more Apple math

After looking at my scribbles on my copy of the apple pattern, and peering more closely at her apple, I'm starting to wonder if that mysterious "kfb 3 times" last increase round should have read "kfb 8 times". It would make more sense. Math again: 36+8=44. And if you have 44 stitches when you start to decrease, that first set of decreases works perfectly, as 44/11=4, and after 4 decreases, you have 40 stitches, which is what you need to start the next decrease round. It makes complete sense, as a 3 and an 8 look very similar, especially if you're scribbling them while knitting. I'm going to try it, this time in green, I think. Or maybe a different red. No, green. Possibly both.

Anyway, I'll let you know if that worked. Math-wise, it does, but I'm also interest in improving that apple shape, making it less like a ball, which is what mine is (if you look at my suggested changes, and look at the knitted ball pattern I used for my owl in a sweater, the only difference is how many plain rows you knit between increasing and decreasing). A dimpled ball with a stem and leaf on it, but totally symmetrical, which apples aren't.

Year of Ami, week 2, B is for Bunnies!

This adorable crochet pattern was just barely posted this week, by one of my very favorite designers, Roman Sock, so of course I'm dying to try it out. Lucky for me, it's a bunny (for "B")! She calls them Tea Cup Bunnies, so we could have waited to do these until we got to "T", but I don't think I could have held off that long:See? so cute, I can hardly stand it.

If you're wondering how she does the fuzzy ones, she uses mohair or angora yarn, and brushes it with a wire brush after the critter is done. She has a little tutorial on her blog, so look for that when you go to grab the pattern.

And for your knitting pleasure, one I've been wanting to try, but just haven't gotten to yet, named simply Knitted Bunny:

I've seen super tiny versions of the knitted bunny and I go into cuteness overload just looking at them.

Both bunnies are a kind of simple that appeals to me: use whatever size hook/needle suits your yarn, adjusting stitches/rows so you get the proportions right (ie: you get a square on the knitted one) and then the cuteness happens when you stitch it up and add ears. Instructions for the knitted bunny are more detailed, but for the tea cup bunnies, she just dives into stitch directions - you're on your own for hook size and yarn. I'll post any helpful hints as I try them out.

*update* pictures of my own creations added after-the-fact

Knitted Apple: it's all about the math...

I finished this one really quick.

A couple notes on the pattern, though:

You're knitting along, increasing every other row, and she tells you how many stitches you should have at the end of each. You get to the one that says you have 36, and knit your plain row, and the next row says to kfb (knit into front and back of same stitch) 3 times, evenly spaced, and you should have 40 stitches. Again with the math: if you add 3 to 36, do you get 40? I get 39. Something must be missing here. But, it's an apple, a toy, a decorative item, so it doesn't matter that much.
At this point, you knit even for 8 rows (or rounds, since it's knit in rounds), and then you'll start decreasing. Remember, you are supposed to have 40 stitches now. It says k9, k2tog, and repeat that around. 40 divide by 11 (that would be the 9 knit stitches + the 2 you'll knit together) is 3.64, which means you'll be able to k2tog three times, but then you'll run out of stitches on that round. At this point, I stopped and checked the math again.
She doesn't say on the decreases how many stitches you should have each time, but at the end, she says you should have 6 stitches left to cinch up. So I worked my way backwards from there, math-wise. What I get to, as I work backwards, is to end up with 36 stitches on the round that says you've just k8, k2tog (both repeated for that round). Which means that the round before that should have had 40 stitches. (40/10 (the 8 knit stitches + the 2 you knit together) is 4, and 40-4=36)
This pattern was posted in 2007, and she's had comments since then, asking about her directions, offering suggestions for correction, etc. But she hasn't updated it. Whatever - it's a free pattern, and it is only a toy.
Just thought you should know, in case you try to knit it, that it isn't you.
I suggest you skip "k9, k2tog, around", and start your decreases with "k8, k2tog, around" instead.
I did a 3 stitch i-cord for my stem, for 8 or 9 rows. Leave a longish tail when you cast on, for sewing it to the apple. Sew it on in the center top, running your yarn down to the bottom and back up, like you did when you finished the apple.
I like my leaf to be not-reversible, showing only knit stitches on the "right" side, so I didn't make her leaf. I sort of made it up. I think it should have been bigger, maybe, but I like the shape. I did it like so: (same needles, same weight yarn, leafy color)
cast on 3 (leave a longish tail for sewing on)
rows 1,3,5: purl
row 2: kfb every stitch (6)
row 4,6: knit
row 7: p2tog, p2, p2tog (4)
row 8: k2tog
cast off and weave in end
sew to apple next to stem, and tack down through one stitch on row 5, letting the leaf curl a little.

I think my choice of red yarn wasn't quite right. It looks more like a tomato if you just look at the color. And I kept wondering why I was making a red one, anyway. I like Granny Smith for eating, and I love all green colors, so why I picked up the red, I can't say. Except the designer used red for hers, I guess. I'll probably make another in green, maybe when we get to "G" (for Granny Smith...)

