And Now We Wait

...for the baby to arrive! I finished the Kenyan Baby Sweater last week, and I blocked it this morning before I went to school. As soon as I install the snaps, I will try to find the camera to take a picture before it's gifted.

The sweater is intended for the baby to be named later of two missionaries in Kenya our school helps to support. T&L have been home on furlough for almost 8 months now, and they are returning to Kenya next month. Before they go back, the school is hosting a baby shower for them after our weekly chapel, and the sweater will make its grand entrance then. I made it large enough for a 12-18 month old because I want them to have things for when the baby is older and for next winter. I know they will have plenty of newborn things from Grandma, the Moose's teacher.

My inspiration for the sweater was Staci's Letterman-Style Hooded Baby Cardi. I only changed a couple of things: I knit it with stripes instead of the "varsity jacket" sleeves, and I used a crocheted cast-on so I could pick up live stitches to knit a different style hood. My hood has an i-cord pull string so it can be snugged up under the baby's chin when needed. Everything else is just the same, and I think it's a great pattern! Go check it out!

I also finished my Nodding Violets socks this week. I wore them to school on Tuesday, and they are some of the most comfy socks I own. I do love STR! I used the Rainy Day pattern over at MagKnits, but I changed the needle size so I could have a much smaller gauge. They're beautiful no matter what size!

(Edited on July 22, 2007 to add picture of the finished socks.)

I have started working on my second Rockin' Sock Club Upside Down and Inside Out Monsoon sock. I actually had knit the entire leg down to where I needed to start the heel when I realized my picot hem had too many stitches in it. Of course, I had to pull it all out and start over, because it would have bothered me intensely to know one sock had a larger hem. (I really do admire knitters who can tolerate such unique differences between socks--they just make me insane.) I'm past the first cable crossover and I intend to finish the leg tonight if I can.

The main reason I'm determined to finish the Inside Out sock is because my new Sock Club kit arrived today! After being one of the last few in the last round, I was thrilled to see my kit arrive so quickly this time. I'm posting no details for at least another week because I refuse to be a spoiler. You'll love it when you see it though! I can't wait to get started on the new pattern with my new oh-so-squishy yarn.

My other project in queue is Hanami by Melanie over at Pink Lemon Twist. I had seen it a few days ago and really wanted to try it out, and then when Kay over at Mason-Dixon Knitting picked it as a project, I just knew it had to be a good one. I picked up some Alpaca Silk laceweight from BBF, and I knew it's deep pink tones would forever remind me of the centers of cherry blossoms. It's kind of fitting since I did manage to survive this year's trip to Washington, DC. I can't wait to get started on it!

Pictures are forthcoming!

I'll Fly Away!

My Icarus is done! It really does look like wings when it's all blocked out. I finished it up last Wednesday, and I blocked it on our bed on Thursday. I finally got around to taking pictures today. Let's recap, shall we?

Here is my first attempt at Icarus. It was knit on a US size 4 circular needle, and I was running out of yarn way too soon.

On New Year's Eve, Scout challenged everyone to "Just Froggit!" if there was a project that just wasn't turning out right. Remember these before and after shots?

On Valentine's Day, the new swift and ballwinder turned the above ball of yarn into a yarn cake.

During the last week of March, I found my US size 3 circular and started off. Icarus and I spent the next week wandering around Virginia and Washington, DC. After a few days spent recovering, I went back to work and finally finished off this beauty.

Isn't she lovely? I tried to get the Moose to take a picture of me with it, but his photographic skills require more development (ha ha!). Instead, I snapped this shot of Icarus with our favorite Platypus in his natural habitat. I have plans to wear Icarus very soon when the right weather presents itself here in SoCal. Here is what is left of my wonderful Black Bunny laceweight. Even though I was on 3's, I came right down to the wire! I don't think I've ever been so nervous about a project before.

I'm sure you're wondering about the Platypus by now. This particular Platypus (Platy, for short) joined our family when the Moose was just a few days old. He lay untouched in the crib for nearly five months until the fateful day when the Moose grabbed him on his way out of the crib after an afternoon nap. They have been nearly inseparable ever since. Some kids have blankies; we have a Platypus. We actually have several Platypuses (Platypi?) roaming about our home now, and they represent all colors of the spectrum and all sizes imaginable. Who knew there could be such Platypus love? The Moose has informed us that he's going to be a zoologist specializing in monotremes and that he's moving to Australia to take care of the Platypuses in their zoos. I'll keep you posted if his plans change.

