Crafting, Crafting, Crafting

There has been a lot of crafting going on around here. I pulled together my pile of things that I have knit on this trip and decided that I've pretty much been knitting since I got here. (What was that about obsessive in my last post? Never mind, I don't want to think about that right now.)

I absolutely love the purse that I knitted! The pattern came from Handknit Holidays, but I didn't use the yarn that they suggested and I changed the pattern to make it a different size. So far it only cost about $4.00 to make, but I don't have a handle yet. Tonight Emma let me use her sewing machine and put together the lining. I am eternally grateful to her for her help. Especially the pleating part. Thanks for all of your help Emma! They didn't have handles at Hobby Lobby, so it will have to wait until I get home and go to JoAnn's before it can be finished. (Don't worry, you will see another picture when it is all the way done.)

We put away all the clay on Thursday. I only made 13 stitch markers total, so they really do take a lot of time. At the end we were getting faster though. Emma will have to blog pictures of her's because I don't know where she put them and didn't get a picture.

Emma was making some little sweaters from Weekend Knitting when I got here. It just so happens that I had the right size of needles with me, so I whipped some up the other day while we were watching a movie. Something needs to be embroidered on the lime green one, but I didn't feel like being that clever when I finished sewing it together. I really like how they turned out, and will look forward to making more when I get home and have more yarn in my grasp.

The other two pictures speak for themselves. It's nothing you haven't seen before.


The purse that is in need of a handle.


All the stitch markers that I made while I was here.


Close up of the robin. I love him!



The little sweater ornaments that Emma has been making.



This one is my favorite.



The cream wrist warmers.


A present for a friend that I hope to see before I leave.

Why I've Been Laughing Out Loud

Naomi, Alice, and I went to Borders on Sunday afternoon. I never think that I will buy something else while I am in there, but oh well. It was a much anticipated purchase. Meaning that I have been wanting to buy this book for a really long time. I picked up "Knitting Rules" by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. You can tell that she is a knitter because she has the word pearl in her name. It's spelled different, but still works. ;) As I sat there in the cafe I started giggling out loud very frequently considering that I wasn't reading a joke book. I brought it with my when I went to choir with Emma this week and had to keep from laughing too hard and the "10 reasons to carry a knitting bag" list. I bet you think that it can't be that funny, but to me it REALLY IS THAT FUNNY! I will type up some quotes now, and you can tell me if you she is as funny as I think she is.

"If you find an non-knitter who thinks what you do is clever, beautiful, and artistic: who never asks for knitted stuff but wears it with pride when you give it to him or her; and will help you carry home a whole fleece for a stack of stitch dictionaries without once implying that you might want to get a grip - marry that person."

"The techniques available to you can take a lifetime to learn and the different ways to make these loops with sticks is engaging, clever and not at all monotonous. Non-knitters don't understand that there's always something left to learn, and trying to tell them that there are so many extremely interesting ways to do something with string is folly." HAHAHA

She has a section on rating how addicted you are to knitting and I fall between level three and four. Level three is..."Preoccupied: The knitter may now be spending all of her free time knitting but is still attending to other things, like job and children. The "preoccupied" knitter actively shops for yarn often, discusses yarn often, and occasionally has dreams in which knitting figures prominently. In a bookstore, she now treks only to the knittng book section." Level four is... "Obsessed: The knitter spends all of her free time knitting, and the time she considers "free" is expanding. She is likely now neglecting housework with a vengeance and is dreaming in knitting code. The "obsessed" knitter stalks other people to stare at their sweaters, and would rather sit on a train for nine hours where she can knit comfortably, rather then drive. This knitter has discovered books on tape, buys yarn like it's a job, and dreams of a way to make money from knitting so she wouldn't have to waste good knitting time earning a living. etc"

This is all very hilarious to me.

