Hand Warmers

From the yarn that my in-laws got for me and the pattern from One-Skein Wonders I give you The Wave Hand Warmers.

These were very quick, easy knits. I finished one in an evening and the other in an afternoon. It was very nice to feel a quick sense of accomplishment. I have another skein of yarn from my in-laws to make another pair of these lovely accessories.

Merry Christmas

This was a very good Christmas for me. My in-laws got me 3 knitting books...

I also got two skeins of Cascade Pastaza to make The Wave Hand Warmers from One-Skein Wonders, along with a set of size 8 dpns.

I got a new iPod from my husband (a silver classic). After uploading my music, videos and pictures to the iPod, I searched for knitting podcasts (I never really looked for them before). I downloaded Pointy Sticks. I'm looking forward to listening to these episodes (except for 8, it wouldn't download for some reason).

I also gave my mother-in-law a Chevron Scarf that I started in August. I've been working on it when time allowed and when she was not around. I finished a few days before Christmas. I used Moda Dea Dream Solid yarn which was nice and soft.

Hope everyone had a great holiday too!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Hug

Today we celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday. A few months ago she showed me a picture of the "sleeves" she liked. I found the Hug pattern online and ordered the yarn (my husband picked the colors). It was relatively easy to knit. I found I had to write the pattern out so I could follow it. The smiley faces were used to mark when I finished a row. It definitely helped me when I would leave the project and come back to it.

I used Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky yarn. It was so yummy! Nice and soft.

I have enough left over now that I can make something else. I haven't decided what yet, but my sister-in-law did say she liked some of the Fetching patterns she happened to see. So I searched Ravelry and found Fetching by Cheryl Niamath. Of course I have a few other projects on my plate right now, so the Fetching may need to wait.

On another note, the teacher's in my school are involved in a competition. We are all wearing pedometers and working to get over 10,000 steps a day. I did well during the week, reaching over 10,000 each day. This weekend though I seriously slacked. I'm hoping this coming week and weekend I can reach that goal everyday.

On a different note...

Nothing to do with knitting or books, but I found these cool online activites. Have fun!

Make your own snowflake

Make your own snowman

Cousin's Blanket

I've started a new project. My cousin is pregnant and due in April. I've started a baby blanket. It is based on a project I found on Ravelry. A basketweave stitch with a seed stitch border. Of course I have other things to work on, but I continue to focus on this instead.

This week is Children's Book Week. A great week to share fabulous books with kids. In my library we are studying Caldecott Award winners and have upper school students sharing with lower school students.

Knitting Club

This past week the art teacher and I started a knitting club in school. We offered it to the 5th-8th graders. We had 4 girls and 2 boys show up. 5 of the kids were first time knitters. We were teaching them basic garter stitch, but with only 20 minutes there was barely enough time. We'll continue each week, and hopefully they'll make a scarf at some point.

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our one year anniversary. As my husband says we are no longer newlyweds. Unfortunately I have to go to work today, so I don't get to spend the day with him.

Nothing new to post about so...

You scored as Sleeping Beauty, Your alter ego is Princess Aurora, a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty! You are beautiful and enchanting, and as sweet as ever. Sleeping Beauty 81% Goofy 56% Cinderella 50% Pinocchio 44% Peter Pan 38% The Beast 25% Ariel 25% Donald Duck 19% Cruella De Ville 13% Snow White 6% Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego? created with QuizFarm.com

My Sock

I started this sock in August. It's sad that it has taken me this long to finish ONE sock. Maybe it's not too long, but it seems like forever. I haven't had time to sit and knit. So tonight, being sick and watching the Yankee game I was able to finish one sock. I love the colors of this yarn.

Tomorrow on the train I may start the second sock. I'm going to the the city to see "A Chorus Line". I can't wait!

First Day

Labor Day weekend was nice. I got to relax on Saturday, Sunday we went to the beach with my husband's family and Monday I planned more lessons. Not terribly exciting, but a nice way to end the summer.

