Happy blogging anniversary to me!

A year ago today, I posted my first real knitting-related entry and little did I know back then what a wonderful experience blogging would turn out to be! I have met some wonderful, if crazy, people from all over the world who have made me feel like I belong in the larger community of knitters. I may go through some dry spells when it comes to posting, but I always like to keep on top of what is going on in the lives of my new cyber friends.

I am hoping to finish my last scarf present for tomorrow; still have one skein to work through tonight. Pictures, I hope, tomorrow evening.

Finally, I wanted to post a little something something I found online for our favorite curmudgeon.

When Dolores Goes Bad...

I'm sure we'll all want to check out this movie when it comes out.

Black Sheep

MFing Sheep on a MFing Plain (pace Franklin)

Lock up your children!

Well, I know it has been awhile since I have updated this blog, but I finally have the time to post and something exciting to say! I passed my certification exams (298 on the LAST and 258 on the Multi-Subject CST) and I completed the NYC Teaching Fellows intensive six-week training program. I have also finished my student teaching in Harlem and I am enjoying a week off to catch up on sleep and house cleaning before I start teaching on February 1st. I have secured a Special Education position at Grover Cleveland High School in Queens!

It is a bit more of a commute than I wanted and I still don't know what program of courses I will be teaching, but I chose this school over others at which I interviewed because of one, important factor: the people. As Monte said, I could have saved 30 minutes on my commute and worked 8 hours with an administration I couldn't stand or just wake up a little earlier each day and go to a job that I will love. The Assistant Principal in charge of Instructional Support Services is very down-to-earth and has been at the school for 20 years. I have met some of the other Special Education teachers and I believe that I will not only get along with them, but also learn so much from them.

On the knitting front, I finished two scarves on the train during my commute. The first one is for my cooperating teacher at the school in Harlem with whom I was paired. I really learned a lot from her and I hope to keep in touch.

This is another version of the multi-directional diagonal scarf made with Noro Silk Garden.



I went to Boys Night Out at the Point in November and the inimitable Berhan convinced me that I should pick up Iris Schreier's Modular Knits book. I took the pattern from her book and it differs from the illegal, web-based apocrypha that I used to make this scarf last year.



This photo shows the seam between diagonals that is created by using a skp advocated by Schreier. You slip the next stitch knitwise through the back of the loop, knit the next stitch (over the gap), pass the slipped stitch over, turn and then slip the first stitch purlwise. You get a nice stocking stitch effect, but it alternates sides between triangles. I think I prefer the ssk of the pirated version.

I also splurged on some gorgeous mohair for the scarf for my fellow advisor who led our evening training classes. She is an Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) and so she loves all things pink. (I tried to add green fun fur to complete the sorority's color palette, but in the end, I just couldn't do it.) Yes, it is as soft as it looks.



Can't find the tag now, but pretty sure it's Claudia's Handpainted. Knit on 10mm needles, but the bouclé fills in the spaces. One of the quickest knits as well; finished it over the weekend.



Now, I just have one more scarf to finish by Tuesday for the paraprofessional in my training class and I'll be ready to tackle some projects for myself. Of course, there are the two hats for friends that I promised and the Christmas sweater that still needs to be finished...

Anyway, after only six months of glorious semi-retirement, I have a new career and I couldn't be happier.

Halftime Horrors

FLA 34 - OSU 14!!! I can't bear to watch the second half! They're going to do it to me again! That's what I get for gloating all year. I should go to bed early for work tomorrow. Yeah, that's it. Maybe when I wake up this nightmare will be over.

Besides, if the Buckeyes don't win it, then Boise State really should as the only undefeated team in the nation...

Happy New Year!

I want to wish everybody a happy and prosperous 2007!

I started off the new year with the completion of a major project. My nephew, Michael, and his wife, Kim, are expecting a new arrival any minute now and I decided way before Rhinebeck that I would make a baby blanket for them. I had no idea that this little project would take so long, but the end result justifies the long gestation. (Sorry, couldn't help myself.)



The yarn is Paton's Canadiana. I know that some of you may be shocked that I spent so much time working on something acrylic, but it is a baby blanket and who knows how many times they are going to have to wash it. I fell in love with the magenta in it and I enjoyed all the different color combinations that my two square patterns created.



I worked a simple checkerboard pattern of 20 stitches in stocking stitch, followed by 20 stitches of double moss stitch (K,K,P,P then P,P,K,K on WS next row, followed by the reverse P,P,K,K then K,K,P,P on WS next row: not sure of the proper title for the pattern, but that's what I call it.) To get a "perfect" square, I worked 26 rows for each square and finally called it quits after 100 squares. Here's what an endless expanse of these squares looks like.



Of course, had I been thinking ahead before I started the project, I would have done the entire border in double moss stitch and prevented the inevitable curling of the stocking stitch. So, I then had to learn how to crochet and edge the entire thing. My first mistake was doing slip stitch all the way around and trying to pick up each individual stitch. By the time I got to the round of double crochet, I went for comfort and ease of picking up the stiches and didn't worry too much about being so precise. In the end, I found that I actually enjoyed the process and may even look into doing one of Kathy Merrick's hats from the little Vogue book.



I'm sure that there was a simpler way to accomplish my finishing goals, like maybe bypassing the slip stitch round, but I do like the way it created the appearance of a seamed edge. I've grown to like the rounded corners as well. It also gave the yarn a third opportunity to show off its color combination potential.

All in all, it looks like it turned out to be heirloom quality and I can see it being passed down from generation to generation. The best part is that I got it done before the baby girl arrived! (Kim was due on Boxing Day and she was looking quite large on New Year's Eve.)

2007 is off to a great start and that's not even counting the fact that Michigan lost today. By two touchdowns. Let's look back at the last three seasons, shall we? Lose to Ohio State: check. Lose the following bowl game: check. Maybe it's time they got rid of their coach, Lloyd Carr. I mean, even Wisconsin ended up with a better record this year at 12-1. The only way 2007 could get any better is if their quarterback, Chad Henne, came back next season. What? He is? Make that 4 straight losses against the Buckeyes in the fall.

True fans don't just cheer when their team wins. They cheer even louder when their rivals lose. Don't hate the playa, hate the game!