Monday, December 30, 2013

Christmas Brag Post

The beginning of December was cold for us. (Not as cold as the rest of the country, of course, but cold for us in Southern California.) I didn't mind so much. It meant my Christmas presents would be appreciated.

Then we got a warm up.

Yeah, Christmas Day it hovered somewhere in the 80s. Degrees. Fahrenheit.

My three-year-old nephew wasn't much into the shark hat I knit him. Sigh.

However, the eight-year-old nephew liked it quite a lot. (I made each of them one.)

The other two nephews (yep, I've got four nephews) turned eight-months-old on Christmas. They got something a little more appropriate

Then their mother told me in conversation that her wrists get cold in the winter (when we're having winter weather), so I knew just what to knit her.

I also made her a pair in black, but I neglected to get a picture of them.

And finally, I made a hat.

Which deserves it's own blog post considering all the mistakes I made on it.

I included Ravelry links to all the patterns I used, in case there are any knitters (or crocheters in the case of the twins' gifts) who are interested. A couple of the patterns were free online. A couple came out of magazines that I have.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Parallel Lives

Quantum particles can be in two places at once. They say people can't be.

But what if...?

What if we had two separate existences that we lived at the same time, only we are unaware of the other when we're not there? What if we somehow became aware?

Monday, December 23, 2013

Busy Knitting

I've mentioned before that I write these posts ahead, haven't I? So, while you're reading this (thank you for stopping by this holiday week, by the way), I'll be busily trying to finish the last of my Christmas knitting/crocheting. Because even though I knew what I was going to be making everyone, I took a very long time getting started on it.

I may have mentioned that I contribute to Unicorn Bell from time to time. They're looking for a new moderator. If you'd be interested in joining us, Charity has explained the requirements much better than I could.

How's your Christmas shopping coming along (assuming you celebrate)?

Friday, December 20, 2013

Barter System

I was roaming around the room. (7th grade core class.) I stopped by this one girl. She was asking everybody if they had 0.7mm lead as her pencil had run out.

The boy in front of her said he did. But he wanted something in return.

Girl: "What color do you want?"

Boy: "Purple."

Girl: "For that, I want three leads."

So, the girl pulled out a small fluffy pom-pom like purple ball and handed it to the boy. The boy handed her his case of leads. She pulled out a bunch, put back all but three, and returned the case to the boy.

Me: "What is that?"

Girl: "It was for a project. It's finished. These were extra."

Satisfied, I was about to move on...

Girl: "I would have given him one for nothing."

As he would have likely given her one lead for nothing. (A student running out of lead for a mechanical pencil and then asking around for a lead is commonplace. Just like asking for paper.)

But, in the end they both got something out of the exchange.

(It was funny how they both felt the need to explain to me how they were bartering, like they were doing something wrong. I was just entertained by how they worked the whole thing out between themselves.)

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Lack of Imagination

So, I was watching something-or-other, but not really watching it while I was doing something else. It was science-y. And some of the things they were doing seemed science-fiction-y to me. And it got me thinking...

A lot of the things that are real now were imagined by someone in the past. It took time and effort to come up with them. Some things that seemed so out there in stories told by writers in the past are now almost commonplace. Our stories give us so much, even though they also give us TV and too much time spent watching other people's stories.

Which led to the question of imagination. We, as a people, clearly have one, if some individuals may not.

What if imagination was something that people feared? What if stories were forbidden? What sort of a people would we be?

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Festive Wine Bottle Cozy

My mother is giving a bottle of wine for some gift exchange thingie, and seeing it, I volunteered to make a cozy to wrap the bottle in. Because I'm not behind with my Christmas knitting or anything...

There are eyelets in the stitch pattern, so she's going to get a ribbon to tie the top with. I think it turned out rather nice.

Since it was a rather easy thing, I thought I'd include the pattern (mostly so I can find it again if I ever have need of it).

I used a yarn called Caron Jewel Box. I've had it in my stash for a while, and I'm sure it's been discontinued by now. It's a bulky yarn with lots of texture, which is the reason it was picked for this application.

