Randomday

I am thankful, so thankful, for working at a school with motivated students, caring parents, and wise administrators.  Sometimes, even that is not enough.  I packed up my Christmas teacher loot yesterday afternoon after class, along with two folders of papers to grade, and drove home.  Switching on the radio I heard the news.  My classroom borders the kindergarten classroom on one side and the first grade classroom on the other.  On some mornings we can hear the kindergartners singing through the thin walls.  One of the first grade reading groups comes in during first period, when I'm just arriving and setting up for the day.  Children that young, that cute, that sweet, were victims yesterday.  And the teachers did what teachers always do, and must have felt, as teachers always feel, that it just wasn't good enough.

If any good can come from such senseless violence, it will be if people turn to Christ for comfort and help, at this season of His birth.  That's all.  There aren't any other words I can really say.

This started out as a sad blog post and I'm not sure how to turn it around and be truly random, as is my habit on Saturdays.  There are a lot of sadnesses in my extended family and friends right now, too; parents preparing to say goodbye forever to their very much loved daughter, struggling in the hospital.  Another set of parents worried about their son after a concussion left him unable to complete his first semester of college.  Teenagers going through rebellion, families struggling to make ends meet.  MSNBC ran a piece about Petra Anderson earlier this week; she was the girl our family remembers from Colorado, who was shot in the Batman shooting last summer.  It's an uplifting piece and a small bit of hope in the midst of darkness.

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How about if I declare an asterisk line break, and everything under it is random and lighthearted?

The tree is up.  I looked it up in the little diagram of the landscaping that the Bronsons left for us, and it appears to be a Hinoki Cypress.  It's not such a bad little Christmas tree, in a Charlie Brown kind of way.  I haven't done any decorating... the girls did a little.  At least chopping it down didn't result in a fence repair bill like last year's tree.

Quarta had her first sleepover party last night and stayed up too late.  We can really tell the next day when she doesn't get enough sleep.  Or if she has too much sugar.

Daniel is in the middle of finals and really looking forward to his flight home Wednesday.

Secundus declined to go to the Cedar Tree protocol formal event yesterday and instead jumped on the chance to see the Hobbit.

Tertia is reading The Magician's Nephew for her book report.  She especially liked the part where the Elephant thought Uncle Andrew was a tree and squirted water on him with her trunk.

Grandma's home is still in lockdown mode... I think she's getting a bit tired of it.  Sure hope they get the germs under control soon.

I put on the binding of the Jack's Chain quilt yesterday and I'm stitching it down by hand now.  It's very scalloped all along the edges.  I also pieced a backing for the purple quilt today, and am halfway through the 4th clue of Easy Street.  Somehow the small activities of sewing and knitting and even (gasp!) cleaning and housework are good to focus on right now.

WIP Wednesday: holiday denial version

Is it okay to admit that I'm not that big a fan of Christmas anymore?  I used to like it a lot.  But that was before I had to ... you know ... produce it.  I have loved ones who don't celebrate Christmas for religious reasons, but that's not it at all for me.  I'm just too lazy to put on a big Christmas anymore, although I sure enjoyed it when I was younger. 

I am looking forward to having Daniel home again soon.  His first final is tomorrow.  It has been a stressful week for everyone in our extended circle of friends and particularly in our church.  Now, the Clackamas Town Center shooting.  I know kids who were there.  So many needs to pray for.

So I'm keeping busy and not really doing anything specific about Christmas.  Here's what's going on in the craft department:

I finished my 12th shawl in 2012!  This is Wingspan, knit from my Navajo-plied handspun from the Tour de Fleece, Targhee in the "Ladyfern" colorway from Sweet Grass Wool.  I used about 285 yards for this shawl.  So I suppose it's appropriate to share my 12th shawl in 2012 on 12-12-12!  I like how the chartreuse green sections spaced themselves out nicely without my planning that way.  I had about 5 yards of yarn left over.  I would like to spin Targhee again; it was lovely to work with.

Jack's Chain is on the Megaquilter.  I'm almost done!  I've had to raise the take-up rail twice this quilt, it's so long!  But I'm hoping to get it finished for Tertia for Christmas.  I really like the snowflake feather pattern I'm using:

 

 

Step 3 of Easy Street is complete.  

