What does France look like?

We arrived and I am pleased to learn for myself that France really does exist. Of course, I had little doubt, but there is something significant about seeing it for myself.

We arrived at 1p.m. with only a vague idea of how to get into the city. How about the train? 47 euros later, we had a pass for 5 days that we really had no clue how to use. Mom got through but we figured out later that was fluke because she wasn't doing it right. I got stuck in a little glass box. You go in and then you are supposed to put your ticket through and go out. It's not that hard - once you know what you're doing. After that was the adventure of navigating the train system with way too many bags. I met a sweet French girl , 6, who was very amused by the whole situation. We really did look rather silly.

Upon arrival, we immediatley went out to start soaking up all the great atmosphere. We're staying very near the Arc de Triomph, so we walked the Champs Elysee. I am amazed at how lively the city is even late at night.

On a call home, my 6yo asked "What does Paris look like?" Her answer is up above.

Singing me to Paris

I'm in the airport on my way to Paris at last! With the ever extending to do list that varied from packing to buying a new camera bag to returning a long-overdue library book, I was beginning to wonder if I'd make this far. The highlight was in the last 30 minutes before we were to leave for the airport and I was hemming the pants I wanted to wear while my husband packed my camera bag and my hyper 15 yo burst into the bedroom with two hyper but well meaning friends who proceeded to seranade me. Beautiful voices although I couldn't quite concentrate. And then just as we were going to leave the 2yo had a melt down because she couldn't find her sunglasses. I have to think that was more about my leaving but still traumatic. I'm assured that she quickly recovered. Time to board! More soon, I hope.
Bien tot

C'est finis

I'll be honest, when I first saw the Clapotis pattern I wondered about going through all the effort to knit stitches that would be intentionally dropped. It just seemed like an awful lot of extra work. But my friend Allison invited me to join the better late than never KAL and I do so love group knitting. Besides, I had this lovely wool from Australia that had been waiting for a great pattern.

Now that I've finished my first Clapotis, I freely admit that I'm a convert. The pattern is interesting enough to keep your attention and yet allows you to carry on a conversation. Dropping the stitches is fun and you get to do it every few rows, which offers a nice little reward. And the results are fabulous. It's wavy and bouncy and drapes just so. I made it a little wider than the original pattern and a little longer. I would have liked it to be a little longer still, but not enough to undo hours and hours of work.

The photos were taken by the just turned 6yo at the beach just down the street from our house. Having grown up in the midwest, I am continually amazed and thrilled to live so close to the ocean. The picture shows two of "five sisters" breakers that I assume help preserve the main beach. This whole area floods when a storm is coming and it's high tide. One year it was so extreme, there were lobsters floating on the streets! Our neighbors had some great meals that night.

We went straight from our fabulous photo shoot to the Salon for summer 'dos. The 6 yo loves it because she can play video games but the 2yo getting the just second hair cut of her short life wasn't so sure she liked the idea. She was pleased with the results. I think she will be even happier that it won't get so many tangles- she sees a brush and starts running away.

The big question is what to knit next? hmmmmm.....

I went shopping today for some clothes for my upcoming trip - I encountered a shrug very much like what I was thinking of knitting. First I was a little demoralized because I know how many hours it would have taken me to make it and there it was on sale for just $20 - the yarn would cost me more! Then I tried it on - I'm not so sure I'm the shrug type. I suppose it's better to find that out now rather than after I've spent said hours. I also saw a darling, intricate lace and cable sweater that looks very much like one I've been thinking of knitting in a lovely shade of light blue. Hmmm. I'd know before hours click and clacking if or not it would fit. I could even pass it off as my own work - not that I would ever do that! Sadly, I found no comfortable, fashionable shoes - which I can't knit no matter how much time I have!

Big Smiles from across the Atlantic

Having decided to embrace my magazine collection with new found enthusiasm, I received two more to add to it - these are from my good blogging friend, Anna, who live outside of Paris and whom I expecting to meet in person next month, when I travel to her country. She included this gorgeous cherry red mohair lace weight yarn that my youngest two instantly "claimed." They each grabbed a skein and ran from the room laughing gleefully. I asked the 2 yo what she would want if I decided that to make her something. Without hesitation, she announced, "a pillow." Who can blame her? It would be nice to lay your head on that yummy softness.

I'm not sure that my three years plus of French have actually equipped me to follow the patterns, but I think I could puzzle it out given what I know about knitting patterns. There are many in these two that would tempt me. One interesting thing I noted is that several patterns have the "wrong" side out. I also recently learned that the designer of the Clapotis, who was living in France when she designed it, intended for it to be worn with the reverse stockinette stitch side out, which is how it's shown in the Knitty.com pic of it. Maybe it just coincidence, maybe it's a trend across the sea. I'll ask when I get there :)

Can you tell I'm excited? I have a 6yo birthday party to plan first and a lot of logistics to handle to ensure things run smoothly while I'm away but whether or not I find just the right pair of shoes, I'm going. I'm going to pack up my guide books - including the ones that Janice so generously shared with me after her trip to paris, bid a tearful farewell to my children and head out into a great adventure. I will return with great memories, a new lease on life and deep insights that will make me a better parent and partner. At least I'll have some good pictures and more yarn.

I confess that I'm nervous too. I'm worried about speaking the language and not getting lost. I'm worried about how things will go here while I'm gone. I'm worried I'll never want to come back (hah, hah - just kidding dh) Really, no sense worrying. It will be fine and I'll finally have a stamp in my brand new passport.

Organize Schmorganize

In my ongoing, never-ending quest for organization, I listened to the gurus of order and serenity and decided I should go through and weed out my unloved, unused knitting and other creative endeavor magazines. Let them bless someone else, I thought bravely, diving into the pile. How many sweaters can one realistically knit in a life time, especially considering that I haven't knit one in the last two years despite having the yarn and patterns? I've managed this before - letting go of an entire collection of home decorating magazines once and gifting a two-foot pile of sewing magazines to my neighbor. No problem, I thought. I'll only keep the magazines with a pattern that I might really knit sometime in the next year or two, or maybe the next decade or two. I should have realized I was in trouble when after having gone through five magazines, I hadn't found one that had nothing I wanted to see again. They all

had a bunch of patterns I will absolutely never want to make. They had some that aren't on my list now, but who knows and they all had at least a couple that I really would like to make if I had the time and the yarn. One might say I wasted valuable knitting time pouring through old magazines. On the other hand, I was able to reacquaint myself with some projects that I had been interested in. The only problem is I still don't have any more time to get to them than I did before! I can see why people rent storage lockers - much easier than letting go. In the end, I've decided to put the magazines in my "I love it and it makes me happy," pile. While it's true, I will likely not knit more than a small percentage (if that) of the patterns in them, I enjoy seeing the possibilities and they do all contain bits and pieces of inspiration.

