It’s late summer. No matter what the temperature is, the air feels different, and the green world has taken on a slightly worn-out look. I love the late afternoon, when my little porch is almost in shadow, and there’s a breeze from the direction of the ocean.

The initial unpredictability of my new work life has been transformed into a routine, and I welcome it. I go to work knowing what I need to do, most of the time. I’m still learning the unfamiliar language of An Office: how to work in a cubicle, how to approach the people who seem unapproachable (and how not to), how to let the awkward moments pass because that’s the only way to move on. I have Duties now, and Projects. And most of the time I can solve problems without asking for advice on how it’s done.

After I finished knitting my Arroyo scarf, I dug around in my stash for the next project. I wanted to knit something that would take some time, that I could work on slowly. I had Laura Aylor’s Cinnamon Toast shawl pattern, and I found two skeins of tosh merino light in “Earl Grey.” I’m taking it slowly, but it’s growing so quickly!

At first I was worried that the yarn might be too busy for the diamond shapes in the pattern. After a few inches, though, I decided that there was no turning back, and I’m happy that I didn’t.

Shawls always look so funny on the needles, all bunched into a blob. The bigger they get, the blobbier the blob becomes. It’s not until they are off the needles and blocked that they show us their glorious selves. Cinnamon Toast is different—it folds itself into an accordion. Very tidy!

In a few weeks, it will be Autumn. A few weeks after that, time for Rhinebeck. And a few weeks after that, the Knitter’s Review Retreat. I’m full already. My year has been different, to say the least. I need my annual anchors, visits with the friends I see only once or twice a year, and a chance to connect with the Jane I am in these places and with these people. Will I look as different as I feel?