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If ever someone's knitting revealed their state of mind, this must be a prime example.



Done with my mystery socks, and wanting a break from socks, in general, I went to my pitiful stash for some inspiration. Sure, I've got a couple of tons of projects I'd like to start on for Christmas, but the budget isn't allowing for yarn purchases right now- or any purchases, for that matter. Finding that I had little of anything worth using, I pulled out a skein of some aweful scratchy acryllic stuff and decided that it would work well for knitting up some swatches of different cable patterns. Just some knitting to pass the time until I could buy something truly worthy of knitting with.

The pattern I chose to start with was a latticework cable pattern, and I immediately fell in love with it. Simple, yet not boring, and I love the orderly criss-cross patterning.


Great, so I have a piece that I like made with yarn that I loathe. Now what? Well, lots of people knit with this stuff, right? I mean, they sell it for a reason, and not just because it's cheap. But who'd want this stuff scratching against their skin all day? Ugh. But my mind started concocting a plan, and I think I know what this is meant to be.

Of course, you'll have to tune in later to see because if I go and brag about how I've designed this really cool piece and then it turns out like crap I'll feel like an idiot. This is my first attempt at making something that I've (sort of) designed on my own. Of course, it's nothing huge, or elaborate, but we all have to start somewhere, right? And I'm inspired by this whole new realm of knitting.

In other areas of life things are...hhmmm... difficult.

Jonas is most certainly in the terrible twos. He's become so hard to deal with at times. The most notable change in his behavior is when I tell him not to do something... he turns around, waves his finger in my face and yells "No Mama! GO!" and often follows it with hitting me. Now just where in the world he learned that it was ok to hit is beyond me. I've never once spanked him...(and some of you will tell me that maybe I should)

I just don't know how to stop this. We've consistently gone the time-out route, and it's effective momentarily. It stops the current tantrum, but it seems to do nothing for preventing future outbursts.

Look, I know he's two, he's discovering his voice and his independence, and I'm ok with that. I know a lot of it is driven from frustration at his own limitations and his desire to do things on his own. But some things are not negotiable. He's allowed to be mad, to be frustrated, and to be sulky, but he's not allowed to hit me and he needs to understand why I'm setting particular rules- like no pouring fabric softener in the aquarium and no sharing a toothbrush with the dog.

Last night it was the "sit down and eat" battle. I have a hard time with the idea of letting him go to bed without dinner, but after 45 minutes of him refusing, standing up in his high chair, and Wil just laughing at his defiance and contributing to his behavior, I gave up.

I feel like I'm fighting some ridiculous and futile battle against the world's tiniest dictator.

Any of you moms out there have advice, or even just a sympathetic nod?

Sigh... he'll grow out of this, right?