Laid Low

Late last week I was hit with a cold - and it was a bad one. I was barely cognizant for a day and a half, and miserable for three more after that. It’s always a little embarrassing to be taken out by a cold (I like to say it’s the viral equivalent of being attacked by a chipmunk) but you have to remember that there was a reason that two hundred years ago a cold would keep you in bed for a week. Thank heaven for Sudafed, that’s all I’m saying.

Since then, I’ve been focused on three things only. One - being sick. Two - taking care of sick children, and Three - finishing this.

I love this sweater so much. It’s comfortable, warm, and just so gorgeous.

I worked on this sweater sitting on the sofa, watching Pride and Prejudice (for once not chuckling as Jane was laid up at Netherfield for a week after riding there in the rain), going through an entire box of tissues. Round after round after round of the same stitch pattern was all I had the energy for. Woohoo!

Pretty, pretty, pretty. (And I’m feeling much better now. Think I’ll go for a walk!)

Snow and Sweets - Long and with Pictures!

Living where we do, a long portion of the year our yard is covered in snow. Still, we haven’t taken advantage of it as we should. Between Max’s (now mostly overcome) snow phobia, our thin Texas-adjusted skin, and the related lack of heavy snow gear, we’ve spent most of the winter boggling out the window as massive piles of snow accumulated before our very eyes. On Tuesday, I decided that that wouldn’t do at all. With the help of a snow shovel and twenty minutes of hard labor, I was able to clear the snow away from the door enough for us to get out onto the porch. Of course, once you get started…you remember why you thought it was fun as a kid.

Together (and of course when I say ‘together’ I mean, ‘I, working quickly to undo the damage that two enthusiastic preschoolers with shovels did to my efforts’) the boys and I carved and packed a set of stairs to the top of the three-and-a-half foot mound of snow the roof has dumped just outside the door. Once we got to the top,

We packed and filled a nice little platform and carved some stairs back down. It turns out we have a Big Wheel under all that snow! I completely forgot it was there. Oh well, it will just have to lie entombed until the snow melts.

Then I noticed some water running down from the middle of a gutter - it was warmish that day, so all the snow left on the roof was melting - and went to go see whether it was leaking. (It’s not. Just sagging.) Of course, once I got off the porch Charlie made a break for it, too. I coaxed Max down into the deeper snow, and he forgot to be worried about the fact that it was ‘touching him’ as soon as we started making this.

He’s, um - got character. It’s not so bad once you think about the fact that I made this with my boots and a shovel (I didn’t have my gloves on). Max doesn’t care, though. He’s just so happy that we have our very own snowman at last and he helped to make him! We had to go in shortly afterward, because Charlie went and soaked his top half in the freezing water coming down from the gutter, and his bottom half in the puddle it made.

So that was a fun day. Now, that’s the post I would have written on Tuesday if I hadn’t been so lazy. Here’s the one I wanted to write for today. (It’s Thursday here.)

We went shopping out in town yesterday - not something we often do (leaving aside restaurants and the Daiso). Now there are lots of things that it makes more sense to buy on base. Gas, for instance, is about 1/2 to 1/3 of the price on base that it is off base. Shoes are another thing I buy in the BX, for the simple reason that my feet are much larger than any shoes I’ve yet found out in town. When it comes to produce, though, off-base is the way to go. While there’s more than one reason for that, the biggest is that all fruit sold at our commissary comes either from the States or the farms in this area. Any fruit from local farms is sent to the regional processing and distribution center…500 miles away…before being sent back to our store. This renders it both older and more expensive. Now, I usually buy most of our fruits and vegetables at the commissary (frozen produce! convenient and affordable; also non-local items like bananas and oranges are comparable) but occasionally I’ll take a trip to the Yokomachi or the Universe when we want something fresher.

So, this week, Japanese strawberries began appearing in the commissary, about $6 for six or seven large (pale) strawberries. Since strawberries are, I think, Max’s favorite thing on earth, I decided to duck over to the Yokomachi on the off-chance that they had some there for less.

Aren’t they gorgeous? Seriously, I’ve never seen such gorgeous ripe strawberries in a grocery store - especially out of season. These are not the giant faded pink ones left when the stand has been picked over; they’re smaller, sweeter, and perfectly red. (For the record, I did not see any sad white or rotting strawberries in their strawberry display. Not even the giant ones, which they also had there. Seriously. Once I realized I didn’t see any, I looked.) They only cost about 300 yen. So to sum up: many more strawberries, much nicer, half the price.

Gorgeous. We’ll be heading back once Max polishes these off. So, perhaps tomorrow! Any time we stop at the Yokomachi I pick up one other thing, (Well, aside from the Tim Tams. They’re the only store in town that carries them.) a bowl of fresh pineapple. Since whole pineapples run in the range of $7 apiece, I’m more than happy to pay 300 yen for a good-sized bowl of fresh pineapple chunks.

They come with the most awesome ‘utensil,’ too. It’s rather like a three-inch toothpick with a fish, crab, or other bit of seafood looking cute on the top. The long part is shaped like a blade, which allows you to cut up your fruit into smaller pieces if you like. (I’m actually washing these and stashing them away, I love them so much.)

This concludes our catch-up blog, ‘my week in pictures.’

Exploring Tangents

So even though I have a million things to do, I can always make room for a completely random side project. In this case, it’s a Rav-based Crochet-Along in my new favorite group, Obscuriosity. The premise is that there are tens of thousands of awesome patterns out there that haven’t necessarily had their fifteen minutes of fame. We share the hidden gems and spread the obscure-pattern love through Crochet and Knit Alongs in the group, and in general it’s just a good time. I’m in the large item crochet-along, which this round is for Doris Chan’s ‘Tall Latte.’ It’s been a challenge.

