So I started knitting another sock t'other day, and first I thought eh, I'll just do a blueberry waffle pattern or something, and then as I was working down the cuff I had a different idea. So now I'm trying something different, and if it works out I'm going to write it up as a sock pattern. It's nothing fancy, nothing that some other knitter couldn't come up with just as easily. But I know that although I'm perfectly able to play buffet and just grab a stitch pattern for the leg, pick a heel treatment and a toe type, there are plenty of knitters out there for whom having the entire pattern written out in detail - and especially in several sizes - is super helpful. So I'm thinking I'd write it up and toss it up as a free sock pattern.

The upper arm damage I took from the Levaquin* means my endurance for knitting is way down from what it used to be. So I'd be interested in finding some test knitters rather than trying to do each prototype myself - plus that tests if my instructions make sense. I'm currently making a woman's large/man's size, because well, that's what I wear. I'd be interested in someone who would want to make a woman's medium size or a child's size, in fingering weight yarn. I do my socks knitting in the round on two circulars, but this could work fine on DPNs or magic loop too.

Anybody interested?



*If you are ever prescribed Levaquin, Levofloxacin, Tavanic, or any fluoroquinolone, ask the doctor what your alternatives are. If "you're gonna die" isn't on there, I strongly recommend you do NOT take them. Certainly LOOK UP the side effects and seriously read them before you do. Especially if you have ever in your life been prescribed any steroids.

I have free codes for the audiobook for Torchship Captain - anybody interested?

I am finally getting back to my Heroes of Yarnia MKAL / knitting roleplaying scarf. It had gotten set aside to make pussy hats, and then there was something else, and then well, it's not something I can do on the move, and it's sat in its bag.

Last night I finished the HoY crest in the middle. I'm ready to start the second half of the scarf - but that means first I need to FIND the 3 ring binder that holds my copies. I can get more copies of the charts and such, I have them on the computer, but I need my character sheet...

In a month we have two family birthdays coming up close together - Maggie's 7th and Alanna's 2nd.

I know there are going to be family members asking me what they would want, so I figured okay, I'll put a post up.

Maggie has become a little bookworm. It's amazing. She wants to read in bed every night, and spends a lot of her time with her nose deep in a book. The apple has not fallen far from the tree.

She's been particularly interested lately in the American Girl books. She has the the basic set of the Kirsten books, and she has the first book of the Kit series. She really wants more. I know she wants the rest of the Kit books, she's been asking for those. There are some ancillary Kirsten books she doesn't know about. Looking through the other series, I'd probably also pick Josefina (we gave those to a classmate for her birthday, so it'd be interesting for her too), Addy, and maybe Kaya. Heck, any of the historical characters would be interesting for her. She's just soaking it up*.

Sure, she'd be interested in the dolls, too, but I think the books are a higher priority. And less expensive. It seems the books are best priced on Amazon, but the dolls significantly better on the American Girls website, if anybody really wants to get her a dolls-and-books set - yeah, she'd probably go wild about that. I did put together a wishlist on Amazon for her for some of the books - it's here
http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/25HKV60Y4EXSK

Alanna is really enjoying Sesame Street, and particularly likes Big Bird. I'd love to get her more Sesame Street to watch. They have one season recorded on Miles' video box, and the Old School DVDs. I *wish* we could get more of the "old school" stuff - the kids AND the adults like that better than the newer stuff. But other Sesame Street videos could be nice for her. Please not Elmo stuff, that gets on the adults' nerves. She likes the musical stuff, too, likes to start singing with them. I made an Amazon list of some of what looked like she'd most enjoy it: http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/3N6BEY0A3NXJ6

I hope this is helpful for the relatives.

(*She was recently asking me about Fiddler on the Roof, was that a true story? I explained about how it wasn't exactly true, in that the people were made up, but it was about a place and time and people that were a lot like that. Like the Kirsten books. Then she wanted to watch it again, and was shushing Jamie and telling him how this was about history and she was really interested!)

Okay, now I have a Dreamwidth account.

Any of you on LJ who also have Dreamwidth - please come comment on this over at DW, please, so I can find you.

Also, I'd love more comments from those of you experienced with the DW site. Particularly - is there any way to scoop up all my previous LJ stuff and move it over there?

EDITING crossposted post - apparently it does not automatically link it back to the DW site, does it?

http://celticdragonfly.dreamwidth.org/

I'm beginning to think that I should just tell anybody who wants to give Jamie birthday presents this year to send him a ream of paper. The constant request "Can I have a piece of paper, please?" That boy just loves to draw and draw and draw.

Tonight there's a 90% chance of rain. Tomorrow rain likely, may be heavy in the morning.

The yard is going to be muddy and soggy.

So - needs must, we had our Easter Egg hunt this afternoon.

Alanna took part, but didn't really get it yet - no big surprise there. She ran around with her bucket some, and Maggie helped her, and hey, she found the chocolate bunny lollipop, and that was what she wanted. She opened it up and was saying "choc!" She knew what this was about.

Sadly, she dropped it down a water pipe before she'd eaten much of it.

Maggie and Jamie had a great time. fordprfct took video of it. We'll see if he can get the editing software installed and get it uploaded so we can share it.

Okay, this isn't going to mean anything to most of my flist, but some of you will know.

I have my black war bear! Eeee! And it was FUN!

The Gallagher-McDaniel household will be hosting a game day, Saturday 3/21/09, starting at 11 am and going until we fall down.

There will be food, of some sort. There will be games. There will be general hilarity and kids and cats running around. (Well, cat. The other will be hiding upstairs, from GASP visitors!) There will undoubtedly be singing at our Birthday Bear at some point, who decided that a houseful of people playing games was what he wanted most.

Board games, card games, we have quite a collection and would like to put it to good use. Have a game you'd like us to try? Okay!

Comment on one of our posts if you're coming, and let us know if you need directions or anything like that.

I got a call from Jamie's school this afternoon that he'd been wiggling on his chair during snack time and then had fallen over backwards into some shelving, and split open the back of his head. The nurse's judgment was it needed stitches, and I should come get him.

Oy. Got him at 3, picked up Maggie, took the three kids down to the ER in SW Fort Worth. (I'd called our doctor's office, they said take him to the ER.) He'd mostly stopped bleeding, and as usual with my boys' high pain thresholds, wasn't evincing any pain. Didn't want it touched or looked at though. So looooooong wait, particularly rough on Alanna who was cooped up in the strolled. Poor kiddos. Karl got there after work just after the doctor had checked Jamie out and declared it was about a centimeter long, fairly deep, and he wanted to put in two staples.

Staples, interesting. As Karl said, it used to be staples got you sent TO the ER. He took Alanna off for a change and a walkabout, and they did his staples. He was very good about staying STILL with his face in my hands as they did them. He'll have to go back in a week to 10 days to have them out.

He really really wanted to come home the whole time. On the way home he was singing an impromptu song about coming home. And I am SO glad we're home. Karl took the girls off while we were still waiting to get finished with paperwork, and is stopping to pick up dinner food, amazingly Jamie and I actually beat him home.

I'll be collapsing now.