I'm back in school. And with the 1 1/2 hour commute, and the 8 hours of classes per day, I haven't had any time to blog, or knit, or do anything other than school (teaching and learning). But I love it, even though its sometimes infuriating. It is fun, and I am learning a lot about schools and about myself as a teacher.
The above pic is of Math class! It was fun. Kinda looks like a prayer crcle or something-- but trust me it was math.
But I'm itching to knit something. I want to make a scarf. Any pattern ideas?
Every month, I get debilitating cramps and all I can do to make it through is sleep and gripe. Tomorrow, I'm going to the K-W knitter's fair with my Kimmy, and(blogless)Kate.
As for today,I'm in bed, with the first seasons of "True Blood" and "Family Guy" and a whole lotta Midol.
If I see you at the Knitter's fair tomorrow, high five me for making it through.
Is it wrong to want to sing a song to yarn you bought?
I bought some Dream in Color Starry today, and its so pretty.
First problem: I broke my "only buying yarn for specific projects" rule.
But I couldn't help myself...
Second problem: I don't know what to knit with it. It's much to lovely to make socks that I'll only cram into my shoes. So that leaves something lacy and lush. Maybe a little shawlette that I can wear as a scarf in the fall and winter. It is the perfect color for those seasons. With a hint of sparkle.
So pretty.
Its semi-solid, so a lace pattern shouldn't disappear in it. Any ideas?
I've been on a mission of sorts. I currently have one 50L tote full of sock yarn in my stash. That's about 60 hanks. But my sock mojo has been waning lately. So, I've been trying to work through my sock yarn collection with other-than-socks projects.
After hours looking through patterns on Ravelry, I decided on Knotty gloves. And I'm glad I did. What a great pattern.
I've never knit gloves before, and I thought they would be tedious, especially with all the fingers. But they weren't. The fingers knit up really fast. There's a little cabling on the wrist for some fun and interest. It was a great travel project-- I worked on them everywhere. The pattern was really clear. And they were relatively fast too.
Specs:
Pattern: Knotty Gloves Yarn: Dream In Color Smooshy in Blue Lagoon, less than 1 hank Needles: 2.5 mm DPNs Time to Complete: about 2 weeks Mods: just needle size because I have big hands Love It Level?: 10! I can't wait until it gets colder so I can wear them! Who am I kidding? I just can't wait until it gets colder-- its hot.
Close up the the cable-y goodness:
Yay for new gloves! I want to make some in orange, but I think next time, I'm going to make them longer, and change the cable. Oooh, I have ideas!
It's Monday morning, and I'm sitting at my desk with very little to do right now. The email network is down, so all the tasks I have to complete are stuck in cyberspace with no way out until Kevin at IT can fix it.
Since, I'm waiting for stuff to do, I decided to let you know of whats to come blog-wise.
I have finished my gloves! It was the first time I've made a pair of gloves and they are lovely. I will be posting them once I can get a good picture.
What else is up? In no particular order:
- my "coffee boyfriend" is MIA lately. Which means I've been paying for the morning magic. Boo.
- a fly keeps flying around my head this morning. A whole office, and its decided to become my companion. I feel like pigpen or something.
- Ravelry racism is keeping me from the forums. Sometimes people don't want to admit that they said something wrong.
- I haven't knit with actual people in a long time. I should rectify that this week.
- We got a new bed this weekend. I finally sleep comfortably!
- I found a new coffee spot, where I have friends and fun.
- A volunteer yelled at me last week, and this made me really mad. Instead of letting it go, I haven't been able to stop being mad about it. I'm usually more forgiving than this.
- Everyone's back at the office, but I'm being not as social as I usually am. Could be becasue I don't like talking to the student we have working here.
- I'm Southern, and even I find it too hot.
- I love that Black Eyed Peas song "I Got A Feelin'" and its on the radio right now. I should go shake it. I'll close my office door first.
- I'm wearing a skirt for the first time in 8 months. Feels weird. I'm worried that I've tucked the back into my underwear. So I'm constantly checking the back of my skirt.
I know, I know. Christmas is some months away. But that's no reason to get a jump on my Christmas gifts! Because I'm going back to school, money will be a little short around here by December, I'm sure. So I've decided that my family and friends will be getting handmade gifts this year. While I'm not sure what everyone is getting, I've started to make some nice things for the "gift box."
This is the Multi-Directional scarf pattern. It looks so nice in Noro. I won't be knitting all my gifts this year, I plan to sew some too. I can't wait to do some more quilted wall hangings for people. And I have to finish the fair-isle mitts I promised Id make for D. I already have a list. Maybe this way I won't feel the pressure when winter comes.
It's not done yet, but its going very fast. So far, I've used 2 balls of Noro Kuryeon to make it. One more ball should make it long enough. It's getting softer as I knit it too. I have no idea who it will be for. So if you get it for Christmas, can you act surprised?
Remember when this was a knitting blog? Not a bitching blog? Well, I'm back!
2 weeks ago, we cleaned out our house. I kept all my yarn, but I promised D that I would knit from my stash, not buy new yarns for projects. I am allowed to buy additional yarn to finish projects that I start from my stash.
I have a lot of yarn.
