Note: this entry has been IMPROVED! It now has links to info about feising, for those who might wonder what I'm prattling on about. Irish dance competitions are sort of like a cult; it's hard to explain to an outsider. Or maybe it's just hard to explain to me, since I'm still not entirely sure why we feis. Anyway, if you have a burning desire to learn more, now you have some links.
I've had ideas for "real" blog posts, but no time to type them out.
At the moment we're getting ready for another feis.
Errand running is completed, I think. We now have a new camp stool ($4.98 in the Walmart hunting department; it has a camo look to it) so Kid1 can sit down without fear of crushing the stiffening in her dress. We have new glue sticks to glue socks onto legs, since Kid2 can never get her old glue stick open (I think it got glued shut in the excitement of July's feis). We have non-messy snacks. We have a printout of our stage assignments with our dances highlighted, thanks to the aid of a more experienced mom who assured me the assignments really and truly were on Feisworx (I was looking on the wrong page -- oops). We have boatloads of bobbypins for our dancer who will wear a wig. We have a new jar of setting gel for our dancer who will have to suffer through having her hair set on spikes once again, although she really, really, really wants a wig bad (the other wig was given to us, else we wouldn't even have it).
(Tips for attending feiseanna here, although you can't take flash pictures either, so I'm not sure what's up with saying you can. Oh, wait,this is better. Shoot, I wish I could find one with pictures, so you could see the mayhem of hundreds of curly-haired girls running amok. Frankly, this list is my favorite, buty it maybe has too many inside jokes.)
Kid1 is polishing her ghillies. Kid2 is on notice that she needs to practice her dances with the wig on, so she doesn't freak out about wearing it. I need to mow the lawn and vacuum, just because life goes on whether we're at a feis or not.
I can't believe there are families who go to feiseanna pretty much every weekend. Yeesh. Once a month is more than enough for me. How did I get sucked into this lifestyle?
30 August 2007
26 August 2007
Cool Enough to Try On Sahara
Yes, the temperatures have finally dropped to the point we can open the windows and listen to the neighbor call for her cats incessantly. (She seems to enjoy letting them out at night, then getting all wound up that they aren't waiting by the door to be let in next morning. Phase 2 of this scenario will be when she comes over later this morning and announces she's sure one of the has been eaten by a coyote. She must enjoy this, right? because she does it, oh, maybe once a week at least.)
And I quickly donned Sahara for a photo:
The photo was snapped quickly, too, as I was working between sneezes and nose-blowing (see those tissues in easy reach?) and coughing fits.
I think the t-shirt I have under it is rumpled, thus some of the lumps down the back. I think I have no interest in wearing a sleeveless, close-fitting top at this time of year. I think I have enough yarn to make some sleeves. I think the bottom looks sort of wonky in this picture, possibly because it IS sort of wonky. I think that having knit it top-down doesn't make a huge difference in my decision to maybe redo the bottom, since I am not averse to cutting the bottom off of a sweater knit bottom-up and redoing it (been there, done that). I think the entire "top-down means you can try it on as you go" was sort of useless given the neckline of this thing, since it was hard to judge fit until the neckline was finished.
Mostly I think I shouldn't critique sweaters while my neurons are clogged with snot. I am maybe not in my brightest, most positive mood today.
Knit in Classic Silk by Classic Elite Yarns. No idea how many balls it took since I have no idea how many I had to begin with.
And I quickly donned Sahara for a photo:
The photo was snapped quickly, too, as I was working between sneezes and nose-blowing (see those tissues in easy reach?) and coughing fits.
I think the t-shirt I have under it is rumpled, thus some of the lumps down the back. I think I have no interest in wearing a sleeveless, close-fitting top at this time of year. I think I have enough yarn to make some sleeves. I think the bottom looks sort of wonky in this picture, possibly because it IS sort of wonky. I think that having knit it top-down doesn't make a huge difference in my decision to maybe redo the bottom, since I am not averse to cutting the bottom off of a sweater knit bottom-up and redoing it (been there, done that). I think the entire "top-down means you can try it on as you go" was sort of useless given the neckline of this thing, since it was hard to judge fit until the neckline was finished.
Mostly I think I shouldn't critique sweaters while my neurons are clogged with snot. I am maybe not in my brightest, most positive mood today.
Knit in Classic Silk by Classic Elite Yarns. No idea how many balls it took since I have no idea how many I had to begin with.
24 August 2007
Fever
Another insight into our family life: if I sign us up for homeschool classes at the Science Center, someone in our family will develop a fever that day. Every. Single. Time.
This is made more memorable by the Science Center policy of paying in advance (probably to cut down on the no-shows). They need payment for every person who will be in a classroom, not just the students. In other words, if you were to have a child that is going to freak out being in a class with a bunch of strangers without a parent or older sibling around so you decide to go ahead and sit in the back of the classroom not really participating, just sort of existing (even though this means you miss out on the free Segway rides homeschool parents are offered while waiting for their child) you have to pay for that. Which means if your family doesn't show up, you've lost even more money.
We like to rotate who gets sick, instead of having the same person get sick each time. This time it was Kid1. If it is possible for an illness to have an accompanying fever, she will develop one. As a matter of fact, if whatever is going around usually has an accompanying fever, she will develop a higher one that most people. It's just the way her body works.
After living with her for years, it now seems like an interesting phenomenon. It wasn't always something I would've called "interesting", though. When she was an infant she gave us our first Scary Moment in Parenting when she had a febrile seizure. After that I found myself reading a lot about fever in children, particularly in books like The Holistic Pediatrician by Kathi J. Kemper, MD (I remember sitting beside the bed reading the passage on fever over and over during the night one night while Kid1 tossed and turned beside me), Take Charge of Your Child's Health by George Wootan, and Naturally Healthy Babies and Children by Aviva Jill Romm (who I've often wished would come take care of me when I'm sick).
Having absorbed the message in those books, I view occasional high temps as a natural part of life. We rarely use antipyretics such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty shocked when I hear someone casually comment, "I realized my child had a fever, so I gave him/her some Tylenol". It seems to me a knee-jerk response to a natural immune function. The important things for the child are rest and plenty of liquids.
Overall, fevers aren't scary around here anymore, just exasperating when they always pop up for certain events. By the way, it's my turn next to get sick when we plan a trip to the Science Center. Just saying.
More about childhood fevers here and here. And, yoohoo, yes, I know there are exceptions when high temps do need to be brought down. That's why God gave us brains, so we can discern those times.
(This post written in part so I'm less inclined to write caustic comments when I read on blogs or discussion boards that parents are pumping their kids full of antipyretics. I've now said my piece on fevers, so I can more easily keep my mouth shut when others blurt out things I consider, ummm, less well-informed on this subject. I'm trying to think of a label for this sort of post, because there are some other things I read and hear regularly that bug the snot out of me, and I really and truly do wish to be tactful and polite, but, criminy, what the heck are people thinking when they do some of this stuff. I know we're all trying to do the best for our kids with the information we've got, but I think sometimes people don't have the best info. Suggestions? )
This is made more memorable by the Science Center policy of paying in advance (probably to cut down on the no-shows). They need payment for every person who will be in a classroom, not just the students. In other words, if you were to have a child that is going to freak out being in a class with a bunch of strangers without a parent or older sibling around so you decide to go ahead and sit in the back of the classroom not really participating, just sort of existing (even though this means you miss out on the free Segway rides homeschool parents are offered while waiting for their child) you have to pay for that. Which means if your family doesn't show up, you've lost even more money.
We like to rotate who gets sick, instead of having the same person get sick each time. This time it was Kid1. If it is possible for an illness to have an accompanying fever, she will develop one. As a matter of fact, if whatever is going around usually has an accompanying fever, she will develop a higher one that most people. It's just the way her body works.
After living with her for years, it now seems like an interesting phenomenon. It wasn't always something I would've called "interesting", though. When she was an infant she gave us our first Scary Moment in Parenting when she had a febrile seizure. After that I found myself reading a lot about fever in children, particularly in books like The Holistic Pediatrician by Kathi J. Kemper, MD (I remember sitting beside the bed reading the passage on fever over and over during the night one night while Kid1 tossed and turned beside me), Take Charge of Your Child's Health by George Wootan, and Naturally Healthy Babies and Children by Aviva Jill Romm (who I've often wished would come take care of me when I'm sick).
