Bron's Blog II

I'm Going With The Short Sleeve Option

I may go to hell in a handbasket for saying it, but I'm desperately tired of knitting on this:

Besides, I'll probably get more use from a short-sleeved sweater in the long run. When the heaters finally kick on at school, some classrooms can get like a sauna!

Soooooo....if I go short, I might have this puppy done in a couple-three days. (That was my Dad's favorite way of measuring quantity. "How many Dad?" "Oh - a couple-three." :::Grin:::) Of course, there's still the neckline to knit, but hopefully that won't take me too long....and I hopefully won't fall asleep while doing it. ::wink::

We're having a mini-garage sale today. Just putting out some big stuff (china cabinet, couch, treadmill) just to see if it will sell. I doubt we'll be out there long - probably a couple of hours at most

Next time: We're considering an alternative to our big move - details to follow......

Of Stash Sales, Laptops And Funny Bathroom Stories

First things first: Thanks for the interest in my stash sale! I held the drawing the morning (literally closing my eyes & picking from a hat) and the winners are:

Pistashio Cotton Ease - Terri
Kool-Aid dyed wool - Kendra
Chenille - Melanie
Lily Elite Cotton - Deneen

And, because only person expressed an interest:

Stahl Micro Cable - Vera
Ornaghi Lux Echo - Kendra

Thanks so much everyone! Ladies, please email me your addresses and I'll send you shipping info. :) I do take PayPal but if you'd rather send a check, I'll let you know my address too. I'll be able to get everything mailed on Saturday. :)

Laptops:

I'm going to be buying one in the next week or two and would love to hear your experiences, pro & con, with the different brands out there. Please leave a comment or drop me a line and help with my own consumer survey!

After all, being able to access the internet from school will be priceless!

Sure, it's funny now.....

So - between classes I have to use the bathroom. I'm out in the portables and am running from one portable clear across campus to another one to cover an emergency absence. All stalls are full except the handicapped. I rush in, do my thing, turn the handle to leave and....nothing.

The handle won't move.

I jiggle, I push, I hit, I pound.

Nothing.

Time is ticking. The next class starts in two minutes. I gotta go!

What's a super sub to do?

I take a deep breath.....

....and push my lunch box & tote bag under the door. I then manage to push myself between the toilet and the door (this is not a regular handicapped stall. There is no extra space in front of the commode, only the special handle on the larger-than-usual door) then, flat on my belly, I wriggle out between the floor (the nasty, nasty, NASTY floor) and the bottom of the door.

It's a good thing I've lost weight. If I was any heavier, I wouldn't have made it through that 12" opening.

The good news - I made it to my next class.

The bad news - the rest of the day I had visions of pee and much worse clinging to my clothes. I carry hand sanitizer in my purse and I felt like taking a shower in it!!!!

Oh yeah - Dedication is my middle name. :::wink:::

Knitting news: I'm almost finished with the lace band on the front of SKB. My goal is having the front finished today and a start on a sleeve. :)

You know....If I don't get trapped in any more bathrooms! hehehe

Yes, There's Been Knitting

Just not any kind of knitting that photographs well.

Eeek! It's the Blob From The Black Lagoon! Wait! No! It's actually a well disguised Simple Knitted Bodice back!::smirk::

The lacey bit you see is the front - I'm ready to knit the lace on the back but was so grindingly tired last night I didn't trust myself to get the set-up row right. Hopefully I'll be finished with this & started on a sleeve within the next couple of days. I'm thinking maybe...just maybe....I'll be finished sometime this weekend. It would be nice to get this one off my plate - particularly since I'm not sure I'll like it once it's complete.

Ah - but that's the fun of knitting, isn't it? The thrill of victory? (Let's not mention the agony of defeat, ok?)

This is one reason I might not be finished with SKB this weekend. Jillian mentioned this pattern on her blog the other day and I was immediately enamored. In fact, she & I have started a wee, terribly unofficial KAL for Licorice Whip. She's already started (lucky girl) and I just need to wind my yarn & get it on the needles! I'm going to be a crazy person & use the Araucania Nature Cotton in purple that I have in my stash. The gauge will change but heck - when has that ever stopped me?

If anyone is interested you are more than welcome to join our Not-Really-A-KAL - in a totally unofficial capacity of course. No special blogs for this, none of that. Just...you know....some knitters that are coincidentally knitting the same thing. :::wink:::

Work is...well....um....here's a quote that's representative of what Sub Services is going through right now. This is on the log-in page for the substitute web program: "If you've lost your PIN number, please have a school secretary look it up for you. We are receiving 800+ calls per day and are unable to answer all of them."

There are 4 women who run Sub Services for the city.

Most of those 800 calls are from harried, irritated schools wondering where the hell are the subs are. And the answer is: There aren't any.

