Where do you find the time?

Child Development Discussion Group

2009-10-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

Right before school started I sent out an e-mail with a proposal (see end of post).

Fast forward to last Monday:
For a bit, it looked like I might have four or five people attending, but life and continuing education and spouse's work got in the way. Nevertheless, we stayed with the proposed date, and are eager to continue. We kicked off the book club with a small but earnest group--Kindergarten parent Erica Herman, 1st grade parent Andrew Draper, and Maria and Ian McGrath. It was an entertaining discussion, drawing not only from NurtureShock and recent buzz about "free-range kids," but from old chestnuts such as How to Talk So Kids Will Listen, discipline-based tomes like 1-2-3- Magic, and somewhat more obscure (to me) books such as Other People's Children.
We wondered whether PS 9 might be able to incorporate anything from the successful Tools of the Mind program that Bronson and Merryman talk about, and floated several choices for the next discussion. We would like to meet again, with a few more people, and we could either continue to discuss NurtureShock, or tackle a new book such as Carl Honore's Under Pressure or Rafe Esquith's new book, Lighting Their Fires.

Subject: New research on praise and lying - reading group?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112292248&sc=emaf
Hi all,
Above is a link to an interview with Po Bronson, who wrote an article in
New York magazine a few years ago about why certain praise can be
detrimental to kids, especially in an academic setting. Now, since I've
become a parent, one of my favorite genres to read has been child
development, from How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids
Will Talk
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/How-to-Talk-So-Kids-Will-Listen-and-
Listen-So-Kids-Will-Talk/Adele-Faber/e/9780380811960/?itm=1
to Einstein Never Used Flashcards,
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Einstein-Never-Used-Flash-Cards/
Roberta-Michnick-Golinkoff/e/9781567319149/?itm=1&usri=1
to Nation of Wimps,
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/A-Nation-of-Wimps/Hara-Estroff-
Marano/e/9780767924030/?itm=2&usri=1
Packaging Girlhood,
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Packaging-Girlhood/Sharon-Lamb/e/
9780312370053/?itm=1&usri=1
The Trouble with Boys,
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Trouble-with-Boys/Peg-Tyre/e/
9780307381286/?itm=1&usri=1
and even The Narcissism Epidemic.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Narcissism-Epidemic/Jean-M-
Twenge/e/9781416575986/?itm=1&usri=1
I know I tend to try to pass on vignettes from these books, sometimes,
but what I'd really love is to hear others' opinions, too.

Anyway, just in case any of you all are as fascinated with this area as
I am, I wanted to offer to host a monthly (?) discussion of some
of the new literature, at my house, if there's any interest.
Tentatively, since September is so crazy, I'd say let's meet Monday
evening, October 19, to discuss Nurtureshock.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?
WRD=nurtureshock+new+thinking+about+children&box=nurtu&pos=0

Consideration

2009-05-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a jam-packed Memorial Day weekend, and we even managed to see a parade. Somehow we got the whole clan out our door by 7:15, and on the 8:11 to Maplewood (kids ride free). We got to see Coco's best friend march by with her Brownie troop, then missed the duck races in favor of hanging out in and around their house. I can kind of see the logic in Ian's argument for a back yard, but I'm not ready to give up apartment living and the wonderful things we're close to just yet. (And when I do, we'll still stay in Brooklyn, somehow.)
On the train back, which was a fairly empty double decker, the five of us were hoping we could get the seats in the two-facing-two configuration, but both of those seats were taken up by relatively young women with their big bags and their feet up on the other seats, chatting away on cell phones. They looked at the five of us blankly, then continued to talk to their (absent) friends. Ian sat next to Coco, and I sat next to Washington in front of them, and each of us gave the speech that apparently the other passengers never got from their parents. To wit: If you are traveling alone, leave the group seats for groups of people. Now, on the subway back into Brooklyn, several people got up to make room so that my tired four-year-old boy and I (who had the baby in a sling) could sit down. While I was expecting, and when I wear the baby now, I am offered a seat on the subway or bus at least 95% of the time, usually without my even looking at the people sitting. Often, Maria Louise is calmer if I stand, or we're only going one stop, and I have to insist to people that I don't need them to get up. Now, it's tempting to make this into a suburbs vs. city thing, but I've seen thoughtless behavior on the subway too, though not nearly as often.
As one of my favorite podcasters, the Modern Manners Guy, says, manners means not assuming that you are more important than other people. I want my kids to grow up with excellent manners, especially on public transit, and I hope they will.

Joy

2009-02-09T08:10:00.001-08:00

Last Monday night was on of the true high points of my life as a knitter and a parent:
Coco finally decided to try knitting this summer, starting with the kitchner stitch. (Her contrarian nature is such that if it is supposed to be easy and she can't get it right away, she refuses to keep trying, but if I tell her it's complicated and hard for some, she's got to try it.) She wanted to make something for her baby sister of course, so I decided on the Mason-Dixon mitred square dishcloth, which I love because it turns out to be a square, but it's not boring. She managed the first three quarters of the square, with me casting on and picking up stitches for her, but we hadn't had time to sit down so I could show her the sl1, k2tog, psso double decrease, which I was afraid would frustrate her.
Anyway, on Monday evening, partly because the beastly cold means we can't go to the playground, she had finished all her homework before supper. Ian had a meeting, so after Washington went to bed, she went and got the knitting and said, "Show me the last part."
We sat together on the sofa, and of course she caught on to the double decrease in a flash; then, there we were in a quiet, cozy house, sitting side by side, each working on a project (I'm almost done with the first Bristow sleeve), and just chatting. Now, just being able to sit and knit is pretty blissful, but equally wonderful is a leisurely, agenda-free conversation with my oldest daughter, in which I wasn't trying to get her to hurry up or do something. (Actually, part of the time we were discussing Gail Carson Levine's book Fairest, which we had recently read together and which is quite a clever riff on the old Snow White fairy tale and extremely thought-provoking on the topic of what makes someone beautiful and what sacrifices beauty may or may not merit.) Finally, there was the added satisfaction of watching just what a skillful knitter my daughter has become. Admittedly, she still pulls things a bit tight, but she can really churn out the garter stitch rows, and is now even able to pick the stitches back up without panicking if they slide off the needle.
Because of the nature (and small size) of the last square, it was finished just in time, and of course big sister was dying to give it to little sister right away, but the baby was asleep, another factor contributing to our undisturbed knitting time. However, just before Coco went to bed, Marly did wake up, all smiles as usual, and when Coco handed her the little washrag, her face lit up even more and she shook it all around and gripped it with both hands and babbled about it, so that the three of us girls were generally bursting with happiness and love for each other.

So anyway, that's my little pearldrop of a moment to carry around and think about when the big girl won't get out of bed on time or won't take a lunch to school or when the little girl is feverish and so clingy that I can't knit or even when I myself have done something disappointing like lost my temper with Washington or failed to add a leafy green component to supper yet again. It's my talisman and my reminder of how rewarding this parenting business can really be, and I'm so thankful.

Paradise Postponed

2009-01-13T07:33:00.000-08:00

I picked this gem off a free shelf way back when I worked at Penguin Putnam (so long ago that they've changed the name of the company). I knew I liked John Mortimer, because of his Rumpole series: not just the characters, but the scenarios he came up with and especially the surprise plot twists. I have to say, though, that every time I tried to pick up this book I was put off by the cover. Something about it, combined with the title, made me think the book was a sequel and that I would suffer from not having met the characters before. Turns out it's number one in the Rapstone Chronicles series, and this edition was a tie-in to the Masterpiece Theatre production, which explains the cover and the fact that it was on the free shelf. I just may have to track down the rest of the series.
The main action is in the mid-eighties, but there are plenty of flashbacks to the fifties and before. I enjoyed the book in spite of the overbearing sense of sadness and disappointment. Several of the characters have lives absolutely unredeemed by happiness, though others certainly enjoy poetic justice. The beauty of the countryside, however, doesn't quite alleviate the grimness, though the book ends on a somewhat hopeful note. I always feel a bit shallow when I proclaim my preference for cheerful books, but if I'm going to invest my time, why should I be made miserable. In this book, though the characters are almost all sad and trapped by their decisions and circumstances, on ecan feel removed enough to appreciate the twists of fate that affect them. I will continue to seek out Mortimer's work, Rumple and otherwise, from time to time, but I think I'll look for an Alexander McCall Smith Botswana book next to bring a spot of warmth and brightness to this dreary winter.

