2023: See ya

No, don’t get your hopes up. This is a farewell to the Longest Year in Existence, 2023.

This year, I have finally started to think about retirement, and how desperately I loathe my day job. Deeply and desperately. I won’t be talking about my day job more than this, but I truly believe we need universal health care in the US. Like today.

It was also the year when I truly stopped giving a fsck about other people’s opinions. If they like me, it’s fine. If they don’t – if I’m “too much” or “so funny and gullible” – that’s even better. Just leave me alone. (In other news, I’m done trying to make workplace friends.)

Spinning has come back into my life again. I’ve really missed it, and I’ve gotten more than a little rusty. So, I’m working on my first intentional sweater spin this year. It’s the Babydoll Southdown I bought a while ago, for BabyGoth’s Folklore cardigan. It’ll be a 3 ply, mostly for the extra loft and bounciness. Right now I have 1 bobbin done, and will be starting another one tonight.

I’ve also gotten more knitting and crochet done this year. I finished another Arkenstone hat for DadGoth, and I made two of the the National Parks hats, Yellowstone and Glacier. DadGoth has a Single Malt sweater still on the needles – almost done with the body, just 2” more before the ribbing, then the sleeves.

That’s about all that I’m willing to share about 2023. I hope to hell that 2024 is less horrific than this year, and less endless, but who knows? Good luck to all of us, and I’ll see you tomorrow.

Christmahanukwanzukkahmas, day 3

Hello! Today is December 3rd. If it was Vlogmas, it would be day 3. But this isn’t a vlog. We should all be grateful. So here at Chez Goth, we celebrate 2 of the 3 holidays listed above. Plus Festivus, but sometimes that’s every day.

Anyway, I’ve been a little busier than usual.

This weekend, we did some errands and I did some knitting. Hat #2, the Glacier hat, is about 1/3 done. See?

A knitted hat in handspun and Get Knitfaced in CO’s fingering weight wool, based on Knitting the National Park’s Glacier National Park hat by Nancy Bush.

The Single Malt sweater for DadGoth is coming along. It’s certainly going faster than any other sweater I’ve made. There are roughly 2 more inches before I can decrease for the ribbing, so not too bad. Then the sleeves and (sob) grafting.

I also got some spinning done today. I’m going to try spinning at least 15 minutes every day until the end of December. This is the first bobbin of singles for the Folklore sweater in earnest.

A bobbin of undyed Babydoll Southdown singles, roughly 30 minutes of spinning. Spun modified double draw from roving.

We’re also moving into Holiday Mode. The cold and snow today is helping, so there’s green chile on the stove and I ordered some hominy for posole later this month. It’s not getting any warmer, at least not for the next six months or so. It’s almost time for Gingerbread Skellie cookies. I’ll try to put the recipe up “later. I’m experimenting with a little more substantial gingerbread for cookies, so we’ll see what happens.

BabyGoth has finals week starting…now, I guess. One of her essay finals is due today, so it’s already started. Just 1 more semester to go.

Have a good day. I hope you’re able to have some quiet times with family and friends this week.

After the weekend

Some things I thought of this afternoon, once BabyGoth packed up her car and headed back for the last 2 weeks of her semester.

I miss her so much when she’s gone.

She’s becoming an adventurous crafter. I love that.

Her boy is a keeper. He’s spending Giftmas with us.

I really like cooking as a family.

I’m a little concerned about her current living situation. Not that there’s anything I can do, she’s grown.

DadGoth is handling things better, especially compared to last year.

How I hate my job.

There’s snow on the ground, and it almost feels like winter. Until it goes up to 60F again this week.

Obligatory Fiber Things: Starting on the color work for National Park Hat #2. And I’m going to make up another sample of a 3 ply of the Babydoll Southdown for BabyGoth’s Swiftigan.

Happy Sunday evening. I hope you had a good weekend too.

Happy holidays

Good morning, and happy day after US Thanksgiving/“Black Friday”/Friday to everybody.

Right now, BabyGoth is upstairs asleep (she’ll be there for at least the next 3 hours), DadGoth is watching football and talking to someone about taking one of the cars off of our hands. I am in the middle of Giftmas Production Mode.

1 hat is done, minus blocking and pom pom.

Hat #1; Yellowstone hat from Knitting the National Parks by Nancy Bush. Handspun except for 1 bright green superwash Merino from Elevation Yarn Co., Littleton, CO.

The next hat has the ribbing and 2 rows into the pattern done. It’s just a hat with 2” of ribbing on it.

I’m also working away on DadGoth’s sweater. Just 4 more inches to go on the body.

DadGoth’s Single Malt by Max the Knitter, knit with Wool of the Andes.

Yesterday was…a day. We made dinner, all 3 of us cooking all together for the first time. It was awesome. Nothing special.

Turkey, stuffing with homemade bread and a fistful of sage, gravy, mashed potatoes with roasted garlic, noodles, spanakopita, cranberry sauce, and a pie from the bakery. It was good. The best part was having the 3 (4 after The Boy came over afterwards) of us all together at the same time.

It was also Puzzle Day. My mother’s obsession with jigsaw puzzles has hit me a bit late, but it hit BabyGoth really hard. So while she was here, we dug out a puzzle based on an old New Yorker cover. It’s almost done.

Later today, I’m going to do some spinning on another sweater. I’m just hoping I can get it done by somebody’s birthday in 3 months.

Have a good, happy weekend.

Anywhere I Hang My Head is Home

What do you love about where you live?

Over the years, I have lived in a lot of different places. Near truck farms and a chemical company, near the beach, BFC, Chicago, California, and near the Rockies. The last is the place I’ve lived for the past 22 years. These are all the reasons we’ve stayed.

1. It’s beautiful here.

The area where we live now is right against the Rocky Mountain foothills. Just far enough away to not be in the Big City, and close enough to be sort of out in the country. I still have to explain to people where we live. There is amazing hiking to some truly lovely places – near a river, up to some cool impressive ruins (a “castle”), and lots of places in between – within an hour’s driving time.

For example:

Today, we woke up early. Pretty much like every day, but it was our weekend. We decided to go on a hike.

After a grueling 10 minute drive, we got to the trail head. Honestly, getting the dog in the car and settled down was the most stressful part. We walked near the river for about half a mile. There was a river, some gravel ponds that we’ve canoed around for a while, and a gazebo that we couldn’t quite make it to today. Our old pup decided that she had had enough of the heat, so she told us it was time to go home. This is the place that we go the most often. She loves it so much, even though she can’t walk for miles at a time any more. So we go there, for as long as she can bring herself to get in the car.

That’s why I love where I live now. It’s beautiful, it’s our daughter’s home. It’s our home.