Knitter's Heaven . . . with Food

That's how I can describe Rhinebeck in 4 words. Yesterday was the big day. I went to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, New York with four wonderful additions to the list of people I proudly call my friends.

Allow me to tell my story with the help of some visual aids.

Rarely is there a Sunday in my life where I will set my alarm clock. For this adventure, it was set for 5:45 AM and I bounced out of bed at 6:00 on the dot. Okay, I slid out of bed, but I was bouncing on the inside. This was the view from the driver's seat as I pulled off the highway to meet the girls. (Yes, Mom. I had come to a complete stop at the red light before I raised the camera. I know I shouldn't take pictures while driving. It's kind of like what your middle child's daughter said about her many years ago, "My mommy doesn't drink and drive. She only drinks at the stop lights." I only take pictures at the stop lights.)



The sun wasn't even above the horizon yet.

After fueling ourselves on Dunkin' Donuts coffee, we hit the road for a pretty drive with lots of fall foliage to admire. This is what I knit in the car as the Mad Knitter was driving us to our destination. It's another Baby Cuteness Cardigan made with Opal 6-fach self-patterning sock yarn. Not my usual baby colors, but it's good-looking and will be great for a baby boy.


We all felt like little kids as we walked through the gates. It was the first time each of us had been to Rhinebeck, and we were drooling. These are a few shots of the festival - some of the outside tents and booths. The majority of the yarn/knitting booths were inside buildings. Some of the buildings are usually meant for livestock during the Dutchess County Fair (this event was on their fairgrounds), so we were walking on hay with lots of high wooden edgings for us to carefully step over. Happy to report that I did not witness nor hear of any shoppers falling on their faces. Yikes. I worried about that all day.

The weather was gorgeous - sunny and warm, but not too hot. Perfect.

There was an overwhelming amount of vendors to see. One building after another filled with yarn, knitted items, fleece, roving, spinning supplies, needle holders, gadgets and gizmos . . . So much to look at - and to buy. After going through our first building, I felt like I'd gotten my money's worth for the $10 admission fee. Amazing.

We took a lunch break. The Yankee Lagniappe stood in an extremely long, slow-moving line to get fried artichokes. I don't understand that at all. I mean, she could have gotten the deep fried pickles or the deep fried garlic.

I went to get a humongous cinnamon and sugar pretzel while CostumeChick and Wife"Mom"Knitter had lamburgers. Really - and they loved them. The Mad Knitter had what she called a hockey puck hamburger, but she didn't seem to care much after her brush with celebrity - or should I say celebrities? She bought the Mason-Dixon Knitting book had it signed by Ann Shayne and Kay Gardiner. Then, she met Jess and Casey from Ravelry. She kindly brought me over to meet them and I got a button to wear to identify myself to other Ravelers. I was a dum-dum and left my camera at out lunch table, so I didn't get to take a picture. Here's my button, at least.

After lunch, we headed toward more of the vendor buildings and we even braved some of the animal buildings. Do you recognize this guy? No, it's not my last boyfriend. He's a very handsome alpaca and I braved a through-the-fence picture before he spit again. I guess he doesn't like aggressive women.



This guy, however, had a crush on me. Just look at the way he was staring at me. He was in the middle of an obnoxious cat-call as I snapped the picture. Puh-lease. I was just there for the yarn.

At one point, the Mad Knitter, CostumeChick and I went out to the parking lot so they could pick up their Ravelry t-shirts and we could put out purchases in the car. My return stamp looked like a prison tattoo.

Toward the end of our day, as we walked through the last few buildings, look what/who we saw! It's the Kauni Cardigan on the back of the Yarn Harlot. Okay, so it does appear that we were stalking her. We weren't. Really. Well, the Mad Knitter was, but I can't be responsible for the actions of everyone else, can I? (She had stalked her earlier in the day - and a few months before at RJ Julia Bookseller. She has an issue. She'll work on it.)

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee was very kind and friendly after she turned around to find out what the hullaballoo was all about and she even took a picture with us. We admired her sweater and explained that we had to take a picture of it. She said that it wouldn't be hard to see her in it in the future because she was never going to take it off. It's really beautiful. We chatted for a little bit, and then she needed to get back to the wool.


A few minutes later, we saw this. No, we weren't stalking. We just came upon the scene. The Yarn Harlot is talking with another woman who was wearing the same Kauni Cardigan. How could I not take a picture of that?




After a bit more last-chance shopping, we headed home with our purchases and our happy memories of a great day. This is what I bought:

Being the furthest thing from a yarn-snob, I followed Wife"Mom"Knitter's lead and bought 4 skeins of Cotton & Eco-Spun yarn for $1.79 each. (!) 167 yards on each skein. (!) As you can see from the label, it's a blend of organic cotton and recycled soda bottles. I love the idea of that. It does have a plastic-y feel to it, so we were thinking it might be great for a market bag or some other kind of bag. I doubt it would be suitable for a hat - imagine the sweating. My mother suggested kids' mittens. They might be water-resistant. Good idea.

With advice from CostumeChick, I bought a bajillion yard hank of beautiful laceweight wool. Okay, it's only 1,375 yards. I'm going to try my first lace shawl. Can't wait. Just have to choose a pattern.

I bought some pretty dyed-roving. It can be used for spinning my own yarn (don't thing I'm ready for that, although I'm tempted to try it) or for felting. I have some plans for it for Christmas gifts, so I won't tell you what I'm going to make.

