I finally finished a few projects! And some are still in progress. There's always more! So much to knit, yet so little time!

I've always known that Rumplestiltskin was a fairy tale, albeit a nice one. Who wouldn't want to turn something basically worthless into gold? However, now that I knit, I believe it to be more of a reality.

I went through my stash...my yarn stash that is. Since it has been months since I have bought any yarn, I thought that my stash would be under control. It turns out that I have three bags of unused or partially used balls/skeins of yarn that I have no use for. I know people say to keep some excess yarn for waste yarn etc., but I think I'm fine with three bags. That doesn't count the three containers of yarn that I'm planning to use. Needless to say, I think I'm covered for a year at least.

While I was looking through the yarn, I thought about Rumplestiltskin. Yarn is like hay, perhaps worth a bit more (though I haven't checked the prices of hay recently). Really, unless you are a crafty person, yarn is probably worthless to you. Sure, knitters know that some yarn is really expensive and one only has to touch it to know why. However, yarn doesn't really become worth much more until it is knit, woven, crocheted, etc. Handmade garments and accessories can be extremely expensive, like turning hay into gold.

Now I only need to talk to Rumplestiltskin about how to turn my yarn into gold faster so I can buy some more yarn....

Happy knitting!

Last weekend, I visited my family in San Diego. Living in Arizona, I don't get to see my family much. Although it was a whirlwind trip, it was wonderful to catch up with them...and surprising. I was with my first cousin once removed and my second cousins...I think I got that right. At any rate, for not seeing each other often and having grown up in very different environments, we are very similar. We all have a goofy sense of humor and like to laugh. We analyze everything, but in a fun way. We have similar interests, such as watching "Downton Abbey" (but who doesn't like that show?). And we are always busy. I thought that I was bad going to and from places daily, collapsing on my bed at night, but it appears that my family is that way too. Could it be because we're all from California? Who knows. Getting together with them reminded me how important family is and that I really need to work on staying in touch with people. It looks like I have a new mid-year resolution: keep in touch with people.

Hi,

After looking through my feedly articles, I found this adorable knit camera. Check it out!

Knit Camera

Enjoy!

Yesterday I picked up a lace shawl that I had started last summer...and it is much more emotional to knit it now than it was then.

To back up, I am one of those people who associates places--and apparently things--with memories. So I can be in a city, see a monument or restaurant, and remember who I was with, how I was feeling, and what was going on in my life at that time. Most of the time, it is wonderful. I do not have the best memory. That award would go to my mom, who could tell you what she ate for breakfast 30 years ago. However, my memory is more like a thumb drive, except that I have many thumb drives that I've dropped all over the world and in different objects and smells. If you asked me about a memory right here and now, I may not be able to recall it. If you take me to a place or give me an object, everything comes back. Perhaps that is why I have trouble throwing stuff away. Anyhow...

Back to the knitting. Normally I knit a project straight through without stopping. This year I got backed up on projects and had to put the lace shawl down. It has been about six months or more since I have knit it.

The last time I remember knitting it was in June and July of 2012. I was starting a trip to Spain and lace shawls are perfect because they keep you busy for a long time, but don't weigh much or take up much space. I remember knitting it on the plane, both ways. I remember knitting it on the couch watching Canal de Cocina at 11pm or later. I remember working on it while lunch was being made: I can smell the Spanish-food goodness, the olive oil, fish, and cheese.

It is so odd to look at that blue shawl and see so much of Spain in it, even though the yarn is from who-knows-where, and the pattern is American and found on craftsy.com. So much has happened to me since that shawl was started. Still, I look at it and it remains the same, though a few rows longer. I wonder how I will feel about it when it is finally done.

So this shawl-to-be has been in Spain, Sicily, Tucson, and it is my project-of-choice for my road trip to San Diego this weekend. Perhaps it will be my memory of this year. It could be the name of a book: The Blue Shawl: a Year in the life of L--.

Happy Knitting!

As a middle school teacher, I use many teaching strategies. I know that there are many different types of learners and that doing something with newly attained knowledge is the best way to retain it and fully understand it. That being said, I love direct instruction. I realize that I learn best from direct instruction, but I think that more people can learn from direct instruction than they think.

At the Tucson Festival of Books, the main way to transmit information is via direct instruction. People watch music, performances, lectures. Some booths do have activities for people to do, especially Science City. However, the majority of presentations are hour-long lectures given to groups of 30-600 people. If direct instruction is so terrible, why keep using it? I do realize that adults have longer attention spans, but I know that adults learn with as varied strategies as children.

I noticed that the lectures of direct instruction were very well received. Not only did groups of 500+ listen on the edge of their seats for an hour, but they took notes and waited for up to an hour in advance. People enjoyed the presentations, behaved perfectly, and retained information. Now, did I retain as much knowledge simply listening without taking notes? No, probably not. However, I did retain the theme of the lecture, as well as the messages that most resonated with me; the messages that I needed to hear and use at this point in my life.

Another aspect of direct instruction working in this scenario is interest. Anyone can sits through hours of TV or movies, provided that they are interested. I think that is extremely important. At the Tucson Festival of Books, everyone was interested in what they were doing. If I were to change how education works, I would try to revamp the curriculum so it is interest-based.

