Project Z redux

A couple of years ago, I started working on the lifestyle habit of getting more sleep. I called it Project Z. I went to bed by 10pm, and got up at 6am or so - if I deviated from that, I tried to make sure I got 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep. The change in how I felt and functioned at work was dramatic. I managed to maintain it for about 9 months, and then, it spun out, maybe because of my crappy job last year, maybe because I got slack, less vigilant, who knows? My hypothesis is that because I worked long days, I was staying up later, sometimes to do schoolwork (especially during grading periods) but sometimes to catch up on life, or pleasurable downtime; knitting, reading, watching tv. Then summer came, the knee dislocation came and I got less exercise, which further screwed up my sleep; less tired, I sleep less, but become more tired, if that makes sense.

So I'm taking it back!! Project Z will ride again!! I've been a fervent reader of Leo Babauta's Zen Habits blog, and have been struck anew by his emphasis on making small changes that turn into big changes over time. I did a lot of reflection on what needs to improve right now in my life...more exercise, less internet surfing, better eating, more knitting, cleaner house, more time outside, finding a job I like, getting a better handle on Cricket's behavior, daily yoga practice, fewer cupcakes, more consistent spiritual practice, reading more, spinning better, blogging, being better at composting from the kitchen, saving more $$ for retirement, oh the list is endless! Leo wrote that in his experience, picking ONE THING to work on til it became a good habit - about 4 to 6 weeks, and then maintaining that one, worked better than making a lot of little changes that don't really stick, because you spread yourself too thin. I think that's a good point. I think the change in the way I felt a few days into Project Z was SO big that I really want to reinstate this positive practice.

Now practically speaking, this is a tough week to start such a thing. For one, Ms. Acornbud is headed my way in just a couple days. No way are we not gonna stay up late, and even though I anticipate her jet lag might make her sleep in, I can't guarantee that. For another, we're headed to Asheville, NC for SAFF, and rooming with my sis and Jessie, and I don't see the four of us tucking in early in a hotel room this weekend. So I'm gonna just try and focus on being well-rested in a catch as catch can way, and then, next Tuesday, when I'm home alone again (and this will be a sad thing) I'm gonna put my ass into bed at 9:30, with the knowledge that I certainly won't sleep at 9:30, but will probably knit or read instead. I think, for the time being, I'm not going to let myself nap, mostly because I think it contributes to the further jacking up of my circadian rhythms. So this Project Z is the thing I'm gonna focus on from now til about December 1, to see if I can reset my sleep. I forsee some bumps in the road, with P's returns to the ATL, and Thanksgiving and such, but overall, I spend most of my time home alone, and most of schedule is my own to control.

I feel like I needed to write it down here because I want to hold myself accountable for actually starting to make this change, but reading other peoples' writing about personal changes can be dull, so I offer you a couple of other things to contemplate:

Autumn is coming to Georgia, ready or not. I am ready to dispense with the heat, and have been really enjoying our 80 degree days, as opposed to our 95 degree days. Tomorrow, it is supposed to be only about 60, though, so that will be a fast forward into fall. Not sure I'm ready for that.

Behold the amazing thing that is Hanami. Completed, blocking in my spare bedroom. What a long strange knit that turned out to be. I love it, but am honestly not sure how much I'll wear it. It seems too fancy. But still...Hanami!!

Time for oatmeal and some laundry.

these are a few of my favorite things...

I have been productive this past week, in spite of the fact that P has been home, and we've spent more than a little time just goofing off doing little in the way of productive activity. Eating out, watching silly tv, grilling meat, walking the dogs...

On Ravelry, I have been taking part in a KAL of knitted objects inspired bythe book series "A Song of Ice and Fire" " called The Knits' Watch. I knitted the Peaks Island Hood, re-naming it the Green Dreams Hood. I'm very pleased, though you wouldn't know it from this silly, overly serious photo of me. But dang, the ultra alpaca in my favorite shade of dark green is soft! The tea-dyed antler buttons are the perfect crowning touch. This is a knit I will wear and love.

Also made for the Knits' Watch, because I was trying for Ranger status, was the Riverrun Shawl, which is actually the Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl, for those interested. This is knat from my handspun, about 350 yards of corriedale, from Maisy Day Handspun, overspun and then overplied, so not a very soft knit, but pretty. I edged it in my handspun shetland, because I ran out of yarn a bit early. I wish it were bigger. I wish it were softer. That said, I am enormously pleased to be knitting my own yarn!

Tonight I made sushi. I had some Nova lox in the fridge that needed eating, and some cutiecumber, avocado, green beans and carrots on hand, plus some old nori sheets, so I decided to whip up a few mixed up rolls to munch on. A quickie omelet fried up to add more protein and we're in business. Ugly rolls, but I can't complain. Sushi is a rare treat around here, after several years of eating it as a go-to snack food in Hawaii.

I spent the afternoon at the vet's office with Miss Ella, whose right back leg went out this afternoon. I feared neurological problems as it was jerking and she was unable to walk, but it turned out she had a very deep, infected cut between 2 toes on that paw, which she'd helped along by licking it into a hot spot. A thorough irrigation, a plethora of antibiotics, pain meds and an Elizabethan collar later, and she should be on the mend. My poor good girl... she is not happy, but I am relieved.

I am off to knit with my knittahs, this evening.

slow progress...

...on all fronts. Knee is getting more bendy, by a few degrees each week. I'm more active and able to do things, now, but there are fresh accompanying aches and pains. I have gone, in the space of about 3 weeks, from 60 degrees of bend to about 105. I can now drive a stick shift car again, and make a full revolution on the physical therapist's bicycle, though I have yet to dare to get on my own bike for an actual ride. Sleeping comfortably is still the hardest thing to do, as everything I do with the knee in bed seems to make it hurt. I am off all pain meds, though, as I wanted to hoard a few for emergencies.

In other news, our crazy backyard reclamation project trundles forward, with boulders, gravel and mulch in varying states of application:
(click to biggify the photo) We took out 7 trees, which provided a little more light, and have designed a lawn-to-be for some shade tolerant grass to grow. That's the dark composted area, which will be tilled and planted next week. Did some grading to prevent some of the dramatic erosion that's been happening on the property since we tore out the half-acre of ivy 2 years ago. The gray gravelly area will be the site of the firepit - probably just a bowl or barrel to contain said flames. We splurged and bought some boulders from Tennessee to shore up some of the erosion and define the firepit further. And most importantly, just because I like rocks and wanted them around. The boulders are definitely my favorite part of the project; each has its own face and personality; some have lichens, some have mosses on them. Our shed is in, and waiting for all the tilling and dustmaking to die down so it can get its fresh coat of paint - "Tea Leaves Green" exterior latex, by Valspar. I will probably paint (read this as "have painted" as I am not a house painter) the house this color next summer, as well. The current plan is to renovate and beautify, and probably use this place as a rental house, til the market improves or until P retires and we move back to the ATL. It feels a little mixed, to be doing work on a place that I love and have loved living in, for someone else to occupy, but the yard HAD to be improved; it was eroding away to weeds and mud, and I am having fun with it. Moving to the DC area will be a happy thing, whenever I do go, though I am enjoying being here thoroughly. I am currently researching shade tolerant perennials to put in the yard, and welcome all suggestions. Trying to focus on workhorse plants that will spread, wild natives (besides poison ivy and greenbrier and blackberry) and flower for birds and insects.

