More Working on All the Things. As One Does.

It's been a fairly calm week here at chez woolly.  We're all recovering nicely from our bout with The Plague(tm).  I still get tired really easily (and can't tell if the brain fog is due to Covid or from being a Woman of a Certain Age), but overall I am feeling loads better.

I am continuing to make steady progress across several projects, and that feels great.  I haven't worked as much on the blanket as I thought I would, but enh, it's whatever.  It'll be done when it is done - I only have 4.5 border rounds to go so once the mood strikes it won't take long.

I have, however, made lots of progress on the Glittering-Whatsit shawl that I abandoned last year.  I mathed it out that if I can knock out 8 repeats a week, I'll have it done by the end of April.  So far so good!

The sock continues to see some action, albeit not quite as much as I'd hoped.  Patterned socks (even patterns as simple as a 2x2 Broken Rib) always take me longer, and I always underestimate it.

This picture was taken on Saturday on my way to meet up with Rhiannon for Modern Daily Knitting's Nash Yarn Fest, where I suffered from utter and absolute camnesia.  Truly a blogger's fail, I tell you.  But I did run into some lovely friends who live in the internet, which was wonderful, and Rhi and I had a great time.  The crowds were a little overwhelming (and the weather a little exciting), but all in all I'm very glad we went and excited that they've already announced that they plan to do it again next year.

In other making news, I decided to cast on the Spring pattern of the Stardew Valley socks that Rhi got me for Christmas year before last.  I thought the equinox was a perfect time to start it, and even queued up one of the Spring songs from the OST to listen to while I worked on it.  A++ nerdery, would go again.  I would show you the picture I took with my laptop open to the Stardew Valley soundtrack on Spotify, but after I took the picture I realized that my laptop screen is filthy, and that will not be going on the internet.

My current plan is to start the summer pair on the Solstice and so on and so forth.  I may only knit one of each pair and hang them on my wall in sock blockers as art - I haven't fully decided yet.  More on that as it develops!

Apparently March is Also for Finishing

The last two weeks passed by in a fugue of coughing, going through mountains of tissues, and generally feeling as though all thoughts were being processed through a vat of cold oatmeal.  After five years of antisocial and hermit-like behavior, I finally got got and contracted baby's first Covid.

We had friends over for our semi-regular D&D session Friday before last, and then woke up Saturday morning coughing.  I think the final body count was seven friends and family taken out by this thing.  0/10 stars, do not recommend.

While I did still kind of work last week, I also had tons of enforced couch time, so I was shockingly productive - and not just because this is two weeks since my last update ... although I imagine that isn't hurting any either.

I missed finishing the Wasilla Poncho in February by just a few days, but done is done, and I'm playing by no one's rules but my own.  I ran out of yarn at a weird place in the pattern and briefly considered finding another skein of the Lion Brand Mandala so I could end at a better spot.  I really didn't want to do that though because using every bit of the yarn was entirely the point of choosing a top down project like this in the first place.  I set it aside and noodled on it a bit until I was hit by a brain wave.  I had a sudden vision of a yarn that I bought long enough ago that the store it came from has been closed more than 15 years.  In my mind's eye the color and texture would be perfect, AND (get this) I knew exactly where it was.

I'm pretty pleased with myself, truth being told.  My mind's eye knows what's up.

Heady with that success (and the over-abundance of phlegm I'd recently taken on board), I turned my attention to the Beach Walk blanket.  I finished up the remaining granny squares, got them joined, and have 2 out of 8 border rounds completed.   We're still on track to have it finished by the end of the month if I can stay consistent with it. I'll try to share an updated picture next week.

And if that wasn't enough, genties and ladlemen, let me please introduce you to Delores de Colores.  She is perfect and I love her.  For all that it took me ten months start to finish, this was a remarkably fast knit.  I probably only worked on it a handful of days all in and I couldn't be happier with the results.  Plus I used some old-growth stash up, so wins all around.

Did I need a stuffed rainbow chicken?  Don't be ridiculous, of course I did.

In addition to all of the above, I moved my Riptide vest along and got both the left and right front shoulders done and the neck shaping to the point where I've joined the two together into one front piece.   It's in an unwieldy and un-photographical state at the moment, but progress is assuredly happening.

And finally, you had to know that there would be a new sock. 

