Fortuitous Possibilities

Today was the first day of classes. Yes, it is that time of year, and this time things are a little different-- I am in my first year of graduate school. That feels so weird to say. I'm on a two year track to get my masters in history, which is simply bizarre. Today was my first day of class for an independent study course and a Russian course which I'm auditing. Tomorrow I start one of my two regular graduate courses, which I'm quite excited about as well (despite the fact that they are 3 hours long). In addition to this, today was also my first day as a TA. I introduced myself to the class, held my first office hour, and had a student come up to me after class to ask a question.

Why could you possibly care about my classes? This is a knitting blog after all. Why in the world would I drag academia into it all! Well, it just so happens that I'm addicted to syllabi. I love getting a new file or handout that lists all the new opportunities and possibilities for something fun and exciting. I know, I'm a nerd. But a new syllabus is a lot like new yarn. New opportunities to create something beautiful and enjoyable.

Last week I ordered some new yarn via the "trade/sell" option on Ravelry. First I got some of the super popular Three Irish Girls yarn. There was a thread in the Stash and Burn forum and it piqued my interest. I'm still very new to yarn buying and since I don't have a lot of money to spend on yarn (being a TA is not the most lucrative field), I've never gotten in on the ground floor of something like this. But thanks to Ravelry, I now have some very fancy, very beautiful new yarn!



This is a sock yarn called Adorn. It's super soft and so pretty! The colorway (Erin) is actually a little brighter than it shows in the picture, but it is a definate sea green style color. The thing about Three Irish Girls yarn is that it is dyed to order, so if you order from their site they don't dye it until you pick your fiber and then your color. I'm very excited to use it, and am planning on making a gift for a very special person who I think will love it.

In addition to the above, I also purchased some destashed Cascade Jewel. It is 100% wool and is quite a lovely shade of purple. And it is not going to be a gift. I've been planning on making a hat for myself with this yarn, and after looking at other people's projects using this yarn on Ravelry, I think it has to be Ysolda Teague's Urchin, which was published in the Fall 2007 issue of Knitty. I've never made a Ysolda design, but I'm really looking forward to it, especially since I've never done grafting before.



With regards to my own knitting, there really isn't much to say. I'm working furiously on Miracle Laurie's scarf (which will get its own post when it is done) and it is almost completed. The Great Gatsby Dress is once again in hybernation as I am easily bored with such large projects. I am also working on some projects for friends, including a baby gift for a dear friend of mine on Twitter. No details until she recieves it, but if it works I know she will love it. I really should start gift knitting. Since school is starting and there will be tons to do, it would be fortuitous to start now rather than later, right?