So sad today

How ironic that my last post is about knitting hats for the men who helped my daughter move. Today I was asking my daughter if those men are all right.

I'm asking for prayers for Joplin, Missouri. My daughter lives there, and thanks to God, she is okay. Many of her friends have lost their homes and, so sadly, at least one friend lost her life. A theater where my daughter has performed was leveled; people were there cleaning up from their last performance, and, while they were in the basement, one lady lost her life and a young man is in serious condition with a head injury.

I am looking at pictures, and I can't even recognize places that I have been. The large Home Depot is a pile of twisted metal. The largest hospital is now not usable.

It's hard for me to imagine how Joplin will come back from this. So many businesses are gone; so many people will not have jobs or homes.

I'm not going to post pictures; I already hate looking at what used to be a thriving town.

So much for posting every month . . .

I have been a terrible blogger this year.

Changes have been a problem, but mostly I have just procrastinated.

There has been knitting, but no pictures. I stopped all projects to make caps for the nice men who helped my daughter move. I have worked on my brother's socks, but I stopped working on the second sock during my divorce trauma, and now I can't remember how to do the twisted stitch and can't make the second sock look like the first one! Even the people in my knitting group can't make them look the same.

And now I need to get moving on yet another baby cardigan because my niece goes in for a C-section Thursday, and all I have is a bag of yarn. I'm not too worried because I bought cotton, and I am aiming for something she can wear in the spring, but I need to start.

There have also been some times when I just sit and stare into the flames in the wood stove and ponder life. There have been some trials in my family in the past few months, and I know they are not done, but this holiday season mostly what I can see is how blessed we all are.

So belated Merry Christmas and good wishes for the new year!

I Have Been Neglectful

Wow - I have been a terrible blogger.

There has been knitting, but there also has been the start of school - a school year with several changes that have caused me to adapt and adjust.

I also made it to the Taos Wool Festival, but unfortunately I forgot to charge my camera batteries, so there are no pictures.

I did take a Harry Potter personality quiz (Meyers Briggs) with these results:

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Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

Whole Lot of Things Going on

Even though I haven't been posting, there have been things going on.



I finished the Baby DNA Model for my grand-niece. What a fun toy to make! I hope she enjoys it. Pattern is on ravelry.












Then the knitting group had a yarn dyeing day. I haven't photographed the yarn I dyed yet, but this is my first attempt at roving. I need to learn how to adjust my camera because this is really a bright turquoise, apple green, and dark purple. I learned a lot doing this because my intention was to have a light turquoise, yellow and lilac. I think I put at least 3 times too much dye in each bottle. However, we had fun, I learned a great deal, and I didn't felt my roving, so I think the day was a success.
















Lastly, I took a fast trip to New Mexico with friends. We left very early on a Saturday to go to Santa Fe. We managed a lot of shopping in Santa Fe, then tried to eat at a hamburger place that Frommers put on their Top 10 Burger list, but there was a long wait. So we went on to Las Vegas and ate lunch at the Spick and Span. Then on to a friend's cabin (we are walking the trail in the picture). It was very rainy, so we didn't get to hike or fish, but we had a lot of fun playing games and eating junk food. We left the next morning, passed the alpaca ranch outside of Mora (wasn't open) and on to the raspberry ranch, back to Las Vegas for more Spick and Span and then home.


And so ends my summer vacation. I am spending the last few days finishing up all the deep cleaning I planned to do in June and finishing minor repair projects.

I think I had a successful summer. I had a couple of fun trips and got some minor repairs done. I pulled out all my yarn stash, cleaned it out and reorganized what was left. Yes, I gave some away and even threw some away (gasp!). I am nearly through with knitting books and magazines - will be giving some away and posting others to ravelry for destash.

Best of all, I had several rainy days this summer where I could just sit and look out the windows and knit - heaven!!

the Kindness of Strangers

I am an independent soul. I don't "depend on the kindness of strangers." I really hate to ask for help.

However I was absolutely blown away today. I have had trouble with my mower, and a good friend (same one from a previous post) came over last night and fixed it again. It was too late to mow, and I spent most of today at my mom's house waiting for a plumber, so I was planning to get up and mow tomorrow.

I came home and my front yard was mowed!! I have no idea who did it, but I am doing some investigating mainly because I want to thank them and maybe take them some cherry jam.

But, how kind is that!

WWKIP

I started this day with getting family to help me with a photo scavenger hunt for Sock Knitters Anonymous. I racked up points for non-knitters, children under 12 and animals. Thanks guys!

Then I met the knitting group at a local restaurant. We had planned to meet in a park, but the forecast was for high temperatures, so we opted for air conditioning and margaritas.

The group was kind enough to go with me to the Cadillac Ranch, so I could get a picture of my sock with an internationally recognized landmark - got 5 points for that!

