Winding Down

The problem with a trip that includes a weekend is that I don't get a weekend at the end of it to recover, so it's been a long, tiring week! And the oppressive heat (we're suppose to hit a heat index at or near 100º F this afternoon) does not help things -- I'm feeling very thankful for air conditioning and cool drinks this week!

Yesterday was an especially long day, though thankfully not because of work. My daily morning meeting got cancelled, likely because two of my coworkers were off, so I was able to get out for my walk a little earlier. Then I went to donate blood (I hit the two-gallon mark yesterday!) and ended up having to take a second shower afterward because I got so sweaty walking there and back. It was a bit surreal because the room where the drive was being held was the same room where my wedding reception was held.

This building used to be a private social club, started by Jewish Pittsburghers when they weren't permitted to join other clubs, but with dwindling memberships, it closed a number of years ago and the university I work for bought the building. I'm glad the building has been preserved, but it's still weird for me to think of it; that balcony and the stairs in the back corner are where the Mister and I made our grand entrance.

Crafting is continuing here despite the heat. I've started the third (and final) square of my test knit for Shana, which is simple but so clever!

After this square is knit, there will be an I-cord edging added around the top edge and loop handles created. I'm hoping I'll be able to finish this up in the next couple of days.

On tap for today, workload permitting, is plying these singles, which I finished up last night:

When I split up this fiber, I simply folded the length of top in thirds and broke it apart at the folds, so I didn't do any sort of planning for the colors to match up, so I'm quite curious to see how the finished yarn looks. With any luck, I'll be able to ply the full skein this afternoon.

I'll leave you for today with two amazing stories from my trip to Nashville:

• I told you about my trip to Parnassus Books, but I did not tell you the dramatic story of what happened afterward. When we finished shopping, we had a bit of a wait for our Uber (traffic in Nashville is ridiculous!), so we went around the corner to a cute donut shop for a snack and a drink. Our Uber came and took us back to the conference center, and I went to my room to FaceTime with Mo. I was showing her my purchases from the outing (I bought a skein of yarn at Haus of Yarn) when I realized I did not have the bag from Parnassus! I panicked, and as soon as I got off the phone with her, I called the donut shop, thinking I'd left the bag there. But they said there was no bag, so then I realized I must've left it in the Uber. I texted my friend Laura, who'd been the one to order the Uber, and she called our driver and left him a voicemail. I figured it was a lost cause and I'd have to go back to the store to replace my purchases the next day. Then, about half an hour later, she texted to let me know that she'd heard from the driver, who had my bag and was bringing it back! I went out to meet him and thanked him profusely, but he brushed it off as if it was nothing. Three cheers for amazing Uber drivers!
• The biggest draw of attending an event like SSK for me is meeting other crafters from all over. I told you earlier this week about meeting some lovely knitters from other countries, but I also met wonderful people from much closer. On Saturday afternoon, I was knitting upstairs in the main building (the market was open to the general public by then, so I was avoiding the crowds) and chatting with some other attendees, including a mother and daughter pair who had been in my spinning class the previous day. The daughter is entering her senior year of high school, so another attendee, who has worked in college advising in some capacity, came to talk to them about schools they might want to look into. Somehow it came up that this woman is originally from Pittsburgh, so I asked her where, specifically. It turns out that she not only grew up in my neighborhood, she lived around the corner from my childhood house! What's more, she also grew up attending the synagogue where we belong and (are you ready for this?) graduated from the same independent all-girls' school that I did and that Mo goes to now! How is that for an amazing coincidence?!

I hope you're staying cool if the extreme heat has hit your area, and I hope you have a great weekend! I will be back on Monday for my monthly One Little Word check-in.