I Knit, Therefore I Am

2011-12-22T04:51:00.001-08:00

Christmas Knitting is almost finished! This year I made cowls-- a whole bunch of them for various female family members and friends. I also made a shawl, a scarf, socks and a red-riding hood cape with amazing cabling down the hood and back.

Hannah comes home tonight! Yay! We have missed her so much, out there in California, although we are incredibly proud of all she has been doing. She is applying to grad schools on top of working full time.

Fun Scarf, Hat and Fingerless Gloves

2011-04-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

Just the latest stuff off the needles-- a fun ruffled scarf, beret and fingerless gloves made out of Liberty Wool, which is great to work with and comes in terrific colors. I want to make one of their sweaters but I need to find the right colorway. The yarn club at school is knitting and crocheting up a storm. I already have two more bags of hats and scarves to take to the hospital. I taught two more girls to crochet this week. One is making a baby blanket and another a scarf. We got a big donation bag full of gorgeous yarns from the friend of one of my colleagues. I am going to make "shrooms" out of several of the yarns to show to the girls-- they are so cute that the kids will definitely want to make one too.

Field Trip to Deliver Hats

2011-03-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

Four girls from the knitting club were excited to be allowed to go with me to Washington Adventist Hospital to deliver preemie and chemo hats. They got to visit the volunteer office and the Rehab Unit. They talked to several volunteers and found out what the requirements were for volunteering at the hospital. The people at WAH were very appreciative of all the girls' hard work.

The Yeshiva Knitting and Crochet Club got Yarnstormed

2011-03-16T06:57:00.000-07:00

I am busy every Tuesday at lunch, running th Yeshiva of Greater Washington Knitting and Crocheting Club. We knit chemo hats, preemie hats and scarves for local hospitals. So far we have given close to 200 items to local charities. The girls have really taken the initiaive to get our group's name out there-- they put up flyers around the area and sent information to all the synagogue and neiighborhood listservs. As a result, my classroom looks more like a yarn store!!!

And last week we got YARNSTORMED!!! An anonymous box came in the mail that was full of yarn. It had been sent by a Ravelry group that had somehow heard of us. The kids were so excited! Yesterday we spent the lunch period making Thank You cards for all the people who have sent us yarn.

It is so nice to be able to do something to help other people AND to have fun and do something you love with great kids. Many thanks to the Yarnstormers and to whoever gave us their name!

I have a Knitting Closet!

2011-03-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

Matt painted the small upstairs room for me, and Robert redid the closet with shelves for baskets to hold all my yarn. I have a place for all my needles and blocking boards and other stuff. It looks great and everything is so organized!!! Of course, it is already full-- what will I do with the yarn I buy next?

What to Make Next --That's the Question

2011-02-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

What to knit-- it is always a problem. I have so many nice yarns in my stash and so many great patterns in my pattern books. I think I want to use some lilac handpainted yarn to make a stole-- or maybe two long scarves that I will graft together partway down the back. I know WHAT I want to do-- just haven't found the pattern to do it with. Keep on looking!

I just finished making a loose. lacy long jacket in yellow/gold handpainted fingering weight yarn. It is done in a drop-stitch with a honeycomb lace border. Now I just need somewhere fancy to go so I can wear it!

I also finished a beaded mohair and merino sweater in a soft grey. The beads were dark grey glass. I gave it to Hannah for her birthday. She needs to send me a picture of it so I can post the results.

2010-12-12T11:16:00.001-08:00

It's been ages since I posted, but at least I am back to knitting again since the last writing. My elbow is not 100% but I doubt if it ever will be. I can knit again-- and type on 'the computer and write in the board and do all the things I was having trouble doing.

So what's on the needles? I am making a pair of "chakra socks" for my friend Nancy, who is very into crystals and chakras and all that. I made a pair for me and a pair for mom out of this gorgeous yarn we got on Maui. I have also made two pairs of mittens-- for Matt and Sarah-- and I'm making another pair of mittens and a hat for Robert.

