Tag Archives: sunset

sunset and sweet stripes.

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On Tuesday afternoon, the last day of January, it was easily in the mid-fifties here. And on my enclosed porch, it was a warm and cozy seventy degrees, due to a handful of hours of direct sun. I put on my flip-flops, brought my teaching prep to the big yellow table, and enjoyed my view of the lake. And when it got too dark for actual work, I just sat and took in the sunset. (And snapped a few pictures of it for you.)

It was a lovely way to say goodbye to January.

And here are the sweet stripes I made mention of: a basic baby hat, modeled on one of the many awesome hat patterns in cosy‘s book, Knit One, Embellish Two. I knit this with grey Cascade 220 and some super soft undyed mystery yarn that I think was left over from something my friend M.’s mom was making. I did more subtraction to turn a child’s hat into a baby hat, and I’m hoping it fits the wee one in question, born on Sunday morning. It went into the mail on Monday, so I’m counting on it arriving today. (I may also be counting on the new parents, one of whom is at least aware of this blog, being too busy to find this sort-of-spoiler alert.) This was so much fun to make that I’ve cast on another. I’m sure I can find a baby to put it on.

I’m reaching back to Monday morning (excuse the artificial light) for this knits-in-action shot of my Idlewood. This is the first time I’ve worn it this year, and I love it just as much as I did when I finished knitting it. I even put it back on as a cozy layer as I was walking out the door to yoga on Monday night, and when it was time for savasana, I pulled the huge cowl up over my head for deep relaxation. I may need to make another. Or at least put it on to help me with today’s tasks: a grant application, a student recommendation letter, and maybe, hopefully, some time spent going through my research.

resolved.

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One of my resolutions for 2012 is to develop a writing practice. Writing a dissertation is really different from writing a colloquium paper, or a seminar paper, or a conference paper, or an article draft. I’m not going to sit down and crank this out in a couple of weeks, deadline looming. And even if I could do that, I certainly don’t want to. This is my primary job for the next few years, and I want to like doing it. Which means I need a rhythm, a routine. And now that I’m done with my fall semester and its accompanying whirlwind of research travel, it is time to get settled — and serious — about developing the habits I’d most like to have as a writer, teacher, and historian. And so far so good. I snapped this picture this afternoon, before beginning day 3 of plan write-every-day. Right now, the goal is to form the habit. I’m not necessarily writing the dissertation yet, but I’m writing about it, and thinking in a more dedicated and targeted way about my sources, my actors, and my argument(s). And it feels good to me. (Note to self: remember this feeling.)

Here’s another shot of the office, from the porch looking in. I took this because of the view I was enjoying looking out on Monday. See?

So lovely. I was too busy writing to capture today’s afternoon and early evening light, but it was beautiful — sort of like this, but with flurries of snow.

And because in theory, we all show up here because there is knitting, here’s what I wore to campus (first day back there since the end of August) today: my stripe study shawl, boots, leggings, a dress, and a slouchy sweater. It was nice to say hello to the folks in the office, chat with my chair, and cross a bunch of logistical things off my list. Hooray!

Time for dinner, some knitting, and a book.

in the kitchen/on the porch.

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My winter farm share started last week, which means the fridge is bursting with tasty root vegetables. Also, my friend M. is moving away (which is very sad). She’s emptying her kitchen, so on Saturday night she came over for soup, biscuits, and some Boh cuddling. And all that provided some kitchen motivation for me. So on Saturday afternoon I made veggie stock (using the recipe in the back of the first 101 cookbooks cookbook as a rough guide), and then I set to making potato leek soup, or to be more precise, the leek and potato soup from Alice Waters’ cookbook, The Art of Simple Food. (Great book.)

Leeks softening in butter on the stove. Yum.

And while the soup simmered, I took some pictures of the sunset from the porch. So beautiful. And then  M. and I had a lovely evening.

Yesterday, I managed to get my phone-camera out fast enough to catch Boh in action, playing a game with his ring toy. He was sort of trying to throw it to himself, but not always succeeding because he was tilting his head back. Funny to watch.

And then, last night, after a batch of kale chips to tide me over, I made this — Deb’s crispy potato roast. (Public service announcement: potato peelers are for potatoes, not for pointer fingers. I’m fine, and the potatoes were worth it.) I might have eaten ALL of this for dinner. That’s how good it was. (M — thanks for the potatoes!)

I’m gearing up for one last research trip this week, so we have plans to take a mid-morning walk with our friend R., who will be hanging out Boh at the lake while I’m gone. It looks like it is going to be a beautiful day. (More knitting soon. Really.)

kitchen playtime.

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My allergies have really knocked me down today, so all I’ve got for you is a series of photos from my dinner prep (and enjoyment) last night. First, I made a mess in the kitchen. (And by mess, I mean Farro with Green Onion Sauce, Toasted Walnuts, and Asparagus, from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking. I subbed brown rice for farro and lemon juice for the zest, and tried to stick to her instructions.) The outcome? A delicious, satisfying sunset meal (pictured above).

