Bron's Blog II

Does Frost Count?

No snow - I wasn't fast enough with the camera to catch it while it was falling, so frost will have to do. :::grin:::

By the way, being frosty...well....more of a cast iron b*tch...certainly helped me today. The classes from hell ...weren't. Not really. More like the outer rings of hell than the actual fiery furnace (my apologies to Dante.) In fact, the kids were so good that I agreed to sub for them tomorrow too. Yeah - I'm a masochist....who needs more yarn money. Hehehehe

They are looking for a long term sub in that class - at least for 6 weeks - but I'm not that much of a masochist. I need a little more variety in my substituting life.

Speaking of variety, lookee what I started:

It's a pillow for the living room. I needed something small as a carry along project and this fits the bill. I'm using wool I bought from Elann...one of their bag sales...and it's so nice & soft I wish I'd gotten more when I had the chance. I think I'll have enough to do 2 pillows.

For those of you who've been wondering about Lion Brand's new Suede yarn:

Altogether now: Ewwwwwwwww.

To begin with, it's NOT the right pattern for this stuff. But I'll warn you - this chenille blooms when it's worked...like nobody's business. Doug & the kids said it looked like an odd mold growing in the forest.

Yeah - that's appetizing. I have 3 balls that I think I'll use for more pillows - obviously I'm scrapping the scarf idea - and I have other yarn in my stash that might go with it fairly well. Suede works up very soft & light but I would only use the simplest of stitches (both knit & crochet) to let the yarn do the work & to make sure you don't have something "moldy" looking when you're done with your project. ;)

The pic of Doug in his sweater will be here soon ...as soon as our schedules coincide.

He loves it!

The Promise Of Pictures

Sorry I've been MIA for a couple of days - I know lots of knitting bloggers do it, but it still makes me uncomfortable to miss more than a day. However, as expected, Friday was a b**ch of a day - and to top it off (or begin it!), I fell on black ice as I was watching Dylan cross the street to catch the school bus.

Ouch. I haven't fallen like that for ages. I scraped my knee & really wrenched my back. I'm much better now, but was really achy Friday & Saturday. Luckily Doug can crack my back better than a chiropractor so that helped a lot.

I say "the promise of pictures" because:

1. It's supposed to snow off & on all day to day - I might finally have a cool snow pic like all those bloggers to the north & east of me. Not as deep, perhaps, but still white!

2. The sweater, it is almost complete. I finished the sleeves & knit the neck yesterday. Have I mentioned before how much I dislike picking up stitches for the neckband? There always seems to be one side stitch that goes wonky and it takes me forever to get things lined up correctly. Once that's done, however, my best advice is always "twist 'em when you knit 'em." The stitches you picked up, that is. Seems to work better for me that way - closes any holes that might want to show up. Speaking of what works better, for the first time in my life I mattress-stitched shoulder seams. Someone tell me why the heck I'd never tried that before? I guess desperation is the mother of necessity...or something along those lines. :::wink:::: I tried 4 times to get a seam I liked using back stitch & finally gave up. Mattress stitch worked on the first try. Who would've thunk it? Anyway, a picture of Douglas in his sweater will be forthcoming in a day or two.

I mentioned that Friday was a b**ch of a day. So....what do I do when the sub coordinator at the school asks me if I have a job on Monday? I say, "Not yet." Then she says she needs me in one of the worst classrooms in the school. What do I say then? "Welllllll.....ok, if I have back-up."

Believe me, I'm not Sydney Poitier in "To Sir, With Love", or even Tom Berenger in "The Substitute." They need a warm body in there Monday because their regular teacher is out until after spring break and their regular substitute has had to bail because of family problems of her own. I was very hesitant because I'd subbed there before (the science class from hell) so I spoke with the principal. She told me about some changes they'd made to the classroom and also assured me that I could kick out as many students as I wanted, any time I wanted, to keep order.

That swayed me & I said, "Ok."

My problem with subbing in the middle schools is that I've tried to be nice. I finally realized Friday that "nice" can't have a place in a sub's personality when you're dealing with hormones, attitude & lack of parental guidance. From now on it's "3 strikes & you're out." Kids at this age are a lot like a pack of dogs - you can't show fear and you can't show weakness.

