Today is Christina's birthday. She is 16 years old! She's actually bummed because school is cancelled (last day before winter break) and her friends were planning a grand party for her at school...awww.

I made her this giant cupcake (her request) to share with her lunch table at school. It was REALLY FUN to make. I had to rig it so that she could take it in a protective container (to high school) and then be able to get it out without ruining it. One cake mix was made in an angel food tube pan and the layers from another mix were added (using a shot glass to cut the middle hole out.)

The middle tube of the angel food pan was rigged with curly ribbon which is also a handle (and a candle!)

I guess it was yummy, too. It vanished!

Sorry Chrissy, no driving today...we had a sleet/snow storm last night. 

Chrissy is the daughter I always dreamed of having.

Be Careful What You Tell a Three Year Old

Little Katie's fifteen year old sister told her, "Do you want to be a princess?" --Well, duh! (most 3 year old girls wanna be a princess!) Katie sat patiently while Chrissy did something to her hair (she was sure her sister would make her beautiful.

                     OOPS!

Katie was disappointed...becoming a princess evidently doesn't mean you get curly hair...Katie thought that Chrissy was making her hair LONG!

...and blew a heckuva gasket when she discovered her hair was STILL short.

Ah, but she IS a princess (by her reaction!) and Chrissy made her hair SO CUTE!!!

I finally figured out how

to make a PDF file. (it was SO easy I slapped my own forehead and drank tomato juice!)

...and after two days of trying to upload it to Ravelry I discovered - duh - they have to "okay" me first.

Since this IS a blog - I should add that: yesterday I broke my printer while installing a new black ink cartridge...but after a 15 minute nap with my cuddly daughter I fixed it! (it involved a little spring and flap thingy)

Then (since I still have some layout space here)

I figured out HOW TO keep the toilet paper from rolling out completely onto the floor! If you're having this problem, too: sort of squish the empty toilet paper roll (the one that everyone refuses to throw away) inside the new one. Voila!

I need a brown paper bag to blow into!

Today I'm sending in my query to Interweave Knits for an article on Double Knitting which has only taken me 20 years to develop.  I feel like my first-born is about to jump off a CLIFF!  It took me 20 years to develop this new way to double knit because while I was figuring out the best way to communicate it I also knew I needed designer/writer credibility before anyone would even consider hearing what I have to say on the subject...

A couple of weeks ago I decided the time was RIGHT when I discovered that the bible on DK: NOTES ON DOUBLE KNITTING by Beverly Royce was selling USED in PAPERBACK for $60 to $80 a pop!...Guess what?! It has now jumped to $80 to $110 per copy and when I try to purchase it I CAN'T!!!

For those of you who don't know, I find Double Knitting to be an intellectually challenging but physically comfortable way to knit in-the-round.