Red Rock Canyon Mystery Shawl

I actually finished this more than a week ago but it's been crazy busy.

I would have finished it long before then but I got sidetracked working on a sample that had a short deadline and had to put this down.  It wasn't a difficult knit at all - it looks much more difficult than it really was.  As for the sample - won't be able to show that off until next fall.

This was a fun knit.  Normally I wouldn't even consider knitting a two color shawl, just because of the extra work of carrying the second color.  But this was a mystery knit along with Romi (Rosemary Hill) and for some reason that appealed to me.

It is now called Red Rock Canyon shawl and the yarns are A Verb for Keeping Warm's Annapurina which is 80% merino, 10% cashmere and 10% nylon.  The colors are Sound of Cicadas and Au Lait.  

Teresa 

Graduation!

This happened almost a week ago, but it's been busy.  First, let me say that Graduation at Miss M's school is very different.  Nobody wears a cap or gown, guys generally don't wear ties and girls don't wear shoes.   There is no valedictorian or salutatorian and any senior who wants to can participate - write and give a speach, read from a book or poem, sing a song, play an instrument, dance, etc.  There are time limits on speeches and reading but no limit on the number of students who can participate.  And creativity is not just allowed, it is encouraged.

This is the vase - it starts out empty.  Each student brings a flower to put in the vase when they go to the stage to accept their diploma.

Miss M chose this lovely, different hydrangea.  I bought the plant because I love it and so we get to keep a small remembrance of her graduation.

This is Miss M and a classmate getting ready to walk to the stage.  They stop under the arch to be introduced - she and her classmate stepped through the arch and then set off poppers with streamers.

When they got to the stage, each pair of seniors took a selfie with the the teachers doing the name calling.  Each year the students do something or give something to these faculty members.  One year it was stickers on one and forks for the other.  The students come up with it, coordinate it and do it.

(There are only 70 seniors graduating so this part of the ceremony doesn't take long - there were 21 students either reading, speaking or singing/playing and that part took a while.)

Then the two put their flowers in the vase - it creates the greatest bouquet.

Then, one at a time, they each walk over to the Head of School to get their diploma.  Again, every year they do something else at this point.  When Miss S graduated, they handed the Headmaster (a man who is now gone) a book for the library.  The students hoped the books would get in the Headmaster's way but still wanted to leave a nice mark for the school.  That Headmaster left at the end of the next year because the students weren't the only ones who disliked him.

Of course Miss M had to be different - she gave the Headmaster a Hat - which stayed on for most of the rest of the ceremony even though every other student was putting a lei over it.

These are the two shortest students in the class - they walked through the arch and then climbed ladders so they could be seen!  Two other students, both known for their acting abilities, mimed a closed door halfway down the aisle.  

This is the bouquet at the end of the ceremony - beautiful as a hole, but no two individuals exactly alike.

And the Headmaster gives the girl a hug.  Notice the girl has changed out of her dress?  That happened long before the ceremony was over.  She was running the lights and sound and in charge of the tech crew so was up in a balcony where it was warm (well it was warm everywhere, but warmer there).  She is back at school this week, not as a student but as an employee.

Teresa

Under the Bush . . .

It was a lovely day yesterday, so I went walking out in the garden . . .

and I saw something strange under a bush.  It was brown, like everything else on the ground, but it was a different brown.

A pair of Acorns!?!?!

One acorn still had its 'cap' on and the smaller one had lost its cap.

There they were, just lying there . . . until I bent down for a closer look!!

As I got closer, the 'cap' started to separate from the acorn and out came this little face with bright blue eyes!

The longer I stayed, the farther out the little creature came . . .

until the little darling was sitting beside the acorns.  Now neither of them have their caps!

Meet Purl, the Little Knit Girl

pattern by Cid Hanscom.

She has fingers, toes, a nose, a belly button and butt cheeks - how cute!

Teresa

Happy Memorial Day

to everyone, especially those who have given themselves to the service of our country.


Also . . .

Happy Birthday Miss M!!!

She has a few presents, but the really big one this year was the car and it was for both Graduation and Birthday. 

 This one started out as Graduation but she traded it for a birthday gift that she needed because she actually ran the lights/sound for Graduation.  (It was a cool stylus for her iPad.)

I think she might have liked it Dena!

More pics when the rest of the presents are opened!

Teresa

Fun!

I finished, blocked and mailed off the sample. I finished and blocked the mystery shawl (pics tomorrow).

That means I get to start something fun today and knit on it for at least a minute before I do the two test knits I have to do!

Guess what this is going to become!!!!

Happy Mother's Day

Pretty Day

And . . .

Done! (Please excuse the really bad selfie - it's only like the second I've ever taken.). Also, the hat might improve with blocking . . .

Fun Knitting

I was good - I knit almost three inches on the tedious project. Steve and I left for the beach a day early and I spent most if the drive on the tedious knit. I deserve a break so I broke out my favorite stitch marker and a quick knit that I thought would be fun - it is. More pics later. T

Sure sign of Spring

This is what the girls looked like this morning.  I had been brushing them like crazy for the last couple of days because it's that time of year when it is REALLY difficult to keep them from getting matts.  

Zuzu (on the left) was in pretty good shape, surprisingly enough since she hates brushing with everything she has.  Casey, on the right was not in such great shape.  Her coat is older and the older it gets, the more difficult it is to keep it brushed because the outer coat gets coarser and the under coat is harder to get at.  The undercoat is what causes the mats.

 This is a gift from a friend.  He knew about my fiber habits, spinning, knitting, tatting, etc and figured I would like this.  He found it in the junk at Goodwill, bought it, cleaned it up and gave it a new coat of sealer before adding the plant and giving it to me.  So thoughtful and nice of him and I do really love it!

 This is the girls this afternoon.  These pics aren't great because they were really not in the mood to sit still and have photos taken.  As you can see, Casey's legs are shaved pretty close because they still had some matts.  Zuzu is still in pretty good shape . . . I think they are relieved to be home and not at the groomers but it's going to take a while for them to calm down.  They don't go to the groomers often enough not to get really nervous about it.

Teresa