Change change change!

Wow! It is amazing how much change this year has seen for me. Little did I know that this time this year, I'd be divorced, in a new wonderful relationship and knitting for a little one on the way. Kind of makes my head spin!

I've been working on lots of things here lately. My last posts had me focusing on knitting as my therapy. I was really, really unhappy. I'm so glad that I had something to take my mind away from the stress and sadness that I was feeling. Now I'm knitting because I am SO happy! I am excited about knitting and can't wait to start new projects.

Now I am working on the Little Sister Dress even though I do not know if I'm having a boy or girl. I figure that if it's a boy, I can save it for the next one (maybe?) or give it to a friend.




I already knitted a darling dress from Knitty.com whose pattern is called Topaz. I changed the colors up a bit to suit my tastes and the season that she'd be wearing it. I used a maroon and mustard colored Patons Wool. I still need to block it. Please forgive the eager sharing of unblocked projects! LOLNext on my que is a darling baby sweater from KnittingDaily.com. It is the Cabled Raglan Baby Sweater. The pattern is free to site registrants. It costs nothing to register and they have a ton of really nice, free patterns.

I searched high and low for baby pants that I liked. I found some but didn't want to purchase patterns because money is tight, you know? Then I came across a free pattern for the cutest baby pants ever. Kanoko pants were easy to knit and are just precious.

I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease in taupe. I love the way the fabric turned out. I'm going to make more of these for the baby.

To Knit or Read about Knitting? THAT is my question!

So my friend and fellow knitter, Margaret, gave me The Friday Night Knitting Club last week. This book has seriously cut into my knitting time. LOL

I am so drawn into the story that I have put some knitting projects on the back burner. Now I've cast on my 2nd sock for my Bob Marley's Grandma's Socks. I love them! I love having funky socks, but let's face it. It is already in the upper 90s in Houston. Big wool socks are down right comical here. So I'm using some of my Knit Picks Felici in Atmosphere to create these awesome socks. The yarn makes me think of faded blue jeans and Texas skies.

Another upside to ankle socks is that I can get a pair out of one 50 gram ball of yarn. Now what to do with all of those pieces of balls of sock yarn. I think some seriously funky socks may be in my future. :)

I guess to many people, knitting socks on dpns looks like spinning a spider web. They look at my project and ask, "What are you making?" I guess that I thought about double points that way before I actually tried them. If you knit tightly, then it's no problem. I guess the best secret is to cast on in a way that makes it easy to get started. I use the long tail cast-on with pretty much all of my socks so that the first row is already knit during the cast-on process. It doesn't mess up my ribbing or what ever patter. Just look! Can you tell? (Really, if you can, I don't want to hear about it. My glasses are not that good I tell you!)

I did learn something about myself today that kind of cracks me up. I'm an "East" personality. I was in a workshop today for work, and we were describing what kind of leader we are. Well I'm a big picture kind of girl. (Ahem. See note above about details! LOL) Stereotypically, one might be tempted to peg me as a details oriented person b/c after all, I am a physicist. However, this must be why I like theoretical physics best as compared to computational physics. I see the big picture. Actually I see many big pictures all at the same time. How confusing is that? Sometimes I let the details slide by, but if they're important enough, I'll get back to them. Back to what I learned... I really am annoyed by people who are too quick to act (although they can be my mindless minions any day!), and I am also annoyed by those who get their feelings hurt too easily. The detail oriented people are who I like to delegate my tasks to if I can stand to do it. See, I really do have a hard time delegating because I'm... well... My name is KnittingNerd, and I'm a perfectionist. There! I said it! Are you happy now?

It's not that I'm stuck on myself... I just usually put a lot of thought and effort into what I do, so it's usually a pretty good thing. I'm accustomed to winning intellectual challenges, and I am very competitive. So, forgive me. It's who I am. :) However, I do make a conscientious effort to be open to others' suggestions and ideas. Also, I can admit when I am wrong. The whole "what kinds of leader are you" thing today just made me more aware of the dynamics of such a group of diverse people. I think I'll do the same activity with my department when the new academic year begins. But for now, it's back to knitting... or reading about knitting... or knitting...

