"I feel like a little worm on a big f%$&ing hook."

I've been very busy. At work everyone and their mother is up our asses t9o "make sure we're doing our job correctly." If you'd leave me alone for two seconds I'd have time to do my job. Thank god my supervisor rocks b/c I feel like, even though she'd attest to the fact that teachers in my district are wonderful, the state of NJ wants to crush the life out of us. Library school is no better. A lot less work for this class, but it takes me forever and the last class had me reading code aka jibberish. Anyone else teaching it would have put me to sleep, but my professor is so entertaining he kept me up. The result...I felt like Alice sitting at the tea table with the Mad Hatter and a bunch of mome wraths speaking about gobbledy-goop.
We're buying a house. Hopefully it will come through.
Still no baby:(

I'm off to Phili to go to Eastern State!:) Pics to come

Two Questions...

1) What are you dressing up as this 31st?
2) What was your favorite Halloween costume?

Pulling my Frickin Hair out... & I has been tagged

Right away...I have no pics right now.

I finished Griffin's tomten, but need buttons. I'm "working on" Pepper's sox - the flat feet soxs - and finished one of the pair. I'm still working on the Central Park Hoodie.

School basically came up and hit me in the face. I have either been doing homework, school work, or been in intense pain with some sinus-flu kinda thing (the kids sneeze on you when you're a teacher...all the time!!!). In addition to this my homeroom is NOTHING like my homeroom last year...and homeroom does make a difference. Last year, with the exception of "Reese" - I blogged about him - my kids were crazy, but mature when they needed to be, quiet often, caring always, patient with me, respectful...I mean the list could go on. And Reese is all of these...but never does work or pays attention.

My kids now are freakin lunatics. Two suspended already (one with a court date), two with personal issues already. It's only the 2nd full week...oh, and one already had to be placed in another school due to behavior. Some are so awesome, but as a whole the totally drain me. I already love them. How or why, I have no idea, but I do. There's one who's so skutchy, but was out, and the room was, like, empty without her.

I still see my rockin crocheters...some have started knitting too. I found knitting needles and yarn on some random desk in an upper grade room and just smiled:)

In addition (yes, beyond the illness, work, and post grad school) we are trying to get my mom in law's house ready for sale and looking for our own home (home to move in Jan or Feb).

I miss this though...But I'm so done with this f^#%ing layout!

---

So...since I'm bsing right now...

Dibosai tagged me so I'm doing this

What are the last 3 things you purchased?
Lunch at a diner with co workers, a book for Mr. Geek of all Trades and a Pirate Hat (HA!)

What are the last three songs you downloaded?
I don't know but the most recent songs I heard were...
Helden (I think) by Apocalyptica and the lead singer from Rammstein
37mm by AFI
Lost by Avenged Sevenfold

What where the three best places you visited?
Venice, all of South Spain, and Eastern State Pen in Phili

What are your three favorite movies?
THE CROW!!!!!!!!!! - this was the best movie ever made!
Star Wars (VI being the best, but all of them)
Dawn of the Dead - THE ORIGINAL...not this new one

What three things can you not live without? (Other than family and friends)
Chocolate, good books, and music - 'cause Smudge counts as family

What would be your three wishes?
Does this make it not come true? Eh
To get pregnant
To have my parents, sister, husband and other family members for a good long time
To be able to always live near my sister & parents

What are three things you haven’t done YET?
Be a mom
Write my book
Be a mom

What three celebrities do you want to hang out with most?
Jack Black
Tim Burton
Phillipia Gregory

Name three things that freak you out.
When people make faces that look like they're passing out or very ill
Slugs (one of only two insects I don't like)
Maggots or grubs (the other one)

What are your three favorite dishes?
Mommy's Black Beans
Mommy's Red Bean Dumplings
Sushi with Alyssa & Griff at Wasabi

Name three things you are good at.
Fixing broken toys
Not following my husband's advice when he suggests I take medication I really need
Petting Smudge

What are three things you are currently coveting?
1st season of the Tutors on DVD
Sushi
More time to exist during the day

AND I'M ADDING ONE!!!

