Shark Seen In the Palisades!

This week, the big news at the beach was a great white shark that was photographed jumping out of the water! Local surf shop owner Randy Wright took all of the pictures from a kayak. Check out that height!



In honor of our newest neighbor, I crocheted a shark. Not nearly as cool as the real thing but the pattern (found at ravelry.com) was pretty easy to follow. I changed the fins to better reflect what they really look like.



This is Griffin, who comes in and has lunch with me a few times a week. If I am lucky, he brings his knitting and we eat and knit for our lunch break. He is in my Knitting class and is a beginner, but I think if he really tries he can get really good.


And finally, my Oregon Ducks flew into town and beat UCLA 24-10 yesterday. We have a 5-game winning streak and I love Saturday afternoon football games. Way to go DUCKS!

I Learned How To Crochet

As a teacher, one of the best parts of my job is getting the summers off. A few summers back I built a deck off the back of the house, before that I built a knitting room in our garage. This summer I decided no major construction jobs were in the cards, but I did have a few projects in mind to keep myself busy. I wanted to learn how to crochet. I have been avoiding it for years, thinking I never needed to learn. So I sat down with Beverly at Stitching is an Art and she gave me some pointers.


These two little guys were gifts for the teachers in my summer Botany class I took at The Huntington Library.

I knitted a few gifts for them as well.
Here is another DNA baby toy for Martha, who is a DNA expert. The anatomically correct flower is a teaching tool for Mike, the other professor who is a plant expert. The coolest part of the flower model is that each part pulls down to reveal the next layer. Sadly, I didn't make one for me and I didn't write down the pattern.

Paris Yarn Shop

This summer I spent some time in France. While in Paris, I was told I had to visit La Droguerie. Once we were settled I set out to find this mythical yarn shop. It was 100 degrees that day and very few places in Paris have air conditioning, so I trudged all over using weird directions I had found on the internet. Then, after 30 minutes of wandering around near St. Eustache Church, I spotted it on a tiny side street. Once inside, I was blasted by a hotter-than-outside air, but I pushed the door open. What was inside?

PARADISE!!!!
This is what greets you when you enter the shop. Both walls covered in yarn. Each hank of yarn has a #tag. You write down the # you want and go to the counter and they disappear in the back to get your selection. There are cute samples knit up with each yarn. Not just squares, but actual baby sweaters and tops. Awesome stuff! Look at that great one with the star on the chest.




This is a multi-colored bench with more yarn hanging over it. I sat down and just soaked it all in.



This is a wall (floor to ceiling) full of buttons and beads. All in perfect jars. I was tempted to run my fingers through each, just like Amelie.


FInally, jars of feathers and threads. Everything was displayed perfectly, and I wanted to buy it all.

BACK TO SCHOOL!!!

After a LONG hiatus, I am back at this blogging thing. School started 09.09.09 and the kids were knitting by the end of the week. I have so much personal knitting to post, but can't wait to show you what my kids have been up to. My students will be starting off with blanket strips to get the hang of knitting and to start on their community service right away.





And your eyes do not deceive, there are actual BOYS in my class this semester! We are up to 5 boys now, and they are all doing a fantastic job of casting on and knitting blanket strips.

Speaking of fantastic knitting, here are some pics from last semester.




This first hat was done by Sarah (who is off to college this week...). It is double knit, with a pattern showing on both sides. She got the pattern from a Stitch 'N Bitch book. I love the way it is gray one way and black the other. She knit it for her dad who LOVES it and can't wait for it to cool down so he can wear it.


Next up is a hat by Gabby.

She designed it herself, wrote the pattern then knit it in a few days. I told you these kids are awesome!

Final awesome hat is by Michelle.

She designed it, using the cable book by Vogue Knitting, wrote a pattern and knit it quickly. The little bobbles (berries) are so cute!

I have more of my stuff to show off soon, as well as some Paris knitting store pics. Drool.