Red Dreams

My twitter feed is full of people who are thrilled to send their kids back to school and complained regularly about the hell that is school vacations. I can't relate. I'm glad to get back into our regular routine - it's a pain to figure out childcare when they're on vacation and I'm still working - but it's fun having them home and it was such a treat to have A on vacation for a large part, too. 

Last night at dinner, E lamented going back to school, "It was so fun to play video games all day!" I gave her a stern look and made her name five things we did that were not video games. I have visions of her talking about vacation and telling people all we did was sit in front of the TV. After she reached five, L and C helped. We came up with:

sledding, going to friend's houses, feeding chickens, roller skating, learning to knit, Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa's house, Christmas Day here with presents, building a snowman, watching movies and eating popcorn, swimming at the Y, reading a ton of books (almost done with The Order of the Phoenix!), and baking cookies.

Hopefully she'll mention one or two of those other things in addition to playing video games. Sheesh.

I finished my first knitting project and it is . . . a big uneven piece of material with extra stitches added regularly! Oops. I did some internet research to figure out how I'm accidentally adding stitches and my second project is coming along in a more orderly fashion.

I'm going to finish this one and then make another hot pad, attempting to alternate knit stitches and purl stitches. Maybe I'll use a different color. I'm seeing red in my sleep.

L is more enthusiastic than E, but they are both knitting. L has the same problem of adding on stitches that I do, so I showed her how to cast off and told her I'd helped her start a new one. When I came back, she had cast on all by herself and was already on her fourth row of stitches.

If you have any ideas for a second beginner project after we finish our hot pad(s), please advise!

Edited to add: Christine's comment makes me think that I need to clarify that a hot pad is what you set a warm dish on so that you don't scorch the table. An oven mitt is what you use to actually handle the dish. I realize my precious knitting would not protect me from heat.

Comments

[Christine]

So cute! Learning even tension is the hardest part; it just takes a ton of practice.

And...um, I don't know if someone told you you could use single layer knitting as a real hotpad, but you'll burn the hell out of your hand. Been there.

[Christine]

I call a hot pad a trivet. And I use a thick pad to pull things out of the oven (thus hot pad). And I have an actual mitt that I call an oven mitt but for some reason I don't like it so I use the pad thing. Regional thing?

I think scarves are a good early project. No shaping, but it's easy to incorporate another color and make stripes. Color changes will be at the sides, which is easiest, and you can make them however long you like.

[Kate]

You are doing very well on the knitting--everyone adds stitches by accident at first!

[karen]

I'm totally with you on the vacation thing. Besides the mess (Seriously - my kids are amazing mess-makers), i love having my kids at home. We have fun! It's relaxing!

[liz]

Hats. You make a small scarf, fold it in half, and sew up two of the three seams.

[Jodie]

Scarves?! Also dish cloths (and face cloths)--use cotton for those, You could make felted stuff--like bags (which are big rectangles sewn up to be like a purse). Felting is fun because all that unevenness gets felted out!

[Christine]

Dishcloths! Excellent suggestion! I also thought of placemats, something I'm supposed to be making between projects.