Arty in the Big Apple

I bet you thought I was talking about traveling, right? No, really, Arty is done,

and pretty cute (awww, just look at that face...), so I started the knitted apple. I got about 1/2 done before I was getting tired (did I mention? I do this when I get home really late from work during busy season, to wind down, so I stop when I start to feel like I could maybe sleep), so I left the curious armadillo with my soon-to-be apple,

and this is what I found the next morning:

sandwich

This morning, as we were trying to get ourselves out the door, and running late, as usual, Twin1 finally gets in the car, but immediately says "oops, sandwich" and hops back out to retrieve his lunch from the house.
Twin2 groans from the back seat.
Twin1 comes back to the car and gets in again, but he's got the crochet sandwich.
He (very convincingly) looks at it and says, "Doh!", then runs back in for the real one.
I was laughing so hard. I got the giggles, even.
I love my kids.

Arty again

His body is done, the eyes are on, and I made one foot/leg. He's a little skewed to one side. I'm going to consider that "character", and not a "flaw". I still think he looks more like a hedgehog than an armadillo. Mine is also a lot rounder (fatter?) than her pictures. I don't think his name is Arty any more.

Note for the eyes: the designer sewed on beads, so her instructions have you adding the eyes last. I used safety eyes, which you need to put on before you stuff and close it, because they have a back that clamps them on. If you use safety eyes, put them on before you sc the shell to the tummy; it's hard to get your fingers in there after that.
You could put them on right before you start the shell, but that wouldn't be as fun as waiting until you're starting to stuff him, realizing you should have already put them on, unstuffing him, struggling to pinch the back onto that post when you can fit only two fingers in the opening, and nearly having to call in a teenager to help you because your hand just doesn't want to work in that position. Not that I'd know.
She doesn't specify where to put them. I'm sure she's thinking you'll just eyeball it (ha), which I'm sure you can. I, however, like instructions to be specific whenever possible. Centering is easy, because you left unworked loops on the face, centered over the nose. I fooled around with the placement, and finally put them in the row below the unworked loops, next to the 6th unworked loop (counted from the chin/tummy going up towards the forehead) on each side. Stick them in and take a look before you put the backs on, just in case. We don't want him to look like a Picasso, even if he is Arty.

anyone need a cat toy?

So I'm working on this cute little knit item (can't tell you what until after I gift it - don't want to spoil the surprise), and I needed to insert one of those little cat toys, the ones with a jingle bell enclosed in a cage. I don't have pets, of any kind, so no, I didn't just have one handy at home. (Besides, I'm pretty sure the recipient doesn't want me putting a used one in there. Ew.) But it should be easy to find. Available just about anywhere, right?

What I want looks like this:

But last night, I head to the store around 11pm, just as they're closing (I was on my way home from work) and find the pet aisle. No ordinary jingle balls for this place. All they had was this:

The bell inside is plastic, so the sound is kinda different. (So, if you have a cat, do you actually NEED 8 of these things at once? Just wondering.) Reasonable price, under $2, so that's not an issue. They're just not what I was looking for.

I had reached the point in my knitting where it was time to insert the cat toy,

and you know how it is when you're making something really cute, and you can't just wait and finish it later, because it's CUTE, and you want it done NOW, so of course I bought what they had. I only needed one. Okay, maybe a couple more, in case I make more of these cute things that I can't tell you what they are. But only one or two. Definitely not seven.

Maybe I'll take the rest to my knitting group tomorrow. If nobody there needs one for a similar project, I'm sure at least one of them has a cat.

blocking your acrylics

I’ve been working a lot in Vanna's Choice yarn, which I really like, as acrylics go. But I do have one problem with it. See, acrylics don't respond much to blocking, because they're acrylic. Okay if you’re making an alligator, but not so great when you’re making something that should be flat. Like the peanut butter and jelly. I tried blocking the pb the usual way, wetting it and pinning it down until it dried. I figured it was worth a shot. It came out okay, if a little stiff. It's flat, but it also wants to curl back up given the slightest nudge. I tried something else on the jelly, and it's amazingly better. I steamed it (using steam setting on the iron, hovering over the jelly and giving it a few shots of steam) and then set a heavy book on it while it cooled. Left the book for at least ½ hour while I did other stuff. I wasn’t in a hurry anyway. And the jelly? Not only is it flat, with no inclination to curl back up, it’s also softer, and has a nice drape to it. So different, it’s hard to believe I used the same yarn. I rolled it into a tube, it fell back out flat. That’s what you want in a sandwich filling.

(one small note: this also flattens your stitches some, so test this before doing a whole afghan to make sure you like how it looks. To avoid flattening the stitches, you could place the piece between a couple of towels, which should allow some fluffiness to remain while still giving you soft, non-curling pieces.) I will post some pictures soon, so you can see the difference.

