Turn the lights way, way down

A few days ago I ordered a Christmas gift for my brother. I let him know that it was on its way, and this morning I got this:

Thank you! It got here. It is now sitting under my tree, waiting for the blessed day. Well, it’s actually sitting under my table, since I don’t have a tree, but I figure that since they’re both made of wood, if you turn the lights down and squint, you really can’t tell the difference.

It made me laugh.

Darn.

My first knitted-sock-with-a-hole. Sigh. I guess I'll have to go get one of those egg thingies.

Beef: It's what's for dinner

A week or so ago I was cooking up some ground beef (with other stuff, of course, we don't eat it plain) and it turned out to be less-than-ideal. Having worked in a few different customer service-type jobs, I know how important it is for companies to get feedback. If something is wrong, they won't know unless you tell them. So I sent them a quick comment letting them know that while I liked their beef very much (and I still do), I had had a Below Average Experience.

The next day I got an e-mail from the president of the company thanking me for my comment, apologizing, and he said he wanted to replace the ground beef I had purchased. I fully expected to get a coupon for a free pound of ground beef in the mail. However, on Wednesday we came home to this:
An overnighted cooler with 6 pounds of ground beef, 2 filet mignons, a New York strip steak and a ribeye steak.

Wow.

Dakota Organic, I am a very impressed, happy, and loyal customer.

First Lace

I finally got around to making my first lace project; not that I thought it would be too difficult, but I hadn't ever knit from a chart before (which turns out to be extremely simple) and therefore required more thought than usual. That and I've always got a list of twelve "very next" projects.

Before:


Soaking:


And finally, blocking:

I am very pleased with how it turned out. This is Whisper Scarf One in Cherry Tree Hill's Spanish Moss from The Loopy Ewe.

Shooting down the UFOs

Do you read Knitting Daily? I do, and last week they did a survey of how many UnFinished Objects (UFOs) people had lying around. Wanting to be helpful, I dug around my several bags and baskets. I was rather surprised to find that I had a grand total of 17 partially finished projects. I answered 15, but then afterward found two more, which I subsequently lost and then re-found this afternoon.

As I mentioned in my last post, we have all been sick. I was tired and I was shamed by my 17 projects so I decided to take yesterday evening "off" - as much as one can when one has two young children - and work on a few things. I really got a lot done number-wise; I now have finished 6 of those projects.

The abandoned baby sweater was bound off and is therefore now a baby hat. I might still add tassels on the corners because that would just be so cute.



I also finally stuffed and sewed up these little balls from Knitting for Baby:


And last but not least, I finished a sock.

Chicken Poodle Soup

Several years ago I read of a typographical error that resulted in the restaurant's menu offering "Chicken Poodle Soup". This has stuck with me and I at times find it difficult to even think the word "noodle" in combination with "chicken" and "soup". Though since I now have a couple of small someones to teach about how the world works, I've really been trying to break that habit.

We have all had a yucky cold and both the girls ended up with croup, so I decided to make some chicken noodle soup the other day. Try this and you'll never go back to canned soup. Measurements are rather vague because I don't measure.

Chicken Noodle Soup
1 chicken
water
carrots
celery
pasta (not angel hair or anything tiny that cooks quickly)
salt
parsley (I use dried)

Put the chicken in a large pot and cover (or mostly cover, if your pot isn't big enough) with water. (Those pasta pots with the perforated inserts are perfect for this.) Bring to a boil, lower the heat, put the lid on and simmer for 2-ish hours. Take the chicken out of the pot and let it cool a bit. Tear about half the meat into bite-sized pieces, tossing them back into the broth as you go. Save the rest of the chicken for something else (or another batch of soup, later). Turn the heat back up and while you're waiting for it to come to a boil, chop up some carrots and celery. I use maybe 3-4 cups (several handfuls) of carrots and 4 ribs of celery. Put those into the pot. When it's boiling, add about 8 oz (usually half a package) of pasta. If it's something long like spaghetti break it into 2-3" pieces as you put it in. Add about a tablespoon of salt and 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of dried parsley. Cook for 10-15 minutes or however long is appropriate for your chosen pasta. Check to make sure the carrots are soft and taste to see if it needs more salt before turning off the burner.

*If you're short on time, boil a couple of boneless skinless chicken breasts for about 20 minutes. Chop those and add to the resulting broth and continue as directed, halving the amounts stated.

This stuff is seriously good.

Watch the birdie!

This dancing bird is great. I found it over on Emily's blog.

