tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13818396262896391412012-02-16T13:47:24.935-08:00Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.comBlogger821100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-63772628444317695682011-12-31T14:57:00.000-08:002011-12-31T14:57:16.469-08:00

Although it's been 6 months since I last posted, I haven't died, or stopped knitting. I've just been battling anemia, busy with my class (much nicer this year, and smaller in size as well), and doing some major cleaning and reorganizing. I've also been trying to do more real cooking, as opposed to either skipping dinner or heating up a frozen dinner. I used to cook a lot, and loved it, but that

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-56118388224143573272011-06-11T22:34:00.000-07:002011-06-11T22:35:30.892-07:00

On Friday, I attended the funeral of a woman who worked with my students as a PE teacher once a week. She'd been doing this for several years. I didn't know her well ~ she provided part of my planning period, so I rarely got to spend any time with her. She also sold jewelry, by catalog, once in a while. She died on June 1st, in a one-car accident on the freeway, near my school. We found out the

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-69809835222915761762011-04-02T19:21:00.000-07:002011-04-02T19:21:02.532-07:00

I just received my four names for the people I'll be knitting afgan squares for over the next 8 months. I'm excited to get started on them!  Of course, I checked out the home pages for all of them, and looked at their projects and queues. And it occured to me that if whoever got me does the same, they'll be pretty disappointed in the information they can glean from it. So ~ for any Ravelers

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-86332160363873509152011-03-20T09:58:00.000-07:002011-03-20T09:58:46.051-07:00

I've realized that I need to move my political posts to a new home. An occasional rant is okay, but the way America is going, I'm going to have much more than an occasional political post. I will stick to knitting on this blog from now on. Political stuff can be found at A Teacher's Reflection from now on.

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-32034560414794821922011-03-09T22:20:00.000-08:002011-03-09T22:20:17.010-08:00

I am both apalled and outraged by the cowardly action of the Wisconsin Republican Senators and their ringleader, Scott Walker. Using an unethical, and probably illegal, method, they passed their discriminatory anti-union bill without having a single Democratic vote. The 14 Democratic Senators are still out of state, and they weren't even advised of the vote, much less present for it. Their

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-59266706453145289652011-03-05T09:50:00.000-08:002011-03-05T09:50:29.817-08:00

Well, hopefully you won't, but who knows? I think anyone who reads my blog knows I lean liberal, politically. I voted for Obama, and I'll likely vote for him again. I support the Health Care Reform he got passed. I think he's too careful, and too in love with the "bipartisan" bit, but I still support him. And given what's happening in Wisconsin, I hope many, many more people will begin to

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-63021598817129565312011-02-05T14:14:00.000-08:002011-02-05T14:14:26.520-08:00

I'm still slogging away at that beautiful pullover on 3s, but it's going slowly since my mind cramps after more than an hour of working on those small needles. I've been reading lots of knitting books and magazines, lately, and I've found several patterns that I adore. I ordered yarn for two of them on Webs, and I'm just waiting for it to arrive. (I was hard pressed to stop at only two yarns, and

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-77596697909833085842011-01-15T11:08:00.000-08:002011-01-15T11:08:40.601-08:00

"Be thine own palace, or the world's thy jail." That's the quotation on my blog today. I admit, I'm a quotation junkie ~ I get an email every day with one (related to education), I own a Bartlett's, as well as several other books of quotations, and I have a growing Word document filled with random quotations I've found.  I make small posters of some of them to post in my classroom. This one,

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-63446502180177824952010-12-31T01:30:00.000-08:002010-12-31T01:30:28.913-08:00

It's officially the last day of 2010, albeit very early on that day. I can't say I'm going to miss this year very much. While no major catastrophe happened, in all this just wasn't my year. I didn't knit very much, although I bought enough yarn to knit every day for years, all of which just got added to my collection. (Remember, I'm not calling it a stash anymore.) Money was tight, but not really

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-26797781976392258822010-12-12T20:21:00.000-08:002010-12-12T20:21:06.482-08:00

I am officially done with Christmas shopping. I still have wrapping to do, and in my niece's present's case, some cutting and tying (yes, I opted for the hand-tied fleece throw), but I don't have to leave home to do any of those things. I was able to order the Lego kit my sister-in-law wanted online, and it should be arriving this week. But my nephew isn't getting cooking lessons. His mom called

