language bits

I was asked how she was named today - I can't remember the exact words, but she said she was a baby, and we held her, and how was name Esme?  I told her I suggested 'Esmerelda' to her daddy, and we would call her Esme, and Daddy gave her the middle name, and then we would know what to call so she would look and know we were talking to her - her name.  She thought hard, then told me that she became not a baby, but a little girl, and she did not talk - just (baby squeal) and point... but then she grew some more and was a kid, and now she can talk and use words and have a play brain, not a busy brain - and she has ideas - and she wants to play, and she can talk.  *wow*...  Later she told me she is tiny in the earth, we are all tiny in the earth - and it is BIG, so big... she wants to live in outer space, in a rocket ship.  I told her there was no air out there, but people were working on making air in rocket ships, and when she was big they might have it all worked out and she could live out there.  She said Santa brothers were in their workshop, and they were making a rocket ship.  I said it would be a toy, and it would be a cool fun toy, but it would not go all the way to outer space.  She said she still thought that was cool, and she wanted to play with it.  She likes rocket ships.

Extra Atmospheric Vehicle Construction part two

May I mention - some of the bean seed varieties we have grown are for sale at KnitOwl shop.  Mostly because I want to share some of these things I have found and loved.. and if they will grow here, they might grow for you and bring as much joy.

 

Poofball kitten and I are watching the moving box show... 

Time to be all dignified and stripey... 

Boo, are you scared?

She has no idea what we are up to, yet... 

But I'm sure she will soon.

Painting bits for the outside of the spaceship.

There were also yellow glow-in-the-dark spots after this...

I am sure she will recognize them (how could she not) when they are in place.

But I covered that the other day when looking for a part in the garage -- Santa told me I had to get something for him that he needed...  She thought that was important - 'Oh, ok Mama', left me alone for several minutes and then came back 'You find it yet?'

Rabbits and blankets

 

Purple rabbit,a prototype for the pattern I am working on. It is a mishmash of my Velveteen rabbit pattern from a few years back and the kangaroo pattern I've had up in my shop for a while.  I think I need to do something different in the bottom legs ... will be working on that for the next one or two I make.

About 6.5 inches tall

Mark said to give it the 'Esme test.'  I showed it to her and she jumped up and down saying she wanted to hold that rabbit, can she have that rabbit.  After that, she insisted it sleep in her bed last night and it was an argument not to have him go to school today, as well. She said the long ears were just right, and that he is smiling.  So, it passed the Esme test.. but still needs that little bit of extra work to make it easier to sew and more stable to sit.

Esme's knit blanket is much wider than the one I had made previously - and I thought I was making them the same number of stitches wide. It might be that the other one shrunk in the wash? We'll see. I'm aiming to make it about the same length, so it is about halfway there.  Most of this is scarp yarn from other projects but a few of the skeins were bought for the project. I'm running out of scraps again - will have to find another random print color maybe to throw on after that green became so strong.

I noted to Mark that all of these pictures look very childish in this post... but they should, as they are projects for a child There is a division in my work between things that are very 'fun' and childish, and things that are straight cut and elegant. I never know which way something is going to turn out - it just goes the way it wants to.

I walked out in the garden today to check on what our fall/winter plowing might or might not have done.  There are little green sprouts in several of the areas, so the frost has not entirely (yet) killed off anything that is trying to grow.  There were Swiss Chard, broccoli, kale and rutabaga planted.  I will have to watch out for dryness... but the weather is looking right for that this week.

bits of December

 Dried beans from the garden awaiting next year's planting.  There are fifteen varieties separated nearly arbitrarily into four bottles.

Black Shackamaxon
Yellow Eyed Kenearly Beans
Hutterite soup beans
Whipporwill cowpeas
Mississippi Silver cowpeas
Florida Speckled Lima Beans
Dixie Butterpea Speckled Lima Beans
Pinto Beans
Lina Sisco beans
Cranberry beans
Mayflower beans
Kentucky Wonder beans
King of the Early Bean (two or three)
Purple podded 'Tennessee Greasy' beans (disputed, large beans with black streaks)
one more 'unidentified' bean that is small, round shiny and white ground with black speckles

 

A little afternoon project, using up scraps from several of Esme's dresses  I've been using scraps for the Christmas deer and for some new rabbits I am trying to perfect the pattern on, as well. It was raining and cold again today. Luckily the rain waited until after we got back from town. These are coffee cups from a thrift store.. very pretty. We also got a few old books that were very interesting - one for Esme I may have to take some pictures of the illustrations

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Getting some practice with fancier things... on a useful table napkin like Esme and I use when we are eating downstairs. I have been making progress on Esme's knitted blanket (which is turning out wider than the original one), and also on a wide wool scarf that might end up in the shop or I might just keep it.

language bits

But kids do not sing, not like that, they sing for juice and for butterflies and just like that... (covers her ears and will not listen to the song - which was from the Muppets).  But, old humans have no teeth, they get holes in them, and they come out, and they wash them - and I am not old... I am a kid!  ((we had a discussion about why people have their teeth come out after this)) No no no little kitten, that kitten was going to scratch me, I don't like from it scratch me.  I will think, and it is hard, for choosing.. I will look - I think.. noodle soup, because I am cold, and it will be warm. 

KnitOwl shop items

Christmas Deer coming into the shop as my work schedule allows... they stand up so nicely with the new felt feet.  Each one will be a little different.  KnitOwl family shop

I am busy knitting more for the shop, too... the blue and white scarf is coming along nicely.  The brown and white one is up and ready to go.  This was Jojoland 'Rhythym' wool yarn, the same thing I had made my sleeveless sweater out of last year.

And a shot of Esme for Grandma...   After school the other day... She got gloves and had practiced well to put them on.