Lucie, Flutebags and such....

Christmas was wonderful. We had a very nice time with our families, however while one thing did get finished (a pair of Fuzzy Feet for Mr. Outdoor's great-grandmother) a few things were coming a little short.
I met up with Santa as I was up until 2:30am Christmas morning to finish this "Felted Flute Sock" for Stepfather 4. He is into his flutes (he has a vast collection) and he has a special Native American wooden flute he bought while visiting in September. So he wanted a flute sock for it. It was finished albeit still a bit damp, but done for Christmas. The one Christmas casulaty was Lucie. She had to be frogged December 23rd due to some mindless knitting in which I wasn't paying attention. So I knew that I wouldn't be able to finish her for Christmas Day for my grandmother. So I picked it up again on the 26th and have been knitting like a fiend to finish her up New Year's Day.
So far I have the front and back finished, about 1/3 of one sleeve finished. I have a game plan however.

December 28th - finished one sleeve
December 29th -finish other sleeve and block
December 30th - piece together
December 31st - finish crochet edging, spot block and let dry.
January 1st - be ready to give her to my grandmother.

I also have to finish two beanies that have been requested by my 10 and 12 y/o nephews. They wanted one of the left overs from the Soaring Eagles Project, but I said no, but they could pick out the style and colors that they wanted and I would make them one. Has to be done by New Year's Eve.

I am so lookin forward to January 1st where I can be done with the holiday knitting and start doing some things I want to do. I have two sets of fingerless gloves that have been requested by my mother and another family member, but then off to work on a baby gift for a friend and then start the blanket I want to do for my cousin and his fiancee for their July wedding. I figure 6 months would be enough time.

(((HUGS))) to all and I hope to be able to post and knit much more now.

I'm BAAACK!

Ok, where to start. I could do a daily recap, but we'll skip that because I don't have time to write it out and I'm sure you really don't want to read it. The skinny is that now, I have basically 48 hours (or less, I'm not sure I haven't really checked the exact time) to finish a sweater , make a flute bag (story later), and a pair of Fuzzy Feet for my Christmas knitting. YIKES!!!

However, over here at Chez Procrastiknitter we had a first my girls finally decided that it was time that they would even go see Santa let alone sit on his lap. We were THRILLED! Yes, they were dressed to the hilt, but we had just done Christmas portraits right before! Happy Holidays and off to kni!

Project Soaring Eagles...

Well the big day came and went! It was wonderful! If you want to see the pictures come by the blog!

Hats, hats, hats....

We have collected 565 hats as of Saturday afternoon. Our goal was 300, we needed 408! Woo hoo! Come check it out!

Hiatus...

Just in case there is actually anyone still around here. I just wanted to say that I am on a hiatus from this blog for awhile. Well at least until I get all of the hats taken care of.

See you after December 20th!

COOL and a strategy!

Well, since I'm SOOO disappointed that my satelitte company doesn't offer DIY and I've been going through another Knitty Gritty withdrawl, I'm THRILLED to see this .

Also my new strategy. Well I've been rather nervous and anxious, stressed, all of that with the Soaring Eagles Project and just stressing that it will go well. I've been teetering between knitting headbands, hats and then my holiday knitting. So I've developed a new strategy which is I will take this week to do my holiday knitting (from today -Tuesday until next Wednesday) then I'll turn my attention to fill in teh gaps fo hats and headbands for the kids. I have to find a balance, it's completely driving me batty! LOL.

A bit o Knitting

Well I've been working on a few things. I finally finished that poor dishrag, completed my first mitten (albeit going to be an ornament on our tree) it was much easier than I first thought). Also in the works is a dog sweater for darling Lilee Ann our Jack Russell Terrier. I also have put together a few a VERY easy pattern for some cute headband/earwarmers.

See below.



















Easy Headband/Earwarmer

Note: This is worked in double strand yarn. The aqua one is made of Bernat chunky cotton and the other was made with Baby Bee Icing and a strand of Caron Soft Ease.

Sizes are child's S, M, L, adult
Using size 11 (if using single strand) 13 (if using double strand) loosely (possibly use a two needle cast on) cast on 45 (50, 55, 60) stitches.

Work in garter stitch for 14 rows.

Very loosely bind off .

Sew seam.

Takes about 25-30 minutes to complete for an average speed knitter.