Having absorbed the message in those books, I view occasional high temps as a natural part of life. We rarely use antipyretics such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty shocked when I hear someone casually comment, "I realized my child had a fever, so I gave him/her some Tylenol". It seems to me a knee-jerk response to a natural immune function. The important things for the child are rest and plenty of liquids.
Overall, fevers aren't scary around here anymore, just exasperating when they always pop up for certain events. By the way, it's my turn next to get sick when we plan a trip to the Science Center. Just saying.
More about childhood fevers here and here. And, yoohoo, yes, I know there are exceptions when high temps do need to be brought down. That's why God gave us brains, so we can discern those times.
(This post written in part so I'm less inclined to write caustic comments when I read on blogs or discussion boards that parents are pumping their kids full of antipyretics. I've now said my piece on fevers, so I can more easily keep my mouth shut when others blurt out things I consider, ummm, less well-informed on this subject. I'm trying to think of a label for this sort of post, because there are some other things I read and hear regularly that bug the snot out of me, and I really and truly do wish to be tactful and polite, but, criminy, what the heck are people thinking when they do some of this stuff. I know we're all trying to do the best for our kids with the information we've got, but I think sometimes people don't have the best info. Suggestions? )
23 August 2007
Ruminating on the odd places life takes us ...
I was just out putting a sprinkler in our backyard when I heard the phone ring. MrV had found this news report, and thought the 4th photo down on the left side looked like our old neighborhood (the one we were living in 2 years ago today).
I'm not so sure -- I talked to a former neighbor just yesterday morning, and she said the water was up over the side street, but hadn't actually come over the section of street we lived on. Of course, that was 6 inches ago, I think, so who knows.
There have been days I've regretted moving away from small town America. Life in big town America seems so much more complex, y'know? But right now my dry little city neighborhood feels pretty cozy.
I'm not so sure -- I talked to a former neighbor just yesterday morning, and she said the water was up over the side street, but hadn't actually come over the section of street we lived on. Of course, that was 6 inches ago, I think, so who knows.
There have been days I've regretted moving away from small town America. Life in big town America seems so much more complex, y'know? But right now my dry little city neighborhood feels pretty cozy.
22 August 2007
RightStart Geometry
The continuing saga of our adventures using RightStart Geometry and RightStart B. I have an 11yo and a 7yo who have average math ability.The 11yo has done Miquon, Singapore, RightStart Transitions, Level D and Level E; RightStart has saved her from a life a math phobia.
I try to update our adventures on Tuesdays, although sometimes it doesn’t get done until Wednesday. And sometimes we really haven’t done that much math, so I skip it entirely.
RightStart Geometry:
(I think we have skipped some lessons here in my chronicle of our time with RightStart. I suspect Kid1 did them last June and I never got around to commenting on them.)
Lesson131 Basic Trigonometry
Day one:
I am not prepared to be “back to school”, but Kid1 has decided to bustle around doing school this morning. Her resolve to get into the school groove starts to crumble as she reads through the RightStart explanation of trigonometry. I read through it -- it’s thorough and succinct. I help her through the first problem, finding sine, cosine and tangent of a 45 degree right triangle, showing my work on the chalkboard (I love doing math on a chalkboard -- whiteboards just don’t cut it for the tactile satisfaction). Her eyes are glazed, she keeps asking why, as in why the heck would anyone DO this? I suggest we drop it for today and try a different approach tomorrow.
Day two:
I have googled various websites on the uses of trigonometry, trying to choose ones that will interest her. She is unimpressed. Next we get out Zaccaro’s Challenge Math and read through the chapter on trigonometry in it. I point out the exciting concept that triangles can be different sizes yet have the same ratio of opposite side/adjacent side. She rolls her eyes at this -- it is such old news. But she starts to realize that this isn’t some weird new branch of math someone dreamed up just to torment innocent young students -- this is a logical outgrowth of things she already knows.
We look at a few of the word problems in Challenge Math but decide against doing them. I like the way RightStart approaches trig better, mostly because it’s the way I learned trig many years ago.
Day three:
Ready to tackle the RightStart worksheet again. We work through the sine, cosine and tangent of a 30-60 triangle together, using the chalkboard. Then she starts filling the The Chart -- it’s a chart of sine, cosine and tangent of 5 degrees, 10 degrees, 15 degrees, etc. on up to 85 degrees. She is to measure triangles on the second worksheet, then use her measurements for her calculations. No indication is given whether it would be better to measure in metric or inches, but she decides metric would be more accurate.
I am on alert, since I’ve noticed that this business of measuring can turn into disaster -- sometimes the reproduction of the worksheets is a scootchy bit off, leading to different interpretations of length. Since she’s going to be using millimeters to calculate, she could rapidly end up with an answer that’s fairly different from what it should be (especially since she’s to use the table she’s making for the next lesson). We hit on a strategy -- first of all, I look at the answer sheet and discover that every hypotenus is 10 centimeters. Aha -- I figured there would be some constant somewhere, since that’s the way elementary math books tend to work. Plus “10” is easy to divide by, so it makes oodles of sense that every hypotenus would be ten.
I keep the answer sheet out. She measures the sides of each triangle, then tells me what she gets for the measurement. I tell her what the answer sheet says. We quickly ponder the difference (can she see why they called it what they did?), then she uses the “official measure” for her calculations. I draw traingles on the chalkboard for her and label the angles and sides with A,B,C,a,b,c. She soon sees the patterns that are forming with her answers (which is why it’s so cool to do this exercise, and why I wanted to do it instead of just doing the Chalenge Math -- you can discover the relationships between sine, cosine and tangents of the various angles as you calculate them).
The lesson took 3 days and plenty of parental involvement, but in the end she is confident that trigonometry is something she can deal with.
Lesson 132 Solving Trig Problems
Kid1 zips through this lesson, using the chart of trig ratios from lesson 131. She feels good about this.
The discussion of Problem 1 comments that “your answer may not quite agree with the solution. Trig ratios cannot be calculated very accurately by measuring as you did.” Umm, I feel like we’ve been caught cheating on yesterday’s chart!
Lesson 133 Comparing Calculators
MrV’s scientific calculator uses Reverse Polish Notation, so I decide to spring for the calculator specified in the book instead of making do with his. I bought our Casio fx300MS from Amazon since our local Target didn’t have it and I was able to get free shipping (driving around town looking for one was going to use up as much gas as the price differential).
It looks rather like a Star Trek data pad, which makes it a very satisfying addition to our household. The kids quickly figured out how to use it. Kid1 didn’t make it all the way through the worksheet, though, as she started feeling woozy, heralding a fever. She'll get back to this lesson after she recovers.
I try to update our adventures on Tuesdays, although sometimes it doesn’t get done until Wednesday. And sometimes we really haven’t done that much math, so I skip it entirely.
RightStart Geometry:
(I think we have skipped some lessons here in my chronicle of our time with RightStart. I suspect Kid1 did them last June and I never got around to commenting on them.)
Lesson131 Basic Trigonometry
Day one:
I am not prepared to be “back to school”, but Kid1 has decided to bustle around doing school this morning. Her resolve to get into the school groove starts to crumble as she reads through the RightStart explanation of trigonometry. I read through it -- it’s thorough and succinct. I help her through the first problem, finding sine, cosine and tangent of a 45 degree right triangle, showing my work on the chalkboard (I love doing math on a chalkboard -- whiteboards just don’t cut it for the tactile satisfaction). Her eyes are glazed, she keeps asking why, as in why the heck would anyone DO this? I suggest we drop it for today and try a different approach tomorrow.
Day two:
I have googled various websites on the uses of trigonometry, trying to choose ones that will interest her. She is unimpressed. Next we get out Zaccaro’s Challenge Math and read through the chapter on trigonometry in it. I point out the exciting concept that triangles can be different sizes yet have the same ratio of opposite side/adjacent side. She rolls her eyes at this -- it is such old news. But she starts to realize that this isn’t some weird new branch of math someone dreamed up just to torment innocent young students -- this is a logical outgrowth of things she already knows.
We look at a few of the word problems in Challenge Math but decide against doing them. I like the way RightStart approaches trig better, mostly because it’s the way I learned trig many years ago.
