Well, for a weekend, at least. Boh didn’t seem all that excited to see me, but I’m taking that to mean that he’s having a great time with my parents, and for that, I’m thankful. I got some quality dog-cuddling in, and enjoyed great food and time with my family. Here’s a whole slew of Boh pictures to tide you over until I head back to get him on St. Patrick’s Day!
Sweet, sweet dog.
That, my friends, is the sound of deadlines passing. I’ve managed to stay on top of the stuff with deadlines set by other people, and I’m working on accepting that perhaps I was too ambitious in setting some deadlines for myself this winter break. Really hard to be in the right mindset to finish up a chapter draft while my house (and let’s face it, life) is in disarray. I do not like being in between. I know this about myself, and I should’ve been kinder to myself about what kind of writing was manageable during this period of transition. Lesson learned (let’s hope). In the meantime, I’ve got a head cold, and I’m mostly packed up. Heading to DC today, and hoping to leave the cold behind. Want to see some pictures from this week?
Boh, contemplating the view from our friend M.’s window and wondering if anybody is going to fix him a drink.
I finally blocked Agnes, and the neckline is more relaxed now (and so much more comfortable). The length is better too, though if I were knitting this again, I’d add a few more inches so that it hits at the hip when I’m not pulling it down with my hand in a pocket.)
More Hudson Bay Inspired Blanket knitting. I love the way this is turning out. Endless garter stitch has been exactly what I’ve wanted to work on lately, so this is definitely coming with me to DC.
Sweet, sweet dog. He’s settled in now at my parents’ house, and it sounds like all is well. The house has been so quiet without him here, and I’ve found myself listening for the padding of paws and the jingle of his collar. I know he’ll be much happier where he is, but this will be the longest we’ve ever been apart.
A stunning sunset. Almost as if the universe wanted to leave me with a reminder of how much I’ll miss my cozy lake house. Fingers crossed that my subletter takes good care of it while I am away.
Time to work through my last to-do list and hit the road. More from DC!
Things have been rather quiet around la casa Rooster this week. We’re in transition: I’m trying to wrap up some applications and a chapter draft, and I’m also trying to get my house ready for a subletter and my life ready to move to DC for a couple of months. All that means I’m also gearing up to take Boh to stay with my parents. I know he’ll love it there, but I’ve been realizing that “the usual” — which mostly consists of quiet dog-cuddling while I work — is going to change, at least for a little while.
Also, it’s cold! Hence knits in action. I also recommend squishy garter stitch blanket knitting.
I love the way this is knitting up.
One more sweet Boh picture. Yesterday he figured out that this corner of the coffee table base is the perfect size and shape for his head. Silly, silly dog. Okay, back to the to-do list!
As in, good thing the snow is lovely, because it sure is heavy. Boh and I got home on Saturday afternoon. Can you see our foot- and paw prints in the snow? I parked at the bottom of the driveway and spent the last remaining hour of daylight shoveling a path to get the car up to its parking spot at the top of the driveway. And then it kept snowing, which meant I spent much of yesterday shoveling the whole thing again, but in batches because I was sore from Saturday’s shoveling effort. All of that strikes me as a pretty good stand-in for 2012. Some big stuff, some lovely stuff, and a lot of slow, steady working on and working through stuff.
In 2012, I turned 30. I published my first piece. I started writing my dissertation. I taught the first class that was entirely my own. I was the maid of honor in my best friend’s wedding. I returned to the Southwest for work and play. All good things, even that birthday. But 2012 was also a solitary year, filled with anxiety about work and life, about the future writ both large and small. Lots of reflection on my choices and what they might mean for what comes next. Lots of working on trying to let all that I have be enough for me right now, while allowing some space for the universe to surprise me. I’m going to keep working on that in 2013.
I read over my 2012 blog posts this morning in anticipation of an end-of-the-year entry, and I discovered that I actually did a fair amount of knitting this year. I completed 12 projects, including a handful of wedding presents and a shawl for my best friend. I finished some long-languishing projects, and even began my first destash. In 2013 I want to just keep going. There are more wedding gifts to knit, and more projects started long ago that I’d like to complete. I also want to knit up some yarn/pattern pairings I’ve been daydreaming about for years (hello, effortless cardigan, aidez, lightweight pullover, daybreak shawl, and others), and I’m hoping to use more handspun. And most importantly, I want to keep knitting as part of the pile of things I do to take care of myself.
