I'm still here ...

although work has me snowed under, and I'm feeling a little shattered by the things around me right now, teaching, work relationships and marking. To cheer myself up and give me focus I have been knitting, and presenting and knitting and more knitting. So ...today there is a finished pair of socks, a finished Hottie and a new project starts. My conference paper went well, it was a little bit of light humor on stash and affluenza and saving for a rainy day, the images I used got a few laughs as did the translations of some of the abbreviations used in on line knitting communities (pushers, LSO, fix, sable, de-stash, and the like). My paper was short, but it was second last and the last one ran long so it all worked out well. There were volunteers for the next committee so I was relieved my 3 year stint was over, and several people knit during the conference and during my paper, which was great.

Here we are, after I finished Isbel I wasn't sure what was to be next, and this colourful yarn caught my eye. Its one I brought home earlier this year from Joy of Yarn, especially for Poppy. The yarn has such strong colours it could only be knee high kids socks, or at least to me it could only be that, and plain ones to better show of the colours. Look orange, blue, lime green, purple, a veritable riot. So these are my New Zealand Costume and Textiles socks, I cast on the first sock durring the week, and then the second at 10am in the airport lounge, knit all the way up, that night, all the next day at conference and all the way back. When I returned I had only an afterthought heel to complete. Poppy requested these were over the knee ....and two other parents requested I knit some for them after school. Nope but I will teach them how to knit if they are really keen.

These last two weeks I've been teaching a knitting elective to 18 degree students, and last tuesday we visited the Quality Yarns Factory mill and shop. One student bought a wheel of vintage Cowichan yarn with the idea of making a hottie cover, I was inspired and decided to follow in her steps. One and a part nights knitting, $3.99 for the hottie, $4 for the yarn, and $7.50 for the button. This was knit on 9mm needles, its thick and warm and almost doesn't need hot water to feel warm.

After knitting the hottie cover I realized that I still had 11 more wheels of that yarn tucked away on top of a bookshelf ready to make another blanket. The sheer bulk of the yarn means it can't go away, so its out on display getting dusty. I'm all inspired to knit that right now, well ... not so much inspired to do that but not really inspired to do anything specific right now, so I've cast on for the blanket. Size 12mm needles, jumbo knitting, not as much fun as smaller needles but fast, and the larger movements are probably a good change for my hands.

so ... birthday party invites all done for the eldest cub (11!), masses of more marking to do, one more week of elective teaching .. and lots more knitting to enjoy to balance it all out :D

take care
Stella