I've been working on a new baby blanket, and I'm really happy with it right now. At first, I had some misgivings, because I've been really antsy about starting anything new recently. Knowing I only have so much yarn makes me really really cautious of everything I start. So at first I was unhappy, mostly because it was using up yarn. But as this goes on, I get more and more satisfied. I dyed the yarn myself, and I'm actually making some preparations to sell some of my better colors, so that's been an interesting side project at least. ;) The blanket was made according to the Radiating Star Blanket pattern on Ravelry, and in addition to being really really super cute, it makes for great class knitting, because the math/counting is simple, and i can stop knitting at one point to write some notes, and then pick it up when I'm done and not lose a beat. Also, I really love stars both as a shape and as a motif, so this is a really great way to combine my love of stars with a really traditional, heirloom kind of design that still looks modern and cute for today. I also love that it's in orange, because I think pastels for babies are way, way overrated. I like making thing bright and happy, but also subdued to let the pattern show best, and this is a good compromise between the two with a bright pop of color that doesn't overshadow the lace.
In other news, I'm taking a phlebotomy course tues/thurs evenings, because the teaching track is just really... dead recently. Not a lot of places are looking, they don't offer benefits, and the pay is miserable, despite having multiple certifications in a variety of vital areas. I've always been interested in the healthcare industry, so while it may not be my dream job, I can at least use the increased pay and benefits to put myself through more teaching college, at the very least, or I can transition to the health field, depending on what the long-term growth is looking like. I really just want to be able to settle down, have some security in housing, employment, and personal healthcare, so moving into nursing of some type might let me do that. Plus, my wife and I have been really wanting to start our family, so we're both trying to move into more secure jobs. Right now she works for the county, so that's looking pretty good, but teaching... it's not what it used to be. I'm hoping that improves, but until such time as it does, if you need any blood tests done, I'll be able to get them done for you by the end of this school year. ;)
The next thing I worked on was this