One Great Weekend

 I have wanted to take a class from quilter Heidi Parkes for years. But either she was teaching when I was working or she was teaching far away. She's based in Milwaukee, so I was looking for a local opportunity.

And I got one this past weekend. Heidi did a two-day workshop in Cedarburg, an adorable little town north of Milwaukee -- less than 2 hours from my house.

First, Heidi is an amazing teacher. As you can see, her quilts are very freeform and unique.

I love discovering indie coffee shops when I travel -- and Cedarburg has two. Sunday morning I had a lovely latte while I furiously embroidered so I'd be ready for the day. The coffee cup embroidery is from a photo of a latte in Riga. I don't call myself Caffeine Girl for nothing.

Heidi's class was quite challenging, and I really struggled. She pointed out that I chose a difficult palette. I haven't sewn any of the blocks together, so I may have to make some major changes.

It was the friendliest group I've ever taken a class with. Everyone shared supplies and tools. There were no cliques. We are going to try to get together in the fall to hang out in Cedarburg and show our finished quilts.

It felt like the beginning of retirement, even though I have 5 more work days.

xx

And Now for Something Complete Different

 I have been knitting -- especially because I've been binging on WandaVision on Disney -- but that isn't all. I've been embroidering this:

This embroidery is based on the book pictured below.  It was published in 1918, so it is no longer under copyright. As a child, I read constantly. When I saw this book at a flea market, I just had to buy it, knowing someday it would be an embroidery. Besides, I suffer from a nostalgia for all things 20th century -- before 1980, that is.

There were 27 Grace Harlowe books, which follow her from high school, through service in France in WWI, and onto other adventures. I'm trying to read this book, but it is pretty dull from today's point of view.

I've encountered quite a learning curve as I've converted this into an embroidery. Going from black/white to full color has been harder than I expected.  And there are no words to describe the tedium of embroidering the book's title with tiny stitches. And I am terrified I'll ruin the entire thing when I stitch the face.

I chose the passage of text as being representative of the tone of the book. Those small words aren't too difficult to stitch.

This will take me a while to finish -- good thing I'm retiring! -- but I already have the next book cover picked out!

P.S. The police arrested the person who threatened gun violence against my school. The press is describing the person as a "child," and that's all we know.

Good News, Weird News & Knitting

 My husband and I woke up to a great text this morning: All the conditions have been removed from the offer on our house and we are closing on June 1! It will be nice to own only one house.

Weird news: Threats of a shooting at my high school have been posted on Snapchat. Really? As if this school hasn't been hard enough! The worst thing is that Snapchat doesn't seem to know who posted the threatening posts. We definitely need to regulate social media.

And finally .... knitting!

I finished the first Petty Harbour sock. I was worried about running out of yarn, so I only did a 5-inch leg. Big mistake! I didn't get to the final color. Oh well. I'm not redoing the sock!

I am a huge fan of Casapinka. She writes amazing patterns, and I love ponchos. So how could I resist casting on Noncho? The red and gray yarns are from my stash, but I honestly didn't have a third color. Local dyer and store Knit Circus had just reopened, so that gorgeous hand-paint is from there. We much support every LYS, right?

I have 19 more school days before retirement. It still feels like a long time. But I will get there!

The Fun Never Stops Around Here

 On Monday, I fell down two or three stairs at school. I'm very lucky that nothing is broken, but I am pretty banged up. Fun fact: Sprains often hurt more than breaks. I broke my right leg nine years ago to the day: April 19, 2013. Monday I ended up with high ankle sprain -- and that hurt way more!

More fun: Our old house is not selling quickly. We think it's because we didn't update the main bathroom. That was dumb on our part. We may need to take it off the market and do a quick update. We priced it knowing that the bathroom needed to be updated, so we're hoping that works out.

I have had time to knit and I finally finished the Adrift Shawl, which I had taken to calling the "forever shawl." It needs a good blocking, and I think it will be very long and cozy.