At the top of the picture below is my ball. Doesn't everyone need a ball? It's a felted ball made of fleece. $4.00. Had to have it. I can toss it, roll it, hold it, or squeeze it. It's my ball. If you're nice, I might let you hold it. Also pictured is my favorite new gadget!

It's called a Lucet. It's made of wood and it's used to make "strong, tightly woven square-shaped cord." The cord it makes is durable and stays tied if you tie it. The Lucet was "used during the mid-to-late 18th century and for a time during the Edwardian era." You can use any kind of yarn, string, thread or floss with it. I tried it out at lunchtime and I was making a mess. I went back to the booth and the woman who sold it to me gave me a quick lesson. With some practice, I think I've got it. Did I need this tool? Nope. Did I have to have it? Yup. I love gadgets. I especially love them when they work.

I had a fantastic day and I'm so happy I went. In the picture below, I'm the one with the big smile on my face. Wait - we all have big smiles. I'm the one in the middle, holding my ball.

I'm grateful to have been invited to take the last seat in the car and to have the opportunity to enjoy the big event with a great group of girls. It wouldn't have been the same without them to laugh with and ooh-and-ahh with. We'll do it again next year, and we're already making plans for new yarn adventures to go on while we're waiting for October 2008.

Not Matchy Matchy

I knit a hat to go with the Baby Cuteness Cardigan. I used the same yarn, and I even worried that it might be too matchy matchy. Some poor baby girl would be lost in a sea of variegated yarn. Not likely to happen. As it turned out, it's not at all match matchy. The two pieces look so different. The picture might not show it, but believe me - they don't go together. With the combination of being knit in stockinette stitch instead of garter and the way the colors pooled, some of the hat colors look duller than they do in the sweater.

No worries, though. The variegated Cuteness will just have to have a solid hat to go with it, and vice versa for the variegated hat. I have to knit more of each anyway, so each one will still get to go to a good home. Hopefully, the families who adopt these baby items will keep them and not pass them on to other families without my prior notification and my written consent (a la Ellen), so I don't have to take them back anyone. (What a sad, sorry state of affairs. What could possibly break my heart more than seeing Ellen cry? And not just any cry. A sobbing, splatting cry. I want to have her over for ice cream and Oreos to help her cheer up. With this country in the shape it's in, American citizens deserve to see a happy, dancing Ellen at 4:00. It's important to us.)

On another note, I've been having some morning trouble. No, Mom, not morning sickness. I said morning trouble.

On Thursday morning, I overslept. Normally, my alarm goes off at 6:01 AM. I hit snooze. I hit snooze again. When the alarm goes off at 6:28 AM, I don't hit the snooze anymore. I let the radio continue to play and I listen to top stories on CBS 880 News. Then I get up and get into the shower. When I'm done, I wake my son and we get ourselves ready to leave the house at 7:15 on the dot. On this particular morning, instead of hearing the announcer say, "CBS News time 6:28," he said, "CBS New time 7:07." It took me some time to process what I was hearing. 7:07? That'ts not what he's supposed to say. What could that mean? What does 7:07 mean to me? Crappity crap crap. That's what it means. I had to jump up and race into my son's room, apologizing while I tried to get him to get out of bed. He got ready speedy quick (thank goodness he's a boy) and I drove him to school in my pajamas. I couldn't let my mess-up make him late. I raced home, jumped in the shower, got ready and made it to school on time at 8:10 - even stopping at Dunkin Donuts for my large french vanilla with extra milk and Splenda. Amazing, but exhausting.

On Friday, I got up on time. When the alarm went off at 6:01, I didn't hit snooze. I left the radio on - LOUD - and I woke myself up. I decided to read my book for a while since I had time. Everything went smoothly. M and I both left the house on time and I dropped him at school at 7:19. Good mother.

As I was driving, I realized that I hadn't put on any jewelry. Not a big deal. Although I feel naked without earrings, I knew I could get through the day without them. No rings on my fingers? No big deal. No watch? It's raining, so we're not going out for recess. Don't need a watch. It was when I stepped out of the car after I parked on the street in front of Dunkin' Donuts that I felt the cold air. On my stomach. I looked down and realized that I had only buttoned one button on my shirt. Just the top one. Everyone who drove by got a peek at my stomach.

Now, you may not know this about me, but when my stomach was created, it was never intended for public viewing. It serves its purpose, but it's meant to be cleverly hidden under shirts, sweaters. and comfortable nightshirts. Really. And since it's been cleverly hidden for all of my 41 years, it's extremely white. Well, maybe it's more than just your average white. I think it could qualify as glow-in-the-dark.

I quickly yanked the shirt closed, clutching the fabric between my fingers while my heart pounded. It's really not that I was embarrassed - although I was. I felt a combination of guilt and fear. Guilt over having innocent drivers and their passengers get their days off to a bad start after catching a glimpse of my belly. Fear that I was going to cause an accident when headlights flashed off my glow-in-the-dark skin and blinded a driver who might rear-end someone else or end up face first into a telephone pole. Luckily, I was able to button up quickly.

On Monday, I'll wear a pull-over.

