Graceful Scarf

I finished knitting this back in January- but only this week finally got to block it and take some photo. I never feel like things are properly finished until I've uploaded photos to Ravelry.



The pattern is the 'Graceful Scarf' from Ring-a-Rosie. I saw a sample knitted up in the shop just before Christmas. it seemed like just the thing to knit over the Christmas break. It's a nice simple lace pattern, logical to follow and easy to remember. I amazed myself by not messing it up once. I'm really pleased with how it came out. It was going to be for me but now it's finished I think it would be perfect for one of my Aunts. I think I'll stash it away until her birthday.
More detail on Ravelry: Graceful Gigi
(I'm trying out the new Ravelry sharing links- so even if you're not a member you should be able to see the page if you want to.)

It's beginning to look a lot like Easter

I've finished the degree part of my course for this year, and now only have the teacher training part left before I finish at the end of May. Yay! I can't believe how quickly it's gone. I've actually been dreading this part of the course all year, as I didn't think I would cope, but now it's here it doesn't seem like it's going to be as stressful as I thought.



As it's the last week before Easter next week I've been planning some Easter activities for the children- not that I'm allowed to mention Easter of course... so these are spring chicks and spring nests! I feel it was only sensible to have a trial run of the cornflake cakes- yum. I can't wait to see the mutant chicks the children are sure to come up with. Only another 16 pompoms left to make before Monday. My house is full of little bits of yellow wool already.

Even though I said wasn't going to, I cast on another pair of socks. I'd forgotten about this skein of Lorna's Laces I was given for my birthday. I found it when I hunting for the evil yellow chick acrylic. I just couldn't help myself...



I love this watercolor colourway. I was worried it might pool but I think it's knitted up quite nicely. It's so nice being able to knit a sock cuff in less than 2 hours. As we've been forecast for more snow later in the week I might actually need some warm woolly socks.

Almost!

I'm trying to finish all the socks I have cast on at the moment. Once that's done I want to try and use up some of my sock yarn stash. The (20 litre) box it lives in keeps bursting open, after a little moth related incident I had recently I really want to try and keep stuff sealed up. Moth season is fast approaching!!



I was so close to finishing a pair this weekend. I probably would have but then I realised I have to read and take notes on an entire book by next week- as wells as everything else I was already panicking about having to fit in (some things never change!) I wish I could knit and read at the same time, sadly I usually find myself just knitting when I try to do that. I started making these back in June 2008- so I guess a few more days won't really make a difference.

On a completely unrelated topic. How cute are these little stickers my friend gave me!



Who couldn't be cheered up by flowery gingham spotty sausage dogs.

Read the road!

I'm doing a little project on public education at the moment. I decided to look at some public information films on you tube for inspiration. I was innocently browsing around and there is was... the source of childhood my escalator terror.



Looking at this as an adult I'm doubtful a welly filled with an actual human leg could ever get sucked in and squished like that. As a child I was convinced I was one escalator ride away from a peg-leg. Maybe fear can be a good educator. I, however, much prefer this Sesame Street style film. I can't be sure but I think they want you to read the road...



Ha ha I've had that little tune in my head all weekend, so now you can too!
Right better go do some actual work. Is it any wonder I never find the time to knit!

Long Time Gone

I didn't intend to go so long without updating this. Partly it was the usual thing of the longer you leave it the hard it is to know what to write and also I've been pretty busy...
I think most people who read this know already... I started training to be a teacher at the end of September (2009). I'm doing a degree and teaching qualification at the same time. It's pretty hard work and takes up a lot of my time and energy. I love it so much I don't really care.
As I've been spending most of the time I would normally knit, reading, writing essays and making resources, I thought I'd pad this post out with a photo of a couple of things I've made for school recently.



The bits that look like play food were for a maths activity based around pattern. Much more fun (and cute) than threading coloured beads onto string. The witch and her friends were for a literacy session and then later a story sack- can you guess the story? The children were really taken with the wart on the witch's nose.
Never in my life did I think I'd have a lolly stick stash! I've even had to clean out a cupboard in the spare room to store it, along with the half ton of fab foam, yucky acrylic felt and googly eyes I seem to have amassed over the past 6 months, in. I think my yarn stash might be jealous.

There has been some knitting though!



I finished these cashmere socks (Ravelry link) over the weekend while watching bits of the winter Olympics. They feel lovely on and I really like the way the moss rib has turned out. The yarn was some discounted HipKnits stuff I bought years ago. The two socks are slightly different as one skein was dyed more intensely than the other but I think it's more noticeable in the photos. I have a ton of it left so I think I might make a scarf- but I should probably finish the other two scarves I have on the needles first.
I've have finished a few other things too- but they are mostly gifts I haven't given yet. I better hurry up and give them soon before their little recipients out grown them. Then you never know about might blog about them too!

Thanks Kids!

Thursday and Friday (last week) were my last days at nursery. I was very sad to say goodbye to the children, I'd been working with them since January and had got quite attached to some of them. As usual I managed to embarrass myself by crying when the children's parents came to collect them, although one or two of the Mums cried too so I didn't look too ridiculous. It's hard being a student and knowing you'll never see them again. Normal teachers at least get to see them around the school and see a bit more of them growing up. I know, I'm too sentimental...


The children made me a card (more tears) and gave me some wine. One of the Mums gave me the flowers in the photo above and one little boy brought me a box of chocolates. I got lots of hugs too. I left this placement feeling like my hard work was appreciated. A lovely way to conclude my studies!

Cards and Chocolates weren't the only thing the children gave me. On Sunday afternoon I came down with Swine Flu. There had been a few cases at the school so it seems likely it came from there. I'm still shocked at how quickly I became ill with it. I went from being fine to hardly able to move in the space of 2 hours. I had a pretty high fever for 3 days and the worst cough I've ever had.

I'm feeling a bit better now and have been knitting like a fiend all day today. Of course just before I came down with the flu I had been having a massive cleaning and tidying fest. As a result all of my current projects are buried under boxes of books and dismantled furniture. I managed to find 6 skeins of cotton to knit a baby blanket pattern I've been itching to knit. But I can't show you yet because it's a gift.

Thanks for all of the comments about me finishing my Diploma and the new layout. It feels much like me now.

Freedom

I met up with a old friend today. She lives 300 miles away but just happened to passing through on my first free afternoon in months. She brought me a little gift to celebrate my freedom (well really it was a very belated birthday present but we decided it could be a celebration of my freedom too.)


Scrapbooking papers and some stamps. I've tried scrapbooking and didn't really dig it. I don't have cute little kids or pets and I don't really go on holiday or anywhere else of interest- which leaves me lacking in material. Back in my school days I worked in an art/craft shop where I made greetings cards for sale in the shop. This was back before the scrapbooking explosion happened in the UK. Rubber stamps and embossing powders where about the limit of what was available. So I've never used pretty printed papers before- I'm really looking forward to spending a few hours experimenting. I'm so pleased everything co-ordinates as I'm really bad at picking colours which go.

There is a weird coincidence with these papers too. My new blog layout was a blog-in-a-box creation by Zoe Pearn. The papers... designed by Zoe Pearn too. They are both even the from the same Bloom & Grow range. Freaky!