A Bitter Knitter

Alright, let's see... Christmas has come and gone.  I'm still finishing Christmas presents... the only gift that was finished in time was the pair of mitts for my Sister-In-Law , modeled here by my husband:   Oh, yes, see that in the husband's hands?  That is the present we were keeping hidden for Nephew #3.  Yup- we got to be foster parents to a kitten for a week and a half.  (She's cute, but I was pretty much over having my feet and fingers attacked... she'll be happier having lots of nephews to play with and a cat and a puppy for buddies.) I still need to finish Red-Headed Sister's Hufflepuff scarf & Mom's mitts .  One mitt and a few stripes (and then tassels!) to go.  Here's how they're progressing: We spent a few days up with my grandparents and some extended family after Christmas.  It was interesting having four generations in the house, and a little confusing for the fourth generation, as the three little ones (two years...

Christmas came early this year... I've already opened most of my Christmas presents... One of the coolest things that I got for Christmas is Dragon NaturallySpeaking. That's right, at present I'm not touching the keyboard at all. The possibilities are endless... This gives a whole new meaning to multitasking. Just imagine... I can now be typing/blogging/doing homework while knitting/cooking/who knows what else! Isn't it marvelous?!  Here's where my nerdiness really shows... I am thoroughly enjoying being able to talk to my computer. It's like being a Star Trek character... Now, if only it would respond when I addressed it as "Computer"... Ha ha ha... seriously though...   On a knitting note, the secret is out. My unbloggable project is no longer so, which means I can now tell you what it is. The Unbloggable Project on which I have been working for the past several months and a Hufflepuff scarf for Red-Headed Sister for Christmas. In a nutsh...

Just kidding...  (And yes, I know I'm blogging for the second time in the same day.) The cohort party was tonight.  It was... interesting... to see everyone in a social situation, and fun to have a chance to say good-bye to friends.  I wish them luck in student teaching.  (Well, except for us few who will still be at the university next semester!)  And I was voted "Most Likely to become Famous!"  (Actually the first "most" for which I have ever been nominated.) The hat I knitted (one of the "unbloggable projects" ) was a success... The gifts were exchanged "White Elephant" style, and Kristy got it first, but Alisha stole it and then hid it so no one else would steal it.  (Kristy still wants one, and so does Jackie... and I still want one myself!  I may end up knitting five or six of these in total!) I also got several rows completed on THE unbloggable project... still a significant amount to go...  but for now, back to homework......

I have almost reached the end of the semester... grades are in for two classes (same professor): both A's! Yay! I'm working to finish the last class...  I've written 13 pages toward a paper ("Discrimination: A Catalyst for Indigenous Language Death in the United States")  and have four or so to go... I didn't anticipate the paper being that long, but it is, and I'm pleased with it thus far.  (No page limit... that's just how long it needs to be to say what I need to say.)  I still have a seizable amount of work to do before this class is done... tomorrow will be busy.... I also got letters from all my second graders... so cute.  Many of their drawings made me chuckle--several literal second graders drew me with  my crutches!  They performed their musical on Tuesday and did a fantastic job. But amidst the chaos, I have finished one unbloggable project ... it's for the cohort gift exchange tonight... but the other is progressing rathe...

In both a literal and figurative sense... has been the forecast for the past week.  It's been coming down quite significantly making it rather wet outside.  (Wet crutches don't work very well on linoleum, just for your information.) I have been without my car since Thanksgiving evening--it started acting strangely on the way home from Thanksgiving dinner, and DH and BIL are trying to decide just how much of a new transmission it needs.  Naturally, DH's car started acting up this week as well.  Very not cool.  We're kind of frustrated with vehicles around here right now... The last week of classes has past, and all final whatnot is due this upcoming week.  For me this means papers, papers, papers... Sunday: Big Big Big paper due online.  Tuesday: all homework due for morphology.  Wednesday: TPA online.  (Boo!!!)  Thursday: Ling 100 final & Language Ideology paper.  Next weekend: a whole bunch of who-knows-...

So here I am again... procrastinating doing homework (like writing the lesson plan for the lesson I'm giving tomorrow: 2nd Grade: Family Heritage)...  I made myself promise  not to knit anything today, so I was really  unproductive!  (See?  I should have let myself knit! I would have at least accomplished something! ) As promised, however, here are pictures of the hat that I knitted for my friend, modeled by Red Headed Sister who now wants such a hat for herself, or for me to teach her how to knit.  (I told her I'd teach her over winter break.  Any suggestions on a simple beginner knitter pattern?  She's a muggle at present...) Well, I really ought to get back to lesson-planning... BAH...

I've been off school this week for Thanksgiving (I'm a student and student teacher) and should have accomplished a great deal of homework. I've been procrastinating doing my homework... by knitting! And I've been rather productive, if I do say so myself. I have completed two, count them, TWO projects this week! The first is my first ever pair of mitts (fingerless gloves) henceforth dubbed "Grinch Mitts" . Fuzzy and green, these are the first things I have ever knitted and finished . Yes, this project makes me an official Knitster! (The pattern for these is Raspberry Mitts ) I'm going to be knitting up a pair of these (non-fuzzy and non-green) for my mom, so that's on the to-do list. Secondly, I've made a hat for a friend of mine. The pattern is the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret and is my first experience with cables and knitted in a lovely grey. It was a fast knit, which was pleasant, especially in comparison to The...