In a Nutshell

Here's an attempt at an update on my neglected blog:

1. new house
2. new baby (WIP - due May)
3. new school year

tired lady....

I'll see if I can get to this more often :) for now.... happy holidays!
(Best Christmas Card EVER!)

Picture Time!

When I left this morning I told Gabby that her job for the day was to make the rain go away.  Lo and Behold, I park in my driveway after a torrential downpour on rt 495 and the heavens opened up.  I don't know how she did it, but "Mission Accomplished!" 

In honor of the LOVELY evening that followed, I grilled up some "smart dogs", sweet potato slices, and green beans.  We sat outside and enjoyed the meal in the sunshine.  I also got to take some pictures of my newly spun and plied yarn.

Here is the superwash BFL  in "Citrus Sherbet" - super soft and squishy.  I have about 350 yards in DK-ish weight (2 ply).  I think she will become a small shawl.

 

And here is the lovely merino from the batt I bought in Mystic.  It is from "Other Kingdoms" and its exact composition is 65% merino, 30% horned dorset and 5% sari silk.  It is about 1.5oz and I got about 185yds in a fingering weight  (2 ply as well).  

Hopefully I'll get a few more pictures taken this weekend.  Some of the Asterope and Mary Jane.  We'll see.  Happy weekend! 

Delinquent Blogger

We all knew (and by "we" I really mean "me" because almost no one reads this yet) that this blogging this would have to take a back seat during the crazy spring season.  And by golly, it has taken a seat right in the trunk! We are in the last stretch of the school year and with the spring mayhem starting to finally end, I am back.  (Well, at least for now.)

I am not going to fool myself into thinking that I can update everything that has happened in the last 2 months.  I've spun some, knit some, played some, and worked lots. I don't have any pictures today, but will post them at some point.  (maybe....)

garden plot dress

Here are some highlights:

1. Garden plot dress - frogged  (I didn't like the way the yarn looked.  It wasn't even and though it draped beautifully, I wasn't happy with it.
2. Asterope Shawl by Romi - On my!  lovely, lovely lovely!    I'm really looking forward to knitting the other shawls from her book "7 Small Shawls"
3. New socks! - One complete plain vanilla pair for me and in the process of making a pair of "Blueberry Waffle Socks" for Marcie.  (a la Meghan from "Stitch It!")
4. Mary Jane - done and done!  I have worn this so many times since completing it.  LOVE IT!  Made out of Berroco vintage DK
5. Spinning! - spun up some awesome superwash BFL in a colorway I'm happily calling "Citrus Sherbet".  I also bought some batts when we went to Mystic, CT for a short trip in April.  Right now I'm working with a blend of merino and sari recycled silk and nylon bits.  Its main colors are a purplish pink and seafoam-y green.  The silk and nylon bits are every color under the sun.  I'm spinning it very fine on my spindle and I can't wait to ply it up.  

OK - and now my BIG BIG news!

I BOUGHT A WHEEL!  

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

It is an Ashford Scholar M2 and should be here next week all the way from Washington State!  I am so excited!  I've been on cloud nine all day!

I'll be sure to update when the wheel comes in and I attempt to spin on it for the first time.  Should be interesting to say the least.  I'm just happy to have it just in time for summer!

Never Enough Time

I am looking forward at this week next couple of weeks the next month in semi-dread.

There are always weeks in the life of a music teacher where you look down the calendar from Monday and say to yourself "if I can only get through this week..."  I'm feeling "if I can only get through the next month..".  But I know, realistically, that that only gets me to April vacation and then it is crazy-time for two months after that as well.  

It's not the work that needs to get done nor the preparation.  It's the time away from home.  I love my job.  I love working with music and I love seeing the students put together their performances.  I just hate being away from Chris and Gabby.  Coming home from work and tip-toeing into her room to kiss my angel goodnight even though she's already asleep breaks my heart.  I look forward to my weekends and (too few and far between) vacations where we can be "home like a family" (in Gabby's words).  

I wish that folks could understand this side of a music teacher's life.  The side that is passionate about her job and her students, but is torn apart thinking about her family and having to choose between seeing her loved ones and offering opportunities to students.  

So, looking down this calendar week with the four days of rehearsal and show on Friday - all I see is Saturday when I can wake up with my Goo-Bear and breathe a sigh of relief that it's one week down... (umpteen to go...)

*sigh.

Time for All-State

I just returned from Day 1 of MMEA's All-State Conference at the Boston Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center.  I attended with mixed feelings this year.   (1) My school system couldn't pay for us to go - so I had to shell out the dough this year ... (2) I didn't have any students accepted into the ensembles (major bummer) ... (3) The sessions didn't really peak my interest... Needless to say, I wasn't jazzed (sorry...) about going.

But, I had to keep in my mind that it isn't about the sessions - it's about the people.  It was really lovely being able to attend sessions, have lunch, and just sit and talk with the other teachers from my school district.  I don't think we've ever been given the luxury of that much time to connect!  It was also amazing seeing everyone that I miss from URI and BoCo.  It was the first All-State, though, that I didn't have Denise and Gary to enjoy with.  It definitely wasn't the same without them! 