Tomorrow is a happy day. I'm going to Rhinebeck with 4 fun friends from SnB! I'm so excited. I never even considered going because I thought it was so far away. The girls have a seat available in their car and it should only take about 2 1/2 hours to get there. Rhinebeck is what all of the knitters call this event, but it's really the New York Sheep and Wool Festival. I've never been - never even heard about it until the last few months of blog-reading and SnB chatting. From what I've been told, it's a knitter's dream with an overwhelming abundance of yarn, yarn and yarn. There will be yarn vendors, demonstrations, and I don't-even-know-what. Can't wait. I've got my money and my camera. That's all I'm worried about. That, and being sure I'm fully dressed before I leave the house.

My Mommy Taught Me to Share

So here are the details of the cuteness:

Baby Cuteness Cardigan

(Pattern is based on Mason-Dixon Baby Kimono with a little tweaking.)

Yarn: Bernat Baby Softee - Sport D.K. weight (color: Rock a Bye Baby) - 4 1/4 oz. 333 yd. skein

(used less than one skein)

Needles: US size 6 (4mm)

Gauge (Now stop laughing. Of course I figured out the gauge. Geez.): 5.5 st./inch.

This cardigan is knit in one piece and folds over with only a few seams to sew. Easy.

-Cast on 44 st.

-Knit all rows in garter stitch for 5 inches, ending with a WS row. (You're beginning at the back bottom)

-Next row (RS): (Beginning the sleeves) Cast on 4 st. using backward loop method.

-Repeat this at the beginning of the next 13 rows. (14 increase rows = 7 4-stitch increases on each side = 28 st. per sleeve = 100 total stitches - How's that for helpful?)
-Knit even in garter stitch until sleeve measures about 2.5 inches from the last increase row, ending with a WS row.

-Next row (RS): K 38, bind off center 24 st. (for neck opening), K to end.

-You're now working on the left front.

-Next 3 rows: Knit in garter stitch.

-On next and every following RS row, increase 1 st. at neck edge.

(To increase I did this: K2, yo, K to end. You can also K1, yo, K to end OR K1, M1, K to end OR even K, Kf&b, K to end. It's up to you. Choose your poison.)

-Continue to knitting with increases until there are 50 st.

-Knit even until sleeve is 5" wide at wrist. (You may already be there - or you're close - after stopping the increases. Only a few more rows to knit at the most.)

-Bind off 4 st. at beginning of the next 7 WS rows to finish sleeves.

-Knit all rows even (22 st.) until front is the same length as the back.

-Bind off.

-Now you'll work the right front:

-Rejoin yarn to sts. of right sleeve at neck edge (WS).

-Next 3 rows: Knit in garter stitch.

-On next and every following RS row, increase 1 st. at neck edge.
(You'll mirror what you did on the left front. I did this: K to last 2 st., yo, K2.)

-Continue to knitting with increases until there are 50 st.
-Knit even until sleeve is 5" wide at wrist. (Just like before.)
-Bind off 4 st. at beginning of the next 7 RS rows to finish sleeves.
-Knit all rows even (22 st.) until front is the same length as the back.
-Bind off.

Finishing:

-Weave in ends.

-If necessary based on your yarn, block using your chosen blocking method.

-Sew up side and underarm seams.

-Add on the closure of your choice. I crocheted two chains and sewed one on each side at the opening of the v-neck. You could also knit narrow i-cord or use ribbons the same way. You could also crochet a button loop for one side and sew on a button.

So that's it. That's the Cuteness.

I'm knitting a hat to go with this sweater, and then I'm going to start another Cuteness. I really wish I could knit one for myself, but I doubt I could make this translate to an adult size and have it not become one of those things you fold up and keep in your closet permanently. If anyone has ideas, let me know.

And one more thing.

Go

!

Please.

I Can't Even Stand It

Just look at this cuteness. My baby cardigan. Love it.



Wish it fit me.

Look What I Just Started

What? I started another project. No big deal. It's okay to have more than one thing going at the same time. It's not as if I can't stick to a project and finish it. I simply choose to try new things before I finish the old thing. Things. Lots of things. But really . . . it doesn't mean that I have some great weakness of character. It doesn't. Does not. I'm not weak.

Much.

Now if you went to A.C. Moore, innocently making a yarn purchase for your mother so that she could finally start knitting the perfect gift for her only grandson who has named as his favorite color a certain shade of green that just does not seem to be manufactured by any yarn company which sells its products in the state of Connecticut and you looked once again online and thought you found something that just might be right so you ran out to take a look and you saw this:

you would have bought it, too. It's going to be a cardigan for one of the many new babies that will be born to friends within the coming months.

And it really isn't an additional project, now that I think about it. It replaces the light yellow baby kimono that I was knitting along on happily until this morning when I realized I'd made a big mistake. I'd really rather not talk about it right now.

It was almost done. Just a few more rows to go. I don't want to talk about it though.

It was going to be so cute, but the neckline was all wrong. I tried to widen the sleeves, but hadn't considered the need to adjust the neck line. When I took a good look at it this morning, I saw that it would be perfect for a baby who would want to show off the smooth skin of her upper back while appearing to be choking from the sweater bunching around her throat. I haven't met any babies yet who might go for that. Actually, I could have had a lawsuit on my hands if a mother put that on her child. I really don't want to talk about it.

Here's a look at it. We can look, but just don't say anything. Here's the front.

And the back:

See what I mean? Don't say it. Thanks.

Emmie is really getting tired of my nonsense.

Let's talk albino squirrels. Here's a little guy that M. and I saw across the street as we we're pulling out onto our road on the way to school. He's completely white with pink eyes.

