Thursday, December 07, 2017

A few things

* Dangit, sorbitol: I had been having some tummy troubles yesterday. I attributed it to too much tomatoey stuff and citrus (too much acid food) but then I thought about the "marshmallow covered in chocolate" Santa I ate the night before, and dug out the wrapper from the trash. And yeah, sorbitol is in it. It's sometimes used as a humectant in foods like that (cheaper and more tasteless than things like honey, which I, as a home cook, would use).

But I'm super sensitive to it, and I wonder if that's what did me in. My stomach's still oogy this morning.

* I bought a crocheted okapi pattern off of Ravelry. I've wanted a stuffed okapi for a while but decided it's more reasonable (and fun) to make one myself than to buy one (even if Amazon has a couple of cute ones). So that will be one of my over-break projects.

* I finished the bits for the Sleepy Scootaloo last night, and started putting them together. I decided to just do the "small part" of the wings (there is the small part, which is the top, and then longer "feathers" that go under it). First, because I was sick of crocheting at that point, but more importantly: Scoots has proportionally small wings (which is perhaps why she cannot fly but can glide a bit). I have pretty well decided I want to do felt eyes, and have them sort of half open - so she's not "permanently" asleep but she looks sleepy.

(I didn't like toys with permanently closed eyes when I was a kid, because you could only play they were asleep. Or, well, dead, but I didn't want to consider THAT).

it's a nice smol pone. I may make more of these because it's a pleasing pattern. Especially if I find more background ponies I want a stuffie of but don't have the energy to do the full Elisatbeth Doherty pattern for.

(Hm. Maybe this is how I get a stuffie Bulk Biceps?)

* Tonight is AAUW party, so I don't know if I'll finish Scoots or not. (I give an exam, so this afternoon will at least partially go to grading that).

After finishing Scootaloo, I want to finish Grasse Matinee. I already shifted over to the worsted weight sweater I have going (the Augusta cardigan) as an invigilating sweater, and am contemplating taking it as my "Christmas break sweater" (rather than the owl sweater, though I might change my mind back later - there's just a lot of yarn to drag along for that fair isle sweater).

And I boxed up the scarf, so that decision is made. I made a card with the washing instructions (such as they are) because I couldn't find the ballband and didn't want to give away the one on the other skein, because it has a pattern I want to make on it.

* I am looking forward to some time off.

First, this weekend, what I want to do:

- Go to the antique malls in Sherman and Denison
- Go to the bookstore and see if the new "Christmas Number" of the British knitting mags are in
- Go to the Target for a toy for Toys for Tots (I still need to do that. Did not see anything at the wal-mart I wanted to buy and give)
- Go to the Ulta
- Get lunch out (provided my stomach is 100% better: barbecue. If not, maybe something milder from the Panera)
- Maybe go to the JoAnn Fabrics, I don't know
- Do grocery shopping for exam week. Try to make it so that's the last grocery run I have to do before leaving on break (if there is ground turkey with a far-out enough expiry date, get the turkey needed for the meatballs for the second party. And I need more chili sauce. And I also need more nail polish remover pads, which is probably a thing for Target).

Once I get up to Illinois, I want to:

- Go to the Michael's (better yarn selection than other big box stores) to obtain yarn for the stuffies I want to make over break, and maybe more stuffing
- Go to Fresh Market. (If I go alone - I might just buy some fancy candies and little jams as additional stocking gifts for my parents)
- Walk a half-hour each day to keep my fitness up/regain what I lost during my bout of what I now thing was mild flu. The walking is good in my parents' neighborhood, better than where I live. Lots of people have friendly dogs they walk and they invite you to pet the dogs.
- Do lots of knitting and crocheting, just generally make stuff.
- Make the cutout sugar cookies I do every year
- Maybe make marshmallows, if my mom has time to help. Homemade marshmallows are fiddly but really good, but ideally you need 2 people (and a dry day) to do them.
- Possibly make fudge. Or try to find another good "soft cookie" recipe (Crisp cookies I have to dunk in tea to eat, because of my poor teeth/weird misophonic sinuses - I can't bear anything that crunches any more).
- Catch up on my sleep.
- Probably not do any work-related stuff. Because I worked hard this summer and fall, and I"m tired.

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