Got the idea from something I learned in my college days (I have a BS in Clothing & Textiles). This actually saved the day a few years back when mom was making bow ties for one of my brothers' weddings. We were using a polyester satin (of course, because that's what you can get) and she couldn't get any of them to iron flat. She was getting desperate, and had tried everything she could think of, including wetting them down completely, and then trying to flatten them with the iron. Nothing was working. Then I remembered this tip from my college days: when working with acrylics, polyesters, nylons, etc, iron them using correct heat settings, but then press down on them with your pressing block (or anything flat and smooth) and press down, or keep that weight on it, until it cools completely. See, the heat relaxes the fibers, but they'll go right back to their former shape if you don't do something to stop that. That's what a pressing block (smooth piece of wood, fits in your hand) is for. A heavy book will do nicely as a stand-in. Especially since you can leave it and walk away, instead of pressing down with your hands while it cools. Speaking of hands, your hand will work fine in a pinch for most things, if you don't mind a little heat.

Gator Sandwich

Had to share a few of my recent creations. How cute is that sandwich? See what I mean about having to make an entire loaf of sliced bread? See the grape jelly and the peanut butter sticking out the side? I just want to eat it up!

After finishing the apple slice, I noticed I should have been using a smaller hook. Silly me. Sure explains why it looked a little on the large side for a slice of apple. Apples come that big - I've seen them - but this was supposed to be an ordinary apple, not one of the gigantic Fuji's they use for making gourmet chocolate caramel apples to sell at Christmas.

The alligator is just shy of 9" total length, so that should give you an idea of the scale here. Don't you just love his toothy grin? That apple slice better watch out...he looks hungry...

Arty in Progress

What do you think so far? You're thinking I need better lighting when I take pictures, right? I'll work on that. Anywho, I got as far as Ridge 7. What you can't see is his belly, left dangling while you work the shell, like this: which reminds me of a moose-head.

His little self looks a lot like a hedgehog to me, the way the head with it's pointy nose is dipped a little as you go up toward the shell. (I think I un-dipped it when I took the picture, because it doesn't look like I remember.) If you used furry yarn, and just did rows of dbl crochet without doing the Ridge thing (not that you could tell in furry yarn if you did, but the ridges take more yarn), and did tiny little rounded ears, and no tail, I bet it would make a nice little hedgehog. Tempted to try that? I know I am...

(Actually, with the ridges looking to me like someones head all done up in curlers, well, you could skip the furry yarn, and just say her fur is up in rollers.)

Some helpful pointers if you're making this little guy:

1) When you work the first Ridge of his shell, the designer directs you to "figure 1" for how you're doing the second row of the Ridge. However, her photo appears to be her work on a later Ridge, so I found it confusing. On the first Ridge, you would be picking up an unworked loop of TAN, not grey. I considered photographing my own "figure 1" for you, but was too caught up in crocheting, and decided you'd understand if I just mentioned you should picture to yourself that the loop is tan, and not grey as the photo shows. (see my pinkish arrow and circle in her photo? That's the loop that should be tan. And in fact, the entire row below, where you're picking up the loops, is tan. because it's your first Ridge.)

2) The first Ridge of the shell says you do 19 dbl in front loops only, and work back in sc through loops and tops of dbl (when you see her directions and try it, you'll get what I mean here), ending with 19 sts. The second Ridge has you increase 3 times, ending with 23 stitches. Do the math.... Got it? Yup, no matter how I try, I only get 22 stitches (19+3=22). I'm not sure what she intended, and there are no corrections to her pattern. I just fixed that myself by doing an extra sc on the second row of Ridge 1, on top of the chain where you joined the grey yarn. Do that, and you're all set for the rest of the shell as far as number of stitches.

3) On any ridges where you have either increased or decreased, in order to not end up twisting your ridge to one side, make sure you are working your second row the same way. If you increased in that stitch, use that unworked loop twice when making your sc. If you skipped a stitch on the first row, skip that loop on the second as well. That may sound like basic logic here, but I had to work this fella 2-3 times on that first ridge to get it right, until I realized that was my problem. (yup, I had to frog him. more than once. enough, in fact, that I might have been able to FINISH him in the same amount of time I started over again. and again. grrr.)

