Author: mmcollins107

All the makes- December 2025

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This is the final monthly post for 2025. I have written all of my wrap ups and put my goals for the new year onto the internet (so they must be real). I got A LOT done this month. I am very happy with myself. I knit stuff, sewed stuff and reworked stuff to give it new life. I have started my first sweater for the new year and am using two sweater quantities of yarn (though I will only count one on my Bingo card). I was also able to give away the Christmas makes, so that part is over and done and complete! All in all it was a great month.

Finished objects:

The Traveler by Andrea Mowry. This was knit in Knit Picks Upcycle Alpaca Blend Sport. There will be a separate post about this, so I won’t wax poetic here.

Cambric Shawl by Heidi May. I finally got to use up a small quantity of Cascade Eco+ wool. I knit the size for adult, and it fits 11 year old Feebs just perfectly… There may be a separate post about this, if I decide to knit a much larger version after changing the maths a bit.

Made Everyday- Easy Apron. There is a separate post about this, so this is just her photo-op. Technically, I finished this and cuffs in November, but didn’t want to show pics till Feebs had received them.

Bookmark cuffs- self drafted. Again, finished in November.

All seven CPAP hose sleeves- self drafted. I am so freaking excited that these are done!!!

This is technically not a make it is a mend. I made poor life choices and decided that a white denim jumper would be a great idea for our Mendocino picture this year. I bought it, took off the tag, and realized that I was being insane. So I broke out the bottle of green RIT dye and gave it new life.

New cast-ons:

Zipper Sweater- woman/ unisex

Works in progress:

Shatar Vest

Knitting my memories blanket (which will for sure be reworked in 2026, stay tuned)

Goals for next month:

Use a sweater quantity of yarn

Sew something, even if it is small or mending

Re-organize the bill case (this has been on the to-do list for too long)

Start psyching yourself up to learn how to use your sock machine

Learn to crochet with Feebs

Pick a square to work on from 2026 Knitting Bingo

Work on Shatar Vest

I knit a lot this month. A really big heaping lot. The Traveler is a cropped sweater and doesn’t seem like it would be a huge amount of knitting. That, my darling, is grossly incorrect. Since the fabric is horizontal rib, it shrinks up. It does release, approximately 18%, after being worn. But when you are slogging your way through the sleeves and swearing that you have knit a mile of fabric, but it is only 3 inches, you realize that she is a lot of knitting. As a way to procrastinate starting the hood because is a was scary new technique, I cast on and completed the Cambric Shawl. I am in love with the idea of hoods right now. I have full bangs and am always cold. I knit a crazy amount of hats, but due to the aforementioned bangs, never wear any. PassioKnit Kelsey has the same issue, so she is starting to embrace hoods. Hoods keep your head and ears warm, but won’t smash your bangs. That started me down a rabbit hole of looking for cute hoods. I love the shawl/ hood combination and was jazzed to see that while all of the pattern pics on Ravelry were of children, there was sizing for an adult. I used the recommended needles, slightly thicker than suggested yarn, and my gauge was even correct. It looked ridiculous on me, and is now proudly in Feebs’s possession. She is thrilled. Being that as it may, it was still a good little chunk of knitting. I then finished the hose sleeves. They have all been gifted and are currently being enjoyed across the U.S. Fare thee well! I am so glad they are done! Another making- esque thing I did was my annual yarn organization and Ravelry Stash update. This year, I even got really real and pulled out yarn that I know I will never use and bagged it up to donate to the craft thrift store in Berkeley. I photographed and posted everything new, counted and edited yarn quantities, deleted donated stash, and we-worked where I had everything stored and updated their location on the page. It took 4-5 hours and I regret nothing. It really helped me put everything into perspective and start thinking about stash marriages and new cast ons. I am stoked that it is done.

I know that I always talk about how chaotic the months are and how chronically busy we are, but I didn’t feel that way about December, oddly. I felt like it was a very relaxed month. There was one very stressful (re: people-y) month. But other than that, it was actually really chill. The first week was treatment, which went fine. I had to take a dresser from my mom’s to my dad’s on the first weekend, which was a lot of driving, but was fine. I got to spend a little bit of time with him. You should have seen the look of disappointment when I showed up without Feebs. I was afraid he wouldn’t let me inside. Ha! I also got to see Sister #2 and her oldest. They helped unload the dresser since it a solid wood beast. Sister and I went for coffee after and had a delightful time. I believe I stayed home the next day and only took off my jammies in order to take a shower and put on clean jammies. The following weekend was supposed to be a group work weekend at Ab’s, but the Female O got sick, as did Feebs, so only the two men folk went to help her. I had wished that Feebs had felt a bit more spry, but we still had a nice dinner with the Mother and did a little shopping and snuggle time. She got to sleep in my bed with me for the first time ever, which was fun. It felt very odd sleeping in that bed without the Husband his moderate mountain of pillows. Fortunately, the guys were still able to get a lot done up there. We will all be going back in the next couple of months. The following week was the stressful one. There were a lot of holiday festivities, including group lunches, my office holiday party, and then my family’s Christmas party over the weekend. It was A LOT of people. I was very anxious and incredibly grateful when we got to Sunday and it was all over. I loved seeing my family and talking to everyone to catch up. I also loved going home and sitting in the quiet for the next 24 hours. I don’t know if it is my aging or my nerves or what, but I just don’t tolerate large groups well anymore. I am not 100% sure I ever did, but I know it is getting worse. The next week was Christmas week and work was very quiet. We had a lot of people out and not much happening. Christmas day was very relaxed, which was so nice. We spent a few hours with the local Sister-in- law and her family. It was a really nice visit. I have really missed seeing her. Hopefully we will be better about getting together this year. I worked the day after Christmas and it was a very quiet day. After that, my week of “vacation” started. It began with treatment the first two days. Then Wednesday was New Year’s Eve and it was our year to host. There was a lot to get done in preparation, and I didn’t have much time at the beginning of the week, so it was a big scramble to get it finished before the O’s arrived. Feebs and I completed the annual bonus room clean up, where all the toys, Legos, and making stuff was all wrangled and put away. It felt incredible. I am still sitting in a relatively tidy space. It’s amazing. The adults went to dinner that night, and the girls got to have dinner with the Mother. They were all thrilled because none of them wanted to go out for dinner. When were done, we went to pick them up and we all rang in the new year together. I made it to 12:00 am and was in bed by 12:05 am. It was lovely. The rest of the week will be talked about in the next post. Needless to say, it was a wonderful, but very busy week off. The holidays were so relaxed and mellow. I think all years should feel like that. It was a very nice end to very productive year.

