I loved how the sock yarn sleeve turned out. For my second try, I picked a yarn with lots of thick and thin weights. Not sure if I’m liking it as much. I’m going to try one more in worsted weight and then post the formula.
I wish I had taken a picture of the completed sleeve with my real camera. The yarn is so beautiful in real life. Alas, I’ve already gifted it. Plus, I promised myself not to stress over perfection. Moving on and trying to stay in the flow.
Any diehards out there who can knit while holding an umbrella? I gave up when the rain started. At least the girls will stay cool.
I’m almost finished my Honey Cowl — just in time for summer vacation.
Last year I sewed a bunch of sleeves and wallets to give with gift cards. Since my sewing machine is still collecting dust, I decided this year to work on a crochet version.
I found a lot of cute patterns on Ravelry, both crochet and knit, but the ones I liked were written for a specific yarn weight. I want to use up little bits of leftovers for this project and don’t feel like dealing with gauge math for every single one.
So, I’m working on a formula, which I will share once I’ve got it figured out.
What are your favorite ways to give gift cards?
There are only five days left of school. I can’t believe it. The snow earlier this month has really thrown me off. After keeping my little plants inside for over a week because of freezing temps, all the sudden it’s in the 90s and they need to go in the ground! Well, sort of. I’m trying something new this year.
Since our veggies need to be portable, I’ve decided to use bucket planters. The tomatoes have already breathed a sigh of relief: Room! to grow! and stretch our branches! All that’s left is wrapping them in fabric to hide the ugly white plastic. I’m thinking burlap.
I’ve also hung plants where the topsy turvys used to be. I’ve always loved ferns and they’ve already made our outside space happier. They need a little bit of trimming, though. They’re all crazy right now, kind of like when I wake up after going to bed with wet hair. Ha!
The big project, which I have been dreading, is cleaning up an entire winter’s worth of dust and pollen. It’s everywhere: the furniture, the deck, the walls. But the sooner I get to it, the sooner we can start enjoying the beautiful weather. I can’t wait!
Update since I began writing this: yesterday Disney quietly pulled Merchandise Merida from its website, replacing her with the original Movie Merida. Do I dare have hope that Disney can be brave?
. . . . . .
Last Saturday, Disney crowned Merida its 11th official princess. She received quite the makeover for this special event. I’m not particularly happy with the changes they made to my daughter’s heroine and neither is she: “Did they take away her sword, too?”
Movie Merida, as we are now calling her, taught my daughter being brave is…
…courageous
…loyal
…adventurous
…truth
…standing tall
…facing fears
…love
…friendship
…admitting mistakes
…defiant
…shooting for the bullseye
…strong
…righting wrongs
…daring
…confident
…standing up to evil
…independent
…fighting for what’s right
…creative
…stubborn
…bold
…steadfast
The new Merida, on the other hand, has taught us a lot about corporate greed. Disney had a princess that was making millions, probably even billions, just the way she was. Why did Disney have to mess with her? Why did it have to bend and twist her into the same old stereotypical princess?
The real money is in the merchandising.
Disney turned a plucky teenager into a sexy adult. It gave her eyeliner and took away her freckles. It gave her bigger breasts and took from her waist. It added sparkles to her dress and took away her bow and quiver (and sword!).
However, there is one thing that Disney can’t take away. It’s what Movie Merida has already taught my girl, and millions of others, about being brave. In fact, it’s precisely because of Movie Merida that Merchandise Merida can teach us the most important lesson of all:
Disney is not brave.
recommend reading: There are so many thoughtful articles written about the new Merida, I can’t possibly link to them all. Here are just a few:
— ‘Brave’ creator blasts Disney for ‘blatant sexism’ in princess makeover.
— Seriously, Disney, I’m Trying to Take a Little Break Here – MUST YOU?
— Disney faces backlash over new “sexy” Merida; pulls new image from web site as a result.
I captured this moment on the way home from Omaha yesterday. I love how the landscape is so wide and open as you travel that stretch of I-80. Trees and buildings silhouetted by a setting sun just make it even more beautiful.
This Moment is a Friday ritual inspired by Amanda Soule.
I can’t stop thinking about the photograph taken by Taslima Akhter of a man and woman embracing each other in the ruins of Rana Plaza.
The gold bangle on her arm.
Her bright pink and orange sari covered in concrete dust.
An embroidered flower on her sleeve.
The way his arms wrap around her never letting go.
His single red tear.
Is cheap clothing really worth this? More than 800 1,000 dead and they’re still searching. What are we doing?
In my closet I check the tags for countries: China, Hong Kong, Nicaragua, Guatemala, India, Jordan, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Vietnam, Macau, Cambodia, El Salvador, Philippines, and Sri Lanka. That’s just the shirts.
Refashioning doesn’t alleviate my guilt. Thrift store racks are filled with inexpensive brands: Old Navy, Walmart’s Faded Glory, Target’s Merona and Mossimo, Kohl’s Sonoma, and more. They’re here because we don’t wear our clothes until they’re worn out. We buy new when we’re bored. Why not? It doesn’t cost us much.
It doesn’t pay much, either. Just over a dollar a day in Bangladesh. $37 a month.
We demand cheap clothing. Companies push manufacturers for lower costs. Manufacturers cut corners to avoid losing contracts to competitors. Governments look the other way because their economies depend on these industries.
It’s a vicious cycle we’ve created. An enormous problem on a global scale. The only thing we can do as individuals is demand better. Pay attention to clothing labels. Educate ourselves. Be willing to pay more.
We can do better, and we should.
recommended reading: Kimberly Ann Elliott is a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and an expert in international trade policy, with a particular focus on labor standards and trade as a tool for fighting global poverty. In an interview with The Washington Post, she shares relevant knowledge about what’s happening in these countries and how things can improve.
Last Saturday night my daughter was in bed by 8 pm. My husband was asleep by 8:30. I was bored. I pulled up some concerts on YouTube and started jammin’ out.
Even though Honey Cowl isn’t finished, I wanted to do something with yarn. Something new. Something with a hook.
I grabbed a bag of yarn balls and just started chaining. I may have gone overboard. Toward the end, I decided to make granny scarf. A very long granny scarf, in fact.
It felt good. I missed my hook. Double crochet clusters make me so happy.
Bring on the spinach, curly kale* and leaf lettuce mix!
After much debate on whether or not to get a juicer, I decided to opt for the NutriBullet. I know it’s technically not a juicer, but it does an amazing job and there’s no leftover pulp. So far, I’m in love.
Now I’m even more excited for the CSA season to begin. Hopefully, the freak snow this week did’t hurt the veggies.
*the flat leaf kale will most likely be baked into chips for my daughter. I’m ok with that.