My mom and I were moving our woodpile the other week, from below the firepit to the far side of the shed. We found many, many snake skin remnants on the wood. Apparently, the pile had been a nest of snakes - I had only seen the family of chipmunks that lived in there, but they must have provided incentives for the serpents to move in. My mom saw a snake wiggle off the tarp I used to cover the wood with, but she was rather matter-of-fact about it. When one is in the Georgia woods, there are going to be snakes! The only snake I've seen around here (in my patio doorway, to be precise) is the feisty Northern Ringneck Snake. Of course I imagine the snakes in the woodpile to be all copperheads and rattlers, but that's just that stinkin' thinkin'.

On the knitting front, I just finished the 7th repeat of the hated Hanami basketweave chart. My love for this pink alpaca is undiminished though, and I look forward to finishing this, and getting out to see some cherry blossoms in it next spring! Here is a progress shot of my shaky little basketweave. Please disregard a couple of obvious visible errors. You'll hardly notice those from the back of a galloping horse, I assure you!
I am also knitting on a couple of other projects. On Ravelry, for the Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire forum's Knit's Watch KAL, I am working on Ysolda's Peak's Island Hood in dark green Berrocco alpaca, which I have renamed the Green Dreams Hood, in honor of Bran Stark's shamanic dreams. I LOVE this pattern, LOVE the yarn and am so looking forward to finishing this so I can wear it this fall. I ordered some antler buttons for it, to enhance the rustic appearance, because the Starks would not really be wearing foo-foo scarves, what with living in the harsh northern reaches of Westeros, and all. End of my fangirl geekiness for this entry, I promise.

P is home, and we've been enjoying the long weekend, doing at-home projects, errands and going out to eat. The man is coming here for pho, which I think is silly, as there is excellent pho in the DC area, but whatever... We checked out a new-to-me brewpub yesterday, and I had a most excellent scottish ale, which made me a little nostalgic for my homebrewing days, but just a little. I think the presence of good brewpubs in my area are the reason I DON'T homebrew anymore. That and the fact that I am only a pretend beer drinker. I like brewing, as I like all chemistry experiments, but I never drank enough to justify the gallons I brewed. Yes, friends will graciously take gifts of homebrew, and there are parties to go to, but I am done brewing for now. But not done with the sweet, strong wee scots ale, let me tell you.

the long hot summer

It's been 2 1/2 months since I've last posted, in a summer when I fully intended to blog regularly. Sigh. Admittedly, I have been writing in other venues, but I've fallen off keeping this here chronicle up to date. Perhaps the most important event of the summer is the one that would have given me the most time to blog; on July 15, I fell, due to a rubber slipper accident (slippah + puddle o' watah = trouble) and dislocated my knee. A trip to the emergency room later, and I was in an immobilizing brace for 3 weeks, and now am doing 2x weekly physical therapy. I can bend the knee about 80 degrees on a good day, but am working hard to get it back, learning to walk like a normal person again, drive (automatic transmission for the time being) and generally being careful around the house and yard. My job search has been put on hold til I can get through the PT, and figure out driving.

Meanwhile, P moved to DC for his new job. He'll be back the week of Labor Day. So far, we are weathering the long-distance thing okay, though of course I will be thrilled to see him, and feel it's been to long a separation. I will try and visit him once a month, starting in September/October, and it will be nice to visit my old stomping ground of the DC area again, as well.

I am working on the landscaping project in a revised fashion; I had a shed put in and had 7 trees removed from the yard. Next step, to grade and till part of the yard and sow a mixed cover of grass, clover and various shady wildflowers on the flat part of the yard. Then Leslie, my landscaper and I will work on a firepit design, and I'll put in some more perennials later this fall. I'm not really pro-lawn, but our yard has gone from ivy jungle to dirtpatch wasteland in 2 years, and it's time it had something better and prettier; we're suffering from erosion and thorny noxious weeds are getting a beachhead in. I have to move our woodpile over the next few days, and I'm not looking forward to it; seeing as how I know this process is going to reveal far more spiders and snakes than I really want to encounter, and I am phobic of neither.

My mom came in from VA to help around the house during my lamer days, and she'll be here about another week. We've gotten along well, relatively few political/religious arguments and harmony for the most part. I will miss her when she goes home, though I will also certainly rejoice to have my own house back.

There was knitting: Ysolda Teague's Rose Red Beret; a fun, easy knit in luxurious Madeline Tosh Vintage. I also finished the Amelia sweater, spun up a whole bunch of polwarth wool (my treadling leg being the uninjured one) and read 2 more books from the "Song of Ice and Fire" series. I am taking a break from those books now to catch up on my slow trundle through Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" books.

My sis came to visit at the end of July and helped me to start the beaded cast on for the Hanami Stole. I'm knitting it in some pinkish mauve Misti Alpaca. This will be a pretty shawl, though I'm not sure how much I will actually wear it. I'm envisioning it softening up a chocolate brown or grey dress.

A last pic, taken earlier this summer, before I got my "sporting injury", taken while hiking along the Chattahoochee river: I didn't expect to catch her, she never really stood still.

summer thoughts, summer things

So school's out. And I seem to be managing okay with one post per season, but since I'm in summer mode, I shall try to step it up just a wee bit here. First things first, some shots of Amelia in progress, just to show you how Cricket-colored she really is. Cricket is looking very sweet in that pic, sniffing the dirt and being all puppy-like. Dogtor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde every day, in every way.
And also a pic of my newish Birkenstock clogs (because I can't wear boots all the time) which caused a mild disruption at work.
See I got them thinking I could wear them to work. And I got away with it for weeks, wearing them with black pants, dark socks, like they were traveling to my repressive school incognito. But one day, I wore them with some brown corduroys, and my boss, she of the power suits in every color of the rainbow, was in the classroom watching us teach. And I could tell by the look on her face that something wasn't going well, even though the other teacher and I were working hard and the kids were relatively well-behaved. The next day, she followed me into the copy room and said "I need to let you know that those shoes you were wearing weren't professional." Arrrgh. I will not rant and rave about this now that I've quit the job, but damn, lady, neither are your 3-inch burnt orange acrylic nails either. Especially that chipped one...

