So far this year, my outgoing exceeds my incoming! Success! However, I recently purchased a sweater quantity of Widow’s Bay yarn from Goosey Fibers. It was for projects I wanted to make but didn’t have the yarn. I think it will even these numbers out, if it doesn’t tip me over. All I have to do is knit knit knit the rest of the year, and don’t buy buy buy, and I should be ok.
As far as getting back up to 2023 numbers, I’m almost there on yardage, but not on projects.
Finished Projects 2026Current WIPs
If I manage to finish a few of these WIPs, that will get me closer. I’m also knitting some witchy striped socks for Summerween. I may not reach 12 finished objects this year, but there are a lot of sweaters in there. I will have to be ok with that (or throw a few small items in.)
I am on track with sewing. I have even started spinning for Tour de Fleece! I am on two very casual teams with Dye Mad Yarns and Knitting is Metal.
I am finally able to spin finer and more evenly. All I needed to do was spin something simple. This is Shetland I have had in my fiber stash for a few years.
This is a Year of Projects (YOP) Update. The group is in its 16th year, and is a Ravelry based group. You can learn more here.
Many Year of Projects bloggers start their year July 1. Which means right now is their end-of-year wrap up. I decided to start my year January 1, so I am having a mid-year check in.
Let’s talk about the garden!
I’m very pleased with the garden this year. The greenhouse plants are doing well, and the pollinator/dye plant garden is also doing well. I still have some things being eaten by critters, but overall it’s an improvement. We have had so much kale and arugula to eat! And our first carrot!
Knitting
I finished my Half Moon Tee in June, and also a pair of socks I never posted about.
I joined in with the Yorlin knit-along. I will have more time to focus on it now.
I love the color. The pattern and yarn are both from Kate Davies.
Sewing
I finished sewing a Benning Dress in June, as well as the Claude Skirt. I have a new client for alterations, and am excited to sew more summer outfits.
Tapestry Weaving and Basketry Classes
I am enjoying online summer school. I do a little at a time.
My tapestry loom is set up and ready to begin the weaving.
The first assignment in basketry was to make an amulet with cordage. The first one I did incorrectly with daylily leaves. I ordered some supplies, and succeeded on the second try using raffia.
I will harvest materials in the fall and use my purchased supplies for learning.
For someone like me, I think more is more. I do better with more irons in the fire. I can pick and choose, and I will be more productive. My health is better now, and I can do more things. Though I have to remember to rest, I prefer being busy.
This is a Year of Projects (YOP) Update. The group is in its 15th year, and is a Ravelry based group. You can learn more here.
Not so much this week. I had all kinds of plans today, but spent too much time working in the garden this morning, and ended up with heat exhaustion. I don’t know my limits.
I still finished sewing my Claude skirt, though. I powered through after I started feeling better. I love the fabric, which is a yarn dyed cotton.
I didn’t like the pocket construction, so I did my own thing. They are too wide and shallow for a phone. The phone falls out: a design flaw I will rectify next time.
It was recommended to interface the waistband, but I wish I hadn’t. Other than that it was a straightforward sew, and I think I will get a lot of wear out of it.
I am participating in the Yorlin knitalong. I have the yarn in Asphodel, a vibrant orange. It will match the orange thread in my skirt fabric!
This is a Year of Projects (YOP) Update. The group is in its 15th year, and is a Ravelry based group. You can learn more here.
I’m very pleased with how this came out. I feel magical wearing it.
Pattern is Half Moon Tee by Dragon Hoard Design. Yarn is from my stash. The solids are Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Moon Sisters in colors J Rankin and Paul Newman, with a rose gold metallic. The variegated is Comma Chameleon two-ply twist in Love’s Labor.
This photo shows the gold in the variegated yarn better. I am feeling a little mature to be wearing a cropped tee, but my friend Bonny said to try it over a dress, and that worked perfectly!
(Photo credit: The New York Times. I used my free article to get this pic, so please do enjoy.)
I don’t like summer. It’s too hot. I melt. I like to stay inside in the AC and rewatch my favorite chilly horror while knitting.
I am already rewatching all seasons of From. This is by the makers of Lost, if you remember that show. I am falling down every rabbit hole and learning nothing, like the characters. It’s a fun ride.
Once the temperatures rise above 85 degrees F, I will move on to the cold ones, in no particular order:
The Thing (the first horror movie I saw in the theater)
It’s not really a whopper. That means an exaggerated tale — a fish tale, in other parlance. My Grandpa liked to tell whoppers with a twinkle in his eye. I like to think I’ve got the Tucker Twinkle.
Anyway, settle in for a long one. That’s what I meant. Got a cuppa somethin’ somethin’?
Field Trips
I went to the Great Lakes Fiber Show with Marilee and Bonny. We had a great time. There was yarn and sheepdogs and lambs and bunnies. I almost put an angora bunny in my cargo pant’s pocket to bring the baby home. Cuddles and fiber, what a combo. I didn’t, though, I say, hanging my head in sadness.
Here is my haul. We posed with our yarn hauls like fishermen with their catches. So maybe this is a whopper? You can see those pics on Instagram.
The dark blue/black is a sweater quantity from Destination Yarn. Remember that yarn I posted about wanting to buy? Well, I didn’t. I thought, “This yarn is almost perfect. It would be perfect if it were more blue.” So I held out and found the perfect yarn at the fiber show.