It was a fun day. I didn't rack up enough points to win a prize, but I enjoyed planning the pictures and have some ideas for next year.

Showers of Blessings

I've had a frustrating start to my summer. I was taking my dog to the kennel, getting ready to leave town when my car started overheating. I zipped to the car repair place where they thought it was just a water pump, but it turned out I needed a new head gasket and a water pump and . . .

Then my sister offered me her car, so I could take my trip anyway. What a relief!!

Then I came home and couldn't get my mower to start. The husband of a lady in my knitting group looked at it, and I did what he said, but it still wouldn't start. So, a good friend came and worked on it last night, got it working, and then insisted on mowing some for me. Again, what a relief!

So, I didn't have to buy a new mower, and the repairs to the car actually came to a little less than the original quote (although ironically it was only a few hundred over what I will earn at my summer job - like they knew what I would be making.). I take this a lesson to me to have some faith! I have been blessed beyond measure with family and friends that are willing to help, and I know that when things happen, a way to work them out will come clear.

I have told them all in person, but one more time - Thank you so much!!!

Reflections on a School Year

No knitting content - at least no pictures.

I listened to my district's high school baseball team play in the state finals yesterday. They lost, but still what an accomplishment.

My district has only had a high school for 6 years. During those 6 years, the volleyball team won state twice, the football team went to state finals, and now the baseball team has gone to state finals. We have had three athletes go to Division I schools, and many more get scholarships to smaller schools.

Our academic standards are high also. This year it looks like we may be an exemplary district, and for sure the middle school where I teach will be exemplary. I take that with a little bit of skepticism since the rating is based a great deal on state testing scores, and I believe the state testing is just on a basic level. However, I did have 66% of my students score at the commended level on the Reading test - the highest level I have had.

So, I am bragging. I am proud of what our students have accomplished, and I am proud of the people with whom I teach who have helped these students excell. We are a small district although we have grown immensely since the high school was built. When I started at the district 20 years ago, there were 225 students in K-8. Now we are over 1,000 and are completing additions at every campus to accomodate the increased numbers.

So - woo hoo to us!!

Good Contest - Good Cause

Just saw a contest listed on ravelry whose cause is near to my heart. Go to

http://www.knittypitty.blogspot.com

for a raffle of Golding spindles, Namaste bags, Sundara yarn and more. Just donate $5 to American Animal Rescue Society for a chance to win one of these. There is a link on the blog, although you must use Paypal to donate.

I have 6 cats rescued mostly as strays, and one dog from a shelter. Of course, my daughter has 9 (!!!) cats and 2 dogs, all rescues.

Top 100 Childrens' Books - How Many Have You Read?

From School Library - Top 100 Childrens' Books via KnitNTeach's blog

I have read all but 13. I plan to look for 12 of them, but I will not read Where the Red Fern Grows. I don't read "dead dog" books if I can avoid them

#1 Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
#2 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
#3 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
#4 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
#5 From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
#6 Holes by Louis Sachar
#7 The Giver by Lois Lowry
#8 The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
#9 Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
#10 The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
#11 The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
#12 The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
#13 Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
#14 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
#15 Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
#16 Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
#17 Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
#18 Matilda by Roald Dahl
#19 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
#20 Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
#21 Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riodan
Haven't read #22 The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo
#23 Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
#24 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
#25 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
#26 Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
#27 A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett
#28 Winnie-the Pooh by A.A. Milne
#29 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland /Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
#30 The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
#31 Half Magic by Edward Eager
#32 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
#33 James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
#34 Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
#35 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire JK Rowling
#36 Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Haven't read #37 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
#38 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Haven't read #39 When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
#40 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
#41 The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
#42 Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
#43 Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
#44 Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
#45 The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Haven't read #46 Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Haven't read #47 Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Haven't read #48 The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
#49 Frindle by Andrew Clements
#50 Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
#51 The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright
Haven't read #52 The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
#53 Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
#54 The BFG by Roald Dahl
#55 The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
#56 Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
#57 Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
#58 The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
#59 Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
#60 The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
#61 Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
#62 The Secret of the Old Clock (The Nancy Drew mysteries) by Caroline Keene
#63 Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright
#64 A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck
#65 Ballet Shoes by Noah Streatfeild
#66 Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
#67 Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville
#68 Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
#69 The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
#70 Betsy Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace
#71 A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Haven't read #72 My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
#73 My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
#74 The Borrowers by Mary Norton
#75 Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
#76 Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
#77 City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
#78 Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
#79 All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor
Haven't read #80 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Haven't read #81 Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
#82 The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
Haven't read #83 The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
#84 Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
#85 On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
#86 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
#87 The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg
#88 The High King by Lloyd Alexander
#89 Ramona and her Father by Beverly Cleary
#90 Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
#91 Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
#92 Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
#93 Caddie Woodlawn by C. R. Brink
#94 Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
#95 Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
#96 The Witches by Roald Dahl
Haven't read #97: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
#98 Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
#99 The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
#100 The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

And There is a Winner!!