What are your three current favorite TV shows?
I'm putting too many but...
Network Telie - Lost / House
My 3 BBC shows - Primeval / Dr. Who /Torchwood
Anthony Bourdain (he's HOT)

I'm tagging

CrochetWithMe
Wittys Girl
and Raire

The Adventures of SmudgeStick & the Flat Feet

Smudge still has a 90 degree head tilt and cannot move around more than a few inches on his own, but he can eat on his own if we put the hay or pellet bowls in the litter box with him...he was (and I assume still is) litter box trained, but can't get in or out of the box without help now so we line it with towels and change it frequently. One would think we'd of thought of that, but the small animal specialist vet thought of the idea. That way if he begins to roll he's in the box and catches himself.

In addition to Smudge being sick I was sick too:( I finally got out of the house yesterday and went to Stix with the ChalkDust Knitters. I got the black yarn I needed to finish the fair isle hat from the class with Sunday, also got some orange jitterbug and ... FLAT FEET!!!!







I'm doing the Harlot's basic sock pattern (it's in my ravelry) b/c I really want to do a simple pattern so I can see the colorway work itself out. I know its gimickie, but I really wanted it so I splurged.


Now for more crap...
the back of the Central Park Hoodie - Yes, I made it longer, and yes, the cables are backwards - I didn't have my pattern when I started the cables, made the mistake, and was up about a foot when I realized so they're stayin' as is:)



Griffin's Tomten - I saw him Monday. He is so freakin CUTE!! but I think he's still way too small for it. No news on the GrimmWitch baby front yet.



Sox for Griffin - too cute, bud!



And I finished the socks I made for my Mom.

Smudge Update: SmudgeStick Semi Stands

Smudge has been forcing himself to stand all day long. His head is still tilted almost 90 degrees, but he is so determine. Its sad when I see him standing, and then just collapse under the strain, but I can see that he is getting better - I hope he doesn't plateau.

Smudge Update

So Smudge got sick on Tuesday. He has this thing people call "head tilt" because literally his head tilts like 45 degrees to the left. The issue with this diagnosis is that it's a blanket statement, like "I have a headache," and you could have a headache for any number of reasons.

We took him to Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus, NJ. This animal hospital is the most wonderful place I've ever taken my animals. My first rabbit passed away there, and they were so tender and supportive. I've always taken Smudge there.
The 1st doctor we dealt with checked him out, gave us antibiotics and anti nausea meds and sent him home. He slowly improved until Thursday.

Thursday Smudge and I watched Juno and had a very lovely evening. By 12 though, things began to go badly. Smudge couldn't hold himself up. His head kept pushing to rotate further left, and in turn his body would roll. I righted him, and he'd do it again. Mr. G and I were both working to keep Smudge straight. Smudge kept reaching for the water bottle, but couldn't drink from the special no mess nozzle b/c he was tilted at such a bizarre angle. We eventually held his older water bottle (the traditional small pet type that has the ball in the nozzle like a ball point pen) and he drank from it the way an infant drinks from a bottle. We saw we had to take him back to the hospital. I didn't want to fight him any more, so the next time he rolled I helped him to stay on his side. I wrapped him in a pillow case and we drove to Paramus.

It was like torture sitting there waiting for the vet to come talk to us. When she finally came this 2nd vet talked to us about Smudge's blood work. It showed normal levels that would lead one to believe that he did not have an ear infection, one of the most common and easiest to cure reasons for head tilt. She mused that it could be neurological, something that wouldn't go away.
We went home to what felt like a cavernously empty home. All day Friday things were dismal, and then I spoke with the 3rd vet. Smudge was rolling and tilted, but she felt he was fine otherwise. She suspected no pain, and when she fed him Critical Care (think rabbit pellets and water in a blender) he was loving it and eating greedily. She gave us hope.

