Monkey is DONE!

Here's to finishing projects! I started this one back while my friend's grandson was still on the belly side of things... and now he's almost 6 months old. What can I say, I don't like knitting when it's warm out!

It turned out pretty cute tho - my first attempt at a monkey, knitted all in the round on double pointed needles. I used to hate DPN, but I've now downgraded it to merely dislike. After that much practice it doesn't seem so bad anymore. Especially with sock weight yarn and size 3 needles. Ugh. SO worth it tho, just look at that face! I used the pattern in Itty Bitty Toys by Susan B. Anderson for A New Sock Monkey.

Max had to help with the photo shoot... and run off with Monkey. I suppose that just means it's kid-approved.

what do you mean it's not mine?

Fall Re-Potting

There was a single somewhat warm day a little bit ago - just warm enough to do some re-potting outside before winter sets in. I started with two african violets to be split, a few pothos ivies that had rooted, and some miscellaneous plants... and ended up with a dozen "new" plants! I already gave a violet to my grandma, and I plan on giving another to a co-worker. The others might stay... if I have room!

Self-Watering Plant

I have a fainting plant at work. I water it on Fridays and when I come in on Monday it's all flattened. I knew that it wasn't going to make it through the Thanksgiving break so I went to the local farm and garden store to get a waterer - but to no avail. So, I made one!

Step one: Procure a plastic bottle (if it's from the floor of your car you get bonus points because that also counts as cleaning your car).

Step two: Drill/poke a hole in the cap that's about the size of a strand of yarn.

Step three: String a length of natural fiber yarn through the hole, knotting on both sides. Leave about 1" on the inside and 8"+ on the outside. (use natural fiber, like cotton, because it has better absorbancy)

Step four: Fill bottle with water and secure cap.

Step five: Tip the whole deal upside down in the plant and tuck the string around the base, touching the dirt.

Done! Now hopefully when I get back to work tomorrow the plant will be alive and upright.

Peppers - They're Red, Green and Frozen

In the time honored tradition of the day after Thanksgiving being all about the Christmas holiday - I'm featuring red, green, and frozen. That's right - peppers.

I found a great deal on local peppers at the market - the last batch of the year before the frost. I chopped them up, froze them in a flat layer (that's key to making sure they don't freeze in a giant chunk) and then bagged them up. Yay for peppers all winter!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! If you are traveling, be safe!

Revenge of the Counter: Part 2

Yesterday I covered the prelims to the counter change.

Today, you get to see the results!

Firstly: Clearing the counter of all my junk stuff essential cooking items.

Note the test tile - I still couldn't peel it up!

Next: Peeling up the old counter top. It's nice that it was relatively easy to get up, but a little scary at the same time...

my little helper

Remove all loose paint, goo, splinters, dust, grime (not that there would ever be grime in my kitchen) and clean the surfaces. Then prime and paint the edging. I chose to match the cabinet paint rather than try and match the tiles.

freshly painted edges

Lay the tile, cutting with a utility knife to fit (try not to slice open your finger, ahem). I decided to use quarter round painted white around the back under the back splash.

painting the quarter round

This is all very hard work. My little helper worked so hard that he fell asleep during his lunch break.

Finally - the painted parts are painted, the tile is installed, the quarter round is in, the cracks are caulked, edges are sealed with silicone...

look at that!

And the counter is done! DONE! I still have to do the back splash (and the counter by the sink...) but this part of the counter is DONE.

Isn't it pretty? <sigh> I'm so smitten!

Revenge of the Counter: Part 1

I had a busy weekend! Not only did I do a bunch of the regular stuff and have date-night with hubby - but I also replaced 2/3 of our counter top! Woo!

You may remember how the counter (well, the whole kitchen) originally looked:

that's forest green counters and a pine edge and back splash

I couldn't handle the counters, so after we painted the cabinets I primed and painted those counters too.

gray - just gray

I knew that painting the counters was a temporary solution, there was no way it wouldn't get scratched. And, of course, it did. In the meantime I had put a few peel-and-stick tiles on the counter to see how they hold up. The verdict: they worked really quite well! It makes sense, they are made to handle foot traffic, including wet and dirt and dogs, they should be able to handle relatively light wear and tear on a counter.

I picked out a light gray tile that I liked (actually, I let hubby choose between two light grays that I liked, he likes to feel included) and this weekend I finally had the time to go for it. Stay tuned for the results tomorrow...