And that is all she wrote for 2025. I am eternally grateful that my health stuff has calmed down. I am grateful for the family, chosen family, and friends that have brought so much joy and security to my life. I am grateful that Feebs is my best girl and we are both making some big changes in our processes and how we think about things. I am hopeful that these changes will help us ease into the teen years a bit. I am grateful that I have a husband that I love and can count on through anything. I am grateful that my parents are relatively strong and healthy and a big part of my life. I am just grateful to be who I am, where I am, and with who I am. I can honestly say that I am happy being me, warts and all.

Loves,

M

2026 goals- Changes

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I’ve got my mind set on goals right now. Goals for the end of the year and for 2026. I have so many things that I want to accomplish next year, but don’t want to overshoot and become overwhelmed. My new Bingo cards are ready and a bit hodge-podge, but I am happy with them. I really want to use up some stash yarn and fabric this year. I have one project planned and am looking for a pattern to go with another sweater quantity of yarn. I am wanting more complex patterns this year. I don’t want to tear through projects and end up with a bunch of plain stockinette sweaters. This was what appealed to me about the Traveler sweater. I wanted something with texture and new techniques. That is my goal going forward for all of my making. I only want to make things that I really want to wear, use, or gift. Financial goals are set and I feel are realistic. My health goals are set and completely necessary. It is time to get back on track and put my physical and mental health on the priority list.

Making goals:

  • Use five sweater quantities of yarn
  • Learn how to crank sock tubes
  • Use macrame book
  • Cross stitch project for Abs
  • Cross stitch project for me
  • Crochet a handbag
  • Use two stash fabrics
  • Teach Feebs how to crochet

Financial Goals:

  • Pay off car (August?)
  • Save at least $15,000 for truck
  • Save $10,000 for school
  • Continue to track dining out spending
  • Set monthly savings amount
  • Reset budgeting app
  • Open 529 plan
  • Review retirement plans

Health Goals:

  • Get more exercise
  • Improve diet- protein and fresh foods
  • Take more mental health breaks
  • Improve core strength

Knitting Bingo (yes, I know there is a crochet project)

Sewing Bingo

I am happy to report that my word of the year has chosen me. Changes in 2026. I really wasn’t sure about my word this year. I was really kind of getting stuck on the word Goals, but it didn’t feel 100% right. The more I thought about it, the more Changes seemed to fit properly. I feel like there are some big changes that will be coming in 2026. I am really hoping that most of them are positive changes. Aside from the things that may happen, there are several changes that I feel I need to make in 2026. I want to change the way I look at work. I want to change the way I interact with Feebs about her school/ homework. I want to change the way that our lives seem to be constantly busy. My word last year was Home and I feel like we did a great job at living that word, but there is always room for improvement. I am going to be setting a block on one weekend per month. This weekend will force us to stay home and have down time. The Husband and I are still negotiating terms for this, but he seems on board too. I want to start maintaining our lives more and procrastinating till we have big projects. This won’t go over well with everyone in my house, but I feel like it is a necessary change that we all need to make. I want to change how I am treating my body and overall health. I know I need more movement again and I need to change the way that I continue to remove it from the list of priorities. There are many changes that I need to make and I need to start identifying them.

We are now set and ready to go. 2026 will be here before I know it.

Loves,

M

Reviewing 2025

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It is time to review my year.  2025 was a good year, and a vast improvement over 2024.  While it wasn’t without its issues, I am still very grateful for all of the good things that happened.

Finished objects- Knitting:

  • Coffee sweaters- 6
  • Hats- 16
  • Sock pairs- 2
  • Scarves/ shawls- 2
  • Tops- 1
  • Sweaters- 2

Finished objects- Sewing

  • Bookmark cuffs- 3
  • Apron- 1
  • Hose sleeves- 7

It doesn’t seem like very much when you compare it to previous years, but I am proud of my accomplishments.  I lost my knitting mojo for several months, and sewing has always been a struggle for me.  I feel like I was able to overcome the funk that I was in regarding making in general.  I am keeping my goals for next year fairly simple so that I don’t feel like I am letting myself down for not accomplishing/ creating great things. At the beginning of the year I set a goal on Ravelry of 20 finished objects.  I technically did achieve this, but since I grouped some of the hats and coffee sweaters, it doesn’t look like I did.   I will say that overall, I enjoyed the things that I made this year.  The Dr. Who- Tom Baker scarf, reknit socks for Feebs, and the hose sleeves were long ago promised projects that were completed this year.  They are scratched off of the list and I don’t have to think of them again.  I have made the Husband everything he has asked for.  Feebs has requested a hat/ scarf/ fingerless glove set, so I will start that in the new year, but that is a very new request.  Everything else that she has asked for is completed.  The Father didn’t ask for anything this year, so I will wait for a request before I start anything for him. I did complete a couple of little projects, like dying the denim jumper and some mending.  They were such small things that I didn’t document them, but I am always excited when I mend something and make it work again.