I'm enjoying the pace of Easy Street this year.  Definitely easier than Orca Bay last year, but that was fun too!  Let's face it, when it comes to a choice between grading, cleaning house, Christmas preparation and shopping, or quilting, I will choose quilting every. single. time.  Sorry to my family for my lackluster housekeeping these last ... 13 years or so.  You're old enough now to do something about it if you want it cleaner, I figure.

Not the best picture, but I started a new pair of socks.  These will be for Steve.  I'm using the simple Skyp pattern but the MUMTU formula for toe-up socks, as I think I've done before.  I'm reading Lynne Truss' Talk to the Hand, which is an interesting combination of snark and lamentation over the state of modern manners.

Easy Street, Step 3

Easy Street is Bonnie K. Hunter's mystery quilt this year.  I have been keeping up, so far.  Here is my photo of a sampling of the first 3 clues.  I changed the colors up from the model: I'm using red instead of purple, my backgrounds are all white or very light ivory, I'm using various mostly light grays instead of one constant gray, and the aquas are a little lighter in an attempt to have an overall fresh, "modern" feel.  I think it will work, and be quite different from the model.  The only color not yet used is the lime green.  I eliminated some of my aquas that I felt were too dark or muddy during this step, but it's still going to be scrappy with a range of fabric values and prints.  I don't think I can do non-scrappy quilts anymore.  Yes, those are skull-and-crossbones over on the left!

I'm happy to report that I'm more than 2/3 finished quilting Jack's Chain.  Earlier this year I finished the top and posted a tutorial about it.  I'm excited about this little whirling feather snowflake design I'm using in the white hexagons: freeform feathers are actually fun to do now, and not as intimidating as I once thought!  I conquered my fear of them in the feathered star I recently quilted.  It also helped that I bought replacement tracks for my Megaquilter frame so the "ride" is  much smoother than it was last summer.  I'm using a point-to-point arc in the triangles and nine-patches, and a vintage sheet for backing.  Hoping to get this bound in time to be a Christmas gift for Tertia.  Then the purple quilt can be for Quarta.  If I get it quilted and bound before Christmas.  I don't suppose I'll be able to knit socks for any of the guys before Christmas?  Probably not.

Saturday was a little too random for me to do a Randomday blog post.  But here's a sampling of the random to start your Monday off: I had to drive 7th graders from school to the church where our Christmas program was to be on Thursday: it just so happened I had a car full of 7th grade boys.  These are all wonderful kids, mind you.  But I'm glad I don't have to do that every day.  It was educational though.  I got them talking about interesting emergency room visits they had had and that distracted them from playing contact sports in the backseat.

Saturday we watched a double-feature: Hugo followed by The Artist.  Both an homage to the art of film.  I'd seen The Artist before, but Hugo was very good.  Ben Kingsley is an amazing actor - he just is absorbed totally into every role he plays.  I wonder if I'd even notice him if I passed him on the street... and I think that's a compliment.  Hugo was one of those films where I kept pestering Steve to check out IMDB on his smart phone.  The actress who played the kindly "Mama Jeanne" was familiar somehow... turns out she also played the much less amiable Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter films.

I finished my 12th shawl of 2012 but still need to weave in the ends.  Tomorrow is an inservice day and I must start a pair of socks so I don't die of idle-handed boredom during it.

I just found a flea.  I'm having a hard time chasing down Muffball to give her her treatment.

I'm lobbying Steve just to chop down the ugly shrub by the grape vines and NOT to use it for a Christmas tree this year.  For those who don't know, we've been harvesting our Christmas trees in our own yard for the last 4 or 5 years, and getting some overgrown shrubbery out of the way at the same time.  But the kids are really tired of non-perfect Christmas trees.