Day three:
Ready to tackle the RightStart worksheet again. We work through the sine, cosine and tangent of a 30-60 triangle together, using the chalkboard. Then she starts filling the The Chart -- it’s a chart of sine, cosine and tangent of 5 degrees, 10 degrees, 15 degrees, etc. on up to 85 degrees. She is to measure triangles on the second worksheet, then use her measurements for her calculations. No indication is given whether it would be better to measure in metric or inches, but she decides metric would be more accurate.
I am on alert, since I’ve noticed that this business of measuring can turn into disaster -- sometimes the reproduction of the worksheets is a scootchy bit off, leading to different interpretations of length. Since she’s going to be using millimeters to calculate, she could rapidly end up with an answer that’s fairly different from what it should be (especially since she’s to use the table she’s making for the next lesson). We hit on a strategy -- first of all, I look at the answer sheet and discover that every hypotenus is 10 centimeters. Aha -- I figured there would be some constant somewhere, since that’s the way elementary math books tend to work. Plus “10” is easy to divide by, so it makes oodles of sense that every hypotenus would be ten.
I keep the answer sheet out. She measures the sides of each triangle, then tells me what she gets for the measurement. I tell her what the answer sheet says. We quickly ponder the difference (can she see why they called it what they did?), then she uses the “official measure” for her calculations. I draw traingles on the chalkboard for her and label the angles and sides with A,B,C,a,b,c. She soon sees the patterns that are forming with her answers (which is why it’s so cool to do this exercise, and why I wanted to do it instead of just doing the Chalenge Math -- you can discover the relationships between sine, cosine and tangents of the various angles as you calculate them).
The lesson took 3 days and plenty of parental involvement, but in the end she is confident that trigonometry is something she can deal with.
Lesson 132 Solving Trig Problems
Kid1 zips through this lesson, using the chart of trig ratios from lesson 131. She feels good about this.
The discussion of Problem 1 comments that “your answer may not quite agree with the solution. Trig ratios cannot be calculated very accurately by measuring as you did.” Umm, I feel like we’ve been caught cheating on yesterday’s chart!
Lesson 133 Comparing Calculators
MrV’s scientific calculator uses Reverse Polish Notation, so I decide to spring for the calculator specified in the book instead of making do with his. I bought our Casio fx300MS from Amazon since our local Target didn’t have it and I was able to get free shipping (driving around town looking for one was going to use up as much gas as the price differential).
It looks rather like a Star Trek data pad, which makes it a very satisfying addition to our household. The kids quickly figured out how to use it. Kid1 didn’t make it all the way through the worksheet, though, as she started feeling woozy, heralding a fever. She'll get back to this lesson after she recovers.
17 August 2007
UFO Resurrection for August
Frankly, the 105F temperature has sucked away my will to live, let alone my interest in knitting. And my UnFinished Object pile struck me as particularly icky this month; it appeared to me the best thing for it was to pitch the entire pile in the trash bin. Then again, everything has been striking me as particularly icky this month and in need of pitching in the trash -- see above comment about temperature.
But we have reached a moment of crisis -- we are to go to a High School Musical 2 party tonight, and I need some knitting to take along. And I have nothing "current" (as opposed to "icky unfinished object") on the needles.** And heaven forbid I face an evening of watching a movie with nothing to do but sit and watch the movie. That just seems so ... warped.
(Aside: Actually, we had never seen the original High School Musical until last night, when we watched it on the Disney Channel in preparation for tonight's event. We are so out of touch with current popular culture. Sigh.)
(Aside to the above aside: We are so out of touch with current culture that when the kids are playing dolls I overhear the dolls being made to say things like: "I'm calling my boyfriend on my cell phone. My boyfriend is Rafael Nadal. We're secretly engaged." And while I'm impressed that they came up with a male figure who isn't part of Star Trek or Star Wars, I can't help but think that choosing Rafael Nadal over someone a little more mainstream like, say, Zac Efron is a bit odd.
Then again, these are kids who have a mom who's currently panicking about what knitting to take to a movie, so maybe I shouldn't be too surprised. Our family is always on a different page than everybody else. Sometimes we're not even in the same book)
So I dragged out the box of sock yarn to spend some time in quiet contemplation. And I discovered this:
I was making a Caeser's Check mosaic sock out of Lorna's Laces Bee Stripe with Lorna's Laces black for my dad, Purdue fan extraordinaire (Purdue's colors are gold and black, in case any readers are heathen enough to not know the school colors of all the Big 10 schools). The pattern is from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks. I really like mosaic knitting, and I think that's a nifty looking sock-start there BUT the black yarn with the black-and-gold yarn was Too Much Black to Knit This Pattern -- I needed high beam lights to keep track of where I was in the mosaic pattern. So I had ripped out the needles and shoved it in the bag.
(I'm glad I ripped out the needles, else I might be tempted to start knitting it again ... and in about 2 more inches I'd be hating myself.)
Ooooooh, if I rip this up, I could start a pair of socks from the Bee Stripe with black ribbing, toe and heel ... just in time for football season, too. I could make them for me. Or my dad. Or MrV. Or, heck, my mom would probably like a pair of handknit socks.
So, still some details to hammer out, like what pattern, and for whom. And still the perilous journey to the bottomless pit of needles to find appropriate tools. But I think I'll be set to watch Zac Efron tonight; and since Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from Cincinnati, Zac is where it's at for now.
**Sahara is totally knit and blocked. No pic, though, since if I put it on touches my skin, and in this weather I need loose clothing or else I start frantically clawing the offending garment.
But we have reached a moment of crisis -- we are to go to a High School Musical 2 party tonight, and I need some knitting to take along. And I have nothing "current" (as opposed to "icky unfinished object") on the needles.** And heaven forbid I face an evening of watching a movie with nothing to do but sit and watch the movie. That just seems so ... warped.
(Aside: Actually, we had never seen the original High School Musical until last night, when we watched it on the Disney Channel in preparation for tonight's event. We are so out of touch with current popular culture. Sigh.)
(Aside to the above aside: We are so out of touch with current culture that when the kids are playing dolls I overhear the dolls being made to say things like: "I'm calling my boyfriend on my cell phone. My boyfriend is Rafael Nadal. We're secretly engaged." And while I'm impressed that they came up with a male figure who isn't part of Star Trek or Star Wars, I can't help but think that choosing Rafael Nadal over someone a little more mainstream like, say, Zac Efron is a bit odd.
Then again, these are kids who have a mom who's currently panicking about what knitting to take to a movie, so maybe I shouldn't be too surprised. Our family is always on a different page than everybody else. Sometimes we're not even in the same book)
So I dragged out the box of sock yarn to spend some time in quiet contemplation. And I discovered this:
I was making a Caeser's Check mosaic sock out of Lorna's Laces Bee Stripe with Lorna's Laces black for my dad, Purdue fan extraordinaire (Purdue's colors are gold and black, in case any readers are heathen enough to not know the school colors of all the Big 10 schools). The pattern is from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks. I really like mosaic knitting, and I think that's a nifty looking sock-start there BUT the black yarn with the black-and-gold yarn was Too Much Black to Knit This Pattern -- I needed high beam lights to keep track of where I was in the mosaic pattern. So I had ripped out the needles and shoved it in the bag.
(I'm glad I ripped out the needles, else I might be tempted to start knitting it again ... and in about 2 more inches I'd be hating myself.)
Ooooooh, if I rip this up, I could start a pair of socks from the Bee Stripe with black ribbing, toe and heel ... just in time for football season, too. I could make them for me. Or my dad. Or MrV. Or, heck, my mom would probably like a pair of handknit socks.
So, still some details to hammer out, like what pattern, and for whom. And still the perilous journey to the bottomless pit of needles to find appropriate tools. But I think I'll be set to watch Zac Efron tonight; and since Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from Cincinnati, Zac is where it's at for now.
**Sahara is totally knit and blocked. No pic, though, since if I put it on touches my skin, and in this weather I need loose clothing or else I start frantically clawing the offending garment.
14 August 2007
Sensitive to the Subtle Signs That the Kids Are Ready to Start School
I got out of the shower yesterday morning and heard voices downstairs. Voices that were not my children or Jim Weiss (we have a lot of Jim Weiss audio books, so hearing his voice around the house is pretty normal). As I reached the stairs I realized it was ... Rosetta Stone.
Yes, Kid1 had popped Rosetta Stone Spanish into the computer and was contemplating whether the hands and eyes were opened or closed. When I got downstairs she finished up and asked if I could read her a list of spelling words. After fumbling through Spelling Power to figure out where we had left off when we abruptly lost interest last spring, I read a list. She did well with it, then moved on to Mavis Beacon typing.