I made solid progress towards establishing a writing practice in 2012. I struggled to balance teaching and writing in the spring, and did a better job this fall. In 2013, at least as things stand right now, I will not be teaching; only writing. I’m hoping this flexibility will allow me to create the kind of writing practice I want, and to make it a routine in 2013. And perhaps 2013 will be the year I get serious about my home yoga practice. I dabbled this year, occasionally getting out the mat and doing a few small things — dolphin, bridge, a sun salutation or two — in the morning with my coffee. But it isn’t enough. I could see and feel the impact of three classes a week on my happiness, health, and fitness, and though the two classes I’ve been able to make work with my schedule this year are wonderful, it isn’t the same. So that’s what I’m going to aim for this year: more writing, more knitting, more yoga.
And when I finished my final round of shoveling yesterday, the sun came out.
This guy knows 2012 is ending, and that in 2013 he’s going to spend a little bit of time frolicking at my parents’ house while I am in DC. (This was Boh’s big Christmas present, and I am so very grateful.) He crawled into my lap yesterday, and I managed to snap this blurry picture. I’m pretty sure Boh’s plans for 2013 are about the same as his plans for 2012: lounge, cuddle, eat, play, snore.
Happy New Year! And from me and Boh to you and yours: thanks for reading.
Last weekend I helped a group of grad student friends decorate Christmas cookies.
I also got out my long puffy coat.
Dear friends sent me this gorgeous woodcut print they made.
And Boh cuddled up to J., here working on another knitting project! Boh and I are gearing up for a week at my parents’ house, which means there’s a flurry of activity (and of light snow, actually): cleaning, packing, making sure I’ve got all of my presents, deciding what books and work to bring home…
And also, which knitting should accompany us. This is the Hudson Bay Inspired Crib Blanket, which I’m making as a lap blanket in shades of blue against a natural backdrop. I think it is the perfect pattern for friends of mine who got married last year.
Other things happening around here: chocolate chip cookies, latkes, and reading/dog-cuddling.
I’m not sure I’ll be blogging between now and the new year, but Boh and I will be back soon with all the regular stuff and perhaps some 2013 fibery goals/plans! Happy everything to you and yours this holiday season.
Here are a couple of pictures from that walk I told you we took on Sunday.
I wore my new hat. (I’m much happier with it than I appear to be in this picture. This is clearly me focusing too much on keeping my eyes open.)
I cast on the hat from the Cider Press Set, an Amy Christoffers hat and mitts pattern pair that I purchased a few weeks ago when they were on sale. This ribbed and waffled combination is awesome: squishy, stretchy, and oh-so-warm.
Also, totally addicting to knit. I made this hat out of most of a skein of Berocco Ultra Alpaca, and I love it. Good thing this color has my brother written all over it, or I’d keep it too! (I might make one for me out of handspun.) I used US 4 and US 6 needles because I couldn’t find my 3s and 5s.
Hooray for last minute (and late-night) Christmas knitting. I’m so excited to send this, along with the rest of his present, to my brother, who has to stay in Colorado for the holidays.
Yep. Startitis. Does codeine cough syrup cause that?
Excuse the terrible picture of this finished Snow Cowl. J., of new-knitter/fingerless-mitt fame ’round these parts knit one of these and I loved how squishy it was. And then I was organizing my stash and came upon two balls of Malabrigo Gruesa, already wound, that I’d planned to turn into an Urchin so very long ago. This was a fast and super satisfying knit. It’s blocking now on the dining room table, so I’ll snap a better picture or two once it is dry.
I began and finished this Early Morning Beret yesterday. (Excuse my bleary-eyed state in that photo — I finished the beret while I was waiting to take one more dose of cough syrup before bedtime.) I knit it out of some absolutely swoonworthy Fibre Company Knightsbridge (70/30 alpaca/merino, now discontinued) that I acquired when I was first accumulating a stash. I started knitting this as a gift, but I’m keeping it. I’ve got enough yarn to knit another, or I might knit myself some matching fingerless mitts.
