Hello, darling. This bit of sewing hardly counts as sewing, but after the sewing draught of 2023, I was too excited not to share it.  I took an old pair of the Husband’s blown-out jeans and sewed a little tile bag for our newly acquired Rummikub game. The Father got Feebs and I hooked on that game, and it really helps to have a larger bag to shake up and draw from. It was nothing grand; I just selected the length of the pant leg with the side pockets. I thought that it would look pretty cute, and I wasn’t disappointed. Technically, this is my first sew in over a year, AND it counts as an upcycle! Hence the reason I had to post about this. I was too excited not to.

 What went right? 

I am really happy with the placement. I originally thought that it would have been a little better if I could have gone up another inch, but then I would have had to cut into the back pocket. Since I am hoping to reuse more of the jeans, I don’t want to waste something as precious as a pocket. Because this was for me, for my family’s use, I wasn’t precious about measuring or being fancy with the inside. I made it big enough by eye and sewed the side seam and the bottom seam with a boxed bottom. I also had to cut out the inseam stitching in order to protect my needle. I forgot that pair had a reinforced knee, and I had to cut out the extra layer of fabric in the front, or I would never have been able to box the bottom. I struggled enough on the outside seam since I couldn’t cut it off without interfering with the pocket (and the pockets were the entire reason I wanted to use that particular section.) I ended up seam-ripping the bottom of the seam and removing the remaining strip of extra layer, then refolded the rest and sewed through it. I sewed little drawstring channels (I even had to hand sew the little bit of outseam that I had to cut to make room for the channels.) I threaded through a random drawstring that I picked up off the floor earlier in the week. It was probably a rogue drawstring from a pair of his shorts that we will go crazy looking for in a couple of weeks. I threaded it through (trying different ways to make it work) and ta-da! She was done.

 What went wrong?

When I say ta-da, what I mean to say is ta-done. Ta-done is Mrs. Collins’s speak for done is better than perfect. The drawstring doesn’t cinch closed. The denim is so thick, and the channel is so bulky that there is a significant gap, no matter how hard you pull the drawstring. This is not the end of the world, and I am not devastated. If I had made it for someone else, I would have had to come up with a different solution. But since it is for me, and I made it significantly deeper than the amount of tiles that will be stored in it, it works just fine. I am able to wrap the drawstring around it to close it off so nothing falls out. 

 Final thoughts?

I am really happy with this little bag. It was really nice to try something new. It felt good to just have an idea and go with it. It is not the best thing I have ever sewn. It is not even the best thing I have ever upcycled. Still, I am proud of myself. I sewed something. I problem solved and figured out how to overcome some challenges. I didn’t need to fudge anything, but I did have to adapt to a couple of things. Oh yeah… and I used the rotary cutter to cut off the inseam, and good lord, those things just aren’t my forte. I end up trimming bits off of the ruler when I use them. I also need to cut about thirteen times in seven different locations in order to cut all the way through one single line of fabric. You can completely forget about straight, clean edges. If I decide to get fancy, I could always line it with thinner fabric and create a new drawstring channel. I can’t imagine doing that, but it is something to think through in the event that the Father wants one, also. If I make another one, I will be sure to make the insides neater and to take better pictures. Oh well. I sewed something! Hooray!!!

Loves,

M

 So long, 2023! I refuse to say that this was a bad year, considering all of the good that it held. I will say that it was an uncomfortable year, instead. There were many growing pains and trials and tribulations that my sweet, naive 2023 goals didn’t prepare for. I found myself saying, “Oh, girl…” several times as I read my posting from the end of 2022. She was not prepared for the year ahead of her, but she adapted as best she could. While I do want to document the past year and all of her highs and lows, I really don’t want to dwell on the negative. What I can say about the lows is that I learned a lot from this year. I am still learning, and I will take those lessons with me into the future.

 Some of the highlights from the year are all of the traveling we did. We went to Hawaii, camping, Santa Cruz, Mendocino, and Europe. I also had a weekend in Chico with LouHoo, and we will start making that an annual tradition, even though we would like to do it more. We had a lot of adventures, and I loved each one. The Mother moved closer to me, and I am thrilled to have her near. My big work project went live and is something that I am proud to say that I was a part of. We celebrated 9 years of life for Feebs, and the Husband and I celebrated 11 years of marriage. I made connections with friends and some family. I will keep trying to connect with my loved ones, even if they don’t always reciprocate. We celebrated 1 year with our kitties, and they have brought so much joy into our lives.  I made new friends, people that I can see being friends for a long time. I made some very big self-realizations, and I acted on them, even when they were painful. I stood up for myself and did uncomfortable things. I made some enemies along the way, but I am learning to not let them affect my mental or physical health and well-being.

 From a making standpoint, I didn’t do great. I didn’t sew a single thing in 2023. It’s not a huge deal, but it was disappointing. I kept dreaming and hyping but never found the courage or the gumption to do it. Knitting happened, but looking at my Ravelry projects, I see that most of the knitting was small items like hats and socks. I didn’t technically meet the 25-item challenge that I set at the beginning of the year, but I really did. If I hadn’t grouped my charity knitting by month and didn’t double up some hat projects, I would have exceeded the goal. Oh well. 

Finished Objects:

Socks: 6 pairs

Hats: 4

Charity: 9

Sweaters: 3

Scarfs: 2

Shawls: 1

Mitts: 1 pair

Tops: 2

 As for my Bingo cards… Ack! I didn’t make it! I was four squares short of completing my Knitting Bingo card. I didn’t check a single square on my Sewing Bingo card. I could technically loophole and check Zippered Project since I did hand sew a zipper into Harris, but that feels a bit like cheating. I was knitting a charity hat up till 2300 on NYE so that I could check one of my remaining 3 Charity Knits boxes (I made it!). I have to say, overall, I had So Much Fun with the Bingo cards. I love setting goals and being able to check them off one by one. I feel like I pushed myself a little bit and had a happy dance when a project allowed me to check more than one box. I have already updated and posted about my 2024 Bingo cards. I can’t wait to get started on them. Two of the unchecked boxes from this year made it onto the new knitting card.

 I struggled more this year with pain, especially in my elbows. I think my body isn’t a big fan of colorwork and left-handed knitting. I also struggled with finding projects that I wanted to knit. I don’t recall the number of frog ponds that I visited this year, but there were many. There was also a lack of time to knit. Life got very busy this year, and I wasn’t able to knit as much as I wanted to. Gone are my days of knitting during Zoom calls. Between taekwondo and my need for regular workouts, the time to knit at the end of the day gets tight. I intend to do better next year. 

 So, it’s short and sweet, but this was the year. I do not go out of 2023 as I intend to go into 2024. I am saying goodbye to this year and taking the precious memories with me. This year was a lot, and I am happy to put it behind me. As a parting gift, I left a sacrifice to the gods of time. The hair that I cut from my head will be given back to the earth. I am going to let it nourish the ground and release the spirits it held back into the atmosphere. It may seem silly, but I think it will give me a sense of peace. So onward and forward into 2024, we go!

