Reporting in....

I have some misc. things to report.

1. Leaving out an ingredient, even 1/4 cup of shortening, can drastically change the outcome of a cookie. On the left: a very flat molasses crinkle. On the right, the way it should look. (It tasted much better, also. The first one was way too crisp in a not-quite-right way.)



(The only reason I made these twice is that I was mailing them to DS#1, otherwise I would not have bothered.)

2. DS#2 is still alive and well, despite his attempt to make me crazy (see previous post.) Not only does he enjoy puddle jumping, but apparently it runs in the family. DS#1 told me that yesterday he went to a football game where it poured, and I mean poured. He got so wet that by the time he left he was running across the parking lot and JUMPING THROUGH PUDDLES! All I have to say is that they must've inherited that from their father and not from me.

3. Speaking of DS#2, I voluntarily took him to a yarn shop over the weekend. I even begged him to keep me company on the trip. (Well, not totally begged, but asked nicely. Some bribing might have been involved.) While I was paying for my yarn (more on that some other time), I mentioned that it was totally my fault since I talked him into coming. No puddle jumping was involved, but some quarters were rolled the whole way across the store floor. (I was the only customer, so I figured if this was all that he was doing it would be okay.) The saleslady even invited me back with my finished item without suggesting to leave my son at home, so it must not have been too bad.

4. I have finished my grammar refresher course and passed the final exam with a grade of 97. Now, the challenge is to put all that refreshing into something useful, like some better constructed sentences. (That last sentence itself seems poorly constructed, but I don't know what to do about it. So I'll move on.)

To answer Kathy's question, parentheses are using in sentences as an "oh, by the way, this is a side fact but not the main one". I am queen of the parentheses! (But you already knew that!)


5. I'm in the midst of a new project and just successfully cast on 100 stitches on the first try! See the fuzzy, squashed stitches below:



I usually cast on about what I think is enough, without counting them, and then I like to see how close I got. Casting on exactly 100 is doing really well, for me.

This is part of a project that I'm making for DD#2. (I almost wrote DS#2. While he almost made me crazy, that still is not enough reason to make him wear a girl's shrug. I draw the line right there.)

This shrug has cap sleeves and is knit from the top down. I'm using another acrylic yarn (two times in a row!), Red Heart designer sport. The body part was done and now I'm casting on for the ties (200 stitches on one side, then 100 on the other!) There will be garter ribbing going around the neckline and then I'll be done.



Except, you know that I will have gotten the sizing wrong and will have to cast on all those stitches again. I'm sure that's what I'll be knitting tomorrow.