TBM in NJ

The Aquarian has an article on The Birthday Massacre. I have to pick up a copy. (I love the Birthday Massacre:)

Vickie Howell's show no more?? I Kneed My Knitty Gritty!!!

A petition to save the show we all love...

sign it!!

picked this up from knittinghelp.com

My Students ROCK!!!!! (and stockinette baby surprise)

Sheila from Stix n Stitches posted on ravelry about a Baby Surprise in stockinette by Panda Man. It looks so beautiful. I really want to try this.

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Now on with the show...

Had to post these. Everything was made by my students, member's of the Crochet Club. They are a great bunch of kids, and they make me very proud. All these items will be donated to those in need.

Crochet Kids, Classes, and Cable Tomtens

We had a Crochet Club meeting this morning - my co worker and I run a crochet club for the kids in school - and one of my students brought in a blanket! She was one of the students that joined already knowing how to crchet, but the fact that she was able to complete a whole blanket so fast (and a single crochet scarf with fringe) in such a short time was so impressive. I'll take pics at our Friday meeting and post them, I'm so proud of all of them!

Classes at WPUNJ started and I was just on the net doing homework. I'm excited and nervous. I'm glad I'm doing it now, though, cause I look at people in school who already have kids and they're doing it, but I have no idea how.

I tore out the cable tomten again. This is I think tear out number 7. It's not that it's not working ( I just replaced some of the front fouteen stitches on either side with simple cables) I've just had one glitch after the other. This last time was the tension. It was so tight on the bottom, but way too loose on top. Then all the rip outs really ruined a few yards of the yarn, so I started fresh. The problem is because it's the smallest project I'm working on right now I carry it around and am working on it everywhere...at lunch, in the car, in the stairwell taking my kids to special. I really need to work on keeping the tension consistant.

Other than the tomten...I finished the Vibrant tomten...I'm working on this blanket by Stick-Legged Girl in the same yarn as the Vibrant. I'm also working on a fan and feather shawl in some Wool in the Woods Bobcat yarn in CTH Wild Cherry colorway.

Bonus pic of Smudge ...

Eh! Too much crap, man!

How did I end up with two piles 5 inches thick worth of ungraded student work, a certified disaster area inside my apartment, and 4.5 WIP? Who knows, all I do know is it all has to get fixed, and soon.

Ann Hood Rocked!...now check out the pics

I'm on the couch in the second pic. Mom's next to me, and Pepper's got her red bandana on....
Stix-n-Stitches Blog

And, if you stop by SnS and would like to grap a bite to eat, Monica from the store reminded me the name of the italian place is Mama Giola's. Thanks Monica:)

Ann Hood rocked Stix-n-Stitches and Pepper, Zel, and Mom bake some yarn cakes

The Chalkdust knitters had a blast last night when Ann Hood visited Stix-n-Stitches. We ate out at a near by italian place - the name escapes me - but it's up the block from SnS and the food was fabulous! We talked shop as we chowed down, and had these freshly baked scrumptious deserts. I will check out the name next time I'm up there.

Once we were done we went back to the store and were knitting when a blond with a funky leopard print winter coat blew in to the shop. Ann was humble and down to earth, chatting with people in the store before finally taking her spot in the center of the room to speak to us. If anyone reading this has the opportunity to hear Ann speak, get your tush there and make sure you stuff four pounds of Kleenex in your pockets before leaving the house. She was just as moving as she was hysterical.

While there I picked up some more of the same Filatura Di Crosa Baby Zarella I made the Vibrant Tomten from -still not done, but almost- and started this blanket. The pattern's from Stick-Legged Girl. She made it out of Cotton Ease, but I'm trying it with what I've got.



Last night while at Stix-n-Stitches we bought some ball winding parafenalia and spent the morning winding cakes of yarn. Even Maggie joined in to leand a helping paw.


I've ripped out the Cable Tomten several times, but hopefully this will be the incarnation I'll stick with. My friend's baby is not due until the summer, at this rate maybe I'll be done by the time the kid's in high school:)



PS
A pic of Mom's Bobble Sweater

The Chalkdust Knitters to see Ann Hood on Friday!!

I thought that would be a good name for us...Chalkdust Knitters...working in education and knitting...anyway...
US consists of Mom, Pepper (my sister), another middle school teacher, and an elementary school administrative assistant. We are going to Stix-n-Stitches on Friday to a book reading by Ann Hood, author of The Knitting Circle: A Novel. We're planning to eat out first (good), and then a night of literature and knitting (double good).

On the knitting front, almost done with the vibrant tomten and I started a heather green tomten with cables in the front for a friend of mine who it expecting.