a year of ami

I had this great idea this morning: Why not make an ami a week, and work through that alphabetically? I think it sounds like fun. If you did one per week, you'd have time in one year to make two items for each letter of the alphabet. I know we're already starting the 4th week of the year, but technically, you could start a year of anything at any point, just so you finish 365 days later. So, I'm going to do it, and you could join me!
Partly, my motivation for this comes from wanting to make so many cute things, and not feeling I have the time. But, you know how this goes, once you sit down and start something, you're done before you know it. It's the anticipation of the time involved that stops us starting a new project. Additionally, there is one pattern I've been dying to try ever since I found it online, which happens to be an armadillo.
I actually have, just last week, crocheted an apple wedge (from Tasty Crochet) and a cute alligator (from Vanna's Choice Easy Crochet Critters), so I could just say I've done "A" and move on to "B", but I'm too stuck on wanting that armadillo.
Here's the plan:
At the end of each week, I'll do a post showing the ami I've just completed, and announcing the ami for the next week so you'll have some time to gather your materials. Or start on it early, if you want.
Every ami will be a pattern featured online for free. I have plenty of pattern books at home, filled with cute stuff to make, but I also know how much free stuff is out there, and the only thing better than indulging in the fiber arts is indulging for free. (Free, because you have leftover yarn, and you already own the hooks and/or needles, though of course you'll need stuffing, and some kind of eyes.)
I will provide the link for the pattern, and, since I do both, I will direct you to both a knit and a crochet item whenever possible. They may not be the same animal, but both will start with the same letter of the alphabet. I realize that could be a challenge for me, but I'm willing to pursue it. (and I'm open to suggestions, so go ahead and find me cute stuff) Classification will be loose - I might do a slice of bread as "B" for bread, or "S" for slice, for example. I like all ami, not just cute animals, so I'll do some food (which is what started my obsession in the first place), and maybe some dolls or other toys, too. But all amigurumi. Faces on food are optional.
All projects will be small enough & easy enough for the average person to complete in an evening or two. I know I'm fast, but I also work full-time, so I've got only a few hours each evening to pursue my many hobbies. If I should happen to fall in love with something more complex, I'll either figure out a way to make it count for 2 letters, so we'd have 2 weeks to complete it, or I'll put up the link for that, and a link for something quicker, and let you choose.
For the second round, after we've done the alphabet once, we might need something more challenging, so we'll tinker with the "rules" a bit once we get there.
Ready?
This week, it's Arty the Armadillo to crochetand Mrs Saucy Apple (scroll down her page, it's there) to knit. I haven't tried either yet, but if I find either need clarification as I go, I'll post that here, and would you do the same? Comment or send me a message. I did make the peach by the same artist as the apple, and that pattern was great.

*update* photos have been changed to those of my own creations, after-the-fact

PB&J on white

I was crocheting a new project last night, a PB&J, from this great book I just got,

and suddenly, just after finishing the 3rd "bread" piece (you need 4 of them for a sandwich, because you sew 2 together for each piece of bread, so they aren't floppy), and found that I only had about a yard of white yarn left. Thing is, I remember when I bought that skein of Vanna. And I am pretty sure I can name everything I've used it for. It doesn't add up. Largest item I recall would be the vanilla swirl cone; but how much yarn can go into something only about 4" tall and 2" around at the base, tapering to a point? I used it for the eyes on Nubby, but not much went into that. The white bits on the fox, again, not much there. Middle of the failed Oreo, but that was just chain however many and then sc back. The popcorn was Sugar-n-Cream yarn. The garlic was in Fisherman, Wool-Ease. Baby socks were in a sport-weight. What else have I knitted or crocheted in white recently? It just doesn't seem like I could have used up the entire skein yet. What am I forgetting?
Anyway...
There I was, only minutes into a school program (that deserves a post all it's own), and out of yarn. Luckily, I had the crust, pb, and jelly colors there, so I did the crust on the 3 completed pieces, and then got about 1/2 the pb done before it was time to put it away. I had another skein of white at home, so I was able to complete the rest of the bread and put the layers together. I'm seriously going to make an entire loaf of sliced white bread for my friends' play kitchen (not a play kitchen for herself, you understand, it's for her grandkids). Hmm. How to do the heels? I'm gonna have to figure that one out for myself, I bet. And I'd like something better than a plain plastic bread sack to put it in. Except fabric isn't transparent, generally, and you should be able to see it through the sack, just like real bread. Sheer fabrics aren't going to be sheer enough. Vinyl is likely to rip at the seams. Shoot, I'll just have to do the sack in cotton, appliqued or stamped cute like a fancy bakery bread bag. It needs to be practical and easy-care more than anything. Or, I guess, I could just put it in a plain sack, twist tie and all, like real bread, and if/when the sack wears out, just get another. Easy enough. Except, "plastic bags are not toys" and all that. Grr.
Now, to design those heels...making one side in crust color doesn't quite seem enough...they'll need shaping...
How many skeins of white yarn do you think it will take to make a loaf of sliced bread?

DUH! Just realized where all that white yarn went! The eyeballs. I made 10 of them, 8 went in gift baskets, and mine are put away with the Halloween stuff in the attic. Well, that clears that up, anyway. I kept looking at all the stuff around the house, trying to remember if I'd gifted something that used a large amount of white.

