Artmom

Completed Runner

2011-06-18T20:05:00.000-05:00

My runner top turned out great. Really not my style, but I do find the assembly of patchwork very satisfying. And it looks great at my mom's house. I even made it reversible. The patriotic side was much harder to give away than the irish chain.The quilting itself was a little shaky. A lot shaky. It was good practice though; I have two baby quilts in production that will need quilting soon. I started out trying to free motion with my fancy new Viking, but it was to smart for me. I ended up using my old Singer, which was hiding in my closet awaiting it's unknown fate after I upgraded last fall. It turns out it's fate for now is free-motion quilting; when you've worn the teeth off the feed dogs it becomes perfect for that.

Table Runner

2011-04-25T17:04:00.000-05:00

And finished! Now to find a backing and quilt it.

Piecing

2011-04-21T22:02:00.001-05:00

He's a very good helper, even if most of what he does is play with his Tag while I work. He does like the way the Viking has buttons that beep.

Almost done.

Planning

2011-04-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

Playhouse

2011-03-03T21:12:00.003-06:00

Just because I haven't posted anything over here in forever doesn't mean I'm not getting anything done. I made 4 pairs of jammie pants for my favorite boys and girl for Christmas, and am wearing what I have deemed "deployment pants" right this minute. The monkey and I have been hard at work too. And our hard work last weekend

and today

is really starting to pay off. Tomorrow, an actual floor for the second level!

Anniversary

2010-12-01T15:05:00.000-06:00

This year was Lawyerguy and my 13th anniversary. Traditional 13th anniversary gift is textiles, so I made him a pair of pants. They are made of undyed 11oz hemp canvas. Hopefully they will be indestructible, because that is not easy fabric to sew through. Hemp is a very durable fiber that is supposed to be stronger when wet, which I totally believe because it was significantly harder to get the needle to pierce the fabric when damp from ironing.

My pattern came from a favorite pair of shorts that disintegrated last summer. I had already used them once as a pattern for shorts that turned out very well but were never mentioned here (it was a very busy time). They have some nifty touches, like cool stitching along the pockets and cargo pockets large enough to hold a hefty paperback.

They look really great, but there are a few things to consider should you choose to work with hemp. Get extra yardage, because it shrinks lots. LOTS. Wash it 4 or 5 times before you cut. Also, it wrinkles like linen but is harder to iron.

All in all I think they look great and I enjoyed the project enough to stay up until 2 to finish them the night before we drove to Orlando. I am also lucky that while pants for a leggy 6'3" takes nearly 3 yards of 58" fabric, there is plenty left over scrap to make a pair for me :)

Happy Anniversary Handsome!

Guidon

2010-07-14T16:44:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago Monkey and I met Lawyerguy on base to watch a ROTC Field Training graduation. I was really glad to be there; families are not invited to field training so there are few people attend their parade (military parade, not what you were thinking). I was really inspired after the parade. Too bad the rules just changed and I couldn't enlist (no new dual-military parent families). Instead, I sewed a guidon for our family.

Today Monkey and i went to the bamboo park for a photo shoot/test drive.

Kilo Flight leads the way!

World's Sexiest Cicada

2010-06-07T20:43:00.006-05:00

Monkey and I have been working on some furniture for the living room, to replace the plastic bookcase that Lawyerguy loves so much. We are so close to being done! But the edge finishing just drags on and on. Instead of using the iron-on veneer, I am ripping down quarter inch pieces of oak. It looks great, but there are so many raw edges of plywood. Finally all that is left is the top of the cupboard doors.But on to my bizarre title: There is something about the hum of my table saw that brings the cicadas. Not the belt sander, not the miter saw, just the table saw. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but time after time when it spins up the big eyed insects flock to it, landing on the table. It takes IRON SELF CONTROL to not freak out when one of the little buggers lands on my neck while wrestling a sheet of plywood through the spinning blades of terror.

Bench

2010-05-27T21:37:00.005-05:00

Monkey and I finished our bench! Some stain, a little polyurethane, and more of my favorite blue paint :)

We actually followed the directions very closely, except for leaving off the angled portion of the side apron. Thanks for the plans Ana!

End of the School Year

2010-05-26T15:52:00.003-05:00

Easy end of the year present for Monkey's teachers. While they all deserve something much more grand (like a new car) he has a LOT of different teachers, aids, and therapists, so we need to keep it simple.

Michaels had the cute garden stakes that Monkey personalized with smile faces, and we picked up rosemary and pots at Home Depot. We delivered them today, so nothing would interrupt my last day of freedom tomorrow.

Woodworking

2010-05-18T20:52:00.002-05:00

More construction with Monkey.

This is how I hope to spend our summer together (our summer that starts NEXT WEEK).

Good thing he has a nice smile, because it has been an extremely rough week.

Finished product tomorrow, hopefully.

Potholders

2010-05-06T17:30:00.003-05:00

Exciting, I know. But a good way to use my favorite fabrics so I see them every day.

Sphinx!

2010-05-02T21:22:00.004-05:00

Kick awesome new shirt for the little guy, with the lady killer smile. It took me an entire episode of Venture Brothers to cut out all the little pieces of freezer paper. It may also give super powers.

Outdoor wreath

2010-04-28T20:31:00.002-05:00

I'm uncertain where I saw this idea out there in the big wide internets, but it's not like there are really new ideas anyway. I think it turned out quite cute. Hot glued sheet moss and assorted lumps of moss from my back yard on to a straw wreath form. It looks a little sad when dry, but a quick misting with a squirt bottle and it's beautiful. It is wet enough here that it should grow right to the form.

Table

2010-04-18T16:13:00.006-05:00

This is my cute little workshop. It's hard to use when it rains, but you couldn't ask for better ventilation. It self-adjusts for weather too: now that it is hot the trees have leafed out making it nice and shady. Our ancient wicker couch decomposed to a pile of sticks this winter, so we picked up a few chairs and an umbrella for our patio. I built a table inspired by these plans from Knock off Wood, using only 3 2x4s.

I spaced out the boards on top about a quarter inch since it is an outdoor table, and eliminated the breadboard ends. The 4x4 legs were replaced with a v-shape made from 2x4s and 2x2s (ripped down on my table saw). The apron pieces were eliminated too; the v-shaped legs attached directly to the top of the table and the support square underneath.

The top was stained and sealed with lots of polyurethane. The legs were painted with my favorite blue from my living room walls then polyurethane. The turquoise looks perfect with the blue umbrella.

We now have the perfect place to sit and enjoy the back yard, for the next two weeks until it gets too hot to go outside :)

Luvsack, revisited

2010-04-16T20:29:00.003-05:00

Monkey is quite fond of his Luvsack.

He just likes to use it in ways that I did not expect.

Luvsack

2010-04-09T21:15:00.006-05:00

Confession: we have an entire spare bedroom in this house that is a disaster. I am showing you these horrible pictures to help shame me into fixing this problem. In our last house the extra room was larger, and we had a locking storage/garage area. Lots of things have been dumped in that room, and many of those things we really don't need. I was delighted to replace my hideous and uncomfortable couch last fall, but Marc said I couldn't light it on fire so it had just been demoted to the spare room. While living on the beach in Florida we really needed the king-sized guest bed, but people aren't beating down the door to visit us in Alabama so the 12 year old mattress that was run over by a truck (true story!) was just taking up valuable real estate.