This morning she called to tell us that Smudge ate greens and carrots!!! They released him on a flat surface and he was able to walk straight for a short length. She was so pleased, as were we. He may have a long recuperation ahead of him, but a rabbit that's had so many second chances at life may have more cat than rabbit in him. He is an incredible animal.

Smudge is sick

My poor little bunny is very sick. He's my righthand guy, and I'm so worried and upset.

Living Dead Dolls

There are only a few things I spend my money on - I'm cheap with everything else, but with some stuff you just can't restrain yourself. The first is food, specifically chocolate and sushi, second is yarn, and third...LIVING DEAD DOLLS. I love my Living Dead Dolls. Think Madame Alexander gone horribly wrong. CopperScaleDragon kinda got me rolling to take some pics and post them. They came out very fuzzy, but I'll eventually put nicer ones.

First Fair Isle at Stix

We missed Flynnie, who was feeling very under the weather, when half the ChalkDust Knitters went to Stix and Stitches for a Fair Isle lesson with Sunday. Pepper had already been practicing, so she and my mom took to it pretty quick. K and I, however, two throwers, stumbled a bit, but we both got it (at least I hope I did).




The second part of the lesson will be next Friday. Sunday from Stix is one of the most talented knitters I've ever met. She's really this incredible wealth of knowledge. The pattern is the Nordic Headband by Heidi Nyberg. Ravel it and the PDF is right on there for free, but here's her blog. I'm planning on turning it into a hat; the pattern is very pretty.
I've also done some more work on Griffin's Tomten, adn bought the yarn for his cousin, Sophia's as well.

I took some stash pics too for Ravelry, and took this one of two favorites...

Araucania Pehuen and Philippa Gregory. Are they making Pehuen again? I've seen some of the newer Araucania labels...they all kinda look the same...on pics of Pehuen on Flickr. That's one of my favorite yarns and I would love them to bring it back into production. It's a cotton boucle incase you haven't seen and fell in love with it, and it feels awesome.

7-23-2005, Aurora's Estate Sale, Tomten for Griffin, and Central Park Hoodie

Tomorrow Mr.G and I will have been married for three years. We were going to go away but between my knee injury and all this stuff going on with Aurora's (my late mother-in-law) estate we were unable. So we'll be bonding in the tri state area tomorrow.

Aurora's estate sale was this past weekend. I would suggest that if anyone reading this every finds themselves in the position to have to sell the belongings of someone you cared for to hire professionals if at all possible. This is also a reminder to myself...may I never forget how emotionally hard this was even with help and not do this on my own ever.

The company we hired is called Dusty Old Bags. It's two women and their husbands who come into the home, research and price things, and then conduct the sale. I just sat in the background. The sale was Saturday and Sunday. Saturday I was there with the help of the DOB ladies and their hubbies as well as Mom and Pepper. This was the more difficult of the two days. Some people came in like beasts, throwing Aurora's things around in order to find what they were looking for. Some people tried (and I'm sure some were successful) pocketing things. Loosing whatever dollar or so we would have made off the stolen items wasn't what bothered me, it was just the thought that something my mother in law had used was stolen from within her own house. Some people were very mean, I assume not knowing or caring that there were family members in the house and criticized my mother in law's taste, spending habits ("What kind of person spends so much money on herself," sort of stuff). She did spend a lot of money on herself. She was a shopaholic. She was not proud of the fact, and told me that she wished she weren't that way. It did not make her a bad person, but the way some of those people spoke...There were two girls in particular. Both had the I've-Plucked-My-Eyebrows-To -Oblivion-&-Now-They'll-Never-Grow-Back disease. Wherever you are, ladies, may this message be carried on the wind to you...you're emotional age needs to catch up to your late twenty something but somehow saggy faces! Get thee to a salon to get thy brows done properly! Three fold, man, that's just what I kept telling myself.