Loves,

M

 Hello darling. With a new year on the horizon, I have new goals and a new set of Bingo cards to fill up. Let’s start with everyone’s (read: my) favorite- knitting.

 She isn’t too crazy. I tried to focus more on the things that will use up what I already have. I have the yarn for the charity knits, the deep stash, the old patterns, the old dream knits, and the socks. I already have plans, yarn, and patterns for the two gift knits. This Bingo card is more about enjoying the process and less about challenging myself.

 Sewing Bingo is very conservative and is aimed at things that I already had in my past dream makes. They are things that should be attainable and kind to my psyche. I only listed nine items, unlike the ridiculous twenty-five from last year. I think this is something that I can do. And even if I only complete one, I will celebrate the victory. Let the making begin!

Loves,

M

 December has ended, and the year has come to a close.  December was packed full, and, honestly, it took a long time to complete. There was some making that happened, but it wasn’t incredibly exciting. Sitting down to write my goals for the new year was a bit melancholy and challenging. It will be interesting to sit down and write my review of 2023.

Finished objects:

Self-drafted ribbed hat for the Husband. I knit this using Big Sky worsted in gray. I used the same method as the one for Feebs, just knit bigger.

Tundra hat for Feeb’s teacher. This is a replica of the one I knit for Feebs.

Self-drafted garter and rib scarf for Feebs. I knit this using the PRU yarn from Stephen & Penelope paired with Heathered Farms fingering weight. (I hate knitting scarfs, but that is what my girl asked for, so you know I said yes.)

Three charity knits using scrap yarn. One was the Harvest Crown hat by Jodi Brown, and two used the numbers from it, but were only striped, not slipped.

 Works in Progress:

Unisock

Shatar Vest

Home Camisole

Knitting my memories

 Goals for next month:

Cast on the Zipper Sweater for dad

Find a vest pattern

Look for a button-up jammie pattern

Rip out any unloved projects

Update Ravelry queue

Cast on something delicious

 I didn’t realize how much I knitted this month until I sat down to write this. Holy crap, I finished a lot. I didn’t do an NYE cast-on this year because I was busy finishing a last-minute charity hat. I had five boxes left on my Knitting Bingo card, and I really wanted to check one more off before midnight. I am happy to report that I made it. There will be a separate post about my Bingo cards, so I won’t wax philosophical about it here. I am going to swatch for the Father’s sweater before I see him this week. Then, I am going to measure him so that I can be 100% sure that this sweater fits him. It really breaks my heart that I put all of that work (and pain) into Harris, and it didn’t fit him. I really want to knit him something that he will be happy with. I didn’t even bother trying to figure out sewing this month. I knew it wasn’t going to happen, so I didn’t stress myself out. I am working out how to change that in the new year.

 The month was really full. We started off just getting back from our trip, which was its own chaos. I had to hustle at the end of November to get Feebs’s advent calendar done and hung up by the 1st. The first weekend in December was fairly chill and mostly centered around Feebs getting her homework caught up. The following week was my infusion appointment, which was just as fun as always. They let the Mother come in and stay with me, and that surprised us both. It wasn’t terribly entertaining, but I think it made her feel better to be there. That weekend was pretty low-key. The following weekend was supposed to be spent with the FH crew for parent’s night out, then Saturday with Sister #2, and then with Mr. N on Sunday. Only the Parent’s night out ended up happening. Sister #2 and Mr. N got sick, so we had to reschedule. A strange coincidence happened, though. The Husband didn’t get the invitation to his uncle’s Christmas party until two days before, but with Sister #2 cancelling, we were able to go. We haven’t seen that side of the family since before Covid, so that was a really nice catchup. The following weekend was full of action and adventure. I did the big chop and cut fourteen inches of hair. I went from lower back length to chin length. I can’t say that I love my new haircut, but I did love symbolically cutting off the last three years. The years were incredibly challenging and often painful. It was so cathartic to cut them off. I am currently on the fence about whether I will donate the ponytail or I will have a cleansing ceremony and burn it. I hate to waste hair that someone could use, but I am honestly leaning towards burning it. No one needs that kind of energy when they are already struggling with their own issues. So that will be TBD. Feebs also cut her hair into a darling little bob. We did that in the morning, and then we went to the family Christmas party at the Brother’s house. I haven’t been to one since before Covid. It felt a little uncomfortable at first, but I eased up as the evening progressed. Sister #1 and I cleared up some issues that we had surrounding the Mother’s accident in September, and I realized that I owed her a big apology and explanation. I think everything is worked out now (I really hope it is). I got to spend time with the cousins and sibs. Feebs got to play with the little cousins. It is always so great to see everyone and see how all of the kids are becoming adults. It is very bittersweet. The Husband was sick and didn’t come, so I drove Feebs and the Mother up. We ended up leaving early since my social battery was starting to drain. But all in all, it was a great night. The next day was all about recovery and preparation for Christmas Day. Since the Husband was sick that negated us from seeing his family. We had a Zoom call with his dad’s family and had a raincheck with this mom’s side. The Mother came over on Christmas and had takeout dinner and chill time with us. It was a very relaxing day. Feebs got to play with her new things and liked not having to get out of her jams all day. I had to go to work the next day and be there all week. Work was quiet, which was very nice. Friday night we got the house ready for the O’s to spend the weekend and New Year’s Eve with us. They arrived Saturday afternoon. We agreed that we would only get gifts for the kids. I respected that and instead bought us all matching red onesies with hoods as a New Year’s Eve gift. It was absolutely epic, and everyone loved them. The girls got kitty print matching onesies. The rest of Saturday we spent lounging around in our jams, and the Husband made his famous lasanga. It was delicious. We made sure the girls were in bed at a decent hour and we didn’t make it horribly late either before J and I were starting to fade. Sunday morning, we lounged around and relaxed. We went for a walk and had snack lunch. We got gussied up in the afternoon to go to Fleming’s for dinner. It was, of course, amazing. We even remembered to take pictures this year, which was a nice surprise. We made it all the way to midnight and the new year. We clinked glasses and gave kisses and said farewell to the old year.

 This month held a lot of change in it, and I am really glad that I made the choices that I did. I have posted my 2024 goals and am looking forward to what the year brings. I look forward to the making and the plans and the changes that are ahead. We survived the holidays and don’t have to think about them for another 10 months. I have yet to put the Christmas stuff away, but it is on my short list of things to get done this week. Now the Winter Solstice has passed and the days will start to lengthen. I am cautiously excited for the new year, and Spring will be just around the corner.

