Slow Progress
I guess I am more black-and-white in my thinking than I thought. I seem to think I can finish things in waaay less time than it takes. The problem is not in underestimating the time of actual knitting, I think. The problem is in underestimating the time it takes for the distractions in the middle of the knitting. I don’t mind my interruptions. Maybe if I did, I’d get more knitting done!

Sock Class
Sunday I had the final class of First-Time Toe-Up socks at Threadbear with Jamie and Esther. Robin had to be out of town this week and we missed her. For some reason I forgot to take a picture of their socks… I get so wrapped up in teaching this happens too often. Last week I had a group photo but then I lost my good camera before I downloaded the photos. Thank goodness I still had my old camera and it is helping me limp by until I can afford to replace it again with a good one. But that means I have no photos of this class at all. Pooh!

Trust me, a good time was had by all. Jamie did a striped, ribbed cuff for her 11-year-old son, and Esther did a pair (stockinette leg with short rib at top) in tweedy natural yarn that is just perfect for her. Last week Robin showed us the Eggplant-colored Bingo socks she was knitting and doing very well with.

Bloom Shawl/Sweater Distraction
After class ended, I sat with the regular crowd and knit on my mohair Bloom Shawl. I needed to do 5 sections but I finished only 2. Again, the lovely distractions of life got in the way. I tried on a sweater in Aspen bulky merino/acrylic yarn. Oh, My! I love that sweater! With only 64 stitches on the front, mostly K1P1 rib with a large cable in the middle and a cowl neck, it could be a fast knit indeed. And I’ve looked for an excuse to get some of that yarn… I still have too many things on the “finish me” pile to buy more yarn right now for that, but I’m seriously considering it. I would WEAR that sweater. Tunic length, warm, stretchy. Yeah, I liked it!

Shopping: Anne Yarn
So then I went back to knitting the Bloom Shawl. Then I got distracted by the Shaeffer Anne sockyarn. It’s great sockyarn with some mohair in it, but I had to look a bit until I found a skein in colors I could live with. Most of the skeins have some very dark colors in them, or very high contrast. I finally found a skein in three hot pinks… a medium pink, a purplish-pink, and a coral-pink. Very nice, not too contrasty, not too dark. Bought that one! Now I have two new sockyarns in one weekend. Ack! Need to make some plans to KNIT more socks, I think.

New Program!
Tomorrow is an exciting new day, because I start a new knitting project. I’m teaching teens in the Hill Alternative High School (Lansing School District) on their lunch hours, until May. I haven’t had a chance to teach teens of this age group before, except one-on-one. I teach mostly adults at yarn shops or elementary/middle-school kids at Foster Center’s CityKidz Knit! program. This will be fun. I figure at least some teens in an alternative high school will have more inclination to be different and artful. I can’t wait to see what they start coming up with once they get a few skills under their belts.

Fun Personal Knitting Ahead
OK, off to knit another Bloom section and then play with my wild sweater. I’m making myself knit a little on the Bloom Shawl before I take the night off. I will knit on my sweater-conversion project for a while, just for me!

Photo: Two handpainted sockyarns I didn’t dye, both purchased in the last few days. Greens and cream, by Rae Blackledge of Rae’s Yarn Boutique. Pinks, Anne by Schafer yarns (purchased at Threadbear Fiberarts).