Oh bugger

This is what my current pair of socks looked like while I was waiting for the bus this morning:

This is what they looked like when I got to work.

I had the sad duty of coming to terms with the fact that, although I was almost done with Chart 3 (of 4) on the leg, the sock was too big. Just too long. And if I kept going, I might not have enough yarn for sock #2. So I spent my bus ride imitating a froggie. My socks for this month might have to be some quickies for the girls instead of these bad boys.

Speaking of the girls, I did manage to get some modeled shots of Boo in her Tomten.

Last night watching TV.

I think she likes it, because she wouldn't take it off until bath time, resulting in a lovely ketchup splotch across the front from dinner.

She wore it again this morning, so I think this one is a keeper!

Please note the pink Dora Crocs, three Dora books clutched in one hand, and 'Raf under the other arm. She is prepared for the day.

FO: Two Tomtens

Last night, in the throes of an oncoming cold that had my brain leaking out my ears and unable to do anything remotely complicated, I finished Boo's Tomten. Staying home today gave me a great opportunity to do the crocheted edging and sew on the buttons.

Pattern: Modular Tomten by Elizabeth Zimmerman (I used the version in the Sweater Workshop)
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Bulky from the stash, with additions in Pink for Devil's version. Devil's Tomten: 2.5 skeins of purples, less then 1 skein of Really, Really Pink (chosen by Herself). Boo's version: 3 skeins in Blue Magic, plus Lamb's Pride Worsted in Creme held double for the edging/buttonholes.
Needles: US 11/8.0 mm, size 10.5/6.5 mm hook
Start/finish: never mind
Gauge: 3 sts/6 rows per inch
Comments/mods: first for Devil's jacket. I was really limited by the amount of purple yarn I had in the stash, so we went to the LYS and she picked out some pink for stripes. I didn't bother with a hood, and used the pink to add button bands once I'd finished, since she tried it on and it was a wee bit small. She picked out the Flip Flop buttons herself.

For Boo's, I had plenty of yarn, so I did the hood - I think it ended up a bit small, and I used every scrap I had. Instead of grafting the top I did a three needle bind off.

The buttons were some I had lying around. I wanted to finish this today because they're predicting 20-something degree temperatures around here in the next few mornings. Which means there's a small chance I might get a modeled shot. Very small.

Time for me to head off for a nap. Begone damn cold!

Boo's sweetheart

Boo has a new favorite person. Her uncle came to visit last week, courtesy of a work trip to Houston, and she picked up right where she left off over Christmas. Her initial response to him was deep suspicion with a tinge of There's-No-Way-I'm-Hanging-Out-With-Him-Are-You-Insane-Mama? She gradually morphed into OK-He-Can-Exist-To-Read-Stories-To-Me.

But now? Now they are best buds.

Ironman likes to say that there are two types of people in the world, Mama and not-Mama. Usually the not-Mama's get the short end of the stick.

I think it must be something about my familial genes, because my brother seems to be doing OK as far as Boo is concerned. The only bigger highlight of our trip to the Science Museum was this:

A very confused (and hungry, one assumes) Rice paper butterfly.

While Boo has a new love, so do I:

Aracaunia Ranco sock yarn. This is the start of my Science Geek socks, and I am absolutely head over heels for this yarn. It's not the softest in the world, but it has something toothy about it (that's the best word I could come up with). It grips the needles well, is as totally unsplittable as yarn could be, and is knitting up into a lovely variegated fabric. It's too bad (good?) that I'm turning over a new leaf in my yarn acquiring habits, because I could see insulating my house with this stuff.

Mama, I hon-ghee

Sometime in the last couple of weeks, a revolution has taken place in Boo's head, and the gentleman in the areas of Broca and Wernicke have come out of their developmental stupor and started to play well with other neurons.

In other words, now she is talking. Really talking. Not always intelligably, but the Mommy-translator is usually up to par and I can figure out what she's trying to say most of the time. When I can't, she says "No" very definitively, and repeats the word with strong vocal emphasis. Sometimes that helps, sometimes not.

As someone who spent several years of post-graduate life learning about language and cognition and other such crap stuff, it's fascinating to me to observe language development in my kids. Devil was never a big babbler - she listened and watched and finally decided that she was going to talk. Boo, on the other hand, very happily treats us to long involved monologues that are completely uncomprehensible to the rest of us, except for occasional words. In the last couple of weeks, she's started in with sentences (such as the title of this post, which is usually pronounced in the car on the way home in the evening, followed by a long sigh). And questions. And "I did it!" uttered with absolute glee when she does something spectactular, like getting off the couch or picking up a toy off the floor or finding her stuffed animal.

It is a joy to watch her figuring out how to interact with her world. You can almost hear the synapses being made. Ping! There goes another one.

Hopefully I'll have some fibery blogging next week. My Christmas knitting plans have been thrown somewhat up in the air by the appearance of Winter Knitty and my sudden absolutely life-threatening need to make 42 pairs of these.

Thursday mishmash

It's grey and "cold" and I'm up to my ears in secret knitting projects, so I don't have much of interest to show you. I am in love with this pattern and am considering making them for every single person I know. I have finished the sock in my last post, and am hoping that I can cast on for the second one on the bus tonight without screwing up too badly. I am two bobbins (of three) in to the November Fiber Club offering (picture here) which is lovely, but which I seem to be chronically underspinning - I think I may have to graduate to the fast flyer for "everyday" spinning (yikes!). I have two presents left on The List 2008, plus finishing off Boo's Tomten, which still has only half an arm (and no hood). One of the last two presents has been chosen (Rav link here) and I think the other will be a bias knit Eye of Partridge stitch scarf with garter edging that I've had percolating in my brain for a while now, using the yarn I spun at Yarn School. Assuming I have enough of it that is...methinks I might have to add some plying twist to that second skein.

What else is going on...Devil is still not convinced about the necessity for clothes in December. To be fair, she wears clothes, it's coats and pants that she's not so excited about. Occasionally I can convince her that the dress-over-pants look is a good one, and hopefully on those days, her classmates' parents don't wonder about my parenting skills (Why is that girl never dressed appropriately?). Boo has embraced the joys of verbal communication: (in the car on the way to daycare) "Mama. Mama! MAMA!!!!!" "What is it Boo?" (A beatific look through the roof of the car) "Eh-plane!" She has also finally stopped using "Daddy" to refer both to Ironman and her sister. However, she only occasionally makes any really distinction between "No" and "Nyah" (which means affirmative). Grandparents, consider yourselves warned.

Thankfully, tonight is Knit Night, so tomorrow I should have something reasonable and/or entertaining to discuss. Like Tartanic. Failing that, if I get my act in gear, I have a candidate for Fiber Friday that I really should blog about. It's been spun for a month now!

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Ah! I almost forgot. Progress for November:

Knitting:
Devil's Tomten
Christmas Present #5

Other:
Dyeing 2 lbs of wool for a coat for me. With the girls. Fun times. And a purple driveway.