Next week's plans include more progress on all the things. I'm feeling highly motivated to keep knocking down the old WIP list.  I even pulled out my 2024 Hiberknitalong Shawl to see if I could figure out where I was with it.

The border is not nearly as annoying to knit as I remember.

More specifically, I plan to:

• add two more border rounds to the blanket
• add four more repeats to the shawl border
• turn the heel on the sock (bonus points if I can finish it)
• get Riptide to the point where I can join in the round

On the one hand, that feels ambitious.  On the other hand, that feels ambitious and I like it.

Heeding The List

I've started doing this wild thing where I write down what I'd like to get done in the month, and then I give it a think and decide how much that means I should do each week, and then I write THAT down, and fellas, I think I've revolutionized this whole productivity thing.

This past week The List told me that I needed to get 13 squares for Beach Walk done in Week 3 of February, and another 13 in Week 4 to get my total of 52 squares by month's end.  I'm well on track, having finished last week's allotment and 5 more for this week's.  No pictures this week; I'll show you again when something interesting is going on.

The List also advised that if I'd like to finish the crochet poncho by end of February, I should add one of the skeins of Mandala to it last week (check) and one this week (on track).  I'll give it some more love over the next couple of evenings and hopefully pull out one more February is for Finishing victory.  Worst case it's done the first week of March, and that's okay too.

These socks were supposed to be finished by last Sunday, but sometimes The List is a jerk and has unreasonable expectations. They're finished now though, so all is as it should be.  This is another 75/25 commercial workhorse yarn that I picked up from Wool Warehouse a few years ago, because no yarn should travel alone, and that goes double for yarn coming across an ocean.  They were just the shot of Valentine's cheer my February needed.  

Pattern is my standard vanilla with a Fish Lips Kiss Heel, this time with 68 stitches, and a 1x1 rib for the cuff.  I ended the toe with 24 stitches on the needles instead of 16 before grafting, to make a wider toe box.  Ever in search of the elusive perfect fit and all that.

also in search of that ever elusive spring - note the photobombing daffodils

In addition to all this yarnish industry, I've also done a spot of stitching, including February Cottage by Country Cottage Needleworks and Big Hearted Tiny Town by Heart in Hand designs. (Links go to 123Stitch to show the designs - my cross stitch photography could use some improvement.) I won't finish either this month, but that's okay.  I've decided, for now anyway, to remain unbothered by my cross stitch WIPs and to embrace the idea of seasonal stitching.  I'll put them away, and odds are good there will be another February next year for me to work on them.

Plans for the rest of the week include finishing up the poncho and my remaining Beach Walk squares, and then on Saturday I may indulge in a spot of starting things.  On the cross-stitching front, there's a March Cottage and Blooming Tiny Town to consider, or perhaps a Hobbit House (or perhaps all three). 

I'll also continue to work on Riptide, start some new socks and try to figure out where I left off on my poor spatchcocked Emotional Support Chicken.

Oh!  And I'll finalize The List for March and see if I can't keep this train on the tracks for another month. 

It does not escape my notice that I'd get more done faster if I were to focus my efforts the tiniest bit, but it's spring, baby, and I cannot be contained.

She Was Like a Bearded Rainbow

It's been another eventful week over here at chez woolly, full of wild carryings on.  We had friends over for a lovely and soul satisfying dinner on Friday, where we did some belated New Year tarot readings and celebrated the birthday of the trees. There may have been a dramatic reading of The Lorax after dinner and wine but all present were sworn to silence.

photo credit to CyberMathWitch

On the finishing front (it being February after all), I have some very exciting news to report.

I had originally thought that I would want to add a black border around the outside of this, but once I got here I changed my mind.  A bit like gilding the lily, I thought.  We'll gloss over the fact that I bought a 400 yard skein of Miss Babs Yummy 2-Ply to add a border I ultimately decided against, all in the name of using my stash.  Ya win some, ya lose some. 

In any case, I am beyond delighted with how it turned out.  I feel quite clever for successfully applying a 3rd-grader understanding of geometric shapes and adapting a pattern on the fly, allowing me to use up every drop of my 2023 Advent set from The Fiber Seed.

That's one project ticked off of the list, so I've turned my attention to the Wasilla Poncho. I'd like to finish it in February as well, so I've set myself a goal of adding one skein of the LB Mandala this week, and one skein next week.  I'm also continuing to plug away on Riptide, and of course the ubiquitous purse sock.  No pictures of any of them this time - they all look just like they did last week, only more so.

