Doubt we’d be able to get anyone in to look at it this week because of Thanksgiving, so luckily it’s not that cold yet. Hopefully next week we can! This week the highs are low 60s, so I’m fine in a coat, but next week is supposed to be high 50s, and that’s harder for me to handle.

Leaning towards it being the furnace. Looks like it’s the original one from the 80s, and a couple other older things here needed fixing/replacing, so one more wouldn’t surprise me. The smart thermostat isn’t perfect, but it’s been working fine for everything else (including the heat last winter).

I’ll be putting these through the wash soon to see how they fare. They’re super-wash wool blended with nylon, so with any luck they won’t shrink or felt if washed cold and dried on low heat with my regular laundry. If it goes badly, I’ll at least know for my next pair!

For the second sock, I strategically made the other color sections a smidge longer so I could still do the reinforced heel and have enough for a slightly smaller purple section.

I was using a set of 5 mini-skeins, so there’s enough for a pair of socks without much left over, if you use all the colors evenly. I didn’t know how much yarn the reinforced heel would use and didn’t think to measure out half of each skein beforehand. Wouldn’t be an issue if I did a regular heel.

I reversed the gradient on the 2nd sock because I couldn’t decide which I wanted. I wanted all the colors to show even when the whole sock wasn’t visible. It was a good thing because I used a bit more than half of one of my colors on the first sock, so it’s less obvious the amounts aren’t the same.

The first sock was started a couple years ago, but I put it down for months at a time. The second one took less than 2 months of casually knitting a couple nights a week.

My yarn tension improved with the second one, so it’s a little smaller than the first one, but not enough to really bother me.

There was a gingerbread cake (same cookbook) I made last month that was particularly good. I think I’d like to make it again. Kind of dense like banana bread, very gingery, and with a subtle kick of black pepper. Nice cut into squares for snacking.

Each one is a chance to learn what the possible pitfalls are, and it’s good practice reading my knitting, identifying what’s wrong, and knowing how to fix it. It just means my next pair of socks will be that much better! And I knit fast enough and well enough now that it’s not too big a setback.

I’m already pondering what to make next. I’ll probably start another pair of socks, but I think I also want to try making a sweater for the first time. As nice as it would be to have this winter, I think it could take me a year to finish. I’ll be surprised if I finish before summer at the earliest.