I didn't plan this pattern out all that carefully. I used the crochet hook and knitting needles that were closest at hand. I didn't swatch. I crocheted the bottom, held it up to the wine bottle, and once it was big enough to cover the bottom, I switched to knitting needles and knit up the sides.

So, if you plan to try this, I suggest that you do the same thing. Make the bottom until it's the right size for your wine (or whatever) bottle, erring on the side of just a little bit too big. Then pick up and knit around.

The knit pattern works over a multiple of three stitches, which is why I started off by working nine double crochets into the ring. That way, I was sure to end up with a multiple of three stitches when it was time to knit. If you need a round 3 for the bottom, you only need to increase by 9 (that is, *dc, 2 dc in next dc, repeat from *).

So, I used:
Yarn: Caron Jewel Box
Crochet hook size N
Double pointed needles size 10 1/2
Marker to mark beginning of round

dc=double crochet
sl st=slip stitch
yo=yarn over
k3tog=knit 3 together


With N crochet hook, chain 3. Join to first chain with a slip stitch, forming a ring.
Round 1: Ch 3, 8 dc in ring. Join with sl st to top of chain 3 (9 sts)
Round 2: Ch 3, 2 dc into each dc from prev rnd. Join with sl st to top of ch 3 (18 sts)
Take the loop off the hook and transfer to knitting needles
Round 3: Through the back loop of each of the dc, pick up and knit 1 (18 sts). Place marker and continue working in the round.
Begin Puff Rib stitch pattern:
Round 4: *P2, yo, k1, yo, repeat from * for the round
Rounds 5 & 6: *P2, k3, repeat from * for the round
Round 7: *P2, k3tog, repeat from * for the round

Repeat rounds 4-7 until cozy is desired height. Bind off on a row 6.

I used a stretchy bind off. Depending on how tight the cozy is to the bottle, this may or may not be necessary.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Dictionary Skills

7th grade English. They've been reading Freak the Mighty. They day's assignment was a worksheet to go with their reading of the novel.

The worksheet consisted of eight vocabulary words, space where they could summarize four chapters in three to four sentences, and ten comprehension questions. (They've been getting similar worksheets as they read through the book.)

The lesson plan stated that they could look up the vocabulary words in dictionaries that were on shelves in the back of the room.

I started class by passing out the worksheets. I explained the assignment.

"Can't we look up the words on our phones? She lets us."

While I was sure this was a true statement, the lesson plan said to use dictionaries, so I told them they had to use dictionaries.

And that's where the whining began.

Looking up words in a dictionary is hard. It's so much easier to type it in to the phone. It pops right up. Why did they have to flip through pages, especially because they couldn't find the word right away? And half the words weren't even in the dictionary...oh, wait, there it is.

(All the words were in the dictionary. They were just on the wrong page. Whoops.)

On and on and on it went. One boy even argued (okay, he tried to convince me) that using the phones was better. And they should be allowed to do that rather than get out those unwieldy books.

I don't want to be one of those who laments "these kids today". I don't want to be one of those people who talks about the dumbing down of our youth by talking about what they don't know or what they're unwilling to do.

But sheesh!

When did looking something up in the dictionary become so hard?

Monday, December 16, 2013

Trouble Noted

Most teachers leave me seating charts. Some make notations.

It was 6th period. They were just arriving. One student claimed he didn't know where his seat was.

I asked for his name. "Elliot." I pointed out where Elliot sat. "Oh, there's really an Elliot in here?" Which meant his name wasn't Elliot. Then who was he? He was unwilling to say, so he leaned over and peeked at the seating chart.

"What does that circle mean?"

His name was circled. At the top of the page, also circled, was TROUBLE.

He wasn't supposed to see that. And he was offended.

He went on a little tirade. "But she likes me. She's my second mother. She says she likes teaching and she likes students and..."

Not five minutes later another student approached me. He said he needed a health office pass as he had a headache. (I believe him as he didn't look so good.) As I wrote his pass, he leaned over and peeked at the seating chart.

"She what?"

His name was circled, too. He was quicker figuring it out.

Here's the funny part: the seating chart had exactly two names circled for all the classes. Two. All day, I only had two students peek at the chart. The only two who should not have seen the notation.


And yes, they were as advertised.