And finally, in the spirit of moving my Beach Walk Blanket towards completion, I'm working on the squares for the outer border.  I'm well on track to finish the squares in February so I can attach them and do the final few rounds in March.

there is no good way to show off 32 granny squares

That's all the news that's fit to print.  Incremental progress on a number of things, as is the way of things around here. 

But that rainbow wrap tho!  

🌈🌈🌈

What I Was Going to Blog About

I meant to blog all last week about my progress towards my goals, and how I'm doing with my Make Nine Challenge, but I can't quite bring myself to care enough to talk about it.

green checks are completed and the orange star is on the needles

TL;DR, it's going very well, thank you for asking.  I seem to suddenly have as much time as ever for knitting, despite my new found love for Animal Crossing.

Today should have been the first day of my Passover PTO.  I try to take the Wed-Fri before our Seder off to get ready, and then the Mon-Tues after to recover.   But what with one thing and another, my plans have changed, and I'm only taking two days off.

I mean, everyone's plans have changed right?

For the first time in over twenty years, I won't be having Seder with my community.  Gathering 30+ people into my living room right now would be beyond irresponsible, so we're doing the smart and sensible thing, and eventually I'm going to have a good cry about it.

I haven't yet, but I can tell it's coming.  A dear friend linked me to a Darcy Lewis (MCU) Passover fic and just reading the summary was enough to get me to tear up.

"This is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. All who are hungry should come and eat. All who are in need should come and make Pesach. Now we are here, next year out of quarantine!"

So here I sit at a cross roads.  I can decide to wallow and be angry and sad and to say the hell with it and eat bacon cheeseburgers on Saturday (okay, I lie, just typing that made me twitch a little).  But the point remains - I get to decide how to respond to this.  And yes, it's 100% valid to be upset.  My oldest daughter has her own household now, and we won't be sharing Seder together this year for the first time since our family began this tradition.   Some of the kids (I say "kids" ... they're all adults) that are part of my family-by-choice won't have this celebration to come to this year.  I won't see the wonderful friends and community members that I see so rarely.  And yeah.  All of that is true, and it's okay that I'm sad and angry and a little bit heart-broken.

a naye yor, a naye cast-on

But, Passover is a time of renewal.  It's a time of hope, and new beginnings.  At Passover we celebrate the fact that however hard things are right now, we know that it will not always be this way.  Tomorrow things will be better. 

I get to decide how I want to respond to this.

We will have a tiny family Seder here at the Burrow, with Carl, Morgan, and Rowan.  It will be lovely and intimate, and with only four of us ...  this year we can see what that line about "reclining" is all about.  Think of the bounty of space we'll have! 

And in this moment, let me share my extreme gratitude and love for my sweet husband.  He is driving this tiny family Seder, and making sure that it happens.

We'll have charoset, and home-made horseradish, and if we can't find lamb we have back-up brisket, and I have wine (oh yes, I have wine) and it's going to be lovely.

This year, a tiny Seder.  Next year, at the Burrow!  Now we are here, next year out of isolation!

The World's Gone Wild

This week I've developed a weird and intense love-hate relationship with Twitter.  The world's gone wild, and it's like watching the slowest, most ponderous trainwreck.  You can't look away, but nothing's happening. 

There's no toilet paper in the middle-Tennessee area; flour, sugar, and meat are in short supply, and pasta is a dim and distant memory.

But on the bright side, there was a sale on wine, so we're well stocked there.

I'm working from home now, as are many of my close friends.  Which is pretty cool in one respect -- they've specifically asked us not to turn on our web-cams or use video streaming, due to the load on our servers, so that means conference call knitting is happening.

How are things where you are?

Popping in for a Quickie

I thought about skipping blogging this week, because I don't feel like I really have anything to say.  But that way lies madness and accidentally skipping three weeks in a row, followed by forgetting I have a blog at all for months at a time.

So I figured I'd just pop in for a quickie.  (TWSS).

After last weekend's flurry of activity on Hitchhiker, I'm back to working on all the things.  I'm nearly to the half-way point on my Litmus Cowl.

I'm loving how the colors are working up.  I'm hoping that blocking will fluff up the fibers and straighten out the stitches (no I didn't swatch, don't be ridiculous) because the knitting itself is looking a little wonky and anemic.  I live in hope.