But now it's summer and I'm happily unemployed, and figuring out my next plan in a life that's gone all crazy here. In spite of my two degrees and multiple credentials and lengthy years of teaching, I can't seem to see any joy in the thought of returning to a classroom next year. Not sure if this is temporary or permanent, and so I'm hesitant to launch myself full-on into the search for a full time job just yet. Lucky for me no one's hiring yet anyway. I am thinking my dream work would be a part time teaching job or maybe just a lot of tutoring or working in a learning lab or something. I'm also in the process of applying to GA State University to do some coursework to get certified to teach English as a Second Language, but the program is competitive and I'm late to the game, so it might not happen this fall. All this is complicated by P being offered his dream job in Washington, DC. My husband and his nomadic career are a challenge to me at times. Fortunately, he is indulgent to me in other ways, and so we are going to manage this thing slowly. I don't really have another move in me just now. In spite of the fact that I despise the educational system I've found myself in right now, I despise more the fact that Work causes no small amount of disruption in a life that I otherwise quite enjoy. So P is going to take the job, we're going to keep the Atomic Ranch, because we both love living here and it's a better investment this way and there will be a long-distance marriage for the next year, which we have survived before and will survive again. I will be spending some time in DC (this makes me happy) and he will be spending time in the ATL - and then after the next year is up, we'll figure out what we want to do with the Atomic Ranch, and whether we want to move Lock, Stock and Barrel. P thinks he's found a condo that works okay for the new job, walkable and bikeable to work and dog-friendly, in case I should drive up with the beasts. So this summer is one of a lot of uncertainty and figuring out the New Normal, a process which will go on for some months, at least. Even if we were to sell the Rancho, it would be months before we could put it on the market anyway, and so this approach makes more sense. I love the DC/Northern VA area a lot, and would happily go up there again, just not yet. I'm not ready to face that Beltway Buzz of energy, the extreme population density, and the cost of living. Atlanta seems somehow softer and easier right now. The Atomic Ranch works well for the dogs, and of course the dogs are what we keep first and foremost in mind when we go a-house hunting.

Project Spectrum Red Month of May came and I started Kiri, which, right after I blogged it, a few weeks ago, dumped me hard. I could NOT get the stitch count right to save my soul, and so it was hurled into a corner and I am finishing up Ysolda's Rose Red beret in some lovely Madeline Tosh yarn that my knittah Debbie inspired me to buy at Stitches. The yarn is ALL THAT, as everyone had been telling me, though my stash of other things is substantial enough that I won't make a habit of it. I will blog this as soon as I cast off and get some pics. I'm hoping desperately that it fits, and that I have enough yardage to finish it, so dear readers light a candle for me and hope along with me.

Even though life "feels" insane right now, I am pretty positive and happy at the moment. I did what I set out to do, which was to survive the year from hell, and I am looking forward to the changes and new adventures coming up. And hopefully more blogging.

project spectrum kickoff: lace brain

For the resurrection of Project Spectrum, I am knitting a project which I began some years ago - Kiri, a shawl by Polly Outhwaite. I must admit a fascination for this rather simple leaf lace shawl, knit big in my favorite yarn ever, Kidsilk Haze. I started this back in 2007, in some Jo Sharp Rare Comfort and the project was too hard for me, or I didn't have "lace brain" or something. It totally dumped me, causing me no end of grief and fretting. Now, resurrected, on a whim, about a month ago, and brought into the forefront, for Project Spectrum, the color study that is the brainchild of Lolly, but has become a huge thing, with a facebook page of its own. The color for May is red, and I figured this would fit the bill nicely. It may be more pink than red, but is pleasing nevertheless. The yarn is Rowan Kidsilk Spray, in Vino. The knitting is pleasing and I am not being dumped by it anymore. What can I say? Lace brain.

my new boyfriend

I figure if I'm not working hard on this house cleaning project, I might as well post about my favorite new/old thing...

Chris got me all excited about Mr. Bento, the handy dandy lunch carryall while I was still living in HI. So upon my arrival in GA, I acquired one. But the nature of my work (part time, coming home for lunch) didn't necessitate it til this year, when all I did was work and found myself with not a lot of time to eat and not wanting to go into the teacher's lounge to heat food up. Enter, Mr. Bento, my new boyfriend! A handy dandy way to serve a multi-course meal at work. The only thing missing, as far as I can see, is the glass of wine that I was able to enjoy last year when I was working part time. sigh...the compromises we make. It DOES necessitate some advance organization to use this setup. The little bowls stack into a main container, and the bottom two are thermal, so if I heat food up it keeps them warm. I usually layer the bowls as such, starting from the bottom: soup, rice or quinoa w/ veg n' meat, a salad or fruits, and the final smallest bowl holds stuff like nuts, cheese, hummus, or on rare occasions, yogurt and granola. Once the food is organized, it's a cinch to eat a decent meal at the desk. I never thought I'd be so spun about being shackled to my desk, but Mr. Bento is soooo cool. Another co-worker has one, and she is equally thrilled with him. It has helped me to keep my food portions reasonable, as the bowls aren't tremendously big, and has also forced me to keep it interesting. Mr. Bento can be acquired at Amazon, or in your local H-Mart or other purveyors of Japanese innovatia. He is not cheap, for a lunch box, alas, but love has its price, and anything that keeps me eating leftovers and out of the school cafeteria or off the vending machine porkskins (no kidding, I love them) is a significant life improvement.

Here is what grows outside my acupuncturist's office door. Prickly pear cactus, complete with its fruit, known as "tunas." They are edible, but I wasn't sure at what point they become ripe or how to eat them, so I didn't harvest, though I was a bit tempted.

After a cold, rainy week, the sun is out and it's getting lovely again. This crocus pic is actually a few weeks old, but I'd forgotten that I had planted them last year, so they were a total surprise to me when they came up randomly in the yard.

The house is fragrant with banana bread; my knitter Kathy served the BEST banana bread at a little knit gathering a couple of weeks ago, at her house. I altered the recipe ever so slightly, by adding chocolate chips, but it is a fantastic version of a food that I am not known to love.

Spring break is on, and I am several kinds of happy, having had pho for lunch, and a lazy day of desultory kitchen cleaning and puttering. P is planning on grilling a steak later on, and we have the fixings for mango margaritas hanging out on the counter. I promised an update on Ameliaand the progress I had sorta made on this. I found the lost pattern, and realized that I had knitted waaaay past where the button hole shaping is supposed to begin. Okay, not that far. Like 1.5 inches. I am going to leave the length, and work 2 buttonholes, and then start the sleeves, raglan shaping, etc. My plan is to knit like hell over the break and the next few days and try to get this puppy off the needles, as the twisted rib is sucking my mojo out, and I just want to be done with it. Besides, I need a pretty Cricket-colored sweater.

cooking quinoa

Happy Birthday to Chelsea! So if you happen upon this page today, roll on over and give her some love. In fact give her some love anyway - she's one of my favorite blogs!

