'Nudder Bunny

Where's Alice when you need her? She needs to head back down that rabbit hole and tell them to BE-WARE. Anniebellum brought home another live one and plopped him on the floor. (Mind you, she has to squeeze between about a foot and a half of screen door and sliding glass door to do this.) She is dedicated.

This time GHB was home and after very explicit and repeated instructions (as in STANDING AND STARING DOES NOT COUNT AS DOING SOMETHING!), he managed to get cat away from da bunny. Wanting to try something new and maybe not scare the bejesus out of the bunny chasing him to the door, I picked him up and walked him outside. He was the size of my fist and I fell in love with him for 3 minutes and then I set him free.

Last night 1/2 row on TY. It's not so scary with a lifeline. And a vest with a center cable in "Allergic to Wool" bulky yarn (cotton and some shiny stuff) on size 13's. I need some instant gratification after those teeny cables.

The Plan? I am giving myself a blog-reading "time-out" either tonight or tomorrow morning. It's really ridiculous to spend more time blogging about knitting than actually knitting. (This is what happened on Wednesday.)

This just in... Yarny Old Kim has the coolest pictures on the planet on her web site today CLICK HERE!

Loose Ends-

A collection of randomness

Thanks to Yarny Old Kim for a Rockin' Girl Blogger shout out. Seeins how I found everyone on the Blogroll via a previous round of Rockin' Girl Bloggers- I don't have anyone to shout out to. Except for maybe my mom- not sure she'd want that- let me know mama.

After further conversation, here at the WV/PA Mason Dixon Line, mud bogs are real. It's a big ole thang of mud that you drive yer 4 wheelers n dirt bikes through. Get it?

Last night after the Open House, the knitting space drew me in like a magnet. When I couldn't keep track of 33 stitches for a chevron patterned scarf (saw it somewhere as a way to make good use of leftover sock yarn) I knew I could only look fondly at THE PROJECT and not try to do any work on it. I also almost accidentally typed "Tangled Web" when refering to it earlier today.

As I was goofing around with the chevron, GHB asked "what are you working on?" Now I could be mistaken, but I think he noticed that it wasn't the Tangled Yoke and it wasn't a sock. Or else maybe he was just making conversation. My reply- "I have no idea. I just need to knit."

Lydee had the Hatfields and McCoys at her open house. I'm starting to convince myself that if I predict the future on this blog, the opposite will happen.

The parents of the kids that are secret favorites stopped by to say hey in a sort of, "you're a funny person, you crack my kids up" kind of way. Their kids (who are unfortunately often neglected due to their well-behaved temperments) also came in playing and smiling, as if they knew that the parents of the kids with less well-behaved temperments NEVER come to Open House.

The A.D.D. Knitter totally captured my feelings about school starting. So glad to have the lunchtime blogs to check to see what everyone who gets to stay home is doing.

Kno Knit Knite, KDamn

Gnit Gnite was superceded by School Open House Night. Those evil schedulers.

If you go to School Open House(s) for your kid(s), might I suggest that you pay a visit to the music teacher. Mostly I'll be "doing time" for two hours while parents and kids visit the regular classroom teachers. All so that I can have 1/2 day off on December 21st. I'd be inclined to skip it but I know I'd regret it later.

Because the school is 20 miles from home, I've decided to stay here until it begins at 6:00 pm so instead of getting 2, they suck 4 hours out of me.

One of these days the internet, the air conditioner and my computer here at school will all work on the same day. That will be cause for celebration.

As to where kids have "journey-ed" this summer- no deep thoughts but one kid said he went to "mud bogs" I said, "what's in a mud bog?" (before I could think clearly) and he of course said, "mud." Now there's a road I haven't taken.

micro-knitting

by which I mean more like micro-managing and micro-reporting rather than knitting with dental floss and toothpicks.

My tone of yesterday's post no doubt seemed a little desperate. I am so grateful to Carla and Kim for suggesting a lifeline. I thought of that when I first looked at the pattern and was so excited to get started, it completely left my brain.

Instead I somehow thought that I could place stitch markers at every repeat of the pattern. This would have been fine if indeed the number or set of stitches between these stitch markers remained consistent. Row 1 (of 18) is complete and very likely off by a stitch. Row two is a purl row and I've decided, rather than drive myself crazy, to give that misplaced stitch to KG (Knitting Goddess). I'm pretty confident that I have the right number of stitches so I'm putting a life line in now and not fretting.