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-52364182774874916552010-11-27T19:50:00.000-08:002010-11-27T19:50:59.101-08:00

Thanksgiving was quiet, just my brother's family and me. My brother did all the cooking ~ he's turned out to be quite a good cook, and he really seems to enjoy it. One of the things I'm thankful for, every Thanksgiving. Black Friday came and went, while I stayed home. Well, except for a brief trip to the grocery store for a few staples that I needed to get through until payday next week. Since

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-40658751047779288712010-11-19T20:20:00.000-08:002010-11-19T20:23:35.648-08:00

Well, I knew this day wasn't going to be my best when I spilled half a (tall) cup of coffee at 5:30 this morning. It was confirmed when I dropped the wand part of my mascara down the sink drain at 6 am. But it was made crystal clear when at 9:30 this morning, in front of my students, I stepped down from the stool I had been reading from only to find my left leg wasn't there ~ at least I couldn't

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-63794213832226333212010-11-14T12:54:00.000-08:002010-11-14T12:54:11.692-08:00

Well, I lost 5 sweaters to moths, but I have 3 that can be saved by darning. My yarn seems to be fine, however, so at least that has no loss. I still don't know how I acquired moths, but I'm putting up cedar blocks everywhere, and I've made a schedule for refreshing them that should deter any new invasions. I suspect that I might have gotten them from yarn bought on EBay, so if I buy anymore,

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-2728550906370790062010-10-28T18:37:00.000-07:002010-10-28T20:25:35.607-07:00

You can only imagine my horror when I arrived at school yesterday morning, and sitting down in the brightly lit lounge, I noticed several holes in my wool jacket. On further inspection, I found lots of holes, some small, some very large. Moths! I don't understand how this happened. I keep my wool jackets and sweaters in sealed plastic bags, and they're all cleaned before being sealed inside. So

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-29561641451548363422010-10-20T23:19:00.000-07:002010-10-30T07:54:37.254-07:00

The weather has turned to fall, at last. Steady days of cool temperatures. Some rain, but not too much of it. And it's clearing up every day. Which is good since I'm planning on going to an outdoor event, a local craft fair, on Saturday with my sister-in-law, so we're hoping the forecast is accurate. One of the things we're sure to see, since we've seen them every year we go, is a bunch of

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-6305781187584826192010-10-08T11:17:00.000-07:002010-10-08T11:17:29.023-07:00

I'm home sick today, so I was browsing blogs to fill up my day. (I'm achy and coughing and fuzzy-headed, so reading and knitting seem like too much for me right now) I got to the Panopticon, and stopped. I love his humor, I marvel at his skill, I enjoy his style. So, today, it surprized me a bit to experience a vague sense of shame after reading this post, It Gets Better. Not personal shame.

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-47557866099017788442010-09-28T06:41:00.000-07:002010-09-28T06:41:29.986-07:00

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

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-49651319925212457402010-09-27T06:23:00.000-07:002010-09-27T06:23:00.419-07:00

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.

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-30254334623258254602010-09-25T19:34:00.000-07:002010-09-25T19:34:08.887-07:00

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

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-36216179906368838342010-09-16T17:22:00.000-07:002010-09-16T17:23:10.407-07:00

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,

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-39475422817335256682010-09-04T09:28:00.000-07:002010-09-04T16:30:25.344-07:00

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

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-10581606632785051062010-08-27T19:39:00.000-07:002010-08-27T19:39:28.323-07:00

Wow, I just found out that I'm ugly. At least according to an ad by some Minnesota Republicans, who think that all Republican women are good looking, and all Democratic women are not, with Dem. pictures displayed to the the tune of "Who Let the Dogs Out?".  Kathy Ireland, who refuses to be categorized as Republican or Democrat, was furious about this ad, because 1)it labeled her as Republican,

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-40327065165691934962010-08-23T08:35:00.000-07:002010-08-23T08:35:23.840-07:00

A new fan has made a huge difference in the temperature in my home. I've almost finished the baby blanket, well in time for next Saturday's shower. Now I'll need to find a box or bag to fit it in, so I can wrap it up for the shower. As for why blogging has declined so much, many people say it's because Facebook and Ravelry have become the places to post, instead of on blogs. That's discouraging.

