Sharp Pointy Sticks

Yikes

It's May already. Holy smokes! This year is zipping by way too fast. Let's sum up some things since my last post in March (!).

• Liam's kindergarten evals and IEP are complete. He'll be in a general kindergarten classroom with an aide for support. He'll receive more time for therapy than he receives now in preschool. He will be pulled out for 30 minutes/day for intensive reading instruction. His goals are appropriate, and I feel good about next year. 
• His evals proved to us that he is a very capable little boy. Our high expectations for his future are not unfounded.
• I registered Juliana for preschool. We still don't know if she'll be accepted since it's a lottery-based system. It all depends on the number of students returning to the program. What I'll do with myself if I have both kids in school for 2.5 hours/day, at the same time, I do not know. 

Knitting and designing are continuing to happen. I've released more of the Full Moon collection. One today, actually.

Here's Flower Moon.

Flower Moon is constructed from tip to tip. The lace edge is worked as you go. It's all rows and rows of squooshy garter stitch with just that small lace edge. The pattern is really easy to memorize, and you can fly through it. I think one of my testers mentioned that it would be possible to knit this in a day if you so desired.

I think I'm going to stop here. I'm going to compose a few posts about my design process and inspiration of the last few designs. I love seeing how other people work so hopefully this will interest someone out there, too. In the meantime, here's the specs on Flower Moon.

Yarn: Fingering/sock weight. Shown here in Cascade Heritage Silk Paints, Violets. I used just shy of 400 yards, but the pattern includes instructions to adjust the size of the shawl if you have more or less yarn available.

Needles: US 6 (4 mm), 24 inch or longer circular needles.

Gauge: 21 sts and 24 rows/4 inches in garter stitch.

$5.00

21 Things About My Kid

1. His favorite foods are pizza, pancakes, cake, and ice cream.

2. His favorite restaurant is Bob Evans. See above re: pancakes.

3. He knows the words to ALL. THE. SONGS.

4. He needs to pick out the shirt he wants to wear before school.

5. He's a Daddy's boy. Always has been.

6. He loves sports. Baseball. Basketball. Football. He'll veg out on the couch and watch football all day long.

7. He wears glasses. He's farsighted.

8. He knows the name of every kid that's ever been in his class.

9. His favorite movie at the moment is The Lion King.

10. He loves his younger sister.

11. He bugs the crap out of his younger sister.

12. When he wants to get out of doing something, he will repeatedly give you hugs and tell you he loves you.

13. He loves books.

14. He can read a few short words, like "run" "bat" "cat".

15. He's very good at taking his dirty dishes to the sink.

16. He's very bad at picking up toys.

17. He loves to swim.

18. He has very little patience when it comes to getting what he wants. He wants it NOW!

19. When he gets mad, he yells "Dammit!"

20. He wants to work at the library or the bank when he grows up.

21. His favorite dance move is the "Robot".

Now, look at this list. Tell me what you see. Do you see a pretty average 5 year old boy? I bet you do.

What do you think when you think of a 5 year old boy with Down syndrome? Does your opinion change? It shouldn't.

This is my son. My 5 year old with Down syndrome. Today is World Down Syndrome Day. When you think of kids like mine, think of an average kid. A kid that is probably pretty similar to other 5 year old boys you may know. This is what I want you to know about Down syndrome...My kid is just like yours, in all the ways that count.

Chili Day

I love to cook and soups, stews and chilis are some of my favorite things to make. Nothing beats a hot, bubbly, steamy pot on a cold day. We've been out of town for the past week visiting my husband's family. Since there is still a lot of unpacking and putting away that needs to be done, I made an easy dinner last night. This chili recipe has become a go-to meal here. It's pretty quick and easy, and it's very, very good. The recipe is adapted from a recipe found in an old Rachael Ray magazine.

