Kiss My Knits!

…or “How Hillary Spent Her Summer Vacation.” I’m sorry, Em’s choice of names just amuses me.

“Bill and Chelsea went into Chelsea’s pool. Chelsea’s mom was there to watch.”

Because, you know, safety first. That long thing to the right with legs coming off of it is a water slide. There’s a splash in the pool at the base of the slide. The circles are lights inside the pool, so they can swim at night if they want to. Chelsea’s mom appears to be wearing a dress and heels while lying on a wheeled deck chair. Ah, this is the life.

“4 other kids (two boys and two girls) came. So they played Marco Polo.”

The kids are labeled as Lindsay, Chelsea, Jimmy, Bill, Sarah, and Robert. Looks like little Barack wasn’t invited. The large thing behind them is a ladder so they can climb out of the pool. Or possibly a diving board. On the face of it, it looks like Robert’s the only one in the pool and everybody else has cheated and gotten out, but I may be misinterpreting. At any rate, it looks like everybody’s smiling and happy, so that’s good.

In knitting, no way is this going to be a size 4T legwarmer. Time to rip it out and de-biggen it.

All the Can’t Stop the Serenity Jayne hats should be at their destinations, except for Dallas’s bonus “baby Jayne” and Raleigh’s hat, both of which should arrive tomorrow. There’s a chance I may not be able to make the full Serenity screening here in town – I may know tonight – but if I can’t then Em and I will go to the pre-show festivities and drop off the hat. I think Em would enjoy the costume contest and hearing Cedric the Bard. She enjoyed him when we went to that bar uptown. Yes, I took my daughter to a bar. What? I needed a designated driver.

Here’s a link to a YouTube video of the Bedlam Bards, of which Cedric is one half, singing “Hero of Canton” when they performed in Charlotte at Ri-Ra’s. The sound and video quality aren’t that hot, but you get the gist. They put on a good show. But no, sadly, those aren’t my Jayne hats that they’re wearing. At the very end, a young woman is twirling around one of my boxes, as I donated a hat to the raffle that they’re about to give away.

There are actually fewer than 10 Jayne hats in line, for a wait time of less than a month. It’s a miracle! WOO! See, if you want to order, NOW is the time, because come August it’s going to start shooting back up again as people start to think about Halloween, Christmas, and cooler weather in general.

Time to hang out more clothes – it’s nice and sunny, but not oppressively hot. Looks like a great day for soccer!

Phone: Ring ring!
Me: Hello?
Lady: Okay, I got approval to go ahead and do that, but he has GOT to be empty by tomorrow.
Me: … I have no idea who this is.
Lady: Oh, well, this is ______
Me: I don’t know who that is. I think you have the wrong number.
Lady: Oh. Is this XXX-XXXX?
Me: No, it’s not.
Lady: Oh, well then maybe I do!
Phone: *click*

Wait, what? Who has to be empty by tomorrow? Empty of what? Now I have to know!

Definitely more participation today. Em was out on the field playing when arrived. Then I looked down to get my camera ready. Then she was crying. Then someone went over to comfort her, so they came off the field.

“What happened?” I asked the teenage helper.
“Nothing!” she said. “I think she was just ready to go.”
“That sounds about right.” I said. She hasn’t done it in a while, but it used to be that things would just suddenly be too much and it would tip her over the edge. It still does happen occasionally, especially when she’s tired or sleepy.

We went to get her lunchbox, then saw Grandma was there. Heh. Everybody should have a coach like my mom in their corner.
My mom had been watching, and said Em had basically been wandering around. But wandering around on the field for 20 minutes. Woo!

As we made our way to the car, Em was getting over being weepy, although she still had a very runny nose. I was talking to her, saying, “So you were ready to be done, is that it?”
“Yes,” she answered, then added “I got hit in the chest!”
So she wasn’t just ready to go home. She had gotten smacked, and I guess the teenage helper monitoring their end of day match didn’t notice.

I’m going to mention it to the head coach as an example of how, while I know there are about a thousand little bodies moving around out there, I’d appreciate an extra eye on Emily. She’s not always going to be able to tell you what’s wrong in the heat of the moment. It can take her a little time to get the words together.

The coach did say that the “I need you to do this for five minutes” tip was extremely helpful, and that he’d recommend I pass that along to any other teachers or coaches she has this summer, so that’s a positive.

All in all, a better day, and I think we can improve even more tomorrow.

Speaking to yesterday’s soccer freakout on my part, let me say that while I was still trying to get my eyes open at 7am this morning, Em had her cleats on and was ready to go. She consistently said she had a great time, soooo…. back she goes!

Today, a little lesson.
In which I try too hard and make things way too complicated.

Well, we’re home. Pretty much all of Em’s time at soccer camp today was spent lying around. On a bench, or on the porch of the building next to the field – always in the shade, at least. The camp director kept asking her if she wanted to come out and play on the field, and she didn’t until the last five minutes or so when he enticed her with, “Your mom will be here soon, I know she’d want to see you play.” She was back on the bench by the time I got there.

I recommended he tell her next time, like “Emily, you need to come join us for five minutes.” She’ll always say no if you ask, but she’s pretty easygoing if you tell her matter-of-factly that this is what’s going to happen.

He also said that she did get some social interaction, such as the other kids trying to engage her some at lunch. Camp Guy was concerned that she didn’t eat anything at all. He got a little juice or something in her. That’s par for the course – she never really ate at school, either. He said he was worried because she was burning calories out there. I’m thinking, “what calories? She’s lying on a bench!” I was more concerned because the water bottle I sent with her to camp was still full. She said she drank a little. She may not be burning calories, but she was sweating. My girl needs to stay hydrated!

