Well, I certainly don’t feel like I’m settling into a routine, but it seems like the photos I pulled off my phone and camera this week suggest otherwise. I picked up my textured shawl again, and it is really moving. I’m still unsure about this — hoping it blocks bigger and drapes better — but I love the depth in the greens and blues. A little more reading, another row or two, and then it will most certainly be bedtime for this rooster.
First, the answer to the blocking dilemma: blocking trumps civilized meals at the table. I opted not to use pins — the ecowool was sticky enough that it seemed to stay where I pulled/tugged it, probably thanks to gravity, as most of the “petals” were hanging off the table. Despite rolling the blanket in a towel before laying it out to dry, I had to periodically wipe up puddles from beneath the petals. Because this is a wedding gift, I decided not to spread it out again to photograph it — that just seemed like a recipe for a blanket covered in Boh-hair. So here’s a shot of the finished hemlock ring, folded and draped over a chair in the kitchen:
I am thrilled with how this turned out. Plus, I learned new things about lace knitting, casting on, and binding off, and I reclaimed some lace knitting confidence after my ishbel fail. Victory! I used just under 1.5 skeins of Cascade Ecowool (using US 10.5 needles as called for in the pattern) and I made the regular size, binding off at the marked row on the chart. And with the kitchen table back, I made pizza for dinner last night.
This is a tomato, basil, and mozzarella pizza — no sauce, just some olive oil brushed on underneath the toppings. This is might be my new favorite pizza combination — the tomatoes were so sweet — almost caramelized by the heat of the oven.
In the land of tomatoes, want to see what I have planned in the kitchen for tonight, tomorrow, and/or Friday?
Time to can some tomatoes! I’ve never done this before, and I’m psyched. My mom emailed me her recipe for sauce and scanned in her handwritten notes about canning whole tomatoes. I remember her doing this when I was little, and I am looking forward to having my own jars of tomatoes I picked on my shelves!
Also, my fridge was so colorful after I unloaded yesterday’s haul from the farm that I just had to take a picture. I also opened the fridge door and pulled out the drawers so that the boy could admire everything from the rainbow of goodness inside to the adorableness of the baby eggplants.
Last picture today: year three, day one. Me and my goofy grin are off to campus soon. A big year begins. But first, I’m going to knit another inch of that big, happy cowl-neck.
So, yesterday this rooster voluntarily bought a blazer. My first thought, in the dressing room: Wait — does this make me a grown-up? (As soon as I walked out of the Gap, I called my mother. I knew she’d be proud. I mean, I did own a blazer in high school, but it was more of a costume. I wore it for Mock Trial. This time, I actually went looking for the blazer.) Feel free to skim down to the actual knitting at any time, because I’m going to keep talking about this. Every season, but in the summer, especially, I try to purge things I don’t wear/don’t need from my closet/life. And this year I had a realization. I am harboring two entirely different wardrobes: one for the girl who lives in ripped jeans and beat-up carhartts, fleece, long underwear, plaid shirts and puffy vests while she camps, cooks, and wanders, and one for the girl who wears dark jeans, big jewelry, and aims to at least feel like a confident/hip grad student as she attends classes and meetings, reads, and teaches section. The line between these two roosters is blurrier than I’m making it sound here, and I hope it stays that way. I don’t want to lose that first girl — and I’m not just talking about attire — to the second. And I don’t think I will, though I want to be mindful of the ways in which my life has changed over the last few years. I had to chuckle, though, when I realized that I could no longer just get rid of things I haven’t worn in the last year — because the next time I’m in the desert, the next time I’m pitching a tent, the next time Boh and I are adventuring — I’m going to both want and need that stuff! Besides, there’s something about a blazer that dresses up even the rattiest, most comfortable shirt.
Finally — some knitting! I’m making progress on my textured shawl. I love the way the textured stitch looks in this handspun, but I’m anxious about the size and drape of the overall shawl. I’m going to keep knitting, though, and then cross my fingers and block the hell out of it. (Good plan, right?)
It is zucchini-time at the farm, which means it is zucchini bread-time in my kitchen. Here’s the first loaf of the summer. Yum.
Boh wants you to know that he is being VERY good this morning.
A knitterly friend has proposed a trade: I’ll spin this fiber, and she’ll do something painterly (her work is stunning) or sewing-related for me! I am really excited to dive into this spinning project. These bags of natural fiber are both labeled alpaca, though I’m thinking that the brown stuff is a blend…or at least baby alpaca. It is so much softer! I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
Happy Friday!
First of all, look at those eyes. Understanding that the last several days have been spent at the computer, Boh has been hanging out, looking forlorn, under my desk. The good news is that yesterday I turned in a big paper. Which means the worst is over, and while I still have a bit of reading, writing, and grading spread out over the next few weeks, I’m back. And happy about it.
