Kninja Knitter

With the arrival of football season, we’ve had a big dip in temperatures. It definitely feels like Autumn (Fall), especially in the mornings! It was 45 degrees Fahrenheit when I woke up. And of course, my heat isn’t on yet – so it’s in the low 60s inside. Perfect knitting weather! Lots to share this week, so I’ll dive in.

Stitched or Still-in-Progress

I finished the latest test knit that I’d cast on in the prior week. There’s another test knit sock coming out soon, though I’m waiting for details before I commit to it.

I also finished a shortie sock I started during the summer. This was intended to be an entry for the Down Cellar Studio Splash Pad Party, but because the stitch pattern required more attention than I could muster, it sat for a while. Now that I know how many pattern repeats I’ll need for the mate, the second sock should knit up much faster.

Having finished these socks ahead of the Down Cellar Studio Pigskin Party kickoff on Thursday, I put a lot of energy into my ZK shawl. It turns out I had misread the pattern, so I’m starting the decreases late. That means I’ll likely lose at yarn chicken, so I’m looking at yarns I could add to the mix to complete the shawl. That could mean a contrasting colorway or something similar. It really depends on how much knitting remains when I get there.

Cast-on Conversations

With the start of the NFL season, the Pigskin Party (PSP) began. While I want to cast on All The Things, I exhibited a bit of restraint. I started with one project, and waited until the weekend to begin a couple more.

I began by casting on a warm weather sweater. The pattern was designed to be knit over a long weekend, though I’m not that ambitious! Still, I made really good progress on it in the first three days. I modified the top-down design by using a provisional cast-on with Stitch Saver; this will make the neckline significantly easier by eliminating the need to pick up stitches! By Saturday night, I was able to split off the sleeves. My math-ing tells me the sweater is 35% completed.

Next up, I started on my next cable knit sweater. Pictures will be challenging since the yarn is black; I will try to get better photos as the fabric grows. For this sweater, I’m using yarn I bought from a Dublin, Ireland, store, using a gift certificate I received for my birthday last year. And the pattern comes from one of the notable designers from the region, Alice Starmore, part of her collection called Aran Knitting.

My last new project is another Laura Nelkin design. While I’m not a subscriber this year to the Lola’s Choice club, I purchased the pattern when I saw that the design uses the same yarn I knit my Lake Hug sweater scarf with a few months ago. I still have over a skein left from that project which is more than enough! This design, a cute little pouch, uses the same Novus construction techniques as in the Hot Flash cardigan I finished recently. And with lengths of Stitch Saver on hand, the process is quite easy to execute.

The pouch should be done fairly quickly – I knit this far last night while watching a couple episodes of The West Wing on HBO Max.

.

Environment Evolution

I’m very excited with what I accomplished this week in the garage! I was particularly busy on the Labor Day holiday, and I was able to clear most of the back wall on Saturday. I’ve also borrowed a wet/dry vacuum from the tool library and that has been most helpful in clearing the floor.

There are hazardous materials (front right) to be taken to the city Hazardous Household Waste drop-off site. In the back right are a number of items to donate to Goodwill, and behind them are a couple boxes I still need to sift through. The change in this space is incredibly motivating – it honestly hasn’t been this clean since possibly my first few years in the house!

I also learned this week that the city refuse department has a community drop off site less than five miles from my house. I’d been traveling almost ten miles one way to another site. The closer location accepts styrofoam (a big win) – but the best news was that they also accept trash bags of household waste! By the time I wrapped on Monday, I’d collected five bags full after filling my trash barrel (in green above). And because the city changed my collection day last week (eleven days between pick-ups!), it would take several weeks to clear that trash using only my barrel. There’s one full bag plus that broken white box that I’ll take sometime this week. Knowing that site is available is quite a relief!

There are also some bulk pickup items to address. There’s a pickup scheduled for tomorrow which will help. I’ve been stacking items alongside my driveway as I go, and neighbors have removed a few of them. An old rusted garden cart I got from my parents started the trend.

I do need to investigate what it will cost to repair or replace the entry door in the back. Unfortunately those darn trash pandas are still an issue in the neighborhood, and they’ve been nosing around in here at night. 😖 Having a door that closes securely will help tremendously!

I’ll be back to addressing the clutter inside the house now that this major project is done! I’m researching sources to rent a dumpster to deal with the basement, and the next All Day Declutter in the Take Your House Back course is on October 4. I’ll be focusing on my bedroom then.

Financial Finesse

I was sick part of last week, and when I wasn’t sick I was either knitting or working on the garage. So my review of the August finances was delayed. At least it’s not the end of the quarter… I managed to reduce my loans by 3% for the month, and my overall debt reduction for the year is down almost 24%. That’s not great considering where I was at the end of Q2, but at least it’s moving in the right direction. And with the start of the church choir rehearsal season, my income will increase a bit temporarily. I hope a new director is hired before the end of the year, but the extra income is helpful in paying down this debt.

Oh, and another loan will be paid off this month! That’s wonderful news. Though my monthly mortgage payment is increasing by about the same amount thanks to an uptick in homeowners insurance and property taxes.

Tail Tales

River is still settling in, though she’s becoming more comfortable all the time. This week I upgraded her water bowl. The bowl set I bought was cute, but they’re shallow! And it’s particularly problematic with water because it’s not helpful when it spills. At least if the food spills onto the floor, it can be recovered. Plus, River is primarily a night owl – though she’s been venturing out during the day more. However, she doesn’t spend time hanging out with me in the living room much when the television is on.

One evening this week, I watched a video on my iPad with my earbuds in, and she sprawled on the living room rug for a long while. Yesterday I introduced her to a “Cat TV” video on YouTube, and that had her rapt attention for a solid fifteen minutes! The video showed footage of mice running around. She didn’t pounce on the TV at all, but she was quite alert and interested!

Football Frenzy

Having cleared the hurdle of week one, defeating #1-ranked Texas, Ohio State moved into first place in the polls. Their opponent this weekend didn’t pose much of a challenge, but the Grambling State Tigers also didn’t lie down on the field. The 70-0 final score might not have been a shut-out had their place kicker not missed a field goal in the second quarter. Yes, the excitement wore off in the second half, but it was great to see more of the players shine once the first string took a seat.

And the NFL weekend was something of a mixed bag. I missed the drama on Thursday when the Eagles faced the Cowboys, and I was too distracted to watch the Chargers defeat the Chiefs in Rio. But I can watch both games later, as my YouTube TV subscription records every game for me! I watched a fair amount of play yesterday, including the Battle of Ohio: Cincinnati Bengals at the Cleveland Browns. The best highlight, though, was the final drive for Tampa Bay against Atlanta where the Ohio State alum, Emeka Egbuka scored the game-winning touchdown. Atlanta had a chance to tie it up and face overtime, but the field goal attempt missed.

This week, Ohio State hosts Ohio University. This is another game where the outcome should be predictable, but every week provides the Buckeyes with the opportunity to improve, and any opponent is eager to bring them down.

Knit on. 🧶