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-6069163663737469492010-08-21T05:28:00.000-07:002010-08-21T05:28:46.998-07:00

Well, knitting is on hold for a little while. The weather's getting progressively hotter (over 100 today), and my one and only fan died last night ~ just too late to run out for a replacement, of course. So, once the stores open today, I'm off to find a fan ~ no easy job, actually. Fans disappear from stores once the heat climbs into the 90s, and it's been there for almost a week now, so the

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-46049449536466564902010-08-20T05:56:00.000-07:002010-08-20T05:56:23.818-07:00

the baby blanket. It's gotten summery at last here in SoCal, and I've begun working in my classroom to get ready for the start of school on August 31st, so I've slowed down. I really only have another 5 or 6 inches to go, and I have more than a week to finish, so I'm sure I'll be done with it in time. The heat, however, makes it hard to pick up a lapful of blanket to work on in the afternoon.

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-63944535189490803972010-08-12T17:57:00.000-07:002010-08-12T17:57:49.530-07:00

Elann is having another Sample Pack sale, this time on light-weight yarns. Cashmere! Silk! 6 skeins for $18. I've worked with the baby cashmere and baby silk ~ they are incredibly soft and lovely to work with. I keep telling myself that I promised myself no more yarn buying until November, but some of the colors are sooo luscious! But I'm going to be disciplined and exercise my will power. For

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-46076965302207042412010-08-10T19:12:00.000-07:002010-08-10T19:12:35.279-07:00

I made a mistake in my earlier post today. The KnitOne CrochetToo yarn isn't for a free Elann pattern, it's for #23 in the Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2010 magazine. (#22 is on my list, too! As are the 3 Lutz & Patmos chunky cardigans. For once, a VK I'll keep for more than the articles!)

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-39071693873848524862010-08-10T17:54:00.000-07:002010-08-12T18:03:21.441-07:00

I've managed to knit almost 15 inches on the baby blanket, and I do really like the look of it. Unfortunately, late last night (or early this morning, since it was long after midnight), I ran into a problem. A missing stitch. Not one I can easily just add back in, but one I can't find where it went missing. So I have to rip back until I have all the stitches. All 126 of them. And I just couldn't

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-38962052928181004212010-08-07T16:59:00.000-07:002010-08-07T16:59:39.830-07:00

Just a quick update. The 4th time was the charm, after all. Yay! I'm about 4 inches in on the blanket now, and it's whizzing along. Plenty of time to finish before the baby shower! (Yes, I'm so relieved to be able to say that, after the tough time I had getting started on this baby blanket!) I just looked at the First Fall issue of Knitty, and I've downloaded the pattern for Victoria. I'll be

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-25745492590858130932010-08-06T20:54:00.000-07:002010-08-06T20:54:51.019-07:00

It's been more than a year since I last posted, and I did some blog reading today and found out I'm not alone in being missing for so long. Several of my regular reads have been "missing" longer than I have! What have we all been doing?? As for me, I had a really tough year at work, a combo class of 35 4th and 5th graders who hadn't learned their social graces yet. It was a long, difficult road

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-20637159354049086072009-07-27T21:57:00.000-07:002009-07-27T22:23:41.167-07:00

I can't believe I haven't posted since last January! My life has just been so hectic. I'm almost finished with my Masters program (yea!), and school doesn't start, officially, until Sept. 1st. I'll be back in my classroom, setting up, by the second week in August, though. We don't get paid to put our rooms together, even though we have to strip them in June, and the custodians pile all the desks

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-79598822611522731722009-01-20T21:43:00.000-08:002009-01-20T21:55:08.062-08:00

The new year is well under way, and I'm doing well, too. My class is smaller than usual (only 29 students, now), and they aren't nearly the behavior problem I had last year. We're planning our DC trip again, but this time not until school is out for the summer. And we're struggling to get enough people to go. Thank you, Wall Street.I'm drowning with work for my graduate classes, so I haven't been

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-11482080336433353272008-12-27T12:07:00.000-08:002008-12-27T12:33:47.171-08:00

2008 is drawing to a close, and I can't say I'm sorry to see it go. It's been a tough year for everyone, including me, and I'm looking forward to having it behind us. I know the problems that plague us won't be cured on Jan. 1, or even on Jan. 20, but at last, I think this country is ready to take a different route to solving them. Much was made of Obama's book, The Audacity of Hope, but I think