Today was my first day with the kids at school. It was great. I thought I'd feel nervous, but I was very calm. I enjoyed the classes and I think the students enjoyed it too. I also thought it might be hard being a new school, but I felt really comfortable. I shared The Library Dragon by Carmen Agra Deedy with my fourth graders and The Librarian from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler and Jared Lee with the second graders.

Because of all of the prep for this week I have done no knitting. I'm looking forward to some time to knit this weekend.

Too Funny!

What do you think his foot has done to him in the past? Has it actually taken his bone away?

Elsewhere

I just finished reading Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin. It's such a good book. It gives a great perspective of death and what happens when we die. It's nice to think that we exist in this Elsewhere place and when we get to the baby stage again (as you age backwards) you are reborn. Really a great read!

Catching up

This has been a hard week to knit. I had my last week of summer camp. On Wednesday I was at a rehearsal for my friend's wedding. Thursday was the wedding day. We had an awesome time. The best wedding I've ever been to. The band (Pete Moss and the Fertilizers) rocked. We got to go to lunch the next day with the bride and groom and the bride's family. We were so tired when we got home, we both crashed.

Saturday we were out on a boat with some of my parents friends. We had a beautiful day. Today we went to see the place where my parents are moving and got to walk around the different models. It was very nice and very exciting for my parents.

Tomorrow I'm heading into my library to begin to set up for the school year. It's my first time setting up and I'm a little nervous, but definitely looking forward to it.

New Socks

Last weekend I was itching for a new project. I couldn't decide what I wanted to do. I finally decided to make another pair of socks, perhaps for myself. So on Monday on my way home from work I stopped at a local yarn shop that I had never visited, Wild & Woolly Wools. I walked into the shop and got a strange look from the owner, she asked me if she could help me and I said, "I'm looking for sock yarn." She then informed me that she is closed on Mondays, but would let me look anyway. So I came across three different yarns that interested me.

Fortissima Socka yarn

Austermann Step yarn

And Cherry Tree Hill yarn.

I started a pair of socks with the Fortissima Socka yarn. The same pattern that I used for my husband's socks, a simple Anklet pattern. The colors are great. I'm happy with it so far and looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Secret Project

Well the "Secret Project" has been given to my friend Peggy. So now I can talk about it. It's a purse for her to carry the day of her wedding. The pattern is called Soiree Knit Bag and is suppose to use Crystal Palace Yarns Soiree which is a metallic yarn.

I used Lion Brand Microspun in Lily White and put beads on it.

It's seed stitch and then my mother helped me line it with satin.

She was very happy when I gave it to her this afternoon. I think she suspected that the Secret Project was for her, but at least I kept it a secret (I'm not very good at that).

In other knitting news I've been working on some of the patches for the patch afghan.

I do want to start a new project, but can't decide what to work on. Ravelry has offered me sooooo many options that I just don't know where to start.

Give it a Whirl

The secret project is finished. I will post pictures once the recipient gets it.

I started a bag on Sunday for a wedding I'm in on August 16th. I am in the bridal party and will be in a brown dress with a pink sash. I found this pattern in an old issue of Creative Knitting it's from July of 2006. It's called Give it a Whirl Bag, so I figured I'd give it a whirl. I used Lion Brand's Microspun in Coffee and made the I-cords in the Blush colorway. I think it is cute and will be nice accessory the day of the wedding.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I did it, I finished the book. I will not give anything away here. I just want to say that J.K. Rowling did a good job. I started the book on Monday at 5pm (I had to finish homework first) and I finished it on Tuesday at 8:45pm. I had a hard time putting it down and to me that shows that it is a great book. To all those reading it...enjoy.

Finishing up

Well I'm almost done with the secret project, few last things to finish up and then it will be done and ready to give. The Cabled Hobo Bag is close to done also. My mom's friend got tired of waiting for me to sew in the lining, so she did the majority of it for me. All that is left is the strap and sewing on the button.

Also I'm finishing school. I will be done with my masters next Wednesday. Hard to believe, but I'm so excited. Of course right now is crunch time, projects due in both classes and that has been a main focus.

I have had a few moments to work on the pillow. I'm really excited about how it is coming out.