And here is one more argument in favor of keeping - I just found an article about knitting with boucle, including a pattern I might actually use - in a Threads Magazine from September of 1994 bought long, long before I ever dreamed I'd take up knitting. Who knows what other article might be significant to me in five years?

Are these just the arguments of delusional hoarder?

All I want for Christmas

We get so excited when the teeth first show up and now we get even more excited when they fall out! The only problem is this - it seems the tooth fairy has an issue with math. She leaves one kid $10 and another (who happens to be mine) just gets $1. You can imagine the debates this unfair situation spawns in the car pool on the way to school. That debate is followed by another, equally lively, on the best way to remove a loose tooth - twist and turn, wiggle with tongue, tie a string to a door handle and slam the door. I haven't done a scientific study, but I'll bet the chosen method say more than a little about the personality of the kid employing it. Mine is more of a patient let it happen when it happens type. Maybe that's because she knows she's only going to get $1 anyway!

plastic surgery?

I explained the whole Barbie clothes not fitting thing to dh (although he probably cares even less than the 2.75 yo, I feel a need to share all the gory details of the day), he said, "So do you think she got a boob job?" Great. It's not bad enough my teens are hounding me about piercing their bodies until they can't get through a metal detector, now I have to worry about the dolls sneaking out and getting work done!

Barbie on a diet?

I had planned to make clothes to fit the Barbies my 2.75 yo inherited from her 5 yo sister. But then I discovered that for just $10, we could get an entire wardrobe with enough outfits plus a spare for all the dolls. I decided my time would be better spent knitting. Like a true girl, the 2 yo could hardly wait to get the new clothes on the dolls. I have been playing with Barbies my whole life, so you can imagine my surprise to find that the outfit doesn't fit! Perhaps something is wrong with the pattern. That couldn't be it - they've been making these clothes for decades, it's not like the dimensions have changed. Or have they? Has Barbie gained weight? A few too many cookies at the tea party? A little too much cake while sitting around the pool? Has it come to this, must even Barbie go on a diet?

Seriously, how hard is it to make clothes that fit the doll? It's not like they haven't had a lot of practice.

Maybe it was intentional. Maybe in this era of rising gas costs and recession Mattel is trying to reduce its use of fabric. "Just trim an eighth of an inch off the tops, the kids will never notice," the factory manager says. I'm sure they've shortened the skirts by at least a quarter of an inch too. "They'll just figure it's the fashion," the bean counters say.

Of course this bothers me more than the 2.75 yo - she's just happy the dolls are dressed so they can ride around in the back of her dump truck.

Me? I guess I better start hunting for teeny tiny patterns...

yarn connections

My mom called this weekend from Arizona where she was visiting my cousin.
"You should be here," she said. "There's a spinning and fiber show at the hotel where I'm staying."

My first thought, having just been watching Knitty, was that she was talking about a television show. As I realized that she what she meant - a giant room filled with yarn and knitters and spinners and all things knitterly - I became insanely jealous. No need, she's got me covered.

"Do you need anything?" she said.

What an opening. Do I need anything?

Define need. Do I have an abundance of yarn awaiting the right project? Well, yes. Am I currently working on no fewer than four projects? Well, yes. Do I need anything? Well, since she brought it up... I am interested in knitting socks and I did just finish a pair. Besides, the yarn harlot once said something about sock yarn not counting in stash building. I also figured sock yarn should be easy - any color is fine, self striping, verigated, self-patterning - doesn't matter. Wool, cotton, soy? Why not? And there's little guessing about how much is needed - just ask for enough to make two pair of average adult socks. Here is just one more reason for me to conquer socks - sock yarn might just be the perfect gift.

Mom later called to ask if I needed a book to go with the sock yarn. In an act of selfless momliness, she even handed the phone to the saleslady so she could describe the books to me and help figure out if there was one without which I couldn't live. I think we may have ended up with Sensational Sock Knitting, which has fives stars with 71 reviews at Amazon.

On a side note, I've been working to turn mom into a knitter long distance, but I have a ways to go, apparently. When I asked about what yarn she might by for herself, she said, "Oh, I don't need any yarn, I have a whole table full at home." Oh mom, so much to learn. :)

Thank you Jess

A wee tiny package arrived today from Maryland containing a wee tiny sock. How much fun is this? More than 250 wee tiny socks flying around the world - what an image. Mine is from Jess Noyes, I worked with a Jesse Noyes, but it's not the same person since that Jesse was a guy.

The colorway Jess chose is just perfect. It's Cherry Hill's Wild Cherry. Now I want to knit with this yarn.

The big socks are mine from the Italian Clown yarn - knit two at a time, toe up on the magic loop. Even on size ones I found my knitting to be a bit loose! Two at a time sounds much trickier than it really is. Although I will admit that at least twice I knit a bit on the second sock with the yarn from the first and had to tink. The astute observer will notice that the stripes don't quite match. I couldn't find a matching spot on the yarn and decided it didn't matter. Now I want more sock yarn.

But first, onto the Clapotis....

Wee Tiny Sock

It's quick, it's fun and it's so gosh darned cute - how can one resist knitting at least one if not many of these wee tiny socks? This one is winging its way to Pennsylvania to my downstream swap pal. The yarn is tofutsie - it's from a sample given to me by Allison, who I met through the International Tote Exchange. At the time, I thought it was pretty but hadn't get gotten the sock bug and wasn't really interested in knitting with teeny tiny needles. I tucked it away for just in case. This was the perfect project. I love the way the tofutsie felt on the needles. It produces a very soft sock. I'm not sure how it would wear, not having anyone around with a foot so tiny.