In my effort to have interesting things to eat, during my week alone, I did some cooking tonight. I've been playing around with quinoa, and tonight toasted it up in a skillet, then cooked it in the rice cooker with broth. I stir fried some onions, shitake mushrooms, red pepper and yellow squash up and mixed them in. Added a shot or 2 of Bragg's liquid aminos for umami purposes, and voila! A nice pilaf for lunches, to go with my borscht and salads.
The pot o' grain, cooked in the broth:


Frying up the veggies


The finished product, ready for packing into Mr. Bento.


I also have my completed sock #1 to share. I did a contrasting heel n' toe on these because I was afraid of running out of yarn. I'm not sure it was necessary, but I think it looks nice. The yarn is a little pooly, but it isn't that noticeable in person - and I like its mossy, underwatery colors. The contrast is Knitpicks Stroll sock yarn in the Basalt heather colorway.

Next up, but not tonight, an update on my Amelia progress, which can resume progressing on, as I've found the pattern again. It had fallen under the bed, right at a crucial juncture, and so I quit knitting it for a couple o' weeks til I found it again. My goal is to knit HARD on this over spring break, and maybe come close to finishing it. We'll see.

blink and you'll miss it

Spring, that is. I can't possibly hope to catch up with the past 2 1/2 months in which I haven't written a single word that I didn't have to, not even a damn grocery list, so all I'll say is I hope that I'm back. And spring, too. Because it's turned cold and rainy here in North Georgia, and somehow, the cold of spring feels much worse than the warm of winter, even though, truth be told, the cold of spring is warmer than the warm of winter. Somehow, chill temperatures on still cherry blossoms just make me want to huddle for a few more weeks.

So I'm huddling now. In bed, or rather on bed, nursing a sore ankle, from an unfortunate stumble of the parking lot of my workplace this afternoon. Nursing a bowl of borscht, and a huge glass of water. Swatching some crazy Rowan Cork for my knitting group's KAL of the Shalom sweater. I'm in love with this yarn, which I got in a trade from Blogless Michelle. It's been marinating in stash for a year and a half, because I didn't know what to do with bulky weight acid-green soft fluffiness. Enter Shalom, and the KAL. Can't decide between needle sizes, though and I think I'm over thinking it, as the sweater isn't that fitted, and I am notorious for knitting things too big. So I'm just trying to find a fabric that pleases me.

When I'm not swatching, I'm closing in on finishing a pair of socks, the second of which I will share here: It's Lavender Sheep Superwash Merino, in a color called The Cascades. Gorgeous. My classic plain vanilla sock recipe; 60 stitches, top-down, stockinette, roll top, #2 needles. The sock I knit most often, the most utilitarian ones. This yarn is yummy to knit with, and the combination of divine yarn and lovable needles (the Kollage square DPN's again) may yet make me a sock knitter.

In other news, I did not renew my contract with my school district for next year. I have disliked this job since day 1, really, and figured that getting out was a smart thing to do. Too much paperwork, too much stress, not enough love for my top-down admin (hey, I like my socks top-down, not my bosses!!) or the lack of a positive, thoughtful work environment for anyone. I have about 8 more weeks of school to go, one of them being Spring Break, and one of them being Big Over-Emphasized State Test, and then I'll be free, free, free. Free to scramble around and hunt for a job, but this time, I resolve to try harder not to fall into the desperate spin of angst and fretting that the job hunt always triggers in me. Resolve to savor my down time, and do my research properly, so that I may feel love, not hatred of my life's calling.

P is traveling, to Mississippi and Alabama this week, and I'm holding down the fort at home. Life is good.

dutch breakfast and a long-awaited fo.

Dutch marzipan stollen for breakfast is an idea I wholeheartedly support. I found this bread in a little dutch store in Helen, Ga, on our New Year's eve daytrip.

We got whacked with a ferocious storm this past Sunday, snow falling hard and fast and then a heaping helping of sleet, ice and freezing rain - the dreaded wintry mix. It's all conspired to close school for 4 days (I'm hoping for a 5th) and bring Atlanta to a screeching HALT! which of course is just fine with me. All this shut in time has enabled me to finish my long-languished Central Park Hoodie:
I knit it with 12 skeins of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed, purchased from Acornbud's stash. Acornbud, who enabled this sweater big time by hooking me on the Silkroad crack a couple of years before, just by ooh-ing and coo-ing over it in my presence. I gotta say, I adore this sweater, and its buttery colorway, Vermouth. It is warm and soft and squishy. It is a scoach too big, and I am having some misgivings about gauge, but everytime I put it on, it immediately cheers me and restores that "I am a knittah!!" feeling. Which is something, in the dark days of winter, let me tell you. The buttons are a grey and yellow vintage button donated by my knittah friend, Debbie.

So I've been off for a few days, with little else to show. I made some Guinness braised shortribs from a recipe I got from my brother in law, via Facebook. These were so good that I neglected to photograph them, but I assure you they aren't pretty, and they will be made again here at the Atomic Lodge. I played a bit in the snow and ice, and have been spending quality time with the dogs:
It remains seriously cold here, in the 20's, and so we really aren't outside that much, just to feed the birds and putter around in the yard. Our street is still iced in and our driveway remains treacherous, though of course we're taking the CRV out for necessities like pizza and milk. It's all supposed to melt away tomorrow.

buh-bye 2010!

2010 was right up there with 2005 and 2007 as one of the more, ahem, challenging years of my life. It started off auspiciously and then just spun right out in a sea of sickness, stress and inertia. I am damned glad to see it good and gone, even though I was raised not to wish one's life away nor begrudge the time I'm given. Goodbye 2010, helloooo beautiful fresh new year!!

I like new beginnings. As pagan, I celebrate Samhain as the end of the Wheel of the Year. I celebrate the rebirth of the sun at Yule, and I will embrace the Year of the Rabbit when Chinese New Year rolls around. January 1st is one of my favorite days, in spite of the fact that the whole Christmas season generally feels like too much.

Good things, and generally successful ventures in 2010 included: good employment mojo, in that I found work that pays me well, which is something, in these economic times. I was successful in not drinking one drop of bottled water for yet another year, and in continuing to cook mostly from scratch, and carry my homemade lunch to work on a daily basis. I got the Louet wheel, and learned to spin, opening up a whole new world of crafty love. I knat mostly from stash, and didn't finish much; the Citron shawl, the Pink Ariann sweater which I promptly frogged, a few dishcloths and a couple of hats. I went to Stitches South with my sister, bought a lot of spinning fiber and fell in love with Kollage square needles. My Malabrigo buy-in venture rewarded me with a healthy stash infusion. I continued the Dog-A-Day campaign of working one dog each day, and braved the weather, hot and cold to get Mr. Cricket out and about, facing his fears. He is somewhat calmer and less aggressive, though we still manage him cautiously around strange people. I rode my bike a fair amount, and re-connected with my old friend Elena. Leah came to visit me, and I took a couple of road trips up to my Old Country. I did a whole lot of yoga. I found an acupuncturist who has done wonders for my health and stress issues. I continued my Project Z - the quest for more and better sleep, and am a healthier woman for it. I discovered dolsot bibimbap, which is my new favorite food. I bought a pair of Frye boots, which make me feel taller and tougher. I read a lot of books and I learned to use Promethean projection technology at work. I went to Boston for a week and hung out with my husband's totally fun family. I got a new digital camera and am having fun with it.