The couch was listed on Craigslist one afternoon and was gone by dinner time. The mattress was more difficult, but where I lack a truck to haul it away I make up for in creativity. The box springs were stripped down and the wood cut, so it could be rolled up for transport in the Cruiser. The mattress was stripped down to the wire frame, then cut apart quite awesomely with the my Dremel so we could roll it up in a dangerous parody of a cinnamon roll. All pieces of a king mattress set were disposed of our regular trash can, or recycled.

Left over from all this shredding and cutting were two sheets of eggcrate foam. Using this Instructable, I sewed Monkey a great big beanbag (easy) and shredded two huge sheets of foam to fill it (hard). Did you know you can buy pre-chopped foam? If undertaking this project, I would recommend that; I have very sad blisters from hours of scissor use. The resulting beanbag is amazingly comfy though. Monkey seems thrilled with his big blue "volcano," and our 3rd bedroom is that much closer to being tolerable.

Pants

2010-04-02T15:57:00.007-05:00

Monkey's knee went through yet another pair of pants, so I sewed him a pair of cargos. This time constructed from poplin found in an actual fabric store, instead of recycled from mystery clothing. I lined the hip pockets with a bright striped fabric that matched the blue perfectly. This seemed like such a great idea I started using it everywhere: all the pockets, pocket flaps, decorative hammer loop thing. I believe the the phrase used when finished was "holy crap." They seem rather bright; maybe it was too much.

Somehow, he makes it work thought.

He wore them to school (with a vest that I failed to write about earlier) on what probably was the very last cold day this year. Excellent timing.

Doors

2010-04-01T17:49:00.001-05:00

Finally Monkey and I got around to taking down our valentine decorations from the wreath on the front door, upgrading to something more spring-y.

Gallery Glass paint also made the window pretty and more private.

Our back door got some love too, and we installed a screen door. How does a house in the South not have screen doors?

Viking garden

2010-03-07T20:03:00.003-06:00

I have seen a few really cute fairy gardens online in the past few weeks, so I assembled some tiny plants with the hope of putting one together with Monkey. He was happy to help me drill lots of holes in the bottom of the pot, but that was really as far as he was interested. Even the addition of Vikings did nothing to capture his interest. That is ok, he happily drilled hundreds of holes in a scrap piece of lumber next to me while I played in the dirt.

Mondo Grass, Creeping Phlox, Golden Scotch Moss, and a nameless houseplant were added to the bowl along with tiny rocks and a large shell water feature.

I'm certain the Viking will be on his best behavior in such a lovey little spot.

Pants

2010-03-05T21:43:00.007-06:00

The winter here has outlasted Monkey's wardrobe: he split huge holes in the knees of two pair pants last week, one completely un-repairable. Early March should have high temperatures in the low 70s here, not the 40s. If he were better with a zipper fly I'd have replaced them easily, but it seems this is not the time of year for elastic waist pants.

Lucky for his cold naked butt I'm crafty.

I dug around in my stash and was a little embarrassed to find a huge baggy pair of khaki overalls. Where did they come from? I'm not the overall-wearing type. How long have I been dragging them around? I've moved 3 times in the last 3 1/2 years, did I move these too?

Whatever, they had great pockets and plenty of fabric. A big cargo pocket was ripped off and relocated to cover a stain on the left leg.

A pocket which you could see if he would ever hold still...

Playing in the backyard today has already made the stain-covering job seem a little unnecessary.

I was able to cut them out using the existing outer seams, preserving the nifty little side pocket too. So thank you, mysterious contributor of ancient overalls!

Rocket

2010-02-27T14:05:00.005-06:00

For my birthday, my lovely parents bought me a table saw. And last weekend a gift card from the inlaws completed my tool collection with a radial arm saw. Plans have been underway for a new tv cabinet, but I needed practice, so Monkey and I built the incredibly awesome Rocket bookshelf from Knock Off Wood. I cut everything out and drilled pilot holes, but Monkey put in all the screws.

After a false start or two...he even helped paint. Because we bought cheap paint and didn't prime, the orange ended up taking about nine billion coats. You'd think I would have learned after last time.

I wanted the peak to be tall enough that Buzz could stand on top, so I changed the angle and length of the top boards. This required math, which sound scary but really is just high school geometry (did you know I took calculus, once long ago? Guess how many times I've used it since then). At the peak, the boards needed to be cut at 60 degrees-a problem because my radial arm saw only bends over to 45 degrees. So I cut it at 45 degrees and then used a belt sander to grind it down to the angle it needed to be. I also added a couple inches of height and width to the main shelves, to pack in a few more books.

I used plywood to make it as sturdy as possible (we move around a lot). I also set each shelf on a 1"x1" brace, instead of screwing it in through the sides-a bookshelf this cool with certainly be climbed some day. A small i-bolt helped attach it to the wall, to keep Monkey from pulling it over on his head.
The construction only took about 3 1/2 hours, even letting Monkey drill holes and put in screws. We used cabinet grade plywood ($23.97), a box of screws ($5.37), orange paint (~$7.00, but I should have spent more), as well as glue and white paint that I already had, bringing our total to around $40. We loved Knock off Wood's great plans and look forward to building more!

2010-02-25T12:33:00.000-06:00

There is no chance I will finish with a gold for the Knitting Olympics; too much other stuff has come up and I've ripped the heel out twice now. But I am deeply in love with this pattern.

Pillows

2010-02-20T22:51:00.005-06:00

A Joann's fabric finally opened in Montgomery, which means I no longer have to convince Lawyerguy to take a road trip to Atlanta every time I want to recover the pillows on my couch.

I was so happy to have access to a fabric store that I was there on opening day. All the spring fabrics and gardening decor was out, it was warm inside and smelled wonderfully of hyacinths; by the time I left I was convinced it was spring. Reality kicked me in the stomach when I finally left and stepped outside into the cold wet 35 degrees that was Thursday morning.

Socks

2010-02-14T20:25:00.000-06:00

My Knitting Olympics started with a sprained ankle: I found the short row toe of Vinnland to be fussy and difficult, and ripped it out. Magic cast-on worked wonderfully though.

Dress

2010-01-15T21:45:00.003-06:00

Holy cow, it has been quite a while since I've been here. I have done quite a bit though.
Most recently, I finally found a copy of a vintage pattern I've been coveting for quite some time: Simplicity 5027, from the early 60s. Remarkably it was more or less my size, and after a muslin test-drive and a few adjustments I think I'm ready to cut. I even have the fabric already--a rust batik purchased a year ago for a pattern that I was never happy with. It will be perfect if it ever warms up here (a statement that will certainly sound stupid in a few months when it is 90 degrees and humid).

Star Crossed

2009-11-20T17:34:00.002-06:00

While the summer here has been just too blasted hot to knit more than dozens of cotton washcloths, the fall has become rather chilly. I suspect the humidity, which still resides firmly between 80 and 100% regardless of temperature.

On my way home from Utah I started the Star Crossed Slouch, with the ever-lovable and available Paton's Classic Wool in Moss Heather. Monkey was kind enough to let me work on by sleeping through much of the flight (hurray for the weighted blanket!)

I finished it just a few days later and despite Lawyerguy's comments re: patchouli, I think it is great. More French, or Beatnik, than Hippy. Monkey just thinks it looks smashing on him, and I can't disagree. Do boys wear slouchy hats?

Socks

2009-11-09T19:41:00.000-06:00

Two tiny pairs of socks, each barely the length of my thumb. Knit on a heartbreaking emergency trip back to Utah. How can such a tiny loss hurt so much? I'll see you in the next life little guy; for now all my prayers are for your momma and daddy.