The rest of life in 2025 was good too.  The year started out rough, health-wise.  I was very scared that the issues that I dealt with in 2024 would continue forever.  When things started to correct in March, the feeling of relief felt by my whole family was immense.  By June, my mental fog was starting to lift and I felt like I may not die young-ish after all.  Fingers crossed that continues.  We got the Mother through her surgery and subsequent health issues.  Fingers are also crossed that 2026 brings her a full recovery.  Something that completely fell off was my exercise routine.  I have given myself some leeway on this, since my brain and body went offline for a year.  In the new year, however, that nonsense has to stop. It’s time to saddle up and get moving again.

I feel like I am in a better place at work and have begun the process of accepting the things that I have no control over.  Don’t get me wrong, I still spend an unhealthy amount of my day dreaming of winning the lottery and calling in rich and retired, but I am finding my groove again.  Once upon a time, I loved my job and I need to get back to that place.

We spent time with friends and family and strengthened some connections.  I made it a point to communicate with my loved ones better about my needs and what I was going through.  I still felt like a constant kill joy and struggled with how to answer “so, how are you doing?”.  I got so tired of bringing down the entire vibe of a conversation with my constant negative news, but I did end up finding some balance, overall.

I have goals for next year that will put us in a better position, financially.  But I did pretty well in that category this year.  I met my savings goal, and we are on track to buy the new truck for the Husband next summer.  I have identified the areas that I need to work on saving for in 2026 and will embrace better financial organization.  I intend to keep us on the same budget plan as last year, in regards to dining out and not spending so much unnecessary money.  The dining out savings that we had from 2024 to 2025 was almost $10,000.  That was very eye opening.  I intend to not let it get that out of control again.  We did the majority of our big house project this year and that was much chaos and very much expense.  I am grateful that it is done and our house is secure and good to go for another 30+ years.  We still have projects to finish in order to call it completely done.  I need to recover from spending that much money though, first.

My word for 2025 was Home.  I ended 2024 wanting to embrace feeling at home, both physically and metaphorically.  I wanted to feel at home in my mind and body again and not be so scared of myself.  I wanted to feel at home at work and not like I was losing my role there.  I wanted to feel like I was at home in the relationships that I have with people.  I really drew inward in 2024 and let some relationships drift away.  I also wanted to physically be home more.  My family is only three people, but we are always incredibly busy and on the move.  I wanted to make the intention to stay home more often.  We did much better than previous years, but there is always room for improvement.  I think in 2026 I may actually block one weekend per month on our calendar to ensure that we are staying home.  I actually went looking for my past words of the year and found that I started doing this in 2020.  I simply had to find them all and reminisce on what happened during those years.  I hope I never stop identifying my word of the year.

  • 2020- Growth
  • 2021- Breathe
  • 2022- Boundaries
  • 2023- Connections
  • 2024- Acceptance
  • 2025- Home

Looking back at all of those years and what took place during them was an emotional roller coaster. The fact that in late 2019 I wanted growth, only to be completely stifled in 2020 was a hard memory to dig up. The irony of Acceptance in 2024, when my body and mind completely conspired against me and I thought I was going to die and had to accept all of the hell that came with it. I hope that my 2026 word will be good and bring about something positive. This year was good and I am looking forward to all of the good that is coming.

Loves,

M


All the makes- November 2025

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The fall is falling and making room for winter. It is cold and I am cold and I don’t like it. November always sneaks up on me and ends quickly. It is always packed and I often can’t recall what all happened. My finished object game was pretty on point this month. A couple of November’s finished objects won’t be posted until December, after the advent calendar has been emptied. I also have an almost finished sweater that I did a bunch of work on. I have finally started on the hose sleeves and can’t wait for them to be finished. My want to create seems to be coming back and I am all for it.

Finished objects:

The last two teacher’s hats are completed. I knit these using my ribbed beanie pattern holding a strand of fingering weight yarn with a strand of mohair.

Another Skull & Stormy hat by Brienne Moody. I knit one of these for the Husband previously, but even the largest size in the pattern was no match for his big head. I added one extra stitch per pattern repeat. It’s now a little large on him but I am certain that it will felt and shrink with wear.

New cast-ons:

Cambric Shawl

Works in progress:

Shatar vest

Traveler

Goals for next month:

Complete the Traveler

Finish the hose sleeves in time for the Husband to give/send them out before Christmas