I'm happy I got to see him, because I've never seen an albino squirrel before. But . . . I worry. I hope he has friends. I imagine a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer kind of life for this little guy. What if all the other squirrels laugh and call him names and never let poor albino join in any squirrel games?

A Poem

Roses are red.

Ribbons are pink.

It's time for a mammogram,

Don't you think?

It's October.

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

This month brings the 2 year anniversary

of my very first mammogram ever

- and my breast cancer diagnosis.

*

Here's some advice based on what

I've learned in the last 2 years:

*

Be good to yourself.

Put yourself first sometimes.

Be good to others.

Let others help you.

Be ever so grateful for your family and friends.

Do your monthly self-exams.

Schedule your mammogram appointment.

Knit something pink.

*

And perhaps the most important bit of advice I can give . . .

Listen to your mother.

Bada Bing

Maybe I don’t get out enough. I got out tonight and it was enough.

I went to Biagetti’s in West Haven for drinks with my friends from school. When I arrived with one of the girls, two others had already beat us there. They’d left two open barstools for us. Being the kindhearted person that I am, I let C. take the stool closest to our friends, and I took the stool next to . . . um . . . let’s just call him Paulie Walnuts. He looked to be about mid-60ish and was sitting alone at the end of the bar near the wall, so I presented his only opportunity for conversation. We exchanged a few words when I first sat down, mainly me checking with him to be sure the seat wasn’t taken.

When the manager set out some amazing happy hour food right in front of us, we talked about the good looking tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil, with him encouraging me to “Eat, eat. It’s no good when it’s not really cold.” After talking to him for a few minutes, I had to keep looking around to assure myself that I was at a nice, normal restaurant bar, and not a New Jersey strip joint. I kept turning to the left toward my friends to join their conversation, but I felt like I was being rude to Paulie. And it didn’t seem like a good idea to be rude to Paulie.

Paulie (not his real name) (I should say that I don’t know his name) started to tell me how great a place Biagetti’s is. “The food is great. That kid can cook. You gotta get Clams DeMaio. There was this guy, DeMaio, who came in one time and didn’t know what to eat. The chef took some clams, took out the clams, put in a shrimp and a scallop, put the clam back in, and put bread crumbs on top. Then he baked ‘em. Man, they’re so good. They’re not on the menu, but people in the know can order them. Clams DeMaio.”

“So I can order Clams DeMaio if I come in for dinner?” I asked him.

“Sure you could. Sure you could. I mean if it’s busy, they ain’t gonna make ‘em for you, but if it’s not busy, sure they’ll make ‘em for you.”

Our conversation went on. During this time, a few more of the girls came in and had pulled up new bar stools behind the others. They were all yucking it up over my new friendship with Paulie. I spotted one of them holding up her cell phone to try to get a picture of us, but I leaned back just in time and I found out later that she was only able to snap a shot of C.’s boob.

Paulie continued singing the praises of Biagetti’s. “You can’t get a bad meal in here. The people are real nice. It’s a good place. People watch their mouths. Somebody comes in and causes trouble, they get ‘em right out.”

“That’s good to know,” I told him.

“Yeah, somebody comes in and causes big trouble, I just call my nephew. He’s a lieutenant in the . . . . “

You know I fully expected him to say MOB. Then I took a breath and thought, no, he’ll say West Haven Police Force or State Police. It’s okay.

“ . . . . Hell’s Angels.”

That, of course, led Paulie to start talking motorcycles. He said the weather turned out to be really beautiful today and too bad he was told it was gonna rain because he didn’t ride his motorcycle. It was then that I really got a good look at what he was wearing – a black long-sleeve button down shirt with a black leather vest over it.

“You ride?” he asked me.

“No, I don’t,” I answered.

“You should ride. There’s nothin’ better,” he told me.

I shared my concerns about the fact that there’s nothing between the rider and the road and that lots of car drivers don’t treat motorcycles as true moving vehicles and pull out in front of them and cut them off. Too scary.

Paulie said, “Ya gotta be a real safe driver. Every day that I ride I get cut off at least 4 or 5 times. I want to pull out my 38 and shoot their tires out. That’s why I don’t carry when I ride.”

Gulp. (That was me.)

“You didn’t ride your motorcycle today, right? Does that mean you’re carrying?” I think I kind of whispered. (Holy SH*T! My idea of carrying is bringing my purse.)

Chuckle. (That was him.)

“Nah, I ain’t carrying.”

Luckily, a short while later, the bartender asked him if he wanted another drink. “Better not,” Paulie said. “I gotta get home or she’ll cut my balls off.”

Paulie Walnuts gathered his money off the bar, took the last slug from his drink (I shouldn’t have said slug) and told all of us how nice it was to meet us.

Right back at ya.

The girls fell apart into fits of giggles after he left and I had to tell them all they had missed. J., the school social worker, tried to put the positive spin on my experience: It gave me an opportunity to practice my meet and greet skills so I can get back out there and start dating.

I think I’ll just stay home and knit.

On Lollipops, Old Men and Being Led Down a Dark Path

The other day, M. and I bought our first 2007 bag of Caramel Apple Lollipops. We both look forward to these lollies, since we only find them in the fall. They're green apple flavored lollipops dipped in caramel. They're so good, even though they stick to your teeth.



We sat on the couch, each enjoying our fresh-out-of-the-bag lollipops, until Emmie came in. Since she usually loves to eat anything we're eating, she took a great interest in seeing what we were oohing and ahhing over. Marty held out his pop and, well . . . she loves them now, too.

