Kninja Knitter

Isn’t it crazy that half of 2025 is already over? While the months have flown by, I also feel like it’s taken a long time to get here. Last week I shared my plans for this new Year of Projects, and it’s easy to get moving on them because I started off with my WIPs. For that matter, I even had a finished object (FO) before I shared my plan for the year! I have some other things to share as well, but let’s get to my knitting progress.

Stitched or Still-in-Progress

It didn’t take long, once July began, for me to score my first FO! I had shared last Monday that I wanted to get the fun penguin-themed shortie socks done, and I did. I finished them on Tuesday night while watching designer Laura Nelkin in her LLK Livestream on YouTube. This was LLK #69, so there were some funny references to the number throughout. 🥂 Before the livestream began, I was already on the contrast color on the cuff, I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t quite make the pair match identically, but seriously – the difference is by less than one round. Still, it’s obvious to me because the second sock has a bit of yellow at the top of the cuff before I switched to the contrast color. I finished the short row shaping on the contrast and managed to start the bind-off just as Laura was demonstrating the technique (using Stitch Saver tubing) in the livestream. Woot!

With the US holiday weekend, I made the most of my downtime with lots of knitting! Our company gives us a half day before the holiday, so I had a 3.5 day weekend. While I did do other things as well, I spent a fair amount of time knitting – including most of the day on Saturday. As we had sweltering weather (up to 92*F, about 33*C), I didn’t want to be outside during the midday sunshine anyway.

I was hoping to finish the sweater-scarf shrug project, but I didn’t quite manage that. But it could very well be done this week. On Thursday night I went to bed after starting on the sleeves. The term “sleeve island” is often used by knitters because this part of any sweater can feel like a slog. Because I’m knitting them two-at-a-time, each round can feel a little longer, but it’s very reassuring to me to know that when I finish, they’ll be DONE. The feeling that a single sleeve takes forever to complete makes the second one even more daunting. As I was heading to bed on Sunday night, I checked, and I have less than five inches left to go in this two-round lace ribbing pattern. Considering the entire sleeve has fifteen inches of pattern, that can seem like a lot or a little. The hardest part for me was feeling like I wasn’t making any progress. I added a stitch marker when I hit ten inches so I could mitigate that feeling.

I was also very eager to make progress on the Hot Flash cardigan I started in mid-June. Last week I had just cast on the front and back of this sideways-worked design. As the week progressed, I decided to set mini-goals of one 8-row chart repeat of the shoulder lace pattern. That worked fairly well, though last night I only got halfway through before I had to call it a night. I’d put so much time into the Lake Hug, I just couldn’t quite make it. Each row is over 200 stitches long, and I was very tired. Twelve more rows, though, and then I can begin the neck shaping!

Another big win in progress this week was on the hat knit in Palette leftovers from my Shetland Wool Week hat. I finally managed to complete the second block of ribbing so that I could change yarn colors and resume stockinette in the round at will. This now sets me up for success in movie knitting – until I cast on a vanilla sock, which may happen this week. In fact, I went to the movie theater on Saturday night and managed to knit over an inch on the hat! I need five inches of stockinette before I start the crown decreases, so there’s a strong possibility that I can finish this project during the Down Cellar Studio Splash Pad Party, earning several points! You may also notice that my rainbow gnome needle stoppers are also back! I was afraid I’d lost them during my Zombie Knitpocalypse travels; but as I was changing yarn colors, they turned up inside the hat!

The shortie sock I’d started in June got a little more attention – I managed to finish the gusset decreases. The pattern has a four round repeat which should be easy enough to track, but I still feel the need to keep tabs on it in the KnitCompanion app. Now that I think about it, that may be so I can be confident in matching the second sock.

I’ve taken to working on the ZK shawl (started on the retreat with yarn purchased there) while watching Suits on Netflix. I’ve been watching a bunch of other things though, so it didn’t get a lot of attention. Still, progress is progress!

