Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Pancakes, Flowers, and Books. Oh my...

Saturday was the annual Campbell Fire Department pancake breakfast fundraiser. Each year, along with the breakfast, there is a plant exchange and a book sale. Julie stayed at my mom and dad's on Friday night, so they brought her to the breakfast and I met them there at 9:00 with a hungry Daniel. We got our pancakes and eggs and ham and juice and chowed down. My husband was slinging food when we got there, but he put the apron away and got a plate and joined us for breakfast soon after we sat down. It was a really nice time and as always the food was great. They ended up serving just over 600 people so they pulled in a nice chunk of change for the department. As we were leaving, Julie asked if we could stop at the plant exchange. First of all, I had no plant to exchange, and second of all.....our house is where plants come to die. Sad, I know. I even bought some of those Aqua Globes and that hasn't helped at all. Yes, there is water in the globes, I'm not totally vapid, but still...plants don't like me. I guess they also don't like diet pepsi because that's usually what I have at my disposal when it dawns on me to water them. I thought the caffeine would give them a little pep and perk them up, but I have finally accepted that my logic is definitely wrong. After steering Julie away from the plant exchange, I came home and promptly grabbed my knitting and began working. I have a deadline on this project. I really want to give this adorable little sweater to Julia for her birthday on Saturday. I have made quite a bit of progress in the last few days and I was able to duplicate stitch a cute little heart on the front yesterday. I have already finished the neckband, so now the daunting task of making the sleeves is the last step that is staring me in the face. I have a hard time sometimes with sleeves, partly because I have to make two of them and try to get them to look the same, and secondly, I feel like my decreases are kind of sloppy. I have tried everything I can think of to try and get them to look neater but I haven't succeeded so far. I have modified my SSK and instead of slipping the second stitch knitwise, I slip it purlwise. I read on Kelley Petkun's blog that doing that would improve the ssk by making it look neater, but it didn't work with this particular yarn. Please don't gasp, but this is 100% acrylic. Yes, I would much rather knit with an all natural fiber, but this sweater is for a toddler and toddlers toddle around and get dirty quickly, so I am predicting that it's going to need washing on a regular basis, and I didn't want to make so much work for Michelle by making a sweater that she would have to hand wash and dry flat.  And anyways, I was at Wal Mart and hadn't bought yarn in a few days (gasp) and this lavendar color was so pretty. If I am going to knit with acrylic, I usually will buy Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn! or Loops and Threads from Michaels, but you make do with what you have.

 Sunday was nice and relaxing. We got up and got ready for church and then realized it was confirmation Sunday and would probably be standing room only, and with a squirrely toddler in tow, that didn't sound like what we really wanted to do. We decided to listen to the sermon later on and then discuss it. Sadly it's now Wednesday and we still haven't found the time to do that, but tonight I plan to sit down with the computer and a cup of tea and listen to what PD has to say. 

I got my Scentsy order this week and I couldn't be happier. I LOVE this stuff and I am seriously considering becoming a consultant if for no other reason than to feed my habit. Krimsin definitely started something here. I just love the idea of flameless and wickless candles. No flame is good for kids and no wick is good for the walls! I think it will really sell itself.  I'm just trying to feel it out a little bit and get an idea for who would buy it and maybe even host some online parties. I would do home parties but the ease of doing everything online is really appealing. And the more pocket money I have, the more attention I can pay to my yarn stash! I just also feel that with all the friends I have made through my knitting guild action and the child abuse prevention task force, I could offer them these great products. I'm not a big sales person but I think that I would do well.

I'm off to work some more on Julia's sleeves and maybe the feather and fan shawl that has become the bane of my existence. I somehow screwed it up a few weeks ago and today I was finally able to sit with it and attempt to fix it. It's instances like this that make me hate lace. I put the shawl on a scrap piece of yarn and then I put a lifeline in the shawl. I'm always nervous when I start ripping rows out but it definitely needed to be done.

Hoping the rain holds off so I can get the grass cut tonight, but if it does rain that will be good too because then I won't be sitting at guild feeling guilty for not getting my chores at home done. Anyways, the house smells fantastic thanks to Scentsy!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Project Sweetheart

I know that it's now May, and as we found out yesterday, the heat of Wisconsin's summer is drawing closer. Most people are embracing the nicer temperatures and being able to have the windows open. I however feel a pang of sadness. Why? Not because I don't love having my windows open....not because I don't love hanging sheets on the clothesline to dry and then get into a nice, fresh smelling bed....no, my sadness comes from no one needing sweaters or hats or scarves for a few months. I really didn't know what I was going to do for the months that Wisconsin will be sweltering...but then I decided to heck with it. To heck with what people might say or think. I will make sweaters and hats and scarves, and if anyone scoffs at me in July then they shall be cold in December. Okay, not really, because if I hoarded everything I make then you would see me on that TLC show and there would probably be about 100 cats roaming around through the piles and piles of fiber and empty propel bottles. So the point of this ramble is to say that I am making sweaters and embroidering little hearts on them for the girls and some kind of boy-ish, masculine, perhaps space alien creature for the boys. My hope is that I will still be able to stock pile some comfort wraps for the foster care kids and once in awhile turn out a cute hat or other small accessory for instant gratification. I've been finding myself really drawn to merino lately. I just love the way it feels on my hands and the way it works up. Perfect for instant gratification projects indeed. 
Life in the Suiter household has been crazy busy, as usual, but we are happy. Julie and Daniel and I went out for ice cream and had a nice talk on the drive. The mom van is finally home and as much as I hate to admit it, I had missed it. The expedition was nice but 13 miles to the gallon when gas is almost 4 dollars a gallon was definitely not agreeing with my check book. We got our blizzards (midnight truffle for me, m&m for Daniel, brownie batter for Jules, and we got our favorite firefighter an oreo blizzard to cool him down when he got home from a fire call)  and talked about how excited she was for her field trip to a farm today. Then we figured out how many days were left until her birthday. She is getting so excited. She doesn't know of course, but she is getting an upgraded, brand new nintendo DS for her birthday. I can't wait to give it to her. We will get her some new games, too, but I just know she's going to love it. 
Holy buckets was it ever hot here yesterday. It was so humid and steamy. Very yucky. It gave us the perfect excuse to go out for ice cream, but it also induced a pretty nasty headache for Julie. I felt so bad for her. She cried and didn't want to take any tylenol for fear that it would "taste yucky" but eventually I did get her to take it and then I got her in the shower and that seemed to help relax her enough to fall asleep. She woke up good as new this morning and ready to go to school and go on her field trip. 
It's been about a half hour since I have had yarn in my hands, so I'm getting a little anxious. I must go make more stitches. Be well, everyone!