Saturday 14 February 2009

Like the blind leading the blind

The idea of me teaching anyone to spin yet seems quite laughable. After all 1 month ago the idea of owning a spinning wheel was a bit of a dream but not looking likely in the near future. Of course I then was very lucky and given a wheel, and the rest as they say is history!
It's half term holiday in the UK this week and I've come home for a bit of pampering and a cheap holiday. I bought my spinning wheel with me as Mum really wanted a go and as it turns out one of her friends who also knits is coming over for a go and my Aunty wants a go. I've no idea if how I spin is even right so teaching other people seems a little odd. However I do produce yarn that looks like it should, which really is the main idea, it doesn't really matter how you make it (I hope!). It's a bit like the right and wrong way to knit argument. As long as you produce a knitted item that's all that matters not how you do it!

Mum had a go last night, and actually was annoyingly good, I think she might be a bit of a natural.
Teaching Mum to spin
Teaching Mum to spin

Wednesday 11 February 2009

Like looking in the mirror

This post is inspired by a post written by Antonia over at Whoopee. She was describing some of her former teachers, which got me thinking. I have yet to over hear a conversation where the kids describe me. All kids talk about their teachers, after all we are the most important people in their lives....
My inner vanity likes to think it's as that hot young teacher, my professional side likes to think of it as a firm but fair yet still slightly cool, my more evil side likes to think exactly that, the kids believe i am some kind of witch sent to Earth to torture them! Then my inner common sense tells me it's maybe best I don't know!

Tuesday 10 February 2009

I promise no snow

Well maybe a little, we still have snow, this makes 10 days now, longer than I have ever experienced in my lifetime. Just thought you might like to know!
Have just got back from Rainbows where we made tye dye tea towels, you'd never think a 5 year old id them (with help it's hard to wrap an elastic band tightly with little fingers. We're going to sell them to raise funds to send books to Africa as part of Girlguiding Uk's Change the World Challenge. After that I want my knitting group, knitting in a pub, what could be better! Speaking of knitting, a knitting meme. You bold anything you have done and italic things you plan to do in that time old fashion!
Feel free to steal!

Afghan
American/English knitting
Baby items

Bobbles
Buttonholes
Cable stitch patterns
Cardigan

Charity knitting
Combination knitting
Continental knitting
Cuffs/fingerless mits/arm-warmers
Darning

Designing knitted garments
Domino knitting
Drop stitch patterns
Dyeing spinning fibre
Dyeing with plant colours
Dyeing yarn
Entrelac
Fair Isle knitting
Free-form knitting
Fulling/felting
Garter stitch
Gloves
Graffiti knitting
Hair accessories
Hats: Cuff-up
Hats: Top-down
Holiday related knitting
Household items
I-cord

Intarsia
Jewellery
Kitchener stitch
Knitted flowers
Knitting a gift
Knitting a pattern from an on-line knitting magazine

Knitting and purling backwards
Knitting art
Knitting for a living
Knitting for pets
Knitting for preemies
Knitting in public
Knitting items for a wedding
Knitting on a loom
Knitting smocking
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting to make money
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Knitting with alpaca
Knitting with bamboo yarn

Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Knitting with beads
Knitting with camel yarn
Knitting with cashmere
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with cotton

Knitting with dog/cat hair
Knitting with dpns
Knitting with linen
Knitting with metal wire
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Knitting with silk

Knitting with someone else’s hand-spun yarn
Knitting with soy yarn
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Knitting with wool

Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn
Lace patterns
Long Tail CO

Machine knitting
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Moebius band knitting
Norwegian knitting
Participate in an exchange
Participating in a KAL

Pillows
Publishing a knitting book
Purses/bags
Rug
Scarf
Shawl
Short rows

Shrug/bolero/poncho
Slip stitch patterns
Slippers
Socks: toe-up
Socks: top-down

Steeks
Stockinette stitch
Stuffed toys
Swatching
Sweater

Tassels
Teaching a child to knit
Teaching a male how to knit
Textured knitting
Thrummed knitting
Toy/doll clothing
Tubular CO
Twisted stitch patterns
Two end knitting
Writing a pattern


Not bad for a year of knitting!

Sunday 8 February 2009

More of the same

There is still snow on the ground here, in fact not just on the ground but still 3 inches on next doors kitchen roof. Surprisingly I drove down to the city centre to go to the cash and carry yesterday and all the snow has gone, just shows what difference a bit of height makes. We might have more coming, we might not, they seem to be unable to make up their minds.

The house is filled with all sorts of bad stuff, I had to go to the wholesaler yesterday to buy the food for the club's trips to Scotland that are coming up. I'm not going, I don't do Scottish winter, too much cold, too much wind and usually too much rain! Plus I have to go to work the following Monday after a night when I get maybe 4 hours sleep, no thanks!

Todays plan, make some progress on all the knitting projects i have started.... serious startitis going on over here, and play on my spinning wheel.