No - I'm not exaggerating - there were two fights in my English classroom on Friday (fists, kicking, etc.), insolence, cursing, etc., etc. And once again, stereotypes are blown out of the water. This is one of the affluent schools - both parents work at high-power jobs, they live in $250,000 - $1,000,000 homes, drive Hummers, and contribute handsomely to the collection plate on Sunday.

The right job, the right church, the right social set, the right salary, won't  automatically give you decent children. Hard work, tough rules and a hell of a lot of love will. Middle school is the time kids need their parents the most and, unfortunately, that's the time when most parents relax the reins. I swear it's like a switch is thrown between 5th & 6th grade and I wish every parent could see their "little Johnny" when he is part of the pack.

There - lecture over. I've been stressing over this all weekend and my ulcer can't take much more. (Please - no-one write that I just "shouldn't stress" or that I should "let it go." I can't - I have to work through it & until I have, my stomach suffers!)

Sooooo...I hope you all are having a lovely, fibery weekend. I'll finish sewing that sweater this morning & then work a bit more on Diana. Nat - forgive me - I'm a lousy knit-alonger with the best of intentions. :)

An eBay Near Miss & Post Office Kudos

"Near miss" because I did, finally, receive my package. But....

You don't ship almost 7 lbs. worth of books & magazines in a plastic shopping bag wrapped in a brown paper sack with some tape around it.

You just don't:

However, somewhere along the way, a wonderful mail handler saw my package burst open, pulled it off the conveyor belt (or truck, or pile - wherever it was), verified the postage paid, wrote a new address label, bundled everything up in two thick plastic bags, tied it securely & sent it on it's way so 2 1/2 weeks later, I could find it on my doorstep.

You know, I complain about the post office sometimes - we all do - but things like this really go a long way to restoring my faith in the system.

As for the eBay seller....well. Not the brightest bulb in the box. Especially since I paid $1.00 for the auction...and $12.00 for shipping! Yeah - I knew what she was doing - making her $$ on the shipping/handling charge. The way I figured it, it was 4 bucks or so for media mail & the rest for the auction & that was fine with me. I knew that before I bid. But I did assume that the $12.00 would buy me some sort of packaging...perhaps a box even? Eh - phooey. Oh - and the mail person who actually took the mish-mash package for mailing shares some of the blame.

After all this I ended up tossing half of what was there, but I did find some interesting things in the rest so I suppose it was worth it. :)

Sleeve progress:

Doug's sleeves are at the 9" point - all this working is really digging into my knitting time. But I have today off so I should be able to finish these up & maybe even get the sweater sewn together. Then just the neckline to go - woohoo!

Here's a pic of Emma just 'cause Arnold's been getting the lion's share of blog attention lately:

She & I have both lost a pound or two in the past week. Good for us! However, she's still looking a bit pensive about losing the rest. hehehe

It's middle school for me tomorrow so I'll be back here on Saturday - have a great end of the week!

Yarn & Chocolate

Sounds like a perfect combo to me!

Yesterday, Margaret asked in my comments if chocolate was allowed in my new diet regimen. Yes - in small amounts & the darker the better. Milk chocolate & white chocolate have additives which, of course, this diet tries to avoid. But as Dr. Clower states in his book, "If the ingredient list has cocoa, sugar, and other things you recognize, feel free to eat it." But, of course, in moderation. He recommends "no teeth" - letting it melt in your mouth to get the full flavor & enjoyment. Not the whole bar either - a square or two only. So Margaret - keep eating that chocolate!

I don't think I made it clear yesterday that better health (the French have longer life spans than we do...even with all those cigarettes) is the main benefit of this way of eating - losing weight is a happy by-product. I mentioned this in my comments yesterday, but I'd like to reiterate the fact that I chose this for me because it's the only lifestyle change that made sense to me and sounded like something I could stay on the rest of my life. Your mileage may vary.

