February 23, 2007

Two posts in one week.  What’s that about?

Well, I finished and blocked the Shetland Triangle shawl.  Why do I always want to type "trainangle"?  Could it be my train obsessed son?  Blocking didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped.  I was trying a technique new to me that I vaguely recalled reading on the Yarn Harlot’s blog with threading a line through the straight bits rather than using all of those pins.  Needless to say (wrote "needles" first–my dyslexia is raging on the keyboard), I had to spray and reblock the top.  Without the book and the first page of the photocopy, I kind of guessed on the blocking.  It’s a shawl afterall…perhaps my points aren’t pointy enough but I like it anyway.  Now, I just need someone to take a picture.

In a desperate attempt to knit on something else, I tore my room apart looking for the pattern for Gloria.  It must be at the shop.  I considered Lara but that is at the shop too.  I didn’t really want to start the Hex Coat without my friend Ann.  What to do?  St. Brigid.  Yup.  And I am using the cabling without a needle technique finally!  Thanks to Wendy’s video I can finally understand how to do it and I am very happy.  I cranked through another repeat and have 3 more to go on the front.  Then I think I will start a sleeve.  Shocking.

Have a wonderful weekend.  Cameron, Gracie and I are going to see Bridge to Terabithia.  I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it as it was one of my favorite books as a kid.  Heck, we even read it to Gracie in utero…but the reviews are good and the kids are delighted.

Oh yea…I have completed 5 of the 10 goals I listed for myself in January!

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Two posts in one week.  What’s that about?

Well, I finished and blocked the Shetland Triangle shawl.  Why do I always want to type "trainangle"?  Could it be my train obsessed son?  Blocking didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped.  I was trying a technique new to me that I vaguely recalled reading on the Yarn Harlot’s blog with threading a line through the straight bits rather than using all of those pins.  Needless to say (wrote "needles" first–my dyslexia is raging on the keyboard), I had to spray and reblock the top.  Without the book and the first page of the photocopy, I kind of guessed on the blocking.  It’s a shawl afterall…perhaps my points aren’t pointy enough but I like it anyway.  Now, I just need someone to take a picture.

In a desperate attempt to knit on something else, I tore my room apart looking for the pattern for Gloria.  It must be at the shop.  I considered Lara but that is at the shop too.  I didn’t really want to start the Hex Coat without my friend Ann.  What to do?  St. Brigid.  Yup.  And I am using the cabling without a needle technique finally!  Thanks to Wendy’s video I can finally understand how to do it and I am very happy.  I cranked through another repeat and have 3 more to go on the front.  Then I think I will start a sleeve.  Shocking.

Have a wonderful weekend.  Cameron, Gracie and I are going to see Bridge to Terabithia.  I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it as it was one of my favorite books as a kid.  Heck, we even read it to Gracie in utero…but the reviews are good and the kids are delighted.

Oh yea…I have completed 5 of the 10 goals I listed for myself in January!

Running out February 20, 2007

I’ve never run out of yarn…till yesterday.  I was modifying the size of the Shetland Triangle shawl–you know, subbing yarn and making it bigger.  I borrowed the book from the library so my calculations on repeats I thought I could get out of the yardage was done a while ago and I can’t find the first page of my copy–just the chart.  The second ball of Nature Spun fingering seemed to be going a long way.  I considered throwing a lifeline in but decided to fly by the seat of my pants.  Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.  I asked Kevin if he thought I should rip back or just buy another ball.  Nearly wrote "bawl".  He said buy another ball.  I will hit the yarn–nearly typed "yearn" shop after.  I don’t anticipate getting a second ball to be a problem.  I am 4 rows and a cast off away. 

We have also had a first with Owen.  His teacher is quitting.  This is the first time we have lost a teacher mid-year.  He has lost at least an assistant a year and a few changes in home staff but this is the first school teacher.  I can’t say I feel too badly about it.  This was her first year teaching and they are a challenging group.  I don’t think Owen cared for her all that well.  One of the assistants will be taking over and the coordinator having more input.  That’s fine by me.  The assistant is a man.  Always novel and fun in the special education dept.  Sadly, Owen doesn’t care for him these days but we can brush up on reinforcement, I think.  And the coordinator really knows her stuff. 