I knitted it from the toe up using the magic loop. It features a short row heel, a technique I am finally beginning to understand. I've always gotten the concept but had problems understanding the execution. I'm still getting holes, despite knitting the wraps. Hopefully, those will disappear as I do this more. The cuff is a mock cable stitch that I discovered for a baby hat (pictured a few posts back) It's easy and it looks so cool:

It's over 5 stitches - the set up is k3, p2

row 1: sl1st, k2, psso, p2

row 2: k1,yo,k1,p2

rows 3 and 4: k3, p2

It took about 3/4 of a Harry Potter Movie (the second to the last one)

The swap is a display of simplicity - knit a tiny sock and send it to someone. Meet two new people.

DH's reaction was, "You knitters are weird." But this is from a man who chases dead birds around the rain forest.

Does anyone have any experience with knitting shrugs? I was never interested before but suddenly have a yen for one - I'm thinking something a little intricate to highlight the plain beige yarn dm (dear mom) brought me from China - but not something so complicated that I can't watch an episode of say Men in Trees.

The Race to Save the World's Rarest Bird

In the 1970s, a group of students doing research in an unexplored rain forest on a steep mountain on Maui discovered a delightful small bird with a black mask. At first, few believed it could possibly be an unidentified species. It seemed so unlikely that it had never before encountered humans. As it turned out, there was no known record of this tiny bird from the finch family. It was named the Po'ouli.

Just three decades after being discovered, they are all gone. The last known Po'ouli died in captivity just a few short years ago in the midst of a heroic, heart breaking attempt to save the species from extinction.

A newly released book, The Race to Save the World's Rarest Bird: The Discovery and Death of the Po'ouli, tells the dramatic story of this bird's life, how it came to Hawaii, why it was in endangered and why rescue attempts ultimately failed. It is also a window into the challenges of the Endangered Species Act and the future of other endangered species.

Dh wrote the book and I couldn't be more excited. He found out about the bird when there will just three left. At the time, he had returned to graduate school to study biology after years as a political and business reporter. The bird was gone by the time he first proposed writing a book about it. This is a lifelong dream for him and I couldn't be more proud. It's been a long road for him as he has spent hours gathering tons of information and finding just the right words to make the story come alive. For me, it's been a lot of late nights and weekends holding down the fort and dealing on my own with our 5c. I'll admit that I'm biased, but still I think the book is great. There are descriptions of the rain forest that make you feel as if you are walking through it. Even the geography lesson on how Hawaii came to be is interesting.

If you know anyone interested in birds, Hawaii or endangered species policy, please spread the word.

The Year of Socks

I have determined that this is the year I will conquer my lingering fear of socks. I have made them successfully, but for some reason, I have sock-block in my head. As with writer's block, I think the only way to get over it is to just do it. So, I've found this exchange on Danielle's site to give me an added boost:

the sign-up deadline in Thursday. MeanwhieI've also got a pair of big girl socks on the magic loop -yes, a pair. Two at a time. I feel a little like I'm walking a tight rope, except that it isn't really that hard - yet. I haven't gotten to the short row heels.

Cleaning Games

The little girls were home sick. The living room was a mess. What great ingredients for a new game: Wizards, gremlins and princesses.

Here's the premise - the gremlins have come and messed up the kingdom. Things are strewn about where the don't belong. We are the wizards and must put everything back in order so that the princesses can play. We got a magic basket into which all the things that didn't belong had to go.

It took the 5yo all of about 5 minutes to figure out that she is not only the wizard, but also the gremlin and the princess! Still, at least she played along. The 2 yo was jiggy with it for a little while but then she saw through my ruse and announced "I don't want to clean anymore." So I still ended up doing most of the work but at least I had company and I kept them from making an even bigger mess for a few minutes.

What should I expect? My little apples didn't fall too far from the tree! My room was so bad when I was a kid that I had to make a path to get through to my bed! That didn't really change until I had kids. Now I'm all about the clean. I don't consider myself a neat freak but I have to insist on things being picked up. There are just too many of us with too much stuff. I've also begun to appreciate being able to find things when I need them. What a concept! Which leads back to my ongoing challenge of figuring out how to teach my children to do as I say and not as I did.

I've virtually failed with the older ones. Despite years of requiring them to "clean" their rooms they are now certifiable hazmat sites. At this point in their lives, there are bigger battles to fight so I've let that one slip. With the younger ones (my second chance?) I'm hoping to do a better job at teaching them how to clean and to appreciate having things around them be in order. Maybe I'm fighting a losing battle. Maybe whether the jeans are on the floor or in the drawer is in the genes? My 5yo's bf thinks it's great fun to clean.

The clean room in the pic is not ours - that's their grandpa's house. It looks like a picture in a magazine. All the time! Even when the kids have been playing in it for two hours. I don't get it, but it's true.

We Easter in Connecticut where it was too windy too fly kites. One of the good things is a 2.5 hour ride - 2.5 hours of nothing to do but mediate fights and knit. I worked on the Clapotis and a new pair of socks but finished neither.

Happy Hoppy Easter

The problem with having five children is finding enough hiding spaces for all the baskets! To say nothing about filling all those baskets.



The 14yo was in charge of coloring the eggs this year - here she is multitasking like the best us.



Coloring the eggs is so much fun. Finding them is a blast too. But then what to do with them?



Here's our favorite recipe:



Peel and chop hardboiled eggs

In a frying pan - melt 2 tblspns of butter, add 2 tblspons of floor

Slowly add a cup or so of milk, constantly stirring

Add 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and eggs

Season to taste with pepper and salt or 1 or 2 teaspoons of dry mustard

Serve over toast

Proof that Spring is coming

Yesterday it seemed as if Aslan might really be on his way (Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe reference). Today, not so much with a steady, cold, sleety, rain. But, I have proof! And we all know what a picture is worth....

I have rediscovered a recipe for a delicious, healthy shake I used to make way back in high school. And, it's a good use for bananas that are still perfectly fine but unacceptable to children who judge everything by its cover.

You will need:

1 frozen banana(easiest if you peel and cut into a few pieces before freezing)

1 cup of milk

1 (or 2) tablespoons of peanutbutter -chunky if you like the texture, otherwise smooth.

Mix these in a blender or food processor - how long depends on how smooth you want it to be.