So, like the yarn ho I really am, I picked up another one skein wonder at Michael's the other day:

These colors looked less 70's on the ball - can you tell? Anyway, this is Moda Dea "Cache." (Yeah, I know it's Red Heart - but I never say "never" to any yarn...except that awful Super Saver stuff...and even then, it makes good rugs. :::wink:::) At $7.00/ball (or maybe it was $6.00 - I'm fuzzy on that) and only 72 yds/skein, who are they kidding? It does knit up softer than you'd think it would, what with that gold thread running through it, but it still wouldn't make an against-the-skin anything. I suppose it would make a good hat or scarf (in a better colorway!) but how many hats & scarves does a person need?

Instead, I'll be using this as a stripe in a knitting bag I'm designing. I'm going to use short rows to get the proper "bagginess" and do stripes to add interest and give it a little retro feel. I've been searching for a bag that reminds me of my Mom's and finally decided I need to make my own. Details at a later date.

I'm off to teach 3rd grade for the second time this week. Friday it's back to middle school English. I'm tellin' ya - my life is a carnival, the fun never stops!

Book Reviews, Knitting & Not

As I mentioned, I picked this up during a 40% off sale:

First of all I'll say that I want every single one of the hand-painted yarns featured in the book. The colorways are all beautiful and that makes browsing through the book a real pleasure. Given my penchant for autumnal colorways, this in particular caught my eye:

The colors and the meandering lace/cable pattern are a perfect match. The author, Carol Rasmussen Noble, gives lots of detail regarding what was involved with researching & designing each pattern with inspiration coming from Cheryl Potter's hand-paints. I'd like to say, "Oh, I could do the same thing" but heck, who has the time? The lace patterns are all very pretty, although with my love of texture I'm drawn to the more substantial examples. All the projects are scarves & shawls, so if you like that knitting genre you should definitely glance through this book. :)

(Boring diet stuff ahead - skip down to the end if you want more knitting.) Here are two other books I read over the weekend, definitely not knitting related:

This, for me, is really good stuff. I read through "The Fat Fallacy" and am to the recipes in "Why French Women..." Something really clicked with me while reading and I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll be able to change my eating habits for good. Both books stress "real" foods...if it didn't have a Mama & Papa, or you can't pull it out of the ground or pick it off a tree, don't eat it. That's a bit problematic living in our pre-packaged, preservative laden society, but I'm willing to give it my darndest. The fact that I like to cook helps tremendously. The emphasis is on chicken/fish with red meat only occasionally. Lots of veggies & different seasonings and (here's where it gets good) real cream, real butter, real yogurt, real everything. Nothing low-fat because fat is what makes you feel full and stops your urge to eat. Nothing new there - Atkins & South Beach preach the same gospel.

What I will need to work on is portion control and slowing down while eating. Americans tend to stuff their faces and then ask for seconds (or thirds) before their bodies realize they are full. Eat less & enjoy it more. You know...what our mothers used to tell us every day.

This is common sense, never-feel-deprived, eating. Things that were forbidden to me before: bagels, cream cheese, granola, high-fat yogurt, creamy sauces, pasta...all are allowed....in moderation.

Yesterday I was very good all day - some bread & cheese for lunch, 1/2 a bagel & cream cheese when I was ravenous after work, then for dinner I baked a salmon using a recipe in "Fat Fallacy", and had green beans & boiled red potatoes. The difference was that I only had 1/2 a potato and I didn't go back for seconds. I didn't feel stuffed after dinner and this morning I didn't wake up feeling sluggish.

Oh yes - for dessert I had two square of lovely dark chocolate. I need to start re-training myself to be satisfied with just a taste, rather than the whole bar. This way of eating allows desserts, but small ones, homemade, and emphasize fruits as the main ingredient.

Well - I could go on & on, but I just wanted to share that I'm really pleased with the Mediterranean way of eating & feel that this could be something I could do for the rest of my life. (Oh, my gosh - I can have carbs!!!!)

Knitting News: The front of Doug's sweater is finished and I've started on the sleeves. He's been hanging around my knitting chair asking if I have enough yarn to finish, so I'm taking that as a broad hint that I need to work exclusively on this. Doing that, I should be finished by the end of the week. Woohoo!

I worked yesterday so didn't get much accomplished and I work tomorrow too, but I have high hopes for today. :::Grin:::

Have a great day!

