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Hermione’s Everyday Socks

On Saturday, I finished another project.

These are Hermione’s Everyday Socks.  The pattern is free on Ravelry.

The yarn is Austermann Step.  I don’t know the colorway because I lost the label.  It’s probably been in my stash a long time, which is why I’m thankful for the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup, which is giving me a reason to knit often and from my stash.

I selected this pattern because it looked easy.  I needed something quick to knit because I have a goal of knitting up to three projects that total 750 yards.  I’m trying for extra bonus Quidditch points.

This project used 390 yards!

The yarn is self-striping.  I desperately wanted to make each sock match and pulled out a bunch to try to get to the same starting point for sock #2.  I think I accomplished what I wanted.  They are pretty much dead-on.

I used size 0 needles…oh so small but necessary for my loose gauge.  I knit these using my favorite method…two circs.  If you’re not familiar with this, Google it.  It’s the quickest way to knit things in the round.

The yarn was not soft and a bit itchy to knit with; however, when I have the socks on, my feet are toasty warm, and I don’t notice an itchy feel to the socks.

In case you’re wondering, I am the sock model.  I took my camera outside, set it on two books, turned on the timer, and ran back and forth to set up each shot.  I’m sure I was quite the sight.

Heart Dishcloth

I thought we could do with a non-teaching post, how about you?

Today, I want to show you a project I recently finished.  It’s my Heart Dishcloth…

This is a free pattern you can find here.

I really, really enjoyed knitting this up.  It was fast, but it turned out so lovely.

The pattern instructions include an option for knitting a bunch of these and putting them together for a blanket.  I may, at some point, do that…only with worsted yarn.

As Tired as this Picture

What a week.

Oh, it wasn’t bad, mind you.

It was simply a week…the first full one where we actually attended for five straight days in a row.

I’m beat…more so because I know my lesson plans, while shaping up nicely, still aren’t finished for next week, nor is my grading.

I spent a glorious two hours (yes, I did use the correct adjective) with my mentor after school methodically picking apart my student-created rubric plans, and I gained a lot of clarity.  I think my students will be very happy when I present a revamped lesson plan next week.

Still, I am worn slap out and feel like Molly looks in this picture…

I think I’ll sit on the couch and knit for a while and watch the Olympics Opening Ceremonies, which I DVR’d so I could attend my students’ basketball game…

Tomorrow, I plan on sleeping in.

Don’t call me.

Or.

Else.

Despicable Me Scarf

Chicky’s birthday was on the 22nd.

Last Saturday, I got up a little earlier so I could mail her package…

I had to send her a corny card…

One of those wrapped gifts was this…

The Mr. had seen the cup one day when he was out-and-about, and he knew that Chicky’s favorite flower is the sunflower, so he thought she might like it.

Meanwhile, I had been working on a special project, which I can finally reveal.  I worked on it from October until January.

I had originally tried to finish it by the end of October, but I was very busy with my classroom and the ESOL classes I was enrolled in, so I just couldn’t get it done by my goal.

My goal then became one of trying to finish it in time to give it as a gift to Chicky for Christmas.

I even took it to her house when she had surgery, but I didn’t get to work on it because she didn’t sleep as much as I had thought she would.

At that point, I was hoping to finish in time for her birthday.

I was happy to bind off the thing with just enough time to spare and mailed it off to Chicky.

This, my friends, is the Despicable Me Scarf, which Gru wears in the movie.

I had a bit of a problem with the mail carrier (you might remember that post), but Chicky finally received it and tweeted the following picture, which I edited to cover up her face…

When I packaged it up, I sent along a picture I’d printed of Gru…hoping she would see the connection between one of her favorite movies and the scarf.  She’s not much into my knitted items, but I thought this would okay.  It’s thin, as seems to be the style these days.  It’s also long enough to be wrapped a couple of times.

Here’s a close-up of the knitting…

I am completely loving the Harry Potter knitting community I joined on Ravelry (Go Hufflepuff!).  It’s been a wonderful motivator to get me back to one of my favorite past times…one that allows me to give homemade items from my heart.

Violet Waffles Hat

A quick post to show you what I kept myself busy doing on Sunday (as opposed to the lesson planning that should have been happening…which is why I’m posting this at 11:48pm on Monday evening…please I procrastinated).

