Well, Spring has definitely sprung. The weather is warming, the allergies are blooming, and the world is coming back to life. March was a nice easy month, aside from all of our ailments. I had a goal to start Mend it March, but I feel flat on that. Maybe I will take a shot at All Fixed April, or something. After the amazingness of Finish It February, I felt kind of like a failure in March. There was some making though, and Part 1 of a gift knit was completed right under the wire.
Finished objects:
This is Annie Lupton’s Lace Tee. I have knit this before, and will also be creating a separate post for it because I have notes. This is Part 1 of this project because it will be dyed to the giftee’s specifications.
I have leveled up my old lady game and made glasses chains for my work and home glasses. I could have bought one, but I specifically wanted chain.
This is the only mending project that I remembered to take a picture of. The bracelet belonged to Ms. Sam and she asked her mom to see if I could fix it. I have never worked with stretchy cord before, so we will see if it holds together.
Goals for next month:
Complete more mending projects- including fixing the straps on the black dress
Dye the Lace Tee
Find something fun to cast on
Knit some samples for Knitting My Memories- squares or flat blanket
Look through sweaters- determine if there is anything to donate or rip out
Start thinking about holiday knits- charity, teachers, sale items, etc.
I didn’t do as much knitting as I would have liked, but I did complete the body of the Lace Tee for the Mother. It is so funny, Spring/ Summer knits are so much smaller and lighter than Fall/ Winter knits, but it takes me so much longer to knit them. I think it is due to the plant fiber material mixed with the fact that there is usually a lace pattern involved. Lace is not my favorite to knit, but I love to wear it. Plant fibers are also harder on my hands. I was hoping to be able to dye the tee as well, but I need her to pick out her color, so that will wait till next month. I am on the fence about knitting a Lace Tee for me as well. Lord knows I have enough yarn for it. I think I could knit another 4 tops out of the Cottlin yarn that I bought a million years ago. I am just not sure that the shape of that top is flattering on me, even if I knit it longer. I think it is too boxy. So I am flirting with a couple of other tops that are different shapes. We will see. I am really hankering to knit some socks, but those are for sure causing problems with my wrists and elbows. If I wasn’t such a chicken, I would have my CSM out and be cranking tubes. I bought a ridiculous amount of sock yarn at ReCraft when I was at the Father’s last month. I already owned a ridiculous amount of sock yarn. So now I have an obscene amount of sock yarn for someone who isn’t knitting socks. Pitiful. I may just cast on a pair, but not allow myself to go crazy on them. I can just keep them for purse knitting. I think I may need to set a date for myself to pull out my CSM and give it another try. If it is in my calendar, it will be done. I also really need to stop messing around and cast on some new ideas for my memories blanket. I bought the neutral yarn to hold double with the scraps and just need to get on with it. For fundraiser knits, I am thinking of hats, ear warmers, and coffee sleeves. I am going to let Weathers handle the pricing and selling and then she can apply any money to the festivities. Lord knows I have enough scrap yarn to knit 200 coffee sleeves. I think I will stick with those for the Spring fundraiser and do the warmer stuff for the Halloween sale.
The month of March was a mixed bags. The sciatica has really ramped up and plagued me the entire month. I learned to live with it, but it wasn’t always terribly fun. The first week kicked off my starting physical therapy to try to alleviate it (spoiler alert: that didn’t fix it). I had my one year follow-up with my neurologist and everything is looking really good, and we will continue with the treatment schedule for another year (RIP my sick leave accruals). That weekend Feebs went to an OML STEM workshop, which focuses on girls in STEM fields, and I went to have my first adult lunch with all of my sisters. Feebs had a fantastic time and will definitely sign up to go back next year. We will also look for summer camps and workshops through the year. The sisters and I had a wonderful lunch. It seemed a little tense at first, but it softened as we got comfortable. It is crazy to think that this is the first time we have done this. We scheduled our next lunch for June, and are in talks of doing a weekend away in the summer. Stupid Day Light Saving Time started that weekend too, and that made for a fun week. We voted to end that 3 or 4 years ago, and yet we still have it. Dumb. The next weekend Feebs and I went to Ab’s with the O ladies. It was a good weekend, but we definitely saw room for improvement and have scheduled a trip back up there in May without children. The allergies up there were so bad that they ended up triggering pneumonia. I was down and out for a solid week, just in time for treatment. That week sucked hard. The day after treatment, though, I got to go see the Father in his theatrical debut. My aunt, his sister, rode up with us and it was great to see her. My dad did so good. I was so proud of him for getting up on that stage and memorizing his lines. Memorization has never been his strong suit, but he did great. That following weekend was pretty packed. I had dinner with the Ladies on Friday night and that was really fun. We went to the Father-In-Laws 70th birthday party on Saturday. The Steve and his boy rode up with us. I am worried about him, but he seems to be making his own bed. The party was interesting. It was handled in a way that I found really odd and potentially hurtful. The Husband didn’t notice, though, so I let it go. Not my circus, not my monkeys. On Sunday we tried a new Greek food restaurant. It was rather expensive, but it was so good. If we go back, it will be a date night kind of thing, not a greater we event. And then the month was over!
March was good, but had its challenges. As always, I am so grateful for my support people. The Husband, Feebs, and the Mother are always there when I need them and I am so very happy they are mine. I am grateful for all of the good in my life. There is so much more of it than there is bad. This month brought its challenges, but it brought its blessings too.
Loves,
M
Mrs. Collins Makes Stuff 