A New Year: FO's and job news!

As 2012 came to a close I reminded myself of all that I have to be thankful for.  In taking stock, I keep coming back, humbly, to the gift of my children, their health, happiness and safety.  I am a lucky mother and wife; and happy to be ushering in a new year full of hope and wide-eyed wonder.

In looking forward to 2013 I have some exciting news to share: I will be returning to paid work in a few short weeks.  I accepted an adjunct teaching position in my old department and will be working with masters' students on their final papers.  I am excited to take this step and my New Years' wish is that my family can whether my return to campus and adjust to a new family schedule.  I hope to be able to maintain a goodly amount of knitting, but we'll have to just take it one day at at time.  In the meantime I've enjoyed getting re-connected with campus and all that our little university town has to offer.  I received my doctorate two years ago in December and the time is right to return to the classroom - this time as an instructor.

On the knitting front I am happy to share three FO's!  I finished a small shrug and pair of socks (both gifted) in late December - my last FO's of 2012.  The socks are made with Felici: a self-striping washable wool by Knit Picks (colorway: botany).  The pattern is by Ann Budd - 8 sts/inch.  It is amazing what great socks you can whip out these days with a simple pattern and striped yarn.

basic socks, self-striping yarn




 

The shrug is made with Vintage DK, a great washable acrylic/wool/nylon blend in a bright magenta.  It suits my niece perfectly.  I finished it with a dark gray dragonfly button (not the one pictured below).  The pattern is by Knitting Pure and Simple.


girls shrug, vintage dk

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 





And I finished a hat on January 1st - my first FO of 2013.  Made from bulky weight Toboggan by Classic Elite yarns, it is a thick, comfy and warm blend of alpaca and wool that has fantastic stitch definition.  The pattern is Foliage from knitty (not to be confused with the other foliage hat I knit in the fall).  I'm not sure if the gold color suits me - this is the left over yarn from the sweater repairs late last year - but it is a lovely hat and one that I will hang on to for the right person.

foliage hat in toboggan

While I didn't come through on the handmade for my own girls this holiday, DH sure did!  He completed a set of three beautiful house-shaped shadow boxes for the older girls' rooms.  They are the perfect place to keep all the 'little stuff' that is so important to them.

 

And if that wasn't enough, he pulled together a fantastic art caddy for the whole family that fits snugly into one of the built in cabinets in our dining room.  No more half-ripped ziploc bags full of broken crayons, missing-caps-markers laying about, and repeated requests for more paper please! 

Lazy Summer Days

We finally got a few. This is on the needles.

Random

Natural Beauty

: when we pay our heating bills it bothers me that we don't have insulated windows. but when the ice forms inside the house on mornings like this one i don't mind as much.

Homemade Chicken Stock

: i've never made chicken stock from scratch before. i have been getting by on bouillon cubes and the the canned/boxed stuff on occasion. i gave it a whirl last week and am so happy that i did. our batch is fully organic, sodium free and frozen for easy use in 1/2 c. portions. i poured the cooled stock in muffin tins, left them in the freezer overnight, and then let them thaw just enough to pop them out the next morning. they are stored in a freezer bag for future use. now i have 12 cups of stock on hand and ready to go. i love it. and will do it again and again and again.

Sandwich Wraps and Snack Bags

: this past week i made a two more sets of re-usable snack bags and coordinating sandwich wraps. they are used daily around here. i especially love seeing them full and lined up in the mornings for the family. not pictured are a set for me, and a new extra set which is handy for when one of the girls forgets her lunchbox at school. you can never be too prepared can you? and i'll take any excuse to sew more.

: it was my 34th birthday this week. it was also my husband's 34th birthday. we are celebrating early next week with a mini-getaway. i hope to do lots of knitting. i know i will do lots of swimming and sleeping - 32 weeks has found me slowing down a bit, and more sleepy than usual. my birthday present to myself was a new fiber adventure. after seeing these mittens i thought i would give it a try. i may also purchase yarn to make a FLS. it is february after all isn't it?