WTF? where did January go?

Um............ I'm confused. Yes, blogging went out of the window just before christmas in the rush. hardly surprising. lots of things to do, family, travelling, etc, etc. Just one teensy problem...
what happened to January? I swear Christmas was only a couple of weeks ago, and we are in the middle of February! How did that happen? Could it be that I've been so sucked into my new job that time is rushing past and all i seem to do is work and sleep? well, yeah, kind of...
New job has been a baptim of fire. Started at a new school 3rd Jan. It's mid-Feb, and so far I've done parents' evenings, reports, an Ofsted inspection, an inset day... and somewhere in all this met some kids, some nice some tiresome, and tried to wedge some German into their heads along with all the other clutter. Hmmm...... time flies when you're this busy.
It's been hard work, but I might start to enjoy it after half term. There'll be a nice short term before easter, I'll have had a rest, and (best of all) Ofsted won't be back for two years. Hooray!
Next week is half term. I have a lot of knitting news to share! Will make sure I catch up on it then!

WIP that needs to be an FO!

What's that strange, squidlike many-tentacled blue blob? It's the second of my hubby's special fingerless gloves with thrummed mitten pouch, specially designed for outdoor activities that involve standing around in the cold, then need dextrous fingers (specifically,clay pigeon shooting).
Unfortunately, I offered to knit him these for Christmas back when we had sunshine and long days... then finished one in a burst of enthusiasm, and left it languishing for months on end, whilst I pursued other interests... only to remember two weeks ago that Christmas was fast approaching. Darn it. So although I'm not really in a glove mood at the moment, I am duty bound to finish this one in time for unwrapping on Christmas morning. Having said that, gritting my teeth a few times and getting in a few good hours of gloving in the staff room at break and lunchtimes has made a big difference, and I'm now almost up to the decreases on the mitten pouch. Trouble is, thrumming is slower than knitting normally (have to stop and make the thrums!) and we are rapidly running out of days. The other thing is...
If you knit from no pattern and make no notes, your second glove can bear only a passing similarity to the first... I don't know why that thumb is so different, I think I used the same number of stitches... and I definitely did for the hand. It must be down to gauge I think... not a lot I can do about it really. Fortunately hubby is pleased with them despite their little flaws. He's fabulous. He hasn't even complained that I've given him a nasty chesty lurgy that I picked up from the kids at school... I am nursing him though. I'm not totally nasty.
Another squid-like thing: an octopus finger puppet. Why? When you have an almost-sister-in-law who's a marine biologist and you see a bag of assorted fishy finger puppets, how can you resist?
I'm torn between the shark, the turtle and the seahorse... The starfish is a bit odd.

The ups and downs of handknitted socks.

Uh oh.... hole. hmmm.... can I darn / graft it back together into a holeless, strong fabric? Let's see. First, pick up stitches at the edges of the hole. Weave in a new thread to duplicate the weakened and missing stitches. Simple, no?

No. Can I create a solid, un-holey sock? Yes. Is it neat and smooth and comfortable? No. Bugger. Sigh. I can hear a frog calling me......
Ribbit, ribbit.... Ooooooh, BIG hole. there's three or four rows of knitting gone or damaged there - no wonder I couldn't mend it neatly! Oh, well... half a sock gone in 2 minutes. Just don't think about how long that half sock took to knit.

Unravelled back to good strong knitting, and picked up again, ready to re-knit. This is back into the gusset! And I have long feet! Sigh... but... I enjoy knitting, right? So... this is a good thing?

Well, not quite. I like knitting, but I like to knit new things, not redo old ones, really!

Couldn't really spare the time, but heigh ho, any distraction...

