Today is the Spring Equinox, which means that it is also our 18th wedding anniversary (our marriage is old enough to vote!), and also the 18th birthday of our sweet orange kitty, Ren. We weren't actually sure that Ren was going to make it to his 18th birthday; he caught COVID from us and had… Continue reading Socks & Spring, Exhaustion & Equinox
it finally happened.
I made it through an entire conference being the weirdo who never took their mask off, even during group meals, and stayed COVID-free. But alas, despite taking every precaution we possibly could, COVID did finally hit our household last week. I always worry, in the days following a school break, that a child will have… Continue reading it finally happened.
Off to Chicago with a brand new cowl
9pm is a strange time for me to write a knitting blog post, but I'm going to be up late tonight - in a couple of hours, I'll be hoping on the overnight Amtrak to Chicago for the CCCC '23 conference. I'm a lucky duck, because a friend had Amtrak points to spare, which meant… Continue reading Off to Chicago with a brand new cowl
Hello, February
I hope that the sunny day we're having today bodes well for the remainder of February, which in my experience tends to be a month that feels very dark and gloomy here in my part of the world. To be honest, March typically does, too. It's like the shine of the first few months of… Continue reading Hello, February
Things on and off my needles
The beginning of the semester has been quite hectic; the shorter-than-usual break meant that I wasn't able to "prep-ahead" as much as I normally do, so now I'm stuck prepping while teaching 4 classes (and running, so far, 4 extra workshops just in the first 2.5 weeks). And one of those classes is a class… Continue reading Things on and off my needles
more Joy
I actually finished these mitts (and took these pictures) a little before Christmas, but I finally had a chance to give them to my friend yesterday! https://flic.kr/p/2o6MrfD Pattern: Joy, by Ysolda TeagueYarn: Lichen (from my Ysolda Care Package) in a natural grey, plus scraps of Rauma Finullgarn and Knitpicks PaletteNeedles: Size 4 Chiaogoo circulars (magic… Continue reading more Joy
one week until Spring Semester
One week from today, I'll be teaching my first day of classes of Spring Semester. This "break" has felt so, so short, and I don't really feel ready for it to be over. Not least because my classes aren't actually set up yet! My kid went back to school on Tuesday, so I spent Tuesday… Continue reading one week until Spring Semester
Hello, 2023.
As a "start as you mean to go on" sort of thing, I suppose having a finished project on January 1st ain't so bad! I actually bound off my Pressed Flowers Shawl on December 30th, but the blocking process pushed it into the new year. https://flic.kr/p/2o97aCM Pattern: Pressed Flowers, by Amy ChristoffersYarn: Ysolda "Lichen" yarn… Continue reading Hello, 2023.
Farewell, 2022.
2022 was a hard year. It was a year of loss: two of our three cats died 3 weeks apart during the first half of the year, and their deaths cast a long shadow over the rest of the year. And there were the more ambiguous losses that came with Twitter being taken over by… Continue reading Farewell, 2022.
Zwischen den Jahren
Hello from Between the Years! (A phrase that always occurs to my brain in German before it does in English, hence the title of this post.) This weird space in between the Solstice and the New Year where time doesn't really make any sense and I have no idea what day it is (it's Tuesday,… Continue reading Zwischen den Jahren
Flowers in the eye of the storm
In my last post, I mentioned the "calm before the storm" and the impending onslaught of portfolios to grade. As of a few moments ago, I have now graded all of the portfolios that could be graded (turns out that when you have a somewhat significant number of students who didn't finish the classes, this… Continue reading Flowers in the eye of the storm
The calm “Beelore” the storm?
In my move onto Mastodon from Twitter, I ended up connecting with some new fiber arts folks, and learned of the #FastenOffYAL that was taking place during December. It's a celebration of designers and yarns who offer their products off Ravelry, and a space where those who aren't able to use the site anymore can… Continue reading The calm “Beelore” the storm?
Professor Meow Pullover is complete!
Just in time for kiddo's 11th birthday, I finished the Professor Meow pullover! https://flic.kr/p/2o2vXet A very happy new 11 year old in her new kitty sweater. Pattern: Professor Meow Pullover from KnitpicksYarn: Knitpicks Wonderfluff in Goji Heather and Beehive HeatherNeedles: Size 10.5 circularsTime to knit: About 3 weeks, including ripping and reknitting the front Just… Continue reading Professor Meow Pullover is complete!
Apparently I cannot count.
Welp, I made a whole bunch of progress on Professor Meow this weekend, but then made a disappointing discovery: Professor Meow's face is off-center. https://flic.kr/p/2o1Cz6v Look closely - there are 21 stitches on the right of the nose and only 19 on the left. Curses! Between this and the mishap with the Joy Mitts that… Continue reading Apparently I cannot count.
first snow and other delights
Yesterday, we had our very first snow of the season! It didn't stick, but it was beautiful to watch it fall. It started while I was in a space with other folks from my UU church who are interested in learning more about nature-centered pagan practices for celebrating the turns of the seasons, and I… Continue reading first snow and other delights