Transitions

Yesterday was Tyler’s first day in the Pre-K classroom - he's officially one of the "big kids" at school. That was actually evident when we took him shopping for school clothes over the weekend and discovered that he no longer wears toddler sizes, so we now have to shop in the boys department. It’s more than just bigger sizes – the styles change when you move up to big kids’ clothes. No more fire trucks, dinosaurs and cutesy slogans on the t-shirts. Instead, it’s all sports, with a few monster trucks thrown in. And the poor guy was quite disappointed to learn that his favorite tennis shoes, the ones with a space shuttle that lights up, on't come in his current size. Growing up is tough…for all of us. But I’m happy to report the first day of school went well. He got to be line leader, and also got to take his nap in the loft - it doesn't get much better than that when you're in Pre-K.

And it turns out Tyler’s not the only Blomquist who will be in the classroom this fall. Rob found out today that he’s been accepted into the University of Washington’s GIS Certificate Program. This is great news, as he’s been looking to change careers and this is a great fit for his skills and interests. He’ll be attending classes two evenings a week, starting in October, and will finish the program in the spring.

As for me, the only class I’ll be in is my usual Tuesday night Build Your Skills class at my local yarn shop, Village Yarn and Tea. I first signed up for this class a year ago, when I decided to get back into knitting, and I’ve learned a great deal and have really grown as a knitter in the year that I’ve been in the class. Right now I’m not really working on anything new that requires learning new skills or building on old ones – I mainly need to focus on finishing up all the projects I’ve started! But I keep going to class every week, because it gives me two hours of uninterrupted time to knit, with a knowledgeable instructor on hand to answer any questions or solve any problems that come up. And best of all, I get to enjoy the company of my classmates, who have become friends I look forward to seeing and talking with every week. These are a couple of pictures of our group from the farewell party we had for our teacher, Ellen.

The last thing I need is to start another project, but in order to make the most of the class, I’m toying with the idea of starting this lace scarf pattern and adding lacework to my skill set, or maybe doing a pair of these fingerless gloves, which my classmate Julie is currently working on.

Finally, as promised, here are photos of current WIPs. First, the glow worm socks, which are now done. Tyler got a real kick out of seeing them glow under the covers! (Unfortunately I haven't figured out how to take a picture of them glowing). Also pictured below is the baby blanket I'm working on. I've knitted another repeat of the pattern since taking the photo, so it's now 3-4 inches longer than in the picture.

Last but not least is a pair of socks, which a certain someone is hoping to receive for her birthday next week. They were intended to be a Mother’s Day present, and she’s waited patiently for them all summer. They’re now at the top of my list, since I don’t know how much longer I can expect that patience to last!