Friday, December 13, 2013


"I got in trouble the last time you were here."

I nodded at the girl. I was glad to know the teacher took action with regards to my note.

The girl's actions were so memorable I already recounted them on the blog. She had asked if she could nap after her quiz, so she stretched out on the floor of the classroom.

Apparently, there had been a reckoning on Monday after I covered the class. Their behavior, while still not ideal, wasn't nearly as bad as it had been the last time I covered.

But the girl didn't come up to talk to me just because of the trouble. She wanted to set her wallet up near me so it wouldn't get stolen by her classmates. She claimed the wallet contained $300, and she thought that someone would try to take it from her if it wasn't safeguarded.

There are many things wrong with this picture, not the least of which is why she'd allegedly be bringing $300 in cash to school. (I have no idea if the wallet contained said amount. I did not check.) And considering how I'd informed the teacher about her behavior last time, she trusted me? But the class was crazy, and I was trying to get things started, so I set the wallet aside where no students would get to it, and I started class.

I forgot about the wallet. So did she. She had to return after she had left because she left it behind.

No one touched the wallet during class. Not even me. But still, I wonder...

But then again, she didn't seem like the sort of person who thinks things through well. I'm sure what I'm thinking never occurred to her. I hope.

Thursday, December 12, 2013


I was watching some thing on Mars and sending explorers there. So, I'm sitting here, staring at the blank page, wondering what to "what if" about, and that show came to mind.

My first thought was: What if a mission went awry?

But that's been done. To death. I can think of three instances just off the top of my head. And I'm not even trying hard.

Okay, time to dig a little deeper.

What if some space and/or exploring mission went awry? How would those who sent them react? Would they try again? Would they even know what happened?

Okay, that's been done, too, but at least it's a little better. I'll try harder next week.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Blogging Around

As I was leaving school the other day, I spied two boys tossing a football. Across the street. The busy street clogged with the traffic of parents picking their kids up from school.

While I observed, the boy on the opposite side of the street fumbled the ball. It bounced into the street. Well, the gutter. And he dove for it. As a car drove by.

You'd think they'd have gotten the idea, but I saw them toss it at least once more before I lost sight of them.

That's almost as bad as the kids who like to skateboard down my street. On a hill. In the middle of the street. Without looking out for traffic.

Sometimes they make me tired.

Yeah, so today I'm posting about other things on other blogs. It's my week at Unicorn Bell. I'm talking about endings. And I did a post for the team I'm on with my shop: California Crafters Club of Etsy. I'm talking about social media, this time a site you might not have heard of.

If you've got a moment, I'd love it if you'd drop by.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013


The week before Thanksgiving I covered an English class at the continuation high school. The assignment: read "No Witchcraft for Sale" by Doris Lessing together, out loud, as a class.

They moaned. They complained. There was no tape? Couldn't they read it individually?

Exactly two weeks later I returned to the same class. I was thrilled to read the lesson plan. The class was to read "A Devoted Son" by Anita Desai individually. To themselves. Not as a group.

We got through the intro stuff, and I delivered the good news.

They moaned. They complained. There was no tape? Couldn't we read it together as a class?

[Insert reaction here]

Monday, December 9, 2013

Too Much Help?

Whenever I proctor a test, I get student questions. I will clarify directions, but often I get the "spelling test question":
Me (reading from list): [random word]
Student: How do you spell [random word]?
I glare at the student. 
So, I have to be careful. I have to look at the question the student is working on. Sometimes my answer is, "That's what the question is asking if you know".

7th grade math. Test. Their teacher has warned me that these students are struggling. Stuff they should have mastered wasn't.

The previous day we had gone over their practice test (which looked remarkably like the actual test--up to and including having some of the problems using the same exact numbers as were used in the practice test). We spent the whole period on it. I took questions, going over exactly how to do all of them. They should have been ready for the test.

A boy raised his hand. He needed help subtracting $4.86 from $5. He was trying to borrow twice from the 5 to cover the tenths and hundredths places.

I looked at the question. It was a word problem. Person had $5 to spend, and a list of items was given. The question asked if a person bought certain things, how much change should the person get?