Tex-Mex Chili, adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray

1 lb. ground beef

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 T. chili powder

1 t. ground cumin

cayenne powder, to taste

1 15. oz. can black beans

1 15 oz. can pinto beans

1 10 oz. can tomatoes w/ green chiles

1/4 c. beef broth

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne and cook over medium heat for 5ish minutes. Note: if you want to add onions to the recipe, add them when you add the garlic and spices.

2. Add the beans with the liquid, tomatoes, and broth; bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick, 15-30 minutes.

3. Serve with your favorite toppings. We particularly like shredded monterey jack cheese and Fritos.

I forgot the Fritos when I went grocery shopping so I made cornbread instead. Cornbread and chili just go together. The best cornbread recipe I have found is the one on the back of the tub of Kroger brand cornmeal. I've adapted it to my tastes.

Basic Cornbread

3/4 c. cornmeal

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 - 1/2 c. sugar

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 c. buttermilk

1 egg, beaten

1/4 c. vegetable oil or bacon drippings

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease 8 or 9 in. round pan. (I've made this in a cast iron skillet too, and it works just fine with no adaptations needed.)

2. Blend all dry ingredients. For the sugar, the original recipe calls for 1/4 c. sugar. I like it sweeter so I add closer to 1/2 c.

3. Mix wet ingredients. I like buttermilk in this recipe. If you don't have any, like I didn't last night, just use milk.

4. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients and mix until moist. Pour batter into greased pan and bake 20-25 minutes or until a fork inserted into the center comes out clean.

Oh so yummy with melty butter. As a side note, a peanut butter sandwich is delicious with chili. Chili with a peanut butter sandwich was a staple on my school lunch menu. Do you think this is strange? As far as I can tell, this peanut butter/chili combo is local to the West Virginia/Ohio/Kentucky tri-state area. Other people think it's a weird combo. Try it. Really. Dip your peanut butter sandwich in your chili. My husband is a total convert.

Happy Hearts

Did you know that approximately 50% of babies with Down syndrome are born with a heart defect? Some of these defects are serious and require surgery within the first year of life. Some are not so serious and require little medical care. Liam was born with an atrial septal defect (ASD). The size of his ASD was "moderate" according to his cardiologists, meaning that they thought it would be too large to close on its own, not impossible, but not likely. He saw the cardiologist every 2 years and other than those visits, he needed no other heart care. We knew the ASD was there, but it may as well have been invisible.

Yesterday, Liam had his cardiologist visit. This visit also included an echocardiogram to assess the ASD. Was it smaller? Did it need repaired? Were there any other symptoms of heart disease/damage? Was it closed? The chances of it closing on its own were small, and I didn't dare hope to hear it was closed for fear of disappointment. I was pretty freaked out about this appointment. I popped antacids all morning because when I'm anxious my stomach revolts.

Liam was a champ for the echo. He laid down and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the TV above the bed. We waited for a bit, then the doctors came in to give the verdict.

His ASD is CLOSED!! There is no evidence of any heart disease/damage, pulmonary hypertension, or anything to indicate that his heart is anything other than normal. In fact, that's how they described it. Normal. I will admit to crying a bit when the doctor told us.

We met my mom and Juliana for lunch on the way home from the hospital. Liam picked his favorite restaurant, Bob Evans, and ordered his favorite meal, pancakes.

To celebrate his healthy, normal heart, I'm having a sale on all of my patterns. If you type in the coupon code "happyhearts" at checkout, you'll receive 25% off the cost of the pattern(s). The code is good through February 21, 2012.

Thank you for supporting me and my little fledgling design business.

XOXO

Snow Moon

Yesterday was February's full moon. I missed putting up a blog post yesterday because of a stomach bug that has been raging through our house; I'm the only one who hasn't gotten sick yet. Anyway, I was able to release the pattern yesterday but not blog about it.

Here is Snow Moon.

Snow Moon

This project is a wispy little shawl that just hints at snow. It is worked in one piece from the bottom edge. The lace is followed by short rows to give the shawl its crescent shape. An I-cord bind off finishes off the top edge of the shawl.