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-51002876797628212412008-10-26T11:08:00.001-07:002008-10-26T11:44:48.119-07:00

Well, the calendar says fall is here, although our weather doesn't seem to agree. It's been warm most days, with an occasional very hot day thrown in. But, our nights are cooler, and there's even been fog once!In my head, I must think I live in the East, because I've just been on an Elann shopping trip, and bought a bunch of new yarn. (Not that I don't already have wayyyy too much yarn!) But the

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-23388149294029970932008-09-21T13:20:00.000-07:002008-09-21T14:17:19.964-07:00

Okay, so it's been months since I posted anything. I've been busy! And not very knitting inspired. Between running a PTA, working on my MS in Reading and Literacy, and teaching 37 ten-year-olds, I just sort of stumbled through the rest of my overly full days. This summer I just stopped doing anything. No PTA, no teaching, no classes for my Masters. By the time I'd said goodbye to my students last

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-9618084738820338042008-03-08T17:03:00.000-08:002008-03-08T17:12:18.611-08:00

The antibiotics have done their job, and I'm officially over my bout with pneumonia. My doctor is still telling me to take it easy, but he and I both think the worst is over (finally!)I got some good news at work this week ~ I was selected Teacher of the Year for my school! I am both honored and excited to be chosen (even if it does mean more work, writing essays, doing an interview, etc.) This

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-615795648465675372008-02-08T18:31:00.000-08:002008-02-08T18:37:52.559-08:00

I apologize to everyone for not posting for so long. I've been down with pneumonia, and I'm just now slowly recovering. I had to spend a couple of days in the hospital, and miss a week from work (and my school, too). I haven't gotten anything accomplished in ages.To my swap buddy, I need to apologize for not getting your package in the mail on time. I've just been too ill to do anything about it.

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-74973411772885370782008-01-17T16:46:00.000-08:002008-01-17T16:58:49.705-08:00

It's been a rough two weeks, and last night was the worst. The wind kicked up here, and first, ripped my bedroom window off its track, so it had to stay wide open all night (and all day today until I could get home to crawl up on my dresser, remove the screen, strong arm the window arm back onto/into its holder, and finally (Yes!) crank it closed). Next, the open window let enough of the gale

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-56329205209279637832008-01-07T18:12:00.000-08:002008-01-07T18:21:18.930-08:00

Okay, I cheated. Kmkat left a comment that reminded me that Ravelry is a great resource, so I jumped over there and found this picture of Araucania Atacama #514, which is what I have 5 skeins of. It's still gloomy here, so this is a godsend. (and bad me, I don't remember whose picture this is, so my apologies to the photographer.) So, just imagine these plus two more skeins of this beautiful,

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-28034220754210775342008-01-06T15:11:00.000-08:002008-01-06T15:33:39.407-08:00

It's pouring again today, and it's as dark as all get out, here. I don't even want to get dressed up to go out shopping, which I need to do. Instead, I'm sitting here figuring out ways I can avoid that. I don't need to drink coffee, right? Eating? Well, maybe tomorrow. It's just that yucky out.I ordered Sweater Wizard v3 a few days ago, and it arrived yesterday. It isn't everything I wanted, but

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-68965081837819142382008-01-05T15:16:00.000-08:002008-01-05T15:42:57.644-08:00

It just occurred to me that my one year blog anniversary is coming up soon. I had to go look to be sure, but my first post was on Jan. 15, 2007. I can't believe I've been posting that long, to be honest. And I haven't posted that often. I mean, 40 posts? Heh. So, it's a good thing I've sort of promised myself to post more often. I won't be joining the Blog365 group, because there's just no way I

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-87785140539708041012008-01-04T19:40:00.000-08:002008-01-04T20:07:34.076-08:00

One other aspiration I would like to pursue in 2008 is to post more regularly, and to (finally) post pictures of my WIPs and FOs. Of course, I'd have to actually have those to post pictures of them, right? And right now, I don't. I still haven't decided on what I want to knit now. I've cast on and frogged several yarns and patterns, but none of them have been IT, so I'm still searching.I go

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-59707771768765386162008-01-01T12:11:00.000-08:002008-01-01T12:28:59.720-08:00

