Farewell, October, you were a very full month. October is by far the month that consistently stresses me out. The month starts with Mendocino, then on to our wedding anniversary, then on to birthday hell week, and then it ends with Halloween and the gateway to the holiday season. My October was as busy as it usually is, and while there was a lot of knitting happening, only one finished object.
Finished Objects:
V-Neck Boxy by Joji Locatelli. I knit this using fingering weight yarn from Royal Bee Yarn Co. I purchased it at Lambtown a year or two ago. There will be a separate post about this because I have all kinds of feelings about this knit and the end result.
New Cast-ons:
Home Camisole
Tundra Hat for Feeb’s Teacher
Works in Progress:
Shatar
Blue Mountain Cowl
Slippy V Shawl
Knit House Cardigan
Knitting my memories blanket
Goals for next month:
Knit something that makes me happy
Create a blouse pattern for upcycled men’s dress shirts
Work on Shatar
Make hard decisions about Knitting My Memories and Blue Mountain
I think I have been in a knitting funk lately. Not a huge one, like last year, but an annoying one. I really wanted to finish Boxy before I moved on to something else. It was a slog, though, and several times, the only thing that kept me going was that I really wanted the finished object. Well, she’s done now, so I can move on. In the last few days of October, I decided to write all my WIPs on a piece of paper and put them in a hat. I would draw a slip and work on that in November. There would be no pressure to finish it in November, but what was picked would get some love. I did the same thing for my Ravelry queue. I didn’t put in the last two because they are long-term projects, and I didn’t want to commit to either of them. I ended up picking Shatar from my WIPs and the Home Camisole from my queue list. I already had Home all put together with yarn wound, pattern printed, and everything bagged and ready. I picked out my needles and cast her on. I got the first triangle done, then stalled. I worked one row of Shatar and set it down, and then Feebs or a feline moved my row marker, so now I don’t know where I am. I really want to cast on the Hamilton Sweater, but I am feeling so meh I can’t find the energy to wind the six balls of yarn for it. I should cast on some socks for on-the-go, but I can’t muster up the energy. We will be heading to Stephen & Penelope in a handful of weeks, and I can’t get excited about yarn shopping (though I am stoked at the thought of finding one of the yarn vending machines that are rumored to be in the Netherlands…). I am also trying to decide what to do with Blue Mountain Cowl and Knitting my memories. I don’t think I am going to ever want to work on Blue Mountain. I think I would wear it plenty when it’s done, but I don’t think I will ever want to knit 8 feet of broken ribbing. I am pondering about finding another pattern to use the yarn for. I know I 100% want it around my neck, just not in that pattern. And Knitting my Memories… I am very proud of the pattern, and I do think I will love the patchwork-esque finished blanket. I do think, though, that I will want it to be thicker and with a color added that makes it consistent. I am leaning toward a natural or a beige. The thing is, though, is that I really don’t want to buy more yarn. I haven’t been on a yarn ban, by any means, but I just don’t want to add to my stash lately. I think my epiphany in July (?) kind of shocked my system and changed how I feel about wanting to use the gorgeous yarn that I already have. It will also require me to rip out the foot-ish of knitted blanket that I already have. That would suck. So, I am going to make some decisions about those two projects and see what comes from it. I still really want to cast on Hamilton, too, though.
The month of October was jam-packed. Our first weekend was Mendocino, and it was as glorious as it always is. It was so glorious, in fact, that we have opted to add another day (Sunday) next year. We did hot-tubbing, snacking, resting, and enjoying each other’s company. It was unseasonably warm this year, which was unfortunate. It was decided that this occurred because 1. I didn’t knit the whole time, and 2. because I didn’t pack a single item of knitwear for the trip. I don’t know why that happened, but apparently, it jinxed the whole trip. We had our usual Sea Pal deliciousness, the excellent Mayan Fusion place, and we added another new restaurant to our list. Cafe Beaujolais has elegant dining AND a coffee/ beer bar with snacks. Both were delightful. The Husband and I went there for our anniversary dinner. The O’s kept Feebs for us. The annual picture was a challenge, to say the least. Feebs has been in a difficult mood for the last month and change. Very defiant and sassy. There has been a lot of stress at home, so it is understandable that the tension is contagious. We are working through it, but the picture came dangerously close to not happening. The following weekend was the day that I got my Armyfly tattoo touched up and refreshed. I went to an artist that I didn’t know anything about. Steffi was lovely, but the tattoo took a long time. I am happy with how it came out, but unfortunately, my body didn’t handle it very well, and I got a rash (still have a tiny bit of it) all over it. It itched like royal what and was nine kinds of unpleasant. The next week was birthday hell week. It starts with Sister #3, then next door friend, then Ms. Yin, then the Husband, then the Mother. All. In. One. Week. It is delightful and miserable all at once. The friend had her birthday at an escape room, which was ridiculously fun. She had the wife, her brother, and her brother-in-law with us. We did terribly, but had a blast. The Mother was out of town for her birthday dinner, so we had to get Feebs a real honest babysitter. She loved her! It was 1-L’s daughter, and they got along great. Feebs definitely wants her to come again. Then we spent Saturday celebrating the Husband’s birthday. We met the Clays for dinner so the Husband could people for his birthday. The following day, I went and helped the Mother with some projects, then took her to dinner at Fleming’s. We had a delightful evening, and I think she enjoyed her birthday. The following weekend, we had the McCs over for pizza night. I always enjoy spending time with them. I am hoping to schedule another away time with T that is mom’s only. We were supposed to go to a couple of trunk or treat events, but Feebs has been so naughty lately that she lost the privilege. We even had to meet with her taekwondo instructor to assess her behavior in school and at home. She has been put on notice that if I give him a bad report from school or home, it will have consequences in the studio, too. Our days of taking away the tablet and dessert aren’t really working anymore. We need to get to the root of the issue and hopefully help her get through whatever it is that is making her straight-up defiant. Getting back on track… The last week was Halloween. We met up with the FH group for trick-or-treating. It is so nice to always see those kids. We have even decided to do a Friendsgiving at the McC’s house over Veteran’s Day weekend. I am hoping we can pull it off. I think it would be great to do that. I love that we have a group that would want to.
So that was October. A very busy and full month. We have already booked Mendo for next year, worked more on the upcoming trek to Europe, and started prepping for the looming holidays. The Husband has made another trip around the sun, and so has the Mother. The Husband and I have made it to 11 years, and while they haven’t all been easy, they have still made my heart full. While we were in Mendo, I came across a really pretty 24/25 day planner. I look forward to organizing that and figuring out what I want my goals to be for next year. I have started getting back on the exercise bandwagon because I realize how much my mental health is affected by the lack of it. And Oh My God, Becky, I got noise-cancelling headphones!!! They are the most delightfully amazing things EVER! I am so happy with them. The day I got them, I made the Husband try them (he ended up ordering a pair), and then the girl tried them (he ordered her a pair, too), and everyone went nuts over them. The sale was good enough that we paid only slightly over the full price of one pair for three pairs. I love them so much, I can’t even tell you. I wear them when I dance or ride my bike, and everything just disappears. It is heaven! So that is it, for real this time. November will be full and hopefully healthy and happy. No updates to the Bingo card this month. Hopefully, I can cross those last couple off before the year ends!
Loves,
M
Mrs. Collins Makes Stuff 