I’ve had an annoying 24 hours. I’m now going to complain about some first world problems. You have been warned.

I’m addicted to my FitBit Versa. I wear it every day. I am on month 14 of getting 10,000 steps every day. My FitBit died yesterday. I have spent the last 24 hours looking at my wrist to check the time, only to realize my FitBit is gone. I know what I need to do to get my steps in, so I know I haven’t broken my streak. But the FirBit app doesn’t know that, so when I look at the last 12 months it is going to be an annoying blip. I also find it harder to stay motivated on the track when I can’t see how far I’ve gone. I bought a new Versa today, and I feel so relieved to have my FitBit back.

We were on the run all day. Swim Lessons in the morning. An emergency trip to Costco for my FitBit. Zoo Tots in the afternoon. I didn’t bother with a handbag and put my credit card and license in my pocket. They vacated my pocket at some point at the zoo. I’m now without a license or credit card. I would like to on-line shop my frustrations away, but I’m not going to buy anything if I don’t get Costco cash back.

So other than that it has been a fine 24 hours. I finished my Linnea Hat. I think I would like a mohair cardigan, but this hat isn’t for me. It is too sparkly. Luckily Audrey is 5, so she thinks the hat is awesome.

If you are thinking about trying out a hat to see if you would like mohair, I do not recommend this pattern. The pattern calls for a beaded rib brim, which is a four stitch repeat. The pattern also has you cast on 90 stitches. That doesn’t make sense (88 or 92 stitches would make sense). I started with the beaded rib but gave up and switched to a 1×1 rib after about 8 rounds because you can’t really see the detail in mohair and it was annoying to knit. The brim is started with a provisional cast on and folded under to make a thick brim, so the different rib is on the inside of the hat.

At Zoo Tots today the animal they brought in for the kids to have a close encounter with was a fox. Usually they get to pet the animals, but not today. I would have loved to have pet that fluffy fox.

I really have a great life. My only complaints are having a fitness tracker die and losing some things that I can replace. Also it is really cool to be that close to a fox.

I’m still dealing with a household full of sick, so I haven’t had the energy to knit anything that involves brain power this week. I’m working on the mohair hat and a pair of mittens. The projects are opposites, one has sparkly mohair, one has rustic wool. The mittens will probably get used a lot more.

What are you working on this week?

I’ve been watching a lot of knitting podcasts. I blame them for my love of huge faux fur pom poms. I know it is shocking, but I never fancied myself a faux fur person until I started watching the Grocery Girls. Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of projects with lace mohair held with fingering weight yarn to make a fuzzy fabric.

I’ve got to be honest with you. I don’t know if I can be a mohair person. I love how the sweaters look on other people. I think the Love Note sweater is stunning. I just don’t know if fuzzy fabric is in my wheelhouse. I wanted to try it though, as I would like to try out new knitting techniques this year.

So I decided to test it out by making a hat. I grabbed a skein of sock yarn and a skein of sparkly mohair I had in my stash and got to work. I met my friend for our monthly knit night at the tap room and warned her I would be working on something unusual. She said she wouldn’t judge. Then she laughed at my project. I don’t blame her. It’s like I’m knitting a disco muppet.

This hat is not me. But I’ll wear it and see if I like the feel of mohair. If I hate it I will have two skeins of yarn out of my stash and the YMCA Supportive Housing Complex will have a new hat for their clothing pantry.

Have you ever knit something just to check out a technique?

After not wearing my Pollen Hat all winter due to my aversion of slouchy hats, I decided to throw a pompom on it and roll the brim. I now like it much more. Thank goodness pompoms are currently popular so I could change up this hat. I went with a black pompom, as I like to show my Hawkeye pride.

Today was very busy. Snow was melting. The sun was shining. Sundays the past few weeks have been hitting it out of the park when it comes to joy.

I had brunch with two dear friends to celebrate birthdays. We’ve been friends for over a decade, which means we have been through all sorts of changes together. One thing that hasn’t changed? Our love of knitting. Also our love of brunch.

Ivy gave Jess and I new enamel pins. I adore enamel pins. The yarn ball snowflake from Ivy is a new favorite of mine.

After brunch I headed out on a hike with JoAnna. After a short loop in our usual spot we decided to change locations because the trail was covered with ice. We headed to a city park that we thought would be clear. We were wrong. The path is 3.2 miles long, of which about 2.5 miles was covered in ice. Even with the ice it was great to get a hike in and catch up with a friend. Neither of us slipped, which was shocking.

I am so happy that winter is loosening its grip. I love being able to enjoy the outdoors in fewer layers.

Did you have a good Sunday?

It was so fracking cold today. My kids have bad colds and haven’t been sleeping. I’m the kind of tired that comes with a pre-cold. Instead of taking the kids to swim lessons and a class at the zoo I opted to stay home today. We watched too much TV (mostly Jim Zim’s model trains or Japanese train unboxing videos. Oh how I wish I were joking). Luckily I was able to get out of the house tonight.

Today is Galentine’s Day, a holiday created by one of my favorite fictional TV characters of all time, Leslie Knope. One of our local theaters had a celebration, and I went with my friend/cousin Deirdre.

We were handed a glass of champagne on our way into view Steel Magnolias. I laughed. I donkey cried. I wore knitwear. I had a wonderful time.

I hope you had a great Galentine’s Day. If you weren’t able to get out to a movie with a friend, I hope you were at least able to enjoy a waffle. If you are not a Parks & Rec fan you are really going to question this entire paragraph.