My soon-to-be 84-year-old mother fell on February 29 at 4 a.m., on my last day at my previous job (thus a day when I had to be on-site, to hand in my security badge, to say nothing of my obligation to say goodbye to staff etc.), and fractured her pelvis. We were all relieved it wasn't her hip and must note that her 30 years of treatment for osteoporosis had to have helped. She was admitted to the hospital with a plan to go from there to rehab and then home.
So, I cast on a simple-looking bed jacket using Lion Brand Homespun in a lovely colourway called "Painted Desert". After taking care of some basic math problems with the pattern, it was coming along nicely but looked loosey-goosey and I wondered if it would fit like the cape it sort of looked like in the pattern. Now that it's finished, the simple answer is, "No, it does not look like a cape." It's cute, and it will probably look and feel nice, but I would like more of a neck. See:

So, while not unhappy with it, I am not really happy with it, either. I'll see
what mom thinks. She's home and going to outpatient physio weekly, and
supposedly doing exercises daily at home. So, the bed jacket is a tad too late
for its intended purpose, but I'm sure she'll like it, anyway.

I was watching an interview with William Shatner the other evening, and he said he has no intention of retiring, because why would he want to stop doing what he loves? He noted that he has heard people say they can't wait to retire so they can start doing things they want to do, and he commented on how sad that is. Yes, it is. And yet, I have never "loved" what I do to earn money. I have had jobs that I have enjoyed and been happy to go to work (happy - not excited, not passionate) but I have never to my knowledge, loved a job. I recall a tongue-in-cheek Facebook status update wherein I asked why I can't be paid to read, knit and drink beer, but so far, no offers. I hate to sound whiny, and would rather sound proactive. I should be actively seeking a job I could love. I did apply to Chapters, thinking the minimum wage would be offset by my enjoyment of being around books, but no-go. Perhaps they prefer students and retirees rather than employable (in theory) nurses with degrees and a long job history. I should probably be self-employed. I would love to spend my days attending courses and learning, but I can't be paid for that. I need to give this some thought, clearly.

So, slow knitter that I am, I am only just now approaching the sleeves of Emmaline. To date I have knit small circumference items using two circulars, but I don't have two circulars of the right size for this top, so bought a set of five bamboo double-points at Len's Mill. (I love Len's Mill  - we don't have them in Toronto, so when I discovered the Guelph Len's Mill store I was amazed - it's a bit like a small Honest Ed's or a big BiWay, with yarn and needles in one section. I still do a lot of yarn shopping on-line but when you just want a set of needles or some reliable feltable Patons Classic Wool, it's the place.) 
Anyway, some of the on-line tutorials for knitting with DPNs are a bit awful. I like this one from Knit Picks:  http://www.knitpicks.com/tutorials/Double_Pointed_Needles__D118.html It's to the point (no pun actually intended). I'll see how it goes.

I can't believe the two weeks are up and I have to go to work on Monday.
The cottage was good. We were there from Sunday to Wednesday, when the rain and the dog made going home look appealing. Our dog turned out to be woefully upset by being uprooted from her home base - why we didn't remember that from a past trip to the cottage escapes me - and we were unable to take day trips, so we'd had enough by the 4th day. I watched the entire 3rd season of Dexter on the DVD player while there, did a tiny bit of knitting (very hot in Muskoka) and some cool crossword puzzles. I enjoyed Dexter so much I've just bought the 4th season. 
Starting a new class online - the 5th of 5 needed for a certificate as an educator of adults, so looking forward to that. Must get some knitting done.

We're supposed to be heading to my brother-in-law's cottage for a few days, but haven't left yet. Food-poisoning has stricken the prodigal son, so I need to make sure he's on the mend before we leave him home holding the fort. While at the cottage, I'll be working on:

"Emmaline" from last summer's Knitty (http://knitty.com/ISSUEss10/PATTemmaline.php). Using some stash Bernat Gloucester, held doubled. So far, so good.