As for me, I have been BAD! I have bought a bunch of long sweaters-- intricate cables and lace designs. Things I could have made if I had the time and the money. But I needed them to wear to school this winter so I just bought them instead. I have also bought a bunch of new pattern books-- entrelac and lace and socks and all kinds of things. Fun to look at-- how many of them will I actually make? That is the question. Oh well, Robert wants to spend several thousand dollars on new wheels for his bicycle, so I don't have to feel too bad about spending some on knitting stuff.

Robert has been running and cycling and swimming more and more. He did his first marathon this fal and is running half marathons every weekend and about 10K every day or so. He bikes 50 or more miles on the weekends and swims once or twice a week. He is looking so good and is so happy. It is really great for him.

Robert is leaving for San Francisco this afternoon. He has a conference there all week and will also get to spend some time with Hannah. I don't feel too jealous of that this time since Hannah will be coming home on Saturday anyway, so I will see her for almost 2 weeks. I am so excited to have her back!!!

2010-04-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

Still not able to knit much. My elbow is killing me! I am going three times a week to the chiropractor-- for icing and electric shock therapy, massage and ultrasound, chiropractics and something called a guasha (or shark) which is a Chinese thing. None of it seems to be helping the underlying cause of the pain, so it doesn't go away for long. I really don't want to get shots for it or think about surgery, but it is starting to look like a possibility.

So-- what have I knitted lately. I finished a shawl in handpainted sock yarn-- blue, purple, burgundy-- very elegant. Now I am working on a sweater in gold/yellow handpainted sock yarn and a couple of pairs of socks. But it is very slow going. I can't knit for long periods of time anymore.

Elbow Pain

2010-03-31T10:35:00.000-07:00

A dislocated elbow is a pain in the--- elbow! Actually my doctor says that technically it is the radius that dislocates, but whatever it is, it hurts. It hurts to knit, to write, to drive my standard shift car, and to do a lot of mundane household things like putting dishes away and folding clothes.

The first time I did this was years ago in a car accident-- I was trying so hard to steer a car that wouldn't steer that my elbow (excuse me!) radius dislocated. Since them I have done this about once a year in average doing stupid things-- picking up a huge frying pan full of gravy on Thanksgiving two years ago. This year it was picking up a heavy shopping bag.

So I am off to the chiropractor twice a week for a month or so. Luckily I have a couple of weeks off now for Passover. Once school starts again, it will be harder to find the time. But I have to-- I can't stop knitting!!!

2010-03-11T06:05:00.001-08:00

School has kept me way too busy, but I got a LOT of knitting done during the big snow storm that kept us home for a week. First there were the purple, pink, orange and yellow socks made with Zauberball-- amazing yarn. I have made another pair for Robert and am working on another pair for me in shades of burgundy.

I finished a gorgeous vest in natural color baby alpaca. The strands of white brown and grey yarn are twisted together for a lovely heathery effect and it is SO SOFT! (Picture to come with him wearing it.)

Now it is warm and I have to teach, teach, teach to make up for time lost during the snowstorms. My consolation is that Spring Break starts next week and I have a whole lot more knitting to do then!

What a Year--2009

2009-12-19T15:08:00.000-08:00

This has been an amazing year-- what with both kids graduating from college and moving out of the house. Robert and I are having a lot of fun redecorating their rooms and traveling as a couple again. Robert has taken up triathlons and is in great shape! He has run several-- short ones called sprint triathlons and Olympic length triathlons. He has also done a bunch of 10-K races and half-marathons. I go along and cheer. I take Frodo along and we have a good time, talking to all the other "cheerers".

Matt and his girlfriend Sarah announced their engagement last month-- no wedding date set yet, but we are all excited to have Sarah as part of the family. They got an apartment in Chevy Chase but are moving to another one closer to us in January.

Hannah drove out to California in August to "seek her fortune". We all held our breaths until she and her rickety old car got to San Francisco in one piece. (The car made it for about another month before giving up the ghost altogether.) Hannah has been living with her college roommate's family since then-- they are such wonderful people to let her stay for so long! She took classes and worked in a pizza shop and looked for a "real" job. And now she has one-- starting in January, she will be a programmer at Sun Edison, a solar power company. She and David plan to look for an apartment once she starts getting a real paycheck.

