Firsts

This past quarter was seriously a time for firsts.

I suppose that happens when students are taking seconds and thirds at their turn of a nine week knitting quarter. Look and see what we have.

1st Baby Blanket



1st Hot Dog


1st Superhero



1st Personalized Coasters


1st Santa



1st Use of Bamboo


1st Sweater--Complete with hood and pocket


1st Personalized Hats




1st Striped Dishcloth


Though the following are not necessarily firsts...they are also not the least.
Great job everyone!!

Merry Christmas Fun!

Merry Christmas to you from the Denney Family! Our Christmas card this year was a picture taken at The Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson. We toured the home in June on our Washington D.C. vacation and the tour was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. The photo was taken by a kind and unsuspecting tourist who did not know we would hold him hostage until he got the shot just right. Thank you to whoever you are!! My son then Photoshopped (is that a verb now?) the photo to create differences in a second photo. Both went out in the card.

There are 8 differences between the two shots...did you find them all? Answers are below.

1. Santa's sleigh
2. Wreath over door
3. Missing tourist
4. Other tourist's shirt turned pink
5. Missing window under gable of the house
6. Extra spot on tree where branch was trimmed
7. Darin's watch is missing
8. A letter on Connor's shirt is changed

Knitting is Tight

This is what one of my students declared the other day. He wasn't talking about tension or gauge, though, of course, sometimes knitting can be loose or tight. No, he was talking about the cool factor of knitting. The Online Slang Dictionary lists this as the first definition for the word tight: very good, excellent; COOL, HIP.

When applied to knitting, I must agree.

And here we go with our latest gallery.

A "very good" dishcloth.


A most "excellent" sweater.


A "hip" teddy bear.


A couple of "cool" hats.



More "very good" dishcloths.


A "hip" cell phone holder.


An "excellent" Steelers hat.


"Cool" Bunny.

If You HAD To

I used to tell my own kids how lucky they were that 30 minutes of reading was assigned to them for homework each night. That I wish someone told me that I had to read. I would gladly stop housework chores for 30 minutes, plop down on the couch and read. Just think how many books I'd read if someone told me I had to?

Now what if someone told you that you HAD to knit for one hour each day. I think I would let out a large exaggerated sigh, "Oh I guessssss so!!!" (So as not to let on that I secretly like the idea--they might not make it my requirement anymore.) Just think how much knitting would get done!

This is how it is for my students. They spend one hour (or thereabouts) each day in a situation where they are required to knit. Rough life eh? But just look at how much gets done!

A lovely dishcloth.


Some awesome fingerless mittens from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders.


A sweet baby hat.


A racer stripe dishcloth.


A very warm beanie.


Monster bear sporting a cool outfit.


Super soft baby blanket.


Yet another great dishcloth.


A very bright and warm beanie.



And the famous sweater that has the whole school talking.

Back to School

The 2008-09 school year is well under way. Once again I have a great class with a mixture of knitting skills and abilities. Several have returned from last year eager to move on in their knitting and to make some exciting projects and several this year are brand new knitters. I would especially like to welcome our 5th graders who have joined the class and already they are doing quite well. Here is what is in the works already:

The Monster Bear lives on.


Our first class sweater in progress.


A pretty handsome hat.


Go Lemoore HS!

It's SHOWTIME!

As with the end of each quarter and particularly so with the fourth, there is a frenzy of knitting. Students are desperate to finish just one more project. There is a surge of needle and yarn purchasing and discussions amongst themselves of which new tools they now own. The projects came in steadily and now we've had our last day of knitting class until next fall. Here are the goods.

These two pair have ended the Second Sock Syndrome for our class. They are the first two seconds ever completed.


Here is a fine example of how one mistaken purl row on the knit side becomes a design element when we add another in a strategic spot. We all think this dishcloth is cool.

Worked with three skeiens of blue and knitted up VERY fast.

A dishcloth knitted surprisingly fast by a student who wasn't in the class the full nine weeks. Well done!

Knitted and embroidered for HIS mom for Mother's Day. Ok everyone say, "Awwwwwww." Who wouldn't want one of these!

A Nordic and very well knit earflapper.

More socks. These socks were knitted by 7th grade boys and both are determined to return to knitting class next year in order to give their socks a mate.

You'd think I was running a sweatshop for hats if you knew the speed at which these were knit.

This one is so soft.

I'm especially fond of this one.

And finally...the amazing piece of the year is this gorgeous bag! This student sort of designed this as she went adding an inside pocket and a color coordinated bottom. There is a LOT of knitted stitches in this project.


Way to go all of you! You've done me proud.