When I downloaded the Icarus shots, I also downloaded the DC shots. If I have any good ones, I'll be sure to share so you can see all the places Icarus, the sock, and I got to visit, even if there are no pictures of us there!

Here I Am!

So, I've been busy. The DCA let you know some of my recent activities--like the middle school trip to Washington, DC. I've also been obsessed with finishing Icarus, and that alone is enough to keep me from my blog!

My knitting did, in fact, accompany me to our nation's capital. Unfortunately, I failed to take any sock or Icarus pictures to document their visit. I have lots of photos of major landmarks, and as far as I know, I, myself, only appear in two of them. Try to follow along as I recap the trip.

March 29: We departed SoCal for DC on the red-eye to Dulles. The almost-non-reclining seats, the noise, general discomfort, and screaming child kept most of us from resting.

March 30: We arrived way too early for our personal liking at Dulles, and my mother-in-law surprised me by meeting our group in baggage claim just to say "hi" because she was volunteering at the USO that morning. After we collected the bags, we hopped on our tour bus and headed south to Colonial Williamsburg. My parents met me there, and I spent the afternoon with them while the kids, staff, and chaperones took the nickel tour of the town. We all collapsed into bed at terribly early hours realizing that the red-eye is a cure for any jet lag we might have experienced otherwise.

March 31: We spent the morning in Jamestown and the afternoon in Yorktown. I was still enjoying my parents' company until we headed west on the bus to Richmond for dinner and on to Charlottesville for the night. My parents headed east to Virginia Beach for the rest of their weekend.

April 1: We visited Monticello in the morning after our tour guide sweet-talked our way into an earlier tour than scheduled. We spent a couple more hours on the bus afterwards and drove up to Luray Caverns. After we saw the underground wonders of God's creation, we headed north to Manassas for dinner and our new hotel.

April 2: We visited the Capitol in the morning and were subjected to only minor brainwashing by the congressional staff assigned to our tour during our hour-long wait in the security line. Thankfully, it didn't take. From there, we hit the mall, and my small group and I made our way over to the National Museum of the American Indian. I wish we had more time there, because there is so much more I want to see. It is definitely top on my list of things to visit when we go back to visit again. From the mall, we went over to Arlington National Cemetery and saw the changing of the guard and a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns. We also stopped by the Kennedy grave site. After dinner, our group headed south to Potomac Mills shopping mall, and the moms in our group were able to get a shopping fix.

April 3: We drove out to Mount Vernon in the morning, went to the National Museum of Natural History and to the National Archives in the afternoon (no, the movie wasn't filmed there), and had dinner at Union Station. After our late dinner, we visited the National World War II Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. It was well after midnight by the time we went to bed that night!

April 4: We visited Ford's Theatre in the morning to hear about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, stopped by the Supreme Court, drove up Embassy Row on Massachusetts Avenue, and then stopped by the Washington National Cathedral. On our way out of town we made a brief stop to grab a quick lunch at the Wisconsin Ave. location of Booeymonger (a personal favorite from my college days) and headed out to Dulles. We made the plane right on time and arrived safely back in SoCal that night.

The trip was exhilarating while we were there, but I was completely exhausted when we returned home. I spent last Thursday trying not to break down in tears from the sheer tiredness.

The sock in progress (a twisted rib in STR Nodding Violets lightweight) made only a brief appearance in Jamestown. Throughout the rest of the trip, I worked almost exclusively on Icarus during all our rides on the bus and times standing in lines. When we got home, I only had to do one more repeat of the main body pattern and the decorative edge charts.

I've been nearly silent the past few days because I'm anxiously knitting away and waiting to see if I have enough yarn to finish or if I'm going to have to rip back to where I was when we got home from DC last week. I have three rows left in chart 4 and the four rows of the edging to do. I get more and more nervous every time I look at what remains of my yarn cake.

Stay tuned to see if I actually finish Icarus or if I have to break down and send it on a temporary visit to the frog pond!

