It seems like I was just here. I posted May yesterday, and here I am posting June. June was another good month. Lots happened and a lot of knitting was finished. I didn’t get to some of the mending projects that I had in mind, but it was okay. I still accomplished a lot. I even read a hard-cover book for the first time in many months. I read The International House of Dereliction by Jacqueline Davies. It is a kids book that I pulled off the shelf while waiting for Feebs at the library. It ended up be an amazing book!
Finished Objects:
Lakeside Beach Wrap by Knitatude. I knit this in recycled cotton yarn from an L.L. Bean sweater. There is a separate post about this.
Charity knitting- three wash clothes and a vanilla hat. I went through my scrap basket and retrieved all of the leftover balls of cotton yarn and used up three of them on the clothes. The hat was started probably a year ago and was left in the basket. The hat took about three hours and the clothes about one hour each.
New cast-ons:
Oaken Shawl
Highlights Tunic & Tee
Works in Progress:
On the go socks
Shatar vest
Vinca hat
Knit house cardigan
Goals for next month:
Read one physical book each month
Budget and savings
Sew the York Pinafore
Move my home workstation and create a space
Knitting was very good this month. I pulled out the yarn that the Father brought me from England and cast on the Oaken Shawl by Tin Can Knits. I promptly remembered how much I hate knitting that shawl, but I know that it going to be gorgeous and worth it. I messed up a row two rows back, so she is currently in a time out but she is like 60% done. I cast on and knit the super cool and cute Lakeside Beach Wrap, using the recycled cotton sweater yarn and I 100% love it. I have a separate post where I wax philosophical about it, so I won’t gush too much here. Let it be said, I am going to love wearing it. I also cast on the Highlights Tunic & Tee pattern, intending to knit the tunic/ dress version. I think I am going to play some serious yarn chicken, but I think it will be worth it. It will be a beautiful dress once it’s done. I did some charity knitting, finally, and used up some more cotton yarn. I have one more ball of cotton waiting, so that will be next on the list of charity knits. I also did a pretty big de-stash of Corynn’s yarn and was able to donate it. That knocked down my Ravelry stash and let me move yarn that I wasn’t interested in out of my house and onto someone who will love it. I didn’t do any sewing, but I think I have the York Pinafore sizing figured out, so will hopefully tackle that in July. I also think I have a plan to upcycle one of the Father’s old dress shirts. I really hope I do. I think he would get a kick out of seeing his shirt come back to life. Extra points if I can finish it by the family bbq in August. Fortunately/ unfortunately I created a hole in the seam of one my t-shirts when cutting out a tag, so I have to break out the serger anyway. Hopefully this will give me a push to sew something.
The first weekend in June ended up being pretty chill. I thought that was a great start to the week. Feebs and I have continued our rock climbing adventures and that has been a lot of fun. That week we got to see our east coast friends and have dinner with them. I really miss having them close. That week was the last week of school and the week was pretty packed. Feebs did great with her end of year stuff. We will really miss Ms. Exner. She made 4th grade manageable and really helped Feebs stay on track. I did not get Betty’s sleeves altered before our camping trip, but the camping trip happened anyway. It wasn’t nearly as cold as it was last year, which was a relief. I also go much smarter and bought new cots for Feebs and I and new sleeping bags. We had our -10 degree mummy bags inside of -10 degree full size sleeping bags. We all slept better this year. I got sun burned like what, but it was my own fault for not wearing sun screen. We all had a good time and the girls enjoyed being together. The O’s and I did decide that we wanted to camp somewhere more inland next year. The Husband isn’t thrilled, but each year someone freezes and that is just exhausting. We left camping and jammed home to get to a niece’s college graduation party. We haven’t seen that side of the family in a long time and it was really good to catch up with everyone. I even got to snuggle a brand new little bean. She was scrumptious! That week was really busy and ended up with my 6-month infusion treatment. That is never a fun day. It hit me really hard this time and made me tired and draggy for the next couple of days. The next day, the Husband went to partake in the grand closet opening at this Dad’s house. There were some funny stories that came from it, and a lot of treasures came home with him. The following day was the ash scattering on the ocean in Pacifica. I did much better than I thought I would, probably because I was trying to distract Feebs. Boats really aren’t my thing. I am a total land-dweller. I didn’t get sick and I think my father in law would have been happy that his family did that for him. While I didn’t get seasick on the boat, I was for three days after. It was crazy. I haven’t had that happen before. It was pretty miserable. My heel pain and sciatica increased to a level that I needed to go to the doctor. Being in your mid-40s totally rocks… I now have to wear shoes at all times, even around the house. It has helped a lot, actually. The sciatica pain comes and goes, and I find that sitting on my couch makes it worse. We had a holiday mid-week and Feebs wanted a sleep over with Nama, which was just fine with us. The Husband and I had a nice dinner out, and got to stay up later than usual, since I didn’t have to do drop off in the morning. The Mother and Feebs have been doing one overnight per week, now that school is out. She is supposed to be teaching her to sew a dress, and I am really excited to see how Feebs likes it. On the Friday I did something new and crazy! I went out with a new friend and we went to a concert. It wasn’t a band that I had heard of, but we had a good time. I was really frazzled all night because 1. the Husband wasn’t with me and I had never been to a show alone, and 2. the Husband convinced me to put my cards on my phone and not take them with me. I therefore forgot my ID and couldn’t pay for anything that didn’t have a tap function. I think I messed up the vibe of the evening, and I am not sure that she will want to go out with me again. That sucks, because she is really cool and we got along even with the 11 year age gap. Oh well, I know that I am not for everyone. That weekend we went to see the Uncle. He took us to Cisero’s and we got to catch up little. He and family will come to dinner in July for chicken marsala, his favorite. That Sunday Feebs got sick. Poor bean was sick all week. She had a low fever and the sniffles. She ended up staying with the Mother all week. I missed her like crazy. It was weird being home without her for that long. I really enjoyed not having to pack a lunch and drop her at the camp each day. I got to stay up late and sleep in. It was a marvelous little break. I was incredibly glad to have her back home, though. That weekend we had a sleepover at the Mother’s house. Feebs and I had a hair appointment early, and then I was finally scheduled for my birthday facial. I got to my facial appointment and nothing. They didn’t have me on the schedule. Icamethisclose to crying right on the spot. I don’t cry, mind you, and I just got mad instead. Oh well, such is life. I am giving the Mother the gift card so she can use it for her next massage appointment. I kind of feel like the universe doesn’t want me to relax right now, so I will just wait till I am in a better place. The last day of the month was the celebration of life for the father in law. It was the usual ball of disorganized chaos that is tied to all of that family’s events, but it still ended up being very nice. I got to meet several of the Husband’s cousins and now I understand where his looks come from. Hilariously, he is the more petite cousin in the group, which I never thought possible. When we got home, we had a talk about some logistics that came up and we have decided that I am going to move my little campout spot in his office into the toy room. He made it clear that he wasn’t evicting me, but that we both agree that office was supposed to be set up for him. I have been craving some space to be etched out for me, so I am all good with it. I may also be acquiring a motorcycle… Standby for more details (July will be interesting).
So, that was it. It was a lot. Some really busy times are coming up, including my first solo trip in many years. LouHoo and family have moved to Montana, and I have a trip booked to go see her the last week of July. I am really excited. Also, Feebs turns 10 in a couple of weeks. I can’t believe my girl will be double digits. June was really good. Some parts were bittersweet, but as always, memories were made. I am in shock that half the year is over. The temperature is cranking up and the days are longer. Summer is well on her way. This month’s adventures are over, now on to the next.
Loves,
M
Mrs. Collins Makes Stuff 