How's my week going? Between teachers who don't know how to enter jobs and thus end up have NO coverage listed for 3 out of 4 periods in a day to teachers who blithely call in, "Gee - I'm stuck! I won't be in for the rest of THIS day either!" my week is going smashingly, thanks for asking. ::wink::

Today it's 7th grade science - no prep. Wish me luck!

The $1, $2 or $3 Sale

Typepad ate my post this morning (took too long to load & the page timed out) so let me try this once again. ::grin::

I've dug through my closet & found yarn that really needs a new home. Since I'm not interested in making money on any of this (or even getting the $$ back that I spent in the first place) everything will be either $1, $2 or $3 per ball.

In order to make this fair, if you're interested in a particular yarn, please leave a comment. I'll leave this post up for a couple of days. If, at the end of that time, two or more people would like the same yarn, I'll draw names out of a hat. Sound good? (Not that I'm listing anything incredibly wonderful but heck - one woman's ex-stash is another woman's treasure, right?)

So, here goes:

There are actually 4 skeins of this - one fell on the floor & didn't get in the pic! 5 oz./140g skeins of acrylic boucle. No dye lot. Size 10 needle/J hook. The skein that dropped to the floor has a few stray dog/cat hairs on it - sorry! $2/ball PLUS shipping.

Which leads me to: I have a dog & a cat, so don't bid if you're allergic! I keep things up & away from my pets but dander & hair might still be on the fibers. :)

Note: This is NOT blue like this picture shows. It's a definite dark teal green! I just couldn't get the camera to capture the shade. :) 16 unused skeins, one crocheted then frogged. Lion Chenille Sensations - 87 yds/skein. H hook, size 7 needles. $1/skein PLUS shipping. Enough here for practically anything!

9 skeins of Stahl Micro Cable (there are two skeins wound into that ball.) Nothing wrong with this - I really liked knitting with it - but the colors just aren't sending me. $2/ball plus shipping. Size 9 needle, H crochet hook - 78m balls.

3 balls of Ornaghi Echo Lux, 451 yds/ball. size 2 - 4 needles, B-1 crochet hook. This would be great crocheted up in one of the lacey tunic type patterns out there right now. It's the color that doesn't do it for me. It's a light khaki with a shimmery thread wrapped around it. A really beautiful neutral for someone out there! $3/ball - plus shipping.

Again - it's the color that isn't "me." 6 skeins of Lily Cotton, as you can see one has been crocheted & (mostly) frogged. This would be great knitted, it's on the heavy side for crocheted garments, although I think it would make a great crocheted bag/scarf/hat/etc. $1/skein plus shipping.

Here's a mess o' yarn that I Kool-Aid dyed awhile back. (Yes - it still smells like vinegar!) It's Lion Brand's Fisherman's Wool and there are a couple of skeins represented here. You can see in the wound balls that the color lengths are short so you'll get a change every few stitches. There's enough here for a baby something or other or....well....something. $5 for the whole shebang, plus shipping.

Oh yes - you aren't seeing things. It's Cotton Ease in Pistachio. When it came right down to it, the color is what stopped me with this. I know I made Pistachio Bob with it but.....I can't see myself making anything else. Sigh. 6 skeins - enough for a long-sleeved sweater in all but the largest sizes - size 8 needle. $2/ball plus shipping.

I think I'll have another couple offerings that I'll add tomorrow - I just need to decide what I really, really need on my shelves. ::Grin:::

Remember - drop me a comment if you're interested in anything - I'll hold the drawing on Thurs. Thanks!

Finally, My Photographer Woke Up

Without further ado, Smokey Quartz Tunic:

Of course the second sleeve didn't stripe as the first had, so I ended up frogging back 2/3 of the first sleeve to make it as variegated as the second. You can still see the straight striping, but since both sleeves managed to get a swirl effect with the colors, it's not so noticeable & I left it alone.

Stats:

Pattern - Smokey Quartz Tunic from Fall IK Crochet. Doris Chan is my hands down favorite crochet designer and this pattern did not disappoint. There were no mistakes that I could find and the instructions were clear and very easy to follow.

Yarn - Elann's Sonata Print in "Mayan Treasure" - 12 skeins.

Hook - size H

Size - 40. Right on the money. I wanted negative ease.

Mods - I added 3 rounds to the sleeves to make them just a wee bit longer and it turned out to be a good call. :)

I really, really like this one. It's snazzy without being too out there for work. With variegated yarn it's always hard to tell how the finished project will look until...well....it's finished! ::wink::

Next - knitting, knitting and more knitting. I'm missing my needles! Oh yeah - that stash sale thing too. hehe

Yes, The Knitting Gods Have Heard My Pleas....

....Cotton Ease is being re-launched.