It's hard to see the cables and the basketweave from the pictures, but they do look really cool.

The Yarn is Patons Decor First Spring Ombre.

Happy 4th of July

I hope everyone has a great Fourth of July. The hubby and I are going up to New Hampshire to go camping with some friends.

Why do I do this

I started a pillow. I really shouldn't be doing it as I have other work to do (homework, other knitting projects), but I just really want to work on this. I found the yarn at a local yarn shop called Three Black Sheep. The colors were just so amazing that I had to make something with it. Pictures to follow later...

Scattegories

I found this on In the Pink's blog. She didn't tag me for this but it looked like fun. If anyone wants to do this have fun.
The game is SCATTERGORIES, and it’s harder than it looks!
Here are the rules:
Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They MUST be real places, names, things…NOTHING made up! If you can’t think of anything, skip it. Try to use different answers if the person before you had the same 1st initial. You CAN’T use your name for the boy/girl name question. Have fun!
Your Name: Susan
1. Famous Singer/Band: Sting
2. 4 letter word: Save (keeping it clean)
3. Street: Susan Terrace (it's true I've passed it)
4. Color: Salmon
5. Gifts/Presents: Scarf
6. Vehicle: Sedan
7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Sweatshirt
8. Boy Name: Sean
9. Girl Name: Samantha
10. Movie Title: Stargate
11. Drink: Sangria
12. Occupation: Singer
13. Celebrity: Susan Lucci
14. Magazine: Sports Illustrated
15. U.S. City: Sacramento
16. Pro Sports Teams: Seahawks
18. Reason for Being Late for Work: Snooze alarm
19. Something You Throw Away: Saran Wrap
20. Things You Shout: Sugar!!! (just like my mom)
21. Cartoon Character: Superman

Funny Book

OK so I have a ton of reading for this class, but I found this funny book that I think every elementary teacher must read. It's called 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny by Phillip Done. It is just so funny and true. You must read it!!!!

The other book is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. I have mine pre-ordered and can't wait until it arrives. Happy reading!

Let's Go Yankees!

My husband and I went to the Yankees vs. Mets game yesterday afternoon. This was my husband's birthday present from my parents (back in February). We had a great time.
The Yankees won 11 to 8.
(A-Rod hitting)

There was a rain delay at one point and I think I was one of the only ones in the crowd that came prepared. I whipped out my bright yellow Mickey poncho from Disney World and stayed dry, while everyone else got wet.

(Jeter at 3rd)

Quick Baby Hat

I started a baby hat for a co-worker's daughter on Wednesday morning. I had to frog it later Wednesday morning when a bunch of stitches fell off the needles and I couldn't pick them up. Anyway...I finished the hat today when I got home from work. I'm happy with the result. The pattern said to knit on a straight needles and then sewn together at the end. I knit on DPNs and saved the sewing.

I finished the socks. The second sock is just a little off from the first one at the toe, I must have started decreasing a little earlier. They work though.

I started another project, but because it is for someone who may read this blog I will not be posting much about it. It will be my main project though as I need to get it done.

In reading news I've been furiously reading for my class K-12 literature. It's a lot of reading, but well worth it. Each week we are given a genre, we then pick our own books within that genre to read. Everyone shares their books in class and the professor brings in a ton of books to show us. It's a great way to get a booklist started!

My husband showed me this video and it just gets funnier as you watch it over again.

Needle Quiz

What kind of knitting needles are you?

You are bamboo.Warm, cozy, and thoughtful, you take your time and enjoy how things feel, smell, and taste. You love the craft and beauty of traditional things, and you value the comfort and experience of knitting as much as the results. But while you are reveling in your warm cozies, don't get stuck. Warm is wonderful, but so is the whole wide world!
Take this quiz!








Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

News

Things have been slow in my knitting world lately. I started classes again for the summer session and therefore have been bogged down with homework. It's a great class though, I have to read, read, read. So that has been occupying most of my time.

The big news is that I got a position as a librarian at a private school near my house. I'm very excited and can't wait to get to work in the library! Wooooo hooooo!!!!!

