The Time Has Come

Y'all. I am at Vogue Knitting Live. The marketplace opens in six minutes. I'm wearing Esperanza. The hotel is gorgeous. And there are free lectures that I just found out about. I am going to take a million pictures, and I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!!

Victory

Esperanza is complete. I have three rows of plain knitting, and then I cast off. I can't believe she's done. It's been hours of work, and I'm so happy with the result, so far. I can't wait to see her blocked! Completing Esperanza is extremely meaningful for me. I cast her on as a symbol of hope, and as she grew, so did I. Things are so much better in my life than they were the day I cast her on, and it's so wonderful to have a physical manifestation of all of the work that went into that change. I can't wait to share pictures of her, completely finished. My Green Hope has grown into something truly lovely.

Day One

Well, today was my first day at Caribou! It was a lot of fun! There's so much new information to take in, but I think I'll have it under my belt soon. My manager and coworkers are really, really nice, and there's really nothing about this job that I don't like, so far. I have more training next weekend, but nothing tomorrow, so I'm going to be spending some quality time with Esperanza while I get a little much-needed R&R! I'm so glad I managed to get a job in coffee. Also, one of my closest friends, who was my inspiration to work in coffee, may be returning to her true calling soon! All of this is very good news, people. Very good news, indeed. Today was an entirely fabulous day. Spook fell asleep in my arms tonight, relaxed and clearly content. His heart rate was slow and steady, his paws and ears were relaxed, and his eyes closed. This is a huge step for us. He also gave me lots of kisses when he woke up--another recent bit of progress. Things are just getting better and better. I can't wait to see what happens next.

"When in doubt, breathe."

Today is one of those really magical days that starts as a total pile of crap and turns into something fantastic. I just had a fabulous haircut--my first since I left New Orleans, and it was so well done! Now, I'm sitting in a pizzeria that I've been wanting to try, enjoying the breeze through the open window and working on Clementine. Later I'll go to rehearsal, and then it's practically the weekend! I would never have guessed how great this day would end up. I hope your day is going just as well!

Falling

This weekend was full of knitting! I spent most of the day Saturday and all day Sunday stitching away on Esperanza and enjoying movies. I got so much done! I can definitely finish her by VKL if I keep using my weekends wisely. Clementine is more than half done, and I'm really enjoying how much she matches the landscape around here! Until we moved here, I never really realized the meaning of Fall. In Chicago, these leaves FALL, y'all. When the wind blows (and it does
often) the leaves swirl around all over the place, and it looks like it's snowing gold. It's absolutely beautiful. Clementine is a perfect project for this time of year. I finished chart three of Esperanza yesterday, I'm not sure yet whether or not I'm going to do the extension, it depends on how much yarn I have as I get to the end. I would
share a picture with you, but she just looks like a giant, pretty green jellyfish on the circular. I can't wait to see what turns into. Until then, there's Clementine, and the beautiful landscape of Chicago in Autumn.

Success!!

I just wanted to drop by briefly and let
you know that, as of today, Operation Barista is a success! I have been hired by Caribou Coffee! I'll be back soon with knitting things--as of right now I just have a slightly longer piece of the same lace scarf--and more news about my new job! Ben and I went out and celebrated our new jobs tonight, and enjoyed our first real cheeseburgers since moving here! They were divine. I have a very good feeling about October, y'all. Things are looking up.