Weighted blanket

2009-10-17T21:25:00.004-05:00

Hurray! I just finished a weighted blanket for Monkey, and then woke him up so it could help him fall asleep. Yep, this is the magic that is parenting. I've wanted to make him one for a long time, but couldn't think of what to fill it with. Dried beans or rice couldn't be washed, an important quality for us. Pennies or washers seemed prone to oxidization and banging the heck out of my washer. Then Craft Nectar mentioned using Poly Pellets, tiny polypropylene balls for filling stuffed animals. Genius. It's very easy, once you actually get all your stuff together. I was very picky about fabric and looked all over the place before finding this great Alexander Henry robot print and some nameless fabric with tools. It is so nice to finally get this done.

I sewed channels into a giant fabric pocket, sewn together on three sides. I then measured out 23 grams in nine cups and poured it into each channel. I used three bags of pellets for a six pound blanket.

Sew across the top of the pellets, dividing your pocket into little squares, and repeat as necessary. I propped my machine up at an angle to keep the pellets away from the needle. It is cumbersome at first, but actually gets a little easier as less fabric is mashed under the arm.

So soothing.

Mobius

2009-10-15T07:08:00.000-05:00

I'm hanging in there. Knitting helps.

Lunchbox

2009-09-18T19:50:00.004-05:00

I've been meaning to do this for Monkey since before school started. Freezer paper stencils can be remarkably detailed.

Chairs

2009-09-14T19:58:00.005-05:00

I won't lie, I am a bit lonely here in Alabama. I like it here, it is so beautiful and green and people are so friendly that as an ex-westerner it constantly surprises me. But I haven't made any friends. My neighbors all work, and I miss living on base. Church has somehow become nearly intolerable for Monkey, and by the end of the first meeting he is so agitated I would gladly chew through my own leg to get out of there. Who knows what the problem is, the lights? the upholstery? the sound of that many people breathing? Autism is a mystery that likes to kick you in the gut with it's poor verbal skills. But this loneliness is not all bad, because I am getting so much done. I am working on building an island in my kitchen. I'm sewing a quilt. And I finally recovered my dining room chairs, which were truly disgusting. The original cream upholstery was beautiful but sure did not last long. Last week Monkey bled all over several of the chairs, and that was the last straw.

I'm kind of embarrassed at how easy recovering the chairs was. I should have done it a year ago.

Cubes

2009-08-26T19:43:00.006-05:00

I am so picky about furniture, that I have started building stuff just so I get exactly what I want (also, I live no where near an ikea). My first project was organizing the Monkey's bedroom. I am really happy with the way these cubbies turned out, and did learn some important things to remember when I start my next project.

*Refuse help at Home Depot. This rule is not for everyone, but is vital for me. Seriously, if I need help loading a sheet of plywood I most certainly will ask for it. Please don't insist just because I'm a tiny girl with a kid, you just make me feel nervous and uncertain. And then I won't carefully choose my wood to make sure it's not warped.

*Measure the exact spot where a piece is supposed to go. Just because your math says that the slot should without a doubt be x inches long does not mean it is.

*Prime plywood. You would not believe how much paint the inside of a 2'6" x 3'6" shelving unit sucked up.

Next up, debates about whether I need a miter saw or table saw more.

Shorts

2009-08-25T22:01:00.007-05:00

This is a deceptive picture; I am not actually in Okinawa. Luckily it turns out Alabama has bamboo forests too.

This summer was loooooong and weird, and I am glad to be moved, and have Monkey back in school. Planning then canceling an international move, then moving within the country on short notice can mess with a girl. But my home is where my boys are, where I keep our stuff, where I sleep at night. And I am glad to be home.

Amongst all the craziness of this summer I did get a lot done, the very best thing this pair of capris. At 5'2" and shaped like a cardboard tube, pants are very hard to find. I have no waist. I have no ass. Even sewing them myself is no guarantee: I have tried so many different patterns, and the very best I have come up with qualified merely for "don't hate them". After an unsuccessful attempt at drafting I gave up and tore into a box of scrap fabrics containing one perfect pair of jeans that have disintegrated past the point of decency (even with extensive patching). Out came my vorpal scissors, seam ripper and craft paper, and I now have the patten for exquisitely fitting pants/shorts/capris. I am no longer a slave to the fashion industry in regards to clothing my lower half! I have actually made two pairs of these so far, exactly the same save the fabric (the second pair is dark green denim). They are the most comfortable shorts AND best fitting shorts I have ever owned.

Stay tuned for tomorrow, when I show off my kick awesome woodworking.

Limbo

2009-05-31T16:46:00.004-05:00

Things are so crazy here that we are mainlining lizards. Actual updates when my brain isn't so heavy.

The arranging of Baggage

2009-03-01T18:05:00.006-06:00

I just had the most wonderful epiphany. I was pinned down earlier today by someone whom I do not like. And just now, I realized there is no need for me to be held hostage to her negative rants. I know that in the past she has said some nasty things about me, when I was YW president. It really upset me that hours after merely speaking with her, she still has the power to make me feel bad about myself.

But just now, I remembered that there is no reason for me to have to talk to her ever again. I am not in YW anymore. I was in fact released about 8 months ago. I do not need to subject myself to her verbal poison. I have never heard her say anything that was not a complaint-frequently very personal things about people I know. I would not stand near someone who was using fire unsafely; why would I let myself be burned by her vitriol.

So I happily release myself from any misplaced sense of responsibility I might feel. It is not my job to make her feel happy with our ward. I will remain polite, but if she interjects herself into a conversation I will excuse myself and leave at once. Interactions with her will be 10 words or less. I don't need her or the emotional weight, and like a balloon I am letting it go. And it is so beautiful to watch it float away.

Insomnia

2009-02-28T00:48:00.003-06:00

Can't sleep a wink. How many of these do I have by now?

Again with the rectangles

2009-02-26T17:04:00.004-06:00

My quilting kick continues. This is a throw for the RS to tie, for some good cause or another (I don't get to attend RS because I'm Monkey's teacher, so I'm fuzzy on details).
My secret confession is that I started the lattice quilt for this project, but the squares were a lot of work and it seemed a waste to tie it instead of quilting it on the machine.
I am really happy with this top; my corners match up better than anything I've done yet. Which I guess means I've finally mastered cutting things out.

Quilt

2009-02-15T15:14:00.004-06:00

This weekend my brother and his family visited from Alabama, so Monkey and I were able to hand over the quilt we made for their little boy. I am so happy with the way this quilt came together! I love the way the colors went together so perfectly and I think that the rectangular blocks make the lattice design really interesting.

I had a rather embarrassing learning experience in the early stages of this quilt: rectangles are directional. That means that when you are bisecting the blocks, half must be cut slanting one direction, and the other half must lean the other way. They can not be rotated 90 degrees, no matter how much you want to and how stupid you might feel.

This is the first thing larger than a potholder that I've machine quilted using the darning foot. I ended up using chalk to sketch out my meandering line; it was just too much space for me to think about while muscling around the quilt and looking at a small portion of the whole. Monkey helped lots on this quilt- he loves to sit on my lap and help me run the sewing machine. He also will pull out little snips and scraps of fabric and put them under the presser foot working the needle by hand when I'm up cutting fabric or ironing; it is a good thing he's too short to reach the peddle or I'd have to pick things up better.

