Knitted FO #1 2009

I knit like crazy on Thursday to start and finish Calorimetry from Knitty Winter 2006 so that I would have it for a weekend trip to Staunton, VA, since it was supposed to be very cold -- and then I never wore it! It turned out not to be bitterly cold after all.

This took me about 6 hours to knit, but I ripped it out and knit it twice, so that was a lot of knitting. It is Colinette One-Zero in the pink tweed colorway and some mother-of-pearl buttons, both from my stash. I knew that stash would be useful someday . . . it was so satisfying to create something completely from my stash.

I love the way it worked up, the colors and the thick-and-thin nature of the wool yarn. The colors are closer in real life to those in the long shot, but I wanted to get a close-up of the buttons. It will come in handy sometime this winter, I am sure.

Obamamania

I work around the block from the Hay-Adams hotel, where the Obamas are staying until January 15. Security has been tight, with street closures for several blocks, lots of concrete barriers, and security fences. Washingtonians will be happy when the streets reopen.

Back Online

It is good to be back online . . . I would have not guessed that I would miss my computer so much. Somehow my McAfee got turned off and my computer was infected with malware and viruses. Now everything is all right and I am going to scan for viruses and update McAfee more often.

Back to Work

Today was my first day back to work in the new year. This is a view of my cozy office as I arrived early this morning. The walk to the metro in the dark, cold, rain seemed particularly long. I am looking forward to the days getting longer. Going to work and coming home from work in the dark is not one of my favorite activities.

Nothing New Today

Last day before I go back to work --

Sleep in, run errands, watch some TV, do some knitting on the Noro striped socks. But not much to show.

Sunday Poetry

I really liked this poem by Tryfon Tolides in the Book World section of today's Washington Post.

Calling

Come to the point where, finally, you are lost,

wayside-sitting, wind-gazing, train-whistle-listening,

if you want to converse with the invisible presence,

continual, sustained, indwelling, be lost,

be abandoned, so that the heart, the mind, as big

as God, come to the place where you are lost,

so that all your days and the shuttering of each day's

light and the blue magnetic incomprehensible,

jumping and motionless blue of twilight and the fine

blackening after, around the incomprehensible,

waiting and breathing of trees with their

delight-inducing

cloud-depths and freedom-shapes and darting birds,

happen in pure glory, in ineffable joy of consciousness,

so that your senses overfill to muteness,

so that mere being becomes the form of your praise.

Dream

I'm feeling at loose ends a little today. Don't want to do chores -- cleaning and laundry.

I have to remember that my dreams need action . . . wasting time, frittering away the day on nothing, doesn't get me anywhere.

Time to go and play with my art supplies instead of wasting the day away.