Prepping Before The Holiday

 Today is a day of preparing anything I can do ahead of tomorrow's Thanksgiving meal. My son seems to be very excited about dinner and has a big interest in what we will be having tomorrow. We've discussed pies and the menu - something that he really hasn't cared about in years. He's had a lot of changes this past year with the new house, being rear-ended and having his car totalled as well as a new-to-him car. 

His dream home isn't so dreamy at the moment. Every time he turns around, there's something else for him to do. Major things that were missed during the inspection. Yes, I know that it is part of home ownership, but it has opened his eyes of the woes of owning his own place. Currently, he has a pipe somewhere in the home that is leaking sewer gas. That's his next challenge. His dad was supposed to help, but he's been down sick for more than a week. Sick enough to go to the Dr. Hubby's currently on meds and ear drops - yup, this illness came complete with a serious ear infection. So, as soon as Dad feels better, they will be tackling the pipe together. 

With the preps, there won't be much (if any) crafting today or tomorrow. I did get some done on the baby blanket I'm working on. I have a few rows left to go before I do the edging. This will be another addition to the donation box. This is called the Honey Bee Mine Blanket and was the April 2023 Crochet Kit of the Month from Mary Maxim. As far as I can tell, this pattern is not available. This has been in my rotation since April 2023.

November - Time For WIPs

 I really haven't done much for the month besides working on WIPs. A few stitches here, a few stitches there and not really much for progress. I have renewed my Secret Needle Night subscription, but I'm not thrilled with the change. There hasn't been any embellishments (like buttons) for months and the price did go up - so I think I will be letting next year's subscription go. It's sad, I know, because I really loved those kits.

I put some more stitches in my turtles. The wild colors are changing to a "normal" palette now. I don't know why, but I'm having a lot of fun stitching this. I can sit down, put a few stitches in and then put it aside and never have to think about where I am or what the back is going to look like. I'm just plain stitching this for fun.

I've been looking at my calendar and cannot believe that Thanksgiving is only 2 days away. I need to go an pick up a turkey from my local farmer. We bought 1/4 of a cow to try and oh is that meat good! I haven't had that tasty of beef since... gosh, I can't remember. The turkeys he has free ranges - and I mean really free ranges. He lets them out in the morning and puts them up at night. They have free range of the farm until they and put in their coop for protection overnight. I can't wait to taste the difference of the turkey! I haven't had a good, fresh bird since I was young. My grandfather was a butcher and farmer so I had the best of meats. The last really good meat I had was a mutton roast Mom gave me back in the early 90's. 

October - Not Much For Updates

 October was a busy month for me  - with lots of interesting things going on but not in the crafting area of my life. My son had his first Halloween at his home and some children actually came to visit. He was so excited - especially where we are now, we never have any come to get treats. He was telling about the mood at the office - no one wanted to decorate or participate in any of the normal events. So this was his outlet.

On the crafting side - I did a secret test knit for one of my favorite designers. I'm anxious to get permission to post who and what I made. The test went well with a few changes - and I can't wait to get the updated pattern because of all the additions the designer will be including. So no photos for that one. Finished October 18, 2025.

I did another preview knit for Claire Slade of Verily Knits. These are called Waterway Slippers and are available for purchase in her store on Ravelry. They are brilliantly knitted in one piece and no seams to sew. It is a nice pattern, but for some reason I had to start it over 3 times. First was because of a cat that decided that she liked the smell of the wool, so she chewed it up. The second time, I put the toe in the wrong place (I still don't know how I did that) and the third time - I finally got it! None of which was the pattern's fault. It was all on me! The photo angle sure made me have cankles in the photo. I will have to pay attention to angles when taking photos. Finished October 31, 2025.

WIPs

While looking through the arts and craft section on Amazon, I came across a turtle cross stitch kit. It was simple, very simple, printed and 11ct. But for some reason I felt myself drawn to it. I kept coming back to it and the next thing I knew, it was in my cart and on the way to me. I still don't know why - but there was something about it that made me want to make it and hang it in the bathroom.

It arrived on the 30th and I had to put a few stitches in. The printed colors are spastic but we'll see how it looks finished. Here's my beginning:

September Hat-A-Thon

 September was a nice month of relaxing knitting. I made a commitment of knitting 4 hats to donate. I knew with the garden coming in, I wouldn't have a ton of time. I ended up surpassing the goal - and was very happy to add more than I planned to the donation box.