Tonight's Antics

Tonight I made Swedish Creme with Blueberries for dessert. Micah liked it a lot, but had a little accident with the blueberries. Naomi knows a secret method for getting out every type of berry stain, and was more then happy to help get this one out. Micah was rather skeptical of the procedure at first, but the last picture shows how Naomi turned him into a complete believer.


The reason for the stain.



The wife who is sad about the stain.



Preparing to conquer the stain.



Explaining the process.



Getting ready.



Pouring on the hot water.



Looking for the stain.



It actually came out!

A Sunday Picnic

On Sunday night we went on a picnic for dinner at a park in a town near here. Emma made really yummy sandwiches, and that reminds me that I need to copy that recipe before I leave here. It was a very nice day weather wise and I actually got cold sitting by the little stream.

Rain

Last night we played out in the rain until we couldn't get any wetter. Micah started it, and it looked like too much fun to not join in. I ran out second because it became very apparent that I NEEDED to "splash back". I chose to do this in order to get revenge and to keep Emma's floor from getting completely soaked. Emma and Naomi were kind enough to bring us towels and take our picture.



This is the face that I have made all of my life at Micah. This is because Micah has been doing things all of my life that cause me to make this face at him. lol

The Stitch Markers

The past couple of days Emma and I have spent quite a number of hours making stitch markers. We found a place to buy them, but making them is strikingly cheaper. We are trying not to think about how long it took us to make them. It is fun once you get the hang of it. We have several other types in the works including sheep, penguins, and pumpkins. Maybe you shall see a picture of them if they do indeed turn out. Today Micah made a world stitch marker. It only took him a total of three minutes to make from start to finish, and I think he started wondering why we have been sitting and molding clay for so many hours lately. It is a little bit different positioning a miniscule beak as opposed to smashing a piece of green clay onto a round blue ball and declaring it Europe. LOL He gave it to Alice because he has no need for a stitch marker. After he finished making it he asked what we do with these things anyway. haha

What We Did Tonight

This evening we all went over to the neighbor's house for dinner. We got to meet their new baby, and I got to hold him for a long time. :) Emma and I made a pumpkin cheesecake to bring over for dessert, and I think it is one of the best I've ever had. We pulled it off the Martha Stewart website last night, and it is defiantly a keeper. We cooked a butternut squash for it and everything. How cool is that?

I spent the rest of the day with Emma making stitch markers out of clay. It is taking a really long time, but they are really cute and SO worth it. I'll post pictures of the finished product tomorrow.

WAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

Boo-hiss! Something of Naomi's leaked all over my suitcase. It was in a plastic bag and everything. It would be okay if it wasn't an oily substance. I tried washing it out, but it doesn't really work. I shall try to wash it again tomorrow because I figured out a way to partially take out the lining.




Please Texas sun, evaporate the foreign oily substance that is present in my suitcase. You are so nice and warm, can't you fix my problem?

I Don't Feel Like Blogging

You all must be tired of looking at my old post, so here is something new for you to read. I'm afraid you got a little too used to me posting so frequently. :)

I've spent a lot of time since Monday night with my foot elevated. On Monday night Dad was grilling and I ran outside to see how long it would be until the chicken was done. Running out wasn't the problem. It was the running in that really hurt. I tripped over the metal threshold of our back door and tore the end of my big toe off. Not just a little torn off, but really deeply torn off. The first think I said was, "Oww! That really hurt". Next I glanced down and saw the blood dripping out before saying, "Oh, my goodness! No wonder that really hurt." It really grosses me out to look at it, and that is why I'm choosing not to post a picture even though one was taken. I went to the doctor yesterday to see if she had any advice. All my hopes and dreams are crushed because she said that my career as a foot model is no longer an option. I guess I'll have to try and find something else meaningful to do with my life since that is out. She also put me on cephalexin as a precautionary measure. Thankfully I was up to date on my tetanus shot or she would have stuck me with one of those too. I'm tired of limping around. :P So far today I have run it into two things. Good grief! E-mail me if you really want the picture. I thought if I put it up here my readership would go down.