Some people said really nice things, ("This lady had great taste," or "This is someone's home and stuff we're going through, how sad.") Those people were like a breath of fresh air and I hope their actions come back to them as well. Kind words meant so much.

So now her house is almost empty. The basement is still a hell hole. I've found so much stuff...pictures, keepsakes, precious documents, but until Sunday I hadn't found very much baby stuff from Mr. Grimm Witch's childhood. Late Sunday night I was tunneling through the ancient grilling utensils, bills from 1987, broken glass, fake flowers, etc and found it. Like some wooden crate out of Indiana Jones, preserved and forgotten, a box of baby shower paraphernalia circa 1974, and three baby books, one for my husband, one for my brother-in-law, and a thin pamphlet dated 1927 for their dad. I also found a heap of slides with cherubie baby images of my b-i-l and husband as well as 8mm films...Disney World, Great Adventure, and all you Jersey kids...there might be pics of Jungle Habitat! I feel a lot better having found that stuff.

So I started this tomten for Griffin - who, by the way, is one of the most beautiful children ever born (aren't they all, though:)

No, I have not finished his ripple blanket, but I'm almost done. It's just the yarn felt so great! The label says Raggi Jarbo Garn. I have to look into this on Ravelry. They had a girlier yet awesomely unbabyish colorway of the same stuff at Stix and I think I'll make his cousin a tomten as well out of that so they can match.

Still working on the Central Park Hoodie.

Moving along.

The pattern I wanted to write.

I was looking at the newly added patterns on ravelry and found the Summer Gold Cardi. The pattern used to make the sweater looks remarkably like the one I was using o try to make my Lace Crop Sweater, but done much better. Wriiten by Arja Viitala, it's so beautiful.

She has other pretty patterns too. This one was only published in Finnish I believe. It may be the same for the others...but it's late and all good witches should be in bed.

ChalkDust Knitters Blog

I've been a bit busy as far as a school teacher's summer goes (I haven't worked during the summer since the summer before I got married so usually it's just sitting around at Mom's house b/s-ing and watching the View or something). With physical therapy for my knee injury, knitting, school, and taking care of loose ends my mother-in-law left behind, I've had a pretty packed summer so far.

The group of women I knit with have met up a few times. It was good because I really missed them. I made a blog for the group to help us schedule meetings, and keep connected. I suppose it may come in handy, if not I'll chuck it, but the free layout looks so darn cute, even with a pinky pink pattern (I may be a hot pink and pitch girl, but you'd never catch me in pepto pink - flashback to Catholic High School - Eek!).




Just over the weekend we went to Stix-n-Stitches one day and plan to go back soon. We went to eat at Raymond's in Montclair as per Stix-n-Stitches' Monica save-the-day suggestion. Thank you! I had been dying for eggs, and they were perfect. When we walked in I realized I'd seen the place's add in Weird NJ.

If you love Jersey and weird stuff you need to get yourself a copy of this magazine. I've been collecting them for about nine years. Weird NJ comes out twice a year, and the web site, while cool, doesn't do the mag justice. This new one, seen here with my new clear, pink ribbon bag from Stix and the beginning of my Central Park Hoodie, is a particularly interesting issue.

The UnWicked Witch of the West of Central Park Hoodie

I casted on yesterday. I forgot how much I love this yarn! And I got this one for half off, although I can't remember where, but I'm going to need more. I want to try to do different cables...I think I figured out how.


I pilfered this from Jess of Fig and Plum who recently posted a February Sweater in the incredible color. I'd started one for a co-worker's grandbaby to be, but the lace was coming out real tight...I was okay with it, but looking at Jess's beautiful one...mine's so lacking detail with the slightly too chunky yarn I'm using...I'm going to frog it!
Anyway...to the stolen goods...