Why I stopped blogging (and why I'm going to try to start again)

2009-01-13T07:21:00.000-08:00

1. I couldn't do it well.
In the blogs I like, (e.g. Gofugyourself) there are links to old posts, archives, etc. I couldn't figure out how to do that, although I do appreciate the insert link button. When I googled myself, for whatever reason, I couldn't even see my blog. It's hard to upload pictures, too, because once they're up, I can't see them, and sometimes they get out of order.
2. 0 comments.
I started thinking of the blog as a way to let people validate me. my crafts, or my writing. If I ever did get a comment I was thrilled, and somehow it didn't count unless it was right there, under the post. The last straw, though, was when what I thought was a comment was actually a sneaky weight-loss SPAM. I felt taken in for believing someone I didn't know would comment and frustrated that I didn't see a good way to report it.
3. The time.
Life is somewhat busy with the 3 little ones, and I've composed quite a few blog posts in my head that never made it onto the site.
My new, somewhat belated resolution for 2009, is to blog to please myself, not worry about how many photos or links are in each post, but just kind of keep track of what I and the family are up to. I certainly have enough thoughts and musings running around my head trying to get out.
Happy New Year!

Halloween hat

2008-10-19T16:59:00.001-07:00

My favorite thing to do with leftover bits of yarn is a top-down baby hat:
CO 3 sts, work three or four rows of I-cord, inc every st, and then increase on the sixes every other round ([knit x stitches, increase] 6 times) This is especially easy if you're working with 4 dpns, because it's so easy to keep track of the incs--once in the middle and once on the end of each needle.
It's easy to weave in ends as you go, make patterns, etc, but, because I'm doing it to avoid having to make a gauge swatch, it almost always turns out an inch or so loose. Now this one, I ran out of white, put on black trim, duplicate-stitched a cat pattern from Knitting Over the Edge, and then decided it really was a little too wide and short. Solution? Crocheted ear-flaps.

Some loose ends

2008-09-19T10:54:00.001-07:00

Going through the Ottoman, otherwise known as my knitting project storage area, I came across the dreaded Easter egg sweater, and tried it on Marly. Success! But the real reason I went in there was to put an end once and for all to the torturous bathmat project. Turns out I couldn't bring myself to unravel it, so I just bound it off, and now we have a lion's mane/green wig/boa for dress-up.

Another old project I dragged out was the bonnet to go with this lovely christening gown made by a friend of my mom's. Somehow the matching bonnet was lost after Conway's baptism, so when Washington was baptized four years ago, I managed to crochet some approximation. The stitches at the front of the head match, but the back of the head is a little bit fudged, with the original stitches taken in. I'm set to give bonnets another try very soon, though, because I want to make Marly the kind of ruffled headwarmer that all our French friends use for their babies. I've searched around for a pattern but have not yet been satisfied. I may end up trying to fabricate one, and we'll see how that goes.

Thanks, Hoolooboo

2008-05-18T19:00:00.001-07:00

I had no idea how much I needed this until it showed up in my inbox. Last summer, I signed up for the mystery stole, but only got as far as clue no. 2. I had big lace knitting aspirations, but I never ordered the beads, and I was also just finding out for myself how lace and variegated yarns don't actually like eah other that mcuh, but I stayed in the Pink Lemon Yahoo Group, and am so glad I did.

Though I got some good knitting time during my abbreviated hospital stay, sporadic doesn't begin to describe my knitting opportunities since no. 3 has arrived, so I was a bit surprised to find I had finished the first of the green socks I'm making Ian. They're from the Vintage Socks book, but I totally modified the pattern for a gauge of 7 st/in instead of 8, and since I've been working on them on and off for a month, I've just about forgotten all the details of the leg and even the heel. This afternoon I diverted myself by counting stitches and making notes, so now, thanks to the genius and generosity of Melanie, there's a chance sock 2 will match sock 1.

Blogworthy

2008-04-28T19:11:00.001-07:00

Remember the Eater Egg sweater? I used some more unravelings from the original messed-up fair isle to crochet a little brimmed hat, modeled here by my lovely five-day-old daughter, Maria Louise McGrath. Though the pregnancy went fairly smoothly, and the delivery amazingly so, I have been a little preoccupied. Maria Louise was born (officially) 4 days early, though we were expecting her any time after the tenth or so. We just kept having time to check things off, like going to see Candide at Lincoln Center (April 12), seeing friends, giving a presentation on Germany for Coco's class, then going to the German feast. But the real tie-up-loose-ends day was Tuesday, when we mailed off the two gifts shown below, plus a Get Well card for Great Grandma and a Happy 70th Birthday card to my mom, then went to the Food Coop to do our shopping for the week. At supper that night (the second day of Spring Break from school, when I asked the kids what we should do the next day--zoo, botanic garden, library--Coco piped up extremely insistently "HAVE THE BABY!" Turns out she knew what she was talking about.

EZ baby sweater for Lily in Alabama

Ann Norling fruit hat for Georgia in Texas

Back in Control

2008-02-27T16:50:00.000-08:00

Originally, I was composing a post in my head about how I was so busy knitting I was ignoring (somewhat) important things like counting and keeping track of rows, but my actions last night and today have left me much more composed. Exhibit A: Ian's cardigan. The sleeve is largely back on track and going well, though I was struggling with the short circular needle. It turns out 12 inches or less for a cable is hard for me, especially when it come to P2tog. Anyway, having picked up plenty of stitches at the armhole and waited at least 20 rows before starting the decrease, the plan was to decrease every five rows. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't holding my train of thought for five rows, and, though I can usually identify a decrease in plain stockinette, I have a little trouble with seed stitch. Solution: I switched to five circular needle, much more comfortable anyway, and, the silver one is the decrease one, that is, when it gets to the start of the row, it's time to decrease, then it works its way around, coming back every fifth row.

Fast project B: Coco's Easter sweater. I'm very loosely adapting a pattern from The Complete Knitter's Guide, with a totally different gauge, but the same basic shape and ruffled bottom (not fun). I did swatch, to figure out which lace I liked, but after thinking about starting top-down, I decide to go bottom up and work straight until the armholes. I must have cap sleeves, because I think drop-shoulder would be sloppy, but I haven't done any calculations yet. What I have done, which makes me feel much better, is write down in my notebook all I've done so far, along with some of Coco's measurements, and plotted the neckline. So I can work for a while longer before I have to do any more math.

