Welcome to The New Homemaker!

Diary of a New Homemaker
for Saturday, March 20, 2010

Hey! It's finished object week!

Boy, I've been finishing stuff like mad lately! Check it out:

A pair of fingerless mitts, knit in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock almost-solid in Charcoal. These ended up being Josie's; they look overly goth on me and perfect on her.

And then, a project I've been working on since late 2008:

A GIANT afghan/blanket crocheted in Lion Brand Homespun. Each one of those stripes, dear friends, is an ENTIRE HUGE SKEIN of Homespun--11 in all. If you're a Homespun fan, the colors are Shaker and Fiesta. Turned out really pretty, and very, very warm. Also large. I'm SO GLAD to be done with it, not because it wasn't fun to work on--lovely, mindless crochet--but because I've been working on it for 18 months and I was beginning to despair of finishing it.

Now I'm planning out an odd-ball shawl in browns, grays, purples, rusts and oranges. Possibly a blue and a red double-stranded with gray. Think Noro. I started it as a feather-and-fan, but I didn't like the way it was looking, so I unraveled it. I started again with a dishcloth-style shawl, but didn't like that either. I'm unraveling it again and will be planning out something built like the feather-and-fan shawl, but not in feather-and-fan. Stay tuned.

Newest Article

Composting and Critters

ear EarthTalk: My husband and I want to start a garden this year. I really want to make compost from leftover food scraps and yard materials. He says it will attract unwanted animals, and refuses to agree to it. Is he right? If so, how do we deal with that issue in a green-friendly, non-lethal way?
--Carmen Veurink, Grand Rapids, MI

It's true that outdoor compost piles and bins can be a draw for wildlife—be it bears, rats, raccoons, skunks, opossums or some other creatures of the night—but there are ways to minimize the attraction. For one, make sure everyone in your household knows to keep meat, bones, fish, fat and dairy out of the compost. Not only will these items "overheat" the compost pile, they'll also stink it up and attract animals.

A Seasonal Taste:

Pack a Picnic

hat better way to welcome spring than a picnic! After months of eating at the kitchen table or around the coffee table, a change of scenery is much needed. The robins and bluebirds provide the music and in many places, the bugs are at a minimum. The kids are raring to get outside, so pick a spot -- park, backyard, or the beach -- and plan a picnic.

Ask the kids to help with the planning. What's the menu? Just snacks or a full meal? PB&J, cold fried chicken, and hero-style sandwiches are favorites that the kids can help assemble.

A Taste of the Family Section:

Secret Indulgences

arenting magazines are fond of encouraging tired moms and dads to relax, and schedule some "me time" into their busy lives to, say, spend a day at a spa, or a weekly night out with friends. Great advice, but not that realistic for most real families, considering money and time constraints. "A day at the spa would require three weeks of juggling schedules for everyone else in the family," one mom said.