FO: ANOTHER colorblock bias blanket.

Posted on June 12, 2014 by barefootrooster

Hi, friends. Haven’t been blogging, but clearly, I have been knitting. (And writing, and even running/working out.) Not quite settled into a summer routine, but closer than I was a few weeks ago. And I’m pretty sure this blanket pattern is helping. I’ve got such a backlog of wedding gifts to knit, and this pattern is perfect: easy enough to knit after a long day, fun for playing with color and yarns in my stash, and really, really lovely when it’s all done. Here’s my latest:

The colors are more accurate above, but here’s one shot with the flash on:

It’s a bit grey and rainy, so there isn’t as much natural light for picture-taking as I’d like, but you get the idea. With this one, I worried less about the amount of yarn I had for each color, and just picked colors I thought might be nice. I really like the mint green Malabrigo stripe in there, and with the switch to some darker greens and blues near the end, I think I’ve changed who this is for! (Not to worry, though. I’ve already started a third…)

Other stuff happening around here?

Morning “helping.”

Our first of many weekly walks en route to picking up the farm share. (Paws/toes in the water.)

Lots of water and mist after some steady rain.

Boh, mid-yawn. Love this dog.

FO: turnstile.

Posted on May 4, 2014 by barefootrooster

I LOVE this. And I can’t wait to make more. I might cast on another TODAY.

I snapped these pictures very late last night. I figured I’d kitchener the two ends of the tube together right after dinner and then have plenty of time for other things.

Wrong. The grafting took hours — in part because I haven’t kitchenered anything in quite a while, but also because to kitchener many many stitches you need to have a pretty long yarn tail, and it kept getting caught on the other needles, tangled, etc.

But worth it? Totally. The stripes are addicting, and I anticipate wearing this (and any others I might make) a lot. My handspun eternity scarves might be the knitwear I wear most frequently, and I think this pattern (or some variation on it) is a great way for me to use beautiful sock yarn. (You know, because I’ve realized that I mostly wear socks with boots, so you can’t see them.)

In other news, I took this dog on a great walk. It was clear we were going to get pretty muddy — this is a before picture.

Doesn’t this picture just look like spring? So much growth in the woods.

Happy dog.

We were muddier than this toes/paws picture lets on. And we were quite content. (Though Boh needs to work on actually sitting on the blanket I keep in the back of my car for post-walk muddy dogs. He just moves it out of the way…)

Also, we’ve reached that point in the spring where I can put on a fleece and take my coffee out to the porch. See that new french press? My dear friend D, the person who goes with that adorable dog who visited us last month, remembered me saying that my beloved stainless steel french press was on its last legs. The mesh ripped, so my coffee was rather gritty. That was a year ago. So when D came to visit, he brought this: a bigger press, which is stainless steel on the inside, but has an insulated bottom and handle so I don’t burn myself on it. And the lid has a screen, so there’s no chance of coffee grounds getting into my coffee. Also, no spillage while pouring, which means I can bring it out to the porch. Perfection.

around and around (turnstile in progress).

Posted on April 25, 2014 by barefootrooster

First of all, to give you a sense of the kind of excitement happening around here, this is what I did last Saturday night. I took whatever was left in the bottle of rye (not much) over to my friend M.’s house, she made me a (delicious) Manhattan with chocolate bitters, and we both proceeded to continue writing our dissertations. I’m not complaining; it was better than attempting to keep putting words on the screen at my house…

This face pretty much captures the general malaise that is the end of the semester.

Lila in action. I like it over the top of other layers like this.

Snapped this picture for my mom, as this dress was a present from her last year. And also because this is my professor costume. (Thanks to K. for that description.)

Boh! I know it looks like he’s growling, but I actually snapped this at the tail end of a yawn. We took a walk in the arboretum earlier this week just before the skies opened, so we had the place to ourselves.

And, as my post title suggests, more turnstiling.

I really love the stripes.

Snapped this yesterday while writing on the porch. (Handspun eternity scarf number 2.)

This guy brought his ball and his bone out to the porch, but spent most of our time out there looking at me and pleading for belly rubs. Tough. Life.

A new section — back to orangey-red and yellow stripes, and after that, one more solid orangey-red block…

february.