Stunning (mistake)

At long last I have finished the beautiful scarf for my very good friend Jill, who deserves to be royally spoiled. She is one of those special people who does so much for everyone else. She has a strong faith in God and it shows in how she treats those around her. She and her family have given up a lot to serve God, but she doesn't complain much. Not that it's always easy for her, or that she's always happy, but she is always striving to find peace and to be satisfied with what she does have. So I wanted to knit for her something special - something that was crafted just for her. I chose the Tahki Charles Stacey sampler lace scarf in Superior because it looked so cool on the model and the yarn is a luxerious blend of cashmere and silk.

If this is an intermediate pattern, then I want to know what it takes to be an expert pattern! It kicked my butt! One row took me 2.5 hours with all the frogging it took to get it right. Thankfully, they didn't all take that long. Overall, I like the scarf - it certainly kept me interested switching from pattern to pattern. The closeups are of my scarf. The picture is from the company and shows the true color of the yarn. My yos don't look quite as neat as those in the picture.

I discovered -- after I'd grafted the two sides together, after I'd blocked it -- that I made the second pattern on one side too long -- by about 1.5 inches! First I went into shock. Then I made my way through the five stages of mourning - denial, anger, bargaining - I hit them all. I contemplated whether there was anything to be done about it, but concluded that there wasn't. Doing it over was out of the question given the time already invested and my urge to get this to my friend before she needs a beach towel more than a scarf. The pattern is too complicated for grafting.

Finally, I took a deep breath and decided this is the way it's supposed to be. The longer side is the "front" and shorter side is the "back," like a tie. (DH was quick to point out the short coming to the comparison, but he's not a knitter so I don't take him seriously). In reality, it won't be noticeable when she wears it and she probably won't notice it at all.

Here is what I've learned:

When making two haves of a scarf - compare them frequently to ensure they match or knit them both at the same time.

Regardless, the yarn is awesome. It's so soft, it's likeholding a bundle of downy feathers. There is a subtle sheen from the silk underneath the halo of cashmere.

Although, this pattern was extremely challenging, I would like to try it again. It's a great "think piece" for knitters looking for a challenge. It is not the best project to work on while watching a gripping episode of Lost but it's fine for Sponge Bob Square Pants.

Speed Knitting

So much to knit, so little time - what's a fiber addict to do? Knit faster, of course! In hopes of being able to do just that, I got me a lesson on fast knitting from the affable Lucy, owner oft Minds Eye Yarns in Cambridge.

It turns out, I was doing a lot right :) That's good from an overall sense of accomplishment, but not so good if one is trying to knit faster - how can I fix what isn't wrong? But even Tiger Woods can benefit from some coaching - not that I am the Tiger Woods of knitting, far from it. Lucy had me change how I was holding the yarn - wrapping twice around my index finger rather than my pinkey finger. Also, she showed me how to scoop up the yarn with my right needle, rather than putting the yarn over the needle with my left hand. I should have timed myself before and after the class to see if it actually makes a difference. I feel more confident anyway. Besides, Lucy is fun to hang out with - she's got a great perspective on life and quite a diverse history that ranges from teaching band to junior highers to practicing Zen.

Lucy also showed me that you can change the tips on bamboo needles - use a nail file to make them sharper and then seal them with just a touch of chapstick.

She wrapped up the lesson with a tutorial on the kitchner - I get it! I mean I get how to do it, I don't really "get" it yet - it seems like magic. Now that I see how it is supposed to be done, I'm sure I did something wrong when I did it with my socks. It's still a little like driving in Boston for me - I can do it but I sure couldn't explain it to someone else. (For those who've never had the "pleasure" of driving in my town - it's notoriously difficult because there isn't a straight road to be found - even once you figure out how to get somewhere, it's nearly impossible to tell someone else how)

I had all but given up on accomplishing what I've signed up for this month - the Clapotis and a pair of socks, but with my new speed skills, I have hope. If I can wrap up the green lace scarf tonight (If I haven't just cursed myself), then I can launch into the other projects this week and maybe whip up another baby hat on the side.

Of course, what's an afternoon spent in a yarn shop without a little yarn to show for it? This is the softest pink yarn I've touched in a long time. It's made from soy and cotton. This sock yarn doesn't feel especially soft, but Lucy said it knits up nicely and will be good a summer weight sock. I guess I'm hoping that by knitting something for the warm weather, I'll bring it on sooner. Besides, how can resist something called "clown" yarn?

Incidently, for those who are interested in the new Noro sock yarn - Lucy was wearing a pair of socks she knit with the it. She said it was a joy to knit with and that the socks are very comfortable. In fact, she's looking forward to making another pair. Holly Jo also used it to make a gorgeous pair with very nicely matched stripes.

Noticing

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This picture was inspired by the noticing project, a blog run by two friends featuring photos they've taken, mostly of ordinary things but with an unusual perspective. It's called the noticing project. They post new photos daily during the work week. Seeing their pictures has made me look at things around me in new ways. I've always been a camera buff and now I see a vast new world of options.

I'm extremely glad to live in the digital age where I can take as many pictures as I want without paying an extra dime. When I started out, it cost about 50 cents a picture with film and developing - that's not conducive to experimentation. I'm also glad to have so much inspiration at my fingertips. (Apparently I'm in a ridiculously good mood today)

Welcome to my new kitchen

At last, we're ready to throw the party to celebrate our new floor - except that I think I'd spend the whole time shining the new stove and wiping out the new microwave. Everything is so nice and shiny, I want it to stay that way - nearly impossible with my crew. Really, I'd have to spend my whole day in the kitchen armed with a sponge and mop.

The floor is bamboo - maybe a bit of a gamble to put a wood floor in the kitchen, but it is very warm and inviting. There's more to be done - dh has plans for more cupboards and stuff, but for now, this is a vast improvement over the worn, painted commercial tiles that were down before. I walk into my kitchen and I feel relaxed instead of irritated.

I am working on an interesting system that anyone who is clean or organizationally challenged might appreciate - it's from flylady.com . They are a brilliant group of marketers touting a store of must-have cleaning items. But beyond the hype of their wares, they have a pretty good system - They break the house into zones and tackle just one a week. Every day, there is a 15-minute job to do. It's a great system for busy people, although there are times when even 15 minutes is beyond me. It's worth a look-see if you're into that kind of thing. There are a lot of good suggestions and motivational stories. I will say after having tried this for a few weeks that it is pretty amazing what can be accomplished in 15 minutes.

