The October Lady Sweater is done!

My goal was to have my February Lady Sweater finished by October 1 (hence the name), and I did it! I wore it to work today, September 30.

It's made from Brooks Farm Mas Acero (wool/silk/viscose) and I had heard that it grew when soaked. Boy, did it! But that's okay - it's really about the length I thought I wanted it.

(Rav'ed here.)

I'm really happy with it -- it's nice and soft and except for one wonky button hole, I think it turned out great!

Sorry about the crappy picture, taken in the restroom at work. I don't really have a mirror at home that works for this. Of course, I'm not sure how well the staff restroom works, either!

Sunday morning

Did I tell you I bought myself a bike for my birthday? You know how they say "it's like riding a bike"? Well, it really is! It had probably been 25 years since I had ridden a bike, but it only took about 10 feet to stop wobbling the first time I tried out my new bike.

It's definitely an "old lady" bike, but I wanted something close to the kind of bike I rode when I was a kid. I hated the 10-speed/hand-brake bike I had in college, so this one has coaster brakes, sits up straight, and has only 3 speeds. I even considered getting just a 1-speed bike, but knew that Iowa City's hills would make me appreciate a few gears to shift between.

There's a nice bike path along the creek/pond behind my townhouse. It's practically flat (nothing here is really flat) and on Sunday morning, the only people I see are people pushing baby strollers and occasionally another middle-aged woman on a bike. Someday I'll venture beyond that path, but for now, it's nice to not have to worry about sharing space with cars.

Oh -- and why is the bike indoors? Because I don't have a garage or even anything to lock it to outside! Actually, I could put it out on the balcony, but I like protecting it from the elements. Around Thanksgiving, I'll probably load it into the car and take it to Mom's for the winter, so it won't be taking up space in my dining/sitting room all winter.

Some of you may not understand what's going on in these two photos, especially if you've never had to defrost a freezer. Actually, I don't think I had defrosted one since about 1983 until I moved here. The fridge that came with the place is about 30 years old, and must be defrosted.

Vinnie really wanted to help out with the cooler, but I needed to bring it upstairs to the kitchen, to put the food from the freezer in it while I defrosted. (Last night, I forced myself to eat the rest of the ice cream, because it wouldn't last in the cooler.)

About 5 minutes after I set the pan of boiling water in the freezer, that giant chunk of ice fell off the top of the compartment. By the time I finish this post, I think it will be ready to wipe and fill back up. It's really not a lot of work, but its annoying - and my stove is at least as old as the refrigerator! (Insert whining about the appliances I left behind in San Antonio.)

And I have been knitting, too. I think I need two more pattern repeats on the body, and I'll be ready to move on to the sleeves of the October Lady Sweater. I really want this done by October 1, although Vinnie hates it when I knit with him in my lap. I figure he slows my already snail-like knitting pace down by 50%, as he constantly adjusts his position so that he's on top of the knitting!

A day without cats on the internet??

Dolly says, "Oh, noes!"

Vinnie says, "No way!"

Harley says, "Meh...."

Here's the funniest cat video I've seen all week:



Update

Original, right? I don't have much to say about knitting, or much of anything else. I should be preparing for a class I'm teaching tomorrow evening (information resources for global health, anyone? That would be "global health," as in something being studied, not "global health," as in "I can make everyone healthy with these databases!" Because if that were the case, librarians would rule the world!).

Anywhoooo..... I have been working on my October Lady Sweater, and am now into the gull lace pattern, but just barely. I know this is known as a fast knit, but I am a slow knitter and don't really have all that much time to knit, anyway. But here it is, thus far:

In reality, the color changes aren't quite so dramatic.

I really want to have this done by the beginning of October, for my first October conference. Of course, by my second October conference, I'd like to have finished Ishbel. One of my closest friends and mentors turned 70 this weekend, and I'll see her there. It just occurred to me yesterday that, instead of buying her a pair of earrings or something for her kitchen, I should knit her something! And this yarn (Malabrigo Sock in Solis) would be perfect for her.

Ishbel is also supposed to be a fast knit - I've seen people post about knitting one in an afternoon - but I'm not so sure. Here's how far along I am right now:

Ha! At least the yarn is wound and the pattern is purchased, printed, and safely in its plastic slipcover!