some handicrafts

I could get the better camera, but these are not fancy things.  I've been knitting to keep my boredom and thoughts calm while I watch TV the past week or so - even before the panic really started with everyone and the coronavirus...

Esme stayed home from school.  I gave her the choice, as Benton county, McKenzie and Paris all shut down for the week but Huntingdon was holding out.  Everyone says Huntingdon will do it as well this week -- they have Spring Break next week but so did everyone else who closed.  I'll see what the news rolls in over the course of the day.

I made about eight washcloths (not all shown here) in cotton and linen.  They will be used in the bathtub and the kitchen sink, depending on the material and texture.  And I worked more on the lap blanket I began in December and finished it.  It was made of one huge skein of hot neon pink yarn and stripes of bits and bobs I had lying around.  It is very warm - but not much more than covering your lap while reading or knitting on the couch.

 picture is blurry, but they're already in the washing machine now, so this is what we got.  I found some really nice color combinations at Hobby Lobby the other day, and I also made up some plain cotton ones and some two-tone linen ones.

 this is a really bright neon pink Esme and/or Mark gave me for Christmas one year.. and there was so much of it I wasn't sure what to do.. so I broke it up with bits of other scraps in stripes.  I still have to weave in all the ends now - one bad thing about stripes!  It is very warm - sitting under it will half cook your feet.  Which, lately, is what we need.  It has been just so cold.

We doctored Minerva's eye yesterday, our sweet 'mama' dog who adopted Rex.  We couldn't find a cut or scrape either there or on her ears or neck or anywhere - but she had a bump near it and the eye was swelling  and weeping.  After a few hours the swelling had gone down.  This morning she looks almost better, just a little redness in that eye still.  I hope it stays okay now.  We bought a bit more medicine in Tractor Supply in case it starts up again after all this crazy is going on in the markets.

I am working on a green net market bag, that is coming close to getting to the top band and handle.  It has been sitting in my desk drawer for months at an odd stage .. something wasn't working.. I ripped it back last night and started it again, seems to be doing properly now.

Haven't been out to the garden today yet.. the cabbage seedlings seemed to do okay with their sun yesterday, no burning showing.  I picked up extra kale and mustard seed at the co-op while we were there picking up two bags of dog food. 

finished afghan, circle horse quilt patch

 Experiment from yesterday with circle patterns... not the best example of the type of work but I had never tried it before and it was a great learning experience.  I think the patch took me off and on about four or five hours so not something I'd want to do many of... and yet, maybe they would get quicker once I knew what I was doing and had all the pieces worked out beforehand.  My own pieces cut from printer paper, some 'guesswork' involved as well.  Appliqued onto the white background and topstitched down.

Esme minecrafting this morning, wearing her sweater as she was cold.

She has also discovered SpongeB games now, and has been playing those as well as making her fireworks in Minecraft and new houses everywhere.  

The finished '2 person' afghan.  Mark says 'husband shown for scale'.  I finished it up last night and it was on the bed all night.  Very warm.  It measures about 80 by 72?  It was 273 stitches wide on the circular needle and that was the maximum width I could pull off - have been working on it since mid-October 2012.

I am back at work tomorrow early.. and Tuesday.  Esme's IEP meeting is Wednesday.

Finished footed pajamas

Made from 1940s version Simplicity 3493 footed pajamas pattern, size 4.


I took my glasses off to use the camera.. she found them


There is _QUITE_ a lot of room in the seat!

And about two to three inches are bunched up at her ankles, as well.



But it didn't impose much upon her playing while wearing them



As you can see, they are QUITE large, but usable :) I wonder if the fact they didn't have disposable diapers in 1940 had something to do with it? And a size too big to start with... but I can make some adjustments and make a newspaper pattern to try a second one. And she will grow into these. Even though they are too big she said 'mine - with socks' and grabbed the front of them and hoisted them up - walking away to go play... I take that as a good sign!

They are officially 'sock pants' to Esme - she asked for them off for a 'butt change' a few minutes ago and said 'sock pants off - no sock pants - need butt change.' ha!

A modern example for this pattern is Simplicity 5874, and it comes in multiple sizes. I might need to remember that later.