No, I Haven't Hidden The Body

For the readers out there, have no fear... HoyaGirl has not come to any harm nor permanently checked off the net. After surviving her trip with 6-8 graders to Washington D.C. (knitting in hand of course), she will be back soon with new updates and tales from the stash. Maybe even some pictures!

DCA

The Lord is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!

The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia!

(I don't miss the current state of politics in the Episcopal Church, but I sure do miss some of the fancy words and rituals of my youth.)

This morning we went to the Sunrise Service and celebrated His resurrection. I love getting up early to welcome Jesus every Easter. (Hush, DCA, I was just grouchy earlier because I wanted my turtleneck and needed some coffee.) It just puts me in the right frame of mind for hearing the Easter story.

Nothing amazes me more than the knowledge that Jesus died a horrible death for you and for me and returned to life three days later to prove He was the Son of God and had conquered death and the grave forever. What an awesome miracle!

The Resurrection

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Matthew 28:1-10 (NIV)

Take some time today to think about the wonderful gift of salvation we've been given, and say thank you to the One who made it possible.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Inside Out and Upside Down

After many fits and starts with the Monsoon yarn from the Rockin' Sock Club, I finally have sock #1 knitted up through its heel.

I started the Inside and Out pattern, and I just couldn't get by the shape of the toe. Apparently, I'm not the only one because Stephanie had similar objections. From there, I tried 4 or 5 different patterns starting them multiple times before I finally decided I liked the Inside and Out pattern, but that I would rather work it from the top down. It's my anti-toe-up bias again!

Here's what I've done so far:

1. I used the crochet cast on for 60 stitches because I wanted a picot lace cuff instead of ribbing at the top. I knit 7 rows, the picot row, and 7 more rows before knitting the stitches from the waste yarn and the stitches from the needle together. I used US size 1 needles for the hem.
2. I switched to US size 2 needles and worked the pattern rows of the leg for two and a half repeats.
3. I switched back to US size 1 needles to work the garter stitch short-row heel and 10 rows of the foot.
4. I switched to US size 0 needles to work the remainder of the foot, and I'm now heading for the toe.
5. I plan to do the garter stitch short-row toe with the size 0 needles and kitchener stitch the remaining stitches together at the end.

After all the time I have spent on this sock so far, I can't wait to see it all finished up even though I know it's going to take me a few more days.

The DCA found the camera for me the other day, but as I'm sure you've noticed, I haven't picked it up yet. Maybe I should sweet-talk him into being my photographer!

Monkey Socks? Check!

I have finished the Monkey socks! I know I should post pictures, but I have no idea where the camera is and no desire to go look for it. Knitting and report cards are my life this week.

(Edited July 22, 2007 to add picture of finished sock.)

I am convinced I am the only person in the universe who doesn't have their Rockin' Sock Club kit yet. Sigh. I was so frustrated by the delayed arrival yesterday that I grabbed a skein of Nodding Violets STR lightweight from the meager stash and started some new socks. Today, when the kit still hadn't arrived, I felt particularly smart for making this move.

The new socks are Rainy Day which I found over at MagKnits. All this means I'm still ignoring the over 400 stitches I have left to bind off on the scarf, and I am still balking at starting Mardi Gras sock #2.

I'm ignoring my gradekeeping program too--I am going to go soothe my Club angst with my new socks now.

A Stolen MeMe!

I saw this over at Karen's, so I stole it. She stole it from MissyJoon! I don't get tagged for a lot of MeMes, so I decided to try this one out. I found I've read a lot more books than I expected, found some I want to read, found more I've never heard of, and found the ones I'm still trying to avoid. Check it out, you'll learn a lot about your literary preferences!

Look at the list of books below:
* Bold the ones you’ve read,
* Italicize the ones you want to read
* Leave plain the ones that you aren’t interested in.

1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell) One of my all-time favorites!
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel) - I own the whole series, and I'm waiting to see if she writes a sequel.
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) - The DCA read this one, so I guess I should check it out.
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible (God) - I've read almost all of it except some of the minor propets.
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy) - I've started this one about 9 times, but I keep getting stuck on all the Russion patronyms.
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy) - I've started this one about 9 times too, and I have the same problem as with Anna Karenina.
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo) - I cheated and read the abridged version without all the French history and politics.
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez) - Only because it's in the movie Serendipity.
73. Shogun (James Clavell) - I tried this one before I understood enough Japanese history, so I might try it again.
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

All Done...Finally!

