K2P1 Board Baby Ghan

Here are some pictures of the K2P1 baby ghan I am doing on the same board as the K2P2 was worked on.

K2P2 Baby Ghan

Here is the baby afghan I did on a board loom that is not, yes not, a double knit. It is a K2P2 pattern. If you look at the one picture you can see the stitches, I stretched the piece to get this. You can see two knit stitches next to each other, then two purls next to each other. I know kind of hard to see in the picture, but I would never say I was a great photographer, cause I am not.

Still if you can make out the two knits then you probably can see the purls in between two sets of 2 knit stitches. These purls actually lay between the knits and not behind. The whole set up for knitting these is very different and leaves the work looser (not loose as in the type that everyone complains of), just loose enough so that the two sides are not tugging each other to be back to back almost (they are never exactly back to back, but close enough).

Well, I have been saying I am going to post pictures of this and now I have. At least these two. This was made on a 5/8" gauged 36" afghan loom. I used baby soft yarn, a double strand. It doesn't need an edge as the edge is made as you knit. This has a simple figure eight stitch for the top, bottom, and both sides. Much easier to build your edge as you go then to do it after.

Loomed Scarf Hat Combo

All the ends were hidden and the section for the hat sewn up and I though it was ready to go, but I wasn't happy with the hood part. It seemed to be fitting funny. So I worked last night to take out about an inch of the bottom section where I sewed it to make the hood. Now it seems to sit much better. You know I do a good job of hiding those ends. It took me more then an hour to find one of them without messing up the stitches where they were hidden. I was proud of myself, but angry with myself at the same time. I shouldn't have hidden the ends till I was absolutely sure that I was finished. I had a doubt and I didn't listen to myself. For shame, for shame on me.

I then decided to edge the whole thing. It is a straight sc edge for the sides, with a shell around the hooded part. Looks really cute. I still am not all that happy with the whole thing. I think that the scarf section is way to wide. I didn't make it really long as this one is to just sit across the front chest to keep that warm. It really doesn't need to have a lot of bulk to go around the neck as this is a double knit on a board (double rake loom) with two strands of worsted weight. The hood part sits low down on the neck/shoulder line and will keep that nice and snug.

My sister has an old knitted hat (machine knitted), that I have been looking at for some ideas. I think I need to take a much better look at the construction of that one and then maybe I can come up with some kind of better idea of how to change mine.

Now that I have added an edging and removed a sewn section, I again have ends to hide. I tried that method of laying the ends inside the loom to hide as you go and I think I have been entirely right in not doing this before now. I Don't Like It. The weave is big enough on these larger gauged looms that you can see those ends sitting there like a ticking bomb waiting to go off. They have little to hold them in place and will soon choose to slide out of the whole thing. I will not give them that chance. I removed the offending sections and will rehide in my own do it my way, way. Maybe this might be ok with a much finer gauged loom as the stitches are tighter and they (the stitches) will have the ability to hand on to those ends. We shall see. Now I am going to have to try this on the 1/2" gauged loom to compare to what I have seen on the 5/8" gauged loom. Gee am I being too picky, I don't think so, my work has proven itself over and over.

Anyway, I will get those ends done today and get my camera back from the son to take a few pictures to post. Every time I get that camera back he has to borrow it again with in the hour. Last weekend when they were gone I had hoped to have the camera to take pictures of a bunch of things but then it went traveling south and that was the end of that. Oh well, today should be the day I can get some of these pictures taken. I have to do it now as the package needs to leave in the next day or so.

The ringing in my ears is still driving me crazy. It gets better then worse. Darn allergies anyway. I did nothing but sleep the entire day yesterday. I hate that. Such a waste of good daylight hours. I am not a nighttime type of person. I love the bright day with lots of heat and sunshine. It had only been my intention to lay down for a bit as my head was ringing so loud but I fell asleep and just didn't wake up. Then I was up and down last night as I had already had my days allotted sleeping time. Now I am forced to keep myself awake at any and all cost today or mess my schedule up really bad. I hate messed up schedules. Creature of habit I am. I like going to bed early and getting up early. When I am first up I am usually the first for about 2 hours. Two hours that are mine, all mine. I don't have to share with anyone and I like it. No one to ask questions, intrupt me in my thinking, or ask me to do something, that makes me happy. This thing in my head is not fun. Sounds are muted, even brushing my hair sounds funny. Kind of like a scritching noise, best way I can describe it.

