Moving On Over...

Yes, I'm moving from here over to my website, which is

http://www.kourtneyrobinson.com/


(Blogger, you've been great, but I'm trying something new & different...)

Gatsby, O Gatsby...

I had a tough day a while ago. One of the several nadirs was dropping the lid to my go-cup on the floor at Starbucks, and not noticing that it had actually broken until I put the lid on my coffee cup, "closed" it, then set it on the stroller. It promptly poured scalding hot princess coffee all over my wrist & purse.

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The good things about that? Well.

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1) It didn't scald Eleni.

2) I caught it right away, so it only wasted a little coffee.

3) My bag was shut, not open.

4) I wasn't using one of my "good" bags.

5) It didn't burn bad enough to blister, and even if it had, it was my wrist, not my fingers, so not as pivotal for knitting.

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I got home - eventually. And I looked at my lovely, lovely Offhand Designs knitting bag. It's been on the couch for quite a while; I've used it out in the world three times. And I realized that as much as I love that bag, it's not my style. I love it, and I wish it was me; but it's not.

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Obviously, there are the Littles & their accouterments. Sippy cups, cheerios, diapers, broken crayons. I'm mildy dismayed at what's in my bag at the moment, but I was also very glad to find a fragment of blue crayon to keep Am busy while we were waiting the other day. Ditto the cast-off back-up bink for Eleni, at an emergency nap-stop.
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And really, all apart from that, I need a bag that will survive if I put my mocha into it, and there's some kind of go-cup malfunction. I know it's a terrible idea to put a full cup of coffee in my bag, but it's maybe going to happen at some point. Wash'n'wear, maybe wipe clean. Fates, I know that at some point, I will be looking mournfully at a pile of mocha-soaked something, and I accept that.

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(Amoryn & puppy were very glad to model these - she's never got to touch them before!)

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That being said, I've decided to let them go. One friend suggested that I just hang on to them or five years or so, once we're past the danger point of the kid's sippy cups. That just feels miserly & wrong. These bags have been lovingly crafted, they're gorgeous, and they deserve pride of place & lots of use.

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So they're officially going up for sale on Ravelry. Details will be there; follow this link if you're really interested.

Old Gatsby: $130US, shipping included to US/Cda.

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/knitting-bag-lust/1376066/1-25
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New-Style Gatsby & Clutch: $180US, shipping included to US/Cda.
http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/knitting-bag-lust/1376089/1-25

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Now, any suggestions on deeply stylish, functional, durable bags? Apart from MEC's ripstop nylon offerings? They're high on function & durability, but lower on the style.

Brought To You By The Color Purple & The Number "8"

Yes indeed. Halloween (heck, October!) has come & gone. It's been a little trying; some deadlines, some stress, some learning curves, and some other stuff too.
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(This is as close to Halloween candy as Eleni got – an empty box of Smarties. She was perfectly happy with it though!)

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The important things DID get accomplished though. Namely, one (1) octopus costume with eight (8) tentacles was created.

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(Waiting to spring into action on a toddler.)

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Ta-dah!

I’ve been skittering along the edge of a head cold all weekend, and I was honestly not so hyped about Halloween. And then I looked at how excited and happy Amoryn was, and I sucked it up, and took her out.

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It was simply the nicest time I’ve had with her in weeks. She was giggling, she was polite, she was brave. She listened to me, she held my hand, she was helpful. (She kept reminding people to close their doors before the mosquitos got in.)
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She was also very keen for the pumpkin carving – she helped to wash them off, then she used a water-based marker to draw their faces. (I interpreted her art using a permanent jiffy marker & a big, sharp, knife.)
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(Her handiwork.)

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(I think that this one is especially eerie.)

(Or is that eye-rie?)

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With that awful pun, with those wonderful Halloween memories dancing in my head, I'm off to bed.

That sound?

Oh, that sound. That's me gnashing my teeth in rage.

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It's been a frustrating morning. First, the octopus costume that I made yesterday - that was warmly, gleefully, and lovingly received & worn yesterday - was rejected this morning.

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I sighed, ground my teeth, and packed Amoryn & her octopus costume off to daycare & daycare's Halloween party. I told myself to not take it personally; she's a toddler, and at least I got to watch her run around yesterday, with all the legs on the costume bobbling around. Eight tentacles of awesome.

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Now, I've earmarked today's naps as pattern editing time. And what happens? The software I'm using is crashing. CRASHING. Not even opening. Locking up. Every single time. I uninstalled, reinstalled, crash.

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I've sent a rather abrupt email to their tech support; there's a new version available, but there's no link on their website to download it. I can download the old version... but not the newer one.

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The program nicely pops up a window letting me know that there's a new version to download, and it lets me see that info as it crashes & locks.

