Birthday Play and YOP Week 42

Wow – only ten weeks left in the Year of Projects! I’m in good shape to meet most of my goals, but I’m also stepping up my activities as the weather (generally) warms up. Of course, tonight we have a freeze warning in place. But then tomorrow the predicted high temperature is about 72F. On to what I’ve been up to…

Stitched or Still-in-Progress

I’ve done quite a bit of knitting this week, enjoying my birthday celebration! I’m well on schedule for the rainbow colored shawl. Next week I’ll have added the next color (blue) as I was nearly done with the section break garter rows last night.

Pattern: Sugar Pop by Lisa K. Ross; yarn: Leading Men Fiber Arts Show Stopper in Darkest Hour (black) and Bring May Flowers Gradient set on US4 (3.5mm) needles

The cardigan is also relatively on track, though I’m still behind for my aggressive target date. I did lessen the gap a bit this week! I’ve hit the 50% mark for my expected stitch count overall, and the body is more than halfway done based on my calculations.

Pattern: Fancy Cardi by Joji Locatelli; yarn: King Cole Anti-tickle Merino Blend 4-ply in Red on US4 (3.5mm) needles

And my last WIP is the striped sock – Friday night’s football game helped me make lots of progress. I’m almost ready to start the ribbing so I can cast on the mate!

Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams; yarn: Rock and String Creations Jitterbug Sock in The Royals on US1 (2.25mm) needles

Cast-on Conversations

I cast on another sock, looking for something relatively simple to keep my hands busy. This sock uses Laura Nelkin’s Novus construction – we start with the instep, a basic ribbed rectangle, and each row begins with a wrap around a length of Stitch Saver which will provide stitches to connect the sole to. I know it’s probably hard to envision, but you’ll see next week – I should be able to get to and through the toe this week and start on the sole by the weekend. I’m also considering working the toes and soles in a solid color and working the legs in the stripes.

Pattern: Novus Shorties by Laura Nelkin; yarn: Woolens and Nosh SW Targhee Fingering in Pengwings on US1 (2.25mm) needles

I also received a shipment of yarn today – my birthday treat to myself! On top, Doctor Who features sixteen different stripes to honor the sixteen Doctors to date on the show. (This counts David Tennant twice, as both TEN – my favorite – and fourteen.) On the bottom, there are two different colorways to make up “Stars & Stripes Forever” as Liberty Stripes are red & white, while Stars Afield is blue with speckles of white.

The best part about Must Stash’s Perfect Must Match Set is that each is made up of a pair of matching skeins twisted together so they’ll make a matching pair!

I’m thinking that I’ll hold off on the Stars & Stripes until July so that can be my primary cruise project that sets sail on Independence Day!

Grandson Glimpses

Oh boy – this kiddo has been hilarious this week. More of his choice phrases include “Let’s go!” And “you’re safe.” The latter is usually accompanied by some action like covering my hand with his blanket. He’s still very enamored with the car wash, but he’s also come to expect (after several consecutive daily visits) a lollipop from the attendant. So when they were very busy one lunchtime, and there was no lollipop offered, he was disappointed, to say the least.

Fortunately he, like his grandma, tends toward a happy disposition. On Friday he got his season-starting haircut. Before and after photos are always great to show the transformation!

Saturday was the big day for him: attending his first Touch-a-Truck event. We got there early which meant he was able to do more and see more before the “throngs” of people arrived. Several other communities have this type of event scheduled over the next few months – we’re hopeful that one of them will include the construction equipment that this munchkin adores. He still had a grand time – I think the school bus was his favorite, as he is eager to go to school (not that it would mean riding a bus, lol).

The fire truck was fun, and he loved pushing buttons and levers on the front loader as well as operating the door on the school bus!

Football Frenzy

Week four of the UFL was the best one so far, particularly since it was a home game for the Columbus Aviators, who hosted the Dallas Renegades (the team that beat them on Sunday) on Friday night. I haven’t watched the telecast yet to see if I happen to be onscreen, but I’d be very surprised if I was. The Aviators won the game, 28-14, which was outstanding. The defense seems to finally be connecting, shutting out their opponent in the second half. The weather was amazing, too, which made it even more enjoyable. I woke up with a raspy voice on Saturday as I yelled a bit.

Team Mascot Maverick wasn’t the only canine in the stadium tonight, as Pilot Dogs was a sponsor, and they had a couple dogs participating in the event.

The team set a record for most rushing plays in a UFL game (47); here, QB Jalen McClendon prepares to hand off to ZaQuandre White who scored the first Columbus touchdown of the game

Environment Evolution

This is a tangential reference since I didn’t actually work on any decluttering this week. But yesterday I attended a seminar hosted by Downsize Columbus, headed by a local realtor. The keynote speaker was the big draw for me, as I’ve been a fan of Matt Paxton since listening to his book Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff: Declutter, Downsize and Move Forward with Your Life.

Matt had been the host of the Hoarders television show, and more recently he hosted the PBS series Legacy List. He’s a very funny public speaker, and his message is also very clear and heartfelt, stemming from personal experience.

I’m planning to hold my own “All Day Declutter” session this Saturday, wanting to make further progress on my bedroom and office. Hearing what he had to say helped me with setting the right mindset to move forward in excavating my dream home from underneath all my excess stuff.

We did hear from other speakers as well, talking about companies who can help with the decluttering and downsizing efforts. The host, Kathy Chiero, had some of the best nuggets about it. She even provided a list (borrowed from Becoming Minimalist) of 52 clutter-free gifts. That makes a nice segue to my next tidbit…

Random Ramblings

A few things to share here. First, as I mentioned at the top, I celebrated my birthday this past week. On the “big day,” one of my besties took me to dinner to celebrate. She gave me the only gift that I received, and she mentioned that she wrestled with ideas of what to get me, knowing that I’ve been putting so much work into decluttering, and that I’m paring down my wardrobe, etc. (I’ll be sharing the aforementioned list with her sometime, lol) She opted for a token tangible gift, since the meal and fellowship were primary. I appreciated the gesture… though I may donate these at some point. They’re fun in the short term.

Last week, I didn’t have the final details to share – but the Knit For Food knit-a-thon event was another record-breaking event. A total of 3,000 knitters helped to raise $559,776! I was a little sad that we couldn’t get to $560K even, but the beauty of this event is that there’s always next year! I think Laura said her stretch goal for 2027 will be $600K. I managed to raise $585 toward that total, and that was solely from my church choir. I’m determined to do more to promote the event next year to boost the visibility and increase donations. It didn’t help that I was milling around a convention center this time, not knowing anyone.

I’ve got lots more fun coming up this week and beyond. For now…

Knit on. 🧶