I’m using Wool-Ease, which is a perfectly fine yarn, but it’s not a perfect substitution for DK weight. I’m using a larger hook, too, so I’ve had to do a lot of math. Add to that a poor initial size choice and a reading comprehension FAIL, and I’ve actually crocheted all of the yarn in this twice - usually four or five rows at a time. I’ve gotten below the arms, though, and it should be smooth sailing down to the hem. (I’ll let you know how the sleeves go.)

Speaking of sailing (and tangents), I made an orca for Max’s bedroom today.

Because I am just that awesome.

(Eight sheets of black construction paper, two sheets of white, a lot of tape, some glue, and a marker. It was fun. Max is into marine creatures right now.)

Nice day today.

Sorry for the long breaks, guys, but I’m preparing multiple design submissions for end-of-the-month deadlines. That includes one I got two days ago…you’d think they’d want to give designers more than two weeks to generate a quality submission, no? Apparently not. As a result I haven’t been throwing as many party favors for Inner Child Crochet’s second birthday as I’d intended.

Anyway, to make it up to you, I’m having a SALE!

What? A sale? I’ve never had a sale before. That’s right, because I just now (this very day) figured out how to create discount codes with my cart system. I’ve got it now, though, and as a result when you order more than $10.00 of merchandise you can save 25% on your total order by using the coupon code:

HAPPYBDAY

(Please let me know if you try to use the coupon and it does not work, but I checked it out myself, and it should.) So go! Take a peek and see if you want anything, because this code will expire on January 22nd, at 11:59 pm. (Although I’m not sure which timezone that stamp will go by.)

 Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do!

Time for Something Sweet

Every now and then you just want something sweet. Tonight I wanted cake - but obviously, not an entire cake. So what did I do? I fiddled around with the one pan fudge cake recipe I posted here to make something more like one serving and microwaved it.

The result?

Cake! (I know you want the recipe, so here it is.)

Microwaved Bowl ‘o Cake

• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp baking cocoa
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp flour
• dash salt
• 1/8 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/8 tsp vinegar

Put all ingredients in microwave safe bowl, stir. Microwave on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds until only small wet patches remain on the surface. (Microwave ovens vary, and so will the time it takes to cook it!)

In almost no time at all you have a nice, warm bowl of chocolate cake! You can eat it plain (it has a very nice cakey texture, not microwave rubber) or top with frosting, chocolate sauce, or do what I do - slice a banana over it and eat it with ice cream. Yum!

Happy, Happy, POMPOM!

So, this year, for Christmas, I bought myself a box of yarn (and, um, some other things. Beside the point…). I maintain that it was not just for me. See?

That involved five different balls in and of itself! (I have no idea why he decided he needed to have his hand over his face.) He is such a cutie. Seriously, though, it takes some strenuous planning to create a hat cute enough for this child. Let’s have another look, shall we?

Pretty! Again with the hand - look, I don’t know. But he was giggling the whole time. I knit the hat flat (you can see the seam where I sewed it up) but I don’t like the floppy ‘corners’ you get when you just seam up a tube and put pompoms on it, so I decreased at the top so the pompoms wouldn’t have anywhere to go. (May I just say, as well, that those are the most fun pompoms I have ever made in my entire life.)

The only problem I have now is that Max is insisting I begin a hat for him immediately.

Warm and Simple

Sometimes all you want is something soft and warm and simple to get the job done.

Hmm, I guess this proves it - I really am that pale! Anyway, I made these slippers as one of Greg’s Christmas presents, so obviously I couldn’t show you before. They may not look like much, but these are very special slippers. They were rigorously designed in compliance with previously determined husband-preference specifications. Please note that the slippers are 1) black, 2) plain, and 3) big. You’ll have to take my word for it that they are cozy, warm, and absolutely not itchy at all. You may also notice that they’ve been knit with a princess foot for maximum comfort. (That’s right, honey. I made you princess slippers.) And you know what? The directions are so easy I’ll lay them out right here.

Simple Man Slippers

Materials:

• Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick - 2 balls
• 1 pair US 13/9mm straight knitting needles
• One big yarn needle

Gauge: (Edit: HAH! I found it! I knew I wrote it down. ) I swear I measured this before I shipped them off, but it’s lost…the amount you cast on should be enough to go around the ball of his foot with a little wiggle room. 7 sts x 12 rows = 4″ in stockinette

Finished Size: Made for size 11.5 man feet (Edit: 11 1/2″ from toe to heel)

Directions (make 2):

Holding yarn double, CO 20.

Row 1: k5, p10, k5
Row 2: p5, k10, p5

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until 32 rows have been done.
k2tog across, cut yarn leaving a long tail of yarn. Weave tail through last 10 sts, pull tight. Fold slipper in half (like a giant, black hot dog bun - make sure the stockinette sole is inside!) and sew top of foot closed four or five inches. Sew back edge closed. Weave in all ends. Enjoy!

Ideas for modifying size: Basically, these slippers are a rectangle of knitting with decreases in the last row to make the toe fit better. If they are too big around, cast on fewer stitches, making sure that the stockinette portion for the foot roughly matches your foot in width. If they are too long, work fewer rows (until slippers are just barely shy of your foot length) and perform the decreases. (These tips should help increase the size, as well.)

Hope this helps!