Kninja Knitter

I’ve got lots of knitting content here, as the Year of Projects concludes today. Then there’s my recap of last week’s adventures to/in/from Minnesota. Let’s dive right in!

Stitched or Still-in-Progress

I have one active project from last week, and I finished it today. But I’ll wait to share the FO picture until it’s blocked and photographed in better lighting! I had to put all my energy into finishing this between yesterday and today because I forgot to pack the second skein of yarn for the final set of sections. I knit as far as I could, but then I had to set the shawl aside. I managed to knit over 10k stitches to complete the piece in two days. Woot! Here’s what it looked like yesterday morning:

Cast-on Conversations

Since I knew I’d have need of a vanilla sock, I wound yarn for my next pair over a week ago. I’m continuing with my patriotic theme, and we’ll see if I finish the pair by the end of the cruise – it’s certainly possible!

Next up, I wound the skein of yarn from my Zombie Knitpocalypse (ZK) goodie bag early in the event. When I had to set my Lovetta aside, I case on with this pattern. It’s not a simple design, requiring referencing a chart, so there were times I couldn’t work on it. That was usually after I knit a row and then discovered I’d made errors. This will make a nice memento accessory when it’s finished.

With a new month beginning tomorrow, I’ll be casting on my Camp Loopy project soon, though I have to swatch for it first. I’m planning to knit Monarch, a tank by Julie Turjoman, and I purchased the pattern from WEBS a couple weeks ago. These two WIPs, plus the Freedom cowl I haven’t worked on along with a languishing cowl, plus one planned cast-on might be enough this week, but I’ll probably pack one more in my luggage, just in case! I’ll share more about that in my travel notes.

Wrapping up the Year of Projects that has just concluded, I’m pretty pleased with my results. I did remove some projects during the course of the year, but I’ve learned that it’s important to adjust our goals as time goes on. I’ll revisit at least a couple of the projects that I’d intended to make.

I’ve been thinking about what the new Year of Projects will look like, and it’s probably going to be very similar. I’m thrilled that I’ve been using up more stash than I have left over from new acquisitions. Even with what I brought home from ZK, I’ve still used more yarn than I’ve brought in. That’s thrilling! Find out next week what the YOP 16 has in store for me!

Grandson Glimpses

I have a quick bit to share here, particularly since I was gone for most of the week. Both last Monday and this Monday, I took the munchkin to the car wash and then to run some errands. This week I was really noticing that his speech is becoming clearer, as long as he doesn’t rush or get quiet or get too excited and stutters. It really is so magical, watching the little ones grow up, isn’t it?

Then, I had asked my son to take the kiddo to the portrait studio on Friday since I knew I’d be out of town. They were hosting a special “Cosmic Event.” The resulting images were adorable as always, and here’s a sampling:

Travel Tales

What a week! I’m still recovering, though that’s only partly due to the long drive home. My vacation began with a 12+ hour drive to Minneapolis. When I originally planned this, I was hoping to connect with a friend who lives there. As luck would have it (not), he retired in May and was traveling all month. My trip started very late for several reasons, so I was exhausted when I got to my hotel. I still made time before checking out the next day to seek out a local landmark I was interested in!

I also got a bonus photo during that walk, as I hadn’t thought to look for tributes to Prince. There’s a part of a street in the downtown that’s named for him, and this mural marks one end of that street segment.

After checking out of my hotel, I made my way southeast toward Rochester where the ZK event is held. Arriving a bit before registration opened, I was content to sit and knit in the host hotel’s lobby. That also meant meeting other attendees, as I was not the only one with this idea! While I waited, I also received some details from our VRBO host. I expected I’d have to wait a bit after registration before heading to our rental, but luck was in my favor this time.

Our rental house was a half mile from the event hotel, but construction meant a longer route was necessary. Still, I had plenty of time to get settled and start my knitting adventure of the week. I shared the rental with a friend I made last year on the South America cruise. Because we hadn’t seen each other in over fifteen months, we stayed up (too) late every night, laughing and talking, and occasionally knitting. We attending a couple of “classes” at the event, plus the opening and closing ceremonies. The keynote speakers were Park Williams and Jessie Mae, and they were delightful. Their theme of friendship really fit the week that K and I were having.

We both spent “too much” at the yarn truck rodeo and the market, but isn’t that what these events are for?

On Sunday, we had brunch at Hollyberry Pannekoeken – one of the unique highlights of ZK. Then we chatted more in the parking lot, trying to avoid saying good-bye and parting ways. I have made plans to visit her in the Southwest next year for my milestone birthday (ends in zero, that’s all you need to know, lol). And now we’re back to texting regularly.

The rainbow set came with a pattern which I’ll likely pair with some black yarn, since that’s my happy place. The DK weight yarn is for a tank I’m hoping to knit this month. The trio of 50 gram skeins will be paired with a full-size skein I ordered at the event to be shipped to me later, combining for a Romi Hill shawl during the Pigskin Party this fall. My yarn truck acquisitions will marinate for a bit, though the 716Knit yarn is sure to be another pair of socks.

My next trip is just a few days away! I’m trying to catch up on work stuff while also prepping for my cruise. And believe it or not, I’m also talking with folks about trips in 2028!

Random Ramblings

A couple things to share should fall under their own segments, but I want to get this posted. And my comments will be brief. During my westward journey, I listened to the audiobook of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. It was perfection! I read the book a few years ago, and I’ve seen the movie twice so far. Listening to the original text through a very entertaining narrator was wonderful.

Lastly, I need to do a financial check-in, now that we’re at mid-year. But at the moment I don’t have time. I’ll try to pull my numbers together before I leave, but at a minimum I’ll share next week.

Knit on. 🧶