So, my company has been waiting to hear an update about our work-from-home agreement, which was set to expire today. We got sent home in winter, saw spring, then summer, and now fall:

We found out on Wednesday that the work-from-home agreement will continue until further notice!

This was great news. While the COVID infection rate has been holding relatively steady (and staying low) in my neck of the woods – with a slight uptick since UAlbany started the fall semester – I’m still very cautious and was not looking forward to anyone telling me I cannot continue to work from home.

I have fully embraced working from home. For one thing, no more traveling, which is a nice break and also a relief, since I had recently been going to New York City a lot. Also, when I am at my office building, it is extremely quiet and there is not a lot of socializing, so I’m not really missing anything there.

I’ve got a good setup for working at home:

Window seat with inspirational signs and things I love are all around me. Even a spot on the left for Smudge if he wants to visit (which he never does, but I continue to hope). Except that behind me is a huge wall of yarn (my stash) that just calls to me on some days. (Good thing I don’t sit facing that wall or I’d be answering the call too often.) Paul is working from home too and we happen to like each other’s company so that’s a plus.

And I can see exactly when the mail or UPS or FedEx comes, at which time I yell for Paul and we take a walk to get it together. I know! Nice, right? So, I will enjoy working from home until further notice.

While working from home has had mostly a positive impact on me, not being able to get together with my knitting peeps and not being able to teach knitting classes has not. I’ve been able to have a couple of outside, socially distanced knitting meet ups which have been nice, but winter is coming and that won’t be as easy.

We have a great little fire pit that we just got:

It’s construction is supposed to help reduce smoke and it is very nice to sit by.

This will help extend the knitting-outside meet ups. And of course, being knitters, there is no shortage of warm woolies to put on so we can stay outside longer! So, knitting outside will continue until further notice.

The Spinning Room yarn shop, where I have taught knitting classes for many years, has just started having in-person classes at the shop (in compliance with local guidelines). A teacher and 4 students, with masks and sitting socially distant from one another, is the capacity that is allowed. It’s been working well, but I’m just too nervous to teach in that situation just yet. So for me, no in-person teaching until further notice.

Some of the other teachers are trying online classes using Zoom and YouTube. Now that’s something I can get on board with! I have no idea how to do it, so I’ll be observing one of the teachers in the coming weeks to get some ideas.

Before the pandemic, I was scheduled to teach a couple of classes at the shop that never happened. The Cloudbank cowl by Laura Aylor:

Click on that link up there to see how it looks being worn, because the picture I have of my finished project does not do it justice:

I was also going to teach the Lights and Twigs shawl by Barbara Nalewko.

I loved this pattern! So pretty. I don’t know if these will be good options to teach online or if I’ll have to find something else. And so, I may soon be teaching knitting classes online only, until further notice. Stay tuned!

Have you taken knitting classes online? How have they gone? Please let me know in the comments below! (Scroll way down)