ARGHHHHH!!!

Mars, the Phoenix, and knitting grocery bags

It is so hot already in Houston. Even now, at 9:35 p.m. it's still 81 degrees F and humid! Last night the thermostat upstairs didn't get switched to night mode, and I woke up hot and cranky at 2 am this morning. After getting a cold drink and lowering the thermostat, I came back to bed and began looking for something to lull me back to sleep. I saw that the Science Channel had a live special on the Mars Phoenix Lander, so I tuned in. Now I knew that I wouldn't be going back to sleep for a while. Oh well. It's a holiday today. :)

I knew landing time was approaching, but I'd forgotten about the day that it was happening so my luck was good in catching it. I got my latest project from the bag beside the bed and started knitting. The thought occurred to me that it was suiting that I was watching humans endeavor to look for life on a "dead" planet while doing something environmentally conscious to protect my home planet. Cool, huh? I'm using a large cone of cotton yarn to knit market bags. The grocery stores are selling bags, but mine will be pretty and functional... not to mention cheaper! I could feel the excitement of the scientists and engineers as they waited for confirmation of parachute deployment, heat shield jettison, and descent rocket firing. I shared their cheers of excitement as they received confirmation of a successful landing. I'm very optimistic about the mission finding some proof of microbial life once on Mars. If there's any place to find it, the Martian arctic is it.

I have received confirmation of my registration for World Wide Knitting in Public day. Houston knitters are gathering at NorthWest Mall on June 14, 2008. I plan on being there. I'll have my Ravelry name on my project bag, so that others who know me by "physicschick" will know that it's me. I've been toying with the idea of starting a summer knitting circle. I don't know if I could find enough people who are interested in the area. I'll see and post on progress.

3 more days of school!! Yippeeee! I look forward to summers, but I also look forward to the beginning of a new year. I DO need the break now. Got a lot to catch up on. :)

Oh, the therapy of knitting...

Yarn is my yoga. Knitting, my meditation. So finishing a project in the middle of a much needed therapy session is a bit of sweet sorrow. As I searched for another way to continue my meditation, I contemplate the unspeakable ways that I use knitting to calm and focus myself.

Everyone needs a way to get away. The rhythmic clicking of the needles... the luscious softness of the yarn... the beautiful colors... they all melt away the tension that daily stress brings. I find myself sticking to simple patterns when my stress level is low, but when I really can't stop thinking about work or family issues, I choose something that challenges me. Cables... lace... anything that forces me to focus on the task at hand.

We fool ourselves into thinking that we can multi-task. Actually brain research shows that humans cannot "multi-task," but we really just switch back and forth rapidly. This is definitely not a good idea when learning to cable or knit lace. ha ha!

Now, I finished tonight a baby blanket that turned out really well. It is simple. stockinette all the way. I used the random stripe generator to come up w/ the pattern:

I used the random stripe generator until I got a pattern that appealed to me. Here is the 100 line pattern. I actually did all 100 and repeated the skinny stripes again.

With larger (size 8) needles, CO 100 in 1st color.

In stockinette, here are the row repeats:
3 of maroon
3 of gray
3 of maroon
3 of white
3 of gray
1 of maroon
8 of white
3 of gray
1 of maroon
8 of white
2 of maroon
13 of white
5 of gray
5 of white
5 of maroon
21 of gray
8 of white
21 of maroon

Change to smaller needle (size 7) and maroon yarn. knit along top edge, K1FB at corner. Pick up and knit stitches along side. K1FB at corner. Pick up and knit along bottom edge. K1FB at corner. Pick up and knit stitches along side. K1FB at corner and join. Work 5 rounds in garter stitch, increasing as before on each knit row at corners. Bind off.

note: in case you noticed, yes the number repeats on the rows are Fibonacci numbers. Ok, so I really am a nerd. LOL

A Summer "Tomato"

Well, I cast-on (or is it casted-on?) in September '07 and finished in April '08. I'm not THAT slow! LOL It just hibernated for a while. I guess I figured that if it's a summer sweater, I could wait until warmer weather to finish it up. This is my first knitted garment for myself that I've done in cotton. I have done a couple of other things for myself in wool because that seemed to be "the thing" to do. In hindsight... how the heck did I forget that I live in Houston??? OMG The humidity! What was I thinking with the wool sweaters? There are maybe 3 days out of the whole year that I could stand to wear something that warm here. So, alas, live and learn.

