Scarf: ACCOMPLISHED

I finished the scarf I'd been working on! Here is my model wearing it. Using thick yarn and size 10 needles made it knit up fast. 

It was a really simple pattern I got off Ravelry:

Cast on 24 stitches.

Row 1: K2, P2 

Row 2: P2, K2

Row 3: K

Row 4: P

Row 5: K2, P2

Row 6: P2, K2

Row 7: P

Row 8: K

I used the entire skein of yarn and since I kept track of my pattern using hash marks on a piece of paper, I can tell you that it took 240 rows. It's very cute and soft. I might make one for myself.

I inspired L, so we went to the knitting store today and she chose a bulky yarn to make a thin scarf. She's only going to cast on 12 stitches (based on the recommendation of the yarn store owner) and she's using my size 10 needles. She is slow, so I hope she'll follow through and not get bored before she's done. She's only using knit stitches, she tells me, and I think that will help her go a bit faster than her recently finished hot pad that used knitting and purling and in all honesty looks like a hot mess.

I cast on an easy bag (it's a pattern for kids) but there are a bunch of bags I'd like to make where I have to knit in the round. Suggestions welcome.

A spent a happy morning using our new vacuum cleaner and we both gagged at what came up from our carpets. But, as he told me, "This has been my most enjoyable vacuuming experience yet!" 

E and L played Just Dance 4 at the birthday party from last weekend. I caught the tail end of a One Direction song and impulsively ordered the game. IT IS SO MUCH FUN. I miss my ZUMBA! class; it doesn't fit in with my day shift schedule. This is like ZUMBA! but I can do it at home and with my kids. I wouldn't count it as an actual workout, but it's an activity where my heart rate is elevated. Besides that: FUN.

I spent Friday morning with third graders. I was tasked with going over tests/homework and working through the problems they had missed. A lot of them - to their credit - just needed me to point out, "Hey. This is wrong. Look at it again and tell me what you think." They'd look it over and say, "Oh!" and then fix it. There was a little teaching involved, but overall it was rewarding, not just for the task itself, but to know that my kids are making normal mistakes.

 Today, I ventured to the Y, but probably shouldn't have. We got a lot of snow last night and the roads were icky. I made it home and we decided to skip roller skating lessons since we couldn't get a hold of the facility and didn't want to drive all the way out there to discover it was canceled. L was tearful at first, but we had an "Every cloud has a silver lining" talk and for her the silver lining was Just Dance 4. 

I finished the scarf for C, we played the wii, I played mancala with C, the girls played outside, L and I went to the yarn store, A happily vacuumed the whole house, we made English muffin pizzas and watched The Cosby Show for dinner, I did a bunch of laundry, A read us Harry Potter . . . it was a really nice day. I was on call all day, so I made $2.50/hr but didn't have to go in and do anything.

Comments

[Sara]

Awesome job on the scarf! Kids are the best to knit for!

[Jamie]

If you are unsure about knitting in the round, I'd be happy to offer Skype help if useful. I love to see your knitting projects!

[Jody]

The kids got Just Dance 4 for Christmas, and they were SO CRANKY about it, so I told them just to TRY IT and they LOVE IT. I love it. We have been playing for 20 minutes before bed whenever there's time. SO MUCH FUN.

Do you have a Ravelry account? I'd love to add you to my friend list.

[BeckyB]

I know you didn't want to share which vacuum you bought but would you be willing to mention the two you chose from? My not-that-old Dyson is falling apart and I just can't sink that kind of money into another one.

[RebeccaL]

Great job on the scarf! Audrey has been wanting me to knit her a scarf for forever. I need to get on that!

[Jamie]

Oh, Jody is right that you need a Ravelry account! Go sign up if you haven't already and then friend us both. [she said bossily]