Wool & Words

Steve and I braved the heavy traffic and light parking to visit Virginia Highland Wednesday to catch the Yarn Harlot's Atlanta talk. In all the excitement we forgot cameras (I didn't even bring my cell phone), so all I have for you is this:

*crickets*

The talk was good; I'm glad that I went. I was really surprised by her voice. We got there about 20 minutes before she was scheduled to go on, so we were sitting in the nosebleed/no visuals balcony. I got a good bit of knitting done while I listened to Stephanie's talk and laughed along with the crowd. She's a funny lady, as you all know, and I got her to sign a couple of books. Steve gave her the Captain Morgan wristband he scored at a local pub that night--it was Talk Like a Pirate Day after all.

I'm knitting a new project--a baby bunting for the shop--and enjoying that quite a bit. I can't be bothered to do anything remotely complex; all I want to do is knit stockinette and garter, and I have no desire to see any lace. Don't get me wrong--I'm enjoying my plain knitting tremendously. At busy times in my life (which seem to be the whole of life lately), I need my knitting to comfort me. Knit the sweater, wear the sweater--it's all good.

And then a friend reminds me that it takes little steps. Every stitch I take, every paper I grade, every class I teach, every application I send gets me a bit closer to the goals.

I'm still thinking about mail order wedding dresses, though.

Posted by KnitNut at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by KnitNut at 06:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I finally got my card reader working again; if you're having a similar problem after a Vista upgrade, check the support pages from your 'puter's manufacturer for new drivers.

Thanks for the encouragement; I stopped whining and started knitting and I feel on top of things again. I've been working on my vest:

I'm knitting the vest in Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed, color Licorice (119). I can't really make it exciting. The front may be more interesting; I'm planning a pocket or two at the waist and I'm thinking about chunky antiquey pewtery buttons. Mmmm...

I love plain stockinette socks. I'm jazzing these up with coordinating colors:

Lorna's Laces (what else?) in Vera and Cedar.

Fall approaches.

Posted by KnitNut at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm having a really tough time getting excited about my knitting. I have no desire to pick up my needles. Two fabulous sweaters that I want to wear when the weather allows are languishing in my knitting basket. Languishing. Two pair of socks await. I can't seem to get it together.

The MLA website is exploding due to all of the eager job seekers pouncing on the Job Information List (JIL, for short). Poor JIL. I, of course, am trying to hit that too, but am finding myself thwarted by my (apparently gagillions of) peers. I feel the stomach acid churning just thinking about the job search process. It's going to be a long year.

I need to go shopping for a wedding dress. If only it were that simple. I have thought seriously about just ordering something from the internet and taking my chances. It would certainly save me a ton of time.

This is me these days, a dreary churning bundle of not-knitting-job-hunting-dress-delaying neuroses. This too shall pass, eh? This time next year I'll have a great job, be married to a great guy, knitting something incredibly fantastic and fulfilling, and will still be trying to get my students' papers graded.

Can't wait.

Posted by KnitNut at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

It's been a crazy month since graduation. I went right back to work, prepped the semester, started teaching and running orientation sessions for many many many freshmen--it's been all that I can do to keep my head above water. I worked and worked and worked some more. Then the Labor Day weekend arrived and the inevitable happened: I got sick.

I always get sick at breaks. The day before a long weekend I get a little tickle in my throat or a mild headache and I know that all my dreams of home productivity, of catching up on my personal life needs, of taking care of business are gone. I haven't been to a movie in ages--I missed the most recent Harry Potter flick--and I've eaten out much more than I should because I don't have the time or energy to clean the kitchen and buy groceries. And things go on like this, week after week, until I get a long weekend and then I get sick...and the cycle continues.

Enough of that whining. I'm working on getting better.

As for my knitting, it goes along. I'm working on a vest right now, in Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed (soooo soft and luscious!) and socks (always socks), and thinking about white lacy things. I would show you pictures, but I recently upgraded to Vista and my card reader isn't responding. At least that's something I can work on from my bed...

Have a great weekend!

Posted by KnitNut at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)