Mothra

I just saw a moth fly into my studio - should I panic? How do I know if it's the wool-eating variety?

It's almost as bad if it's the food eating kind - last year we lost $$ worth of food in the pantry to a moth invasion. To say nothing of the ick factor.

Here is a very, very easy chicken recipe to try if you are short on time and ingredients:

You will need 2 or 3 chicken breasts. I slice ours in half the long way and then again the short way so I have pieces that are about the size of a deck of cards.

Other ingredients:
1/4 flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (can substitute balsamic or apple cider vinegar)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dijon mustard (can substitute honey mustard)
1/2 teaspoon sugar

In a pan on low heat - warm 3 tblspn oil and 3 tblspn butter.
Meanwhile - mix 1/4 cup of flour with a teaspoon of salt and a 1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper (or to taste)
dip the chicken pieces in the flour to coat.

When the butter has melted, turn up the heat to high and add 1 tspn chopped garlic. Heat for about a minute just until garlic has turned golden. Add chicken and sautee for about 3 minutes on a side (I confess that this is never enough time for me, but I know it is supposed to be)

When chicken is cooked through, remove from pan and set aside. Turn down heat and add chicken stock and vinegar bring to a boil constantly stirring. Add mustard and sugar. If the sauce isn't thickening. Continue boiling until sauce has thickened. Pour over chicken and serve.

This was a big hit with the big kids, but not the 2 and 5 yo. That's not saying much, however, the only kind of chicken they like comes in the nugget form.

One Baby, One Morning, One hat

A friend was having a baby but opted to not find out the gender ahead of time – always a bother for us knitters. I had a blue hat and booties ready to go, but something held me back from giving it to her at the shower. Sure enough, the baby arrived yesterday – a girl. A sweet baby girl named Lira. Not that there's anything wrong with blue for a girl, but I'm personally partial to pink for them. I knew it was possible in theory to make a hat in the few short hours before our visit to the hospital – but could I do it? I decided to cast on and find out… there were a few false starts as I tried to get it small enough (I have a tendency to make big hats). I found a mock cable pattern that is just darling and loads of fun to knit. I worked through Project Runway (on Tivo), Sesame Street and a PBS kids show featuring an actor in a giant sloth suit. I finished off the ends mid-way through WordWorld.

The hat is a little big, but I know babies heads grow really, really fast and it will be too small in no time at all.

This oddessey of mine is an argument in favor of an extensive stash. You just never know when you're going to need to whip something up in a hurry. I used Bernat Cotton Tots because it's what I had on hand. After having worked with it, I have to say there are other yarns I like much better for projects like this.

I’m also happy to say that the half mitts for my friend who took us skiing are done – just in time

for a warming trend, but she may still get some use out of them on some chilly mornings. It’s the Morning Mitts from the Knitter’s Book of Yarn – a fabulous book. It’s bound to be a classic. The pattern has a wonderfully done thumb that involves decreases just after the thumb.

P.S. The delightful trip to the grocery store was more or less a fluke and I’m still not a fan of grocery shopping.

Two year olds and grocery stores

I hate grocery shopping with a passion. I'm overwhelmed by all the options and I always end up way too much that I wasn't supposed to get and not nearly enough of what I was supposed to get. DH took over the job long ago because the bill was always too high when I went. But, I'm working from home now and have "flexibility." Besides, we only needed a few things for dinners that could be cooked in the microwave while we're waiting for the new stove to arrive. As it turns out, with a little thought and creativity, there a number of meals that can be made without a stove - I think I got ingredients for all of them. That is largely because of my delightful shopping companion, who is two-and-three-quarters. She felt compelled to fill up the empty cart and she didn't really much care with what. Her choices ranged from apples to chocolate pudding. Some of it I was secretly tickled about - I love chocolate milk and rarely indulge. How can you go wrong with nachos? All in all, it was a completely delightful day. Here are my tips for shopping with a little Lou Who who is no more than 2:

• Go in the morning - there aren't as many people, which means fewer obstacles when racing down the aisles.
• Skip the list - you won't be able to look at it anyway.
• Bring extra money - it's very hard to say no to the excitement generated over cinnamon graham crackers and blueberry muffins.
• Be open to new experiences - 2yos have a different perspective on the store - they are at eye level with whole shelves of food you've been missing.
• For once it's a good idea to go just a little bit hungry - you will likley be buying some ready to eat snacks that will have to be opened as soon as the trip is done.
• Don't forget the quarters - there's nothing like the thrill of getting a bouncy ball at the end of the trip. Just don't hand it over until you've gotten in the car.

Here's our list of meals:

Baked potatoes with prepackaged shredded chicken and bacon and canned chile

Frozen chicken parmesan with a side of couscous

Frozen spare ribs with a side of instant mashed potatoes (or minute rice)

Clam chowder and bread bowls

Dinty Moore Beef Stew and french bread

I have since discovered that it is possible to cook pasta in the microwave, although I haven't tried it yet. I have successfully cooked meatloaf in the microwave, but it's not a very popular dish in my family. It's best when you can brown it in a few minutes in an oven anyway.

Knitting in Trees

Do you watch Men in Trees? I've seen it a few times but not enough to know any of the names - I did note, however, in a recent episode that the heroine, a writer, was knitting, yes knitting, a sweater for her man, who was lost at sea - a fact she didn't learn until the end of the episode. Do the writers of the show know about the Boyfriend curse?

It was a nice sweater - ribbed from the looks of it. I couldn't tell if it was on circular needles, however. DH was amused that I was so attuned to the details. "Is she doing it right?" he asked.

I launched into yet another project (why o why? I just can't help myself) Fashionably Late in '08 Clapotis. It's a KAL and I just can't resist them. I love knitting with other knitters, I guess. It will be in pinks - yarn my mama brought me from Australia. I'm finding it to be very soft to knit with. I started it to say I've started it... but first: Must finish half-mitts for friend and lacy scarf for friend.

The mittens are the ones I wrote about before. They are the first pair I've made for myself. The thumb opening is a little short and they are probably a little long, but I love them anyway. The colors worked together as well as I had hoped. And I got them done just time for spring :) It's okay - we're not out of the woods yet and winter always comes back.

Notice that they are laying on a gorgeous bamboo floor? DH really went to town and is nearly done with it. I'll post pics when the room is cleaned up a bit more.