Poem

2009-02-02T21:28:00.004-06:00

A poem for the 4th Annual Brigid Silent Poetry Reading, penned by myself this year. Haiku, of course. Maybe by next year I'll be good enough at iambic pentameter for a sonnet.

Won Ton Soup

tasty little fish

swimming in broth, cooked on the

surface of the sun

Keeping Warm

2008-12-29T20:08:00.003-06:00

We went to Hohenzollern Castle today. It was amazingly beautiful. And freezing cold, as evidenced by this picture featuring 6 different hand knits (you can only see five, but I'm wearing hand knit socks), also a fleece sweatshirt and jacket that I sewed for the Monkey.

Solstice

2008-12-21T22:05:00.001-06:00

Monkey and I were going a little crazy, with the sun going down here at 4:30, so we took a little road trip. Piled in the car and visited the N.O. Aquarium. Ate biegnets. Sang along with Trogdor. Danced with buskers. Not a bad day to turn 32. It might be the darkest day of the year, but it is looking up.

Birds

2008-12-12T22:12:00.000-06:00

It finally stopped raining Thursday night, so this morning I was able to shampoo smelly dog and acquired a large branch, broken off my neighbors tree. A firm believer in power tools, I used my skil saw to hack up a branch for my kitchen and stuck on a few fabric birds I made the other day using this pattern from Spool. I think it needs more birds, so if I'm feeling really brave I'll call a friend and see if she wants to have a bird party. I'll bring the stash.

Also, my dog stinks.

2008-12-11T13:50:00.001-06:00

Totally Lost.My.Shit. on the phone with Lawyerguy yesterday.
It wasn't pretty.
For the first two months the deployment really wasn't bad at all. I had projects to do, visitors planned. Monkey and I went to Disneyworld. But it seems all my good ideas and projects took about two months to finish, and on a day where I had been sick for the last 6 weeks (not sleeping means you catch every single microbe to come along), it rained 4 inches preventing Monkey, the dog, or me from going outside, and a 15 time-zone move "somewhere within the next 10 months" looming heavily on my mind, Lawyerguy tactfully mentions "You sound a little stressed".

You think?

After much eye related leakage I was reminded that I need to get out of the house every single day (you forget this when you don't talk to grown-ups every day). So Monkey and I participated in a little retail therapy and came home with another Engine for his train set (Mavis-we needed a girl train) and flowers. Because a girl should remember to get herself flowers when she needs them.

Potholders

2008-11-26T12:08:00.003-06:00

Good news! If you forgot to get graham crackers yesterday for a cheesecake crust and are too agoraphobic to brave the Commissary today, Ritz crackers make a perfectly tasty crust.
On the crafty front, I recently acquired a darning foot and practiced free motion quilting on a couple potholders. Free motion quilting is lots of fun. Crazy, holy-crap-we-are-all-over-the-place fun. The fall colors quilt top is done, and I would love to quilt it with leaf shapes (which will probably be more of a meander with vague leafy hints). At least for now I can loose the dangerously beat up (and hideous) snowman potholders.

11 years

2008-11-22T22:54:00.002-06:00

Happy anniversary Lawyerguy!
You still make my heart go pitter pat every time I see you, even now when it is just on Messenger.

I will see you soon.

I can has mood swings?

2008-11-20T22:19:00.002-06:00

Today while on the webcam with Lawyerguy he told me a friend in the Pentagon (I know, WEIRD) called him to say that his new orders just cleared, and next summer we are PCSing to Kadena AFB in Okinawa.
Since then I have accomplished absolutely nothing.
I am really really really excited; years ago Lawyerguy and I spent a summer in Japan on a study abroad trip and I loved the country. I think about it all the time. My kid has grown up on a steady diet of onigiri and My Neighbor Totoro (um, not that he is eating Totoro. That came out weird.) My sister took Monkey on the Finding Nemo ride at Epcot 3 or 4 times, just so I could run out to the Japan area. I was actually thinking about how much I would like to go back yesterday.

But just between you and me, I have a bit of a stomach ache. When my dad responded to my news with "Oh no!" it didn't help.

Quilt decisions

2008-11-19T11:10:00.007-06:00

Home from my trip and life is back to as normal as it ever is. My big event today is deciding which color sashing to do on my fall colors quilt. Opinions?

The pattern on the dark might be a little too linear. But it is so beautiful, and the colors make you want to snuggle under it with a cup of tea and a good book, and listen to the leaves blow.

The light, leafy print looks better than it photographed here. The scattering of leaves is subtle and is thematically perfect. Instead of reminding you of quiet nights inside, it makes you think of walking outside under a bright sky, white from clouds covering the blue and acting as a giant diffuser.

Then there is the option of combining the two, with small squares of one color where all the corners meet to add interest. But which should be the main color? Once again I am so busy seeing both sides of an argument that I am unable to make a decision.

Frogs

2008-11-05T11:48:00.003-06:00

The amphibian, not the knitting type.
A girl can only sit in front of Netflicks watching Red Dwarf and knitting a sweater for so long. Plus, visitors are coming soon and my ratty looking ironing board lives in the guest room.
I followed no particular pattern or tutorial; it's an ironing board cover, not rocket science. The fabric was from my stash too, so I get to feel all wholesome about that. The real question is why did I have 2+ yards of poison arrow frog fabric sitting around?

Totoro

2008-11-01T20:54:00.005-05:00

No trick or treating for us last night; we got dressed up after dinner and when asked if he wanted to go get candy, Monkey replied "No thanks!"

Really? You don't want to go next door and get a treat?

Nope.

Huh.

So we stayed in and watched My Neighbor Totoro for the millionth time, and I painted Chibi Totoro in Monkey's bedroom, to go with Chu Totoro who sits on top of his closet.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T17:09:00.006-05:00

Monkey is running around quite adorably, wearing a wolf suit I made like Max from Where the Wild Things Are. He likes the tail but is generally a stink about wearing the hood.

I am dressed as the planet Pluto. Rhinestones in my hair like stars, and a pink slip in my pocket from where I was fired. Very nerdy am I.

Have a wicked good night, everyone.

Netflix to the rescue

2008-10-30T08:50:00.000-05:00

I have been knitting a pair of slippers for the last 10 days now, which seems pretty rediculous considering I am using worsted yarn held double on huge size 11 needles. But I haven't been especially rushed because I am mailing them off to Lawyerguy and his box won't be mailed out until something I ordered him arrived.

Well, it arrived today. Now I really need to get these knit.

They look so humongous, I keep chanting "believe the swatch" to keep myself from panicking. He has big feet, but still...

Thank goodness for Netflix. Now that Monkey has left for school I'm going to park myself on the couch until the second slipper is done.

Flight Suit

2008-10-27T20:51:00.004-05:00

Pictures of the birthday project I made for my nephew. My brother is a helicopter pilot for the Army, so I made him a tiny flight suit.

It is sewn with Otaku-level attention to detail (except no pocket zippers, to keep it from being too stiff).

Happy Birthday little buddy!

Bed, version 1.2

2008-10-24T23:19:00.003-05:00

The first major construction project since Lawyerguy left has been rebuilding Monkey's bed, since he is a destructive little demon. I really loved how it turned out initially, but between the jumping and the kicking he knocked the foot board loose. Not a problem! More screws, and I assumed all was well.