I returned to my grousing that I'd never had a proper summer vacation -- days spent lazing at the pool or watching Doris Day movies without a care in the world -- and generally fumbling around the kitchen in a Monday morning haze. And she popped back into the room to ask if I remembered where she'd left off in the Latin book.
"Didn't you have some work or something you were sticking in a notebook somewhere? Couldn't you look at it and sort of figure out where you are?" (Couldn't you not expect me to have a clue?)
"Oh, yes, it's the blue notebook. Could you hand it to me, please? The blue one is for Latin, not the purple. Hand me the blue one, please."
Yeesh, I'm trying to remember what I usually do on Monday morning to keep the household running, and she's expecting me to remember what the Latin notebook looks like? Give me a break.
After Latin the perky let's-get-going-on-school came to a halt when she got out RightStart Geometry. After reminding me several times that she was going to need a scientific calculator soon ("It's only 2 more lessons, so I'll need it later this week. I think I saw some at Office Depot. Do you think you could go there in the next couple of days?") she plunged into the next lesson. Trigonometry.
And came to a screeching halt.
"Mommy, I think I need some help"
and
"Why do I have to know this?"
Oh, joy of sine, cosine, and tangent. I had a wonderful teacher for trig. He was inspiring. The best math teacher I ever had. He lead us into trigonometry as though we were explorers working together to chart a new country. I could draw those waves in my sleep, we studied it so thoroughly. How do I convey this to my child?
We set the book aside. I told her we'd try a different approach on a different day. I'm not ready for this yet -- the entire morning caught me by surprise, and an impromptu discussion of Why Trig Is Cool was beyond me.
Like it or not, we seem to be back to school in our homeschool.
Yes, Kid1 had popped Rosetta Stone Spanish into the computer and was contemplating whether the hands and eyes were opened or closed. When I got downstairs she finished up and asked if I could read her a list of spelling words. After fumbling through Spelling Power to figure out where we had left off when we abruptly lost interest last spring, I read a list. She did well with it, then moved on to Mavis Beacon typing.
I returned to my grousing that I'd never had a proper summer vacation -- days spent lazing at the pool or watching Doris Day movies without a care in the world -- and generally fumbling around the kitchen in a Monday morning haze. And she popped back into the room to ask if I remembered where she'd left off in the Latin book.
"Didn't you have some work or something you were sticking in a notebook somewhere? Couldn't you look at it and sort of figure out where you are?" (Couldn't you not expect me to have a clue?)
"Oh, yes, it's the blue notebook. Could you hand it to me, please? The blue one is for Latin, not the purple. Hand me the blue one, please."
Yeesh, I'm trying to remember what I usually do on Monday morning to keep the household running, and she's expecting me to remember what the Latin notebook looks like? Give me a break.
After Latin the perky let's-get-going-on-school came to a halt when she got out RightStart Geometry. After reminding me several times that she was going to need a scientific calculator soon ("It's only 2 more lessons, so I'll need it later this week. I think I saw some at Office Depot. Do you think you could go there in the next couple of days?") she plunged into the next lesson. Trigonometry.
And came to a screeching halt.
"Mommy, I think I need some help"
and
"Why do I have to know this?"
Oh, joy of sine, cosine, and tangent. I had a wonderful teacher for trig. He was inspiring. The best math teacher I ever had. He lead us into trigonometry as though we were explorers working together to chart a new country. I could draw those waves in my sleep, we studied it so thoroughly. How do I convey this to my child?
We set the book aside. I told her we'd try a different approach on a different day. I'm not ready for this yet -- the entire morning caught me by surprise, and an impromptu discussion of Why Trig Is Cool was beyond me.
Like it or not, we seem to be back to school in our homeschool.
13 August 2007
Black Is Not My Color and Helmet Liners Are Not My Style
Ready to send off to 5 Element Knitter:
where it will be sent to someone who values functionality over looks.
Knit in Cascade 220 Superwash, with quite a little pile of yarn left over from the skein. I went down a needle size, assuming that my guage would be massively larger than that called for in the patterm (I'm a loose knitter). The liner still fits my large head quite nicely, so I think the size came out okay.
(I just re-read that last sentence, and it sounds as though I have several heads I tried it on. "Oh, look, it fits on my LARGE head, but on my smaller one it's a bit loose!" No, I'm not related to Zaphod Beeblebrox. I'm just too tired and hazy to figure out better syntax.)
where it will be sent to someone who values functionality over looks.
Knit in Cascade 220 Superwash, with quite a little pile of yarn left over from the skein. I went down a needle size, assuming that my guage would be massively larger than that called for in the patterm (I'm a loose knitter). The liner still fits my large head quite nicely, so I think the size came out okay.
(I just re-read that last sentence, and it sounds as though I have several heads I tried it on. "Oh, look, it fits on my LARGE head, but on my smaller one it's a bit loose!" No, I'm not related to Zaphod Beeblebrox. I'm just too tired and hazy to figure out better syntax.)
07 August 2007
Knitting Needles Revealed
Or, "Why I Stay Out of Needle Organization Discussions" (given that I have maybe a few more knitting needles than many knitters)
The double points are fairly easy to deal with. Some are missing from the shot, of course. I can think of at least 4 sets stuck in projects around and about the house. And I KNOW I have several sets of size 3 double points, so who knows where the rest of those are.
The circulars are a little tougher. There are at least 5-6 circs not pictured, currently at work on projects. This number (5-6 missing) assumes I remember what projects I have currently "on the needles", which is, of course, poppycock. I often open a canvas bag and discover some knitted thing taking shape (sometimes I have no idea what it was I was working on; like, there's this pink thing in the closet that I'm really puzzled by. What was it supposed to be?).
The Addis and Crystal Palace are definitely mine; the large ziplocs with marker definitely Grandma's. Who knows who bought the rest.
I store all of the needles in a large plastic tub. The double points and circulars form the upper layer. After digging through those packages, things get sort of odd. We have the bag of a dozen stitch holders (Grandma aparently believed you could never have too many stitch holders), the bag of miscellaneous cable needles and needle-sizers, and then the black moire taffeta needle holder:
Oh, hey, there are some more double points in there! How about that! The needle holder belonged to someone else, who either died or lost interest in knitting (is there a difference?). The needle case was then given to Grandma, who gave it to me. It's very nice, and can hold about as many needles size 1-6 as most knitters would ever need, except for the lack of space for circulars.
But, of course, most of my single point needles don't fit in it:
This is the bottom layer of the plastic tub. And, yes, there are some missing from the shot due to their obligations with knitting projects in my closet or on the nightstand or ... somewhere. The ones in the rubber band are the latest installment from Grandma.
(Note the rogue wooden crochet hooks that missed the crochet hook photo shoot a few days ago. They are decades old; I'm not sure if they were Grandma's or Great-Grandma's.)
I am so beyond the concept of storing needles artfully in a vase
I was going to get a better shot of this, and I was thinking about lining them up end to end and seeing how far they'd stretch, but then I realized that my neighbor was in her yard, watching me kneeling in the ivy taking pictures of 50 pairs of knitting needles whilst still clad in my jammies. Suddenly my creative flow screetched to a halt. But you can click on for a close up, if you'd like. And, yes, I did take a quick count of the needles themselves, and there are 100 needles there.
The double points are fairly easy to deal with. Some are missing from the shot, of course. I can think of at least 4 sets stuck in projects around and about the house. And I KNOW I have several sets of size 3 double points, so who knows where the rest of those are.
The circulars are a little tougher. There are at least 5-6 circs not pictured, currently at work on projects. This number (5-6 missing) assumes I remember what projects I have currently "on the needles", which is, of course, poppycock. I often open a canvas bag and discover some knitted thing taking shape (sometimes I have no idea what it was I was working on; like, there's this pink thing in the closet that I'm really puzzled by. What was it supposed to be?).
The Addis and Crystal Palace are definitely mine; the large ziplocs with marker definitely Grandma's. Who knows who bought the rest.