Now it is almost Christmas and I am snowed in at home. Robert is out in Denver. He was at a conference in California and couldn't get home because of all the snow. Hopefully he will make it by tomorrow evening. Hannah is supposed to fly home Monday and Mom is coming up Wednesday. We will have everyone here for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning-- hooray!!!

Knitting, Knitting, Always Knitting

2009-03-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

I finished the aqua koigu lace shawl-- really pretty-- now if I only had a little black dress (or a filmy white one) to wear it with. I finished the mitred squares scarf and the silk lace hawl as well. Also several more baby sweaters and socks.

I have a buyer for socks. At $20 a pair, I don't make much per hour of work but I can at least afford more yarn! And there was an incredible sale on sock yarn at AC Moore last week. I got 30 skeins for $90! That should make a bunch of socks and baby sweaters!

Four Baby Sweaters in a Week!

2009-01-15T13:03:00.000-08:00

What did I do Christmas week in Florida? Four baby sweaters! I still have to make two more for all the babies being born this year. I love making baby sweaters. They go so fast and are so cute, and I adore going to look for fun buttons to put on them. Panda head buttons and parrot buttons,

fish and sheep. (Hannah really liked the sheep! There are so many.

The Entrelac Lace is History

2008-10-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

Well, the entrelac lace is history. I should have known better. I just don't have the (uninterrupted) time to work on something that complicated. I would end up crazy or divorced or hanged by my own knitting from the stairwell! Seriously, I could not do that lace work if anything was going to interrupt me in middle of a panel-- and at my house there are way to many interruptions-- the kids, the cat, the dog, the parrots, the phone, my friends, my mom, making dinner, cleaning, cooking, running errands... I could go on, but you get the idea.

Here is Hannah in her beautiful cotton cardigan. She also fell in love with a skein of pink raw silk, which I made into a pair of motorcycle gloves for her. That's right-- pink, silk motorcycle gloves!

In the meantime, I have made a lot of things-- 7 people at my school had babies last Spring and each one of them got a different baby sweater. I made a wool cardigan for me too-- Mountain Colors Mountain Goat yarn-- yum! I made a vest for my sister-in-law out of Himalayas in pink, purple, teal variegated yarn that also changes between chunky, nubby thick parts and thin, almost lace-weight parts. I got incredibly expensive fused glass hand-made buttons for it and it looks gorgeous! Now I am making a fingering weight cardigan out of black and red hand-dyed wool for mom.

I love the buttons I can get for baby sweaters. I especially loved these little dog head ones. I made two sweaters like this out of sock yarn-- one a cardigan with the little dog heads up the front and this one with the dog heads at the shoulders. And of course there are still the socks, socks, socks. All five kids in my skills 8th grade class last year got a pair of socks and two got socks at the charity auction too. I don't know what my socks went for, but evidently there was a bidding war for them.

Yes, I am Crazy

2008-05-10T08:35:00.001-07:00

Should I tear out this entrelac lace? I have done the easy (?) parts-- the bottom edge and the triangles-- and now I am working on the entrelacpanels. I can't work unless I have time to finish an entire panel and I can only work if no one is home to interrupt me. I also can't watch TV or do anything else at the same time. No way can I knit entrelac lace panels in the car! I will be 80 years old before I ever get to wear this shawl!

On the bright side, I made three pairs of socks during our vacation to Asheville and Atlanta to see my brother and sister. I also bought some wonderful yarn at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival last weekend. And the AP European History Exam is now over-- hooray!!! so I will have some more time to knit!

Entrelac Lace-- Am I Crazy?

2008-02-04T08:11:00.000-08:00

Am I crazy? I bought a skein of $40 silk lace-weight yarn and am trying to make the Forest Path Shawl in the new Interweave pattern book. I have never done lace and have never done entrelac knitting, but so far so good. I have done the bottom border and the triangles at the bottom for the entrelac-- now to do the lace.

Matt has informed me that he wants a knitted scarf. He first said--rather wistfully-- that I had not knitted him a sweater. To which I replied that he doesn't ever wear sweaters. He said that if I made him one he might wear it-- at least once! He loves the socks I make for him and so we will start with a scarf and see of he wears that. Then maybe he will get a sweater.

