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Arrrrrgh, Shiver me timbers!

Pirate tee is all but finished -- I just have the sewing up to do. Robin has almost outgrown it already, and I might frog a few inches and redo the neckline a bit larger. I'm not entirely happy with the shape. The sleeves are too narrow and because the sleeves were different colors I had to sew it back and forth from the underarms up, which means I have to sew up the back or stick a button on or something. Yep. I really think I'd better frog this down to the sleeves and rethink the whole thing. Bummer. I love the colors though, and I think my skull and crossbones turned out well.

So, I'm going to frog this thing....

I started this months and months ago, took a break to birth Finch, and now that I've dug it out of the knitting basket, I don't want to finish it. In fact, I want to rip it out and start anew. This time, instead of doing EZ's circular seamless with random cables, I might do a top-down raglan (also seamless) with a center cable or a celtic knot. Or I might do a cardigan. Or perhaps a hat and scarf set or two. I bought the yarn when it was on clearance at gotyarn because Robin looks so handsome in that color, but none of my swatches so far have inspired me. I'm going to take my time on this one, which means I'll have to buy new yarn for his Fall '06/Winter '07 sweater. Poor me. Another project headed for the frog-pond is the rompers I was knitting out of mercerized cotton for Finch. If I have enough yarn, I'll start again in a bigger size for next year. Otherwise, I'll use it to make some t-shirts for the babe. Look for more frequent, and (I hope) more interesting posts to come. Now that Finch is nicely settled (at 3 mos. old) I'm starting to have more time to do things other than nurse him, rock him, bathe him, and change him. He's a dear baby though, and the happiest little human I've ever known. A joy, to be sure, even if he is squawking at the moment because I didn't JUMP right up when first he gave cry.

More Redwork

I'm in a knitting slump and will be at least until I get 3.25 mm circulars and 2.5 mm dps for, respectively, Wren's lacey cardigan and Finch's striped hat. Progress on crafts (as well as writing, housekeeping, and anything else) is more or less nil these days. Finch keeps me on the hop and I squander any odd bits of freedom on laundry and food prep. Besides, it's damn hot! I don't have ac in the house or the car, and young Finch likes to be constantly on the boob, so I long for the day when he will realize that he is a separate and unique individual, so that I can resume being separate and unique. In the meantime, I suffer. I did manage to snap a picture of my redwork squares. I think I've done all of 3 stitches since Himself came along, but they were a most enjoyable 3 stitches.

dinner tonight: cornmeal crusted tilapia filets, spicy black beans, salad

Finch is here!

William Finch Cooke, my 4th (and final!) baby was born on April 29th, at 12:14 pm. He's a beauty!

Rejection!

I got an email from Glimmertrain this evening --- my short story didn't win (this time!) but reading it "was a pleasure" and they "look forward to reading more of my fiction". Now that the hurdle of submitting my first story and receiving my first rejection is over, I'm ready to devote more time and effort to fiction writing. The story I submitted had some merit (the opening paragraph was quite lovely, if I do say so myself) but altogether was definitely an also ran. It sort of fizzled at the end. I think I can do better, and I do enjoy making up stories even if I don't so much enjoy actually recording them. But Glimmertrain was not alone in rejecting my creative efforts tonight! The male minions were diplomatic, but they very clearly did not like my chicken fricassee. This was a new recipe and, incidentally, one that Wren and I quite liked, so theboys'll have to have it again whether they like it or not. How anyone could fail to appreciate chicken thighs sauteed in butter and olive oil, then poached in broth and white wine until falling-off-the-bone-tender, then finished with light cream, lemon juice, thyme, and parsley is beyond me but I felt a little morose after dinner tonight. Happily, the children were especially charming as they got ready for bed, I have a small amount of chocolate, and the yarn for Wren's cardigan came today, and it is a pleasure to knit. I'll post a picture of my swatch tomorrow --- today's picture didn't come out very well.

dinner tonight: chicken fricassee served with egg noodles

Freezer Paper Stencil

I got the tutorial from craftster, via angry chicken blog, for using freezer paper to make stencils for fabric painting. The rooster is just some clip art I found online. I used a maternity shirt for my test project (I'll be finished with all my maternity clothes for good in just a few weeks!!!) and I'm pretty pleased. It was pretty easy to do (of course, a more complex design would be harder to execute) and I've got some ideas for future projects. I'll have lots of time for crafting in the next two weeks, as Finch has shown a few little signs of wanting to get himself out into the world a bit early. Since I'm just over 35 weeks along, my midwife wants me to take it easy for the next two weeks at least to discourage him. It's kind of nice to be obliged to rest! Reading, crafting, and writing are even more fun without the guilt and "I shoulds" (do the laundry, vacuum the floors, walk the kids to the library, etc).