Speaking of learning, let me tell you what I learned from knitting the Tomato Sweater. Use waste yarn to park your stitches for arms, etc. That way when you knit from the top down, you can actually try the thing on before you get too far along. I never considered myself to have narrow shoulders, but with this pattern, I needed to make the neck a bit narrower and about 2 inches (maybe 3) higher. Another lesson... even if you have to waste a bit of yarn, start new skeins/hanks at the side or another inconspicuous place. I tend to be pretty good at weaving in my ends, but I did have a couple of strands of cotton peaking through at me. I do love the sweater, though. It has a cool pattern and is really comfy.

I made the sleeves longer to suit me. I also made the waist longer to suit me. Aside from that, it went just according to pattern. I think I'll be looking for more things to knit in cotton/linen for summer. That means it will be great year-round for me. :) I'm just glad to be knitting again. I've been so busy that I haven't done much lately. I am working on a random-stripe baby blanket for a co-worker's baby today at a birthday party for my son's friend. Many people commented and asked questions. I like to share what I'm doing and that knitting is not as hard as it looks. I was wearing the tomato sweater, and one mom asked in disbelieve "Did you make your sweater?" Cool. :)

Back in the Saddle Again...

I never thought it would happen... I haven't been in the mood to knit. There has been a lot of stress in my life lately. Work has been crazy, home is always busy, and my grandmother's passing have all just had me in a bit of a funk. Usually I knit to relieve stress, but I guess I've been a bit depressed and not in the mood.

Well I'm glad to say that I am back in the saddle again! Spring Break is here and I have a baby shower coming up for a friend who is having a baby girl. With all of the boys in my family, I rarely get to knit for a baby girl. Muahahahaha! My first project was a darling baby halter top. Baby Hannah will join us in May, so I wanted something summery for her. I chose maroon because her mom is an Aggie, and now she'll be ready for tailgating in style when football season arrives.




Next I am working on a favorite pattern of mine from One Skein: Petal Bibs. I also found a pattern for a sweet little baby hat that looks like a flower bud with petals around baby's face. I might do that too if time permits. Of course there will be matching booties... Can I get it all done in time? We'll see!

I think it has helped get me back into the knitting groove to do baby projects (instant gratification) and something that I rarely get to do (be "froo-froo" for a little girl). So I'm off to knit. If you see me knitting at the doctor's office or the bus stop, say "Hi" and tell me your knitting stories. :) It's good for the heart.

A Perfectly Wonderful Geeky project!

Now some might find it a strange combination that a physics nerd loves to knit, but then I was always a Renaissance soul. When I came across the Chromosome Cap pattern on Ravelry, I thought... "I have got to make that for someone!" Who better than my friend Anne? She loves biology and has a little guy to torture... uh who could wear this perfectly cute cap. LOL Now that it is complete, I am casting on one for mom, too!

The pattern was quick and easy. It was my first "cable" project. That in itself is kind of weird. Many knitters that I've talked to say that they are more scared of socks than cables. I jumped into doing socks a while ago, but just never did anything cabled. It's fun, and it is not at all too challenging to do. I am looking forward to the adult version of the chromo cap.

Knitting is my yoga. When I'm too tired to knit, I blog about knitting. LOL Do you see a pattern here? Tonight is definitely a "too tired" night, so I get to post pics of my latest conquest and go to bed. Good night and happy knitting to all!