Hooded scarf, casting off

I finished a hooded scarf and seamed it differently then I normally would. I tried a simple seaming that seems to have worked quite well. I like how thick this came out but I think that next time I will make some changes over the way this was made, but oh what a wonderful cold weather scarf/hood this is going to make for someone. I don't have a picture yet, but maybe tomorrow. It has to be mailed out this week.

I have made a wonderful discovery for myself. I, like many others, have been very unhappy with one method of binding off for the board looms. That method by which all stitches are moved from one side to the other and knit off. Then the final stitches are crocheted off. It makes a very shortened end with no stretch for the piece. So I have played around with different bind offs and the best I found is the crochet off each stitch one at at time. Like this:

Starting at the end of the loom opposite side from where the yarn (working yarn) from the skein is, pick up the stitch on the row of pegs opposite of the working yarnend, with the hook. Now pick up the first stitch on the next row (opposite row). Pull this second stitch though the first on your crochet hook. Now go to back to the row where you started your pickups and pick up the stitch on the second peg pulling it through the loop on your hook. Continue working from top to bottom picking up stitches to pull through. When you have the last stitch picked up and pulled through then cut the yarn from the skein and pull that strand through the last loop on the hook (all the way through). Tighten it down and you are done after hiding ends.

Now here is the problem with one method of removal. The one where they have you move all your stitches to one side and knit off the bottom row then pick up the stitches to crochet off. First let's start by looking at the very first row. Lets just start with say 10 pegs per side. You can test this by just looking at a piece you have finished or by doing a swatch.

Knit a few rows using the top and bottom pegs using a simple figure eight wrap. As you are knitting look towards the inside of the loom. See how the stitches are laying? They really are not exactly back to back. The stitches on the one side are actually laying more to center between the two stitches from the other side. Now take a piece that you have finished and tug it gently to the side. See where the stitches are laying? One stitch on the back is formed to the center of two stitches to the other side.

The doubled part comes into play because you have a layer of stitches on either side and they tug each other close so as to form a thicker layer, but they really are not back to back stitches but more like side to side.

If you look more closely at the stretched piece of knitting you can see the yarn trails going from front to back. This gives a stetch to the piece. If you have someone stretch and hold for you the beginning section (or if you can do it yourself), you can count the actual amount of stitches on that beginning row. You will count 20 from 10 pegs top, 10 pegs bottom. So you have a stretch of 20 stitches.

Then why in the world would you want to only have a stretch of 10 stitches for the top of the piece. If you follow the current directions for removal by moving all the stitches over to the other side this is what you are going to have. You will only be working off 10 stitches. You have lost the stretch for one side of the work and the ends will not match. One will have stretch, the beginning,the other will not, the ending. This is one of the most common complaints that I hear about that removal.

I use the long tail caston and my beginning and ending look the same. No flare to one side from too loose stitches, or no shortened side, ending, because of a bad method for removal.

Well, just something for everyone to think on. Let me know what you find if you decide to play with this. I think I have explained it well, but what I think and what you can understand might not meet at the same place.

Beaded purse

Just wanted to show you want can be done with beads and thread. The little shell one was available at one time as a free pattern on the internet. I am not sure if it is anymore. The red purse is from a pattern from The Bead Merchant in Oregon.

Bead Spinners

Awhile back I got into doing some beaded knitting with little tiny beads. I loaded the thread for the very first bag by hand with the scoop method. Oh what a long time that took. I was at it for days loading that 1500+ beads onto size 10 DMC tatting thread. My hands hurt so bad.

I started looking at the bead spinners that are available for sale but they were kind of expensive and the husband, Shaun, said he could make me a couple of those if he had the right materials. I jumped at that one. He has made or modified several other things for me so I know he can do it.

I searched for a couple of weeks for the right sized pots to use. I finally bought several sizes at the Salvation Army and brought them home. I had a metal tin, the gold colored one you see in the picture, a plastic bowl with pretty flowers around it, and a little crock pot, also in the picture.

He said the plastic wouldn't hold up that well as it was a little to brittle so it is now a hanging pot for cut flowers. He said the other two would be great to use. The only trouble he saw was that the crock material could crack when being drilled but he would give it a try. He had me pick up epoxy, the putty kind and a section of dowel in the size I wanted.

