overstuffed? The ability to spontaneously do some fun activity because I don't have to run upstairs to cut/sew/baste? Huh. What a concept.

Boring? Perhaps. Wise? Maybe.

Regardless, last night she was running around in her costume instead of dragging around a bag of material. She was happy. So happy that she has asked to wear the costume night and day until Halloween comes. As for me, I happily said yes - lets get our money's worth out of it. I'll turn my attention to something longer lasting like maybe a knitted pixie hat?

The other pics were taken while pumpkin picking over the weekend. Despite all the news about what a poor year it was for pumpkins, there seemed to be plenty on the farm. Decisions, decisions, decisions...

I'm lost...oh so so lost

2009-10-04T19:15:00.003-04:00

This is my oldest UFO. I started it long, long ago. I discovered the pattern through a KAL started by Anna from France, who became a dear friend and showed me all around Paris. I remember knitting on it when the 3yo was still a wee one in diapers. It seemed back then that each row took forever and I didn't really get what was going on. That was yards and yards and yards of lace ago. I have since then learned a tremendous amount about how lace works and why patterns do what they do. Consequently, I had high hopes that the project would be easy to pick up even though it had been months and months and the paper on which I'd been keeping track of what I was doing had disappeared.

Thankfully, I had the pattern saved on my computer. I highly recommend keeping multiple copies of any pattern you like. I've learned this the hard way (I once watched helplessly as a pattern fly out the window when I was knitting in a topless Jeep on the highway).

So, I sat down confidently with my newly printed pattern and the North Roe shawl and I looked at the knitting and I looked at the pattern and I looked at the knitting and I looked at the pattern and after repeating that several times I came to the sinking realization that I had no clue where I was. I finally figured out which row it was sort of. The problem is that the rows sort of repeat within the chart. Eventually I was able to narrow it down.

But that's when the trouble started. The chart is supposed to be repeated 4 to 6 times depending on how big you want the shawl. I had no clue how many times I'd already repeated it having lost that valuable piece of paper on which I had kept track.

Grumble grumble grumble

I started knitting and kept pondering about how to figure it out. I did eventually - once I'd repeated the chart seven times. I'm not going back. I don't care if this shawl is big enough for the Paul Bunyan. There is simply too much mohair in the yarn to frog.

I finally made it to the second of three charts. I did something drastically wrong on the second row that I discovered on the fourth row. Like I said, however, too much mohair for frogging and the thing is way too big for tinking. And so, I dropped stitches back to the problem and tried as much as possible to fix it by picking up stitches. I now have the correct number although I am a little concerned about how it will look when it's blocked. Maybe everyone will be so dazzled by the color they won't notice.

5 minutes to dash out the door delicious dinner

2009-10-01T19:09:00.003-04:00

I realized very, very shortly before I had to leave for a meeting this morning that I was going to be gone all day and I didn't want to have to leave the park early just to cook dinner. This is when the slow cooker is supposed to shine, right? Excpet that it was very, very shortly as in ten minutes or less.

At least the roast was defrosted, but I had neither the onion soup mix or the can of cream of mushroom soup that my successful roast recipe called for. It basically came down to deciding I would just order pizza or forge out on my own. Here's what I came up with:

1 roast labeled "for slow cooking" (or other cut of meat)

2 cups of beef broth (made from beef bouillion cube)

1 teaspoon oregno

1 teaspoon thyme (I used a few sprigs of fresh 'cause that's all I had)

2 bay leaves (go figure - I've got bay leaves, but no Thyme?)

3 tablespoons worcester sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (apple cider vinegar would likely work just as well or red wine)

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 onion cut into pieces

a bunch of carrots (I used baby carrots, but chopped grown up carrots would work)

4 potatoes (add a couple more if you have them)

Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours (probably would be okay to do high for 4 hours)

I used the extra sauce to make a gravy thickened with cornstarch. It was fine but I don't recommend it. I think next time I'll try flour and butter to thicken.

I don't like beef generally - but I loved this meal! I even liked the carrots and I really, really don't like cooked carrots. More importantly - both the 4 and 7 year old liked it. The 4yo even asked for more, which is (you'll have to trust me on this) amazing.

Here are a few pics of the Ulmus being blocked. (not the day I'd pledged to do it, but shortly after that) Much to my surprise, it grew as much as

I'd hoped - happy dance. It's even cold enough that I really need it. Now I just have to figure out how to wear it! Pics of it in action are coming.