Can we build it?

Yes we can! In a rare and brief lull between work, book, and running chidren around, a fix-the-kitchen-floor fever overtook my husband. It started when my dad offered to buy us a new floor for Christmas. We're supposed to have someone else do it, but for whatever reason, it seems to be harder to find someone than to just do it - my guy is like that. After talking about it for so many weeks, he just grabbed a scraper and got started today.

The 2yo was thrilled to see a little Bob the Builder action going on right in her own kitchen. She grabbed her tool belt and hard hat and came down to lend a hand. He pulled up towels and she sang at the top of her lung: Bob the builder! Can we fix it? Yes we can! We'll see... right now we have a very torn up floor. The new floor is sitting in boxes in the foyer - bamboo.

Amazing how much work it all is - we have to move a giant stove, a giant refrigerator and a massive radiator. But at the end of it, we'll have a real grown up kitchen instead of the shabby flop house style kitchen we have now.

On a completely separate note - I have discovered why it is a very good idea for parentsto buy the children comfortable beds (aside from just wanting your children to be comfortable) We started the night just the two of us. Long about 2 a.m., the dog joined us. An hour or so later, the 5 yo climbed in. Just a bit later the 2 yo came in. No more room for me. I figured the best idea was to take over the 2 yo's bed. I wasn't there for 10 minutes later, the dog wandered in!

Contest for a good cause

Lisa, A good friend and breast cancer survivor is running a contest on her blog . Check it out if you get a chance.

Thank goodness I knit!

The ride to Killington - the 2.5 hour drive to Killington - turned into a six hour odyssey as we left in the height of the storm. Six hours in the car was a little more family togetherness than we'd bargained for. Three bathroom stops, but no accidents for the potty-training 2yo. I finished one mitten, started the next and worked on my car project - a felted purse that can be knit in the dark, which is good, because it was dark.

The skiing was awesome - I spent a good chunk of the time teaching the 5yo the ways of the long sticks. She did remarkably well and most importantly had fun! The trip home was much, much easier.

The 15yo who opted to spend her time in the cabin said it was the best vacation ever - all sleeping and watching tv.

Fate?

When there is a parking spot right in front of the yarn shop when one has to park to pick up one's husband doesn't that mean something? Like yarn must be bought? Alas - just enough time for one skein - Noro silk garden to make Maine Morning Mitts for the hostess of the trip. (Before or after my mittens? hmmmmm.....) Must go before dh discovers I'm blogging instead of shutting down computer as promised.
Happy weekend all.

knitting addiction

We're going skiing this weekend. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. And it's snowing - what could be better. We used to go skiing alot - that was before five kids. We didn't go at all last year. So I should have been dragging out the skis and wiping off the cobwebs, going through the bags to find out if there are any goggles that haven't disintegrated and looking over the neck gaters to make sure mice haven't nested in them. Instead I became obssessed with making mittens out of the leftover yarn from my hat! It's like an something took over my brain: must knit mittens. My Dh was running around doing all the aforementioned preparations and I was running around ducking into the closet with knitting books searching for a pattern. "What? I'm looking for the toddler's snow suit," I said when husband inquired why I was carrying around a flashlight.

I didn't really expect to finish the mittens last night, but still I was disappointed when it was time for bed and I was still four inches shy of the top of the first one. If it were just me, I probably would have stayed up to finish. But I am the mom and the kids will get up in the AM whether or not I've been up all night. So I relucantly packed it all up. I'll have a long drive during which I can pick it up again.

I like that mittens knit up fast but I'm not real keen on the whole thumb thing. I have problems with not getting holes on the m1s for the gussets. I'm also not sure my gussets are long enough. I think, however, with a little bit of practice mittens could become a great go-to project for a quick knitting fix. Please feel free to send along your favorite pattern.

I do plan to tackle gloves soon - I'm trying clear up some of my other more complicated patterns first.

I have looked up the yarn shops in the Killington area - I'm going up to ski and there's a bunch of us so I don't have confidence that yarn shopping will happen, but I want to be prepared just in case.

While on Newbury Street doing an interview for work recently, I snuck over to a nearby yarn shop that specializes in luxury yarns. This reddish-pinkish yarn leapt off the shelves and into my arms. “Take me home, make something beautiful,” it purred snuggling up to me. At $17 a skein, I knew I couldn’t make much, but I figured I could be happy just being able to look at the gloriousness of the colors playing off one another. The yarn is Khroma, “Fiber expressed as art.” It is “Crafted with heartfelt passion for the unusual in beauty and texture with subtle variances.” How could I resist? It’s a 50/50 combination of Baby Alpaca and Merino, making it as delightful to touch as to look at. I would have been happy with that one small skein of 100 yards. But the phone line had problems and it took a great deal of time for the sale to go through. As I waited, my eyes wandered the shelves. The cynic might say it was a very good ploy by an enterprising yarn seller to retain the customer just a bit longer. I’d rather think it was the forces of the universe determined to bring together an amazing combination of yarns. Up on the shelf, too high to be seen when I was walking around the store was a soft skein of light pink and a dark burgundy that complemented my skein of Khorma perfectly. There was no question. They had to be together.

I decided on a hat and set out to find the perfect pattern. Of course, none existed. I liked part of this one and part of that one, but none was quite right. In the end, I decided to create my own. I am now fully in love with making hats. In two (long) nights of knitting I managed to make two hats – the first wasn’t quite right and was frogged to make way for the second. Here is my loose formula, easily adapted to fit a variety of yarns and colors.

My gauge for this project was 4 stitches an inch on size 6 needles.
The band is a long strip joined in the back. Mine is 9 stitches across and 18.5 inches long. I sewed it, but it would be just a little more difficult to cast on with waste yarn and kitchner the two ends together. I slipped the last stitch of every row as if to purl, which created a nice edge.

Then I picked up stitches. I ended up with 66 – this turned out not to be enough, which is the main reason the first hat was frogged. On the second go around, I added 6 stitches evenly for a total of 72. That made for a had that fits my 22 inch head perfectly.