Posted on February 16, 2014 by barefootrooster

Hello, friends. This is pretty much what it looks like here at Chez Rooster. Except there’s more snow. (Which means there’s been a lot more shoveling…)

Sweetness from Boh.

A ridiculous outfit I found myself wearing sometime last week, and had to document.

Wrinkles. Snoring. Swoon.

Some mornings, this is the look I wake up to.

And some knits in action. Because if I’m not really knitting right now, at least I should be enjoying handknits, right? (Also, forgive this silly pose. If I want my neck in the picture, which is where the knitwear is, but also want you to be able to see my boots, some awkward posing is necessary. And I’m sure the hand on the hip is thanks to plenty of social conditioning. I cringe.)

I have been wearing the heck out of this handspun eternity scarf. I think the fiber was Pigeonroof Studios merino, and it is so so so soft.

Some grading and editing work at the coffee shop this morning. I treated myself to a dinosaur cookie.

Boh and I are hanging in there — lots of things are up in the air, and the to-do pile grows ever larger. Thankful for a long weekend to try to catch up a little bit. Hope you’re all well — and warm in your knits!

FO: snowbird.

Posted on December 19, 2013 by barefootrooster

I love the pockets.

The sweater is a little slouchy, but overall I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. And just in time, too. These pictures are from last month, but since then, we’ve had cold and snowy weather.

Sweetness.

Squash soup.

A few pictures from the last good fall walk we took before the weather turned.

This light. So lovely.

It’s been a very busy fall around here, folks. So busy that I missed my blogiversary! Six years and counting now, even though I’ve slowed down a bit recently. Hope you’re all well.

happily, predictably…

Posted on November 10, 2013 by barefootrooster

The cold weather has returned, and with it, a little bit of knitting mojo. Wrapped in my Mara shawl and with my Terra on my lap, I finally finished my Snowbird cardigan. All that remained was an inch of one pocket, sewing the pocket linings, and weaving in the ends. It took a couple of hours (and several podcasts), but I did it. Here’s a pre-blocking shot:

(Forgive my bleary eyes and pjs.)

And here it is, blocking on the dining room table. The sleeves fit perfectly, but the body is a bit loose. Shouldn’t matter too much because it is an open cardigan, but depending on how it fits when it is dry, I might (gasp) toss it in the dryer to snug it up a bit. Stay tuned.

It felt so good to be knitting that I even managed a couple of repeats on my Bristol hat. (Funny how that happens when the deadlines feel overwhelming. I’ve got a conference paper, a talk, a job application, and some dissertation chapters that need finishing on my plate right now…)

Want to see what else has been going on around here this week?

No idea what’s going on in this picture. (And please, disregard the newsprint filled with dissertation-related list-making on the wall behind him.)

Last bare-legged day of the season, I’m guessing. (These boots are in terrible shape, but I can’t bring myself to retire them…)

An impromptu dinner party on Monday night, complete with butternut squash galette.

Glorious sunlight on the good walk we’ve been aiming to take at least once a week.

Boh, not at all interested in the epic waterfall behind him.

One of us will not be mistaken for a deer.

Tuckered out. I woke up yesterday to find Boh with his head on the pillow next to me. Silly, silly dog.

One more bit of silliness: sharks surround Manhattan. Just a little bit of Friday night fun with sharks from M’s sharknado Halloween costume…

Hope you’re all well. I still haven’t found a solution to my Feedly problem, and it feels so strange to be blogging while I feel so behind on all of your adventures. Forgive me. And happy knitting!

a little more.

Posted on August 31, 2013 by barefootrooster

Because the weather has been glorious, I’ve moved all of my dissertation writing to the porch. This means Boh has moved the majority of his lounging to the porch as well.

You know, except when it is dinner time. He knows when that is supposed to happen, and has been waiting for me right here.

I’ve been making slow, steady progress on Snowbird — the pocket stitches are on stitch-holders, and I’m working my way down the rest of the body. I think the sweater is going to be pretty slouchy in the body, but it fits well in the arms, so I’m hoping I’ll love it and wear it a lot.

One more. Sweet Boh at a nearby waterfall. We’ve been visiting this one weekly, on our way to get vegetables from the farm I belong to, and Boh loves it there. Happy weekend!

last night.

