Youngest's Vocabulary Translation

The Youngest has his own vocabulary and sometimes it's necessary (nay, vital) to have a handy translation at your fingertips, especially when he's screaming at the top of his lungs in public and you find it essential that you tell perfect strangers what he's really meaning 'cause it sounds crude and vulgar and crass. You must also be able to translate this while your face is bright red and you want to dive under the nearest handy object. This is also why I have turned into a hermit and do not take him out in public if I can help it.

Examples:

He screams "Poo!" or "Oh Poo!"
He really means "Winnie the Pooh"

He screams "Doo!"
He really means "Scooby Doo"

He screams "Poo Poo!"
He really means "Little People"

He screams "Potty!"
He really means "The mailbox from Blues Clues" (don't ask me why he associates the word potty with mailbox cause I still haven't figured it out.)

He's a little too addicted to his favorite movies. Can ya tell?

When Markers Attack

Bella Paquita - Finished!

I finished the Bella Paquita Sweater today! Not exactly sure how I like the fit. It's a little too tight across the stomach, gonna need a tummy slimmer for this one. And I think I need a boob job to successfully fill out the top. Maybe stuffing with tissue would help? :)

Here's some pics of it in it's unblocked state:







Now I've got a whole new problem: What to start on next?

Many thanks to the 7 year old photographer!

Bella Paquita Steeks Complete!

It's. Done. I've cut the steeks. My first steeks. I'm sorta proud. Who knew I'd be able to take a pair of really sharp scissors and just start choppin' through hours of work? I think I may go throw up now.

The remnants

So this is what it looks like now. I moved the steeks from the shoulders to the back because I could never get them to lay right on my shoulders. This was much simpler. I also figured that if I really screwed it up, my long hair would cover part of it anyway. It's not perfect, but I'm happy with it.

Back part of neck on Bella Paquita

Now I have to finish the last inch or so at the bottom of the sweater and it'll be finished. I can't tell you how happy and relieved I am to have gotten past this part of the sweater. I've been agonizing over it.

Margaritas anyone?

Good Things/ Bad Things

One Good Thing:

My knitting library is growing. This came in the mail today:


One not so good:

Steeking. Need I really say more?

I'm working on the shoulder part on Bella Paquita. The part where the lace doesn't lay right because there's too much of it. So, you have to put in a dart on each shoulder and cut off the excess fabric. That part gives me hives. And it's not working so well either. I'm having a lot of trouble with it. It's making the shoulder pointy. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. It looks like the sweater was put up on a hanger and left for a while and now has a bump in it.

I'm not going to cut anything until I'm sure it's right. So far, I've pulled out the sewing stitches twice and will probably do it a few times more. It's just me and a mirror. I don't have anyone to help with this.

I'm all game for advice! Please! (This is a small cry for help if you haven't noticed.)

EDIT: I moved the steeks to the back of the sweater. They've been sewn, but not yet cut. I think I need to build my steeking mojo a bit. Maybe with a Margarita....

On Hairdressers

Why is it so hard to find a good hairdresser? I mean, there are people who cut hair and there are people who cut hair. I want one of the latter.

I have very naturally curly hair which I sometimes style straight, sometimes curly. It's the best of both worlds, if it's cut right. To top it off, I'm blond. Evidently, thick curly hair is not the norm for us blondes, so most hairdressers just don't know what to do with it. They're used to thin, fine hair on blondes.

When I get my hair layered correctly, it's like the angels come out of the heavens and all sing a rousing chorus, "LLLLAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!". When it's not though, my hair turns into the envy of all poodles.

I live in a very affluent area. Notice I didn't say I was, just the area where I live. There are tons of great hair places around here if you have the moolah, which I don't at the moment. I've been to one that is fantastic, but they charge $55.00 just for the cut. not the style and blow dry, that's extra. If you decide to do anything with chemicals, expect to cough up a wad of cash.

So today I went somewhere else for a cut that was a bit cheaper. The cut was okay (barely), the style was horrendous. I told her I wanted it styled straight. Her idea of straight was a "late 80s" type of straight where she employed curling irons. Um. FAIL. She was amazingly out of date for today's styles. You wouldn't believe how many waves were still in my hair when she quit. She told me, "It's as straight as I can get it on a day like today." uh-huh. Humid, but normal for GA. At that point I just wanted her to quit so I could leave.

I ran home, and re-styled it. Perfectly straight. In 5 Minutes. It took her an hour to do everything that she did: cut, blowdry, style.

It will do for now, but I won't be going back there. I haven't tried letting it go curly with the cut she gave me and I'm a little scared to try. I'm sure it will be fine. I hope.