Feeling Extra Thankful

The blessing and the curse of a long holiday weekend is that I often lose track of what day it is, and I woke up this morning thinking it was Saturday or Sunday. Fortunately, when I turned on the news this morning, all the advertisers did an excellent job of reminding me that it's Black Friday (obviously I am not one of those people who sets an alarm clock early to get out to the sales first thing!). I have done a small amount of online shopping this morning -- I placed an order with LoLo Body Care because I'm running low on my last Body Bar and also wanted to get one for my sister-in-law, and I also ordered my favorite moisturizers from Kiehl's, as they're a bit spendy and also rarely on sale -- but I am not planning on visiting any stores or malls today. In about an hour, I'll be going to deliver the toys my synagogue committee collected through our toy drive last weekend, and other than taking my daily walk, I plan to spend the rest of the day curled up at home.

We had a really lovely Thanksgiving yesterday with a big meal like we used to have in the Before Times. It was the three of us, my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, her parents, her brother and sister-in-law and their three kids, my in-laws, and my uncle for dinner. My brother- and sister-in-law and nephew joined us for dessert. We had SO much food -- the usual turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (canned and fresh!), and gravy but also roasted Brussels sprouts, green bean casserole, dinner rolls and crescent rolls and pumpkin cranberry muffins, four kinds of pie (apple, blueberry, strawberry rhubarb, and pumpkin, plus an apple tart that my sister-in-law brought), brownies, cupcakes, cookie bars, and dried fruit filled with nuts. There was wine and sparkling apple cider and a special holiday punch made with brandy, sparkling wine, Chambord, orange slices, and fresh cranberries. But above all, there was the company and the fact that we could all be together safely. All the adults were fully vaccinated, many also boosted, and all the eligible kids had gotten their first dose. It felt good to be with people again without having to worry -- Rainbow actually felt a little overwhelmed by it all and had to have some quiet time when we got home!

I didn't do much knitting yesterday, but progress has been made. After I posted on Wednesday, I did finish up the charity hat (though I still have to block it, which will happen soon):

Pattern: 1898 Hat by Kristine Byrnes (link goes directly to the pattern PDF)
Yarn: Fibernymph Dye Works Bona Fide (100% superwash merino DK) in Cake Pops, 0.72 skeins
Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm)
Started/Completed: November 14/November 24
Mods: added an extra inch in length before the crown decreases

I've knit this hat a couple of times before and am always delighted by how clever it is. You start by knitting the band that goes around the ears; it's knit flat, starting with a provisional cast on, and when you finish, you graft the ends together, fold it in half, and pick up stitches all the way around to both join that doubled layer and have the stitches you'll need for the body and crown of the hat. The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, but I know that Lisa's DK base is only slightly lighter than her worsted and substitutes very well. I also know that the hat as written will come out a little shallow for me, so I routinely add a bit more length before I start the crown decreases. This project served double duty for me, as it's both adding to my pile of charity hats and serving as an entry for the Pigskin Party November Interception (basically a special challenge that's part of the larger events).

I have also started my own Pittsburgh hat and completed the increases last night, so now I'm on the completely mindless part until I have about 10% of my yarn left.

Wonkiness caused by folding the needles/cable under the knitting to hide them

This is another skein of Fibernymph Dye Works self-striping sock yarn, and I like that its stripe sequence is a bit different from your typical self-striping. I'll be trying to get this done by the end of the month, which seems doable considering the extra time off and the fact that I don't have to hide this one.

I hope those of you who celebrated yesterday had a lovely holiday, and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!