FO

2009-09-26T23:57:00.004-04:00

Months ago, I launched into the Ulmus with vain hopes of having it done early in the summer to use as a light wrap. It certainly would have gotten plenty of use. But it just took a whole lot longer than I anticipated. In the time it's taken me to finish the one, others have made two or three. I can only dream of being that speedy.

But done it is - except for blocking, which I pledge to do tomorrow. I hope blocking will make it bigger since even though I did the big size, it seems a tad tiny. I love this pattern. It's challenging enough to be interesting without being overwhelming. The only hard part, as with all shawls of this style, is that you are constantly adding stitches so the rows get longer and longer. It goes really fast at first and then slows to a crawl.

The yarns are hand dyed bought in CT. Because the turquoise has some purple and the purple has some turquoise, they sort of blended together rather than having distinctive stripes. It creates sort of an impressionistic painting feel that I really like. I think I'd like the end stripe to be a little narrower but with 300 and some stitches on the needles, I didn't mind enough to redo it.

Now, it's time to start knitting for Christmas if I'm going to, I suppose!

Sometimes I get bored

2009-09-25T18:58:00.003-04:00

I have a confession: Sometimes, I get bored at the playground. There's only so much swinging I can take. I don't mind a trip or two down the slide, but sooner or later the little ones are off playing a no-adults allowed game and I'm left twiddling my thumbs. So, that's why I brought the camera. It was great until they got tired of me following them around.

slow cook recipe worth trying

2009-09-23T19:05:00.002-04:00

Finally, I found a slow cooker recipe that doesn't require a lot of pre cooking! It truly is one of those just throw it in the pot sorts. It calls for peanut butter and in my book anything that calls for peanut butter is probably good.
http://busycooks.about.com/od/chickenrecipe1/r/cppeanutchicken.htm
I didn't have salsa on hand so I subbed a can of tomato sauce, tomatos and onion. I also added extra peanut butter because I really like peanut butter.

I thought this was a great recipe and DH liked it too. I think dd 15 would have liked it but she isn't home for dinner. DDs 4 and 7 were not at all keen on it and chose to eat celery and peanut butter as a main course instead. DS who has been coming home super hungry from football wouldn't even try it. I'm trying not to take that personally.

Fall in New England

2009-09-21T19:44:00.002-04:00

School has started and the trees are starting to think about putting their annual show, which means it is time for apples - lots and lots of apples.

As we forked over the bucks for an empty bag into which we put said apples, I had visions of Tom Sawyer and the white washing of the fence. "We're buying memories," says DH. They certainly are tasty memories, at least.

Don't tell that turkey that Thanksgiving is coming!

quick escapes

2009-09-17T20:11:00.002-04:00

I'm slammed on deadline for my grown up work this week which has meant very little time for crafting and lots of stress. My relief in times like this is to take peeks at what everyone else is doing and to live vicariously through them.

I have found a site that is worth sharing because it's like a gateway to what everyone else is doing. It is Whip Up - a collection of other crafters tutorials, book reviews and the like. Seeing what everyone else has done makes me want to spend my days doing nothing but sewing and knitting and creating gorgeous things. (I'm even thinking about making a quilt - although I suspect it's more about wanting to have a quilt than wanting to put together a kazillion little squares no matter how beaufitul the fabric.)

Beware before you go to the site - it's easy to get lost wandering from one link to the next.

Now, I MUST get back to work so that I can get enough done so I can get back to doing some actual knitting instead of just dreaming about it.

Crock of Success

2009-09-14T20:08:00.003-04:00

My children were beginning to doubt me. DH was getting ready for a big old "I told you so." But urged on by supportive friends and family, I persevered on the crock pot front, and by golly, we finally have a hit!

A BIG one. As in everyone loves this dish. As in the teenager said it's "the bomb" which is about the highest complement she has available to her at this point in life.

(Never mind that roast beef costs about four times what we normally spend on meat for dinner and that we ate nearly the whole thing so I can't really justify it saying we'll get two meals out of it.)

It's the beef roast slow cooker dinner from the Food Nanny book. I'm not sure what's more amazing - that the small kids liked it or that I did since I'm not generally a non-hamburger beef eater.

I consider this a double score because I bought it as a used book last summer while on vacation. And although I've enjoyed reading it, I had yet to actually make a recipe from it.