Bella Gloves for a friend

Made these for a good friend's daughter. Her daughter is really tall, with everything proportioned to go with that, including long fingers. She has trouble finding clothes, and generally just lives with everything being too short. I custom made these for her, using a tracing of her hand, so she'll have some nice warm gloves that actually fit. I worry I might have overshot the lengths, so I may have to re-do some, but I'd rather they fit. Here's hoping they're just right.

(sorry for bad picture quality - cell phone again)

Update: my friend just came to tell me her daughter loves them, and they fit very well. Check that one off the list.

favorite biscuits

Sometimes I'm asked to share this recipe. It's one my family has used for decades. It was on a calendar, back in the 70's (that's my childhood, folks, I'm not that old), and was intended to top a chicken pot pie. One night, mom mixed up just the biscuits, and a new family favorite was born.

2 c flour
4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cream of tarter
2 t sugar
1/2 c butter (room temperature)
2/3 c milk

preheat oven to 450F
stir together flour, baking powder, salt, cream of tarter, and sugar
cut in cold butter with a pastry blender
add milk and mix gently until it forms a soft dough
dough should not be sticky - add a little flour if it is, but go easy or they'll end up like rocks
pat or roll out on floured board to about 3/4" or thicker, and cut with biscuit cutter (or anything round, like an empty, clean soup can or a drinking glass)
place on ungreased baking sheet (you should have about a dozen)
bake at 450F for 10-12 minutes

super easy! once you try it, you may never eat refrigerator biscuits again. I certainly don't. I use this for anything requiring a biscuit dough - like pigs in blankets or for topping a pot pie. roll a little thinner if you're doing pigs-in-blankets (or sausage rolls, as the English like to call them) so the biscuit doesn't overwhelm the pig/sausage/hot dog. They're terrific plain, and they work nicely for a biscuits-n-gravy dish.
One of my brothers makes this using frozen butter, grated into the mix. He says they're lighter, plus, if you forgot to leave the butter out to soften (I always forget), you can grab some out of the freezer instead.
It's also nice to mix this up just to where you would add the milk, and instead, put away in freezer, in labeled baggies, so you can have biscuits on a busy morning (save yourself that whole 5 minutes it would take to cut in the butter...). Split the mixture in half and only use 1/3 cup of milk when you just need a few biscuits. You can also use dry milk (I forget the proportions, plus I think they may be different for different brands, but enough for about 2/3 c mixed up) instead, and then later you'd only need to add 2/3 c water. You do need to keep the mix in fridge or freezer, though, since it has butter in it.
Pretty sure the original recipe called for margarine (it was the 70's) but I haven't been on speaking terms with that item since my 20's. I know what's in butter, and I'm willing to take whatever risks come with that. Not so sure about what it is they put in margarine. It's not even margarine anymore, it's vegetable oil spread or some such appetizing name.

ravelympics

Thinking about doing this, but as it's tax season, not sure I'll have the time. It's not like I'm going to plant myself in front of the TV for the entire Olympics, or even part of it. I'll be at work. But, having the rules set out, and the challenge of finishing an item (they do have a WIP/UFO event) between Feb 12 and Feb 28 could be good for me.
At first, I didn't know about the WIP event, so I was a bit dubious. But, I do have this green cabled cardigan I only pick up now and then, which it would be nice to finish. You know, so I can wear it. Or at least cross it off my list of UFO's and have one less project stuffed behind the knitting chair.
Rule on the UFO is it had to be dormant as of Jan 12. Pretty sure I haven't done more than stick the point protectors back on (they jump off, don't ask me why) since before Thanksgiving. Definitely haven't even looked at it recently. Okay, maybe glanced at it behind the chair when I pulled out the toy bin for my niece last week, but I swear I didn't touch it.
I think I have to add the project to my ravelry account before I can count it, but before I do that, I'll have to dig it out, so I can properly reference the pattern name and the issue of the mag it's in. Taking a picture of it would be a nice idea, too. (and my Bella gloves, so I can add that pic to my project file)
I think it would be good to challenge myself. Get something done.

how-to for i-cord pretzel

get yourself some chocolate-colored yarn, or pretzel colored, if you don't care to have it be a chocolate covered pretzel, and a couple size 6 dbl point knitting needles

cast on 4 stitches
knit in i-cord (slide the stitches down to the other end of the needle and knit without turning, continue) for about 6 inches or so
finish off
form into pretzel shape "knot" and tack in place where it crosses

if not chocolate covered, you could sew on tiny beads for salt (or just spritz with a spray glue and add some glitter - but that will come off if/when you wash it)

use bulky yarn and bigger needles for a big fat soft pretzel

kind of a no-brainer

look what I made!

Had to use the right side of my brain this morning to make me feel better about going back to work (after being here until almost midnight last night). This pattern had been on my to-knit list for a while, so I decided it was time to do it.