Posted on August 21, 2013 by barefootrooster

Last night this happened. Really. I almost hesitate to share because I don’t want to jinx anything. I got out my wheel, and spun a little bag of leftover Hello Yarn Targhee in the Sprout colorway. I listened to a podcast, drank some tea, and watched the sunset.

And then I went inside, curled up on the couch, and pulled out my Snowbird. It actually smelled sort of damp and musty, probably from being shoved in a bag at the base of my fiber closet since at least December 2012. The “hard” part of this sweater is done — now there’s only knitting the body and adding the pockets. (Okay, and seaming the collar to the body. That might be hard.) I have a growing list of baby and wedding gifts to knit, but I might just cut myself some slack and try to finish the stuff that I both love and have let languish. Let’s see if I can keep this up.

In other news, I spent Saturday night with my parents, and after we celebrated my grandmother’s birthday, we enjoyed a fire in the pit that’s built into the brick patio behind their house. Boh normally has to stay in his box for family gatherings (he is not very good with larger groups, especially if they include strangers), but when there were only a few folks remaining, I brought him outside to enjoy the fire.

I think he liked it. I know I did.

Thanks, you guys, for all of your kind comments on my last post and my unintended absence. It means a lot to know you’re still here.

august?

Posted on August 14, 2013 by barefootrooster

Time for more apologizing. (And for getting used to a new version of WordPress. This is fancy!) I don’t know why I’m not knitting, and I don’t really know why I’m not blogging. But I’m not quite ready to give up on this space, and I hope you’re not ready to give up on me. I’m hoping to get back into a groove one of these days.

Until then, though, you get pictures of what we’ve been up to, both here at the lake house and further afield. Since I last blogged (in June?!), I’ve TAed an intensive 3-week summer course, joined my family for a week on the gulf coast of Florida, spent a weekend in the Catskills saying goodbye to a dear grad school friend who is moving/moving on to take a postdoc, given a paper at my first non-grad-student conference (yay!) and visited my younger brother in Colorado. (Whew!)

Want to see some of that? Here you go:

During that three-week course, Boh spent a lot of time entertaining himself.

And there were strawberries.

Cuddling the papers to grade…

Frolicking at a nearby park on our way to the farm.

First farm tomato!

Delicious.

Writing.

Bird-watching, coffee-drinking, breakfast-eating, all from the balcony of the condo my parents rented on the gulf coast of Florida.

Seashells collected on morning walks with my mom.

Beautiful beach.

A snapping turtle greeting me (and Boh — see his nose in the lower left-hand corner?) in the Catskills!

Catskills relaxation.

And some more.

Sam, my brother’s horse.

Colorado National Monument.

And now — just today, actually — home again, this time for awhile. Time to settle back into lake house life, which I’m hoping will include lots of writing…

Thanks for reading, friends.

still no knitting…

Posted on June 15, 2013 by barefootrooster

But I’ve got lots of food, Boh, and the porch. Here’s what’s been happening ’round here this week.

It was cold enough that I needed my puffy coat to be on the porch. In June.

No idea what this guy is up to here.

Chocolate dipped frozen bananas, some with almonds, for an Arrested Development viewing party.

I just liked this combination of many of my favorite things. That blue pullover vest is maybe the first piece of gear I bought in college when I started leading backpacking trips. It has traveled the world with me, and it is still one of my favorite things to grab when I’m just a little bit chilled.

A dear friend came to town last weekend, and we made a breakfast feast: toast, fresh tomatoes, a wonderful carrot and radish slaw, and eggs with spinach and fresh basil.

Bedroom eyes?

Working while Boh keeps watch.

More working. Boh not exactly watching.

Tree along the path behind my house. Hard to see in this picture, but there’s evidence of pileated woodpecker work on this trunk.

More porch reading — prepping for the course I’m TAing this summer.

Last night. This dog wanted to snuggle, and I was happy to read a graphic novel while he lounged, napped, and snored.

This morning: coffee and breakfast (biscuits, yogurt, blueberries, and last year’s canned peaches) on the porch.

We’re easing into summer over here, and trying to balance different kinds of work with at least some summer fun. How is your summer going? Also, what are you guys knitting? I need some inspiration.

barefoot rooster

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