For nearly ten minutes, Emmie licked and licked and licked some more. M. got tired of holding the pop, so I took over and M. went to get himself a new one.

Emmie seemed to know when to say when. She stopped licking and took a serious bath. I saved her lollipop for her in a baggie.

****

This morning, I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for coffee on my way to school. Nearly every time I go there, I see the old men. There's four of them. Each man sits at his own table - they never sit together. Each man sits facing toward the counter - they never face each other. They do, however, talk to each other. I love to eavesdrop on their conversations. Here's what I overheard this morning:

"The girl, Wendy, is 40. And the kid - he's only 34. "

"Really?"

"Yeah, the kid's only 34."

"Wendy is 40?"

"Yeah, Wendy is 40."

"Wendy or Windy?"

"Wendy."

"Windy?"

"No. Wendy."

"Wendy?"

"W-E-N-D-Y. Wendy."

"Not Windy?"

"No. Wendy"

"Not W-I-N-D-Y?"

"No. W-E-N-D-Y."

"Wendy."

"Right. Wendy."

"But Windy would be a nice name."

I laughed all the way to school. I love those guys.

****

Yesterday in school, my students and I read an article called, "Fresh Start in Africa." It was about a boy named Brandon who grew up in a rough area of Baltimore. He was getting into a lot of fights and getting bad grades. Neither his mom nor his school could handle him. Brandon was put into a special program for troubled boys that sent him to a boarding school in Africa. After a tough start, he turned himself around and lived happily ever after. (Did you doubt this? We wouldn't have read it if it didn't end this way!) In the article, we read that Brandon learned that he couldn't be a "ringleader or a follower."

I asked my kids if they knew what it meant to be a ringleader. A hand went up, but the girl described the job of a ringmaster at the circus. (Good try!)

Me: Now think. He's a troubled boy - a boy who gets into trouble. A ringLEADER. What might a troubled boy try to LEAD others to do?

A boy: Ooh ooh! He would lead others to do bad things.

Me: You've got it.

A girl: A ringleader leads other people to do stuff.

Me: Ding ding ding ding!

(An adorable front-toothless boy raises his hand.)

Front-toothless boy: Could you also say that he leads others down a dark path?

(My jaw dropped.)

Me: Absolutely! That's a great way to put it. You have a way with words.

(Cute boy smiles and giggles.)

Me: I can tell that you're going to be a great writer in 3rd grade this year.

Front-toothless boy: Nah. That's from Star Wars.

(I love my job.)

****

I knit a little.

Things That Made Me Smile This Week

Since it seems that, completely against my will, I'm becoming a once-a-week blogger, I thought it would be nice to share some of the highlights of my week.

I'm smiling because . . .

. . . I've finally finished the last of my felted purses. They're in the washer felting as we speak. These two are for moms of two of my last year's students. They wanted to buy the purses at my school's Relay for Life table a few weeks ago, but others beat them to them.

Now that I've finished them, I can get on with other things. I actually picked up my mitered square blanket and started a new miter. What I really need to start knitting are baby sweaters and blankets. Quite a few of my teacher friends are having babies - again. We had a rush on babies last year, and now they're at it again.

. . . I love my new couch. As I'm heading out to my car at the end of the school day, I'm picturing the big, comfy cushions waiting for me. Emmie loves it, too.

. . . My DVR is working beautifully, recording more hours of television than I can possiblly watch. We've got, The View, Oprah, Dr. Phil, Survivor, Diagnosis X, LA Ink, Lil' Bush, Larry King Live, Prison Break, The Soup . . . the list goes on and on. The list will only get longer now that all of the new fall shows are starting. I love me some good TV!

. . . My boy is loving high school. He's pops out of bed every morning, goes to school happy, comes home happy, and looks forward to the next day. He's staying on top of his homework (so far) and he's keep his room neat and tidy. Okay, I lied about that last one. We won't talk about the macaroni and cheese bowl hidden in his desk drawer.

. . . I have a mad crush on M.'s Algebra II teacher. I went to Open House at the high school and went through M.'s schedule to each of his classes. I thought all of his teachers were great, but the math guy just really made an impression. Cute and fun. (When I told M. that I had a crush on his math teacher, he said, "Ma, he has 3 kids." "So what," I said. "I like kids.") What I didn't like so much was the cleavage on the Spanish teacher, and the large tattoo on her left boob that we could all see way too much of. Emmie has a plan to get to check out the teachers for herself:

. . . One of my little darling 3rd graders showed me that she really pays attention to what I say. When giving directions for our very first math test of the year, I asked the children, "When you finish the test, and you've written your last answer, what's the next thing you should do?" One of the teacher-pleasers raised his hand and said, "Check it over." That's what I was looking for. I made a big deal of writing on the white board: aCHECK IT OVER! After finishing her test, the above-mentioned little darling took out her blue magic marker and checked it over. Here's the first page:

Here's the 2nd page. Notice she's making her version of my "correct" marks:


Stick with me. It gets better. Here's Page 3, with some happy words:

And my all-time favorite kid-produced piece of work, the last page with some encouraging praise:
I almost cried when I read this. It was just too cute. Not only has she been listening to all of the confidence-boosting this I say to her, but she's been paying attention during the math lessons. She really did a fantastic job. Here's what I, the teacher, wrote on her test:

The final smile came on Friday, when I finally left school as the sun was setting. I stayed late to get organized and ready for next week. When I got in the car, I decided to take the scenic route home. I headed down the road that runs along the water - the road I avoid only because the traffic light at the end of it always keeps me sitting way too long. I figured I was in no great rush and I could enjoy the view.