Not-so-successful things included knitting a sweater that, in spite of a gauge swatch, was astronomically big on me, taking a job that is just kicking my ass six ways to Sunday, and promises to do so until mid-May, when I leave it. I pulled an intercostal muscle that took a long time to heal. I got sick with every upper respiratory thing that crossed my path. My weight rollercoastered up and down - I swear, that same 10 lbs came and went 3 or 4 times. That isn't actually a bad thing; I've made peace with my body, for the most part. My altar got dusty due to my scanty spiritual practice. I did little to landscaping improvements and I pretty much failed at my housecleaning quest, except on vacation. Family weirdness abounded. I bought yarn which I didn't need, and am now at SABLE status for sure.

Resolutions? I usually make them for Mind, Body and Spirit, but this year, I'm not sure what to resolve. These are the things that are feeling like a logical next step, though:

1. Not buying yarn, and knitting exclusively from stash, including my handspun. Festivals excepted, but I mostly buy fiber when presented with a choice, these days.

2. Not buying new clothes: my job has required me to follow a dress code, and I'm just sick of shopping for nice clothes. I've built a decent wardrobe of 'business casual' clothes and now it's time to stop. Shoes excepted.

3. Yoga at home - I'll still take classes but I'll use more podcasts and dvd's to help me practice more regularly on my own.

I have a lengthy list of other resolutions which I'll spare you for the moment. These are the big 3. Somehow, it seems to be setting myself up to crash and burn if I lay the whole list out here. Something about that adage of "to know, to will, to dare and to keep silent" I guess...time will tell.

I leave you with an offering from my fabulous new blue camera:
These spider plants cast shadows that remind me of the Calder mobiles at the National Gallery.

Ella using Cricket as her pillow:

detached.

The digital camera has shipped, but is not yet here. I am enjoying a 3-2-1 margarita on a night when it is still warm enough to have the house opened up. Cricket is hanging out on the couch with me. Red potatoes are baking in the oven and we'll have some leftover rotisserie chicken and green beans for dinner. All is peaceful.

It is a furlough day; ie, one that the school district is not paying us for. I wish I could say I have used it constructively, but I have done little but knit on a sock, investigate a Korean restaurant on the Buford Highway - from hence known as the BuHi (sounds kinda Korean, doesn't it?) and pick up around the house a bit. And make drinks for my willing spouse, who is all caught up in baseball playoffs, following the pipe dream of the Braves going to the series, since the Red Sox are only going home. One thing about the 3-2-1 margarita...I always add more than the required 2 parts citrus juice, because I think it's healthy. I generally treat tequila with the utmost respect, and this drink #2 will be my last one. Hence, it will remain my friend. Hopefully.

I still detest my job. This has been intensified by the fact that I've spent the past week (after hours, that is) keying in grades for my million students for the upcoming report cards. Process to be repeated in approximately 5 weeks. I have got to work smarter on this grading thing, instead of leaving it all til the last minute. Job hatin' aside, I am finding a certain detachment at work, these days, which I suppose is a bit of a blessing. I don't like detachment, feel like the more connected I am to people, situations, things, the happier I feel, but in this case, it all feels just a little saner and healthier to not give a damn what happens. Now I can see deadlines and not panic, sit in meetings where outrageously stupid things are said in a detailed analysis of our team's lesson planning process and not feel like I'm lost in a bizarre netherworld of administrative mental masturbation. No. I can silently send energy to my coworkers and think that I only have 7.5 more months to go before this becomes part of my past. I have never worked for administrators who didn't support my thinking, my work, my way of dealing with children. But it seems this principal cares for nothing but how we are planning to make that test score in April, and any little trip-up, flaw or blip on the horizon is seen as a fault. She's in the classrooms daily, unnanounced, and taking notes, browsing our lesson plans, and mandating this and that. Detached is good. Like a loose balloon, floating around, uncatchable, soon to be gone.

I am mentoring a student, a funny, sassy 3rd grader who was retained because she cannot read, and failed the standardized test that ensured her passage on to 4th grade. She just qualified for Special Ed. I've been her math teacher, and am enjoying spending time with her - she's a good kid. She's going to be fine, I think, she has a lot of spirit, and a strong family. It's these little things that make me think that maybe I don't want out of education, after all, that there's still good work to be done. Our school has an all time low of teachers volunteering to mentor students, in part, I think, because of all the paperwork demands on them right now. My coworker Fish was saying that the mentoring program used to be much bigger.

I have been listening to the Avett Brothers ongoing. Here's my current favorite song.
Which could sum up my feelings about my career, these days.

dispatch from the virtual mall rat

Fall is finally here, and the weather is crisper and cooler. It's supposed to get down into the 40's tonight. I marvel at how quickly it changes here, from infernal miasma to crisp-almost-too-cool-golden October.

I just ordered myself a new digital camera. Not a fancy one, no SLR, but a pretty decent little point-and-shoot that was highly rated by various consumer reports. The price was right for this new toy, and so I jumped. I am so tired of my old (10 years!!!) digicam's sad image quality and extreme sluggishness. Time to let that faithful servant move on to a new home. I don't know if this will ever turn into a real photoblog, but I've been inspired by some friends' 365 projects, and wanted a camera that was way less trouble.

I also ordered a pair of Frye engineer boots, which I found on sale at Amazon. Now I had some Dingo boots very similar to these in 7th grade, where I got made fun of for wearing boots that only boys who lived on farms wore. I loved those boots, even though I took no small amount of petty redneck fashionista bullying in school for wearing them. I was decidedly not a fashionista. Then, throughout high school and college, I wore hiking boots and cowboy boots and faux tall Frye boots with flowered skirts. Through my 30's, I wore the witchy-looking lace-up gothygoth black boots. In my 40's, leather and rubber LL Bean duck-hunting boots. Now, at last, the boots of a life's longing. So much cashflow therapy, yes, I know, but I'm finding work so painful that I'm compelled to at least enjoy the fruits of my labor. Also, there will be the secret pleasure of wearing some kick-stomping boots to work. If the freaking fashion police allow it...

All this footwear splurginess will ensure that my future fashion finds originate at my local Salvation Army for the rest of this year, I imagine. Or spring from the depths of my sewing machine. At least there will be a camera to document it all.

