hello, april…

Hi folks. Continuing to apologize for rather irregular blogging isn’t what I want to be doing every time I sign on here. But thanks for bearing with me and for reading what I do manage to share. I tried to at least remember to snap some pictures of the non-work stuff going on around here this week, so here’s a bit of that:

startingapril1

Helping.

startingapril2

Dumplings also help.

startingapril3

Tea on the porch.

startingapril4

Boh keeps watch. (And demonstrates his length! I am always surprised when he sits up straight like this.)

startingapril5

Weaving in the ends…finished pictures soon!

startingapril6

More “helping” from Boh.

startingapril7

Spring sunset.

startingapril8

Tuckered out. I love those wrinkles. Happy April, folks!

Advertisement

like a lamb.

IMG_4466

Spring! To celebrate, Boh and I headed into town and took one of our favorite walks.

IMG_4470

The falls were raging — I can only imagine how fast they are flowing after this afternoon’s steady rain.

IMG_4471

A couple hours of direct sunlight warmed up the porch enough that Boh and I could work (lounge) there on Saturday afternoon with a cup of tea. (Note: I am extremely upset about the burn marks on my beautiful yellow table, but I’m trying to move past it.)

IMG_4481

IMG_4483

Rough life.

IMG_4484

Working on the second-to-last stripe, with Boh’s permission and close supervision, of course.

IMG_4489

A little bit of dissertation writing on the couch today, wrapped in my terra shawl. Perfect for a damp spring day. Back to work — and to eating the Easter chocolate my mom sent me…

bit by bit.

30march1

Preparing for an evening discussion: reading and commenting on the iPad Mini, and drinking tea.

30march2

First chocolate chip cookies since returning home. Made my go-to smitten kitchen recipe, and the house smelled heavenly.

30march3

Boh, lounging in the sun. (He’s in exactly the same patch of sunlight this morning.)

30march4

Breaking in my new flats while knitting stripes. This final ten percent of the blanket is taking forever…

30march5

This polka-dotted blouse was my mom’s in the 80s. I snapped this picture to send to her before heading out to dinner with a visiting professor.

30march6

Boh, keeping me company. He plays with his bone while I knit on my blanket. I’m trying to power through the end of the Hudson Bay Inspired Blanket so that I’ll have more exciting knitting pictures to share with you guys. Happy weekend!

slowly, slowly.

26march2

Boh and I are slowly reacquainting ourselves with our home and working to reestablish our routine. Which, for Boh, involves lots of this: napping with his bone on the couch.

26march4

I’ve been doing a bit of knitting, and I’m a few stripes away from the home stretch of this wedding present Hudson Bay inspired blanket. I’m seeing the happy couple in April, and would love to deliver this to them…a few months after their first anniversary. (This is what happens when you attend eight weddings in less than twelve months…) I’m really happy with how this is turning out, and I hope they like it!

26march5

There’s a new piece of my routine that I’m psyched to tell you about: I’m taking a birding class! I saw this bird, a belted kingfisher, at the end of my first birding class field trip on Sunday and it was so cool. And yesterday I woke up to the clear call of cardinals. I’m learning so much, and I’m excited to get better at identifying all of the birds and birdsong I encounter in my yard. (I might even start taking my binoculars along on my dog walks!)

26march3

One more: it’s not knitwear, but I did get a pair of green flats. I’m going to need to wait a few weeks for it to warm up to wear them outside, but I like them.

Also on this week’s agenda? Sitting back down at my wheel. Playing in my kitchen. And getting back into a groove with my dissertation. (Speaking of dissertations, HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to brokeknits! She defended last week, and is now Dr. brokeknits — or brokeknits, Ph.D., if you prefer.)

Happy Tuesday!

whoosh.

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?

IMG_4072

Boh, contemplating the view from our friend M.’s window and wondering if anybody is going to fix him a drink.

IMG_4067

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.)

IMG_4064

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.

IMG_4085

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.

IMG_4076

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.

IMG_4080

Time to work through my last to-do list and hit the road. More from DC!

the usual?

5jan7

5jan8

5jan6

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.

5jan2

5jan1

Also, it’s cold! Hence knits in action. I also recommend squishy garter stitch blanket knitting.

5jan4

5jan5

I love the way this is knitting up.

5jan3

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!

that time of year.

22dec7

Last weekend I helped a group of grad student friends decorate Christmas cookies.

22dec1

I also got out my long puffy coat.

22dec9

Dear friends sent me this gorgeous woodcut print they made.

22dec4

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…

22dec2

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.

22dec5

22dec6

Other things happening around here: chocolate chip cookies, latkes, and reading/dog-cuddling.

22dec3

22dec8

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.