I have an unexpected work day today--it was supposed to be three weeks from now, but another teacher needed my day for some personal time. I, of course, have put it to good use by FINALLY finishing the Science Fair papers. There's nothing like taking a whole month to get them graded! They are all out of the way now, and they are safely stored in the trunk of my car so I can deliver them to school in the morning. The children will be so thrilled. Actually, I'm expecting an outright rebellion because so many of them lost huge amounts of points for not following the given format. I was extremely lenient in my grading to begin with, but it's really hard to be nice when they don't even follow the rubric! I guess it's all a learning experience, and it's all over until next year.

I did all my grading at Panera over a Cinnamon Crunch bagel with Honey Walnut Spread and coffee. Then I ran a few errands, and I grabbed my "lunch", a Coldbuster smoothie from Jamba Juice on the way home. I have a terrific head cold, and I'm willing to try anything to make it go away.

This afternoon, I intend to camp in front of the TV and watch The Dark Ages which I recorded on the DVR last night while I work on Monkey sock #2. I'm in the heel flap, so I feel like I'm in the home stretch.

Being in the home stretch is a good thing, because I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Rockin' Sock Club shipment. I admit that I couldn't wait for my package to arrive, so I have snooped on some other blogs to see what my goodies might be. Trust me when I say, you'll love it! I am going to throw all else aside and work with the yarn and package as soon as it's here and #2's toe is kitchenered!

Time to go soothe my cold with some veg time, my smoothie, and some rabid sock knitting.

13 Down, 16 to Go!

I spent the morning grading some of those evil Science Fair papers. It's so much easier to do once you're on a roll. It also helps to have a sugar-high and a great cup of coffee to keep you company while you're working.

Time for lunch and a quick knit before I head back up to school for my weekly math homework help!

Sentence Starters

In the middle school English classes at our school, our students are encouraged to use a variety of sentence starters to make their writing assignments more interesting. This is not a novel (tee-hee) concept, as I noticed over on Carol's blog.

The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest 2006 Results from San Jose State University have been announced. Each year since 1982, the school has parodied the memory of Victorian novelist Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton who penned the immortal words so beloved by Snoopy--"It was a dark and stormy night." The contest accepts entries for the bad opening sentences of fictional novels. There a multitude of categories, and I think my favorite by far is Vile Puns. Of course, it helps that the runner-up's entry appeals to my mathematical nature:

Herr Professor Doktor Weiss' reputation was made when he conclusively proved the fraudulency of the Mayan codex that claimed to show that that ancient people knew the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter to an exactitude unknown until modern times, in his article, "Bye, Bye, Mesoamerican Pi."

John L. Drost
Barboursville, WV

Not only does it include references to geometry, it highlights a great American song. I think I'll be humming all day now.

Be sure to stop by the web site to read some more!

What Science Fair Papers?

Oh, you mean the stack of 28 folders gathering dust on the dining room table. Yeah, well I'll get to those...tomorrow...yeah, tomorrow! I do have a deadline approaching--I need to get them all graded in time for the end of second trimester. I have figured out I can do 3 or 4 a day and finish in enough time. The grading madness will begin tomorrow during my work day. Sigh.

I have spent the weekend decompressing and knitting. I'm still working on the skinny scarf, but at 500 stitches a row, it moves rather slowly. I finished the first Mardi Gras sock, started a Monkey sock in another Miss Violet original--her Joy sock yarn, and spent the weekend wishing for some brainless knitting. (A couple of bad headaches that prevent adequate concentration have contributed to this desire.)

It led to another moment of which Kermit would be proud. I frogged the never-finished, never-seen, and never-worn chunky sweater. In the last month or so, I have spent a lot of time figuring out exactly what should have been done better to make it "hand-crafted" vice "homemade". I should not have decreased exactly at the edge of the sweater, and I should not have been so quick to seam the sweater. Both problems contributed to some really fat seams that would never have been flat. Since I knew it would never be worn, I got out my new ballwinder and swift and spent an hour adding all that yarn back into my meager stash.