Loves,

M 

 2023 both flew by and took forever.  I didn’t think I was overly ambitious with my goals from last year, but I didn’t meet several of them.  This year hurt my heart and I think negatively affected my overall health.  My word from last year was “Connections.” I wanted to connect with people, with my goals, with my own headspace.  I felt ready to connect with the me that I would become in 2023.  I think for 2024 I am going to be hopeful, but not set out to blaze trails.  My word of the year is “Acceptance.”  I want to accept the things that I can’t change.  I want to make changes in my life that will allow me to process things in a healthy and effective way.  Through acceptance, I hope to decrease my anxiety and let go of the things that are out of my control.  I want to embrace change and allow the small struggles to pass by without fixating on them.  Mostly, I want to accept happiness and wellness.  I want them to be part of my daily life.

My Goals:

Knitting- I love to knit.  It is my favorite sport and my best kind of therapy.  2023 saw a lot of false starts and frog ponds.  In 2024, I want to work on things that really bring me joy.  I want to work with lush and soothing fibers.  I want to use my time to work on things that I enjoy knitting.  I want to critically assess everything that I have on my needles and in my Ravelry queue and remove or rip out the things that I am no longer drawn to.  I already have two gift knits in the planning stages.  I want to knit a new sweater for the Father, and a top for the Mother.  Harris ended up being a huge failure, as it was at least three sizes too big for the Father.  It looks ridiculous on him, and as much as he tries to be happy with it, I know that it makes him uncomfortable to wear it.  That was a huge knock to my confidence in selecting sizes.  I have no idea what I will do with that sweater now.  I can’t see the husband wearing it, even though it will probably fit him.  I am considering removing the hand-sewn zipper and trying to felt it.  Time will tell if I actually get the nerve to do it.  If I don’t, I may just rip the whole thing out and reuse the yarn.  Aside from that, I think the rest of the projects will be warm, cushy, and delicious.  I am currently saving up to buy a 3D-printed circular sock machine.  I love hand-knit socks more than anything, but my wrists don’t really enjoy knitting them.  When I think of all the projects that I want to save my body for, socks just don’t top the list.  I figure that if I can be successful at cranking tubes, I can still have hand-knit socks with less wear and tear on me.  I have saved about half of the money needed to buy it.  It isn’t quite as expensive as a good quality metal one (around $3000), but it is still around $700.  The company is Dean & Bean.  I am hopeful that it will be user-friendly and durable.

Patterns that I want to knit:

The Zipper Sweater by Petite Knits- this is the sweater for the Father

Hikari by Yamagara- this is the summer top for the Mother

The Levee shawl- to replace the one that I gifted to Sister #3

The Snuggle is Real cowl

Flax sweater for me using one of the mohair sweater quantities

Shatar vest- Finish this!  I really want to wear it

A cabled sweater vest- pattern to be determined

Sewing- I tried to hype myself up all last year.  Each month, I would post a sewing goal, and each month, I failed to achieve it.  I got myself so anxious about sewing that I ended up not sewing anything the entire year.  I don’t know why I have been so adamantly opposed to sewing, but I intend to change that in 2024.  I think I will try to get away from setting goals and fixating on them.  I will let myself find something to make and then just make it.  I am trying to figure out if it was fear of messing up, or if it was just not wanting to push myself to learn something new.  I ended up trashing the white denim skirt, and I honestly don’t regret it.  I took one look at those darts and went blank.  I cut out the fabric for Feebs’s dress, I thread marked everything, and got all set to sew.  Then it sat there for months.  The more I look at the fabric, the less I think that she will like this dress.  I also waited so long that it may not even fit her when it is finished.  I don’t want to get rid of it, but I don’t want to work on it.  The best thing for me to do may be to just sew the dress, with no concern about the finished project.  I can give it to the Cousin’s spawn, or it can go in the donate bin.  I can learn new techniques and maybe get over myself a little bit.  I also have a fantasy of using one of the nice cotton sheets to create an old man button-up jammie set.  Maybe even a matching robe to go with it.  I don’t want to dream of anything big, and I don’t want to keep hyping it up.  I have the material, I have the machines, I just need to find the want to.

Health and wellness- there is a good chance that I am struggling with a touch of depression right now.  I have not been exercising, I have not been eating well.  I have been sleeping like garbage and have been able to hear my blood pumping through my veins on occasion.  I have also been losing interest in things and living with an overall sense of dread.  This is not good.  I know this is not good.  In the new year, I want to get back to moving my body.  I generally let my eating habits slide a bit in December, so I am not mad at myself for doing so this year.  But the lack of movement is another story.  My body and brain need exercise.  I need my heart rate to increase and my muscles to stretch.  I need to work myself out so that I can lie down at night and let my mind relax.  I am working on this.  I am working on getting myself into the correct mindset to get moving again.  It has been since the week before we went to Amsterdam that I stopped exercising regularly.  I need to start up again.  My at-home exercise options are pretty great.  I can walk, ride my bike (street or garage), roller skate, dance, or do yoga.  I can do mindfulness or meditation exercises.  I need to once again embrace the feeling of calm that comes over me after a good workout.  I need to work on my energy levels and on letting go of the things that I can’t control.  I need to be more mindful.  Acceptance is the key to keeping myself whole.  I will accept that I can let go of all of the petty crap and small struggles.  I will be more present for my family and friends and myself.  I will stop building my own roadblocks. 2024 and I need to come to an agreement that in spite of the fact that I am Empress Magnificent, Ruler of the Universe, I only have control of myself and my actions. I am getting back into therapy, I am getting Feebs the support that she needs, and I am encouraging everyone around me to seek out the help they need. 

Things I’d like to accomplish in 2024-

Create and stick with a goal-oriented budget, including putting more money in savings

Buy the Husband a new truck this year or early 2025

Purchase a circular sock machine and use it to work through the sock yarn bag stash

Do something with the front and back yard

Save for big purchases (wants) to pay for them in cash

Make the Husband’s big 50th amazing

 I hope that is simple enough. I hope my goals are gentle and not too weighty. I hope that I can be kind to myself and allow me to make effective changes. That my acceptance can be a positive thing and not get twisted into a rut. I will continue to dream, and I will continue to plan, and I will meet all of the goals that I am able to. I will go into 2024 quietly and without force. We will get used to each other, and we will figure each other out as we go. Welcome, 2024. Let’s start our new adventure.

Loves,

M

 Hello, darling. We are home from Europe, and oh, it was lovely. If memory serves me, it was in September that The Husband and I started discussing Thanksgiving and our plan. He didn’t want to be home for that particular holiday, so I said okay, let’s go somewhere. I suggested we go somewhere that it snows, like Colorado or Washington. He started looking for deals and said, “Hey, there’s a great flight deal to Amsterdam.” I don’t know what prompted me to agree to another huge trip since we went to Hawaii in April, but I did. So we had about two-ish months to get ready to leave. Fortunately, we already had passports ready from the failed Vietnam trip. 