I am now open for advice on what I should knit next. I can't think of a single thing that I want to make right now. This is a problem for me. I always have something that I want to knit. Weird. Suggestions are most welcome in the form of comments. ;)

Stuff and Such

My time on the computer is limited, so I must type fast and try not to think too hard about. ;) I can already tell that this is going to be a very random post.

I hardly remember what I did today. It involved some cleaning, and reading but other then that I can't remember. This morning one of my favorite movies was on TV, so I got to tape it and will pull it out on another day. Technically we already have it on tape, but it is a horrible recording. Back before I knew the difference between taping on SP or SLP. (SP is superior quality to tape on just in case you didn't already know that. I love that I know how to use the VCR. This is a very important skill to perfect because we all know that VCR’s will be completely obsolete in just a few short years. lol This is funny to me.) Naomi and Alice were gone all afternoon, (See Naomi's post if you care to know where they went.) so I was alone for a good share of the day. It's nice at first, but then I miss noise. After a little while I turned on the TV in one room and music in the other, so I wouldn't feel alone.

I'm finally getting to exercise everyday again. Because the wedding threw everything all helter-skelter, it has been awhile. Whenever I've been out of the habit for an extended amount of time I start to think that I don't like to exercise. I have no clue as to why this is, but after a few days of getting back into it I'm all happy about it again. On Tuesday I missed half of the show that I wanted to do because I couldn’t find my sneaker. I procured one out of the closet, but the other is lost. On Tuesday and again today (On Wednesday I did Pilates, so it wouldn’t involve shoes) I wore my Keds, but moi wants her sneakers back. :P

Tonight after bringing home Subway for dinner, Naomi and I went to Borders. We had 30% off coupons and I had a gift card from Hannah to spend. (Thanks Han!) Every time I go to Borders the same scenario happens. I browse through the knitting magazines, stop quickly at the cd's, look at the new cook books, and then proceed to sit in the knitting book section. Tonight a woman joined me. She sat and flipped for a bit before picking a book to purchase. Normally I try to guess what people in the knitting section are looking for, but I was way off tonight. After some time the book she picked was called Puppy Knits . Personally, I don’t really care for dogs or pets of any kind, and I personally vow to NEVER EVER KNIT SOMETHING FOR AN ANIMAL TO WEAR! NEVER!!! That woman obviously needs some grandchildren. Ehem… back to my Border’s saga…Next I flipped through the same books, just in case I missed a cute pattern the last time I was in there. Eventually I will pick up this book and debate the rest of the time I am there whether on not I should buy it. Tonight I carried it almost to the checkout before abandoning it on the "New Releases" table. Again, I feel bad that I put it in the wrong spot, but don't walk and put it in its proper place. Images from a book we read when little called "This is What Would Happen If Everybody Did" flash through my mind as I pay, and I picture a Borders store where none of the books get put back where they came from. That is my Border's routine it happens every time without fail, and I hope next time I brows with someone who is going to be knitting for a child. What I did spend my birthday money on was some new music. This and this were added to my collection of atmosphere filler. Actually it isn't really new music because I owned a copy of Madeleine Peyroux and the other I hear and Micah's house whenever I am there. Maybe everybody isn't like this, but there is something about a copied cd that irks me, and there is just something I love about having a hard copy and the case with a picture of the artist on it. There was a good deal going this week for Borders members. Your's truly is a proud member especially when then e-mail me coupons. There was a two for twenty-two dollars sale going on that included some cds I wanted. Essentially you can get two cd's that would normally cost around eighteen bucks a piece for only eleven dollars each. Very nice. I am happy with my music, and they will be played and played until Alice tells me she is sick of them.

That is all I have to say for tonight.