Thanks for the input on the meeting.  I have the name of a good lawyer.  I am in contact with a special ed teacher who is also a parent of a young man with autism.  And the resource room teacher and I are going to work on writing a grant for Fast Forword.

Better get to the shop.

The meeting February 15, 2007

Sigh.  Not as well as we hoped.  The district is refusing to pay for Fast Forword as it is "scientifically unproven".  The research, they claim, has all been done by the company themselves.  Needless to say I got on the phone yesterday with the company and am collecting information from outside sources supporting the software.  I also found (on their website) information on grant funding for Fast Forword.  Perhaps I can push a little harder.  The resource room teacher thinks Cameron belongs in a self-contained setting and feels we have failed him by not putting him in sooner.  I really don’t think I agree.  While I am torn that this may not be the appropriate setting, the classroom we saw in the Fall was definately not.  I truly believe children with learning disabilities should be educated alongside their typically developing peers.  I am afraid that putting Cameron in a class of all learning disabled kids will do so much emotional damage that we will lose him in another direction. 

Now, Owen is in a self-contained setting–so it seems contradictory on my part.  However, I truly believe Owen could benefit from more integration with his typical peers too.  While Owen is not very communicative verbally–he is very social and playful and has a pretty good sense of humor.  These are strengths that should be fostered. 

Argh, sometimes I wish I had unlimited money to do what I want with my kids education.

I was going to add a knitting picture but…it’s not mine although a project is brewing.  Gloria, Colinette throw, Dale sweater…Instead, since this is a knitting blog.  Mittens by mom.

                                                                        

How long can I milk Dulaan posts for? February 12, 2007

Seriously, there is some new content.  I am ready to mail off my Dulaan knits and I am also attempting to organize and declutter the house.  If only I could feel this motivated everyday.  I sorted through 3 of my dresser drawers and hoovered dust bunnies from under the bed.  Can you see the hat my mom added to the Dulaan pile?  Isn’t it gorgeous?  My super duper chunky one looks like crap next to hers–but this isn’t a competition!

A pair of pulse warmers are finished and ready to mailed.  Yippee!  Picture forthcoming.  And my order arrived from Sonny and Shear in no time!  Thanks Kris.  It was packaged wonderfully–so much so that I didn’t take it out.  Now to find a project for my new lace weight.  Surprising even to me–pink seems to be a new preferred color.

In other news, Cameron got braces.  He looks adorable.  He chose gray for the color.  Love it–so original.  His meeting is on Wed.  I am not looking forward to arguing with the district.  I guess his diagnosis comes down to ADHD without the H and CAPD.  I read online somewhere about alphabet soup–that is about what it feels like.  The speech therapist who diagnosed the CAPD says start Fast ForWord right away.  We hope the district will pay for it.  It’s $2K.  Owen’s friend is receiving it in her district–two town’s over.  Why oh why did we move here?

Well, must get back to my productivity! 

Simply finished February 8, 2007

The cable baby blanket from Simply Baby is finished.  I used Filatura di Crosa’s 501  in a sweet baby yellow.  I have no clue how much yarn I used as I attempted to use stash yarn with a little bit extra I bought.  Which I proceeded to lose–so I bought the 4 balls left.  And, of course, found the lost yarn the next week.  I think I have 4 balls left.  It will make some thing.  I love the color!

The funny thing about this blanket for me was it it’s simplicity made it a bit boring.  However, it was easy to pick up and put down because it was so simple.  All scrunched up it looked okay but a dunk and a block and it really bloomed.  And I was sad it was over.  I thought I was working toward a product–in truth, I think I enjoyed the process.  I highly recommend 501.  Many knitters say they don’t care for washable yarns–I think 501 may be an exception.

I have gotten back to the pulsewarmers and hope to finish two mates.  It’s funny to learn–again–why a project was put aside.  On one pulsewarmer I didn’t string enough beads.  I was about 60 short.  That’s a real pain because I don’t want to break the yarn.  On such fine needles, I hate to run an end unless I absolutely have to.  Last night I strung enough beads for the 2nd from the other side of the skein and will get back to the first after this is finished and feed the beads up the skein.  Never a dull knitting moment, right?  Another pulsewarmer was abandoned because the colors aren’t doing it for me.  I am using a cream colored yarn from Elann and it just looks dingy.

In other exciting news,  a new yarn shop is born! Sonny and Shear by Kris of the Knitting Wannabe .  I’ve placed my order–have you?