How to go from Bond to Passap in 2 easy steps

A LOT has happened in the last 9 months- check the new man (right) in my lifehttp://www.ourguythai.blogspot.com/ . Wonderful, transformational, terrific and now it's time to get back to the needles more than the 1/2 hour I've been able to eek out each week after cookies, wine and gossip at Tangled Skein on Wednesdays. SO here's the story...
I'm at my favorite second hand boutique and just as I was leaving I saw it , a knitting machine. Now I have a Bond "Incredible Sweater Machine" that, in all fairness has provided me with many afternoons of entertainment and lots of blanks to dye and re-knit. If you don't know about this fanciful idea check out how cool it is here

It has it's very quirky side though, and if not purchased with a Joann's 1/2 off coupon, I might have felt a bit upset by it's performance. Casting on is hard and it gets stuck mmmm" jammed" in K.M. (knitting machine) talk and really needs weights which are not included and so people construct them out of bent forks and fishing tackle- no I am not kidding.

But this machine, the thrift store one looks like a winner it has a little yarn tension antennae and a big carriage. It's a Singer LK100 and I find out that "Singer" and "Studio" are synonymous in K.M. land and that 30 bucks for an used one is good. I take it out and start playing with it- What a hoot, in 10 minutes I have a piece of stockinette large enough to be a baby blanket.

Very quickly I became obsessed- this could be the answer to my SMYSLT (so much yarn so little time) problem. Plus it is just cool AND my daughter will do it with me. But it is plastic, a hobby machine, they call it and it does just what it does- No ribber, no fancy stitches, no clever little hole punched cards to make automatic design.

Next thing I know I am on the doorstep of a lovely family who is selling off their fiber mom's equipment for We need to get this stuff out of here prices so now I have a beautiful Passap Duo 80 with 4 color changer and deco. For those of you who don't have a clue...stop back by there will be more to this story, I promise!

My Guy Thai

Yes he is real and he is on the way! Check out his knitted toy. Wish I'd been the one to give him his first knitted toy.

Each one teach one

She right, a darling shy freshman girl from Cameroon who is often overshadowed in class. She left, a senior from El Salvador, popular and sweet- a Kodak moment for sure.

Apparently I have now become obsolete in the the teaching of knitting- now they are teaching one another and cutting out the middle man.

Oh well, they still need me to get yarn...hopefully they won't discover that I'm not the only source for a little while longer...

I get by with a little help from my friends

When I put the word out that I'd be working with kids and needed needles and yarn...boy did you guys come through...boxes and boxes of fun fur, a budging bag of cotton and various sundry yarns I might have bought myself and decided much to late were just too bright... teens LOVE this stuff.

I start by showing the...STAB the hole, AROUND the tree, UP-SIDE DOWN, GET RID of me. Then I have them put their hands on mine as I do it and Voila, so far every kids has picked it up and done it...really, I am totally blown away!

1 little class grew to 3...one at my daughter's aftercare and two at the high school where I teach. A student came in today and asked me if I'd teach her to "do the sticks," she said she is seeing it everywhere in school now and doesn't want to be the last one to get it. Very Very fun!

This is my budding fashion designer...this is her second creation. The first was an enormous fur shawl that was the shape and volume of a stomach. We decided to hang charms off of it. She is planning to wear it to the prom...more pictures later of that! Very cool!


These are my homeroom students. I teach knitting to them in the mornings when I'm SUPPOSED to be teaching them about the value of patience, persistance, hardwork and planning ahead...oh, never mind...I guess I am.

China, Haiti, Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala in the house!








These are the kids in my AFTERNOON knitting class, who bring me yummy snacks.

Cameroon & El Salvador in the house

Just plain FIBER yes, damnit, that's what I said

This is my story and I'm sticking to it!
So how many months did I wait feeling like the last chubby girl to get picked for the team??? How many Tuesday Night Knitting groups did I endure where everyone else exchanged inside jokes and prattled on about all the "projects, stash, needles, and more." How I ached with envy when everyone compared little wallet sized cards recording all their needle sizes and strategized as to how best to laminate them.

Finally, Finally, my moment had come. I GOT MY RAVELRY INVITE. Unfortunately I was in the middle of teaching High Schoolers something about Gerunds...so I did what any REAL knitter would do in this situation... I immediately gave them seatwork so I could sign-up for the hottest ticket in cyber knitting history...There I was
The PICK YOUR SCREENAME box right in front me with a Highlighted warning :BE SURE YOU LIKE YOUR SCREEN NAME YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CHANGE IT
OMG, I so want to be cool. Let's see what about "Roving Around" - since I do like spinning. Or "Fiber Freek", or "Fiber Fanatic", " Fiber Friendly" or "Roving around the Whirled" or a 1000 very cool things I could be... mmmm I really do like Fiber Freek- It has the word Free in it and lord knows, I love free stuff. It's a fun play on spelling, It's memorable, its plucky.

Suddenly I am interrupted by, can you believe it, one of my students.
"What's that, what are you asking me...can't you tell I'm busy, please sit down and do your grammar work. I'm sorry if you don't understand gerunds. Can't you see I am doing something important here? I can't be bothered right now. I mean really, I have some important...(to self) sh%t the screen just went dead, must wake it up, hit a key or too, OMG, did I just, submit, OMG I can't believe I am seeing this...

hiya, Fiber! logout
1 new message

I JUST NAMED MYSELF F-I-B-E-R , Fiber just plain fiber. I stifle a scream. My students look up started, I say
" I'm sorry, I just received some very bad news."
" Did someone die?"
" Yes, in a way they did. "

hiya, Fiber!

Cool things I really had nothing to do with...

Yes, I'm and English teacher and I like to end my sentences with prepositions-besides..." Cool things with which I had nothing to do" sounds, well, queer -as grandma would say.


I have some very cool things of my own to share soon but at this moment how about these:

This is not your granny's automobile, no wait, maybe it is! http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1879263.html

My preference would have been a knitted Prius out of recycled yarn but you gotta admit this is pretty damn cool.

Unexplainable knitted things in inexplicable places...http://knittaplease.com/KNITTA_PLEASE.html
I am ready to quit my job and become Washington D.C.'s Knitting answer to Cool Disco Dan

Love me tender...
http://www.theshed.co.uk/elviswig.html
Too cool for school! I wish I had time to whip one of these up for Halloween.

Firsts

FIRST HANDSPUN YARN

FIRST SPINDLE AND SPINNING BOOK

FIRST CHILD IN FIRST HANDSPUN OBJECT

FIRST PRE-FELTED HAT-

Noro -Kujaku

FIRST FELTED HAT with Unfortuanately NOT

the FIRST DEAR FRIEND WHO DIED FROM HIV/AIDS.

We miss you Marc

April 29, 1960-February 8, 2007

Often in my classroom, I knit. Sometimes quietly behind my desk, sometimes smack dab in front of students from 22 different countries. I consider it a better option than nipping at a bottle and so I knit.

This has created interest and sharing with/among the students about the fiber arts. One is crocheting little white booties for the baby no one in class but me knows she is carrying.









Another is working on a baby blanket for a baby who is already here. But today, TODAY I was speechless when my student from Congo, Brazzaville - Yes that Congo, as in Darfur, Year of conflict, the worst place on the planet for children, Congo- showed me this .

She taught herself to "yarn" she said to help her not be nervous. Someone gave her the yarn. She didn't have a hook so she made one...

Out

of

AN OLD COFFEE STIRRER...

Did you GET that? Are you as Humbled as I am?

AN OLD COFFEE STIRRER!