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was just graduating high school. It was one of the most refreshing, liberating experiences of my entire life. People say those are your golden years, but I’d never want to go back to that. I feel like every year life gets just a little bit better.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?
1. Type up my Freakin’ homework that has been done for two days but putrefying in my notebook.
2. Get more yarn for the Central Park Hoodie
3. Clean the Computer room
4. Finish Griffin’s Ripple Baby Blanket
5. Do laundry

3) Snacks I enjoy:
Chocolate

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire (in no particular order):
Buy a house for myself and Mr. GrimmWitch, one for Mom and Dad, and one for Pepper and my brother-in-law. Adopt like, five or six more animals and get Mr. G a toucan. Set up a scholarship for students of the high school in the town where I teach. Treat my little guys to Six Flags in September. Go to Europe. Pay for a weekend for all the ChalkDust Knitters to got on a yarn crawl through NYC, eating at an awesome restaurant, and see a Broadway show!

5) Places I have lived:
Only my beloved Jersey, and I love it!

6) Jobs I have had (I feel like I'm forgetting some, as long as the list is):
Receptionist for two seconds
Aid for special needs kids in a speech path office
Thomas Kincaid employee
Art Teacher
Language Arts/Social Studies Teacher
Rockin Math Teacher! (ironically the most enjoyable one).

Griffin

Griffin was born yesterday, July 8th, at around 4:00.

Prototype Crop Sweater, Niyaz, Threadbanger, & A New New Jerseyan

My new Library Media class started today. This morning I was very excited, but I know that when I have a week that is particularly heavy with chores and work and I can't knit or read I will wonder why I got myself into this again. I do want to be a librarian, I just hate homework! I sound like my students, but its true:) And now for the knitting...

I'm not totally in love with this, but I'm happy I made the attempt.

I'm working on the next, hopefully more likeable version of the pattern. Changes...
Cotton to Alpaca (Berroco Ultra Alpaca)
Longer length for body & sleeves
All seed stitch to 1 by 1 rib - it looks much better.
Shawl collar
Lace @ the raglan increases as well (by the armpits:)
We'll see.





While wandering the internet I came across this site I didn't know about. Threadbanger seems to be a site for creative, possibly rock oriented DIY type people. The site boasts a forum where readers share their DIY objects, a blog updated regularly, and video & instructions on how to make a lot of the stuff mentioned on the site. Most of it is sewing, but I'm very interested in that so it was cool. I found this demo turning a band t into a totebag posted by "Zanooka". Very awesome site!





Niyaz's new album, Nine Heaven's is out. The lead singer is Azam Ali, she's this unbelievably gifted musician with an incredible voice. She also does solo work and other music projects.

photo pilfered from allaboutjazz.com

Here's a video of a performance of a song, The Hunt off the last album.

Finally...my friend's doctor advised she head to the hospital and will be induced (is that how you spell that?) within the next 24 hours.
The blue and yellow cotton baby surprise with the duckies was for this baby. I was ofcourse going to be happy for her, but I didn't realize how excited I'd be to meet this little person. She is one of the most amazing people I've ever met, and I love her, so that has something to do with it, but I think I was and still am so interested in her journey through this part of her life because I want it so badly, and I'm just facinated by the whole thing. She's the first close friend of mine that will be a mother, and I hung on her every word when she was discribing how she felt, what she needed to do during her pregnancy. Keep Alyssa and her family in your thoughts, and I want to be the first to say, Welcome to Jersey, Little G!

One of Two on the Fourth

I finished my first sock ever - for Mom, with tons of help from Mom and the Yarn Harlot's book Knitting Rules: The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks

New Layout

What do you think?

From Mom

Ha Ha!

What type of House Rabbit are you?

Pilfered from Punk Rock Knitters!, apparently Smudge is a "Snuggle Bunny."

