No more "stash"!

What I have is a collection of yarn, just as I have a book collection, a magazine collection, etc.  Sharon and I were discussing this in an email, and her post today (you should go read it!)made me reconsider what to call all the yarn I have accumulated. I think "stash" has a slightly negative connotation, whereas "collection" doesn't. So, from now on, I will talk about my collection, rather than my stash.

In other news, it hit 115 here yesterday. We didn't even let the kids play outdoors. They were offered the use of the cafeteria (air conditioned) or staying outside, but only in the shade. 115 is simply too hot to do anything. And it isn't even really cooling off at night. It was still 93 at 9 pm.  Sleeping has become problematic. Oh well, they're forecasting 90s by the end of the week. Oddly, that sounds cool to me!

Yikes!

108 yesterday, heading to 110 today! This is generally when the really hot days of September cool off to the warm, but lovely days of October. What the &!*$ happened? Obviously, no knitting is happening, or going to happen for a while. We may be down to the mid 90s by Saturday, but I'm not holding my breath. It's too bloody hard to breathe in this heat as it is.

Where did Fall go?

Knitting weather has disappeared. We had just over a week of very cool (for SoCal) temps, but starting the end of this week, we're back into the 100s. It got up to 104 today, and, without a/c, it was just too hot to even think about knitting. It's supposed to hit 106 on Tuesday. The "big" cool off toward the end of the coming week means it will only be in the mid-90s.

As if I didn't have enough yarn or patterns, I picked up a Maddy Laine pattern and some Store yarn to make it, and it arrived this week, just before the temperature sky-rocketed. I'd planned to make it this weekend ~ it's her Vest Alternative pattern, a quick one with bulky yarn. I haven't even swatched for it.  Don't know when I'll get to it, with the temps this high.

I'm still here!

I'm still blogging, I just haven't had anything knitterly to blog about. School is very busy, and I've had afterschool or evening meetings at least 3 times a week since the beginning. Was due for another meeting today, but the principal got tied up in a district meeting, so, 10 minutes after our meeting was supposed to start, we got word it was cancelled.  (Actually, other than the late notice, all of us were relieved ~ one was sick, one had a union meeting to get to, the rest of us were just tired, tired, tired.)

The yarn and patterns from Elann arrived days ago, and other than opening the package and oohing and ahhing over the yarn and patterns, I've done absolutely nothing with them. It hasn't really been the weather's fault, either. The days start off chilly, warm up to the 90s, then cool off early in the evening. Perfect weather, actually.

I'm just busy with lesson planning and grading papers, and reading essays about the students (written by them), and cataloguing the answers to several inventories they've completed. Oh, and enrolling all of them in a program I bought (way back when I had money) that tests them in a myriad of language arts skills, and produces incredibly detailed reports. Now, I'm just trying to get access to our computer lab so they can start taking the tests. And waiting to find out if I'm getting any new students, since the deadline for reorganization was Tuesday, and we haven't heard a word either way.  I don't want to give up any of mine , and if truth be told, I don't want any of the other teacher's students. But, of course, I don't have any choice in the matter.

Anyway, getting home between 6 and 9 pm nearly every day, and filling those few hours of my evening with school-related work has made knitting take a back seat. I even forgot a knitting group was meeting Wednesday, and I was supposed to go. Didn't go, didn't even log on to Ravelry to tell them I couldn't make it. Not good.

Maybe I'll have some time this weekend to decide which project to start first, and actually start it. Or maybe I'll just do a swatch party, and see which one I like best after that. (I don't always do swatches, particularly not if I bought the yarn specified, but I know I should.)

If I don't start this weekend, I likely won't get anything done until the weekend after. I've got yet another long meeting Tuesday after school, and Thursday is Back to School night, and the meeting that was cancelled today will be rescheduled, probably for Monday, since the Tuesday meeting needs the results from this group, so....

Knitting Content, this time!

Not that I've actually started knitting, of course. But I have bought project books and yarn for several knitted objects, and that counts, doesn't it?

This one is from Cornelia Tuttle. I love cables, so this is a natural for me. And it uses chunky yarn, so that appeals, too. Araucania Nature Wool Chunky. In this color:

Next, I got the yarn for my Twist Red Oak sweater, in this lovely Mallard Peruvian Chunky from Elann.

I also picked up some Ella Rae Classic wool in two colors, for two different projects. First, this one in the color shown, Pearl.

Next, a simple top, in a forest green:

So, that's what I've got planned for the next little while.That's in addition to the two I mentioned earlier, both from VK Early Fall issue. So I should be set for knitting until Christmas, at least.

I'll be starting a knitting class after school for any of my students that want to learn. They'll have to provide their own needles, but I have lots of yarn they can use. I'll get them started on garter stitch projects ~ scarves, phone cases, placemats, wash cloths, any simple small project that gets quick results. They need that in order to feel successful.

(Blogger is being a pain today, and I've had to redo this post twice now, so I'm hoping the third time is the charm!)