Hello, April! Good-bye, April! Dang, that went fast. I got a bunch of stuff made- some successes, some failures. I did a lot of making but most of my time was spent on baby knits and my one big project.
- Finished Makes:
Flax sweater by Tin Can Knits. I knit this for the Accountant’s baby in size 0-6 months
Mignon Sweater by Loop London. I knit this for the gift basket, it is one size fits 0-6 months
Headband with a twist by Mirella Moments. I knit this as my only charity knitting for April. I am ashamed, and will now make up for it in May.
The Betty Cardigan (formerly the Switchback Sweater) by Rachel Brockman. This is 99.5% completed, but I am listing it as an FO. My buttons are ordered and have been shipped. They will be sewn on the day they arrive.
All the tie-dyes!
Beeswax Candle(s)
- New cast-ons:
Vanilla socks for me
Shik’is Cowl
- Works in progress
Jameson sweater
Knitting my memories (may be re-vamped, stay tuned)
White denim skirt
Lawley skirt
Dooney & Burke handbag repair
- Goals for next month:
Work on sewing the Lawley skirt
Sew a Luna Tank out of the pink bedsheet. Use only a sewing machine with zig-zag stitch this time, instead of the overlocker.
Try making more candles
Another round of tie-dye for Father’s Day gifts
Finish the Jameson sweater
Make the March and April Yummy crate recipes (which arrived incredibly late due to production issues)
I didn’t sew in the month of April. The entire month of April. I didn’t even pull out my sewing machine. I want to remedy that in May. I want to keep practicing and making mistakes and fixing them. I want to open up my wardrobe, both in me-made and in style. I also want to try making more candles. While candles are easy enough to purchase already made, I can’t do scents, and don’t particularly like the smell of unscented candles burning. Buying beeswax candles is rather expensive, so I figure I need to figure out my life and get better at making them myself. The tie-dye was very fun, and we will definitely be doing it again in May for all of the Dads. I love seeing my girl be creative! While I worked on a lot of projects, and different crafts, the main thing that took my time and attention was the Betty Cardigan. There is a whole separate post being written about the renaming and the whole knitting process. It is just waiting for my buttons to arrive, then I will hit publish. That cardigan was a lot of work and I am so proud of it! I am also on a tightening deadline for baby knits. I got one soon-to-be here baby knit done, now I need to get another one going. The Mignon cardigan came out cute, but not really what I wanted. So instead of it going to the intended recipient, it will go into the gift basket, for now. I was completely pitiful about my charity knitting, and again, that needs to be remedied in May. I am now in love with the Headband with a Twist pattern. Super easy and very usable. This will be a great pattern for when I don’t have enough yarn for a full hat. I would really like to finish my Jameson sweater this month, since it has been in the WIP bucket for many moons, but I won’t hard-stop myself. I also want to start looking for a new big project. I am thinking that it may now be time to start on the Paris Toujours shawl.
April was an interesting month that had high highs and low lows. The beginning started out great with Spring break and all of the fun that I Feebs and I had. I very much enjoyed my time with my girl and our special crafty time. I got to do a fun virtual Crafter-noon with the HBs. We had Easter with egg dying and a mini egg hunt in the house. I also got to have my night away with the female O. I had the best time! We did go shopping… Boo… But I bought a bunch of clothes necessary for adulting. I have stepped up my work attire and have been putting more effort into my work appearance. Aside from shopping woes, the weekend was fantastic. I am absolutely determined that we do this again. (I hope she does too…) Last weekend, The Husband and I went to a lovely wedding in Bodega Bay. The vibe of the wedding was gorgeous, very welcoming and happy. The weather left something to be desired being that it was on the coast, outside, at night. It was cold A-F, but totally worth it. The bride and groom were radiant and so happy. On our way home from the coast, we stopped in Petaluma for breakfast and found a hidden gem. We stopped at Della Frattoria. OMG Becky, the bread. All of the bread! It was heavenly and we will certainly be going back! Feebs and I have slacked on our Yummy Crate cooking, but that was mostly due to the delay in receiving them. We will work on it more in May. The low point of the month came with the passing of my beloved Grammy. She was the one that taught me to knit and the love of making things with my hands. She was also my last remaining grandparent, which I realize that I am so lucky to say at my age. She lived a long, full life and I loved her very much. She leaves a very big hole in my family. In May we will celebrate her life and remember all of the good about her. She was a woman worthy of one hell of a celebration!
So that was April. All in all it was a positive month, if painful too. I am so excited to tackle Me-Made-May! I may have to sit down and ponder another pattern/ crafting pairing post. I know I still have the Lawley skirt and the overalls to go, but it never hurts to dream or reprioritize. See you in the next post.
Loves,
M
Mrs. Collins Makes Stuff 