In actual fact, the pattern is only for the plain knit ball. A good shape to know how to do. Some folks on Ravelry had taken the pattern and come up with this adorable owl in a sweater. But nobody posted the actual directions for the sweater part. So I printed the picture, and worked that part out for myself, making notes on the ball directions for when to change to ribbing, and when to bind off.

For anyone who's interested, I started 2x2 ribbing on round 13, and kept the ribbing pattern as I decreased, meaning, don't try to keep it as 2x2 ribbing, just knit the knits and purl the purls, even if that's only one stitch instead of 2 after you decrease. I ended after round 18, but try the sweater on the owl before you finish off, to be sure it covers enough of him. You could also use one size larger needles when making the sweater so it's actually bigger, but I think it fit just fine as it is. I didn't sew it on, it's just there. Maybe sew on if it's for a child, so you don't keep finding owl sweaters in the hallway.

Sorry for the blurry quality. Took these shots with my cell, which accounts for me actually posting a picture on here. Because shots taken with my nice digital typically stay there until it's full, at which point I beg Twin2 to empty the memory card to our computer. Then, they often stay on my computer at home until I beg my son to email them to me at work. (what? like you never post from your office?)

There is a pattern for a crochet version, every bit as cute. I just felt like knitting. Next time, I think I'll use bigger buttons for the eyes. Or maybe they just need to be closer together?

something's wrong with Disney

I saw the preview for Sorcerer's Apprentice on Christmas Day, when I went to watch Sherlock Holmes. To begin with, I thought that previews had to be approved for ALL audiences. On viewing again, I see that it says it's approved for "appropriate audiences". So, I guess maybe that's meant to cover what I hoped was something they overlooked in editing. But, 3 weeks later, it's still there. Not a mistake, though it's possible it's not in the movie, only in the trailer. I'm trying to be fair, here.
What it is, I can't repeat word for word. Because I don't use that word. Ever.
Watch the trailer, and you tell me, what does the kid say, as the ball of fire passes by him on the fire escape, right before he asks Nick Cage if he's insane. Go ahead, run it back to be sure. (Make sure you appreciate again that look on Nick Cage's face when he responds - I know I like watching that bit again. Weak in the knees, I admit.) And then, seconds later, there's the Disney logo. Why is that supposed to be okay?
Before you start thinking I'm a total prude, let me just say, I will likely still see the movie. I love Nick Cage, and Alfred Molina. I'm just disappointed.

Laws of Attraction

Yet another fantastic movie. Suggested to me by my friend Cookie, ages ago, I finally rented this one. Not much on the action or excitement end, but a very cute movie. I wondered if it would be a remake of that old Tracy and Hepburn movie, Adam's Rib, but aside from them both being lawyers, and married, not much similarity. Worth seeing.

fun with my nephews

Had my adorable nephews over last night to paint some "treasure boxes". I was a little rushed from my work day, not totally prepared when they got there. Still had to set up the card table, chairs, change my clothes, get the cups for rinsing water, etc. But we did that pretty quick, and moved on to the fun part - the painting!
The older boy chose brown for the outside of his box, so it would look like an old rusty chest, but my bottle of brown (I have at least 6 bottles of various reds, but somehow, only one brown?) was a little dried out, and mostly empty. That was some goopy paint, let me tell you. The poor kid also had the larger box, and kept running out of paint. I swear it must have been soaking it up as fast as he could apply it. When I suggested a lighter color for the inside, his brother chose aqua, and he chose red. (I'm thinking, um, that's not lighter, that's sort of dark...but I let him have what he wanted - and it looked mega awesome in the end.) I chose silver for the inside of mine. The younger boy and I worked together on our two boxes while the older painted forever on his own.
In the end, both boys boxes looked amazing, and mine looked, well, boring. Seriously, the younger one had this aqua interior, red exterior, accents of pale yellow, with dots of the yellow on the red, and dots of shimmery blue on the yellow, including one dot that went awry and became a very cute smiley face on the one end, so he purposely put another on the opposite end. And the older boy used shimmery "kings gold" for his accents on his brown box (the bottom didn't get painted, we completely ran out), with dots of black on the gold parts. And it looked so cool with that red interior - very "treasure box". Mine was shimmery blue on the outside, with black accents on the lip.
My twins looked at mine and said, "hmm, well, that's a treasure box". Yup, boring. Adults just aren't as good at this kind of thing, I guess.
(again, sorry about the lack of pictures)
My nephews must be the most awesome anywhere!

