Oh, it's cold

It finally got cold out. Part of me is thrilled by this (I grew up in Ohio, did some of my education in Michigan, did the rest on the Illinois prairies....so I'm used to cold). And I'm grateful it's dry - freezing rain can really mess up an exam week.

Part of me, though, meh - woke with a headache which is probably the result of the in-house humidity dropping below 30% (I keep a hygrometer on hand as much for the health of my piano as for my sinuses). So I dug out and cleaned up the little steam generator and had it going for a while. (I turned it off when I left home; I don't like leaving "hot" appliances going when I'm not around). I need to pick up a couple gallons of distilled water for it because it cruds up from our tap water and then I have to do the whole rinsing-with-vinegar process which is a pain.

My exams are graded and I need to be entering those grades. Had a student in my gen- ed class call to see if I could predict her grade (common exam, it gets a curve, but I don't know the curve just yet). Did a little back of the envelope stuff and told her it was highly likely she still had a B, which earned an "Oh, thank the Lord!" Heh. (Though I really wonder how much effort He puts into affecting grades; my philosophy is that the student gets out what they put in in terms of effort, without Divine intervention. At least, I don't ever remember having prayed for a particular grade)

I'm already circling around towards thinking of Projects And Books for break - probably take the "big" flu book I am reading on but I also want a "happier" history to read - maybe one of the biographies of Beatrix Potter I have, I don't know. And I have an Angela Thirkell book I want to take and read.

As for projects: I have two very-nearly-finished sweater: Hagrid, which I haven't touched since LAST Christmas, but which just lacks a sleeve, and Raven, which is almost done (second sleeve is about half-done and then all it needs is the little collar). I don't think I have room for both so I will have to consider.

And I have patterns for the crocheted Shetland Pony with Sweater (will obtain yarn up there) and a free pattern from KnitPicks for a "Kitten Pouf" (a roundish, sofa-pillow kind of thing) that I think would look nice out of Wool-Ease Thick and Quick, which I can also get up there. I will also have to consider other toys - making toys at Christmas is kind of a tradition for me. (And I could see whipping up an extra Kitten Pouf or two if there's anyone who needs a last-minute gift; they look fast and fun to do and are pillow-like enough that even an adult who is NOT besotted with stuffed animals like I am would probably appreciate it)

And I think I'm going to wind off the yarn I bought a while back from String Theory - it's a sort of tealish blue with narrow gold and tan stripes, the color is called "Uranus" which immediately made my inner 12 year old go snerk and decided I wanted a hat of it. (Yes. A Uranus Hat. You can probably imagine the joke related to that). And I'm going to find a simple hat pattern - either the Sockhead hat or maybe a more fitted, beanie-type hat, and make one.

And there will be socks. I think I'm going to dig around for a cabled sock pattern and figure out a yarn for that (I have some really pretty purple blend, a recent purchase, called "birthday cake"). And maybe a couple of plain self-stripers. And the ongoing scarves and the Scottish Thistle Shawl I started back in the summer but never talked about because I never got too far on it, and then got tired/busy/meh and didn't feel like working on complicated lace.

Minty is progressing. I got a little derailed on her when Pfred arrived but I did finish the first back leg last night and plan to do the second one tonight, and maybe even finish her altogether. Tomorrow is to be my antiquing day (if I don't learn the curve on the gen-ed class exam today, I'll have to come in tomorrow first thing to see to it, though). I'm excited for that - going out early in the day, being able to take a day with no real constraints on my time, being able to hit whatever stores I feel like I want to go to.

(Hooray. Just received the curve information so I will be able to compute and submit all my grades today)