The summer days are waning, and school started here last week. The first day for the major school districts was chaotic due to flash floods all around the city. If you haven’t seen video or photos, do search on Columbus flooding! So many streets were impassable, and a part of the interstate was closed in both directions for a couple days due to the flooding. We’re still having some adventures here and there since the football season is still a couple weeks away.

Stitched or Still-in-Progress

Pretty much right after posting my update last week, I hunkered down and finished my shawl! I like that it’s a mix of yarns from two knitting retreats I’ve enjoyed attending: The Into the Wool Fiber Retreat in Crossville, Tennessee back in the 2010s-2020, and Zombie Knitpocalypse.

I also finished a pair of socks this week, helped along by a movie and a few meetings, plus some training videos.

Once the shawl was done, I put a decent amount of time into the cowl, now 60% completed. Yarn management was the hardest part, but yesterday I detangled the blue cake that had fallen apart on me as it started as a larger skein, unlike the small partials for red and blue.

Having finished my vanilla socks, I picked up a single I had started during last year’s Pigskin Party (shared the second sock cast on here back on December 1) and resumed knitting. This design is not complex, but it’s also not easily memorized. It does require my knitCompanion app to monitor .

Also giving you a heads- up that I’m returning to a long-languishing WIP, having finally pulled it out of an UFO bin! I’ve been aching to pick up my Ten-Stitch Zigzag Blanket using Desert Vista Dyeworks self-striping yarns ever since hearing that Susan had passed away. But the chaos at home along with all of my other projects and priorities just kept shifting this thought down on my list. But I have it in a project bag now, and I just refreshed on the pattern – stay tuned for my update next week!

Cast-on Conversations

Waiting for the Pigskin Party is a tad nerve-wracking since my WIP count has dropped so much! But I’m putting a lot of effort into my preparations for the event so I can cast on with confidence in a couple weeks. I’m particularly excited about my new Advent calendar box for the scarf I’m planning to knit. I spent some time last week re-winding the mini remnants from last year’s Yarn Café Creations calendar set, and now it looks so pretty!

I’ve also been planning out a variety of other projects in varying sizes. Some of the yarn is already wound while others will need some prep work. I’ve also decided to take a stab at NaKniSweMo in November (National Knit a Sweater Month) to knit a fun striped design I’d seen at ZK, the Tetris Pullover, in fingering weight yarns. The main yarn is a self-striping selection from Fibernymph Dye Works, and while I ordered another PSP sponsor’s yarn for my alternate colorway, I’m contemplating other options. Obviously, I have some time to decide! (This is in addition to an Aran cabled sweater and a fingering weight tee – did I mention I’m a planner???)

Another project I’m prepping for is the upcoming mystery wrap design from Paper Daisy Creations. The first clue drops the week before the PSP, so I’ll have a week to review and prep my yarn. I’ve opted for a Miss Babs set for my contrast colors, so that “hard” part is already done!

Fiber Fun

I’m not sure I’ll fill the first bobbin with my singles on the current spin, but I put in an over an hour this week. Any progress is good news, right? I really do want to put my fiber stash to use, so I will contemplate scenarios to schedule spinning time. After all, I’m a planner!

Exploits in Exercise

I have a small update here, kinda sad news. I’ve canceled my membership to OrangeTheory Fitness after five years. The reality is that the program doesn’t fit with my current schedule, and I’ve been paying a significant amount of money and not getting the benefits of it. I’m able to utilize my membership for a few more weeks until the current cycle ends. Then I’ll be looking at another neighborhood gym that offers 24/7 access. It helps both physically and mentally to set aside time for movement, particularly during the winter months.

Health Highlights

The steroid course I’m taking to treat the poison ivy reaction has done very well, though I still get itchy wrists from time to time. My face cleared up completely very quickly, thankfully. The biggest drawback to the medication looks to be the impact on my sleep quality, but I know this is only temporary. I’m on the descending portion of the series, and by the weekend I’ll be taking only half a pill per day.

I’m eager to see, once I get past the medication period, what happens with my sleep and sleep apnea. I had a good run without elevated breathing disturbances, but over the weekend they spiked again. On the flip side, my resting heart rate has dropped to its lowest range (often averaging below 50 bpm) in over a year! I hope that trend continues after I stop the medicine, as that has been an area of concern for me for the past year.

Grandson Glimpses

Fun stuff to share this week! The New Albany community hosted their Touch a Truck event on Saturday, and it was a beautiful day for this adventure. It was incredibly busy, though, so the kiddo didn’t get to climb on everything. He still ended up with a pretty special highlight reel! While he’s been obsessed with the idea of school and envious of his sister, he wasn’t too interested in waiting in the long line to climb aboard the school bus. The fire truck, however, was must-see! He asked the firefighter for assistance with the seat belt (Safety First!) and then the headset. Then he and his sister checked out the hoses and associated switches and knobs.

The backhoe, which resembles an excavator, was another essential stop. Of course, he couldn’t reach anything important from the seat, so his sister helped out!

Our final stop in making the rounds was the police car. The munchkin has been talking about criminals and going to jail (similar to time-out) for a few weeks. On our drive up to the venue, he told me that he wanted the police to “take [him] to jail with the criminals.” I shared this tidbit with the officer who was overseeing the police car experience, so she was able to humor him when the time came. I guess the novelty of the police car’s driver’s seat has worn off after similar experiences. When his turn came to climb in, the boy took a turn and headed into the back seat to “check it out!” Sissy climbed in after him to share the experience. When he poked his head through to the front seat, he remarked: “This is terrible.”

After exiting the vehicle, the officer was prepared with her small set of handcuffs. And once he was cuffed, he climbed on into the back seat. Let’s hope he doesn’t strive to repeat this experience again – he did say it was uncomfortable, but that doesn’t mean he’s done with this “fantasy.”

Movie Moments

One quick share here – I made it out to see Jason Statham in Mutiny on opening weekend. The action movie did not disappoint! Once again, Statham plays a hero of sorts, fighting for others. Only a couple truly gruesome elements, as most of the gory stuff is distant or off camera. I also recognized Annabelle Wallis (Jane Seymour in The Tudors TV series) which was a nice surprise.

Travel Tales

No actual travel this week, but I’ve got plans in the works! I have two remaining trips planned this year, and in putting the essential pieces together for them, I took a moment to reflect on the year. In 2026, I will have traveled out of state seven times, once per month, I believe. And I chuckled when I realized that a lot of the time has been alternating between drives and flights. Next month I’ll be driving east for a conference along with sightseeing and spending time with the friend I made on the cruise in July.

Then in October, I’ll be flying east to stay with those same friends (both husband and wife) over a weekend and taking the train up to NYC for another adventure in The City! Once again, I’m working to temper my excitement over this trip since there’s a lot of time (and a whole other fun trip) in between! Still, I booked my flights and I bought tickets to see two Broadway shows for my “One Short Day.”

Random Ramblings

Knit on. 🧶