This is the 5th year that Tucson has had the Tucson Festival of Books. While it is a festival dedicated to books, there are many things for non-readers to do. People should not be deterred if they do not like to read. This year, attendance was predicted at 100,000 people. That may have been difficult to believe on Saturday, due to the rain, but it was difficult to walk along the mall because of the abundance of people.

I was lucky enough to volunteer to be an author escort. I really enjoy that job because I can sit in on presentations that I normally would not attend, and I meet many cool authors. This year, on Saturday, I escorted Naomi Benaron, Heidi Durrow, and Bill Carter. I had seen Bill Carter speak about his documentary in 2006 and loved it. He wrote a new book about copper in Arizona. At first I thought it would be boring to read, but it is fascinating. The other authors were also interesting to hear about, having very different experiences and being very strong women.

I also escorted Nevada Barr, JA Jance, and Margaret Coel. Now, I don't read mystery. If I had, I probably would have asked these authors for their autographs. All have written many books and have had amazing lives. Nevada Barr is a hilarious rebel who does her own thing. She is entertaining and the comic relief. JA Jance is more serious, but told many moving stories about her life and how it intertwines with her work sometimes. Coel didn't speak as much, but she was interesting to hear as well.

I also heard Bruce Coville, Jennifer A. Nielsen, and CJ Hill. I read Coville throughout fifth grade and I absolutely loved his books. It was so exciting to see him in person and to hear him speak. He has a great sense of humor and taught us as well. We laughed when he told a story of him teasing the "suck up" in his class. While he was going for the laugh, he pointed out that making fun of overachievers is not good for a culture. We want the "suck up" to be our dentist, doctor, who builds our bridges. We want the people who are the best to help us when we need help. If we spend time making fun of them, they may stop putting forth the effort.

Lastly, I heard Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana speak. That was incredible. I loved hearing them talk about Hollywood and the challenges involved. They write daily, they work without the certainty of getting paid. Ossana also talked about how it can be more difficult to make it in Hollywood as a woman.

One thing that stood out to me was that the women who did become successful encountered many difficult situations in their lives. They had to be persistant and relentless. That was the second message to me this weekend. On my way to my personal success, I will encounter adversity and very difficult situations. I need to not take things personally and to focus on my work. Success is not easy: one must work hard at it. For me, it was a message to keep going. Even if there are 77 rejections, as some authors have found, persevere and things will work out.    

I started knitting my first pair of socks with a craftsy.com course. It's much easier than I thought, but it is taking longer than I thought. When I look at the needles and yarn, I can't believe that I've come this far. I'm hoping it turns out well. So far it fits nicely. I'm already dreading knitting the second sock since I hear so many horror stories about them not being the same size. We shall see!

Back in November, my mom asked me to knit her friends some decorative scarves. It's important to use a particular yarn--that's where all the magic is. They are a bit short. Next time, I will make them a bit wider and longer, but they will make a great addition to any outfit.

Yarn: Dazzle by knitting fever (get two)

CO 18 stitches using the thumb method or backwards loop method. or as many as desired for width.

Knit 3 rows.

*Make an elongated stitch by wrapping 4 times for each stitch.
Knit 2 rows.*

Repeat until the end. Knit an additional row and cast off. Enjoy!

I know that this is technically a knitting blog, but I couldn't resist writing about this after all of the hype. The week leading up to the Superbowl, talk about the commercials was all over the news. Apparently it is better to tell a story and barely state the product being sold. Some commercials did tell a story yesterday, others were funny or gross. These commercials were also ridiculously expensive. Some data does state that it pays off to buy commercial time during the Superbowl, but I'm not sure. Personally, as much as I hate them, I think online advertising is more effective these days.

My friends are the kind that chat during the football game, but all must be silent during the commercials. So I suppose advertising companies are correct in believing that, of all the times they could buy to advertise, this is the time when people will not be fast-forwarding the commercials. I did end up watching the commercials, but I had originally planned to be knitting. I needed to knit because the 49ers were stressing me out (I needed to knit afterwards to keep the tears away as well). On a side note, don't start knitting your first pair of socks during a Superbowl party. It's very difficult to focus. I will be blogging about them later.

Commercials! In no particular order:

-pistachios: I knew that the "Gangnam Style" song would make an appearance. Is it over done? Possibly, but it is entertaining.
-Big Bang Theory: I'm a sucker for this show. I thought it was cool that they dressed up in football uniforms.
-Doritos: Both the goat and the men playing dress up. Ridiculous, but funny.
-Dodge Ram: I did not like this commercial. Are farmers important? Yes, but so are teachers (Yes, I am biased on this one). The gross exaggeration was unnecessary.
-VW Get Happy: The Jamaican accent was a stereotype, but it was funny. I think the world would also be better if there were at least one happy person in each workplace.
-Coke: The race in the desert was entertaining and stereotypical, but my students remembered it.
-Oreo: The whisper fight. I didn't like that they destroyed a library, especially since many kids dream of doing that.
-Taco Bell: The "We Are Young" song in Spanish with the older people playing pranks. I loved it and I am totally going to do that when I'm in my 80s.
-Godaddy.com: Normally make-out scenes don't bother me, but the sounds in this one were disgusting. No thank you!

And that's all folks!