I literally have no idea what I want to knit. I know I do want to knit, but not what I want to knit. I haven't gotten the yarns I ordered from Webs, yet (I know, I know, I just ordered it last week), so I can't start the girl's dress. I haven't found a pattern I like for my Lang Venezia, either. So, I have the entire world of my stash to consider, and I think I'm on overload. My stash has way

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-4191866828559310542007-12-30T13:18:00.000-08:002007-12-30T14:20:02.318-08:00

There's been lots of talk around the blogosphere about resolutions. For them, and against them. I can see both sides to resolutions, but I think I come down on the side of making them. Not as hard-and-fast rules, but as guidelines for where I want to go in the next year. I do spend some time in the week between Christmas and New Year's thinking about the past year, and how I want the next year

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-75158071324282654082007-12-29T00:05:00.000-08:002007-12-29T00:24:47.902-08:00

Well, I just don't like the fabric my Venezia creates when using the 7s or 8s that are recommended. It's much better on 6s, but I'm thinking it will be best on 5s. I'll swatch tomorrow, just to be sure. I don't have any patterns for vests that use 5s or 6s. For that matter, I have very few patterns for anything that use needle sizes below 7s or 8s. I'm not a tiny needles person, although I have

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-90912014972048179882007-12-26T14:39:00.000-08:002007-12-26T14:58:18.954-08:00

I just finished reading The Knitter's Book of Yarn, by Clara Parkes. What a joy it was to read. I learned things about yarn I didn't even know I wanted to know, but am passionately glad I do now know them. She writes in an engaging way about the stuff yarn is made of, the effects of plying, dying, twist, and special effects. She includes patterns that are designed to show off the qualities of the

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-62144840022605342922007-12-22T16:20:00.000-08:002007-12-22T16:35:36.680-08:00

I know I've been a very bad blogger, but life has been so much more hectic this year than ever before. Finally, today, my Master's program class is over, and my work has ended for 2007, so now all I have left to do is wrap presents, buy a couple of presents I still haven't found, and wrap presents. I got my nephew a telescope for Christmas, and I don't know what I was thinking (that maybe it

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-31308631702986198202007-11-04T19:12:00.000-08:002007-11-04T19:46:09.026-08:00

My cold has finally said goodbye (yay!), parent conference week from hell has ended (double yay!), I got my invite to Ravelry, and started listing my stash (I need pictures, and a Flickr account, but it's a start, anyway), and I do believe my knitting funk is beginning to ease up. I've been eying some gorgeous royal blue Lang Venezia, wondering what I can make with just six balls of 130 m each.

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-10726620834027543862007-10-20T17:36:00.000-07:002007-10-20T17:45:36.981-07:00

Okay, so I'm not much of a blogger. I'm sorry. My life has been so hectic lately, I've had no time to do much of anything blogworthy. My Masters program has started, and I'm knee-deep in reading, writing, and researching for that. I just got made the PTA president, when the former president unexpectedly resigned. I'm on the Leadership team at school, and am responsible for researching and

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-71987286329781565632007-09-16T15:09:00.000-07:002007-09-16T15:32:04.856-07:00

Well, someone obviously had a talk with the weather ~ Thanks! It's cooled down, and life has returned to almost normal. This is my crazy month, with school beginning, parent nights, reorganization (we just got told we have to pick two kids to move to a combination class, teacher unspecified. Like I can choose two of my kids to move! I am already very attached to all of them, and I don't want to

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-63067264169271622212007-09-02T09:59:00.000-07:002007-09-02T10:32:00.909-07:00

I have nothing knitterly to report. SoCal has decided to become an oven, and it's been hell waking up to an apartment that is close to 100 degrees, even at 5:30 am. When I am home, I'm sitting in front of a fan that simply blows hot air on me, or in the shower letting cold water run over me. Mostly I've been not home, since home is hell.I've gone back to work, officially. (I actually went back to

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-18130726581304926402007-08-25T14:59:00.000-07:002007-08-25T15:21:42.122-07:00

Wednesday, Barbara and I met up with Shui Kuen and her mother for lunch at Ocean Star, a dim sum restaurant in Alhambra. It was wonderful ~ I love dim sum, but rarely get to eat it, since there aren't many good places for it anywhere near where I live. SK and her mother did all the ordering (no menus, no one seemed to speak English), and they treated us to a terrific array of dishes.It was great

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-28649085838397902952007-08-21T18:13:00.000-07:002007-08-21T18:49:03.254-07:00