He then drilled the bottom center of the two bowls to place the dowel into and used the epoxy to seal the dowel in. He did the epoxy inside and outside. We had thought about using hot glue but he said the epoxy would not allow the beads to cling to it after it was dried and he was right. That epoxy dried hard and smooth and the beads just sling around it.

I was going to just throw the little crock lid away but he said no, he wanted to try drilling a hole in the top so I could use it on the crock. It just slides right over the top of that dowel and down to sit as it did in the beginning. I found that I can leave the beads in this and set it on an old duck tape tube and it works perfectly to hold till I can get back to spinning the beads.

Well, the result is that it takes a lot time, days less of time, to get those tiny seed beads onto thread. I went to the local bead store and purchased a couple of very long thin beading needles and worked with them till I bent them in such a way as to make it easier for the beads to climb the needle and onto the thread (I use nymo thread for the needle attached to the tatting thread). I can now load 1500+ beads in an hour or two. Too bad the beaded purses take so much longer to do.

It's a boy

Just a quick post to say it's a boy. The DIL just got back from the doctors office and we are going to get another grandson. Oh we so wanted a girl, even the two older brothers wanted a sister. Oh well, such is life. I sort of figure this one was going to be a boy also. As long as it is healthy then that's what matters the most.

What flower are you?

You are an Iris:

You are logical, analytical, dignified, and wise.

You are studious by nature and may prefer

books to people. You tend to be a serious

person but are capable of making others laugh

with your dry sense of humor. Friends always

benefit from your advice.

Symbolism: Over the centuries the iris has come to

symbolize faith, wisdom, hope, and promise in

love.


Which Flower are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Well, this was a supprise to me, but then again...... ROFLOL

The Bunting

I have had several people ask me for the pattern to the baby bunting. Well, I never wrote one. The section below is the closest that I can come to letting you know how to do the bunting. Remember this is a combination loomed knitted, needle knitted, and crocheted piece. In this close up you can see the knitted front panel and see how much different it is then the body section.




The bunting has no pattern as such. I winged it to make that and it
is not all loomed. It is a combination loomed body, needle knitted
flaps, and crocheted edging. I can tell you how I did it but that is
all. If you work in skeins you will need four of them. I worked in
cakes and wound four. Two are for the start two are for the front
opening as additional for working two sections at once.

The body was started at the back top shoulders using a 36" large
gauged loom with a double strand of worsted weight in stockinette
stitch. I don't remember the amount of pegs I used but it wasn't the
whole loom. You knit till you have it as long as you want it to the
bottom edge. Then continue to knit for a few inches, this is the
turning for the bottom to make it completely closed.

Then you start the rest of the front section. Wrap only half the pegs
with the current working yarn. Now attach the second two skeins to
the second half of the stitches. Wrap the pegs on the second
section. You are now going to continue wrapping each half
speperately. This makes the front split section. Work till you meet
the top of the back side. I never worried about keeping track of
inches or rows, so this is all just basic guides. Anyway, when the
front sections meet the top, make sure you still have that closed in
bottom, then finish off.

Now choose which side you want for the right side and which for the
wrong side. With the wrong side out sew (I whipstitched) the sides
together and the shoulder area. Here you have to leave a the middle
section of the back and part of the inside section of each flap
unworked, this area is for the hat.

For the hat work a rectangle piece, again I do not remember amount of
pegs or rows done. The rectangle piece is to be folded in half with
the top or bind off row being the front edge of the hat, the bottom
edge (starting edge) is to be whipped stitched together to close it,
the sides are then eased in to the opening of the body.

From here on the looming part was done. I don't know if you needle
knit but here is what I did. I picked up stitches along one edge of
the opening using large knitting needles (a size 13 or 15 is good),
then I knitted one side to be the button in a very plain stitch. The
other side I made a bit fancier adding button holes up the center of
the flap.

The final part was that I crocheted around the entire flaps and hat
protion. The bottom of the flaps section and where the opening of the
bottom is, where you start the seperate work, needs a little extra
crochet work to round off this section and reinforce the strength
there.

I added buttons and a crochet tie for the hat (the hat portion of
crochet is a simple chain three, single crochet around it so that
there is a section to weave the crochet chain into).

Well, that's it. Someday I want to do another but on a regular gauged
loom and keep track of what I am doing. I want to make one that is
all loomed except for maybe the crocheted edge.