Yarn: 410 yards lace weight, shown in Misti Alpaca Handpaint Lace

Needles: US 1 (2.5 mm), 32 inch or longer circular needles

Finished Size: 45 inches (114 cm) wide x 6 inches (15 cm) deep

$5.50

Color

Day 6 of A Month of Craft Photos.

These yarns have spent quite a bit of time on my desk. I love them and don't want to send them down to the rest of the stash. I'd say that there's a strong chance that at least one of these will make it into one of the Moon Shawl designs.

Speaking of the Moon Shawl series, tomorrow is the date of February's full moon which means there will be a new pattern available tomorrow. Watch this space.

An Old FO

Day 3 of A Month of Craft Photos--An Old FO.

The oldest FO (Finished Object) of mine is my first FO.

A simple garter stitch scarf with wide stripes. I made it during the summer of 2004 shortly after I began knitting. The yarn is a bulky Rowan something or another; those details are long gone. It was a good beginner project. It's not really long enough for my taste, but it's still quite wearable.

Craft Tools

I missed the beginning of this, but I love the idea of craft photos so I'm joining in for A Month of Craft Photos. I think it's so inspiring to see other people's crafty lives.

Yesterday, was Day 1--You in Action. Just imagine me knitting while on a couch. I'm wearing pajamas and surrounded by notebooks and paper. I probably have a pencil or a needle (or both) stuck in my ponytail.

Today is Day 2--Craft Tools. Here is my toolbox. It's a little pencil case from Target. It fits all of my necessary knitting tools minus the needles. The box fits neatly in my knitting bag.

There's a little notebook on the bottom for taking notes, a couple of crochet hooks for beading or for picking up dropped stitches, cable needles, a row counter, scissors both big and small, a beautiful glass vial with my tapestry needles, a little butterfly case with stitch markers, a nail file, and cuticle cream. There's usually a pencil or pen in there along with a small amount of money, maybe a dollar or two. 

 

It's getting close...

...to February's full moon. Want a little peek at February's pattern?

I'm hard at work on March's shawl pattern right now. Here's a teaser: top down, triangular, texture, no lace, three colors. I'll be putting out a call for test knitters for March's pattern here in the next week. If you're not on my list already and are interested, leave me a comment or send me an e-mail.

Wolf Moon Outtakes

My sister and I did the photoshoot for Wolf Moon the weekend before Christmas. The husband, kids, and I went down to my hometown to visit family before the holidays. Tracy and I got up early on Saturday morning and headed out to take pictures. This shoot was filled with a lot of hilarity. Our first stop was Harris Riverfront Park in Huntington, West Virginia. The park is on the Ohio River. We're in West Virginia and Ohio is on the other side of the river. Tracy mentioned that it was a perfect morning to find a dead body, but this shoot was great. There weren't a lot of bad shots from this location. I had a lot to work with here.

We packed up and headed to the Ritter Park Rose Garden in Huntington. When we pulled up, Tracy was confused as to why there weren't any roses. I believe my response was something along the lines of "It's December, dumb ass." I had high hopes about shooting here, but not one picture made the cut.

Too dark & a weird angle.

Not a great shot of the shawl. The arch is more interesting.

Then we got weird.

As we were leaving the park to go home, I screamed at Tracy to stop the car. There was another place to shoot! There is this log cabin on the edge of the park. I wanted to shoot there. In my head, I had visions of Little House on the Prairie meets werewolves. We had a pretty loud argument about whether or not this was a private house, right there on the front porch. We are not a quiet family. I got some nice shots here including the one that's the main picture on Ravelry's page and in the pattern. I also got some really silly ones too.

This is the "Laura Ingalls Wilder is being chased by wolves" pose.

There's a lot of work involved in getting a pattern ready for the masses, but there's no reason why there shouldn't be a lot of fun too.