Thursday, June 9, 2011

Been busy lately?

I have.

Not just knitting, by the way. May has become almost as big a month for nonprofits as October around here, so I've been running around to events, PLUS all the nonprofits I'm involved with seem to have something big going on. For Peninsula Bridge, we're knee deep in the process of hiring a new executive director. I'm on the hiring committee, and I think we're finally close to making a decision. Our board meetings are also more frequent as we manage this transition. I signed up to be a lead partner (used to be called liaison) for SV2's latest education grantee, Partners in School Innovation, and in addition to what I did in May I have at least 2 more lengthy meetings in the next few weeks (wrapping up the contract and analyzing their fundraising program). I also was involved with the international grant round and am on the consulting team for their grantee, Blue Planet Network. DCP just had their 8th graduation; I announced the scholarship winners (our committee spent numerous hours in April and May evaluating the candidates and making our decisions). Kids in Common was the quietest of my nonprofits (mostly emails and phone calls this month). Dana and I are interviewing a prospective board member on Monday and will be planning the next week's Vision Council meeting agenda as well. Friday of Memorial Day weekend was Menlo School's benefit, and as assistant treasurer I spent many hours posting credit card transactions, making bank deposits, and making sure everything tied out. The money is still coming in, but it should soon slow to a trickle. I'm also on an ad hoc committee of nonprofits, schools, government agencies, funders, and community volunteers working to increase the number of first generation students to graduate from college. We've been at this about a year now, mostly doing research and trying to decide how we could be most effective; a great opportunity dropped into our laps (College Day across all of San Jose Unified School district from kindergarten through 12th grade) and we are now scrambling to make the most of it.

To be able to sleep at night after all this excitement, I have been knitting routinely. Here's what I've done:

Finished the April socks from the Trekking KAL:
I also finished the May socks. It may not be visible here, but the back of the leg is eyelet rib and I mirror imaged the lace design on the top of the foot and front of the leg.

I also finished the Almost Saintly socks.
I made another baby surprise jacket. Joe says I can't give this one to charity, but need to save it for someone who'll appreciate the sophisticated colors.
I also made a few scarves. This is a honey cowl (thanks to Carol Glasstone for alerting me to this lovely design) I made for Joan, the woman I volunteer for at Menlo.

I finally finished the first of four "nano" scarves from Morehouse. These designs are all based on microscopically close color photographs of living things and knit in laceweight single ply merino. The one below is based upon diatoms.

Another cowl, this time in my own lacy pattern in Noro Taiyo (cotton silk blend). It's a good weight for a late spring /early fall accessory.

And finally, a Universal Scarf (Vicky Square design from last week's Knitting Daily post). This is in navy (not the bright blue it seems to be) Crystal Palace Iceland.
What am I knitting now? Another Universal Scarf, this time in mint Classic Elite Princess, the June Trekking socks, the March Blue Moon kit (Merry Sockster socks in Electric Koolaid Acid Test), and a top in lime Classic Elite Sprout (Pebble Beach from a new CE booklet).