Eye Of The Tiger

Photo Credit: Dylan G. Subject: Arnold

Here is one of the few photos in knit blog land showing....no snow:

We're having a wee cold snap - highs in the 50s today instead of the 60s. Sigh. Sometimes I'm really envious of those who live in snowier climes. IF I didn't have to go out in it! I had quite enough of driving in blizzard conditions & deep snow when I lived in Kansas. But I'd love to have a cozy day or two - stew bubbling on the stove, movies to watch, projects to knit - all the while watching it snow outside.

By the way - the wind chimes are new - Doug brought them home yesterday & we think they add a dash of Zen to the back garden. They have a really lovely sound, too.

"What about knitting?" you ask.

Bore, bored, boring! Not that I'm bored knitting - I'm just knitting boring not-really-blog-worthy stuff right now. I know a couple of weeks ago I promised more interesting & intricate projects but....that didn't take into account sleeves....and Doug's request for an excruciatingly plain sweater:

Yes - I've been cast adrift on the endless sea of stockinette. The only positive thing I can say is that you're seeing the front of Doug's sweater (I seem to have broken the "curse of the back") and those sleeves for Uxbridge Cardi are almost halfway to completion. One small doubt has taken root in my mind, however.... shhhhhh....don't spread this around in case the knittings gods are feeling kinda pissy today....but I don't think I have enough Uxbridge Tweed to finish this cardi as written. The really cool pockets might have to be sacrificed for the greater good of an FO.

Now I want to knit as fast as I can on the cardi just to see if I really am short!

"Diana" is still moving, but slowly. I would like to have three things finished in the next two to three weeks - Diana, Uxbridge Cardi & Doug's sweater.

'Cause dang it! I have 10 other projects waiting in the wings!

Happy Sunday....GO PATRIOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More Projects On My To-Do List, Courtesy Of Vogue

Lots of pics in this entry, so I'll get right to it.

I think this is so pretty & feminine. Makes me want to knit bobbles just to have it in my closet...and I never thought I'd say that! It's going on my "maybe/probably" list. Speaking of pretty:

Another one that will go on my "maybe/probably" list. Love that lace!

Here's one for my "definitely within the next 3 months" list:

I really like the color progression and the lace insert in the front. It's really my "style." Marie - is this the one you're knitting? If not, you should consider it. I think it would be very flattering. :)

There are several others that I liked & would consider making, but I don't want to reprint the whole magazine here. There were, of course, several clunkers (in my humble opinion.) Case in point:

You all know that I love bags & purses....but this ...this looks like some strange growth Barney had removed at his latest dermatologist's appt. hehehehe Guess I'm just not avant garde enough to appreciate it.

There's lots of intarsia for the color-minded...zippered cardis with long, lean lines...and also pants knit in mitered squares of Koigu KPPPM. Hmmmm...yeah, let me get right on those. A couple of big yarn/big needle knits tempted me, but I'm afraid I'd look like a barrel wearing them. This, however, is intriguing:

I know I'd never wear it, but it looks fascinating to knit.

All in all, I think this issue (Vogue Knitting Winter 2005) is worth picking up. More knits for "real" people this time, more flattering shapes also.

I'm saving "Lavish Lace" for next time - I got a little carried away today.  :)

As for actual knitting, I started some sleeves last night (aren't you thrilled?) but I'm such a tease - I won't tell you which ones. Yeah - I know - you'll be up nights wondering. ha! Have a great weekend!

A Sale And A FO

I returned some yarn to Hobby Lobby yesterday (unused Boa that I couldn't, in all good conscience, stash) and I found they had 40% off their knitting notions & pattern books. I found "Lavish Lace - Knitting With Hand-Painted Yarns," which I'll review tomorrow, and a small booklet with crochet patterns for Caron's "Jewel Box" yarn. Since I'd had two skeins of that marinating in my stash for several months, I picked it up. This was the result:

It's a gift for a friend and I really like it. :) The "Tigereye" colorway is much richer in person than in this photograph. I wasn't sure how the yarn would make up and this was a nice test piece. I wish it weren't quite so expensive for what you get, but it's affordable for small accessories (like a little purse! hehehe).

