Monday, June 25, 2012


I teach high school English, but let's be real. I mention the word "booty" and uncontrollable laughter and embarrassed giggles break out. I try to discuss the prizes or bounty of battle by using an appropriate word to describe these treasures but all my students envision is modern day lyrics and music videos of "booty" that have a clearly different connotation. So, as I have been knitting baby booties and deciding ways to embellish them before putting them in my Etsy shop, I find myself giggling a little and missing those students at whom I would offer a stern look if they were to do the same!

Thursday, June 21, 2012


The name of this shawl is Phenomenal Woman based on the Maya Angelou poem that talks about the amazing aspects of being a woman. I finally finished knitting it after months of it being on hold and I'm really pleased with the outcome. There is something beautiful about combining my love of knitting with my love of literature. I can't wait for it to cool off so that I can wear it. Of course, I live in Arizona and it is 118 degrees today so the shawl won't be draped over my shoulders any time soon!


Phenomenal Woman


Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me. 
Maya Angelou

Wednesday, June 20, 2012


One of the knits I enjoy the most is socks. I really only learned how to use the double pointed needles a few years ago but I appreciate the complexity of the work. Last summer I gave myself a challenge to knit each of the socks in the Master Class Sock Knitting book which tests a variety of skills and techniques but I have come quite short in my endeavor. I realized that there are a few of the socks that I don't really like and there are some that just take longer than I anticipated. However, one of them that I do like is called Almondine by Anne Hanson. I decided to give them to my good friend, Stacy. I used a gorgeous yarn that I purchased in Boulder, Colorado, when I was taking a class last year. The shop is called Gypsy Wools like the yarn. As I was knitting them, I thought I would run short of yarn. I read in Ann Budd's blog that she ran short and I was fearful the same thing was going to happen to me. I even contemplated ripping them out and discussed my options with Connie. We thought about how it could be taken out from the cuff or perhaps even use a different yarn for the toe if necessary but none of these ideas were appealing to me. Thankfully, I didn't rip the socks out and kept knitting which could have been an exercise in futility had the outcome been different. Let's just say that everything worked out perfectly. The socks were completed with only a few inches to spare. I've given them to Stacy and I hope she likes them as much as I do! Through this situation, I learned that sometimes I need to have more faith and trust that things will work out they way God intended them. I know He cares about things that are important to me and, everyone knows, my knitting is important!