The yummy yarn will now be reborn as a monster Clapotis. I've been wanting to make a new one for a while, and this is my opportunity! The chunky yarn, big needles, and plethora of skeins will allow me to make a near blanket-sized version for wrapping up in during these last days of winter. It is the perfect rainy day project for the last relaxing day of my weekend.

No, thank you, I do not want my red pen. Give me back my needles--I have to knit now.

Knitting in Silence

I feel like that's what I've been doing. What's actually happened is that I've been super-busy with the whole teaching thing. As the Science teacher in charge of the Science fair, you can imagine things were pretty hectic until last week. I just haven't wanted to blog, because I've wanted to have every spare moment available for my knitting.

I also don't have anything to show off, which of course, means I have little to blog about. I did finish a Shedir chemo cap for our school bookkeeper who has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing treatment. I'll be handing it off today to another lady at school who visits her regularly. Most of us who work in classrooms are staying away so we don't expose her to the kids' germs. It's hard, because we miss her lots! In the meantime, our part will be to keep on praying for God to heal her.

I've been fighting with two pairs of socks and a scarf for the past month. One pair of socks is in the Lisa Souza Mardi Gras colorway, and I could not, could not, could not find a pattern that worked with it. Then I bought those U.S. size 0 needles. Now, I'm almost to the toe on the first one, but it's taking forever! I am starting to wonder how people work on anything smaller. I also fought a battle (and won) with a skein of Socks That Rock Rooster Rock. They were pooling terribly until I found Sockbug's River Rapids pattern. They're all finished now, and I actually wore them Monday. The scarf is a handspun wool and tencel blend in Bruised Raspberries by our own Miss Violet. I've tried four or five different variations on the scarf before I finally settled on the long skinny scarf in woven stitch I saw on Knitty Gritty. It's destined to be a gift for someone, so there won't be any pictures until it's mailed off.

For now, it's time to head off to work. I have to have some way to support my yarn habit...

I Am Adored

Valentine's Day Rocks!

My students at school love me. I got a Starbucks mug and card, some chocolate covered espresso beans, cookies, homemade English toffee, and a copy of the teacher's prayer. I also received some assorted valentines, and one of them was from a student in another class! They must not know me very well! Tee hee!

My children love me. They made me homemade Valentines, and they used up the extras from their Valentines for school and gave them to the DCA and me.

And most importantly, the DCA adores me. I, the poorly organized one, bought gifts online and NONE of them arrived in time for Valentine's Day. Two will arrive on Feb. 15, and the other two will arrive in a week or two. (No cookie for this bad Valentine!) I stopped at the store on the way home to buy cards and some chocolate-covered strawberries to expiate my lack of planning. As I was unloading my school stuff from the car, the DCA met me in the driveway with dinner from Buca di Beppo, and a bag of surprises. It was the coolest Valentine's Day ever!

Dinner was the chopped antipasta salad, rigatoni positano, and tiramisu. The kids were at church for the mid-week children's program, so we got to eat alone at the dining room table with jazz playing in the background. It was the best! We also shared a bottle of wine, and it's been ages since we've done that. After dinner, I was presented with some personalized M&Ms which followed yesterday's two dozen roses (so I can enjoy them longer). Then, I got to open my bag of surprises.

I'm not sure they were really meant for Valentine's Day, or maybe they were, but they oh-so-conveniently arrived at the yarn store this afternoon. The DCA went in the store--by himself!--a couple of weeks ago, and he ordered me--wait for it--my very own ballwinder and swift. He knew how tired I was of winding my own balls of yarn by hand, and bought me the best presents ever! You can keep your diamond jewelry, because my new toys rock!

So, I spent my Valentine's evening in the way every knitter should--I wound every hank of yarn in the house that I could find. It was a dream come true! (We'll just forget that whole part where I had to fight with a skein that wouldn't fit the swift and it got tangled and wouldn't play nice with the ball winder.) Now I need to find an appropriate way to thank the DCA--I'm sure I'll think of something!

Silent Poetry Reading

This one's for the DCA...

Sonnet XIV

If thou must love me, let it be for nought
Except for love's sake only. Do not say
I love her for her smile--her look--her way
Of speaking gently,--for a trick of thought
That falls in well with mine, and certes brought
A sense of ease on such a day--
For these things in themselves, Belovèd, may
Be changed, or change for thee,--and love, so wrought,
May be unwrought so. Neither love me for
Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheek dry,--
A creature might forget to weep, who bore
Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby!
But love me for love's sake, that evermore
Thou may'st love on, through love's eternity.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Go check out some more poetry over at Cara's and Lee Ann's blogs.