So, on the one hand, he should know how to borrow when subtracting. He should have learned this in an earlier grade. But on the other, he set up the problem correctly, just having trouble doing the computation.

In the end I decided to explain what he needed to do to get an answer. Whether he got it right after that...

The whole day it was like that. Many questions. Some of which I could answer.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Soggy Chips

Oh, I really can't let this week pass without relating one Thanksgiving story. I just can't.

I was sitting at the dining table with my three-year-old nephew Rambo (not his real name. His mother has given all her children online nicknames, so I'll stick with it). We were both munching on chips. Because, that's what you do when you're waiting for dinner, you fill up on snacks.

Rambo dunked his chip in his mother's salsa. He took a tentative bite, and decided that the salsa was too spicy. Or something. He didn't like it.

Not that I blame him. I'm not a fan of salsa.

Anyway, I figured he'd put his chip down and eat another plain chip. But no. He explained to me that he was going to "wash off" the his water cup.

This did not sound like a good idea to me, but I was fascinated nonetheless. Rambo is not one to take well-meaning advice. I thought about explaining how the salsa would now be in his water. I thought about how he's a bit clumsy (well, he's 3). Instead of saying anything, I just watched.

Rambo dipped his chip carefully in the water. He pulled the chip out to take a bite...of water logged chip. He made a face.

Yeah, I could have told him that would happen.

But instead of going to the other chips in his bowl, he lifted his water cup, and he somehow ended up pouring a bit of water into the bowl. (3-year-old. Clumsy.) Making all the chips now soggy.

I waited to see if he'd go for the other chips. It was at about this point that he lost interest in the chips. He left the table and went to do other things. Ah, the attention span of a three-year-old.

He never did taste the salsa-flavored water.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Moonless Sky

Is the Moon necessary for life on Earth? There are those that say yes and there are those that argue no. It's an interesting problem.

But that's not why I'm bringing it up.

I'm supposing an Earth without a Moon...

What if we didn't have that large shiny object in our night sky that seems just within our reach? If it wasn't there, a place we can strive for, would we even have a space program?

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

New Technical Problems

It was an interesting Turkey Day at the continuation high school.

(Yes, I already did a post about Turkey Day. But there was no school last week, so my topics are a little thin.)

In years past, the school would put on a school-wide movie to keep the students entertained while we were waiting to eat. And then after.

At one time this set up was state of the art. We'd pull out the TVs, make sure they were hooked up to the school-wide cable, and somewhere in the office someone would start a movie.

Of course, every year this was an issue. First, was the TV hooked up correctly? Then, was it on the right channel? Sometimes the connection was bad, so we'd get no picture. I'd call for technical assistance (once I'd done everything I know how to do) only to learn that the office hadn't started the movie yet.

This year, they did something different. They uploaded the movie to each teacher's computer so we could play back at our leisure (so we could pause it when we went to eat). Every room now has a projector connected to the teacher's computer. Great idea, right?

Getting the movie to play--no problem. Unfortunately, the movie lasted one hour. We had three hours to fill.

The students all told me to put up Netflix. One problem: I don't have a Netflix subscription. And none of them were willing to use theirs so we could watch something else.


And no, I'm not getting a Netflix subscription to show two hours of something for one class. No matter how much they pestered me to do so.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Homeless Hat

I'm not having the best of luck with my Christmas knitting. I won't even get into the hat that I got two inches into and then had to rip out and start all over. Or the yarn I bought that isn't going to work for the project I bought it for. Yeah, it's been that kind of year.

It's been a hat year. I already showed off the shark hat (which came out really nice). Then I started working on the Amstel Hat. I liked it. But about halfway through it, I knew it wasn't going to work for its intended recipient. It just wasn't her.

So, all subtle at Thanksgiving, I asked my niece if she wanted me to knit her something this year. It's not exactly her color, but it's more her style. But she's not interested. She'd rather have...books. Gasp.

(Okay, books are good. I'm glad she's a voracious reader. But come on! Who wouldn't want me to knit for them?)

So, I've got this lovely hat. It's finished. And I don't have a soul to give it to.

(I suppose I could keep it for myself, but it's not really my color.)

(I could also really use a hat model.)