Tedious tedious tedious. Who Cares Sophanne? Most of us have beautifully knitted sweaters that we don't talk much about until they're done and on our bodies with a seemingly perfect fit! (O.k. now I'm talking to myself on the blog-yikes)

Mostly the point of this post is to say many many thanks to the commenters whose blogs clearly demonstrate their experience and yet who were willing to encourage and assist me in a mini-crisis.

This job thing has seriously cut into my knitting time. I even SKIPPED the afternoon "get home from school nap" to work on the purl row. On the flip side of that, with a Tangled Yoke yoke in crisis, I was able to focus my drama-lovin' self on that and ignore any and all work-related-pseudo dramas.

oh yes- as to asking kids where they've traveled this summer (we didn't get into the metaphysical just yet) the most popular venue was a newly built swimming pool/water park. Location? here in the 'burg. Just goes to show you I don't know everything there is to know about the 'burg AND that it was a good idea not to go to the pool after all.

sunday lessons learned

Set up and row one of Tangled Yoke attempted. This is going to kick my knitting ass. As of right now I lack the attention span required to make this look anything like it's represented on paper. I've set it aside. It's not hard. I'm just unfocused.

If you put garbanzo beans, lemon juice, tahini, and garlic in a blender, it's instant hummus. Yes, the last two batches were made using a mini-food processor-seriously slow and annoying.

Lesson #1 Just because you fly through the body, doesn't mean you'll jump into the yoke.

Lesson #2 How to use a Blender.

Likely none of this is news to any of you. I believe I'll maintain my status as intermediate novice knitter and "muggle" in the kitchen for now.

Socks anyone?

recovering from being developed (CMUS)

So rather than continuing to rant on about the time wasted spent during the last 3 days, I did a quick search. Follow the links if you're interested in where "the Man" has been taking Lydee and I. Technology 2008 Preparing our students for a changing world and FISH!(based on the philosophy of the Seattle Pike Place Fish Market) Lydee- if you haven't had this one yet, it's coming.

As with all things, there is good to be gained if you are looking for it. Thanks to all for their 2 cents worth on the previous rant. Yes, yes, yes, say I.

And now for something completely different.



There's about 1 1/2 " until the tangled yokiness begins. The washing machine ceased to work the day after the well broke- Stupid$ear$ (don't get me started) is delivering a new one tomorrow. (I don't know when they started delivering on Sundays) With a week and a half of laundry to do, I'm thinking I'll maybe get to start a tangled row then. Knitting Spaz finished hers!

So that reminds me of a conversation I overheard from a couple that had been married for 50 years.

Her: you put the clothes in, you pour in the detergent, you set the button.
Him: That's all there is to it?
Her: possibly realizing that he might think she's been scamming him all these years Well, not really, but for you, that's good enough. There's the fabric softener, the ironing... etc. etc.
Him: oh.

MORE CRACK ME UP SATURDAY
kmkat has a beautiful eye-candy Friday picture of The Cape of Good Hope. I share with you one of the moments I captured in the same place.



Now everyone out there please pray that I don't have some sort of sleeping disorder which will cause me to burst into "nap" on the first day of school.

On our Arses Eating Ice Cream

According to all educational leadership powers that be, it's only a matter of a few years until we'll all be sitting on our arses eating ice cream while China and India become world domi-nations. I don't want to get on a soapbox here, but there's a little bit of Eastern Philosophy that would do our neck of the woods more than a little good. Lydee appropriately addressed the crisis to the tune of Yesterday. We have definitely been innundated by another Sputnik-think in the school system. I wouldn't mind it so much if it weren't for the fact that as the music teacher I am the MOST capable of higher order thinking and the LEAST likely to get technology to share with my students.

Oh wait, this is a knitting blog, a place that combines new technology that's taking over the world and an ancient art involving fiber and sticks. you mean it doesn't have to be black and white?

Yea, so anyway, the sleeves are attached to Tangled Yoke. There would be pictures if the rechargable batteries in the camera weren't deader than dead. And again, it is Five Hundred Eleventeen Degrees outside. I can seriously smell the felted bag sweating. Three inches until I get to the Tangled part and then the "Yoke's on Me."