Camp Guy is a teacher at the school, and he was really interested in figuring out strategies to engage her more. I’ll do my best for him, because we are coming back tomorrow. Em says she had a good time and does want to go back, so that’s a little victory. This in spite of the fact that for the past hour (I got her early) she was also talking about how incredibly hot it was. She also mentioned that her shinguards were uncomfortable. She’s going to wear her Converse tomorrow, too. Hey, whatever works.

So, a mixed bag. Maybe tomorrow when it’s only supposed to get up to 90 and not 95 it’ll be a little better. We’ll see.

I’ve spent almost half a house payment on this camp, what with gear and registration and such, so on a strictly practical level I’d like it if she continued to go. If I have to eat that money so she’s not miserable, then of course I’ll do it, but let’s hope it’s money well spent – in the form of a learning experience for my girl, not for me.

Now if you’ll pardon me, someone wants to make lemonade.

The camp director just called. Em’s already asking to go home. He and I talked, and agree that she should try to stick out the whole day. If it looks like she’s miserable or more unhappy or things are degrading, he’s going to call and of course I’ll come get her early, but I don’t want her to just give up immediately. That’s a strong trait of hers.

I understand that she’s overwhelmed easily, but I think it’s good for her to be pushed outside her comfort zone sometimes. That’s how we grow.

We’ll see if her time at camp continues on after today – and whether I can get a refund if it doesn’t. Bleah.

On the up side, the director does get points for starting with, “Ms. Tvini? This is Blank from soccer camp and it’s not an emergency.” Good lead. Nothing makes the heart beat faster than a call from camp.

I just dropped Em off at soccer camp, then promptly dropped dead of cuteness AGAIN. She ran out on the field and lined up behind a ball and gave it a good wallop. Right into the goal. Adorable and ruthless, that’s my girl!

They apparently have little games in the afternoon before it’s time to pick the kids up, and parents are invited. (Grandparents too, HINT HINT.) I’ll do my best to get good pics.

Yesterday I made the customary coconut cream pie for Dad. I had a little fun with it.

Best part? After it’s been in the fridge for a while, the meringue beads up a bit. Yes, this pie is so delicious, it’s actually salivating over itself. That’s good eatin’!

Okay, time to knit up Raleigh’s CSTS hat while I’ve got a little free time! Woo!

You may recall I wrote a little something about my mom on Mother’s Day. Well, it’s Father’s Day, so it’s Dad’s turn!

There are some things my Dad has instilled in me, not through lecturing, just through example.

It all boils down to this: In life, you can be a jerk or you can be a good guy. Be a good guy. Let’s break that down into its components!

Number one: don’t be an elitist snob. Treat others with respect, especially those that you don’t think you have to. Dad worked the night crew for years, so he knew this well. He was right – when I was working at the TV station, having a good relationship with the guys in Master Control saved my bacon on more than one occasion.

Number two: be nice to strangers. Now obviously, as a young woman you have to be selective about this, but really, life’s too short to stand off to the sides and keep your yap shut.

Number three: do unto others. Not from any biblical command, but because it makes other people smile, and that’s really the best reward. Dad kept candy in his desk drawer at work for years, becoming known as “the candy man.” It really made peoples’ days better.

Number four: stay down to Earth. And that brings us to the following. Dad is what I’d call a man of the people. He’s a smart guy from a family without much money, and he dropped out of school to go to work. Later he joined the Air Force and definitely made the most of his experience. This story takes place after he has shipped off to points North.

I took this down as he was telling it to me over the phone one day, so it’s in his own words. He didn’t know I was writing it down, so hopefully he won’t be mad. If so… I’m sorry, Dad! Love you!

The flying beer keg. Cut for language.

Pattern: Rainbow Socks by Susanne Kitzmann
Needles: Size 1 / 2.25mm (size 0 / 2.0 for heels)
Yarn: Regia Design Line Kaffe Fassett Colorway 4251
Time elapsed: begun March 30 2008, finished June 14 2008

What an enjoyable pattern! I loved these colors and wanted to do something with the yarn besides a straight stockinette, but didn’t want a complex stitch pattern to get lost in the colorway. This little gem seemed perfect. Short rows beginning and ending on each side of the leg create a neat zig-zag pattern. I got it from MagKnits, and thank goodness I printed out a copy before that site went kerflooey. The pattern is again available in both English and German from the designer’s site.

I knitted these toe-up instead of the called for toe-down. The striping matched up nearly perfectly on the feet, but by the time I turned the heel and moved up the ankle, there had been enough little changes in gauge, etc., that the striping was off, as you can see. Also, I meant to put the heel on the second one on the opposite side of where it actually is, so that the striping wouldn’t be parallel on the foot and then mirror-imaged on the leg. Oh well. That’s okay, I didn’t really care if they were perfectly in sync. They’re a little crazy and that’s as it should be.

I made them just a hair too long, both in the foot and in the leg. The foot isn’t so bad, I can live with it, but the leg comes up onto my calf and binds a bit. If I fold the cuff down, as pictured to the right, it’s no problem. Fine by me, because I’m definitely not ripping it out. I did the heels on size 0 instead of size 1 because heels are always the first things to go in my socks. I I’m going to have to go back and reinforce the gap at the heel turn. Oops.

I’m really happy with these socks. They were engaging, but didn’t demand a lot of attention. And I got a lot of “how’d you make those triangles? Did the yarn do that?” from both knitters and non-knitters alike, so it was kind of a logic-puzzle conversation starter. It’s a neat use of short rows and of self-striping yarn. I’d do it again!