My Personal Mission Statement

I visited the Mission Statement Builder on the FranklinCovey site today. I have been feeling a bit like I've been drifting aimlessly here lately and I wanted to get some focus. I highly recommend the "Jumpstart" version of the builder. You get 10 seconds to answer a series of questions. This ensures that it is your first response from the heart. Then you get to expand on these ideas. I am blogging my results so that I can hold myself accountable and redirect myself when I wander.

Knitting Nerd's Personal Mission Statement

I will support the education of others and continue to enrich my education.
I will support and nurture my child's intellectual, creative, physical, and emotional needs.
I will find ways to express my love and appreciation for the ways that my family and friends have supported me.
I will express my love for others frequently in verbal and non-verbal ways.
I will seek out loving relationships that are healthy and fulfilling.
I will seek out God in all aspects of my life and strive to build a closer relationship with Him.
I will support the freedom of myself and others by voting, being politically involved, and being active in issues such as education and climate.
I will encourage compassion by being compassionate in my actions toward others.
I will encourage intellectualism in home, school, and society by praising the intellectual risks that people take.
I will live my life as if no one is watching. I will pursue my passions without worrying about what other people might think.
I will continue to learn and enrich others lives as well.
I will be kind to others even if they are not kind to me. I will perform random acts of kindness for strangers.
I will clean up after myself in my home, work, and environmental existence by recycling more and conserving resources.
I will continue to pursue what is important to me even when facing obstacles.

Tag!! You're it!

So I learned about Knitta a couple of years ago when "Knittas" tagging around Montrose made the news. I thought, "What a cool idea!" I'd just started knitting, so I didn't have much of a yarn stash at that time. Years wiser and stash developed, here I am. I am known for my love of knitting at school by students and teachers alike, so I've decided to strike! LOL Here lies my first knit "tagging" piece.

I have not decided who the lucky recipient will be, but I will definitely be secretive about it. I am usually there way after most people leave. (I'm not a morning person... I work better late!) I'll follow up with a post of the pic when I tag. I think this will be a "sweater" for the reflector/lens arm of an overhead projector. (*giggling like a school girl*)

Lara's Herringbone Lace Sock Pattern

I love knitting socks! They are a small, portable project that you can take anywhere. Dpns are not nearly as scary as they look! What I love about socks is that they are the perfect place to try something new (stitch or technique) and you get (almost) instant gratification. Oh, and don't forget the warm cozy sock, too!)

Here is the first pattern that I've ever really made up myself. I tried to follow good form according to other patterns that I've used, but please let me know if you see a goof that I missed. I beg your tolerance and understanding. I knit with an audience of one impatient 5 year old boy and two spastic dogs. Oh and a hungry husband who keeps asking, "What's for dinner?" LOL

p.s. Feel free to use this pattern and share it with fellow knitting fiends. Just don't do anything to make money from it without asking me first. Thanks!!

Size 3 dpn (set of 4)

Knitpicks sock yarn (2 skeins)

Cuff:

cast on 64 (16-32-16)

K2p2 rib for 1.5 inches

Leg:

k2p2 rib on needles 1 and 3;

3 repeats of Herringbone lace pattern on needle 2

Lace pattern: repeats are in parenthesis

1. K

2. (SSK, K2, yo, K2) k2

3. K

4. (SSK, K2, yo, K2) k2

5. K

6. (SSK, K2, yo, K2) k2

7. k

8. k1 (K2, yo, K2, K2tog) k1

9. k

10. k1 (K2, yo, K2, K2tog) k1

11. k

12. k1 (K2, yo, K2, K2tog) k1

Heel flap:

Work 32 heel sts back and forth in rows as follows:

Row 1: *Sl 1 pwise with yarn in back, k1; rep from *.

Row 2: Sl 1 pwise with yarn in front, purl to end.

Rep Rows 1 and 2 until a total of 28 rows have been worked —14 chain sts (slipped sts) along each edge.

Turn heel:

Work short rows as follows:

Row 1: Sl1, k19, ssk, k1, turn.

