Yarn-Along

For the first time in many months, maybe the first time all year, I'm linking up to Ginny's Yarn-Along, which is a great way to be inspired by other knitters' work and show and tell your own. I have not been knitting as much as I like this year, although it's still more than I've been sewing and quilting. I'm hoping that, with Fall weather here and having more free time since I'm not teaching anymore, I'll be able to crash out of my knitting slump and enjoy some creativity. So first off, here are the socks for Steve that I finished on Monday:

 The yarn is Online Supersocke, which I've never used before. It's a colorway that's supposed to make you think of butterflies, and it's a little splitty but a nice sturdy yarn to work with. I finished up the super-stretchy bind-off Monday evening while watching the last episode of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell with Steve. This is a book I read years back and it was fun to see it visualized. Now I want to read the book again.

Yesterday was my birthday (It's Hip to Be Square is my theme song for the year). But since I was born in Europe, I've always been able to take advantage of the time zone difference. Steve made my birthday Pad Thai Monday night, right before I had to dash off to volleyball class with Quarta, and then we relaxed in front of the TV for the rest of the evening. On my birthday proper, I decided to go for broke and cast on TWO pairs of socks in one day. I'm all about overcommitment. On the left is the toe-up start of Stashbuster Spirals, my favorite scrap sock yarn pattern. And on the right, another pattern I've made before, but this time I'm following the directions and knitting them top-down. Hermione's Everyday Socks in Three Irish Girls. I would have made more progress if I hadn't also looked up how to do a Twisted German Cast-on. So now I have projects for each of my two sock bags, and I just need to resurrect and finish some long-time hibernating projects on a larger scale. And maybe really start that T-Yarn rug I'm planning.

For the rest of my birthday, Steve and I left the girls to eat macaroni and we went out to Cactus Ya-Ya, a Mexican/fusion restaurant I hadn't been to in about 10 years. I had Baja fish tacos. Yum. And leftover ice cream cake when we came back home, and watched episode 2 of Designated Survivor. I'm ready for some binge-TV watching and knitting.

But lest you think I haven't been reading anything, my most recent books list follows: I've finished Spark Joy by Marie Kondo, The Survivor by Kyle Mills/Vince Flynn; currently working on SPQR by Mary Beard, The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan, Apollo: the Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan, Full Force and Effect by Mark Greaney/Tom Clancy. And my Latin project continues, as I investigate deponent and defective verbs for my latest installment in my completely unofficial series on the Duolingo forum. I still haven't found a better textbook for learners than Henle, and I'm aiming to work through the 3rd and 4th books of that while continuing free lessons. Yep, retirement is great so far. I might even get my house clean and tidy. And knit my entire queue. Just kidding about one of those.