Not that I haven't wanted to. There many that sound absolutely delicious. I just hadn't made the leap from reading them to putting them into practice.

The book breaks thing down into themed nights, which seems like a fun way to organize dinner.

Aside from the recipes, it's a fun book to peruse. There are lots of tidbits on the background of the recipes as well as fun conversation starters.

rain dance

2009-09-12T22:19:00.005-04:00

I did something I thought I'd never do this morning: I ran a 5K race in the rain. Pouring rain. Buckets of heavy rain. I wasn't the only one, but there weren't a lot of us.

Here's the thing - I thought it would be awful. I thought I would hate it. I thought I'd run my worse time ever. So why did I do it? Well, when I woke up and heard the rain, I thought to myself that it was pretty comfortable where I was and that no one would hold it against me if I didn't get up. The whole day I could say, well I was going to run a race, but the rain...

Or, I could drag myself out of bed and have a much better story to tell.

The race was in Revere, along the beach that was notably empty on this particular day. It was beautiful in a stormy, full of character sort of way.

Registration was thankfully inside. We were greeted by amazingly cheerful volunteers who were wonderfully inviting even though they faced standing outside in the rain for the next hour or so. The runners were equally cheerful despite thoughts of having to run through a shower.

We were soaked from just walking across the street from the registration room to the shelter in front of the start line. While we stood there watching it rain like someone was pouring water out of a bucket, it actually started raining harder. Then came the thunder.
I admit that I almost hoped lightening would follow and they'd call of the race. But alas, no.

We lined up, the horn blew, and we were off to the race. And you know what? It wasn't that bad.

My jacket did get soaked through and clung to me like saran wrap, but the temperature was about perfect for running. It turns out that once you're completely soaked, it's not so bad. It's the getting soaked that isn't so much fun. On the way out, we ran into the wind and the pelting rain. That meant, however, that on the way back, the wind was with us helping to make up for lost time.

I expected to run slower than my usual slow pace, but as I neared the finish line, I heard DH yell to me that I could do it in under 35 minutes. In the distance, I saw 34 on the timing board. It seemed too far away to make it, but I kicked it up anyway and crossed the line at 34:53. My best time ever, rain or not.

Crock pot Days 3 and 4

2009-09-11T15:47:00.002-04:00

Determined to figure out how to crock pot, I perserved with an Autumn Harvest recipe. The originator made it sound oh so delicious - just add a little of whatever is around, some apples, some cinnamon and voila. The only change I made was to start with uncooked rice, figuring that it would be an unrecognizable mush if I didn't.

It ended up to be the consistency of oatmeal and with the apples and cinnamon, that's what it tasted like too, except with sausage. People ate it, but that might have said more about their state of hunger than the quality of the dish. There is still quite a lot left.

Day 4 is Pizza - from a pizzeria.

This weekend I may actually buy a pot roast. Believe it or not, I have never done that before. I'm not even sure what to look for. Mom says it's labled "Pot Roast." Yeah for moms. Too bad she can't come and cook it for me too. :0

Crock Pot Day 2

2009-09-08T17:17:00.002-04:00

I am bound and determined to make the most out of this crock pot thingy. I don't want it to end up at the Salvation Army with the bread maker or the food dehydrater as DH has predicted.

He's been laughing at me because he says I've been doing more cooking to cook it in it than I would otherwise!

Yesterday's recipe was fiesta chicken , which received mixed reviews. DD 7 loved it. DD 4 hated it. DH thought the chicken was dry. I thought it was tasty. It might have been even better if I'd had the can of Mexican style tomatos the recipe called for instead of the plain ones, but oh well.

In reviewing recipes, I think I'm going to do a whole new grocery shop. It seems we don't naturally have on hand the ingredients necessary.

Thank you to all who've sent suggestions - I will happily be making good use of them

crock pots

2009-09-07T10:47:00.004-04:00

After much hemming and hawing and researching, I finally bought a Crock Pot. I feel like I have reached some new level of adulthood.

The reason I have held off so long is that I don't like beef stew and my image of a crock pot is that it's best use if for beef stew. But, I've been hearing about how wonderful they are for busy families and I was intrigued by the idea of dinner cooking while I'm out running around getting all the children where they need to be.

And so now we have a crock pot.