Row 2: Sl 1, p9, p2tog, p1, turn.

Row 3: Sl 1 pwise, knit to 1 st before gap, ssk, k1, turn.

Row 4: Sl 1 pwise, purl to 1 st before gap, p2tog, p1, turn.

Rep Rows 3 and 4 until all heel sts have been worked, ending last repeat of Row 3 with the ssk, and last repeat of Row 4 with the p2tog.

Heel Gussets:

Rnd 1: With needle 1, knit across heel sts, then with same needle, pick up and knit 14 sts along left edge of heel flap; with needle 2, work 32 instep sts in herringbone lace pattern as established; with needle 3, pick up and knit 14 sts along right edge of heel flap, then knit first half of heel sts again. Rnd begins at center of heel.

Rnd 2: On needle 1, knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1; on needle 2, work instep sts as established; on needle 3, k1, ssk, knit to end—2 sts decreased.

Rnd 3: Knit all sts on needle 1; work sts as established on needle 2; knit all sts on needle 3.

Rep Rnds 2 and 3 until 56 sts rem—12 sts each on needles 1 and 3, 32 sts on needle 2.

Foot:

Cont even as established (knit all sts on needles 1 and 3; cont in pattern on needle 2) until piece measures about 21⁄2" (6.5 cm) less than desired total length. (*I ended up doing 4 complete repeats of the lace pattern for the top of the foot. I wear a size 8.5 US shoe and it is perfect.)

Toe:

1^st Decrease Round: *K6, k2tog: repeat from *

Knit 4 rounds even.

2^nd Decrease Round: *K5, k2tog: repeat from *

Knit 4 rounds even.

3^rd Decrease Round: *K4, k2tog: repeat from *

Knit 4 rounds even.

4^th Decrease Round: *K3, k2tog: repeat from *

Knit 3 rounds even.

5^th Decrease Round: *K2, k2tog: repeat from *

Knit 2 rounds even.

6^th Decrease Round: *K1, k2tog: repeat from *

Knit 1 round even.

7^th Decrease Round: *k2tog: repeat from *

Break yarn (8” tail). Thread tail through remaining stitches, pull snug, and fasten off. Weave in all ends. Block

I Got my Ravelry Invitation!!

Wahooo! I've been on the signup list for 2 months, and I finally got my invitation on New Year's Day! I'm so excited by all of the cool stuff on the site. I did have to create a flikr account to post project pics, but I got to see what a cool service that is as well. I got my Christmas gifts finished and all were received with enthusiasm. :) One always worries, but my family that I knit for appreciates the effort and time that goes into hand-made gifts. All of the chicks got flower washcloths and olive oil and honey soap. I love cotton knitted washcloths. They feel SO good! Like a little mini-massage. :D

I am reassigning a project. I'd knitted a square in seed stitch in an awesome hand-painted yarn in purple and light blue wool (got it at Yarntopia in Katy) for a "carpet bag" styled project bag. However, I have an additional hank of it and I really need a laptop case, so... I am adding on to it. When it gets big enough, I'll felt it to size for my larger-than-usual laptop. It is just a tiny bit too large for the zippered cases that came with my backpack and girly organizer bag that both accommodate a laptop. I'll post pics when I finish.

If you're on Ravelry, check me out! My screen name is "physicschick" because knittingnerd was already used. :p If you're not on Ravelry, sign up for the waiting list! It's awesome and I've only been a member for 3 days! LOL

Since the weather has turned cooler, I have been using my favorite scarf. I thought I'd post pics. I actually made it in 2006, but it is still my favorite. The patten is called "Column of Leaves" and it's online. I used Noro Kureyon (2 skeins) so it is nice and soft and warm! Maybe you'll be inspired to knit your own! :D