Assumed was the correct term because I must have had my head up my ass to think that furniture constructed with mere inch thick boards could survive my kid. The destruction continued and I needed to upgrade to 2x8s, 3 inch deck screws, and Gorilla glue. I also re-worked the mattress supports, as they had suffered too. There is no way to upgrade this bed in terms of strength now. If he destroys this, he is back to sleeping on a mattress on the floor.

Next up is a bed frame for me, as soon as I stop being a chicken about committing to a design. Also, these cute little 9 patch blocks seem to be constructing themselves at my machine when I need just enough distraction to keep me from thinking.

Happy Monkey Day!

2008-10-22T22:25:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday little Monkey!

5 years old! I love you so much!

I'm back

2008-10-19T16:21:00.005-05:00

I admittedly did not take a complete craft hiatus while preparing for deployment, because you all know darn well that sometimes preparations require a little craftiness. This made me feel like I could help him after he had left.

So Lawyerguy has been gone for 2 weeks now. We get to talk on the webcam every day, which makes things easier. Not easy, but easier. Monkey gets off the bus from school and runs to the computer to "say hi daddy!" which absolutely makes me swoon. Free from my Make Something Interesting For Dinner duties, I have concocted quite a list to keep me occupied. First up: Halloween (completed for Monkey, in progress for Nephew). Next in line is some major organizational projects, mostly involving power tools.

Friday flowers

2008-09-26T11:15:00.002-05:00

As I've been absent for a couple weeks now, it will come to no one's surprise as I announce that I'll be on hiatus until Lawyerguy deploys on the 6th.

There will be much craftage after that. Right now I'm pretty occupied with gathering paperwork, special passports and sewing patches to new uniforms. I've also taken the wisdom from my friend Heather that "starting new projects is a sign of hope for the future" and created a To Do list full of awesome.Until then, the sunflowers that make me feel better about my gardening abilities; sweet yellow salve for the disappointing scar of my scraggly sad tomato plants. See you soon!

Self-defeating behaviors

2008-09-09T12:13:00.001-05:00

Because I need another project like I need a hole in my head.

(Did I mention I just started Durrow for Lawyerguy? Who asked me yesterday if I would knit him a sweater? For Germany! He leaves in a month, holy crap.)

Quilt and other progress

2008-08-26T09:30:00.004-05:00

I've spent the last hour since I put Monkey on the bus looking at the phone with distrust, fearing a phone call from his PreK teacher telling me to get my ass over there and pick up my kid already, how could I send him to school this way? The way I sent him to school was doped up on (non-drowsy) decongestant, because he got the first cold of the school year this weekend after a grand total of 5 days of school. He fell asleep yesterday in my bed after waking up long enough to take his seizure meds and get naked. And damn it we are not missing day after day of school this early in the year. I am burned out from all this togetherness all summer and I need my time. I am unable to keep up with the house when he is here this much. Want proof?
He cruised past the useless child lock on the sewing room door, climbed onto a table for my vorpal scissors, grabbed the quilt that has been hanging on the wall for a year which I had finally quilted the night before, and went snicker-snack.

I did not feed him to the wolves. I sat down next to him and looked really really sad, and told him why. And instead of not understanding, he looked sad too and quickly said "Sorry Momma," and gave me a hug. And suddenly the quilt didn't matter much, because that is the first time he's ever empathized with someone who was sad.
Slowly we make progress.

Rocket Jammies!

2008-08-20T14:13:00.000-05:00

Not jammies for rockets, sadly. Flannel jammie pants, cut out a week ago but sewn together today because the guest room is back to being a sewing room. The decadence of having an entire room for such things still blows me away.

When I cut these out I was shocked that 1 yard of fabric is just barely enough for a pair of pants for the little guy. They look huge in my hands, but don't seem too big on him. Same with his new school clothes.

It is still about 20 degrees too warm at night to wear these, so they will be tucked away for Monkey's birthday in a few months. Actual planning ahead, hurray!

Jam

2008-08-13T21:19:00.000-05:00

Today Monkey and I made delicious plum jam, and clementine marmelade. The plum jam is completely smooth and texture-free, because Monkey was in charge of the food processer and I didn't supervise enough. Then we made bread, because if you have fresh warm jam you need fresh warm bread to smear it on. All this to avoid doing the chores I need to before houseguests arrive tomorrow evening.

Micro sweater

2008-08-12T19:46:00.005-05:00

Micro sweater. 2 1/2 inches wide by 4 inches tall.

No pattern to speak of, just fooling around with the basic construction of a raglan sweater as a practice run for Christmas. Knit of scraps of Sugar and Cream on size 6 needles. The sweater is cute, but the neck is way too small ;)

The yoke was an unvention of slip stitch patterning, of which I had heard but had no practical knowledge. I'm not sure you could call it an unvention even, as just the name of the technique gives it away. Worked way better than two colors at a time for me.

Garterlac to the rescue!

2008-08-11T20:12:00.004-05:00

I was so glad to have a simple little project like this to pick up and throw in my bag last Thursday night. I had just settled down on the couch for some quiet Erin time, with the Monkey in bed and Lawyerguy at his Jujitsu class, when I hear the car pull into the carport. Lawyerguy walks inside to catch me watching Ghost Hunters (guilty pleasure) and eating Dove Promises (another guilty pleasure), and announces he has broken his clavicle in class.
shitshitshitshitshit.
So I tie his arm up with triangular and ace bandages, high five myself for taking an advanced first aid class years ago, get the Monkey out of bed and drive to the hospital. Things actually went quite quickly-the nice thing about going to a base hospital on a Thursday night. The ER doc complimented both my knitting and bandaging skills. Monkey curled up in my lap and listened to his headphones and I happily knit away during xrays. The good news is that he only separated his shoulder, and an orthopedics doc follow up today confirmed that no surgery is needed. He will in a sling nearly until he leaves for Germany though, the big dork.
Anyway, the Garterlac washcloth pattern gets my praises and adulation, for perfectly explaining how this works and removing completely my entrelac apprehension.

Oops

2008-08-07T20:49:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I started the Garterlac dishcloth, squarely addressing my fascination and fear of entralac knitting. It started out easier than I expected, the directions are written out very clearly, and I've been zipping along quickly. Somehow I seem to have gotten lost though, bringing the washcloth into previously unimagined dimensions.
I should try a cube sometime.

Finished!

2008-08-03T14:52:00.000-05:00

Cloud Bolero. Knit ever so inexpensively and comfortably out of less than 3 balls of Sugar'n Cream in Jute. I lengthened the sleeves to elbow length, to keep short sleeve shirts from hanging out the end and to actually keep me warm in church. I knit a size large, but on smaller needles for tighter fabric, a smaller neckline, and more wavey old shale goodness. It is very comfortable, it looked great today, and did it's job quite well. I even decided I liked the picot bind off.

Friday Flower

2008-08-01T23:13:00.000-05:00

Delphiniums, or Larkspur. Another photo from my trip to Aspen in June.

In high school I worked with a florist (looking back, this was probably the best job ever). Occasionally she would bring in Delphiniums from her garden. When fallen blossoms were left on the white counter in the work room, they would leave little blue shadows on the formica.

Tie-dye

2008-08-01T15:18:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I celebrated/mourned the last day of Monkey's summer term of school by tie-dyeing some t-shirts for him and his cousin (also some underpants for him because I think I'm funny). Then I hung them outside to dry. Someday I hope it will stop raining long enough for them to dry, before it starts raining again.