Get used to less knitting posting and a little more "holy crap I'm back at work" posting for a while until I get my "sea legs."

Good News- Bad News

The Good News is...

Your classroom floor has been waxed and shined.

The Bad News Is...

Please don't put anything on it for 24 hours. We have to buff it.


Good News: Laptop and data-projector for your classroom

Bad News: NO INTERNET ALL DAY. SERVER BLOWN! Oh, and by the way, this laptop's to old to handle either Google Earth OR your Ipod

Good News... Mildly intersting National Speaker in quasi-dark conditions (What? That's good news?)

More Good News... Time to work on the pie shawl and feel like I'm not really at work.

Even Gooder News- the package from ChickenLips arrived today. ChickenLips or not, she knows how to send a prize ( I could take lessons) Stitch markers (the first I've ever had that weren't plastic), the Vogue Shawl book- I've been SO thinking about and looking for what's in this book. It almost makes me want to "frog the pie" (Now those words make me laugh) and of course, the fabulous Kona Cotton yarn. Yards and Yards of it.

Knit Knight last Knite (I'm seriously wondering how many misspellings of that there could be.) I accidentally bought more yarn in between finishing sleeve #2 and trying to figure out the directions for the next step. It's some bulky "I'm allergic to wool" brand cotton/rayon blend but I like it's chunkiness and color. As always, it was just a great place to be.

But sophanne, you ask, "Where are ALL THE PICTURES" we don't want to have to read the dumb words. And I'm telling you- it's too hot to leave the air-conditioned room so they might have to wait until I don't feel like I'm drowning in the air that I'm breathing (it's not the gauge, it's the humidity)

Thoughts while working on sleeve #2

On Wednesday I go to school to get the music room ready for the kiddies. As part of this yearly adventure I like to have a theme that sort of guides me through the year and keeps things from getting monotonous.

Usually I use a nature theme. Last year's was "Earth Air Fire Water." The year before it was "Rivers." One year it was "Trees." It's pretty amazing how you can connect everything in the seven steps to Kevin Bacon kind of way.

When kids come back from summer vacation they all have a story to tell. I like to hear them but struggle to find a way to incorporate it and make it meaningful. So... this year's theme will be "Journeys" with the motto of "Are We There Yet?"

And I'm not really just talking physical journeys. I want them to think about the school year with a new classroom teacher and new stuff to learn as a journey. This will eventually lead to the whole music-making as process vs. product; the journey vs. the destination. To get things rolling, I was thinking about, instead of asking where they've been, asking them how they are different now from who they were at the beginning of the summer. How do your kids answer that question?

Sleeve #1 un fait a complis

Nothing else to say except if you're in the mood for a well-written knitting cautionary tale, visit Knottykitty Knits It's one of the best I've read and I will take heed.

I won I won I won

Fate and the Knitting Pranksters have smiled upon me!

I won this



in a random number generator contest from Sharon

Clearly karma sensed the onset of depression of the school year beginning and enjoyed the mania of my sweater knitting (sleeve #1 is almost done) and decided to reward me with the anticipation of a package in the mail. Yippee!

By the way, she has an awesome looking tomten on her site so be sure to check it out.

CMUS

Blogging will resume as soon as this crazed-obsessed-tangled yoke knitter comes back to her senses.

The Incredible Hulk

Just as the Incredible Hulk reveals himself at the sight of injustice, so too does my crazed-obsessed-knitter-self come to the fore when working on a sweater.

Lacking the wisdom and foresight of the Incredible Hulk, I initially chose to ignore the Knitting Pranksters when they revealed two rows of non-ribbed garter stitch about 1/3 and 2/3's up the ribbing of the sleeve.

Today I will be frogging the sleeve. I realize that it's possible to make the same mistake in the other sleeve and call it a design element, but I know it will drive me crazy so into the pond it must go.

Somewhere between the first and last 2 inches of the body (probably as I was color coding the cable chart in anticipation), the thrill of the process was replaced by the thrill of the product.

Are you pumped?

