Stitched or Still-in-Progress

The Down Cellar Studio Splash Pad Party wrapped up on Friday, July 31, and I was very pleased to end the event with 139 points total,  including bonus points for sponsor products. In the last week of the month, I finished two more projects and then cast on two more.

My first FO of the week was the “official” Sock Week socks, using one of the sponsor yarns. I was particularly proud of the fact that my stripes match up almost perfectly. 😄

Next, I finished my latest tank top on Friday. I managed to use most of the yarn I bought for this project (part of my ZK stash enhancements), the second project I finished from that collection. I was nervous that the fabric might be too dense, but after blocking, the fabric is delicious! I still need to trim the ends and then I can start wearing it.

Lastly, I made some additional progress on my shawl WIP, though not a lot. While it’s a very simple stitch pattern, it’s not something I can knit in the dark. This could see further progress this week, as I’d like to finish it before the DCS Pigskin Party starts in September!

Cast-on Conversations

Finishing two projects also means that I started two more! The Splash Pad Party may be over, but there’s still plenty of knitting party to go. While I haven’t set a specific goal to knit x pairs of socks in this Year of Projects, my goal is to have at least one pair in progress at all times. After all, it’s the perfect project for theater knitting! I went through some of my sock yarn stash, hoping for another self-striping option, and this skein turned up. I purchased it from an LYS in Winnipeg, Manitoba, while I was there in 2019 for the Dr. Horrible/Buffy event. The dyer is a local-to-Winnipeg indie dyer. Also of note, I’ve realized recently that my row gauge has changed on my socks. I no longer need as many rounds on the instep before starting the gusset increases. This is my 27^th pair using this pattern, and I’ve knit most of them on the same size needles. I don’t think I’d want to drop to US0 needles routinely, so I guess it’s just something I’ll have to track as I go. Yarn weight plays a factor, but I haven’t noticed it make THAT much of a difference.

And with the start of August, it’s the last month for Camp Loopy. On Saturday, I cast on my final project for the challenge: a tee using the same yarn base that I picked for July. After all, I don’t have many options for summer knitwear. I had test knit the pattern for the designer back in 2014, so I know it’s something I can knit fairly quickly. The design begins with a lace pattern on the saddle shoulders. Instead of picking up stitches, I opted to use Stitch Saver as much as possible, and yesterday I set up and completed the short row shaping on the back. I’ll knit a bunch of rows now before I put the back on hold to start on the front. We’ll see how quickly this one comes together, considering how fast last month’s tank flew off my needles. Of course, I have less leisure time this month. So that will have an impact.

Fiber Fun

I don’t have any actual spinning progress to share this week as I was so focused on the knitting to wrap for the Splash Pad Party. However, I’m planning to schedule spinning time throughout the week, and since I’ll be traveling this weekend, I have a new “tool” to share! I bought something to carry my e-spinner plus its accoutrements from Amazon. I’ve gone off-label, but this is actually a lunch-sized soft-sided cooler. I can fit the spinner with bobbin in the main compartment; the battery and cable easily slide in the front pocket. And I was able to stash the remaining bag of fiber in the expandable top compartment. I’m pretty excited to be able to tote this around with me, especially since I just ordered another braid of fiber from Fibernymph Dye Works. That’d be a great place to start when the Pigskin Party kicks off in September, so I should focus to get this current spin completed before then!

Book Banter

I haven’t shared much about what I’ve been reading or listening to, but I have been trying my darnedest to make progress on books every week. In the audiobook realm, I’ve been making my way through The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King, one of the book club titles for the Love in Stitches membership group. Then on my Kindle, I’ve been reading The AI-Drive Leader by Geoff Woods and Turn the Ship Around! by L. David Marquet, both targeting my day-job skill set. For my personal growth, I’m making my way through Gretchen Rubin’s Get It Done: How to Complete Your Dream Project, and this weekend I began my task as a pre-reader on Dana K. White’s upcoming book, Procrastinators Get Stuff Done. Phew. I’m tired just thinking about all of that, lol. Still, the non-fiction books are giving me some great nuggets to process. And the novel is an interesting story.

Environment Evolution

Nothing substantial to share here either, as the basement effort was postponed thanks to a dental emergency. But I do have one tidbit as I just got a new Roomba vacuum. My old one, named Alfred, had been having an increasing number of issues. Last week it refused to run, throwing an error related to a bumper. After attempts to repair it failed, I decided more work wasn’t worth the effort since I’ve used the machine for over three years. A search turned up a refurbished unit that has mopping capabilities as well as a self-emptying bin option for about the same price I bought my first one four years ago in a Prime Day sale.

Football Frenzy

I’ve mentioned that the Pigskin Party is coming up soon, scheduled to coincide with the NFL regular season. Pre-season training has begun, and I’ve seen a few posts about my Ohio State favorites demonstrating their skills in the big leagues. I’ve also seen a number of tweets showing that UFL players from the Columbus Aviators have gotten invitations to the preseason camps. Lastly, the college football season is quickly approaching – Ohio State opens their season with what should be an easy game against Ball State in under five weeks.

As changes are being announced about the United Football League, giving us hints of what to expect next spring, I hopped on their website to order some gear using my generous season-ticket discount. I had a custom jersey made, and I will enjoy wearing it year-round.

Grandson Glimpses

The munchkin continues to entertain, and I’ve been particularly enjoying his phrases that he’s obviously picked up while watching TV shows and movies. (“Wait a minute! Hold on a second!”) Last week he was introduced to the original Spider-Man trilogy, and the Green Goblin had him eager to watch the first one again. He also started watching the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, though I don’t believe he’s seen the whole thing. With that flick, it seems he’s more interested in the ide of watching the movie, but he’s not engaged enough to stick with it.

On Saturday, my first opportunity in over a month to take a road trip with him, we ventured over to Dayton for his first experience at the US Air Force Museum. It’s been a long time since I’d been there, and the place was quite busy. I’d like to take him again sometime during the week when he can enjoy the site without having to negotiate crowds and lines. Still, he had a fantastic time and was incredibly excited the entire visit. He ran into people, so I was apologizing a lot, but everyone was quite understanding and appreciated his enthusiasm.

I particularly liked that there were several flight simulator cockpits available to sit in. There are also several that give a more realistic simulation experience, but they cost money and would have meant much longer waits. Plus, the kiddo is on the shorter end of the spectrum still, so entering and exiting flight seats was a challenge. (Side note: he did stand up at the basement door to have another height check, and I found that he’s reached the 41-inch mark!)

Movie Moments

Incredibly entertaining week for me here – I thoroughly enjoyed the big-screen presentation of Hadestown the Musical! Patrick Page had me swooning. While intended as a limited engagement, the release has been extended for more people to enjoy. I highly recommend! And I was also part of the record-breaking crowds (North America) seeing Spider-Man: Brand New Day this weekend, and it was absolutely worth all the hype. And both movies helped me to make that progress on my new sock, lol.

Knit on. 🧶