Cloud Bolero

2008-07-26T17:28:00.004-05:00

We found a new favorite beach today, favorite possibly because it is nearly deserted. This friendly fellow was quite fine with parking himself right next to our umbrella for a while, possibly hoping we had brought some snacks (he was out of luck). It is quiet enough here that Monkey can run around and I don't worry about him disappearing, or helping himself to someones picnic. This allows for time to read or knit, but not much knitting because the salt water doesn't help yarn slide around fingers. Maybe I should knit English-style on the beach.

I am thiiiiiiissss close to finishing Cloud Bolero, but am suddenly not so sure about the bind off. The pattern calls for, and I performed, a picot bind off. It sounded cute, but now I am not so sure. It doesn't help that when asked for his opinion, Lawyerguy unequivocally said he didn't like it. The picture of tact, he is. Opinions? Looking at it now it doesn't look so bad.

Flower Friday

2008-07-25T22:02:00.001-05:00

Columbine, photographed in Aspen last month.

Floral Friday

2008-07-18T11:44:00.005-05:00

Blue Passion Flower. Purchased in front of the Commissary, based entirely on the tag as it had no blossoms on it at the time. I saw something on Passion flowers years ago on Discovery and have wanted one ever since.

I gave notice on my church position a week or two ago, and found out last night that they have a replacement for me now. I will be released either this Sunday, or the next. Maybe now I can stop having the dreams where I'm naked and hiding; my unconscious knows I feel raw and exposed. Yay Freud.

ATC

2008-07-15T20:40:00.006-05:00

Wow, a whole month. I wasn't this half-assed about posting when we were homeless. But it is summer time and I, like everyone else, have been crazy busy.
Maybe the biggest thing in my life right now is the Monkey, who at nearly 5, has suddenly grown out of his terrible twos. Nearly over night he is a sweet and pleasant child. He comes home from school with notes that say he was great, instead of phone calls explaining that he will probably be hoarse when he gets off the bus because he was screaming ALL DAY (I got those phone calls all last year. His teacher is a saint.) He was even good on the airplane from Colorado to home, listening to his MP3 player and eating Pez. This especially gives me hope, because in October Lawyerboy is deploying to Germany. It does suck that he will be gone for 6 months, but it could be way worse. We will get to see him in Germany, although we can't go the whole time (I can't take Monkey out of school and therapy for that long anyway). It is only 6 months; lots of deployments are much longer than that. He will be doing very important things in some cool places. But while my brain does a happy dance because Germany is my 3rd favorite country I've visited, my heart does a quiet little sigh.

Hmm, totally didn't mean to write lots about that. But there you have it.

Sooo, artist trading cards! Two batches from assorted swaps on Glitter. I meant to do a few more of the quilted ones, but my math sucks.

the Subway

2008-06-15T23:07:00.006-05:00

I'm on vacation so internet has been...intermittent. It really feels like roughing it when you are unable to check your email. But tonight I'm somewhere that the bandwidth flows like a mighty river, so I'll share my latest while I've got the chance.

Since moving to Florida, there are only a few things I miss about Utah. The mountains, a few friends, the kickboxing gym, the Salt Lake Stitch and Bitch. But during this past week, I've had the opportunity to get my fix of quite a few of these things.

BIL, FIL, Lawyerboy and I all jumped in the car at 4am on Thursday to drive down to Zions, for a turbo expedition of the Subway. And me without my hat! Luckily I stopped by a local yarn store earlier in the week to address this issue. Purple tweedy Tahki, knit in simple 2x2 ribs on size 4 or 5s. I even got to work on it Tuesday night with my Utah grrls! I had forgotten how much fun it is to sit and talk yarn with like minded people. I miss you!

I finished the hat in the parking lot at the beginning of the hike (too carsick to knit for long while my FIL was driving) and wore it through the extremely cold water. Water so cold my shoulders are uncontrollably hunched in many of the photos. Water too cold to joke about once you are in it. But an amazing and beautiful hike. And my ears were always nice and toasty.

Friday Flowers

2008-05-30T20:34:00.003-05:00

Verbena, perhaps? Not entirely certain. A big bunch of it is growing near my home, wild or at least not cultivated. Quite beautiful in colors that would be garish on me.

Good News!

2008-05-29T09:48:00.002-05:00

Last night I had the very pleasant opportunity to teach three people how to knit. That is the beauty of being in charge of a youth program; sometimes you do what you want to do (both the girls did ask me to teach them, though). We began with Sugar n Cream cotton and the diagonal washcloth, just like everyone who doesn't get started on a scarf. I am certain the other adult leader will stick with it, she is already the crafty type and is lucky enough to have a little girl who likes ruffled cuteness her momma made for her more than anything. I am already interested to see if either of the girls has worked on it any more by Sunday when I see them next.
This was the most fun I've had in Young Womens so far, after basic instruction had occurred and everyone got down to practice, and sit around and chat. I really that; the only Stitch and Bitch I've found around here meets on a night that doesn't work for me. But the really good news is that I will be back in Utah for a few days in a week and a half! I will see you grrls on June 11th!

Duh.

2008-05-25T21:41:00.003-05:00

See this? I completely skipped an entire needle, about 5 rows back. This is what happens when you are paying not enough attention to your knitting due to the siren song of Settlers of Catan.

(Post-production) Flower Friday

2008-05-23T11:49:00.005-05:00

Is it cheating to post this as Flower Friday? Because I am so excited about the prospect of real tomatoes I could just die.

Something with yarn, this time.

2008-05-22T10:19:00.000-05:00

In case anyone was wondering, I do still knit.

Cute cotton baby blanket, doomed to sit unfinished for who knows how long. Its only crime: it is the wrong gender. My neighbors were adopting a baby, and were uncertain of the gender. I placed my money on girl, which he turned out not to be. So I gave the little guy one of the many baby hats from my stash, and the blanket lounges here until I know someone having a girl.

It really is beautiful-big wide stripes in deep pink, with a planned semi-lacy border of chocolate brown. Very contemporary. Sadly, there are no girls in the development stage in anyone I know, so it will just have to wait.

I also got an early start on my Summer of Socks, since it is already summer here. I cast on and nearly immediatly turned the heel on a little footsie sock out of leftover yarn from knitting my mom and sister socks. They are not microscopic, this is just an enormous fern. I haven't done any socks in quite a while, and kind of forgot how convenient they are to stuff in your bag for emergencies. It was the perfect distracting/security blanket for some emergency dental work earlier this week.

Friday Flowers

2008-05-16T09:53:00.004-05:00

Jasmine planted in my front yard. Not quite as prolific as the star jasmine in the back, but the flowers are lovely and it smells wonderful.
Great idea Kim!

It's here!

2008-05-10T13:58:00.009-05:00

Mother's Day came a bit early for me.

And as soon as I was able to wrestle is away from Monkey

I was able to take this. Best present I could ask for.An actual smiling picture of the kid.

Marble Magnets

2008-05-06T11:06:00.002-05:00

I am apparently the last person in the world to make those marble magnets. But if any of the, oh, two people who read this blog haven't made them yet, I recommend it heartily as a nifty project with amazing results. I cropped the photos and resized them to 3/4" in Photoshop, and had a dozen printed up on a single 4x6 print (as well as a couple others for all my other tiny photo needs, like finally putting pics of my boys in the locket I've had for over a year now). I used 5 minute epoxy to glue it all together, because it is what I had. The back of the marble will probably be wavy and not that optically great, but the glue clears that all up magically when you bond the photo and turns the marble into a great little lens. I topped it off with tiny rare earth magnets because they are awesome and my kitchen can be a windy place. Never have my grocery lists and school calenders hung with such style.