I love Claire Slade's Mharvan enough to want to do another. This time it's in the colorway Periwinkle from Caron Simply Soft because the place I donate to only takes acrylic. This is a paid pattern. Finished September 1, 2025.

My next finish was the Easy Beanie found on the Hooked On Homemade website. This crocheted beanie is free and was easy to make. The yarn brand was taken from my deep stash and is unknown. Finished September 6, 2025.

My third and fourth finishes were baby hats. These sweet hats were made from the Turban Newborn Hat pattern. This is a free pattern and can be found on the Cream of the Crop website. I used an unknown acrylic fingering from my stash. The top hat was made using a 3.5mm hook and the bottom hat was made using a 3.75mm hook. Finished September 23, 2025.

My next finish was a preview knit for Claire Slade called Ozzy. This hat is done in mosaic stitch (they always look so impressive to me) and uses a DK weight yarn. I went into my DEEP stash and found this WonderArt SoftTouch yarn in both 16 Chocolate Brown and 17 Sand colorways. I had fun making this. Finished September 25, 2025.

Number 6 was another fun knit found free on the Knitting With Schnapps website. This hat was designed by Robin Celli and is called Chevron Chic. Robin heads the Delaware Head Huggers. This is a great group that helps those with cancer. I used the leftover periwinkle and unknown blue for this hat. Finished September 26, 2025.

The last hat I completed for the Hat-A-Long was a crochet test for MomaBearDesigns13 for the Colorful Swirls Granny Hat. This was an easy to make hat and is unfortunately no longer available on Ravelry. I used another deep dive yarn from my stash. This was Kmart Sayelle in 492 Mauve Ombre. Finished September 27, 2025.

I stumbled across some Easter Egg Dyes that I had tucked in a box that I had forgotten about. These dyes were from a sale one year after Easter. Well, I thought I'd try them out. I wanted a purple skein of yarn - any color would do, so I took a tablet of blue and then red and dissolved them. What a gorgeous these tablets made. I was so excited to dye my yarn - but the color wasn't anything like what I had started with. The colors broke and I thought I'd add another blue tablet to overdye it with. Well, that tablet wasn't blue but green. It became a totally different color yarn than I had planned. A nice soft colorway that I'll be using for a different pair of socks than I had planned. I love playing with food colors - you never know for sure what you'll end up with! Unfortunately I could not get the color correct with my phone. It's more of a teal, blue and purple colorway.

August Ends The Race

 August - A busy month with my daughter's birthday and the end of the race. August also was the month that I fell out of the shower and decided to get some issues taken care of. The last lap of the race started, and I was doing ok on my socks - then I found that I really couldn't wrap my head around the instructions for the final part of the foot. I ended up putting it aside, as I knew it had to be me when everyone else seemed to be finishing them. After a visit to the doctor, a ton of tests, etc., I was told I had had a couple of strokes. Sigh. I guess I'm getting older. They couldn't tell me when they happened, only that they did. 

My son bought a house last month and he's now in the process of fixing it up. He had an inspector check it before he purchased it, but there were a lot of things that weren't pointed out or maybe missed. That happens with anyone. I know it did with us. We helped him paint and a few other things that "old" people can still do. LOL

Finished items for this month -

The first finish for this month were the Candy Corn Socks. These are a plain vanilla sock pattern (my own) using the colorway Candy Corn from the Wheat State Wool Co. Etsy shop. These were finished on August 13, 2025.

These socks were iffy to me, as I wasn't exactly sure about using this yarn for them. These were made using the free pattern called Slip Stitch Lines by La Maison de Saba. I was told to keep going, as the beginning of a sock sometimes just doesn't do the yarn justice. You have to see it at least 50% done or a whole sock finished. That advice was spot on for me. I used Yarn Is Love By Lisa in the colorway Unicorn. Finished August 19, 2025.

Claire Slade of Verily Knits posted a preview knit that I actually had time for. The race ended and I had some free time with no real commitments or deadlines to meet. This is Mharvan and is available for sale of Ravelry. I really loved this pattern. I used Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool in 98 Natural. Finished August 22, 2025.

My last finish for the month was another pair of socks. This one is named Friends' Thanksgiving and is my own vanilla sock pattern. It uses the colorway More Turkey Mr. Chandler? This was a set that came with a bag, 100g. skein of main color and 2 - 20g. skeins of contrasting color. This colorway was from Ramblin' Needles on Etsy.