**It's nothing special, but I developed this when Nan and Em both demanded an earwarmer once late night for the next morning. My brother received one as well, he is 15 and his is navy blue. He loves his.

I am SOOO going to make this for a gift...

Well the new MagKnits is up! I've been checking the site all day! I am LOVING this pattern called Cinnabar I think it would make for a fantastic Christmas present! I'm looking for some of those to knit. I think I have just the yarn for it too. I need to go scavenging!

Storm of the Century!

Yep that's right kids it's the storm of the century! We ended up with what the weather people say was 15 inches, but after it drifted and all and when you shovel it's more like eleventy feet of snow.




Obviously there is no school anywhere in the area so I got my wish for a 4 day weekend. I got lots of knitting done yesterday (see 2 posts below) however, today it's 1:19pm and I haven't picked up the needles at all today! That will change after while. I'm also patiently waiting for the new MagKnits issue. It's the 1st and it needs to be out already! LOL.

Black...dark...cold....blizzard...fun!

Em, neighbor across the street V and Nan modeling their different hats last night.... V was getting ready to go home and then all of a sudden it was DARK! NO POWER! EEEK!
The girls didn't care though, they cuddled up on the couch in front of the fire, we had marshmalows and smores, hot cocoa and apple cider Lots of giggling and having fun.
Mr Outdoors called the power company who told us that the entire grid was out therefore we would be without power for at least 6 to 12 hours. Mr. Outdoors went and got all of his hunting and camping crap out stating, "Aren' t you glad you are married to a hunter?" No not really, but I am thankful for the propane lantern and giant spotlight! LOL
Power was back on within a few hours, however, we decided make it a camp out and it was fun. Mr. Outdoors drug out the girls' mattresses in the dining room. It was a HUGE sleepover. Mr. Outdoors slept in his bed, but I was on the couch and well you can see the dogs were!

Snow day...Knitting Day...

So the Winter Storm started Wednesday night with some sleet and ice. We were lucky here north of Tulsa as we didn't get much precipitation that actually stuck. However, today was a snow day so no school for me or the girls. Today was spent doing some chores (laundry, vacuuming, dusting) but mostly me tending to the fireplace and knitting while neighborhood kids wandered in and out of the house. Part one of the storm started around 8pm Wednesday night and ended about 2pm Thursday afternoon. We eventually ended up with abotu 2.5 inches or so of ice. YUCK!
I was able to get a scarf for Norma's Red Scarf Project completed. Just a normal garter stitch scarf from Li*n Brand Homespun. I was stashbusting as I couldn't leave today to get to H*bby L*bby!
Also completed were two hats and a scarf for the Soaring Eagles Project that I am organizing!

edited to add that there were also two headbands that were finished as well for the SEP.

I'm fairly certain that I'm staring down the barrel end of a 4 day weekend. The weathermen are saying that we could get 12-20 inches of snow on top of all this ice so school tomorrow is highly unlikely. Also, a cool fact is that the eastern part of Oklahoma has never been in a Blizzard Warning until tonight! SWEET (although my neighbors are blaming me for bringing the cold blizzard from Nebraska! LOL).

Crossing my fingers...

Today started with a crazy day at work. It was 75 degrees F at 7am when I left for work. When I returned home at 3:30pm it was 31 degrees F! Crazy day. There is a nasty storm coming....well it's kind of already here, but I decided to make a run to H*bby L*bby to get some new DPNs as well as some sewing essentials to do some mending. I HAD to pick this up. For a change, I actually did not open it up before I bought it! Then I was pleasantly suprised! There are some great sweater (easy but nice looking) patterns, but also 12 scarf patterns and then this just a little too late. LOL.
I cleaned the house like a maniac and now my knitting and I are waiting impatiently to see if there is school tomorrow. The girls' school is already out, but I'm praying for tomorrow to be out. I have plenty of essentials for food and entertainment for the girls, and then my knitting and I hope to have a day long date.
The news boys are telling us that there are two storms coming. One is already here and it's a major ice storm and then the possibility of up to 15 inches of snow in the next 36 hours. At first I was praying that school was out tomorrow, but now I think I'm praying that we have power, because it's thundering, lightening, and ICING! We are coming down to the wire on the Soaring Eagles Project. So far (as of today we are up to 90 hats) We only have less than 3 weeks and I'm starting to get a little nervous! So spread the word for me. I'm so estatic about how well the ladies that have volunteered have responded and how hard they had worked. I just don't want anyone to not be included at my school.