And what a view it was.

That's Charles Island, out in Long Island Sound. It's rumored that Captain Kidd visited the island long ago and buried his treasure.

And here is the real smile-maker . . .

Pink sky over the water. This is the town in which I live and work. I'm so lucky. People go on vacations to places that look like this. I should take the long way home more often.

Hi Honey - I'm Home!

Did you miss me? You've probably been crying yourself to sleep every night because I hadn't posted for more than 10 days. Dry your tears. I'm here.

I've been digging into the new school year and haven't had the time or the energy for my blog or for Ravelry. I'm happy about being back in school and focusing on my schoolwork, but I miss my knitting world.

Here are a few things I've managed to finish:



The purple one (Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Blue Bonnet) is going to my Aunt Carol. She saw it in its pre-button state and like it, so it's hers. I'll mail it on Monday. The blue one below it (Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Hyacinth) is in my bag right now. I don't love love love it, but it's okay. I made a fancy little crocheted flap on this one, but I don't like the way it came out. My basic recipe for this bag is best, in my opinion.

Since I had Thursday off, I had the energy to go to SnB. I missed it last week, so I was so happy to go. In my short history with SnB, there have been a few times when we've dared each other to wear different things we've knit to our Thursday night meet-up. The other Kelly and I agreed to wear things the same night - me, my first socks and her, a sweater she'd just finished. She was afraid she'd seem like a show-off if she wore it, but I insisted that that was what she was supposed to do. I told her I'd wear my socks if she wore the sweater. We both did. (Okay, I took the socks off shortly after I arrived. It was summer, after all, and I was wearing a skirt and Crocs and looked like the Queen of All Dorks. Kelly, I'm happy to say, kept her sweater on.)

Another time, Val finished a pair of what she called her "unmentionables" - old-fashioned pettipants to sleep in. I dared her, on her blog, to wear them to SnB and I'd give her 10 bucks. She declined. Sensible girl.

This week, Jen finished her first pair of socks - bright yellow slipper socks, which I'd named her Big Bird socks. She'd knit only one, and moved on to new socks - nice-looking striped socks. I strongly encouraged her to knit the 2nd Big Bird, telling her that she'd forever save them as her very first handknit socks. Being the good girl that she is (and I'm a 3rd grade teacher - I can talk anyone into finishing anything) she knit the twin and posted the picture on her blog. Of course, I had to double-dog dare her to wear them to SnB - again for 10 bucks - and she did it. I paid up. Now, you have to read her blog post:

http://wifemomknitter.blogspot.com/2007/09/i-got-double-dog-dare.html

She made me cry. I told you that knitters were good people!

And before I go, here's Emmy, wearing the beads that I got at the Relay for Life last week.

She loves the silver beads, but . . .

decided to throw on the blue beads, too, for some extra pizzzazz.

Shouldn't We Have Nap Time in 3rd Grade?

I need to put a note in the Suggestion Box. I could have plopped down on the linoleum tile floor of my classroom and taken a really good snooze today. The first day of school is e x h a u s t i n g! Within 15 minutes of arriving before school this morning, I was racing, frizzing, and yes . . . I was stinking. Yuck. Non-stop all day long. I think I might have sat down when I read a book to the class, but I don't really remember.

I have 19 really cute kids. They all wanted to know when they could have homework (?!) and when we'd learn cursive writing. Gotta love it. I'm happy to be back. It just takes the first day to hook me again and I love being there.

I have a kid-tracking system. It pre-dates GPS, but it works for me. I need to know where each student is at all times, and with 19 kids, it's so easy to send one to the nurse and one to the lav, and after 2 minutes realize that I have no idea who went out of the room and where they went. So here's my system:

Each child has a clothespin with his/her name on it. At the beginning of the day, the clothespins are clipped to the "I'm Not Here" sign. When the kids arrive, they clip their pins to the "I'm Here" sign, divided by boys and girls. I also have other signs for "I went to the Boys Lav," "I went to the Girls' Lav," "I'm at the Nurse or the Office," "I'm at my Reading Group," and "I'm on a mission for Ms. R." The mission sign is used when I send a student to be a messenger or go on an errand. Thought I was all set. Sounds like I covered everything, right? This afternoon, a dollfaced little girl asked me if she could go to get a drink of water. When I said yes, she asked, "Where do I put my clothespin?" Hmmm. Don't have an "I went to get a drink of water" sign. So I told her to clip it to the "I'm on a mission" sign and that she was on a mission to quench her thirst. She looked up at me and said, "You're fun." It's those little things that make the racing, frizzing and stinking completely worthwhile.

My boy started high school today. It was terribly painful for me. He was SO excited about school until we got in the car to drive there. When we pulled in to the parking lot, he wasn't sure which doors were the correct ones to enter. I saw kids being dropped off and going in a set of doors and pointed them out. M. thought the kids looked "like seniors" and that maybe he shouldn't go that way. Poor thing. I encouraged him to go, saying he just needed a door and a hallway and he'd get to his homeroom. He got out of the car and walked slowly, and stiffly, toward the building. He looked like he could have shattered into pieces if tapped on the shoulder. My stomach hurt. I was so thankful that I had a job that would keep me busy so I couldn't think about him all day. I thought about him, of course, but not in that teary-I'm-going-to-be-sick way. After school ended - an hour after M.'s school let out, I had to meet with a parent who had a lot to say. I didn't get to call him until 3:35. He was home. He was happy. He liked it. I took my first deep breath of the day (then I realized I had to pee because I hadn't gotten a chance to go all day, but I'm getting off track). He told me about his Math class - (in a low key way - not bragging, thank goodness) He's one of only 3 freshmen (he's a freshman!) in his Algebra II class. The rest of the class are juniors. I'm so proud of my boy.