Happy weekend!

red at night, sailors’ delight.

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Or so they say.

Yesterday I started feeling better — hooray! I returned an overdue library book, did some grocery shopping, went to the bank, and when I got home, I decided it was time to (literally) test the waters. So I threw on a tank top and shorts, grabbed a towel and Boh, and we went for a swim. (And by swim, I mean I waded and coaxed Boh into a depth requiring that he swim. He did, but he didn’t seem thrilled about it. So we got out of the water, I hooked him to the picnic table at the end of the dock, and swam a few “laps” nearby.) It was cold, but refreshing, and surprisingly deep! There are stairs at water’s edge and then a ladder at the end of the dock — plenty of the kind of depth Boh likes at the shore (read: places he can stand without needing to swim), but at the end of the dock, definitely over my head. I’m not a big swimmer (I don’t like to get my face wet, though I did go through a phase in high school where my mom and I would swim laps at the Y), but one of my goals for this summer is to get into the lake regularly. (Tough, I know.)

Last night’s sunset was lovely, and I enjoyed it from the porch with my knitting, a small glass of a dear friend’s homebrew, and my sweet dog. Hello, June.

we live here.

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Boh and I enjoyed a gorgeous sunset from the porch last night. Those of you who have been long time readers may remember the pictures I used to take from my front door when I lived in the southwest. I have a feeling you’ll be seeing lots of pictures from my porch.

We live here. (In the, whoa, it looks like we live here, sense.) I have begun to make messes in my new kitchen.

Behold the yarn and fiber closet. I know it has been far too long since I posted about knitting and spinning — first it was the exams, then the move, then the research trip. All that is over now. I spent yesterday afternoon trying to unpack my fiber, which basically meant that I had to go to the store to acquire tools for closet organization. I’m so thrilled with these hanging racks for my yarn and fiber. Stay tuned for a picture of the “book” case (read: yarn case) in my bedroom. And, of course, actual knitting!

FO: sour fig.

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Boh decided that he wanted to pose alongside my finished skein of Hello Yarn shetland in Sour Fig. This is 201 yards of 2-ply, and I have a second, smaller skein of 85 yards. This stuff looks to me to be mostly sport weight, and I’m wondering if it would make a nice wurm hat. Thoughts? (Too variegated? I am also craving another set of mitts.)

Yesterday also involved this:

And this:

Friday. I managed to eat ALL of that apple crisp last night, this morning, and as a late lunch today. Boh and I just took a nice, sunshine-filled walk around the neighborhood, and I’m hoping that I have energy enough to do a bit more work this afternoon.

disaster/resolution.

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I did something totally stupid and avoidable yesterday while knitting on bracken and decompressing from a long and stressful day: I somehow managed to twist the vest around while picking up the ribbed button band/collar border. I noticed when I bound off.

I did not have the heart to take pictures, but I performed the equivalent of open heart surgery on my vest. I ripped out the seam between the front and back on the right shoulder, and then cut the ribbing. In my mind, I had envisioned being able to pick up stitches on both sides, knit, and kitchener (you know, sort of like making a thumb), but since I had to cut my knitting VERTICALLY, that did not happen. We’re only talking about seven rows here, but there were seven separate ends on each side. (Obviously. Just not to me BEFORE I cut.) So I picked out a few columns to get long enough ends to weave in or (ahem) knot, and then I re-seamed the shoulder, and then picked up stitches from the seam edge and knit a handful of rows in ribbing to fill in the gap I had created. Then I did the ugliest suturing anyone has ever seen, and decided that no one will notice. It looks a lot better now that I’ve picked up and knit the stitches for the armhole ribbing.

bracken needs buttons

Now it just needs buttons. The jury is still out on whether this is a flattering style on me. Bracken is getting a nice, hot, luxurious soak as we speak, and if everything evens out a bit (and if I can get a bit more length out of it) this could be a super fun layering piece. Remember my note on row gauge, and how I figured it was close enough? Those might be famous last words. My ribbing is another half-inch or so wider than the pattern calls for, which might make for some awkwardly fitting armholes. Fingers crossed…

sunset ithaca

So, that’s a bit of a mess, but to make up for it, the universe delivered one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve seen in awhile.

sunset windows

I love the reflection of the sunset in the windows of the house behind mine. What a way to welcome the weekend!

blurry.

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sunset2041

sunset2042

Apologies if these make you dizzy. Yesterday was a blurry kind of day, so it seems only fitting that the pictures I attempted to take of a stunning sunset turned out this way. (It probably didn’t help that I was fresh out of the shower, still in the process of getting dressed, and therefore more than a little exposed to a backyard mob of mosquitoes that made keeping the camera steady more than slightly difficult.)

A bit of a sock is all I’ve got for you today:

sock2inpr

Oh — and my bat came back last night for round 3. My landlord will be here in half an hour to strategize. Hope your day is bat-free!