What I've Done So Far Today

The day is going well. There is something about Mondays that gives me great initiative to get things done. This morning I read several chapters in The Tale Beatrix Potter, a Biography, by Margaret Lane. Not much was known about her life until after she died and they finally decoded the journal that she kept for over fifteen years. I wonder what would posses someone to keep a journal in code. It would probably be interesting to read her complete journal that was published in 1966 next. I got the biography from the library, and I think it is about due back. (Note to self: Check to see if this is true or not. If it is true, read faster.) Next I read a chapter in A Path Through Suffering by Elizabeth Elliot. One chapter is enough in that book for a day. Lots of food for thought. Here is my favorite quote from it so far.

Lord Crucified, O mark Thy holy Cross
On motive, preference, all fond desires,
On that which self in any form inspires,
Set Thou that sign of loss.

And when the touch of death is here and there
Laid on a thing most precious in our eyes,
Let us not wonder, let us recognize,
The answer to this prayer.

(Toward Jerusalem, Christian Literature Crusade)

Isn’t that beautiful? I copied it down and pasted it to the window by where we do dishes. We tend to put quotes up there. They easily get memorized without having to think about it because we silently read them when we do the dishes.

The next thing I did was listened to a How to Listen to and Understand Great Music lecture. We ordered this set of lectures from The Great Courses catalog awhile back and no one has made it all the way through the forty-eight lectures that are each around forty-five minutes long. I would really like to make it to the end this time, so we shall see. I’ve started them many times, but I feel more interested now then ever before. My new words for today are, monophonic, polyphony, organum, and melisma. I’m going to try REALLY hard to remember what they mean until the next lesson when he will most likely use them in sentences without tell us what they mean. ;) Oh, I’m getting good at this html link thingy even though I have no clue what any of the stuff I typed in means or why it works. lol

After that I mixed up three loaves of banana bread while listening to The House of Seven Gables. (Unabridged book on tape) It was kind of hard to follow which normally doesn’t happen to me and the writings of Hawthorne. I’m convinced this difficulty is due to the reading styles of a Ms. Roslyn Alexander. There was something about her voice that made paying close attention to the words a challenge for me. I made three pans of banana bread because we had a little situation with overly ripe bananas on our counter top. I saw the flutter of a few fruit flies, and it made me wonder once again where they come from since spontaneous generation is not true. Take this word from the wise and grossed out, DON’T Google fruit flies. It is just disgusting! I’m not one to be grossed out or scared by killing a bug, but for goodness sake, who other then seven to thirteen year old boys wants to read details about larva. Gross! From what I read it seems that the little bugs are able to smell overly ripe fruit and flock to it. Ick! Now that the fruit is gone they have nothing to eat, and will shortly die. While the bread was cooking I watched an art lecture about the third impressionist exhibition in 1877 which was arranged by Caillebotte. Apparently Gustave had a little dinner party with his fellow impressionist friends and by the end of the evening he convinced them to hold a third exhibition. Imagine two hundred and forty-one of the most famous paintings of the impressionists in one building. This is better. I much prefer talking about art rather then bugs.

There are several hours of collating and binding that I must do this afternoon, so I’d best be off.

I Fought Blogger, and Blogger Won, or so I Thought

I sat here with great confidence and posted the pictures of what I made for dinner. Next I decided to post my knitting pictures. It didn't work for a long time, but suddenly as if by a great miracle they all appeared. Maybe it was because I was knitting while I waited for it to load. I am happy now. Nice blogger, good blogger, please keep working blogger.

Finally my blog is fulfilling the duty that it was created for. A knitting post! Below you will find some pictures of what I have been knitting lately. I made these dishcloths during wedding crunch time when I only had time to knit a no-brainer project. I've tried to explain this pattern to others as my cement dishcloths, but for some reason this visual image doesn't help. I however, find it very descriptive. The main color is the bricks and the contrasting color is the cement. Do you get it? ;)

It has been cold enough today to wear wrist warmers in the house again. Take my advice though, and don't wear them while pealing potatoes. :) It just gets messy. I've been trying to knit slowly on the pair I am making with the yarn I got for my birthday. I want to make it last for a few days. I've been wearing the finished one while knitting on the second.
Here are the dishcloths that I have made so far.
The one that I am currently working on. It just might be my favorite one so far.
My wrist warmers that I am knitting with the yarn that I got for a birthday present.
The wrist warmers that I made for the craft sale in October.

