Because I Said it Outloud (BISIO) Update

Here is a little first-of-the-month update on where all my goals (doula, sheep-to-sweater, and grad school) stand at the moment.

Doula:

Folks, I have been on-call so many days this past month but haven't been called.  I am hoping to remedy this lack of baby-birthing this weekend with 48 hours of on-call awesomeness.  We can only hope the midwives want help over LABOR Day weekend (best pun ever).

Sheep-To-Sweater:

Sheep:  Friends around the country (we are talking, Iowa, Vermont, South Dakota, Washington, and Virgina) have emailed me to say they are on the hunt for sheep.  I was going to go to the VA Fall Fiber Festival this October, but Crafty Bastards is that weekend, too.  I might just wait until the MD festival in the spring.

Spinning:  I've signed up for a class at the Torpedo Factory/Art League for early December.  It is called "Crash Course in Spinning."  I hope it isn't actually "Crash and Burn Course in Spinning."  I have no idea how to prepare for this one.  I can't wait for the materials list, but in the mean time I am just learning about different kinds of wool.

Dyeing:  I've learned to dye wool (more on that soon) at my local knitting studio.  I have serious doubts about my skill in this area, but I think I am passable.  I might host a dye practice party if I can find enough people that care about yarn to come do it with me.

Knitting: This is the area I feel most confident about.  I am doing my first "sweater" currently.  It's the Microspun Baby Hoodie by Lion Brand.  I wanted an easy way to learn about sleeves and button bands and had just enough purple Microspun to do it.  I am currently pretending that I swatched ahead of time and that my gauge isn't horribly off.  In other words, there better be an abnormally small baby out there that needs/craves a purple hoodie...

Grad School:

Applications come out September 15th.  This does not amuse me in the slightest, as it means that I will actually need to fill out said applications.  Still aiming for Thanksgiving as my self-imposed deadline.  I've been reaching out to people for advice on the MPH portion of the JD/MPHs I will be applying for.  I have had both amazing (thanks Stacy, Paula, Ebeth, Addington and others) and ridiculously unhelpful (you shall remain nameless) advice from various sources.

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Basically, progress is being made, and I am not totally wasting all my time knitting sheep or watching NCIS.  And we can all be grateful for that.