Halloweening

Happy November! I hope you all had a great Halloween! I don't get any trick-or-treaters (I live in a secure building with only eleven units and not many kids), but I did buy candy for myself to munch on! I won Halloween Trivia at work yesterday, and I watched Bram Stoker's Dracula last night (a bit of a tradition here). I didn't have a proper costume for myself, but I wore my Vincent Price dancing with a skeleton costume, and for my work Halloween party I had a hockey mask, at least. 

Yesterday morning I had my first round of trigger point injections, and I was very sore the rest of the day and ended up logging off work early and resting for most of the afternoon. I'm much less sore today, thankfully, and I should feel the effects of the injections next week. 

Coleslaw and I tried the cute viral ghost photoshoot with...extremely limited success.

She hated having the cloth over her head, and it was impossible to get her to hold still long enough to accurately place the holes. Fortunately, she tolerates her wings very well, so she spent the day dressed as a demon.

(It is perhaps less of a costume than a self-actualization.)

I still have not sewed buttons on my brioche vest. Yes, it has been almost five weeks since I finished knitting it. 

I did make some great progress on my stockinette vest! The back is done and I have passed the underarm bindoff and am halfway through the armhole decreases on the front now. I should have just enough yarn to finish—fingers crossed!

Last weekend I went to the art museum on campus—I live right by campus, so it was really easy to get to (except for a band competition going on that closed a major street, whoops!). I didn't sketch as much as I'd hoped to, but I did spend lots of quality time with a Rothko from 1949. I love Rothko, and this was my first time getting so see one in person, so it was very emotional and meaningful for me. Someday I definitely need to get up to the Art Institute, which has two of my favorite Rothkos in their collection, as well as the Chagall windows, which I've been aching to see for years.

(The photo really doesn't do it justice, I sat with this painting for well over an hour, taking it all in, and I'm already planning to go back for another visit.)

I made a challah and a batch of tomato confit this week, so I'm back to challah toast with tomatoes and melty cheese for lunch. What can I say, it's a comfort food. I also picked up some turkey so I can make breakfast sandwiches and use up the remaining english muffins in my freezer to make room for my challah stash before surgery. 

Coleslaw with a Bow

Happy Friday, friends! It's been a bit of a disjointed week for me. I was supposed to have an overnight trip for work last weekend, but we ended up cancelling the event last minute. I was happy to not have to drive and be away from home! Because I'd been planning on leaving that afternoon, I brought Coleslaw to camp in the morning, so she got to spend a day playing with all her friends there before I picked her up after work. One of the groomers even made her a little Halloween bow, which is shockingly still in place a week later!

Last year she really hated wearing sweatshirts and coats when it was cold out and she would chew on them if I didn't take them off as soon as we got back inside, but she hasn't touched the bow at all. I think it makes her feel pretty, so she's tolerating it, but I'm hopeful that she's matured some since last winter and will tolerate cold-weather wear better this year!

I did manage to cross the halfway point on my one knit xmas present, which is a relief. I haven't touched either of my vests, but I'm hoping to get some work done on them this weekend. I'm so close to finishing the back of my current vest, and with any luck I'll be able to convince myself to finally sit down and sew buttons on my brioche vest.

I've also been continuing to plan for my upcoming carpal tunnel surgeries, and I cleared out a gallon and a half of veggie scraps from the freezer to make broth with. I want to have room in my freezer to stock up on breads and cakes so that I have them handy when I'm recovering, but there's still a bit that I'll need to work through before I can start baking. 

October So Far

I feel like I blinked and we're already halfway through October! October and November are busy months for me at work, and I never really manage to quite feel prepared for them. Last week I was at a conference, and while I really enjoy going to sessions and hearing about what other people in the state are doing, travel of any kind is very stressful for me. I am very much a creature of my routines, and being away from my home and my dog is tough. Add to that having celiac and needing to research where I can eat when traveling and I get overwhelmed very quickly. Fortunately, I made it through last week's conference in one piece, and while Coleslaw had an amazing time at camp, she was also very excited to see me come home and we spent a long weekend catching up on cuddles.

I've spent the past week getting back into my normal routine as well as preparing for my next work trip. I have one trip coming up very soon, and then two more trips before Thanksgiving, but they're all just one night, and I'm doing my best to make them as low-stress as possible for me. In the meantime, I'm focusing on having lots of good food in my apartment, including these incredible royal corona beans and kielbasa in broth, which I've been eating for the past few days.

I haven't knit much this week, but I have been knitting! I have a list of projects I want to get done before my first wrist surgery in case I'm not able to manage knitting during recovery. I have a sweater vest that's almost half done that I'd love finished, and I have one xmas gift that I managed to get a quarter of the way into during conference sessions last week. 

I also have this sweater vest, which I finished knitting a couple weeks ago, and is just waiting for buttons. While I've known how to do the brioche stitch, I've never actually finished a brioche project before. I was happily surprised at how smoothly it went—I only ran into issues with shaping the upper fronts, and I had to rip back and re-knit each side twice, but that was probably more due to the gin sodas I was drinking while knitting than my own inexperience with brioche decreases. Obviously, I need to sew on buttons, which will take less than ten minutes once I sit down and actually do it, and I'm really looking forward to having this vest in my wardrobe!