Can't . . . Stop . . . Knitting

2008-02-17T19:54:00.001-08:00

Though you wouldn't know it from checking here, the past month has been extremely productive. One sock for me, two pairs of baby booties, including:

a baby hat plus a hat intended for a baby that I put on hold when I realized the circumference was 18.5", which is generous for an average adult. Of course, I started from the top down and had no measuring tape along, but it will either go to Washington or to Afghans for Afghans. In the meantime, baby William should have a warm head thanks to this:

My crowning achievement, though, was having a Valentines Day surprise for Ian, and having it be a good surprise. Ever since I made Ian a sweater with Wool-Ease Thick and Quick on size 13 needles on the sly, my daughter has been a little obsessed with the element of surprise. Now, Ian knows I'm making him the Aran cardigan from Opinionated Knitter. We picked the yarn together, he's tried it on at various stages, I've worked (and not worked) on it in front of him. He and I also know that he needs it for summer, when the office air conditioner is turned down to ridiculously low temperatures, so it's not my top knitting priority. On the other hand, finishing the body and preparing the steeks, lent it a certain air of excitement and urgency, so all of a sudden the kids and I thought maybe it could be finished as a surprise for Valentines Day. Now, Elizabeth Zimmerman's instructions are to make the sleeves from the cuff up, in the round, then sew them into the cut armhole steeks. I figured, Why bother, when I can pick up the stitches around the armhole steek and knit the sleeves down--less sewing! Unfortunately, when I read about picking up stitches for the neck and button band, I only registered on the 2 sts every 3 rows rule, not the fact that the button band is garter stitch, so, when I picked up for the armholes, I used the same 2:3 ratio instead of the usual 3:4 ratio on should use when picking up along the side. Well, the button band looked fantastic, and sleeve 1 was going pretty quickly, and I kept trying the sweater on, but Ian was out of the loop. We are pretty much the same size, except, being male, and in pretty good shape, his arms are a little more muscular and hence bulkier. Roughly two weeks before Valentine's, though, I lost my nerve, thinking what heartbreak would ensue if I gave him a finished sweater with binding arms. I had him try the thing on, and, of course, the arms were a bit too tight (because of the ratio).

The project was abandoned again until Washington could find time to unravel the whole sleeve, and Ian was assured of no surprise knitting gift . . . or so he thought. Very surreptitiously, hiding behind pillows and in bedside drawers, lurked a pair of black socks, his first ever handmade.

I hope you all had wonderful Valentines Days too.

Baking break

2008-01-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

I'm actually getting a surprising amount of knitting done in the new year, and will steek Ian's cardigan very soon, but I've also been spending a lot of time in the kitchen lately. My big girl's seventh birthday was Friday the 4th, and since her teacher is a World Wildlife Fund devotee, we decided to make an endangered animal cake.

I've been moving away from boxed and packaged anything, but up until now I've baked her cakes from a box so that I could spend more time decorating. This year, I made the devil's food cake and buttercream icing from scratch, and was pretty pleased with how they turned out.
After the birthday weekend passed (capped on Sunday with a matinee of Princess Ida by NYGASP, which was fantastic), I finally took the plunge with the Tassajara Bread Book that I've been perusing since early December. On Monday I made white bread (since that was the flour on hand). The book has some really wonderful illustrations and is very reassuring for novice breadmakers. Combine that with its philosophical bent, and it's the closest thing I've seen to a knitting book about making bread.

Then, Friday, while thunderstorms raged outside, I made the whole wheat version.

Compared to storebought:

Not too shabby.
This morning I made their whole wheat pancakes, which were nice, and I may just make some coffee cake tomorrow, or the fancy apple popover.

The Twelfth Day of Christmas

2008-01-05T19:58:00.001-08:00

Well, tomorrow we'll take the decorations down from our tree and get it out of the house and onto the curbside (I'm anticipating a lot of lamentation, especially from our three-year-old, who's already tried several times to resurrect the dead front-door wreath, i.e., pull it out of its plastic bag and put it back up), so I'm guessing this is the last possible day I can post photos of the Christmas stocking I made for Coco this year. As you can see, she loves it,

and it does have a certain quirky charm, but I've made myself a promise that I won't buy Red Heart Super-Saver 100% acrylic ever again, not even for a craft project that no one will wear, and no matter how much of it I can get for a ridiculously low price. It's finally sunk in that I should respect my craft enough to use quality (though not necessarily expensive) yarn, and that the more natural fibers, the nicer it feels. Anyway, this was my first experiment with the Magic Loop method, after hearing Kelly Petkun gushing about it on the Knitpicks podcast, and I'm somewhat of a convert,

(just finished this left-hand covering, which is a stop-gap until I make gloves I like, and which my friend Linda called "the devil's own glove") though not absolutely, totally convinced, and definitely not for two socks at once, unless I could figure a way to incorporate double-knitting also.
But, back to the stocking, which is a pretty good match for Washington's, except much hairier, since she's such a fun-fur fan, and with hearts and roses instead of a stag. Not too bad.

Newsboy cap

2008-01-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how fast size 10 1/2 needles can get a job done. Not only was I able to make a sort-of knockoff of Sugar on snow ( I didn't remember the cables, so it was just a basic rib, with the I-cord tie, probably will do best as a neckwarmer) with one ball of Wool of the Andes bulky, but in just about no time I did this cabled newsboy cap from Stitch 'n' Bitch Nation. I decided that instead of just giving Coco's schoolteacher a present, I really owed some presents to her ballet teachers, who are amazingly patient and potential role models, since Coco still sincerely believes her future career is as a dancer. Her current teacher has said some charming things about Coco's silliness being a vital aspect of her personality and not disruptive to the class, and since she is hip and young the kids and I decided she might like this.

Her former teacher, who runs the studio, has known Coco since she was two and cried the first day she came to the studio in a school uniform. She also took time out of the backstage organization of last year's huge recital to help me when I left all six of our tickets at home (several subway stops away). Anyway, her favorite color is blue, and though I didn't get them done in time for the holidays, I will be able to give them to her when Coco goes back to dance tomorrow.

Deceptively productive

2007-12-12T18:47:00.000-08:00

I've been very bad about keeping up with the blog, what with two trips out of state and the sneaking suspicion that no one reads it (poor me), but I've finished, and I mean really finished--ends sewn in, buttons, and in one case, bells--a few projects. The booties should get to their recipient before Christmas (they are in the mail), and the composed mitts (from Interweave), are ready to be wrapped for their recipient. My first Knitting from the Top Down sweater was also a huge success. Photos soon.

Happy Accidents

2007-11-14T19:59:00.000-08:00

Although gracious and flexible are not the first two adjectives that come to mind when I think of my daughter, perhaps they should be. Faced with the problem below (nearly finished gloves, but no more yarn), her response waas, "You can just make the fingers a different color." I think they turned out rather well, as does she, and Washington was absolutely thrilled to help me unravel all those purple fingers.

Another small project that came surprisingly off the top of my head was this dishtowel, which Ian pointed out looks like an eye. Started with no plan, just straight increases on the outside, I decided I'd like a YO diamond in the middle, and that this called for a bobble in the exact center. Interestingly, though the KFB at the ends and the YOs closer to the middle increase the same nember of stitches, they don't add the ame amount of width. Live and learn and produce inadvertent art.

Plugging away, with a few diversions

2007-10-23T06:20:00.000-07:00

The biggest diversion was a rush proofreading job that took all my attention last week--12 hours of work in a seven-day period. Not impossible, but distracting and rather stressful. On the upside, it was the second half of Montel Williams's new book, Living Well, and I ended up enjoying it and agreeing with quite a bit of what he said, especially regarding ridiculous portion sizes, marketing of junk food to kids, and keeping one's home environment safe and healthy. I did keep carrying the cardigan, and am more than halfway through ball 6. I finally felt I had enough to make Ian try it on, and I'm pretty sure that after one more diamond, I can start the armhole steeks and V-neck shaping!

The day Ian dropped off my job, I had the irresistible urge to start (and complete) a very small project, so I crocheted this small orange ball. It was going to have a Jack-o-Lantern face, but Washington was too eager to play with it.

Finally, I've got about 5 inches of the never-ending bathmat done, and the good news is that it feels very nice if you rub your bare feet on it.

Deadlines can be a good thing

2007-10-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

Not only did I finish the mittens (and show them around to most of the people I saw Sunday, somehow neglecting to take the finished item photo though I had several willing models) by Friday night, but, realizing that I had until Tuesday because mail doesn't go out on Columbus Day, I managed to finish a pair of socks in three days. It would have been a little bit better if I had realized how little green I had and put some gray in the first sock also, but here they are on and off, showing that they mostly look like a matching pair. I ended up mixing two sock patterns from Knitting for Peace together to come up with a somewhat unique design. I really wanted to turn the heel rather then doing the usual toe-up short-row heel, and I'm pretty pleased with how they came out.

