Black Sheep

My First Sweater

I’ve been sick for a week now. Being stuck at home, all sniffley, I wanted something to do. So I went to my favorite websites looking for a pair of convertible gloves for a kindergarten teacher who needed them to demonstrate to her class. But, Alas! I was so stuffed up in the noggin that the simplest of patterns did not make sense to me. So I pulled out Elizabeth Zimmermanns “Knitting Without Tears” to consider the seamless sweater (again). I have all this lovely wool I purchased for something, I don’t even know what it was for, so I cast on 120 stitches intent on making a super simple stockinette baby sweater out of 2 skeins of oatmeal colored wool.

But stockinette is SO BORING

So I decided maybe a cable or two. And then I decided that I might as well have some texture around that, you know, to draw interest……

So for 2 days of sick, I knitted a sweater. I’ve finished 1 skein of yarn and probably won’t be able to make a full sweater out of what I have, so it may become a short sleeve sweater, which will no doubt be ridiculous looking. I suppose in this case, it’s all about the sweater making learning curve.

Links to convert knit to crochet

Recently, a reader asked me if I had my patterns available in crochet. I am a rather pathetic crocheter so instead I have provided you all with links to convert knit to crochet. These links were originally provided by usertal at http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/knitting/msg042126474327.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_18632_convert-knitting-pattern.html

http://www.fiber-images.com/Free_Things/How_Tos/how-to_convert_knit_crochet.htm

http://www.crochet-world.com/features/crochetquestions/crochetquestion_feb2004.html

Hooray! Christmas Present!

My cousin knows the way to my heart…knitting books!

The Never Ending Baby Blanket

I started knitting this baby blanket a goodly while ago, maybe a year and a half ago.  Its the most basic of baby blankets, stocktinette stitch with a garter stitch border knit with #8’s.  It is taking f.o.r.e.v.e.r.  I took it to a friend house and did a couple more rows, but I still have a whole ‘nuther skein of yarn that I’ve barely started in on.  Again, forever, taking forever. 

Bernat Baby Cooridinates in Sweet Stripes

It’s supposed to make a blanket that looks like this:

Just picture it half done, because thats where it’s been for the last year and a half since I started.  Also, there is a row like 6 inches back where I purled half a row when I was supposed to knit.  I don’t want to rip back months and months of work, nor do I want to go back 1 stitch at a time down to fix the reversed stitches.  Eventually, when it’s done and i’m about 30 years old (thats only 2 years away) if I can’t find someone who wants it I’m going to be donating it to charity for some lovely child to have.

Why Are We Upset?

 So apparently Texas has finally decided to do the FBI/DOJ background check on all of it’s school employees and teachers.  Are people really concerned that they are going to lose good teachers over this??? How about being concerned that right now you could have teachers in Texas who have committed violent crimes or sexual offences in other states.  I was shocked to find out that Texas doesn’t fingerprint.  I have to be fingerprinted and run through a background check each time I start at a new school in California.  I was also fingerprinted in Washington so that I could get my credential and begin teaching there.

I know that there may be teachers out there who had a pot crime 20 years ago, hell even a few years ago, thats not what I’m concerned about.  I am concerned that students are in the classroom with people who should not be in there unseupervised.

Texas to begin background checks on all school employees.

The Houston Chronicle (12/21, Sandberg) reports, “Educator groups fear a new Texas law requiring that nearly all public school employees be fingerprinted as part of an extensive criminal background check may rid schools of otherwise good teachers who committed minor offenses in their youth.” The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, requires districts to conduct a national criminal background check on virtually all school employees, including teachers and substitute teachers. Most Texas school districts “now conduct state background checks through the Texas Department of Public Safety, which can’t check databases nationally.” The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will process the background checks one district at a time. The state is “keeping the roll-out schedule under wraps,” according to Doug Phillips, TEA director of investigations, in order to prevent employees with criminal convictions on their record “from skipping from district to district.” Existing Texas law “prohibits people from being certified to work in public schools if they have been convicted of crimes such as murder or sexual offenses committed against a minor or a public school student.” If the background check should uncover a lesser offense, the TEA plans to inform the teacher’s employer of the history but not mandate any particular action.

        The Dallas Morning News (12/20, Stutz) added that “non-certified school employees — including custodians, cafeteria workers and bus drivers — hired before Jan. 1 will not have to be fingerprinted, but they must have criminal history reviews conducted.” All employees hired after Jan. 1, certified or non-certified, must be fingerprinted.

Darby is a…reindeer?

Only when trying on kitty hats at petsmart.  I think it’s fuunny that even cat hats are too big for her

LOL

I couldn’t resist putting this on my blog when I found it. 

Please note, that is neither Darby nor my huge ass in this picture.

 

Ta Da!

All 3 dresses are finally finished!

I’m really not finished unpacking yet, but it was important to finally finish the last dress so that these could be shipped off.

Although I have only been at the new school for 4 days, I can say that it is going very well. The vice-principal came by while I was teaching the other art teachers class and she gave me an excellent review.  Whoohoo!

I have 2 more sweaters to knit for a person in Human Resources. She has 2 4lb chi’s, a male and female, and would like matching sweaters in different colors, of course, but matching. I have not yet decided what colors to go with, but am thinking pink and red for the white female and perhaps grey for the black male.

Perhaps it is because work is more on my mind or because I am not yet settled and entirely comfortable in my new place, but I feel like my blog is not as entertaining as it could be. So I apologize for this rather bland blog and you all can rest assured that I will most certainley put some effort into making this more entertaining.

1st Day of school

But only for me…

Today was my 1st day teaching at the new school in Stockton. I got there about 15 minutes before school started (I was under the impression it started at 8:30, not 8:15).

In the mean time I need to be developing lessons more in tune with what the younger pupil would need. I have always based my curicullum off (in part) of what I did in Jr. High and Highschool. I don’t remember a single art lesson that I did in elementary school (except some weird embroidery thing in Mrs. Byrne’s 6th grade class and a contour lesson with cursive handwriting in Mrs. Wright’s 3rd grade class). So it is off to the great big internet to find acceptable lessons for little kids. if you can offer me some links to websites you use, it would be a huge help.

As far as knitting….well, unpacking and lesson planning has taken precedint (sp?) thus far.