A Weekend Full of FOs

I spent the majority of my three-day weekend with my pointy sticks and yarn. As a result, I finished four--count 'em, four--items for various and sundry people.

Last Friday evening, I started a hat for myself. I used the Le Slouch pattern by Wendy, and it only took me a few hours. It all began because I nearly froze while supervising the carpool lane on Friday afternoon. I told everyone I ran into that I was going home to knit a hat, and then I did. I used a skein of Plymouth Encore Colorspun I had in the meager stash. It was supposed to be a pair of slippers for me and then for mom in a previous life, but I think it works much better as a hat. I finished the ribbing before bed that night, and I spent Saturday working away on it while we walked around the Maritime Museum. I finished it while we walked back to the car, and I popped it on my head. It's been a huge success at school this week--some of the teachers and a bunch of the students say they want one just like it.

I was one of those children who never, ever wore a hat no matter what the weather because I thought it made me look like a nerd. It could be below freezing and snowing outside, and I would ignore my mother's pleas to wear a hat just so I wouldn't mess up my hair. Now, I enjoy ignoring my hair in favor of being warm and toasty. I should have listened all those years ago, because a hat certainly does help you stay warm. This is one instance in which you can believe the hype.

On Saturday afternoon, I started a Mason-Dixon bobbled washcloth for my friend's birthday. There's nothing like being 10 days late with the present, but I had to find just the right yarn. Turns out it was in the stash disguised as an unfinished scarf. I took the washcloth along with me to our church dinner group that night and knit away on it while we chatted and caught up with one another. I actually finished it while we were there and wove in all the ends. The finished cloth and a jar of yummy peppermint scrub were presented to the lucky recipient on Monday at the Roo's Girl Scout meeting.

I also finished off the single Fetching glove my other friend had requested. She wanted only one, and she wanted it extra long to cover her bangle bracelets while she crochets and works the sound board at church. I took the almost finished Fetching to the Saturday dinner, she tried it one, and then I wove in all the ends. It was made from my leftover County Clare STR, and she absolutely loves it. I showed her my pair of toasty STR socks I had on, and she can't wait to wash her glove and soften it up a bit.

On Sunday night, I finished the Roo's Weasley sweater. She was at a sleepover that night since there was no school Monday, so she put it on as soon as she got home. She wore it around all day Monday and rambled on an on about how much she loves her sweater. We started calling her the unknown Weasley since Ginny was supposedly the last of Molly's brood. It was a true act of love, because I don't think I will ever duplicate stitch another giant initial on anyone's sweater ever again. That was a truly tedious and somewhat painful experience.

My weekend success has turned into nothing but frogging moments this week. I've done nothing but start and frog two different socks all week. It's all an effort to find exactly the right pattern and stitch count so that I can live with my results. I guess I could give away the socks to someone who could wear them when they don't fit me, but I am determined that these socks will be mine.

I'll post some pictures of the sweater and the hat when I get a chance. The other two FOs are already living in their new homes, and they are currently unavailable for the photo shoot.

Just a Quickie

As I suspected, returning to school last week has hampered my knitting time. I love teaching my students, but sometimes I wonder if I really need a different job--one that involves my knitting all day long with no interruptions. I'd probably get bored though.

The Roo's Weasley sweater is almost done. I need to do one more sleeve, but this won't be any trouble since it's worked from the top down and in the round. I have also started duplicate stitching her initial on the front, so I don't get tired of it later.

The pink frog has been reborn as the Meadow Flowers shawl from Knitter's Stash. I figured if I have a pattern in a book at home, I might as well use it! It's still a garter stitch shawl, but this time there are some yo's, ssk's, and k2tog's to keep things interesting. The edging pattern seems fairly easy to understand, so I should be able to complete it with little or no trouble. I think it will be just gorgeous once it's blocked. I can't wait to see the finished shawl, and since I'm having fun with it, I think I'll be done in no time.

The sock in progress seems stalled. This is primarily due to my focus on the other projects. I'm sure it will pick up once the sweater is done.

