First Day of School!

Today was the first day of First Grade for the Bug! Her first full day of school. We did a year of kindergarten, but that was only a half-day, and as she was in the afternoon session Mama didn't have to get dressed before she had her coffee. School starts a bit before nine and ends around three or so. She's a big girl and takes the bus, Bobo and I see her off, and Papa gets her off the bus on the way home from work.

Her teacher this year is Mrs. Smith. She's very young and very soft-spoken. I figure they'll either have to be quiet as bunnies to hear what she says, or they'll ride roughshod over her. The cynic in me thinks probably the latter, though I hope for the former, for all their sakes.

When asked what the best part of first grade was, the Bug replied, "TWO RECESSES!" Best part, indeed. And how was your hot lunch (cheese pizza today!)? "AWESOME!" I think we're going to have a pretty good year.

I have enough paperwork to fill out to stuff a mattress, but I think I'm on top of it so far. I also have to remember to get my act together the night before because I don't want to have to rush around in the morning trying to figure out if she needs a lunch packed or if she has her sweatshirt in her bag. Or I have to get up at 6 or so to have my coffee and wake up before they do. I just don't see that happening. I get my best knitting done at night.

Speaking of knitting--I knew you were wondering when the knitting content would come in--I finished a blueberry hat. I'm in love with the Anne Norling pattern for fruit hats, but I can honestly say that it's a bit limited for me. I like the strawberries, but I get tired of all rolled brims after awhile, and not all fruits and veggies have that leaf pattern on the top. Not that I'm aiming for complete versimilitude or anything, but come on.

So I make the strawberries pretty much true to the pattern.

I omit the leaves for the apple and use less stitches in the stem, which is brown. And I make separate leaves that are added at the end. The apple has a rolled hem.

For a pumpkin, I do a wide 6 x 2 rib, no leaves at the top, a fat green stem, and I add leaves and a "coil" at the end. The edge doesn't roll at all.

You've seen the beehive, which is just rows of purling interspersed with a couple of knit rows in a darker color. And some bee buttons. I knit the hat inside out, and turn it at the end, and the brim that would probably roll doesn't because it's turned inward.

The raspberry has a garter-stitched hem which flares outward and gives it kind of a cloche look. Perhaps I should have made it more of a beret. Eh.

And finally, my lastest variation on a theme, the blueberry. I did a 1 x 1 ribbed border for no roll, and when I got to the top I added a round of points for the top of the berry. Those were knit separately one at a time on a separate needle then joined with the three needle method and all those stinking ends woven in one at a time. That was a lot of work. But it's cute. And I didn't have to bribe the Bo with a cookie this time. As a matter of fact, Papa had just washed her face.

As a matter of fact, she could be America's Next Top Model. At least for hats.