I went to four sessions today - "Emergency Repairs for the Band Teacher" (meh...  but did inspire me to take a trip to Home Depot), "The Heart of the Big Band: The Rhythm Section" (AMAZING student performers and snagged some Vic Firth stickers for my percussionists), the keynote speaker (where I was able to cast on and knit 1/2 a sock), and "High School Choral Reading Session" (where I further did damage to my already fried, hurting, tired, sick vocal cords...I really need to take time to get better from this cold from hell.)  Tomorrow I think I will only get to one session ("Vocal Jazz Lit") and maybe get to some shopping done at the exhibits. 

I have to say I was attempted to skip the convention when I first drove up, though.  There, almost like a beacon, from atop of the convention center was the banner:

 

http://craftboston.org/index.asp

 Wahhhh? 

Downstairs from the music ed folks and the sessions that I wasn't too crazy about is a craft show?  How did this happen?

I am happy to report that I did not wander... I did not go to the craft show... 

(only because it was closing for the day by the time I tried to... tomorrow is another day!)

In other news, here is the finished Corriedale:

Now I just need a project!

230 yds of love

Ahhh!  Spinning success!

The Corriedale has behaved beautifully!  I was able to spin about 230 yds fingering-ish weight from the 2.5oz I pulled out of the bag.  

I wanted it to be thin, so I plied it with thread instead of doubling it up.  So, here it is all plied up in its pretty-ness:

Then it was time for the bath:

Now it's in the dye-pot soaking up some light purple dye and looking very happy:

Post-dye pictures to come soon.

:)

Long Time No See

It's been awhile.  This being the first chance I've gotten to sit down and blog, I feel like I want to update on a million things.  Instead, I'll interview myself about what's been happening in hopes to link seemingly unrelated things together...  hopefully it's not too cheesy.  

First - let me start with some "THANK YOU'S!" Thank you for finding my blog! I hope all of you that stopped by come again and say "hi".   Thank you Katelain and Carol for commenting!  Made my day!  

Why are you blogging at 8:30am on a Monday?

At a crazy weekend running and co-hosting the Sr. SEMSBA festival I started coming down with a nasty cold "thing".  I got some rest yesterday - got some sunshine, some vitamin D, some running around with Gabby and Faith - but today the cold has settled into my chest and the coughing and wheezing has me thinking that I need to get myself to the Dr's.  So, before they open, I'm resting and have some time to sit and write.  I'm kicking myself for getting sick since it's also All-State week and I'm going to be out for two other days this week.  But, when your body says "rest" - you must rest.

How was your birthday?

It was,in a word, FANTASTIC.  I got those sweet messages when I got into work. Later in the day at rehearsals, my Rhythmix Gals were all late for rehearsal - just as I got frustrated, they all walked in with a cake and flowers for me and sang (as they always do) beautifully!  Then, I got to go home to my amazing family and my excited daughter.  Though Chris and Gabby hugs and kisses are gifts enough to me, they blew my mind with a Cricket Loom for me to start learning to weave!  It is FANTASTIC!  

Weaving, huh? 

Oh yeah!  It is tough to be a beginner again at something.  I decided to take Kelley Petkun's advice from her podcast on "Overcoming Mistakes" (episode 154).  One sentence that struck me was insuring that when you start, don't focus on a PROJECT.  Just go through the process and learn.  So, I've been processing with a lot of stash yarn and playing with techniques and colors to practice, practice, practice.  What has come out, I've been calling "doll scarves" and "dish cloths". :)  I'll post pictures when I'm ready to show off. :) 

How's the knitting?

Since I've been weaving, knitting took a bit of a backseat.  Since I really only have a few hours a day, the new toy got my attention. But, I got back to work this week on my two projects. 

Gabby's Garden Plot Dress 

I was VERY excited when I finished, what I thought was, the skirt of the dress last night.  Then, as I began reading the next section "with smaller cir needle, K72 front skirt panel, (pm), K72 back skirt panel" ... BACK SKIRT PANEL?  wahhhh?  Looking back to the beginning on the instructions, I see it - "SKIRT PANEL (make 2)".  UGH!  I was so ready to begin the body... and now I'm having "Second Half of Skirt Syndrome" (SHoSS)?  I even was thinking of ripping out the whole thing and saying "the hell with it".  But then I picked up the first half of the skirt, swung it around a couple of times, could picture Gabby in it spinning and dancing....  and started the second picot cast on.  

Mary Jane

This has been the easier of the two to work on.  I have finished the raglan shaping and now have begun the "snake skin" pattern on the body.  I really like this pattern and its simplicity.  

(note - white dog hair...  can never avoid it...  thanks Faith)

Any Spinning?

In fact, yes.  After the bamboo fiasco, I spun some nice, tame, undyed, Corriedale.  I'm spinning it a little thicker than usual and it's soft and lovely.    

Ahh... much better...

Anything else to add?

Gabby is super awesome.  She has enlightened us on a few things:

1. Broccoli not only makes your bones strong, "it makes your dreams come true"

2. "A whole world is in a drop of water.  You can't see it, but it's there"

3. Pea shoots are the best food on the planet.

And, there you have it. :)