While you're at it, check out the bird moonwalking, which was shown to me by my husband.

Costuming a baby

This is a hilarious costume. If S was younger I would totally make this for her.

Hum.

Well, I have a lot to blog about.

I suppose I'll start with this sewing project that I made several weeks ago for a friend's second birthday. It had been some time since I last sewed and I really enjoyed it.

This is the Little Artist's Drawing Case (unfortunately the tutorial seems to have disappeared) by Craft Apple.





I'm very pleased with how it turned out, and it seemed to be a hit with the birthday girl. I put erasable crayons in the pockets because... "Erasers! Don't make a mistake without one!" Now I need to make one for my daughter when I get a chance.

You are my sunshine

For those of you who use Feedreader or another program of that sort, I have to share with you the quote now found in my header:

"[Lady Bostock] considered, possibly correctly, that there is nothing that brings the sunshine into grey lives like a sock or two." - P.G. Wodehouse

Thank you, Dear, for pointing it out to me.

Tiny art

This is incredible. Check out the photo gallery, linked on the left side of the page.

The U.S. should do this.

Convicted of a minor crime like littering or parking in a no parking zone? Try making the offenders wear Hello Kitty armbands as punishment.

Socks and sock

I finally finished these socks that I started a few months ago. They are plain 2x2 rib knit from Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in powder blue.
I also finished this sock, knit from Fortissima Colori Socka Color, color 9094 (I found the label!). This is a plain stockinette sock, of which I haven't knit for quite some time (since my first couple of pairs); I was amazed at how quickly it went. I loved how I could pick it up and stop at any point without having to think about it at all. Great for car knitting, and I also found it incredibly soothing to knit while letting my brain work through other things. This sock also provided some practice time for knitting while reading and with my eyes closed. From now on I plan to have a stockinette sock in progress at all times.

(F had to take pictures too.)

This puts me at 3 1/2 pairs of socks for the year. My goal is 6 pairs and I'm pretty sure I'm going to make it! (Which means that I will have accomplished both of my New Year's resolutions. I don't think I've ever completed all my resolutions before.) I have 5 socks on the needles right now so I just have to finish those and that'll be it.

Comments

For some reason I have not been getting my comments on my e-mail, so don't leave a comment on an old post because I'll never know it's there.

The finished pair

This is a test.

This is only a test. Had this been an actual Dish Rag Tag dishcloth, it would have turned out much better (not to mention that my team would be disqualified for starting early).

Four Corners Dishcloth by 1870Pearl


This turned out to my my first successful provisional cast-on. I did make a little mistake in the grafting, but it doesn't bug me enough that I'll rip and redo it. The only really bad thing? It doesn't meet the regulation size (good thing I test knit it before the race!) of 9"; it's only 8" across. So next time I'll add a few more stitches.

Sigh. I don't think I'll ever get the hang of this "frequent posting" thing.

Knitting can be hazardous to your health

Beware of exploding knitting needles!

Works-in-progress Wednesday

I finished my first Sockapalooza sock yesterday evening. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.) Here it is being worn on one of my blockers from Leggy Creations.


Naturally, I immediately cast on for two different socks.


On the top, Claudia Handpainted in Carousel that I got for my birthday. (A colorway which I just discovered has been discontinued, which makes me want to buy out all I can find. Too bad I'm on a yarn diet.) I love this yarn. It's dreamily soft and the colors are so vibrant that just looking at it makes me feel happy.
On the bottom... I'm not sure. However, it is the Very First sock yarn I ever bought. Many moons ago. I started to knit it up once but it turned out too small so I ripped it and it's just been sitting in the yarn basket ever since. It's the only self-patterning yarn I own.
I didn't take any pictures of my progress because I neglected to take photos before the natural light faded. But I only have the cuffs done, so it's really not that exciting anyway.

Some days...

...you just need some peanut butter and chocolate.

Buttons

So I finally put buttons on the left there for the swaps in which I am participating, but I can't figure out how to make them links. In case you're interested, here are the links for:

Dish Rag Tag
and
Sockapalooza 4

Works-in-progress Wednesday

Finally. some decent progress to show on my Sockapalooza socks. They are coming along quite nicely, despite the fact that I can only work on them here and there. A friend of mine watched my girls last week while I went to Starbucks and knitted, and then I got a good chunk done last night after the wee ones were asleep.

Sockapalooza

So I've finally started my Sockapalooza socks. My pal pretty much said to do anything, so I chose this lovely red Lisa Souza yarn and started the Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks. I think the pattern and the yarn will go well together, plus I got gauge on the first try. Always a good sign.