Riding the wave of euphoria that comes with finishing two projects (however small) in such a short time, I decided to start the project that may take the rest of my adult life, the Loopy Landing bathmat from Not Your Mama's Knitting. Straight knitting on the WS, but on the RS one has to make a loop 84 times. I'm just now finished with row 6, and it's not no-look knitting either.

Interestingly, when Ian saw me starting, he didn't say, "Hooray for you for using up that big cone of green wool." First he said, "A bathmat? What about the other tablemats?", then he really got to the point: "What about my cardigan?" So, even though I'm more than halfway done with ball four and it's getting quite bulky, his cardigan is back to being my take-everywhere project. For now. Here's a belated link to Grumperina's cabling without a needle tutorial, which has made this cardigan that much easier and faster.

Belated

2007-10-06T05:52:00.000-07:00

Been very sidetracked lately. Had some white sandwich bread turn out gratifyingly well.

Made another small dishcloth and finished the first tablemat (will I have the fortitude to make three more? If I don't we'll be stuck with our ocean life, jungle life, and animal alphabet ones).

Ian's cardigan is shaping up, but is getting almost too large to be carried around. Decided to do a horizontal rib in the third diamond, but what's really helped speed it up is that every fourth row I'm cabling WITHOUT a cable needle. I'd been wanting to do this for a while, and finally found Grumperina's tutorial. Perfect!

But most of all, Afghans4Afghans sent out a particularly urgent call, with the very practical "A pair of socks or mittens -- can be completed in a couple days or over the weekend." Since I haven't made any mittens since last year, I pulled out my worsted wool stash and whipped these up (starting at knitting circle Thursday morning). If I mail them on Monday, they should get there by October 12, and I may be able to add a plain pair, too. I've gotten out my copy of Knitting for Peace to see if there are any relevant patterns (the mittens below were straight out of my head).

Applesauce

2007-09-24T03:47:00.001-07:00

All kids like it, right? Well, just as with macaroni and cheese, my kids didn't, though they'll happily eat sushi, tilapia, tofu stir fry, or dirty rice. The good news is that I've managed to convert Washington, at least into enjoying homemade applesauce.

We had a wonderful time apple-picking, and, though a certain little boy was more interested in eating than picking, we came home with plenty of apples. Coco was able to take in 23 for snack to her first grade calss, and when she sorted through, she found a few with bruises. So, on Tuesday, instead of knitting, I peeled and chopped and stirred until I had some delicious applesauce. I've even been able to make one of my favorite breakfasts, shredded wheat with applesauce and milk poured over it (though I can't get anyone else to try that).

This sweater seems to be going amazingly fast, to me. I brought three balls of yarn (including the one I'd cast on with), and I'd practically finished the first by the time we got to Connecticut. I finished the second at knitting circle Thursday, and now the third is getting skinny. To be able to go around and around, always looking at the right side and knowing exactly what comes next--my kind of sweater. The only problem is that now I'm convinced I must have Knitting from the Top to move along my knitting growth. It was the Knitty interview with Cat Bordhi that convinced me. I also really appreciated her talking about her ten-year (!) knitting slump.

Finally, the first tablemat is so close to done, yet I have not been motivated to finishe the last TWO rows. I guess I really need another movie to watch.

Lazy

2007-09-13T18:39:00.000-07:00

Did I say this would be done in a week? I think I also mentioned, however, my reluctance to weave in ends. On the inside, there are still eight or so threads that need to be put in their place.

It's a miracle that I managed to get out my pom-pom maker to top this hat. Honestly, I actually needed the motivation of meeting the recipient, one Baby Sylvester, and seeing just how cute he is. He'll receive the hat tomorrow, in plenty of time for the nippy fall weather that the last rain brought in.
Truth be told, ever since I finished the book club book, (Like) Water for Elephants, and a very good read it was, too, I've been a little more into reading than knitting. Also finished in September: the Miss Marple classic A Caribbean Mystery, and a couple of very different nonfiction books that both deal with the adolescent struggles of minority girls in America. Once Upon a Quincenera, by Julia Alvarez, had a very sociological bent, with a side of woman's empowerment and a lot of self-reflection. Happy Birthday or Whatever dealt with Annie Choi's travails growing up as the youngest child of Korean immigrants. It is intensely personal and, in places, uproariously funny. I can identify with many of the experiences she describes, but the vignette that really made me think described how her mother decided to deal with Annie's out-of-control stuffed animal collection. What parent doesn't struggle with this? And, while I will probably never tell my daughter outright "You crazy. They no live," I do wish there were some way to thin their numbers. The final book I've just put down was a thin but fairly satisfying John Mortimer, Rumpole and the Reign of Terror.
Tomorrow we're heading to Connecticut to see the grandparents and to harvest apples, which should be fantastic, and my brilliant father-in-law pointed out that since there are so many of us, it might make sense to rent a van. So tomorrow, as Ian pilots us to his childhood home and the kids sing along to Dan Zanes, I will be in the passenger seat knitting away on Ian's long-awaited cardigan, which I just started today.

Wrong on all counts

2007-09-01T17:56:00.000-07:00

I flew down to Houston sure that I would have little or no knitting time and that my nephews would have no interest in my knitting. In fact, when we took our short hiatus to Austin, I only brought the gauge-swatch hat, the Easter egg sweater, and some odd balls. Turns out I grossly underestimated drive time and also failed to take into account the enormous, netted trampoline, which occupied vast swaths of kids' time, while I could sit quietly on the gliding porch swing watching. I actually ran out of projects and had to come up with another:

It's a tiny baby raglan from odds and ends of merino style that I happened to have, but I'm thinking I can duplicate stitch or crochet some fish under the water (blue part) and a sailboat on top (white portion). Of course, I'll have to order more yarn for the sleeves and find a really tiny, nautical-minded baby, but it's also perhaps a pattern I could (enlarge and) use again.

The gauge-swatch hat turned out very nicely, also sized for a tiny baby, but after my two-year-old nephew was kind enough to try it on, he became fascinated by it and wanted to put it on again and again. I promised him one more his size for Christmas, but when I took out the measuring tape to check his head circumference he became enchanted with that and carried it around for the rest of the day (to be fair, it is shaped like a dinosaur).
Meanwhile, as my two-year-old nephew was angling for hat and supplies, my six-year-old nephew took some time off from jumping to come sit with me and gently hold the ball of yarn I had just finished with. What is Sam doing in this photo?

Knitting a hat for Batman.

Of course, when I say I've finished the Easter egg sweater that really means it's off the needles. Boy do I have a lot of weaving in to do. Somehow, all my tapestry needles were conveniently forgotten. But that did enable me to start one more project:

It's another baby sweater from the Knitter's Almanac, but this time in merino, so I don't have to feel as if I'm betraying EZ's trust. The color is called cornflower, but is much more lavender in person, and I seem to have internalized the simple lace pattern.
As for the V-neck, we've had a beautiful reunion, both armholes are done, and the neck is halfway to completion. A few ends to sew-in, and I think it will be waiting for the next 65-degree day.

Torn apart

2007-08-21T20:20:00.001-07:00

Once again this summer, I'm leaving home and taking the kids south, this time to Houston. Apart from Ian, who doesn't have unlimited vacation time and thus can't accompany us, the thing I'll miss most will once again be the deep V-neck sweater.
Actually, it's just as well I'm not bringing the huge merino creation down to Texas, because I've managed to somehow just fall short of the yarn requirement. Happily, I had enough Hollyberry to finish knitting the body, bind the armholes together, and do one sleeve,
but I'll need another ball for the neckband for sure.
But, as you can see from the last photo, I have finally cut steeks,

and although it was a little nerve-wracking, it was mostly fun,
and the feeling when it's cut and doesn't unravel? Deep contentment. So, once I return, I should make short work of the other armhole and neckband (just 7 rows of ribbing each) and have a lovely fall vest.