July Was Busy

 Yes - July was a busy month. There was the Supersock race, son's birthday, 4th of July, seeing old friends, etc. and it was HOT. Still, I was able to get a few projects done.

First finish was A Sailor's Wife Socks. This completed lap #2 and I was very, very happy with them. I loved the ruffled cuff and the sail boats. Yes, this screamed summer to me and I really needed to do them. Finished July 6, 2025.

Next was a chenille duck that I did for the charity box. I don't have a source for the pattern or yarn. I just wanted to crochet something to limber up the old fingers. Started and finished July 9,2025.

That Day In May socks were started when we went on a trip to Virginia with some friends. I pulled it out and decided to finish them while waiting for the next sock pattern for the race to drop. The yarn was sold as a special set with bag, 100 gr. and 2 20gm. balls (1 black, 1 gray) to celebrate May 4th. I am not positive, but I am pretty sure I have enough for another pair of socks. This sock set came from the Ramblin' Needles shop on Etsy. I used my own vanilla sock formula. Finished July 12, 2025.

The next pattern dropped on July 13th. I chose Girls' Night In Socks by Cynthia Wilson. They were fun to do and I actually completed the pair quite quickly. I was done in 5 days! I used Mary Maxim Step Softly yarn in the Vineyard colorway. I'm still on the fence on how these look, but I do love how they matched up! This pattern is now available for purchase. Finished July 18th,  2025.

 Next is the Hats Off hat pattern found for free on the Hobby Lobby Website. I had an unknown brand of bulky yarn that I used. This was a quick and easy knit! Finished July 22, 2025.

The last finished item is a nice soft pair of DK socks. The pattern was from the Mary Maxim Quarterly Sock Kit 202212SN. I was using up some old yarn and came across some dk that I had in my stash from the 2000's.Yeah - about 20 years old! Well, time to use it up with this pattern. This is Plymouth Yarn Colorspun DK in the color 7033. I had a full ball and a some partials left - so the socks didn't have a chance of ever matching. That's ok. Finished July 26, 2025.

WIP

I swear EVERYONE has made the Hermione's Everyday Socks by Erica Leuder. This is a free pattern on Ravelry and has been in my queue to make forever. Well, one day son decided to renew the color of his hat with RIT dye. He had still had a decent amount of left-over dye in the pan, so I thought I'd see if I could get a decent color from it. I put just a partial skein of yarn in the dye, let it creep up the skein some, then kool-aid dyed the part of other half. I really wasn't expecting much but ended up with a skein I really liked. I really wanted to see how it would work up, so after it dried, I wound it into a ball and tried it out on this pattern. I only got a bit into it as I was waiting for the next pattern to drop. I think it looks quite interesting.

June - Still Racing

I have yet completed a couple another lap of the 2025 SuperSock World Championship! Honestly -  I really was wondering  how I was going to do with the socks all the pattern and cables plus being toe up. Then there's following the rules. I really shouldn't have worried for this lap, I guess. 

Here is my completed Morpho Aurora Socks by Carolyn Lisle. These were a challenge for me but so worth every stitch. I love them! I made these using Opal in color 1260. Wow - started the toe 6 times before I finally got the hang of it. If it wasn't for the race, I would have given up and went on to another pattern, but instead, I just kept trying. I'm so glad I did. These socks are gorgeous!!! These are now a for purchase pattern on Ravelry. Finished on June 17, 2025.

The next lap started June 23rd. I knew I'd never get these done this month, but was just going to plug along with another fun and challenging pattern. I really was wondering if I would finish in time. These are called A Sailor's Wife Socks and were designed by Laura Fahlin. They are now available for purchase on Ravelry. I used Garnstudio DROPS Fabel yarn in 103 Gray Blue.

WIP

I only have one WIP for this month. This one is from the 2023 SuperSock Scarefest. This sock is called Maggots by Heather Sutton and is available for purchase. This sock was inspired by the 1980's movie called The Boys (if I remember correctly). The stitches on this pattern quite look like the maggots in the movie. I used Knit Picks Hawthorne Fingering Speckle in the colorway 26869 Graffiti Speckle. I thought the speckled colors would look somewhat like maggots when they are eating something.  

