Wednesdays Are for WIPs

On this Wednesday morning, as I wait for the snow to start falling, I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers to talk about what I'm working on and what I'm reading.

I've currently got two WIPs on the needles that are actively being worked on (there are also two projects in progress that are actively being ignored). The first is a pair of Xeric Socks (Ravelry link) for my father-in-law. The first sock may, in fact, be finished today, as I'm farther along than this photo -- taken yesterday -- shows.

I'm really enjoying this pattern, which is much simpler and more intuitive than it looks. I have a feeling I'll be knitting a pair for myself at some point -- I think it would look smashing in handspun! I'm hoping to get the first sock finished today, especially because I have a long meeting to sit through later this morning.

I'm also working on a charity hat, using the My Favorite Weekend hat pattern (Ravelry link) and some Knit Picks Mighty Stitch. The last time I placed a Knit Picks order, I threw a couple of skeins of it in my cart to get to free shipping (it was also on sale, and I wanted to give it a try). You probably know that I'm not a huge fan of acrylic, but I'd heard good things about this yarn (an 80% acrylic/20% wool blend) and thought I'd give it a try -- every yarn does have its place, and certainly not everyone is willing or able to care for 100% wool.

I was prepared to hate the yarn even when I first got it, because it felt a little squeaky in the skein, but it's surprisingly nice to work with. Not 100% wool nice, of course, but the fabric is soft and the yarn doesn't squeak when I knit with it, though occasionally it fuzzes up a bit and have to break off a bit of a yarn halo that develops. I should have enough yarn leftover from the hat to make a pair of coordinating Snow Day Mittens (Ravelry link) using this orange for the cuff, and the set should make some child happy. And both projects are on my 20 in 2020 list, so it will feel good to cross them off!

I have not finished any books in the past week, but I have started two. First, I started The Island of Sea Women, which I won earlier in the year in a Goodreads giveaway. I haven't gotten very far because I got surprised by a library hold that came up a couple of weeks sooner than I expected. That book is Girl, Woman, Other, which Kym recommended to me. I am more than a third of the way through it and am finding it a really interesting read with an unusual format.

Looking forward to hearing what you've been reading and working on this week!