Since I've finally proved to myself that steeking works, it's time to start Ian's Aran cardigan, and I'm following EZ's advice and making a gauge-swatch hat. I just started tonight, and I am in love with the yarn, Firecracker Heather, because it's mostly a deep orangey red, but every so often some blue or gold will pop out. The diamond and fishbone patterns are shaping up, too.
So, that will come with me, along with my long-lost autumn sock, and the two lace shawls, and possibly the table mat. Or maybe I'll finally finish the Easter egg sweater. That would be nice to have off the needles. But don't be surprised if I come home from Texas needing to rip out twelve rows of lace and with nothing else to show for myself, because the real purpose of the trip is quality time with the eight-and-unders and that requires a lot of running around, especially since my nephews aren't trained to let me knit and read them a story at the same time and are unfamiliar with the "hang on, just let me finish this row" which comes to the childern of knitters so early.

Progress report

2007-08-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

The start of August was a little hectic for me, what with two assignments due, and various other commitments. Though, if one has to read a book word by word twice, Emma by Jane Austen is a pretty good choice. Speaking of lace shawls (there are quite a few mentions of knitting in the book, though it's mostly done by doddering old Mrs. Bates), I have proved and reproved over the summer months that lace knitting cannot mix with drinking alcoholic beverages, watching children, or even conversing with friends. It seems to be best done while your life's companion is watching sports and the kids are safely asleep, or while said companion is reading, silently or out loud. This is also meant to explain why I'm still stuck on clue 2 of the Mystery Stole. As for the non-lace stuff, the armhole steeks of the deep-v vest are fast approaching, and I expect it to fly after that. I love to lay it on the table to observe the hourglass shape already emerging, but the last time I did that, a certain young boy did his best to pull the circular needle out. My favorite way to work on the vest is while listening to the Knitpicks podcast, a wonderful feature that makes me feel much better about supporting them vs. my LYS. And I'm not the only one who likes to listen.

Coco: "Mommy, can we listen to your iPod?"
Me: "It's just a lady talking about knitting, I can't imagine you'd be interested."
Coco and Washington: "Pleeeease?"
Me: "Here."
Coco: "This is really cool. We like it."
Washington: "Yeah. We like it."
Coco: "This doesn't mean I'm interested in learning to knit, though."

Well, if I bide my time, I have a feeling she'll come around. She's back into the idea of karate, if we can only find a Saturday when she's not invited to a party or otherwise committed.
Speaking of karate, we bid a fond farewell to a brown belt student who's off to college, and I managed to assemble these flower face cloths:

In cotton, not chenille, since I have cotton coming out of my ears. and another thing I'm doing with one of the peaches and creme cones:

Here you see it lacking one sleeve, but it is now finished and was immensely satisfying. I modified a raglan funnel neck sweater from Debbie Bliss's Baby Style, then added a little seed stitch star that I got out of my Christmas stocking book. I love raglan decreasing and sewing up perfectly aligned mattress stitch seams, but I think top-down would have made it go even faster (6 fewer seams to sew).
I'll be back soon with pictures of armhole steeks and observations on finger pain.

Baking News

2007-07-31T03:46:00.000-07:00

We interrupt this knitting blog to wish a Happy 3rd Birthday to Washington and a Hap 37th Birthday to Ian.
Since we haven't yet installed our air conditioner (and when we do, it will only cool the master bedroom), we decided to try to have Washington's July 21 party outside. Now, when he was asked who he wanted at his party, his first answer was "My sister will be there" and, when pressed, he added that he wanted his big red plastic crawfish to attend. Nevertheless, since we hoped to catch up with friends and knew he'd be happy to see some other kids after a very low-key summer, we started telephoning some families. My biggest quandary, though, was how to get a homemade cake up the hill to Mount Prospect Park. I've made the kids' birthday cakes myself every year that we've been home to celebrate, and usually only have to carry them from the kitchen to the dining room. The solution: a cookie cake.

Since I couldn't find a round cookie sheet at Bed, Bath, & Beyond or our local equivalent, I got a round stone and spread (on wax paper) an entire batch of chocolate chip cookie dough on it in a circle. Brought it out, let it cool, and added a Toob of horses for decoration. I let Washington help with the placement, and quite a few more horses ended up in the "river" than I anticipated, but the kids liked it, and it tasted good.

For Ian, Washington got it into his head that Daddy should have a chocolate cake, which seemed to go well with the requested steak and potatoes birthday dinner, and, anyway, I was eager to try out the Devil's Food cake that Ruth Reichl describes making as a teenager in Tender at the Bone.
I have very vague memories of making a velet spice cake from the Joy of Cooking as a tween, but in general I make cakes with help from my friend Duncan Hines. I've always felt that there was too much at stake to risk a baking catastrophe, and though Joy doesn't usually steer me wrong, the intro to the cake baking section is incredibly intimidating. But Ruth Reichl, with her simple instructions and her confidence that anyone can cook as she does, gave me the confidence I needed. (I used her lamb recipe, her Brussels sprouts recipe, and even made her cheesecake all for our Easter dinner, and I make her spaghetti carbonara at least once a month, usually at Coco's request.)
The cake was a breeze, and the seven-minute icing was exactly as she described it, though if I had it to do over, I'd put a little more frosting between the layers. We had a brainwave to try to make it Ian's favorite color instead of plain white (he actually likes more of a hunter green, but we couldn't dump in the whole bottle of food coloring).

Everything went according to plan, until the decorating was almost done. I knew I didn't have much black icing left, so I started by writing "Daddy", then "Birthday." Full of confidence, I moved on to "Hap . . ." and couldn't go another letter.

We walked all the way to Flatbush in search of some more writing icing, but turned up empty, so we decided to make the best of it with some leftover orange.

Now, I know that icing that is squeezed out of an aerosol can cannot be natural or good for the environment or for those I am serving it to, but it is so much a part of my childhood memories, and so good, that I haven't been able to give it up. Now that the stores near me no longer carry it, though, I will look on this as an opportunity to find a healthier, or at least more natural, way to bake.

Things to make one feel better on a rainy day

2007-07-24T04:05:00.000-07:00

Imagine the boy on the sofa with the exact opposite look on his face. Now fill in the details: his sister is off visiting her grandparents in a different state, he is without a playmate, and the rain is pouring down (like in that movie about the kids who had colonized Venus). Now imagine that two of my knitting buddies come over to sit and knit and watch my Lucy Neatby video and bring two two-year-olds and two seven-year-olds. Believe me, we all felt much better. Add to that this very simple, very sunshine-y baby sweater (a Debbie Bliss raglan funnel-neck), and a major finishing breakthrough that I was able to facilitate, and things were really looking up.

Hostess presents

2007-07-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

We're back from our trip to Louisiana, so I can now reveal the ball-band dishcloth hostess presents I've been plugging away at since May. Done mostly in Peaches and Creme cotton (as recommended by Mason-Dixon), with a bit of Charlie Brown yellow and mitred-square rug red--truly a gift from our home to theirs.
The trip was wonderful, but more board-game playing than knitting occured. Coco is just at the age where that's becoming fun, especially a game with a very skimpy board but some other cool apparati called Catchphrase. Ian trounced me at Scrabble not once, but three times, but graciously let me keep trying until I won the last game. Only then did we discover that the letter Z had gone AWOL under the table all week. There were also a few table tennis matches, including one in which I discovered that holding a 37-pound child on your hip as you play is not as big an impediment as one would think. (Ian still won, preserving his undefeated record, and also went on to drive the Jet-Ski much more daringly than I.)
Anyway, a wonderful trip to visit wonderful people in a beautiful place, and as my godfather would say, we passed a good time.