Now my fingers smell like Kool-aid

2008-05-04T16:41:00.006-05:00

Dyeing yarn today, in preparation for Summer of Socks. I divided a skein of Knitpicks Bare yarn into vaguely equal amounts, which should be plenty for two pairs of footsie socks (the season for long socks here is brief).

Totoro

2008-05-03T16:36:00.000-05:00

Further improvements of the Monkey's bedroom include Chu Totoro, standing on the molding above the closet. Kawaii!

How much lumber can you fit inside a Ford Focus?

2008-05-02T11:12:00.003-05:00

It turns out, a lot.

I try to do a big project every time Lawyerboy goes out of town on business. While I do miss him, a week here and there isn't that big a deal and it does free up some extra time for crafting. Monkey is thrilled if we have pancakes for dinner-we even had green eggs and ~~ham~~ turkey bacon earlier this week.

This weeks project was constructing a bed for Monkey; he has been sleeping on a mattress on his bedroom floor for...maybe a year now (we are so ghetto). I took apart his crib/toddler bed conversion last spring because he kept falling out of bed. For his birthday I gave myself a present and bought him a twin mattress, because it was terribly uncomfortable to snuggle on the tiny crib mattress. So this week I finally got together the courage to build him a bed, greatly inspired by this guy. Monkey helped drill holes. I got to use every single power tool I own. The whole thing was designed to house the blue bins under the bed for storage. It is sturdy, (hopefully) should move easy, and made me feel really tough to go buy all the lumber.

Jammies

2008-04-27T19:55:00.003-05:00

The shorts Monkey used to wear to bed suddenly look ridiculously tiny, so I dug through the stash and found an extra tshirt from a batch I silkscreened last summer. It ended up being a test print, with one fully inked design and several ghosts that didn't wash out completely. Out came the scissors and a tape measure, plus a little time on the serger and I've got an awesome pair of long shorts for my little guy. I wrapped the logo around one leg and was able to cut the other leg to preserve the pocket from the front of the shirt.

It looks like he is training for a MMA match. A mom can hope :)

E is for...

2008-04-22T17:46:00.002-05:00

Happy Earth Day!

So I got sunburned for the first time in years today while working in my garden (the Monkey finally was well enough to go back to school today) and I got kind of pissed off. What the crap, Earth? Sunburn me while I'm working in my organic garden? Couldn't you maybe get someone who hasn't been carrying the same string shopping bags that I bought in France for 5 years?

Then I remembered it was Earth day, not Sun day.

Knit a sweater in Nocembruary/D is for...

2008-04-17T14:03:00.002-05:00

Lawyerboy has been out of town for a while now with the Air Force, so picture taking of my best finished object has been rather slow in coming. I had my doubts that the Monkey would take a decent picture, so I pulled out the tripod and did it myself.
Twist is finally finished! So much for knitting a sweater in November. I did finish back in February though.

The pattern is fantastic and translates well to knitting in the round. My only complaint is the hood-it is square and the back pokes out in a manner reminiscent of an elf. Ever lazy, I tucked the point in and sewed it closed.
I am delighted with how versatile the wool is, comfortable at a large range of temperatures. But the Pattons Classic Wool pills like a mofo. I'll now get to see how well those Sweater Stones work.

Today is also brought to you by the letter D, weeks behind. D is for Dog, our sweet little pound puppy Molly. She is nearly a year old and has has the sweetest face ever. I visited her 4 times before the shelter would let me take her home, suspicious because I have never owned a dog before.

It has been intriguing (and a little sad when I think about it too much) to watch her personality emerge. When I met her she was very calm and still. I thought she must be mixed with something that didn't have the perky beagle-tail, as hers just hung behind her. Now she is joyful, energetic and affectionate, with her tail standing up when she runs. Now she is only sedate when she is really tired-apparently she was constantly exhausted in the shelter. She would submit immediately to all dogs at first; she was obviously the lowest dog of the group in her kennel. Now she walks proudly and is social with other dogs, sniffing them instead of dropping to the ground. It is sad to think how hard her life was before she came home with us, but it makes me very happy to see her comfortable and loved in our pack.

Lattice

2008-04-09T16:58:00.007-05:00

After three weekends (plus all the time in between them) of having out of town guests, the house is finally mine. I spent most of yesterday staring into space and listening to nothing. I love my family but but as a happy hermit it is difficult to have people around me. Some of us are a little more, shall we say, intense than myself too, and that gets old. Not everything needs a plan, you know. Some of us like life like good jazz-by ear.

Today I pulled myself out of my stupor and got something done. Hard to see is the Jasmine growing up the fence. Harder to see is my neighbors living room, which it used to feel like we were staring into.

Worth doing even if I had to look a little silly doing it.

Two shirts

2008-04-04T15:29:00.005-05:00

One cute, one utter failure. We'll start with the crappy one, so I can end on a good note.
Blahhhhhhgggg. Blue shirt, you had all the elements you needed to be cute. Except for a good pattern. With 10 separate pieces, I expected something fitted and cute; springy and a little tailored, casual enough for playgroup yet nice enough for...something nice. Yet despite a medium high neck you gap and flash to a degree that I should wear a nicer bra. The sleeves look exactly the same with my arms down as they do here with my arms up. The waist is up too high for anyone except my MIL. Pattern type/number unknown, because I threw it into the recycling yesterday when I was really pissed.

You even have saucy chartreuse lining! Damn you for not being awesome!

The other is a brown raglan tshirt, made of mysterious swimsuit like stretch fabric from Malwart. New Look #6762. Awesome! I whipped this out in an hour or so on the serger and it is fantastic. The neckband droops the tiniest bit in front, probably because I left too much seam allowance. But you would never notice it as a problem; it looks decorative.

This is probably my first really wearable shirt sewn. Hurray! I can see myself making this pattern again, maybe lots of times.

C

2008-03-20T11:34:00.000-05:00

Wow, it seems I'm a little behind. Much of that will be explained in my D post. But for now, the C post that I started over a month ago (back when it would have been on time).

C is for Case, my oft mentioned Monkey (the first person to correctly identify the literary reference from whence his name came wins a prize!) Eater of cookies and blower of bubbles! Knower of all the songs on Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced" and the first person to show me how really awesome a McDonalds Playland can be.

It is funny how someone who can drive you so crazy can also make you so happy. His special needs preschool has been so good for him, but I'm glad he has another year before Kindergarten. He needs the time. So do I. Even with all his delays and challenges, he shocks me with his depth of understanding of some things.

Brrrrr

2008-02-01T12:25:00.000-06:00

It was cold (for Florida, I can hear you Utah grrls laughing)last week and the Monkey's sleeves have all seemed to have shrunk. Weird how that happens; I must have done the same for his pants...

So I gave the Serger a big kiss, pulled fabric out of my stash, and whipped this jacket up in the evening so he could wear it to school the next day. The sleeves are lined in purple, since there was not quite enough cream fleece for the whole thing (both were left over from the Buzz Lightyear outfit). The green denim is left over from a pair of shorts I have optimistically cut out.

B

2008-01-30T13:54:00.000-06:00

B is for blankie, so comfy and blue. Made for my little monkey while eagerly awaiting his arrival. He adores this blanket. Without a doubt, this is the most wonderful, soothing, important thing I have ever created with string.