Anyway, tomorrow will be dedicated 1/2 to the SEP and 1/2 to my holiday knitting because both have been neglected recently! I had to rip out Lucie because the Medium was just too darn big. So I ripped out the entire back which I had finished and had to start again. I'm about 1/2way done with the back for the 2nd time.

I really need some Knitting Goddess love and a little love from the power company that I'll keep it this week! LOL.

Pictures....pets....puzzles...and stuff...

We are obviously back home. I'm sad to say that there was not much knitting content going on over the weekend. There were lots of puppies, although I missed my own though. The girls and I had a decent time.

These are my aunt's dogs, Lady, Rosey, and Eddie.
Em and Nan playing puzzles and Memory Match Up with their cousin La-La!
Nan cuddles up with Eddie!
Nan and her "GiGi" (my uncle's mother who loves to be called "GiGi" for Great-Grandmother).
A typical picture of my male relatives after Thanksgiving dinner. All of them are asleep. (From left my grandfather, center is my cousin, and then my uncle at the right)
My cousin T and his fiancee Jess have a new baby...beagle named Maverick!
La-La with her baby Rosey
The girls eating and waiting for Santa to arrive on the Macy's THanksgiving Day parade.

The deer that Mr. Outdoors shot last week. It was close to the county record.

Now it's back to work and hopefully back to knitting. Currently I'm working on networking the family computers as I got a new one over the weekend which was on MAJOR sale, however I paid the additional price by standing outside the store for 6 hours and then waiting in line to pay for it for an additional 4.5 hours! But that's for another day!

On the road again.....

PLUS
EQUALS

Road trip to my aunt's house in Nebraska. We are leaving tonight to go to my grandparents' house and then we will leave in 2 vehicles tomorrow morning at 5am. This will be the first time we have been back to Nebraskas since we moved in May. It's just the girls and I as Mr. Outdoors never spends Thanksgiving with us because it's always in the middle of deer season (rifle). I thought that maybe he would go with us anyway as he got his deer ( and a HUGE one at that) on Sunday, but he wants to stay here. I'm rather disappointed as I wanted some knitting time in the car like I get when he drives. However, I"ll just make due the best I can.

Knitting has been slow around here to say the least. There has been lots of Christmas decorating, buying of Christmas gifts (for some of my needier students) as well as putting up the dreaded Christmas lights on the roof (all by myself) and the endless soccer tournament on Saturday.

My focus has now been turned to THanksgiving with the family that I miss horribly and a great Black Friday spent shopping with my girlfriends that I miss as well.

I need teh knitting goddess to shine down on me with some divine determination. ANyone else with me?

Which Positive Quality Are You? Your Result: Charity You are Charity. The spirit of giving has been promoted by every religion. Charity is kindness. It is compassion for our fellow man. Charity doesn't ask anything in return, and in this way it serves as the opposite of greed. "Be charitable with many."
Love
Friendship
Courage
Peace
Faith
Which Positive Quality Are You?

Poor, poor, digicam....

Well, my old (just bought in Sept'05) digicam is now in digicam heaven, or hell, as you might prefer. I have a new K*dak Easy Share. So now I can FINALLY show some knitting pics! WOO HOO! If you are a member or are following the Soaring Eagles Project there are quite a few new pictures over there too of the hats I've received in the past two weeks! So what I have I been up to? Really? Well of course I've been knitting hats for my kids at school!
Always working on those MD warshrags as they are the favorite of all the grandmothers in our families.
3xs chic sweater from Knitty, still waiting to be blocked and seamed.
Branching Out scarf, also from Knitty, ALSO waiting to be blocked!

This is the VERY beginning of the Lucie sweater for my grandmother's Christmas present. I'm knitting it in Wool of the Andes 100% Alpaca, color 01 . The picture doesn't really do the yarn justice as it is much darker and richer than it looks.

No title, just....too....tired! LOL.