So hard to say good-bye

2007-07-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

What will I miss the most on our week-long vacation? Well, I may not have access to the Internet, but that can be refreshing for a short time. I'll miss going to karate, and taking the train and bus everywhere. But, by far the hardest thing to leave is this V-neck vest. It has gotten sooo exciting. First of all, I've used a whole ball of white and seem to be nearing the end of my second ball of burgundy, and second of all, it seems as if, now that I've started the steek--that's right! See below--almost every other row has an increase or a decrease.

FO!*

2007-07-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

The no-look knit shell from Interweave (proper name: Lutea Lace) is done, and I couldn't be happier. The short rows and lace shoulders absolutely flew, and because I knit from a cone (Peaches and Creme), I only had about six ends to weave in. Today will be its first outing, as I will wear it on the flight to Louisiana to see my godmother. I'll be giving her some hand-knit hostess presents that I haven't shown, so as not to ruin the surprise.

*Finished object

OOPS!

2007-07-02T04:45:00.000-07:00

Finished the fourth (and I think, final) component of a hostess present on Friday afternoon, and was overjoyed to cast on for this baby hat. It was the idea of this hat that led to the extremely ill-considered and -executed denim hat, but now I had the pattern right in front of me, so what could go wrong? For starters: ran out of yarn before the end of the long-tail cast on. No problem, just a few stitches of cable cast on and no one need be the wiser. I'm ashamed to admit I do this sometimes, but 154 stitches is a lot. So I started on the garter stitch brim, still enjoying myself, and at row 3 came the first decreases. K9, K2tog around. Fun! I love decreasing! But when I got to the marker, I had four stitches leftover. Not a problem, I thought, I'll fudge this, too, with a couple of extra k2togs. Two more garter rounds, on fewer stitches, then another decrease row. As I'm purling around, I reconsider my pro-top down stance. Maybe I was wrong; fewer stitches after every decrease, ending with an elegant six stitches? Bottom-up hats are the bomb. But all of a sudden I get near the end of the second decrease row and I am short several stitches. Shocking! Well, I snapped this photo then had Coco help me rip it out, and I must say that none of this would have happened if I'd started with a nice small number of stitches.
Since then I have cast on again (cable all the way this time), and counting carefully, am about to finish the second decrease row (again). Good thing, too, since my other no-look knitting project is now in the yes, look stage.

The Big 33

2007-06-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

Around Saturday I decided it would be very appropriate if I happened to be on row 33 of the Eunny Jang vest pattern on my thirty-third birthday, so I got just to the middle of that row and set it down in favor of other projects. On Monday I had a very nice birthday indeed, including a very thoughtful gift from the family (see the next post), and a lovely dinner out at a local restaurant we used to enjoy often but had stopped frequenting. Not on purpose, just because it's so hard to go out with two kids, and when you've gone to the trouble of getting someone to watch the two kids, then you want to go someplace really special and/or new and/or expensive. Anyway, Nana was just as good as we remembered, the patio out back just as pleasant and relaxed, and the downstairs bathroom space just as exotic.
Since then, I've been working at the sweater quite a bit. The argyle pattern is as intuitive as she said, and I am just thrilled to think that I'm about to start the v-neck steek. I explained to Ian (I think not for the first time) that every stitch on this sweater brings me closer to his EZ cardigan, because I have to prove to myself that steeks work before I can commit myself to the beautiful Aran sweater.

Baby Easter-egg hat

2007-06-23T17:55:00.000-07:00

I've gotten a few compliments, and I love compliments, on this one, so here's my first honest-to-goodness attempt to write a full pattern:
Gauge is approximately 5.5 sts/inch on size 4 needles with Paton's cotton yarn, but I knit loose so others would probably do better with size 5s. Because this was a hat for a new baby, head circumference 14 inches or so, I was much more comfortable on 4 dpns (knit with a fifth) than on a circular needle until I got to the two ruffle rows and BO at the end.
Cast 4 sts onto a dpn and work an I-cord (keep sliding the sts over at the end, like a typewriter) for 4 rows.
K1, M1 (I use the backward loop cast on, as suggested by Elizabeth Zimmerman; it seems counterintuitive, but it does not actually leave a big hole) add new needle, K1, M1, add new needle, K1, M1, K1, M1 (4 incs, 8 sts total, 2 on first two needles, 4 on third needle)
Knit 1 row plain
(K1, M1) around (16 sts total)
Knit 1 row plain
(K2, M1) around (24 sts) Here would probably be a good time to add the fourth dpn so that each needle now has 6 sts.
Knit 1 row plain
(It is fairly easy to identify the M1 stitch from two rows earlier, and right after that is where the new M1 will happen. It is also very easy to recognize the M1 st on the needle, so that helps keep straight whether it is an inc row or a straight row.)
Continue to repeat these two rows (next will be K3, M1 around) until you get to K7, M1. After this row you will have 80 sts, and that is the total needed for the new baby hat. If you want a larger hat, keep increasing at the eight points.*
Keep knitting around until hat measures 4 inches from last increase (if you're making the hat for a larger size head, you probably need 5 or 6 inches). The easiest way to end a hat like this is a roll brim, which would involve about 8-10 more rows and the binding off, but if you would like a ruffle, get out a hat-sized circular needle, K1, place marker, KFB, [K1, KFB] around. You'll know you're done when you have 1 st before the marker.
Next row: K1, slip marker, KFB, [K1, KFB] around.
Next row: BO.
That's pretty much it. Add stripes and Fair Isle designs at your whim.
*This is pretty much how I make all my top-down hats, either starting with 4 sts, and then making 8 points of increase or starting with 3 sts and making 6 points of increase. I like the way the I-cord looks, and I guess I like increasing a tiny bit better than decreasing. I would say that there seems to be a more pronounced danger of making the hats too fat and droopy this way, and that it can be a slight pain if you're doing earflaps, but I just love the feeling of starting with such a small number of stitches and watching the knitted fabric grow.
I started doing hats top-down instead of bottom-up partly because I was so enchanted with dpns and partly because I believed that I wouldn't need to do a gauge swatch because I'd know how many sts I had to the inch before I needed to stop increasing. I'm not sure that's true. but I will probably continue to make hats this way.
Abbreviations, in order of appearance: sts=stitches; dpn=double-pointed needles; BO=bind off; K=knit; M1=make 1; inc=increase, KFB=knit into the front of the stitch but don't slode it off the needle; knit into the back and now slide it off (1 st inc)

No-look project

2007-06-20T20:23:00.001-07:00

One of the many things I enjoy about reading to the kids is the opportunity for guilt-free knitting. This is the best kind of multitasking, but it takes a special kind of project (at least for me). No lace, cabling, constant increasing. or colorwork, but straight knitting. I can do ribbing or back-and-forth, but the absolute best is stockinette in the round, row after row. Other things I'm loving about this particular project: (one of) my favorite color(s), size 7 needles, so it won't last forever, it's out of my favorite knitting magazine, and, when I'm finished, I'll have a lovely summer top.

Finished!

2007-06-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

I started this baby sweater as I was doing Coco's ballet sweater. I was so happy that the pink yarn gave me the exact gauge EZ specified in Knitter's Almanac that I forgot that I didn't love the way lace stitches looked with it. After I finished the garter stitch yoke and a few lace repeats, I did remember, and I also felt quite guilty to be using totally acrylic, artificial yarn on a pattern lovingly written for wool. So, I squirrelled it away and tried to forget about it, but the lace pattern was so soothing, and there were only the two sleeve seams to sew up, and it seems to be raining baby girls, so I pulled it out and finished it, and happened to have the exact right buttons on hand.
Now I can send it on to California.