May Madness

 For me, May started out with a new to me craft. I tried my hand at making a couple of Mosaic Tile Coasters. They were surprisingly easy and I really enjoyed doing them! I got the kit of Amazon and found everything to be included! I need to do more of these types of projects. I really enjoyed it! Completed May 9, 2025.

I finished my test. These are the Exmoor Mittens by Simone Bechtold and is a paid for pattern that you can find on Ravelry. I really enjoyed making these, however, I found that the thumbs for me were a challenge. I couldn't get my tension right. This was no fault of the pattern, but my lack of experience carrying longer floats. I used Kroy 3ply yarn in the colorways Burgundy Mix, Rose and Pink. Finished May 15, 2025.

For a special treat to celebrate both my birthday and Mother's Day, my son took me to the Arboretum to see all the lovely flowers and plants as well as to enjoy the Herb and Garden celebration there. It was a most lovely time. Then he took me to an out of the way place for Chinese food. It was AWESOME! I am so spoiled!

 

The 2025 Supersock World Championship started on May 17th. This was my first year participating. Every other year I have missed sign-ups. I finally made it this year! The first sock was my qualifier. Bathilda was designed by Malena Anderson and is a free pattern. I used an old Opal skein in the color 1295 Petticoat. I finished these on May 27, 2025.

I qualified!!! I decided to let my fingers rest until the next pattern is dropped. This certainly was a fun race!

April - Let's Celebrate!

Congratulations to me! It's been a whole year - 365 days - without purchasing any yarn. None, nada, zero! I have been using only stashed yarn, even for tests. Every time I want a new skein of yarn, I go down to the craft room and open a tote to see what yarn still needs used, and so far, it has cured my craving for the new. I remember how I got so much. I'd see it, fall in love with it, buy it and then be so excited to wait for it to arrive. But when it did come, I still loved it, but that excitement just didn't seem to be there any more and I'd put it in a tote. I think I was turning more into a collector that a user of that yarn. Yes, hand-dyed is pretty, but there's only so many places one can use it. Beautiful patterned projects are hidden among the colors - stitches cannot be seen well. I find myself grabbing more of the plain colors these days and a hand-dyed only once in a while. I am excited that I actually lasted a year! Now let's see if I can hit 2! 

I finished my test for the Adore Tee. It crocheted up nicely but I found that the Bernat Handicrafter Cotton was not exactly what I would consider a garment type yarn, but it was what I had on hand. I would definitely use a nicer cotton yarn next time. The Adore Tee is a paid for pattern available on Ravelry. Finished April 6, 2025.

My next finish was the Cityscape Shawl by Benjamin Matthews. This was a Mary Maxim Knit Kit of the month and included the called for Red Heart Colorscape yarn in both the Mykonos and Bangkok colorways. I started it in 2024 and put it aside for another item I needed to finish and never picked it up. When digging through my craft room, I found the bag and just had to pull it out and complete it. This pattern is free on Yarnspirations website although the yarn has been discontinued. I never took a photo of the completed scarf - only where I was when I pulled it out to finally finish it. I was less than 50% at this point. Finished April 15, 2025

The next item finished is the Ticking Stripe Kitchen Towel. This was a kit I got back in 2020 from Annie's Hook and Needle Kit Club. This was to be either a knit or crocheted towel/dishcloth set. I knit the first towel, and had enough to do a second and found that I actually had enough to do a third! This is number 3 from the kit and I still had a little bit left over that went in my cotton scrap bin. This kit was definitely worth the price (I think I just paid postage). Unfortunately, this was another project that I forgot to take a finished photo of. Sigh... Finished April 17, 2025.

WIPs

I really wanted to work on some socks and I had a hand-dyed skein called Dream Weaver from Potions and Pearls  (on Etsy) that I've been hoarding. I LOVE the colors and just needed something mindless and beautiful to work on. I completed one sock when another test came through. I used my own vanilla sock recipe. First sock finished April 27, 2025.

I saw a test offer for some colorwork fingerless mitts that I loved, so you know I had to test these. Started April 27, 2025.

Last but not least, I thought I'd request this kit to test. It's a printed counted cross stitch on 11 count aida. I wasn't expecting a lot - especially for the price - but was quite surprised when it came. The item was printed well, although my old eyes had problems seeing the lightest blue printed on the fabric. No biggie, as there was a print chart that one could refer to. All floss, chart, needle, printed bookmarks and backing was included. Simple, mindless, and just something that could be pulled out when one wants to just do a little stitching.

