I had a lot of things planned to do today, but I just didn't feel like doing them. Monday was a terrible day for me at work. I received some negative feedback about my performance lately, which I was not expecting and handled poorly. Tuesday went okay but I was anxious and fidgety at night so I took myself to the casino, where I did not win a jackpot, I'm sad to say. I came home, ate some mashed potatoes, and put my spinning wheel back together with the lace weight bobbin and started spinning some white Blue-Faced Leister wool top I got in 2021 when I was signed up for the School of Sweet Georgia's spinning class online. So far, the spinning is much more satisfying and less fiddly than the e-spinner, so I'm confident that not buying the bigger model as an upgrade was the right choice there. I went to bed around 2am, feeling satisfied and tired. This morning I woke up and just didn't really feel like accomplishing anything. I updated my journals that hadn't been updated since Monday morning. Then I looked up my files to print more address labels to my pen pals and got those printed. I made out a postcard to one penpal and then sat and wrote/typed 5 solid pages to my college roommate. After that, I felt like I'd had a therapy session. A weight had been lifted. I went downstairs and spun a little more but got frustrated when the yarn started breaking because I had the tension too high. I don't much like being in my living room right now because there's clutter from my garden supply packages that have been delivered and some Christmas items that haven't been put away, along with yarn in a huge basket that needs to find a home. And it's cold and drafty on the first floor, which makes me uncomfortable even though it's a decent day out (40F). So I came back upstairs and knit on my rainbow socks for a while as I watched a YouTube podcast live for a change. When that ended, I decided to take a little nap. Now it's a little after 5pm, I have accomplished nothing of importance today, and I have to work an early shift tomorrow, so I have to go to bed at a reasonable time. I think I'm just going to work on knitting my socks so that I can finish at least one of the 2 sock WIPs before I cast on my new sweater when my yarn arrives on Monday. I printed out both of the sweater patterns today and reviewed them. I'm still very nervous about the crocheted cables on the Emerald Isle sweater, especially since the pattern is the same for all 3 sizes, just the gauge difference determines how big it turns out. So, swatching will be of the utmost importance. The difference from a small and a large is 1 stitch per inch. The yarn is the same, so it will all depend on the hook I use, I guess. I've never successfully crocheted a sweater that I can recall, and everything I've ever made has used a different stitch count in the design to differentiate different sizes. I feel like the gauge of the stitches determining the size of the sweater is very risky, as tension can change slightly as you work, especially complicated/unfamiliar stitch patterns such as the 3 different cable motifs in the sweater pattern. I will need to sit and swatch for half a day to make sure I'm getting the right gauge before I start the actual pattern, and I'm not typically a swatcher. On the other hand, the knit sweater, Flax Light, is a fairly straightforward, top-down knit on circular needles. I've decided to make a size ML which is 39" and that includes about 3-4" of positive ease. I sure hope it fits. I'm mostly concerned that my flabby arms won't fit that size. I may have to play around with it a bit to broaden the top of the arm, although on the model it appears that she has some ease in the fabric. It's a thin, tailored looking sweater, so I don't want to ruin the aesthetic by making it too baggy around the chest. I bought enough yarn to go up 1 size to a L if I decide I need to. I think I can probably get that one cast on and the neckband done in a couple hours, then it's pretty smooth sailing with just the increases for the raglan shaping and the garter stitch panels down the sleeves. The choice between starting, and maybe even finishing, the easier pattern in my vacation week home from work versus using that time at home to fully concentrate on learning the crochet cables and executing as much as I can with my full attention on it is a tough one. I could start both next week, but I don't want to overwhelm myself and not accomplish anything, either. I wish the yarn would get here before the weekend so that I could get the full 8 days out of it, but at the last check, the post office said it wouldn't get here until Monday.
I ordered Loop Engage Plus earplugs tonight that I hope will help me both at work and at home. I've heard good things about the brand, but I got the newest version that is supposed to block background noise but help you hear voices clearly. I'm hoping they will help me to focus, which is something I struggle with at all times, despite being medicated for ADHD. I hope those get here soon, because I can't wait to try them. If you're interested in trying them, here's a link to save you some money: Loop Referral Link to save some $$
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