Friday, November 21, 2014

Things in jars! Also more talk about fingerless mitts.

I thought I had decided what pattern I was going to use for my next mitts, but something I read on another blog has changed my mind.  I have been working on catching up on reading AmpuTeeHee and stumbled upon this post.  That braid is adorable!  I know man-mitts and adorable don't really go together, but I feel out of a manlier color they could add a fun dividing point between pattern bits.  Does this mean I have found a new pattern to make?  Not really.  That was going to be one of my goals for today.  I'm feeling these Manly Mitts, even though it would make it a bit more of a hit or miss if they fit or not.  I could also just do the diamond pattern on the back and the ribbing on the palm side to help with that.

My other plans for today are to weave in my ends on my owl mitts, maybe try formatting the pattern some, and to get started on the man mitts.  I am thinking of selling my owl mitts pattern for a few dollars to help fund the blog.  I know I don't pay for hosting, but if I make enough I might be able to quit my day job and make charity crafting my new day job.  Think of how many more people would get warm things if that happened.  I also wouldn't have to worry about organizing my yarn as much because I could just knit it up.  I would also have more time to spend spoiling the kitty.


I always find it kind of amusing to watch someone who doesn't know what they are talking about trying to fake it and kind of roll with it.  This happened to me yesterday and she didn't even quite get it when I tried to steer her into the correct direction.  Here is how it all went down, just remember that I'm standing next to my female coworker:
M-C (male co-worker): *radio* "Does anyone know if we have a heated cutting tool?"
F-C (female co-worker): *radio* "I think I just handed the last one to the guest I just helped."
M-C: *radio* "The customer would like to know where in the store they mornally are."
F-C: *radio* "Like I said, I handed the last heated fabric cutting tool to someone else, we don't have any more soldering tools."
Me: "I don't think a heated fabric cutting tool exists...wouldn't you burn the fabric?  Also, a soldering tool is just used for soldering, not cutting fabric."
F-C: "Yeah." *radio* "You would burn the fabric if you used one of those."
Me: "Most heating tools are used to cut foam."
M-C: *radio* "So...would they be back in basics?"
I just kind of walked off at that point.  He never said anything about fabric but she was determined that the person was looking for a heated fabric cutter.  I knew I was going to get annoyed if I stayed around to point out about the fabric.  I know that one person used a wood burning tool to cut out shapes from satin once because it also seals the edges, but that is an odd thing.  Maybe the person had been talking about fabric, I don't know.  However M-C was right about where the soldering tools and wood burning tools would be.

I know that putting food items into jars isn't a new thing, but it is something I want to start getting in to.  Jars also aren't just for preserves and pickles anymore.  I'm always complaining that I don't have enough options for quick grab and quick eat things for work.  Sometimes I have some leftovers that would work, but most of the time I grab a bowl of instant noodles.  No surprised about the too much salt in my diet thing.  Other times I only take an apple and end-up seriously eying the candy and snack mixes that are for sale.
This has lead me to things in jars.  I used to love those shake salads that you could get at McDonald's back in the day.  There is more out there than salads being put into jars now-a-days though.  Refrigerator Oatmeal - Breakfast and Overnight Oatmeal -- 5 Delicious Ways! are just two of the many ways to make breakfast in a jar.  Some of the homemade jams my friend made for me would be perfect to add to something like this.  My mom used to do something very similar, but instead of a jar she put everything into a big tube and just spooned some out every morning.  She would then decide the fruit she wanted that morning.
Soups would also work well since you could just throw the glass jar in the microwave, making sure to not put the lid in there with it.  I have also made overnight noodles by putting ramen noodles in a container with some thin canned soup and let them sit in the fridge over-night.  I didn't add the seasoning packet to this since canned soups sometimes already have crazy amounts of salt.  According to the Linda's Pantry channel, you can put lots of meals in jars.
There are also a ton and a half different salads to make and put into jars.  I find it interesting the different techniques people use.  Some put the dressing on the bottom while some put it on the other.  Others put it in a separate jar so you can pour it on when it comes time to eat it.
I also learned that if you put a paper towel on top of your tub of spinach it helps it to last longer.  Super helpful!


