In which I compress 2 years into one blog post

First, the bands...

I went to Newport both last year and this year.  Some of the highlights include:

Thao & the Get Down Stay Down (2014)

Nickel Creek (2014)

Lucius (2014)

I also saw (in 2014) a little bit of Hozier, a little bit of Death Vessel, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Deer Tick, Houndmouth, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, and...I can't remember who else.  I decided that, rather than camp out at one tent all day (as I had done in 2013), I would wander around and sample more bands.  I didn't take as many pictures because I rarely got close enough to the stage to get a good shot.

Madisen Ward & the Mama Bear (2015)

Luluc (2015)

First Aid Kit (2015)

In this past festival, the batteries on my camera died pretty much the first time I tried to take a picture on the first day.  I saw Tallest Man on Earth (for the second time!), Bahamas, a bit of Leon Bridges, a bit of the Goodbye Girls, The Lone Bellow, a bit of My Morning Jacket, Elephant Revival, Haunt the House, Spirit Family Reunion (also for the second time), Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, Sufjan Stevens, the Decemberists (!!), a bit of Nikki Lane, a bit of Jason Isbell, a bit of Courtney Barnett, James Taylor, Lord Huron (also for the second time), a bit of Rodrigo Amarante, the Ballroom Thieves, a bit of Brian Fallon, and a bit of the Berklee Gospel and Roots Choir.  Again, I chose to mostly flit around and sample different music except for the sets I knew I'd want to stay all the way through for.

Oh, and in March I got to see the Punch Brothers (finally!!).  None of the pictures I took turned out all that great.

As for knitting...

I've been trying to finish up old projects.

Flowers in the Snow, which I started in 2011

Thrummed Mittens, also started in 2011

And have completed a few new ones, too.

Brick Road Cowl using Madelinetosh tosh merino light

Norby using Quince & Co Finch...with a doubled brim, of course!

Pop Spots Shawl (not done yet) using Madelinetosh tosh merino light.  I love the shade "Tart" so much I also made a matching hat.

I've also cleaned out my stash.  It probably wasn't very big, compared to some, but I felt like I had all of this unfinished business lying around.  I felt like I had to knit with what I had before I bought new, but didn't like/feel inspired by what I owned.  I also have an overabundance of knitted hats and scarves, most of which I no longer wear.  I donated quite a few to local charities last winter, and am planning to give away a few more this coming year.

My goal for the coming winter is to finally knit a sweater that fits...on purpose!  I knit an open-front cabled cardigan in 2012 (Aidez) that fit way too tight.  After losing about 90 lbs in the past year and a half, the cardigan now fits comfortably loose.  I'd like to knit a plain pullover sweater first, and just focus on the fit without worrying about any cables or colorwork.  After that, I'd really love to knit myself a lopapeysa--a traditional Icelandic yoked sweater.

As for the rest of my life...

I work in a blood bank in a large-ish hospital.  I've lost weight.  I run regularly.  I'm thinking about learning how to cross-country ski this coming winter.  Life is pretty good!