Tradja

Books I no longer care to own:

Knit Lit (like new)
Knitting Lessons (worn)
The Knitter's Gift (like new)
220 Aran Stitches (like new)
The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches (like new)
Vogue Knitting on the go: Baby Knits Two (slightly worn)
Vogue Knitting on the go: Baby Blankets (slightly worn)

Things I would like to own:

Eliminate Chaos: The 10-step Process to Organize your Home and Life
The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness
Vogue Knitting 2006 Spring/Summer
Interweave Knits Summer 2006
Interweave Knits Spring 2007
Sock yarn (I'd especially like to try Cider Moon and Schaefer Anne)
dpn case
Small knitting bag (sock-project sized) with interior pocket(s), preferably with a close-able top

Anybody wanna trade? I'd prefer to ship to the US due to postage costs.

Popcorn for Dummies

I am probably the only person in the world that didn't know (until about a week ago) that one could make popcorn in a regular pan on the stove. Growing up my family always had a popcorn maker and I assumed one had to have one - or else go with the microwave variety - in order to pop popcorn. Not so. And it's way easy. Just put 2 tablespoons oil and three kernels in a heavy 3-quart pan with a lid (by the way, All-Clad makes the best pans ever), put it over medium heat until one pops, then dump in 1/3 cup popcorn and shake the pan over the heat until they all pop.

I got a little thrill doing it for the first time. I love learning new things (even if they are things that everyone else knows already). I love popcorn, too. Ah, for the day when S is weaned and I can drown it in melted butter....

Well, here I am.

Thank you for your kind comments and e-mails. Yes, I am okay. I think. I am going through some pretty bad postpartum depression and anxiety, and while I am not back to being myself again, I am getting better.

I know I've thought several times about different blog posts, but the only thing I can think of at the moment to show you is this:
The Olive You hat from Itty Bitty Hats (I love that book, by the way). Since I don't crochet, I did a seed stitch border instead of the called-for crochet. I also omitted the extra pimentos because once I got the olives on there I really liked the way it looked. And I made tassels instead of pom-poms because I like them better. It was my first time appliquéing and I thought that I would hate it (all those ends!), but it was actually really fun. It's been years since I've hand-sewed anything and it felt good to do it again. And here's a modeled shot:


Some dear friends of ours had their first baby on Sunday. Unfortunately he topped the scales at 9 pounds 5 ounces and so he has probably already outgrown his hat.

So how have you been?

Blog break

I have some things going on in my personal life that necessitate taking a break from blogging. See you in a couple weeks!

Photo

Aha! It's working today.
Yarn: Fleece Artist in Midnight (old base sock yarn)
Pattern: Lichen Ribbed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks

Nothing.

Well, I was going to post a photo of my finished Midnight socks, but Blogger isn't cooperating right now. And I can't show you my work-in-progress today because it's a gift. At least I'm blogging, right? (Or does this even count?)

Destination: Yarn

Three days. Twenty yarn stores. Details here.

If I didn't have small children I would so totally do this.

Baby names

While I would never name my daughter Metallica, I must say that I am so glad that I live in a country where I can name my child whatever I want to. Apparently in Sweden the government gets to approve or reject name choices. That's just ridiculous.

A wee tiny sock!

First off, I need to apologize to The Imperfect Knitter that it has taken me so long to post this.

I got my wee tiny sock (by Royal Mail)!


I love it; it's absolutely adorable. She even sent along extra yarn so I can make it a pair! I plan to use my wee socks as Christmas tree ornaments. Thank you so much!

A request.

Our friend Stephanie died about two hours ago. She was a beautiful young woman both inside and out who has been battling lung cancer for about two years. On Saturday night a tumor ruptured one of her arteries and the doctors were not able to do anything to stop the bleeding. Please pray for her family; she was only 15 years old.

Six weird things

Six weird things about me:

1) I always save the best for last. So much so that if I have a handful of nuts, crackers, etc., I will eat all the broken ones from smallest to largest before eating all the whole ones. And if I'm eating cereal that has macadamia nuts in it I will eat around them so that the last bite or two will just be nuts and rice milk.

2) With both pregnancies, my linea nigra has shown up three weeks after giving birth.

3) Sometimes I get an irresistible urge to drop everything and go floss. Just because I feel plaque-y.

4) I chew primarily on the right side of my mouth. I make myself chew on the left side sometimes for more "even wear". Not like chewing food actually wears down your enamel, but still.

