The scene: Katie is upstairs taking a bath. Ian is keeping her company, and much hilarity is ensuing. (Why is he keeping her company? I don't know. I try not to question things when they're actually getting along.) Suddenly there is the thump, thump, thump of Ian running to the top of the stairs.
Ian, urgently: Daddy? Is polar bear hair clear?
Me (I know, I'm not Daddy, but I can answer this one): Yes, it is.
Katie, offstage: SEE? I told you it was!
Ian: Oh, yeah??? But you STILL can't SEE THROUGH polar bears!!!
No fool, he.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
Conversations in the Car
My 8-year-old daughter is just starting the crushes (Zac Efron is the most prominent, of course), and I haven't heard much about boys from her yet. However, I had the following conversation with my 5-year-old son on the way home from kindergarten. It really hammered home the fact that the Mars/Venus thing starts early.
Ian: Jessica likes me.
Me: Do you like her, too?
Ian: Yes. The only thing that is annoying about her is that whenever she sees me, she has to make MWAH, MWAH sounds to me.
Me: Oh, I see.
Ian: She asked me if I would be her boyfriend.
Me, trying to keep a straight face: And what did you say?
Ian (with scorn): No! Do you think I would have a girlfriend who is so teeny? [Jessica is on the small side]
Me: Well, most boys are taller than their girlfriends. It's really okay, and it doesn't matter how tall anyone is. But you probably are too young to have a girlfriend.
Ian: Duh! [He lets a few beats pass.] Anyway, I'm not really as much ... [searching for the words] *into* her as she is into me.
It was all I could do to keep a straight face and not run the van off the road!
Ian: Jessica likes me.
Me: Do you like her, too?
Ian: Yes. The only thing that is annoying about her is that whenever she sees me, she has to make MWAH, MWAH sounds to me.
Me: Oh, I see.
Ian: She asked me if I would be her boyfriend.
Me, trying to keep a straight face: And what did you say?
Ian (with scorn): No! Do you think I would have a girlfriend who is so teeny? [Jessica is on the small side]
Me: Well, most boys are taller than their girlfriends. It's really okay, and it doesn't matter how tall anyone is. But you probably are too young to have a girlfriend.
Ian: Duh! [He lets a few beats pass.] Anyway, I'm not really as much ... [searching for the words] *into* her as she is into me.
It was all I could do to keep a straight face and not run the van off the road!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Vogue Knitting Just Lost Another Sale
I took my laptop to Barnes and Noble today to get some editing done (somehow I’m more productive when the siren call of the Internet is blocked by lack of access). Naturally, as I met my self-determined goals (slogging through a certain number of pages at a time), I rewarded myself by wandering the store and looking at books and magazines. The new issue of Vogue Knitting (Winter 2007/08) is out, and I settled into a comfy chair to peruse it.
Hmm, I thought, maybe I’ll fork over the seven bucks and buy this issue, with an eye toward working on one or two of these in the future. So I flipped to the back of the magazine and looked at the patterns. Want to take a guess at the available sizing on these? If you’re familiar with VK, I bet you already know. The two jackets -- jackets -- top out at a finished bust size of 43 inches. The ribbed top, which claims it’s sized up to size 2X, goes to 44 inches, unstretched (size 1X is 40.5 inches).
I wear a size 16-18, or XL in misses clothing. While I certainly don’t fit the definition of petite, I’m not enormous, either. Rubenesque, you might say, if you’re being flattering. But I’ll tell you that my measured bust size -- which a jacket would need to fit over -- is 48 inches, on a good day. (What is a bad day with regard to bust measurement? Don’t ask.)
I’m not the only one. Ravelry has multiple forums devoted to “fluffy” knitters. Jillian Moreno and Amy Singer wrote Big Girl Knits in an attempt to address this neglected audience, and it’s been extremely successful; in fact, there’s a second version in the works. Yet VK has persisted in purposefully omitting sizes that would fit a not-insignificant portion of the knitting population. Why on earth would a knitting magazine be so consumer-unfriendly? Say what you will about Creative Knitting (I know some aren’t as fond of it as they are of other mags, though I enjoy my subscription), they always include a number of plus-size pattern adjustments in their knitting patterns. How much effort would it take to go up another size -- or even two -- when compared with the overall effort to develop and publish a pattern?
