Fall is Here!

First cup of pumpkin spice coffee from Door County Coffee, chilly weather in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and knitting. This is my season. And I intend to make it last since I hear it'll be rather short this year.

A lot has happened since February: I broke up with my boyfriend in March (though we're still friends), I got a job at UWGB's Cofrin Library as their Instruction & Reference Librarian and, as a result, I had to move to Green Bay in June, my brother got engaged to a super sweet lady in August, and I've had several adventures and knitting projects since then. But that's mostly the big stuff.  I'm loving my job; I work with a great group of people and I'm excited to spread my information literacy instruction wings. I'm so happy to be back in Wisconsin -- despite how hard I tried to convince myself otherwise, Iowa just wasn't for me. I'm a 'sconnie at heart so being "home" again is awesome. I'm right by Lake Michigan and the Bay. I'm close to Milwaukee and Illinois and Scott is a couple hours closer.

I'm trying to really use this newness to my advantage and improve my life. I joined a gym, started seeing a personal trainer and dietician, and I'm going back into therapy to help me through the challenges of life including the loss of my parents. The trick for me now is to not overwhelm myself with all my goals and give up so I'm easing into things very gently. I need to improve my health so I don't walk in my parents' footsteps and I need to open up and live a little. Date more. Love more. Explore and enjoy life. That's the hope anyway.

Knitting! Oh, my goodness. Well. I'll give a brief update to all my knitting happenings. I tore out those socks for Andrew and CO a new pattern. Unfortunately, they turned out rather small so I'm giving them to Megan instead. I'm almost done with the second sock. But I've been distracted by this beautiful yarn I got during the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival last weekend. It's a limited edition hand painted yarn made by Briar Rose Fibers in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. I'm in love with it...

Jen went with me and this is our loot!

My sweater is still on needles, Jen's sweater is somewhere in a basket, I made an afghan that's not quite finished yet (I have to weave in the ends and make half-hexagons), I still have over 6 oz of roving to spin, and probably a bunch more projects to start and finish. But that'll do for now.

Happy Knitting!

Cold Librarians Need Warm Cats

I decided I wanted to knit a sock that wasn't evil. So I cast on a new pattern. So far so good (minus the part where I forgot to kfkbkf on the increase row so I was way below stitches and had to rip out over an inch of my work). I really like the pattern (cables...yum) and the needles. And Bubba likes it too. 

Bubba's sexy pose.

Then I got cold. 

So I decided to cast on a sweater for myself. Yes. Myself. The last plus size sweater attempts did not end well for anyone. So I'm using good needles, fabulous yarn (Cascade 220 Peruvian Wool <3), and I'm using a pattern from my Plus Size Knits book that I bought a million years ago. I'm on my way, sweater. Be ready to be toasty come...June?

Who doesn't love turquoise ribbing?

Bekky Tested, Bubba Approved.

Couch + Blanket + Downton Abbey = Happy Librarian

Well, New Year's came and went and life goes on. Scott headed back up North and is doing well. Already found a girlfriend. Nothing can slow that boy down. I went back to work and made LibGuides, created flyers for databases, and met with faculty. I'm looking forward to having the students back on campus so I can get back into the classroom. Though, at the same time, I like the peace and quiet of the library when the students are away. That's life in an academic library for you. Those students are my job security...and hopefully I can get through to a few and spark, fuel, and whatever-other-fire-metaphor them into the path of lifelong learning.

Things at home are quiet. Bubba has been exceptionally clingy lately. I'm not sure why, but it's cute. I haven't been sleeping well and I'm rather tired all the time. Which is probably from the lack of sleep. So I sleep in late on the weekends, which invariably screws up my schedule during the week. Especially since I go back to working 8am-5pm starting tomorrow. Downton Abbey is my reason for waking up on Sundays. I watched the two hour premier last week with Cindy and Andie. I had a tea party but because of the bitter cold a number of people couldn't make it. It's a standing invitation for people to come over and watch Downton Abbey since I have a huge TV. I also have a couch now. Which is extraordinary. I've been sitting on it, lounging on it, and sleeping on it since I got it last Wednesday. It's extremely comfortable and I can't wait to go home (I'm at work waiting for a group of students to come in for some library info) and sit on it again to watch Downton Abbey again. I'm so incredibly obsessed with the show it's not funny. My only solace is that there are people even more obsessed than me.

Knitting...well, I put those socks somewhere where the sun don't shine (my bookshelf behind some pretty condolence yarn). I'm wondering if I should frog them and start anew with a different pattern. But that'd be even more disheartening considering I'm almost done with one. So to take my mind off my sock sorrows I started a blanket. Because that's simple. The pattern is simple, but I'm worried it'll be rather small. I have two afghan skeins I bought eons ago for a blanket and haven't touched until a week ago. It's a leaf design:

Which is lovely and quick. I learned the awkwardness of purling through the back loop. But like I said, I'm worried it'll be too small. If it is too small, I'll end up using it as a lap blanket for work. 

But that's all that's new in my life...how is everyone else? 

Obligatory New Year's Post

Well, it's the new year. 2014. I should probably talk about all the wonderful and not-so-wonderful things that happened in 2013. Then regale you with tales of my 2014 goals. But I'm not feeling it. I've always found New Year's to be rather depressing. It's that whole ending/beginning human conflict I just can't get past. To tell the truth, my life these last few years has been a constant test filled with momentous struggles and not quite as momentous victories. I've had so much loss and pain, it's hard to remember those victories. It's hard to imagine any good that may come my way in the year(s) to come. But that's life I suppose. Constant up and down as we try to stay focused long enough to see where we are along the trail.

I will say that my knitting year has followed a similar path of ups and downs. Little binges of knitting here and there. Month to month. I'm bored with everything yet can't seem to start anything new. Same goes for books. I read them, but as soon as I finish that last page I couldn't tell you the plot or about the characters. I can only tell you, in stunted phrases, how it made me feel.

Maybe that's why New Year's is depressing...because all the hopes and goals I thought about never came to fruition. And I know the next year will yield the same.

Okay. That's enough of my emotional unloading on the sorrows of each passing year. Here's my latest obsession:

Not the cat, though he is darn cute. The crocheted fingerless mitts. It's a pattern called V-Stitch Fingerless Gloves by Daphne Bekiari. They're super fast and easy and fun. I made over 8 pairs in less than 2 weeks. Like I said. Obsessed. The only alteration I made to the pattern was that I added another row to the cuff. They're pretty, warm (especially if you use wool), and practical. I made some for my co-workers.