On Friday I decided it was time to move the current sock WIP along, so I knit through about half of the foot and nearly finished the toe.

Then Saturday morning I finished it up and and cast on the second.  If I hustle, I may turn the heel tonight.

I've given Exploration Station just a little bit of love - maybe I'll get enough done on it this week that there will be something worth showing.

I'm also still plugging away on my granny square blanket.  I am closing in on having 30% of the squares done.

So there you have it.   Nothing terribly interesting to report - other than the fact that I haven't cast anything new on and am still making progress on my February is for Finishing goals.  I don't know if that's interesting so much as unexpected. 

Last year I hauled off and cast on three new things during February (one of which I finished during February, so there's that at least).  This year any of my mojo that isn't being channeled into my OWL or Mission (that's Exploration Station and the Litmus Cowl for those of you playing along at home) is going into those blankets or the sock.

With a week left in February I feel good about finishing the socks, and expect to have major progress to show on the shawl and cowl.  I should also be well and away closer to assembly on the granny blanket too. 

The socks might be the only other technical finish this month, but I'll be a lot closer on a lot of things, so it's still a victory of sorts.

An Absolute Slog of a Week

I don't know what it is about this week, but everything has been an absolute slog.  Right now my job is simultaneously boring and stressful.  The house is a bit of a mess, but I can't be arsed to care.  My knitting just keeps not finishing itself...sigh... it's just all ...meh.

One could make a compelling argument that the flooding (last Thursday), snow (last Friday), weird 60F temps (Sunday), and more flooding (Tues-Thurs) might have something to do with the current mood.   The other day I looked at my co-workers and with a big, dramatic sigh said, "Do you remember the sun?"   They all agreed that they did not.

February is rough, y'all.

Especially a February that doesn't seem to have any finishing in it.  What?  "No finishing?!" I hear you cry.  That's right my friends, I knit and I knit and I finish nothing.  Sysiphos got nothin' on me. 

I mean, except that I'm not knitting up hill. And arguably I like knitting.  And I can do a little crochet to take the edge off.  And as far as I can tell no one is actually coming along in the night and rolling my shawl back down the hill again...

Okay, so maybe I'm being a little dramatic. 

It just seems like nothing is moving.  I expect socks to drip from my needles, like that one fairy tale princess who had jewels falling from her mouth every time she laughed (which, in retrospect, sounds both horrific and economy killing.  But I digress.) I just want my sock to be done, y'all.

And blankets?  Don't talk to me about blankets.  Who makes 4 blankets at the same time?  Who?  Nobody sane that's who.

I just wish I understood why I'm not finishing anything.

It's a mystery.

The State of the WIP-Basket

I thought I'd share what I'm currently working on, since it's been a while since I've talked about what I'm knitting with any kind of regularity.  This won't be a full accounting of the WIPs, as I have to save some content for February is for Finishing, after all.  I'll give you the full list in a couple of weeks. 

For today, let's look at my three newest cast-ons, two shawls and a pair of socks.  For a nicely balanced basket, I probably should have a sweater in the mix too, but my sweater mojo is on hiatus at the moment, so shawls it is.

Exploration Station

First up is Exploration Station by Stephen West. This was a mystery knit along way back when (I want to say 2014 maybe) but it didn't really get onto my radar as a thing I might want to knit until sometime last year when I was watching the back catalog of the Stranded Podcast on Youtube with Amy Florence (she's charming, if you don't watch her and you are a podcasty type person, you totally should).   I've been planning this knit for over six months, finally purchasing the final skeins of yarn for it last year at the SSK market.

I'm utterly charmed by how it's working up - even if Morgan did tell me it looked like a watermelon.  I don't know what kind of funky mutant watermelons she's been eating, but it most certainly does not.  Yarns are Dream in Color Jilly and Suburban Stitcher Single Sock.  The Suburban Stitcher is 100% merino and a single, so I'm not sure why the word "sock" is in the base name, lest it be to indicate that it's a fingering weight yarn. 

After I finish up the current wedge, it's time to transition into brioche.  I've got limited experience with brioche (I knit a hat once) but, as they say, it's just knitting.  I'm looking forward to it.