I store all of the needles in a large plastic tub. The double points and circulars form the upper layer. After digging through those packages, things get sort of odd. We have the bag of a dozen stitch holders (Grandma aparently believed you could never have too many stitch holders), the bag of miscellaneous cable needles and needle-sizers, and then the black moire taffeta needle holder:
Oh, hey, there are some more double points in there! How about that! The needle holder belonged to someone else, who either died or lost interest in knitting (is there a difference?). The needle case was then given to Grandma, who gave it to me. It's very nice, and can hold about as many needles size 1-6 as most knitters would ever need, except for the lack of space for circulars.
But, of course, most of my single point needles don't fit in it:
This is the bottom layer of the plastic tub. And, yes, there are some missing from the shot due to their obligations with knitting projects in my closet or on the nightstand or ... somewhere. The ones in the rubber band are the latest installment from Grandma.
(Note the rogue wooden crochet hooks that missed the crochet hook photo shoot a few days ago. They are decades old; I'm not sure if they were Grandma's or Great-Grandma's.)
I am so beyond the concept of storing needles artfully in a vase
I was going to get a better shot of this, and I was thinking about lining them up end to end and seeing how far they'd stretch, but then I realized that my neighbor was in her yard, watching me kneeling in the ivy taking pictures of 50 pairs of knitting needles whilst still clad in my jammies. Suddenly my creative flow screetched to a halt. But you can click on for a close up, if you'd like. And, yes, I did take a quick count of the needles themselves, and there are 100 needles there.
06 August 2007
Recent Knitting
My UFO Resurrection sweater for July made great progress during the past month:
The sleeveless version of Sahara, knit in Classic Elite's Classic Silk. I found the rest of the yarn I was using, I seem to be knitting it in the same size I had planned. All I have left to do is pick up the stitches for the neck, then block. The problem is that "pick up the stitches for the neck" business, as this requires getting out a longer circular needle than the one I used to pick up and knit around the armholes. And going and getting the correct needle out? Well, let's just say the needle-control situation here is totally lacking. It's overwhelming. It's a mess.
(By the way, I also have fabric for a coordinating skirt, so now I have an entire Unfinished Outfit piled up here!)
So instead of dealing with finding the correct needle, I cast on something else, something using easy-to-locate needles:
A helmet liner. Except now I'm to the point that I need to switch to double points. Which means getting out needles. Which I really, really do not want to have to deal with.
I'd rather go mow the lawn in the 100F heat, then go swimming.
The sleeveless version of Sahara, knit in Classic Elite's Classic Silk. I found the rest of the yarn I was using, I seem to be knitting it in the same size I had planned. All I have left to do is pick up the stitches for the neck, then block. The problem is that "pick up the stitches for the neck" business, as this requires getting out a longer circular needle than the one I used to pick up and knit around the armholes. And going and getting the correct needle out? Well, let's just say the needle-control situation here is totally lacking. It's overwhelming. It's a mess.
(By the way, I also have fabric for a coordinating skirt, so now I have an entire Unfinished Outfit piled up here!)
So instead of dealing with finding the correct needle, I cast on something else, something using easy-to-locate needles:
A helmet liner. Except now I'm to the point that I need to switch to double points. Which means getting out needles. Which I really, really do not want to have to deal with.
I'd rather go mow the lawn in the 100F heat, then go swimming.
05 August 2007
Aaahhh! At Last I Have a Chance to Put My Feet Up
Yes, the houseguest is on his way home, and I have a few moments to relax before starting to prepare for the next batch later this week. Houseguest A was certainly a lively guest. Within about 24 hours of arrival he had re-injured his eardrum (it had ruptured last week, a fact which he forgot about until after he dove deeply into the swimming pool and felt it "go") and lost a contact (a prescription of 5.5, which in contact-speak basically means "I cannot see without these").
How nice that in the midst of the mayhem I got this ultra-cool package from Irishgirlieknits:
featuring not only the lovely, soft socks (which, by the way, smell like my sock-knitting-friend's house, which is just a hoot), a bar of Ocean Mist soap from River Soap Co., a package of Soak to try, a cute little memo book to carry in my knitting bag which I can theoretically use to keep track of what I'm doing, Emperor Norton Sourdough Snacks, Notorious Sock Knitters bumper sticker, card with beach/knitting photo that she took herself (as we are now living in a landlocked state, beach pictures seem so exotic), and a mini-skein on a ring.
Close-up of socks in their former life before being torn away from their beach-going former life here. Okay, I don't know if these socks ever hit the beach, but the poor things are arriving in the nation's armpit in the midst of a heat-alert, with temperatures around 100F and a heat index even higher, and a relative humidity of instant-sweat-percent. It's the sort of weather that leaves you exhausted whenever you engage in activities like, oh, you know, blinking. It must be a comedown from their former life.
BUT, I will love, love, love them with all of my heart. I can't wait until it's cool enough to wear socks again.
04 August 2007
In Which I Discover I Have the Coolest Sockapalooza Pal Ever
I am up to my eyeballs in life right now. As a matter of fact, those eyeballs are starting to leak tears at random intervals due to sheer stress.
And I totally forgot to expect a sock package anytime soon.
And it came today and it is so cool beyond words. But no pics, because I have no time to mess with iPhoto and Blogger (they often don't like to play nicely together). You'll just have to trust me that the socks are perfect. Quote from Kid1: "I want socks exactly like that for Christmas." Hmmm, her feet are about the same size as mine, so I'm going to have to keep on eye on her to make sure these don't disappear from my sock drawer.
Pictures of the coolness will appear in a few days when (please oh please let it finally happen) I get a break.
But for now, just know that I am loving these new socks and soap and memo pad (which Kid2 is trying to claim) and chips and note about Irish dance! (the kids don't do the team dances, you're right).
Gotta go deal with ... stuff. But with a little bounce back in my step now!
And I totally forgot to expect a sock package anytime soon.
And it came today and it is so cool beyond words. But no pics, because I have no time to mess with iPhoto and Blogger (they often don't like to play nicely together). You'll just have to trust me that the socks are perfect. Quote from Kid1: "I want socks exactly like that for Christmas." Hmmm, her feet are about the same size as mine, so I'm going to have to keep on eye on her to make sure these don't disappear from my sock drawer.
Pictures of the coolness will appear in a few days when (please oh please let it finally happen) I get a break.
But for now, just know that I am loving these new socks and soap and memo pad (which Kid2 is trying to claim) and chips and note about Irish dance! (the kids don't do the team dances, you're right).
Gotta go deal with ... stuff. But with a little bounce back in my step now!
30 July 2007
Plans
Okay, the general plan for this week was to have a few quiet days taking the kids to the pool, maybe getting a haircut, maybe making an appointment with an opthamologist, and generally recovering from the Big Stressful Event aluded to in my previous post (the BSE was actually the An Samhra Feis, about which more later).
Much staring at the wall was planned. Also, I'm starting to feel guilty about not planning out our next year of homeschooling, other than a vague idea to continue what we've been doing so far. It seems like I should be planning it down to the week, at least, if not down to the day. Other homeschoolers are posting their Big Plans, or at least mentioning that they have Big Plans. I am so very UnPlanned. Yikes!
But now my plan for my planning week has already been shot down, as I have discovered that we are having out of town visitors for much of the week.
In other words, I am apparently unable to even plan on planning.
Ah well.
The feis went well Saturday, as far as I could tell. We've only been to one feis before, back in February, so we don't have a huge feild of comparison. The one in February seemed like mayhem, but I think the first feis you ever walk into ALWAYS appears to be mayhem (plus that one had icky weather, and was the same weekend as the Mardi Gras parade nearby, which made parking tough, and meant many drinking parade-goers wearing Mardi Gras beads were wandering around outside the hotel, while hundreds of girls with those surrealistic curly wigs and gaudy dresses were wandering around inside the hotel, and, well, it was just mind boggling). We came away Saturday with some medals and some new friendships, which I think is a pretty good thing. Parking was bad, although I expected that, given the venue. Kid1 broke a bracket eating a cup of ice cream from the Cold Stone Creamery there, so that was pretty weird (another unplanned event -- a trip to the orthodontist this afternoon).
I still have reels playing in my head. Listening to 4 hours straight of Irish music will do that to you. I can't imagine what it's like to have to stay there all day for the later competitions. Let that be a warning to those of you considering Irish Dance as a hobby.
(A year ago I would've read this post and wondered what the heck a "feis" is. It's an Irish Dance contest. The world of Irish Dancing is very ... unique and unexpected. There were over 800 people entered in this feis; I saw maybe a dozen boys, and 3 adults amongst the competitors. The rest were girls, almost all of whom had The Hair and some variation of The Dress. You have to see it to believe it.)
