Ernie and Berts III

BG is finally getting her own pair of Ernie and Bert mitts from me (rav).  I had made some really neat, matching pairs for a brother/sister couple about 2 years ago.  She had asked for a pair but never really pushed the issue. 

Ernie and Berts are originally suppose to be striped and have some arm length to them.  I don't feel liek knitting stripes right now.  They are shorter, because that is the way BG wanted them. gotta love a custom knit  Since it doesn't get too chilly she doesn't need the extra length and she didn't want the mitts getting in the way while taking on and off her raincoats and sweaters.

She has wore them to school ALL day on Monday and again today.  Turns out they don't get in the way of doing your handwriting sheets or math facts. 

When I asked her if she was glad to finally get a pair of mitts, BG told me that this is actually her third pair.  Then I remembered the pink pair of Victoria Mitts.  I couldn't for the life of me remember what green mitts, the third pair, she claimed I had made her.   A few minutes later I realized that she was talking about MY green mitts (rav).  Just goes to show what is mine is really theirs.

Since I had so much fun showing you a sneak peek in the last post, here is another.  The pretty, sparkly tattoo on BG's arm is a preview of what her Halloween costume is going to be.  And if that isn't enough of a giveaway, here is some face painting.

Last weekend was the first of a number of Halloween activities that we have planned for the girls.  They had face painters, tattoo artist, cookies, but no candy.  I guess it was one of those "healthy" events?

I am hoping that I can copy the face painting this weekend.  I didn't buy face paint because unless you get the expensive professional stuff, you are not going to have the colors and quality that you want.  I picked up a black eyeliner and a set of four purple eyeshadows by CoverGirl.  If I can't get the full faced bat to work, then she'll at least have cool eye makeup.  We have three more days of events including Halloween, so I'm sure I'll get it right for one of them.

Owl Swatch

I really wanted to do something with the popular owl cable, but I didn't like any of the patterns that I saw on Ravelry.  So, I'm designing my own.  I figure a cowl is a pretty safe project to do this with.  It is amazing how much planning needs to go into something as simple as a fat tube of yarn. 

I began with my typical cast on random number of stitches and frogged after a couple of rounds.  If I'm going to do this, I want to do it right.  I'm keeping notes, going to write it up, have the DH turn it into a PDF (cause I don't know how) and then publish it on Ravelry. 

This is more of a swatch than a gauge to see how the tall finished product will be.  There will be changes, so I'm super glad I did this.  I think that I will knit the gauge last in stockinette stitch.  I really like the cabling that I chose for the lower body of the cowl.  It looks like tree bark.  Most of everything else I saw had traditional cables and they just didn't seem to go together to me.

The knitting is coming along at the same rate of speed as any of my other projects.  The little bit of extra work to write everything down doesn't seem to fill my day anymore than anything else does.  I'm getting extra computer time in with getting the Girl Scouts together, so I'm sure that I can squeeze in pattern writing, too. 

I do have to say that I'm browsing websites less, Facebook.  I'm almost completely mobile only when reading Facebook.  I still stop and read my favorite blogs, but the ones that around for ideas and entertainment get more of a look over at most. 

Otherwise, we had a pretty no-productive weekend.  There was the first of a long line of Halloween events.  It's still raining and with came a fever or two, we're all better now.  The rest of the weekend looked a little something like this:

And now it is Monday.  So far today I've walked with the class to a field trip, got coffee with the other room mom to finalize any plans for the Halloween party, bought milk, discussed Girl Scout plans, written a draft email, called both BFFs and written a blog post.   LG has been very helpful with her nap and lunch times.  But that is quickly coming to an end.  Good thing we are leaving for school pick-up soon.

Little Rock, Big Pond

There is something that happens to Southern Californians when it rains.  We lose our minds.

The first thing to go is our ability to drive.  Some speed and slide while others go extra slow because there is water on the road.  There are always accidents.  I haven't ran any errands this last week for fear of having a fender bender.

Next we realize that we very poorly prepared for rainy weather.  I don't own rain boots.  It rains enough that I say I should buy rain boots.  Then I don't want to pay for overnight shipping, so I sit on the order.   It rains for another four days and counting. Then I think that I really need to order them, but by the time they get here the rain will be gone.  I still haven't ordered rain boots.

Then the brain really starts to go out the window.  I don't know if it's because we are desperate to find activities for our children or what.

Friday afternoon I walked into a conversation.  Next thing I knew I had a bunch of emails in my inbox.  Five days later I was at the San Diego Imperial North County Girl Scout Office going through my Leadership Orientation.

The lady described us a "beautiful rocks thrown into a pond."  Something about the "ripple effects" that we were going to have on the girls' lives.  World a better place.  Blah blah blah.  I just heard rock and pond.  I wonder if I can swim?

I'm not totally crazy.  I'm co-leader with another mom.  We are putting together a co-op style troop.  That means that all the moms will be required to join Girl Scouts and will have to help with organizing at least one of the eight meetings.  We also meet only once a month.  There will be other outside activities, but we'll figure that out later.  Mostly we are just trying to see if it will even come together.

Oh, and against popular belief, Girl Scouts does not cost $12 a year.  I mean, that's your membership fee, but if you want to wear a uniform vest, earn patches, or do anything there needs to be some starter money.  We seem to have a few moms that don't like fundraising.  Only thing is that is what pays for everything.  If you fund raiser right, you can only pay for the first year and everything else is covered.

So like I said, we are still trying to see if this thing is even going to come together.

Believe it or not, this was not my idea.  But if putting the little bit of effort will give my kids a great experience, then I'm all for it.