Mountain Colors Sweater and Skirt Set

2008-01-12T14:02:00.000-08:00

Here is the Mountain Colors sweater and skirt set I finished over the summer. It was too hot to wear it then! Now it's just right. I bought more Mountain Colors yarn for my birthday to make myself a cardigan and am working on that now. It is a marvelous yarn to knit with and is very soft to wear.

I've Got A Yarn Gift Certificate

2007-12-27T08:20:00.000-08:00

Mom really knows what I want for Christmas-- a yarn gift certificate! Now I just have to go and spend it. I could use a ball winder and swift-- although Robert kind of enjoys that job. I think he would miss it. I need some more sock needles-- the fancy Skacel bamboo ones. I lost another one in the living room somewhere. It will turn up at some point--after I have bought new ones. Maybe some really fancy yarn that I couldn't afford otherwise. We'll see when I get there.

Wow! It's been awhile!

2007-12-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's been awhile since I posted last-- probably because nobody reads this anyway except me.

I turned 50 last week! Officially OLD-- I have decided that being OLD is kind of fun. I sent in my AARP membership right away. I want my old-people's discounts!!!

I finished my Mountain Colors Cardigan and had enough left to make a skirt too. Then I made a little felted hat.

I have been making baby sweaters like crazy-- so many people are popping out babies at my school and I found a pattern that I can make in kust a few hours. Very cute in different yarns and with fun baby buttons. People love getting something handmade for their babies.

Robert got me a new digital camera for my birthday and once I figure out how to get the pictures onto my computer, I will post some.

Mountains of Mountain Color

2007-05-23T07:07:00.001-07:00

I have so much Mountain Color yarn, I hardly know what to do with it all!

It all started when I decide to make myself a cardigan-- myself-- not someone else, for once. I love the sweaters in the Ggreen Mountain Spinnery book, but I always have to change things around. That's the way I am. No collar, different yarn, different edging, etc. Then I went to Woolwinders to find the perfect yarn-- and it is gorgeous-- Mountain Goat in Lodgegrass color, hand-dyed by Mountain Color Yarns. I bought 8 skeins, which I thought would be enough.

Well, it is a mountain of yarn. I finished the cardigan with just four skeins. What to do with the rest. It's too pretty to take back. So I designed a skirt-- Rib knit around the waist, add on stitches and start a knit 4 purl 1 pattern around the body, adding 2 more stitches every 4 rows. It is knee-length now with 1 1/2 skeins to go. It will be too hot to wear until Fall, but it is worth it. GORGEOUS!!!

Whole Lotta Knittin' Goin' On

2007-02-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

It has been a very long time since I posted anything. A lot has changed in the past few months, but I've been knitting like crazy through it all.

In early October Dad had a heart attack and a stroke and was in the hospital for two weeks before he died. That was an incredibly hard time-- and knitting really kept me going. I brought the sweater I was making for him to the hospital, but then I just couldn't make myself work on it. We all knew he would never get to wear it. Instead I made socks, socks and more socks. After he died, Jackie at Woolwinders (www.woolwinders.com) was sweet enough to let me trade the wool I hadn't used yet back in, so I got a really fancy afghan kit to make for Mom instead. I wanted to make her something soft and warm to curl up in. She is always so cold-- and she misses Dad so much! The yarn from Dad's sweater got unraveled and made into mittens for Robert instead.

I have been going down to Mom's a lot. Luckily for me, there is a terrific yarn shop in Harrisonburg, VA, near her house. It is called Rocktown Yarns (www.rocktownyarns.com) and has wonderful hand-dyed yarns, roving, marvelous stuff. I am spending way too much money on yarn! (Is that actually possible?)

I have had to start wearing a brace on my left hand-- ever since Christmas, when I knitted Mom's afghan and two shawls, one each for Debbie and Robyn, in a week's time. It isn't carpal tunnel, I don't think, but it is definitely painful if I don't have the brace on it. Fortunately knitting doesn't make it hurt! So I am still knitting all the time-- mostly socks.

Debbie gave me some beautiful lace-weight yarn to make myself a shawl. I have been working on it off and on, but it is hard work. I really have to think about what I am doing. Socks-- I can just sit and do them without thinking.