Christmas preparations have begun... Actually I'm feeling rather smug as all the prezzies except the gloves I'm knitting for the hubby have been sitting downstairs wrapped and ready for two weeks! Where did this miraculous organisation come from? I'm not sure... It's not like me! Maybe I'm possessed? Nah, I think I just couldn't face another year of last minute xmas shopping. No more to do now! Though I still have 13 for Xmas lunch. Yes, I know that is seen as unlucky, no I'm not superstitious, but just in case the universe is I'll be setting a place for the cat. On the floor. Her table manners aren't up to being allowed near all that Turkey!

The tree looks good, though, don't you think?

What's that? A strange brown decoration half way up? What is it? I wonder...No, I didn't put her there... she climbs. It seems to have become her favourite roost. And while that's cute, the decorations are getting rather disarranged by her jumping out and climbing around! I'm going to have to redo it at the last minute before the guests come. I can't believe she can still climb up it - last time she did this, she was just a little kitten! Now she's a terribly sensible grownup cat - can't you tell?

Saved!!!

Thank you!!!!!!!!

A huge, HUGE thank you to Elizabeth, my sockapalooza 4 sock saviour! I had given up in despair of ever getting some socks in the post - so imagine my surprise when these fabulous Jaywalkers turned up from Passadena! They really are this bright - a little ray of Californian sunshine to warm up my cold cold toes!
Look at how even the stitches are - Liz, I'm so impressed. they are so smooth and even and you've obviously put so much time and care into knitting every stitch - and there are a lot of them to cover my big ol' feet! And as if the socks weren't enough:
A whole pile of goodies to go with them! Lemon verbena soap - Liz, how did you know lemon is my favourite scent? Yummy ginger sweeties, and a mix disc I just can't stop singing along to in my car.... Liz, you truly are a fabulous Saviour!
You can find Liz over at Ravelry as cutelikeliz - send her some good karma, as she totally deserves it - she's an abandoned sock pal too, and hasn't had any socks herself! Isn't she an angel?
Liz, I can't thank you enough. You've restored my faith in knitters and knitting swaps, and you deserve all of my good knitting karma for a year! (Though I could do with enough to finish my hubby's gloves for Xmas...)

Bit of knitting, bit of crochet...

This is the best photo I can get of the knitted up rowan cocoon cardi after dark - unfortunately at this time of year I don't get much daylight time at home! It's all spent in classrooms with 'orrible little kids! Somethingof a triumph today though... the 'orrible kids that I met yesterday have cottoned on to the fact that I'm not going to tolerate them doing any of the following:

• skiving the first half of the lesson
• interrupting me when I'm explaining the work
• physically attacking each other in my presence

I wonder if the 10 detentions (yes, ten!) I handed out yesterday in that one lesson had anything to do with having a better lesson today? Hmmmm....

On a lighter note, I dug out the crochet hooks and thread the other day to make xmas prezzies for my Aunts: I'm very impressed with the snowflakey-ness of this, but I can't quite believe it took me three hours to make! It is pretty though. Trouble is, now I have to make at least another three! My other Aunt, my Mum and I will all want one for our trees!

This is the pink snood in all its glory: Yes, it looks like a large pink blob, but it's lace and it hasn't been blocked. You know how it goes. It's nearly there - I did another repeat today at school, that means only six to go! I can't decide what kind of edging I want round my face - I know a fabulous pointy one that fits with this leafy lace pattern, but I don't know if I want points round my face or a straight edge. Thoughts?This is the completed second pair of saviour socks I knitted and sent out ages ago - I just couldn't get on with the cabletini pattern, probably not a good idea to have a first attempt at cables on 2.25 mm DPNs, with no cable needles. hmmm. Anyway, I was pleased with the feather and fan pattern in the end, though I was heartily sick of it by the time I got onto the second sock! I'm having a rest from socks for a while. And I never thought I'd say that!
Finally, a little piece of cuteness for you... believe it or not, she got there herself with no human assistance. She likes wool. It's a good job the drawer is so overfull, or one day I'd probably accidentally shut her inside when I closed it! Poor kitty.... As it is, she's happy as Larry. However happy he is.