Settling Into the Semester

It's finally getting properly cold here, which of course means I don't want to sit at my desk and do work and school, I'd much rather stay in bed under a thousand blankets with Lee Lee, who is better than any hot water bottle. Alas, staying cozy doesn't pay the bills. Or get homework done.

This is the third week of my semester and I think I've managed to craft enough conscious rest into my schedule. So far I haven't had much homework, just a few hours of reading each week, but that's changing this week, and I'll have to do some article analysis and start researching for some of my bigger semester projects. It's all good, though—I'm really excited about some of my projects, and even the ones I'm less excited about I can see how valuable they'll be in the future. 

One of the things I'm finally trying to do is step away from my desk for lunch. I've been pretty bad about that ever since I started working from home, but my chair isn't great, and when Tuesdays and Wednesdays are 12-hour days between work and class, my poor body needs a break. I'm trying to force myself out into the living room to watch something mindless on tv and work on my 3-color cowl, and I definitely notice a difference on the days I do that. Turns out, soreness aside, sitting at my desk in my home office watching youtube doesn't really count as "stepping away for a break."

I have a lot of knitting projects scattered around my apartment right now, but I'm mostly working on that little cowl (during lunch) and the giant mass of garter stitch (during class). I certainly miss working on everything else, but I think only really thinking about two-ish projects at a time is enough for right now—and goodness knows the other projects will be waiting when a slot opens up! 

Fridaying

This was my first week of spring classes, and I'm feeling pretty good about this semester so far. I am finally starting to settle into my new routine, and while I'm still not sleeping great, I'm having less trouble falling asleep when I should than I was at the beginning of the week, and I've managed to force myself out of bed on time every morning, so I'm calling that a win.

It's really hard for me to be a morning person, and it feels really unnatural. I don't really have another option right now, with how my class and work schedule lines up, but it's still weird.

I haven't knit anything really fun this week, though I have been working on an endless mass of garter stitch during classes, which I'm not showing you because it's incredibly boring and won't be pretty for several months, at least. It is pretty perfect for class knitting, so far, and hopefully I can keep working away at it over the semester. 

This weekend I have to go into the library to do some work I can't do from home and I have a long list of readings for school. I'm hoping to be able to take Sunday off completely and not use my brain at all, so fingers crossed that today and tomorrow I'm super productive!

Trying

I promise, I really am trying to keep blogging. I'm trying to not be hard on myself for skipping days (or weeks), because we all have it rough right now, but I do miss checking in here a few times a week. 

It feels like nothing's happening. I stay home, I work, I feed my dog. I'm not knitting as much as I used to, because I'm depressed (who isn't) and I'm not really watching tv except for cartoons because I don't feel like keeping track of a story line. It is what it is.

I start my spring classes tomorrow. My schedule's a bit different this semester, but I think it'll go smoothly. At the very least, there's not an election to think about, and Lee Lee shouldn't have any more vet issues (knock on wood). I have two classes on Tuesdays, which I think might feel long, but really it shouldn't be any longer than a regular work day with an evening class. We'll see. I can do anything for a semester. I'm taking Conceptual Foundations, Intro to Special Libraries, and Evidence-Based Practice, for those of you that are interested.

This week I have a pile of mending to do for my mum. I know I have the perfect yarn for these socks and mittens lying around somewhere in my office, but I haven't gotten my hands on it yet. I really want to get them all patched up in the next couple of days, because February tends to be our coldest month here.

Mitzie

Mitzie is a fun knit featuring large eyelets and garter stitch stripes. It is worked sideways on the bias, from one corner to the opposite side, and is finished with a picot bind off.

I wanted a shawl that could stand up to some bright colors in my stash, and that would be easy enough to knit during class or while watching tv. Mitzie fits the ticket exactly, with the eyelet sections providing just enough interest to a straightforward knit.

The sample is worked in two colors, but Mitzie is also a great opportunity to use up some leftovers or mini skeins for a truly one-of-a-kind knitting experience.

Calls for 475yds/435m in Main Color and 250yds/230m in Contrast Color

Mitzie is available on Ravelry and Payhip and is 20% off with code STRIPES through Friday, January 22nd.

A Week

Well, it has been a week. I didn't get caught up on stuff like I'd hoped to, because I had to watch a freaking coup happen on Wednesday, and honestly, we're all still processing that. US friends, please remember to take breaks from the news, drink water, check on your friends, and contact your congresspeople. That's really all I've got right now. Even though many of us saw this coming, it's still shocking to watch and difficult to process.

Anyway. I'm back in my home office, at my messy desk. I have yarn on the needles, coffee brewing, and in a few minutes I'll contact my representatives again. 

Take care of yourselves, kittens.

Soft Animal

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

-Mary Oliver, “Wild Geese”

Soft Animal is a shawl for wrapping up in. Worked with worsted and laceweight yarns held together, the luxurious blend of wool, silk, and mohair is both soft and fuzzy, and the shawl evokes the feeling of being a small animal snug and cozy in its den.

“Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine,” the poet says. “Meanwhile the world goes on.”

I designed and knit this shawl in the midst of 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, amid uncertainty, despair, and loneliness, when all I could do some days was let the soft animal of my body love the food I fed it and the blankets I wrapped it in. This shawl is for comfort.