OK, so I'm back, well kind of. My PC totally died on me on Thursday. I was able to take it to a friend that was able to bring it back to the living, albeit on life support, but it should get me through until the laptop gets here (hopefully after Thanksgiving). We took the time during which the PC was visiting our Computer Doctor to move the gigantic computer desk and paint the last room. We were able to finish. We were so busy and I was actually able to get a night out with the girls (my first since September! YIKES). I went and visited Stephanie over at
Fringe Cafe on Friday to get the yarn for Lucie, that I'm making for my grandmother for Christmas. After making her head spin for awhile, yardage was totally off, we decided on some gorgeous Alpaca with blue and pink jewel tones. So I decided to participate in NaKniSweMo
not because I need yet another thing to do, but I'm doing the sweater anyway as it's for her Christmas gift and if I don't knit any other gifts, this is the one that needs to be done as she will appreciate it the very most and loves my knitting.
On other knitting fronts, the Soaring Eagles Project is in full swing. We almost have 50 hats, much less than the needed amount, however, I'm optimistic and not ready to get all that freaked out yet. If you would like to participate or want to spread the word, or both, just let me know!
I'm trying to knit as many as I can in between everything else.


As far as the digicam status report. The helpful people at Radio Shack were able to tell me that it needed a new battery. However, they didn't have those, so I'm supposed to receive it to my house sometime today or tomorrow. Hopefully that will work, or else I'll have to suck it up and get a new one which is ridiculous as I've only had this digicam for a year.

I did finish the 3xs chic sweater for my sister in law, it's just waiting patiently to be blocked and the sewn.

YIKES!

Hi to anyone who is still out there! I'm just going to make this rather brief! I have nothing to blog about. I'm knitting feverishly, holiday knitting, hats for the Soaring Eagles Project, as well as working the email, blog and just trying to get it all situated! Also, dealing with a new puppy, wildly beautiful children (mine and my students) as well as a husband that doesn't understand that I am neither his maid NOR his mother! LOL.

In lieu of blogging here for a while I will also be casting on a few scarves for Norma and her Red Scarf Project as well as baby and toddler things for Cathy that are going to India and Rabbitch with her homeless hat project! I know there are several out the that I don't know about, but I think I'm busy enough with the ones that I do!

Digicam needs a new battery, other one ended up fried! Hopefully it'll be back up by next week sometimes.

I'llbe back soon! ((MWAH))

My children!

Well we had a wild wild weekend! I'm not quite sure why it is that I can never find time to relax. Not sure if we really are that busy, or I have some weird Mommy guilt complex or what, but I'm tired and need a weekend to recover from my weekend! Here respectively are Em, Lilee, Cowboy and Nan. Cowboy has been assimilated into our family very quickly and might even be higher on Mr. Outdoor's priority list than I am. He called home from work yesterday to "check" on Cowboy twice! LOL.

Not much knitting, but lots of picture taking with my 35mm, however none of it of knitting.

Because the Soaring Eagles Project takes up so much of my time (I'm either knitting, updating the blog, emailing people, etc) I'm falling more and more behind on my holiday knitting for my family. So I have a new system. I will knit a hat, then work on a major piece like the back of SIL's sweater, then I"ll knit a hat, and so on. I'm really really really really hoping that it works!

Winds of change...

Well, that particular puppy that was posted was not meant to be ours. He was found dumped with his brother. We got a call the very next day wondering if we would be willing to find another dog because a lady came in and wanted to adopt him and his brother together. I said it was fine, but was a little sad. I had seen the SPCA's website and hadn't seen anything else that I was really in love with. I looked after the phone call and I saw him and I knew!

We can't decide on a name so we will let Mr. Outdoors do the honors. He's 3 months old and will be ours and neutered tomorrow. He was a new dog that had just came in to the shelter the day before. Em saw him and said, "well I thought the other dog was "the One", but this one really is!" LOL.

On another note, I went to a workshop today so workshop=knitting=YAY! I knitted two bulky hats today and started on a 3rd! I'll be taking pictures soon! I promise! I haven't had the time to figure out what in the H#ll is wrong with my digicam so I'll be taking pictures with my 35mm and then scanning them for awhile I think.

This weekend plans to be big as Nan's preschool carnival is Fri night as is a trick-or-treat event at our library. We get the new dog tomorrow. The Outdoors family has a funeral to go to. We have soccer on Saturday, trick or treating w/Lilee at a Howl and treat event, then we have "trunk and treat" at the church across the road that night, then our own church, and family pictures with BIL's family on Sunday (i'm taking them). IT will be crazy busy, but for the most part it will be fine! Oh and soccer, we can never forget about soccer!

