Doors

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I'm hanging in there. Knitting helps.

Lunchbox

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

Chairs

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

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

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

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

The arranging of Baggage

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

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

Again with the rectangles

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.