the newest project

 I think I have four more rows to do on the edge, and then I start the "thermal stitch" for the body on this:

This is for Chalcedony, which was a pattern from Knitty back in 2018. I'm using the recommended yarn, Eco+ from Cascade. It's woolen-spun, rather than worsted-spun, which means it's not so tightly twisted and seems a bit softer and also more "rustic" - in that it looks like a yarn someone would spin by hand, rather than something made on a machine. 

I like this project. It's enjoyable to knit and I think the finished sweater will fit well in my wardrobe.

The stitch pattern here is called Baby Cable Ribbing, and it's very simple - every fourth row, on the K2 stitches, you knit them together, and then re-knit the first stitch and it does twist the stitches like cabling would. 

***

I had another PT session today. Maybe I'm getting a bit stronger? The aerobic warmup (10 minutes on an elliptical, which I feel like should be simple given that I use a cross country ski exerciser) was HARD today but it was windy out and I think my asthma was bothering me - it did feel very hard to get a deep breath (Now that I've been home for a while, out of the wind, and with the better quality furnace filter) I can tell my breathing is easier. 

I also made sure to drink one of the electrolyte-containing sports drinks and put icepacks on when I got home - I suspect the cramping I had earlier was a combination of dehydration, not enough electrolytes, and maybe just overfatigued muscles. We'll see how I do tomorrow.

I did learn one new exercise that I think will be good for the core - sort of a modified push-up, but instead of pushing out of your shoulders (which hurts me because of my bad collarbone), you rest on your forearms and are mainly using your abdominal muscles to elevate your body. 

I do have to invest in a small playground-ball type ball, because a couple of the important exercises for both the leg and the core use it for resistance. 

It's expensive, but if it helps me function better and with less pain, it's worth it. And weirdly, in a way it acts a bit like THERAPY therapy - I don't know if it's getting out and small-talking with people in a low stakes setting (so much of the talk we do at work is shop talk, and at church it often revolves around volunteer work) or if somehow working out muscle tension also gets rid of the emotional sludge, but I do feel better after doing PT. Maybe I notice that more because I have relatively few interactions where I am not in some kind of position of responsibility, and if I had more just-casual interactions it would be different. (Also, maybe that's why I like going out shopping places even though I know I don't need more quilt fabric or weird little vintage things or fancy soap or whatever - it's a chance to talk to the shop owner in a low-stakes and generally positive way?)