And I started a pair of Petty Harbor Socks with an unknown color of Knit Circus yarn. I need easy these days. 

I went back to work today and it was really great to be with people. We only have 9th- and 12th-graders in the building so it was calm. The kids were quiet and they all wore masks. I got to meet some of my freshman finally. I think the weeks will go faster now that we are back in school.

Chugging Along

 We closed on our house without incident last week.  We've moved in a few things, but we can't move in too much until the painters finish. The sellers painted the walls themselves before they put the house on the market. Not only did they do a sloppy job, but they chose colors better suited for a state mental institution.

We have movers scheduled for the end of the month, so we hope to have all the small stuff moved by then.

I still need some crafting time to keep my sanity. This next photo will look like a repeat but it's not. I am now calling Porto the "Forever Sweater." It will get done. Eventually

I've been quilting the Hook, Line & Tinker embroidery designs, and I think it enhances the images.

Thursday, Keith and I drove 45 minutes to the Walgreens in Fort Atkinson. Why? So I could get my first Covid vaccine! Seeing as my district is starting in-person instruction with K-2, I was feeling pressure to be vaccinated before the high schools open.

I wanted a quick, easy, stash-busting project for the drive, so I pulled together materials for a Banff. It's a Tin Can Knits pattern, and I have never been disappointed by one of their patterns. This was fun, fast, and very relaxing. Just what I needed. I've already started a second one.

I expect my posts and comments will be sporadic over this coming month, but I will be trying to read and keep up with you!

Long Slog

Right now everything feels like a long slog. We close on our house next week, so we are sorting, tossing, and packing -- never fun stuff! My union is in prolonged negotiations with the district to figure out how to reopen our schools.

And it turns out my latest sweater project is going to be a long slog, too. This is Porto.

It is a very loose-fitting pull-over knit out of a gorgeous Berroco non-wool yarn. The yarn is listed as DK, but it feels more like fingering. And the rounds get really long before you separate for the sleeves -- like more than 500 stitches! I think it will be worth it in the long run, but it's going to take a while.

My mitered-square blanket is another big project. I'm trying to figure out where to put colors for the last row. Then comes the long slog: the border!

In six to eight weeks, at least some of these issues will be resolved, for now I just have to take things a day at a time.

You Win Some, You Muck Up Others

 As if it isn't bad enough that I'm the last person to bake bread during the pandemic, my bread did not turn out at all. The dough for two loaves of cinnamon-raisin bread looked OK at the beginning:

But it never rose properly. I puzzled and puzzled over it. I've baked plenty of bread in my time. Then Keith asked about the yeast. I only bought it a few weeks ago, but I checked anyway. Yep, it expired four years ago! Given the run on yeast in the past year, I have no idea how any out-dated yeast was left.

Fortunately, not everything here is failing. Thanks to Kim, I have an adorable embroidered sheep. I'm going to make the Hygge Reindeer, which Kim also made, and then combine them in a little quilt.

Kim really has a knack for finding the best embroidery patterns.

And I'm quite happy with the quilt I'm making with my flower embroidery:

The border strips are fabric that I sun-dyed last summer. Wow, does that seem like a long time ago or what? Not that I mind winter. I took a long walk this afternoon, and it really cheered me up. 

I have a rough work week coming up so I needed the boost. So far, my district is mostly virtual, but I'm always worrying about being asked to go back before vaccination! Chicago's teachers have voted not to teach in person, which I think is wise. My science-smart friends say the Midwest will have another spike as universities open up.

So, wherever you are, stay safe, my friends. We are not out of the woods yet.

The Best and the Worst of Winter Break

 We got snow! And not just a dusting. There was enough snow for the city to groom the golf course. I love cross country skiing, so this was a huge treat! Skiing with friends was extra special this winter.

From left: Tsela, Judith, Lisa, Me, Debbie, Mimi

I skied for three days in a row, one of which was my friend Tsela's birthday.

