Today, the moment I’ve yearned for arrived.

Neal conceded that the office/second bedroom (sans bed) should be mine.  All mine.

For the last two years, I’ve lobbied for my own space.  Neal’s desk is used as a pile holder.  I cast no stones, people.  I have plenty of stacks and piles of my own.  My dear, darling husband has agreed to use the little desk that looks pretty in our dining room (and also just holds piles of pictures, etc. from pre-Beverly life) to contain the essentials he needs from a desk.

The desk he’s been using (ahem) in the office will become my crafting desk.  This means my sewing machine can be set up all the time.

It also means there’s a place for the loom that is arriving next week.

Did you catch that?  The LOOM!  I found an inexpensive ($25!) rigid heddle loom on Craigslist in Seattle.  The lovely owner of this no-name loom used it about 10 years ago as she learned to weave.  She’s moved on to other looms and decided it needed a new home.  I’m taking a class at Webs later in the month, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be playing around on the loom before then.  I’ve got Betty Davenport’s Hands On Rigid Heddle Weaving to help me out. 

There is plenty to keep me busy in the meantime.  Tonight we’re meeting friends to see the gorgeous and incredibly talented Dan Bern at the Ironhorse Cafe (love their veggie burgers).  And in the morning, we’ll head to my old stomping grounds to visit my dear friend Linda Jean for her open studio.  We’ll swing by Croton to pick up a few last things of mine that my ex has in his studio, and I’m hoping to have time to get a "real" eggplant parm wedge at my favorite pizza joint (there is NO real eggplant parm to be found in my part of CT.  Trust me; I’ve tried to find some.) and a cuppa joe at the world’s most amazing coffee shop.  Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but that was my home away from home when I lived in New York, and, like the lack of good eggplant parm, there’s also a lack of good indie coffee shops here.  Oh, how I miss the river town life sometimes!

I’m toying with a new mindless knitting project for the drive.  I can’t seem to handle anything complicated right now.  I’m pretty certain I’m going to make the Sunday Market Shawl, but I may get started on a new sock.  Won’t it be thrilling to see what I do?

Catch you on Sunday.  I’m going to try to do a photo essay of my former life in Westchester…we’ll see how that goes!

I love wireless Internet.  Among the many things I’ve learned from Scout is how to use the wireless capability on Phineas.  Here’s how the night has shaped up for me:  I hunkered down under my covers in bed at about 9:30, skipping the homework and housecleaning I ought to have done.  I used my wireless Internet to search yet again for different sock heel instructions.  Since I’m sort of winging my Sockapaloooza socks, I’ve had a time of it deciding what heel to use.  I’ve decided on the Eye of the Partridge heel.  Since I cast on 44 stitches for each sock, here’s the pattern:

Row 1:Sl 1 purlwise, *k1, sl1 knitwise; repeat* until last stitch, k1

Row 2:  Sl1 purlwise, p19,k1    

Row3: Sl2 purlwise, *k1, sl1 knitwise; repeat* until last 2 stitches,k2 

Row 4: Sl1 purlwise, p19,k1

I’ll have another challenge when it comes time to turn the heel and work the gusset, but I won’t think about it now.  Any tips?  I’d love to hear whatever advice you have.

Part of what is making this such a lovely night (besides actually being in bed before midnight) are podcasts.  I’m listening to a brand new one, Craftlit, created by Heather from Croton-on-Hudson, New York, one of my old stomping grounds (Oh, how I miss you Black Cow).  Here is a list of all the Podcasts I suscribe to–let me know if there are others I shouldn’t miss, ok?   Cast-on, Craft Borg, Craft Lit, It’s a Purl, Man, KnitCast, NPR: All Songs Considered, and Stitch Cast.   

I’ve been knitting and listening to Brenda and Heather share their thoughts and some music.  And through Heather, I discovered this great free audio books site.  Once I’m settled in CT, I’m going to volunteer for them.  I love to read out loud, so why not share the pleasure of books and knitting?

I got an e-mail from Sooz that a special project she’s been working on for me is almost ready.  It’s going to be dam good to get it.  That’s a hint. 

Tomorrow I’ll post pictures of the yarn I dyed at Scout’s house on Monday.  I wanted to learn because I’ve joined Dye-o-rama.  Did you?

