novamade

have gnome, will travel; and, eat pie

So it's Halloween.  Boo.  Special K and I aren't usually celebrators of said day of ghoulish extravagance; but, when you have a kid who actually "gets" it, you really don't have much of a choice, do you?

My kid wanted to be the Travelocity Roaming Gnome for Halloween (thank you Travelocity and your incessant advertising during the Amazing Race--what, you don't consider The Amazing Race "educational TV?!"  Hello?  Travel and culture!  And the snarky banter of dysfuntional couples, I mean there is so much to learn!).  So because I decided to be Supermom this week, that's what he dressed up has for Halloween.  Sort of, he had no interest in wearing the belt (the belt that took an hour of my precious crafting time, but there you are).  I will put the details for the costumery in the gallery, but most of my trials and tribulations are going to be covered in this post, for those who are interested in such things.

The gnome hat was the easiest thing.  1) Measure head circumference (in this case, 21 inches--yes, he's got a big noggin).  Take red (or any color you like, but I needed to use red) felt sew a 2 inch hem for the base of the hat (it gives it that "finished" look), 3) measure off the head circumference at that base and add whatever you like for a seam allowance (I did an inch extra for a half inch seam allowance, do whatever makes you happy). 4) Decide how tall you want the hat (I opted to use the head circumference as my guide, it came out pretty tall, again do what makes you happy).  5) Center your height measurement from the base and draw a triangle.  6) Cut and sew, 7)  turn hat inside out. 8) Smile, with tons of self-satisfaction because you just made an uber cute gnome hat.

The jacket, was not as easy.  Granted, this jacket was the first article of clothing I have ever sewn.  Clearly, I was not thinking rationally when I decided that this would be a good project to cut my teeth on garment sewing.  I mean really, collars, facings, buttonholes?  Oh, and pattern modification because the pattern was for a short-sleeved shirt and not a jacket...right.

I modified a child's camouflage shirt pattern for the jacket because it had the length and basic look (style, not the fabric itself) that I was going for (I liked the collars...before I started sewing the jacket).  I figured the sleeves could just be lengthened.  And really a jacket is just a collared shirt made of heavier fabric with a lot more ease.....right?  It seemed to work out okay, but don't look to closely at the collar, it is, as the kids like to say these days, jacked up.  I had no idea what I was doing, the step-by-step directions may have skipped a few steps so I just sort of made things up as I went along.  And seriously, I need a foot attachment to make buttonholes, because the three buttonholes in this jacket almost made me gouge my own eyes out (thank you Christina for helping me decipher the directions in the big book of sewing).

The boots were some funny green rain boots purchased at the local target that I covered with black electrical tape.  Little Sir thought the eyes were weird, so he wouldn't wear them before.

There was a belt too.  A cardboard buckle painted metallic silver with black felt cut to size.  Little Sir had very strong feelings about the belt.  Namely, he wasn't having it.  Take a look for yourself.  This look of mortification is the same look I sometimes get when asking for a hug now (usually accompanying the statment, "no mommy, you are too big."  Lovely).

 

In the midst of the Halloween madness I made a pie, because, you know, Pushing Daisies was on on Wednesday night...and that is what I do...make pie while watching said show.  Chocolate Mousse Pie. 

 

This chocolate awesomeness was a really easy recipe (a lot of dirty dishes though).  I didn't feel like messing about with a spring foam pan (who is lazy and pregnant?!) and just used a large tart pan with a removable bottom (a method I would recommend to you, should you decide to make this easy and tasty pie/tart treat).  The side benefit is a few ramekins of chocolate mousse to enjoy later.

And then I made festive cupcakes. I guess my anti-Halloween days are over.  Maybe next year I will make myself a costume.  Because, you know, I am all about the garment sewing now.

goodness

So bloglines and I are still on the outs.  It's too bad really, because I have a great FO to share today...mitteny goodness! 

Over the weekend I went to Boston and hung out with some really great knit bloggers, friends all (I know that I am leaving a few people out, there were a lot of people!).  In addition to eating, camera-talk, yarn-shopping and sight-seeing, there was some mitten trading.  I made some mittens for the Philistine.

I think she likes them, she seems suitably whelmed with the finished product.

These mittens are from the same pattern as my frogged white mitten disaster.  There were some interesting design features in the pattern.  The tree of paradise design for the palm was pretty interesting in the finished product (although a pain to keep track of while knitting). 

The cables kept the pattern really interesting and the bobbles were fun.  It helped that there were not too many bobbles (I do think there is such a thing).  The rustic aran weight yarn that I used gave me a way different gauge than the reccommended worsted that the pattern suggests and that I was originally using, so I had to modify the pattern slightly.  I was afraid that the mittens would be too big, but I think it worked out in the end.  I mean, if the Philistine herself gives the finished product two thumbs up, who am I to argue?  Details in the gallery and on the rav.

And since it is Wednesday and the Pushing Daisies episode tonight sounds cute, I am going to post a pie.  I am cheating, but whatever.  I made two apple pies to share last weekend (pie goodness!), and the report was that they were tasty (I am sure the locally made ice cream that Diana had on hand didn't hurt either).   Pie recipe was  from Joy of Cooking, 1972 reprint (naturally).  The curst recipe was the patee brisee pastry liberally modified by me with a goodly amount of extra sharp New York cheddar-because that is how I roll.

I am making the same pie tonight whilst watching the Piehole Wednesday-inspiring show (we went apple picking on Monday, I hope you did something suitably exciting as well), so it's not totally cheating.  Apple pie with a cheddar pastry crust.  I will try for something more original and exciting next week.  Till then, I will leave you with some apple-picking joy (or rather, more goodness).

