Kninja Knitter

I shared last week that there were challenges with my son and his girlfriend. And then over the past week that has gotten worse. Now I have no idea when I’ll see my grandson again, and that has me melting down randomly. I’m doing my best to keep moving forward on all the things, so read on!

Stitched or Still-in-Progress

I have exactly one FO (or technically an HO) – I finished the sock I started as part of Lisa K. Ross’s Single Sock Spectacular. So this sock has earned me an entry in her challenge. If I knit up its mate by the end of May (very likely), I’ll earn a second entry. Sadly, the test knit socks I’m working on for her probably won’t count since they’re secret designs pending her book publication.

Other projects continued to get some attention, though not a lot. I did manage to knit nearly nine rounds on my cruise tee.

The blanket also got some love – I finished two zigzags!

And the hat that I started over a week ago got a few more rounds…

Cast-on Conversations

As expected last week, I cast on another test knit sock for Lisa – which I later frogged and restarted with a different yarn choice. And I also cast on a sweater intended for my grandson. It’s a nice and easy knit working with an acrylic-wool blend yarn I’ve had on hand for years.

This is a Year of Projects post. Officially the Group is in its 14th year, my first. If you would like to find out more about the Year of Projects Group on Ravelry, please check it out; it’s a very welcoming group!

Financial Finesse

I’ll have a more extensive post about this topic on Friday to share about my wins in this area for April. But I’ll just say here that DoorDash work has been just what I needed to fill a need right now, particularly with my grandson being so far away. I took another stab at looking at my debt pay-down plan using an app on my iOS devices (Debt Payoff Planner), and it’s conceivable that I could be debt free – including my mortgage – before 2027. That would be an amazing way to move into my 60s! That could make retirement so much more palatable.

A big part of why DoorDash is working out well is having regained my Platinum status. I also had a big a-ha moment last week. My biggest frustration with low-paying shifts was being saddled with shopping gigs that took a lot of time with not-great compensation. Then I realized that I could opt out of shopping! There are zones where I dash where the shopping opportunities can be lucrative. But I don’t dash in those zones very often. And my home zone has a LOT of those annoying jobs, lol. Now I can work the regular jobs of picking up from restaurants and the occasional liquor store. And the Platinum status gives me top priority for offers where the customer has tipped well. Like I said – I’ll share more on all of this later along with an update on my debt progress.

Environment Evolution

After receiving the estimates to have my front porch replaced, I accepted a bid and am currently slated on their schedule for May 20, right before the US Memorial Day weekend. I’m still considering my options then for a new handrail (or rails) as well as replacing my mailbox, which is currently mounted to my existing tacky handrail. Want to see?

Yeah – the handrail is listing to the left, partly because the steps have sunk but also thanks to some weeds sprouting up between the posts and the porch. The tacky handrail was a concession made by the seller when the inspector pointed out things that needed to conform to current code. And honestly, I didn’t care all that much at the time, though I recognized it was the bare-minimum action on the seller’s part.

The replacement handrail will be metal – the concrete guy gave me a recommendation, so I’m considering that option which would be high quality. Stay tuned for updates – it’ll be a while before I have to decide.

Knit on. 🧶