new little project

Yesterday, still feeling sad (I think, though, a lot of us are just going to feel slightly sad for quite a while in this) I told myself it was okay to start a new project even if I have "too many" going on now.

I have been trying to do a little more craft work; my spring break, which was originally going to be "Well, okay, I can't go see my mom but at least I can work on knitting" was mostly me staring at the news on tv or online and worrying, and not doing much at all. But I am slowly cycling back to doing more; I pulled out the Pocketses vest and am knitting on it again (I am on the left front - the back is all done, after this piece I need to do the right front, and then the arm and front bands including the button band) and I did a fair amount on the Wooloo Pokemon toy last night (it takes a while; it's a lot of stitches and a lot of rows of just working plain single crochet. At least it's in white so it's easy to see)

I also started this:



It's the "One and Done" shawl by Caesapinka. The pattern was a freebee several months ago with a purchase from Simply Sock Yarn, though I think the yarn I am using for it (Potion Yarn's "Seductress"in the color "Penelope Tree") came from Quixotic Fibers. (I think I bought it on my first of the two trips I made earlier this year. And here's hoping I may be able to shop there again some day....I hope they are keeping okay, both health-wise and with doing online orders. I bought a cowl kit from them and a skein of very bright sock yarn a few weeks back to try to throw a little support their way)

It has little sparkles in that. I like that in a yarn, but I know some dyers who did yarn like that have closed out that "base," I don't know if it's harder to get* or if it's hard to work with/has unsatisfying results, but I like the little bit of sparkle.

(*Heck, lots of things may be harder to get in the coming months/next 2-3 years. I'm already contemplating the best replacement in my tea for Golden Syrup - which will probably become impossible to find - honey is a bit too strong-flavored. I used to use demerara sugar, and might have to go back to that. And I expect craft supplies will be harder to get for a while, so maybe I just work on stash and be content with what I can find. Oh, and of course, meat - the meat packing plants shutting down because apparently there's no way (or no volition on the part of the owners) to protect the health of the workers there. That's probably going to change a lot of people's diets; I don't eat a large amount of meat to begin with (and not the highly processed kind like Smithfield makes, mostly, except for bacon as an ingredient in things like beans). But I'm telling myself this will be much like world war II on the home front - perhaps a bit more like it was in Britain, where shortages and rationing continued five or more years after the war ended, and just telling myself that as long as I and my loved ones stay safe, that's what's important, even if I do have to drive out to an apiary somewhere to buy honey to use as sweetener (or hope my mom can get some of the maple syrup made in her area, and mail it to me) and just rely on stash for a while. And hope my clothes and especially shoes hold up.... I tend to buy infrequently but buy the best quality I can afford, so I may be a bit ahead of some folks)

But today, I have grading to do. And finals to start typing up. I did put the review sheets for two classes online. I am going to try really hard to make the finals all multiple choice - not a good pedagogical choice, maybe, but I think it will be a necessary self-preservation choice for me. I'm TIRED. And I will have written papers to be grading; it will nice to let the automated system do the final grading for me.)

And it's cold in my house. I've been wearing dresses like I would "normally" for school because anything that makes a person feel normal these days is good. But it's a little cold in my house this morning. And I realized: I can pull out whatever shawl I feel like, whether it matches/is too bright/too odd/too whatever or not:






I look a little pale there but I didn't bother to put on lipstick this morning; I'm not going to be on camera at all today so I feel like there's no need.

If I can motivate myself to work until lunch (and a bit after) and if I AT LEAST get the grading done and a start on typing up finals, I'm going to change clothes and go out and cut some brush this afternoon for additional exercise today.