This was a somewhat low tech drawing because I only had three people donate in the yarn raffle. So, I put their initials on paper - one piece of paper for each $2.00 donated - put them all in a bowl, shook it up, and drew one out.

You can see by the "J" that Panhandle Jane won! I will message you on ravelry to get your address and will get your beautiful yarn on its way to you.



Thanks so much to all who donated! I more than made my goal, but better yet, we all are helping fund research for a cure for MS.

Now I have to go find my rain coat. The forecast for Saturday is for thunderstorms. I was optimistic and bought some orange framed sunglasses last week for the walk.

Wollmeise Raffle

I need some help! I will be doing an MS Walk on April 17th as part of the team Siblings Against Multiple Sclerosis.





One of the siblings, Shay, is a member of my knitting group. We have more than knitting in common - we are both avid readers, and we had the same HS English teacher albeit many years apart.





I need to kickstart my pledge, so I am putting up a skein of Wollmeise Twin for raffle. It is the Rotkappchen colorway - 80% Merino Superwash/20% handgefarbt (?); 510 yards.

For every $2.00 donated, you will have one chance at winning this yarn. For example, if you donate $10, your name goes into a random draw 5 times. When you use the link below, your name and the amount donated is automatically listed. I will also need an email address, so I can notify the winner.

I will close this and draw for a winner on April 14th. Then this beautiful red yarn will be sent off to its new home!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/englishtch



This is the link to my page for the walk. You can use this to make a donation.

Thanks for the help!

There HAS Been Knitting . . .

I was shocked when I saw that my last post was from August. I have been really busy with the new school year, and I have spent a lot of time with friends who have been having difficulties, but I sure thought I had posted at least once.

Anyway, there has been knitting. These are Kristen Kapur's Socktober mystery knitalong socks. I love the pattern, but next time I will use a solid so the pattern shows better.

And, I have a new great niece born the end of June - Margaret Ruby. She lives in the south, so I found some nice cotton yarn, Sublime Organic Cotton. The only problem with this cardigan was that I had to use a provisional cast on, which I have never done. I am so grateful for my knitting group - Heather Lyn, a great teacher, showed me how to do the cast on, and the rest was easy. This is the Chevron Cardigan from Nashua's book, Bloom.
I also loved the ruffle edged cardigan from the same pattern book, so I made it in KnitPicks Swish. While I got gauge, I'm not sure I like the way the fabric turned out, but it is not horrible, so I am sending it along also.

I have one more Rose Red beret to finish and a pair of Reader's Mitts for a colleague who will get them when we go back to school, and then I can move on to some other things.

My resolution for this year is to finish some things that have been hiding in my closet (although these have been on my "resolve to finish" list for the last couple of years. I have half a Rogue Hoody done, and 2/3 of an Audrey, both for my daugher, and I am determined to finish them.

If I have any readers, I hope you have a great holiday season and a wonderful start to the new year.

Ta Dah!!

I have a wheel!

It spins properly (I think). I haven't had the courage to actually put any fiber into it yet, but I have practiced treadling - managed to scare a cat with that.

Maybe tonight I will try some fiber. I have some roving that I bought in Taos a couple of years ago - didn't really like the color, but I wanted to practice on my spindle, and it was inexpensive. Well, I really don't like spindling. I think I am going to like spinning on a wheel though because it feels so comfortable to treadle. May be a different story with fiber in it, but I hope not. I have been very inspired by the pictures on ravelry of fleece to project.

This was relatively easy to put together except for my mistakes and one small problem with a messed up locking nut. I made a quick trip to the hardware store and got that taken care of. However, after I got the wheel on, I realized I had bolted on the sidebars upside down. So, I took them off while holding the wheel upright and reversed them. That led to some difficulty in lining everything back up properly, but I managed.

Anyway, fun to do already. I didn't even take time to put away the drop cloth. I just had to try it out!

New Model

The newest model for my knits - great-nephew Michael! He is very cooperative especially when cookies are involved (hence the crumbs on the mouth. Too bad pink is not his color.

First of all I have a finished project! Long trail to this pattern - I had been listening to knitting podcasts and was attracted to Knitter with critters because I have cats. I wasn't altogether impressed with the podcast, but I looked at her projects on her blog and saw the Rose Red beret by Ysolda Teague. My daughter wanted a slouchy beret, and this seemed perfect. What an easy pattern! I started it Saturday, Aug. 1st, finished it Wednesday, Aug. 5th. I also drove 500 miles home in that time period. In the picture it is blocking over a plate (the red spots are the cherries on the plate) because I thought it looked too small. I am hunting for a model to pose with this on and will post another picture when I find one. I used Sublime's merino/silk/cashmere blend. I can't remember exactly what it is called, and I threw the labels away. I made the smallest size, but next time (I already have yarn for another) I will make the medium. This is tight on my head!