One of your parents has a habit that really annoys you.  What's the habit?  Does anybody besides you notice it?
There is a habit that my mom has that annoys me and also some other people.  It also annoys the hubby.  She likes to reorganize things and put things in places she thinks they should live, which would be fine in her house, but she does it elsewhere.  She isn't so bad that she does it at random people's houses, but she does it at mine when the hubby and I go out of town.
This isn't something that started just when we got our house though.  This is something I first started to notice when I went to college.  So we would trek all my stuff up the eight hour drive to Ohio and then lug it all up to my dorm room.  I requested the same dorm room all four years because I loved it.  There had been a painter there at one point and there was a bright orange splatter on the ceiling.  It was also right next to the art building.
So I would have all weekend to get things figured so instead of getting my parents to help me unpack, I would want to have dinner with them.  Spend some more time before I don't see them for a few months.  My dad would be all for going out and spending some more time together, but my mom would be trying to tell me where I could put things.  I would try and just keep saying that I would figure it out, but she kept trying to insist that I put my PS3 somewhere, or my TV somewhere else.  After the first year I had a good idea where I wanted to put everything so that there was enough room for me and my roommate to move around still.  My dad would almost have to drag her out of my room to get her to come out to dinner and not unpack all my stuff for me.  I was trying to pretend I knew how to be responsible for my own stuff and my mom was still trying to be all motherly.
It wasn't as bad then because she could be taken out of the room at some point and I was left with all my stuff.  She was also a very long car ride away so she couldn't just stop over.  Having my own house has changed that.  We live about 20-30 minutes away now.  This is great when it comes to hanging out and going to knit-night, but it also means that she is usually the one to watch Mr. Jag if we are going to be gone during the week.  His old owner lives too far away to easily be able to stop by and give him his shot during the week.  On the weekend she is able to, but it is hard to plan trips around just being gone over the weekend.  Imagine a trip to Germany for only a long weekend, that would be crazy.
Speaking of Germany, the worst case of her reorganizing was when we were away on that trip.  It took me a few days to find where she had put all our various cups, pans, and cooking tools that had been in the dishwasher drying.  That wasn't so bad, but what I went kind of crazy over is my little cupboard in our guest room.

This is what it looks like now.  This is a place where I put little special things that I am either given or buy.  The painting was from a friend who has moved away, the cat bowl and the short bowl from a shop that is now closed, the kissing bunnies and puffy squirrel from our trip to Germany, and the bear is what I got from my dad last Christmas from when he was over seas.  I would get one of these things and I would feel its energy and figure out where in the space it should live.  It felt more like an art piece than a shelving unit with random stuff stored there because I didn't know where else to put them.
Well, I come home after the long flight back from Germany after never really have gotten used to the time change and after having dropped my extra cheese on the plane.  I was all kinds of grumpy and no fun to be around unless I tried to keep it in.  This just set me off totally.  My mom had gone through and moved everything around.  I had the books laying down in the middle but she had them standing up and to one side.  Things had also been moved to another level from where they had been before.
My mom told me to just put everything back the way I had it before.  Since it wasn't really a planned out thing, I couldn't do it.  I could remember a few of the things like where the painting, the cat bowl, the flower dish, the button angle, and how the books were.  I wasn't sure of everything else.
I was so mad I had to not go into that room for a few days until I could look at it without getting angry.  It might sound like I was over-reacting to some people, but I know a few will understand.  With some time behind me with this, I think I am happy with it again.  I spent a few days moving things around, trying to get things positioned just right.
The hubby has also been a victim of her reorganizing.  It hasn't been as bad, but he will ask me if I moved something he had somewhere.  Since I know how annoying it is to lose things, I try and not move his stuff.  If I do move them I will usually put it on his chair so he can decide where it should live.  He usually is left looking for some little things for a few days after my mom comes through.  He gets annoyed by it, but it isn't too bad.


Today's count: 1,972
Monthly count: 32,486
Prompts used: 21
Words from titles: 101
Pattern words: 1,387
Pictures posted: 3 (counting only finished objects)

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