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.

hello, april…

Posted on April 10, 2013 by barefootrooster

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:

Helping.

Dumplings also help.

Tea on the porch.

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

Weaving in the ends…finished pictures soon!

More “helping” from Boh.

Spring sunset.

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

like a lamb.

Posted on March 31, 2013 by barefootrooster

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

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

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.)

Rough life.

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

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.

Posted on March 30, 2013 by barefootrooster

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Posted on March 26, 2013 by barefootrooster

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.

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!

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!)

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.

Posted on January 13, 2013 by barefootrooster

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!

the usual?

Posted on January 5, 2013 by barefootrooster

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!

that time of year.

Posted on December 22, 2012 by barefootrooster

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.

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