crafts

All the makes- July 2026

mmcollins107Leave a comment

And here we are again, darling. This time without a three month gap. July is complete and good lord was it busy. It was abnormally busy. It was full of medical malarky, travel, and the most boring making of all time. But, it was a really great month. I am still dealing with the spine bullshitery, so the making is small, portable, and on-going. There will be several other posts that come after this one, but I have to do things one at a time as my pain allows.

Finished objects:

Hexi-flats- 47 of them to be exact. My goal was 50, but such is life. This is the unstuffed version of the Bee Keeper’s Quilt pattern. They are being knit with all of my leftover sock yarn held double with fingering weight yarn in a natural color. (There will be a separate post for this project.)

A wall mounted kitty scratching board. I had the board, hot glue, and one of the two colors of rope. L & E are Lillie & Esme. I am ashamed to admit that I finished this in June, but forgot to post it until now.

Works in progress:

Ladder Tank

Fuzzy hat

Safran Top

Goals for next month:

Knit at least 50 Hexi-flats

Start more (gentle) core exercises

USE MY CIRCULAR SOCK MACHINE!

Sew a project bag

Summer clothing purge

Well, it isn’t sexy, but I must say that I have been having the best time working on the Hexi-flats. They are so fast, 15-20 minutes each, they are using up leftover yarn, and are very easy on my body to knit. I have no idea how I will group them when all are completed, but I am excited to dream up a plan. The rest of my knitting has stalled pretty hard. I can’t yank out any motivation to finish my works in progress, and unfortunately, my back only allows me to sit for short periods of time. This is putting a damper on just about everything in my life, including my serious backlog of posts. I finally remembered to tell you about the scratching post for my kitties. Please excuse that it’s two months late, but better late than never. I got the idea from Isabella on Breathing Yarn. She has made a couple for her kitties, and I loved the idea. My fingers were singed like what from all of the hot glue, but I have no regrets.

The month itself was really good, overall. We left for our trip to the mid-west on the 1st and didn’t return home till the 8th. There is going to be a separate post about the trip, but suffice it to say that we had a wonderful time. And holy crap did I buy (completely unnecessary) yarn. I went to Hank in Cincinnati OH, Spun in Ann Arbor MI, and Parker Avenue Knits in Detroit MI. And yes, I bought yarn from each shop. I am mildly ashamed, but moderately thrilled. I really have no regrets. We returned just in time for Feebs’s birthday. Holy mother, that girl is 12. I am so completely in love with the person that she is becoming, even when she drives me insane. She wanted to go to Ikea and walk around for as long as she wanted (3 hours of our lives that we will never get back) and go to our favorite Ethiopian restaurant for dinner. We had a wonderful night celebrating her. I had Saturday morning coffee with the Mother the following day. We got to catch up on what happened while we were gone. She let me know that she has put her house on the market and is planning to buy the house 2 DOORS DOWN FROM ME. I am not unhappy about this decision, but it is a big one to make. I know in my heart that if it works out, it will be the best thing in the long run. For now, though, it is really freaking close. We will see what happens, stay tuned. Later that day was Dave’s celebration of life in Napa. We all went and celebrated a man that I cared for deeply. That next week was treatment, and it is becoming a bit more challenging each month. Unfortunately my veins aren’t really thrilled with the twice monthly IVs, and it is becoming more troublesome and painful to find viable ones. One of the nurses mentioned that may require a long term port if my treatment continues much longer. Good times. Mid-week we had the pleasure of attending one of my brother-in-law’s 50th birthday non-party. He asked for something small and intimate, and in true Sister #3 fashion, she ignored him and threw a surprise party. It was such a good time! I can’t believe he is 50. I have known him since I was 9 and he was 15. I love him so much. The end of that week saw all kinds of fun medical scans and biopsies searching for signs of endometriosis. Fortunately, I am all clear. That is really good and now we can find a solution to my issue. That weekend I got to enjoy a delightful clear liquid diet, followed by two straight days, and 8 liters, of colonoscopy prep to ready me for my appointment that week. Do I get to just follow the regular people guidelines and just drinking one of those vile containers? No, I get the pleasure of drinking two of them. And not eating for 3 days. And none of it even works on me, so I am still having the doctors tell me that I didn’t follow the prep instructions. No actually, I would be better off swallowing dynamite instead of that disgusting brew. Maybe it would be more effective, and would probably taste better too. That following weekend, Feebs and I had lunch and mini-golf with the female and little Clay. It was delightful and the kids had a blast together. I also got together with the best Auntie-in-law. She is an absolute delight and we had a wonderful time. We got all caught up and we have committed to doing better about setting up monthly get togethers. I also FINALLY had a gardener come to the house and get the front yard cleaned up. The bushes are all trimmed, the weeds and shit tree shoots are gone, and the walkway isn’t as treacherous as it was previously. He will come twice a month, regularly. He will also handle the big weed cloth and rock project, so that we no longer look like the trash of the neighborhood. It took me a long time to get traction on the project, but, we are finally getting it done. The last week of the month was still pretty full with a dentist visit (no cavity club for me!) and a visit with the Father. As usual, we had a really nice time with him.