I may have a bit more knitting time this week. The DCA is traveling this week on a business trip, so I won't have much company in the evenings except for my needles and yarn.

Pictures of the WIPs are coming soon!

A Clean Slate

When I think of New Year's Day, it usually involves something of a fresh start. I now have a whole new year in which to accomplish great and grand things. Most of my great and grand ideas involve knitting this year, so to kick it off I spent my New Year's Eve frogging two shawls.

I know Scout wanted to see piles of fiber, but with this much laceweight and mohair, I had no choice but to go straight to the ball.

Here's Icarus before:Here's Icarus after:

My blue frog will be reborn as Icarus again, but it will be on the right size needles this time. I am determined to make it full the entire border this time without worrying about having enough yarn.

Here's the mohair travel shawl before:

Here it is after:

I still haven't decided what the pink frog wants to be now. I really want to try the snowdrop shawl, but I'm leery of the edging. Something about picking up 218 stitches evenly spaced on each side of the shawl absolutely frightens me. I'll let you know if I find anything that piques my fancy!

Happy New Year! May God abundantly bless you all!

Knitting Resolutions

I have been inspired by Scout. She has decided to "Just Froggit", and I'm jumping on board with her program.

I have decided to frog Icarus. Yes, I'm in the border, but I know I'm going to run out of yarn. I did not have a US size 3 circular needle when I began this project, but after last week's trip to the LYS, I now have one in my possession. I loved the way it was working up when it was young and small and I believed I had enough yarn. I want to go back to loving my Icarus! After I frog it, I will dedicate myself to its completion and work away until the very last stitch.

Here's the next challenge. I am going to frog the mohair travel shawl, which I actually made out of kid mohair. This means, I will have way too much fun delicately picking at my fuzzy yarn. The original pattern called for it to be worked in two pieces, and having completed the first half, I now have second-half syndrome. I no longer love the way this one was working up, so now I get to search for a new shawl pattern. I'm thinking about some options like Branching Out (which will give me plenty of leftovers), Print O' The Wave (but worked in one piece a la Mason-Dixon), Leaves and Waves, or more than likely the Yarn Harlot's Snowdrop Shawl. I've loved Snowdrop since the first time I saw it on the blog. With almost 2000 yds of hot pink mohair, I can't think of anything better to brighten up the winter and to get myself ready for spring.

I'll post pictures of my piles of fiber as soon as I rip them up!

It's time for our quiet family New Year's celebration. We're staying in tonight with mucho munchies, and the kids are trying to make it to midnight so they can watch any fireworks on TV. I think the Moose may crash early, but I'm almost positive the Roo will make it through. Anyone willing to lay odds on this one?

Have a safe and fun evening wherever you are. See you next year!

The Speed of Socks

After my trip to the LYS last week, I started a sock for the Moose, then I did a sock for the Roo, and repeated the process. By Thursday morning, I had two complete pairs of socks, and my children now happily wander through the house with striped warm feet. They wear them with the pajamas at night, which makes me think I need to make more so they stay nice and toasty.


I am delaying my gratification in knitting my alpaca hoodie. Instead, I dove into my miniscule stash (I am odd--I only keep yarn around for projects in progress or projects to be) and came up with several skeins of navy blue Encore which were destined to be a Hogwarts scarf. I really have no need for a double-knitted, 10-inch wide scarf here in SoCal, so I frogged the scarf and started a top-down, loose-fit raglan for the Roo (growing room, you see).

I started by making a gauge swatch--25 stitches wide and 25 rows long--and then I used Knittingfool's sweater wizard to come up with a pattern for the sweater. It's all based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's percentage method, but I, the math teacher, did not feel like doing all that math myself. So far, I have only had to make one major modification in the neck. I cast on using US size 6 needles instead of size 5, and I increased the number of stitches to be cast on so it would fit more easily around her head. All this is so she can have a Weasley sweater like the ones Molly makes for her children and for Harry every Christmas. If you need a good picture of one, go to Alison's blog. She even has her own pattern there.


Here's why I opted for a raglan. Though I love seaming sleeves and sides of sweaters, I find setting in the shoulders tedious. It probably has something to do with where I place my increases. It will come with time and practice which only means I get to do more knitting!