TUSAL

I joined the Totally Useless Stitch Along this year....I thought it looked fun and OMG! easy! and there are prizes!....so here is my empty jar, as I have not thrown any ORT (Old Ratty Threads) in there yet. I put some pretty yarn around it to color up the picture.... These will be my left over yarn from weaving in ends and finishing on objects.....

School has started again and I am oh so tired already....tomorrow we have our first field trip....we are going bowling, yes bowling...it's something to do mathematical. I teach with three other teachers whose strong suit is math, *shudder*...anyway they are doing something with angles, etc....should be fun....I was on the bowling team in high school...however, tendonitis in the shoulder prevents me from bowling now....maybe I'll throw a frame or two....

Good Morning!

It's still morning and I am actually up and doing stuff already....

Now I had a question about my Christmas clothes.....doesn't everyone have Christmas clothes? I am not a tacky dresser (or at least don't think so, unless of course it's 80's day, then I'm all over that!) But I do enjoy dressing for each holiday. As I teach elementary school, I can get away with it....And Christmas? The tackier the better I say!!! Bring it on....

I have a tub full of mostly Christmas clothes....there are a few other holidays represented, but it's 3/4 Christmas....here is a sampling....





And yes, I have entire drawer in my jewelry cabinet also dedicated to holiday jewelry....I have earrings that blink, jingle and sparkle. The tackier, the better!!! Wear it loud and proud!!!!

Oh and I have a pair of red jeans (which are good for Valentine's Day, too and a pair of green Doc Martens, of course I wear those on St. Patrick's Day!)

First Post, First Day of 2011

I don't make resolutions...sure there are things I want to improve, but I just don't keep to resolutions...Look how fantastically I failed at the no buying of yarn thing I did this past year....

Anyway, the only "resolution" I will make is I would like to work on being more organized this year in all aspects of my life. I'm pretty organized in my professional life, but there are some days that my classroom is not....

So that is my only "resolution."

Today was an extremely lazy day, maybe the worse of this vacation. I am still in my pj's, I have not read or touched any yarn. I have just laid in bed and watched tv. It's the only day that I have taken a nap....

Tomorrow I have to get my butt in gear and do some things, included would be some lesson planning....I am such a procrastinator....

Now the yarn thing, I am going to try not to purchase until the festivals start up again in the spring....however, I do have some yarn coming in for a sweater I need to redo....I had to reorder the yarn...

I also joined my first yarn club...All For the Love of YarnIt's a new yarn for me, but how could I pass up a tea and yarn club! How fun! I got my first skein the other day and the tea smells lovely...
The picture is better at her site. The Hubs likes the yarn colors.....So I do have this to look forward to....

Now back to watching tv on my bed....Air Force One! Harrison Ford, so great!

Surprise!

So after all that yesterday, I woke up this morning and did this:
It is addictive and I have spent most of today working on it. I did drop a stitch and I know it involves a crochet hook, so I did the best I could....

I am following the pattern that I bought from Holiday Yarns The "learn to Knit" Sock kit. I've also been using Knit Simple's Knitting Workshops It has the best pictures in it!

Last night I also worked on this:
I did not make this. It is a very old Irish sweater that belongs to my friend, Deidre. It is one of her dad's. I think he was born here, but his parents are from Ireland, or he was born in Ireland and raised here. Either way, they are very Irish and proudly celebrate their heritage.

The sweater had many, many holes in it. I've had it for awhile, trying to find a yarn to match it. I told her that it was knit, and I couldn't repair it that way. She asked me to do the best that I could. I realized I had some old Green Mountain Spinnery Mountain Mohair. I bought it from a yarn shop that was closing a couple years ago. It was almost a perfect match. So I sewed up some of the holes. I added a single crochet border to the ends, as they were starting to fray. I fixed both the sleeves that had huge holes in them. One I just had to fix as best as I could, the other looks pretty good.

You can see the patch, but I think it's pretty good, even if crocheted.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year! We decided to stay home, as the Hubs is still working and really doesn't want to go anywhere when he gets home. I'm okay with that.....

To Knit or Not To Knit

I never had the desire to learn to knit. I crochet and I'm very happy crocheting. I make lots of things crocheting. I hated the assumption that I knit, whenever someone saw me with yarn, or that crochet is not as good as knitting. It's the ugly step-child in the fiber world.

Then I started seeing these fantastic patterns for knitted socks. I decided to learn to knit just to make socks. I tried it with straight needles and was just not comfortable. I "kinda" taught myself continental with circulars and was much more comfortable. I completed a square and a hat. I started a sock and then ripped it all out.
I have not knitted since, but have had the desire....but I also feel disloyal to crochet. I don't want to be one of those crocheters who learn to knit and leave crochet behind. For one thing I like amiguramis better crocheted than knitted. I just think they are cuter....

I kitted myself out....I bought a Namaste bag and a Lantern Moon needle holder. I bought several books, magazines and a bunch of needles and patterns with the yarn....but have not sat down to knit again. I have crocheted.





And my husband? He bought me this for Christmas
...I've heard that knitted socks are better and more comfortable, but I think crocheted socks are starting to come around.

I have the desire, but when I sit down, I reach for my crochet instead....

Just read this interesting post about a crochet vs knit myth

My Guy

Now I love my husband, but through the years I've also been in love/lust with some others.

When I was a teenager, it was C. Thomas Howell. Does anyone remember him? I actually noticed him first in ET. He's one of the bike riding friends. I had an ET card thumbtacked to my wall where you could just see him in the background. (OMG, I found that image, he is the one behind Henry Thomas) Then The Outsiders hit and he was all over. Unfortunately, he made some bad movie choices and is now a B, maybe even C movie actor. But he still was plastered on my bedroom closet doors (I had 4) with Duran Duran during the 80's. (He was great on Criminal Minds as George Foyet, the serial killer.) (Criminal Minds has made serial killers of several teeny-bopper stars)





Now, as an adult, my tastes became a little more refined....and have led to this man:

Colin Firth, oh how I love thee (except in The Last Legion, bad, bad, bad movie)

I saw him first in "Circle of Friends" (and if anyone has this DVD, I would gladly buy it, it's out of print) but really noticed him, of course, Pride and Prejudice


I just recently purchased my latest Firth movie...A Christmas Carol, just cuz his voice is in it....I now own 26 Colin Firth movies.....

I just saw
It was soooooo gooood!!! He was fabulous in "A Single Man" and he is beyond fabulous in this! I'm sure he will again be nominated for an Oscar and hopefully he'll win this time. Geoffrey Rush was fantastic in this movie too! All of the supporting cast was just so good. Plus, BONUS! Jennifer Ehle, who played Elizabeth Bennett, opposite Colin's Darcy played Rush's wife. I did not know she was in this movie! What a great surprise!

Hmmm, I think I need to go watch Pride and Prejudice or maybe St Trinian's, cuz he is hysterical with Rupert Everett.....

A Wasted Day

Today was a wasted day....I spent the majority of it in bed watching the Primeval marathon on SyFy. When I finally made myself get up, well I did a couple of things..

- Packed up two boxes of books to donate to the retirement center

- picked up and put away some of the Hubs Christmas pressies

- Packed some of my Christmas clothes away

- did some laundry and the dishes

- I did a bit of crochet while I was laying abed...

Back in bed, freezing, as the Hubs turns down the heat when he gets home.

I have a headache in/behind/above my left eye....so I think I'll have a wasted night too...