And that wrapped up the month. It was crazy busy, and I am ashamed to say that I only worked nine days over the entire month. That is shocking, but it was necessary. I wrapped up the month with more health answers than questions and that was quite refreshing. I will have more answers next month, so updates to come.

I am incredibly grateful for the month that I had. I am grateful for fun travel, awesome friends, and new memories. I so very grateful for my little family and the larger and chosen families as well. I am grateful for my job and the flexibility to handle the shit that needs to be handled. I am grateful for answers to long standing questions. I am grateful for my body, in spite of it’s current limitations. I am just really grateful to be alive and whole and able to engage in my life. I am very hopeful that next month will hold even more answers and possibilities.

Loves,

M

All the makes- April- June 2026

mmcollins107Leave a comment

Well ain’t this some nonsense… Note to self: three months combined in one post is always indicative of some health bullshit gone awry. The last three months have been a combination of pain and an overall sense of not accomplishing a damn thing. That’s not entirely true, I did manage to knit the tiny bit of stuff, but nothing terribly post-worthy. I am still undergoing medical treatment, so I am very hopeful that my (timely) upcoming posts will have more making and less complaining. Sciatica, and aging overall, is complete crap.

Finished objects:

Two charity/ gift/ donate hats, using my ribbed hat pattern and a combo of leftover Queensland Collection Sunshine Coast, from my most recent Weekender, and some KnitPicks Stroll. (Take my word for it, there are two of them)

New cast-ons:

Ladder Tank (April)

Fuzzy Ribbed Hat (May)

Saffron Top (May)

Hexipuff Memories (June)

Goals for next month:

Let’s go crazy and say complete 50 hexipuffs

Get my pain under control so that I can get back to my life

Explore new core exercise options that will strengthen my core AND work with my back issues

Rip out my Knitting My Memories blanket and wind into balls

I am sad to report that I cannot sit comfortably in any chair in my house, so, two hats and a few hexipuffs are what I completed in three months. I did make some good headway on the Saffron Top in June, but I knew I wasn’t going to make my goal and set it aside because and I needed a portable project for our trip to the mid-west. The hexipuff solution was exactly what I needed. They are quick and easy and incredibly portable. I also think they will come together nicely. I won’t join them until I feel like I have enough for a decent sized blanket. This way I can put the colors into a pattern that I like. I also intend to knit half hexis so that I don’t have wobbly edges on the finished blanket. I don’t think I will like the finish otherwise. At this point, I have knit up almost two of my mixed balls of sock yarn. I still need to rip out what I have of the first blanket and wind that yarn back into balls. I want to finish my Saffron top before the next sister’s lunch so that I can show them top I knit with the yarn I bought with them in March. Sadly, that is all I have to say on the making front.