Wrap up my end of year projects

Sort and organize my yarn stash

Finish my financial goals for the year

Knitting has been really good lately. I have found a groove and some patterns that I have enjoyed working on. I got a little burned out on ribbed hats, to be honest, but they knit up so quick and easy. I hope the teachers like them, especially the horrible yellow ones. I love working on the Traveler. It is a lot of knitting because the fabric shrinks up, but it is beautiful and I really like the yarn. Of course, it has been discontinued… I think if I push hard, I can finish it before the end of the year and can check “new technique” off of my Bingo card. I also cast on the Cambric Shawl, which is a shawl with a hood. I am a little nervous about size because all of the pictures show it on a child. There is a size for Adult, but no pictures. It is also allowing me to use up one of the balls of Eco +. I swear that yarn is never leaving my stash. Hopefully it turns out good because the thought of having a nice hood to keep my head and ears warm while not having to wear a hat that makes my hair crazy sounds delightful. I want to cast on one more big project this year and use up a sweater’s quantity of yarn. My goal for 2026 is to use up five sweater quantities at least. I want to get started as soon as I finish the Traveler. I am not being precious about it having to be cast on in 2026, as long as it is completed in 2026. It would be crazy if I could finish two sweaters in two months. I am not going to push myself though. I have started stalking Ravelry, looking at both my stash and possible patterns. The hose sleeves are going well. I nearly broke my back hunching over on the floor to cut out the seven 96 inch strips of fabric. My sewing machine did end up going on the fritz (I don’t remember if I mentioned this in October) and I had to take her in for service. That was frustrating. Fortunately, I bought that little baby Janome machine and was able to use that for the Advent gifts. I LOVE how Feebs’s apron came out! I think it is adorable and it came out exactly like I saw it in my mind. That never happens. I can’t wait to see how she likes it. I did a complete 180 on the bookmarks. I dreamed up the idea to make long rectangles that have snaps on them. That way when she is reading her book, she can snap the bookmark around her wrist and not misplace it. I made two with the polka dot fabric and one with the kitty. I am very proud of my advent game this year, not gonna lie. Hopefully, it has inspired me to sew a couple more things this/ next year.

November was a good month and it was really packed. The first weekend we took Feebs to a theater performance of Sponge Bob The Musical which was put on by our local junior college. While Sponge Bob isn’t my jam, the performance was fantastic. The cast did a wonderful job and we all enjoyed ourselves. The next two days were treatment, and that didn’t go as well as I would have liked. It is just another reminder how important it is to hydrate and eat properly before I go. The following weekend we were supposed to spend the weekend with the Father, but Feebs got sick and we had to stay home. We ended up getting ready for our annual Mendocino trip instead. We also had to go buy a new dishwasher, which wasn’t the greatest thing to have to do. The Husband and I both took the Monday off and spent the day running errands until it was time to get Feebs from school. We left for Mendocino the next day. The trip was wonderful, but not without it’s issues. Feebs was super behind at school and we had to dedicate a good chunk of each day doing homework. This wasn’t the best thing for any of us, but it had to be done. Other than that, the trip was a delight. We had a lot of down time and good food. The Husband and I always have a night away, then we give the adult O’s a night away. It works great for all of us. We had our amazing seafood lunch each day and weren’t deterred by the rain. We had our hot tub evenings and the girls got to spend time together. We took our annual pictures- the three of us in the front yard and the girls in front of the fireplace. I think this year’s picture is my favorite so far. The following week was my appointment in Redwood City. I love that doctor and I hope to stay with him for as long as I can. He always gives me such good information and doesn’t make me feel like I am crazy when I talk about my symptoms, treatment, or worries. The following weekend was the dreaded porch painting project. We put it off for as long as we could, but then had to get it done. It ended up spanning two weekends. The Husband and I work in very different ways, but we did work together to get it done. We still have the bonus room trim to paint, but once that is done, the big 2025 house project will be finished. Thanksgiving was the following week. Work was very quiet and the week passed quickly. The Mother was supposed to go to dinner with us on Thanksgiving, but she ended up getting sick and staying home. We still went and had a delightful meal. I am constantly shocked and appalled by the pretentious ass-holes that live in that area and how they treat service industry staff, but… I had made an early reservation so we were done with dinner and I am was in my jammies by 6:30. It was wonderful. The Husband’s cousin came over to hang out after dinner and that was really nice. It has been a long time since we have spent any real time with him and it was nice to catch up. The next day, I went to see Sister #2 and her new house. She had some furniture that she was giving to the Mother and I needed to pick them up from her. It was wonderful to see her new house and hear all of her plans for it. I also got to see bro in law and hear about his adventures. They are very excited about their new chapter. As I already mentioned, the rest of that weekend was about painting. We got it done and have set a calendar reminder to do the porch floors in the spring. It is too cold to do it now. I am completely ready to have that job done and clean off the porch. I want all painting equipment out of my house and put back where it belongs.

I am very grateful that November was a good month. I am grateful for my family and my wonderful friends. I am grateful that we get to go to Mendocino each year and create new memories. I am grateful that I seem to have my knitting mojo back, and even a little spark of sewing. I am grateful to have a job and wonderful coworkers who are like a second family to me. I am grateful to be going into December and to start wrapping up the year. I think there will be some amazing things that happen next month, and I am ready to get on with them.

Loves,

M

I’ve got hose (sleeves)!

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Last year I was asked by the Husband to make hose sleeves for CPAP machines for his friends. I did the maths, made the list, and we went to Joann Fabrics (RIP) so that he could selected the fabric. I purchased everything I needed to complete these, including fancy sinching accessories. We got it home and since my brain was in a state of chaos, I put everything in the cabinet and did nothing with it. Fast forward a year, and I was ready to resurrect this project. I wanted to make these for this year’s Christmas gifts. And I wanted to do it before the Husband asked me about it.

