The Goober has been on a major tear the last three or four days; Saturday night she stripped naked and peed on the floor behind the couch. (I swear I will not share gory details of potty training BUT SHE DESERVES TO HAVE IT BLASTED OVER THE INTERNET. I hope she reads this when she's thirteen and has a fit.) Last night the husbeast turned his back on her for five minutes while she was secure in her high chair and she finger-painted the dining room table with her dinner. She has played the drums as loud as possible whenever the TV was tuned to anything other than cartoons. She wiped her chalky hand on her floor pillow. Truly, a fine weekend.
As you can imagine, what with the chronic pain thing, I'm bloody well sick of taking pills. So as I edged toward critical mass today, I fell back on an old coping method taught to me by my beloved shrink: find a soothing behavior, and DO IT. So I started spinning. Unfortunately, because my hands are still sore from the felting silliness last Wednesday (they're still peeling, too), I could only work on it for an hour. But I feel much more sane now. And I get yarn out of it. Truly, an awesome coping method.
This is the start of more "Peacock Tweed". (For those just tuning in, I spun yarn from the same fiber in March, knit it into a zen sweater, and killed it in the washing machine in April while trying to felt it small enough for the Goober.) I have a planned use for it, and it will be MINE, ALL MINE.
Otherwise, I am using the lace patterns as a self-reward to motivate me; once I get this round of bags and bowls and a sweater done, then I will knit a test doily. And then I will knit another, bigger, with silk, for a Christmas present. Hopefully, this will be easy... I spent my first ten years of knitting making doilies. So it's probably easier for me than most. I hope.
Oh, and those of you thinking of ordering the lace patterns from Lacis. Lyre is in English; that's the one on the right in the photo I posted a few days ago. It's a single pattern. The Kunst Stricken folder on the left contains about thirty lace patterns for mostly round but also ovals (really oval, not just blocked oval), rectangles, and squares. The lace is charted, but the directions are in German. With ten years of charted lace knitting behind me and very remedial German (growing up in Amish country will do that), I can piece together what to do well enough. I wouldn't suggest it for beginners unless they speak German, or know someone who does. I'll be happy to help people out with it, but you might want to see how I do at my own test knitting first.
7 comments:
All fun and games at your house right now then? That behind the couch story...eww...wonder what on earth she was thinking?
Another doily! Cool. You haven't done one in a while and they're always so beautiful.
Question - what's the difference between a lace doily and a lace shawl?
Hey,
I have been felting for awhile now and thought I would share a few tips I have learned. First, Lambs Pride (bulky, or if you use a lighter weight double up), is the best for felting (any color other than white). Also, if your hands are bad, use the washing machine! (much better use than for regular clothes) I have had great success with a washing machine using hot water, place the object in a pillow case and tie or, use a delicate bag. Just make sure to WATCH it, pull it out every 5 to 10 min to check, and don't let it go on the spin cycle. (if it needs more agitation, take it out of the bag) After it is the right size, shape it and let dry.
Feel free to email for more info.
For more detail on those kitty toys or beads try needle felting on your project, adds yet another way to get more creative.
Cheers,
Megan (hancockm@denison.edu)
Ugh! You may have inspired me to do a potty training post of my own. Ladybug walked up to me with a poopy diaper she'd just taken off, and then ran off to sit on the potty, with, uhm, well the rest of the contents of her diaper still on her bum. I'm with you. It should be blasted on the internet. (Good spinning btw--can't wait to see what you make!)
The Peacock Tweed is gorgeous - did you dye it yourself?
Speaking of dye - do you have any colorfastness problems when dyeing with food colors? I tried your trick with the crock-pot (great post, by the way!), but I seem to be getting a lot of wash-out.
How in the world do you deal with someone for stripping off and peeing behind the couch? Thank GOD I don't have kids!! I would be screaming and raging, and hurting someone (probably me.) Hooray for spinning!!
Personally, I love the charts that came with Nieblings. Magnolie, Lyra. Automne is a big of a pain. After a while the slanted triangles are really easy to knit by, even easier than the charts I first started on.
BUT. I'm such a geek. My mind just loves to see it.
Verification today, papydya
Re potty-training: in my humble opinion, one should avoid picking fights one is not certain of winning. If potty-training is a war, well, she's got all the cards. My own kids got potty-trained at day care (twice a week for 2 hours so I could practice volin, which made me easier to live with)because while they were still in diapers they had to stay in the "baby room". They desperately wanted to be out with the "big kids". So I feel like I cheated. My granddaughter is "potty-training herself", and HER daycare has no such setup as mine did. I comfort myself with knowing that she won't walk down the aisle in diapers.
One trick that I've heard works, and it seems to with that grandchild, is nudity. They don't like messing on the floor.
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