Much staring at the wall was planned. Also, I'm starting to feel guilty about not planning out our next year of homeschooling, other than a vague idea to continue what we've been doing so far. It seems like I should be planning it down to the week, at least, if not down to the day. Other homeschoolers are posting their Big Plans, or at least mentioning that they have Big Plans. I am so very UnPlanned. Yikes!
But now my plan for my planning week has already been shot down, as I have discovered that we are having out of town visitors for much of the week.
In other words, I am apparently unable to even plan on planning.
Ah well.
The feis went well Saturday, as far as I could tell. We've only been to one feis before, back in February, so we don't have a huge feild of comparison. The one in February seemed like mayhem, but I think the first feis you ever walk into ALWAYS appears to be mayhem (plus that one had icky weather, and was the same weekend as the Mardi Gras parade nearby, which made parking tough, and meant many drinking parade-goers wearing Mardi Gras beads were wandering around outside the hotel, while hundreds of girls with those surrealistic curly wigs and gaudy dresses were wandering around inside the hotel, and, well, it was just mind boggling). We came away Saturday with some medals and some new friendships, which I think is a pretty good thing. Parking was bad, although I expected that, given the venue. Kid1 broke a bracket eating a cup of ice cream from the Cold Stone Creamery there, so that was pretty weird (another unplanned event -- a trip to the orthodontist this afternoon).
I still have reels playing in my head. Listening to 4 hours straight of Irish music will do that to you. I can't imagine what it's like to have to stay there all day for the later competitions. Let that be a warning to those of you considering Irish Dance as a hobby.
(A year ago I would've read this post and wondered what the heck a "feis" is. It's an Irish Dance contest. The world of Irish Dancing is very ... unique and unexpected. There were over 800 people entered in this feis; I saw maybe a dozen boys, and 3 adults amongst the competitors. The rest were girls, almost all of whom had The Hair and some variation of The Dress. You have to see it to believe it.)
27 July 2007
Vacation Bible School
This week has been VBS week here at our house. The kids are going, but I'm not. They've got some sort of space theme going, as you can see by this flying saucer that Kid2 made during craft time:
Why, yes, that IS the symbol for the Star Trek version of the Galactic Empire (the mirror universe that showed up in the original series and in Star Trek Enterprise; Kid2 knows it from the Enterprise series). An interesting choice for a Bible School craft. I found myself pondering which is more important: spreading the Gospel in the ruthless, assassination-prone Galactic Empire, or spreading the Gospel in the godless, New Agey Federation. But I'm not involved oin helping with VBS this year, so these deep ponderings will go undiscussed. (That piece of paper on the edge is covering her name, by the way -- it isn't some funky docking port.)
One weird quirk about VBS this year -- when I pull into the driveway after picking the kids up there's a doe standing in the neighbor's yard. The same doe, day after day. She just sort of stares at us, her mouth full of Stella D'Oro daylilies. Then she wanders off to check out the geraniums. I feel a little guilty for not scaring her off (the neighbor really likes those daylilies), but it's all so surreal that I find myself hesitating.
What I've been doing whilst children are learning about VBS-type stuff:
Day One: Browse in bookstore. Shop at Whole Foods without having to spend 15 minutes at gelato bar -- heck, I didn't even LOOK at the gelato bar. Purchase magazine and pastry for myself; sit at home with cat on my lap enjoying both.
Day Two: Sew. Complete pair of capri pants for Kid2 (amazing what you can get done with no interruptions). Read book from library. Eat Snap Pea Crisps.
Day Three: Sit at Midas in cold waiting room while brake pads are replaced. Alternate knitting and reading library book while waiting, waiting, waiting. This takes entire VBS time, but now my brakes are much more brakey, and not making that odd noise.
Day Four: Run errands relating to Big Stressful Event taking place Saturday (this is the event I've been dreading for about 4 months now; it's here, it's happening, and I'm about to throw up from nervous anticipation). Also, browse in bookstore more, and finally find new journal.
Day Five: Today! Blog! Clean house! Make lists of things to be done by Big-Stressful-Event-time tomorrow, as well as lists of things to take along.
VBS is over early today, so I must get moving. Blogging will probably become more regular after I recover from Big Stressful Event. I think I might even think about homeschooling again -- you know, start thinking about what we might do this coming year other than taking the car to be repaired, sewing, knitting and watching Star Trek.
Why, yes, that IS the symbol for the Star Trek version of the Galactic Empire (the mirror universe that showed up in the original series and in Star Trek Enterprise; Kid2 knows it from the Enterprise series). An interesting choice for a Bible School craft. I found myself pondering which is more important: spreading the Gospel in the ruthless, assassination-prone Galactic Empire, or spreading the Gospel in the godless, New Agey Federation. But I'm not involved oin helping with VBS this year, so these deep ponderings will go undiscussed. (That piece of paper on the edge is covering her name, by the way -- it isn't some funky docking port.)
One weird quirk about VBS this year -- when I pull into the driveway after picking the kids up there's a doe standing in the neighbor's yard. The same doe, day after day. She just sort of stares at us, her mouth full of Stella D'Oro daylilies. Then she wanders off to check out the geraniums. I feel a little guilty for not scaring her off (the neighbor really likes those daylilies), but it's all so surreal that I find myself hesitating.
What I've been doing whilst children are learning about VBS-type stuff:
Day One: Browse in bookstore. Shop at Whole Foods without having to spend 15 minutes at gelato bar -- heck, I didn't even LOOK at the gelato bar. Purchase magazine and pastry for myself; sit at home with cat on my lap enjoying both.
Day Two: Sew. Complete pair of capri pants for Kid2 (amazing what you can get done with no interruptions). Read book from library. Eat Snap Pea Crisps.
Day Three: Sit at Midas in cold waiting room while brake pads are replaced. Alternate knitting and reading library book while waiting, waiting, waiting. This takes entire VBS time, but now my brakes are much more brakey, and not making that odd noise.
Day Four: Run errands relating to Big Stressful Event taking place Saturday (this is the event I've been dreading for about 4 months now; it's here, it's happening, and I'm about to throw up from nervous anticipation). Also, browse in bookstore more, and finally find new journal.
Day Five: Today! Blog! Clean house! Make lists of things to be done by Big-Stressful-Event-time tomorrow, as well as lists of things to take along.
VBS is over early today, so I must get moving. Blogging will probably become more regular after I recover from Big Stressful Event. I think I might even think about homeschooling again -- you know, start thinking about what we might do this coming year other than taking the car to be repaired, sewing, knitting and watching Star Trek.
16 July 2007
That night I dreamt of seam rippers
I was in a fabric store and saw a really FUN fabric -- polka dots! in pink and green and black! Fun! And could coordinate with, well, with pink or green or black!
Oh boy! What FUN pattern could I use to sew this up? How about something with a flounce, because nothing is quite so FUN as a flounce! Better yet, an asymmetrical flounce, because asymmetrical is not only FUN, but also whimsical. Ooooh, a FUN, whisical skirt ... I can hardly wait.
I traced out a skirt from Ottobre Woman 2/2007 -- design #13. And that flounce was hard to trace, by the way. I ended up using yellow highlighter on the original so I could follow the pattern lines on the Pattern Ease.
And I whipped up that FUN skirt.
(Still working on how to shoot a non-flash non-blurry picture in a somewhat dirty mirror, as you can see)
Oh. Oops. Just because the fabric and pattern are both FUN doesn't mean they should be used together. Even the cat looks as though she is rolling her eyes.
MrV commented that the higher swoop of the flounce looked like I had fabric bunched up in my undies. Which struck me as pretty funny. But, really, how can you wear a skirt in public after a comment like that? Also, this length makes my legs look fat. Also, I was sewing with the windows open whilst someone in this town was playing Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy at such a volume that not only did it flatten all the trees in a 5 mile radius, but it also lodged itself in the very fiber of this skirt so every time I look at it I hear the song in my head.
Well, what did I learn from this experience?
Invisible zippers are a heck of a lot easier to put in with an invisible zipper foot. Last time I tried one I used a regular zipper foot. It was not a good experience. This one pratically put itself in. I felt like I was cheating.
Putting in petersham at the waistband is a cinch, and does work well.