The first apple he picked all by himself.  It was a big deal.

obsessions, healthy and otherwise

Is it just me, or is it easy to catch a little bit of crazy without realizing it?  Just me?

So you know how I "like" (or obsess over, you pick) Pushing Daisies?  Apparently, the show has been picked up for the rest of the season.  To celebrate, I have instituted "Pie hole Wednesdays" (I know this is a Thursday post; but, the pie was made while watching Pushing Daisies...on Wednesday, as it were).  Leslie has her "cookie of the week", and so, I will have my pie...sure I am more of a cake person, but Ned is a pie maker and not a cake baker, so there you are.  First pie (which, truth be told, isn't really a pie at all)...

Chocolate Chip Pie.  Humongous chocolate chip cookie baked in a pie pan?  You betcha.  I encourage you to catch a little of the crazy and make the (pseudo) pie too, seriously (4 fork rating, people!!).

And then there is the single sock thing.  When Megan started the whole movement during the summer, my initial reaction was, "now that is a bandwagon I can hitch a ride on..."  But here is the thing...socks, they really are meant to be worn in pairs. 

My sushi sock roll post told you about the socks that I had waiting for mates and how I was going to try and finish them by the end of November (right...) .... However, I failed to mention the likely obstacles to achieving this goal (I mean real obstacles, my inherent laziness doesn't count).  So yes, one obstacle that was not addressed... a sock I had not (at the time) started.  A sock for someone else who would probably like to see the sock sooner rather than later.  Well, I started it.

I really like the pattern, horseshoe cables and eyelets...in Shibui sock yarn (which isn't pooling at all, Ashley...it's striping, in a serendipitously engaging way--given the spiraling eyelets--or am I just telling myself that?  Is it pooling in some obvious way that I am blind too?  If it is, someone please say something.).

And then, yes, there are these...

impasse. stalemate. plateau. defeat.

When I was 6 years old, my dad told me that I had a defeatist's attitude.  Being 6, I had no idea what it meant.  Luckily, he reminded me of my personality quirk often enough throughout my childhood that I eventually looked it up.  Over the years, I have developed an "any job that's worth doing can be done" attitude.  But really, I think it's overcompensation for being, truthfully, a deafeatist. 

I do have to say that I am embarassed that my current state of defeat has been brought about by the simplest of sweaters.  It's not the knitting, it's not the seaming...no.  It's the weaving in of ends.  I know.  There is a cautionary story there, amongst all my unwoven yarn ends...but that is a story for another time. 

After the sweater (which I am now dubbing the "soy un perdedor" sweater) brought my spirits low (though your loser-knits comments did help lift my spirits...you guys are funny--and nice, thanks for the positive feedback on the new home!), I quickly thought of a fun activity to combat my feelings of failure.  I wound some yarn.  Ashley shot some holes in my Shibui-love armor, but you have to appreciate friends that keep it real.  We will see what happens with the above--which acutally has an intended purpose).

Dedicated yarn is fun to wind, expectation and all that.  But winding yarn with no intent?  It's almost scandalous!  I wound yarn with no purpose--winding for winding's sake.  I rarely do this.  I have strong feelings about winding yarn only after the yarn has been assigned to a specific project that I plan on starting as soon as the cake comes off the winder.  But what can I say?  Sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind.

The winding got me giddy and smile-y.  It was a great day.  And then...and then, Special K and I had to say farewell to an old friend.

Some call it a crib, we called it the "kiddie cage".  It was a great thing, this open air contraption of containment.  Until Little Sir decided that it was a jungle gym.  Sweet kid with a sweet face, yes.  Daredevil?  Definately.  What does one do with an 18 month old who thinks cribs are for climbing and WWE mini-demonstrations (we are not part of the RAW fan nation or any other wrestling nation for that matter, but we have no idea what else to call the rag tag bouncing about that went on in the cage)? 

Apparently, one prepares for sleepless nights filled with futility and exhaustion in trying to bargain with an 18 month old who does not possess bargaining skills of any sort.  Or maybe we are just stupid, perhaps he has no interest in bargaining away his freedom.  Actually, I totally get it.  Ah, defeat, I know you well.  Well, at least it's a nice blank canvas (though I like Julia's blank canvas better), that toddler bed.

And since I don't want the image that you leave my "house" with to be my kid's new bed...

And don't forget, Pushing Daisies is on tonight, people.  If you smell pie baking, move on.

i only got the albatross

Oh, but how I wish I had choc-ices.*  But it's just the albatross.  "Albatross!  Albatross!  Albatross!"  Pomotamus, thy name is Albatross.

This first sock took some doing.  It's not the pattern, it's me.  All me.  The pattern is well-written, the chart readable and understandable. It just took me a while to accept that I had to focus on the pattern and learn it before doing other things (watching telerotvision, listening to audiobooks, hanging out with Little Sir--he does not like to share his hang out time with knitting, go figure). 

And as much as I hate to rip, I am surprised that I finished the first sock at all (I ripped 3 times.  THREE TIMES!).  I think perhaps the fear of running out of yarn spurred me on too, "will I have enough?"  Or, "will I fall short?  What will I do if I don't have enough?!"  Maybe it was this living on the edge (heh.) that provided motivation for finishing the first sock.

Because really, I was so excited to finish it, I cast on right away for a second sock.

Yeah.

Viva la revolución!

*Am I the only one who walks around quoting Monty Python?