Shepherd's Pie

Tonight I made Shepherd's Pie for dinner. We stopped on the way home from church and got what we needed. It is still cold and raining here, so besides a pot of stew this seemed like the only choice for dinner on a day like this. I had a moment of pure insanity in the grocery store and somehow my sisters talked me into getting peas to add to the mince mixture. BLECH! Anyone who knows me well knows that I HATE PEAS! I repeat, I HATE PEAS! When I was little I used to mix them with tons of ketchup in order to get them down. It tasted horrible, and is probably why I don't adore ketchup to this day. It is okay, but it reminds me of having to eat peas. Despite the whole pea thing, it turned out really yummy. (A spoonful of gravy helps the peas to get down, you know.) It is one of my favorite comfort foods, and is even better when it is raining outside. I made a big pan, so we'd have leftovers. Who doesn't love to follow a recipe that lists a measurement as "The more the merrier." No kidding, it actually says that.
The mince. The creamy mashed potatoes.
Voila! A thing of beauty!
Our dinner table set for three.

Paris a Rainy Day Is My Favorite.

I've gotten requests (through the grapevine of course) that I should post again on my blog. I don't really enjoy just posting without any pictures, but at this point I DO NOT feel like fighting blogger's "Add a photo" feature. Here goes... This week I have learned just how tired I was last week, and that I have a great skill in sleeping 10 plus hours many nights in a row. They say that it isn’t' possible to make up for being behind on sleep, but I'm inclined not to believe them. For instance, last night I slept from 12:30 until 10:50. Normally I'll roll over around 7:30-ish and tell myself that it is Saturday and I may sleep as long as I jolly well please if it hasn't been declared a work Saturday. This morning the first time the clock came into focus was at 10:50. I thought to myself, "Holy Smokes" and got out of bed. It has been raining really hard today, and I've been cold. I even wore wrist warmers because I was so cold. Naomi and Alice thought this was funny, but it didn't bother me in the least since my wrists were toasty warm. :) Back to the sleeping thing. At 4:00 I went into my room to read in my new book that I got for my birthday. Shadows on the Rocks by Willa Cather is the newest addition to my library. (Thanks Mom and Dad!) I made a goal of reading all of the Willa Cather novels. This summer 3 have been crossed of the list, and this will make 4. At 4:15 I found myself too tried to keep reading. Maybe it was due in part to the window being open, my being cold, the sound of the rain, and the music that was wafting through my room. (George Winston's, Autumn. It makes me fall asleep every time.) This nap lasted until 6 o'clock. Right now it is 11:30 and I am not tired. Haha Tonight I did a few hours of collating and binding work, talked on the phone with my friend Emily who lives in Virginia, washed some clothes, and waited to use the computer. (wink)

I am making a new rule. Alice and I can no longer play more then 2 consecutive rounds of our Impressionist Art Game. We've played it while eating lunch a few times this week and again tonight at dinner. Those of you who have played this game with me know that I MUST ALWAYS GET THE CAILLEBOTTE MATCH! I get it when we played 2 games, but there is something about the third round that makes me lose my touch. :P You can mispronounce Degas, pronounce the T in Morisot, even say "Boulevard Montmartre at Night, but Camille Pissarro" incorrectly, but I MUST get the Gustave Caillebotte match. Eat lunch faster next time Alice, because there will be no third round.

Click here if you really want to see my favorite Caillebotte that is conveniently located in Chicago. Next time we’re driving through we should stop in at the nice Art Institute of Chicago and say bonjour to Paris, A Rainy Day.