how to make the most of your Christmas tree

step 1: select (or cut your own) a fresh tree of a good-smelling variety. Wait until the week of Christmas to do this, so you can get it cheaply, and have the pleasure of staying up all night to decorate it and wrap presents.
step 2: decorate the heck out of it, to the point that your family complains about how bright it is, and could we please not put every decoration we own on it?
step 3: water at least twice daily, but only until New Years Eve. You'll want to let it dry out a little before you take it down, so as to cause the most discomfort to those assigned to remove decorations and lights. Also, it will shed more needles this way, leaving them underfoot to be crushed with every step, releasing again that wonderful smell.
step 4: wait until you have guests coming before you start to take it down. it should be brittle and dry by then, so taking the lights off will release that heavenly scent, and you will get needles in your hair, your clothes, poking you in the arms. well, not you, so much as the child/children assigned to this job. I keep each string of lights in a separate baggie, so the kids know how many they have to remove beforehand.
step 5: before removing the newly naked tree from the room (did the tree shrink? I could have sworn it took up more space than that when I brought it in), clear all rugs, pillows, boxes, furniture, etc., from the path to the door, and sweep or vacuum everything. You don't want to scoop up dust bunnies with your pine needles when you put them away for later.
step 6: search the house fruitlessly for a suitable pine-needle container. realize you just used the last empty ice cream bucket to store your sisters wedding cake top in the freezer (hoping nobody thinks it's ice cream before she's back from her honeymoon and can take it home with her. you did label it, didn't you? go make sure you labeled it, just in case). Find another bucket, wash it out (it had packets of soup in it, they can go somewhere else). wait for it to dry while you try to get the kids to please take all their Christmas presents out of the living room.
step 7: drag tree out front door, across porch, yard, driveway. make sure you scrape it past everything you can, maybe even run into things for good measure. you want to leave a nice thick trail of pine needles. pine needles are great for making your pathways less slippery. don't put the tree in the garbage or on the curb for pickup just yet - you might want more pine needles.
step 8: on your way back in the house, pick up any larger branches from path, and sweep the porch. don't worry about these pine needles - they will make a great mulch for your flower beds, so just sweep them off that direction. toss the branches in the yard waste bin. sure, they won't pick that up again until spring, but they won't hurt anything by being in there.
step 9: back inside, sweep up the heavy trail of pine needles and put them in the now-dry ice cream bucket. you'll use them later to stuff sachets or pillows or something. probably. get a crumpled paper lunch sack to put the rest in when the bucket is too full. set these aside, without putting a lid on or folding over the sack.
step 10: remove any other traces of Christmas from living room, knocking over bucket and/or bag of pine needles at least once, to enjoy that heavenly scent all over again. start tossing stray pine needles in fireplace instead of crumpled paper bag, to avoid tipping bag again. they'll make it smell nice if/when you next light a fire in there.
step 11: store bucket and bag of pine needles somewhere logical, so when you finally decide to make those sachets or pillows, you'll know where to find it. try to locate last years bucket, and the one from the year before, so they can all be together. after about an hour, give it up, and promise yourself that next time you come across one of those buckets, you'll immediately put it with the other one. really.
step 12: after a suitable time has passed, preferably after your city's tree pickup has long since ended, giving you no other option, get out that trusty (rusty?) chain saw, and cut up your Christmas tree for firewood. the needles will be very brown by now, so you probably don't need to save them with the rest. but if you want to, make sure you put them in the same place, and label them clearly (where did I put that bucket?).
step 13: stack firewood neatly out of the weather. you don't want to be burning fungus later.
step 14: realize you only thought you did the last two steps, when you stumble across the now very dry and very brown fire-hazard of a Christmas tree, somehow hidden behind the fence (oh, yeah, I brought it back here when I was headed for the chain saw, but then I remembered I had clothes in the washer, and I went to take care of that. must have forgotten about tree.), and shove entire tree, tip first, into your yard waste bin instead.

and I will leave a trail of pine needles in my wake

Finally, now that the wedding fuss is over, I had the time to take the Christmas tree out of the house. I made the boys undecorate it Saturday, thinking we might need the strings of lights for decorating for the reception. But it stood bare, shed needles surrounding it and crunching underfoot (aaah, what a heavenly smell!), until last night. I should have gone back to work after picking the boys up from school, because it's tax season, but I stayed home and removed Christmas instead.
(As it turned out, we didn't need the lights. Mom brought hers, too, and dad seemed to think one strand was enough anyway. I talked him into two strands, but he wouldn't budge past that. I personally would have used more, but maybe I'm just like that. Got the tree undecorated, though, didn't it?)
I swear, it took me over an hour to clean up the needles, and make sure all other traces of Christmas were removed from the living room. You know, like the stocking holders on the mantel, the cards, my cute Christmas tree pen, the wreath on the front door, stuff like that.
Alas, I did not feel I had the energy to visit the attic, so all the Christmas stuff is piled up around the closet in which the attic access resides.
Correction: I didn't feel I had the energy to get my teenage twins to help me lug things up there. Because talking teens into doing something they don't want to do takes a whole lot of energy sometimes. More than it might have for me to go back and forth, up and down, all by myself.
But it's ready to go back up there, boxes packed, etc.

Anyone need some pine needles? Anyone?

Phoebe In Wonderland

After watching this DVD, I just had to post about this movie!

Within about 20 minutes, I was sure I wanted to own this one.

