spring chickens and magic scarf

spring is in full swing and summer is looming here in ol' georgia. it would be easier to see (and relate with others about) if i was to talk about the flowers in bloom, or the nests going up in the trees, or the endless parade of wedding processions coming out of the church across the street. but for me, and others living with children every day, it's easier to tell when summer is in the hearts and minds of, well, pretty much everyone, if you observe with even the slightest attention the behaviors of five-year-olds. in fact, if i were to conduct a (series of) psychological experiment(s), i'd put a few adults with no children or experience with children into an environment where they wouldn't be able to tell (by any conceivable means) what season it was. then, when they'd least expect it (spring), i would release twenty five-year-olds into their environment and have them guess what season it was. (they'd be able to.)

it's weird calling them five-year-olds now. they were all four when we got 'em. i've been used to calling them all four, but now there's only three little four-year-old stragglers in my group of twenty, and they're so grown up now. i've been through hell and back with these kids (can you say "lots of rainy days in a row with no indoor play area"?), like i have with the kids every year before, but this group seems closer to me. i feel more of a familial bond with these little children who could in no universe resemble me than i feel for my own cousins. after all, i don't know my cousins' favorite transformers, or what their favorite pastimes are, or what they will avoid eating.

but these kids. i found myself telling anna (my co-teacher) the other day while she was lettering the names for the summer journals for the kids, "you're gonna wanna make sure angie and ayri have purple lettering, and zy's favorite color is orange now, not yellow, remember?" i don't even call them by their full names anymore. not one of them escapes without a pet name, whether it be "julie-boots" or "cam-jams", "angie-bear" or, simply, "tree frog". (oh, tree frog. i will miss you most of all.)

it was just so funny today, seeing them (all) eating school-pizza lunch, remembering how many of them wouldn't touch it in august. seeing them be so independent, settling their own conflicts (with their words, even!), helping each other... it just made me feel good about the community and the atmosphere of learning we've been able to establish and foster. sigh.

i know i'm counting the days until summer break (6), but i'm gonna cry on the last day.

in other news, i've got a little project on the needles that i don't really expect to come off for some time, but that's okay. it's inspired by (really just a blatant copy of) jared flood's romney kerchief. again, i know. i'm in love... with his patterns, anyway. since his wool was handspun, i picked up some sock yarn (lang jawoll magic sock) and squinted at the computer screen for a couple of hours until i (think i) figured it out.

mmmm sexy.

it's one of those nice little knits you can come home and relax to (or sneak a few rows in on a lunch break) and not have to worry about it, since it's basically just straight knitting. he pretty much explains how to do it on his blog, so i won't worry about going into any particulars here for fear of any copyright infringement (the man lives off his knitting patterns. buy some).

work it, baby. make LOVE to the crappy camera.

it's one of those triangular kerchiefs/shawls that starts at the center and radiates outward. if you'll allow me to write out my pattern?

yarn: sock yarn, or the like.
needles: i'm using circular US 3, 3.25 mm
gauge: doesn't really matter, does it? it's meant to be a kerchief shawly thing. but mine's 26 sts to 4 in, or 6.5 per inch.
notions: 4 st markers. (optional?) i'm the kind of knitter that gets distracted easily, especially when it's basically rows and rows of increasing garter stitch. i frequently don't... finish a row. (hush, you.) i find that different stitch markers help me when i increase on the 4 points where you increase. (i used increase a LOT in that sentence. increase increase increase. now it's lost all meaning.)

CO 11 sts.
k for 3 rows.
on the next row, start "mountains and valleys" pattern. (why not a catchy name?)

mountains and valleys pattern:
row 1 (RS): k3, m1, k to center stitch, m1, k center stitch, m1, k to last 3 sts, m1, k3.
OR, with markers: k3, slip marker, m1, k to marker, m1, slip marker, k center st, slip marker, m1, k to marker, m1, slip marker, k3.
row 2 (WS): k all.
row 3: as row 1.
row 4: as row 2.
row 5: as row 1.
row 6(WS) : k3, p to last 3 sts, k3.

repeat pattern until you are nauseated, or until yarn starts looking like it's about to run out (in 6 rows). at that time, end on a WS row.

edging:
k for 6 rows, or, if you don't want a simple garter stitch edging to go with your simple pattern, do somethin' fancy. i won't tell you what. it's your thang. then bind off. please read jared's original blog entry if you intend to use all yarn available, since he talks in his post about weighing the yarn to make sure you have enough.

finishing:
there'll be a little bloop in your top straight-edge of your triangle. use the tail of the yarn you cast on with (you left it there, right?) to sew together that little bit of seam to make it un-wonky. (vague, i know. but you'll know what i mean.) then it's best to block the thang. the BT uses blocking wires. do whatever you have to.

a note about the m1's: on the right-hand side of the (RS) increases (there are no WS increases), i picked up the running thread purlwise with R needle, slipped it to the L needle, and k through the back of the st. on the left-hand side of the increases, i picked up the running thread with R needle knitwise, slipped it to the L needle, and knit as though it was a normal stitch through the front . however, m1 as you see fit. i didn't use yarn overs in mine since it didn't look at all like jared had used them in his.

well, friends, it's another day. i'll let you know if i get a cease and desist order from brooklyn tweed.