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Yes, I've restarted. Yes, I've closed all the other applications I was running. Yes, I'm ready to chew on the table. And yes, Eleni just woke up, which means that yes, I got two lines of the pattern edited.

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I'd tell you more, including what program it is, but a) I'm hopeful that their tech support will come through b) frothing in a rage doesn't really do me any good, especially if I'm going to try & stay calm enough that I can rebuild in Excel during Eleni's afternoon nap. c) I'm not giving them any free advertising. If they come through, I might mention them favorably. If they don't, I'll be flaming them in a post.

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And if that happens, I'll be naming names & pointing fingers. Heck, I might even put on the darn octopus costume, so that I've got more than just fingers to point & so that it gets some use.

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Seriously. I have minimal 'focus' time available to me, this pattern is on a deadline, I spent yesterday making a rejected octopus, and I feel like it's all futile. Maddening & futile. I can't even make myself a coffee as a treat; I'm afraid that the caffeine & the rage might escalate to me teaching my laptop that it can fly.

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Arrrrrrrg. *Sets forehead on table. Breathes. Breathes some more. Lifts head up.*

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Okay, what's for lunch?

Too Much Terror For One Day

First, let me say that everyone & everything in my world is okay. And my heart rate has slowed down, and now I'm just exhausted & thankful* for a near miss.

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And it's going to be several years before we walk to Tim Horton's again.

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The girls were both getting a little rambunctious, and I knew that they needed some fresh air. It's been cool this week, and so we haven't been out much. (The deadline knitting doesn't effect it much - I only knit when El's asleep, & that's always our quiet time. Puzzles, play-dough, maybe a movie.) There wasn't enough time for a full-on play at the park, so I decided that we'd just walk over to Tim Horton's for one timbit, then by the mailbox, then home. It was all good until we were crossing the street to come home.

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Amoryn, as you may or may not know, is a very headstrong & dramatic child who tends to throw herself into things. Literally, sometimes.

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Part of the deal while crossing the street is that if there is a button, she gets to push it. She did that, and then she wanted to stand on the other side of the pole. I said "No, please come stand me & Eleni."

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And she freaked out. Part of her freakout is her pitching herself backwards in the full-on throes of woe. So I made a diving catch - as two lanes of traffic on Country Hills Blvd are going past at full speed - grabbed her hood, which half unsnapped, then grabbed her collar. Then I grabbed the stroller, which had rolled forward about a foot. Then I hyperventilated, refused to let go of her, and tried to explain to her what had almost happened. While she screamed at the top of her lungs. I adjusted my scruff hold slightly to make sure she couldn't escape, tried to quit imagining what had almost happened, and kept breathing.

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Once the light changed, I pushed/dragged the kids back into the safety of the cul-de-sac, where Amoryn stopped wailing in indignation and cried "You're really hurting me". I checked, and actually had a fair mitt-ful of hair. I apologized, then explained how very much she had just scared mommy.

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Even though we ran overtime on Eleni's nap, we had a slide on our way to the mail box. I still can't believe how close to truly awful the day was.

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I'm going to eat supper now, then kiss my girls goodnight, and keep knitting.

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*Not thankful enough to be glad about the misses today with potty-training. The last three days, I was glad that we don't have carpet, and that she's making progress, and today, after the third mistake, I'm just sad & tired. That's all I'm sayin'.

Knitting Math

I've lost both my tape measure & my calculator. (I think small hands might have been a cause.)

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Anyways, help me out with this math, ok? If, during the course of this:

(75 min)

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I can get this done...

(Approx 5 inches.) (Blurred for discretion. Color is true though, and doesn't cover the luscious, luscious texture of cashmere/silk.)

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How long is it going to take me to knit another, erm, 28 inches or so?

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Or should I be wondering if I'll be able to recite Merriweather's lines in my sleep?

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, the second half of October looks to be a little insane.

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I've got to finish a top-secret project AND I'm going to make three Halloween costumes.

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Why not buy them? Well, 1) it's a thing with me to make the costumes for as many years as I can & 2) Amoryn wants to be an octopus. I've never seen an octopus costume for sale.

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I admit, I've been pitching octopodes for a while. And she's keen! Finally! So, we are going with a sea theme: an octopus (Amoryn), a starfish (Eleni) and a lobster (myself). I just need to consult my fabric stash to see what I need, and master the time space continuum so that I have more time between now & next Friday. (The man can go as a fisherman. Or kelp! He can be kelp! He can wear his green outfit! Ha!)

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I think that I'm going as a red lobster, for better identification & visibility. Eleni will be a yellow polar fleece starfish, which means that I need to sort out what color Am's octopus should be...

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Any suggestions?

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Other than gently pointing out that talking about what I need to get done doesn't actually accomplish anything. Right. Back to work.