Magic Scarf Pattern

How to make the magic scarf:

You need a round loom, how wide you want the opening will depend on the size you want. I have done one on the red kk, and a couple on the yellow kk. The red kk one opens up and form fits around the face. The yellow kk one opens up much wider and forms around the face like a cowl. People have used the blue kk to make a very small one or for children.

Use yarns such as fun fur, eyelash or some other that will have the same type of stretch (these are the two I have used). Before you begin leave a long piece of yarn to take off with. Some have mentioned up to five feet but I don't use quite that much.

Do a one over one for the length of the scarf you want with one strand (I have heard about two strands being used but I have only used the one).

When reaching the length, I have used two skeins to three skeins of yarn, work off till only one stitch is on all pegs.

Load a needle with the piece of yarn you saved and pick up all the stitches off the pegs (make sure you do not pull through the end of the yarn).

When all stitches are on the pickup strand, hold the two ends of the strand so that they can not come out of stitches. Now spread the end opening as wide as you can taking up excess of the strand (this is why you need a long strand), keep opening it as wide as it will go.

When that opening is as wide as you can get it tie off the two ends of the pickup strand and hide them.

Now the ends of this type of yarn are often very slick and can slide out so hide the ends far in. Some other peoples tips are to tie tight and cut the ends leaving some longer strands to match the ones around it. Or to put some washable frabric glue on the knots to hold them.

You are now done. Grasp the opening, either side, to pull it over the head. If the work is loose enough on some people it can even be pulled down around the neck and shoulders, for a tigher work only around the neck.

Now take the scarf off and run it through your hands compress it slightly. See it collapse back to a thin strip. It's magic. Now wrap around the neck for a regular type of scarf.

MaryJeanne

Double Knit Hat on a Round Knitting Loom Pattern

Here you see one hat with the edge turned up. One side of the hat is done in a light variaged color the other is done in the dark green color. I turned the brim section up so you can see the color on the opposite side to get an idea of what this looks like.

Technique used is standard e-wrap.

Material one or two colors of worsted weight yarn
Round loom any size, used for this hat 36 pegged loom
Yarn Needle

This hat was made for a 1 year old and fits him with a bit of room to grow, directions are for three size hats with larger hats in ( )



1. Holding two strands of yarn e-wrap and work a 1 over 1 for 28 (30)(40) row with first color, cut first color leaving long end for hiding.

2. Attach a double strand of second color and work for 28 (30)(40) rows

3. Bring up first row and place on pegs (do not work off)

4. Thread needle with either color of yarn for hat. Put needle through both the picked up row of bottom stitches and the e-wrapped stitches on the pegs. When all stitches are on the holding thread, gather and finish off.

Alternates:

You can work this hat all in one color by just working till the hat is the size you want it and finishing it off.

Another alternative is to work the first section of the hat for as many rows as needed. Finish off with a gather, then place the stitches for the first row back on pegs and work second color for an equal number of rows as first side, gather and finish off. At this point push one side of hat up into the other side to wear.

You can also make a different colored brim or two different colored brim.
Example: For the hat with 30 rows, work with first color for 25 rows change to third color and work for 10 rows, change to second color and work for another 25 rows and finish off.
Or
Work for 25 rows change to another color for 5 rows, change to another color for another 5 rows, finish off in still another color. You will have one color with a brim color on one side. For the second side you will have two different colors.
Or
Work for 35 rows change to another color for 10 rows, change to last color for another 35 rows.

You can also choose to make the brim in two colors. So say your first side of your hat is blue, then do a black brim for that side, then do white for the second brim and finish off with a red color for the second side. (colors just a suggestion, use what ones you want)

Try making your brim section with a different stitching. Throw in some purls or purls mixed with e-wraps or flat knit stitches.

Plastic Canvas work

Isn't he cute. I did this little plastic canvas tissue holder when my DIL was expecting her first child. I though it would be cute to have an extra little reminder around and wow I did blonde hair and he was born with blonde hair, but it is his little brother that has the favorite teddy bear. It was really very simple to do. The little boy with his teddy is made separately and then attached to the tissue box. So here is both of these boys in one, sort of.

I did mostly nothing yesterday except a few group posts and knitting. Oh I did pick up the DIL from work and take her to her insurance company to turn in some paper work and make a payment, but other then that I loom knitted. I am using a 1/2" gauged hat loom from CinDWood and since I am doing vertical stripes it is taking me a bit longer to get completed. The smaller gauge takes a bit longer to work and this keeping track of fun fur switches is for the mentally competent, not someone lacking in brains. If I had to start over I would choose a different pattern to follow with this combination of yarn, but then I always have been one to choose a harder one.

