Just... DONE

The year of COVID finished as it began: writing a giant paper that seemed like it was "a good idea at the time." Last year, my school had just closed for a month, the judging I was supposed to do was canceled, and I had the whole weekend to finish writing two book chapters that will be coming out later this spring. This past week was Spring Break, but I used it to write a mammoth paper for a class that I was interested in taking. Both writing assignments were torture and took way too much time, but since they're in the rear view mirror now, I am super pleased with myself. ***sigh*** I see a pattern...

In between sentences, I finished knitting the last few inches of another Done by Monday blanket and sewing in the ends. It feels good to have something solid finished as well as turning in that paper!

Pattern: Afghan #10 from Done by Monday, JoAnne Turcotte

Needles: Size 13

Yarn: Handspun by Anne Cohee, 12 skeins, knit holding yarn doubled

Start: July 1, 2017

Finish: March 14, 2021

The blanket was started right before two friends had their wedding reception. (They secretly eloped six months earlier and didn't tell anyone for a few months!!!) They asked for no gifts, but I hope they won't mind getting a late cream-colored blanket for their turquoise couch. It's squishy, warm, and comfortable. 

 Everyone, including me, feels so done with this pandemic. Hold on and stay strong, friends! I'm staying out of reach as much as possible until my second vaccine shot is in my arm and two weeks has passed. I'll be continuing to wear my mask. We can do this! Send me a message if you need some Zoom time to get through another day. Much love and kindness to you!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Funny thing about this pandemic. Every week seems so like the last week that you find yourself celebrating things that you never considered celebrating before. The continuous state of Groundhog's Day needs a little breaking up. So, Happy Valentine's Day!

I don't think I even shared our very first adult Christmas tree. It was necessary to get some cheer since traveling was completely out of the question this December. I never expected to celebrate in my own house on my own terms. 

We kept it up from November 28 until last weekend, February 6. The tree brought so much joy to all, including the cat! I definitely missed family, but the tree and celebrating at home was phenomenal in its own right. 

 

A friend sent me a sweet note, reminding me that I should also write more cards with lovely messages to lift up my friends. 

I made these little hearts with THIS pattern and some scraps from a recent project. One heart took about an hour. making these on a assembly line would make the process even faster.

Valentine's Day is not complete without special food. In this case I made quasi-heart-shaped pretzels for lunch. Fresh out of the oven, they were well-received!

The recipe is from the Smitten Kitchen blog, appropriately enough. I used the easy baking soda bath before baking. Caution: the baking soda REALLY bubbles up when you add it to the boiling water. Most of it was on the burner before I could get to the pastry boiled. Plenty left to get the job done, so it worked out fine!

I'll leave you with Bernie meme: still not old! Haha! Although I would have written "I'm s'MITTEN with you!" Hope your days get more lively soon!

Amiga!

Meet my new sweater and friend, Amiga! There is a huge sigh of relief that goes with this finished project. All of the great yarn that my mom loved so much has been used up, and I no longer have to find patterns to match a discontinued brand. You can see the other sweater knit in this yarn HERE. 

Pattern: Amiga by Mags Kundis (free!)

Yarn: Sachenmayr nomotta (yellow) and Copper Centaur Studios Pegasus (gray)

Needles: size 8 and 9 - very loose knit structure

Start to finish: July 28, 2018-January 10, 2021

While designed to be a light summer sweater in style and yarn choice (cotton + flax), it is surprisingly warm over a turtleneck. It does a fair amount of shedding which is easily removed in the wash. 

It's nice to put a WIP in the finished pile. I'm looking forward to finishing a pair of mittens and a shawl using Shady Grove yarns next. 

 

Stay cozy! It was a snowy weekend with treacherous roads forecast for Monday's commute. Enjoy the winter! It will be too hot to knit before we now it. 

Year of the Long Walk

2020. A difficult year for so many reasons. But also exceptionally delightful and fulfilling. I was supposed to walk across England in June. So I started training at the beginning of the stay-at-home times knowing full well that the walk would probably get canceled. Which it did. Regardless, I walked all the miles, before, during, and after. 

Spring time, March

White River at Mounds State Park, May

I took my last training walk at Mounds SP and walked the outer 3 mile loop trail three times.  

White River Walkway, Muncie 

I started my "Walk Across England" as scheduled on June 1st by walking the entire White River Walkway and part of the Cardinal Greenway. It was a most gorgeous day to start a walk around the neighborhood in Indiana.

Cardinal Greenway Depot

Old railroad tracks by the Cardinal Greenway

Walking to Alexandria

Sycamore tree damaged by May 9 frost. Leaves to follow in July.

New animal friends

Goats and Great Pyrenees

GOBBLE!

Walking to get ice cream in Gaston. 

More than cows were barking after that 6.2 mile walk. Especially after I walked back home...

Nephew came to tour the Purdue campus. Neil Armstrong's footsteps on the moon were there to greet us. Space hike!

Taking a rest with Purdue's founding father.

Taking pictures of wide open spaces: just as difficult to photograph as majestic mountain landscapes in the West. 

Rainbow!

I loved seeing the progress of the seasons!

191 miles later, June was over, and I had walked "across England," AKA the roads around my house.

"Knee high" on the 4th of July!

The pond at Fort Harrison State Park

Twin deer in the lot next door

Celery Bog near Purdue University

More bog

Lovely Fall colors at the house

Corn harvest

Soy is ready, too!

Good-bye, lovely year. December 31

So, here we are at the end, and a new beginning. I have gained health, happiness, and a new appreciation for my neighborhood and the beauty of the slow changes of the seasons. Let's raise a glass to a healthier year for all and the planet. Happy New Year!