December was fun, I’m not going to lie. The semester is over, and I could not be happier. There were illnesses and other unpleasantries, but life seemed to kind of smooth out a bit. I got to make the month away, and I (finally) have something to show for it. I got really into knitting again and can even start to dream about sewing in the near future.
* Finished Objects:
Another Everglade, by Wooly Wormhead. This was knit in Malabrigo Rios.
Flax sweater, by Tin Can Knits. This was knit with leftover Miss Babs Yowza and Malabrigo Rios. When knitting the sleeves, I ran short on the Yowza and added the Rios stripes to avoid panic-inducing yarn chicken.
Three Anker Toques, by Tin Can Knits. These were all knit in Malabrigo Rios, for the three taekwondo teachers.
Daddy and Feebs matching pajama pants. I don’t recall what patterns I used for these pants, but man, did I mess them up. I somehow sewed the two back pieces on both pairs as one leg and the two front pieces as the other leg. I cut the elastic ridiculously long on Feebs’ pants and had to clothespin them to get a decent picture, then had to resew them. I guess this is what happens when you try to batch sew after months of not sewing and then try to cram all the finishing into the last day before Christmas…
* New cast-ons:
Harris Sweater for Dad
* Works in Progress:
Shatar vest
Knitting my Memories blanket
White denim skirt
8 pairs of pajama pants/ shorts
* Goals for the month:
Finish the other two pairs of pajama pants for Feebs
Pull out the white denim skirt and assess the situation
Gear up for the new semester that starts at the end of the month
Finish the Father’s sweater by the end of the month
Make Sister #2’s scarf
This month was kind of weird great, and I got to knit a lot. Nothing makes me smile quite as much as baby knits. I knit the Flax sweater in size 1 year for the cousin’s baby. They are so sweet and little and knit up fast. I just love them. Then the debacle of the knitted hats for the taekwondo teachers… That was an exercise in frustration. Feebs and I got sick in the first week of the month, which pulled Feebs out of her twice-weekly classes for the entire month. She asked me to knit hats for the teachers, so I did. I was literally knitting up to the finish line, we got there, and it wasn’t a regular class. So, we had to turn around and go home. I ended up taking them in a week later by myself because Feebs was sick again. I felt bad for taking the fun of gift-giving away from her, but I wanted the teachers to have them before the studio shut down for the holidays. I started the Father’s sweater, and oh boy, was it super annoying to have to knit three colorwork sleeves. Why did I knit three colorwork sleeves, you ask? Because apparently, I do not know how to read, and I messed up my increases, which messed up my colorwork patterns. Good times. I believe I am back on track now, and I intend to complete it within the month. I am most scared about sewing on the zipper. Many tutorials will be watched prior to that happening. I already gave you Cliff’s Notes about the pajama pants, but that wasn’t even the worst part. On another pair of pants, I cut out one leg in the Husband’s size and one in my size. For real, Mrs. Collins, figure out your life! Part of the problem is that I did a batch-cutting session and started to sew up three sets of matching pajamas for Feebs and one or other of us parents back in July before school started. I had to move and reorganize the pile several times, and now I don’t know what patterns I used or how to undo and fix all of the leg errors. To put it mildly, I seriously messed up and will have to figure out how to salvage them. But did I tell you that I get to knit and sew again? I nearly wept when my classes ended; I could pick up my knitting needles and be leisurely about it. It was glorious. I can’t wait to have some larger finished knitted garments!