 So, planning began. We decided to each take one full-size suitcase and pack only the necessities. I packed three full outfits, extra undergarments, a bathing suit, jammies, walking shoes, and (not enough) cold-weather gear. I wore a long-sleeve shirt, long wool skirt, fringed shawl, high boots, and waterproof overcoat as my travel gear. I packed very similarly for Feebs. The husband packed his stuff into a small suitcase we had and nested that in the full-size one. We had a list of things to buy people, so we ensured that we all had room to bring home souvenirs. We each checked the large bag and carried a backpack with travel snacks and stuff to do on the flight.  I feel that Feebs and I were a little too optimistic about how many things we needed in our backpacks. Those things were super heavy. We ordered what we thought we needed for the trip, and several of the things we ordered were returned. I ordered RFI-blocking neck wallets for each of us for passports, credit cards, and cash. Feebs had one too for her spending money and a laminated card with her name and that she was a U.S. citizen and our names and contact information. We did this so that if, by some terrifying chance, she was separated from us, she could give her info to someone who could contact us or take her to the police or embassy. I felt better having our neck wallets, but The Husband didn’t. He hated it and swears he will never use it again…

 Travel day arrived, and we had to get up at 0230 so that we could leave for the airport at 0300. We all bathed and set our stuff out the night before so we would have minimal fussing to do in the morning. We had Feebs wear her travel clothes to bed so she could wake up and go directly to the car. The husband packed up our bags, and we gave the kitties some loves, and headed to the airport. (Side note: we had The Mother come to feed and hang out with the girls on the day we left, then hired someone to come in each day to feed, clean, and play with them. The ladies also came by most days to hang out with the girls and play with them.) We prepaid for offsite parking with a shuttle to the gate at SFO. It went very easy, and we got through ticketing and security with very little fanfare. We walked around the airport and found some breakfast. We didn’t have to wait long for our first stretch of the flight to Detroit, where we changed planes. We were only there for about 2 hours. I was fine with the stop. It gave us time to go to the bathroom, get something to eat, and stretch our legs. Then we boarded the plane to Amsterdam. We left Detroit around 1600 on Sunday and landed in Amsterdam at 0600 on Monday. Feebs and The Husband slept for a couple of hours on the flight, but I can’t sleep in airplanes, so that was fun. We finally cleared customs, got our rental car, and then were on our way. What we didn’t consider is that when we got to the hotel (dirty, exhausted, and wrung out from a long day of travel), we couldn’t check into our hotel till 1500. We parked the car and went in to ask about early check-in. We were told that they were booked and the soonest would be around 1100. Feebs was deliriously tired, and The Husband and I were trashed. We tried to doze off in the car, but, and I have no earthly idea why, the front seats would NOT recline. That eliminated sleep for me. I ended up pushing the seat back and sitting on the floor with my head on the seat. 

 Day 1- Amsterdam, Netherlands: Technically, day one started with a full day of travel, but the day got better once we got our room around 1030. We freshened up and became human, then went looking for breakfast. We walked around one of the main streets until we found a little pub that served food. We quickly realized that we didn’t have Euros, and that made buying anything from the many street vendors impossible. I had apple pie and a cappuccino for breakfast. Feebs had Dutch pancakes and hot chocolate. The Husband had a full English breakfast. We walked around and were charmed by the canals, houseboats, and bicycles. The traditional Dutch row houses were gorgeous, and the landscape, though modernized, still oozed European history (at least to my uncultured mind.) Since we were so tired from our travel, we didn’t venture out too terribly far. We mapped out our plans for the next day and found a delightful restaurant that allowed us to watch the local workday rush hour. I was completely delighted by the family-style bicycles that either had front and back seats or a full bench seat on the front of them. Some had windscreens, and some were fully enclosed by a detachable plastic sheet. Cars were definitely not the main mode of transportation in that city. We ended the day very early and were lights out by 2030. 

Day 2- Amsterdam, Netherlands: I slept 12 hours… Holy crap, I don’t know if I have ever slept that many consecutive hours before. We were all groggy, but we started the day off in good spirits. We had a delightful breakfast in the hotel restaurant (shout out to the fresh-baked baguettes and “old cheese,”. They were amazing.) We launched via car and headed to find a currency exchange. We did NOT find one. Well, we did, but it was closed with no signs of ever opening again. We decided to keep our eyes out for one, and headed to the NEMO Museum. We were NOT prepared for driving in heavy foot/ bike traffic, nor the excessive cost of parking. 3 hours cost $42.50 to park. We got to the NEMO, and Feebs lived her best science life. This place has 5 floors of interactive, hands-on scientific activities. She was in heaven. The germophobic American in me cringed at seeing her touch the stuff that 1500 kids had touched that day, but I got over it. The Husband enjoyed himself, too, and they went around and tried all of the fun stuff. We spent several hours there and only left when we realized that we were starving. We made the very long walk from the NEMO to the heart of downtown. We went to a pub that was on The Husband’s “must eat/ drink here” list. We ordered escargot, fondue, a salad, and Feebs ordered pizza. Mind you, she laid her head in my lap and promptly fell asleep before the food got there. She stayed asleep through lunch. The Husband got to try one of the beers that he was so excited to try. After that, we headed to Stephen & Penelope. I had high hopes for that shop, but she didn’t make a great first impression. The shop was smaller than I thought it would be but was delightfully charming. I knew we were planning to do more shopping when we came back on the weekend, so I didn’t want to buy very much. I realized that while I packed Feebs a hat and her ear warmer headband, I didn’t pack myself a hat. I decided to buy yarn and needles and have the shop wind it so that I could have a hat, too. The person who wound the yarn and rang up my purchase was nice enough, but the rest of the staff was very snooty. I felt a bit of elitism, that didn’t sit well with me. By the time I left the store, I felt like I could skip going back when we returned and would just seek out yarn shops at our other stops. We then headed to the mecha that is Tony’s Chocoloney. Again, a tiny shop, but packed full of chocolatey goodness. We may or may not have walked away with 12+ chocolate bars. We continued to eat good food and drink good drinks. Feebs and I are now big fans of fresh mint tea. When we got back to the room, I cast on my hat. I was planning to cast on the Everglade hat, and I started the ribbed band. I decided that I couldn’t be bothered to follow a pattern, so I went rogue and decided to wing it. I made a plan to figure out the decrease maths when I got to them. We were very tired, so we brushed and jammed and relaxed. Again, it was a very early night for all of us.

