Waltzing Matilda

I have had the tune Waltzing Matilda running around in my head since about 4:00 yesterday afternoon. If you want to know more about the song, there’s cool info here and here.

You may wonder why I have been thinking about this song and I’m not sure except that perhaps a deeply buried Cockney in me is coming out…

You see, they have been doing all the “routine” pre-op tests and called yesterday to say they discovered I have Walking Pneumonia. Get it, Waltzing Matilda - Walking Pneumonia? Well, maybe not, but it’s working for me.

What does this mean? Two weeks of strong antibiotics (that seem to give me insomnia) followed by a another chest x-ray all of which must occur before I have surgery. So, Feb 7 is out… I’m hoping for the 21st. Ugg…

Everybody together now, “waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you come a waltzing Matilda with me…”

Pretty hand and a quest

First this is my pretty hand. Thanks to the remarkable talents of an amazing woman I, along with all of my students, now have this beautiful mehndi. Every year I am left in awe of her talent to create these beautiful designs on lots of people in a short time, all free-hand.

Next, I am about to start a two-colored pinwheel blanket. I love the way this one looks, but alas there is no link for this mysterious Beth. Anyone know her? I would really like to know how many rounds she did and/or how she worked out the stripes. Anyone? Anyone?

I am Huminoid… Hear me Roar

I found this here and thought it was too funny to pass up!

Get Your Cyborg Name

I think I could use a little troubleshooting these days!

On knitting news, I should finally finish the base of the Tote at today’s doctor appointments. I brought yarn to swatch for a sweater for Bunny and for a pinwheel in case I have a while…

Little Things!

Seems my knitting of late has been concerned with little things. First there was the baby bolero and then a baby hat. The hat will be gifted at a shower today and the bolero at a shower on Feb. 3.

The first hat was so much fun I cast on right away for another! This one for a childhood friend’s newest addition. In making this one I modified the pattern a little and put in another row of eyelets.

When that was done I realized the big sister would need something and so I knit her a snake. Bunny has now requested one as well…

Then I discovered this so I signed up. I love this square pattern! and finished off my square last night. Still need to block it. I think I may use the rest of the skein (it’s Gems Pearl in baby aqua Thanks SP!) for a pair of baby socks… more little things!

I’m still working on the felted tote from One Skein, a decidedly not little thing.

Oh, one other little thing… it seems I have a little (ok maybe not so little) polyp in my uterus. The gynecologist assures me it’s not cancer, but it needs to be removed surgically. The operation will be out-patient on February 7. I never knew you needed to have so many appointments before you had an operation… at this point I’m two down, two to go.

Calling all teachers!

Two quick announcements for teachers:

1) At least in the DC area, Barnes and Noble is having Educator Appreciation Week starting tomorrow. Discounts on everything, not just for the classroom!

2) Check here for information about free summer workshops sponsored by the US Department of Education. They are high quality, and free! Lots of great cities this summer. The plans are listed as well as when registration begins.

Snow Day

Nope, we’re not having one, but the weather has finally turned cold and there is a chance of flurries tonight and freezing rain on Monday so all of this has gotten me thinking about snow days. (Not that I actually think we will have one.)

I have been known to say that I teach because of the snow days. (Well, that and the summer.) As an adult there are very few bonus moment or real surprises, but if you teach, there’s always the chance of the snow day. A free day. A day to take it easy and go with the flow.

As a kid, my mom always had projects ready for snow days. When I was little we would always bake. As I got older the projects got bigger, refinishing the banister comes to mind. Snow days were special days when the world stopped and mom and I got to work.

Now that Bunny is really in school, I have been thinking about planning for a snow day. I want those days to be special for him! So, just in case we actually have one, here’s a shopping list:

yeast and bread flower

paint for the down stairs bathroom

fabric for a skirt for Bunny’s big-boy bed

yarn

Why yarn? Why ask? Isn’t this supposed to be a knitting blog?

So, if you got a snow day, what would you do?

MIA

It is with a tear in my eye that I declare my Chibi officially gone. I have looked where I thought it might be without luck. It was cute, it was orange, it made me think I was organized…

Baby knits!

I am no where near as prolific a knitter as Wendy or as Svetlana (she makes lace shawls in like, two days…). But I am pretty pleased with my production over the last week.

Perhaps it’s because I am madly knitting baby things. You see, since the holidays are over it’s time for baby and charity knitting. The charity knitting is with the kids (and some other things) the baby knitting is for all the friends and relations who are reproducing!

Finished in the last week… Bumble Bee Burper for Baby B (born in December), Baby Bolero for Baby P (due in April), Green Baby Hat for Baby J (due in March), and Blue Baby Hat for (a different) Baby B (born in late November at 33 weeks). Whew! Can you tell that I’m really liking the One Skein book?

A few details for the interested… The burper is from Sugar’ N Creme with the chart from Design Your Own Kid Knits. The Bolero and Hat are from The One Skein book. The Bolero is in Nashua Cilantro and the Hat is from KnitPicks Elegance. More details in FO ‘07.

Round, and round, and round

I was so excited to get a swift and ball winder of my very own for Christmas. Not that I didn’t like the visits with Julie and Biscuit every time I needed to make a ball of yarn, but you know… now I can wind when the mood strikes!

After reading Wendy’s post about swifts, however, I got worried… Should I have asked for a different one? Would I be sorry? I was even more worried when I finally set it up yesterday (my reward for finishing writing recommendations) and found that the hole for the screw that holds the “umbrella” up had finish dripped in it. However, a little elbow grease and all was well.

It spun like a dream!

So now to the ball winder. I thought it was a little strange that the guide for the yarn just kind of flopped around but I thought perhaps the tension from the swift would take care of the problem. I was wrong. It was terrible. I wound the first skein at least four times and the yarn kept getting tangled in the winding mechanism… Saying that I was annoyed would be an understatement!

Before throwing in the towel I decided to look really closely at the guide. There seemed to be a small screw that might tighten it if I could just get to it. So I yanked on the guide and poof… it was locked into place. The final balls wound like a dream, whew!

Any guesses on the yarn? It’s for a kid to use (held with something else!) for a charity scarf…

Resolutions

So, I’m a little late (can you say 9 days?) but it’s taken me a while to figure them all out. (With some phots from our Christmas cruise to keep you amused!)

1. Get healthy: In the short term, get rid of this cold/congestion/whatever what I have had for almost a month. In the longer term loose weight and get into better shape so that I can keep up with Bunny.

2. Keep the car cleaned out.

3. Don’t eat (as many) breakfasts at McDonald’s [this will help with 1 and 2].

4. Go to the gym at least three times a week [see number 1].

5. Take care of minor medical procedures including finding a dentist and dermatologist. Anyone recommend a laser vision correction center in the DC area?

6. Knit some for myself.

7. Become an accomplished sock knitter [see number 6].

8. Stay on top of my school work.

9. Write thank-you notes on time (better get on that one).

10. Don’t stress about the things I can’t change, and do the work rather than stressing over it not being done [see numbers 8 and 9].