Ottobre skirt patterns have bigger fronts than backs. Its been ages since I sewed an American skirt pattern, but I vaguely remember that the backs are bigger than the fronts. I suppose this causes it to hang differently. Or perhaps European women are built differently. Next time, though, I will make the front smaller.
Also, having chosen the size based on my hip measure (per the Ottobre suggestion) this was huge in the waist. I deepened the darts, and added an extra set of darts in the back. Next time I will alter the waist before cutting out.
I have discovered an inner compulsion to finish items even though they don't look that great. I hemmed it and tacked the lining to the zipper after I realized I will probably never wear it.
And, most of all, I really really need to get a grip on visualizing what finished items are actually going to look like when put together and placed on my body.
(I really did dream of seam rippers after I made this. They were dancing around like the dishes in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Amazingly enough, they were NOT dancing to Led Zeppelin.)
Oh boy! What FUN pattern could I use to sew this up? How about something with a flounce, because nothing is quite so FUN as a flounce! Better yet, an asymmetrical flounce, because asymmetrical is not only FUN, but also whimsical. Ooooh, a FUN, whisical skirt ... I can hardly wait.
I traced out a skirt from Ottobre Woman 2/2007 -- design #13. And that flounce was hard to trace, by the way. I ended up using yellow highlighter on the original so I could follow the pattern lines on the Pattern Ease.
And I whipped up that FUN skirt.
(Still working on how to shoot a non-flash non-blurry picture in a somewhat dirty mirror, as you can see)
Oh. Oops. Just because the fabric and pattern are both FUN doesn't mean they should be used together. Even the cat looks as though she is rolling her eyes.
MrV commented that the higher swoop of the flounce looked like I had fabric bunched up in my undies. Which struck me as pretty funny. But, really, how can you wear a skirt in public after a comment like that? Also, this length makes my legs look fat. Also, I was sewing with the windows open whilst someone in this town was playing Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy at such a volume that not only did it flatten all the trees in a 5 mile radius, but it also lodged itself in the very fiber of this skirt so every time I look at it I hear the song in my head.
Well, what did I learn from this experience?
Invisible zippers are a heck of a lot easier to put in with an invisible zipper foot. Last time I tried one I used a regular zipper foot. It was not a good experience. This one pratically put itself in. I felt like I was cheating.
Putting in petersham at the waistband is a cinch, and does work well.
Ottobre skirt patterns have bigger fronts than backs. Its been ages since I sewed an American skirt pattern, but I vaguely remember that the backs are bigger than the fronts. I suppose this causes it to hang differently. Or perhaps European women are built differently. Next time, though, I will make the front smaller.
Also, having chosen the size based on my hip measure (per the Ottobre suggestion) this was huge in the waist. I deepened the darts, and added an extra set of darts in the back. Next time I will alter the waist before cutting out.
I have discovered an inner compulsion to finish items even though they don't look that great. I hemmed it and tacked the lining to the zipper after I realized I will probably never wear it.
And, most of all, I really really need to get a grip on visualizing what finished items are actually going to look like when put together and placed on my body.
(I really did dream of seam rippers after I made this. They were dancing around like the dishes in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Amazingly enough, they were NOT dancing to Led Zeppelin.)
13 July 2007
Crochet Hooks
All fiber-craft bits and bobs in our extended family eventually filter down to me. Fabric, yarn, knitting needles, quilt frame, embroidery hoops, tatting shuttles ... eventually someone decides that I am heir apparent to these collections.
My grandma was particularly fond of crochet. Now that she has passed away I have all of her hooks.
It doesn't look like such a huge collection in this little photo, but believe me, that's a lot of crochet hooks to have in one place.
Some of these are my hooks, particularly some of the large ones. The ones with tape around the bottom are ones I used to teach crochet at Girl Scouts (the tape identified them as loaners for the girls who didn't happen to have a hook).
But those little steel ones? Those are pretty much all Grandma's.
Crochet was the first fiber craft she loved. She used to carry her crochet with her everywhere, tucking it into her pocket. One day she was walking along the lane, crochet in pocket. A neighbor was driving by in his horse-and-wagon (this was when Grandma was a young girl, you know). The neighbor offered her a ride. She jumped up in the wagon. And the crochet hook went right into her leg, digging right into the flesh, hook-end first. Years later she was fairly succinct about the incident -- it hurt a lot and was very hard to pull back out.
I find myself looking at these hooks and wondering if one of them is the actual hook in the story.
I think that would've been enough to put me right off of crochet. But she kept with it. And, towards the end she gave up quilting and knitting, but she stuck with the crochet.
Grandma died 2 years ago. But her legacy remains.
My grandma was particularly fond of crochet. Now that she has passed away I have all of her hooks.
It doesn't look like such a huge collection in this little photo, but believe me, that's a lot of crochet hooks to have in one place.
Some of these are my hooks, particularly some of the large ones. The ones with tape around the bottom are ones I used to teach crochet at Girl Scouts (the tape identified them as loaners for the girls who didn't happen to have a hook).
But those little steel ones? Those are pretty much all Grandma's.
Crochet was the first fiber craft she loved. She used to carry her crochet with her everywhere, tucking it into her pocket. One day she was walking along the lane, crochet in pocket. A neighbor was driving by in his horse-and-wagon (this was when Grandma was a young girl, you know). The neighbor offered her a ride. She jumped up in the wagon. And the crochet hook went right into her leg, digging right into the flesh, hook-end first. Years later she was fairly succinct about the incident -- it hurt a lot and was very hard to pull back out.
I find myself looking at these hooks and wondering if one of them is the actual hook in the story.
I think that would've been enough to put me right off of crochet. But she kept with it. And, towards the end she gave up quilting and knitting, but she stuck with the crochet.
Grandma died 2 years ago. But her legacy remains.
11 July 2007
Downsizing
My parents have decided it's time to sell their 3-bedroom house and move to a smaller apartment. This move involves clearing out quite a bit of Stuff.
Most of the furniture has been taken care of, as well as the yardwork related items (we now own a hammock and a snowblower, among other things). And now they're getting down to the real knitty-gritty of moving -- sorting through the momentos of a lifetime, deciding which to keep.
Through the years people have been quite fond of giving my parents handmade gifts. Quite, quite fond, as a matter of fact. I'm not sure what it is about Mom and Dad that radiates "hey, if you make stuff why not give us a sample?" Dad is a retired pastor; perhaps people like to give their pastor handmade gifts? (And, if so, does that indicate love or passive-aggressive thoughts about religion? There have been those items that make one pause and wonder ... most of those have quietly disappeared in previous moves, though.)
This afghan didn't make the cut to go to the new apartment, so I rescued it from the Goodwill bag:
It was woven on a Weavette. Each square has a finished size of 3.25 inches; there are 192 squares. Those grey squares are green in real life.
The guy who wove it (no clue what his name is -- Mom and Dad remember, but he wasn't a close friend of the family) finished it off with cross stitch and a crocheted border:
At least I assume he finished it off himself. Maybe he farmed that part out. Who knows? But, isn't it a triumph of the imagination? How many people with palm-sized looms would decide to weave up a couple hundred squares, put them together into a throw, and then give it to someone with whom they don't have a close personal relationship?
How did he design it? I can picture coloring in squares on graph paper, but who knows. Perhaps there are Weavette patterns floating around in books (this was before the Internet, so I know he didn't simply download it).
By the way, Mom and Dad's house sold within a week, so they'll be moving later this month. In the meantime, they've learned that Dad has a rapidly growing cancer, so he will also be starting radiation treatments this month. Sigh. This was already earmarked as The Most Stressful Month of 2007 on our calendars due to the huge number of Important Things We Must Do this month, which means we can't be there to help them. On the bright side, if we all make it through all of this, the rest of the year should be a piece of cake in comparison.
Most of the furniture has been taken care of, as well as the yardwork related items (we now own a hammock and a snowblower, among other things). And now they're getting down to the real knitty-gritty of moving -- sorting through the momentos of a lifetime, deciding which to keep.
Through the years people have been quite fond of giving my parents handmade gifts. Quite, quite fond, as a matter of fact. I'm not sure what it is about Mom and Dad that radiates "hey, if you make stuff why not give us a sample?" Dad is a retired pastor; perhaps people like to give their pastor handmade gifts? (And, if so, does that indicate love or passive-aggressive thoughts about religion? There have been those items that make one pause and wonder ... most of those have quietly disappeared in previous moves, though.)
