Living Room Activities

 The kids always get such a laugh seeing Daddy open up our wood box and fill it up.  I can usually expect to see the older ones out there helping fill up the wheelbarrow, and the younger ones lined up by the opening to feel the blast of cold air and feel like they’re outside, while still being inside.

 On a particularly good day, I asked Silje if she wanted to work on knitting again, since it had been literally months since our last lesson.  I’m not a very good knitting teacher.  This time, though was way better than last time, and I think some of the previous knowledge learned actually lapped into this lesson, and she picked it up quicker.  I think even a washcloth is too adventurous for my patience these days, so we’re just doing a scrubby (aka a small garter-stitch square with cotton yarn).  

She wants so badly to make doll clothes.  We have a ways to go, and it’s not because if her, because I think she’s actually picking it up very fast.  It’s just very hard for me to dissect and explain something I can do in my sleep.  When I think of my own knitting teacher saying her mom just handed her needles when she was 3 and she just picked it up.  With claims like that, I wonder if children or mothers were different “back then.”  Teaching it requires much patience for both Silje and me.  At least I haven’t squashed her enthusiasm yet.  That’s a good start.

I’m loving having this new computer be just mine, and I thought I’d put a sticker on it, since I don’t need to ask anyone, or annoy any shared users.  I found this vinyl decal on Etsy, and it couldn’t be more perfect.  I’m not sure why, but it just makes me smile.  (Don’t mind the messy couch with yarn pieces and open packages of cookies all about.)  For some reason, during the extreme cold snap lately, our wifi now magically works in the living room.  That’s good, because I like to be near the fire.  However, I’m undecided about how I feel about bringing technology into this previously quiet space.

These days I’m back at pattern writing, and I’m going through the change of being familiar with Microsoft, but trying to figure out Apple.  So I’m trying to establish my patterns into a template in “Notes” and I’m trying to establish some sort of bookkeeping in “Numbers.”  I’m finding them both to be pretty user friendly, but it’s just taking me some time.  I’m thankful for my tutor named “Google” who is right there beside me when I get stuck.  I think I’ve got all the figures from my pattern business all documented from the month of January this year.  Now I need to attend to the pile of business receipts and pieces of notes from last year, and get it ready for taxes.  Boo…

I’m also taking an online pattern grading class on Craftsy.  It’s really good, and I’m hoping it will help me streamline and simplify my math processing for various pattern sizing.  In all my previous patterns, I’ve done all of the size grading by hand and it takes me hours.  This class should help me figure out how to use a spreadsheet for my pattern grading, and it should cut my math time considerably.  It’s been my new pass time when Knut is busy in the evenings.

Finally, this is her sleepy smily face.  We see this face pretty much whenever these eyes pop open.  Well, she actually has very many different smily faces, all of various degrees of excitement.  She’s is a super sweet baby.  I love those cheeks!