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December 05, 2004
Scroll down!!!
I finally got a chance to get those pics in of the, ahem, "actual" Spiderman..er uh, "actual" Spidermen! Can't tell which is the real Spiderman? Well, don't ask me. They both think they are!
In Knitting News
I did finish my other fair isle hat. It has the same checkerboard element and color scheme that the other had. But it also has some intarsia in the form of a snowflake. When I first started knitting I had real trouble with that because I didn't understand that whole twisting thing. But now, it just seems to me to be a little of fair isle and a little of intarsia. Or maybe that is just due to the pattern. I had to use graph paper for this project and that was a first. At any rate, it wasn't as difficult as it used to be and it was fun!
I am almost to the top of the second sleeve and I'm getting a little upset because I had to switch colors on the previous sleeve in order to finish it and, of course, I'll be doing the same with this one...but I'm running out of this fat yarn...So possibly by the time I get to the shoulders, I won't have enough of these colors or this yarn. The yarn hasn't been discontinued, that I know of...and I guess it doesn't matter in the end simply because, I'm just trying to get a sweater finished and forget all the particulars. But still...it's a little disappointing.
I'm also wondering about my son's afghan. Something tells me that I must have misunderstood Sheryl when she was subbing yarn for the yarn in the pattern. The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, knit with three strands held together. Since she did not have that yarn, she showed me Lamb's Pride Bulky that could be knit along with Nature Spun worsted weight for the same effect. She sold me six skeins of the Bulky and three of the Nature Spun. So when I started knitting, I used two strands of the bulky and one strand of the Nature Spun. But I'm not even half done the project and I'm already through nearly four skeins of that Bulky. What gives? I've knitted with three strands before so I guess I felt like when I started it felt about right. But now I'm not so sure. Maybe I should have tried with just one strand of each. Now I've got to go get more yarn to have this finished by Christmas...Poor boy! Sigh.
Book Stuffs
Well, I've had a chance to look through the books and Last Minute Knitted Gifts is a cute one, although I expected a bit more original projects. It has hats and scarves, legwarmers and baby booties, and well, you know...I can get that anywhere. I do like the section on how to present knitted gifts. The best project, the soft drawstring pouch, is on the cover so I feel like I know the ending before I get to the story??? Still, it's a nice coffee table book and the delivery is nice...and I do love the pictures!!
SNB Nation. Well, I liked the first one better. But it's still got some really nice patterns. I've got to try that cabled newsboy cap. And, of course, there are the patterns that piggyback from the first book as well. Some of those I didn't try because of intarsia. Well, guess what? I'm getting ready to try those babies!! Then the other added stuffs, like the readings about personal accounts of SNBers (and their knitting clubs/groups), who can ever get enough of that? Else, why blog, right?
Till next time, happy knitting.
Editing: This is the comment I would've posted on Sharon's site:
Sharon, I'm so sorry. I attended schools with drug problems and when I graduated I went back to the same school district to teach for about a year. It's really sad how these young people learn to turn to drugs. And it's for any number of reasons. Usually in the schools where I attended, and the school where I taught it began from the need for popularity, and/or to show machismo and/or for the type of cool clothing that can be bought from selling it, even though the seller may be living below poverty level at home (and there was a lot of that in my neighborhood)...Besides the fact that for some of those youths living in those types of situations, the prevailing notion is that drug selling is the only choice...they know no other alternatives to survive nor have they seen any up close and personal.
Some things changed when I started teaching. Uniforms were required. I believe in this area this was ultimately an attempt to cut down the need for students to feel like they had to keep up with the Jones' kids even though there were a lot of other reasons given.
When I was a student in these schools, I was kind of in the middle. Didn't have the hot gear and a different outfit for every day of the year, but my clothes were washed. Didn't get my hair done at a salon every week, but it was presentable. Didn't live in the best house, but then nobody around there really did. Yes, I was a little envious of those who had, but I had other outlets. I drew, I was a little on the quiet side, I was enrolled in other scholastic programs, etc. However, while working in the school system, I saw as a teacher, on the other side of things now, how underprivileged some students were. Sixth, seventh, and eighth graders coming in with soiled uniforms, smelling like death, seated next to those with clean clothing and/or those who refuse to wear the uniform and instead come in wearing very new clothing and very new, expensive sneakers. These kids who are without get picked on and what have you and it's obvious that whether the parent or guardian cared or not, someone was either dropping the ball at home or even at his/her best, couldn't quite make ends meet. Come on, soiled uniforms??? It's tough being a kid. So, who does this child see? The pusher and pusher/peers on the corner with the phat Nike's and the tightest gear with all those ladies hugging on him. And that's when it starts. This preteen without the parental guidance he really needs thinks to himself, "I can have some clean clothes or at least look the part if I do that. I can take care of myself." And he may even buy into that whole hood family thing, where they're all brothers. And look it...for all intents and purposes, until things really start going wrong, it looks as though that street family would take care of him better than his parents! He'll have money to buy himself some dinner that will actually make him full (yes, some of them don't eat when they go home), some clean clothes (yes, some of their parents don't do laundry), they'll be someone around to hang out with when he gets home, at least sometimes (yes, some of the parents work just to keep the roof and have to sacrifice seeing their children...then, of course, there are those who just have other things to do...you know), the scenery is always changing, never boring, and he'll be popular with the ladies since he has so many connections, cool gear, knows the street lingo-and has a completely revamped, tough-guy, image. You know that saying, good girls love the bad boys. They buy it. Sad to say, most of the young ladies in the area do too. It's a large contributor to where we get all those tweenie/teen pregnancies.