This afghan didn't make the cut to go to the new apartment, so I rescued it from the Goodwill bag:
It was woven on a Weavette. Each square has a finished size of 3.25 inches; there are 192 squares. Those grey squares are green in real life.
The guy who wove it (no clue what his name is -- Mom and Dad remember, but he wasn't a close friend of the family) finished it off with cross stitch and a crocheted border:
At least I assume he finished it off himself. Maybe he farmed that part out. Who knows? But, isn't it a triumph of the imagination? How many people with palm-sized looms would decide to weave up a couple hundred squares, put them together into a throw, and then give it to someone with whom they don't have a close personal relationship?
How did he design it? I can picture coloring in squares on graph paper, but who knows. Perhaps there are Weavette patterns floating around in books (this was before the Internet, so I know he didn't simply download it).
By the way, Mom and Dad's house sold within a week, so they'll be moving later this month. In the meantime, they've learned that Dad has a rapidly growing cancer, so he will also be starting radiation treatments this month. Sigh. This was already earmarked as The Most Stressful Month of 2007 on our calendars due to the huge number of Important Things We Must Do this month, which means we can't be there to help them. On the bright side, if we all make it through all of this, the rest of the year should be a piece of cake in comparison.
03 July 2007
UFO Resurrection for July
It's time to get back to Sahara
One could argue that this didn't really achieve UFO status since I always planned to return to it once I finished the Sockapalooza socks.
But it HAD reached what-a-mess-I'd-like-to-stick-this-in-a-bag-and-forget-about-it status. When I pulled it out to work on it the other day I realized that I had no idea where I was in the pattern, and didn't really recall what size I was making. After about an hour of fiddling around with it yesterday I managed to figure out where I am (I think I'm at the waist, although I wouldn't be surprised to discover otherwise) and the probable size. I even managed to knit a row.
I'd feel better about plunging into this UFO resurrection if I had any inkling where I put the rest of the yarn. Once I finish this skein I may return to the stick-this-in-a-bag-and-forget-about-it method of dealing with this sweater.
Stay tuned.
One could argue that this didn't really achieve UFO status since I always planned to return to it once I finished the Sockapalooza socks.
But it HAD reached what-a-mess-I'd-like-to-stick-this-in-a-bag-and-forget-about-it status. When I pulled it out to work on it the other day I realized that I had no idea where I was in the pattern, and didn't really recall what size I was making. After about an hour of fiddling around with it yesterday I managed to figure out where I am (I think I'm at the waist, although I wouldn't be surprised to discover otherwise) and the probable size. I even managed to knit a row.
I'd feel better about plunging into this UFO resurrection if I had any inkling where I put the rest of the yarn. Once I finish this skein I may return to the stick-this-in-a-bag-and-forget-about-it method of dealing with this sweater.
Stay tuned.
02 July 2007
Finished
The Sockapalooza socks are done:
Child's French Sock from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. Knit on size 0 needles out of yarn dyed by Lisa Souza.
I blocked them a bit. That is, I soaked them in cool water, squeezed the water out, then laid them out on a towel. I never block socks for myself, plus my local sock guru said that off the 20 pairs she's knit for other people she's never blocked any. But I thought a bit of a block might be nice. The person for whom I knit them hangs her socks to dry, so I don't think she's particularly fussy.
Okay, now, on to the next thing ... what the heck was I up to before I got all wound up about these socks?
Child's French Sock from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. Knit on size 0 needles out of yarn dyed by Lisa Souza.
I blocked them a bit. That is, I soaked them in cool water, squeezed the water out, then laid them out on a towel. I never block socks for myself, plus my local sock guru said that off the 20 pairs she's knit for other people she's never blocked any. But I thought a bit of a block might be nice. The person for whom I knit them hangs her socks to dry, so I don't think she's particularly fussy.
Okay, now, on to the next thing ... what the heck was I up to before I got all wound up about these socks?
28 June 2007
Learning All the Time
I decided to give Ottobre 2/2007 #4 another try, this time in the Sweet Geese rib knit from Sewzanne's.
(Pic got fuzzy when I cropped it to remove the bathroom towels and the smudges on the mirror, but you get the general idea. Plus now you can't see how poorly it's hemmed.)
This is a 100% cotton from Baby Nay, and you would not believe how soft it is. It would be perfect for baby jammies (so, like, if you're expecting a new babe -- AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE I'M TALKING TO -- you might want to consider getting some of this and sewing up some jammies after you get that pocketbook done for your toddler and I'd highly recommend checking out Ottobre patterns since they have some adorable baby things that even I can sew; just saying). It's quite stretchy. Actually, it tends to stretch out and stay stretched, unlike the cotton/bamboo/spandex blend I worked with last time; that spandex stuff sproings right back into its original shape. This knit really needed the stay tape I put in at the shoulder seams. Sometimes you can skip the stay tape; I'm glad I didn't with this t-shirt.
The stretchiness made it harder for me to work with, because I tended to stretch out the neck while sewing, and then the neck stayed stretched out (this will not be a problem with baby clothes, as you'll want to stretch around a diaper anyway). As I noted before, I think the neck of this pattern is a bit low for me. We finally figured out why: I'm a petite, so regular size patterns are proportionately too large vertically; plus I am extremely short-waisted, and so I have proportionately less room between shoulders and waist for necklines to droop in.
This time I used the sleeves from design #3 in this same Ottobre issue, as Teri recommended. Yes, I do like these much better. Plus I think putting elastic in this fabric would've been a nightmare. Heck, I had a tough enough time doing the hems -- I kept sewing off the fabric with my blindstitching. I finally got out my disappearing ink pen (that is, the ink disappears, not the pen itself) and put a purple line along the edge of the fabric so I could SEE the needle poling into the correct layer. Yeesh.
So, still not an expert at sewing knits, but now I know a bit more than I did before.
And in spite of the faults -- too-low neckline, wonky hems -- I get compliments on the t-shirt because the fabric is so darned cute.
(Speaking of learning about knits, I also learned last night that I had dropped a stitch way back at the cuff of this second sock. I was poised to start the heel when I made this discovery. You know what? I'm not going back and re-knitting it. It doesn't hurt the design, and I doubt it will make a huge difference in the fit.)
(Pic got fuzzy when I cropped it to remove the bathroom towels and the smudges on the mirror, but you get the general idea. Plus now you can't see how poorly it's hemmed.)
This is a 100% cotton from Baby Nay, and you would not believe how soft it is. It would be perfect for baby jammies (so, like, if you're expecting a new babe -- AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE I'M TALKING TO -- you might want to consider getting some of this and sewing up some jammies after you get that pocketbook done for your toddler and I'd highly recommend checking out Ottobre patterns since they have some adorable baby things that even I can sew; just saying). It's quite stretchy. Actually, it tends to stretch out and stay stretched, unlike the cotton/bamboo/spandex blend I worked with last time; that spandex stuff sproings right back into its original shape. This knit really needed the stay tape I put in at the shoulder seams. Sometimes you can skip the stay tape; I'm glad I didn't with this t-shirt.
The stretchiness made it harder for me to work with, because I tended to stretch out the neck while sewing, and then the neck stayed stretched out (this will not be a problem with baby clothes, as you'll want to stretch around a diaper anyway). As I noted before, I think the neck of this pattern is a bit low for me. We finally figured out why: I'm a petite, so regular size patterns are proportionately too large vertically; plus I am extremely short-waisted, and so I have proportionately less room between shoulders and waist for necklines to droop in.
This time I used the sleeves from design #3 in this same Ottobre issue, as Teri recommended. Yes, I do like these much better. Plus I think putting elastic in this fabric would've been a nightmare. Heck, I had a tough enough time doing the hems -- I kept sewing off the fabric with my blindstitching. I finally got out my disappearing ink pen (that is, the ink disappears, not the pen itself) and put a purple line along the edge of the fabric so I could SEE the needle poling into the correct layer. Yeesh.
So, still not an expert at sewing knits, but now I know a bit more than I did before.
And in spite of the faults -- too-low neckline, wonky hems -- I get compliments on the t-shirt because the fabric is so darned cute.
(Speaking of learning about knits, I also learned last night that I had dropped a stitch way back at the cuff of this second sock. I was poised to start the heel when I made this discovery. You know what? I'm not going back and re-knitting it. It doesn't hurt the design, and I doubt it will make a huge difference in the fit.)
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