Yarn Along: Picking up the Pieces of December

Along with vastly increased coronavirus restrictions, our state essentially closed its borders just before Thanksgiving, seemingly unconcerned with the large number of people who commute in or out of the tri-state area for work or school.  

For the most part, we have inhabited a square mile this year, rather than traversing hundreds of miles toing and froing.  While I desperately miss my family, who live far away, and am still disappointed my mom couldn't visit in October as planned, I find I am more settled and grounded in this smaller life. 

But enough about that.  On to fiber and books, m'kay?

~knitting~

After a quick start on my Stripes! Stashbuster sweater, I stalled out while the kids have been home for the past two and a half weeks, remote schooling and having an extra long Thanksgiving break due to some Covid concerns.  I will say that the knitting itself is fairly speedy so far, as you don't spend more than 7 full rows on a color, so my interest level remains high.  I'm pushing my gauge on that light mint color, as it is heavy fingering weight and I'm a tight knitter, but my yarn weights are all over the place on this thing, so I think I just have to lean into the wonk.  

I've made zero progress on my Footfall shawl I showed last month, after casting on and completing the initial chart plus a full repeat (including ripping it all back numerous times before I got the stitch counts right.  I seem to gravitate to the Stripes! piece before this one, but I'm sure it will call to me again sooner or later. 

~reading~

I finished re-reading Sarah J. Maas' Court of Thorns and Roses series ahead of the next installment due in February, and decided to stick with the author and have a go at her better-known series, The Throne of Glass.  The universes are completely different, and I find the female protagonist slightly unlikeable, but I'm four books in, so I guess I'm on for another three?  These books are all a big departure from my usual genre, but I suppose this is the year of trying new things.

I did set it aside this week to again pick up We Two, which I've been reading in little snatches of delight since it arrived.  The narrative is quite riveting and I'm learning so much about how the European royal houses were connected and how the 18th century slid into the 19th at a dynastic level.  My brain has exploded with all the connections.  There was an explanation of genealogy in the section on Albert's upbringing that helped me understand the familial ties of the current royal family better, although right now I can't call the specifics to mind.  (Remote schooling + extra long Thanksgiving break=brain mush).

~crafting~

 Since I get palpitations every time I consider sewing something (or even attacking the sewing machine-necessary mending pile), I've continued on with my beading and jewelry adventures.  It turned out to be the perfect thing to do while supervising the girls' remote schooling this week.  (Piglet is totally independent with his stuff).  It is creatively satisfying, easy to set down and pick up, pleasingly tactile, and generally diverting from the news of the world.  

I still keep up with sock darning (although my darning pile grows ever larger--I did all the black socks this afternoon and this is still left!)  It's sort of a dogged determination at this point.

~watching~

Not that much, to be honest.  (I know, you are shocked.  I'll give you a minute to recover yourself).  I continue to meander through season 2 of Poldark, but in a rather desultory way.  Aidan Turner still doesn't do it for me and this season has not endeared Ross to me At.All.  (I'm largely in it for Eleanor Tomlinson's Demelza). Lately, I'd rather read or work on beading instead.  (Hence the rather large number of books read in the past month!) 

~life in general~

We started the Nativity Fast last weekend, and today celebrated the Presentation of the Theotokos in the Temple.  The breaded fish patties for sandwiches are in the oven along with tater tots that don't have sunflower oil (a December miracle!)  I am looking forward to some fried potato goodness for dinner.  With breaded fish sandwiches, natch.  There isn't much I can eat lately, and when I find something I can get down without zofran, it's cause for celebration!

 

Lastly, this one wins the Internet this week:

 

 

Linking with Ginny for Yarn Along!