audrey photos

Here's a photo of the first audrey .

Here is a photo of the second audrey WIP , and here's a close-up.

Ravelry, Now What?

I've been on Ravelry for about a month now. I'm still not sure how to use it... or what exactly to use it for. I certainly haven't figured out how to post photos.

Joanne said to use Ravelry to find patterns for yarn I own. That could take a while. My stash is HUGE!

Linda is using Ravelry to showcase her designs! Way to go, Linda! I'm just not there yet.

New topic and new project: my second Audrey (from Hot Knits by Melissa Leapman) sweater! It is about 1/2 complete. I am finishing up the fronts (hopefully today or tonight... yes, I do lead the exciting life on New Year's Eve!)

I am attending a hogamanay parade in Portsmouth, and then we'll hang out for a bit of Scottish and maybe some Irish Ceilidah dancing at a friend's house. But I don't plan on staying to ring in the New Year. I want to finish this sweater! I have my priorities straight.

I made the first Audrey sweater from Blue Sky Alpaca's organic cotton. Great colors... much pilling. *Sigh*

The new Audrey is from Merinos Otto. It is beautiful. Great knitting, and no stupid mistakes this time. :) I learned from my mistakes on the first one!!! Amazing how that can work... sometimes.

I guess, I'll break out the camera one of these days and post a few photos. :)

Fall Semester is Officially OVER!

I just finished grading on one of the most work intensive semesters since I first started teaching. I need a new mantra... NO! NO!! NO!!!

Little knitting or reading had been completed since Oct. However, many of the rooms in my house were stripped of icky, old, smoke-stained wallpaper, and the house was painted. Off-white. Yes, I know.... boring. My house is dark, and I wanted it lighter. The painters were... ok, but s-l-o-w.

I bought a HUGE entertainment center... that looked small in the showroom! Now I must move all the cable and computer wiring to the other side of my loooooooong living room. However, this requires, not Cox, as one would expect, but an electrician. I called a guy... who promised to call this week. Isn't it Fri.? I mean come on?!?! Still no guy.

Christmas decorations... are not up... because I am waiting for electrician guy to come over.

I need a break, but instead, I'll be working hard to finish up Christmas gift shopping... forget ALL about Christmas knitting this year... This has been one of my least productive knitting years. Heck... it is probably one of my least productive years.

No knitting photos... though I am on the sleeves of my Audrey sweater. :(

A few items on today's to dos:
1). Call electrician... new guy... tired of waiting on other guy. Maybe I can find electrician girl/gal/woman. Surely a female would understand the need to return a flipping phone call or ten.
2) Call friend who wants to set up a "get together" before she goes to Fla. for Christmas.
3) Pick up new glasses. Why can I see and read the newspaper some mornings and not others? Based on the info. from my optometrist, old age eyes making inroads into my life. Yeah, she said it in a much more pc manner... but the meaning remains the same.
4) Go to VWC to pick up pay stubs. I thought when I opted to have automatic deposit, the stubs would go to an online format as well... NOPE. And I have been cheerfully ignoring all their emails on this subject, thinking: Well, I took care of that! Uh... NO I didn't.
5) Deciding whether or not to call a student who failed the class to explain why she failed... let's see: NO papers were submitted on time, and when they were submitted, there were no citations ... aka plagiarism. 0 + 0 + 0 = heck even this English teacher can add that in her head. She has been calling my office and emailing... Her main claim, "Well I worked hard and I was there almost every class."
6) Meet son shortly after noon to check out the 5.0+ mm wetsuits for Bruce for Christmas. He just broke the zipper in his current. Now you may think this was bad, but it wasn't; unless Bruce buys a new wetsuit in the next 10 days, we will be able to get him a gift he actually will use!
7) Pay bills :(
8) Start the house cleaning process... STUFF is still in odd places from the painters ... so some things must be moved before cleaning.
9) Call Ed. Tech. VP to get info. on an the itunesU proposal I'm working on. This is likely to be a phone tag marathon, which could go into next week.

I'm sure I'm missing a thing or two...

I know I need to do some work on my TCC website, and on the Faculty Senate website, and I need to prepare material for next semester in all my classes... but with the exception of #9 above, I am taking the day off from teaching.

Knit Out and Crochet too 2007

It was a good day today, but boy was it hot and sticky! The rain waited though, so it was all for the best.

I met fellow, but more diligent, blogger Kemtee from Drive by Thinking. :) She had her lovely daughter HSH with her. Not a bit of knitwear was on either of them.... I wonder if the steamy weather had just a little to do with that?

Knit Out and Crochet too 2007

Again, with the no photos!!

I am working too many hours, grading too many papers, and knitting too little. :(
But I am glad to check out what everyone else is doing.

The TKGV's Knit Out will be held 10/6/07. Don't forget to come out. I just helped sort all the prizes. There will be many cool give-aways.

See you at the Farmer's Market in Virginia Beach, at 10:00 - 3:00 this Sat.

a bit of knitting

I know it isn't much, but here's some of the knitting I have completed lately. All other recently knitted items look... much the same.



I haven't started on the Audrey sweater from Melissa Leapman's Hot Knits. I can't make the Wed. night knit alongs. :( Teaching this kiddie lit class for VWC sounded good at the time, but I think the knitting time is better for my mental health. If I lose my mind this semester, everyone will know why.

Anyway, I haven't done more than knit the swatch, muddle through the math....because I wanted to use Blue Sky Alpaca's cotton yarn for the sweater... I must pay for this change by fiddling with math.

A colleague and I had to go to Va Tech today for a meeting. Because I need the knitting time, I almost asked him to drive... but it is my car... and I didn't do it. Ten+ hours of lost knitting time. :( So.... I now feel compelled to go knit.

Knitting felting in the washer

Pictures soon, I promise. I've knit (my own patterns...yeah!) a few items for felting. After the first wash, things are looking good, but they need another round. I'm sure I'll be adding a few more items.

I still have to find buttons for my friend's baby sweaters. I'm just not loving anything I find.

On a totally different topic, I was saddened to read that Hilly Kristal had died Tues. Oy! Oy! Oy! Where would punk be without CBGB? And you know I LOVE that old punk rock.

Should I, or Shouldn't I?

Would What Not to Wear come get me for this?

It is in the new Folk Style book.




Go here for a better look:
Folk Style

Photos of Newfoundland

OK... I am bad. I have a few knitted things in the works, but no photos. And as one of my local knitting buddies says, "It's all about the photos!"

Here are some of the photos I took in Newfoundland. I particularly like the one I took of the Narrows from The Rooms. Very nice light.

Lobster feed the night before we left Newfoundland
A visit to Paradise
Swimming at Manuels River... FYI I did not swim.... too cold for me. But my teenage son sure didn't seem to mind.
The Narrows of St. John's, Newfoundland
They were singing, "I Had a Hat When I Came in"
Hi Mom

I'm Back

I went on vacation. I did knit some, but I gave the bunny, booties, hat, and baby sweaters as gifts. I'm working on another one right now. So, I'll have photos soon.