Secondly, I have finally gotten finish on my wheel. I ordered this early in July, but because of teaching and traveling, I had not gotten a finish on it. I had intended to put it together this morning, but when I opened the hardware package, I found two tension knobs that also had to be finished. So, when they are dry, I will get this together and post pictures. It is an Ashford Traditional, and I finished it with two coats of Danish oil. I am going to go look for some wax today also, just for extra protection. Just as it is though, isn't this beautiful wood!

Anyway fun stuff! I have to get the wheel together soon because I go back to school Wednesday. Actually I have to go back Monday because I was asked Friday to put together a two hour inservice presentation for Thursday, and I need to prepare. I really want to try spinning though. I found a beginning spinners group on ravelry and have been drooling over the pictures of fleece to finished project.

Oh well, all things considered, summer has been pretty good. I thought it would be tough since this is my first summer alone, but good friends and family have made it easier.

Woo-Hoo! Finished a Knit-a-Long

Hedgrow Mitts - started June 15th and finished July 14th. Dream in Color Starry in Blue Lagoon. I used size 1 DPN for the first mitt, but the Harmony circulars I ordered came in, so I used those for the second. I really like Magic Loop!

I love the shaping on these mitts. I think they are too long for me though. Good that these are for my daughter who has long slender hands. I'm going to make myself a pair although I am thinking about a different yarn.

But - mission accomplished. I joined a KAL and actually finished - a new experience for me.

Next up is a very old WIP - Rogue Hoody which I have been working on (or ignoring) for at least 4 years. I have set up a carrot - I bought some gorgeous lace weight for the Evergreen stole that I want to wear to symphony this year, but I am not allowing myself to touch it until I finish Rogue. I will see if I have any self discipline - well actually if I had any self discipline, Rogue would have been finished already. Anyway, I have done the body up to the arm openings, and I have started both sleeves, so there is not much left.

How could I forget??

I don't finish that many projects, but I had forgotten to post about this one. My screensaver is a slideshow of my pictures, and this happened to come up. I don't want to look like a total knitting slug, so here it is - I really do finish some things!

The picture doesn't show how this fits, but I made it for the child of someone I don't really know at the request of a family member, and so I didn't get to see it on the actual child. The pattern is from sweaterbabe. The front has almost an empire waistline and the cabled part is gathered at the top. The raglan increases also have a sort of lace look because there are YO before and after each increase. I hadn't put buttons on yet because I wanted the person who requested this to pick the buttons.

This was an easy, fast knit - top down construction is the best! I have filed this pattern in my "make again" folder. I think next time I will put a lace panel instead of the cable.


I made this in Lion Brand Wool, and I think it took two skeins.

I also finished a lace panel scarf in some odd yarn I bought several years ago - plies of different pink ribbon with lumps of metallic pink and silver. It went to a 5 year old - daughter of one of my daughter's friends. However, I totally forgot to take a picture.

All right - back to Hedgerow. I am nearly to dividing for the thumb one the second mitt.

Hedgerow #2

There has been progress! I finished the first mitt a few days ago. I really like the fit except for the length. These are for my daughter who has long hands, so they should be fine. When I make the pair for me, I will shorten them.

I have made some progress on the second mitt also. It has been hot where I live - I don't deal well with heat, so there have been some naps instead of knitting. However, I have to get over that because I told my daughter I would finish at least one of the sweaters that have been languishing in my closet for more years than I want to admit. I really like the yarn I have been using for these - Dream in Color Starry in Blue Lagoon. It's not the softest, but I love the color.

Hedgerow Knitalong

I have joined my first knitalong - the Hedgerow fingerless mitts that a group from Knitters Review is doing. I think the attraction for me was the justification to buy some of the Dream in Color Starry I have been eyeing. This is Blue Lagoon, and there is enough to make a pair for my daughter and a pair for me.

This is the progress at the end of Day One, although I have to admit there is not much more. I am to the point of dividing for the thumb. I truly enjoy this pattern - it is easy to memorize and I like the look of it. However, I have another project that has to be finished - a stole in Homespun for someone in a nursing home - so I have to put these aside for a few days.

On another note, I picked up friends at the airport who had been on a Baltic cruise, and they surprised me with this - a skein of wool from a shop in Tallin, Estonia. It is locally produced wool and has a very interesting feel. Of course, I can't read the label, but I'm pretty sure there is some lanolin left as this has a somewhat lotiony feel. With 200 grams of a natural colored wool, I am thinking about making mittens. I thought this was a great gift from a non-knitter!