The stuff:

  • Fleece fabric- 60 inches wide x 84 inches long
  • Matching thread
  • Remaining fabric for ties

Specifications:

  • 7 hose sleeves
  • 7 1/2 inches wide x 83.5 inches long- 1/2 inch seam allowance
  • 10 inches for the ties

These weren’t difficult to make. It was mostly long seams on the sewing machine. The tedious tasks were having to crawl around the floor in order to cut the strips of fabric and having to hand tack fourteen raw edges. I did quite a bit of troubleshooting about the ties. I bought the fancy cinchers, but decided not to use them. Then I thought I would use double-fold bias tape, but I ended up not having any in my stash. I then spent several hours and $20 on a suede cord, then decided not to go with that either. Basically, I spent entirely too much time deciding on these ties. Ultimately I decided to use the leftover fabric and cut two strips to sew into tubes. I centered the ties at the top and bottom of the tubes and sewed two lines to secure them. I only had an inch and half strip of fabric left which made me very happy.

I am very happy that these are done. I am happy that they are off of my to-do list. I am even happy with how they turned out. I have tried them all on a hose, to ensure that they will fit, and everything is good to go. The Husband is very happy with them and already has his in use. This project gave me a little bit of a boost with sewing. It also made me happy that I could figure the specifications and use up almost all of the fabric. All in all, this project is a success!

Loves,

M

All the makes- October 2025

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Another month down. And October is the busiest month of the year and is always packed. We always have something the first week of the month (generally it is Mendocino), then our anniversary, then the back to back train of birthdays, then Halloween. I am always exhausted by November 1. I am happy to report that I have made some stuff this month. I finished some projects, ended some projects, and launched into some new projects. It has been going pretty great and this will be a very long post.

Finished Objects:

Remake socks for Feebs using my vanilla sock pattern. I knit these (for the 3rd time) using the yarn from my old socks and a contrast heel, toe, and cuff.

Ribbed hats for teacher gifts using my self drafted ribbed hat pattern. Technically, I finished one on November 1, but I am just going to call it an October win. The yarn is Yarnalia Marvel held double with Dauruma Silk Mohair.

New cast ons:

The Traveler, by Andrea Mowery

Tonya Leg Warmers, by Victoria Chaplina

Works in progress:

Shatar vest

Knitting my Memories blanket

Advent day 25- apron

Goals for next month:

Finish the Advent gifts- apron and book marks

Sew the sleeve hoses

Cast on a hat for the Husband

Start thinking about 2026 goals.

I am so happy that I finished those socks for Feebs. Weaving in the last end felt like I had climbed a moderately sized mountain. I knit the original socks for me when she was just a bean and I didn’t have my sock formula down yet. I rarely wore them because they were too loose and the cuff was too short. They sat in my closet for a long time. When she saw them and loved them, I thought I needed to remake them in a smaller size. Little did I know how much Princess Thunder-Toes’ feet would grow. Knitting them a second time and finding that they were too small for her completely sucked. I am proud of myself for not just scrapping them. I have knit them a little shy of fitting me. That makes them too big for her now, but I feel confident that they will fit her before too long. The ribbed hat pattern is so easy and goes so quickly. I feel pride every time I knit one, because I figured out the pattern. But, when you have to knit 5 in a row it gets incredibly boring. I am happy they are done and I don’t have to think about them again. I started the apron project, and I think it is turning out so damn cute. I have no idea if it will be too baby for her, but I love the combination of the kitty print and the polka-dots. I know that my sewing machine isn’t appreciating the areas with 6-8 layers of fabric, due to the double layer, plus double fold bias tape. In fact, I had to take old girl apart completely and clean her because the needles kept bending. It turns out that I had broken a needle at some point and the tip was still in the bobbin carriage. It was also filthy, so it was good that it was cleaned out. The instructions say not to oil the machine, but the YouTube video I watched showed the guy oiling it, so who knows. Sadly, I got to the final stages of the apron and my machine just quit. It was starting to eat the fabric, so I had to stop right in the home stretch. It was incredibly frustrating. Luckily, I had found a travel/ kid size Janome sewing machine, still in the box, at Urban Ore a few years ago. I bought it for travel sewing (like I am that dedicated to sewing…) or for Feebs if she got a hankering to learn. I have to take my machine to get fixed, but I will bust out the smaller one to use in hopes of completing my projects before I lose steam. I finally found a couple of knitting projects that 1.) I am excited to knit (hooray!) and 2.) Use up a good chunk of yarn. I cast on the legwarmers using some of the Eco+ yarn that never seems to run out. I hope to use up at least one of the two remaining balls of that yarn. The second project took some serious Ravelry searches. I wanted to use a sweater quantity worth of yarn, and found a gorgeous knitting pattern that uses sport weight yarn. I reviewed the pattern info and it showed sizes XS- XL. I paid $9 for the pattern. I print it out and and go to start highlighting my size info and find that it is only in size XS. Darling, I am not an XS. I have sent a message to the designer, but have had no response. This really pisses me off. That was not a cheap pattern and it was false advertising. I don’t know if I can report her to Ravelry, but I will try. That is crap. So my search for a pattern recommenced. I now wanted to use sport weight yarn and found that there were a lot of The Traveler sweaters made. So, I jumped onto the bandwagon and bought the pattern. I was going to use the Houndstooth Fiber purple yarn for the XS sweater, but I wouldn’t have enough yarn for The Traveler. Instead I decided to use Knitpicks Recycled Alpaca yarn. I bought that yarn for a long cabled poncho with buttons on the side. Once I bought everything for it, I fell out of love with the pattern and shelved it. I am hopeful that this pattern will use up the bulk of the yarn. I don’t know if you noticed, but I no longer have the Kaylen Mesh Shawl under Works in Progress. I didn’t make the deadline of Sister #3’s birthday and the more I thought about it, the less I thought she would want another shawl. That woman owns every piece of clothing she has ever had and a million and six accessories. I finally sat down and ripped it out. It just didn’t make sense to keep going with it. I am also pondering ripping out Knitting my Memories and starting over with a different design. I am still very much considering adding a light neutral color and knitting hexipuffs. I like the idea of them and I think the design could come out really freaking cute. I could do it like Retro Claude and make groups of flowers to attach. I could also wait and finish all of the hexies and arrange them in a way to get a cool faded striping pattern. I don’t want to spend a $1m dollars on contrast yarn, and I am not having much luck finding cones of natural color superwash yarn. I may wait till closer to Christmas and check out the Knitpicks holiday sales. Another cool thing that happened is I found a ton of t-shirt yarn at a craft thrift store in Berkeley. I really want to make a crocheted handbag like I saw Amazing-ish Grace make for her friend’s birthday (Loose Ends Triangle Tote, though I accidently bought the Dusk Bag). I am not great at crochet, but I would like to give it a try. I probably bought enough yarn to make 12 bags, but… Oh well. I have never done something like this before and I don’t want to run the risk of running out. I won’t let myself start on it until after all Christmas making is complete.