April was a good month for crafting.

March Project Madness

 March came and went with a blink of an eye. I had a few projects finished and started a test knit.

First finish was another dishcloth. This one is called Halloween Cat Dishcloth and is another free pattern from One Crafty Mama. I used Premier's Home Cotton in Honeydew Splash. Completed on 3-7-25.

Since I had a bit of leftover yarn, I decided to make a matching Tribble which is a free pattern on Ravelry. Completed on 3-9-25.

Finally, I got my queen sized bedspread done! It is crocheted in the linen stitch and I based it upon the Coming Up Roses Throw which is a free pattern by Premier. I used a chain of 284. Next time, if there is a next time, I will make the chain a bit longer for a wider blanket. This pattern is easy to adjust to your needs and a very simple and mindless stitch that looks so nice when finished. I used 20 balls of Zeeman Royal Batik that came in some mystery bags from Mary Maxim. Unfortunately, I only have a photo of it with some of the ends not woven in. I was checking it out for length when I took the photo. As you can see - the cat had to test it out for comfort. Completed on 3-21-25.

I did a preview knit for Claire Slade of Verily Knits. She only requires a certain amount done, hence a preview. The pattern is called Plucky and is a lovely cowl. I used Uru.Yarn Silk DK in the colorway Enlightened. I received this yarn from KnitCrate (now no more). I had been looking for a special pattern to use it on and when Claire posted this pattern, I knew I finally found something to really show it off with. The yarn gives good stitch definition and I am pleased that I chose it for this project. Plucky is a paid for pattern and is available from The Verily Knits store on Ravelry.

I also had started a test for Catherine McLennan of Lullaby Lodge. This is the beginning of the Adore Tee  which is a paid pattern on Ravelry. I love the stitch but would probably change my choice in yarn.

February Knitting Projects

February was a bit of a challenge. I needed to finish my frog cross stitch but was waiting for the thread I ordered to come in, so I put it aside and started working on dishcloths. I had one of the needles from last year, so I decided to finish it just to get back into knitting a little again. This one is Happy Turkey Day Dishcloth a free pattern found on the One Crafty Moma website and was finished on 2-16-25. 

Since I still had some Knit Picks Dishie left, I thought I'd make another turkey cloth. This one is Turkey Cloth by Rhonda White. This was a free pattern but the website is no more. I did find it on the Wayback Machine - so grab it while you can. I finished him on 2-24-25. 

My last finish for February and my gray Dishie yarn was the Kitty Cat Dishcloth by Emily Jagos. This is a paid for cloth and can be found on Ravelry. It's a cute cloth that I enjoyed making. Finished on 2-27-25.

My apologies that these were not blocked before taking the photos. 

What Has Happened

 I was chugging along on my projects and life and found things weren't right. I was tired and had no energy, headaches, off-balanced just to name a few things. Life was piling up around me and I had no real want or need to do anything. Cooking, cleaning, laundry - everything was a chore and didn't always get done. It took falling out of the shower to figure out that I had to get something done about my current state. Blood tests, as well as all kinds of tests ended up showing that I had suffered a few strokes as well as had some vitamin deficiencies. Well, now there's a reason for everything that has been going on. After treatments and meds, I'm feeling much better. No more dizziness and balance is pretty much back to normal. I'm back to cooking and all the wonderful retired woman chores that demands to be done every day. 

During all this mess, my crafting life had kept me somewhat sane. Which is good. The garden came and even went with hubby fighting all the pests including a family of 4 woodchucks, we still got a nice haul of corn, peppers, kale, swiss chard, tomatoes and peppers. All the cabbage and other veggies not listed were eaten by the critters. Sigh. Even so, life is still good.

Our son bought his first house. He paid off his student loan, paid cash for his car and then started saving for a house. It took him years and tons of sacrifices, but he feels it was all worth it in the end - until he had to remove all the paint from the hardwood floors and all the things that still need done. He found that he's got a leaky sewer pipe that's letting methane in the house, so he's home until that all get's taken care of. He was doing quite well, focusing on house and work, then unfortunately got rear-ended and had his car totalled. Just when you think things are looking up. Things will balance out soon. It always does.

I am planning on posting what I had finished during the time I was away. Hopefully that will be soon. Until then.... I wish you all a great day.