I don't have much time to exercise when school is in session, so I am pretty out of shape. By the third day, I had to shorten my route. I was tired; my arms and legs were aching -- best feeling ever!

And I designed and sewed a needle book. I had bought a little one for $5 in summer 2019, but I wanted something bigger and with pockets. It was a surprising success.

I even embroidered each page to show what kind of needles it holds.

That was the best stuff. That and talking to both my kids this week.

The worst? Break ends tomorrow and it's back to virtual school. I think I would be enjoying it more if I wasn't worried about the district forcing us to come back before we are vaccinated. Cross your fingers that my district supports teachers' right to live!

Winter Break!

Winter break is here! And it feels great, even though it will be busy. I am frantically baking cookies and working on decluttering. Keith and I have looked at two houses in the past couple weeks, and they are selling very fast. So we need to get our house in order!

I finished the mitts I designed in Isaac's honor, and I need to write a note and drop them off for his mom. Writing that note will be the hardest thing I do during break

I do have some good news. My mom is recovering from Covid. It is a slow recovery, but 4 weeks after she got sick she is able to go to the grocery store. She is very tired and has some other symptoms, but it looks like she'll be OK.

I finished Rachel's mittens. They are simple, but very squishy and warm.

With the leftover yarn, I was able to make a matching hat.

We have been having pretty mild winter weather with high's in the 30s, so at least I can get out and walk with my buddies. Keith was able to bike 26 miles last week, which brings his yearly total to 7,000 miles. Impressive, huh? And it is cold enough for me to wear my hand-knits:

The cats are definitely in winter break mode:

Like all sane people, we are planning on a quiet Christmas with just the two of us. I will deliver plates of cookies on the 24th, but that's as close as I'll get to family and friends. It's a small price to pay for staying alive!

No News Is Good News

 I have news, and none of it is good.

My phone rang at 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, and I knew what that meant. My mom had had a Covid test the previous day. Yep, she is positive, and it's been very rough. My brothers found out that UW-Madison was administering a monoclonal antibody infusion and they got her in the very next day!

But she has been feeling terrible. She was in the ER earlier this week, where they discovered a blood clot in her lungs. She is on Eliquis now and still feeling awful. She has just about every risk factor there is, so we are very worried.

She lives in the independent living section of a retirement community, which is terrible for this situation. Her community is filled with Covid, and I have a heart condition, so we can't go in. We hired a company to send a nursing aide every day, but they are so short-staffed that they don't make it every day.

Then I got a call from my principal on Wednesday. "I have really bad news about a former student, she said. A student I had been very close to going back to 8th grade, had died unexpectedly on Tuesday at the age of 19.

My heart is broken. Isaac lived in my neighborhood so we've stayed in touch. The first time I met him in 8th grade, he said, "No teacher has ever liked me, and you won't either." Of course, I fell in love right then and there. I cannot imagine how his parents are getting through this. He was an only child, and he had an amazingly close relationship with his mom -- who is also a special ed teacher and who worked at a middle school with me.

Because I don't know what to do with my grief, I designed a unisex mitt in Isaac's honor. His mom is very active in outdoor sports, so the first pair goes to her.

Then there is the Republican legislature in Wisconsin, which wants teachers back in school in January -- no matter how bad community spread is. We are counting on the Democratic governor to veto this bill. The GOP does not have enough members to override a veto. 

It is a dark time. 

It's All About Covid These Days

 Let's get the complaining out of the way first. This has to be the worst time in history to be a special ed teacher. Betsy DeVos waived requirements for regular ed, but not special ed. As a result, the federal and state bureaucrats have developed mountains of extra paperwork. It's truly overwhelming and accounts for my blogging lapse. At least I have company in the "office."

A sane person would cut back the time she spends with students, but I just can't do that. Half my caseload is freshmen this year, and they need support! I even worked this morning -- and I never work on the weekends.