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

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-25398369025508899032007-08-11T19:49:00.000-07:002007-08-11T20:06:16.622-07:00

Some things just make me so angry. There's a newstory on AOL today, about a Texas church that canceled a memorial service for a dead veteran 24 hours before it was scheduled because (they claim) they just found out he was gay."Officials at the nondenominational High Point Church knew that Cecil Howard Sinclair was gay when they offered to host his service," said his sister, Kathleen Wright. But

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-53138572136953685332007-08-09T14:42:00.000-07:002007-08-09T14:58:21.917-07:00

My electricity has died twice this week. It's driving me nuts! Tuesday, it was out for over two hours. No lights, no fan, no computer, TV, radio, CD, DVD. Nothing. And of course it was around 90 degrees outside(it was 5 pm), which made it miserable inside my 2nd floor apartment. I finally left and sought refugee status with my brother and his family.Today it went out, again. Fortunately, it

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-49653964057324594982007-08-05T21:45:00.000-07:002007-08-05T22:31:07.575-07:00

I succumbed to Erika Knight's Classic Knits yesterday (only 3 days after it arrived from Amazon!), and ordered some Big Wool Fusion from Webs to make the tank top in it. The pattern has a mistake in it ~ says it has a gauge of 18 sts to 4 inches, on 17s! ~ but if you just drop the 1 from the 18 it works just fine. Silly mistake, and I seriously don't understand how books get published with

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-23837066231338837652007-07-28T17:38:00.000-07:002007-07-28T17:53:20.024-07:00

Well, it doesn't look like I'm going to finish Mariel this month. The humidity, combined with the heat, has made the idea of knitting a cashmere/mohair sweater just too much to think about. I haven't done more than 3 inches this entire week. I will finish it, but I think it's going to have to wait til it cools down a bit and dries out a bit more.I don't understand the weather here lately. It's

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-13197946171511009262007-07-24T23:26:00.000-07:002007-07-24T23:45:48.298-07:00

I am totally sick to death of the "cult of personality" that passes for news in this country. Weeks of Paris Hilton. Months of Brittney Spears. Ongoing 'breaking news updates' on Lindsey Lohan. Wake up, people! They are not news!Why does valuable news time continue to be wasted on the irresponsible, spoiled, self-destructive behavior of these 'celebrities'? I don't care how self-destructive they

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-83910345688563568702007-07-22T13:06:00.000-07:002007-07-22T15:02:40.390-07:00

Well, I read the newest Potter last night. Picked it up around 5, finished it around 1:30 am. I won't spoil anyone else's read of the book, but I have to say I'm ambivalent about it. I mean, I liked the book. It was worth the wait. But I hate the way she's wrapped up the story. It seems slapdash, careless. Somehow, I didn't expect that from Rowling, not with Harry.I've been really restless,

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-7921818773755383202007-07-20T02:14:00.000-07:002007-07-20T02:16:34.953-07:00

The sorting hat says that I belong in Gryffindor!Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those with brave deeds to their name."Students of Gryffindor are typically brave, daring, and chivalrous. Famous members include Harry, Ron, Hermione, Albus Dumbledore (head of Hogwarts), and Minerva McGonagall (head of Gryffindor).Take the most scientific Harry Potter Quiz ever created. Get Sorted Now!

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-37476562702111042042007-07-17T12:37:00.000-07:002007-07-17T20:08:14.028-07:00

My book order from Amazon got here just now. Fitted Knits, Harmony's 450 Knitting Stitches, and Cindy G.'s I Can't Believe I'm Knitting Socks. Yay! Reading knitting books and patterns is almost as much fun as knitting. (But then, reading is my other obsession.) I'll have some time today to read Cindy's book, but I won't start on a sock just yet. I ordered some yarn from Webs, including some SWTC

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-8715260791277154442007-07-15T16:24:00.000-07:002007-07-15T16:54:18.713-07:00

I've finished the back, and begun the front of Mariel. It got a bit too sticky to work yesterday afternoon. It wasn't that hot, but with over 80% humidity, it felt too warm to be knitting cashmere and mohair. It's a relatively quick knit, though, so I plan to get this finished before the end of the month (I get a lil insomniac on my summer vacation time, and it does cool down a tiny bit at night

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-15096792847373106432007-07-13T14:58:00.000-07:002007-07-13T15:35:12.331-07:00