I get my grandsons for the day. Their mom and dad are headed north already to get their broken down car. Their plans are now to bring it home and trade it in. Since it broke down the last time it has been sitting at a friends house. They left at 4am so my oldest daughter is at the house waiting for them to wake. She will then bring them to me for the day. Well, depending on weather, it could be for the night. For once I got lots of sleep. I seem to have a habit of having insomnia whenever I have to babysit the next day, but not last night. I only woke once the whole night and that is unusual.

Just today

This is a bunting I made with a loom, knitting needles, and a crochet hook. I first made the body on a board loom, then the hat portion. After the body was done I sewed up the sides and the shoulder area. I left enough in the shoulder area to ease a hat I made on the same board. This was made in one piece on the board. I knitted the back till it was long enough to fold and have the bottom piece be solid.

Then I took two separate cakes of yarn and did the front by dividing the stitches in half and working each half separately. This is not as difficult as it might sound. You simply use your first two cakes/skeins/balls of yarn to wrap one side, then wrap the next side with the next two cakes of yarn. This way you keep your sides moving up together and do not have a chance of losing track of rows by counting.

I did two flat flaps for the closing the front on the knitting needles. Since the loom is a large gauge I also used a large gauged knitting needles. I picked up stitches along the one side of the opening and knitted a flat piece where the buttons were to be attached. Then I picked up stitches on the other opening side and knitted that section with button holes. I used teddy bear and rabbit shaped buttons on this one. It really is a lot cuter in person then the picture. The front knitted flaps have a crinkle look to them that is quite pretty. To finish off I crocheted around the edges of the front flap and hat.

From the way this one is made you could add arms if that was something you wanted. It would be just a matter of doing a little reduction at the arm area, or you could just do the square type of arm inserts. I don't really get into doing sweaters and such so I would have to go very simple on these, but it could be done.

I gave this piece to my daughter with the idea of her using it when fall and winter set in. Just didn't happen. Mason was born in almost too big for this. He grew so quickly that by the time cold weather set in it was way too small for him to be put in. Such a shame, but at least I had fun making it. It gave me some great practice playing on a board loom.

I went to work. That dumb snow decided to stop. Just when I thought I had it made for an extra play day the weather changed. Now it is raining with some snow flakes bouncing in from time to time, but naturally I am home now. That was a terrible tease. Oh well, no work tomorrow. I just won't go. I have to work this weekend and I have been to the shop every day. So tomorrow belongs to me.

Well, I am off to see about finishing the scarf I almost lost from my mistakes. Just think at least I had that wonderful practice of picking up stitches, yea right. LOL

Inside out

I wanted to show you how the inside of the hat I posted before looks and finally found a picture I took of it. See how the strands lay across the inside. This is what forms the layer of warmth in these hats, but also what you have to watch out for in skipping to many pegs. The long strands can become a loose mess on the inside of too many pegs are skipped. This one is not too bad as only one peg was skipped.

I got to the end of my scarf last night and removed it from the board. Oh boy, did I blow it. I am not sure just what I did wrong. I removed it as I usually do but it bunched. Then when I tried to fix it I started loosing rows. I lost about two inches before I finally found where the problem was. Now it is on one of my large cro-hooks. I have to figure out how I want to finish it now, but I was too tired to worry more about it last night. Midnight isn't a very nice time for me as it is way past my bedtime.

So they said it was going to snow down to the valley floor this morning. When I got up I was disapointed. No snow. Five minutes after awakening the flakes started. We got a sprinkling enough to cover the ground and house, then it stopped and melted off. Well, it is snowing again. If the weatherman is right we should be getting even more of this over the next couple of days. Wow it is starting to get cold even in the house. Last time I checked it was 39 degrees in the carport, haven't checked for about 45 minutes. Burr, need to turn up the heat or go sit by the heater.

There is something to be said for cooler weather though. When you get to my age that change of life does some terrible heating stuff to you. My poor hubby has had to live with a fan at night for the last two years. He says he is beginning to not be able to sleep with out it. The human body does learn to adjust so well to change in temps.