We will be. Lance and Bob (not GHB) are working on our water supply right now. Just in case there's interest, we have a 140 ft. well that requires a 3/4 horsepower pump. We had a 1/2 horsepower pump with extended fans. We're also getting a new pressure switch. woo hoo.

I hung out with repair guys earlier and was put to work carrying a 4ft iron T-bar with a hose attached as they lifted the old pump from the well. It was my "cross to bear" for a few minutes and it made me laugh. No one was around for a photo op and I figure the well guys would have really thought I was whacked.

Speaking of cracking me up- MagsHamBun has knitting on the brain at the end of this post- check it out if you need a laugh.

A cry from the bathroom- "Hey Honey?"

I just changed the toilet paper roll, there are plenty of clean towels as well as clothes to start the day.

"Yes?"

"Did you turn off the water?"

"No. (supremely annoyed that he would suggest that I'd do something so stupid.) I'm checking the a.m. blogs"

"The water is off. I just got my hair full of shampoo. Will you flick the switch to the well pump?"

"o.k."

a few minutes later

"Did you flick it?"

"Yep."

"My hair is full of shampoo. We don't have any water. Will you come help me?"

If the pump to your well stops working and you accidentaly forget that there's water in the dehumidifier, Giant Eagle Seltzer Water can substitute as a way to rinse the shampoo from your hair. It's best when heated in the microwave to take off the chilly edge.

The water came back on for the afternoon and stopped again around 7:00 pm. The plumber will be called tomorrow. Not sure if he's really a plumber or a well guy. All will be revealed.

Later that evening...

"We won't have water for coffee." says GHB.

Noble sort that I am, I said, "I'll run out and get coffee while you're in the shower."

"Very funny." says he.

"What?!" says defensive PMS-y me, resenting the fact that he couldn't see how thoughtful I was being.

"While I'm in what shower?" says he.

doh.

Knit Knight 3

For those of you who regularly attend LYS knit knights, this post will possibly elicit a slightly knowing, kind and condescending "Duh." But it's my blog as an intermediate novice knitter and to not include my weekly amazements would be leaving something out of my record for posterity.

I have the sense of humor of someone who is 10. I don't even remember what I was laughing at but I do know that when I left, there was that internal feeling of having laughed a lot which makes a person feel so great.

I'm pretty sure not everyone was struck in the same way by the things that popped up in my head but instead were laughing just at my laughing. An example was my glee at saying "baa" as I pressed the belly of my new sheep tape measure and it's measuring tail snapped back inside itself.

The LYS owner (Denise) had steeked her Kauni and I got to see it first hand. Unbelievable. She also didn't mind offering aid on the Tangled Yoke even though it wasn't shop yarn in use. Says she, Before we opened this store, X from X Needleworks, accosted me in her store and informed me that the yarn I was knitting with wasn't from HER store. When we opened this one (there are 5 owners) we swore we'd never be like that.

After I was whining about the gamble of the size of Tangled Yoke, Denise asked me if I did a swatch and got gauge. I said I did a swatch and then said, why don't you check the gauge for me and see if I'm really getting it. There was that moment after counting- a standoff of sorts- she said What did you need? I said What did you get? and then we both came up with the number 6. I don't recall ever being happier and more relieved to hear someone say "six.

She offered some additional help- for some reason I can mentally visualize top down knitting better than bottom up. Maybe because I'm so tall. It's just about time to start the sleeves. I've got 14" of body and it's flying along. Every so often as I contemplate attaching the sleeves I recreate the mental image she offered of how it will work.

There were 2 people I hadn't met yet- Ann and her adult son. Ann had lots of stories about herself to tell and it was most interesting to watch the regulars tune her in and out in the way one might go about reading one of those endless blog posts that have a lot of "first we did this, then we did this, then my sister went here" without any real reflection but just words for the sake of them. At one point her slightly peculiar adult son said to me "You better watch yourself, she's bigger than you."

And the final bonus of knit knight. While vacationing, the 5 yo grandson regularly (as in after every knitted row) asked Am I knitting? Am I doing it? Am I a good knitter? It made me laugh but I answered him every time as if he hadn't just asked it. Going to knit knight is like having someone answer the same question for me.

Quantity vs. Quality

It seems the 'burg is planning another reason to close High St. I'll be skipping this one but would be remiss not to inform the blogging masses.