My apartment is dark, even at midday. Since it helps a tiny bit in keeping the heat down, I don't mind all that much. However, trying to take a picture of yarn or parts of a sweater in this light just sucks. So, long exposure, which makes it a tad blurry (I can't hold still that long, and I don't know where I've stored my tripod), and only barely adequate color . Oh, well.Below is a shot of the

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-74543821019962623532007-07-08T12:58:00.000-07:002007-07-08T13:36:54.374-07:00

I know, I know ~ y'all thought I was fibbing when I said I was a knitter. Hardly a word about knitting in all this! So, just to prove I really do knit, there's this:Our weather dropped a bit this week ~ down from 110 to merely 95, and today, so far, the low 80s. I can knit! And to celebrate that, do I finish any of my WIPs? Nope, I start something entirely new. In mohair and cashmere, of course,

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-79867468304889128742007-07-01T20:23:00.000-07:002007-07-01T21:00:32.775-07:00

I know it's been a while (over a month!) since I last posted anything, but I've been busy, busy, busy. First it was the trip (fantastic), then Open House at school, then the end of the school year, then cleaning/organizing/storing my classroom, and finding homes for the stuff I had to bring home since my classroom is stuffed to the gills.I was done with all that last Wednesday, finally. It's

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-53139678085406784922007-05-20T15:21:00.000-07:002007-05-20T15:51:09.766-07:00

Today I leave for Washington, DC. It's been exhausting and way too busy getting ready for this, and trying to deal with a perfectly incompetent principal hellbent on harassing me. I can't wait to get on the plane and just relax. Never thought I'd look forward to a 5 hour flight, but it sounds lovely to me now.Every year, my teaching partner and I fundraise, solicit donations, and just plain beg

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-30029841673246383932007-04-20T21:31:00.000-07:002007-04-21T12:42:55.265-07:00

Report cards went home today, and surprisingly, kids seemed pretty happy about them. Not that they were great report cards ~ my students this year just don't seem to realize what they don't know, and don't seem to care. And nothing I say or do or show them seems to change their minds. Oh, well.I was too busy last week to get any knitting done, although I have started a small, summer sweater using

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-88510248171510413142007-04-12T19:06:00.000-07:002007-04-21T12:44:10.436-07:00

Kurt Vonnegut died.I miss him, already. Oh, I know he wasn't actively writing novels any more. I know he wasn't making public appearances lately. But, still, I miss him. His wit, his insight, his black humor. He's gone, and the world is a little less for its loss.I know that he was the rage in college dorms in the late 60s and early 70s, but I was too young for college then, so I first

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-66928555930871415482007-04-01T11:31:00.000-07:002007-04-21T12:46:01.369-07:00

My life has been much harder than it has to be, lately. Blogger "disappeared" me for a month, my boss asked for 6 impossible things in 2 days, the IRS has decided that I owe them $1,200+ in back taxes (I'm a school teacher, dammit. How can I owe them so much for as little as I earn??), my computer's power supply died (never had that happen before!), and once it was replaced, we (computer tech and

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-87677676721100293462007-03-27T21:07:00.000-07:002007-03-27T21:23:15.617-07:00

Today I found a wonderful website. Kiva.org coordinates microfinance loans, enabling anyone to make loans as small as $25 to very small entrepreneurs in painfully poor areas of the world. If you've got $25 and a Paypal account, you can help a man or woman in Africa, Samoa, Asia, etc, build or expand his/her small business, a business that often supports entire families that currently live on only

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-89540495565342682182007-03-11T09:20:00.000-07:002007-03-11T09:33:05.261-07:00

There must be some weird karma going around. I spent weeks down because Blogger malfunctioned. I finally get up and running, visit my friend's, Catbookmom, blog, and now she's got Blogger troubles! Her blog disappeared! What is with Blogger lately? I've heard all sorts of complaints in the past couple of months. Is it all because of the change over from the old version to the new? Seems to

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-85956318113791694442007-03-08T19:28:00.000-08:002007-03-08T19:31:16.458-08:00

I found this over on Catbookmom's site, and couldn't resist. Heh. Found out I'm stuck in the middle! LOLYou Are 50% Left Brained, 50% Right BrainedThe left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.Your left brain prefers dogs,

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-20223611699290636322007-03-08T18:53:00.000-08:002007-03-08T19:09:29.801-08:00