April was pretty good. I started the month with Book Club. I am so very happy our little group has started this. I love them so much and love that we take this time to connect outside of work. It was also Easter that weekend. We did the usual umbrella and boots with a mini egg hunt. Feebs loved it. That week she had Spring break, which she also loved. We went to the Father’s that following weekend and had a great time with him. If memory serves, Feebs and Dad won most of the dollars. The next weekend, the Husband and I had a nice date night. We went to Horatio’s, which always reminds me of Grandpa. It was a lovely dinner and evening out. The following weekend was our work weekend for the Female O’s birthday. Her ask for her birthday was that we help organize the garage. The Male O was not excited. We dug in and it only took a day of hard work and negotiations. The end result was amazing and she was so happy. He even said it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. I call that a success! I finally got some temporary relief on my back in the last week of the month with a steroidal epidural injection. It lasted a blissful three weeks before the pain came back. I believe I have to have 1- 2 more injections before they will look at doing an ablation. I have been doing PT faithfully since March, but it doesn’t really seem to be helping, at least, not with the pain. At this point I want a full back replacement.

May was also good. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to help the Husband with refinishing the porch floor on the first weekend, but he did a really nice job. I got to have a mammogram the following week, which was thankfully clear, followed by Book Club. Good times were had by all. We also took the Mother and I out for a nice dinner for Mother’s Day. Overall Mother’s Day was very nice. We had some adventures and a delicious meal cooked by the Husband. That week was very busy with dinner with Ms. Laura and another night of dinner with Ms. Cheryl. We had a birthday party for the Little Clay, who turned 12. I felt like trash, so the Husband took her to the party. We also started to wrap up the school year with Open House and the mad dash catch up on all of her missing assignments. My infusion appointments were that week, so that is always fun. The following weekend, we had an adult girl’s only trip in Red Bluff. We had the very best time. I am still trying to wrap my head around the financial decisions that some people make, but the girls appreciated my comical meltdowns. We all went home in time to have the Memorial Day holiday as a day to rest and recoup. And guess what we finally did… We bought a new car. We decided to not buy the truck, because we just couldn’t figure out a decent ROI on cost versus savings. We bought the Husband a Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid. Naturally, it is storm cloud gray, but it is what he picked out. The stress over the new car purchase is finally lifted. The Father came for a visit that week, which is always nice. Ironically, he had recently purchased a new small SUV as well. I don’t think he has ever not owned a truck. It is the ending of an era.

And then it was June. And thank God, finally the end of school. I am not sure if Feebs was more excited, or me. We made it and she didn’t fail any of her classes. Blissful Summer break began! That weekend, I had lunch with Sister #2, which is always lovely. The following weekend, the Husband went camping (he actually left us for couple of day!) and Feebs and I had dinner with Kennard. I absolutely love those guys and am so grateful for their friendship. The Husband had a lovely camping trip without “help”. The following weekend we went camping with the O’s. I must say, it wasn’t half bad. We tried a new spot and it was really nice. There were, of course, porta-potties (yuck), but overall the whole campground was great. Three of the four adults agreed that we will go back next summer. The Husband was, of course, the outlier. He was too hot. Honestly, darling, he is always too hot. The Father came that week for a visit and we took him to Feebs’s favorite pupusa place. He loved it. That weekend we had sister lunch in Napa and got to shop through all of Sister #3’s clothes that she was getting rid of. I can’t tell you how happy I am that we have started to so this. It makes my heart happy to have a relationship with all of them again. Then the remainder of the month was just getting ready for our trip. It was a lot or pre-packing and pre-booking (thank you, Husband!). We went to bed early on the last day of the month so that we could begin our adventures at 3 AM on July 1.

I know that this is incredibly abridged, especially since it captures three months, but that is what happens when so much time has passed. I am sure that I forgot many of the highlights and wonderful visits. I hate to be so whiny, but damn this sucks. I am still grateful for my family and friends. I am grateful that I was able to make an appointment to get a second injection (though it is in August). I am grateful to reconnect with all of my sisters. I am grateful for my very patient and understanding boss and the job that I get to call mine. I am grateful that there is forward movement on all of my health issues. Overall, I am just grateful for my life.

Loves,

M

All the makes- December 2025

mmcollins107Leave a comment

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

mmcollins107Leave a comment

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

All the makes- November 2025

mmcollins107Leave a comment

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

Doctor Who Scarf (Tom Baker)

mmcollins107Leave a comment

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