Those Wiggles know what toddlers like. Willow’s seen snippets of them on TV perhaps three or four times before, not enough for it to be a familiar pleasure, but when I flicked on Channel 4 this morning to find an exceptionally clean skivvy-wearing man singing about rhyming her face lit up instantly. I saw the opportunity to have a shower without any of the usual interference – pushing the door in to squash me into the wall, pulling the door open so water sploshes all over the bathroom, picking up my pyjamas and throwing them into the tub, or just climbing in herself while fully clothed – and it was very pleasant. Unfortunately the programming had switched to Barney by the time I got out, and that I cannot stand. All that apologising and cooperation, gives me the jibblies. At least the Wiggles are about dancing and having fun.
We did a two hour run of errands today, including a stop at the library to play with their toys and sundry other babies. You’re almost guaranteed to meet a few little ones there, and it’s good for Willow (and me!) to get out and about. Today she really didn’t want to leave, but I also had to get groceries and stop at the post office so we couldn’t stay all day. She walked all the way back to the car on her own legs! It’s nice not to have to carry her everywhere, especially when I also have a heavy bag of books.
This is the sweater I’ve been knitting for her. Toddler sizes in worsted weight yarn go rather quickly, I started this on Friday evening and by yesterday had the yoke and body finished. Now I just need to take those sleeve stitches off the waste yarn and knit them down. I’ll probably add some kind of crochet edging to the neckline too, as my cast on was a bit floppy and it doesn’t sit neatly enough for my liking. I need to research more casting on (and binding off) techniques, as my knitting reference books only list very traditional ones and I know there are many more out there.
The pattern is the Raglan Sweater Toddler Tunic by Staci Perry, which I chose because it came with handy videos for each step. As it turned out I’m perfectly able to work from the pattern without help, but it’s nice to check each stage. The yarn is Stitch Nation’s Bamboo Ewe, in a lovely light teal shade. It’s a bamboo/wool blend that’s knitting up into a squishy soft fabric, and has some thick-and-thin bits which didn’t really show up in the ball that are adding a little texture to all that stockinette stitch. Here’s my project entry on Ravelry with more knitting notes.
I’m not buying anything non-essential now. It’s been nearly 3 months since JSR finished his job and the moneybags are accordingly depleted. Nut and Bee produces a small income and I’ve been selling bundles of stuff on Trade Me, so the situation is not critical, but I keep looking back at things I’ve bought and thinking why? That’s always the way though, it’s so hard to scale back until you really have to. There was a period in my life when I earned a very healthy salary for two years, and I spent like the dickens. I also saved my half of the deposit for the first apartment we bought together so it wasn’t entirely wasted, but still, I wish I had some of that disposable income now :P
Anyway, I’ve been concentrating on planning meals to use up our stocks of frozen, canned and dried foods, so I only need to buy fresh produce, dairy, and a few other essentials like cat food and coffee. Our grocery bill is nearly halved, though we will have to do a pantry stock-up once we have proper income again. It’s a good idea to cycle through that food anyway, since it can sit for years if pushed to the back of a cupboard, and nothing lasts forever. There are some challenging items, though. Why do I have a bag of gluten flour? Blackstrap molasses? What does cream of tartar even do? And a frozen vegetable mix with components neither of us particularly like? (Actually, Willow will probably eat the vegetables, she’s not as fussy as we.)
P.S. I think I forgot to mention tooth #16, oh no, lost data! She’s had it for a while now, so let’s say 14 months.