Soft Animal is knit sideways, from one corner to the opposite edge, with alternating bands of garter stitch and ribbing. The final border is both charted and written out.

Calls for 800yds/731.5m each of worsted weight yarn and laceweight mohair

Yarn support generously provided by The Dye Project

Soft Animal is now available on Ravelry and Payhip. Use code GEESE to get 20% off through Sunday, January 10th.

Giftmas Knits

Hello! It's been a while, hasn't it? Today is my first day back at work since Christmas Eve, and it was really nice to have over a week off. I'm still in rest mode after fall semester—I spent most of my break sleeping—and I still have a couple weeks to keep resting up before my spring classes start. I've finally gotten caught up on pattern knitting and I have two shawl patterns with my tech editor right now, so stay tuned for those.

I ended up knitting two gifts this year. The first was a pair of socks for my mum, and I really loved this pattern. I definitely want to knit a pair for myself, but I ought to finish (or frog) some of the socks I already have on the needles for myself first. 

I only made one modification, which was to swap in my usual eye of partridge heel flap instead of the reverse stockinette flap the pattern called for. My mum and I are rough on socks, and we really need the reinforcement of slip stitches. 

Ravelry Page: Arcadia Socks

Pattern: Arcadia Socks by Jo-Anne Klim

Yarn: Brown Sheep Wildfoote Luxury Sock, "Jungle"

I also knit a hat for my brother. He's been wanting a Jaques Cousteau hat, and I knew that Musselburgh would be perfect. I didn't get the yarn until just over a week before Christmas, so it was a bit tight, but I stayed up late on the 23rd to get everything finished in time for blocking.

I really loved knitting this hat as well, and I absolutely want at least one of my own. The construction is so clever, and it makes a really solid, good hat. With the winds we get here on the plains we really need multiple layers, so a double-layer hat is perfect.

Ravelry Page: Musselburgh

Pattern: Musselburgh by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette, "Serano"

I do have a few more projects that I finished recently to share, but I'm very behind on taking photos. Hopefully I'll get everything photographed this week and will get all caught up with blogging soon! 

Mondaying

Happy Monday, friends! I submitted my last papers of the semester on Saturday and it feels so good to be done! This fall was pretty rough, and I'm ridiculously proud of myself for handling it as well as I did. I have six weeks off until next semester, and while I'm looking forward to my spring classes, I really can't wait to spend the next six weeks reading for fun and catching up on movies and tv shows I haven't been able to watch the past few months.

Xmas knitting continues apace, and I'm happy with where I'm at so far. Apologies for no photo again today, but my mum reads the blog and I can't just go around ruining surprises. I also made an executive decision about a shawl sample that's been on the needles for a while now, and I'm hoping to get caught up on pattern writing before the spring semester starts. 

Yesterday I mixed up some pepparkakor dough, and I'll probably roll those out later today. I've not done any real holiday treat-making yet, aside from the Chex Mix, and pepparkakors sound like the perfect start. I also want to try making cardamom rolls sometime in the next two weeks—they've been on my to-bake list for ages, but I haven't managed to get around to them yet. 

More Numbers, Because Why Not

 1. I have half of my last final paper and a reflection left to write and then I am done until January 25th.

2. I finally started Xmas knitting last night. I do not know if I'll be done in time, but I will be giving it my all. Especially once my papers are done.

3. Using the food processor to make latkes is absolutely a game-changer. 

4. Lee Lee continues to improve. We have started going for (very short) walks again, and she has resumed stealing all the blankets in bed. I think over the weekend we'll scale down from one pill in the mornings to half a pill.

5. Yesterday I made Chex mix and ate two whole bowls of it and only barely managed to stop so I could put it all away. I haven't been able to find my usual GF bagel chips this year, and I don't know if the company has stopped making them or if they're a temporary loss due to Covid (it was really hard to get GF mac and cheese for a while), so I just added more nuts and pretzels. 

6. I hope you all have a good weekend! 

Numbers on a Monday

 Okay, we're doing numbers today because it's the last week of the semester and I am EXHASTED.

1. I'll be giving 25% of my December sales each to my local food pantry and emergency fund. The area I live in really struggles with poverty and food insecurity (35%!!), and these organizations work really hard and struggle to meet all the need even in non-pandemic years. If you're not already working with your local orgs, please reach out to them, especially if you have less to share this year than usual. They're the ones in the communities, with the connections and the boots on the ground to keep people warm and fed, and they've really been hit hard this year with the double whammy of increased need and less money coming in.

2. Lee Lee continues to improve! I'm letting her go cone-free most of the time now, and we're down to pain meds once a day, in the mornings. Thank you all again for all your support the last two months, it's so good to see her getting closer and closer to her old self.

3. It's the LAST WEEK OF THE SEMESTER. I have two papers, a project, and two presentations this week and then I am DONE until the end of January, I cannot WAIT. I have promised myself a Lord of the Rings marathon as soon as I turn in my last project and I plan to spend my break knitting and reading my stack of library books.

4. I just recently learned that you can shred potatoes for latkes in a food processor instead of grating them by hand. It blew my mind, and I'm extremely excited for Hanukkah now. I love latkes, but having to grate potatoes AND clean up from frying is usually Too Much for me to handle in one night, so the food processor tip is a real game changer for me.

5. There are eighteen days until Xmas and I have not started gift knitting. I'm not panicking. Yet.