Out of Hibernation

Happy almost weekend, friends! I'm very happy to see this week come to an end, as it's been a long one. I had three meetings yesterday, including a two-and-a-half-hour board meeting yesterday evening, so I'm feeling a lot like crawling into bed and staying there for a good long while.

Thank you for all the compliments on my May(be) Queen! I decided yesterday that it really suited Rainbow best and told her last night that she could have it if she wanted it. She was ecstatic, which tells me I made the right decision. Perhaps one day I'll knit another for myself in the correct size -- I do have a sweater's quantity of a semisolid burnt orange in the stash that would do for it, but I'm not making any decisions just yet, partly because I still have a sweater for me on the needles. Have you forgotten? It's my handspun Shifty:

I pulled this out on Wednesday night and knit about four rounds on it, but I want to give it more attention now. According to the pattern, I have about 58 rounds left to knit before the hem, but I'm fairly certain I'm going to be lengthening the body, as a cropped sweater isn't ideal for me. I also have plenty of yarn -- I've only just joined the second background color and have a third still to use if I need to. There is still quite a bit of knitting to do on this sweater, but it's a much simpler pattern than the last one, and I'm going to try to get it finished while the weather is still cool enough to wear it.

For more immediate gratification, I have a pair of socks for Rainbow that I cast on last Friday. She wanted a pair using my new heel, and I couldn't say no to that request! As an indication of just how much knitting can get done during meetings, I will tell you that at the beginning of yesterday, the sock that's in progress was only about half an inch of cuff.

I know it does help that they are shortie/ankle socks but Rainbow's feet are now 8 inches around and 9 inches long, so these are pretty much adult-sized socks at this point! I don't think any of you will be surprised that she's recently gone through a growth spurt; she has her annual check-up at the pediatrician this afternoon, and we'll see just how much she's grown since last year, when she was a bit underweight and undersized. I'm fairly confident she'll be back on track and close to average.

Later this morning I'm going to donate blood with the Red Cross, so I'm using this as an opportunity to remind you that blood supplies in the United States are critically low and to ask you to please go donate if you're able! I have been trying to donate every 2-3 months for the past couple of years because  I am not a medical professional and it's a very easy way to save someone's life. If you need extra motivation, the Red Cross is currently offering a $10 Amazon gift card to everyone who donates this month (and you're also free to refuse it and give that gift back to the Red Cross if it's not your thing).

I am hoping for a low-key weekend with lots of knitting while watching the Olympics. I hope it's a good one for you!