Finishing Friday

Blue or pink? Any guesses?

I didn't quite finish my projects this morning, but I'm hoping by this evening to be finished with my chunky blue scarf. The other is a button cowl in a pale pink, just waiting for buttons. 

For those who caught my post yesterday, the lack of fanfare was not due to lack of excitement, but rather to 'I don't know how to proceed with this' in a sense. Work does not always leave room to get excited, but I have found some patterns to try- this sweet pinafore, this knit baby tunic, this knit blanket, another cute pinafore style dress, and this hoodie.

Once summer vacation hits, or maybe even as soon as spring break, I will start to get excited :)

FO Friday @ Tami's Amis!

Moving again- a much needed update

After prayer, discussion, and a very clear answer to our 'laying out the fleece', we are halting our house search and switching apartments.
In order for this to all make sense, you'll need to see a layout of my life since last May, in the simplest terms possible.

May
- College Graduation- the job search begins
July
- interview for two possible jobs, neither of them what I expected.
- offered two possible jobs
- take the full time teaching position, even though it was not what I had planned- not my subject, and further away from home than I had hoped, split between middle school and high school... the list goes on
August
- finish moving into new apartment (ish)
- got married
- left my hometown, my home, my family to my husband, in his town.
- honeymoon
- start teaching the day after we got back from our honeymoon
October
- husband takes volunteer fire department job on top of his other job
- my schools announce that the middle school is moving into the high school building for the next school year. My job goes from fairly secure to completely unknown.
December
- plans continue for school consolidation, everyone's job is still in murky territory
- we decide to start looking at houses
January
- we find out we're pregnant
- job looks slightly more secure- one of the principals really likes me as a teacher and person
- approved for a home loan
February
- the house we really liked came back on the market. We went through some informal inspections, etc, and put in an offer
- my in-laws kicked the tenant out of their upstairs apartment
March
- our offer on the house was completely refused- they had gotten a way better offer from someone else.
- we talk about husband going back to school in the fall for another (better) certification
- in-laws offer/we ask about the upstairs apartment.

We've decided to move into the apartment at my in-laws' house, which will be a huge change. However, we do feel that God is putting us in this place, and that we are working with his will. So cleaning and painting has commenced. And as soon as the last of the furniture is removed (stuff from previous tenants, etc) we will begin moving our own things slowly over. This, fortunately, will be a more relaxed move than we had planned on, simply because we are able to move as we feel like it is necessary. Things in our current apartment that aren't being used will get moved as we clean and paint.

All the changes can be both exciting and scary, but still so good. I'm getting ready for June, and the chaos that is all the time post spring break and the end of school.
As much as I loved my library job, I love my teaching job more. It's pretty typical for people to insult teachers, saying that they get the easy job, with summer vacation built in, but I'm pretty sure all those people would feel burnt out if they didn't get a vacation from the madness of pre-adolescents.

WIP Wendesday: End of March

Despite my inconsistency in posting, my reading has been steady, but really slow. The same can be said of my knitting and crocheting. Life has just been happening. Spring Break is next week for me, though, so I hope to get a few life updates posted, as well as yarn & books :)

The book came recommended to me, and seeing as I really enjoyed my last recommended read (My Sisters the Saint) I thought I'd give it a try. Not much to report on it today, as I've barely made it past the first 50 pages. I can say that it is a riveting story of a small town preacher trying to save the desolate street gangs of New York City. Originally, I thought it was a more recent occurrence, but this was written in the early 60s, about the 50s. It talks a lot about relying on God, no matter the circumstances, which is really hitting home with me. 

My crochet project is a chunky scarf. I bought this yarn from a co-worker, who got a great deal on it, but it wasn't what she thought it was-- super bulky single ply wool. Naturgarn is definitely interesting to work with, and not my first choice of fiber, ply, etc, but I hate passing up a good deal. So bulky scarves! They would've been perfect for this past winter, but I figured it doesn't hurt to plan ahead for next. The pattern is my own, double crochet, with some crossed stitches thrown in. As you can see, I just started, so nothing much to look at. 

In regards to the weather--- I'm ready for it to stop. It feels like this winter has been perpetually cold, and I've had a near constant chill. The weekend promises 50 or 60 degree weather, and I'm really hoping I can get out and enjoy some of it. 

WIP Wednesday

Yarn Along

Making Progress

Here I am, on 'it's too cold for the kids to go to school' day 4. Some might consider it lucky. Though it feels like it's been going on forever, my schools were the only ones to close today. There was still quite a list. I have to imagine I'm not the only person bored out of my brain. Reading, crocheting, cooking, cleaning- such hard work.

