Barracuda

Dear Ava,

Remember when I told you that I wasn't going to watch Idol Gives Back? Guess who got sucked in? Guess who sat on the couch crying, feeling sorry, feeling grateful, pissed off & angry? For the past two years, I've had mixed feelings on this show. On one hand, I applaud them for showing a new & younger audience the atrocities that are ongoing in our world. But on the other hand, I'd like to see how much Idol actually gives back. How much money do they put in their bank account for the Give Back show? And on a purely selfish stance, I can't sit and watch 2 hours of suffering children. I don't care if Brad Pitt is going to stop by, it hurts by the end of the night. This whole week has felt like we've been waiting for an enormous shoe to drop. It started on Sunday while I was reading the paper. I swear that our paper was completely filled with Dooms-Day info. How to pay for your climbing energy cost. More people are buying their clothes at thrift stores because they can't afford food let alone brand new clothes. People are taking 2 jobs to build up a cushion for when their job lays them off. I'm learning to live in the moment more often, but people are making it hard. How did I combat my depression at 10 p.m. last night? A little bit of our guilty pleasure always helps me sleep at night.

This summer we joined a CSA with another couple. Starting May 23, we'll be able to pick from some yummy local veggies. I've made 2 of the Saturday Market bags. I struggled with the stitch pattern which made it a horrible project. I powered through both bags, but swore I wouldn't use that pattern again. Because we're in the Earth cycle of Project Spectrum, I wanted to make a reusable bag for our friends. I needed to find a new string bag. There are tons of crochet patterns & I'll attempt one soon, but it isn't the time. I stumbled on this pattern, so I grabbed my needles. I loved the easy pattern & the 2 handles. I didn't realize until the very end that the handles are actually large buttonholes. They make it a little difficult to put on your shoulder. I only knit the bag for 10 inches instead of 15 inches because I can't stand when my veggies are slapping my knees. The yarn is Peaches & Creme 213 Sour Green Apple that I first saw on Amy's blog. These cones are wonderful. There's so much yarn & it works well for a number of projects. Bags & towels for everyone! I plan on trying out these patterns (ravelry link) to add to our shopping bag collection. More string bags means less plastic bags in our house. Since we've been watching our material consumption, I have noticed a definite decrease in plastic bags. We used to have a full recycling bag of them. I reached in yesterday & noticed it felt really empty. It made me feel fuzzy inside.

Keeping with the Project Spectrum Earth post, here's some more green goodness:

2 environmental blogs that I enjoy reading
2 lovely green photos. It's hard to see a pattern, but this yarn is so gorgeous that I don't care!

Gust is such a simple pattern to remember. I'm horrible at memorizing a stitch pattern, but this one's easy. The only thing that makes this pattern difficult is knitting with silk. I'm sliding all over the place when I'm knitting the scarf. I'd love to have it finished by the end of May. We have a wedding & I think it'd be a fabulous accessory. But we're in the midst of potty training & that's requiring a lot of my attention.

Off to pump. I'm long over-due.