5) I always create patterns with the eggs that are left in the carton. It bugs me if I can't make it perfectly symmetrical.

6) I can't stand to eat chalazae, so I always pick them off and throw them away.

So what are six weird things about you?

Works-in-progress Wednesday

Not much going on this week knitting-wise. I did get started on M's (new) socks:

They're Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in turquoise.

I also made my Wee Tiny Sock (click to view a larger photo) :



This is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in berry. Check out all the wee tiny socks at the Wee Tiny Sock Swap Flickr group!

Free coffee!

Tomorrow, March 15th, from 10 a.m. to noon Starbucks is giving away free 12 ounce drip coffees.

Fetch...THE COMFY CHAIR!

Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age. -Booth Tarkington

And many happy moments are made while rocking one's daughter. For the past two years (yes, F turned two last Saturday), I have been rocking my daughter in this chair, picked up at a garage sale for $20.
I have been cushioning it with a bed pillow and a throw pillow (for the back and seat, respectively) and while it hasn't been the most comfortable, at least we didn't have to take out a loan to buy a nice new glider (have you seen the price for a good Dutalier?).

On F's birthday, my dear friend and excellent seamstress Holly surprised me with this:

The fabric is gorgeous.
I haven't quite gotten used to it yet; I still find myself craning my head forward in order to avoid resting my head on the wooden frame. I love sitting in my glider so much now that this morning I had my coffee and knitted in F's bedroom while she played. Thank you so much, Holly!

Works-in-progress Wednesday

Let's just pretend that I didn't miss Wednesday, shall we?

The only thing I've worked on over the last few weeks is the second Midnight sock. Honestly, I'm surprised that I've been able to knit as much as I have lately (which isn't a lot, but still, I'm dealing with a newborn and a toddler here). All done with the heel flap and ready to turn the heel:


I love the way these socks are turning out and I'm sure that I will love wearing them (which is good, because I just discovered that two pairs of my store-boughten socks have holes in them and need to be thrown out). The pattern is the Lichen Ribbed Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks. It has a Welsh heel which has been very interesting to work, but I'm not sure how well it will wear; it seems thin somehow. Perhaps that's because the seam stitch is continued all the way through the heel.

I had grand plans to knit socks for sister M, who is here visiting this week. I finally decided to scrap the kid mohair socks and start over, so I ordered some Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport. I got fifteen stitches cast on the other night while I was waiting for a prescription (they were very, very quick) and that's as far as I've gotten. She is leaving tomorrow night. Sorry, M. The poor girl even lives in Chicago, where she needs wool socks right now.

For those of you who use a smaller size needle on just the bottom of the foot to lengthen the life of the sock, when do you switch needles? When you start the heel flap? I've been thinking about trying that.

The Wee Tiny Sock Swap!

Emily is hosting a Wee Tiny Sock Swap! Go sign up!

I got legs!

The lovely Becky of Leggy Creations sent me a wonderful pair of sock blockers! For those of my friends and relatives who don't knit, after you wash your socks you put them onto these things like this:


It sort of "molds" them into a nice socky shape so that they come out looking all beautiful and sock-like instead of a crumpled-up wad of yarn.
I love them and I use them all the time. Thank you so much, Becky!

And the winner is...

Congratulations, Sue! E-mail me (MitoRocks at juno dot com) your address and I will get it in the mail. (And I was wrong. Four people read my blog.)

Free yarn!

So to celebrate my return to blogging (at least I'm optimistic - S has started sleeping for slightly longer stretches and we are settling into some semblance of a routine), I decided to give away some sock yarn. (My husband doesn't believe that I will actually get rid of yarn.) From my stash I have chosen a skein of Steinbach Wolle Aktiv Color. I haven't actually knit with this yarn, but in the skein it feels similar to Opal to me. It is color #6, variegated shades of denim blue. It's just a touch darker than the photo.

So you want it? Just leave me a comment by Friday night and I'll draw a name. You'll have a good chance, seeing that about three people read my blog... :-)

My first post in two months!

Every 10-year-old's dream toy.

I'm panicking!!!

Yesterday my day was brightened by the fact that I got a package in the mail from Emily; look, she even wrapped it!

She was right about this being one of the most insanely complex games ever. We haven't had a chance to play it yet - what with the new baby and all - but I read through part of the rules and started getting Very Confused so I decided to give my brain a break. Though I won't rule out sleep deprivation as a possible cause of the confusion.

Thank you so much, Emily, we love board games and I can't wait to play this!