Ta-Da!

They are done!  I'm happy with them, although still not thrilled with the bind-of...I did do the Surprising Stretchy Bind-off that a few people mentioned.  However I didn't really do a cuff, so it rolls a bit.  I'm okay with that....it's all a learning process....

Not sure which ones I'll do next....I want to finish up the three I have on the needles at the moment..

The Beaded Camo's...yes the foot is short and fat...the short doesn't bother me...they actually stretch to my foot....but the fat is kinda funny...they were only in one size and I'm not expert enough yet to fiddle with numbers...and the heel flap is way too BIG! But as I said, learning process...

My Jaywalkers....These are further along than the picture....I'm on the heel flap....I will love these when done!

My Kai-Mei....I am on the foot on the first sock.....These I will love, too....

I did just order the yarn to make Memento Mori from Indie Socks.  So those might be the next ones...

As always...Tami, Wisdom in Wonder and Natural Suburbia....only Tami has her linky up at the moment...

Ouchies

So at work yesterday I fell down outside, which resulted in some ouchies...

Some abrasions and a swollen knee...I also landed on my right shoulder and arm, which is extremely sore and achey today...

But I got lots done, so classroom is looking pretty good...

Some more posters need to go up..and a few other smaller things, but pretty much done...

So for my achey body today, I am having a down day and working on this..

My Jaywalkers...the second sock, which had been ripped out.....

And...woot! I finished the red, white and blue, using the surprising stretchy bind-off that a couple people mentioned....the cuff is a bit short, but it works...I'll post a picture on Friday...

Socks Fail

So I thought I'd have those finished socks by now....all I need to do is bind off....however I have tried two different ones and the bind-off is still too tight....will try another tonight...

I do have these to share...

They are baby legwarmers...

The pattern is Baby Legs Pattern
The yarn is Twisted Sisters Oracle.
 The baby is 8 week old Anna, a friend's baby.

What is cool about this yarn, is you get a Baby Onesie tye-dyed the same colors as the yarn.  Anna is not wearing the tye-dyed onesie in the picture.  We were just trying the legwarmers on to make sure they fit, as it's still too hot for legwarmers...She should look adorable with the whole outfit...And she already christened the legwarmers...;) she had a very runny poop...it went EVERYWHERE!

Tami's Amis, Wisdom in Wonder, and Natural Suburbia for our week's wrap-up...

Funny

This so made me laugh!

A Tired WIP Wednesday

Good morning....

I've added stripes to the bodice of the Granny Square Tunic....I think it'll help separate the squares.  I now have to make the larger squares for the skirt.  I am also still reading The House At Riverton, but it is slow going at the moment...but I love the language of the book...

What is my real WIP this week?  Where I have spent hours and hours of my time and it is still undone? My classroom!  Most teachers, when the school year is done, must pack up their classrooms, so they can be cleaned during the summer.  Our floors are waxed, which means everything must be up and off the floors.  I also moved this year.  I was in the same room for 10 years...in the past 5, I have moved 3 times....

I back my bulletin boards with fabric....I had only done half in previous years.  This year I did all of them....

I absolutely ADORE the fabric to the left in the first photo.  That is a tough bulletin board, as there are wires and things to cut around.  The fabric is thicker than the others...and should hold up pretty well.  I also put a fun owl fabric up next to my "desk" (I haven't had an official desk in years).  Then I found the fun monkey fabric, so added a bit of that...

The curtains were put up by a previous teacher....I like them, they'll cut down on the glare and some of the heat.  My room faces the east, so we get the sun pretty much all day.

So back today to work on it some more....we start officially next week, the kids after Labor Day.

As always, if you'd like to see more....Yarn Along  and Tami's Amis

So About That Yarn I Mentioned?

During our day of historical immersion, we took a side trip to visit the yarn....I'll post about the shop later.

We went to Wild and Woolly Studio in Lexington.  And I decided to adopt some yarn to take home.  Yeah, I know...no surprise there....

Rowan Colourspun...I absolutely ADORE this yarn!  I made a hat of it in the fall.  These four beauties are going to be a striped cowl.....the lady on the shop showed me a picture of a cowl she wanted to make and I decided I needed one too, but mine will be crocheted...

