Today was mine for the victory, finally

There are some days that you can't win with children, but on other days, triumph worms it's way through.

Most days around here, if the kids are in another room together, all I hear are fights, screams, crying or all of the above. They don't get along most of the time. When the Youngest came about, the Eldest was uber-jealous and has continued his resentment to this day. He ignores the Youngest, which just makes the little guy turn to trying to get negative attention by hitting or throwing something at the elder sibling. I can't tell you how much fun this is to live with. Why did I want children? What was I thinking? I mean really now.

Today though. I got them both and it was quite satisfying. Did I yell? Knock some heads together? Swat them on the backside? Oh no.

They were supposed to be watching Transformers (cartoon, not movie) together. Both were on the couch. Eldest, determined to ignore Youngest. Youngest, determined to get attention from Eldest. Normal stuff. I heard yelling and complaining. Turns out the little guy decided to try and sit on the older, or push him off the couch, or something along those lines.

I jumped up, started yelling and then stopped abruptly. I had a much better idea. I sat/laid down on them both on the couch. You should have seen those two faces. It was absolutely priceless. Shock and delight at the same time! It turned into a giant tickle fest, with me as the tickler.

I haven't heard one fight since then.

Sometimes it's good to win one.

Newsday

Good news! The painting is no longer pink!

In other news, I finally got a pic of my Owls Sweater for you:


Best I could do without my 8 year old photographer.

Bad news: The Youngest got sent to the principal's office today. Granted, he's three years old. But you would think after a year of going to school he would know what's expected of him or at least to know not to slug the teacher again. Jeez, how embarrassing.

You're gonna love this one

You are not going to believe what happened to me today.

I started a kitchen renovation project last year. It is still happening, albeit slowly. I tore off two layers of wallpaper and have put primer over the third layer of wallpaper. I left that layer on because the idiots that built this house didn't put prime on the walls before applying the wallpaper. If I tried to take that layer off, it would make a huge mess of the sheetrock.

So I have one coat of primer on the walls. I decided that I would paint the ceiling before adding another coat of primer to the walls.

Here's where things began to go wrong. I made the major mistake of listening to the hubby. His father had given him some "so-called" ceiling paint. "Here, have some ceiling paint." The hubby didn't question any of this, just told me "Here, use this for the ceiling."

So I opened it. I told him over the phone, "It's pink. The same color ice pink that's on your mother's front bedroom walls."

What he said: "It's supposed to be colored like that. It's one of those that will fade to white as it dries so that you'll know if you've missed any spots on the ceiling."

Okay. Believed him. Very stupid mistake on my part. Spent about an hour painting the ceiling during the Youngest's naptime.

Guess what? It's dry now and my kitchen ceiling is now a very pretty ice pink. My Mom, Dad and best friend think this is, of course, hilarious. If I don't have a hubby and father in law by tomorrow, you'll know that I've killed them.

I've already told the hubby he will be painting the ceiling tonight. Know what I told him? "When the paint dries, if you see any pink, you'll know you've missed a spot."

Cable Technique

Process Knitter: This type of knitter is not worried about when or even if a project is ever completed, but simply enjoys the process of knitting.

Project Knitter: This type of knitter totally wants to wear that cute little chic sweater.

I believe that on most days I fall into the second category.

However, not on my current project.


I will almost always let a mistake slide or fudge the pattern in some way to fix it in order to get to the finished product so that I can wear it without a care that there may be a mistake hidden somewhere in the mix of things. I'm being a rebel to myself and not doing that this time around. I want this project to be right in order to publish it. I have ripped back this project so many times my yarn is becoming more and more frayed as time goes on.

I'm continuing to take my fingerless mitt project from design sketch to finished project. There have so far been eleventy bajillion steps in doing so.


The problems have been numerous.

One of the things that was really bugging me yesterday was the look of the cables. It had nothing to do with pattern and everything to do with technique. As the cables would cross and then attach themselves to the next stitch, the one that was attaching itself to the next stitch always seemed wonky and larger than it's peers. You may remember me complaining of this once before here.

The problem, it seems was not in tension, but in size. As in that, somehow, the way that I was creating the problem stitches made them use more yarn, thus creating larger loops. I thought that if I increased the tension, really tightened up the stitches, then the problem would go away, disappear forever. Not so. All I did was make the stitches on the next row nearly impossible to complete and still had huge stitches.

I now have the solution to that little problem (thanks to a wonderful person's advice on Ravelry) and a great need to share it with you!

To make neater, tighter, more professional looking cables: Whether going from a purl to a knit or a knit to a purl, it doesn't matter which direction,
Move the yarn to the direction of the stitch that must be made next before taking the stitch you have just made off the left needle.


For example:

You have the following cable stitch layout:

P P K K K K P P - where you are going to be doing a cable with the Ks (which direction they cross is unimportant in this instance.)

1. You would do one purl, move it off the left needle and onto the right. 2. Again, make the next purl, but before taking it off of the left needle, move the yarn to the back, then remove the loop from the left needle to the right.
3. Make your cable up until the last knit stitch.
4. Make the knit stitch, but before moving it off of the left needle, move your yarn forward, then move the loop from the left to the right needle and begin your last two purls.

It is amazing the difference that I've had in my cables since learning this! I'm just shocked and stupified over it. It's like (in my silly mind anyway) you are making a yarn sandwich. You make the stitch, move the yarn so that it sits between the two halves of the stitch (see? a sandwich!) and then move it. The yarn now holds down and shortens the stitch that was causing all the fuss!


Completely Off Topic:

Beware what beautiful trees you plant near your home and driveway. In this case a beautiful Gonzaga Cherry Tree. See the gorgeous carnation-like flowers?


It just might make it snow pink blossoms everywhere and make your home and automobiles look like they've been in a rose parade.