All I know is, Vogue Knitting lost my business today. I suppose I could consider buying the magazine, adjusting the pattern myself, calculating how much extra yarn it would take, and hoping I was right, and then live with the consequences, but when there are so many other flattering alternatives out there that I’m just dying to knit, why would I expend that extra time and energy? I’ll just move on to the next item in my Ravelry queue.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
A Year-End Meme
1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before? Knit in Fair Isle (failed miserably, but it was a start), dyed yarn and started a business doing it, designed my own sock pattern.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Can't even remember making any, though I'd like to make some for this year. Another post?
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? A friend from college, but she's not geographically close. My nephew was born, but ditto, so I've only seen him once.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No.
5. What countries did you visit? Just the U.S. this year.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? Better discipline about working and soliciting work. More money wouldn't hurt, either.
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? None that I can think of.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Starting up Bluestocking Yarns and having people like it -- especially having the owner of my LYS like it.
9. What was your biggest failure? Fighting to get Ian into public school kindergarten and losing.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing major. Typical illnesses, run-of-the-mill aches and pains from getting older.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Desk for the living room. Maybe tied with some beautiful curtains for the living room.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Katie's -- in the last few months she's grown and matured more than I could have imagined. She's had some backslides, but for the most part, she's really come into her own as a 4th grader.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? GWB's. Need I say more?
14. Where did most of your money go? A large portion to tuition for Ian's school. A larger portion to mortgage. We're more "house-poor" than ever, which is tough to deal with.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Yarn. Dyeing yarn. Knitting with it. Immersing myself in it at Rhinebeck.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007? Don't know.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? Probably a little sadder, same weight, and a little poorer.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Playing with my family, keeping up with the house.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Procrastinating.
20. How did you spend Christmas? Opening gifts with the kids, hanging around the house.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007? No.
22. What was your favorite TV program? Lost, hands down. BRING BACK LOST!! Heroes comes in second.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No.
24. What was the best book you read? Boy, that list of all the books I read last year would really come in handy here. I enjoyed reading An Uncommon Reader in ARC form, and rereading The Golden Compass. I'm currently in the middle of (an ARC of) Grub, and that's pretty fun, too -- don't know if it's out yet or not.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? OK, I will admit to sort of kind of liking Hannah Montana. Hey, if you heard her as many times a day as I do, you'd be brainwashed too.
26. What did you want and get? Both kids in full-time school.
27. What did you want and not get? Both kids in free full-time school.
28. What was your favorite film of this year? We don't get out much. I can't think of a thing.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was 34, and I have no idea -- it was 49 weeks ago!
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A better handle on the finances.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? Work-at-home fashion: jeans and a jewel-tone-colored tee, and sometimes (if I'm staying in) lounge pants instead of the jeans.
32. What kept you sane? Not having any other choice.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Mohinder Suresh?
34. What political issue stirred you the most? The election warming up.
35. Whom did you miss? My family. I wanted a chance to see them at Christmas, but it didn't work out. I also miss my grandmother, who died 12 years ago, the more I get into knitting. I have the feeling she would really get it, and I wish I could talk it over with her.
36. Who was the best new person you met? Marla. Had a great time talking to her at a party this season.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. If you want to try something new, go for it -- you can be considered artistic, even if you don't know that you are.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. If I come up with one, I'll post it some other time.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Can't even remember making any, though I'd like to make some for this year. Another post?
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? A friend from college, but she's not geographically close. My nephew was born, but ditto, so I've only seen him once.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No.
5. What countries did you visit? Just the U.S. this year.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? Better discipline about working and soliciting work. More money wouldn't hurt, either.
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? None that I can think of.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Starting up Bluestocking Yarns and having people like it -- especially having the owner of my LYS like it.
9. What was your biggest failure? Fighting to get Ian into public school kindergarten and losing.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing major. Typical illnesses, run-of-the-mill aches and pains from getting older.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Desk for the living room. Maybe tied with some beautiful curtains for the living room.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Katie's -- in the last few months she's grown and matured more than I could have imagined. She's had some backslides, but for the most part, she's really come into her own as a 4th grader.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? GWB's. Need I say more?
14. Where did most of your money go? A large portion to tuition for Ian's school. A larger portion to mortgage. We're more "house-poor" than ever, which is tough to deal with.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Yarn. Dyeing yarn. Knitting with it. Immersing myself in it at Rhinebeck.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007? Don't know.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? Probably a little sadder, same weight, and a little poorer.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Playing with my family, keeping up with the house.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Procrastinating.
20. How did you spend Christmas? Opening gifts with the kids, hanging around the house.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007? No.
22. What was your favorite TV program? Lost, hands down. BRING BACK LOST!! Heroes comes in second.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No.
