one last peek in the oven

Look, you wouldn't photograph well if you were jammed into a pelvis, either. (For the record, that's BDR's head.)

At this point, taking a peek in the oven seems to run the risk of spoiling the soufflé. In our case, that would be learning if BDR's really Hermione Juliette or Linus Charles. Luckily, we had a great ultrasound tech who told us when to avert our eyes, and BDR remains as neuter as a Fisher Price man.

Yet I buy only blue yarn...

Are we having a baby or a Smurf?

In other news, BDR's a total porker. Healthy, but a porker.

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baby crafts

A few of the baby crafts that have been finished this week. More details can be found here.

Baby Raglan Sweater. Kevin said it would be "a little much," by which he meant, "just a little this side of Baby J.Crew for our style," but the fact is it was really easy to knit. So, here it is: baby's first prep-school sweater.

BDR's ready for Middlebury - or at least Madeline is!

Curtains for BDR's room. I cannot stress enough how much of a hack job this is. I'm pretty sure I have little to no business operating a sewing machine. Anyway, we have some functioning curtains.

It kind of looks off-center here, but Kevin ensured that his super-special Simpsons' clock was centered over the curtains.

it might not be too late for gestational diabetes...

a few of the tasty treats I cooked up this weekend (and that were all given away)

some crafts

Some of these are old, but some are new and in-process.

Madeline and Ice Bat model two hats.

Black felted cloche. It was my first attempt at felting, and it turned out well.

Gray felted cloche. I had some problems blocking this one, so the fit is a little off.

A winter hat for Kevin

A winter hat for me

Detail of sweater I'm in the midst of

Some minor applique work: case for heated back pad

Crafts and Zombies

First, the crafts
Savvy readers may note that there have been a paucity of crafts posted in recent months. This is true, although I assure you that it's still Martha Stewart land up in here. Then where are the scarves and handbags and other ill-crafted kitch?

My friends, Christmas is a-comin'. And I suspect that everyone - nay, anyone - will be receiving some form of hand-crafted kitch to call their very own. I've been experimenting with some cool new knitting patterns, I've been mixing up some ridiculously yummy candle scents, and I've been dabbling in other dark arts as well.

So, if you don't receive any of my poorly self-crafted kitch for Christmas, count yourself lucky.

Until then, I present this:


What is it? A waistline extender. I'm showing, a bit, and my pants don't fit so well any longer. Mostly, it looks like I've been hitting the Ben and Jerry's a little hard, but there's a definite bump. So, this little gadget lets me wear my pants and keep breathing. I value both highly.

Now, some zombies
Kevin and I saw David Sedaris on Monday. He was really great - he read four stories we'd not heard (but are coming out in the New Yorker soon), and then blabbled for a half hour about book recommendations and Tokyo.

My favorite line of the night?
"Oh, look, I've spent all this time talking about zombies and there's no time for questions."

(I should add that there were exactly FOUR seats in the entire theater that were worse than ours, and this place seats 3,176.)

Halloween Treats

Mmm... chocolate-covered pretzel rods.

Some crafts

Sundays, for me, used to mean slipping into a semi-coma shortly after lunch. I cannot account for it, really, but every Sunday I would find myself beyond fatigued, slipping into bed for a five hour nap, waking only to eat some Thai take-out, watch the Simpsons, and brush my teeth.

Since moving to California, however, my comas have subsided. I'm glad. I think. Personally, I suspect they were somehow a survival mechanism of some sort, as last weekend I MADE SOAP for hours instead of napping.



Soap making is a surpisingly messy affair. Plus, it really requires patience, of which I have none. Thus, my soaps came out a little mangled. However, they work well.

Diet Coke and Mentos

Like half of America, we too have decided to video and post our Diet Coke and Mentos experiment.

For the seventeen percent of the United States who hasn't heard of this, it's pretty amazing: take a roll of Mentos, throw them into a two liter of Diet Coke, and watch a 12-foot geyser erupt.
We tried it twice. While the first time was certainly the most exciting, the second video has better composition.

check it out here:

www.unc.edu/~amydavis/mentos.avi

Beta Handbag

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I spotted some pretty hideous bags at the dollar store at Target last week, but they did have some nice bamboo handles. I harvested the handles and whipped this purse-like-thing together quickly. It's just a trial run, though, since I don't have all the materials I would need to finish it off here at the Gray's. It's knitted with black boucle on Number 2 needles, so it has a nice thickness.

When I make the bag again, I'll probably make it wider. But this would require some serious engineering prowess on my part.

That mischievous look on my face? I'm planning something tricky.

Super Soft Seafoam Scarf

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Another quick knit, with yarn I've had for a while but never gotten around to using. At one point, it was going to be a scarf for KJ, but along the way I decided it was too feminine for him. I knitted this bad boy up all over town: at Nice Price, at Smith Middle School, and at home.

Mother/Daughter Scarves

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Some interesting yarn was on sale at Knit-a-Bit this week, and I couldn't resist. First up: matching mother/daughter scarves for Abby and Tina. It knitted up super fast. I never have good luck with novelty yarns, but these seemd to work. It's a great weight for the summer.

Sunset Scarf

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I knitted this bad boy up last night while KJ and I watched Igby Goes Down. It's knitted with five different shades of mohair to create a depth of color. I finished it just in time to pack away with the California stuff.