Kninja Knitter

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows here, but I’m definitely feeling in a much better place than I have been in the past couple months! And it’s not because I just had my second therapy session of the month. But here’s what’s been going on…

Stitched or Still-in-Progress

I have a finished object (FO) and a half-finished object (HO) this week. I’ll also share the blocked FO pic for my poncho. Last week I had shared the baby blanket that I started for a charity collection – MacKenzie from Summer Day Crochet is hosting this collection through her NICU club. If you’d like to find out more, you can check out this link. The finished blanket still needs to be washed and finished (not much to block since it’s acrylic yarn), but it measures 21” square. I was excited to use up a fair bit of this stash I’ve had for fourteen years.

My half-finished object is the vanilla sock I’ve had on the needles since January 1st. I want to get to the movies more often, so I’ll be casting on the mate today. And hopefully more vanilla socks will fly off my needles this year as I prioritize using my AMC A-List membership! (Could see 16+ movies in a month…I’ve seen one so far this year. 🙄)

And my last WIP for the week is the rainbow scarf that’s using up remnants from a shawl I knit last year. I didn’t think about it when I cut the first color, but because I have different amounts of each mini, it’s best if I simply knit until each color runs out. I’ve decided once I transition to the gray color at the “end of the rainbow,” I’ll use up the pink towards the other end of the scarf.

And, as promised, here’s my blocked poncho.

Cast-on Conversations

I only started one project this week because I was focusing on finishing things for the Ravellenics Games. I did, however, cast on the first sock in the qualifying round of Sock Madness. I’d like to finish one sock this week so I can qualify to receive the remaining patterns in the challenge. If I don’t meet the minimum requirement (50% of a pair), so be it. It’s not like I need more patterns, lol.

As far as what’s next for my needles, I have a couple things in mind. I want to knit another baby blanket, likely in worsted weight acrylic yarn. And I have a couple Laura Nelkin projects to choose from as part of her Q1 challenge. I’d also like to pull a few WIPs out of time-out. In case the Summer Splash Pad Party comes back to the Down Cellar Studio this summer, it would help to have a number of projects close to being finished. That event awards points for the number of grams used up (max 200) in a completed project – and unlike the Pigskin Party, WIPs are allowed.

Grandson Glimpses

I’ve had a few more opportunities to hang out with the munchkin this week. He even spent the night in my bed on Friday night. I’m enjoying watching him grown and learn – this week he finally showed signs of understanding how to count, rather than simply reciting numbers in order as he has been. He remains an If-I-fits-I-sits cat-child, too. Since I’ve struggled with his dependence on video entertainment, I opted yesterday to take his device away (my son’s iPad, which the kiddo calls his Pup Pad). He was sad, and he repeatedly asked to have it back. But each time I politely declined. And then he’d proceed to play – and not always with this toys. I think he spent a good forty minutes playing with my plastic watering can and these shelf organizers.

He also finally has direct access to my theatrical sheep (named because I got him when the production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat I was in closed. He’s been cuddling said sheep often, so don’t be surprised if he shows up again in future pictures! I’d like to name him, but my grandson said his name is simply Sheep.

Environment Evolution

The windows are in! The windows are in! They’re beautiful, lol (most are standard white vinyl) – the best part is the drafts are gone. We removed the mini-blinds that covered most of the windows as part of the installation prep, and I decided to not put them back. This means new window treatments! That’s fun, though I wish it were free, lol.

Backing up a bit, I continued decluttering following last week’s post, but I ultimately ran out of time and had to do some stuff-shifting on Wednesday night to be ready for the installation team arriving Thursday morning. All went well with the windows, and the team was done in under five hours (averages to thirty minutes per window, but the reality was that the four upstairs plus five of the six downstairs were all in place in under three hours. The picture window was last, and it required some finesse to complete. The result was worth it!

Being able to open any window in the house to let in fresh air is something I’ve never been able to do since moving in back in 2000. Of course, it’s cold now, so that’s not necessarily an exciting perk in the moment. On the flip side, though, these windows are double-pane and well insulated and sealed, so the house is already warmer. I asked the adults living upstairs about their comfort level, and they’re quite happy with the result. This wasn’t a cheap endeavor, but the energy savings should be worth the expense.

Most excited about the kitchen window replacement, though I somehow forgot to take a Before photo. This window had been broken for some time (frustrating situation when I’d locked myself out of the house), and there had been cardboard taped to the window frame to block as much of the elements as I could while also protecting people from the sharp edges of glass. Fully restored, I’m now looking for a cafe curtain set to place here as the frame already has the cafe rod mounts.

While I’ve made significant progress decluttering the office and bedroom, this is a lengthy journey I’m on to identify my clutter threshold (defined by Dana K. White as the amount of stuff that I can keep under control easily). The more I think about it, the desk may stay in its place opposite the side window – it’s less distracting as I work, so that’s a plus. I can always change my mind later. The credenza next to my desk (seen in earlier photos) will be going away eventually, and probably replaced by a scaled down version. I want/need to establish a filing system, for several areas of my life. I also want to get the walking pad set up (seen next to the window on the left) as I’d always intended to place it in this room.

