Absolutely precious

'

Okay, not the best photo but this is a precious sweater - it's Camilla Babe by Carrie Bostick Hoge.  I made it in the 6th month size using Ella Rae Classic Superwash.  Now all I need to do is find a baby for it!  My husband's niece is due in September but we don't know what "flavor" yet.  For now, it will be waiting for the perfect, precious baby.

Yesterday I had a particularly rough afternoon dealing with a flippant student.  I was cranky and tired as I went to pick up our son from high school.  As he walked toward the car he was carrying a foil covered plate.  When I asked what it was he handed it to me and said "you'll see".  As he drove me home (learners permit practice so I'm a passenger more than a driver these days), I opened it up and this is what I found.

My birthday isn't until May but they were making cakes in his food and nutrition class this week and he said "I figured, why not make you an early birthday cake".  Melt my heart, make my day, tears in my eyes, bad mood gone - poof!

He said he showed it to his math teacher who was aghast that he put my age on the cake...he explained that he loves to rub in my age whenever he can so this is another way he can have a little fun with what he calls his "old mom".  Got to love his sense of humor.

It Pays To Be Prepared

So, as I posted, I was slated for Jury Duty on 4/19.  I really was bugged about the "no knitting needles" rule so I even called the 800 number and posed the question to some guy who may have thought I was off  my rocker.  I tried explaining that there are different kinds of needles and circulars are very hard to use as any sort of weapon.  No luck there.

So, I thought I'd pull out some old needlepoint to take with me then I had a lightbulb moment.  I went to the library and got out some books on learning to crochet.  I could take my few hooks, some yarn and learn and experiment.

Wednesday afternoon rolled around - 5:45 I went online to see my status and lo and behold, I didn't have to report.  A shout of joy went through the house, I was able to keep my week long sub job going and I've since returned the books to the library.  It pays to be prepared.

Speaking of being prepared, there is a teacher who I was going to cover for while she went on maternity leave at the end of May.  Her due date was May 28...her baby arrived April 18.  Guess he didn't get the memo on the due date.  Mom and baby are fine (he was a whopping 5 lbs, 15 oz at 34 weeks).  I am starting the long term sub job on Monday - yikes!  Not quite prepared for that!

Dipping My Toe in the Pond

 Those of you who have read my blog for a while know that I have basically designed several sweaters...I've never been afraid to change a pattern but our daughter pushed me into new realms with her ideas.  So, I created for her and for me and for others - these are a few of the things I've done but never written down.

Then one day I wrote down a pattern (Saphira Scarf) and put it on Ravelry as a free pattern and did nothing more.  This was simple but I loved it and wanted to share it.

The other day I tried to figure out how to add more patterns and had to fix my Ravelry Designer Name so it linked with my Ravelry ID.  Now they are linked and when you go on my info page you see I have a design page.  Watch this space...I just designed a baby sweater and after having it read through by a few savvy people, you'll find it on my new designer page.

I'm working on changing my one (soon to be 2 patterns) to a downloadable PDF.  Who knows what's next...I need to figure out if what I design is something salable.  Time will tell.  You can tell me too!

Time to Educate the Legal System

I've been called to jury duty next week...I know it sounds unpatriotic but I hope like hell that my number doesn't come up and I don't have to go in.  There are several reasons for this:

1. I had a horrific jury duty experience in NYC when I was in my 20's. 
2. I have a sub job that day and I need the sub pay more than I need the jury duty pay
3. MOST IMPORTANTLY...THEY DO NOT ALLOW KNITTING NEEDLES!!!

And I quote:

Are there any items I should not bring to court?
Jurors may not bring disruptive or potentially dangerous items into the courthouse.
A disruptive item includes, among other things, electronic items such as a portable radio, television, CD, MP3, tape player or camera not attached to a cell phone or computer.
Potentially dangerous items include, among other things, weapons of any kind, pocket knives and sharp objects such as tools or knitting needles.
If you have any questions about what to bring, contact Jury Administration at 1-800-842-8175.

Is it me or is it time for us to educate the legal system about knitting needles.  They're allowed on airplanes why can't they be allowed in the jury duty room.  What am I going to do without my knitting in a waiting room environment?  I know...you say "read a book"...tried that last time and it is just too noisy.  I am going to pump up my iPod with knitting podcasts.  I have some antique needlepoint I could bring in...so bulky though.  Oh, how about I get out a learn to crochet book and bring that with me.

This could be valuable knitting time WASTED by a bunch of bureaucrats who have no idea that knitting is HUGE and we NEED it in times like this.

Okay, end of rant...would love it if you all kept your fingers crossed that I don't have to report for jury duty otherwise I might try to educate them on the need for knitting...

Oh, The Places You'll Go

Lately I've been listening to the Subway Knits podcast - Marie has a wonderful segment called "Swatch and Learn".  Whenever I listen to a podcast, I often go to the blog and read the show notes and follow the links.

In her March 26th post, she talked about a website that has all these wonderful stitch patterns.  So I let my fingers do the walking and I found Knitting Fool and the wonderful resource of lace patterns.  There is so much there I could spend days.  Thanks Marie - you've taken me to a new place and I'm loving all the places podcasts have sent me.

The Soon To Be Favorite Blanket

I finished my Ten Stitch Spiral blanket today - the other day my daughter asked if she could have it while we were watching TV.  I told her that I was still working on it and when I'm done it will be MY blanket.  For the next few days I kept referring to it as MY blanket.

It's done, it's on the sofa and my bet is that the kids will be fighting over MY blanket.  I got a lot of little skeins out of my stash and created something warm and fun for the whole family - even though it is MY blanket.