Overall, life was weird in December. It started off great with a trip to see the Father. We were supposed to do the festive mini-golf, but it was pouring rain both nights. We decided to reschedule for another trip over Winter Break. Instead, we played cards and had excellent Indian food. He and Feebs made breakfast both mornings, and it was so great to see them enjoying their time together. That week Feebs and I got nasty colds and were out of commission (and school/ work) the entire week. Unfortunately, my new meds are doing their job very well, and I have no immune system to fight off the ick that circulates this time of year. It took me a solid three weeks to get over it. That following weekend was supposed to be the cookie decorating night with the Forest Hills friends at our house. Since everyone had been battling illness, we rescheduled for the next week. We did end up feeling well enough to go to the children’s festival at the Husband’s work. It took about 35 minutes to go through the entire setup. Not the best year, but they tried. Another Forest Hills friend’s birthday party at the trampoline place was right after that. I was rather shocked when a 9-year-old received an iPhone for his birthday. What was even more shocking was that Feebs was the only kid there who didn’t already have a cell phone. She is hopeful that she will get a phone for her birthday, but it isn’t looking promising. What does my 8/9-year-old need a cell phone for??? That week Lillie finally got her cast off! She was so happy to finally be able to kitten. She has been running us ragged ever since. The third weekend of the month was both of our family Christmas parties. Unfortunately, we just didn’t feel comfortable going. I missed seeing everyone, but I just didn’t want to get sick again. Apparently, half of the people there were sick, so I may have dodged a bullet. We did end up having Jorge and Lisa over for dinner that night. It was a very nice visit, and I always enjoy spending time with them. Then suddenly, it was Christmas week. Feebs got sick again and missed the entire week of holiday fun. It was the pits. Work slowed down, and we had a lot of people off. By this time, my application for Manager had been accepted, and I was notified that there would be no test, only the interview. So, we will see what happens there. The week ended with our annual Christmas lunch and reindeer picture. We had invited Uncle M to come to dinner for Christmas Eve, the Mother in Law for Christmas day brunch, and the Parents for Christmas day dinner. Then at the last minute, the Husband got sick. He got completely wiped out, and all Christmas festivities were called off. We ended up having to cancel with everyone, and we just had Chinese food for Christmas Eve dinner. Christmas morning was fun, and Feebs really enjoyed herself. Once the gift opening was completed, it basically felt like a regular day. I did dishes, laundry, clean up, etc. I was a little blue the whole day. I was on vacation from work the whole next week. I specified “from work” because I was crazy busy the whole week. I drove up and down I-80 three times and paid $28 in bridge tolls. I spent the week being exhausted but had a nice time with the Parents. The Mother had a blue Christmas and New Year’s Eve, as it turned out, because of sickness. The second visit with the Father was very nice. Again, it was pouring rain, so still no mini-golf. We played cards and learned how to play Rummicube. It was a very fun game, and we will be buying it. The last weekend of the month started with a makeup Christmas dinner with Mother in Law. It was a nice visit, and Feebs liked seeing her grandma. The next day we headed to the O’s for NYE. They have an adorable new puppy, Noodle. She is a 9-week-old Labradoodle. I just wanted to snuggle her the whole time. We had a lovely snack lunch with an assortment of cheeses. We had a wonderful dinner. Once we got back to the house, the evening kind of died. The Female O fell asleep at 9:45 PM, and the girls stayed up till midnight. It kept us from having a mellow adult evening. It also created hell the next morning when Feebs had to wake up and be functional at 8:00 AM, so we could make it to our breakfast reservation. My girl does NOT enjoy getting less than 10 hours of sleep. She was pretty wretched till we got to breakfast. I will say the girls were awesome. They got along and played very nicely together. That always makes everything better. We also set up our next “kid-free” weekend. We will do it over my birthday weekend, and we are all so excited.
One not so great thing about the month and getting sick is that it wiped out my physical activities. I had no umph to exercise, especially when I couldn’t get rid of my cough for 3 weeks. I also didn’t do great about watching my sugar intake. I guess I can blame it on December. There is something psychologically programmed in us to be gluttonous sloths during that month. I don’t understand it. I got back on track in the last few days of the month, but it was a struggle. I honestly wonder if my decrease in stress made it easier for me to fall off of my wagon. I wasn’t craving the relief like I had been for the past almost 2 years. Whatever it was, it needed to go away. My body and brain need to be active.
So, that was December and the end of 2022. It was full and often bittersweet. I have hopes for the coming year and good memories from the one that just ended. Hopefully, January will continue to be a low-stress month, and I can keep enjoying my making. Onward and upward!
Loves,
M
Mrs. Collins Makes Stuff 