I have had a couple of knitting evenings at our house-- Nancy and Stephanie from down the road came, as did Joanna from school and Sharmin. It was fun to sit around and knit with them. I have gone to a couple of knitting groups too, which were fun. The Knit-In for Peace at Now and Then in Takoma Park was a lot of fun. The shop it getting a lot of nice wool in it too. They have a great knitting teacher there named Amy, who hosted one of the knitting evenings at her house.

Are knitters all the same? She has cats. She's a democrat. She is a lot like me-- but younger. Her kids are little. The ladies (and one man) who came to her house were all like that-- some gay, some straight, all very liberal, all funny, all cat-nuts. It was fun.

Knitting at the Car Dealership

2006-08-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

I am a much better "waiter" because of my knitting. I can wait anywhere for as long as I need to without any problem. I am HAPPY to wait because it gives me more time to knit without the interruptions that constantly plague me at home. I can wait and knit in the doctor's office, the bank or even in line at the MVA-- as long as I don't run out of yarn!!!

Yesterday I went with my friend Kitty to look at cars. She had totalled her new Prius and was looking for a replacement car-- something a bit less pricey but still reliable and decent- looking. So I took her to the dealership where Robert and I got our last car-- a Honda Civic Hybrid. The salesman had been marvelous (an old fellow-- like buying a car from your Grandpa) and had gotten us a good deal without a lot of haggling. The same thing happened this time-- Ozzie was great; we test-drove a 2004 black Honda Civic which Kitty liked-- and then we waited and waited and waited for the finance guy. Evidently everyone in the world was at Sport Honda in Silver Spring on Saturday afternoon buying a car. It took an hour and a half, during which time I finished my sock-- and then I had to just sit there!!!

I hate just sitting there. I find my hands making knitting motions. It is very weird. When we got home, I quickly wound another ball of yarn to start another sock. I can't be without a sock to knit in my purse! Maybe from now on I will keep an extra skein of yarn to start a new one-- just in case.

So Busy, But Still Time to Knit!

2006-07-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

Things have been so busy here-- but I always find time to knit!

I am finished with classes at the Yeshiva! Hooray!! Off for the Summer!!! I still have a few things I need to do as Department Chair now and then, but for the most part, I am a "lady of leisure" now. I can write and knit and blog all day.

I got a lot of socks knitted in the past couple of months. I flew to Nebraska in late May to grade AP Exams, drove to Florida and back for Robert's 30th High School Reunion-- lots of knitting time. Now that I am done with his sweater, though, I haven't got another big project in the works yet. I am just using up my stash of sock yarn.

I am knitting a yoga mat bag from the yarn I had left from Robert's sweater. It has a basketweave pattern and is knitted in the round. It is really easy so I don't have to think much about it.

BIG NEWS-- We have new kittens!!! They are so cute, just 9 weeks old now. The male is black, the female black-and-white. The kids have been arging about names. Hannah goes more for the artist, revolutionary type names. Matt prefers characters from his games, comics, animes. At the moment, the black one is Marley and the other is Joplin. (Matt has been doing a play at the Maryland Arts Festival called Beehive: the 60's Musical.)

Hannah is working like crazy-- between her 2 classes at Montgomery College and her job at the pet shop. Matt has been doing his plays and teaching kung fu at the summer camp where he taught last year. This past week he has also been subbing as the teacher for his regular kung fu classes as well.

Robert just left for California today. He will be in Santa Barbara all week, watching his satellite being tested and meeting with scientists.

ARGGGH!!!

2006-05-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

Why is Robert's sweater too big??? Why? Why? WHY???

I made a swatch. (I never make swatches.) It came out just fine. I used the right sized needles and the right yarn (which I paid $160 for!) and it still came out too big. And it stretches downwards. It gets longer and longer.

I may wear it myself with a belt as a coat. I could knit a belt to go with it and put belt loops on it. All is not lost.

So Much Wool-- So Little Time!

2006-05-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival was amazing!!! So much wool-- so little time! There were sheep and llamas and alpacas. There was a lady with angora rabbits that she combed her fingers through and spun the hair right off the bunny! There were sheep dog and sheep shearing demonstrations. And wool, wool, wool!!! I didn't buy any. Amazing!

