On the first leg of this super sweet soaker. Last leg of the grading. (Five more?)
Boh is exhausted. More soon!
first leg/last leg.
2
double cowl.
Sort of the winter equivalent of the double rainbow, I would argue.
Vegetable stock is simmering on the stove. Squash and mushrooms are roasting in the oven (on their way to becoming this). One of the veggie drawers in the fridge is freshly washed. I even scrubbed the mat that goes under my dish-drying rack. Many of you know what this means: there are final exams covering every inch of my kitchen table. I’m about two-thirds of the way through my grading. At least I’ll have soup to keep me going.
One of the good things about grading final exams? The final, which for me, meant two and a half hours of knitting time, interrupted only by the occasional student question. I managed to both knit and kitchener my soaker (clearly I’m a bit out of kitchener practice). Maybe I’ll let myself pick up and knit a leg cuff tonight.
Good luck to everyone working through end-of-semester writing and grading!
hello, gorgeous.
Meet my new MacBook Pro. I’ve been agonizing over this decision ever since my MacBook battery began dying a slow death (thus sending my much-loved, well-used, and let’s face it, increasingly cranky laptop hurtling towards retirement), and last night I went to the Apple Store and walked out with this super pretty piece of technology.
There is much to be excited about, but the best part of this computer is the peace of mind it brings. (My comprehensive exams are around the corner, and the idea that my laptop might not make it through the ordeal was beginning to worry me.)
In conclusion, yay!
sweetness, a soaker, and first sweaters.
This dog has been such a comfort to me this week — a mixture of silly and sweet. Last night when I got home from a reading group, we played a game where I told him to sit, walked five paces, turned around and said, “Come on!” and he raced towards me. I think I got tired before he did. Dogs know when you’re having a hard time, and I am so thankful for Boh’s company right now.
I’m almost embarrassed to show you this — the beginning of a soaker that I started six weeks ago. It has succumbed to the curse of my in-the-bag knitting. It seems like I never actually work on the project I take everywhere. I can’t explain it. I started this alongside my dear friend T, who is expecting. (Yay!) We began them together, with the idea that I could help with troubleshooting if anything came up. T. has already made close to half a dozen of these sweet soakers, while I’m still knitting the ribbing of my first. (For shame.) At least I still have a few months before she’s going to need this!
I was talking with my friend P. yesterday about sweater-knitting — she called me on the way home from a yarn shop, her first sweater’s worth in the backseat. And as I bundled up to head out for a reading group last night, I grabbed my first sweater. The seaming is completely wonky, the ends are woven in weirdly, the size isn’t quite right…but I LOVE this sweater. Together with thrift-store boy jeans over long-underwear and a couple of long-sleeve layers, it was the answer to single-digit December temps — and to the transition I’m coping with right now. Handknits are magical like that.
(legs) outstretched.
I snapped both of these pictures today, and only realized that they sort of go together when I pulled them off of my camera. It is officially long-underwear-season. At least some of mine is stripey. (Brrr!)
Here’s a broader view of this evening, if you will. Boh, asleep. Me, knitting and grading. A few more papers to go. And I’m on the last row before the lace section of terra. More soon.
chocolate ice cream.
In a mug.
Yesterday it was cold enough for my 28thirty cardigan — this sweater is almost too warm to wear inside. Dug out my purl scarf to go with it.
Off to continue my packed week of social activities– tonight it is drinks with friends and then a movie. Soon I’m going to have to get back to work. These papers aren’t going to grade themselves…
fake it ’til you make it.
That’s what K. said today when I tried to articulate that I felt the need to at least “look” put-together, even if I don’t feel like it right now. See?
Wednesday, before I got completely soaked below my raincoat and above my boots. Luckily, the torrential rains turned to snow for the walk back home.
And today, before bundling up in a down vest, handspun fingerless mitts, my handspun wurm hat, and my trusty pink spindle-spun cowl. Hooray for the arrival of handknit weather!
And here is Boh. He doesn’t fake it.
I came home between commitments today to walk Boh, read for fun, and drink a pot of tea.
And start the last repeat of the basic portion of my terra shawl. Thank you all for your kind comments on yesterday’s post. As I work to process the end of a meaningful relationship, I am just so thankful for my craft and for my community, both here in blogland and in real life.
the end of november.
This pretty much captures how I feel this morning. B left yesterday. He’s headed home to begin his dissertation research, and he’ll be away indefinitely. Yesterday marked the end of a wonderful eight months together. I’ve never done this before — the bracing for the end you know is coming — and it is really hard. We had a sad, sweet, weepy week, filled with reflection on what this has meant for us.
I took B to the bus station early in the morning, and when I got home, I busied myself with a deep cleaning of the apartment. Time to marvel at the neatness of my knitting corner:
All (okay, most) of my WIPs are in that bag, and I intend to spend some quality time on that part of the couch today. My friends have been pretty wonderful about filling my date-book with hang-out time, and I’ve got a whole list of things to keep me busy in the short term. Topping that list? Being good to myself, knitting on Terra, cuddling Boh. (Well, and making progress on that pile of grading I’ve neglected…)
Welcome to December.
leftovers (edible and otherwise).
First of all, my mom is awesome. This is what I just put into the oven — a complete collection of Thanksgiving leftovers. (There’s cranberry relish too.) Plus, my dad gave me a bottle of chardonnay to accompany all this deliciousness. (B and I celebrated Thanksgiving in different places, so tonight we get to enjoy some turkey together!)
My mom also baked a few extra half-size loaves of cranberry bread to send home with me. This is a Thanksgiving morning staple in my house. So tasty.
And now, some blog leftovers — photos I snapped last week but didn’t find time to post.
Last Tuesday, I wrapped this sweet little merino shawlette around my neck before walking Boh, and thought to snap a picture. This is the perfect extra bit of warmth on a windy day.
And then there’s this top, which has a great story that just affirms (like I needed that!) how wonderful the knitting community really is. Did you guys get the email from Quince and Co. about these mitts? (If not, you should totally get on their mailing list.) Well, I think the mitts are adorable, but I absolutely fell in love with the styling. I left a comment on the Quince and Co. blog to ask about the top the model is wearing, and within minutes (THE) Pam Allen wrote me back to tell me that it came from All Saints. And then I bought it. And wore it on Monday, for the discussion of my paper. And I felt super hip. And now all I need are some super long mitts…
Hope you’ve all had a fantastic holiday weekend. So much to be thankful for here at casa rooster.
greens: avocado, kale, terra.
Power breakfast.
Garlicky kale. (From this recipe.) Seems almost too simple, but this is delicious. (Well, I thought so. B was a good sport and had a bite, but his take on this kale was that it “feels like the skin of a bat.” More for me!)
Time for the second ball of Peace Fleece. I set aside a few hours on Saturday morning for knitting and podcasts, and made some serious progress on this shawl. I’m hoping to squeeze a few rows into my Monday morning to help me get ready for the day — last week’s writing is the subject of this afternoon’s discussion…
barefoot rooster 