The first week of classes was pretty exhausting. Not just because of the whole general "re-entry" business, but because there are people who need to get OUT of certain classes, need IN to certain other classes, don't know where they need to go, want to know if they "have" to buy the textbook, etc., etc.

One of my students yesterday asked me, "Who the heck decided it was a good idea to start the first week of classes on a Monday, and start off with a full week."

I gave my (usual) answer when a student says "[policy x] is lame" and it's a policy I also think is lame - "Oh, probably some administrator."

But I agree with her - along with all the scurrying that we usually do the first week of classes, it's kind of a challenge to have a whole full week.

*****

I worked a bunch more on Cozy. It's satisfying how fast it works up - for some reason this pattern is a fairly quick one and it rapidly adds length and bulk to the shawl.

I find it very satisfying to be able to see things (like this shawl) grow noticeably.

The yarn - I'm using Rowan Summer Tweed - is kind of different from the typical yarns (mostly wool and wool blends) that I use. Summer Tweed is a mix of cotton and silk.

It feels different from wool yarns. It's a lot dryer and it's a little bit rough on the hands. But not unpleasantly so - it's not like knitting with pure cotton (like the Kitchen Cotton) that's really hard on the hands.

It also has a different scent from other yarns. (Yes, I'm fairly conscious of the scent of yarns. I've been known to push my nose into a ball of good, raw-ish wool or alpaca just because they smell so good and so comforting - sort of a "clean animal" smell, like a freshly-bathed dog or a healthy cat that's doing a good job of keeping itself clean.)

The Summer Tweed has what I would describe as a warm, dusty smell - I don't mean that in a bad way. It reminds me of a well-kept attic in the summer - there's almost a dried-out-wood smell to the yarn (maybe that's the cotton), and sort of a...I can't quite place is, but "dusty" is the best descriptor I can give - from the silk.

It smells kind of like an attic, as I said, or maybe a well-ventilated used-book store or library on a summer day. (I specify "well-ventilated" because I've been in some used book stores that were dampish and they had a distinctly musty, fungusy smell - this is more of a dry-paper smell, sort of a BRITTLE smell.)

It's not an unpleasant odor. (Though I'm wondering what it will smell like when I wet-block it, given that there's silk in there - wet silk can smell like old fish sometimes).

I'm not sure I'd use Summer Tweed again, however - even though it has its distinctive characteristics, like all Rowan yarns, it's fairly expensive for what you get. (And I will observe that I've found a disappointingly large number of knots in one or two of the balls. I tend to feel that when you're buying "premium" yarn, it should be fairly knot-free).

***
I was talking about the "animal" scent of some yarns, and how I like the way they smell? I maintain that because I do not have a pet, I can be permitted to get my "animal fix" in other ways - using nice cuddly good-smelling wool yarn to work with, or making "critters," or having toy "critters" around. (I think once I clear the decks of a few of the on-going patterns I'm working on, I'm going to do another critter or two. I kind of miss working on one when I don't have one going on.)

***
If you are a fan of squids, or of Cute Overload, you should check out their picture for yesterday evening (August 24; CO's permalinks are permanently borked so I can't do a direct link).

It's a "sad cuttlefish." That (the caption claims) thought his name was "cuddle-fish."

Yeah, it's a little twee, but all of Cute Overload is a little twee. You have to turn off your twee filter when you go to Cute Overload.