Odyssey Shawl

Next up is the Odyssey Shawl by Joji Locatelli.  I mentioned it briefly in my last post as one of my New Years Day cast-ons.  I'm knitting it out of Deep Dyed Yarns Still base (DK 100% merino), using US 9 needles.  I'm a little worried about gauge on this one, as I didn't fuss with a swatch.  Joji's gauge is 13 sts/4 in using US 8s.  I just went up one needle size and went for it.  There is a slight possibility that I am knitting a pocket handkerchief instead of the big, cozy shawl of my dreams.  We shall see if the blocking saves me, and if it doesn't, them's the brakes.

I'm a wee skosh farther along than I was on Friday.

no swatch we die like men

her song released the sudden spring: Tinuviel Socks

These socks are right exactly where I left them on Friday, as I've been working on other things.  My goal is to have the first one done by the 15th, so I reckon I'd best hustle.  More details can be found in my last post.

Those are my only proper knit WIPS.  I also have a few (*KOFF* FOUR *KOFF*) blankets in the works, but more on them later.

What with one thing and another, I haven't been posting regularly here at A Woolly Discipline.  That's something I'm hoping to change in 2020 (a naye yor, a naye leben and all that). I'm more consistently active on Instagram, if that's your jam, and can be found as kadollan.

Welcome to 2020!

Friends of the show will remember that we have a New Years tradition here at chez woolly.  My two besties and I have been gathering on New Year's Eve to ring in the new year, and then share brunch on New Year's Day to make plans and set intentions for ... gosh... probably over 15 years.   It's a lovely part of my personal wheel of the year, and it's a tradition I cherish.

We had to get a little creative this year, because some dear friends of ours got married on New Years Day, and asked me to be their officiant.  It was an incredible honor, and a beautiful wedding. 

Darling, You Look Wonderful Tonight

My best Koren caught a snap of Carl and I dancing to some Eric Clapton.  I'm normally not a fan of pictures of me, but I just love how he's looking at me here.  My heart!

Beautiful or no, the wedding jacked our plans up a bit, but we're clever and flexible people and we made it work.  We switched our brunch to New Year's Eve, set intentions, did some tarot readings, and worked on finishing projects.  (As an aside, my tarot reading said I should write more.  Hello!)

A second piece of our New Years tradition is to finish a project, either New Years Eve or Day (Jess does one, I do the other) and then cast on something new on New Years Day.  May we finish as many things as we start, so say we all.

I finished up these cheerful holiday socks. 

They're Rock and String Creations "Merry and Bright" in her Sashay base. I used the Heel, Toe, Do-Si-Do pattern, with very slight modification (68 stitches instead of 64).  They're sparkly, and pretty darned cute, if I do say so myself. 

My New Year's cast ons (plural, because if one is good then two is better, right?) were the Odyssey Shawl by Joji Locatelli, and a pair of vanilla socks using Valkyrie Fibers Matte Sock in the "Tinuviel" colorway. 

And can we just talk about how well that contrast color in the socks works with the main yarn?  Not only did they not come together, they're not from the same dyer.  The contrast is Soft Sock from Teenybutton Studio.

I'm excited about this year.  I feel good, I've got plans that inspire me, and plenty of beautiful yarn to keep me busy. 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I have a feeling I've probably used that blog post title before - likely talking about spring and Passover.  Fall and Spring are my favorite seasons, and which one is the mostest favorite entirely depends on which one I'm in.

September has the same sense of anticipation of starting new things that the spring has.  Where in spring you have the fresh promise of a new growing season, summer around the corner, and the delight of being able to go outside without six layers on, in the fall there's football, the new school year, crisp weather as the heat starts to release it's grip, and a growing sense of settling in.   I love them both.

But today I love fall.  I particularly love September 1st when the new Fall Term starts in the Harry Potter Knit and Crochet House Cup.  Starting a new school year hasn't been a thing for me in years (in fact my youngest graduated high school last year, so it's really not a thing for me anymore) but I still enjoy the anticipation of The First Day of Term.

The House Cup is an online community and game that's hosted on Ravelry.  Students are sorted into houses (Gryffindor 4 Lyf), and compete by crafting for the House and Quidditch Cups.  It's a really good time, and has done wonders for my knitting and crocheting output.   There are three terms a year - Winter, Spring, and Fall - and Fall is by far my favorite.