If it snows enough I won't be going to work today. I am not going out there to attach chains to my car. I am not that interested in going to work if the roads become covered. I don't do snow. I like looking at the stuff cause it's pretty, but I lived in Minnesota when I was a kid. I had all the snow that one lifetime could handle in just that one year. Well, there was also snow times when we lived in Arkansas but it was a different type of snow then you get in the north.

Funny I just got a call from the boss. He will come to pick me up if I don't want to drive. Yea, right. The husband knows I don't do snow. At all. It is cold wet and some of those (pardon) stupid drivers that have moved in from the south are not bright enough to understand that snow and 60 mph don't mix real well, and whipping in and out of traffic could be a death sentence for everyone around you. If I was to go and anyone was to pick me up it would be the hubby. I trust him more in his driving skills. I have been in a car in thick heavy snow with him driving, I know how far I can trust his driving. Call me a coward if you want. I will admit to it. It's snowing harder now. Weatherman says we could have two or three days of this. Crazy it is, it has been spring weather now winter is hitting. What's up with this?

Loom knitting

I really love to loom knit. Here is a hat that I did last winter for my grandson's little sister. It is one of the first that I did with vertical stripes. They make such a warm hat and since she lives in a very cold weather state this is good. When you make the stripe hats you have to wrap some pegs, don't skip many or the inside strands are way to long, and then wrap the skipped pegs with the next color of yarn. Those strands across the inside of the hat form a padded inside which is soft and warm.

This one is also my first use of a seed stitch brim. I liked it. It turned out so nice and very different from the plain cuffed brims I normally do.

It's not hard, goes like this:

Loom with even amount of pegs (can be done on odd, you will have two stitches the same in a row, remember to wrap them the opposite of previous row)
Choice of yarn colors MC (main color) and CC (contrasting color) (two colors used in hat)

Techniques:
E-wrap
Purl stitch

Hat Cuff:

Attach yarn to holding peg.

First row: Begin by e-wrapping all the pegs on your loom.

Row 2: With out side pegs facing you purl the first peg, e-wrap the next peg, continue these two stitches around the loom till you get back to the first purled peg

Row 3: E-wrap the purl stitches, purl the e-wrapped stitches

Continue with row 3 till piece is as long as you want the cuff to be, bring up bottom row for cuff, work off bottom row on pegs. You can make a very long cuff or short one. It's up to you and what you like.

Body of hat:

1. With MC e-wrap next peg, skip next peg around the loom. Attach CC color in first skipped peg and e-wrapped each skipped peg with the CC.

2. Continue e-wrapping same pegs with MC as in row 1. Then e-wrap same pegs with CC same as row 1.

3: Contiune e-wrapping for as long as you want the hat to be, putting the MC on MC pegs of row before, and CC on CC pegs of row before.

Note: We all have different sizes of heads. So don't think that you have to follow an exact row or inches to make it right. What is right is what will fit. Play a little to know what will fit your family best. If your hats are for charity, then it really doesn't matter as much as someone will be able to fit the hat. Babies come in different sizes.

4: Gather the top and finish off by hiding all ends.

Have fun. This pattern takes a bit longer due to the fact that this is wrapping one peg at a time for the cuffed brim, but makes a wonderful cuffed pattern. It also gives good practice in using this stitch so that you can get faster with it. Learning to do purls is a great way to add something to any loomed pattern. If you don't know how to do purls you can check out the video here:
http://decoraccentsinc.com Look for the link to the patterns and tutorials. Check out the other videos while you are there.

Ok, I have had my last day of grand jury duty. Well, sort of. They, the DA's office, plans to ask to not have our group disbanded. What we did yesterday could need a repeat visit in the next few weeks, but they will let us know. That's ok but it sure made for a very long day yesterday. We kind of got spoiled by usually being done in just a couple of hours. LOL At least we went out with a bang. I was so tired when I got home at almost 8pm. All I wanted was to go to bed and sleep. We had a lot of information thrown at us in such a short time. Makes the brain tired.

I and the others in our group learned a lot of stuff about the laws in our state, and how/why police do some things. I think that if everyone had to do a section of grand jury duty they would come away with some better idea of why things work the way they do. We often don't understand and this is a great way to learn. Even if we don't agree we still will know the why.

So this releases one afternoon back to myself. That's good news. Now my other good news is that my son, who has no car and doesn't drive anyway, will have a very different schedule next term at school. I will not have to be available on Friday's and his other days will be slightly longer so I have more time to myself between taking him to school and picking him up. Oh what will I ever do with all that extra time. I think I can guess at that.