I also received my last "cheap" issue of Vogue Knitting in the mail yesterday. This winter issue has some really, really good stuff and some really, really bad stuff. Much like every other issue of Vogue Knitting I've ever seen. ;) More details on that tomorrow also.

Right now I'm off to sub my fav Kinder class. They even asked for me to be their sub today. High praise indeed. :::Grin:::

See you tomorrow - have a wonderful knitting/crocheting day. :)

Stuff & Nonsense

My "blisteringly good idea" was frogged last night in anticipation of the purchase of size 3 dpns. I'm thinking Brittany, but may still go plastic. We'll see. I should probably go down to a size 1 or 2, but if I wanted to knit with toothpicks & dental floss...well, I'd knit with toothpicks & dental floss!

Here's progress with "real" sized needles:

I'd like to point out that the blue bit is actually the front of something. Yeah, that's still the back of Diana, but at least I'm making forays into the land of the full frontal. :::wink:::

I succumbed to the lure of Peruvian Wool once again. Last week some Oxblood landed on my doorstep:

Yes - I definitely have a project in mind for this. Although I'm also tempted by Knitpicks $1.79/skein Peruvian Wool, I think I'm more likely to finally order their dyeable wool - it's a great deal too.

I saw the preview of Interweave Knits spring issue here. I'm extremely underwhelmed. In fact, I think I'll pass up this issue & hope for better things in the summer. :)

My knit bud Mia has her new website up & running here. She's another Typepad convert. ;)

Yesterday I went to the dentist for my first ever crown. Actually, I was fitted with a temporary while my lovely gold tooth is being manufactured at the lab. Since this is my first crown, I had no idea what the heck the temporary was supposed to feel like. All I knew is that I was in serious discomfort. There was a huge tab of acrylic swooping down from the tooth and digging into my inside gum. I couldn't chew without pain & it was driving me nuts! Just when I'd decided to go in to see the dentist today (and take a couple of sleeping pills to get my mind off the pain!) I was chewing a bisquit & pop! That whole side piece that cracked off clean as a whistle.

You have no idea of my sense of relief. I literally jumped up & down for joy. Yeah, there are a couple rough edges left on the temporary where the piece broke off, but there's nothing digging into my gum any more. Woohoo! Doug thinks I should let the dentist know. ha! I'm keeping my mouth shut - figuratively speaking - I figure what the dentist doesn't know won't hurt me. hehehe

In the area of weightloss & reading, I've ordered two books: "French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure" and "The Fat Fallacy: The French Diet Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss." All the fresh food - nothing processed & loaded with preservatives - really appeals to me. The idea that being overweight signals an inherent imbalance in your body's systems make sense. Exercise & fresh, healthy foods would seem to be a no-brainer, n'est pas?

Happy hump day!

This Is A Stick-Up! Your Blog Or Your Life!

Before I had a blog, I used to read all the time. Yes, I knit too, but I read a heck of a lot more than I do now. I also used to quilt. And sew clothes. And clean house....but I digress.

In months of blogging I've gradually turned into a knit/crochet 24/7 type of gal. I don't read any more because I put pressure on myself to progress with my projects. So I'll have something to show on my blog. You know - so people don't get bored and...well...I don't know...go read someone else? Ye gods, how silly does that sound?

I honestly don't know who I'm trying to entertain - 90% of my blog hits come from search engines. Those people couldn't care less about my knitting progress...they just want to know if the pattern is free.

My blog needs to be part of my life, but it can't become my life. I'm not sure where I'm going with this post, but I'll tell you that last night I put my knitting aside & started reading this:

I adore Agent Pendergast.

I also have 15 other books waiting in my queue. I have a feeling that in the weeks to come there will be less progress to report daily. My reading style is all or nothing. If it's a good book, I read until it's finished. I don't do a chapter a day or an hour before bed. I read the book - all day long. Definitely cuts into knitting time.

I do have knitting stuff to report tomorrow - my mystery project will be revealed and I'll show what little progress I have on my knit-a-long (Nat has SO got me beat!) and on Doug's sweater.

But today...I'm going to go read.