Living the dream

Ever since I noticed those little sample squares in yarn shops and realized that someone had knit them, I have wanted to be a test knitter. Most LYSs have their go-to people, but thanks to Ravelry, I have found a client. Admittedly, the compensation is not high, but in the end I will have had a chance to talk a lot about knitting, and I will have a graceful new apple green cardigan.

Though you can't see from the gauge swatch, I'm actually about to start on the third ball of this four-ball project, and I'm down to the hip increases. I was thrilled to find yet another way to join a new ball while conserving the most yarn possible (scroll down to the final method).

In other news, Marly's sweater is nearing the end. Sleeves are completed and I have picked up the neck/button band stitches, and I still have two skeins of yarn left.

I'm thinking she'll have a matching hat and scarf, though an adorably enthusiastic boy from her dance class asked me to knit him a sweater exactly like Marly's.

Iron-ic

1974

My mom was not the most typical domestic figure when I was growing up. She was an early adapter of the microwave, box cake mixes, and anything else that saved time. She had her own toolbox, which my dad was supposed to leave alone (also, her own bank account). There were, however, a few of the old ways that she clung to steadfastly that I just didn't understand. Chief among them: ironing.

When my oldest child was born, in 2001, I put our rarely used iron away mostly because I feared horrible accidents, but also because I didn't think wrinkles were a big deal. Ian's shirts were either wrinkle-free or pressed at the cleaners, and I could have stayed in my pajamas all day, considering how far I was from the working world and the fact that in the early days of all three kids everything I wore was either vomited on or wiped on by tiny, adorable little hands and faces.

What changed was that I took up sewing and got a better iron that really shoots steam. Pressing is essential when you're making garments. It causes the stitches to sink into the fabric, coaxes out puckers, can sometimes eliminate the need for pinning, etc. I realized I had really gone over to the other side, though, when I started asking my kids to hand over the clothes they'd already put on so that I could iron them before they went out the door. I thought my mom was crazy when she did that to me in high school, and now I have my very own teenage daughter to roll her eyes at me when I ask. Check out these before-and after photos, though, and perhaps you'll see what an improvement forced flattening can be.

Which leg do you prefer?

Could be better.

Nicer.

Look at the button band and pocket!

Flat!

Thoughtful gift

As my youngest child continues to grow, it's been a pleasure to pass along her adorable clothes (most of them passed down to us by other generous folk). One of the main recipients has been a cute little girl about two years younger than Marly, whose middle name is the same as Marly's first. I had to laugh when her mom said that, thanks to us and some cousins, her daughter had more clothes than her two sons and her husband combined. It was easy to believe, because last spring I counted and discovered that Marly had enough dresses to wear a different one every day for a month. None were bought by me.
Anyway, yesterday, instead of passing on a bag of clothes, I received a bag with a wonderful surprise--beautiful, bold yarn from Argentina.

Within hours, I had a skein wound and had started a top-down raglan cardigan for Marly. I did not stop to swatch, and have gone up from size 9 to size 10 needles, but I'm having a ball, and trying out different techniques to pop the blue and pink nubbins to the front as I go.

Yes, this has jumped in front of Ian's socks and sweater and Conway's gloves, but with size 10 needles I should be finished in a matter of days, right?

Cakey Oatmeal

Well, almost everything.

The Minimalist is one of the people who has helped me go farthest in my cooking journey. His no-nonsense, approachable instructions gave me the courage to learn such family favorites as pizza dough, potato pancakes, golden cupcakes, chicken pot pie, and even sweet potato samosas. When I received How to Cook Everything a few Christmases ago, my yougest actually asked, "Mommy, do you wish you were married to Mark Bittman instead of Daddy?" 

Unfortunately, the cookie section of his book is not as reliable as the others. Though there's a nice eggless gingersnap recipe, and some passable refrigerator cookies, after trying the oatmeal cookie recipe once again, I have to swear it off for good. 

Possible sources of the problem: 2 cups, not 3 of oatmeal; not enough cinnamon (but I think that's true for almost every cookie recipe); baking powder instead of baking soda; milk (why?); and finally procedure--Bittman advises adding dry ingredients alternately with the milk, which is great for a cake, but if I want chewy, somewhat flat cookies that are overwhelmingly made of oats, I've got to go back to my old standby. Bonus: I get to add a stick of butter, too. 

Ball Four

Borrowing my title from the amazing book by Jim Bouton, I am happy to report that Ian's sweater is sailing along. Although the cables seem complicated, they're pretty intuitive, and I find working on it both engrossing and relaxing.
We could all do with some relaxation and calming today as we wait for high school acceptance letters. Coco's plan is to ride the train to the Dance Studio, call me, and open it while we're on the phone together. Thanks so much for making it a Monday in March, DOE.

Crazy for patches

Last spring I got the opportunity to help my friend Vladia teach sewing to a bunch of upper-elementary students at PS 9 (about 12 girls and one brave boy). The class culminated in a stuffed animal project based on their own illustrations, and they all learned the blanket stitch to assemble the pieces. My son, unlike the majority of boys, I'm told, is incredibly particular about what he wears, and loath to let go of pants that fit. My first attempt at knee-repair involved the sewing machine, but soon enough, I started sewing on patches by hand,
and now I can't seem to stop. Not just Washington's pants, but Marly's jeans, 
and even our pillowcase. 
Stitching the patches on is very Zen, but I also enjoy thinking about the fabric's origin. The pink patch is from the first pillowcase dress I made for Marly, and the black polka-dot is from her Easter dress last year.

Child Development Discussion Group

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