My first recipe didn't go so well. I thought I'd impress my family with breakfast the day after I bought our new toy. Let's just say there's a reason why they say to add the cheese 15 minutes before you want to eat. And they're right when they say it should be at least half full. We awoke to a wonderful smell but the finished product didn't live up to the aroma. It was a hardened burnt unappetizing mess. We ended up eating cereal since I'd used up all the eggs.

I'm a litle dismayed to realize that food must be cooked before it can be crock potted! Is it really then a time saving device? It could still be valuable just from the stand point of moving the bulk of the cooking from just when we want to eat to earlier in the day when we have more time. Not sure, however, if it will be worth it.

Now I need recipes. Lke I said, I don't really like beef stew.

more math

2009-09-06T14:34:00.002-04:00

I finished a bunch more diamonds yesterday and then looked at the directions again. I did them right (whew) but only now noticed the "make bigger diamonds by casting on 38 stitches..." Doh. I forgot to add in weaving all the ends! I could have cut that in half (or at least a third) by making bigger diamonds. Oh well, I'm way too far in to it to change course now. I have finished all the yarn from one ball...

Maybe Christmas is too much to ask. Her birthday is in June...

I finally saw Slumdog Millionaire because DH saw it and insisted that I would like it. It was great. If you've been waivering - go see it.

Math uggh

2009-09-04T17:44:00.003-04:00

One of the dangers of taking children to a yarn shop is that you will be so distracted you will end up buying more (or less) than you wanted. The other danger is that they will fill up a basket with yarns tha they can't bear to leave behind. That is how we ended up with a small bundle of pink and purple cotton yarns chosen by my dd, 4. The ensuing dilemma, of course, was what to do with them. She requested a scarf, but a scarf in cotton won't be warm enough to withstand our New England winters. A purse? She lost the last one. Finally, I decided to break my no-blanket rule and make her a blanket. Stripes? Squares? Log Cabin? I thought about them all before settling on small diamonds. I'd seen the pattern in my pattern-a-day calendar from two years ago and came across it again during a web search.

Now for the math. Every diamond is about 5 inches across and 5 inches tall. I'm figuring a good size would be 50 inches by 60 inches or ten diamonds by 12 diamonds. That means 120 diamonds. Each diamond takes about 30 minutes. So that means 60 hours of knitting? Really? Huh. Weeks? Months? Years? What if I can get the knitting down to 20 minutes per diamond? I never was that good with story problems!

This addition/multiplication/division doesn't account for all the mis-knits - the diamonds that aren't on gauge. All the yarns have roughly the same stitch per inch count on the label, but they're very different in real life.

I'm not good at math, but I'm great with deadlines. Right now, there's no deadline so no incentive to finish. I'm thinking maybe this should be a Christmas present.

The other issue is that the three skeins she picked out already won't be enough for this project. I figure that, however, is a good thing because now we'll have something to look for when I take her to the yarn shop.

And if we're going to finish this in time for Christmas, we better get shopping! (And I better get knitting!)

On a separate note, my friend Danielle over at knitting niche has some yarn in need of a project. She's looking for suggestions and running a contest.

School Days and making the grade

2009-09-02T12:19:00.007-04:00

With school starting up again, I can' t help but think about whether I'm making the grade as a parent.

I made sure she was reading all summer long, but we didn't keep a proper writing log. Also, she didn't read off the "suggested" list since what she chose was more difficult than what was recommended. C+? B-?

I set aside her name tag that her teacher asked her to wear on the first day, but we forgot to put it on her! I found the paperwork I was supposed to fill out and filled it out, but then couldn't find it when it was time to go to school. I think that's pretty much an F on both of those assignments. However, I did send her with a backpack of all supplies but the notebook. I even had the box of tissues to share with the class. Also, I think I get bonus points for sending her in with a bird's nest. And, we sent the teacher a post card from our Wisconsin vacation. On top of that, her hair was brushed, her lunch was packed (including 50 cents for milk) and she has new tennis shoes. I think that should be enough for at least a B overall, right? I also rememembered the camera and we were on time - that should be worth some extra credit too. B+? A-?

Maybe parenting should just be a pass/fail?

I worry about how the impression I give as a parent will affect how the teacher views my kid. Will she think my dd is a dope because I'm not completely organized? Will the birds nest make up for the lack of a name tag? Does the fact that we didn't do the optional summer reading give the impression that she won't be a hard-driving motivated student?

Do I worry about all of this too much? Probably. It's just that I only get one shot at it and I want to be perfect for her or at least really, really good. She's a great kid and she deserves that much.