I'm getting close to finishing the second sock. I work on it during my lunch period. At home I've been trying to start a shawl with the microspun yarn. I started with the Elegant Shawl pattern, but have decided to try they Cozy pattern from Knitty.com.

This morning I also found a great website that is starting up. It looks like a great organizer. It's called Ravelry, you have to be invited to join and I think it's going to take a while to get to my name on the list, but I'm looking forward to working with it. Actually it looks so great that I wonder if there is anything like it for lesson plans and books, so I can organize my library (you know, at the new job!!!!).

1 Sock and a Cake

Well I finished one sock today.

Last week I was up to turning the heel and I was completely lost. I tried saying it out loud to my husband, even though he doesn't know anything about knitting. He came over and was very helpful, he started writing numbers and somehow he figured out what I needed to do to turn the heel. If he hadn't helped I'd still be at the heel.

I got to the toe area on Saturday and on Sunday realized that I had messed up, so I had to rip back. I picked up the stitches and continued and had problems again, so again, I ripped it back. I finally got it and worked. It's finished! I still have to do another one, but I finished my first sock!!!! My husband is very happy and is waiting for the next one.

In other news, I had a bridal shower on Sunday and I made a towel cake for the bride and groom. I was very happy with how it came out, even though the pins didn't want to stay in on the bottom layer.

The flowers just gave it that final touch. The best part about it was that the mother of the bride didn't realize it was towels and was wondering how the restaurant got a mousse cake to stay up like that!

I've been tagged

Here's the deal: Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag 7 others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog. I've been tagged by Cactusneedles.



1. I started knitting a few years ago when my mom was going to make me a scarf. I thought it would be fun to learn, so my mom showed me how. I didn't pick it up again until 2 years ago when a co-worker was knitting at work, it got me interested again.

2. I'm almost finished with my second master's degree in Library Science. My first master's is in Computers in Education.

3. My favorite store bought cookies are Oreo's, my favorite homemade cookies are Pinoli.

4. My favorite book ever is Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Although The Thirteenth Tale is in a close second.

5. I'm a Disney freak. I love everything Disney. Disney World is my favorite place to vacation.

6. My house burned down when I was in tenth grade. An electric blanket caught on fire. (So don't use them)

7. I'm addicted to Diet Coke. I can't live without it, if I don't drink it during the day I end up with major headaches.

People tagged...The Sleepy Knitter , Good to be Girl, Purly Whites, Whimsy, Sheep in the City, Two Wooden Sticks and a Ball of Wool, InfiKnity

Socks x2

Well a couple of weeks ago I said that I had ripped out the socks that I was making. I didn't like the seam that was showing up. So I started new socks, but not just one pair, two pairs.

I'm not crazy about the Magic Stripes (not my favorite colors).
The Eclipse is going well, but a little more difficult to work with (it's probably not supposed to be used for socks, but what do I know!)

So I'm moving along and slowly getting a sock (or two).

Mother's Day Gifts

I was searching for Mother's Day gifts a week ago and was really having problems, until I came across a website FabulousYarn.com. I thought it was great they would get the whole package, yarn, needles and pattern. So we ordered it and within three days it was here. Both my mother and my mother-in-law seemed very happy with the present and excited to knit the shawl. I recommend this site for anyone that has a knitter in their life and wants to get them a present that has to do with knitting.

Sheep to Shawl Festival

My mom and I went to the Sheep to Shawl Festival today in Huntington. It was the first time I had seen a sheep being sheared. Look at
how the wool comes off in one piece!

The sheep looked much cuter with all of the wool off! This was just one year's growth, the woman had sheared these sheep last year at the same festival.

I couldn't believe the difference in the outer wool and what the sheep's real color of gray looked like. I wonder when they wash it if it turns back to gray or if it is permanently the yellowish color.

We saw a lot of talented craftspeople making some great things. Although I didn't get to meet the woman that was making the lace tatting I was very impressed with her work. They had lots of crafts for kids to make (yarn dolls, paper bonnets) they also had an old fashioned weaving machine that they taught the kids how to use. There were woman doing rug hooking and a couple of yarn shop people knitting.