Well, I would have been blogging along merrily several weeks ago, but Blogger malfunctioned. Letters to them required more than a week before they responded, and the first one I got from them clearly showed they hadn't even read my letter before responding. It just told me to do all the things I'd already done, and told them I'd already done. The next letter needed 9 days before they could

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-59748333052134521392007-01-27T12:30:00.000-08:002007-01-27T12:48:34.857-08:00

Well, I still don't have a flash card for my camera, but that's on hold for now. I'm awash in the dreaded "report card writing" part of teaching. I have 31 report cards to write. Each report card contains 37 grades plus comments. Half of them must be done in Spanish (my second language is French. Not much help). At least, this year, finally!, I can now do my report cards on my computer. I can't

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-43049424789819046402007-01-22T23:21:00.000-08:002007-01-22T23:26:26.444-08:00

Well, after much trouble, and renaming this and saving it as 3 different kinds of file, Blogger finally let me upload this pic of my Amherst scarf. The color is a bit lighter than it appears here, and the dark spots are from it being smushed by my scanner's lid. This is two repeats of the pattern, about 9 inches long. Hopefully, once I get my camera working, much better pics will get posted.

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-70423728882530575962007-01-21T14:59:00.000-08:002007-01-21T15:06:40.064-08:00

Here I thought I'd be clever, and use my scanner to get a pic of my scarf. It's still small enough to fit on the bed of my scanner, so I scanned it in. No problem. It's not a great pic ~ the scarf is being smushed by the lid of the scanner, so it has some dark spots on it and the stitches look a bit wonky. But, it's a pic, right?So, I log on and tell Blogger to upload it. Blogger says it's

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-37079972351152208332007-01-20T17:41:00.000-08:002007-01-20T17:53:41.083-08:00

Pictures will have to wait til either I find my missing card for my camera, or give up and buy a new one. I have two digital cameras, but my newest (and best) has a 1gig card, which my printer doesn't recognize, and the USB cable for it doesn't fit my PC, so I can't upload any pics from it. I know I have a smaller, 512M card somewhere, but it isn't in its case, so I have no idea where it got

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-17469081225122107862007-01-19T20:54:00.000-08:002007-01-20T14:36:01.982-08:00

Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be able to post some pics. It's been a very busy week for me, and until today, the days have been overcast, and dark early. Not good for pictures at all. Tomorrow is supposed to be like today, sunny, so I should be able to take at least a few pics. We'll see.I'm going to start a scarf using Webs house yarn, Valley Yarns Amherst. I love this yarn. It's wooly and springy,

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-1611836910867042402007-01-17T22:24:00.000-08:002007-01-17T22:37:41.218-08:00

I read this tonight in a book about the Battle of Bunker Hill, an American Revolution battle. It seemed so appropriate for today."If force is to be used at length, it must be a considerable one, for to begin with small numbers will encourage resistance, and not terrify; and will in the end cost more blood and treasure." and "A large force will terrify, and engage many to join you, a middling one

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-3742276279667194812007-01-16T14:17:00.000-08:002007-01-16T15:03:11.728-08:00

I am obsessed with yarn. I admit it. I have a SABLE in my home. (SABLE= Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy, term courtesy of the Elann chatsite). I truly don't need to buy another skein of anything, and would still be able to knit non-stop til I die (and I'm planning on living a great many more years). It should distress me, but it doesn't. It's a sort of therapy for me, living surrounded

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-25862395216984831912007-01-15T12:49:00.000-08:002007-01-15T12:58:56.675-08:00

Just an update ~ I'm arduously linking to all my fav blogs, but it's slow going. Good thing today is a holiday for me! I'm still tinkering with the template and layout, (Blogger is rather limited, and I'm so not up on html )Christine

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1381839626289639141.post-48839608740521909562007-01-15T11:33:00.000-08:002007-01-15T11:57:40.905-08:00

Hello to any and all who've dropped in. This is my first attempt at blogging, although I've been reading blogs for ages. Advice welcome!I'm going to be blogging about knitting, teaching, life, politics ~ I guess just about everything. (I'll try to keep the politics to a minimum, but here's fair warning ~ I am NOT a fan of George Bush!)I'm a single woman (my cat doesn't agree) living in the Los

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06482385229105190471noreply@blogger.com0