Just in Time for Winter

My smarty pants son modeled the finished sweater for me, but does "smarty pants" describe his look? I know modeling is not for all guys, but for your mom? O'well, the sweater is finished and actually looks really good. It will be warm and hopefully used all winter long in the Ukraine.

I used a different yarn, Vanna's Choice. I haven't used it before and I'm not sure how it will wear or wash, but I guess we'll find out. It also knit up a little thicker than worsted weight, even though it says it is worsted. Has anyone had any experience with it?

No school for the next 4 days? It's our Fall break or teachers conferences, but do I go? not! I have too much to do to catch up, like laundry, cleaning and canning. Oh, did I mention, I can, not I can, but I can fruits and veggies into those jars and keep them in the deep down under for later consumption. It's almost a lost art, but it's one of those things I enjoy doing. It would be much easier to just buy it at the store, but the taste can't be beat.

My son will be warm

My 19 year old son is going to spend 2 years in the Ukraine. I've been knitting him a couple of v-neck pullovers and now that it is getting cold, he is anxious for me to get them finished. I have an inch left on the maroon one and it's finished.

The nice thing about knitting from the top down is you can adjust the length of the body or the sleeves so easily. When you knit them in pieces from the bottom up, you have to basically redo the entire piece if it is not the right length. I have knit countless sweaters, only to find the sleeves are too long, or the body is too short. Simple solution. Take out the bind off and add more length, or rip it out to the right length. Another nice feature of top down knitting, you can add length if the child has grown and the sleeves or body just need to be a little longer. I love it, you can't go wrong. Hopefully his is the right size, if not, it won't be hard to fix.

Sweaters much cuter on kids!

Good thing I have connections with such cute kids. I love to design sweaters and lay them out when they are finished, but when you see them on a child, it's like the sweaters come alive and they are part human. I guess they kind of are since they have one in them.

It always makes me feel so good when I see one of my sweater gifts being worn. I try to give one to everyone I know who has a baby, but you are never sure they really appreciate your "gift". Hopefully they do.

I just wanted to share these pictures of sweaters that have come "alive".

Teenage Mood Swings

I knit when I get home from school and need a minute to unwind and relax. I really need my head examined, after teaching junior high kids all day. Todays lesson on emotions was a real crack up since my students are the epitome of emotional insanity. Funny things, these hormones and the effects they have on teenagers. I look into the insecure eyes of my students and sense that each of them feels they are the only one in the entire world who has extreme mood swings, and they have no idea why. When they walk in the house in their frequent bad mood, it is automatically assumed something has happened. Asking your kid, "What is wrong?" is responsed with, "nothing". If the truth were known, there is nothing wrong, they are just in a bad mood. Who knows why? The more the adult figure -you, inquires, the angrier the teen gets, until there really is something the matter, it is YOU!
Teens go on these crazy up and down mood swings, until they really believe they are wacked out and need therapy. My students seem so relieved when I describe the emotional mood swings they experience and look at me skeptically and wonder, how I know what they are going through. Kids really are OK. They need to know they are normal, even though they don't believe it most of the time-mood swings and all. Their highs and lows will eventually even out and someday, they may be normal. OK, as normal as normal can be. You gotta love em!!