"It tastes just like the bread we get in restaurants."--CGM

2007-06-13T20:43:00.001-07:00

You have new Picture Mail!
Originally uploaded by mariawmcgrath

I'm been off bread for a little while, mostly due to an incredibly disappointing Oatmeal Molasses Bread experience--my fault because I let it rise too long, but then I didn't even like the taste. Anyway, yesterday Coco was home sick, so once I knew we'd be in most of the day, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to use up the rest of the yeast and bread flour. Well, for whatever reason, the quick rises were not so quick, but after twice the time on the second rising, it looked pretty good. It flattened out a bit in the cooking (I again failed to accurately time the 10 minutes at 450), but it tastes quite nice, with a pleasant consistency, too. I was so tickled by Coco's comment, see photo, that I even let the kids spread Nutella on it.

Instant Stash

2007-06-10T12:34:00.001-07:00

How thrilled was I when I got my Knitpicks shipment? Let's just say that when I need to calm myself in hectic moments (of which there have been too many lately) I think about the cardigan I will make from this:
Or the v-neck argyle vest, which will be my first attempt at steeking, that I'll make with this:
Or Ian's proper cardigan, that won't hang like a blanket, from my Elizabeth Zimmerman book (The Opinionated Knitter), made out of this:
Or some sort of ribbony shirt for my mom out of this:
Or even a shawl for a dear friend out of this, which makes me think of one of my favorite Enya songs, "Caribbean Blue":

Best wishes to baby Francesca

2007-06-10T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Easter-egg-yarn baby hat again, modified this time with a little bit of a fair isle pattern, and a ruffle rather than a roll brim. Given to the baby's big sister on Friday, with hopes that the little one will be out of the hospital very soon. Her mom is a really dynamic parent at Coco's school--a vice president of the PTA, in the schoolyard just about every morning and afternoon.

Super Fudge

2007-06-03T03:35:00.000-07:00

I made these booties (from the Zoe Mellor book) three years ago, and when I heard about the arrival of our friends' new baby boy, I chose to make them again. I loved the idea of them and the picture in her book, and I loved making a narrow cable strip. I remembered struggling with the sewing up, but I figured that I had learned a lot about finishing in the last three years. Heck, I even spend my laundry-folding time watching Lucy Neatby videos. Anyway, making the strips was nice, especially in that bright, bright red. Picking up the stitches for the sole was a pain, even though I did some math beforehand to figure how to match 31 to 37. Then, for the uppers, I had the innovative (?) idea to knit the cuff in the round--I was just going to have to sew it up later, so it made sense.
Anyway, my plan is to never make these again. I think they'll look cute on the baby, but only because of the way baby feet are tiny and adorable and would look good with tiny cloth sacks on them. If I do ever make theses again, I will increase the one garter stitch that borders the cable on wither side to at least two. Maybe that's all they need. Or, maybe one day I'll take a finishing seminar and bring a pair. I do love my 50 baby bootees to knit, but I need a lot more specific instructions than "Ease upper shoe to fit round cable strip," and, although I'm quite happy with my mattress stitch, "use a flat seam . . . so that there is no ridge inside to rub against the skin" makes me feel both inadequate and guilty.

FIESTA

2007-05-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

It was extremely satisfying to start this Mason-Dixon washcloth at knitting circle Wednesday and present it to Coco on Friday night for her bath. I made some last summer as hostess presents before a trip, and they're just so much fun, with the bobbles, eyelets, and fast decreases. Also, the Peaches and Creme cotton yarn (color: Fiesta) is beautiful. Pictures don't do it justice, but I heartily agree with the Yarn Harlot's comments about being endlessly fascinated by watching how variegated yarns change colors.

Her majesty admired it for about three minutes, then looked up at me and said, "Is this really a dishcloth?"
"No."
"Do you think you could stop making washrags and make some placemats?"
Well, at least she knows what she wants.

Two good things

2007-05-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

After Friday's disappointments, I've had a small string of good luck. On Sunday, I finished the first sock of the pair I'm working on while out to brunch with some friends. Perhaps one day someone will explain to me what exactly to do with the last two stitches if you're working kitchner stitch, but, after closing that tiny gap from the inside, I feel the toe looks pretty acceptable.

Then, though I did everything wrong I possibly could, including not making the potato soft enough, letting it cool down, mixing things in the wrong order, etc., the buttermilk potato bread hamburger buns for Monday night's dinner came out big and beautiful and light and delicious. Again, I'm finding that giving the dough double (or more) the rising time works really well.

Monument to Stubbornness

2007-05-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

Boy was I upset when I took this picture Friday night. I knew this hat wouldn't work, but I kept knitting. Specifically, I knit one hundred and eight garter stitch ridges (that's two hundred and sixteen actual rows, not to mention over one hundred picked-up stitches and k2togs), knowing that this would not look like a Kangol hat, but lying to myself that I couldn't tell for sure until I finished. Well, maybe I'll listen to myself more carefully next time. Other note to self, if it looks big on the recipient's head half-finished, it will not miraculously shrink once completed.
Anyway, the reason the bread is wearing the hat is because it was another thing where I shot myself in the foot. It rose beautifully and was all ready to cook, but the recipe stressed that it should cook for only 10 minutes at 475, then the oven needed to be turned down to 375. I put the bread in as the kids were going to bed, and I set the quiet kitchen timer. Did I hear it? No. Would the bread have looked less sunken if I had? I think so. Anyway, the bread turned out to taste just fine, and the yarn can be used again, but it would seem I need to put a little more thought into my actions. Hope everyone else had a lovely weekend.

Congratulations, Sophia and Cristof

2007-05-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks, my free knitting moments have been focused almost exclusively on finishing a wedding present for this charming couple. My first (rather too ambitious) goal was to have two hand towels (from Mason-Dixon) ready for the actual celebration, after buying the yarn at Seaport Yarn a week before. The revised goal was to get it to them before they head back to Germany and I made it in just under the wire.
(Background: Sophia is the daughter of one of Ian's coworkers, who graciously invited the whole family, even the two short ones who don't always behave at restaurants, to the stateside postwedding celebration. The big ceremony will be in Germany later in the summer, and though we are sorely tempted, we don't think we can swing a European trip two years in a row. Anyway, though Coco and Washington had never met the newlyweds, they gravitated to them right away. Washington, in fact, took one look at Sophia in her beautiful sari, then turned to me and said, "I'm gonna marry the bride." Both the bride and groom were so patient and gracious with our children that I hope they are blessed with many of their own, if they so desire.)

That Charlie Brown

2007-05-14T10:17:00.001-07:00

You have new Picture Mail!
Originally uploaded by mariawmcgrath.

I made this shirt when Washington's cheeks were even fuller and his hair was just about invisible (top photo) and he just seemed to me like a dead-ringer for "that round-headed kid." I also figured he was so little that I could dress him however I wanted. Of course it still fits, and now he likes to pretend he's Charlie Brown.
(Knitting notes: I used "Style Your Own Kids' Knits" as my jumping-off point, but I knit in the round up to the sleeves so that I could use the "Fair-Isle Knitting Simplified" technique. If the picture were clearer, you'd see the black showing through the yellow a bit, but overall I was pleased with how it came out, though I prefer not to use Sugar & Cream cotton anymore, because it hurts my hands.)

How to get your kid in the bath

2007-05-10T19:45:00.001-07:00

bath rags
Originally uploaded by mariawmcgrath.

Most of the time my kids, especially the two-year-old, are eager to get into the bath and splash, but every so often I get a big NO when I start running the water. The last time this happened, I enticed Washington in by offering him both the hand-knit washrags I've made recently. (The red one was supposed to be a dishcloth, but it seemed a tad small). They won't always wear what I've knit them, but apparently something about the feel of Kitchen Cotton, or the ability to wad and squeeze something I worked on, just captures their imaginations. The small, black washrag, which I really just made to demonstrate increases and decreases, has been a fish, a cape for a knight, a hat, a skirt . . . . I can't explain the phenomenon, but I'm certainly eager to knit a few more.

I can make bread again

2007-05-08T19:31:00.001-07:00

cinnamon raisin bread slices
Originally uploaded by mariawmcgrath.

