New beginnings are always exciting. In the non-knitting world, they can also be nerve-wracking and worry-inducing. I start a new, temporary intern position next week with my state’s environmental agency. It should be a great experience, but it involves a super long commute and will be entirely different from anything I’ve done yet. Nearly all of my adult work experience has been in universities. And I haven’t been out of the house before 7am in a really long time, haha. Siiiiigh. Time to be a grownup.

But before all that happens, I’m taking advantage of my free time this week organizing, cleaning up the wreckage of thesis-writing time (papers everywhere), and just generally getting things in order. This includes my knitting. I have way too many projects scattered all over this tiny 1-bedroom apartment. I must corral them and start finishing some things. Here’s one finished thing:

My first handspun!

I introduce you to the Lumpiest Potholder in All the Land, knit from my first handspun yarn. It’s fugly and uneven but I have to love it, right? I’m still just impressed that it holds together in the first place!

And then, counterproductive to any corralling and finishing attempts, I started a new shawl:

Bugga!!!!!!

This is the wee beginnings of a Flamboyan shawl using Bugga in Box Jellyfish and the-colorway-love-of-my-life Blue Ringed Octopus (the middle bit). I am so smitten with this combination, I love it so much it hurts. Ahem. If you need me, I’ll be off somewhere spending way too much time with this shawl. Don’t judge!