The Terrier Strikes

Over the summer, after quitting my second job, I started going to a weekly knit group in an effort to make friends and build community here in Illinois. I've been enjoying going, and Coleslaw has always behaved very well while I've been out. I give her a Busy Bone before leaving, make sure all my knitting projects are well out of reach, and trust her to find a sunbeam on the couch and just veg for a couple hours. 

Until last week, when I came home and found a hole in the couch cushion and two and a half bites taken out of the foam. (She has never chewed on upholstery before this! I don't know what got into her!)

Now, this couch is old. I got it for free off Facebook Marketplace, and it's very solidly built and very comfortable, but the fabric is definitely showing its age, and I've known since I got it that I was going to have to reupholster it at some point. However, a couch worth (even for a small couch!) of upholstery fabric isn't cheap, and reupholstery is an intense project and can be rough on the hands (see: my longstanding hand issues*), so I've been hoping to put it off for a couple years.

Since reupholstery isn't in the cards right now, and needing to cover up the exposed foam to prevent Coleslaw from eating any more of it, I broke out my handy dandy darning skills for a quick visible mend.

I'm pleased with how it came out! I flipped the cushion upside-down so that the mend isn't immediately visible, but it serves its purpose and will buy me some time until I have the time/money/hand function to actually dive into reupholstering the couch. 

*Speaking of my hand issues, I saw orthopedics last Monday and was immediately scheduled a surgery consult, which I had on Friday. It turns out that "severe" carpal tunnel doesn't just mean that you have severe symptoms, it also means that there's already been permanent damage to the nerve, so we definitely want to do a carpal tunnel release to prevent any further damage as well as give me some relief. My first surgery is scheduled for early December, so this winter is going to be rough—while you can use your fingers right away after the surgery, you're limited to a one-pound weight restriction for that hand for a few weeks while it heals, and recovery is 4-6 weeks per side. But I figure I just have to get through about three very tough months and then even if my hands never reach 100% they'll still be much better than they are now.

Septembering

Happy almost fall! We've still been having summer temperatures here, but it looks like the heat will finally break over the weekend and we'll be in the seventies all next week. I have been gazing longingly at my corduroys and novelty sweatshirts, and I'm so excited for cooler weather to start coming in. Summer's always rough for me, between summer-onset seasonal depression and heat triggering a few of my medical conditions, so nothing beats the first few days of needing a flannel or cardigan on our morning walk as a sign of my favorite seasons' imminent arrival. 

As most of you know, September is my birth month, and I had a really nice birthday! My biggest birthday gift to myself was Coleslaw's yearly appointment, which cost more than I expected, but she's in great health, and now I know how much to set aside for next year. This year was the year of DVD musicals for me: my family gave me Cats (2019), The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall, Love Never Dies, and the Les Misérables 25th anniversary concert. I also got two books from one of my favorite writers, and yarn for a New York Sour (Ravelry Link). Cake this year was carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, which I don't make super often because of the prep work for it, but it's always delicious.

 

 

I also finished my striped sweater this month, and I'm really looking forward to wearing it this fall and winter! It came out exactly as I hoped, and I didn't run out of yarn! I have leftovers of all three colors, which I'm setting aside for a worsted weight scrappy mitered square blanket at some point.

Seaming it up took five whole episodes of Criminal Minds (my current rewatch), and my hands definitely were bugging me, but the result is so worth it. I'm absolutely smitten.

Speaking of my hands, I was finally diagnosed with severe carpal tunnel syndrome. It's no secret that my hands have been giving me a lot of trouble for a long time, and I'm looking forward to seeing the orthopedist and coming up with a plan of attack for that. Given the severity of my issues and the length of time it's been going on, I know that there's likely not going to be a quick fix, but I'm definitely looking forward to the day when I can write by hand, hold a cup of coffee, drive, and, yes, knit without needing to take breaks. 

One Year of Coleslaw

Yesterday marked one year since I brough Coleslaw home, and it's amazing to see how much she's grown since then! 

Day 1 vs. Day 365

She still loves climbing and chewing, though fortunately she has gotten better about not chewing on my things (though knitting needles are still apparently free game). She's claimed the papasan chair in my home office/craft room, so she can hang out right behind me during my work from home days. She loves going for walks, especially when we get over to the park, and she loves meeting new people and dogs. She also loves playing fetch and she has taught herself how to throw her own tennis balls so she can chase after them when I'm busy.

She also loves getting into the trash cans and eating whatever she finds there, but nobody's perfect.

I really feel so lucky to be her person, and it's wild to think that we've spent a whole year together already. To mark the day yesterday we went for a nice walk where she got to sniff everything she wanted (though I did draw the line at eating an earplug she found on the ground), she got some of her favorite treats, and, of course, playtime and plenty of cuddles. I can't wait to see what the next year brings!

