An Almost FO

I finished the knitting portion of the tank top from Classic Knits last Friday. It takes no time at all to knit, using Big Wool and size 17s. I think I spent a couple of hours on it Thursday night, and finished it Friday evening after I got home from organizing my classroom. It's cute, but it's still not sewn together. I really like the Big Wool Fusion I used ~ it's pink and cream, sort of swirled together, and knits up really nice. I even made it longer than the pattern called for, and made a larger opening for my arms, since this has to be worn over something, not by itself. It's a satisfying very quick knit.


I've been busy at my school, getting my classroom set up for the new year, which begins next week. I'm down to 35 students as of today, from a high of 39 at the beginning of last week. (35 is the max I'm allowed to have, but our district keeps enrolling students even when we've reached our max, thinking they'll shuffle kids once school begins. Ask me how stupid I think that is!) Anyway, I'm pretty much done with setting up, but still have my "first day bags" to fill, and some activity sheets to run off. And my "Parent Handbook" to finish assembling, too.


My school is air conditioned, which has made me glad to go in to work, even though it's unpaid, this past week or so. It's been hot as h*** here, over 100 each day, and not cooling off much at night, either. Which is partially why the tank top isn't sewn together ~ it's just too hot to hold all that luscious wool in my lap while I sew it together. It's supposed to be cooling down a little bit this week (I'm still waiting for that to happen ~ it's 6:30 pm and 91 degrees right now), and if it does, I'll sew that tank top together and be done with it.


Tomorrow, I'm having lunch with Shui Kuen and Catbookmom, my Elannite friends. SK is down from her home in Canada to see her mom, and she and Barbara and I are having lunch somewhere in Alhambra. I think SK's mom is joining us ~ she's a knitter, too, but she doesn't speak any English at all. SK is a very talented designer ~ her shawl patterns are beautiful and very, very well written. I recommend them all. Two of them are in magazines right now, in Elann ads. The first one out was the Champagne Leaf and Acorn Lace Shawl, on page 115 of the VogueKnits Anniversary issue out now. The other one is called Forget-Me-Not, and it's on page 103 of the new Fall issue of Knitter's. She is just amazing. I'm looking forward to seeing what she's got on her needles now, and Barbara is always fun to get together with, so lunch will be a blast. I'll try to remember to take my camera, and actually have pictures for this blog! (I just need to put the camera in my school tote tonight, since I'll be going in to school before I go to meet them)

Well, it's hot and I need to see about something for dinner that doesn't include turning on the stove or oven. Even the microwave puts out hot air, so I'm really limited in what I can make. But turning on anything that adds heat to this already overheated apartment will kill any appetite I might have, so I'm going to go get creative in the kitchen.