"Z" is for......

                                     


Zis is ze last post in ze ABC meme!  I wanted to send it out with a bang of some really creative topic, but, alas, I can't think of anything that creative or Zany to post about.  26 Mondays of posts and here we are at the end...  it's kind of bittersweet.  I'm glad to not feel the pressure of posting, but will miss reading the posts of others to see what words they are writing about.

Thank you Charlotte for giving us this idea.  It's been lots of fun and I know a lot of us enjoyed posting!

So, for all the zebras, zoos, zealots, Zen Buddhists, zeniths, zeros, zircons, zippers, Zionists, zodiacs, zones and zingers...  I bid farewell to the ABC meme.

Y is for.... yarn overs!

Wow - only one more post after this and we've completed the ABC meme!!  Hard to believe...  anyway, I decided to talk about yarn overs for my letter "Y" post.  I love lace knitting, and the basis of making all those little holes is usually through a yarn over.  Here is a sample of a very basic K2tog, YO pattern:





You can also do more intricate patterns with yarn overs too such as these mitts and scarf pattern:




Here are some more samples of the lace patterns you can do with yarn overs:










I hope you enjoyed my "Y" post!  See you next week for the final letter!

X is for.... ????

My first thought was "oh my gosh - what real words begin with the letter 'x'????"  Then I though of all the silly things I could do such as x-amine, or x-tremely or x-cellent.... hahaha....  so, I decided to see what some other bloggers who are participating in this meme did, and I saw that some skipped X altogether and went directly to "Y."  See pinkundine's blog for a VERY cute letter Y post!!   I guess I'll just be behind a week in finishing this meme since I didn't really think about a Y post and I have a ton of school work to get going on...  So, it has been x-citing to tell you all this even though there was no x-act information for you to have.  I'll just x-it on out!!!  Visit Charlotte for more ABC's!

"W" is for... walking!

Walking.  It's such a simple thing but we never do a whole lot of it.  We're always rushing off here and there.  Get in the car and go.  Yesterday, my husband and I took a break from all the craziness and decided to go for a walk.  It was good for our muscles, good for our hearts and good for our heads.  Sometimes, in a world of computers and fiber arts, we end up sitting way too much.  We forget that our bodies need to move.  I know at least I do.  Walking, a simple movement that is good for you.  Now if I can only remember to do more of it...

For more ABC's, visit Charlotte!

"U" is for... Unicorns!

I almost was going to do "U" is for umbrella because we have had such a rainy last few days, but that made me feel dreary and sad... so, what always makes you feel happy and bright?  Unicorns of course!!!  When I was younger, I had a unicorn collection all over my shelves.  I've kept some of them and they are on the window sill in the spare bedroom.  They're kinda hard to get to since there is furniture in front of them but I couldn't part with them so there they stay.  Here are a few pics, kinda hard to see since they are mostly white and the light from the window blends in.  But, you get the idea....



That's a horse book end next to it - I think someone put a quarter there too - I didn't notice that til now!






Yes, that is a mini liberty bell next to that one and another horse made of marble on the other side of it.

So, that is it for my unicorns... for more ABC's pop on over to Charlotte's blog - do it in a hurry, we're getting to the end of the alphabet!

T is for... Technology!

Happy Monday everyone!!!  Well, try to be as happy as you can for a Monday...  I am happy as I just found out that I am now a part of the Technology Committee at school/work.  For those of you who know me, it isn't that far fetched - our school is so back in the stone-age that I am one of the most tech-capable people in the building.  Really sad too because we have a lot of young people who just don't seem to want to be up on the latest that technology has to offer.  My vision for our committee is to do some grant writing to get Promethean boards for a few rooms (yes, mine had better be one of them!) and if possible, maybe a few ipads or other kinds of tablets.  I also think we need new laptops as the ones we have just spin and can't even stream videos anymore!  So, if anyone is good a grant writing and can give me a hint as to how to go about it, I'd appreciate it!!

I almost did T is for Tardis since I spent much of this weekend googling to find Dr Who themed centerpieces for Jarett's Bar Mitzvah.  I think I may end up buying action figure toys from Amazon and then figuring out a way to encase them and put them on a pedestal to make them taller.  They're only about 5 inches which is tiny for a centerpiece and I need about 15 different ones as that will determine which table people sit in.  Any thoughts on that too, please feel free to share!!  I'm in the US so that makes buying it a little more difficult as some of the UK sites won't ship here or charge an arm and a leg.  Anyway, that's it for my "T" post.  For more ABC's, visit Charlotte!

"S" is for... scarves and school!

                                                           

I couldn't decide which I wanted to share so I figured I'd post about both!  Really, they are just pics.  I found what is really supposed to be a jewelry holder but decided that it would make a great scarves holder for all the scarves I'm doing for the craft show.  I tried to get a couple different angles so you can see them all:

Next, I thought I'd share a couple of pics of my classroom.  I am now up to 30 kids.  So much for the comfort of 27!  I knew that wouldn't last too long!!