October was it’s usual brand of craziness. We generally start the month out with our Mendocino trip, but we had to mix it up this year due to conflicting schedules and as it turns out, a family wedding. The wedding was in Sonora and wow, was that a chaotic trip. We left after work on Friday and headed up. We ended up staying at the modern day Bates Motel with a plethora of problems. We didn’t eat or drink enough the entire weekend (oh, did I end up paying for that!). And the weirdest thing happened to me emotionally. I loved Sonora when the Parents lived there. I had dreams of getting a job at the prison and moving up there and buying a little cottage in the woods. When I found out that the wedding was happening there, I was so excited. Fast forward to actually being up there, and I got absolutely bitch-slapped with sadness. It was crazy! As we drove around the town, I remembered where I was when they lived there, where they were when we lived there and all of the unhappy memories came down on me like an avalanche. I had not anticipated feeling like this AT ALL and didn’t know how to process it. The weekend was pretty crazy and I couldn’t wait to go home. The wedding was lovely, though. The following week was treatment. Due to the aforementioned malnourishment and dehydration, the nurses could not find a viable vein on either day. I had a total of six IVs over the two days. It sucked. I will NOT make that mistake again. Then I took the Mother to a throat specialist and I got to see the inner-workings of her esophagus, which was pretty cool. The following day I went to Reb Bluff to see the red-headed badass and help her for the weekend. The Female O came up on the Friday and we got a lot done around the house. It is so great to see my girls thriving. The following weekend was the Husband’s birthday celebration weekend. We spent Saturday frolicking and enjoying him. We went to breakfast with Feebs and the Mother, then they went to her house for a sleepover. The Husband and I went to Mare Island and then to Santa Rosa. Little did I know at the time, but I ended up leaving my prescription glasses at the restaurant in Santa Rosa. I realized it when I went to use them on Monday and they were no where to be seen. I can’t remember all that happened, but that week was incredibly Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events. It was crazy. That Friday we ended up back in Santa Rosa so that I could pick up my glasses. Ridiculous. After that, I went to have sleep over with the Mother for her birthday. We spent all day Saturday together, plotting out her kitchen. Then we went to Horatio’s, which I hadn’t been to since Grandpa was alive. It was still very good, and I will take the Husband on our next date night. The last week of the month was spirit week at work. We did stripes on Monday, onesies on Tuesday, denim on Wednesday, red carpet on Thursday, and Halloween on Friday. It was so fun and I was really happy with how many people participated. For Halloween, my group were the characters from Inside Out. Naturally, I was Disgust. She is the role I was born to play.

The month was busy, but still very good. I am grateful that I got to celebrate another wedding anniversary (13), another year for the Husband, and another year for the Mother. There was a lot of time spent with my favorite people and that always makes me happy. Work was really busy, but feel like I am starting to get a lot done again. I am not nearly as foggy as I was even three months ago. I am grateful that my health seems to have stabilized. I am grateful for the people that I love. I am excited to see what the end of the year has in store for us.

Loves,

M

Advent gifts- Christmas 2025

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I’m getting fancy this year. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what to knit for Feebs’s advent calendar. I simply couldn’t find something that I thought she would love. One night, we were baking a cake and she put on her apron. Her apron has her name stitched onto it, and she loves it, but it was bought for her when she was 6. To say she is outgrowing it, is an understatement. So I will make her a new one for 25th day. While searching for a pattern, I also came across the cutest pattern for fabric book marks. I thought this was a really adorable idea for three of the days. These items must be complete by November 28 to give me enough time to put her calendar together. I put it up on the morning of December 1 each year.

Apron-

Pattern: Made Everyday- Easy Apron

Pattern notes: I am only using the pattern template because there are no pattern instructions. I scaled down the print size to 75%. I am choosing to make this double sided and won’t need a facing. I will sew the front and back together and use the bias tape to edge the whole thing and make the ties. I have to figure out the pocket placement and ensure that everything is measured and even before sewing it down. I’ve never sewn patch pockets before, so wish me luck.

Fabric: I bought fabric when we were in Oahu to make her a dress. It is a super cute pink fabric with black kitties on it. When we got home, I bought a black and white polka dot fabric for contrast. I cut out the dress pattern, but never made it. The kitty print will be the main side and the polka dot will be the back. I’m adding polka dot fabric on the front for the pockets. Because I had already cut this fabric for the dress, I will have to attach two halves of the pink fabric so that it is long enough to make the apron. Pattern placement is important on the front because of that seam.

Notions/ accessories:

  • Black and white polka dot double fold bias tape for the edging and ties
  • Pink thread
  • Black thread
  • Fabric for a name tag?