Stress....more stress, I need stress! LOL

Not much knitting going on here. I'm trying, really I am, but with all my regular responsibilities and the Soaring Eagles Project (which is going FANTASTICALLY) and then the dog, and Mr. Outdoor's great uncle (close to him though) passed away this afternoon, I'm just not finding much time at all! LOL. But that's ok because I'm pretty sure I"m a stress junkie and can't do without it.

On a positive note, I'm feeling better and I think this cold is on the upswing and doing much better (knock on wood please!).

Adding to our brood....

Well, so far there is me, Mr. Outdoors, Em (7), Nan (almost 4) and our furry child Lilee (about 8 months old). We are looking to add to our family and find a new brother for Lilee. Mr. Outdoors was adamant that we wouldn't have Lilee as she is a Jack Russel Terrier and he wanted a "huntin' dog". Well, not only do we have Lilee, but she sleeps on a doggie couch in our bed, goes to work with Mr. Outdoors everyday in his truck and is spoiled rotten. Mr. Outdoors has his 31st birthday next Monday. He is going pheasant hunting in Nebraska and leaves on Friday. Hopefully, one of these puppies (currently at the local SPCA) will be ours. They are Labrador Retriever/Golden Retriever mixes and are the only two left. BONUS is that our SPCA is having an "adoption sale" on all black dogs. They are $50 instead of $75. SPCA is closed today, but the girls and I will definitely go tomorrow morning and see them.

On the knitting front, I'm home sick today, because I'm still sick and Nan now has the vomitting diarhea stuff. So I've been busily cleaning and disinfecting the house this morning so that I can sit with Nan on my lap and get some knitting accomplished. I have so many things that need to be done.

• Hats for the Soaring Eagles Project
• My red scarf for Norma
• The Perfect Sweater for my SIL for CHristmas.
• Baby and Toddler hats etc, for India.
• and a gaggle of other CHristmas projects for my family.

YIKES!

Wow, has it really been over a week?

HI all! I'm still alive and barely kicking!

It's been a busy busy and crazy week over here at Chez Procrastiknitter. It started with a "routine" root canal that ended up not being routine and taking 3.5 hours on Wednesday. Followed by the COMPLETE painting of every room of my house, which is still in progress but 75% finished. A weekend of soccer games, and now a WONDERFUL cold that has decided to move into my chest and sinuses! THe digicam is also on it's last leg refusing to take any pictures for me. THe Soaring Eagles Project is really taking off. We now have a few buttons

and quite a few pariticipants are jumping on the bandwagon. We can always use a few more though! I really really really really want to see this come to fruition. Just think about receiving a thank you note along with a picture of the child who received your hat/scarf/headband. Even if you can't or don't want to participate any exposure we could get would be great. I'm also looking for anyone who would like to donate a prize for some giveaways I'm doing for the project. Please email me at theprocrastiknitter@yahoo.com

What's the deal?

Not that I'm complaining at all, but I'm just loving the fact it seems that lately people are giving out free patterns. First the Mason Dixon girls and now the Yarn Harlot has her 1 row scarf pattern. YAY!

Hat knitting is coming a long, but slow. I have been in the middle of meetings and work and grading papers and more curriculum meetings and teaching and then that little thing I call "family". The girls and I are taking a little rest and relaxation tomorrow to my grandparent's house at the lake. No swimming, but plenty of fishing, paddleboating, and hanging out with the family. Hopefully, lots of knitting will occur as well!

New info about Soaring Eagles Project...

Please check over to the project blog to see what's new and absolutely FABULOUS!

Woo Hoo!

There is a local group called RSVP here in town that is going to work with us to help make hats for the Soaring Eagles Project and they are looking at doing more scarves than hats to help accomodate us! YAY!

The Soaring Eagles Project and Actual Knitting Proof...

Ok, we now have a blog and a plan for my little charity knitting idea. Follow THIS LINK for all the details!

And FINALLY some knitting progress pictures.

Em's recycled yarn sweater. 100% merino wool sweater. Yarn was bought as a men's sweater at a garage sale for 25 cents. I unraveled the sweater, dyed it using pink lemonade and strawberry K*ol-Aid. I still have 2 pounds left for Nan's sweater that she wants for her birthday in December. We shall see if that happens or not.