The dirty little secret is that it is crocheted. Not knit.

Not that I have anything against crochet. I just don't really know how to do it, so it seems funny to me that such an important thing I've made would be crochet. My sister learned from a friend to do a double crochet stitch, and showed it to me. I'm pretty sure i did it incorrectly, but it worked out fine so I guess correct is subjective.

Monkey loves this blanket above all else. Except maybe his Catcat, or Buzz lightyear. They are pretty much tied for first.

It is made of Cotton Ease in Popsical and Blueberry. Soft and durable.

His preferred method of enjoyment is having the blankie up against his neck and cheeks. This frequently means wrapping it around his neck like a scarf, or shawl. I find this especially adorable.

All that stuff I finished in December

2008-01-20T11:39:00.000-06:00

Voila, a picture heavy post laying out all that stuff I finished during my Christmas induced radio silence. (Let it be noted that none of this was Christmas stuff for anyone. This past Christmas I made a goal of not crafting ANYTHING for people for the holidays. I did quite well.)
Friendship quilt. Myself and nine other friends each exchanged squares of Christmas fabric, then made a stack and whack quilt. I threw in a couple more squares out of my stash to make an even twelve. It is easy to pick out my fabrics up close, as they are the funky ones.

Cute jammies for the Monkey. Sewing for him doesn't count as gifts; I love to make as many of his clothes as possible. Also, it was a chance for me to play with my serger.

Special commission of huge goose egg pysanky. The turned out wonderful, and will pay for a lot of yarn. Maybe even a wheel.

Baby hat and fleecy pants. They were such a hit with my bro's kid I made a pair for a friend.

Table runner, to tie together our dinning area with the living room. I have one wall in my living room painted that exact turquoise color.

Another hat I designed for a friend's upcoming baby. Matching bib photographed in the car, because I bought the button on the way to her shower and sewed it on in the driveway. Yup, that is how much raspberry colored Sugar and Creme I had left over.

The hat, which I have named "Raspberry Beret" does things to me. Hormonal things. Baby lust things. Thank goodness it is out of the house.

The A says Aaaaaaaa

2008-01-18T09:03:00.000-06:00

Like everyone else, I have joined the ABC Along this year. Hopefully this will give me a good prompt and a deadline, which always helps me get things done. My A is a little different than most peoples. In our little family, A definitely stands for

Air Force

I recognize that the military way of life is not for everyone. But for us, at this point in our lives, it is perfect. Lawyerboy finds Military Justice a very rewarding field. I love living on base-our neighborhood is wonderful. I know all my neighbors, which is amazing because in my Salt Lake apartment where I lived for 7 years I didn't know a single person on my floor beyond vague recognition in the elevator. We actually have neighborhood barbecues here. I have health care for the first time in years, and every time I pay the modest copay for Monkey's $200 bottle of meds I want to salute the flag. There are book clubs, play groups and craft classes available to us. When you enlist they say you are joining the Air Force Family, and they are right.

I also love some of the funny, military only signs we see here. We are not actually dodging bullets all day, but on the edge of the route we jog they are serious about going no further.

I am presented a lot of unique opportunities living here.

Still breathing

2008-01-06T21:22:00.001-06:00

I'm still around, but won't be getting to a real post until I've caught up with myself. Visitors have gone home, and while it was lovely to have everyone around, I feel kind of shell shocked by the whole thing. Also, I have started 3 posts that were never finished in the intervening time. Maybe I'll finish those up after all my laundry.
I am getting closer on my Knit a Sweater in ~~November~~ ~~Nocember~~ Nocemuary Twist.

Goofy picture taken by Lovely Little Sister, who still hasn't sent me a picture of her in her stinking wedding veil so I haven't been able to show off my awesome wedding skillz yet. The weird bump is not a mutant third boob but the skein of yarn tucked under my left arm. Sorry, internet searchers of strange porn.

Buzz Lightyear!

2007-12-14T12:52:00.000-06:00

No, my sweater still isn't done. I've had to rip the same spot at least five times due to my inability to read and follow all the directions at once and cable competently. Plus I just received a big pysanka order, one that should pay for much yarn once I'm done, and that takes precident over everything.
But I have good news too!
Several days ago, Monkey broke Buzz Lightyear's leg off in a fairly permanent way. Frantic internetting followed, as this 6 inch action figure has been Monkey's favorite comfort item for months. It turns out that the beloved Buzz is a Disneyworld/land only toy, not to be found anywhere in the world except a little stand in Tomorowland. Thank goodness for Ebay. The replacement arrived while we were at the store this morning, and after prying sad Buzz from the boy, momma spent a minute "fixing him" and now he is running around the living room with such utter delight as the opening sequence from Toy Story 2 plays.
It is really awesome to be able to make someone so happy with so little.

Uh oh.

2007-11-19T12:43:00.001-06:00

My sweater, which was zipping along until about

20 minutes ago, may be in trouble. Look what just arrived on my doorstep.

SweaterWatch

2007-11-17T12:42:00.000-06:00

The sweater is coming along well, I am just about to start splitting it up around the arms now. Yesterday I decided I didn't like how the increases which are there to create the illusion of a girlish figure were working out. The thought of frogging down several inches made me sick (and besides, it became Fall here this week. I need this sweater!) So instead I selectively ripped the offending section. It worked out quite well; now my increases are all measured and even instead of the previous half-assed "whenever I remember them" method.
On a much scarier note, Monkey came home from school yesterday with the skip in his step that children naturally develop when they are starting a break from school. NINE DAYS. His elementary school gives its kids an entire week off for Thanksgiving. He really hasn't been in school for very long, not quite two months? But I really have come to depend on those couple of hours every morning where I don't have to worry about someone finger painting the entire living room with lipstick in the time it takes me to use the bathroom. Do all kids get a week off for Thanksgiving now, or is it just us? My number 1 "I'm thankful for..." was school before they decided to pull a fast one on me.

Sweaterwatch 2007

2007-11-13T22:26:00.000-06:00

I keep knitting but don't seem to be getting anywhere. Every night Lawyerboy is kind enough to tell me that it does indeed look like a sweater. But tomorrow is the 15th and I am only 1.5 skeins in, when I should be 2.5-3 to be on schedule.

I'm definitely behind and should probably quit my day job and start knitting full time if I want to finish this in November. The cables do look good though.

NaKniSweMo check in

2007-11-07T17:36:00.000-06:00

Things are crazy busy and I only have a minute, but the sweater is coming along swimmingly. Five inches knit! I have no idea if this puts me on schedule or not. I've been futzing with the pattern to knit it in one piece with fake side seams, a la Saint Zimmerman. Color is this picture sucks because it gets dark here at 4:30 now.

NaKniSweMo

2007-11-01T19:21:00.000-05:00

Like everyone else in the Second Annual NaKniSweMo I started today on the sweater I chose to zip through, with the thought that maybe by the time I finish it will be cool enough to wear (it was in the 80s here today). You would die to know how much debate I put into the choice of pattern and yarn for this sweater. I mused on the pros and cons of Rogue vs Twist for days (eventually Twist won.) Then I researched every single yarn on Ravelry, trying to pick what would be perfect in every way. It is not a house I'm buying. It is not a car or a career or any other item of great significance or cost. It is a freaking sweater. In the end I pulled my head out of my butt and picked Royal Purple Patons Classic Wool.
So here we go, my first adult sweater. I cast on tonight.