Not as much as some *ahem of my friends, but a lot. I have a 50L tub of sock yarn. I've been trying to knit it down. Here's the first of the stash busting knits:
I had D model it because I couldn't get a good pic of it on my head. I didn't follow a pattern.
Specs:
Pattern: None. A hat, back in forth first, then joined in the round for the crown. Yarn: Socks That Rock lightweight, in Mossay Needles: 3.25 circs and dpns Time to complete?: a week Love it level?: 10! I love the color, and I love the buttons me and Kwatch picked out! Here's a close up:
Now all I'm hoping is that it looks as good on me as it does on D!
When I have an especially trying day, I like to bake. It works out well for D; instead of bitching, I bake cakes.
As I was making some cupcakes tonight, I fell into that zen-like trance I do when I'm beating cake batter and I got thinking-- how the heck does cake rise? How does it go from a liquid to a solid? Is it magic? Does my oven have elves living in behind the broken light that run out when I turn the oven on?
Alas no, there are no elves. But there is science.
Now, I wasn't the biggest fan of science. I barely understood what my teachers were talking about-- all those abstract properties and formulas. So what I have tried to do is explain cake baking not for the science-types, but for the arts-minded folk, like me.
I'm a historian.
The Science of Baking in Four Steps:
1. High heats in the oven expand the specialized oxygen atoms ( Ocsion atoms for the interested) in the baking soda/ baking powder that the electrons around the oxygen atoms expand. In arts-speak: The things that move around the atoms expand and think about moving on.
2. The electrons bonds to the Ocsion and carbon atoms, and the the central cores (Carbocsine) of the chemical "baking soda" is broken. Arts-speak: The things that move around the atoms find a new home with some other atoms. Trifling electrons.
3. The Ocsion bonds to the sodium atoms also brake, and make the former central core into a new core (Carbocsine- C204) Arts: Part of the new bonds break and make a new central meeting place (but instead of creating a new name, lazy scientists change a number. This in science makes a whole new compound apparently.)
4. Water molecules move through the dough, but the Cabocsine becomes trapped within, stiffening the dough. Arts: The water probably evaporates (probably isn't a science word is it?) and the Cabocsine trapped created the holes that are in bread and cake. As the Cabo-thingy expands it makes the holes and solids the liquid.
And volia! Cake.
I would have made pictures, but they're just a bunch of circles.
Now have you learned something? I'm not sure if I have yet... But I have cupcakes to eat now!
Remember when you were in grammar school, and the summer came up? Couldn't wait for the summertime to play with friends... Go to camp... Do the things that kids do in the summer. Now it seems that I'm working through it. I'm not taking any vacation this year. Usually I make a point to go somewhere-- but this year we're on the staycation plan. I need some ideas to make staying home exciting. As someone who love to travel, this summer is rushing by, and I've not much to show for it. I have a clean house (and its spotless after our "big clean") and a nice summer wardrobe, but not much else.
It seems so much more important that I have a good summer since I'll be going back to school in the fall.
Yep, its official, I gave my notice to my manager today that I would be leaving in the fall. Its just on time too with all the restructuring that's going on. I'm going to Teacher's College to become a teacher. Which is exactly what I want to do as a career.
A couple of weeks ago, I auditioned for a community theatre play around here. And I did really well (if I do say so myself). I sang "Someone Else's Story" from Chess, musical theatre vehicle for Benny and Bjorn from ABBA fame. Its a hard song with 6 flats and 2 key changes (for you music types). And I nailed it. Even though I was cut off in the middle of a modulation. even though the pianist had no idea what he was playing.
And I never heard anything.
Fast forward to this weekend. I get a message that I was asked to come back for a chorus part. There's a dance audition Tuesday. I'm not all that interested in a chorus part, but who knows. Today (Sunday) I get another call from the director. telling e I got a callback for the lead part I wanted, but the email he sent to me didn't go through. They had to cast the part anyways because I missed the callback, but would I be in the play anyways?
The thing that pisses me off? Why didn't he call if he knew that the email didn't go through? He called to see if I was going to the dance audition...
So I had to graciously decline. I'm going to work on my own jazz thing this summer anyways. I said that I would audition for the next one; and I will. I am disappointed, the show would have been fun.
And what a nice day for it. About 20 minutes away, in the Green Belt there's "the little Fibre Festival that could" in May of each year called the Grimsby Fleece and Fibrefest. It was small, but it was friendly, especially when you're greeted by and alpaca named "Norm".
The vendors were so nice. One vendor taught me how to spin on a drop spindle. And I got it. It wasn't hard at all. Now, I'm not great at it, but what is it they say about practice...?
And I got to meet some pretty stressed out alpacas. I felt bad for those dudes, but they were pretty funny:
I didn't know alpacas made that noise. I find it hilarious. And easy to mimic.
And of course, I bought stuff. Not too much, but enough to keep me busy for a while.
Yes, I have already tried out my drop spindle. I hope to use my new spinning skills to make some crazy yarn, for some crazier one of a kind hats. I hope that works out for me.
![D's Mitts](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_C4xLq_vtqjE/SXPGlRdeJrI/AAAAAAAAA4k/sje5GOCTzQQ/s1600-h/100_0790.JPG"){kind=link}
