Kiss My Knits!

But on Friday! Er… good things come to those who wait?

Number one on the awesomeness parade has to be this, Emily’s first batch of tests and homework graded and sent home. And I was worried about third grade… why? Emily’s been doing great so far. On her homework, she’s not getting too upset, even when she doesn’t know the answer or when she makes a mistake. That’s phenomenal progress. Her teacher wrote a note home the other day saying that Emily’s doing very well, and she even raises her hand to answer in math and reading. My girl’s volunteering information! Holy cats! That’s amazing!

For me, I’ve been contributing by expecting more of her. For instance, she’s writing in a regular spiral-bound notebook this year. I thought about drawing extra lines in there to delineate where she should start and stop, turning two lines into one big section for her to write in. Then I thought, “no, let’s see what she does first. She needs the chance to try it on her own without me assuming she needs extra help.” Lo and behold, no complaints, she’s just doing it. Hats off all around. Her teacher’s great, she’s doing great, and I’m feeling pretty good about my own performance. Huzzah!

Speaking of school, check these out. Emily has special scissors at school that she got from the school OT in kindergarten that spring open when she releases them. She really likes them, and her kindergarten teacher coveted them. When Hancock Fabric had a half-off scissors sale on Labor Day this year, I went up to get a pair of pinking shears, which I had wanted. And I spotted these little babies. Check it out!

They’ve got a little flexible doohickey which flips up to apply a gentle pressure so that the scissors open again when you release them. There were five pairs, they were $1.79 and half off of that, so I snagged them all. One for us to have at home, one for us to have at school (if she wants it), and the other three for her kindergarten teacher. She was very grateful. These things are super cool. I think they’d be great if you had any kind of motor control issues, or arthritis or other problem preventing you from exerting much force.

Of course, I asked Emily and she says that she still likes her special scissors better. Figures.



Emily’s school uniform has expanded to permit dark blue and khaki, which she prefers. She looks good in blue anyway. Fortunately, shoes are still exempt from the dress code. Heh.

In another breakthrough, when I asked Emily if her shoes were too small, she actually answered yes. I know it doesn’t sound like a breakthrough, but before she would always answer “no, no!” in tones of rising panic, as if it would be the end of the world for me to force her to get new shoes. So in the next couple of days, I’ll be picking up some new pink and black Converse hightops from Rack Room Shoes. The child’s putting on a growth spurt, I tell you. Of course, her father wears size 15 shoes, so I shouldn’t be surprised.



Speaking of surprises, I am amazed to find that I am actually excited about Girl Scouts this year! Why? The booklet to the right! Apparently every year they hand this out, but nobody thought to mention it to me. Naturally the leader for the first half of the year who flaked out and left our kids high and dry – but I’m not bitter – didn’t send it along.


The FYI lists all the activities taking place over the year. Campouts, patch programs, community activities, training seminars, and on and on. I really, really wish I’d had this last year, although by the time I took over, most of the deadlines for registration were over. This year I was able to get my girls signed up for the Spring Campboree at Camp Occoneechee, and I’ve marked some activities that I think will be fun for the girls, and will of course let them choose some as well.

We’ve still got a little nest egg in our bank account from last year’s cookie sale, so we should be able to have our pick of what we want. There’s even a knitting patch being offered by Baskets of Yarn, although I think I could do the same thing for less than $17 a girl, if I dig through my stash. This is all very exciting!



And speaking of girls and knitting, here’s Emily’s sweater. Nice segue, eh? I’ve finished the basic front and back pieces and have started a sleeve. I’m not kidding about that growth spurt, by the way. This measures the same around as that blue shirt she’s wearing above. It was roomy when I started it. Not so much now. Yikes.

I’m more comfortable with the colorwork on the front than the back. That’s good, because I did the front second, so it means I improved. This whole thing is supposed to be a practice piece for my Dad’s Charlie Brown sweater anyway.

In other non-Jayne knitting news, I took the time to turn the heel on my Regia bamboo socks. They’re very soft. Hopefully that softness won’t come at the expense of durability. I’m pleased with how these are turning out, and with the fact that I don’t have to look up or think about the steps of sockmaking anymore, like how to make a short row heel, what the math is to fit X size foot or ankle, or how to do Elizabeth Zimmerman’s sewn bindoff, my bindoff of choice on all garments that need a stretchy cuff or hem.



I’ve finished spinning the singles from the blue roving I dyed. I hope to find time to ply it soon. Today it’s more Jayne, tomorrow it’s more DR, so maybe… Sunday? Monday? We’ll see. I’ve enjoyed spinning it and am anxious to see the finished product.

That’s more than enough pics for one day, although I’m sure the awesomeness will continue to roll on. Back to the Jayne mines!