But in all honesty, I was ready to go to work this morning. Maybe tomorrow I'll get lucky. 

My biggest projects are still floating around the 'I'm not motivated enough' stage. So I've moved to smaller stuff. I'm planning on participating in the Ravellenic Games, so everything I'm working on now needs to be finished by the weekend. The moss green is another infinity scarf- of which I have many, but always like more. The debate is still going on- do I keep it for me, or add it to the craft show stash. (Sometimes I don't like including my craft show items, since I make them often, but I also like honesty, and this is a true bit of my life.) 

The brighter bit is the start of a songbird shawlette- a pattern I won a year or so ago. The yarn still isn't sure what it wants to be, but I do like the pattern, a simple 2 row repeat. 

I especially like the bits of green color that pop out. The yarn is one of my hand-dyes, so it's possible that it will see the dye pot again. 

My book jumped out to me at the library. I saw it on the end of a shelf, and I thought it might be a good read. Haven't gotten past the firs few pages, so the verdict is still in the air. 

It's Wednesday!!! Check Tamis and Ginny's for more yarny goodness!

Another Snow Day

Just like every other teacher who gets up five days a week to teach a group of students, I enjoy my snow days. The 3 days off right after Christmas break were awesome. The odd 'cold day' here and there can be great too. But I definitely am at the point where I just want one week of school to go as plan, with all five days included. My students seem to enjoy the extra days off, but seriously, I tend to get stir crazy at home. I already have one of my classes planned out through the end of February. 

Since I've been given another day off, I will be planning my other classes through February's end, longer if I can. 

One benefit, I suppose, is a little opening in my free time which allows me to read. I ventured to my public library last week (it's basically a week across the street) and came home with 3 new books. I I finished the first one last night. 

I really enjoy the style of writing, and how the author makes the past important in dealing with the present day issues. This particular book dealt with British operatives in Occupied France during WWII. Beautiful descriptions of Paris as well as the south of France, combined with an interesting cast of characters including a French noblemen, a female British spy and upper level of Nazi officers. Also, rare books. 

I really enjoyed this book, and hope to have a chance to enjoy a few others on my day off! 

A pile of projects...

...and nothing finished yet. Work can be so busy, and crocheting just doesn't happen as much as I would like. But there is some progress. 

There is another part of the Katniss cowl started, and the blue/green project is something I'm making up as I go along. It's been frogged at least three times already... I just can't  decide on the shape and style. Hopefully the weekend will give me more inspiration. 

Three Day Weekends

As a teacher, long weekends are a welcome, especially when the students are stir-crazy with cabin fever. (It doesn't help that my school district was one of many hit by the New Year snow storm that closed school for an extra three days. A two day week followed by a 5 day is nearly torture, because the students are so not use to being in school-- especially middle schoolers.) I hope to snuggle up with a book or two, work on a bit of crochet, and (even though it sounds dreadfully dull) get some lesson planning done.

Who can resist that ruggedly handsome guy?

I have two new books to try, too! As a fan of crime shows (sometimes), I'm a sucker for the Richard Castle books, only because I know they'll be an easy mystery read. My husband and I have been going through my Castle & Bones DVDS at a rapid pace (it's easier to watch one or two 45 minute TV shows then dedicate time to a movie), so I was excited to see the new Richard Castle book available at my local library. Trying to stay up-to-date with the library technology, I'm also trying some e-books, which I can browse on my lunch hour at school, and download straight to my iPad. Mainly I'm looking at new historical fiction, as those are the books that hold my interest most often (and I have to keep my love of history alive while I'm not teaching it every day((Say a prayer that I teach history next year!!))) On the history front, though, I do have my tales of English history book that my husband bought me back in December. Due to its size and the style of writing (lots of short stories) I'm able to read a few a night, which is exciting. So far, I've made it through Roman occupation and I'm somewhere in the Dark Ages.

Pieces, waiting assembly

I'm trying to cut down on WIPs, and right now, I have 2 bigger projects, and a handful of smaller ones. Pictured above is the start of a Huntress Vest, inspired by the costume worn by Katniss at the beginning of the second Hunger Games movie. A coworker of mine asked if I could make one- she had the pattern purchased already, so it was easy enough for me to commit to. Her daughter wanted it in black/gray instead of the movie's beige/tan, which I like better anyway. My "bigger" projects are both blankets-in-progress, and they will both take time. One is all motifs, which helps its progress, only because it can be on-the-go a bit more than the giant eventually queen sized ripple blanket I am making. 

I'm in search of a cowl pattern to use up my abundance of cute buttons, but so far, no luck. Suggestions?