My other hat WIP got a bit of attention during my marathon session Friday (after I mowed the lawn ahead of the oppressive heat). I completed the increases and made it about halfway across the even section. This design has an interesting construction, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to use most of or all of this yarn. The only thing I’m not confident about is the fit. I might end up picking up stitches to add ribbing when I’m done. But we’ll see – I have a ways to go before I sort that out.

And my last WIP for the week is the Fisherman’s rib blanket. I’d like to finish this during the calendar year, so I need to at least work a few rows a week to achieve that. I knit two rows. Not great, but better than nothing.

Cast-on Conversations

Well, I had started on the Camp Loopy July project, casting on July 1. But I struggled with the beginning of the pattern – it uses two totally different yarns, and each row includes a five-stitch pattern using both yarns. Because the two yarns are so different, I wasn’t comfortable with the first try, and though I ripped it out and started again with some modifications, I still wasn’t happy with it, though I managed to work up almost 5% of the total shawl. So it’s back to the beginning and I’ll try a different modification option. Stay tuned – if I’m going to complete this project before the end of the month – and use at least 600 yards of yarn, I need to get moving on it.

This is a Year of Projects post. Officially the Group is in its 15th year, my second. If you would like to find out more about the Year of Projects Group on Ravelry, please join in the fun! I appreciate the accountability and the positive feedback – not to mention the blog traffic! 😉

Movie Moments

I ended up adjusting my original movie-going plan this week – I had booked a seat to see Jurassic World: Rebirth on Wednesday night, but I opted instead to stay in and watch Laura Nelkin’s livestream while knitting on my Larch Ped. That choice was a good one, I think, as I was able to finish the sock. And I was able to finish the ribbing on my Palette hat, something that can be problematic in a dark theater – on more than one occasion, I’d get home to find I had reversed the ribbing stitches and have to fix it. Plus, the two-ply yarn is easy to split when moving the needles around for knit and purl stitches. Somehow, stockinette is much more straightforward with the same yarn.

Oh, and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie! I’ve always enjoyed Scarlett Johansson, and I can’t pass up an opportunity to see Jonathan Bailey on the big screen either! His American accent was pretty good here. Some of the plot elements were a little tired, but the effects are as brilliant as ever! We saw new dinosaurs in this latest film in the franchise, and there were some nice little nods to the original series mixed in. The soundtrack score from Alexandre Desplat does a nice job weaving John Williams’s original themes nicely, and I adored the understated piano rendition of the main theme, played at the end of the movie. Summer movie-going at its best!

While that’s the only movie I saw in the theater, I watched a number of other movies this week. Making use of my (HBO) Max subscription included in my cell phone package, I started re-watching the Harry Potter series. I also watched Episodes 5, 6 and 1 of the Star Wars series – pairing the viewings with watch along reactions from Kaiielle, a fun perk of my Patreon membership supporting her channel. I think I watched her reaction to Episode 4 back on May the 4th.

I also really enjoyed watching the documentary by Mariska Hargitay on Max, My Mom Jayne, filled with fascinating details about her mother, Jayne Mansfield, and Mariska’s journey to discover her through interviews with her siblings along with other resources. And lastly, I’ve been getting my football fix while knitting along, watching the Netflix series Quarterback, showcasing Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota over the course of the 2022 season. There’s a second season in the works, premiering tomorrow.

Grandson Glimpses

I shared in my last post that I got to FaceTime with the munchkin last Tuesday, and I heard on Wednesday that he continued the “talking to Grandma” theme the next morning. But the sweetest news I got was that he has taken to napping upstairs in the bed I bought ahead of my visit back in December/January.

Mama told me, “He wanted to take his nap in grandma’s bed! He loves sleeping in this bed more than his own.” I noted that it’s nicer for him in this bed since he can’t fall out of it – the mattress sits right on the floor.

And with that, I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable week.

Knit on. 🧶