Stripes This Way and Then That Way

Lizard has its front and back, and its left sleeve with the cuff half finished. The pattern calls for corrugated rib. But that is not very elastic, and I want something that will stretch for small children, so instead of corrugated rib I am using a sideways 2 color garter stitch edging, attaching it to the sleeve every other row as I go. Then I will attach a i-cord edge. One more sleeve and cuff and then the bottom (done the same as the sleeve cuff) and the neckline and the embellishments.

Ok, got the pictures to load. I wish I knew what was going on with blogger, seems like I am not the only one having trouble.

The left sleeve is now finished and the right started, no pictures, it looks very much like the left one ( thank goodness).

Better Now

On Friday I escaped elementary hell and taught Jr Hi Art, much better.

Then over the weekend I watched tapes of all the TV shows that I like and worked on the Lizard.

Finished the chart and worked on up the front of the sweater, 3 needle bind off on the shoulders and seamed the sides.

Picked up the stitches around the armhole and started the striped sleeves. The Denim will be used in the bottom edges and the embroidery
for the lizard. Right now it looks a little odd, but I think it will all work out.

I learned a thing or 3 doing this, knitting back backwards makes following the charts easier. It keeps the right side always in front of you, and just makes it easier. That doesn't mean I like intarsia but it does make it easier. Stoping after every green stripe and weaving in end made the job better because there were only one or two to do then instead of 50 at the end.

And this sweater should be a fast finish now that I have it complete to the sleeves.


I will put the neckband on, but leave the wrists and bottom for a little to see if I need to lengthen them.

Then I need to knit the green hoodie for the baby and all of the sweaters will be finished.

Well that is what I have been doing, except for the Chicken soup I made today.

Elementary Hell

For the last 2 days, I have been in elementary hell, (except for a small reprieve this morning when I had 4th and 5th grades for 2 hours each). But yesterday I had Kindergarten and 1st grade. It was awful, I tell you, they can't remember, one little girl confided that she didn't know what bus she rode, after 2 months of school! With the older grades, one can give instructions and get a breath or two before you have to start answering questions, or patrolling to keep order. But with the little ones, you never get a chance to breathe. I have 2 more day of floating so that the teachers can do in-service trainings. Tomorrow and next Friday.

And I am praying for a call from the Jr. Hi or High School to get me out of Elementary hell for a day or two in between. I can't imagine why anyone would want to do early childhood education. But I sure am glad that the fools* are out there.

Elementary school cuts into my knitting time, since I can both walk and watch something other than my knitting, I get a fair amount done while supervising Jr. Hi and High schoolers once I have attendance and instructions out of the way. But with any class below 4th grade there is just no way.

So this is a knitting blog with very little knitting. Should finish the lizard, (which really is doing the tongue thing, thanks to some embroydery, after the knitting is done) this weekend, since I plan to sit with my feet up and watch tapes and knit.

I have gotten one sock up to putting the waste yarn in for the heel and starting the top of the sock, but that is all.

*said with utmost love and respect! Viki!

There be Lizards (rears) Here

So this weekend I ripped out the lizard to the green stripe and started over. At the the end of Saturday this is what it looked like, there is part of the tail, and the left hind foot. Also I finished Carl's 3rd pair of socks.

Then I worked some more on the lizard and I am through with half of the chart. The lizard has both of his hind feet and all of his tail. I will work on it a little more today but I don't expect to get any more done on it until Friday at the earliest because I am working at the elementary school Tues - Thurs. And I don't expect to have the mental energy to follow the chart until after I am
through with the week. But I am half finished!
There could be a finished chart by next Monday if all goes well.

Yeah, Me and the Yarn Harlot

The Yarn Harlot has
vowed to knit only on her Mystery Shawl 3 until it is done. Reading her
blog this afternoon, I remembered, (again) that I need to get out
Mark's Lizard and set up the pattern again. Why do I do intarsia? I hate doing intarsia! Especially the 3 or 4 starts because I obviously cannot count. You
know the little patch of color on this side, and the little patch of
color on that side, the ones which meet up in the middle, and therefore
should be started by making sure that whatever the stitch count, every
thing needs to be started by counting from the freeking MIDDLE!
or it's not going to work, and you are going to have to rip it out and start over AGAIN!

Why do I do Intarsia...
Oh yeah, it is cause it is so darn cute. See that lizard? Isn't
it cute won't it be a precious sweater for a smaller than normal 6 year
old that looks sort of like a leprechaun? If I get it started, the back
is done, the front is started, the sleeves will be no trouble if I get
the Lizard done. And while the sweater with just the stripes would be
cute, the lizard is cuter, and I bought 2 balls of yarn that I would
have not needed if I had not intended to do this. So I vow, (even
though there are several orders of magnitudes less people to call
me on it) That
Saturday I will sit down with the chart on the music stand, cut the
yarn into lengths that will be wasted if I don't do that lizard, count
several times, and then verify the numbers and get the stupid lizard up
to where the foot joins the body, at least.
Besides I will have hours of tape from this week to watch.

I am finally getting called to work, (I substitute teach) and taught 5th grade yesterday, 8th
grade math tomorrow, and float while one of the elementary schools does
in-service training: 1 hour for this teacher, another hour for that
one, etc. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, next week and Friday the
following week. I really like being called ahead of time so that I know
I am going and can plan clothes, and lunch and knitting the day before
and then just go on auto-pilot until I check in at the office.

Otherwise
I get up at 5, drink a cup of coffee, shower, and sit in underwear and
robe waiting for a call, which either comes and I rush around getting
dressed, packing lunch, etc. or doesn't and I get dressed in totally
different clothes, and decide what to do with my day.

There is a knitting group that meets in Madison, Thursday morning, we had 2 new
knitters this morning, one needed knitting lessons the other wanted to
learn to knit socks, and 2 more will be starting socks soon. Sometimes
I get Mom to go with me, she went today. Afterwards, we went to lunch
and when we came out Mom noticed the ice cream store, so we went in and
got cones. Shortly thereafter I tripped on the uneven sidewalk and fell right in the middle of main street, dropped my ice cream too! Mom has called twice to see if I am OK. I am fine, just mad about the ice cream.