This was my response to the current Quidditch challenge on my Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup group on Ravelry.

We were challenged to select one pattern from an approved list and knit it as quickly as possible…hence the name of the challenge…Speed Matters.  The quicker a person finished, the more points awarded.

I finished this in eight hours…potty and meal breaks notwithstanding.  I received the full forty points for finishing within one day.

I was able to use yarn I purchased on my Vegas trip in 2008.  I blogged about that here.  It was my first yarn shopping excursion to “real” yarn stores, and I’ve been a bit of a yarn snob ever since.

The yarn, Cash Vero, now discontinued (gee, I feel old) was a DREAM to knit with.  It was a mix of merino wool and cashmere.

Oh yeah…the hat is warm.

And now I better get back to lesson planning.

Yes…at midnight.

Thankfully, Tuesday is a teacher work day…sans students.  Still, I want to get up and have my Smartboard file finished so I can spend Tuesday making new seating arrangements and working on next week’s lesson plans.  My Saturday is going to be busy, and I’m learning to get these plans done earlier so I can have some time to be a non-teacher on the weekends.

A Force to be Reckoned With

It’s Wednesday already?  Wow!  It’s been a very interesting week.  Yesterday, a power transformer caught fire a few streets away from my school and knocked out power for the surrounding area.  My school was affected; the power went out at 8:30.  As a result, we dismissed students at 10:50, and teachers got to go home at 1.  I had a lovely afternoon and went to the grocery store…a rare thing these days…and prepared dinner for the guys and myself.  I also knit up a quick project.  Mid-term exams begin today, so things should be even more interesting with students missing much-needed review time yesterday.

Anyhoo…we probably should get to Joyce’s fun questions, eh?

1.  Are you a force to be reckoned with? In what way?

I can be a force to be reckoned with if you’re messing with my children or my students.  I’ve also been known to throw my 105 lbs around when someone isn’t willing to take my coupons in the store.  Don’t mess with the petite girl!

2.  What are two things you love about the wintertime? Or, if love feels like too strong a word, what are two things you ‘like’ about winter?

I do not like cold weather…except for the fact that I can wear my knitted socks…

I also like to wear my knit hats and scarves…

3.  Pomegranate, kumquat, persimmon, kiwi, and guava are all fruits said to have health benefits, particularly during the winter months. Do you have a favorite on the list? Are there any on the list you haven’t tried?

I’m not a fan of any of those listed, although I can tolerate kiwi if need be.

4.  I passed a local church yesterday and noticed they had this on their outdoor sign- ‘When all else fails, do the right thing.‘ Your thoughts?

I think that doing the right thing should be the first thing you do, not the last thing, as the sign seemed to imply.

5.  Do you ski? According to one list I’ve seen, the top 5 ski destinations for 2014 are-St. Anton Austria, Whistler Canada, Cortina Italy, Tahoe USA, and Zermatt Switzerland.  Of the five listed, which would you most like to visit? We can make skiing optional if that helps the non-skiers with their answer.

I’ve never been skiing.  I do remember asking for a pair when I was a lot younger and actually receiving them for Christmas; however, my mom broke up with her fiancee and made me leave the skis at his house when we moved out, so I never got to use them.  It’s funny and sad that I can remember that day like it was but a moment ago.

6.  What’s the last thing you looked for online? (Besides my blog!)

I last looked for a knitting pattern online last night.  I mistakenly thought that I only had until 9pm to knit a project for a Quidditch match on my Harry Potter knitting forum (bear with my nerdiness), so I scrambled, let me tell you.  I wound up knitting the preemie hat you see in the next picture.  After I’ve made more items, I will donate them to a charity.  By the way, the deadline is actually tonight.  Go figure.  Obviously, I got the project in on time.  LOL!

7.  What saying, slogan, quote, or motto have you seen lately that inspires you for the new year?

Maybe I’m lame, but I don’t really buy into sayings, slogans, or mottos.  I usually skip the ones that people post on social media.  I just feel as though they sound empty when a bajillion people share the same thing over and over.

Anyone sensing a Scrooge in January?

8.  My Random Thought

A few weeks ago, when I was paying bills, I did something really neat.

