Recharging

As much as I love the ability to go out and do things on the weekend, it's also nice to have one without much to do. I kept this past weekend that way on purpose because I was getting my COVID vaccine on Saturday and was counting on feeling lousy for a while afterward. And I did feel tired and a little achy Saturday afternoon and evening, though whether that was from the shot or from doing a lot of running (the race last Sunday plus at least 10K on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) in addition to not sleeping well last week, I can't really say. I did take a couple of doses of Tylenol to be safe and snoozed a little bit with Ruthie, but overall I felt better than I ever have after getting one of these vaccines. I don't know if that means my immune system is getting weaker or this year's shot had milder side effects, but you will hear no complaints from me. Other than a series of walks (on my own and with Ruthie), I spent my weekend mostly resting, and it was just what I needed.

I kicked off the weekend by finishing up my hat on Friday afternoon:

The color is a little darker in real life, but my phone didn't want to capture that no matter what I tried. I used up 65 g of the 100 g skein of Malabrigo Sock, so I still have a fair amount left plus a full skein. I made the large size, although as hats go, it looks to be on the smaller side to me, but I'm sure it'll fit someone's head and that's the goal.

Progress also was made on my sweater:

Several inches of the body have been knit, but because it's in stockinette, it's rolling up quite a bit. Some time this week I plan to try it on to be sure everything is fitting as it should.

It's going to be a mostly typical week for me, the exception being an in-person-only staff meeting on Tuesday that will require me to walk into the office twice to attend both that meeting and my regular team meeting and take Ruthie out for her midday walk; on the upside, they're giving us lunch during the staff meeting. The weather forecast for the week ahead is looking dry and cool, so I think I may even get to break out some handknits!

October or August?

As incredulous as I was that it was the last day of September on Wednesday, yesterday I was even more unlikely to believe that it was the first day of October because we had a high in the mid-80s! I actually had to switch our thermostat from heat to air conditioning, even though I know I'll likely have to switch it back soon. As excited as I am for weather more conducive to wearing my knits, it was nice to be out in a t-shirt again.

I am also pretty excited for the weekend. It hasn't been too hard of a week, but I haven't been sleeping well, probably in part because Ruthie was having some tummy troubles last week and I was worried about her (all is well now). I never expect to be able to sleep in on the weekend, but at least if I'm tired, I can actually take a nap instead of struggling to keep my eyes open. I'm getting my COVID shot tomorrow, too, so I expect there will be several naps in store for me.

Ruthie didn't seem to be too troubled about her GI issues, in large part because it meant she got chicken and rice and pumpkin puree instead of her boring old kibble for a few days. She's been less happy about our handyman being around this week to power-wash and restain our deck and seal our driveway. He's the sweetest guy, but he is very tall and has a mustache, and she does not trust him! On the plus side, she did make a new friend this week:

I've made slow and steady progress on my hat over the past few days and yesterday finished the body repeats.

I like how it looks, but this stitch pattern isn't all that fast, so my next hat will likely be stockinette. I already know what yarn I'm using for it, too:

This is a very old skein of Socks That Rock from back when I was in the Rockin' Sock Club, so probably sometime in the 2007/2008 timeframe. Certainly it's older than Molly! My Imaginary Internet Points thing has a monthly challenge for October to knit with yarn that's at least 25% black, and this skein more than meets that requirement. I'm planning to hold it double and knit a simple stockinette beanie for charity. Much like the Malabrigo Sock, this yarn is 100% superwash merino, and I know for a fact it does not hold up well in socks.

Other than getting my shot tomorrow, I have no plans for the weekend and am just fine with that. I always feel crummy for about 24 hours after getting the vaccine, so I plan to lay low and relax. It's a good excuse to snuggle my pup, read, and knit -- though you all know I never need an excuse for that! If you need an excuse to relax this weekend, you're more than welcome to use mine!