Monday, February 28, 2011

Mondays are For...



1. Eating Applesauce Cake

2. Sitting on the couch with the dog

3. Watching the wind blow in new weather

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Second Chart


I'm into the second chart & final of Haruni & I can't put it down. Being home sick is allowing me to indulge in my lace mania, but even if I was out & about I'd be tempted to sneak it out of my back & work one more repeat, then another, and another. There is something thrilling about switching from the soothing monotony (or boring repetition, depending on how fast you memorized the pattern) of the body pattern to another, more complex pattern which--miraculously!--lines up with the body pattern, growing imperceptibly out of it. And too, the final chart is usually longer, with less repetition, so each row brings something different & thrilling. With Haruni, I can't wait to get to the delicate lattice between each leaf tip. A FO post is on the horizon!

Friday, February 18, 2011

History of the Universe



Walking back to the bus along Tyler Mall after volunteering yesterday, I discovered this timeline in sidewalk chalk, beginning with the Big Bang and chronicling the formation of the earth, the beginning of life, and the evolution of mammals. The whole thing stretched along the better part of Life Sciences, no mean feat as the building fills an entire block. It's random, geeky, playful things of this nature--ephemeral chalked timelines, Engineering's two-years-old-and-counting trebuchet--that make me love academia.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Monday



Monday again, and big surprise, I'm on the couch with the dog, my knitting, and a cup of coffee. And a tower of CD-Rs; this week's readings for my digital information class are all about short-term preservation risks and are sufficiently dire that I've been inspired to back up all my files. What's on your Monday to-do list?

Friday, February 4, 2011

Lace Time, Just in Time



Tulip the Hedgehog came off the needles Wednesday afternoon--just in time, as I learned when I dropped her off with Pinky at the Children's Library. Her little recipient came into the world safe and sound that same day. Huzzah!

Hedgie is the baby's (no tail to swallow, but lots and lots of nubby spikes to gnaw on), while Pinky will go to the Big Sister (who I think--hope--is past the toy-eating stage) to help keep the peace. Both are knit out of superwash wool from my stash and stuffed with polyfill. My inner eco-freak squirms a little at the thought of the synthetic fiberfill, but one cannot deny that little baby toys will need to be washed at some point in time. If you'd like more details, Tulip is Raveled here and Pinky is Raveled here.

And now it's lace time! I am making a Haruni shawl, using the 1/2 skein of Alpaca Fino that was left after I finished Mum's Swallowtail Shawl. There was a slight mishap involving yarn overs and a book club discussion, but that was easily remedied and I'm on my way to memorizing the leaf patterns on the main body. And did I mention there aren't any spikes to be knitted on?