Fall knitting 2009

Yep - its that time again.
With crisp winter winds knocking on my door, I start to feel the need to envelope my entirety in yummy woolly goodness.

Here are some things I got to working on in the past few weeks...

I frogged the short puff sleeves that I put on this sweater and exchanged them for 3/4 length with cabling at the ends... with all due respect to Anne Shirley, puff sleeves aren't always the best choice.

I dig my cable "suspenders."


I made a hat from some leftovers - the Icing Swirl hat from Whimsical Little Knits.
I like it, but it seems more suited for deep winter days - so in the closet it goes (or to a friend).




I visited my grandmother and saw (read: stroked fondly) the Shalom sweater I knit her of alpaca and cashmere and immediately got jealous/covetous. When I got home, I dug through the stash to see what I had on hand to start my own. I love the variegation of the purples and played a bit with the yarn to engineer the stripes in a way I found more pleasing.

The sleeves are underway now in the undyed Cascade Eco-Wool you see as the torso of the piece.


And finally, my first felting project - Cafe Press Knits Ballet Flats.
I LOVE these and finally got around to the felting process today!
(now I have to wait 2+ days for them to dry - but THEN I get to choose the buttons!)


Of course, no knitting post can be without dreams of the future. I purchased some Malabrigo worsted - enough for a sweater - in lilac and a deep blue called Paris Nights.

I have no idea what will come to pass from this, but I'm sure I'll adore it.

What I did this weekend

I was a passenger on this excursion through Michigan...



Many thanks to the good people at the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, MI for an amazing experience.

(and thanks to the chap who posted this video in such a timely fashion!)

Jonah Day

Today (and this week in general) has been all around crap-tastic.

I have a terrible cold.
The Physicist is leaving town soon.
I'm still trapped in my debt cage (one more year to go!)
There was a terrible miscommunication this morning that left me feeling tremendously icky.
And I had the realization that I have been the willing victim of inertia for about 6 or 7 years.

So - where would I go?

The destination of the Physicist has potential, but without a formal invitation to look into it, I won't. Simply because, like all other places I *could* live - there is nothing but a person who would be my reason for going. All the cities I haven't lived in but have considered are the standard issue cities that all lefty, well-educated people consider: Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, Chicago, San Francisco, blah blah blah... Which makes them expensive and highly competitive in this tight market.

Having been laid off and knowing my tendency to change gears, I am hesitant to move for a job or career reason - as I know that can be just as uncertain as moving to be near friends or family.

But by not making a decision, I have made a decision.

Do I throw cities in a hat and pick one at random?
Do I start applying for jobs I think I might like in cities that may interest me?
Do I feel confident enough to move to the Physicist's new destination and make a go of it, even if we fail?

It's not that I hate NEOhio, I just need a CHANGE.