What a Week

I won't bury the lede: I am officially free from the boot and released from orthopedic care! I can tell that I still have some healing to do, but my orthopedist told me I could resume normal activity (being mindful of outside conditions, of course) and that I could start jogging again once I can walk about three miles without any pain or discomfort. As much as I miss running (and as shocked as I am to have written those words), I am not in any hurry to start running again until it's a bit safer to do so. We've had frigid temperatures and off-and-on snow all week, so I will be waiting until we have a good thaw. Sidewalks in our neighborhood can be treacherous even when they're completely dry, and I don't want to risk another injury.

I celebrated this good news, which was really the highlight of my week, by putting away the folding chair I've been using to exercise and doing a regular standing aerobic workout -- and I can feel it today! The seated workouts worked well for keeping up my fitness level but not so well for keeping the muscles in my legs in shape. So I'll be working on that in the next couple of weeks and getting back outside to walk as soon as it's a bit warmer and less precarious. I also scheduled an appointment to donate blood next week because they would not allow me to the last time I tried.

Crafting time has been limited this week due to how busy I've been at work. All week I've been chipping away at a very large magazine, and fortunately I'm nearly finished. I did make a point to cast on a new project that I could knit without looking because Molly and I are going to see Funny Girl tomorrow. I'm making another double-ended hat using my pattern and yarn that I bought at SSK in 2023 (it's from Urban Girl Yarns):

I played around with my increase method a bit, mainly because this end will likely be the one that's on the inside, so that's why it looks a little wonky. This skein is very generous, at 480 yards, so I have a feeling I won't be using all of it, but I should get a nice hat out of it to add to my charity pile.

I've also been working more on my sweater, and I'm now just four rounds away from dividing my sleeve and body stitches!

I know I'll have to keep track of decreases and rounds worked on both the sleeves and body, but it won't be nearly as complicated as the yoke has been, and I'm hoping that translates to faster progress.

My parents have an event to go to tonight, so our usual family dinner has been moved to Sunday and instead we're taking my in-laws out to dinner. Other than the show tomorrow, the only other plan for the weekend is a big stock-up trip to Costco on Sunday -- yes, this is what passes for excitement in my life right now! I am looking forward to seeing my niblings on Sunday evening because we haven't seen them since the night before we left on our trip, and I'm sure my niece has changed a lot since then. Mostly I'm just hoping to relax and recover from a busy week. I hope it's a good weekend for you, one that's full of things that bring you joy!