The Year of the Nutcracker

So it began with a trip to the Houston Ballet's the Nutcracker on Dec. 2. This was Sam's first major cultural experience. Ok, so I'm not counting the Ringling Bros., the Incredibles on Ice, or many trips to the Museum of Natural Science. On a teacher's salary, we could only afford balcony seats at the Wortham Center. They were so steep that dad didn't even go for a snack during intermission! Yikes. Sam and I went to the foyer and had Starbuck's and shared a slice of carrot cake. (LOL I got him to eat carrots!!) Sam was excited about it though. I'm not sure if he was more impressed with the dancers or the orchestra. He was puzzled that no one spoke, but he was able to understand exactly what was going on in the story. We bought a reader about the Nutcracker Ballet and two ornaments for the Christmas tree: Clara and the Nutcracker. During the last 20 minutes of the second part, he got pretty antsy and was ready to go home. Sitting still for that length of time is tough for him, but it ended just in time.

So all that he can talk about it nutcrackers! When a student of mine told me that she was performing in "the Nutcracker on Ice" I knew that he would love it. Sheila is a competitive figure skater and an awesome physics student. She's quite a young lady! The performance was great! It was a recital for students of all ages. There were skaters who had to have been no more than 3 years old who skated as toys. There were many lovely acts by the older advanced skaters. The show ended with Sheila being the last student skater to perform before the guest National champion skater performed. She was amazing!! I hope to get my hands on some footage of her performance so that the class can analyze conservation of angular momentum as she completes the doubles and triples that she made look so easy. The photo above was taken at the entrance to the Nutcracker on Ice. Merry Christmas to all!

Holiday Stress

Well it has hit me again... Holiday knitting deadline stress!! I have a sweater for my son almost finished, a newly begun sock, and a silk scarf on my needles. Yikes! I knit when I am stressed, but I'm stressed and out of time so that has not been good for meeting deadlines. It's a good thing that we are not getting together with the rest of the family until the weekend after Christmas. School gets out on Friday, so I'll have more time to knit after that.

I've put my name on the waiting list for ravelry.com. If you haven't heard of it, it's an online community for knitters and crocheters. However it is in beta testing, so you have to sign up and them wait for your invitation. Right now I am about number 6000 on the list. I think they send out hundreds of invitations on a regular basis, so I'm hopeful that it won't take too long. In the meantime I found a fun holiday knitting site: http://www.weloveholidaysweaters.wehatesheep.com . Design your own gaudy holiday sweaters with as much bling as you can stand. Then add more!! LOL

I was really touched today when a student of mine presented me with the gift of yarn for Christmas. She has been in my class for 2 years now and knows how I love to knit. How thoughtful!! I want to knit the Icelandic shawl from KnittingDaily.com. It is so gorgeous!! But alas, to finish the projects I've already begun. I think I have knitting ADD! No... really it's just a project to fit my different moods and needs. With a busy life and a demanding 5 year old, sometimes I just can't concentrate on an intricate lace pattern. Stockinette is my friend then. :)

Here's to friday!

One down! Many to go!

Well, here it is! I need to block it after I weave in all of the loose ends hidden inside, but I did finish the knitting part tonight. I am pleased with the overall result. I'll start the other one tomorrow. One down, many to go! :0) I got some new software yesterday that I think is going to be really cool. It is called KnitAble and I have it on my pc and my Palm TX. The only thing that I haven't figured out yet is if I can synch my pc and palm files on this program. Kind of superfluous to have to enter the same info on both. I am cataloging my knitting needles first. I find new projects and think, hmmm... do I have that size/type? The other thing is that I am entering projects that I want to do and for whom. You can enter a person's measurements too. There is a Pinwheel sweater from the elann.com website that I want to do for myself, and ironically it is done in a yarn called "Lara" (my name!). I guess it is meant to be! LOL

Fair troubles with Fair Isle socks

Well I am a bit perplexed. I guess I'll go to all of the knowledge of my yahoo group to seek advise as to what to do with the sock. While it looks fine (I'm pleased at least!), I tried it on to judge foot length and I could barely get the leg part over my heel. The threads carried during the fair isle patterns are not tight, but they're not loose either. However, they do not stretch like the normal stockinette stitch portions of the sock. This is not a fatal flaw in this sock because it is a gift for someone with smaller legs/ankles than I do, but I do need to address it for the future.