Just a little funny that he said to me the other day when we were talking about school: "Mom, you could never be a high school teacher." "Why not?" "The kids are so tough. You couldn't handle it. You'd be emotionally distraught." (This from the same boy who once looked at my hair and asked if I'd thought about seeing a stylist.)

On a knitting note, look what came for me on Saturday:

"Hey there,frecklegirl has invited you to Ravelry! Here you go! Thanks for your interest in our little site."

Little site, my you-know-what. This place is amazing! I became an overnight Ravelry addict, putting in all my projects and finished objects, looking at all of the patterns I want to knit next, checking out everyone's beautiful knitting, entering my needle and hook inventory (so great!) and checking out some of the groups. Yarn Harlot is on Ravelry and she has a ton of beautiful projects she's done. It's fun to be able to see what everyone is doing. Several of the SnB girls are on Ravelry, and more are getting closer to their invitation. You'll love it!

Another thing related to nothing:
I was watching (oh, I so hate to admit this) "Scott Baio is 45 and Single" (gag now, please - get it over with). He went to a jewelry store with his friend to look at an engagement rings for his girlfriend. He said, "Why don't we just get the chromium zucchini and she'll never know the difference." Cubic Zirconium. I actually snorted.

Bed time.

I Can Almost Taste It

Just checked in at Ravelry and I'm almost there:

Found you!
You signed up on June 24, 2007
You are #10856 on the list.
56 people are ahead of you in line.
18999 people are behind you in line.
36% of the list has been invited so far

I can smell it!


It's really sad that I signed up for Ravelry at the beginning of my summer vacation, and I'll get my invite at the end of my summer vacation. I would have had SO much time to play there and now I won't have much time at all. My real life, especially now that a new school year is starting, really gets in the way of my knitting. It's a problem. (For the non-knitting-obsessed, Ravelry is a new website - billed as a knit and crochet community where you can organize, share, and discover. Val from SnB is in and loves it, calling it a time sucker - but in the best possible way.)


This week, I've been getting ready for school - organizing my classroom, putting up bulletin board frou frou, putting the kids names on all of their folders, booklets, clothespins, and craft sticks. It's a fun and easy part of the job, but it takes up a ton of time. That's the reason you haven't heard from me for over a week.


A little while ago, I felt I was finally done with my room, had everything all set and ready for kids to walk in on Tuesday morning. I went to a great workshop today led by one of my former grade partners and current principal of another school in town and I was all charged up for a new school year. I came home to enjoy my l-o-n-g last weekend and made the mistake of listening to my messages.


Hi! It's Joanne from school. Just wanted to let you know that we had a parent come in this afternoon to register a new student and . . . you're getting him. His name is E... (mumble something unintelligible). Have a great weekend!


Rats. Nothing against this delightful young boy, but couldn't his mama have registered a little sooner? Doesn't she realize that I don't have clothespins, craft sticks, folders, booklets, nor a birthday sign with her son's name on them? Her boy will feel terribly left out if I don't hustle my not-used-to-getting-up-at-6AM rear-end into school early to scramble and get this stuff done. It's a big deal. I don't just write the kids' names on things. I write the kids' names in a cutesy fancy way so that they feel special. Oh, and this young man needs a desk with his name on it. Maybe even a chair. At least the chair doesn't need to have a cutesy fancy name.


It could be worse. One year, on the first day of school, my principal decided to bump a child from another class to mine because she thought it would be a better fit for him. She told me this at 8:10 AM and that gave me exactly 10 minutes to do all the cutesy fancy things that would make this bear cub feel welcome. I started the day with a racing heartbeat, frizzy curls around my face, and the unpleasant odor of someone who just ran a marathon. I couldn't stand myself that day. Sticky and stinky. I'll pace myself on Tuesday so that I don't race, frizz or smell. I hope.


I have been lucky enough to find time for knitting. I've been working on wallet-size felted purses to sell and/or raffle at our upcoming Relay for Life benefitting the American Cancer Society. My team is all about breast cancer (that sounds like we're for it, but we're really against it), thus the pink. Here are the befores:

And the afters:


The purses were identical when they were knit, following the same pattern, but the two yarns felted so differently, leaving the purses a different size and shape. The light pink is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Pink Cheeks. The bright pink is Patons Classic Wool in That's Pink. The Knit Picks yarn shrank/shrunk less in height and more in width, while the Patons did the opposite. I like them both. The bright pink purse will hold a checkbook, while the other size might be a better fit for makeup or money/ID.


I came up with the pattern myself, based on some of the purses in the book Felted Knits by Beverly Galeska. It's a quick and easy knit. An easy quickie? Here it is:

Lil' Felted Purse

*100% wool worsted weight yarn (not superwash)
*Size 11 circular needles - 16"
*Stitch marker
*Crochet hook (size H/8 5.00MM works for me)
*A pretty button

Gauge: What gauge? We don't do gauge here. This is the anti-gauge purse.