I finished Robert's cotton sweater from the Green Mountain Spinnery book. Today we went to G-Street Fabrics to look at all the buttons and chose some nice dark metal ones. Now I am washing the sweater and will block it and sew the buttons on.

I need a new knitting project. I have been making socks like crazy, but I need something bigger. I might make a baby afghan out of all the leftover pieces of sock yarn. I have a log cabin quilt pattern that would look great with sock yarn.

Finally Back On Line!

2006-04-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

I am finally back on line. There was something very frustrating wrong with my blog and I couldn't get on to write about anything! I kept trying what I knew was the right password, but then they had me change it (to the same password as before) and now-- here I am. I will never understand computers as long as I live.

Nine hours each way in the car to Asheville NC to see my brother means I got a lot of knitting done. I worked on Robert's cardigan most of the time and got about 12 inches of it done. It is worked all in one piece on circular needles, so that was a lot of knitting. I also worked on a sock during the Muses concert (www.ashevillemuses.com) we went to Saturday night and got a lot done on that. They are a marvelous a capella women's group that sings mainly Appalachian and some Celtic music.

Sunday we spent the day hiking-- no knitting, oh well. It was a gotgeous day and we hiked along a ridgeline that parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway. Kris and Robyn had surveyed that ridge this past winter and Kris could find his markers everywhere. Spring is not as far along in NC as it is up here in Washington DC-- it's a lot colder up there at higher altitudes.

Back home now, I have 2 weeks off for Spring Break (Passover Vacation) from the Yeshiva. I am so glad to have a vacation. Hannah will be home on Thursday night. She has to go back Sunday-- not much of a break, but it will be great to see her.

Airport Knitting

2006-03-21T07:30:00.000-08:00

I had a crazy schedule last week, one involving a lot of travel time, which I used to hate. Now that I knit, it's a different story though. The 4-hour airport layover is enough time to finish the entire foot of a sock! The time in the air finishes the leg. I got an entire pair of socks made on one trip alone-- and I made three trips this past week.

I am so glad they let us knit on airplanes again! I was going nuts when they banned knitting needles for awhile. (Tell me, how am I going to hijack a plane using 6" bamboo double-pointed needles?) To my mind, if they are going to ban knitting needles, they should ban pencils and pens too. They are actually sharper, and as someone famous said, "The pen is mightier than the sword." I had almost given up and tried to learn how to knit with pencils when they dropped the ban.

I also got all my papers for AP Euro graded, which is good because I assigned more essays for them to do while I was gone. The Ap Exams are coming up soon and the kids need to be ready. There are only 21 class days left, since we have 2 weeks off for Passover.

I also did lots of Sudoku and crosswork puzzles. I have really gotten hooked on Sudoku, although I am not very good at them. I am a "letter person", not a "number person". I make stupid mistakes, like putting a 3 in a box that already has a 3 in it. Somehow, I just don't see it!

My AP Conferences went really well. The first one was for students-- 30 kids from Wicomico County high schools-- and they really seemed to enjoy my presentation on essay writing, DBQs and test-taking strategies. Besides the students, their 3 teachers were there, several guidance counselors, a principal and a couple of school board members. (I think they want to see what all their money is going for!) The second conference was at Syracuse University in New York. It was all teachers and administrators, mostly new teachers or people who will be teaching AP Euro next year. All but one of them left very happy-- the one had expected me to talk a whole lot about ART for some reason. Now, I sometimes do a lesson on using art in the classroom, but not with a whole room of newbies who just need to work on correct essay-writing format! Oh well, you can't please everybody.

Knitting Like Crazy

2006-03-11T13:42:00.000-08:00

It is a gorgeous day here in Silver Spring, Maryland. Yesterday it was nearly 80 degrees. Robert spent part of the morning cleaning his bike and putting a new wheel on it, so he could go riding down in the park. I am glad he is getting some more exercise, but I hope he is careful out there. The cars go so fast!

I am sitting out on my porch, reading, knitting and blogging (although not all at the same time!) My parrot, Bogart, is on his perch, watching all the birds that come to the feeder just a few feet away. He imitates them and yells at them and shows off his crest.