This is the newly started back of the 3xs chic sweater from Knitty. It's for my SIL for Christmas. She is a tiny little thing that wears an XXS, so the XS sizing will make a big comfy sweater for her. I'm just making it out of Lion Brand Jiffy. It's fun to knit and rather quick too.

If you are looking for the Perfect Sweater pattern, Mason -Dixon Knitting has figured it out and is giving out the pattern for FREE!

My dishcloths were mailed to a wonderful Aussie that I just adore. Hopefully she'll get them in 7 to 10 days. At least that's what the post office said! LOL.

*()@#^*(@!#()*@#!!!

Ok, so I finally have the time to post some fabulous pics and proof of knitting that is happening at my house and then my digicam decides to go all PMS on me and won't upload the pics. I didn't have much time over the weekend to mess with it as it was Em's 7th birthday on Saturday. It all started with a family party with Mr. Outdoor's side on Friday night and my two nephews 9 and 11 decided to stay the night with us (up until 1am). Saturday morning was soccer, the rushing around getting ready for the slumber party. Had the party, took the girls bowling, had pizza came home and weirdly enough I had to entertain them constantly. I collasped on the couch (couldn't even make it to bed) at 1am again on Saturday night. The girl friends went home at 10am and then we jumped in the car and drove to BA to see my mother and have my side's birthday party for Em there. We came home at 5pm, cleaned up the house, had dinner, and then put the girls to bed and I finally got some knitting done.

Whew! I need a weekend to recover from my weekend! LOL.

Besides starting to knit some beanies in my spare time (*snort*) I am working on the 3x's chic sweater in an XSmall for my SIL for Christmas. This is a neat sweater that knits up quickly.

OK, my heart is so full right now!

Wow, I'm so thankful for the comments and i also received a few emails from local knitters that would be willing to make this dream come to fruition.

Last night I was thinking about it and I realized why a knitted object would be such a gift. It is all about VALIDATION. They want to know that someone, somewhere thinks that they are worth the time and effort to make something for them. I LOVE doing swaps because it's the same principle. While you are making something for someone, there is another person thinking of you and making something just for you. It's a great feeling.

Now I think this is going to be a go. I need some feedback though.

1. I know I'll need to make a separate blog for this and I'll do that.
2. I need to come up with a name......since we are the Eagles I was thinking something about Soaring Eagles or something, any ideas?
3. We need a deadline! I would like to be able to pass the hats/scarves, whatever out to the kids all on the same day so no one gets left out. If I give some to 1st grade, and then wait and give some to 2nd and so on, it's not the same. I would LOVE to get these out before Winter Break, but I'm thinking that if we did that that it would defeat the purpose because they might get lost at home or something, so what about sometime in January? I don't want to wait too late as the kids might not need anything later on in the year as at times it gets warm early.
4. Once we get this going we need to be visible and to talk it up.

Anyone like to help me with this? Even if you just have a suggestion, anything is great because I'm feeling overwhelmed at how big this could be....but excited and nervous all at the same time.

As far as the teaching the kids to finger knit or do it themselves, it's a time constraint issue. The children already have BoyScouts and GirlScouts that take them out of the classroom (we have it during teh school day here so the kids are sure to be able to be involved) as well as countless other organizations that take time away. I was ASSURED last night by my principal that I could take a day once a week at the end of the day for Knitting Club. I'm very excited, but it won't start until January.

Also as far as the local knitters I have contacted some groups in the area, but also posted on the Oklahoma Knitting Groups. Let's see if they bite?

As far as I'm concerned.....I'm almost done with all my UFOs just have to finish the Branching Out Scarf and then I'm finished.

Validation....

Ok, so things have been rather heavy around here lately. I've been taking life quite too seriously. On a VERY happy note I finished my last dishcloth for the swap while stuck in morning traffic (yes, I am THAT lady who is knitting in her car while in a traffic jam).

I've been struggling at work. Not with the kids, but still with other people. On Monday I won the "Anderson Pride" award with the best behaved class at an assembly. While this is not shocking, the fact that I won with teh usual WORST class in the school is. I'm learning every minute of every day with these kids. When I came in I thought that they were out of control, and I had to be in control of them and there was lots of negativity on my part and almost losing my voice to hollering and general nastiness. How did the kids react? MUTINY on the Bounty to the full extent! LOL.