Cast on 60 stitches (I use long-tail cast on method).
Join round and knit 30 rounds in stockinette stitch (knit every stitch). I don't use a stitch maker to mark the beginning of the round, since the tail left by the long-tail cast on shows me where the round begins, but you might want to place a marker before joining your round.
Round 31: (decrease) K4, [K2tog, K3] 4 times, K2tog, K34 (55 stitches remain.)
Round 32: P25, K30
Round 33: B/O 25, K30 (30 stitches remain) (The bound off stitches are the opening of the front of the purse and the remaining 30 stitches will form the flap).
Row 34: (WS) K3, P to last 3 st, K3 (We're no longer knitting rounds - we're knitting rows.)
Row 35: (RS) K all st.
Rows 36-43: Repeat rows 34 and 35 four (4) more times.
Row 44: Repeat row 34 once more.
Row 45: (decrease) K4, [K2tog, K3] 4 times, K2tog, K4 (25 stitches remain)
Rows 46 & 47: K all sts.
Bind off knitwise.

To add a button loop, I add a row of single crochet: Single crochet in each of first 12 stitches, chain 10, skip one stitch, single crochet in last 12 stitches. Finish off and weave in all ends.

Before felting, the purse should measure roughly 9 1/2" W x 7 1/2" L, with the flap being about 4" L. But then again, it just doesn't matter. After felting, it's anyone's guess. My bright pink purse is about 7" W x 4 1/4" L, with a 2 1/4" L flap. The light pink bag is about 5 3/4" W x 4 1/2" L, with a 1 3/4" L flap. Not that it matters.

I felt my purses in a hot water wash with an eensy drop of laundry detergent. With both of the yarns I've used, they felt well in about 10 minutes. Speedy quick and they don't take forever to dry - a few days at most.

You might choose to finish your purse differently. You can skip the crocheted button loop (although it's so pretty), felt the purse as is, and cut (!) a button hole in the flap. I've done it, and as long as your yarn is tightly felted, you'll have no worries. I think. Maybe. You could also knit a button hole by binging off a few stitches in the center of one of the last few rows, and cast the stitches on again in the next row, using a backward loop cast on.

And one last thing: In absolutely-not-necessary-but-greatly-appreciated payment for felting a hand-knit bag belonging to my SnB friend, Barb, I'm now the proud mothe . . . owner of a skein of Opal sock yarn!

Isn't it the cutest thing you ever saw? It's a self-patterning yarn, so I'll be entertained as I knit a simple sock. Can't wait to use it.

I'm not sure what color it is, because I can't read the language of the Germans. (I can occasionally pick out the words bratwurst and Volkswagen. ) This is what I see: Opal 6-fach, Farbe 1251, Partie 3. It also says: Nur Garn aus einer, and Partie verwenden. Whatever it says, it sounds good. Thanks again, Barb.

Hi Mom.

Never a Dull Moment & the Final Surprise

Our Thursday night Stitch 'n Bitch Meet-Up was even more fun than usual, thanks to a visit from WTNH Channel 8's own Geoff Fox, Ted Koppy, and local celebrity knitter/news anchor Ann Nyberg. Now don't get excited and think they were there to do a story about our talented and lively knitting group (After all, Geoff Fox is a meteorologist and try as we might, we haven't been able to get our skeins of cotton and wool to absorb all the moisture in the air and lower the humidity. He wouldn't want to do a story on us, right?). They simply came in to Panera to have dinner between their 6:00 PM and 11:00 PM newscasts. Being the fun and friendly people they are, they came over to our group of table hogs to say hello.

There's just something about pictures of people holding socks, so here we go:

1. Geoff holds Val's new Walk-Like-An-Egyptian sock (her own design!) while Ted keeps a smile on as he wishes he could hold it.


2. Ann looks at Pat's latest dishcloth (she finished one and started another in the same sitting - Prolific Pat!), probably wishing she could quit her job at Channel 8 and join the Stitch'n Bitch-ers.


3. Ted finally snaps and his attempt at swiping my modified-Monkey sock from Geoff turns into an all-out Tug-of-War. Boys play rough.


4. Everyone calms down as Geoff hands the sock to a very gentle, lady-like Ann.

5. Ann holds the sock while showing it the respect it deserves. It takes a knitter to truly honor the sock.

Geoff Fox asked me to email him the picture of the Tug-of-War, saying there was a possibility that he would show it on the 11:00 PM newscast. In my excitement at the idea of showing my sock to the worl . . . um, to Connecticut, I actually left S'n B early to be sure I could get home in enough time to send the pictures. I sent the requested photo, but also sent the picture of Ann shown above. Sure enough, at the end of the weather forecast, Geoff showed both photos and told the viewers about going for dinner and interrupting the "Stitch and not going to say the word but it's a rhyming word."

Big excitement for me! My last brush with celebrity was having Eddie Murphy come through the drive-thru at Burger King where I worked when I was 16. Since I know you want to ask: Yes, it was him. A gold 280 Z. Two cheesburgers, mustard and onion only. There was a real, live cat laying on the dashboard.

And the final Baby Surprise Jacket:

I sewed on the buttons, crocheted a blue edging all around, and finished the weaving-in-of-ends at S'n B. I wish I was tiny enough to wear it.

I'm still not sure which baby is going to be wearing this jacket. There are several bundles of cuteness hanging around. Alphabetical order? Age? Doesn't scream when she sees me? So hard to choose . . . Need to make more.