Elle Fanning is terrific as Phoebe, a 9-yr-old girl obsessed with Alice in Wonderland. Her younger sister, Olivia, has angst (and knows what that means...). Her parents are both writers, her mother's current project is turning her dissertation on Alice into a book, so Wonderland, or Looking-Glass Land, has been a prominent feature of Phoebe's home.

A new drama teacher announces they will be putting on Alice in Wonderland (do you believe in coincidences?), and she gets the part of Alice. But something else is going on with Phoebe.

I can't say any more than that. It would spoil it for you. But I can say, this movie is totally worth your time. You will be touched in a way you never expected.

(and I totally want to use that name, if ever I have more kids! Veronica and Phoebe - I think that'd do for twins, don't you?)

Baby Sister's wedding weekend

It was GREAT! We really like my new bro-in-law, and he seems like a good match for my baby sister. I have pics, but haven't had time to get them off the camera yet...
My dress looked fabulous, especially the buttons, and matching earrings made from the smaller version of the same button. My sis-in-law R looked stunning, with all her red curly hair and her gorgeous 50's style dress. Promise, pictures will be posted soon.
We saw many old friends who knew all of us way back when, and it was fun to catch up.

I'm so young...

At my sisters endowment session (LDS temple ceremony), while mom and I were waiting for her to change, one of the temple workers (who looks to be around my own age, maybe a bit older - but not one of the sweet old ladies you often find there) is chatting with us, and turns to me and says, "so you're what, about a year older?" I couldn't help laughing, and thanked her for the compliment. She can tell she must be way off (my sister is 20 something), by my reaction, but says she can't believe I'm more than a couple years older at the most, and asks how old I am. I tell her I'm 41, and her head snaps to my mom, and she says, "you are NOT old enough to have a 41 year old daughter!"
Mom and I both felt good. I think it's a family trait - we look young.

new shoes!

I begged my sis to help me find shoes to go with the dress, knowing neither of us had time for fun shoe shopping, but still, I needed some. She was out running around for stuff, and found me the perfect pair! She hadn't even seen the dress yet, but it's like they were made to go with it.

Bonus: she and my other sis are running up to West Jordan to get my buttons for me, too!

I love my sisters!

Done!

I still have to add the decorative buttons down the front, but only if I can find 3 more of that perfect one. Because there was only one of them, but it was exactly the right button. The Hancock Fabrics in West Jordan has 5 of them, and I had them put on hold, but how to find the time to run up there? (will insert picture of finished dress here, just as soon as my son gets the pics off the camera and onto the computer)

I confess, I finished my dress at the expense/risk of not doing the buttonholes for my 3 nieces dresses. I may be in trouble once mom/sis find out. On the other hand, if I manage to do those between picking up the boys from school and heading out for various appointments (and the Hen Party) this evening, they may never know I shafted them.

One problem: now I need shoes to go with...

almost done

I got about 2/3 done with the dress last night. I was doing pretty good, considering I had to baste the layers together before I could sew it, since I was doing two fabrics together as though they were one. Then I started on the sleeves, and found a HUGE flaw on one, right near the elbow. Had to get the leftovers out, position and cut a new sleeve. Bummer. That took a good-sized chunk of time. So the top is together, the sleeves almost ready to put in, and the skirt is together.
I need to: sew underarm seam and hem/cuff on sleeve (it's a two-piece sleeve, with a deep, turned back hem/slit kind of finish), sew sleeves to top, sew top to skirt, put in zipper, sew on facing for the collar, finish back skirt seam/slit, and hem skirt.
See? Almost done. Piece of cake.

the week ahead

My baby sister is getting married Saturday. I have cut out, and started to sew, my dress for the reception. I'm not worried. Really. It's a simple pattern. Midnight blue satin for the skirt, a silvery burnished velvet over silk shantung for the top. (It's the middle one of the bottom three on the pattern cover.)
I made the mistake of mentioning that I could make vests for my boys out of the leftovers from my dress, thinking they would both think that was lame. Not so. They both want a vest. I'm telling you, my dress comes first. Then, if I still have time, I will start on their vests. But not before. Seriously.
I finished the two little girl's dresses last night, so I'm off the hook with mom. At least until the flowers are here, at which time we'll need to make corsages and boutonnieres. And at some point, I need to help out with centerpieces, though I don't quite have the vision of what she has in mind there. (Wednesday? or maybe Thursday?)
I'm getting my hair dyed again tomorrow night, and Wednesday late-afternoon my sis has her endowment session at the temple, for which she's invited me to be her other escort.
Friday evening his family is doing a dinner, for which I think we have to set tables and such, but I'm not sure yet. Maybe we only have to show up? But what will I wear? Not the same dress I'll wear for the reception. Good thing I have that navy suit.
So it's tonight I'll be sewing my dress.
(But it looks like I'll have to miss Fab Fibers again this Thursday. Drat.)