My friend Deidre, whom I adore and love, and who loves everything I make her, had a cowl I made her for her birthday last year....

Here she is wearing it in Ireland.
Well her husband washed it...and she has asked me several times if there is anything she can do.....so when I saw the same yarn, different color, on sale, well what is there to be done?

And, of course, I need one too......

Then...I fondled some of my favorite yarn, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, and the Forest colorway came home with me....

Then on my way on Sunday, I stopped at The Woolpack in Acton...and this pretty decided it needed a new home...

It feels absolutely luscious!  Merino, cashmere and silk....so soft!!

Gifties on Monday

Today, after spending several hours starting to unpack my classroom (and many more hours will be spent) I came home to an unexpected package all the way from England!!!!  Woo-hoo!!!

Sue is one of my teammates in Nerd Wars.  She had made these great wristlets from a late 19th century pattern.  She commented that they had turned out really small.  I made an off-hand comment that I had very small wrists and she said they were mine....yippee....

She also enclosed an Olympics pin.  I am a huge fan of the Olympics, of what they are meant to be, of the spirit of the Games...and I have several items from the last couple of Games...so very excited about this!

She also enclosed some fun cake decorations...YUM!  I just might have to make cupcakes!

So do they fit?

Oh YES!  I can't wait to wear them this fall...I feel like I'm in a Jane Austen novel when wearing them....

Cast On Baby!!!!!!

So very awesome!!!!  Another yarn store I need to visit!

A Little History, A Little Yarn

Today I headed to Concord, Mass.  I was going to visit Orchard House, the home where Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women.  Little Omen is one of my all-time favorite books.  I also really enjoyed Eight Cousins.  I did read all of her children's books.

I met an online friend, Aimless.  We had such a great day!  No pictures were allowed in the house, but I took some outside...it was raining when I arrived, but cleared up while we took the tour.

After the tour, we headed to Old North Bridge, where "the shot heard round the world" happened.  It was the beginning of The Revolutionary War.  I had never been there, they created a very nice park.

There have been seven bridges, it is not the original bridge. 

 We walked across and up the hill.  That hill is where the Redcoats marched down.  As we walked up the path, there was an injured red-tailed hawk that flew into the meadow..

Top of the hill/meadow

Then we went yarn shopping...more on that later...

Being Called to the Podium

Well some of you may be expecting to see some finished socks....however they are in time out...I had 2 issues...

1.  I made them too long and they do not stretch enough to go over my calves, so RIIIIIPPPPPING is happening...

2.  I messed up the bind-off and it was not stretchy enough to go over my heel....

so next week they will be here, but not today.....but today I'm going to proudly display my Bobicus medals won from the Ravellenic Games...

I also received in the mail, my London 2012 special skein of yarn.  Jimmy Beans Wool and Lorna's Laces (my fav) got together and made a special offer...Every time the USA won a medal, .05 came off the price!  So let me present London 2012

I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with it....socks would be cool, but just not sure yet...

Should I Knit While We Cruise?

So a couple weeks ago, I read about an upcoming Knitting Cruise around the Thimble Islands.  I thought that sounds like a lot of fun, so I booked a spot...

On Tuesday night I headed down to Branford, but first I stopped at a favorite yarn shop, Madison Wool.  It was great to see Dayna again.  Plus she has been posting lots of goodies on her Facebook page, so I knew there would be tons of gorgeous goodies...and I was not wrong.

Spun Monkey in Pollinator...these will become some fun bee socks!

Rhino Fluff in Deep Sea...look at that blue!

Schoppel in their new Gradient, which is a slightly felted yarn.  I think I'm going to make their free cowl with it...and yeah it's a crochet pattern!

I also bought a pattern and a fun butterfly button....but what about the cruise you ask?  I had met Gale a couple years ago at Rhinebeck....I knew no one else on the cruise, but I left having made several new friends!

Although I chose to just enjoy the cruise, many people did bring out their knitting....

It was so much fun, it's going to become an annual event.  In fact, Gale is thinking of doing it twice next summer!!!

Gale has also posted some pictures on her blog...