Hello everyone and a big warm welcome to any new readers.
As I type, I am doing something very technological.
It is borne out of need. I have photographs of a finished knit that I want to post, taken on my phone. I have my phone next to me. I am upstairs. The iphone lead is ALL the way downstairs - from where I have just come from!
I only just found out that the phone has bluetooth. So in order to set it up I have to find and download drivers. When I say *I* have to find it, I have a little Microsoft searchy thing doing it for me. I probably am about to blow up my computer - making it impossible for me to post this post! Who are these drivers? Do they wear little chauffeur outfits? How will I know it's not a hacker? I'm very nervy.
**** Goes to check progress ****
Oh it failed. I'm not surprised. I'm not giving up. I have Bluetooth and I want to use it!
Running the peripheral thingy, crossing fingers that it will not harm my computer! Am probably being hacked up to my eyeballs now as all my passwords n stuff are being fleeced from my computer! It looks genuine enough! I am too gullible to be doing this kind of thing without a fully trained IT specialist by my side. OO it's says it's installing now......
***** several minutes later ***** Computer lists phone, phone lists computer but still no communication. Sigh. I'm going to try the turn everything off and on again like the IT Crowd advises.
Well.
Computer says nooooo
I will just have to use the gifts I was given. My legs. I will actually have to go get my lead. ( The teens are still asleep and by the time I have gone and roused them, to make them go and get it for me, I could have been there and back ten times! )
Before I do, I'm going to tell you about my invitation to go out for arrfternoon tea in the Poshest Hotel around.
I received a phone call on Tuesday afternoon from a lady I hold very dearly in my heart. She was quite simply, THE best teacher I have ever worked with. ( Except the other BEST teacher I worked with at my favourite school ) She was incredible. So driven, focused and in control. She ran Year 6 like a SGT MJR runs their troops. Yes, she was my kind of person. Strict but warm, fair and fabulous with it. She stood no nonsense from the children. They looked up to her. I looked up to her. I learnt a lot from her. She was the first person I worked with when I moved jobs. I'd left my favourite school I ever worked in , ever because the Headteacher *forgot * to tell me he was renewing my contract and assumed that I assumed I would be carrying on the next term. Well, when one is on temporary contracts, assumption is a dangerous game to play. I got myself a new job. He was dismayed and offered me my old job and begged me to reconsider - but was only able to offer me yearly contacts. I'd found a permanent contact - gold dust amongst TAs! Or SSAs as we were called back then.
First day - I was nervous, I'd worked in Foundation Stage and Early Years for years and only worked for a month or so in upper KS2. So I found myself in the very scary world of Year 6. In Y6, children don't actually want to please you or do as they are told like in Reception. This was a 'challenging' consort. But She had them in control. The majority were willing to learn and be helped. My group of boys were very tricky. On my first day, she told me off! I was working with a small group on a whiteboard, we were doing shared writing. We do cursive writing Miss Radio she trilled across the room! I'd been in print land at Nursery for years! I couldn't cursive write on a whiteboard at all! Still can't! It looks like a dying spider has fallen in ink and is crawling to it's final resting place! But the way she did it actually didn't even bother me. I have worked with teachers since, who, when I've been corrected, have made my hackles rise and say lots of those bleep words in my head! It was her manner. You knew she had standards and high expectations and you knew she expected you to deliver. I loved working with her. Even on the day when we were learning how to compose complex sentences. Again I was working with my group, doing my clumsy cursive writing as I led my little group in a shared write. She called across to see how we were doing. In my head over and over I was shaking like a leaf thinking please please please let my sentence be complex enough!!!
Y6 go swimming every week at the local pool. This was also brand new to me. As I listened in horror she explained to me how I would be teaching a group.
I was aghast! I'd never done that before. I'd watched MY children being taught to swim. But never even entertained the thought that one day I'd be doing it!
What if someone drowns? That was my first question.
She calmly explained without a blink of an eye that we'd just send a letter home!!! The pool staff were responsible not us! Oh, that's alright then! She had a wicked sense of humour.
She was ACE. I LOVE this lady. She has decided to retire from teaching and she has invited a select few from her career to share her farewell afternoon and I'm actually quite choked that she has included little old me! I bet she thought in those first few days what the flipping heck has this imbecile been employed for and why do I have to have her?! She is just truly wonderful. I wish that I'd had such an inspiring teacher when I was in Y6. ( Junior 4 back then int black n white days! )
I am also thrilled to be able to eat the teeny tiny cakes and crustless sandwiches. The last time I went there was Pre Gallbladder Adventures. I was extremely intolerant of eggs. anything that contained eggs, or part of eggs in any way shape or form made me dreadfully ill. But now I am fine! Hooray!
<<<< RIGHT I'M GOING TO GET THE LEAD >>>>
Chat amongst yourselves for a minute or two.
Ok I'm back. Little Arthur is seven and a half weeks old now. He is the magic goal weight of 3lbs . He's been moved to the next room and is holding his own. Still a long way to go. Here is the first little jacket and hat I've knitted in powder blue. It's a soft Fisherman Rib. I think the tiny little pale blue toggles match it beautifully. I also bought some sweet little aeroplane buttons to go on the next garment. Can't wait to get started!
Cast on didn't take long for the fronts.
NB: This is the arm of my chair , not my leg, though admittedly I could do with moisturising........
The WS is actually quite a nice little pattern too.
The RS is Fisherman's Rib. This is the hat.
Looks quite big!
I wasn't happy about the scruffiness of the fronts.
My pet hate is picking up stitches for the bands! I love working on circular needles, in fact I can't recall now, the last time I knit using straight needles.
Back view with a ball point to put size into perspective. I hope it will fit him and not be too small.
Finishing it off in the sunshine.
Just need to block it and add buttons.
These were just 4p each. A perfect match and so cute.
oops - I didn't know this one was upside down.
Ta Daaa!
Seems like a long post! I hope you all made it to the end! Note to self - perhaps Blogging every day would tackle this. Hmmm Blogging every day - now there's a novel idea!
Alice Clarke 