And now I need your help! My cousin is getting married this summer, and I’ve been attempting to find a dress to wear. I’m thinking about this one:
(Forgive the awkward bad mirror picture.) She’s asked me to do a reading at the wedding, which is in a church, which means I need something to cover my shoulders. And here’s where the brainstorming comes in. Clearly, it would be awesome if I could knit myself something to go with this dress. What should I make? A shawl? A shrug? In what color? I’d love to hear what you think.
And I’ll have knitting and spinning to share soon — I promise.
A lazy Saturday brunch.
This evening’s activities: prepping for my final sections, snuggling with Boh.
Boh responds unfavorably to my attempts at photo composition.
I’m itching to spend some time with my knitting needles and my wheel. A few more days filled to bursting with meetings and final class sessions, and then I’ll have big enough chunks of time to warrant focusing on my end-of-semester writing, which will likely require some dedicated time for thinking (read: knitting/spinning).
I inherited these awesome ripped jeans several years ago from my dear friend champ, and changing out of skinny-conference-paper-giving-jeans into cozy sigh-with-relief-and-curl-up-with-boh jeans was exactly what I needed yesterday afternoon. (I know I tucked that into a ridiculous string of hyphenated words, but I gave my first conference paper yesterday, and I’m happy with how it went. Hooray!)
Also, I’ve done those dishes. Thanks, everyone, for your sweet responses to the giddiness of my last post. (I’m still grinning about all of that.)
Tonight, I made (and then ate too much) mushroom pizza. I also made some progress on my teal shalom. A few more inches, and I will be good to go.
I am still thrilled with the accidentally perfect sizing, and I’m pretty sure this is only going to require three skeins of Cascade 220. We’re getting into the crazy part of the semester — I’m expecting a huge pile of papers to grade tomorrow, and it is time for me to really get a move on with the writing I need to turn in next month, so my posting might be a bit erratic, but I’ll try not to disappear entirely. Spending time in this space makes me happy.
I wore this today, under lots of other layers, because today was the day we discussed my paper at the department colloquium. I was hoping that those in attendance would agree, at least a little bit, with the argument I make in the paper. I don’t remember much that was said, but I think it went well. (And when I am ready to return to this project, I now have a big pile o’ notes and comments to paw through.)
Time to decompress with some knitting!
Yesterday morning, here’s how much snow had managed to accumulate and drift under the overhang at my apartment door. It snowed continuously all day, and well into the night.
I can only get the door open this far. Usually Boh can nudge open the screen door with his nose, even if it is closed, because the door doesn’t close very tightly. Today, he needed help. In many places, the snow is deeper than my almost-to-the-knee boots!
I love the way the boughs outside my door droop with the weight of the snow. I also love running around with Boh in the snow — there is so much that he prefers to gallop, or hop sort of like a rabbit, rather than take one step at a time. (No pictures of that — we were too busy playing!)
Snow is part of life where I live, but because of the sheer volume that has fallen continuously over the last 30 hours or so, I was hoping that perhaps my university would declare today to be a snow day. Local schools were closed yesterday, and they are closed again today. I woke up to the news that my university is delayed: the first classes of the day are those scheduled to begin at 10:10.
What time do I TA? 10:10.
Sigh. At least my walk to campus will be beautiful. And it is snowing again.
Happy Friday!
Today is the day: I’m wearing my GYC out the door, and I’m thrilled about it. Which got me to thinking: wouldn’t it be great if blocking worked for papers, and not just for sweaters? I’m giving a paper in a few weeks that just isn’t quite ready. In a lot of ways, I’m happy with it, but it still needs to be tugged and stretched. The stitch definition could be more even, the hem straighter, the lines cleaner. I’d really like to be able to dunk this particular project into a warm bath with some soak, and then reshape it on my kitchen table in order to get the results I want.
Alas, I’m stuck with revisions, more reading, talking to myself in the shower, and occasional full-on questioning of what it is that I am arguing. This is yet another area where I think knitting has the right idea: a lot can be solved with a warm bath.
At least prepping for reading groups involves both reading AND baking. These are Deb’s our favorite chocolate chip cookies, and they are super tasty, despite the fact that I may have slightly overcooked some of them because I was too busy reading…
Also, check out what arrived today! I won the blogiversary giveaway over at Doodles in String — as commenter #1. Chris blogs about all sorts of inspiring knitting and spinning, so you should head over there if you’ve never been. These goodies are awesome: gorgeous yarn, beautiful fiber, and a book filled with patterns for kids. (And while I do not have children, all of the babies I’ve been knitting for lately are growing!) Thank you, Chris!
And since I don’t have any new knitting to share, here’s another knit-in-action. Remember this?
I realize it is hidden under several layers, but today I’m wearing my Rusted Root. I haven’t worn this in ages, and I have no idea why.
Alright, off to a new reading group. Happy almost weekend!
barefoot rooster 