Outstanding questions:

  1. What is the best way to make the neck strap(s)?
  2. Is interfacing necessary anywhere?
  3. Placement of pockets?
  4. Do I want to make a name tag?

Book marks-

Pattern: A Place Between the Trees- Make Your Own Fabric Bookmarks

Fabric: It will be the same as the apron. I will make one polka dot, one kitty, and one with both. I have printed out some heart templates in hopes of making one with two hearts attached with ribbon, and possibly one larger heart. The 3rd will be a standard long rectangle.

Notions/ accessories:

  • Tags with her initials
  • Gromets
  • Ties
  • Black ribbon
  • Black thread
  • Pink thread
  • Interfacing

Outstanding questions:

  1. What is the best way to notch the edges of a heart in order for it lay flat once turned right side out?
  2. Is interfacing necessary?
  3. How to keep the ribbon from fraying over time?
  4. What is the best way to make a fabric tag?

I am not going to lie about being slightly intimidated by these projects. Sewing hasn’t been something that I have had a lot of confidence about. I am also a little surprised that I making an apron with no real pattern. I mean, no, it’s not a super complex thing to make, but I will have to measure and place and problem solve. I really hope that everything comes out as good as what is in my head. I am going to go slow and be careful. I want her to love them and use them. I’m going to make a list of tasks for each project in hopes that it is less overwhelming and keeps me on track. I have to say, I am pretty excited to get started.

Loves,

M

All the makes- September 2025

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I must say, it was a good month. There was nothing earth shattering, but nothing dire happened either. I did some knitting and some relaxing. Some family time and some party time. I have to say, it was one of the most chill months I have had in a while. I will happily accept more of those.

Finished objects:

Ribbed teacher hats using my self-drafted hat pattern. I used the three one of a kind Madeline Tosh/ Jimmy Bean Yarns collaboration yarns. They were simply lovely to work with and I am low-key sad that I don’t have any more.

New cast ons:

Another ribbed teacher hat

Works in progress:

Shatar Vest:

Re-make socks for Feebs

Kaylen Mesh shawl

Knitting my memories blanket

Goals for next month:

Finish the teacher hats

Work on the hose sleeves

Figure out Feebs’s advent gifts

Identify any other Christmas knitting needs

Figure out Mendo knitting

I didn’t blaze knitting trails this month. I didn’t get all of my to-dos done. I did make a start though. I had planned to use the assortment of hat patterns that are in my Ravelry Library to knit the teacher hats. After review, the hats are all rather feminine and they may not be as usable for the male PE teacher. I decided to knit the ribbed hat pattern that I used for the Husband. It worked out great. I decided that since I don’t know these teachers, and ribbed fabric is more forgiving, I would knit them all using that pattern. Feebs went rogue and has asked that I used yarn that matches the color of each teacher’s “house.” So we have the PE teacher with no official house, so his is green, the core teacher who’s in ruby (red), and the math teacher is in emerald (teal green). I had the yarn in stash for them. The science teacher and the communication teacher are both in the house of citrine (yellow) and I was fairly shocked to find that I own absolutely no yellow yarn. So now I have to buy yarn, which kind of hurts my feelings. I will purchase that next month and knit them up so that I am officially done with teacher stuff. She also asked that I knit a hat for her school counselor. I had already knit the Alpine Bloom Hat as a future gift and she really wants to give her that one. Easier for me! I started looking for my notes on the hose sleeves, and I have no idea where I wrote everything down. It is kind of pissing me off. The sewing will be cake, but I need the dimensions. Yes, it’s not hard to figure out, but I had already figured it all out. I don’t want to do it again! My brain is lame sometimes. I think I also figured out what to make for Feebs’s advent- an apron. I have to look for patterns before I fully decide. I still haven’t figured out a happy knit yet. I found a gorgeous pattern and pulled everything out to knit and and immediately fell out of love with it. It is all still in a bag, sitting in time out. Again, my brain is so lame sometimes.

The first week of the month started with a holiday, which is always nice. The only bad thing is that it throws me off for the week, trying to figure out what day it is. I got to see the little cousin before she left for her Japan adventure, which was really nice. I am so excited for her and I hope that everything is as she hopes it will be. Sister #2’s birthday was that week, and we got together to celebrate. We met at our usual half-way spot. Fenton’s no longer sells potato skins, and I am afraid they are now dead to me- food wise. I will still go there for the amazing ice cream, but I will eat food elsewhere. The absolute nerve! We still had a wonderful time together. I wish we lived closer to one another. That next week was my infusion. It went well, all things considered. I did end up feeling like poo toward the end of the week, but that seems to be the norm now. Considering where I was this time last year, I will gladly take a day of feeling crappy. That weekend was completely free, and oh my god, Becky! It was so nice. I had a lovely dinner night with the female Mc. We decided that we will try to do it again with all four girls. We also had a nice chill adventure day with beverages, snacks, and the 3001 Would you Rather book. I love those days for us. The only sad thing was that my car needed it’s 60k mile service, and that was not cheap. However, I went to my favorite craft thrift store and found the most fabulous t-shirt yarn. I have really wanted to try to make the purse that Amazing-ish Grace made for her friend and have been looking at the yarn for it. I was floored to find it for 1/4 the price at the shop. I won’t let myself start it until the Christmas hats are done. The following week, we had pizza night with the Mc family, which was a lot of fun. Their house project is finished, and the kids pretty much made use of the new rooms and left the adults alone. The next day we headed up to EDH for the youngest O’s 11th birthday party. We met at a brewery and then went to a concert in the park. I was fairly wired that day, so the noise and crowd didn’t go great, but we survived. The next day was the party and the kids had a lot of fun. I can’t believe how old the girls are getting. I think I say that every year… That week at work was Big Ed’s retirement party. It is crazy that he will no longer be a part of my team. He is well loved by everyone and will leave a large vacancy. The party was a lot of chaos, but ended up fine. The party fell on Annie’s birthday, so we postponed her celebration till Friday. We went for dinner at the good Mexican restaurant where I got two blackberry margaritas (they are sooo good). It was a really fun night. I love getting together with fun work people outside of work. The three of us also got our flu and covid vaccines that day. The Husband had a reaction, but Feebs and I were just fine. The Mother and I spent the day together, which was really nice. We went to lunch and shopping. Shopping isn’t really my thing, but it made her happy. I needed shoes for the upcoming orchard wedding so I got that taken care of. The last few days of the month were very uneventful.