Knitting...I haz it. The fleece artist sock is coming along pleasurably, even though CPH is stalled, still. I have decided I really do like knitting on dpns. And I really LOVE the Kollage square needles I'm knitting them on, too; metallic and very fast, no drag, but also no slipperiness. My sister convinced me to check them out at Stitches South. But I did drop one at the Variety playhouse last week, during an Aimee Mann concert, and nearly had a heart attack. But LO! and behold, the square needle did not roll!! Flat surfaces to the rescue. More love, more surprises. The yarn is pleasurably squishy, too, though the dye job is faded; I'm certain I will have one bright sock and one considerably duller sock. But cozily nestled inside my new boots, that just won't be a problem.

I have a day's worth of report card grading to do, and a long walk to take with Mister Cricket. He needs more exercise, it's clear, as he destroyed his bed down in the basement this week. Just tore it up. He frequently fights with his bed, and moves it from place to place, but this is the first time he's ever wreaked such havoc. Then Ella came along and ate some of the fiberfill from it, which triggered an enormous bout of puking, that used up every bit of Nature's Miracle we had in the house. Fortunately, she kept all the puking downstairs on the tile floor and throw rugs. Now both dogs are healthy, and we are down one dog bed. But Ella's incontinence is being medicated successfully, so she is back to sleeping in the bed with us. All's well that ends well.

Summer into Autumn

Where has the end of summer gone? Last night the heat, which has been 90+ since May, finally broke. For the moment, it is in the 60's, rainy and breezy. I have never been so grateful for a change of season in my life, I think. Somewhere along late July, I simply stopped going outside in the yellow haze, and it is a welcome change to be able to open the windows again!

Where to begin? I think it's time to get something out on the table here. I do not like my new job. Not even one little bit. What looked great on paper, and in the interview; a math teacher working with kids in 1st - 3rd grades, is the most difficult, unsatisfying thing I have ever endeavored. Not because of the math, not because of the kids, I will say that, first thing, because people are quick to ask if it's a 'difficult population' and I will say it is, but it's not that. I have long held that kids are kids are kids. Some have had more life experiences and better upbringings than others. Some have longer attention spans, some grasp things more quickly, but in any classroom, there's usually a range of strengths, and there's always hope.

The school culture, the district culture, is killing me. I don't know where to begin, so I guess I should begin with shortly after I was hired, and began the orientation process, I started to have some weird feelings about the district. I knew they were always in the news with corruption scandals, accreditation scandals, etc. but I didn't think that would touch me. At the orientation, we were basically lectured for an hour by our new boss about "professionalism", posting lesson plans, checking email, coming to work sober, using best practices, not eating in classrooms...oh the list is endless. It sounds random, because it was random. No encouragement, no thanks for taking on the "toughest job you'll ever love," but basically the "you will straighten up and fly right" message from the get-go. At this orientation, which lasted 2 full days, we were not given a break for lunch either day. On day 2, I wised up and brought a lunch. People, this is a first. Everywhere I've ever taught, if you were going to be at a district function for more than an hour, you were fed something. If you were going to be there all day, you were either fed a meal or you were released to go get food. Or warned that you'd be brown-bagging it...so orientation (which I call indoctrination) was a bust.

Then there was the arrival at my school site. And a meeting with my principal, during which she graciously shared the dress code, which was iron clad, and violations of which would result in the teacher being sent home to change clothes. Which forbade me to wear denim, even as a jacket, shirt or skirt, fer cryin' out loud. Only dressy sandals were permitted (goodbye beloved Birkenstocks) and capris and cropped pants were strictly forbidden, unless they were part of a matching suit with jacket. WTF? Khakis are allowed to be worn on Fridays, and then only with a shirt in the school colors of blue, yellow or white. Now I am a fairly casually dressed teacher. My last job, at the Very Progressive Prep School, and of course teaching at my funny little school in Hawaii, made me even more casual. Jeans, shorts, birks, short skirts, casual, comfortable was the name of the game. Nothing in my closet worked for work at this new job. I dug around Macy's enormous sale racks, and through my trusty local thrift stores and came up with a few options that worked together. I washed and mended my worn hippie gauze skirts, and sadly put my beautiful white linen cropped pants that had once constituted dressed up for work to the back of the closet. I hoped my stable of Dansko sandals would pass inspection.

The dress code, once I had assembled the necessary ingredients; a long black knit skirt, 3 hippie-fairy (my friend Mindy's term) gauze skirts, some black pants and my trusty old brown linen skirt + assorted tops and blouses, was definitely do-able.

The next red flag was the idea of "bell to bell" instruction. That is, one does not take any time to do classroom business, attendance, lunch count, reviewing the schedule, etc. with kids before instruction begins. There is no time built in for class meetings, recess, (yes, you heard me correctly) or enjoyable routines and rituals that have long been a part of the classroom and have given teachers time to bond with their kids, as well as accomplish routine tasks. I move from class to class with math supplies on a cart, and see small groups of kids in each classroom. Students identified as having problems in math, as evidenced by low test scores. Not a problem, until my groups got bigger than the groups who were working with the actual classroom teacher... again, though, we were usually able to work this out.

Every teacher has some amount of release time during the week, for planning, for prep, for simply being able to have a cup of tea and breathe. I'm being honest here. Sometimes, all you need is that cup of tea and the silence of the classroom for the 45 minutes the kids are gone. At this school, though, the prep times are taken up by mandated meetings, with the principal, the AP, the learning coach from the district. Minutes are taken and submitted for each meeting that the principal does not herself attend. My own release time is somewhat better; it comes at the very end of the day, so I DO sneak back to the math lab to plan, to breathe, to check e-mail. But I'm acutely aware that my teachers don't usually have that luxury.

Then there are the mandated attendance at evening functions; one of my biggest beefs about working in a private school last year. In all my other public school jobs, there were basically 2 or 3 nights a year when we were required to stay past our contract hour and on into the evening. Performances, curriculum nights, back-to-school nights. Here, they come at least once a month, and we are allowed to miss one per year. Again, WTF? Invariably they fall on a Thursday, which affects my yoga class. Grrrrr.

Lesson plans for the entire week are required to be posted online by 7am on Monday. Grades are required to be posted online every week (I am so behind on this it is not even funny) and report cards are issued every 4.5 weeks. I have an enormous amount of paperwork to do and submit and deadlines are relentless and strict - something is late and you get icy emails reminding you that the deadline was yesterday... Staff meetings are weekly, and lengthy, and one is not allowed to do anything but sit in rapt attention while the presenter presents. No discussion, no grading, formality is the word. I am constantly taking piles of work home to finish, and have an increasingly large "caseload" of below-level students to plan for, across 3 grade levels. I try hard to keep my workdays to 9 hours, but it takes all my effort.

When I've discussed the craziness of this all with my coworkers, their attitude is one of "that's the way it is" or "that's how she likes it". In other words, beat down. Tired. Everyone feeling the stress, everyone stressing out on each other. Never a day without some sort of drama revolving around the chain of command, school protocol or district mandates.

