I was miserable late yesterday afternoon, and last night was worse. I either had a very bad system-wide reaction to something I ate, or had something gastro-like. It’s possible that it was related to the boy’s two separate episodes of illness last week (well, we thought they were separate, anyway) but whatever the origin, I’m just thankful it’s pretty much over. This morning it’s the traditional morning-after-the-night-before breakfast of tea and crackers, which is what I had for dinner last night, too.
The kicker is that I dreamed of making peanut butter marshmallow squares, so I woke up craving them. I don’t have butterscotch chips, or even chocolate chips to substitute. It’s probably a good thing.
The boy was very solicitous of my health yesterday. When I tottered out of my bedroom to read him a story before bedtime he met me and took my hand, patting it and saying, “It’s okay, Mama. I know your tummy hurts. Mine does sometimes, too. We’ll just go get you a couple of crackers, and that will help make things better.” Then he took me into the kitchen and opened the pantry, I got down a box of crackers, and we shared some. When I’d read him his story he turned to me and said very seriously, “Now, Mama, if you have to be sick, just run to the bathroom. You don’t have to be scared; I’ll be with you, and I’ll hold your hand, okay?” He was adorable; his tone was so serious and soothing. I loved it. I think we’re doing okay with this kid. He told me very proudly how he helped with one of the new babies yesterday, Sophia (nicknamed Kiki), and how he was officially at the Big Kid Table. HRH told me later that he’d had a couple of unsure moments at preschool, where he was evidently struggling with the very exciting ‘I’m a big kid and I take care of others and help the teachers’ concept while trying to integrate it into the ‘but I’m a little kid too’ reality. Apparently there were tears at one point, and when asked what was wrong he said, “I miss my dad,” which we think was shorthand for needing a reminder that yes, he was still a kid, and he wasn’t responsible for everything. It’s hard to integrate new responsibilities; there’s a lot going on internally with the whole self-consciousness and self-esteem and establishing one’s place in the world, forging new definitions and associations for interpersonal relations.
Today I’m planning to take things easy. I may cast on my lace scarf. I may knit some more rounds in my sweater. I’m certainly not going to work at the computer; sitting here is uncomfortable and hurts both my stomach and my head. I’ll read, and doze.
What pattern are you using for the lace scarf?
I think I know the colour of Koigu you got. It is gorgeous.
I’m doing the One-Row Lace Scarf. The colourway reminds me of the curtains in my office, which my grandfather wove.
ooh! Pretty! And I happen to have a bunch of leftover sock yarn…
(No! Must… resist…)
This makes me want to knit again! (I did some knitting between the ages of eight and around 13; nothing fancy.) But . . . how can you knit two stitches together without losing one of the (24) stitches altogether? And what does “yarn over” mean? Arrgghh! Clearly, I am still very much a beginner. (Maybe you could give me a quick lesson some time?)
Aha, the magic of knitting! If you knit two stitches together you do indeed lose one of your original 24… but the yarn over, which is basically wrapping your yarn around your needle before you go on to your next stitch, creates a new one. (It also creates a hole in the row you’re on, which is what makes the lace.)
Ceri, I put a photo of the skein/colourway up on my Ravelry project.
Yep. It’s the one I thought it was. I seem to remember you admiring it before.
Ariadne is having a big sale over the next two weeks. The urge to go buy a ton of yarn (despite me having enough for every project I have on the go plus about three) is very strong.
I was virtuous and did not tell you about the sale.
The temptation to go get more Koigu for scarves for Yule gifts is strong. Except the Koigu’s excluded from the sale, so the temptation is mitigated by the circumstances.
Actually, it was a tossup between this green and a nice cream/purple/blue colourway; I stood there for about half an hour trying to choose while Mary tried to track down my order. (Oddly, neither the colourway I chose or the other one are listed on the Koigu site.) I may still go get it when I’m feeling flush. Hang on, I have a GIFT CERTIFICATE — I totally forgot! Ha!
Koigu’s excluded? MEOW!
You were very virtuous indeed not to tell me about the sale. There isn’t really anything I need from Ariadne right now, but the temptation to go buy stuff I *want* and *might* use someday is overwhelming.
Thanks!
I actually went to Youtube last night and “Knitwitch” showed me both techniques. It is sort of magical, innit?
It is. But then, I find most knitting magical. Two sticks, a piece of string, two stitches, and a multitude of results…