Of course, along with all of that new-Term excitement comes new-Term cast ons!  I had a wicked case of startosis on September 1st and I've cast on four new projects in the last five days.

Two pairs of socks -  Hello Sunshine by Tracie Millar out of  Unwind Yarn Company Celebration Sock in the Goldenrod colorway for Morgan (left) and a pair of vanilla Yulemas socks out of Colour Redefined Smooth Sock in the String the Lights colorway (right).

I also cast on a cowl using some handspun that a dear friend traded me for some project bags a few years ago.  It's a delicious merino/bamboo blend and the colors are so gorgeous I keep stopping to admire it.  I'm using the Mira's Cowl pattern by Baah Yarn, and size 9 needles for a big, squishy cowl.

And then finally, I've cast on The Crown Wools by Casapinka.  I'm barely into it, so there's not much to see yet.  I'm using Miss Babs Yummy 2 Ply in the Giant Silk Moth set, and it is stunning.  I'm excited by this one!

Now, I already had four things on needle or hook when term started, so that brings my current WIP count up to 8.  (In my defense, three of those are long-term blanket projects.   On second thought, that might be a lousy defense.) 

In any case, I'm starting to feel a little twitchy, so I think I'll concentrate on getting the cowl back off the needles quickly.

Scattershot Approach: Wherein I Knit All the Things

I spent yesterday watching the first four Harry Potter movies and knitting and crocheting all the things.  I think I laid hands on everything I've got on the needles or hooks yesterday. 

The upside of this approach is that I didn't get bored, and I could swap out what I was working based on whether or not I needed my eyes for any given scene. In fact, I may or may not have just listened to most of Chamber of Secrets... I can't crochet without looking, the way I can with knitting stockinette.

The downside, of course, is that I didn't make nearly as much progress on any one thing as I would have if I'd focused. 

On the other hand, while some of the things I've been working on do have deadlines, they are all arbitrary, game-based deadlines.   The shawl pictured above, for example, is my Order Mission in the House Cup.  It needs to be done by November 18th, or I don't get my internet points. 

I'm also working on a Boxy sweater for my OWL.  Deadline on this one is the end of November.  (I'm farther along than this picture shows.  Imagine it just like this, only more so.)   So far, even with my scattershot approach, I'm in no particular danger of missing either deadline.

I seriously considered watching more Harry Potter today, but I ended up deciding that my body wasn't ready for the emotional roller coaster of movies 5, 6, 7, and 7.5.   Maybe next weekend.

Who knows, maybe by next weekend I will have actually finished something.  Though that might require me to hold onto it for more than ten minutes at any given time.

So maybe don't hold hold your breath.

I Take A Lot of Pictures of Socks Next to Salsa

Somehow I managed to spend over three days without a pair of socks on the needles.   Mind you, there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this (if by "reasonable" you mean "I was making decisions on what to knit based on how many invisible internet points I could get" ... and I do) but even so... it felt weird.

Don't worry though, I'm back in the game with some very festive holiday socks.

Not that holiday.  The other one.

I seem to take a lot of pictures of socks next to salsa.  One might draw some (likely accurate) conclusions from this.   Anyway, this is Must Stash Yarn's "Jack is Back," in their Merino/Nylon base.  I don't think they have any in stock right now, but there are some other great colorways available.

This was one of those very rare instances where I saw the yarn, I bought the yarn, I cast on the yarn.  Sort of a vidi, emi, kniti* situation.  Usually there's a year(s) long gap between steps 2 and 3.  Not this time, baby, it's October and I need me some spoopy socks.

I've named the project "I smell children," and I love how it is knitting up.

In other news, I've added a whack of new squares to my Hogwarts Studies Blanket (this is what I was doing instead of knitting a sock earlier this week).   For the second Quidditch Match of the term, our prompt was to knit or crochet something to protect from the cold.  I did ten tiny new squares and made the bold statement that they were one engorgio charm away from being big enough to cuddle up under.   (If none of that made any sense to you, the important takeaway is that I added squares to the sock yarn blanket.)

I'm closing in on 35% complete, if I keep to my original 12x18 plan.  I might do 12x24 instead, but I don't have to decide until I get there.   I'm getting tired of explaining every February how this both does and does not count as a WIP, so I'm going to try to accelerate my pace somewhat.   It might still be on the list for February 2019, but if so, there will be a lot more of it there.

*Made up Latin for "I saw, I bought, I knit."