I have been knitting like crazy lately-- hardly time to blog. I am working on finishing up a pair of brown, salmon, pink and taupe striped socks-- sounds awful, but they are really pretty. I also finished up the pair of cotton socks for my brother. The elastic mixed in with the cotton makes them just a little bit stretchy. They came out great. I hope he will wear them!

I just finished the second of two baby blankets, and now I have found out that someone else is pregnant, Kitty's friend and protege, Makena. This is her third attempt at having a baby, (The first two were miscarriages.) so I am not going to give her anything for the baby until it is born. I got some great variegated sock yarn and I am going to make a little sweater and socks for the baby with it. Maybe a hat too, if there is enough yarn left.

Yesterday I went to my favorite yarn shop, Woolwinders (www.woolwinders.com), and got the yarn they had special ordered for me so that I can start on Robert's cardigan. I had to buy 18 skeins, since he is XL size. It is a Rowan Cotton in taupe, very soft, and I think it will show the pattern really nicely.

This has been a really busy week at school. I taught an extra class every day for one of our teachers who, it turns out, had actually crushed two disks in her back a couple of months ago in a car accident. In effect, she has been teaching for the last two months with a broken back! Her class is only 4 boys, but all of them have serious learning problems and emotional issues. They were not thrilled to have me, but we did some fun things, like making Get Well cards for their teacher and writing an essay for an essay contest called "My Teacher is a Super Hero."

I also had several teachers' meetings. As History Dept. Chair, I have to meet with the principals about how many classes we will have next year, who will teach them, who will come back and who won't. It is hard because mostly the administration does what they want to do, and I don't really have that much say in the actual decision other than to give my advice (which they often don't take). At the Boys' School, they are replacing one of the secular class periods with Judaics in the 7th grade, which leaves us with 4 hours to teach 6 secular classes. They are always playing up how great their Secular Program is, but then they cut all our class time.

Next week is Purim. I have only one class Monday morning before the Fast of Esther starts. (It is impossible to teach teenagers once they get hungry!) Then Tuesday I have off for Purim, and Wednesday we start late, so I only have one class in the afternoon. Lots of time for knitting!!! I am going to go down to Bridgewater to see Mom and Dad after class on Monday. I will give Mom a break from looking after Dad. I think she needs it!

I am not THAT old!

2006-03-05T11:05:00.000-08:00

I am working on my second baby afghan for this summer. It is white with pastel green, blue and yellow patches. Matt's friend, D, and his wife are going to have a baby. First of all, it is difficult for me to believe that one of Matt's friends is married, much less that he is having a baby. I CAN'T BE THAT OLD!!! Matt can be almost 23, but I can't be old enough to be a grandmother yet! I am (only) 48.

The other afghan is for my cleaning lady's daughter who is Hannah's age-- 19! That makes me feel even older, although it should make me feel younger, I guess. The one I made for her is all white, in a diamond shape. I am giving her a soft pink bunny toy too. We will let her borrow some of the old baby stuff we kept in the attic since she can't really afford to buy a lot for herself. I will want it back someday though-- when I am a grandma.

10 Ways to Know You are a Knitting Addict

2006-03-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

Is it possible to be addicted to knitting? If so, then I am probably a knitting addict. Ten ways to know if you are too:

1) I find myself putting off a lot of other things I ought to do in favor of knitting, or surfing the knitting blogs and sites on the net. Things like cooking dinner, working, etc.

2) My list of "favorites" under the heading Knitting is unmanageable. There are so many.

3) I try to figure out ways to knit in the bathtub or while driving.

4) I spend way too much money on yarn.

5) Every person on my Christmas list got socks this year.

6) My students call me Mme Defarge.

7) My stash is threatening to take over the bedroom. I am thinking of giving it a room of its own, now that my daughter has left for college.

8) I am thrilled when we have to drive 8 hours each way to Vermont (a whole pair of socks done!) or 16 hours to visit relatives in Florida (an entire afghan!)
9) Whenever a friend has a problem, I tell them that knitting is the answer.

10) I wonder if I can somehow take knitting expenses off on my tax returns.

Where Do I Knit?

2006-03-03T10:57:00.000-08:00

In response to the question of where I knit, the answer is ALMOST EVERYWHERE!