Stash Report:

Fabric used this week: 7 yards (purple arrowhead quilt)
Fabric used year to date: 89 yards
Added this week: 0 yards
Added year to date: 28 yards
Net used for 2012: 61 yards

Yarn used this week: 285 yards (Targhee homespun for wingspan)
Yarn used year to date: 7786 yards
Yarn added this week: 0 yards
Yarn added year to date: 3503 yards (all handspun, not purchased)
Net used for 2012: 4283 yards

Book Review: The Legend of Luke

Source: yardsellr.com via Katherine on Pinterest

The Legend of Luke, by Brian Jacques.  Although this was the twelfth book written in the Redwall saga, it falls chronologically early in the series.  Martin the Warrior, after the events of Mossflower, is living quietly among the good folk at Redwall Abbey.  The Abbey is still under construction but promises to be a haven of peace for the gentle woodlanders.  However, a travelling hedgehog maiden, Trimp, inadvertently triggers some long-forgotten memories of his childhood, laying upon Martin the burden to find out the story of what happened to his father, Luke.  Only a quest through many dangers will suffice to bring the knowledge he seeks; knowledge both of his father's fate, and of his own character.  True to the Redwall pattern, he is joined by many friends, old and new; Trimp, Dinny the mole, Gonff the mousethief, the young squirrel Chugger, and a rather memorable hare named (for short) Beau.  Much of the later part of the book is told in flashback, a tale-within-a-tale that gives us the noble lineage of Martin's sword, and suggests why he is willing to put it aside at the end.

Some have critiqued the Redwall books as being repetitive; there is always a quest, always at least one horde of evil vermin, always a desire for peace which only comes at a high cost.  If they are repetitive, I believe they have the best kind of repetition, the kind that bridges the gap between old and young and leaves us all wanting "more of the same, but different."  As I have read these books, I have begun to see recurring themes as well; in this book particularly, the sacrifices the older generation must make to protect the younger; the inherent nobility of an unselfish character, the qualities of bravery and leadership which emerge in necessity; the tension between the need for war and the desire for peace.  In a larger sense, Redwall Abbey and the noble woodlanders who dwell there are a metaphor for the island of Britain, constantly beseiged and in need of able defenders, but a beacon of civilization in a dark world.

If you enjoy audiobooks at all, these are well worth listening to: the late Brian Jacques himself narrated them with music and a full cast.  I believe they are the kind of children's books that all children should be exposed to.

WIP Wednesday and Yarn-Along

Ooh boy, is there a lot going on in the craft-blogging world!  Not to mention Christmas, grading, worrying about the fiscal cliff, and general end-of-year craziness.  Sew Mama Sew is hosting giveaways this week, which will easily take all your time if you let it.  I'm trying to visit all the fellow Easy Street quilt blogs too.

In quilting, I finished my purple Anita's Arrowheads top yesterday.  I'm calling it "Barney" for now.  It's 68"x85" and I was thinking about donating it to the Cedar Tree auction in the spring, but Quarta wants it for her own bed.  That's quite a bit of purple cleared out of my stash.  Funny thing about purple, all four of my kids went through a stage where it was their favorite color.  The boys quickly grew out of it once they became school age though.  The girls are still big purple fans.  I'm really not, although I can't explain why.  I like it, I just don't like it enough to work with it a lot, I guess.

These are for Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street mystery quilt.  I'm really enjoying the colors I've chosen and look forward to the next step coming out Friday.  I could stick with red, gray and white and be perfectly happy, but there will be aqua and lime green added to the mix soon.

I had some extra white triangles so I cut some greens to make another batch of geese, for transformation into trees.  I'm planning to make another signature quilt for the Cedar Tree auction next spring.

I've been digging into the scrap bin and making some crumbs blocks.  If you've been following, it was a crumbs quilt I donated for last spring's auction, and I really enjoyed the whole process of working on it.  In the blocks above you see remnants of the last several quilts I've pieced.  I just need to make enough tree blocks and wonky star blocks to pull it all together, and they make great leaders/enders projects as I'm working on other piecing.  I'm still putting off machine-quilting Jack's Chain.

In knitting, Wingspan is getting closer to finished, and lookit what fun book I found at the library: His Good Opinion by Nancy Kelley.  This is Pride and Prejudice told from Darcy's point of view.  I'm really enjoying it so far.
Finally, in honor of Sinter Klaas day, here's a story from Holland:  a flash mob in honor of an elderly knitter, Loes Veenstra, who has made over 500 sweaters in her knitting career.  Rotterdam parties in her honor:

Design Wall, Stash Report, Easy Street Update 2

The purple behemoth is still on my design wall.  I have all of the blocks sewn, now it's just a matter of sewing them together.  Five of the ten rows are together and there are 2 more laid out here.  It's just getting too bulky for the wall.  I'm eager to get it together completely, but I'm distracted at the moment by...