With a lot of assistance from my two kitchen helpers (pouring, dumping, brushing, sprinkling), my first attempt at cinnamon raisin bread (based on Joy's Milk Bread) came out very satisfactorily. Due to scheduling (e.g., having to leave the house to pick up Coco from school), I ended up letting each rise go on a little longer than recommended, but that only seemed to help.

Good-bye, Winter

2007-05-08T19:25:00.001-07:00

Good-bye, Winter
Originally uploaded by mariawmcgrath.

Tomorrow will be over 80, and we're planning on holding knitting circle in the park, so I figured it was finally time to box up the hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, etc. This winter was a good time for me and KnitPicks merino, and I was especially pleased with Washington and Coco's matching hats. Already I'm looking forward to the almost visceral thrill I'll feel next fall when I open this box and realize that the vast majority of the items were created by me. One of the few traditions I've been really consistent about is to make new mittens or gloves for Coco and Washington every winter. Also helps lessen the heartbreak when one gets lost.

Thanks, Crochet Dude

2007-05-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

Finished the grocery bag dispenser from the Crochet Dude (tm) and Washington graciously tested it out for me. Should do just fine, and I'm still pretty pleased with the cheery color.

Welcome home, Baby Jack

2007-05-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

Our downstairs neighbors brought home their baby boy a couple of weeks ago, and I was able to whip out these booties from Melanie Falick's Knitting for Baby while we were on vacation. These are the traditional no-sew ones, done on five DPNs, but since it's almost summer, I made them in cotton (and since I already made them once, in two colors for an additional challenge). Jack's mother thanked me and then said she used to knit but hasn't in years. I'm always a little frightened when people tell me that because knitting is such a big part of my life and because I have years' worth of projects spinning around in my brain. I just can't imagine whatever might come up to make me give this up.

Happy springtime crochet

2007-05-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

It's only a plastic grocery bag holder for the hospitality commitee (the woman in charge hasn't been able to find one in months of searching), but could the yarn be any sinshinier? I bought it years ago for a project it was absolutely wrong for--not that I should have been asking the advice of a quilting store employee anyway, but I was a green knitter and really asked advice from anyone--and now it's just enchanting to watch it coming together.

Why the bread wouldn't rise

2007-04-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

I used to be able to make bread, specifically, the Milk Bread described in the Joy of Cooking that we got as a wedding present. It was just as they described it, a delicious, rich white bread, perfect for French toast or rolls, etc. But since this Christmas dinner, during which I inflicted on my in-laws and other guest rock-hard Vienna rolls, I have had dough after dough refuse to rise. I've ascribed differnt reasons to different times--a cold draft, I punched it so hard it wouldn't rise a second time, etc.--but what I finally realized is that I've been killing the yeast!
I bought yeast and bread flour on our vacation, determined to get it right, and after succeeding with the Quick White Bread, I tried the Milk Bread again. I reread the incredibly helpful ehow.com article on my Treo, then dug a little deeper to find out that not only can liquid not be hot enough, it can be so hot that it kills the yeast. Mystery solved, and look forward to a photo of loaf-shaped (not flat) bread here again.

Temptation

2007-04-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

Today was our first full day back in Brooklyn after our Texas vacation, and even though the Cherry Blossom Festival was on at BBG, I insisted we see the sheep (and alpacas) at the Prospect Park Zoo get their yearly shearing. Well, I got to see three sheep get shorn, though they did the alpacas in private, but the most interesting thing was seeing them spin the yarn that they had let the kids pick out and combine from the big tables of roving. There was a woman from Brooklyn general with a very compact spinning wheel, which she could actually slap into a backpack and carry around!

phone calls made easier

2007-04-19T05:07:00.001-07:00

phone calls made easier
Originally uploaded by mariawmcgrath.

Tuesday night I had to call over twenty people about our church's hospitality Sunday. (Roughly once a month, we bring food and schmooze in the vestibule, catching up with old friends and trying to make newcomers feel welcome). Anyway, a bunch of sweeter people you couldn't wish for, but I don't know them all, and some will inevitably say no due to scheduling conflicts, and cold calls are always hard. So, about five names down the list, I remembered these booties (from Knitting for Baby), then all of a sudden the phone calls weren't a chore, and I discovered that one phone call is about the length of one double-pointed needle.

Why the holes?

2007-04-16T06:58:00.001-07:00

Why the holes?
Originally uploaded by mariawmcgrath.

Either, I was holding the orange way too tight, or, because I had it in my right hand, a new technique for me at the time, I wrapped the yarn the wrong way, or both. I'm happy to report that this has not happened to me in years, and that I have also learned that the background color should always be the one held in the nondominant hand. I remember discovering these rows sittong in my friend Tina's yard in 2004 and imploring her to agree that they were not that noticeable.

Sleeve half gone

2007-04-16T06:52:00.001-07:00

Sleeve half gone
Originally uploaded by mariawmcgrath.

Out with the old. Here, the old sleeve that I am finally ripping out. This was my first attempt at Fair Isle, and though I was much more relaxed by the time I got top this sleeve, the other one (completely transformed) was at least one inch narrower. If I ever needed a demonstration on why you should knit both sleeves at once, wherever possible, I've had it.

Easter egg sweater, taking shape

2007-04-16T06:49:00.001-07:00

Easter egg sweater, taking shape
Originally uploaded by mariawmcgrath.

Well, the good news is, there are no more seams to be sewn, and I'm pretty taken with how the sweater looks. For the lower stripes, I pretty much let the length of the tiny balls guide me, and I let Coco pick the final sleeve color. I really need to pick up some size 4 dpns (lost by Continental luggage handling) so that I can whip out a coordinating hat or three.

Stitchionary dishcloth

2007-04-13T18:45:00.001-07:00

Stitchionary dishcloth
Originally uploaded by mariawmcgrath.

Yes, those are the fancy light-up needles, courtesy of my in-laws, but nowhere in the directions did it explain how to keep your kids from appropriating them as swords/light sabers/drumsticks every chance they get.

Easter egg sweater

2007-04-13T18:40:00.001-07:00

Easter egg sweater 2
Originally uploaded by mariawmcgrath.

Coming along, finally got to the part where I work the sleeves separately, and it's much more manageable. I've added a DEC on each side of every fourth row, nothing too drastic. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

Complete!

2007-04-09T04:32:00.000-07:00

I did indeed finish the ballet sweater in time for Easter, and very much enjoyed all the compliments at churcg. It is pretty unique, but I will post the pattern if anybody wants a ballet wrap sweater (with set-in sleeves) for a big, tall six-year-old and has some 5 st/in yarn.
Also finished the W sweater, except for a few loose ends.

R-r-rip

2007-04-06T05:11:00.000-07:00

Got some good progress on the second sleeve cap while Coco was dancing and WAM was sleeping, but I had to take it all out because I forgot the first two lines I made up (BO3 at beginning of next 2 rows). Oh well, I made up some progress late last night while we watched videos of how they're going to improve the Grand Army Plaza area with grassy medians. Kelli not only finished the poncho, but also made a pretty hat to go with it, and today we get to pick knitted embellishments out of Knitting Over the Edge.

Sleeve 1 is in

2007-04-04T20:10:00.001-07:00

You have new Picture Mail!
Originally uploaded by mariawmcgrath.

Very satisfying to sew this in, and to all appearances, it looks as though the in-depth sleeve-cap mathematics (courtesy of the Girl from Auntie (via Knitty)) actually worked. I did not, however, wake the girl to make her try it on.

2007-04-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

Why BLOG?

2007-04-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

Well, besides the fact that everyone else has one, I love to talk about knitting, and though mDH will smile and nod when I explain that I've spent the evening doing sleeve-cap math, I'm wondering if I can't find some people who might be actually interested (/obsessed).

Testing 1-2-3

2007-04-04T19:13:00.000-07:00

Just poured my heart (sort of) into a post about Coco's ballet sweater, then lost it. I need to get the hang of this.