We don't know when but we do know it will return with an all new color palette.

This was heard straight from the Lion's mouth. Lion Brand that is.

My work here is done.

:::wink:::

But we must amuse ourselves with other yarn until that happens so, in the interest of fully disclosing every detail of Smokey Quartz, I give you sleevage....or is that stripage?

At first I wasn't thrilled that the sleeve was striping. When I attached the second ball of yarn, I purposely didn't try to match the colors. As you can see, it striped (and matched!) anyway. The only reason the colors are muddied at the bottom is that I had to decrease one V-stitch shell in order to make the medallion pattern fit at the cuff.

I tried it on to see if it looked stupid, but actually the stripes work rather well. They make the sleeves look longer & sleeker in comparison to the body. A nice touch. :)

Now, let's all hope the second sleeve matches the first! ha!

My Spec. Ed. classes went very well yesterday. I was concerned about 4th period (the teacher who was absent even called to warn me they are a handful!) but I had no problems at all. :) It helps that I had an EA with me in the room. They know her & like her and all the kids were more likely to keep to their routine & not act up while she was there. Plus, I knew a few of them from my past substituting at both the middle school and a couple of the grade schools. That helped immensely. :)

I even got to come home for 2 hours to have a leisurely lunch!

I doubt that will happen today. They have two teachers out on emergency leave and no coverage. I'll definitely have to cover someone's class during 3rd period prep.

We (another Auto Sub & I) asked yesterday why there never seems to be enough substitutes to cover absences. It's a combination of a very small sub pool (several hundred less than last year), the fact that very few subs live on the West side of ABQ and even fewer are willing to drive here, and very few subs are willing to take last minute (sudden sickness) absences.

We were also told that the front office is receiving nothing but compliments this year about us, which is a big change from last year, when the complaints from teachers were high (about other subs, not us! LOL). But if the substitutes that teachers complain about were taken off the list, that would leave only a couple to call plus the Auto Subs! As she said, what the subs are doing isn't that bad - the teachers just have to put up with it to have any coverage at all.

What a situation, eh?

What amazes me is the number of substitutes who, when given detailed lesson plans by the teacher, ignore them & do something entirely different with the class! Playing games, free time, etc. Nothing makes a teacher angrier, believe me! The basic tenet of substituting is continuing the educational plan for that classroom to the best of our ability while the teacher is absent. Period. End of story. The fact that many subs don't understand that boggles the mind.

Sheesh.

Whew! You know - I warned you a couple of months ago that I'd probably be blogging less and talking about school and teaching more. Well, at least one of my predictions came true! LOL

I'll be back this weekend with a finished Smokey Quartz AND the beginnings of a stash sale.

Be there or be square!

What A Way To Start The Day

Hopefully I won't have to be on my feet too much today, but I'm not counting on it. Ouch!

I hate nailing my foot on a door corner! Grrrrrr! Obviously, I was still half asleep when I let the dog out this morning! Sheesh.

Here's better news: the body of Smokey Quartz is finished, complete with side vents..

So far, so good! I'm wondering if I'll have enough yarn for the sleeves, so I'll be crocheting madly on this until finished...just in case I need to put in a panic order to Elann!

I did finish re-knitting the front of SKB:

Not sure what I'll do at the bottom but I left off the reverse stockinette there too. I'll probably go with a crocheted crabstitch, but we'll see. :)

I have a two-day job ahead of me. In a surprise move, I was taken off my Friday job (an easy social studies class) and put in 8th grade special ed. for two days. The teacher I'm replacing is big, burly and male...for a reason. It'll be interesting how the "hard cases" respond to little ol' me.

I'm tellin' ya - it's never ending fun over here. ::wink::

What To Blog About...

...when you've had classes that make strong men weep and had no time for reading OR crocheting?

A lovely, lovely pressie, that's what!

The red is not tomato-ey as the picture shows, it's definitely on the wine-red side, which I love! This is a birthday present from Nat, who says I look best in red and who am I to argue with her? ::grin:: She included black because, well, I am all about black! This is the Nundle Collection 100% Pure New Wool from the Nundle Woollen Mill in Australia. I'm already seeing something cabled from this. What a wonderful present! She also included a "few beads that had been hanging around the house:"

There are some darling beads in that bag - I can't wait to start creating something with them.

Thanks SO much, Nat! Your package made my day!

See, Nat's package was obviously a wee bit late for a reason...the universe knew I'd need cheering up after yesterday's math classes.

Lest anyone think that my job is, indeed, one of the easiest in the world, just remember that for every day of 6th grade, language arts bliss (complete with prep period) there are an equal number of days of 8th grade general math with no prep period and children barely held in check.

