Changes, They are a Comin'!

I am mad at myself for only writing a post once a month the last few months.  There are many excuses, like a couple of sickly dogs and being generally busy at work, but I'm still not happy about it.  The dogs are all on the mend now.  The oldest had a back problem which lead to the discovery of a mass in her liver.  It can't really be operated on, but it isn't really causing her any problems except that her liver becomes infected at points.  Our middle doggie also had two masses, but these were causing problems and he had to be operated on.  A huge incision and mucho money later and he is well on his way to recovery.

I guess it is not as bad as it seems.  It doesn't seem to bother him too much.

I've got several projects going on that I am excited about.

1.  I am studying for my Certified Online Teacher Certificate.  I've taken the online classes, now I have to pass a test and develop and teach 2 online courses for the certifying association to critique.  This is for my position at UT, but I envision myself working on some outside interests with this new skill.  My mind keeps coming up with ideas to use this skill with my knitting obsession so hopefully I can make that happen soon.

2.  I am test knitting a wonderful skirt by Andrea Rangel I have been a fan of hers since I saw her Hex pattern in the Fall 2009 Knitty.  Truth be told, it was that pattern that finally made me get off my butt and learn to knit.  As soon as I finish this test knit for her, I will be casting on a Hex shawl in burnt orange!  It will be a fun knit while I am enjoying some longhorn football.

Here is a sneak peek of my test knitting

This skirt is a very fun, but a bit of a slow knit, especially for a slow knitter like me.  Since I am working on a deadline, I've had to put aside some of my other projects for a bit including my summer sweater university project and my own first pattern.  After I finish the skirt, I am going to concentrate on my first hat pattern because I already have a second pattern in mind!

3.  I don't know if it is a mid-life crisis or what, but I have been struggling with wanting to make some major changes in my life.  I couldn't figure out what it was I wanted to do differently, just that there needed to be a change.  It has been something that has been going on for awhile, but I have chosen to ignore it since I didn't for the life of me know what direction I wanted to go in.  After spending a lot of time contemplating what was going on with me, I think that I finally have it figured out.  I can't go into any details right now, but in the next few of months I hope to be able to announce a pretty major change in my life.  While this change isn't directly related to my knitting, I hope that eventually it will allow me to explore knitting in a more professional way too!!

I also hope to post more frequently on my blog than I have been.  If you have any topics you would like me to discuss on this blog please share your ideas!