Accidentally Invoking Adventure

For the past two years I've adopted a "Word of the Year" as a tool to help me focus on my personal growth and development. I've been auditioning new words, and one word popped up that I hesitated over.

Adventure.

I like the action of it, the daring, the take-charge-go-out-and-do-the-thing nature of the word.  But I hesitated because I tend to associate "adventure" with "things that went entirely pear shaped and now we're dealing with it," and THAT my friends, I am not interested in invoking for 2018 - particularly after the two consecutive tire fires that were 2016 and 2017.

I'll talk more about all of this in another post, but I'm bringing it up now because I want to tell you about my week.  I bet you can already see where this is going.

I flew down to our Florida office on Tuesday.  We have a new team member that I've been helping to onboard, and I wanted to spend some in-person time with my team. 

Yes Virginia, You Can Knit on a Plane

The trip down was easy-peasy.  Flights were on time, people were well-behaved, and my book was engrossing.   (Pro-tip: think carefully before picking a novel about a pandemic that kills over 2 billion people in a month if you're going to be reading in an airport.  Suddenly every sniffle and cough takes on new and sinister meaning.)

I spent a lovely couple of days spending time with people I really enjoy.  I went to dinner one night with two women I used to work with back when I was in Operations Training, and they caught me up on all the good gossip over wine and lobster rolls. 

After work one afternoon I went and got some Key Lime pie, and sat and knit for a while.  Because of reasons.

The weather was gorgeous, and my hotel room overlooked the ocean.  All in all it was an awesome three days.

I got to the airport on Friday for my return trip at about 10:30 am, for my 12:00 flight.  The Melbourne airport is small so security is usually pretty painless.   The guy at the return counter for my rental car asked me if I was sure I wanted to return the car - flights were being canceled because of weather.  (Mind you it's 75 F and sunny as we have this conversation).   Delta's app says all is copacetic, so I turn in my keys and head on to get my boarding pass. 

The flight might be a little delayed, the lady says as she hands me my paperwork. 

The nice security man asked if I had any liquids in my bag, laptop in it's own bucket, yadda yadda.  I'm an old pro at this by now, so I assure him it's all in order.   They pull my bag out for inspection, and he asks if there's anything sharp in there.  Just my knitting needles, I tell him.  I left a bottle of water in my bag that I completely forgot was in there.  Rookie mistake.  I chuck the water and gather up my stuff and head off to my gate.

Ten minutes later I'm heading back to security to pick up the laptop I'd left behind because I was embarrassed about the water. 

My noon flight became a 1:00 flight.  And then 2:00.  Maybe 3:00.  Probably 4:30 for sure.  Around 5:00 Delta brought in about 20 pizzas, because the other two flights for Atlanta that were supposed to leave after ours were also delayed, and the tiny airport didn't really have a lot of infrastructure for that many stranded passengers.

My connecting flight out of Atlanta got canceled somewhere in the middle of all this, but they put me on another flight that would leave at 11 pm.  Not ideal, but what are ya gonna do?

Besides knit, I mean.

Melbourne Airport has my favorite wacky airport carpet.

It's a good thing I had three different knitting projects in my carry on luggage, because I worked on all of them.

We finally flew out of Melbourne at about 7:00 or so.   By the time we got into Atlanta, every flight out had been canceled, and there were no hotel rooms to be had.   The Delta app cheerfully informed me that I've been rebooked on a flight home... on Sunday.

I called Carl and had him looking at Expedia, trying to find me a room (there were none).  Really I needed him to be a sounding board so I could figure out what the heck to do.   The way I saw it, I had two options: 1) sleep in the airport.  Twice.  2) Rent a car and drive home. 

So that's what I did.  I got a car (and thank G-d for National's Emerald Club, because without it I don't think I would have gotten one).  I did a mental calculation of what was in my suitcase and decided that I didn't care, and I drove out of Atlanta at 9:20 p.m.

(For the record, there were three pairs of hand-knit socks in that suitcase.  I hope that helps to impress upon you the gravity of the situation).

I called Carl back and he talked to me for about two and half hours of the four hour drive home.  There had been weather (snow!) so he was letting me know what to expect in terms of driving conditions ahead of me.  More than that, he was making sure I was staying awake for the drive.

