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!