At school, I knit while my history students are taking a test in my class—they have all read A Tale of Two Cities, and they call me Mme Defarge, for the character who knits while watching the French nobles lose their heads. I have used my knitting for classroom lessons a lot: the tricoteuses were radical ladies during the French Revolution, for example. The kids always want to see my newest project and I have taught several of them how to knit. I knit in staff meetings and parent conferences. Last year I made the principal a scarf. I can knit and read or knit and watch TV, but unfortunately I cannot knit and grade papers.

I think that knitting has saved my marriage because my husband is always late, but now that I am knitting I don’t mind waiting for him. It just means more knitting time! I don’t mind waiting in line at the bank, the DMV or in the doctor’s office either. I knit in the movie theater and when we go to a play. I have learned that one cannot knit and drive, but it is great to have the knitting on the seat next to me so I can do a round or two at a long stop light or when stuck in traffic. I also do not knit in the bathtub, although I’d like to. Any suggestions as to how I could pull this off, let me know!

Sock Knitting in a Darkened Theater

2006-02-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

Last night I got so much knitting done on the socks I am making for my brother! The Yeshiva Girls' School had their annual production and I sat in the back, knitting the entire time. I learned last year that it is better to sit in the back where the theater floor DOES NOT SLOPE DOWN so that a dropped ball of yarn doesn't roll downhill under the seats. Last year I had to wait for intermission and then climb under several rows, rewinding my yarn as I went. My students thought it was hilarious. They all had to read A Tale of Two Cities this year and have started calling me Mme Defarge because I knit while they are taking tests in my European History class.

The show was all about the importance of learning Jewish History, and it was very cute. I am always amazed that some of my students are incredible singers and dancers too. As often happens at the Yeshiva, the show started a bit late, and then it ran long (as Yeshiva shows often do). But now that I am knitting, I don't care if people are late or I am stuck in a line or the show runs long. I just pull out my yarn and needles and I can wait forever. I got almost the entire foot done of my sock!

These are pretty wild socks, made of Cascade cotton (with a little elastic to make them stretch). My brother is very picky about his socks. They must be cotton. They must be knee socks. And since he is a rock climber and rock climbers love wild colors (which can be seen from the ground when they are high up on a cliff), I made them in a variegated neon green, purple and white yarn. No one will have any trouble seeing him!

I was just thinking back on all the knitting I have finished in the past year. I made two sleeveless sweaters for me and Hannah, a chemotherapy hat for a friend, several scarves including a very fancy patterned one for my sister, and 10 pairs of socks to give people for Christmas. It was marvelous to see everyone Christmas morning, sitting around with their feet up, all wearing my socks! But my brother and his wife didn't get any yet, so they will get theirs this summer for his birthday. (Photos to come when finished!)

The Vintage Lace Cardigan is done!

2006-02-26T14:42:00.000-08:00

I finished Hannah's sweater and it looks great! The sleeves are a bit long. She asked me to make them longer so she could roll them up-- but they ended up a good bit longer than intended. Oh well, she can roll them up a lot. It was a complicated lacey pattern from Vintage Knits, and it really came out gorgeous. I gave it to her when we left her at college in Vermont. I hope she wears it a lot, when she is curled up studying for classes or out running around this Spring on the campus commons.

Now Robert wants me to make him a sweater too. He picked out a cable cardigan from Green Mountain Spinnery's book and I found some nice All Season Cotton yarn by Rowan. It will cost me about $150 to make (!!!) and will probably not be done until next Christmas. Still, it will keep me busy. I need a "big" project to work on when I get tired of all the little things I do all the time (like socks).

I Knit, Therefore I Am.

2006-02-06T17:48:00.001-08:00

This is my first posting on my new blog. My old one, Wolfenotes, will not let me post anymore. Maybe that's because I hadn't written in more than a month. I will try to be more faithful with this one. And it will be mostly about knitting.

I am almost finished with my most ambitious knitting project to date: a vintage lace sweater in off-white cotton for my 19-year old daughter. I still have to put it together and finish the button band. Then blocking. I hope she will realize someday all the work and thoughts of her that went into this project. As she worked on her college degree up in Vermont, I thought about keeping her warm and happy as I knit away the hours and hours. It is a beautiful sweater and I hope it lasts her a very long time (because I may never make another one!)