This problem aside, I am rather happy with the overall look of the sock. I varied the colors slightly from the pattern, but I am happy with the switch. I've enjoyed knitting by the pool while Sam is taking swim lessons. I can cheer him on and knit like a yarn ho! LOL

Fairisle Socks

I am working on my first true pair of fairisle socks, and I am loving it. I feel so accomplished when I get another part of the patter finished! Yippee! This sock is from a book that I borrowed from the library: "Knitting on the Road". It is full of great sock patterns! There are lacy solid color socks and awesome fairisle patterns as well. I would buy this one. :) I hope to have a finished sock in a few days to show. I'm not really that slow of a knitter, just a busy busy mom! :)

My Socklet

Ok, now my feet just feel cute in these! They are definitely not your run-of-the-mill sock, but I like 'em! The sock yarn is a hand painted wool/spandex blend that is SO comfy!

Rambling again

I really am rambling... in my knitting that is. I have several things started, but they are for other people. I wanted to do something for myself. Selfish? Ok. I guess so, none the less...

I started yesterday on some sockless footlets to wear under my mules or flip flops. I should be finished soon, and I'll post a pic. I find it nearly impossible to find sock yarn without travelling across the city to a not so "local" yarn shop. I've been really happy with the yarn and needles that I ordered from KnitPicks.com so I think I may order some from them. Maybe I'll knit socks for Christmas gifts. I really love knitting socks, and I've collected a lot of cool patterns.

I went to Half Price Books today and bought 3 knitting books: Hand Knits for the Home, Country Knits, and New Baby Knits. I'm fascinated with fairisle here lately. I think I'll do a pillow to reflect the changes that I've made downstairs (painting, new curtains, etc) Hmmm... can you see what I mean? Rambling...

think I'll get back to my socklets!

Lara

Stretching my artistic brain

So summer is flying by in its glorious freedom. My first weeks weren't as carefree as I'd have liked because Sam was really sick. Poor thing ran fever around 105 for 3 days. The fever finally went away after a week and 2 visits to the pediatrician plus meds. Now he's back to his usual spunky self (albeit a bit more ornery than usual). He's excited to start swimming lessons next month, and we've gotten into the deep section of the splashpad pool for the first time. He even went down the water slides twice!

Well my students laugh at my drawings and I have always wanted to learn to draw properly, so I have taken up lessons through www.drawspace.com . I am starting from the beginning and am surprised at how technical drawing can be. This is a good surprise because I am trained in drafting and CAD so looking at objects in a like way makes the artistic ideas less scary to me. I guess I've always been a bit leary of drawing because it seemed to require too much of the right brain. I prefer fiber arts because if it isn't right, ribbit! There are patterns to follow and stitches to learn, but now I endeavor to draw. So cross your fingers for me and prepare to see me with a sketch pad in hand.

I am knitting as well. I'm still working on an aggie baby blanket of my own design. Its a little number that I'm knitting on the diagonal. One half will be maroon and the other white. I hope to have it done in time for football season. LOL Why do I keep putting so many irons in the fire? I don't know. Nature of the beast. I've always been this way.

I swear to try!

Ok, so I swear to try!! What do I mean?? I will follow through on this blog. Really!

So today my summer has officially started. Sam and I have big plans for "building contraptions and going to the splash pad." I'm hoping to accomplish a few more things (as witnessed by my Summer TO DO list Google gadget).

I'm working on a classic diagonal baby blanket for a neighbor's new baby. I finished a self-designed baby bib that I used intarsia to insert "lil aggie" onto it. I also have a crochet afghan to finish for my niece that has alternating squares that are done in pink eyelash yarn and look like butterflies. I'll be posting pics soon, but I just had to get started blogging tonight.



Sam is calling me to help him build a castle with his moon sand. Very cool stuff.


May 25, 2007