Thanks for the great lunch ideas. There are enough to keep me from being too depressed about packing a lunch. I'm looking forward to trying them. GHB, feeling left out of the blog the last few days suggested that maybe in an alternate universe someone is looking for what the worst things to take for lunch are. I think he called it BoogerLunch.

When I "cook", it's really not cooking. It's more akin to the way I got a C- in high school chemistry. Let's just try some stuff and see what happens (it would have been MUCH worse if I hadn't had the valedictorian as my lab partner.)

That being said, I gift you my own new favorite breakfast recipe:

One mashed banana, a generous handful of oats, some squirgees of honey (the kind in the bear container) and a couple of tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter. Mix the first 3 ingredients and then mix in the peanut butter. Too much peanut butter ruins it (even if you love peanut butter enough to get married to it.) Eat with a spoon and a LARGE glass of milk. I haven't named this delicacy yet. I've got to wait and see if it catches on. Maybe don't look at it while you eat it because it looks really really gross.

Finally- 3 more inches on the Tangled Yoke. If I keep posting with progress, I'll continue to be delusional encouraged about whether it's going to work.

Viva L'Italia-What's for Lunch?

Sit and Knits can be as much of a bad influence as imaginary blog friends. One of the topics of last Tuesday's knitting conversation were Chamilia Italian charm bracelets. I didn't really plan on being one of "the gang"-not being much of a joiner- but the compulsive shopper got the best of me in the shop that they mentioned that I accidentally found. A little later I had this charm bracelet.


So far the charms on it are a bunny and an ice cream cone in honor of the two most exciting things that happened this summer. Coming soon in the mail (thanks ebay-another topic at the Sit and Knit) is an Empire State Building (where my husband proposed marriage) and a Buddha charm. So, as if I needed it, there's just a little more incentive to go to Tuesday's sit and knit.

Also on the Italia front- the thought of packing lunches once school starts. Last year I packed the same lunch every day. Salad in a bag, fake crabmeat, and whatever salad additions that struck my fancy for the week (baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, Greek olives, sunflower seeds, feta cheese, etc etc.) I lost 10 lbs by just ending my love affair with carb-ridden school lunches. I'm looking for variations on the above or thoughts on what healthy combinations of food you pack for lunch. I'm trying to stay away from salt-ridden-over processed foods.

Finally some Knitting Content-

Progress on the Tangled Yoke.

(I know there's some clever way to play with the words Tangled Yoke and Mangled Italian but it's not working for me right now)

I'm about 5 inches into it all and other than a slip here and there with the garter rib (done especially for you, Goddesses of Knitting), I'm getting a good vibe about it. The Jaeger Tweed is a dream with the KnitPicks Options. When concentrating, I can really speed along. When not concentrating, I can speed along and have several "do-overs."



and look... I just noticed... it matches the carpet! That will be GREAT when I have to ball it up and throw it on the floor because it doesn't fit!

Heat, It's Hot!

This afternoon's trip to the Greene County Fair revealed that it's not just me affected by the recent heatwave.

The first indication was at the entry gate. Admission may be $8.00 but it's free if there's no one there to collect the money.


To my immediate right was this sculpture(?) that had seen better moments. Any guesses from seasoned fairgoers as to the purpose this thing might have served?


The building housing the fiber exhibits had less than an inviting look. It's a little worse than last year when the doors were locked but all of the exhibitors were inside fiddling with their work.


While there were a few food stands open, (likely for the 4Her's taking care of their animals) none of the usual fare was available.


On the upside, I didn't have any carny operators eyeing the cash in my wallet.


The animals told the story.





And if that weren't enough, as I tried to snap a final picture of empty picnic tables under the tent, my camera reported the following-

WARNING!!! BATTERY EXHAUSTED

In fairness to fair organizers, I found out later that things really start kicking at 4:00 (it was only 2:00) Is this the case with all fairs?

crack (me up) Saturday (a day early)

Not much going on except for knitting and perusing blogs. No pictures of worth to post but the header at slow knitter cracked me up as did today's post.

ok-it's actually 2 days early and the slow knitter post is July 25 but I'm giving up all sense of time and jumping into the knitting/blogging/Law&Order vortex