My word wall isn't up yet on this one... it's only the first week so we haven't started our story yet. That'll come today and I'll put the first ten words up there.



For more ABC's, visit Charlotte!

"R" is for... Return to Real life!

Summer vacation has come to end and now real life sets in...  Not that we had a vacation.  We worked at camp all summer and actually went back to school last week, but with Labor Day now here, the summer vacation time officially ends.  I'm looking forward to this school year.  So far things have had a positive spin.  We have a new principal who really seems to be all for the good of the child and "by the book."  If that is really how things will be, the school year will be a good one.  Also, right now, I have 27 kids on my roll.  Yes, 27!!!  Last year I had 37 - that's right - that was a "3" as in ten more kids than this year!!!  If that stays, I will be in my teaching glory!!  Imagine all the things you can do with 27 that was just way too much with 37.  I can see more groups and be effective in my time with them.  Just think about grading ten less papers - wow, this will be nice!  So, even though I am sad to see my summer break go, I have such a positive and hopeful outlook for this year that I am psyched for it to begin.  

For more ABC's, take a look at Charlotte's blog.

"Q" is for Quest for a winner!

Q is for Quest!  I had a yarn contest giveaway last week.  The lucky winner is.........


CALOPHI!!!!!   Congratulations - I will contact you about getting your prize! 


Thank you to everyone who left comments.  I really appreciate everyone sharing the love in the blogging world.  For more ABC's visit Charlotte!

"P" is for.... PRIZE!!!

Since I have been the fortunate recipient of not just one, but TWO prize give-aways, I thought I'd pass along the happiness. So here is what your going to get:




One big fluffy skein of Bernat Breeze in violet crush (I love the name of that color!), two skeins of Plymouth Cielo in a peachy color with a bit of pink running through ( this color is not photographing well, but two skeins is enough to make the Self-Fringing Shawl I made) and two skeins of Plymouth Eros which is a ladder yarn in pinks/purples/blues.

Here is a separate photo of each for a closer look:










So, what do you need to do to win? Leave me a comment and please include your Rav name or an email where I can contact you. The lucky winner will be picked at random on Friday and announced on next week's blog post! Good luck everyone! For more ABC's, pop on over to Charlotte!

"O" is for... overstock!!!

I have waaaayyyy too much yarn (I know, I can't believe I'm saying that!!) and have been the fortunate recipient of two prize giveaways. So, stayed tuned for a prize giveaway here coming up soon!!! Here is a glimpse of just one of my yarn closets:






Visit Charlotte for more ABC week!!

N is for...

I really could not think of anything inspirational for me to dedicate the letter "N" to... I thought about doing "Needle Arts" but so much of my blog is about knitting with bits of crochet here and there that I couldn't think of anything new to say about it... other than that I love it, of course! My husband suggested the word "Nothing" and thought I should post that I really have nothing to say about the letter "N." That just made me feel sorry for the letter "N" and feel that I should write something... Then I thought I could write about "Nature" since I am the Nature Specialist at camp and I can post more pics of my animals... So, here you are - a pic showing how big my ducks are now:




They are losing their down and actually have feathers now!






Here is a really cute picture of my piglets snuggling in a hole they dug in their pen and covered themselves up with tree roots! Enjoy!




The lid in the background has formula in it because they drink the bottle so fast and scream for more so loud that it became easier to let them just drink it out of the bowl/lid. That way I can mix about 5 bottles full and they just drink it all up without crying and carrying on.

Here is Charlotte, being held by my husband:




And here is Penelope:





So, for more ABC posts, please visit Charlotte!!

M is for .... Matt!

Since I dedicated my "J" post to my son Jarett, it seemed only fair to dedicate my "M" post to my son Matthew. So, here we go, my 16 & 1/2 yr old who now has his drivers license!!!

Here he is modeling a donation hat to Israeli soldiers:






Here he is with his brother modeling the Bro Hats from my free pattern page:




His funny face cracks me up in this one - Jarett had onion breath!!




Here he is chillin' in front of the TV with his dinner:





With his new guitar:




With his brother at Jar's time capsule ceremony:



One of Matt looking all spiffy for his Sophomore Dance:




The "Buff Boys" at the beach:









And a good sport who ended up very well endowed!!! Haha!!





Lastly, pics of Matt holding his new cousin Walter:






I hope you enjoyed my "M" post! For more ABC week posts, visit Charlotte!!

L is for... Lace!

I've decided to dedicate this post to lace knitting. There are such mixed emotions with lace. Some people love it, others hate it. It can be an involved pattern that keeps you on your toes and requires your attention, or it can be a simple repeat that you can do while watching tv. Lace can be on socks, hats, shawls, scarves or mitts. It can be done anywhere in your knitting. It can add such a dramatic look or a delicate sweet style. Here are some of my lace projects:

The yo ho ho scarf:





The Ene Shawl:





The Eyelet Shawl:



The Diana ( which was both lace and entrelac):




The Purple Dream Mitts:





The Diamond Tail:



Hope you enjoyed my lace knitting pics! For more ABC posts, tune in to Charlotte's blog!!