I made my final EPI loan payment  EPI is the alternative education certification program I went through from January 2011 through July 2011.  I did my coursework through a local college and had to take out a loan to pay for it.  Even though I wasn’t required to pay anything until next year, I went ahead and payed $100 each month.

I received the following email a couple of days ago, which thrilled me to no end!  I can’t wait until I see the same type of message after I’ve paid off my HUGE student loan for my BS degree.  That one’s going to take a little longer.

Leaf Lace Washcloth

Ta Da!

I present to you my first completed project of 2014…the Leaf Lace Washcloth, a free pattern you can find on Ravelry.

I knit this as part of my Harry Potter Ravelry “homework.”  It was a fast knit…only took me a couple of hours…knit while I watched a bowl game with Rooster.

I used Lily Sugar n’ Cream in Sage.  Size 7 needles helped the pattern “pop.”  My gauge tends to be a bit looser, so I always have to use smaller needles than what the yarn and pattern recommend.

I love the color and the pattern…so pretty!  I also enjoyed the instant gratification I got from finishing a quick project.

Assante Opaleye Shawl

I’ve mentioned that I joined the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup on Ravelry.

It’s a fun group of crafters, divided into the Harry Potter houses (I am a Hufflepuff), engaged in friendly competition with each other for the House Cup.

“Students” receive points for monthly “class” assignments.  The prompts are posted at the beginning of each month, and there is enough leeway in a crafter’s interpretation to be able to fit almost any project into one of many prompts.

This has been a great way for me to “meet” other crafters who share my passion.  We also share other common interests and concerns that range from cooking (Hufflepuffs are known for our mad baking skills) to reading to parenting.

I love that the projects and the competition give me a “reason” to knit, and I’ve tried several patterns I would never have considered just to fit them into various prompts.

One of the activities we can choose to participate in (everything is volunteer) is the OWL project where we propose a long-term project, post progress reports, and complete it by a certain due date.  There are a LOT of points awarded for OWLs.

This has been my first official term as a “student,” and I just completed my first OWL!

I’m proud to show you my Assante Opaleye Shawl, so named because the Opaleye is a mythical creature in the Harry Potter series that has the same coloring as the shawl you see displayed below…

The pattern isn’t free, but the cost is minor compared to what you get back in a simple pattern and a designer who’s quick to answer questions.  The designer helped me adjust the pattern so I wouldn’t run out of yarn.

I used yarn in my stash (yay!).  The pink is called Tutu and is Cascade Heritage.  The green is called Wash and is Madelinetosh Tosh Sock.  Both yarns were divine to knit with…nothing but the best for my dainty hands.  heehee

I used size 4 needles to help conserve yarn.

It’s a different shawl for me…no lace patterning…but lovely all the same.  I’m pleasantly surprised by the result.

A Sunflower for Chicky

On Tuesday, I showed you the Boo Boo Bunny I knit for Chicky.

Well, I was busy the last few weeks, and I knit her another surprise, which I delivered last weekend.

This is what I’m calling Sunflower for Chicky…

It was a quick knit.  I think I made it over the course of two evenings, but it could easily have been finished in one.

Sunflowers are Chicky’s favorite flowers (they’re mine too), so it was a joy to make this for her.  Her kitchen is adorned with various sunflowery items; I figured this might play nice with the other things.

I love surprising my girl because, whether she knows it or not, she lights up my life just like those flowers light up hers.

Boo Boo Bunny

Now that I’ve visited Chicky, I can begin to show off a few surprises I took down to her.

I needed to knit something quick and easy for the Harry Potter forum I’m involved with on Ravelry, so I selected the Boo Boo Bunny pattern.

Oh word, but this was such a quick, fun knit.  I reminisced as I thought about our own Boo Boo Bunny, sitting in the pantry, unused for the last few years.  It soothed away many tears that came about as the result of scrapes from childhood mishaps.

The new Boo Boo Bunny only took me one evening (albeit late) to finish it!  It has a cute little opening in the back for a re-freezable ice pack …

I did a bit of homework and found just what I needed at Target…

There are a lot of varieties of Boo Boo Buddies, but I wanted something small and round.

Plus, a person can never go wrong with Spiderman!

He was a perfect fit!

Now, when Chicky has a bump or bruise, I’ll feel better knowing that Spiderman is riding along, incognito, making her boo boo all better.