24. What was the best book you read? Boy, that list of all the books I read last year would really come in handy here. I enjoyed reading An Uncommon Reader in ARC form, and rereading The Golden Compass. I'm currently in the middle of (an ARC of) Grub, and that's pretty fun, too -- don't know if it's out yet or not.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? OK, I will admit to sort of kind of liking Hannah Montana. Hey, if you heard her as many times a day as I do, you'd be brainwashed too.
26. What did you want and get? Both kids in full-time school.
27. What did you want and not get? Both kids in free full-time school.
28. What was your favorite film of this year? We don't get out much. I can't think of a thing.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was 34, and I have no idea -- it was 49 weeks ago!
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A better handle on the finances.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? Work-at-home fashion: jeans and a jewel-tone-colored tee, and sometimes (if I'm staying in) lounge pants instead of the jeans.
32. What kept you sane? Not having any other choice.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Mohinder Suresh?
34. What political issue stirred you the most? The election warming up.
35. Whom did you miss? My family. I wanted a chance to see them at Christmas, but it didn't work out. I also miss my grandmother, who died 12 years ago, the more I get into knitting. I have the feeling she would really get it, and I wish I could talk it over with her.
36. Who was the best new person you met? Marla. Had a great time talking to her at a party this season.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. If you want to try something new, go for it -- you can be considered artistic, even if you don't know that you are.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. If I come up with one, I'll post it some other time.
A New Year, a Fresh Start
It's been almost 8 months since I blogged over at my old blog, And Then I Stepped in Gum, and I think it's time I got started up again. I've been wanting to update my posts to include my knitting progress, and now it's time. I also want to connect this blog with my yarn dyeing business, Bluestocking Yarns. So here we go!
I'm off to an auspicious start for the new year -- my first FO, just 17 minutes into the year:
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock
Colorway: Romancing the Stone
Pattern: Merino Lace Socks from Favorite Socks
It feels good to have this done -- the first sock was one of the infamous members of my Single Sock Hall of Shame. I'll post some pics of those sometime soon. I think I'm down to only 4 or 5 now. Anyway, I'm not crazy about the colorway. I love the pink and purple, but what I didn't notice when the yarn was in the skein was the peach/baby blue tones in the colors; they just really didn't mesh for me.
Naturally, I rewarded myself by casting on for a new sock, the Salish Sea Sock from BMFA's Rockin' Sock Club. I know, I know. I couldn't resist. I'm having fun with it, and that colorway -- blues, greens, teals -- is right up my alley.
In other news, we got a bit of snow today to start the year off right.
Ian loves his new igloo, courtesy of Grandma.
The kids spent hours out messing around in the snow. They've even created their own "sledding hill" out of the plow detritus from the neighbor's driveway. Makes me miss our quarter-mile-long sledding hill we had growing up in Nebraska. We've really got to take them ice skating or snow tubing soon -- maybe next weekend.
Got to get ready for bed. We've been spoiled for the last week or so, staying up until all hours, because we haven't had anywhere to be the next day, but tomorrow the kids are back to school. I'm looking forward to having my quiet house back, though Dave will still be off school for the next few weeks. Perhaps I can finally implement some discipline with myself and get some work done.
I'm off to an auspicious start for the new year -- my first FO, just 17 minutes into the year:
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock
Colorway: Romancing the Stone
Pattern: Merino Lace Socks from Favorite Socks
It feels good to have this done -- the first sock was one of the infamous members of my Single Sock Hall of Shame. I'll post some pics of those sometime soon. I think I'm down to only 4 or 5 now. Anyway, I'm not crazy about the colorway. I love the pink and purple, but what I didn't notice when the yarn was in the skein was the peach/baby blue tones in the colors; they just really didn't mesh for me.
Naturally, I rewarded myself by casting on for a new sock, the Salish Sea Sock from BMFA's Rockin' Sock Club. I know, I know. I couldn't resist. I'm having fun with it, and that colorway -- blues, greens, teals -- is right up my alley.
In other news, we got a bit of snow today to start the year off right.
Ian loves his new igloo, courtesy of Grandma.
The kids spent hours out messing around in the snow. They've even created their own "sledding hill" out of the plow detritus from the neighbor's driveway. Makes me miss our quarter-mile-long sledding hill we had growing up in Nebraska. We've really got to take them ice skating or snow tubing soon -- maybe next weekend.
Got to get ready for bed. We've been spoiled for the last week or so, staying up until all hours, because we haven't had anywhere to be the next day, but tomorrow the kids are back to school. I'm looking forward to having my quiet house back, though Dave will still be off school for the next few weeks. Perhaps I can finally implement some discipline with myself and get some work done.
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