What to Do While the World Unravels; Or, a Few Good Things

Hello, friends. I figured since I'm home for the foreseeable future, I can probably get some extra posts up, so today I'm joining Kat and friends to discuss some knitting, some reading, and some happy things in this time of so much trouble and sadness.

First, I can't believe I forgot to mention it yesterday, but I started out my week with a very good thing: I got my braces off first thing Monday morning! My orthodontist's office had called me on Sunday to see if I'd be willing to reschedule. I'll admit I was a bit selfish and asked if I could still come in, and they told me that was okay. Frankly I couldn't see being home for as long as we may be and having to deal with the braces for much longer. The office was almost completely empty when I got there (I was the only patient, and the doctor did the work himself in about 15 minutes), and I washed my hands as soon as I walked in. I think I also got in just under the wire, as apparently they're now telling people to delay dental treatment unless it's an emergency.

Ohai. Working remote = no makeup and crazy hair.

Second, I've been engaging in a little retail therapy to cheer me up. I placed a small order from Knit Picks and took advantage of some sale prices on Felici as well as getting a few other things (the white Swish is to make Rainbow a pair of fox mittens for later in the year as a surprise):

I also ordered a sweater's quantity (oops!) of yarn from HipStrings, seeing as I just finished up my last SQ. Jill told me I really needed to try their Targhee Worsted next, and as it was on sale and she was offering free shipping, I couldn't resist.

This very Gryffindor-esque color combo is going to become a Goldwing. The colors are really quite far outside my usual comfort zone, but I think it's a good opportunity to push myself.

Next: knitting! I was anticipating that getting my braces off would take a while (they'd told me to allow an hour and a half), but I guess when it's just the boss, it goes very quickly. I didn't know that beforehand, of course, so in anticipation of waiting time, I cast on a new pair of socks for Rainbow and completed the toe on Sunday night. I think I knit all of one round while I was actually in the chair. Thankfully, I had a couple of conference calls when I got home, and it proved to be just the ticket.

This is Fibernymph Dye Works Bounce in the colorway Gimme Some Sugar (Cookies), which was a club colorway last year. Yes, I'm using the not-so-great needles again, mainly because they coordinate so well with the yarn. I'm weird like that.

Finally, reading! Over the weekend, I finished Lab Girl, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was not what I expected, but in a good way. I'm thankful for my library every day for being able to read just about any book I want via digital tools, but I expect my app is going to get a lot more use in the weeks ahead.

That's it for me for today, but I'll be back tomorrow with, I hope, some more crafting! Stay healthy and wash your hands!