And here’s Boh, helping with yarn organization.
And helping some more. (Keeping me warm?)
More helping? This dog has been nothing but sweet to me while I’ve been feeling lousy. Today I took him on a special walk to say thank you. More on that soon!
Unfortunately, that’s the word I’m using (and the word the PA I saw today used) to describe my cough. Though I started feeling a lot better by the end of last week, there’s been almost a whole second week of coughing, which basically means I’m not sleeping super well. The good news is that the PA prescribed some codeine cough syrup to help me sleep. Here’s a bunch of pictures from this week: lots of dog cuddling, and some knitting and cooking amidst the paper-commenting I’ve been doing.
Brussels sprouts and bacon, before and after.
Tuesday it was warm enough on the porch for me to spend the day working at my yellow table. Boh took a really good nap out there.
Dog cuddling and movie-watching.
More dog cuddling.
Peanut butter popcorn, this time with sriracha instead of vanilla. I might have eaten this instead of my dinner on Wednesday.
The cough was keeping me up at night — tough to get to sleep while laying in bed. On Wednesday night I got out my sleeping bag and slept in my grandfather’s chair.
Boh is also a master of sleeping in strange positions…
Bristol in progress. I love how this is knitting up! I’m a couple of repeats in. Can’t wait to wear this! (Or at least see how it looks on my head.)
My dear friend M. invited me over for dinner last night. This pear and blue cheese salad and some mushroom, rosemary, and cheese-medley pizza were exactly what I needed. (This hearty meal plus some nighttime cold medicine helped me sleep much more soundly last night.)
That’s what I’ve got for now. Happy weekend!
I cast on a new project yesterday: the Bristol Hat, by Amy Christoffers. There was a pattern sale last week, and I love the understated chevron-y goodness of this hat. The friend who is the fastest and most excellent new knitter ever, J., Â invited me over yesterday afternoon, and we enjoyed wine, cheese, pears, and knitting. I wanted to knit on something I could pay a little less attention to than the Avery cowl, so I grabbed this pattern off of my desk and went scavenging for yarn. I came up with this skein of Fiesta Baby Boom, which I bought years ago fully intending to knit it into man socks. That’s not happening, but this hat is! (Boom.)
We got this dusting of snow on the final evening of November. It had melted by the time the sun went down.
All of this cold weather makes me want to snuggle with handknits. (And Boh. More on that below.) I want to cast on ten new squishy warm things to wrap around myself. But I’m practicing restraint. For now.
Apparently this weather also makes me want to wear all of my clothes at once. Snapped this when I realized I was wearing a t-shirt, a button-down, and two wool sweaters. In the house. Soon I’ll adjust to the colder temps, or at least I hope I will!
Yesterday I made another Smitten Kitchen dutch baby pancake. And it was every bit as delicious as the first one. And the one after that, and the one after that…
And here’s Boh’s contribution to today’s post. Sweet, sweet dog. Thanks, everyone, for sending healthy thoughts in my direction. I’m feeling much better; only the cough has lingered, and hopefully that will be on its way soon as well! Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Boh and I have plans to curl up with some knitting and a movie tonight. (I do love teaching, but a Sunday evening without a Monday morning class to prep is so very nice. Hooray for study period!)
This is what canceling office hours and taking a sick day looks like around here. (Also, whoa. WordPress has a brand new photo upload interface.)
Fixings for a magically soothing beverage.
Said beverage.
My classroom, empty before our final meeting of the semester on Wednesday morning. (I was assigned a particularly beautiful room this semester. Last spring, my class on nature occurred in a windowless room.)
A little bit of spinning. This is the second bobbin of Sprout singles. Not sure if I am going to ply this or leave it as singles.
Boh, being silly, and using my knitting as a pillow.
Pure sweetness. I’m feeling much better today, and Boh helped.
Aaaaand he’s snoring. Time to finish my cup of tea and get to bed!
barefoot rooster 