Step Into My Thimble

First off…I found an old picture of myself from when I was just one year old and learning to walk. Maeve is about ten months in the above photo. Do we look alike? I know her crossed eyes are a bit of a distraction.

Secondly, the homebrewed ginger ale did not get fizzy, but it tasted really great anyway. I was afraid of an explosion, so I probably ended the room-temperature fermentation process a little too soon. At this time of the year, the house is only about 68 degrees during the day and colder at night, so I’m sure for success it should have sat for at least 48 hours. I’m going to make some again today, and this time with the juice of two lemons instead of one.

In other homebrewing news, last Saturday (Rodney’s birthday), we started our first batch of the grown-up kind of homebrew, an amber ale. The kraeusening phase was such fun, and now it’s just silently fizzling away. We should be bottling this next weekend. Here is the freshly 32-year-old Rodney himself. He looks good.

I’m cranking out a little set of baby shower gifts for Thursday, and the last ball of yarn for Seda is here. My knitting group meets on Saturday, and I can go to it child-free this time, so maybe the vest will finally be done by the weekend. I’d like to wear it while the weather is still cool.

And last but not least, yesterday I went to the Goodwill in the suburb of Portage to scope for some more ceramic planters (I collect green ones from the 60s, various brands like McCoy and Hull). I didn’t get any, but there were more weirdos in there than I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying something for a thrift store. I noticed this one guy with a total Steve Perry hairstyle skulking around, just looking but not touching, and I also noticed little packets of condoms with freaky notes shoved into several of the items around the store. It’s weird, usually that kind of thing only happens in the downtown thrift shops.

Because I like a dry, lemony ginger ale and not that inferior stuff that’s to be found on most Michigan supermarket shelves, and because I’m that crazy, I decided to try making my own today. Ha!

Also, sometimes you discover that something you always bought premade is actually super easy to make by yourself. I had that lightbulb moment with refried beans in 2006. I think this year will definitely be the year of homemade sodas. Easy directions are here. I used organic ginger, lemon, cane sugar, and non-irradiated yeast, plus the filtered drinking water we always have at home. Make your own and get back to me.

Seda is once again stalled, because after completing the bottom and neck edging, I was almost out of yarn, again. A seventh ball is on its way, but in the meantime I think I’ll make a Buttony Sweater (thanks Andrea!) with some Lamb’s Pride from the stash.

The Seda vest is now in try-on-able shape, due to an unexpected long nap by my dear baby today. The bottom edge finishing is done, the steeks are cut (!!), and the shoulders are Kitchenered. Now to pick up and finish the arm holes and neck. I L♥VE how it fits.

Steeking wasn’t that scary after all. And actually, although some of the instructions in this Knitpicks pattern are kind of inscrutable, the steeking part and associated diagrams make very good sense.

A hundred or so tiny heart-shaped cookies, done in advance of the actual day. Every now and then I can organize my time just right and accomplish these tasks. Of course, other things have to wait, but that’s okay because I’m still a little afraid to cut the steeks on the Seda vest. That’s my next craft activity though…wish me luck.

All the knitting is done, and the steeks are set up with crocheted edges, on the Seda vest. One small problem: I ran out of yarn. I should have expected it, since I chose to knit at a pretty tight gauge, and mine is probably four or five inches longer than the sample in the pattern picture. So, until that extra ball of Asparagus gets here, I’m not cutting anything. I’ll just let it rest a bit.

Maeve may have said her first word today: “teeth.” I have talked to her lots and lots about her own little choppers, and lately she’s really into putting her whole hand into other people’s mouths to touch their teeth. I said “teeth” to her today and she made a sound that sounded just like it, and we went back and forth like that for a while. Who knows if she actually associates the sound with those white things in her mouth, but it’s cute.