Monkey Princess

Of course if I called my granddaughter that to her face I would get a stern lecture on her real name. However, if the proverbial shoe fits and all! See?


This is the best I could capture since she really didn’t want to wear her new Unmentionables. Right after the photo session she took them off again. I have to forgive her though. By that time we were all a little tired (OK, a lot tired) and not in the mood for playing runway model and fashion photographer. Note the slightly false smile? A little girl who’s so used to having her photo taken she tried to smile when she didn’t really feel like it. I hadn’t wanted to give her the Unmentionables earlier in the day and it was just as well when she had a little accident. Not too bad — the rest of the day she made it to her Dora the Explorer potty seat in time. Believe me, this is a big improvement.

The Unmentionables are supposed to be her “special grown-up girl” underwear so I wasn’t going to let her have them until she could stay dry at least most of the time. How will I feel, given her reluctance last evening, if she never wants to wear them again? No biggie really. I try not to get too emotionally attached to the idea of her appreciation because children (especially this one!) have definite ideas about what they will or will not wear. Just because I think it’s perfect for her doesn’t mean she agrees. I’m betting some other little girl will think they’re wonderful if this one doesn’t.

So now I’ve decided that I need to knit something for her brother and I’ve found a pattern I like. Now I need to find the yarn which in this case is 2-100g balls of sock yarn. More on this project later when I get it underway. They’re having a half-year birthday party for Stargazer at the end of June so that’s my goal. Why a half-year birthday? Because his birthday is 4 days after Christmas so the thought was that it would get lost in the rest of the celebrating that goes on that time of year. My thought is that when he’s old enough, he will want his birthday celebrated on its actual day in spite of his parents contrary ideas. Just wait until he can read a calendar.

Meanwhile I’ve finished Secret Projects #1 & #2 (which go together as a set) and I’m attempting to get the Circus Blanket off the loom so I can work on Secret Project #3. That’s going to take some time because I sure didn’t get very far on the blanket before I got sick this winter. Then I lost my momentum entirely. I think I will scrap my original plan of changing colours constantly every treadling repeat and just make wide stripes of one colour. It’ll look even more wild when I assemble the three strips together but who’s going to see it when it’s on our bed underneath everything else? Apart from when I wash it and hang it outdoors on our improvised clothesline, that is. Then the entire neighbourhood will get an eyeful! It’s the constant swapping of bobbins that’s been driving me nuts and the measuring to make sure everything is even etc. Just bang out the length and chop it into 3 parts and sew them together. And wallah. I hope.

I wanted to show you the fabulous giant damselfly that T-Man made from bamboo (body), plastic (wings) and wire (legs).


She’s around a foot long and lives in the greenhouse along with Frog-the-Toad (named by the Monkey Princess because she insisted it was a frog).


He’s guarding T’s yummy arugula (they’re T’s since he planted the seeds which is usually my job). Speaking of the greenhouse, the tomatoes are nearly ready to plant in there. They just need a few more days of hardening off first. I’m getting some results from the new seeds I planted under the lights too. Hopefully things will catch up now that it’s somewhat warmer — assuming it stays that way.

BTW, even though I didn’t post to the blog yesterday, it was my Third Blogiversary! This one kind of slipped right on by me. Time flies when you’re having fun, hey?