From here, you can add stripes as desired and purl every few rows to add some texture. My striping pattern was this:

Row 1 (the pick up row): MC

Row 2 (the increase row): MC

Row 3,4: Knit in CC1

Row 5: Knit in CC2
Row 6: Purl in CC2
Row 7,8, Knit in CC!
Row 9: Knit in MC
Row 10: Purl in MC

I repeated rows 3-10 until the piece measured 6.5 inches from the bottom. Then I switched to the MC for the rest of the hat.

For the dereases:
1:Knit 10, k2tog, pm – repeat around
2: (and all other even rows)knit all the way around
3 and all odd rows – knit until two stitches before marker, knit two together.

Repeat until there are 4 stitches left between markers. Knit2tog all the way around. Knit one row even. K2tog all the way around. Cut yarn and pull through remaining 6 stitches. Finish off by weaving in ends.

I hope I have yarn left for mittens. I’m going to try to knit them both at the same time so I don’t end up with 1.5 mittens.

I also recently spotted two PDKs

In the movie “No Reservations” The elderly, reliable babysitter is knitting when the mom comes home from work.

And in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy (not the most recent, I was catching up on some missed episodes) George’s mother makes baby clothes not realizing he’s getting a divorce. Toward the end of the show, she is shown knitting a baby hat, but I will note that the clothes shown earlier in the episode appear to have been crocheted. (I realize some people do both so that’s not entirely inconsistent)

On a more personal note: it is with great relief that I welcomed home DH from South Africa. It was some gratifying when on Saturday as we ran the kids around while getting groceries and generally taking care of things, he said, “And, how exactly did you do this when I wasn’t here?” I’m just really glad to not have to anymore.

We went to the beach today - 52 degrees after the rain went away.

improv cooking

I have endeavored to teach all of my children to cook. They all do reasonably well although they don't like to follow recipes. Still, I figured Hamburger Helper is so easy that even my ds, 13, could handle it. He insisted that he couldn't. I assured him that he could having cooked much more complicated dishes on his own before. Well, it turns out he was right. I got a call during my meeting, "Mom, I think I ruined the dinner. It's all soupy and it tastes watery." It turns out he cooked the noodles and then added the meat, the milk and the cheese powder. Those things are supposed to be mixed together before the noodles get cooked. While I was trying to figure out what to do and whether we had anything else or if I was going to have to order pizza, he suggested draining it all and adding spaghetti sauce. Brilliant. I suggested adding mozzarella cheese and baking it for 20 minutes. Delicious. He's always been so spacey and goofy it's fun to see him emerging into a resourceful, responsible young adult. He's got more going on than he lets on to. I do think, however, he needs to spend some time with the cook book!

Babies and deadlines

There is nothing like a deadline to focus my mind. I had been dreaming of planning a baby blanket for a friend of mine for months - ever since I first found out she was pregnant. There was always something more urgent. Suddenly it was the night before the shower. Some days prior I had accepted the fact that I was never going to get around to making the blanket, but that night I was gripped with a frenzy. I had to make her a blanket. I think I've watched one episode too many of Project Runway. It was 7 p.m. I had just the materials in my closet and three hours interrupted by the need to get my little ones to bed and help my older ones as needed. Luckily, I had a decent stash. I chose a modified rag quilt design.

Here are the particulars, for any interested sewers:

The squares are 8.5 - why? Because the fastest way to make a template was to fold the corner of a piece of paper over to make a square.

The seams are about an inch wide. I sewed the squares into strips and then sewed the strips together. Then I cut the fringe about 1/2 inch wide. (I was in a hurry so I eyeballed a lot)

The hardest part to figure out was how to finish the edges. I could have just fringed them, but that didn't seem substantial enough given the thickness of the fringe from joining the squares. I found a finishing technique called the Hounds Tooth on project linus - cut fringe on the edge that is 1 and one quarter inch, cut a tiny hole at the base and pulll the fringe through the hole. I did that at both short ends and left the edges straight.

It came out well enough that both the 2 and 5 year old want their own version. The only problem is, they didn't give me a deadline!

Simple is as Simple does

I like Target. It's not the prices - although they're often pretty good, the $1 rack up front - which is nice for the little ones or the selection, which is usually more than adequate. I like Target because of its fantastic return policy - bring in the receipt, they take the item - done. No paperwork, no 20 questions. I wish everything was that easy.

I'm trying to get a passport. It started out to be simple enough - there's a form on line. Better yet, you can use your computer to fill it out. It was all down hill from there. I went to an "instant" photo place. First, the only machine they have to print them out on was in use. Then they had to retake it three times to get my shoulders in the right place. It was anything but instant, but at least it was done. Next, you need a birth certificate. No problem, I have one of those, but where is it? It was in a metal fire proof box. Suddenly I realize that I'm not sure if it's still in there or where the box is. It finally turned up after five days of searching in a closet. Oh yeah, suddenly I remember putting it there so I wouldn't lose it.

Now, I just need to find the right post office, which is in another town. Anyone familiar with the Greater Boston area will appreciate that it is nearly impossible to find a place if you don't know where it is. Our roads are about as far from a grid as they could possibly get.

But I did finally find it. I trounced in all happy to finally be taking care of this. By my calculations I have just enough time to get the passport by the time I need it without having to pay extra. With a big grin I hand over everything.

"I hope that's not your birth certificate with the little feet on it," said the clerk. "That's just a hospital certificate. We can't accept that."

What? It has an official embossed stamp. It has all the proper details. It has my foot prints for crying out loud! Just take another print and you'll see it's really me. It's the only birth certificate I've ever had. It's always been good enough before. I wanted to throw a fit, but I didn't. I needed my energy for the next round.

I will note that while this was turning into an inordinately complicated process, it was made a kazillion times easier by the web. The information on how to get a genuine birth certificate was all there. Of course I needed a cashier's check, which meant fitting a trip into the bank, which is nearly impossible with my schedule these days. Well, since I'm going, how about finally getting my will signed?

I got the cashier's check and marched over to customer service, relieved that I was finally going to get the will notarized. She looked everything over and then looked over to where the other clerks were.

"I can't do it right now, everyone is too busy," she said non chalantly. "You'll have to come back."

These little things are what beat all the joy out of us. So many forms to fill out. So much documentation. It's not just enough to take care of things, you have to prove that you've taken care of things. It's exhausting and borderline ridiculous. I guess this is just the stuff that life is made of. I just wish more places would take lessons from Target!