Easy Street!  Finished step 1, midway through step 2.  I'm using red instead of purple because I'm kinda sick of purple (see above).  I like the way the light grays and whites and true reds play together so far.  I have a Fons & Porter Flying Geese ruler and have found it takes the place of both the rulers Bonnie recommends.  I used it for Orca Bay last year, which didn't use flying geese units at all, but quarter-square triangles, and it worked fine.

Closeup of those red flying geese.  I wish I had more of the cute doggies, but I had only a tiny scrap.  I've been using my reds at a faster rate than any of my other fabrics, and I probably need to replenish them.  But whee!  It's fun to piece these little geese!  I always felt like I was missing out, never having made a red-and-white quilt like so many of my quilting buddies.  I may just have to do that sometime.

See where everyone else is on Easy Street here.

Stash Report: No changes this week, but the purple quilt will surely be done soon.

Fabric used this week: 0 yards
Fabric used year to date: 82 yards
Added this week: 0 yards
Added year to date: 28 yards
Net used for 2012: 54 yards

Yarn used this week: 0 yards
Yarn used year to date: 7501 yards
Yarn added this week: 0 yards
Yarn added year to date: 3503 yards (all handspun, not purchased)
Net used for 2012: 3998 yards

Randomday

Once again it's time for Randomday, where it's all about the random.

Wreck-it Ralph was a wonderful movie.  You should all see it.  It was like a mash-up of Toy Story and Tron, and it totally worked.  Best line: "You hit someone ... with glasses.  Well played."

Today I took Tertia and Quarta to the library, where Tertia's choir group did some caroling.  She has really come a long way since last year in her ability to track with the lyrics.  She did the Christmas tree lighting in Esther Short Park in the pouring rain last Friday, and is scheduled for a school concert still and a special appearance at Beaches restaurant for the school district big-wigs in a few weeks.  Plus, it's just fun that once a year, it's okay to sing out loud in the middle of the library!

While the girls were doing that, Steve took Secundus to take his written driver's test.  Apparently, today is the very first day of the new system, where they are farming out the tests to the various driver's ed schools across the county instead of running them at the DMV.  Last summer with Daniel at the DMV, it was a multi-week wait to schedule the actual driving exam locally -- or you could just go to Kelso and take it that day.  We ended up going to Kelso.  Secundus will be taking his driving test this coming week.  He is more than eager to get his license and everything that he thinks comes with that.

Martha Stewart can kiss my grits.  Okay, so I tried a recipe from an old Martha Stewart Living magazine for "crisp anise cookies."  I should have taken warning when it said the bit about "spoon batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2" round tip.  Pipe 1-inch tapered mounds on baking sheets lined with nonstick baking mats."  A nonstick baking mat, I thought, that must be a high-tech silicone thingy that only Martha would have... I'll just spray the sheets with Pam.  And the cookies, which did not come out in perfect little 1-inch tapered mounds when I squeezed the plastic bag that I subbed for the pastry bag, stuck to the sheets.  So I tried parchment paper and that worked a little better.  It was an interesting recipe.  But I'll just skip straight to the parchment paper if I ever make it again.

I have finished step one of the Easy Street mystery quilt and am taking a break for blogging before diving into step two.  Actually, I have to fix dinner sometime soon, so maybe after dinner I can start step two.  No, darn it, I really have to grade the rest of my quizzes and iron clothes.  Maybe I can do that little trick where I sew a few seams, and then press a garment, and keep bribing myself to iron more clothes by letting myself do a little patchwork in between.  That's about as good as it gets on ironing nights.

I also need to make soup for tomorrow's fellowship dinner.  I'm thinking of trying loaded baked potato soup.  Or maybe this recipe.  Somehow I haven't felt like cooking much for a few days as I fought the nasty crud that's going around at school.  I'm getting there, but still not quite.  I think it will be quesadillas for dinner again tonight.