Yup, almost a perfect night.  Just need Neal and the mutts nearby to make it just right.

We’ve been spoiled this autumn with mild temps. Today was the first really chilly morning when I hiked with Oskar. Kind of wishing I’d made knitting a pair of fingerless mitts a summer priority! The forecast shows temps dropping like a stone tossed from a bridge, which makes me pretty grateful Neal spent a lot of time chopping and stacking wood this spring!

Time to break out all the hygge goodness–candles, fireplace, cozy pjs, tea, knitting…what says hygge to you?

P.S. A Very Hygge Thing to me is Craft Friday…which is just around the corner! Stay tuned to read all about it!

Neal came home from work on Friday to me, blue with professional envy, and his joy at having a few days off deflated. I could see it in his posture, in his face. And I felt like a jerk. Who wants to come home to glum Beverly? Sure, part of a relationship is being able to air out the prickly stuff, but sometimes, despite knowing how fortunate I am and feeling grateful for all that is good in my life, I give in to the easy thing: complaining.

After about an hour of conversation, we decided to institute Friday Night Complaints. We’ll try to refrain from petty complaints during the week (there’s a difference between the petty complaints and real issues that warrant discussion) and save them up for Friday night, when we’ll get ’em out all at once. The benefit we expect: most complaints will be forgotten (petty, natch), and we can clear the air and our minds and turn our attention to enjoying each other and our lives.

In that weird way the Internet has, as soon as an idea blooms, I see related information everywhere. Rachael posted a link to this Joshua Becker post. Reading it, I felt invigorated to quit my griping and strive for gratitude, the far more becoming mindset, as my default attitude. What better time than November to focus on this shift?

Here are a few things, in addition to Friday Night Complaints, that I’m trying:

• Add Complaint and Gratitude pages in my bullet journal. I feel so silly writing down the complaints and rewarded by the gratitude list.
• Examine complaints to see what I can change. If it’s in my power to change a situation, I’ll aim for change. If not, no point griping about it!
• Take it one day at a time. Becker reminds us how hard it is to say “I’ll never do this again”. Instead, I’ll wake up each morning and tell myself I’m going to resist complaining just for that day. I can do almost anything for one day, right?
• Celebrate all I’m grateful for. My #DigiWriMo project this month is an Instagram collection under #30daysofgratitude.

One thing about which I’m grateful: the tremendous response to Craft Friday. Viva the rebellion!

Today Carole invited us to share Ten Things I am Thankful For:

1. My dogs. I miss my little Maddie all the time, but Oskar, Coco, and Tilly add joy to every day. Sometimes worry and frustration, too, but always joy.

2. Living near my parents. I never thought I’d end up back in CT. I was happy to leave it, and while I returned for love, I’ve always wished my love lived elsewhere. Still, in the last year, I’ve grown more grateful to be here, near my parents, which allows me to have a stronger relationship with them than I did in the past.

3. My family. They’re pretty great.

4. All the abundance in my life. I remember times when my food budget was smaller than the cost of a manicure. I am grateful to be able to purchase not only whatever food I want, but whatever quality food. I’m grateful to have a sweet home, transportation, a job, supplies for crafting, access to any book I want to read.

5. My Oboz hiking boots. I’m spending a lot of time in the woods with Oskar, and I splurged on a pair of proper boots. They have made hiking even better.

6. My friends. What is better than that solid group of people who you really get and who get you, who will do silly or serious activities with you with the same exuberance?

7. Good health insurance. I had a battle with an immersion blender Sunday night. The immersion blender was not the one to go to the ER. I’m grateful that it was inexpensive (and that I didn’t lose the tip of my finger–the cuts, while painful and sharp, should heal easily. They were surprisingly minor, needing only steri-strips).

8. My online community. I’m thrilled by the enthusiasm for Craft Friday!

9. Writing projects. My projects, while slow going, keep me focused on what matters the most to me. Story rocks my world, and I’m grateful to create it.

10. Neal. This man, sometimes compared by my friends to Ron Swanson, makes me feel thankful all day long, every day. I feel fortunate to spend my life with him.

I’ll post with more Craft Friday details on Wednesday. In the meantime, what has you feeling thankful this year?