How did I miss May?

Anyone happen to know where May went?  One minute, it’s all finals and graduation parties; the next, it’s … well, June.  And the unshakeable feeling that summer is already over …

Sigh.

It happens every time.

At least knitting is going according to plan.  This is Veera’s lovely Color Affection shawl in three shades of malabrigo lace: natural, polar morn, and apple green.  So far, it’s fluffy soft and light as a feather … though a bit tangly, keeping all those fuzzy strands in order.

The rows have gotten long, but that’s okay.  It’s summertime in Nashville, so there’s no hurry … though I have to say, my giant Leaves of Grass is an ideal café companion: it’s basically a blanket, perfect for wrapping up against overzealous air-conditioning.

Then there’s Alice … enjoying some mint chocolate chip.  Weirdo.

Alice in action.

Doing what she does best:

snoozing.

I fudged the edging.  Alice hasn’t noticed a thing.

That terrible moment …

… when you realize that there are three too many or five too few stitches.

So, 579 or 571 … neither of which divides evenly by 8. Considering the edging is three-quarters finished … this is a tough call.

I’ve made a terrible mistake.

Center-pull balls are hard, y’all.

just what i needed

Yeah, you can totally sing along if you like.

This yarn was just what I needed: it’s soft, lovely, muted and so, so pretty.  I bought it years ago (when I was in Germany, in fact) but never found the right project for it.  Until now.  Funny how sometimes things just fall in place.

Malabrigo lace-weight in Mariposa + Whisper cardigan = summery Nashville cardi.

long, lost knit …

Look what I found forgotten on my camera …

A long, lost project — already handed over to its recipient and hopefully having put in a bit of service before spring hibernation.  A dear friend asked for a “crazy hat” … and crazy she received.  I used one skein of Malabrigo Rasta in, I believe, Arco Iris (866).  Then some mystery stash yarn (Valley Yarns something from the apartment #2 era … so, 2006? 2007?) for the giant pom poms.  It was quick and easy knit — and the pom poms were lots of fun.

Happy Wednesday!  I’ve got a finished green sweater to show off … if only I could get a decent photo …

this is going to take forever.

Forever.

Remember Leaves of Grass?  I hadn’t forgotten it … but, man, that edging.  It’s a lot of stitches: a going-to-take-forever amount of stitches.  It’s going to take forever.

But I’m up for it.  Gauntlet thrown, satisfaction demanded.

Challenge accepted.

this sweater is actually green.

Trust me.

I’ve been working on it off and on, here and there, ever since I finished the Noro! pullover.  Just simple evening knitting, no thinking required.  No pattern, just a top-down raglan in some ancient stash yarn with a cable I found in one of my Vogue Stitchionaries.  (Which I look at often, but rarely use.)

Right now, I’m working through the first sleeve.

(Nope.  Not this color either.  Seriously, it really is green.)

The semester is grinding to halt and I, for one, could not be happier.  It’s been another crazy year: job market, dissertation, interviews, teaching … In fact, yesterday I realized that I started writing my job letter six months after I defended my dissertation prospectus.  Madness.  Which also reminded me why I might not have had time to draft out that article or dedicate a lot of time knitting.

I miss knitting.  I miss the blue table; I miss this space; I miss you guys.  I miss having lots of ideas and colors and dream projects swirling around amidst all the other whirlwind commitments.

So that’s my summer plan: more knitting, more writing, more colors, more sharing!

my weekend

I spent a good part of my weekend around this table in Rhode Island.  Turns out, the smallest state in the union is pretty pleasant — and conferences are pretty exhausting.  Which I knew, but had chosen to forget.  Luckily, the conference hotel was deeply awesome (with some seriously comfy beds AND a giant chair that made me feel a little like Edith Ann) , and there were plenty of friends to catch up with.

Knitting, however, had to take a back seat.

What you see here is a Leaves of Grass shawl waiting patiently for the rest of its knit-on border.  Man.  That’s a lot of stitches.  Also, it is giant: perfect for that chair.

notes from the couch

Notes from the couch: Jersey Couture edition.