10 minutes into 2nd period, I had to use my "this-is-not-a-warning-this-is-the-real-thing" voice. They must've understood I meant business because for the next hour I demanded & received absolute silence. But that comes with a price. I can't sit at the desk, that just invites whispering that escalates into talking. I had to constantly patrol the desks, taking time to stand sentry by certain trouble-makers, trying (most times in vain) to get them on task.

And damn it - by the end of the day, my feet were killing me!

The fail rate in middle school is high. Most of these kids just flat don't care. And, as a substitute, there's no way I can make them care. I'm there for a day, maybe two, and, frankly, in some classes any respect I might receive from the kids is only a thin veneer and pushing that too far just invites trouble. I had a child in 4th block that just sat there the entire time. He talked a bit until I forced him to turn around in his seat & at least open his book. So he sat, book open, and stared into space. The last 5 minutes of class he managed to complete 8 problems (I think he probably copied from someone) and then he was surprised I wrote his name down for the teacher to deal with the next day.

When 6th graders come into middle school, for the most part they still have a bit of the sweetness of elementary school clinging to them. They are biddable, tractable. Then there's a HUGE maturity leap between 6th & 7th. In 7th grade you can watch kids slipping away day by day. In 8th grade the hormones & attitude have taken hold and many of these kids are hard. I would definitely support a system that keeps 6th graders in elementary one more year. There really is such a big difference between ages 11 & 12 I think it would be better for everyone involved and aid the learning experience as well.

Why are these kids the way they are? Yesterday I was talking to two of the "troubled" girls & one asked me if, as a parent, I would sneak into my child's room & read a packet of notes she had passed in school & saved for the last 3 years. I told her I wouldn't do that to my kids and she said her Step-Dad had done it the night before. I asked if he was concerned about her involvement with drugs or alcohol or boys. I told her if I was really worried & my kids wouldn't talk to me, then I'd consider snooping.

She (and her friend) looked at me like I was insane. "Talk to my parents? I NEVER talk to them about ANYTHING!" Her friend agreed, saying, "We just argue - they never listen. I tried to talk last night & my Dad argued about called sodas 'Cokes' instead of soda! I gave up."

I think the girls made my point for me, don't you?

We've raised our children with the expectation that they will do the right thing. But, if they don't, they aren't "grounded until next year." One of them gets a "C"? Then we talk & work out a plan so they can pull up the grade. (And you know what? A "C" one semester in middle school isn't something to get all hot & bothered about. I mean, really!) I refuse to punish my children for bad marks, but many, many parents do. Because we don't lower the boom on every little misdemeanor, our kids talk to us. All the time. About everything. Frankly, some things I really don't need to know, but they tell me any way. I was concerned that they would clam up in adolescence, but at this late stage it looks like things will continue to be open between all of us.

And I thank my lucky stars for that every day.

Rant over.

I'm off to more math today....but it's 6th, rather than 8th grade. Whew! I'm hoping for a better day!

Reading, Wriiting, 'Rithmetic & Crochet

Yesterday I had lovely, quiet 6th grade English classes. They worked on spelling lessons all day while I worked on these:

The book, Shaman's Crossing, is the beginning of Robin Hobb's newest trilogy, "Soldier Son." She is one of my favorite authors - her Farseer Trilogy has to rank among the best I've ever read. The Tawny Man trilogy is also excellent (a continuation of the Farseer set.) I've read the Liveship Traders Trilogy and enjoyed it, although I didn't like it as well as the first two I've mentioned.

Since I finished the paperback yesterday, I think I need to get the next book in the "Soldier Son" series, Forest Mage, in hardback! Must....know...what....happens....next! ha!

On top of lots of quiet time during class to read, I also got a prep period 4th block and managed to make progress on the tunic. :) Another 4 rounds and I'll split for the side vents - a really nice feature of the pattern. Give me a couple of days & this should be finished up. I've tried it on and it fits like a glove - whew!

The 'rithmetic part? That's today & tomorrow. Two different math classes - today's is supposed to be a real bugger. At least that's what a fellow Auto Sub tells me. She said most of the class time she spent threatening referrals!

We'll see how I fair.....I didn't get much sleep last night so hopefully I won't have to yell in between yawns!

Nothing Much To See Here...

...just a bit of finished lace:

Another ball attached to my Autumn Sweater:

Smoky Quartz has been joined and I'm now zipping around the body:

Oh yeah... and a nice square of orange single crochet:

I know, I know - you're just excited beyond belief! ha!

Not sure which project will come to work with me today - as always, I keep my fingers crossed for prep time!

Halloween decorating will commence in earnest when I get home from work, inside the house at least. When it's Oct. 1st, then I can put things outside. ::wink::

Happy Monday!

PS - "Amazing Race" is shaping up to be a good one this season, although my two early favorite teams were ousted last night. Bummer! Talk about twists & turns!