Just had to pipe up for a second to say

GO SOX!

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You appear to be a Knitting Goddess. You are constantly giving and are unconcerned with reward, you simply want others to love knitting as much as you do. If someone wants to knit miles of novelty yarns, you are there for them. If someone wants to learn short row shaping, you can help. There are no taboos in knitting, only opportunities to grow. Everyone should have friend like you around if they want to learn to knit, and there's a good chance that your passion has rubbed off on a few others.http://marniemaclean.com
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First Couple of Days

Last Friday was the first day of school for Miss Priss. They don't have to wear uniforms on Fridays, so she got to pick out what she wore:



She was excited to be there, and just wanted me to hurry up and quit taking pictures.



They were ready for her:



She didn't care when I left - she was busy with the Play-Doh.



On Monday she had to wear her uniform:



She was upset when she had to leave school on Friday. She was very happy to be going back:



She is getting used to wearing her backpack.



In less exciting (and photogenic) news, I have started grad school - night classes. We'll see how it goes. I think my classes will be pretty easy, but time consuming (one has eleven papers due by the end of the semester).

With a certain someone gone to school everyday, I should have some time before work to get homework done.

Please...

I have a favor to ask. But first:

Here is the sweater I thought I'd make big, baggy, and way oversize for Miss Priss. It was way oversize, but at least the proportions were right. I thought in a year or two it could be for around-the-house and she could grow into it. It was so big on her, I let the 13-year-old try it on:


So I sent it home with her. It was pretty hideous, anyhow. I used EZ's EPS with bulky yarn so the pattern at the yoke is humongous and I had to decrease during it. And bad patterning with two different size yarns. Oh well, I'm learning. It's only my second sweater, anyhow. Ernie has directions to bring it back when Miss Priss is big enough.

My request - anyone who reads this, if you would, please say a prayer for my mom. She had breast cancer about 10 years ago that had spread to her lymph nodes, and it seems to have returned. She has a bone tumor in her leg, and there is very little bone left there. It is fragile, and if it breaks she will be in even worse shape. They are going to remove what they can of the tumor hopefully later this month and reinforce her bone with some metal. Then she'll go through radiation and everything just like she had to last time. We all need your prayers right now.

Now, to make me feel a little better, here is some Miss Priss. She likes to play dress-up:


She is such a character! She has on her favorite shoes (light up cowboy boots that her aunt got her), a disco-type dress-up top, and a pink pearlescent belt. And her father's camouflage hat.


She starts school (4 year old Kindergarten) tomorrow. I can't believe she's so big. I was a little concerned when I looked at the list showing what she should be able to do at the end of the year (recognize her name? She can already write it!), but I will ask about that tomorrow when I drop her off. If you look in the sweater picture at the top of the post, you can see behind Ernie some of the words that she can already read. I hope she's not bored.

A parting shot:

Well, It's Official

...I'm a teacher. After over a week of training and working on my room, I had students Thursday and Friday. I was a little nervous, but I had a great time both days. And I'll be more comfortable once I learn all the students' names.

I'm going to like this so much better than my year at the laboratory school, where I was thrown in to teaching K-6 with no curriculum, no mentor, no training, no anything.

Everyone at the school where I work is really nice. We had Monday to work on our rooms, and I had everyone from janitors to assistant principals coming by to introduce themselves and welcome me.

I am only part time, which is good because I'm working on my Masters. I have two classes of Art Awareness (that's art appreciation) and one Art I.

And all the new teachers got $100 at the local teacher supply store to get stuff for their rooms. I'm going today to get a stapler, tape, dry erase markers... all kinds of stuff.

Not much knitting done lately, but I am working on a pair of Magic Stripes Socks. The mystery shawl has fallen by the wayside. Maybe once I get my lesson plans ready I can work on it for a little while every day before I have kids.

Image Heavy, Minor Knitting Content

This has almost ceased to be a knitting blog. I did get some knitting on my Prisoner of Azkaban scarf at the Harry Potter Party. Friday night we went to our local Books-A-Million for the activities. They were very disorganized (lots of disappointment over the costume contest foul-ups), but we still had fun. I went with Hermione Grainger (on the left) and Luna Lovegood (center front), and we ran into a Gryffindor friend of ours when we got there (on the right):

Whenever there was an activity in the kids' department, my child ceased to participate (she couldn't resist the lure of the books):

There was wand making:

...but we had already made ourselves wands earlier in the day (from top to bottom, mine, Hermione's, Luna's):

We saw Fluffy:

...and Madame Pomfrey and Professors Umbridge and Trelawney:

My child left early - she was starting to wind down and couldn't seem to forget we were in a bookstore:

We had a good time, despite the jerks who had endings written on their t-shirts going through the store. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

In other news, I did get a job, teaching 2 Art Appreciation classes and one Art 1 class at a local high school. It's part time, so that will give me time to work on my Masters in Education.