How do Iove thee? Let me count the worms

With dh away, I have picked up many of the jobs that are usually his - grocery shopping, feeding the fish, taking out the garbage, fixing broken drawers...but by far the wierdest and downright creepiest is taking care of his worms.

I'll spare you the picture.

My well-meaning, back-to-nature dh thought we should be composting to help save the planet. We live in the city with a little yard. Our house is jam packed. There just isn't much room for a compost heap. After extensive research, he decided that worms were the answer. He sent away for worms and a home to put them in. I didn't even know that one could order worms in the mail. They live in a round plastic house about the size of a side table. There are layers of trays. They live in the top ones eating the garbage and the compost falls through to the lower layers, as does the worm pee, politely referred to as "Worm Tea." I will begrudgingly admit that it does wonder for roses.

The whole contraption was set up outside and he happily spent the summer months bringing out banana peels, watermelon rinds, coffee filters and other such worm gourmet delights. He even opted againts a garbage disposal because the worms needed the waste that might otherwise have been just ground up and washed away.

The problem with his plan is that we live in New England, where it gets cold in the winter. The worms don't do well with cold. They had to come inside. They now live in our basement. They live there permanently because their house is too heavy to easily move back outside.

I just don't dwell too much on the fact that we have slimy critters happily slithering around in a big plastic bin in our basement. I put the worm edible items in a bin and they disappear. Except that he's not here and the bin is full.

Not only that, I suddenly had a panic attack that the worms were drowning in their own worm tea. I'm not particularly enamored by the critters, but that's just inhumane. Besides, I'm the mom. This is what mom's do - they take care of all living things in their house.

I drained off the tea - it wasn't actually to dangerous levels yet, but I have no idea how quickly it builds up. I emptied the bin into their house. They were crawling all over the top and the insides. I didn't scream. I didn't even grimace too much. I did have to remind myself that they're just harmless worms. Squiggly and wiggly, yes, but doing good none-the-less. And if they make my guy happy, well let's just say I love him - a lot.

Pictures of coin purse (card purse)

Here at last are the pictures. It is just the right size. I need to add a snap or maybe velcro, as soon as it's dry.


Here's what I learned - the garter strips felted away into the fabric leaving no extra texture whatsoever. Still, the Malabrigio is a wonderful felting fabric. It felts quickly and leaves little stitch definition, which I prefer. Also, it has soft stripes, which creates an ethereal effect on the felted fabric.

On a side note - take heed and slow down. I was in a hurry to get the kids to school today so rather than waiting for someone to make a left hand turn, I figured I'd just come up on the right hand side and turn. I didn't take into account the huge size of my van or the fire hydrant extremely close to the road. So close that it caught the rear wheel well and literally tore the metal and folding it like an accordian. Nobody got hurt and the kids were amused, but it will be a very expensive repair. I rush around a lot - mostly because I'm trying to do too much but also because I hate to be late. Well my lesson today is that it's a lot cheaper to be late.

Sad day in Patriot's Nation

My team was good, but in the end, not good enough. New England is in mourning today. We had hoped to be celebrating a final victory capping off an undefeated season. Instead, we're eating crow. I know there are some in the world who are pleased that the team has gotten its comeupance. But this team worked hard. An undefeated season is an amazing accomplishment. It was fun to watch them and it was nice to see everyone so excited and united. We have our differences over so many things, but on supporting our team we agreed. So today we share disappointment. Congratulations to any Giants fans. That team has a great story to tell.

I couldn't during the game knit the complicated lace scarf pattern I was working on - it required too much concentration. Luckily, I had some malabrigo left over and just the right size needles for a felted project stashed in our coffee table. (It has drawers so that I can keep my knitting supplies out of site). I cast on for coin purse at the beginning of the second half and sewed up the sides just as the Patriots made their final, fruitless play down the field. It's felting now. If my loose calculations are correct, it will come out just big enough for the stack of health insurance and membership cards I have to carry around. I would happily upload a picture of the prefelted object, if blogger would let me...

I knit mostly in stockinette, switching to garter stitch on the right side every so often to give it some texture. The basic formula was this:

Cast on 20 stitches. knit for 8 inches. For flap: decrease on both sides every other row until you have 10 stitches. Knit evenly for 4 rows, bind off. Stitch up sides. Felt.

I was going to buy one, but I couldn't find one in the right size and this is "free" given that I had the yarn on hand. It's also a great way to use up scraps. This would also make a good swatching project.

I will try for pics tomorrow.

Hats off

I think blogger is punishing me for saying it had gone bloggy - it ate my post! It was brilliant, too. It was full of stellar prose. It would have made you laugh and cry. It would have made your life brighter and more fulfilling. Okay, maybe I'm exagerating a little bit.

You would think, being a writer, that I would know what I wrote and simply rewrite it. I'm not that kind of writer. I can come up with the greatest lines ever, but I can't remember than much longer than it takes for them to come off my fingertips and onto the key board. If I don't get them on "paper" right away, they're gone into the mystical nothingness of abandoned ideas. Even writing them down on paper doesn't imprint them on my brain. I couldn't tell you the sentence I just wrote, much less one I wrote a few hours ago! I thought blogger was automatically saving drafts. Not this time, I guess.

It was something about hats. I had an epiphany this week about them that helps explain my troubles with them. They shouldnt' be exactly the same size as the head they are intended to fit - they should be slightly smaller. How much depends entirely on a variety of factors from personal preference to hat style to yarn characteristics. Unfortunately, I haven't quite figured out a sure fire formula for figuring out how much smaller.

Still, the last hat turned out great and so did my most recent endeavor - big grin. It's a lavender extravaganza with a fancy yarn brim featuring a subtle cable. The top is a cozy mohair blend with distinctive details. The only glitch - and it is minor - is that there is mohair in the brim as well, which means that when I wear it, I see this slight halo just at the top of my vision.

On a non-knitting related note, I'm making do without my partner in crime. I am being confronted with the full reality of how many children I have. Somebody is always in need of going somewhere or having something done for them. Mom is here, which is a tremendous help. She does the laundry, which is usually my job, that leaves me free to do all the things that are dh's jobs - like grocery shopping. He is so my hero for doing that every week. I don't want life to rush by, but I am really looking forward to Feb. 13th, when he returns. Among other things, he can help me take a decent picture of my next knitting accomplishment.