What kind of house rabbit are you? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as The Snuggle Bunny Awwww... you're the epitome of cute. The Snuggle Bunny 75% The Chewer 75% The Athlete 69% The Toys-R-Us Kid 56% The Digger 44% King of the House 0%

Bye Baby (surprise), WWKIP, and Cyndi

I spent Saturday morning at my friend's baby shower. She had a belly dancer perform and do a special symbolic dance for father, mother, and baby. It was really beautiful, different, and refreshing.

After my husband and I left the shower (yes, men were invited, as they should be!) I headed off to Montclair. Because of the traffic, however, I was very late for Knit in Public at Stix and I didn't even really knit in public at all yesterday, but Sheila took pitty on me and gave me a KIP pin anyway:)

And on Friday, one of my favorite people performed on Good Morning America, but I was at work so I'm catching her on Youtube...

Buttons are done, Man

I love them...they're so cute...Mom put them on and tucked for me.


A closer look...

The collar is not I-cord, but layers of slip stitch (crochet).
While Mom was sewing on the buttons she saw that one duckie doesn't have a yellow beak...

but she said there was something endearing about the little thing, and I have to agree, so she stays.

9 Days Left!

I am so ready for summer to come. I want to get out of work. My school seems to be disintegrating structurally, mirroring the same errosion in the behavior in some of the staff. People are treating others with such disrespect that I've found it very frustrating, and can't seem to put some issues aside.

School is also very difficult. I'm constantly reading (and knitting at the same time), but it's so much work right now with work from work and other things. My mother helped me grade my students' finals b/c it just would not have gotten done in two evenings. Thanks, Mom!

Aurora, my mother in law who recently passed, left us quite a challenge in her home. She kept everything, even stuff people just shouldn't keep...old bills, old catalogues, etc, use your imagination. Hopefully we'll be heading out in a few moments to do some more work over there. The week she dyed we were there from early in the morning until seven or so each night working non-stop.

On the knitting front. My other friend is having her baby shower next week so I need to have these two things done... the Cotton Baby Surprise and this Easy Ripple Baby Blanket






Hopefully all this will be done before next Saturday.

If time allows, Mom, Pepper, and myself will be taking part in the World Wide Knit in Public day next Saturday after the baby shower. We'll hopefully be going to the knit out at Stix-n-Stitches. Go to the Knitting in Public web site and see if a place near you is holding an event.

Other than that, I've started a sock, my first!



And I'm still working on writing a pattern...this lace top down thing...eh...I don't know...









Crappy pictures, but you get the idea.

Happy Birthday Mom

I love you.

Remembering Aurora 1939 - 2008

My mother-in-law passed away this week. She just turned...would have turned 69 yesterday. We had a very difficult relationship. She was not easy to get along with. It feels strange to be semi aware that she's not here any more. I keep expecting her to call. She used to call too much. I was working on this Feathe and Fan as a practice before I made one for my mom, and was going to give it to her.





Now I don't know what to do with that. She was so eager for more grandchildren; I have two neices. It's just been an unbelievable shock.

Wrap 'em up and Kiss 'em Good Bye

With Mom's help I finished the cropped baby sweater and Baby Surprise gifts for my co worker's shower just as my ride was driving up. I enjoyed working on them, but am happy I'm done. One thing finished, 80 thousand more to go before summer begins.


She seemed to really like both sweaters.






My mother especially liked the cropped sweater. I did an I-cord trim and rolled cuffs instead of the ribbing the pattern called for.





The Baby Surprise was fun. I finished it last night, leaving seeming and buttons for today - both done for me by Mom as I rushed around.



Mom's blog Knitting with my Mother's Hands is up, as I said, and she made a new post. I think its so hard to learn something new when you're life is chaotic, and she's really pulling it off, so BRAVA!

They fixed it!

They fixed my mom's blog. Now she can work on it.!

