A Bit of Anxiety Setting In

 Tomorrow is August 31.  In some respects, this month has flown by.  In others, it has dragged.

As much as I like working from home over going into the office, I am starting to get cabin fever.  I've noticed since everyone is online, we don't have to wrestle for meeting rooms.  My day is filled with more meetings than I think would occur if we were all together in the office. To schedule a meeting, all you have to do is pick a time, add names, click a few buttons and you have another meeting.  Some people don't even bother to see if the meeting conflicts with other meetings for the required attendees.  It can become a bit of a headache. 

Speaking of headaches, I'm starting to get them more frequently lately.  I don't think I have anything serious.  I think it is just a compilation of factors:  too much time on the computer working, needing an update on my eye glass prescription, work stress, home stress, state-of-the-world stress.  Ed and I were in the habit of taking a trip every 3 months or so.  We haven't gone anywhere since March and I can feel myself getting anxious.  We are trying to plan a little weekend away but having confirmed any plans yet.  

I'm also starting to get a bit anxious about the wedding plans.  We have a meeting in a few weeks with the venue.  That will settle a few things but there are a few major things yet to handle:  flowers, invitations, finalized guest list, reception theme.  I'm getting a little worried about COVID crapping on the plans.  I have to remember to not worry future things too much.  That is very hard for me.  I am a worrier by nature.

Blake has been home a few weeks now.  He had some minor surgery and is not cleared to drive yet.  His classes this semester are all online so he is able to keep up with things.  This is his last first day school picture.  He will graduate from college in the spring.  His plan is to find a job in the Cincinnati area.  (This is another thing I find myself worrying about.)  He is getting anxious to get back to campus.  Three weeks with Mom and Dad are getting to him.  He hopes to get the clearance from the doc this week after his appointment on Tuesday.  I think it will be at least one more week.

I finished my Discovery poncho.  It got blocked and put away until the weather cools a bit before taking any pictures.  I'll post a picture once it comes out for use.

I haven't touched City Limits in about a month.  This morning while enjoying my tea and watching some YouTube podcasts I knit about 10 rounds.  It is probably difficult to tell but I just started the solid Color 4 section.  I did the waist shaping decreases.  The increases will begin in a few more rounds.

Blake's Rift is coming along nicely.  I have separated for the front and back.  I've knit about 22 rows of the back.  The knitting is getting interesting so this will not be online-meeting or mindless television knitting anymore.

Since the Discovery Poncho is done, I need to find something to grab for my boring online meeting knitting.  I have two long-hibernating projects to use as candidates:  the Relax sweater or a scarf I started over 14 years ago with yarn I bought with birthday money from my parents.  Stay tuned for which project wins.

I-75 Shop Hop 2020

 Most fiber events have been cancelled this year thanks to Rona.  One that didn't fall victim was the I-75 Shop Hop.  Although, some shops from the past opted to not participate and others restricted to visits by appointment only.  My enabler and I decided we'd still try to see a few shops on Saturday, August 1.  We headed over to the Dayton area to visit some that we hadn't been to before.

First on the itinerary was Tipp City to visit Tippecanoe Weaver and Fibers Too.  I probably had visited Tipp City at some point in my youth, but I don't remember.  My mom had a cousin who had been the pastor at the Catholic church in town back in the 70s.  Tipp City is a cute, quaint town that seems to be thriving while maintaining its small town feel even with the urban sprawl of Dayton to the south.  

Tippecanoe Weavers and Fibers Too is a small shop in an old house a block north of Main Street.  The front two rooms feature yarn while the back is dedicated to weaving.  They offer locally sourced fiber.  I grabbed a few bags of roving, which the cats became very interested in when I got home.

After a quick walk around Main Street, we drove over to Vandalia.  Fiber Fusion is on the road that forms the eastern edge of the Dayton Airport.  The shop is in a house that sits in front of the owners own home.  There are several rooms of yarn to explore, each organized by yarn weight.  The owner says her hours vary because she has another full-time job, to which we replied we totally understood and appreciated because we work full-time also.

At Fiber Fusion I picked up 3 skeins of Leading Men fingering which someday may become a shawl and my first set of Prym needles.  My enabler swears by these needles and I've seen a very positive review by Arne and Carlos.

Next stop was Englewood, which is on the other side of the Dayton airport to visit The Rabbit Hutch.  The Rabbit Hutch is in what looks to be a former bank building; not the old 19th century style, but the mid-century style that I remember.

The Rabbit Hutch features many of the yarns in the Berroco line and had samples throughout the shop.  I immediately spotted the Waverly sample.  The shop owner let me try it on and I fell in love, so of course I couldn't resist.  She helped me decide on the colors and sent me home with the pattern and some of the yarn I needed.  The rest was ordered and I received it last weekend.  This will go into the queue after the Christmas knitting is complete.

From Englewood we headed south and east to Beavercreek to visit Fiberworks.  Fiberworks is in the heart of the commercial district of Beavercreek.  The shop is packed with yarns of all weights and colors.  

I was a bit overwhelmed and tired by this point so I mainly just followed my enabler around the shop. I did by this cute project bag and a Gleaner, which I neglected to photograph.

From Beavercreek we started back toward home, but first stopping in London to visit Yesterday's Ewes.  Yesterday's Ewes is located on Main Street in an old, 19th century bank.  They've maintained the old teller windows and other architectural features.  It is a very nice shop that has a lot of room to expand inventory.

Yesterday's Ewes carries a lot of fibers I haven't seen in other shops.  I picked up a couple skeins of Round Mountain Fibers fingering.  I love the colors and how they are based on nature.  The one on the left is Indigo Bunting from the Ornithology line and the one on the right is Honey Bee from the Entomology line.  Both will someday become socks.

We called it a day after Yesterday's Ewes.

A couple days ago I received a message from Yesterday's Ewes that I won one of their door prizes.  Cindy and I went back there yesterday to pick up my prize.  It was a skein of their 1927 Shetland in the color Fawn.  1927 Shetland is their house brand of yarn, sourced from a local farm.  Fawn is one of the sheep.  The color in the above picture is true.  To go along with this yarn, I bought 2 ounces each of 1927 Shetland roving.  My plan is to spin these into 2-ply yarn and make a hat or gloves.

The owner of Yesterday's Ewes mentioned that she is planning on starting a once-a-month bring-you-own-project event on the last Sunday of the month.  She suggested I bring my wheel and get a little spinning in.  I'll consider it.  Her shop isn't that far from my house and it would be a good excuse to use my wheel.  It's been sitting unused in my living room for quite a while now.  I should plan spending some time on weekends spinning, especially since I won't have any college football to watch this fall thanks to the Big 10 cancelling/postponing their season.