Wips & Whimsy #5
It feels like things have settled into a slower rhythm lately.
Not in a bad way—just in a "make a little progress here, read a little there, and try to convince yourself to do something productive before picking up the yarn again" kind of way.
Let's catch up.
Current WIPs
Remember when I triumphantly announced this blanket was finished?
Well... it still needs to be blocked.
Apparently "finished" and "completely finished" are two different things.
It'll get there.
Eventually.
The Kanata Tank is officially finished!
Well... mostly.
I still need to weave in the ends, and somehow I still haven't actually worn it. After trying it on, I discovered it has a much deeper V-neck than I expected, so I'll probably end up layering it over a white tank or T-shirt.
I'm still really happy with how it turned out, and I'm looking forward to finally wearing something I made.
I really enjoyed making it overall, although by the time I got to the fourth square I was definitely feeling the repetition set in. Even so, I'd happily make another one someday—I think I'd just like to try it in a different yarn.
Wedding Dress Watch
Before casting on my next project, I finished another swatch for Rosa's wedding dress.
This yarn is a completely different experience from the first one.
I love how soft and fluid it feels, but it's also incredibly splitty, and that makes me wonder if it's the right choice for this project.
My biggest concern isn't actually knitting the dress—it's whether the finished lace pattern will still shine once the full weight of the dress is hanging from it.
The swatch looks beautiful.
But a swatch isn't six feet of wedding dress.
That's exactly why we're testing before committing to hundreds of hours of work.
With the Kanata Tank finished, I decided it was finally time to show one of my older WIPs some love.
I'm working on the Montastraea Top by Michelle Ferguson from Expression Fiber Arts using Knitting for Olive Merino in the colorway Pink Daisies.
Every camera I own insists that this colorway is neon.
It is absolutely not neon.
In real life it's a lovely, calm, dark pink that completely refuses to cooperate for photos.
Unfortunately...
It's also fingering-weight yarn.
On a small hook.
With tiny stitches.
So at the moment, it feels like this top may take approximately the rest of my natural life to finish.
Books
I'm still firmly in my rereading era.
What I thought would be a quick revisit to the A Court of Thorns and Roses series somehow turned into rereading... well... the whole thing.
I'm currently on the final book, and I've realized something funny.
It feels like I haven't read much since my last update.
In reality, I've finished four books.
They just all happen to be in the same universe, with the same characters, and each one is approximately the size of a small brick.
So my reading tracker says I've been productive.
My brain says I've just been hanging out in Prythian for the past few weeks.
No regrets.
One unexpected side effect of all this reading has been some really fun conversations about books. Someone in my life decided he wanted to dip his toes into the romance genre, so I've been helping him find books he might enjoy. (To be clear, it was his idea—I just happily accepted the assignment.)
Talking through romance tropes, favorite characters, and why certain stories work has reminded me how much I love the genre.
And somewhere in the middle of all those conversations, I started feeling that little spark again.
The one that makes me want to write.
Last summer, I spent months working on my own Christmas romance novel. The story is outlined, the characters have completely taken over my brain, and I'm about halfway through the first draft.
It's not that I need a new idea.
I just need to sit down and keep writing.
...Although, if I'm being completely honest, a completely different story involving pirates has been trying very hard to distract me lately.
For now, though, the Christmas romance gets priority.
And for the first time in quite a while, I'm actually excited to get back to it.
Life Lately
Life has been pretty quiet lately.
I'm in that strange end-of-summer limbo where I know I should probably be lesson planning, cleaning the house, or doing something productive...
...and instead I've mostly been watching movies and knitting.
No regrets.
Well, maybe slight regrets.
One thing I have been staying surprisingly consistent with is getting my 10,000 steps every day. It's a little funny because all I really want to do is curl up on the couch with my current project, but I've been making myself get up and move first. I'm hoping Future Ally will appreciate Present Ally's efforts.
The biggest adventure of the week was... pool algae.
Apparently owning a pool means occasionally becoming an amateur chemist.
We spent the better part of a week trying to figure out why the water had suddenly decided to become less "sparkling oasis" and more "science experiment."
Thankfully, we won that battle too.
The water is crystal clear again, and Lainey is back to living her best fish life.
Games & Entertainment
It's been a surprisingly quiet few weeks on the board game front.
I did, however, discover a new-to-me card game on a date called Cat Fluxx.
Apparently, Fluxx is a whole series of games with different themes, but naturally the cat version was the one I ended up playing.
The rules are constantly changing, which somehow manages to feel both completely chaotic and strangely brilliant at the same time. I had a lot of fun with it, and I wouldn't mind playing it again.
Other than that, my game shelf has been getting a little more rest than usual.
I've been spending more of my downtime watching Severance, and I completely understand why everyone kept recommending it to me.
Season one absolutely blew me away.
I still really enjoyed season two, but if I'm choosing a favorite, the first season wins pretty easily.
Now I'm just over here patiently waiting for season three.
Acquisitions
Believe it or not...
Nothing.
No yarn.
No surprise Hobbii boxes.
No "I just needed one skein" that somehow became enough yarn for three sweaters.
I'm officially putting myself on a yarn-buying hiatus for a while.
Not because I don't want more yarn.
Trust me, I do.
But I have so many beautiful projects already waiting for me that it feels like the right time to spend more time making and a little less time acquiring.
We'll see how long my self-control lasts.
Looking Ahead
My goals before the next WIPs & Whimsy are pretty straightforward.
First, I'd really love to finish the Montastraea Top. It's definitely one of those projects that rewards consistency more than marathon crafting sessions, so I'm hoping to keep chipping away at it.
Second, I'd like to add at least one more stripe to my Cozy Comfort Throw.
It's funny how much joy one stripe can bring on a blanket like this. One stripe doesn't seem like much until you step back and realize how much closer it brings you to wrapping yourself up in the finished project.
We'll see how much I actually accomplish before the next update.
Hopefully, Future Ally will have some finished projects to show off.
Until then...
May your yarn never tangle and your side quests be rewarding,
— Ally