Wisconsin is Ground Zero for Covid, so we are sheltering place, even though the state legislature and courts won't let the governor issue an order. That means lots of knitting time. The next time you see this, it will be a sweater:

I seamed the sides -- my first seaming project -- during a Zoom bat mitzvah yesterday. They are not perfect. I don't care. The sweater fits me and is cozy. It just needs an icord edging now.

We do go the grocery store. I've been going to a Mexican grocery that is owned by parents of one of my students. It's the only way we can communicate, given my Spanish and their English. Along the way, I've developed a passion for Mexican junk food:

Bubu Lubu may be a silly name, but they are addictive! And the Emperador cookies are pretty darn good, too!

I expect November to be my most challenging month for work because I have 5 IEP meetings (with all the paperwork that goes with them!), so I won't be checking in with all of you as much as I'd like. Oh, and then there's the A-bomb of paperwork which was dumped on us Wednesday. But this too will pass!

Some Happy Things

  As winter hovers, we Midwesterners are eking out every outdoor activity we can. My Urban Sketching group met at the UW Arboretum on Sunday. My sketch is the ugly one. I can't seem to get the hang of trees.

I'll sure miss seeing these folks over the winter.

I finished a project that is making me happy. 

Of course, it is: It's a coffee-themed mini quilt. The background is from cotton scraps left on my cutting board from a throw I'm quilting. The cup is felted wool, and the "steam" is made from beads.

I am also happy with these mitts that will be making their way to my daughter in Denver.

The pattern is Align Mitts. It's free and well-written. I zipped through these with a Madtosh speckled yarn.

And there are some good things about working from home. Sometimes I have company while I'm teaching:

She slept all through a Biology class!

Good Enough

I did fix my About Town mitts -- sorta. The one on the left is correct; the one on the right has some issues: there is a blip on the thumb, holes at the base of the thumb gusset, and the hand part isn't quite right. 

But when I put them on, they look just fine -- and that's good enough for me! I'm going to make a pair for my daughter -- and those will have to be perfect!

Keith is Up North camping this week, so I'm cooking for myself. Last night I made crepes with ricotta cheese and sauteed nectarines. Pretty amazing.

Tomorrow is the first night of Rosh HaShanah, and I'm going to a virtual dinner before services. I'm going to make baked tofu with peanut sauce. It's a New York Times recipe and recommended by a friend, so it should be good. I have to do something festive!

Virtual teaching is really hard, but I feel re-energized. This evening I went to a McDonalds where I knew one of my graduates would be working. She was so happy to see me (and I to see her). Reminded me of why I do this work. The best news: She's going to cosmetology school. In June, she told me she was not ever going to school again. So glad she saw the light sooner rather than later!

These Mitts are Cursed

 I can't find my favorite fingerless mitts, so I've been knitting myself a pair of About Town Mitts, a pattern by Bonnie Sennott. As you can see from the two finished mitts, some things went terribly wrong.

Most obviously, the mitt on the right is too short. I thought it was just a weird design, but then the second mitt worked out beautifully. I missed an entire section on the hand the first one, so I'll have to tear it back and reknit.

Also, there are some weird holes at the bottom of the thumb gusset of the mitt on the right. When I put the mitt on, the holes don't show, so I think I'm just going to live with that. At least these aren't a gift for anyone!

I am always admiring the quilting I see on your blogs. Those of you who quilt perform miracles, like sewing straight lines and producing even squares. Instead of just envying you all, I am working on a modern log cabin pattern that allows me to focus on those two skills.

So far I think I see some improvement in my skills. But I won't really be able to tell until I start putting together the pieces.

I have to admit that I'm feeling a bit down this evening. It's Selichot, a service that is held on the Saturday night before Rosh HaShanah. My congregation isn't even doing a Zoom service, so I feel a bit off. For me it's the first step in the High Holy Days.

