short and sweet

and prepping for the PSSAs: knitting needles to sand and patterns to prepare for my cherubs.. teaching the experienced to purl this year.. so they can then follow a pattern.

Chorus: still finishing writing out the parts and need to record some vocal tracts.... too much work far little time, and plan the stuff for the t-shirts.. there will be pictures of them. Hopefully they'll look awesome

School: have these monster amount of papers to grade for 6th grade and the end of the marking period is here... that mans hand out 750 grades... bleh!
personnel is a huge mess and our department is falling apart... ugh!

knitting: started a wedding present from the Walker learn to knit afghan book but this will be all one color, socks OTN for me, DH's vest needs the math to be done for the armhole decreases

diet: about 8.5 pounds and holding... haven't measured the waist lately but it was at 4" The lack of sleep definitely is bad for the diet...... makes me hungry

I've found some great pages lately, that I'll post links to in the sidebar... really wonderful crafty fun blogs!

yay! the olympics have begun

picture by Clive Rose, Getty Images
found at Kodak's Olympic Picture of the Day site



which means TONS of knitting for me :-)
I cast on in the morning of the 8th. And here's what I have accomplished since then (in reverse order):

pattern: Iceland Printed wool Baby hat
Knit 2008 pattern a day calendar Feb 16/17 by Cathy Campbell
yarn: Patons shetland chunky tweed
color: medium blue
needle: US 10.5 dpn
recipient: DH’s cousin’s baby to be (September)


pattern: Angora baby booties from Last Minute Gifts by Joelle Haverson
yarn: Brunswick Eleganza 80 Acrylic/20 Kid Mohair
color: white
needle: US 5 dpns
recipient: friend's baby to be (September)
these start at the toe and the foot is double knit then separated for the heel and joined in the round for the cuff. Clever pattern. Took me way longer than the hour the book suggests. Of course had I read the pattern through before starting gangbusters in, I could have saved myself some time (and frogging.mohair.not.fun.)



pattern: Bright Tweed booties for Baby
Knit 2008 pattern a day calendar June 2 & 3 by Wooly Fatty Knitters
yarn: Paton's Shetland Chunky Tweed
colors: ice blue and biscuit
needle: US7
recipient: yet another friend's baby to be (September)

are you noticing something.... I have too many people that are due in September.. and this isn't all!

I did the knit in the stitch below incorrectly in the hat that follows, and thought I better do it wrong in these booties that the hat was planned after. I eventually WILL learn to do it correctly though ;-)



pattern: umbilical cord hat from stitch 'n bitch book
yarn: Paton's Shetland Chunky tweed
colors: biscuit and ice blue (yes to complement above booties)
needle: US7
recipient: same friend as the booties above

I changed up the pattern to include the knit in the stitch below as a band so it would have some similarity to the booties

YIKES! I've also worked some on the wips but nothing worth pictures.



So far, I've received this

and I'm sure there will be more to come


We've been enjoying Olympia, the new camera, and DH has signed us up for the beginning DSLR class for the Olympus Evolt 510 at our nearby camera shop Dan's Camera City

I found this interesting fungus growing on the tree in the front of our house. Looks like a scone with jam, doesn't it?


I have class on Monday and Wednesday this week at school. Wednesday's is a book discussion (actually 2 books) and I don't have the books yet! Love my school district! In the afternoon after class, I plan on painting my classroom. My dear friend P gave me 4 gallons of paint (yes all the same color - yellow) so there should be more than enough. I'm so psyched!

My buddies came to visit me this past Wednesday. We went to lunch at Jumbars which is within walking distance of my house. It was so much fun for me. And the food was so yummo! What more can you ask for, good food and good company. :-)

Thursday evening P and D and I went to the Lehigh Valley knitter's guild meeting at the Whitehall public library. What a nice bunch of ladies there. The topic of the evening was sock knitting... so I was prepared.


Other than that, it was a quiet week, the beginning of which totally slipped by me. The summer is rushing by with a speed that is frighteningly fast. I'm so not ready to go back to school!

New Projects

So I've started some KALs... not as many as I'd like, but one is really cool cuz I'm learning double knitting. You know, use two colors, one side of the FO has the background in the main color with the design in contrasting color and the other side has a background in the contrasting color and design in the main color. I'm starting small with a potholder, but I'm thinking of some very cool baby gifts that this could turn into (too bad I know no one who is expecting.... Laura give me some advance warning if you're thinking of taking the plunge!) I also had to learn the crochet cast on to start this project... Anyway, I think it will be a great tool and could help me when I finally take the big intarsia step!

I'm doing the Monthly Dishcloth KAL as well and want to start the Dishcloth Fun KAL... and there's a group KAL at At My House group that I'll probably start. I've also signed up for the April KAL at Get Stitchy for bath items. I'm thinking of a bath mat. It's been on my to do list for a while and I have all the necessary items, so why not?

I forgot to mention that I taught myself to knit continental last week and at the in-service at work on Friday, I taught myself to truly knit and purl left handed. All that's left is for me to do backwards knitting... and of course intarsia.

I've been spinning whenever I get the chance. Yesterday wasn't too much though. I was too busy digging us and our neighbors out. I wound up shovelling our front and side, and the front of 2.5 more neighbors out. The problem wasn't the snow it was the inch and a half of ice that was at the bottom. I admit.. I'm a bit sore today. I really need to do more exercise.

DH and I had a 'date' last night. One of his college students gave a voice recital so we went together. We should have gone out after but DS1 is still running a fever since Wednesday night so I felt like we really needed to get home. We got here and he was sound asleep.

OK... off to do some nuch needed work...happy crafting!