I am excited to hear that Nervousness.org is being worked on. One of the projects I plan to teach this year involves making ATCs, and I learned about them and made my first ones through Nervousness. I tried playing recently, and only had two participants sign up, and both were really late sending things. The current site is but a shadow of the former site. I hope it returns better than ever!

I have finished the body (up to the armpits) and two sleeves (up to the armpits) of my first Elizabeth Zimmerman Percentage System sweater. I am making a big, oversize one for Miss Priss that she can grow into. The yarn matches her eyes. I hope to join all the pieces today. I still haven't had time to work on the Mystery Stole.

Dressed to Kill

This is what happens when your daughter loves dinosaurs and Polly Pockets:

Take a closer look:

In other news, Mystery Stole #3 is kicking my backside. I can't seem to find any *guaranteed* uninterrupted moments to work on it. Plus I've had a lot going on, including a new job and starting a new school for a new degree. So I am still on (I think) row 91. On clue 1. And clue 4 comes out tomorrow. I expect once school starts and I get into a routine, I will be able to work on it. I hope.

Some Amazing Stuff!

Check this out:
Knit-Night Cupcakes

Mystery Shawl 3

Still on clue one.

One More FO

It' s been a long time since I posted a finished object, even though I have finished a few. Here is my most recent:


The Jayne hat and its happy recipient!

I'm Back, at Least for a While

Well, I have graduated (yay!) and am out for the summer. So I have finally been able to play with this:
which I have been using to turn this:

into this:

Then, I have been using this (a wooden wheel, cup hook, and a dollhouse turning):

to make this:

... and I'm enjoying every minute of it. I am shooting for different skeins but similar colors, and trying to decide what I'll make of them. Right now, socks and gloves are what I'm thinking. I want to stripe with the different skeins. The wool is superwash Merino mill ends.

I also recently finished my first Moebius knitting (yes, I know that's missing some dots, but I'm lazy) with some blue-violet cashmere from SP9. Also working on some odd balls that I got on vacation last summer. I've made a short neck scarf out of one and am working on a hat out of another. And I'm working on a pair of cotton Tabi Socks. It's good to be out of school!

Alabama Mothers Deserve Midwives

My latest project (non-knitting).

I Have the BEST Secret Pals!

Mail goodies came my way over the past couple of days:



I will try to gather all this up - I thought I had already taken a pic of everything unwrapped. This is from knittinkninja, my SP9 secret pal. She sent me two skeins of alpaca, a skein of hand dyed sock yarn, EBONY DPNS FROM LANTERN MOON, a buggy finger puppets pattern, the Schurch Sock book, a cute card, some stickable super strong star magnet thingys, and a cute fridge magnet.

She always sends something for Miss Priss. This time it was a stuffed gray sheep that has been dubbed "Cheesy," a sheet of stickers, and some bangle bracelets.

I don't know how she did it, but I absolutely love everything she sent me. If you're reading this, Amanda, I definitely did enjoy the spoiling!

The next day, I got a package containing this:



This is my Knit Mitt Kit Swap kit. I received dpns, markers, and needles, along with a card, some Noro Silk Garden, a pattern, chocolate, some Burt's Bees hand cream, and a handknitted felted bag. Thanks, Olivia - I love it! The bag is going to be my new take-to-school knitting bag.

Lorelei's Babies

Something we did just fooling around over the break - warning: it's long and repetitive! I need to edit some.

Back to the Usual

Well, school is back in session and things are returning to normal. My one goal, of getting the house clean over the holiday break, has flown right out the window. My bedroom is clean. That's it. And it still needs vacuuming.

I am getting my last SP9 package ready to send, along with the Knit Mitt Kit Swap package. I hope to mail those Tuesday!

I am currently at work on the bag for the KMKS. And I have finished a strip and a half on Lorelei's log cabin blankie. Pics to come.

Lorelei's Babies

We did this just fooling around - if I knew it would turn out so well, I'd have brushed her hair. Warning - it's long and repetitive and in need of editing.

Why I Love Snow

[This is for an SP9 contest]

Top 10 Reasons I Love Snow:

10. When there's a lot, you can make an igloo (sort of)
9. I don't have to drive in it
8. Snowball fights
7. The visuals - the way the sky looks, the snow in your headlights as it swirls across the road, the bits of white you see when there is snow in your eyelashes
6. I don't have to shovel it
5. Snowmen
4. Catching snowflakes on my tongue
3. Making snow angels
2. It's rare where I live (see #6 & #9) so I seldom get to see it and when I do, it's a real treat.
1. Because of #2, when there is snow here, everything closes - the schools, most jobs / businesses. It's a free day to play!

My daughter is three and a half and has never seen real snow.