Also, I'm tired. Teaching on Zoom is exhausting. And there were so many issues -- technology problems, scheduling issues, frantic phone calls from confused students and parents. It was good to see students, even if it was just online.

You may have seen Madison in the news. Students at UW-Madison are not following protocols and the numbers in Dane County are spiking. Every day is new high. More than half the frat and sorority houses are quarantined, as well as two large dorms. 

It's going to be long winter, I'm afraid.

Taking a Deep Breath on Friday

Thank you all for your kind words of support. They really helped me as I moved through the week, which was a hard one. My jaw was damaged when I was born. When I'm under stress, I clench, which causes terrible headaches. (Yes, I have a bite guard, but that just protects your teeth.) For the first time, the jaw problems are causing severe earaches. Apparently this is a common issue with jaw problems.

I saw two doctors this week. They both said I need to reduce stress as much as possible. Since that's not really possible, they upped my pain and sleep meds.

Still, I hustled all week. I have a lot of freshmen on my caseload this year, so I've been getting to know them and their families virtually. I completed a mountain of paperwork -- and I think I did it correctly! Now we have two weeks of professional development before the students come back virtually.

In the midst of all that, it seemed reasonable to indulge myself, so I started knitting the Annalise Shawl that I was gifted by Bridget:

Clearly I will have to block the heck out of the edges. Nonetheless, it is the perfect antidote to this trying week. Easy, fun, and beautiful.

I also picked up a project that I had cast on and lost track of months ago:

This is the beginning of a fingerless mitten. The pattern is About Town Mitts by Bonnie Sennott, who is one of my favorite designers. It's also an easy knit, which is all I am capable of at this point!

And I squeezed in another sketch of a house in the expensive part of my neighborhood. As you can tell, I really enjoy doing the stonework. The stone here is lannon stone, which is largely found in southeastern Wisconsin.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is glad that it's Friday!

Tiny Needle Tuesday

I've made quite a bit of progress on my embroidery but...

... the remaining lines disappeared! I'm not sure if they were supposed to disappear or if I didn't iron them on correctly. I'll have draw them in and hope for the best!

I had a full day of work today. For special ed in my district, summer is over. We have to do a mountain of paperwork to comply with federal law. I just want to say: Betsy DeVos could have relaxed the paperwork requirements. Instead, she added to them.

The next thing I need to do is set up a functional workspace. First, I have to get rid of this crap:

That is my son's equipment from his days as the lead guitarist for a death metal group called An End to Flesh. He found the name in the Torah. Not quite what I was hoping for when I sent him to Hebrew School. They were moderately successful; even toured both coasts. Still, I think that veterinary medicine is a better career.

So Much News!

For the first time ever, I lost a pair of glasses. Also for the first time ever, I bought a pair of glasses without checking the price first. I am absolutely in love with my new glasses:

Luckily for me, the clerk is very chatty. When he found out I was a teacher, he gave me $200 off. And they were still pricey -- but worth it. Still, I really can't afford to lose this pair!

I have long admired (drooled over) the work of felt applique embroiderer Sue Spargo. I finally bought her class on Craftsy/Bluprint and started my own felt project. She provides a butterfly project, but I had to do my own thing, so I'm doing fish:

It has been hot as Hades here (and everywhere!), so I've taken advantage of the weather to do some fabric dying with  Dynaflow paints and salt. The results are always a surprise.

Yesterday I indulged in a fancy cold coffee at a cafe with outdoor tables. It was too hot to boil water and I'd forgotten to make iced coffee the night before. Also, I was celebrating: My district announced that first quarter will be virtual.

Like everyone, I have mixed feelings. Virtual teaching isn't ideal for students, nor is it fun for teachers. But I am almost 61 and I have an arrhythmia. I am terrified of going into a large high school with all those wonderful -- but less than adult -- disease vectors running around! And it turns out that teens are indeed vectors!

And the best news of all, thanks to Kat, Brenda Dayne is coming back. Pick up your pointy sticks!