Finished...But No Medal

I may not be an Olympian, but the socks are done! Thanks again to my sock model, son K! Hey did you notice? These actually match, and without trying! I love it when things work out.

Lana Grosa Meilenweit Mega Stretch Boots

Ann Norling pattern

size 1 (yea baby!) needles

Next project? Well check these out:

Daughter E came home with a cute little pair of Mary Jane slippers that her bud purchased at Target. And better yet, a request to knit some up that looked just like it. A little searching - and this is what I found! Cute or what? The pattern was a bit much, IMHO, but little E was worth it. Done on size 7 dp and no cuff, these will be a snap.

Parent Licenses Now Accepted

Every morning I make an honest attempt to greet my students and have some sort of "one on one" time with my homeroom group. This morning I am overjoyed that Miss X has decided to attend classes for the first time this week.

Me: "Glad to see you Miss X! We've missed you! Let me get your work together and we'll see if we can get you caught up. We are finishing the novel today; the exam is tomorrow. Do you have your novel?"

Miss X: "Novel? Uh, no, uh...no it's somewhere."

Me: "Well, not to worry. I am sure it will float to the surface. You seem very tired. What time did you go to bed last night?"

Miss X: "Oh, I think it was around 4:00."

Me: "4:00? Where you watching television?"

Miss X, with a very "knowing" glance: "Uh, no...I was doing something else."

Me, thinking this 13 year old is not trying to say what I think she is: "Does your mom know you were up that late?"

Miss X: "No, I wasn't home. I'm never home."

Me: "So, sleepovers on a school night. Wow, I guess I must be a strict mom."

Miss X: "My mom doesn't care what I do."

CPS tells us this household is fine. One bedroom which the brother in re-hab gets; Miss X and her mother share the couch. Apparently this is why she chooses to sleep elsewhere. The 16 year old sometime boyfriend of the two (apparently the only thing they have in common), is also in residence during the week. There is no electricity in their half of the duplex. Because the grandparents live in the other half, and Miss X can go there if she chooses, CPS says this is acceptable.

Last week it was Miss Y. Her 30 something mother has a low paying job. Her 50 something significant other is unemployed. Miss Y says that now that he is "off alcohol" he is meaner than before. In order to spare her sister the physical discipline he doles out, she feels the need to interfere and serve as a distraction. I am told that because he does not leave marks or bruises, there is nothing to be done. Miss Y spends her weekends with her friends. It's easier that way.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND? These two children are only a whisper of the thousands of children in this nation who are not even lined up for the trip! Schools cannot fix what the home has broken.

Knitting Weather

The sky is low,

the clouds are mean —

A traveling flake of snow

Across a barn or through a rut

Debates if it will go.

A narrow wind complains all day

How some one treated him —

Nature, like us, is sometimes caught

Without her diadem.

- Emily Dickinson

February. And winter has arrived! Although I had recently stated that I had not missed it a bit, I must admit that it is beautiful. And besides, what is better than sitting in your favorite knitting spot with a cup of tea watching the snow fall?

The first sock is almost finished; time for the toe decreases. Knitting on size 1 needles may win some looks of admiration from my buddies on knit night, but it gets a tad boring when they take longer than one week to finish.

Alpaca Heaven

DH and I ran away from home yesterday. Thank goodness their grandmother loves to stay overnight! We decided to take a side trip on the way to the lake and I am so glad we did!
Evelyn and Peter own 30 acres of beautiful farm land in the foothills of Frewsburg, NY. YB Normal Farms is the happy home of several Grand and Reserve Champion Alpaca. Take a look at Killer Joe and a few of his buddies. Isn't he handsome! That boy has a coat density that I never believed possible.
They run a wonderful shop at the farm. Beautiful imported hand knit products ranging from scarfs to sweaters, and wonderful coats and vests that are beyond belief. But being a knitter and spinner, you know what I was looking for!
I wish you could feel this! This is by far the softest fiber I have every touched. I cannot wait to start spinning! It did not look like much in the bag, but once out it fluffed to huge amounts.
But I truly do not know what was nicer: finding a great fiber source or meeting wonderful people. DH and I received a tour of the barns, met all of the animals, and learned a ton about the animals. What a great way to spend a windy, wet Saturday afternoon. Don't you love it when you meet great people?
And if you are in the Chautauqua area, and can't make it to Frewsburg, may I make another suggestion? In addition to YB, you can visit several other area businesses under one roof at The Cross Roads Market outside of Westfield.

No, I do not work for the Chamber of Commerce!

What Do You Love?

So I am at one of the now 8 LYSs looking for some fun. And I see this. Oh so pretty. And my two friends glance in my direction, and give me the look.

"No, you do not want that. It's just not...nice."

Not nice? Does it do something odd to the ankles when knit up? Does it cause one to bite their needles while knitting?

And I leave with two skeins of Jawol.

So driving home I have buyer's remorse. How do they know I won't like that yarn? I want that yarn. Hey, wait a minute...I have that yarn! There it is just waiting for me in the sock stash. Knit, knit, knit it. Love, love, love it. Even with #1 needles. This is the sock yarn I have been waiting for my whole life! Soft, squishy, stretchy...

Not nice, indeed!

Cute or what? These little clouds are popping up everywhere. If you happen to be feeling a bit envious, you can get your own here!

10 Things Children Should Never Do

1. Snap your brace wire 15 minutes before the dentist's office closes and you live 14 minutes away.
2. Snap your brace wire when mother is frantically trying to get dinner in the oven.
3. Dump an entire basket of clean clothes on the floor to find one shirt.
4. Leave the entire basket of clean clothes on the floor after the shirt is found.
5. Call mother to say you will be home for dinner, call and say you will be with a friend instead. Call back and say you will be home, but can the "good" car be borrowed to go out for coffee because the van is simply too humiliating to be seen driving.
6. Hang up on your mother when you do not like her rebuttal to above comment.
7. Lose your glasses three days after new lenses have been ordered.
8. Tell your mother there is "nothing to eat" after $244 worth of groceries have been purchased.
9. Leave 4 or more peanut butter and jelly coated knives on the kitchen counter over the course of 4 hours.
10. Tell your mother, "In a minute," when you are obviously time impaired.

Rant is over; amazing what turning a heel and picking up a few stitches can do for the mood.