Day 3- Brussels, Belgium: We got up the next morning and had a repeat hotel breakfast. We packed up the room and loaded the car. For the third time, we went in search of a money exchange place. We drove over hill and dale looking for a place, we got there, and they tell us they only handle money transfers, not cash exchanges. On our walk back to the car, however, we walked by the cutest little yarn shop, Yarn Hugs. Of course, we had to go in and investigate. I may have walked away with some Katia DK weight gloriousness and double-pointed needles in order to decrease the crown of my hat. We had to head back downtown to finally find the open cash exchange. Eureka, we finally got Euros (at the cost of $12 per $100, yikes!) We then loaded up and said goodbye for now to Amsterdam. We got on the highway and headed to our second destination, Brussels, Belgium. The drive was very smooth and scenic. Traffic (if you can call it that) was light and moved at a decent pace. Bless him, the Husband did all of the driving. This is unfair because we both got the international driving permits, and I was an authorized driver of the car, but if it had been up to me to transport us, we may still be stuck at an intersection in Amsterdam. I am NOT built for that level of aggressive driving. When we got to Brussels, we went straight to the Bed & Breakfast where we were staying. I have never stayed at a B&B and have always worried that I would feel like an intruder in someone’s home. I hate to say it, but that was exactly how I felt. The home was gorgeous and the homeowner was charming. The room was very oddly situated. Well, not our room, but the room for Feebs and the bathroom. They were up the most narrow stair case to the converted eaves room. I honestly had no idea how The Husband would get up the stairs, and felt there wasn’t much chance of him being able to take a shower comfortably. Feebs thought it was the best room she had seen in her life. We headed to the local yarnshop, Aetelier Moondust. It was so pretty, and beautifully situated, but didn’t have a huge amount of inventory. I did manage to get some Knitting for Olive, which was on my list of allowable yarn to purchase. We were starting to get hungry, and didn’t realize that Brussels was on European dining time. We are very early dinner eaters, and restaurants don’t open there till around 1900. That forced us to do some Google searching to see where we could go that was open for business. We found the downtown area, through streets that were NOT designed for 21st century vehicles, and walked around till we were coerced into a restaurant by the owner who waited outside to pull people in to eat. It wasn’t the place The Husband had earmarked to go, but we were lost, Google didn’t enjoy the spotty signal found in 16th century villages, and the shop-owner was very convincing. We went in and ordered escargot, Feebs and I both ordered a pot of mussels (big mistake, as they were enormous and one pot would have fed the three of us), and the husband order a traditional Belgum meal. The food was heaven. Feebs tried the escargot, since she fell asleep the last we had order it. She wasn’t a fan, but I was proud of her for trying them. She is a huge fan of mussels now. When we were finished, we walked around more. Feebs got a Belgium waffle, covered in chocolate. We picked up some souveniers, then headed back to the B & B. Another early night was had.

Day 4- Dusseldorf, Germany: The next morning, I was up before the sun, as per usual. I took my knitting and headed down to the sitting room. It felt very odd and sneaky to be in that room by myself. I wasn’t quite comfortable being in there, but I didn’t want to disturb the late sleepers that I travel with. Once they were up, we headed down to the dining room for a delicious French breakfast. There were two other couples at the table with us. One couple was staying at the B&B the other couple was their guest who lived locally. They were very nice, but the conversation was very political, so I stayed quiet. My overall review of Brussels was that while it was beautiful and charming, we probably could have skipped it. We loved the food, but the main attraction of the area that we went to was luxury shopping. We are not luxury shopping people. After breakfast, we got in the car and headed to Germany.  It was another two-ish hour drive from Brussels to Dusseldorf. Traffic wasn’t bad, even when we got off of the highway. Our hotel was situated in an industrial area, and very few people spoke English. I pulled up the information about the Christmas market and read that it is oddly situated and parking would be a challenge. The Husband and I decided that this would be an ideal time to utilize the famous European public transportation system. We walked to the nearby train station. Darling, we stood there for a solid 25 minutes trying to figure out the app in order to purchase tickets. There was an option to translate to English, but each time you went to the next page, it converted back to German. I believe that both the Husband and I are intelligent people, but we could NOT figure how how to buy train tickets. We were mindboggled. Finally, I made the executive decision that while we are traveling abroad we would utilize one of the car apps (I believe we used Uber). The Husband wasn’t thrilled, but there was no way we were going to keep swimming upstream when we could make it easier on ourselves. He relented and away we went. Downtown Dusseldorf is very busy and packed full of people. We found a Lego shop where Feebs was able to create her own personalized Lego girl. We located the Christmas market, and I am sad to say, I was so disappointed. Apparently, the market usually goes down six different lanes and has tons of vendors. This year there was construction in the are and only three lanes were open. The market was small, and the vendors were all pretty similar. It was nice to walk around, but there wan’t much to see. We found a local restaurant where the Husband got some schnitzel and I got some struedel. The service was very slow (very short staffed), but friendly and funny. We Ubered back to the hotel and got ready for bed. I had made the Germany stop all about the Christmas market, so I would like to take a trip specifically to Germany at some point. I think it is a beautiful country, and is part of my heratige. 

Day 5- Amsterdam, Netherlands: We got up that morning and packed up the room. We went down and had breakfast at the hotel. I wasn’t sure what to expect for German breakfast, but it was very egg-heavy. I didn’t each much, and neither did Feebs. We were going to leave Germany, but we hadn’t realized that the drinking water there was not the best. We needed to find a market to buy bottled water. We found a large shopping area that had a grocery store AND a toy store. This place was what Toys R Us used to be. Feebs was thrilled! We got our water and some snacks and toys and got back on the road. I didn’t seek out a yarn shop while we were in Germany, but I have no regrets. Another two-hour drive brought us back to Amsterdam. We stayed at the Westcord Fashion Hotel, which was pretty freaking amazing. It had a gorgeous basement-level swimming pool and sauna rooms with a full spa. The room was really beautiful. Once we were settled, we ventured out on foot toward downtown. We ended up at the same pub restaurant that we had on the second day of the trip. The Husband was delighted to have his fancy beer again. Feebs was awake for this meal, which was a nice change. We walked around, and Feebs got to have a freshly made stroopwafel. She was in heaven. As we were wandering around, we ended up back at Stephen & Penelope. My yarn purchases had been pretty minimal, and I knew they had a wall of Holts Garn at the back of the store, so I decided to give her another chance. When you walk into the store, there is a full sized cardboard cutout of Stephen West from one of his book covers. I walked through the store toward the Holts Garn wall and look to my left and Stephen West, himself, is standing there. It was a bit disorienting. I think I squeaked “Oh!”. I only slightly fan-girled him. Darling, it was everything I could do to not ask him for a picture, but is seemed very creepy to ask. We talked about A Verb for Keeping Warm, and he mentioned that he loved that shop. He was absolutely charming. I bought my sweater quantity of black Holts Garn, and Feebs picked out a shocking hot pink skein of PRU fingering weight (that she asked me to knit a scarf with). I was very happy that I went back into the shop it completely changed my perception. When we got back to the hotel, we took Feebs swimming. I am 97% sure we interrupted a young couple’s aquatic frolic, so that was charming. We started to get our suitcases organized, then headed to bed.