My bedroom is also closer to my desired setup, but plenty of decluttering to go. I bought new curtains over the weekend, and the sheers arrived today. I’m excited about the rods as I’ve never had anything but the traditional type. I’m also going to be tech-ing up these window treatments to make use of the black-out curtains while also capitalizing on the light the windows provide.

The crib has been disassembled since my grandson is adamantly opposed to sleeping in it, and the family dynamic in the house has made it very difficult for me to utilize it at this time. Since it can be converted to a toddler bed and later a full size bed frame, I’ll keep everything to set up later when the family has moved out, as I expect the kiddo will still come to visit me.

That change has allowed me to open up so much floor space, and I’m thrilled about it! Of course, the carpet is in desperate need of cleaning. And I’ll continue to declutter my clothes as we get ready for the change of seasons. Once I get the floor plan in a more manageable state, I’ll share more here.

Lastly, the living room – the picture window was always something I’ve enjoyed. While the original side windows did open, they didn’t screens. That’s not conducive to my idea of fresh air…too many bugs. 😝 Now the side windows have screens, and on that installation day, I was very quick to crack one open as it was very mild outside. Storms came through that evening though, and the window has been closed since then.

In addition to the warmer air upstairs, the family told me that they haven’t heard a lot of the wind that’s been blowing through here recently. I don’t know yet if they’ll want to add curtains since all of the mini-blinds have gone. But they’re definitely enjoyed the improvements!

Exploits in Exercise

I didn’t make it to Tread 50 last week because of the window prep work. But I did manage to walk about 1.25 miles on Friday in the Open Studio. The walking pad should allow me more opportunities to walk/jog. I also have a new piece of exercise equipment that I need to set up and try out – it arrived a while ago, but I’ve had nowhere to set it up. Hopefully I can share that next week.

The Olympics wrapped up yesterday in spectacular fashion. I was so happy to see that the US Men’s hockey team won the gold medal after a 46-year “drought.” And knowing a Blue Jackets player was in the lineup, assisted on the medal-game-winning goal, I felt proud to be a Columbus resident, even if I don’t follow the Blue Jackets closely, lol. The tribute they paid to the late Johnny Gaudreau had me ugly-crying for a bit, too.

I also watched the US Women’s gold medal-winning game followed by Alyssa Liu’s gold medal-winning free skate program. The fact that the very first US women’s gold medalist was at the rink for the event was incredibly touching.

The start of the United Football League season is just over a month away, so I’ve been sporting my Columbus Aviators tee lately.

Tail Talk

Last week I talked about Spike joining our household. His stay was a short one, as the little guy was just so nervous. Generally speaking, he did well with others, but he was very protective of Mama. She said he’d growl at my son, which amused her, and that certainly didn’t resolve the situation. Then he snapped at my grandson and that’s all it took; he was out of here shortly after.

Still, Mama was eager to have a dog. Over the weekend, a new one showed up (no warning for me; I learned about it by watching security footage). Her name is Honey, and she’s a Jack Russell/Heeler mix puppy (seven months old) and reportedly has been obedience trained by a Cleveland police officer. That’s nice, but unless the adults are also trained, it’s not clear what the result will be. Honey is a sweet girl, very friendly, so it seems to be a better fit so far, though it’s still only been two days.

As for River, she’s living her best house cat life. She even shared the chaise with my grandson one night. When the house was invaded by a team of men to install the windows, I wasn’t sure what to do with her. She decided for me, taking up residence under the crib in the corner until everyone left. After a couple hours of quiet in the house, she slinked into the living room to make sure the coast was clear!

Random Ramblings

Household dynamics can be such a mixed bag, am I right? I had my second therapy session today. While confirmation bias could play a part in how I interpret my therapists reactions to what I share, it seems to me that she’s providing a lot of validation for my reactions and concerns. After our first session, she provided me a list of behavioral tools to use in assessing my conflicts and reactions. Although I acknowledged the variety of techniques she suggested, my ultimate decision was to feel my feelings but give myself time to process. With time, I do calm down and let reason lead me to the resolution.

Our biggest conflicts almost always boil down to communication issues, sometimes bundled with a lack of respect. But we’re getting there!

My last tidbit which I’d forgotten to share last week: I’ve been dipping my “toe” back into the pool of genealogy. After talking about family with my nieces back in December, and then finally uncovering a crate full of my research from the early 90s, I’ve hopped onto the interwebs and signed onto a service to expand the family tree. I had done a considerable amount of research on my ex-husband’s family; while my son may not be very interested, his son might be someday. My own family I has been traced back through a couple lines to the 1600s. I’d like to find more about my mom’s ancestry, as all of her grandparents or great-grandparents had come from their homeland (Three Irish folks and one German). I’ll see about sharing a few details after I’ve had some time to dig deeper.

Knit on. 🧶