At any rate, even as a young person, I could see that once the sellers covered the bases of popularity and looking cool, he normally began using. What else is there to do? I mean, he faces the ultimate rush of being locked up all day every day, plays with guns and fights for stupid reasons in his spare time. After that dulls you need another thrill. Or at least something to keep your mind off what could possibly happen to you if you can't get out of the game. And usually you can't without being hurt. They'll think you're snitching. Some family, huh? That's when it became about the high, as it ultimately always does. When I was younger that happened around high school. Now it's getting ever closer to elementary age.
As a young person, somewhere between graduation and the first year of college, I remember going into one of the corner stores to get something for my mom. There was this really old man crouched down in the corner of the step that was situated in the middle of this small store. I placed my order and then I went to the window to lean against the ledge until it was finished. I decided to grab a soda-these were located in the back of the store. So I had to walk past this old man. I came back, paid for the soda at the register and returned to the window. As I sat, the old man slowly rose up and uncrumpled himself and said, "Hey, Stacey. What's up?" I was startled looking into his face. The old man was really an old friend of mine...my childhood friends' cousin...same age, with whom I'd attended some middle school and some high school. I say some because he spent most of his time in detention centers and behind bars for drug selling and drug use. Once a very attractive young man with the brightest, most beautiful smile I'd ever seen...here he was before me, barely recognizable and looking for all the world like a grayed, old man, worn down from drug use, while I'm still passing for 14 at that time (I was about twenty). As a teacher, I remember one incident where someone (someone from his community) had given one of the eighth graders a little container of crack cocaine "just to hold" for the day. He never took drugs before and at the start of the year, he was a very well-behaved student. But he had a little height on him and was gaining some popularity with the guys and the girls. This cocaine he was given, he started playing around with it, shaking the vial, just to look cool. He got caught. I was so glad he got caught. He had to go to a juvenile detention center due to a poor choice. But what else might have happened if he or some of his friends decided to use it? He could've gained a habit or hooked a few others. He may have turned out like my friend. As it stands, I think he was caught at an early age and may not try it again. I think.
Of course, once these kids are older, the game gets harsher. No longer having the little protection school can offer, they face the streets as though it's a full time job. Sell and get high. I've seen a few deaths. The most memorable was actually a shot to the head and a young man, somewhere in his early twenties swimming in a pool of his own blood before a corner store, only a block away from my family's home at that time. There are other accounts. I was always taught by my mother, "The moment you hear anything, run into the house. Don't worry about what's going on, get in the house!" That went for block fights as well as gunshots. At age fifteen, I was still not even able to go to the corner store around the corner without asking for permission. Hated it then. Grateful now.
Thanks for posting your story, Sharon. I usually don't discuss these types of issues on my blog simply because, I just don't. But it helps to remember how we need to reinforce the self esteem and pride of our children at home and to give them other alternatives so they don't have to go outside to gain these valuable necessities some other way. It also helps to make others aware of the specific problems that face other communities in order to compel some to help in some way. I'm not familiar with the kinds of drug problems that exist in upper-class school systems. But I'm sure they are just as horrific. I tend to think when folks hear about a drug situation they immediately think "bad seed." They don't remember that there are many sides to a story. Sometimes it is bad parenting...sometimes it's not...sometimes the parents had no clue the child was doing anything because it was hidden so well...sometimes the family is a single-parent household and the parent has to work around the clock...sometimes it's environment. But whatever reason, a child does not inherently have good values and a determined will to stay out of trouble. These things have to be instilled by us, the parents, as best we can instill them and pray and hope for the best.
Posted by stacey at 09:35 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
December 02, 2004
I Can't Believe It!!
You mean the last time I blogged was November 16th???!!! My goodness, I'm slacking!!
Tripping on the Job
I just got back from a trip for my job. It's an annual mandatory trip for my position. But I'm not complaining! The sessions were for registrar's in Higher Education. Lots of seminars and new things to learn. I actually got a lot of information I didn't know previously, met a few new folks and had a little fun too! The hotel was gorgeous!! I felt so spoiled...if it wasn't for my son, I wouldn't have wanted to come home!!
Still Knitting
Sorry folks. Didn't get those pics up and probably still won't tonight. Got to pick my brother up from his job soon and by the time I get back home, it will be wayyyy to late to stay up and do that because I have to return to work tomorrow.
I did some weaving in ends while I was away though so I don't feel so guilty. Last week I did another hat with some fair isle and some intarsia. It's actually not as hard as I thought it was. Even though I still take a long time to get through those sections, overall, it doesn't take that long to do a simply designed hat. Wonder what's up with those mittens? You know, while I'm typing, I think I may have figured out why I'm so slow with those!!! I was catching every other strand, but in that pattern it's not really necessary!! I learned that in the knitting class. For the most part most of the pattern is only a one to two stitch float, so it doesn't require as much catching as I thought. Maybe only on the floats that are three to four stitches long....Well, when I get back to that I'll see....
Also worked away another side of the ends on Forever. That will be ready for Christmas. Funny thing is I told that fellow employee at that time that what he wanted wouldn't be ready until next year, and it turned out I was right!!
I started an afghan for my son too. Did I already tell you that? Well, I'm three repeats into this 5-10 row pattern. It's Morning Light from Big Needle Afghans. Course, I don't know how Morning Lit it will actually be. My son picked the color and it's more of a Shrek Lit afghan. Still the pattern goes pretty quickly once you get into it and I think it should be at least close to binding off by Christmas.
I really want to try some of these two hour gifts in the new book I got. Let you know if I can afford the yarn for that. You know, Christmas is coming soon, soon, soon!!
Happy Knitting!!
Posted by stacey at 06:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