Day 6- Amsterdam, Netherlands: I would like to say that we woke up in the morning, and started our day. We did not. The Husband and Feebs slept until 1130. The time change and the constant on-the-go caught up with them, and they both slept like the dead. This wasn’t a bad thing, but as usual, I woke up at 0600 and had to lay there for 5.5 hours. It also meant that I was starving by the time they got up. We got up and headed out on foot. We walked to Vondel Park and had lunch at the Vondel Park cafe. I was unaware but completely delighted that rum hot chocolate was a thing. We walked through the park, and I picked out several houses to buy on the perimeter. The Husband rudely declined. We saw the Picaso statue in the park as well. After we left the park, we walked the grounds of the MOCO museum. We had hoped to tour the Van Gogh museum too, but it had already sold out for the day. We took the Husband to a pub that had been standing since 1695. I hope that I can say that he got to eat and drink most of what was on his list. We had an amazing fish dinner at a random restaurant that we passed and more fresh mint tea. We took an Uber back to the hotel since we had done a significant amount of walking that day. Once again, we went swimming. Once again, we interrupted a young couple in the midst of something risque. When we got back to the room, Feebs took a swim in the bathtub, and the Husband went in search of an area where he could have a drink and a cigar. Unfortunately, there was no such place at the hotel. That night we all bathed and got our travel stuff out. We packed our bags, and the Husband removed the extra suitcase to pack up all our goodies. We were ready to face the next day’s travel.

Day 7- Heading home: We woke up at 0600 and got ready to head to the airport. We packed the very last of our things and put on our traveling clothes. The streets were very empty, and we had to stop and fill up the car with petrol. Once we got to the airport, it was very easy to collect our things and turn over the keys. Our little car made us proud on our trek through three countries. We got our boarding passes with minimal fuss, but the Husband insisted on bringing his Mad Max backpack, so it took a month of Sundays to get through security. When we finally got to the gate, the Husband went in search of food for us. He was an angel and found me a toffee nut latte. I am still very hurt that they still make those in Europe, but not the U.S. It was my favorite seasonal drink at Starbucks. We got a row of seats that had no seats in front of them, so there was a lot of legroom. This was a good thing on an eleven-hour flight. There was nothing overly exciting about the flight, other than none of us slept the entire time. We got to SFO and went through the incredibly long customs process. We took the shuttle back to our car and headed home. Some high lights of the evening were when Feebs was so tired and delirious at 1730 that not only did she cry because her face was wet (tears), but then she proclaimed, “Enough of this Tom Foolery, I want to go night-night!”

 Lessons learned (in no particular order): 

• Find out what time your flight lands and decide if it is worth paying for an extra night at the hotel so that you can check in when you arrive at your destination. It may be worth it if you are landing really early so you can get some rest before you start your day.

• Don’t be cheap: order e-cards or data plans for everyone who will need access to the internet. We only got one for The Husband’s phone, and not only did that leave me with no internet, unless we were on wi-fi, but it made him responsible for all mapping, communication, and internet searches. This also made me feel unable to travel around by myself. I felt very insecure even taking walks by myself (my internal compass is either broken or was never issued to me) because I was afraid I would get lost and have no way to contact him or navigate myself back.

• Order the currency that you will need before you leave for your trip. Finding a place to exchange currency took a large chunk of time over two days and was expensive. Also, use up all coin money before leaving the country that you are traveling to. Wells Fargo will only accept bills to exchange.

• Don’t pack so much in a travel backpack. You have a lot of walking and standing in line to do. Even if it is a long trip, you won’t need to be occupied every minute of the flight.

• Be very realistic about what activities you will do when you are traveling. The Husband went out of his way to book hotels that had gyms, and I never stepped foot in them. We did a lot of walking and packed the days so full that there was no way I would have the time or energy to do an additional workout at the end of the day. 

• If you intend to use public transportation while traveling, do the research before you leave. Find out what the ticketing system is like. Do you have to use an app? Can you book/ pay for them on the day, or do you need to book in advance? Do you need to have an app for a car service (Uber, Lyft, etc.)? If so, have the app on your phone(s) and the account set up before you leave.

• When you get to the country and have a better idea of your itinerary, figure out any attractions that you want to see and figure out when you are going to go. Purchase tickets in advance so you don’t miss out on seeing them.

• Packing light and bringing an extra bag is always a good idea. Weigh your luggage and bring the luggage scale on the trip to avoid excess luggage fees.

 This trip was amazing, and I don’t regret anything. I do feel that we packed too much into too small a time, though. I think the next time we take a week-long trip, especially to another state or country, we will spend more time in the place we are actually going. I would have liked to see other parts of the Netherlands and not just Amsterdam. I also think Feebs would have liked it better if we could have had more downtime and not so much on the go. We have started to think of places that we want to go in 2025, and so far, Spain, Portugal, and England are topping the list for Feebs and I. We won’t be taking any big trips in 2024, so we have plenty of time to figure it out.

Loves,

M

 Ah, November… Girl, you were fire. You burned hot, and you burned fast. It is crazy how much was packed into that month. Was there a large amount of making completed? Absolutely not. Did I blaze trails with cast-ons and check off more Bingo Card boxes? No, ma’am. I completed exactly one thing, and it was a small thing. The year is almost over, and I have several knitting boxes left to check, and not a single sewing box was checked at all. But honestly, I don’t care. November was good.

Finished Objects:

Self-designed ribbed hat. I knit this using Life in the Long Tall Grass in the colorway Truffel. This was a quick pickup (I even had to have the yarn wound) at Stephen & Penelope. It was supposed to be knit for me, but I knit it too short to fold back, so it has become day #25 in Feebs’s advent calendar.

New Cast-ons:

Vanilla uni-sock

Works in Progress:

Shatar Vest

Knit House Cardigan

Home camisole

Goals for next month:

Expand sizing on ribbed hat

Set goals for 2024

Review goals from 2023

Sew one thing before the year ends

Survive the holidays

I can’t say why I was so off this month. I started the uni-sock (which is a cast on toe, knit to the end of a bound off toes, then cut in half then add heals and cuffs.) I got the idea to do this to use up the whole ball of yarn and not have to fuss with splitting the yarn in half and measuring. I also worked on the Home Camisole but kind of stalled out when I realized it was too big for me. I need to get back to it. I think I may finish it and see who it fits. This is the second Cadrie top I have knit that is too big for me. I would love to blame the designer, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it was a user error both times. I got word that I wouldn’t be allowed to knit on the flight, so I prepared for the worst. I did pack the sneaky sock, but I also didn’t have much elbow room on the way there, so I got almost nothing done. Once we got there, I realized it was really cold, and I didn’t bring a hat. That prompted me to pick up a skein of yarn and draft a pattern. Naturally, it was too short once it was done, and I still didn’t get to wear it. I can’t seem to fall in love with anything I am making lately, so I will just have to keep casting on till I do. Knitting the V-neck Boxy did nothing to spark joy, and while I am glad I have the sweater, I vow to never knit it again. I have decided to frog the Slippy V shawl and the Blue Ridge Cowl. I can’t get any traction on the Knit House Cardigan, but that is because I don’t love the yarn. I love the idea of knitting with Paton Worsted yarn, but I never really love the end product. I used it to knit an Andi Satterlund pattern, and it is scratchy and sheds red flecks every time I wear it. I have a feeling it will be the same with the black yarn. In fact, I snagged a ball to knit a hat for the husband, and it shed to the point that I ripped it out and bought a different yarn (side note: Busy Stix in Lafayette is charming). So, my new goal is to find something that makes me excited about knitting again. I also have one month left to sew something before the entire year is a wash. I am not exactly disappointed with myself. I just haven’t been able to get over my fear of starting something new. I will get there in good time. I will get myself to the point where I need to be to find joy in sewing again. I will find something that I really want to make and be motivated to do it. I may even start with my mending pile and see if that sparks an urge to create.

 The month of November was very full. It started with an incredible trip up to Red Bluff to see A & A. She had an art show, and we had the privilege of attending. I bought a really beautiful graphic print for Lou Hoo’s birthday and a gorgeous colored pencil drawing of primrose that I think will be my next tattoo. The O’s were supposed to go, but the male of the group got covid, and they had to cancel. We had such a nice time with A & A, though. We were introduced to the coolest meta shop, The Broom Closet, and many treasures were purchased. The weekend after that was Veteran’s Day weekend. The holiday allowed me to spend that Friday with Sister #3 in our hometown. That was such a lovely day. Note to self: the Napa Goodwill and church charity shops are fantastic! At lunch, we ran into our favorite high school teacher. This man was instrumental in my actually graduating from high school. He is an absolute darling, and I am so glad we reconnected. We will get together in December. Saturday was a day for running errands and getting ready for our big trip. We had Friendsgiving dinner with the trick-or-treat crew on Sunday at the McC’s house. We had so much fun. The kids all played together, and the parents got to talk. It was a very relaxing time. That week was all about wrapping up work and getting set to be gone over Thanksgiving. Our trip was delightful (there is a separate post for the trip). We learned lessons and made memories and can’t wait to expand our world more. The week after the trip was very exhausted and a bit blurry. The things I would normally do right after Thanksgiving were postponed till after we got back. Things like putting together Feebs’s advent calendar, putting up decorations, and getting our Christmas cards ordered and sent out the door all had to be squeezed into the 4 short days between November and December 1. Feebs’s calendar starts on December 1, so there wasn’t much time to lose. I definitely felt like I was scrambling. We/ I have decided that we are setting some financial goals for 2024, so no big travel will happen. We’ll count one of the two that we did this year as a credit toward next year. Hopefully, we will get to go on another trip in 2025.

 So, I think that concludes November without getting into some of the topics that will have their own posts shortly (Amsterdam, goals for next year, etc.). I will continue looking for a knitting project that makes my soul smile. I will keep looking for the courage to just sew something. I will continue juggling the very many parts of my life that I am terrified will drop if I slow down or relax. Basically, I will just be me and keep on trucking. I am going into this new year with an uncomfortable yet appropriate word of the year and a whole new set of goals. I am going to make this next month a good one and see 2023 out with a smile and a sigh of relief. So, come on, December, I am ready for what you have to throw at me.

Loves,

M

I finally finished the V-neck Boxy. I used delightful fingering weight yarn from Royal Bee Yarn Co. in a soft-ish 100% wool. It took a little over a month to knit, and holy crap, it was A Lot of knitting. The construction wasn’t too terribly fiddly. The shoulder pattern was a nice detail. Short rows are not my favorite, but I like the end result of the padded shoulder effect. I was well aware that I may not have enough yarn to complete the sweater since it seems to be three miles wide. I decided to play it safe and knit the first ball, then knit the neckband and sleeves. Once they were done, I was free to use every inch of the remaining yarn. I am not a cropped-top kind of girl. With former childbearing and a newfound love of Hostess Powdered Donets, I am definitely not a cropped-top aficionado. Since the top is basically a rectangle, the sides hang down lower than the front or back hems. I really like the effect, but I would still have liked it a titch longer. Well, I played yarn chicken, and I lost. I was supposed to knit the body to 16 inches long from the underarms, then begin eight rows of 1×1 rib. I got to about 15.5 inches and realized I wasn’t going to make it. I tried to decide on a hem (ripping out the hem four times, at 329 stitches each, minimum). I finally decided to say “screw it” and knit the whole thing in stockinette and did a folded hem sewn down. It curled up like what. I washed and blocked her, stretching her within an inch of her life. I wanted 1. for the body to be as long as possible and 2. for the hem to lay flat instead of curling up. I don’t know if I mentioned my absolute love and devotion to my blocking wires. I don’t know why I took so long to buy some, and now I love them. Prior to blocking it, I tried it on, and it looked terrible. The fabric was stiff, had no flowiness, and the sweater was too short. As we all know, blocking is magical wizardry, and it did, in fact, work out the bugs. The sweater is still too short if I am 100% honest with myself. I wore it today, in fact, and while it was perfectly nice, I felt like I had to suck my stomach in all day.

What went right? I love the color and (post-blocking) fabric. It has structure, but it has a nice drape to it, too. The sweater is done. I adjusted the sleeve length and added about 3 inches. I now have full-length sleeves instead of the 3/4 length that the pattern calls for. I much prefer that. I wasn’t sure how I would like the look of the finished v-neck, but I really do like it. It is tight enough that my camisole doesn’t show, but it doesn’t block in my face/ neck.

What went wrong? Running out of yarn. I don’t think I would have needed a full extra skein, but I needed a lot more than I had. I really had to improvise on the hem, and it could have been a disaster. It. Took. Forever. To. Knit. That was a whole heaping lot of knitting for just one sweater. It took over a month to complete. Add to that, it was a metric ton of fingering weight knitting. Good lord, I thought I would never bind off. I think the hem situation worked out, but I am very curious to see how it goes as I wear it more. I could roll up again. We will see how it goes.

My final review is that it is a great sweater. I don’t think I will knit it again, but I really do like the finished sweater. Oddly, I am not sure I will keep it due to the Oompa-Loompa-esque shape it gives me, but we will see. I will definitely seek out that yarn at future yarn events/ outings. Ms. Joji knows her stuff, and I think she will put out more beautiful patterns like this.

Loves,

M

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

Gosh, September was fun. And by fun, I mean that September Suuuuucked. This month went into the “and the hits just keep coming” hall of fame. There was a little bit of knitting, a little bit of life, and a whole lot of Damn!.

