WIP Wednesday and Yarn-Along

Busy week last week!  I figured out that from Friday the 31 (when I gave the exams) to Friday the 7 (Field Day, when I finished the final grading), I graded about 568 pages, less the pages that students tested out of.  Fortunately I have lots of smart students and I've developed ways of grading efficiently.  Then this week has been inservice, and taking Tertia to the orthodontist yesterday for the marathon session of braces installation.  Here she is posing with her bear.  I think it's sweet how the assistants at the orthodontist all ask about the different animals she brings in each time.  This one is apparently called "Susan" and helps Tertia be a brave princess.

So this morning, my first free day in just about forever, I was determined to finish the quilting on Orca Bay, and I did.  This is the stunning design of Bonnie K. Hunter that was her mystery quilt in 2011, and is now featured in String Fling.  I am excited to get it bound and spread it out for a full photo-op, but until then, here's the only quilting I've done this week!

During inservice and waiting at the orthodontist and dentist office (Daniel had his appointment yesterday too), I have finished turning the heels on Steve's socks!  Yay!  These are the going-on-three-months Farmer McGregor socks with KnitPicks stroll tonal in "Kindling."  I used reinforcement yarn on the first sock and ran out halfway through; then decided to use some leftover black fingering for the rest of the first heel and all of the second.  In the spirit of making do, you understand.  Clearly, I am not a perfectionist knitter.  I put the two socks on 2 different sets of needles after the heels because there are a few points in this complex, twisted stitch pattern where the twisting crosses over from instep to heel, and so two socks at a time on 2 circs is really not practical.  Of course, knitting socks by hand at all is not really practical, but that's beside the point.

Look at this lovely green yarn that I received as a teacher gift from one of my students, whose mother is also a knitter.  Isn't it gorgeous?  It is from The Twice Sheared Sheep, which specializes in reclaiming yarn from thrift store sweaters -- and it's 100% silk, 500 yards of very fine laceweight.

Trying my best to get a closeup to show the fine texture.  I will have to spend some time thinking of something ethereal and green to knit with this.  Thank you so much, Penny and young Mr. N!

Reading: I am still working on Suetonius -- talk about a summer potboiler -- those ancient Roman historians could dish the dirt!

Check out quilting WIPs here, and literary knitting here.