So all in all, the month was really good. I got to catch up with friends and see my sister. I got to spend time with the Mother. I am so grateful that my health has completely turned around since last year. I can’t swear that I fully trust my body again, but I am working on it. I am so grateful that we had some down time and could spend time relaxing this month. We all needed it. I am grateful for my amazing family and support system. Next month is going to be very hectic, but it will be filled with good things.

Loves,

M

Christmas making to-dos 2025

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The holidays feel like they are fast approaching, and I better get started on my handmade gifts. Last year was a complete cluster-fluff and I dropped the ball on most things that I intended to make. I’d like to get organized early so there is a chance that I can pull off what I need to get done in time.

CPAP hose covers for the guys: I made notes somewhere with the dimensions and total number that I need to make. Where are those notes? I have no idea. I intend to spend this weekend delving into the room and see if I can find them so that I can get started on prepping them to sew. I purchased everything I need for them (RIP Joann Fabric).

Teacher gifts: hats for each teacher-6 including Dr. Santiago

  • The Twisted Reflection
  • Everyday Slouchy Beanie
  • Everglade
  • Aran Horseshoe Cable Hat
  • Cadillac Knot Ear Warmer- probably more than one of these
  • My ribbed hat pattern

Advent gift: I have no idea yet, honestly. I generally make her a hat, but I am not sure that she will want one this year. I did fingerless mitts last year and I think I have seen her wear them twice. More to come on this. I at least need to keep my eye out for projects that she may like.

Random make: I am considering knitting a knitvent hat wreath. Jodi Brown has a pattern for one and I think it would do great to stash bust my small yarn quantities, and also would be really cute for over my office door.

That is at least a start. A solid plan. If I can list it, I can achieve it!

Loves,

M

Doctor Who Scarf (Tom Baker)

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The Doctor Who Scarf is finally done. Good lord, it’s done. I can’t believe that I have crossed that absolute bastard scarf off of my to-do list. I can’t tell you why that scarf caused such a visceral reaction in me, but it did. I almost wept with joy when I bound off the last stitch.

This is the Doctor Who Scarf (Tom Baker) published by the BBC sometime between 1963 and 1989. The Husband has been asking for this scarf for about eight years. I put the pattern into my Ravelry library in 2017. I decided this year that I would knit this scarf for him for Father’s Day. I followed the yarn recommendations (though they were incredibly vague) and ordered over $300 in yarn of varying colors and brands, trying to pick the best match against the pictures that I could find online. I was a mix of PaintBox Aran weight, Ella Rae Aran weight, and Cascade 220 worsted weight yarns. There were seven different colors in this scarf. The recommended amount of yarn was incredibly over estimated and I have a ton of yarn left over.

What went wrong? Technically nothing. Knitting this scarf was simplicity itself. It is 70 stitches wide and knit completely in garter stitch. The most complicated thing was remembering to slip the first stitch. It was knit with thicker yarn and on size 10 needles. This should have been an absolute breeze that knit up super quick. Here are some facts about Mrs. Collins: 1. I do not love garter stitch, neither the knitting nor the resulting fabric (generally). 2. I am symmetrical to a fault. Things without symmetry make my eye twitch and my soul scowl. I do not like them at all. 3. I think I have a mild affliction of either carpal tunnel or tennis elbow or both in both arms. This generally doesn’t bother me much unless I knit too much too fast for a long period of time (especially when using larger or very small needles). So when you combine a 7-foot long garter stitch scarf in horrible colors with no symmetry in the pattern with large needles and knitting a lot, very fast, to try to get the project over with= you get the perfect storm of a shitty project. Add to the fact that I had to weave in 1.6 million ends for each color change. My elbows are still hurting, and my eye still periodically twitches when I have flashbacks of the erratic striping pattern.

What went right? Everything else. He loves the scarf! He thinks it is the bee’s knees and he is so happy to have it. It is finished and it is everything he wanted it to be. I am very happy that it is finished and that I can check that long ago stashed pattern off of my to-do list. I am proud of the fact that I set a goal to finish it, and while it wasn’t exactly on time, I did get it to him within a reasonable timeframe. I set the goal of Father’s Day and finished it within a month of that date. I did have to take some breaks due to the elbow pain.

In conclusion: I am so happy this is done. I can’t ever imagine him wearing it outside of maybe 15 minutes at a convention. It is too thick, heavy, and warm. He is not petite and he has no problem warming up. But he will have it and the associated bragging rights that come with it. I cannot see any scenario where I will knit another one of these scarves. I can’t even think of a reasonable price that I would charge to knit another one. One and done, as they say.

Loves,

M