Marilee and I also went on a paranormal investigation at The Ohio State Reformatory. We had a good time. No ghosts showed, though.
Knitting
I am making good progress on my Half Moon Tee. It won’t be long now. I’ll have a summer tee to wear that’s probably too warm to wear in the summer. What’s the definition of insanity again?
Weaving
I signed up for a tapestry weaving class and a basket weaving class. I signed up for two online classes at the same time. Yeah, I’ve got time for that. They never expire, so I can learn at my leisure.
I rejoined Facebook to take part in the class groups. I’m hoping this helps me stay on track. Please friend me if you are on Facebook so I don’t look like a creepy stalker. Though, my profile pic is a creepy self-portrait I made way back in 2010.
Sewing
I am working my way through altering the elastic waists of previous summer makes. I may also start the Claude skirt this weekend. Should be a quick sew. I washed the fabric, anyway.
Gardening
I am feeling really good about my garden progress. Greenhouse plants are growing. Native and dye plants are growing. Milkweed nursery is ready. Weeds are suppressed with cardboard and straw. I only need to weed around the edges.
The bees don’t go into the greenhouse. I have to tickle stamens in zucchini flowers to get fruit. I take a paintbrush and move the pollen around. Liz taught me this last year. I know it’s science but it feels a little perverse. So now when I see a bee, I call it a stamen tickler. Unless it’s a bumble bee, which I call a fuzzy butt. We need more bees here. And that’s why we want to keep bees.
We have a greenhouse snake. He comes in and eats the pests. Then he rests under the bag of compost. Sometimes he pops out to say hello. Sometimes he freaks out and leaves. We call him Steve. We call all snakes Steve. Steeeve.
This is a Year of Projects (YOP) Update. The group is in its 15th year, and is a Ravelry based group. You can learn more here.
Remember when we thought taking an underwater basket weaving course was a joke? Like a ridiculous elective? You know why you weave underwater? It softens the fibers. It makes perfect sense.
I wore my floral circle skirt out to lunch with my kids a couple of weeks ago. My oldest’s girlfriend really liked my skirt, especially the fabric.
When I got home I looked at the fabric I had left over — about 1/2 yard. I looked online to see if I could find anymore, but I couldn’t.
I decided to cut the half yard in two. I stitched a rolled hem around all four sides. I had to relearn this technique on my serger. I figured these two squares of beautiful fabric would make nice bandanas, or napkins if they preferred. One for each of them!
I tied the gift with matching bias tape in case they were feeling crafty.
ScrapHappy is a great group of bloggers creating with scraps. I am inspired every month when I read their posts! Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible to write about. If you would like to join in on the 15th of the month, email Kate at the address on her Contact Me page.
Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy on occasion.
Hello, and welcome to Me Me May. May is my month. There’s Mother’s Day and then my birthday. Yay, May!
It’s also Me Made May and I will be participating again. MMM is a wardrobe challenge that helps you improve your relationship with your handmade items. It can also teach you what to make (and not make) in the future! To participate you need to wear your handmade items more often or in some way differently to how you usually get dressed.
Today I enjoyed wearing my Eastside Cargo Pants with a Rachel blouse I made years ago. Big and baggy is in, and I felt very cool and stylish. I’m happy to get more wear out of this shirt, which has languished in my closet. It has tiny ghosts and jack-o-lanterns hidden within the otherwise banal calico print. I was told my outfit matched my hair.
This month I also need to take in the waist on my linen pants and skirts. Luckily I did these the old-fashioned way. It’s simply a matter of unpicking a small part of the waistband and cutting down the elastic, then sewing it back up!
I have two tiered skirts I serged the waistband onto. This will be a little trickier. However, when I was using my serger manual to relearn rolled hemming, I found instructions on cutting the loops to make pulling out serged stitches easier.
I think it is really important for your elastic waist garments to fit snugly. You don’t want your bottoms to fall down when you put your phone in your pocket. Perhaps I should get myself a pair of suspenders.
I think I have learned my lesson about bright, bold prints. I love this fabric and did a good sewing job on the shirt. But I never wear it. I will try to wear it at least once this month.
When I was younger, I was known for wearing neutrals. I didn’t think about it. I felt better disappearing into the background. As a photographer, I was an observer. It was a natural fit for me. However, I look better in color. My compromise is a good navy. Which is why I have decided to sew a couple of navy summer items for my wardrobe.
Regarding knitting, I’m trying to focus on fit and using yarn from my stash. I will buy yarn this month, though. I’m going to the Great Lakes Fiber Show with Bonny and Marilee! And there’s a yarn online I want for a pullover. Or maybe a turtleneck. As I get older, I love a cozy turtleneck. The yarn is $$$ so I am being cautious. But look at that moody color that is a neutral. I may need to buy myself some birthday yarn. I’m thinking about it.
I have read two books! I finished The Remaking. I picked this up at Green Feather Book Company in Norman, Oklahoma. It was a fun read. Someone should make a movie based on this book about a movie based on a movie based on local folklore. Super meta! 3 stars.
I also finished The Indigo Girl for my guild bookclub. I gasped audibly a couple of times. 3 stars.
I am excited about my garden and greenhouse this year. I will post about it another time.
This is a Year of Projects (YOP) Update. The group is in its 15th year, and is a Ravelry based group. You can learn more here.
AlissaMakes 