Finished Objects:

The Tundra hats by Purls and Peppers design. I knit the pink one per the request of Feebs. She really liked the pink and black charity hat that I knit last month and asked for a pink and gray hat. The blue one was knit to use up the rest of the Swish DK and a small ball of blue wool. I really like this hat pattern but am not a fan of the crown. It gives too much of a conehead point.

New Cast-ons:

V-neck Boxy

Knit House Cardigan

Works In Progress:

Slippy V Shawl

Shatar

Blue Mountain cowl

Goals for next month:

Complete more Bingo card items

Work on Shatar

Get ready for Mendocino and Amsterdam

Spend less money

Sew a tote or project bag

There weren’t many finished objects, but a lot of knitting did happen. I have worked on my Slippy V shawl, started a new cardigan, and knit a large chunk on a Joji Locatelli Boxy sweater. You know Boxy’s are a million stitches, all in fingering weight yarn. And this one is a V-neck as well, which was very fiddley to start. The shawl isn’t bad, but I have to pay attention, and I hate having to pay attention all of the time. Since I decided that Boxy was my Mendocino sweater, I have focused on that instead of the cardigan. I also purchased an i-cord maker, which is pretty snazzy. I detest knitting i-cord, so I thought this would be handy. It is making me want a circular sock machine. I mean, it doesn’t take much to encourage that want, I have wanted one for a long time. There is a company that makes 3D printed ones that are 1/4 the cost of the metal ones. I may buy that for myself for my 2024 gift. Like all of 2024… I may also buy a sock club membership to go with it, like from Vesper Yarns. The Husband brought me a skein from Michigan, and I am eager to knit it and see if I like the yarn. The sock machine company is Dean & Bean Sock Machine. I want the 2.0 Sock Machine with a 60-stitch barrel and a 64-stitch barrel. I am leaning toward getting a yellow one. I have grand dreams of cranking all of my sock yarn, a la Yarn Hoarder, and knitting in heels, toes, and cuffs by hand. That would allow them to be partially hand-knit and make for portable projects. Mind you, I just washed and put away all of my hand-knit socks. I am running out of room. So yeah, I totally need more.

Oh the month started with such promise. Week one, we got to see the O’s and Sister #2. The Husband had the brainstorm to book a trip for Thanksgiving week, and now we are going to the Netherlands. Both the Sierra Nevada Yarn Crawl (my delayed Mother’s Day trip), the Husband’s trip to the desert, and Mendocino were right around the corner. Everything was going great. The second weekend was my getaway with T. We were going to spend our overnight in Sacramento, and all was planned out. Then she called me that day to say that her good friend was losing a beloved pet and she needed to stay close till she heard about the status. The poor doggy did pass, so that shaded the day. It was a fantastic getaway, regardless, but it was cut short the next day so she could get over to support her friend. The rest of the weekend was pretty chill. The week began with a call from the Mother. She was crying and said that she had hurt herself and needed help. By the time I got to her, I had to call an ambulance. Blood was all over and she was so disoriented. We spent the next two days in the hospital. It turns out she had fallen off of a ladder and hit her head on the concrete floor of her garage. It was very stressful and scary. She was so lucky to only have a gash on her head and an unpleasant concussion. I am very hopeful that she will take this as a sign to slow down and ask for help. Fast forward to the end of that week and Feebs has strep throat. Again. For the 4th time this year. So onto antibiotics she went. Since she missed two days of school, and the Mother was still on the mend, we couldn’t take more time off and I didn’t want to be a state away from her, so we canceled the yarn crawl. I was really sad to miss it, but se la vie. I hope we go next year. The Husband wanted us to still go for a couple of the shops, but to me that defeated the fun of hitting them all and getting my passport fully stamped. We did still go to the bestie’s birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, my own private hell. Feebs had a great time, got lots of fun prizes, and brought home Covid. So, she spent the rest of the week home sick. Try as I might to avoid the plague, sure enough, on the last day of the cursed month I tested positive too. September suuuuuucked. I have much higher hopes for October. The Husband did go on his trip to the deset. He didn’t want to leave me to deal with Feebs and fend for us, but he really needed to get away. Hopefully, he will stay healthy and avoid the ick! We are still scheduled to go to Mendo, but it will be close. I was able to get on Paxlovid the day I tested positive, so hopefully we are still able to go without risking our friend’s health and safety. I took Paxlovid the last time we got it. I think it helped to speed up the healing process, but man it gives me a metallic taste that is awful. But whatever. I will take the vile stuff as long as I can get better and get on with life.

So, that was fun. A note bright, though, is getting to plan our Netherlands trip! We will be gone from 11/19-11/27. We want to go into Brussels and Dusseldorf while we are there. In the heart of Amsterdam is Stephen & Penelope. I am so excited to go there! I am going to start making a list of all the European yarns that I can’t get here (without having my wallet raped by shipping costs). I am not buying any yarn until then, though that has been my vibe for a while now. I have just wanted to shop my stash only. I really love the yarns that I already own and want to use them. Then down the street from Stephen & Penelope is the Tony’s Chocolonely super-store. That sounds like heaven! Yarn and chocolate, the match made in heaven. I have downloaded the DuoLingo App and Feebs and I are learning some Dutch. I have no delusions of speaking well by then, but it seems so entitled to show up without knowing how to say a few things. I hate when people show up to foreign countries and expect the people there to speak their language. It’s just rude. While we are in Dusseldorf, I really want to go to the Christmas market that Molly from the Homespun House always talked about. Luckily, it starts while we are there. That trip is going to be epic. I just pray that everyone stays healthy and intact for it! Another purchase I want to make before we go is a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. I never saw the hype about them. I couldn’t figure out why people would spend so much money on them and treat them like such a big deal. Then I drug the Husband into a Best Buy to kill some time. On a whim, I tried on a pair of Sony headphones, and my actual world was rocked. The world shut up completely and I had an inner-body experience. My soul smiled. I don’t get jazzed about things like that, especially not tech things. I absolutely want a pair of those headphones. They are a weighted blanket for my brain. The Husband wanted to buy them that day, but they were $250, which is not insignificant. Prime day is on October 10, so I will wait and buy them then. I would have loved to have them for Mendo too. I could think of nothing more amazing than doing yoga in the backyard, before everyone is up, using those headphones. The thought of it is just sexy! I will be patient though and wait.

That sums up this sucky month. I need October to be better. I need to never have a repeat of this month. I want everyone to be happy, and healthy, and safe. I want my girl to stop getting sick, and I want my mom to stay safe and well. I look forward to what October brings. Mendo, our anniversary, Husband’s birthday, Mother’s birthday, and Halloween. Hopefully, it is full of fun and good things. On to October we go!

Loves,

M