This is a very abbreviated list of factors that I'm finding deplorable. Any one of these conditions would be bearable. I've been teaching for 16 years. I'm no stranger to the craziness, long hours and hard work of the job. All of them together, and too many damn mandates is making this into the job from hell. Of course my body rebelled. Of course I stopped sleeping and cried at the drop of a hat, sometimes at work. Of course I started having repetitive hamster-wheel thoughts about nonsense. Of course I put myself into the capable hands of my local 5-Element acupuncturist, who is not inexpensive, but whose needles and compassionate guidance are, at the moment, assuring my day-to-day survival, while I make other plans. We talked a lot about the mind-body-spirit of organizations, on Friday, and she observed that my workplace, toxic as can be, appears to be influenced by "bladder energy" - the sense of urgency coupled with fear. I think she hit the nail on the head. For me, she recommended a detox - breaking up with wheat and dairy and sugar. More needles than I've ever seen, much less gotten stuck with, and herbs to come. So if I can't change the culture of the workplace, at least I can be a little healthier in it.

I will leave this job at the end of my contract year. I would leave it now, but I don't really believe in leaving my students and co-teachers in the lurch, and quite frankly, the money's good and I need the money, if only to get me through to the next step.

I am wondering if I even want to be in education at all, anymore. For the past few years, I've been acutely aware that teaching has gotten less and less fun for me. It's been less about the creativity and compassion, and more about the accountability and test scores, which have never been my thing. I like assessment, but like it as a means to inform day-to-day instruction, not as a whip to be flogged with. Maybe 17 years is all I have to give to this field of public education. Maybe it's time to move forward into something new. I don't know. The thing about teaching, and school culture is that it is not a thing that is readily advertised; it's what you find out about after you've signed the contract. If you're lucky enough to work in a place where teachers have voice and empowerment (my past) you can influence it. If not, you do the job and get the hell out at the earliest possible opportunity. Or you stay in it, and endure.

I'm feeling less fear and worry these days about it. Knowing, in my heart that I've been a good teacher, and that I'm working now in a situation which doesn't support me being the best teacher I can be. I'm not afraid to fail in this job, though at the moment, it feels like a bit of a free-fall. I will look for more work after this year. I'll not rule out other teaching positions, but with far more information wrt school culture. I'll be shameless about asking about that in an interview. I'll also look for part time jobs, and tutoring gigs. I think my own sense of urgency and fear about unemployment in a time in my career when people should be lining up to offer me jobs, blinded me this summer. I knew things would be tough, and I just wanted a job. I did not let myself consider the toll it would take on my life, the household, the things I enjoy doing.

I've also been investigating, finally, the idea that's been kicking around on the back burner for several years, which is getting some training in massage therapy, or some other holistic health related field and just changing careers. I've been flirting with this since about 2005, but kept putting it off, worrying about the money, worrying about retirement, wanting to (ahem) 'stay the course'. Now I realize that maybe this course is destructive. Lots of things to consider, lots of options and things to prepare for, were I to jump ship and do something different. P is supportive; he has transferred from job to job because, in his words, "I've had about all the fun I can have in this current position."

So this is where I am now. Breaking up with my favorite foods, sleeping better, doing my damndest at a job I feel no love for, following the Hippocratic Oath in my classroom practices, investigating my future. Knitting a bit, spinning a bit. I finished Citron, and am working on my Central Park Hoodie again, and a sock from my personal sock club - you know the one where you bag up all the sock yarn and close your eyes and pick a skein...jackpot!! Beautiful Fleece Artist merino, colorway "Cosmic Dawn." 72 stitches, plain stockinette.

summer's end

Summertime done come and gone, my oh my... it is a rainy night (the first in a looong time) and I am lounging here in bed with my Faithful Shadow, which of course, is Cricket's title. I guess Ella's would be The Cutest Thing Ever or The CEO and Board of Directors. After my last installment, which involved the ecstatic news that I would be working at the Salt Mines full time, I proceeded to enjoy the last two weeks of my summer. A little bit of work, but really, I avoided it for the most part. Hung out with some pagan friends, hiked and swam at the pool a little bit, continued my seasonal cooking and farmer's market shopping, evidence of which is shown here:
I think I post a picture of caprese salad every summer. I know i take one every summer. My latest, greatest farmer's market find, however, is the lemon cucumber. I'd show you a pic, but I've eaten them all, and the market's tomorrow. Little roundish cutiecumbers, yellow in color and lemon-sized. Cut them open and find that they are green inside. Very exciting, and the basis of many a satisfying lunch this week.

Oh yeah, and I turned 50. Is that not mind-blowing? Here's to the next 50 years. My birthday was low key, which is how I like it, a welcome change after the past few birthdays, all of which seemed entirely too eventful in unexpected ways. This year's merely involved some hanging out, reading, and movie going, to see the tense, beautiful-but-ugly Winter's Bone, which was terrific.

After a summer of the complete and utter lack of knitting mojo, I took a little break from the insurmountable pile of UFO's that were whining at me and making me feel guilty, and yielded to the understated, lead-by-example peer pressure of my knitting group, and cast on for Citron, that viral shawl, in a warm orange yellow merino from my stash.

I'm making good progress on it, and the color is cheering. I love this yarn; Knitting Notions Classic Merino Laceweight; it's soft, though not as soft as Malabrigo. It is the yarn I knit Icarus from, and I think it wears very well and stands up to daily use. I'm feeling a fascination with lace knitting, at the moment, and am trying to decide what shawl to do next. I like Citron's simplicity, I wouldn't exactly call it lace knitting. But lace takes concentration, and I'm worried about my undivided attention over the next few months.

The new job has kinda sorta begun. I am not teaching yet; I've been busy working at school, registering students, reading data, setting up the math lab, which I share with another specialist, a hilarious woman I'll call Fish. My teachers are very nice, and the administrator is strict; a real velvet hammer type. I like her, though, and think we will work well together. I cannot say the same for the district level admin. This district is a big freaking mess, full of nepotism, corruption and smokescreens. My plan is to do my job, lay low, and enjoy the kids and the math. On the topic of math... I've heard so many teachers remark in passing, how they dislike math. It surprises me, and I realize that while I may have been a kid who was not a good math student, I am an adult who loves teaching it, and enjoys its rhythms and beauty. When did this happen?

This job promises to be much more data-driven than other teaching jobs I've had; I will spend a fair amount of time testing kids, reporting and analyzing progress and recordkeeping. I can't decide if this is a disaster waiting to happen, or a chance to hone my techie kungfu skills.

Acornbud sent me a care package.

From left to right: A slipper floor cleaner; you wear it as a slipper and scrub the floor - very clever, that. Cupcake card, handmade. Mac nuts, which have been consumed already, and a lovely skein of fingering weight yarn from The Lavender Sheep, colorway "Cascades." Delightful things that made me totally homesick for my friend, and the Land of Aloha.

A question for Acornbud: Isn't it time for a Totoro Census?

summer whirlwind

The goodies from the latest Soap and Dishcloth Swap on Ravelry. My swapper, Sillyghirl was most generous, and she made the soap herself!!

