April was really good. I am surprised at how good April was. There were some ups and downs, but overall it was a good month. I finished a project and have cast on another one. I am building up steam on a sewing project, and with the end of the semester fast approaching, I may actually get to sew it. So, the month went pretty well.
Finished objects:
The Levee Shawl by Casey Day-Crosier. I knit this using deep stash Malabrigo Sock, Knitpicks Stroll, and Why Knot Fibers. There is a separate post about this, so I will just give Cliff’s Notes.
New cast ons:
Worsted weight socks
Works in progress:
Shatar Vest
Harris
Blue Mountain Cowl
Knitting My Memories blanket
8 pairs of pajama shorts/ pants
White denim skirt
Goals for next month:
Work on Harris after school is done
Sew a new Lawley skirt
Finish the semester
Do another fabric pairing
I knitted this month. I knit a very nice shawl. It felt good to work on it and complete it. It knitted up very quickly, and I quickly cast on socks to use up the rest of the Malabrigo Sock. I am taking my #oldstashdash very seriously. I have stalled on the Blue Mountain Cowl, but that may be simply because it is warming up. I already knit the Heartbeat Top, and I generally only knit one summer top per year, but I think I may cast on a second one. You know, just to be a rebel. I had the nerve to buy some vacation fabric, which I needed like I need a hole in my head. I bought a cat print fabric for Feebs, a ditsy floral print, and a beautiful watercolor. I have grand plans of grand garments, but who knows how long they will languish before I finally get the nerve to do something with them? I really want to finish Harris, but I have decided to hold off until after the semester is completed. I will work on my socks for now and wait to cast on anything fun until he is completed. I am ashamed that the Father still doesn’t have his Christmas sweater. I realized that I needed to stop knitting the color work for a while, but it really shouldn’t have been this long. I will blame school, but my dad still doesn’t have his sweater… One more month, and I will knock it out. I really want to sew. I know I say that a lot, but I really do. I want to dust off the machine and sew something up. I think I am going to sit and write out a list of possible things to make. I know that I want another Lawely skirt in a stronger fabric and a smaller size. I know that I want to make Stella Joggers for camping this year. I also know I want to make Feebs a dress with her new kitty fabric. I think I need to really sit down and figure out what to do and start doing it.
As previously mentioned, the month was good. On day one, we boarded a plane (Feebs’s first plane ride) and headed to Oahu. We hadn’t taken a real vacation (no, I don’t count Disneyland) in a long time. We stayed in Waikiki Beach and rented a car. We went to a luau, Pearl Harbor, beaches, and into the forests. Poor Feebs was sick the whole time. It turned out she had strep throat. My girl was tough, though, and she still had a fantastic time (as long as we kept her on her Motrin schedule). We ate some good food and swam in the ocean. We had a very nice recharge, which we all needed. It was incredibly sad to leave Honolulu in 85-degree weather and come home to 53 degrees and rain. We were pretty jet-lagged for a couple of days, but we had no regrets. We were glad that we got home in the wee hours of Friday morning because it gave us 3 days to recuperate from the trip. We came home to the crazy news that the Mother had purchased a house and would be closing in 7 days. This meant that by the time we got home, she only had 3 days to go. She stayed the weekend, and we moved some of her stuff around so that she would be ready to go once her house closed. Sunday was Easter, and we kept it pretty low-key. The bunny showed up and hid some eggs for Feebs and brought her some scrummy snacks. The following weekend we had a date night and went to the movies. We saw Renfield, which was very funny. We even saw it in the movie theater, which I am usually a poo about. I hate spending an arm and two legs for a couple of hours, but we did it. I regret nothing. We also started attacking the front and back yards. The weeds had become aggressive, so we started hacking and burning. The process was long, but we had to suck it up since we let it get out of hand that way. The following week we finally started something that I had wanted to do for 8 years: we met with a trust attorney. We began the process of getting everything set up and documented to protect Feebs, and all of us in the event of a tragedy. The process took 3 weeks, and then it was done. All signed and sealed. We will get the final packet in a few weeks. The weekend of the 22nd, I met with Sister #2 at a halfway point. We had lunch and did a little looking around. It is always a good time to meet up with her. And OMG, guess what she made me… She made a “Badass Skater Lady”- Pink Ladies style jacket for me, with a picture of my roller skates on it. It is ridiculously badass, and I love it. In true sister fashion, she verbally tore the whole thing up, but I love it. It is so fun and silly. I can’t wait to go to the roller rink and wear it. The next day we met the O’s at the same place I met with my sister. It was a nice day and a fun quick visit. It was the Female O’s birthday, so we wanted to spend time with her and have a mini celebration. The last weekend of the month, we were supposed to finally get to go to the Little Farm and see the A’s. We were so excited. We haven’t seen them in years, and we were so happy to get up there. Naturally, I had to get sick and screwed the whole weekend up. I got a sinus infection from hell, so we had to postpone our trip. I was so incredibly sad. We are going to pick another weekend after school is over. We are determined to get up there and see those beautiful people. I felt like crap, so I don’t think we even did anything that weekend. Feebs is still doing her taekwondo, and she seems really happy with it. She should be doing belt testing again in May. My fingers are crossed that she stays happy in it. I like her being in an activity that builds confidence and has discipline. Hopefully, having two of her homies in the class will keep her engaged.
Missing the A’s was a low point of the month, but a lot of good came from April too. I definitely want to start thinking about another trip in a year or two. I want us to keep going and see more of the world. I want to keep making stuff and expanding my wardrobe and knowledge. I am excited for May. I think there will be some fun stuff happening, and the fact that school will be done for Feebs and me makes my heart very happy. I am ready for both of us to have a nice big break. I am so happy to have my mom living near me. It was a long time coming, and it was finally time. So, onto the next month’s adventures. I hope it is another really good month.
Loves,
M
Mrs. Collins Makes Stuff 