Warm Enough

Hello, friends! I finished my new office sweater, and while in my apartment it feels like the hottest, heaviest, least breathable sweater I have ever worn, in my office it just feels cozy and comfortable. Mission accomplished.

I've been watching lots of Olympics coverage this week—I always think I'm not going to care about the summer Olympics, and then as soon as the Opening Ceremony starts I go all in. Someday I'll learn to save up my PTO so I can take the Olympics off from work and just watch the games full-time, but until then I'll do my best to keep up with the replays.

Since the office cardigan is off the needles, I'm back to my striped pullover full time. I finished the back (I made a slight whoopsie with the neck decreases, but it's not big enough to rip back and fix, and I think I can hide it in finishing) and am now on sleeve island. Normally when I knit sleeves flat I prefer to do them at the same time, but given that I'm working with three colors and carrying the extra strands up the side of my work, I didn't want to juggle six balls of yarn, so I'm tackling these sleeves one at a time. I'm just a couple rows into the first sleeve, and hopefully they go as quickly as the back piece did!

2 Sweaters 2 Furious

 I can't believe it's been three weeks since I last posted here! It's been a pretty busy month between work projects and lots of PT to address my longstanding arm and hand issues, but I have been doing plenty of knitting as well! 

I work from home three days a week, but the other two days I need to be in the office, which is always freezing! I have a cardigan I keep there, but some days it just doesn't cut it, so I decided to make a second, heavier cardigan. Here we have some Wool Ease Thick & Quick in good old moss stitch. I have the back and both fronts finished, and just a couple inches left on sleeve number 1. It's been a great project to work on while reading and watching tv, and hopefully it will be exactly what I need on extra-cold office days.

I've also made significant progress on the back of my striped pullover. This month I learned that we have a knitting group in town, and I've managed to go twice so far. The people there are great, and it's been wonderful meeting some people in town after living here for a year and a half. This is the project I've been bringing to knit group with me, and even though I've done more chatting than knitting, it's moving along at a good clip. 

I think I'm going to make lots more progress over the next sixteen days as I sit in front of the television to watch the Olympics. I'm definitely a winter games person, but there are still several sports I like watching during the summer games. 

Sweater Progress

Hello friends! Vacation was exactly what I needed—I didn't end up doing as much as I'd initially planned, but I sure got lots of rest, which is exactly what I needed! I watched a lot of tv, worked on my sock blankie, and read a lot. I did manage to make a loaf of challah, which means that one of my favorite meals (challah toast with tomato confit and melted cheese) is back in rotation.

A couple days ago I finally pulled my striped sweater back out, and it's been great to work on that again. My big trouble with this one is the metal needle (its just not the vibe for this project), but I had a bamboo I was able to switch to for a couple inches before Coleslaw got her paws on it (she cannot be trusted, I have a new one ordered and I swear this will be the last time I leave it in her reach). 

I got the front finished and I ripped out the back (which was originally knit with the wrong stripe sequence), and I got the new back cast on last night. I really like how this is coming out, and I'm feeling pretty good about my yarn quantities. As much as I'd love to bang this out and have a finished sweater, I'm mostly trying to enjoy the actual knitting of it. 

I'm still adjusting to having weekends off. Last weekend I stayed home, but I think I'm going to try and go out on a little adventure this weekend. Despite living here for a year and a half now, I don't actually know the cities very well, since I was working so much, and now that I have weekends off again, I'm working on familiarizing myself with more of the area.

Day by Day and Square by Square

The sock blankie has continued to grow over the past couple of weeks, and I'm still not really working on anything else. I have no shortage of fingering-weight scraps, and it feels good to see the pile ever so slowly start to shrink. Every so often I think it'd be nice to work on a sweater or other more involved project, but this is still all I really have the attention span for, and it's so satisfying to finish each individual square.

This is going to be my last weekend at my second job. Leaving is bittersweet, as I love most of the people I work with, but working so much has really affected my stress levels and my health, and it's time for me to scale back a little bit. I'm taking next week off from my regular job as well, to give myself a whole week to rest and unplug after a year of working nearly every day. I haven't had a proper vacation since last summer when we went to the lake and I am very overdue for a break. Coleslaw and I aren't going anywhere, but we do plan to read some books, do a jigsaw puzzle, do some baking, and hopefully pull out a needlework kit from the bin of future projects to play with.

Speaking of baking, I started a new sourdough starter this week so that it would be ready for my vacation and it is doing super well! He's not quite 100% ready to go into bread yet, but he should be raring to go on Monday, which is just what I want. I'm definitely looking forward to a good grilled cheese! I also remembered to pick up eggs this week so I can make a challah: I usually keep one sliced in the freezer to have toast or to eat with shakshuka, but I finished my last one in December right before I had to do a bunch of traveling, and have never found the time or energy to replenish my stash. 

Even if I spend most of next week napping, it will be a good use of my time off, but hopefully I'll get to start refilling my cup and the next time I check in here I'll have some fun projects to share with you all!