Kninja Knitter

Jumping right in as there’s more fun to share this week!

Stitched or Still-in-Progress

It’s always great to celebrate a finished object, but some projects bring more joy than others. This one’s absolutely delightful! I finished the knitting on my cardigan on Tuesday, and because the yarn is a cotton blend, I knew it would take time to dry when I blocked it. I laid it out on Wednesday, and even on Friday the sleeve edges were still damp. But on Saturday I wove in all the ends, and I wore the finished cardigan on Sunday to church. I called this my Nelkin ensemble as the cardigan was designed by Laura Nelkin, and I bought the dress at Manos del Uruguay during a visit to Montevideo on the cruise that Laura hosted back in March. This sweater will definitely be a go-to for me a fair amount of time – I made it longer than designed, and I love it!

My Camp Loopy project for August is quickly wrapping up. I was nervous about the yarn usage because I need to end up with at least 800 yards to meet the challenge criteria. This past week I finished up the color knitting as stated in the pattern, so I weighed all of the contrast skeins to estimate my yardage to this point. Also, I finished up the first main color skein just as I was transitioning to the final contrast color section. Before starting on the last main-color lace section, I need only thirty yards to hit that 800-yard target, so I think I’m in good shape! As of this moment, I have fifteen rows left before the bind off. I’ll weigh my main color cake once I finish that fifteenth row, and if all is well, I’ll bind off. If more is needed, I’m planning to add a little color at the end. Find out next week how this turns out!

Because I finished up the cardigan early in the week, I was able to pull out something from my WIP pile. This shawl requires very little attention since the moss stitch pattern is simple and only requires me to look at it at the start and end of each row. I’m still on the increase section (30% complete). It’ll be a couple more inches before I have to check frequently before starting the decrease section.

Cast-on Conversations

I had two cast-ons this past week, and originally I was thinking I wouldn’t have any photos to share. But last night I had a brilliant idea – I’m currently test knitting some socks for Paper Daisy Creations. The test knits are secret ones, so until the patterns are released, I can’t share photos of the patterns. But they’re socks – and their cuffs are basic ribbed cuffs. So here you go!

I was particularly proud of the first sock which I knit in three days – I cast on Thursday evening and bound off on Saturday night! The stitch pattern on this toe-up design is very interesting which made it an engaging project, but it’s also a simple one, so it worked up quickly. The pattern will be released this fall, so I’ll be able to knit the mate as part of the Down Cellar Studio Pigskin Party.

Lisa generally limits folks to test knitting one pattern at a time – as soon as I finished the pink sock, though, I volunteered to test the top-down sock already in progress. This one has a slightly more complex stitch pattern, but I should have no trouble finishing it this week along with Camp Loopy.

I don’t anticipate starting any more projects this week, though Lisa has two more designs planned for this collection. With the Pigskin Party starting next week (Kickoff – literally – is Thursday, 4 September), I’ll wait to start anything new (other than a possible test knitting project due to deadlines). That could mean another FO before the party begins, but it also means I have some availability to get other things done.

Environment Evolution

I don’t have anything to show this week, but I have some things to share. In the aftermath of changing Internet providers, I’ve struggled with some of my tech not working. I managed to resolve a few of these issues – a number of my “smart home” devices can’t work with the 5MHz bandwidth, and the AT&T hub default setting has an auto-switch functionality. I found enough information on the interwebs to address this, so my home security system and my AppleTV are working again.

My garage tech, however, refused to connect to the new settings. I’ve really appreciated having the MyQ hub and camera in my garage – particularly because it allows Amazon to deliver goods inside my garage, keeping my packages safe. I’ve had the old hub and camera for several (six?) years, so the reality is that they’re old tech. Upgrades were in order, and I was pleased to discover that the newer hub is considerably cheaper than the old one it replaced!

I’ve already had a couple Amazon deliveries made inside the garage since installing the new hub. The peace of mind that provides really was worth the additional expense. I’m also able to give other people access to my garage as needed – when my neighbor was handling my lawn care, he had access. And my son also had access when my grandson was visiting me weekly, before I bought a car seat to keep.

This past week I did one other thing that will help in my ongoing efforts in improving my home. The city provides (for a low annual membership fee) a library of tools to borrow. I’ve reserved a few items that I’ll pick up on Friday afternoon – the upcoming holiday weekend should provide an excellent opportunity to complete the clean-out of my garage, and I’d also like to invest time into taming the jungle that is my backyard. Because I don’t spend time back there, it’s quite overgrown, though I did run the string trimmer through it about a month ago. The neighbor’s tree which overhangs much of my backyard and garage drops leaves, branches and seed pods, much to my annoyance. I’m going to try my hand at addressing this to some extent. If I’m unable to get the desired outcome, I’ll hire someone; but I want to give it a shot myself first.

Tail Tales

I know that it will take time for River to feel truly comfortable here. As a rescue, her fears are natural, and I know it will take time. I was very nervous, though, when we had something of a setback this week. On Tuesday, I had my Roomba scheduled to complete a sweeping pass of the house. It didn’t occur to me, though, that it would be invading her safe space under my bed. It flushed her out, and boy, did her demeanor change! She ended up spending the afternoon and evening in the bathroom, huddled behind the toilet. I checked on her several times throughout the day, and while she seemed fine, she refused to move. She’s definitely a night owl – once I’d gone to bed, she emerged from the bathroom and resumed eating, drinking and using the litter box.

I haven’t seen any indication that she was permanently traumatized, but I also haven’t launched the robot vacuum either. For a while at least, I’ll be sure to close the bedroom door before Alfred begins “his” rounds.

On a positive note, I bought a catnip-laced fish toy at the grocery store, and she has played with it quite a bit. I’ve found it in the bathroom and office at different times. As long as I’m sitting quietly on the couch, she comes to me for petting, too.

Random Ramblings

I had a couple good experiences this week, and one disappointment. As for the latter, I had planned to attend the Columbus Air Show on Saturday and bought both admission and parking passes toward that end. However, “the gods” conspired against me – I woke up super-early as we had a software release that had me concerned, and while it wrapped up by mid-morning, I was exhausted then. I ended up napping and knitting all day instead.

On the positive side, I had an appointment to donate blood at a local drive. The last time I tried to donate, I was declined due to a low hemoglobin count. With this drive, the American Red Cross was using new tech that measures hemoglobin without drawing blood. This was fantastic! And my count was well above the required minimum, so my donation went quite smoothly. Knowing that the need for blood supply is great, I’m glad that I could make a successful contribution at last! I’ve donated over seven gallons of blood in my adult life, and that makes me feel pretty darned good!

Knit on. 🧶