Blogger Is Mean To Old Ladies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was so pleased with the format of this web site when I started this blog. My mother loves searching the net to find the most interesting knitting blogs, and after I started one she wanted to make one of her own. She finally did, and frickin Blogger flagged her as being SPAM! HER BLOG IS CLEARLY A KNITTING BLOG!!!! Now she can't log in. I'm so sad for her b/c she was so excited about this. I really hope Blogger clears this up.

Mother's Day & Why I'm pissed at Blogger

Before I actually start my post...my mom tried to create her own blog...and the day after she finished it Blogger flagged her saying it was suspected to be spam. Two weeks later the site is still locked. She was so excited to do this and Blogger locking her clearly not-spam site and taking so long to open it has really disappointed her. An incredible irritation, especially concidering tomorrow is Mother's Day.

And now on with the show

10 Reasons Why my Mom Rocks

10. She's dedicated her life to helping children, and even now, when she teaches under horrendous conditions with students who treat her so poorly, she feins indifference, but still cares

9. She taught me about some of the best rock n' roll there is, from the Beatles to the Who

8. She's one of the few people I know that honestly doesn't really judge people on appearance

7. She knits anywhere, even during the Union Party

6. She has to be herself and doesn't care what anyone else thinks

5. She makes the best black beans ever

4. She can always tell what's wrong with me just by looking at me, even now

3. She showed me that a woman can run a household, raise a family, have a career, and have interests

2. She trusted me to make my own decisions, and was there to catch me just incase I fell

And the number 1 reason why my mom rocks...

1. She's become one of the best friends I've ever had

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Me and Mr. G

Mr. Grimm Witch and myself in South Park...

Pepper's Orange Tote Muppet

My sister made this bag she's calling an Orange Tote Muppet. She's on ravelry as pepperbal. I wish she'd write a relative version of the pattern for me b/c I'd like to make a Birthday Massacre Purple Tote Muppet

Big Update:

The View was great...the show was nice, but it was so great just to spend the day mom, sis, and me.

School (my job) is going well. "Reese" will most likely fail this year. He's doing almost no work in language arts. There's nothing more we can do. We offer to stay after school, we offer to be in early (and are every day). You can lead a horse to water, I guess. I hope he pulls thought. It's just that retention is district policy and if one doesn't pass one stays back. I don't like it.

School (college) is slow going. I feel like the semester will never end. It seems liek my private life keeps getting in the way of me having time to do my assignments, but when I put my personal life aside things get crazy, my apartment gets dirty.

---

Now for knitting...
So my co worker and my friend are both pregnant...my co worker is having a girl in late June, and my friend a boy about two weeks late if all goes as planned for both. For the girl - Emma...
I've already made a cropped baby sweater (I think it's Debbie Bliss) out of this new cotton by Lions Brand.



I still need to add trim - maybe a crochet lace. I seamed the arms with I-cord.



I still want to make her a reversable blanket, so either garter or (hopefully) a reversible braid cable stitch.

For the boy who doesn't officially have a name yet. I used Caron Supper Soft to make a (I believe Debbie Bliss) striped hoodie. The sleeves aren't done, but i'm well on my way.



I'm almost done with a baby surprise out of that same cotton from Lions Brand.






I want these duckie buttons from this new store Yarn Diva. Very nice people! I still love Stix though:)

I am also finishing a blanket.



I got the idea from Stick-Legged Girl's Cotton Ease Baby Blanket. I did garter instead of her stockinet and casted on 75 instead of her 29. No, I have not finished mine yet, but on the baby front, no dice for me yet, so I have time. My friend's blanket is made out of Bernat Baby Coordinates in mint.



Moving away from babies. I started this Feather and Fan Wrap a while back out of Wool in the Woods Bobcat as a prototype for one I want to make my mother.



I'm trying to make a top down lace cardigan...



We'll see.

---

Finally...some cute animals.
Mr. Grimm Witch and I went to the Bronx Zoo this past week while he was on vacation. We had such a great day.









More on flickr.