In past month or so I've been taking a different approach and it's working beautifully. I am a "mean momma" as they put it. I no longer raise my voice unless there is imminent threat to someone's safety. I talk to them in a nice stern voice, but always with respect, never control. I make a point to be the bright spot of their day. It's working..... I hope I'm not jinxing it. However, when they are rowdy I no longer scream at them to be quiet, or blow my whistle. Instead I sit in my chair in the middle of the room, pull out my knitting and I wait for them to chill out. Sometimes I wait for less than one row, other times I've completed 1/2 of a dishcloth! LOL. Through my knitting they are quieted down, they are intrigued.

I have realized that this new technique with them is not about me just being nice to them, but it's about the students feeling validated as a human being each day. If nothing else they feel as though they matter in this world. While I was working on Emalee's sweater and talking to them one day during some down time, a 3rd grader said, "Mrs. H, your daughter is the luckiest person in the world to have a mom that will knit her something. I wish I had someone who loved me that much." It broke my heart. Knowing her story which is a very sad one and has her living in a foster home situationmade me start thinking.

I know there are TONS of knitting for charity situations out there. I myself have made some things for the Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for preemie projects. However, I'm working on something here. I'm not sure if it will be able to me implemented this year, but I think that having something handmade by someone else and knowing that they are being thought of in a positive light is essential for these children. Our school dynamic is that 100% of these children in our school are FAR below the poverty line. There is no reduced lunch, it is all free for everyone, including free breakfast, food bags to go home and other various services. While their physical needs are met, most of their emotional needs are not.

Like I said I'm thinking. If you have some suggestions let me know. I've tapped into looking at other services to help, but what I'm wanting to do is have one knitted object for every child in my school which right now is 398 children ages 4-12. Am I crazy?

Updated to say, if you are interested in contributing to something like this please post and let me know. You are not committing just giving me some feedback.

Frosty the Snowman....

Here is the Snowman bag I was talking about. It's from Creative Knitting the November 2006 issue. It really doesn't take as much yarn as I thought that it would!

On another front, the sweater is done and being blocked. I just need to "clean" it up a bit and I'll be finished. I'm very excited as it is my 1st sweater that I've done and completed. I'm in quite a mood to get my UFOs done. I'm rather sick of having many irons in the fire. I'm almost finished with my last dishcloth for the swap and then they'll be on their way to Austrailia by the end of the week. I apologize AGAIN for no pictures. I'm trying I really am, but I'm in crunch time trying to get a few projects done as well as just trying to keep up with everything at home.

Felting, glorious felting...

I finally remembered today that it is October 2nd, which means.....A new MagKnits is out!
I LOVE this bag! I have a pattern for a snowman one. Now I need some for the rest of the seasons. Maybe a heart for Feb, a turkey for November?

Promises and Deadlines....

Hi! Yes, I'm still alive. Mr. Outdoors got me a cheesy card that stated he would "help" me buy a laptop, which is his way of getting out of buying me anything and well I could go on and on because I'm mad at him right now, but I"ll be over it soon....maybe! LOL.

Last week, at the beginning, I didn't get much done. Thursday night I realized that Em's 7th birthday is on the 7th of October. I PROMISED that I would have her sweater done by then, but had taken an almost month long hiatus from it because I was annoyed and bored with it. As of THursday night I had just the front and back done, as well as 3/4 of the 1st sleeve. Well, as of 10:30pm on Sunday night I have it all together and just have to finish sewing the other sleeve on. It's coming along nicely, but now I'm pressured since she looks over my shoulder and says, "It doesn't look done, remember a promise is a promise!". So I'm pressed to have it done by her family party on Friday night. Which will be interesting to give her a wool sweater when the predicted high for the entire week is 95 degrees F or above.

In other knitting news, I have finished two dishcloths for the swap which have to be out by the 10th to a lovely lady in Austrailia.

My MIL decided to be very kind and reveal a secret that was hiding in her closet. 9 sweaters. She gave me 9 wool sweaters. 7 of which are 3XL men's for FIL that have never been worn, let alone the tags even taken off. I'm looking forward to pulling these babies apart soon. But that will have to wait for the scarf to be finished and the two other sweaters I have waiting in the wings!

FINALLY! Blogger is letting pictures back on my blog!

Here's the beginning of the sock that I started from my Knit PIcks yarn I got from my Secret Pal 8.
Finally decided to make the Branching Out scarf from Knitty. I'm LOVING how much I like to knit lace!