Once I hit Monteagle mountain we hung up and I put in a podcast.  Kevin and Ursula of Productivity Alchemy kept me company for the rest of the trip, and I finally got home at about 1:30 a.m.

But that's not the end of the story!  Remember the suitcase I abandoned in Atlanta because I could not even?

Delta put it on a plane to Nashville and I grabbed it off the carousel at BNA right after I returned the  rental car.  I didn't even ask them to do that.  It just happened - and I knew about it because the app told me. I love technology.  And good customer service.

I'm not sure what the moral of this story is exactly.  It's good to know that I can handle things when they go pear shaped.   Good to know that if I'm alone in a big city with no place to stay and no confirmed travel plans that I will navigate that situation successfully.   Maybe I'll check to make sure Mercury isn't retrograde before the next time I decide to fly somewhere.

It still isn't my favorite definition for Adventure, but I'm glad to be reminded that when the time comes that I am a self-rescuing princess.

Projects in Progress or What Madness am I Up to This Week?

It's been a while since I've done a general round-up of what I'm working on.

With Stash Dash upon us, the short answer is "everything" -- but barring that not particularly helpful or fulsome response, I thought I'd take you through a bit of a pictorial tour.

First -- remember those socks I cast on June 1?  I knit the better part of the foot of one Whiz Bang sock (pattern by Sarah Shoo) before I decided I didn't like it.   So I'm back to having two toes.

The yellowy ones to the left are going be Marigold by Pamela Wynne, because of reasons.   The yarn is Highland Handmades Sugar Maple Sock in the "Fru's Hairy Balls" colorway.   It was created as a fundraiser in 2014 for Sillyfru -- a podcaster and knitter who has been diagnosed with Hairy Cell Leukemia.   The proceeds went to help pay for her medical costs, and I was happy to be a part of that.

The multi-colored yarn on the right is Knit Picks Stroll Hand-Painted in the "Spectrum" colorway. Those are the ones that tried (and failed) to be Whiz Bang socks.  I think I'm going to try a toe-up version of Hermione's Everyday Socks instead.  I'd hate to waste a perfectly good toe.

In other knitting news, I have a cowl on the go out of some yarn I picked up last winter from a dyer who was going out of business.  This is Rambling Rose Yarns Divine: Merino Sock in the "Midnight Blue" colorway.

This is the Trifle Cowl by the Sorting Hat from the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup. This term the Headmistress' Challenge is to participate in a Cowl Mystery Knit or Crochet-along. I'm doing the knit version, and so far I really like it!   (I did cheat and look at other people's clues before committing ... mystery knitalongs being somewhat of a gamble.)  I like it though!

Next up is my Lionberry Shawl.  The pattern is by Narniel of Endor (er, that's what it says in Ravelry anyway.  I suspect her mother didn't give her that name, but I dig her choice of fandoms, so.)

It's a crescent shaped shawl, with distinct sections of texture.  I am calling the project "For Aslan," and am knitting it with Him in mind.  The yarn is Lost City Knits Pathways sock yarn in "Rumpelstiltskin."  I picked it up specifically with this shawl in mind at Stitches South this April.  So far I'm loving working with the yarn.

I'm also working on Bifrost by Cate Carter-Evans.   The yarn is her Infinite Twist Helix base, and the colors just make me salivate.

The scarf will run through a full rainbow before it's done.  It's happiness in squashy garter stitch.  I might decide to mattress stitch the whole business closed when I'm done and turn it into an infinity scarf.  I'll decide when I get there.

In crochet news, I'm still plugging away at my Cosy Stripes blanket by Lucy of Attic24.  It's amazing how quickly three stripes a week will grow a blanket.  Especially when compared to "no stripes per week" which is how much I was working on it before.

That's folded in thirds, and there's another three feet or so hanging on the other side of the chair.  I really want to get this done though -- both because I am nearly as tired of it as I love it (which is a lot) but also because this bad boy is going to net me around 4000 meters for Stash Dash.  Big blanket is big.

My Circles to Squares Afghan is so close I can taste it.  All the squares are done and I've started crocheting it together.

It looks a little wobbly now, but an outer border should help tidy it up.   Here's a close up of what the back looks like:

I rather like the ridges it makes.

So that's the majority of what I've been working on lately.  It's rather a lot, but in this case "lately" really means, "I've touched it in the past two weeks."

That doesn't actually make it any saner, does it?