I've just returned from 2 weeks of road tripping up to VA. Enjoyable, though for the most part, I got no break from the East Coast's infernal heat and humidity. It is one long, hot summer, here in the Urban Forest. Even as I write this, we are enjoying prodigious claps of thunder and oh man, is it ever muggy out! You know me...I love to comment on the weather.

I guess the biggest news on the horizon is the news that I've found a job for the upcoming school year. In my travels to the Land of No Internets (aka my mom's house) I was running off to the public library every day or so to borrow their wi-fi so I could apply for jobs online. Feeling sorry for myself, as I didn't feel like I was in a very good space to submit these applications - total vacation mode, sloooowww internets, little time to give to it, etc. But upon my return to GA, I got a call from a principal who asked me to come in for an interview for a math specialist position. The posting had classified this as a part time job, but in the interview, it came out that it was indeed a full-time job, and I got it!! Yeah-baby, good interview (I love panel interviews...you're always guaranteed to connect with one person in the room, that way)and the only one I've gotten called for this summer. I went to it thinking that I was rusty, and no matter what happened, it was good practice. So, I'm continuing to ride this math train, one I'm rapidly feeling better about, since I would never have said I was a "math person" whatever that is. I like teaching math, though, and am always kind of surprised by teachers who don't think it's fun. I mean I may be counting on my fingers and toes and using a calculator to balance my checkbook, but I can teach the stuff. So now there's a lot less time to lay around and knit and surf the internet, but there's money that'll be coming in and not a minute too soon. And did I mention that I have to be back at work on August 5?! That seems just crazy, but GA schools get out for summer in mid May, so my summer of non-job angst is only gonna last 3 more weeks. ugh. Time to start sucking the marrow out of life.

Been knitting, but finishing nothing. More on that in another entry. I seem to be stuck on Sleeve Island with CPH, and everything else is just in a nebulous state of nonfinishment. I know sustained effort is the base of FO's, and I've been too distracted for this, but I guess I'm working something out here. Leave me be! My promised NO MORE STARTING STUFF period has been adhered to, in spite of the siren call of such goodies as Citron, Garter Yoke Cardigan and another Swallowtail...

Cooking is going somewhat better. With all the summer produce rolling into the markets, I've been eating well and cooking a lot. We've been through the blueberries, with the resulting cobblers, smoothies and pancakes, seen here in an undressed state: and now we're on the peach binge, with homemade peach ice cream coming up this evening. There's the basil bounty coming up, and even a few local, ugly-but-delicious heirloom tomatoes.

knitting experiences

Here's a little meme I found on Ravelry. Kind of a rundown of all the knitting experiences I've had or am planning to have.

Bold for stuff you’ve done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and plain text for stuff you’re not planning on doing.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with bananafiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffitti knitting: knitting items on, or to be left on the street
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Household items: dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…
knitting socks- or other small tubular items- on two circulars
Dying with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with selfpatterning/selfstriping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
JewelryKnitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

If you're given to memes, I encourage you to indulge!

a party girl ---not

Summer is here in full swing, and I realize that I did not know what an Atlanta summer is like, based on my experiences last year. Last year's August and September were all I knew of the GA summertime, and since it was mostly cool and rainy, I was thinking I could do this. But here and now, in the mid-90's, with this astonishing humidity and strong southern sunlight? All I can say is "damn." It is what Hawaii would have been if the blessed miracle of the tradewinds would ever turn off. But here we have no wind. What wind we have is not a cool sea wind, but a muggy movement of air.

I am working on channeling my dad's famed love of hot weather, inspired by Reya's fortitude in the heat, and forging out into it, but I am not loving it. Mostly, I'm just a bit daunted by the idea that it's only June and maybe this will continue all summer? No. NO. Meanwhile I am inspired to put mint into the ice water, and wear only tank tops and sunscreen, and somehow we'll make it through this inferno.

Last week, P and I went to Boston for a family reunion of sorts. His brother and sister are big Jimmy Buffet fans (I can't bring myself to say "Parrothead") and the family reunion was taking place at a Buffet concert in the area, rather, at the all day parking lot party that accompanies such an event. I have had my party girl days, but this one was a bit much. Heat and dust and more alcohol than you could shake a stick at. My BIL has a motorhome, and we took it, and rigged up a couple of tarps for shade, and made margaritas and served up a fantastic potluck. All good fun, but the concert didn't start til 8:00 and we arrived at noon. Fortunately there were our fellow parking lot dwellers to amuse us. It seems that in spite of Buffet's age, a large portion of his fan base is in the twenty-something range, or in the category of "wish I was still 24." My SIL made about a million Jello shots for the event, and we realized that perhaps amongst ourselves, we were maybe too old or too smart to consume all of them. So we loaded 'em up on a tray and went walking around the parking lot giving them out to astonished recipients, who bartered lovely things like tequila shots and grilled shrimp for them. Uh, yeah, of course I'll take a skewer of grilled shrimp for these Jello shots... and I do like tequila. When we finally got to the concert, I found Buffet to be quite good, and good natured, though I do not get the glorification of the pirate lifestyle at all. Oh, I am all about pirates. But let's tell the truth about the harsh life at sea, it ain't no Jimmy Buffet concert. He didn't even say "Arrrgh" once!


I should probably explain that this song is one of my favorites, and that any mention of "party girl" brings it to mind. And I am more of a U2 fan than a Jimmy Buffet fan. And I just think Bono is sooooooooo gorgeous in this video. The hair tossing, beefy, leather vested Bono is my favorite morph of him, and he is All That in this clip. Are he and the wife still together? I hope so.

Incredibly, we were not hung over the next day, which enabled us to go out to the islands in Boston Harbor, a cool respite from the blazing heat of the city.

It seems this entry is all about heat and parties, no? Let's look at what's partying on the wheel these days:
The Clown Guts roving, all predrafted and ready to go for my fractal spinning experiment.

The singles:

And the results are in!

The roving was Ivy Brambles Merino in the "Impatiens" colorway, and was nice to spin. 320 yards of roughly sportweight 2-ply yarn. Very pretty, though my plying is somewhat inconsistent.

Now I'm prepping some undyed Coopworth to continue the Tour de Sheep Breeds I'm conducting. I am liking spinning the more natural wools. I've got a lot of this coopworth and am hoping to get some major yardage out of it.

I am a bit spacy this weekend, due I think to the lunar eclipse, a migraine which I successfully treated, and a huge reiki share that I participated in on Friday night with my local circle. Good fun, and very inspirational too. The moon was gorgeous, and we built a fire and stayed outside til the wee small hours of the night, making s'mores and telling tales. Then I had to get up at 5:30 am to take P to the airport. He's off to Florida to look at some oil for a week. The result of all this has been utter uselessness on my part. I've only been able to knit a few rows on a dishcloth for a swap, cook a little and putter. Which is okay, because it's summer.