2023 is all gone. Now, we go forward through 2024.

What do you see happening in 2024?

Fun? Excitement? New endeavor?

Me?

You know I’ll be knitting. I’m contemplating getting back into selling some of my knits whether it’s just in a local gift shop at the community center or during the Arts & Crafts show up north where we have our cabin. I participated there twice before and it worked out well the first year. The second year not so much. I’m thinking the customers were on to me when they probably saw that a lot of my stock was the same as the year before – yes, leftovers.

This year I’m trying something different. Hats, socks, fingerless mitts, scarves and maybe some doll sweaters, hats, and socks as well. I do enjoy knitting for the 18″ dolls such as the American Girl and Our Generation which are sold at Target. I have an OG doll by the name of Robyn. She’s my model and has been desperately in need of a modeling job.

Stay tuned!

Yes, I will return here more often. How long has it been since I’ve been here? I’m afraid to look.

Until next time!

Since my last visit here I attempted to log in a few times and it didn’t work so, I didn’t bother trying any harder.

Have you experienced Internet Fatigue yet? It seems that I’m just worn out from keeping up on forums, reading forums, posting in forums, checking Facebook and all that blah blah blah. I do spend a little while watching Stories on Instagram but I can leave them streaming while I’m knitting. Most of who I see are knitters so it’s entertaining for me as well as good for those pattern designers since it makes me wander on over to Ravelry to check out their patterns.

There are so many patterns, so many yarns, not enough time or lifetime left.

What do we do with all this yarn if we run out of knitting time and when I say knitting time I mean Knitting Time. You know, like when you can no longer hold those knitting needles (oh, hope not) or crochet hooks? I could always warp up the loom I suppose.

Yarn sale. Ah. That’s always an option but, who’s buying used yarns? I know I do but I think I already own them all. Miles and miles of yarns of various weights, fibers and textures.

I’m knitting as fast as I can.

There are photos. Just not good ones. When I get to where I have better internet I’ll share my latest finished project – Sharon Air from Casapinka. There’s an error in my FO but I’m leaving it that way. Two other participants in the MKAL did the same. We’re a small unique club, we called it.

Knitting:

I’ve finished two items. One hat, one neck warmer both from the same free pattern available through Drops, Funfair 122-33.

Reading:

One book down and it was another about true crime, this time the topic was Meyer Lansky and his family. It was OK and rather long. Now, I have two Kindles. One is a Paperwhite and the other is my old Kindle Keyboard which is so full of books that it just moves so slow. I’m working my way through as fast as I can but when you’re knitting projects that require me to pay attention reading and knitting isn’t working so well. Kindle can read to me, but, my mind tends to wander so I miss quite a bit. Every now and then I do get myself into a really dull book so having it read to me works since I always feel committed to finishing a book once I start it. That reminds me. I’ve got one waiting for me that falls into that category.

Other:

I finished an online course through Gale Education which is often free through the local library system. That’s how I’m taking my courses. I signed up using my local library card number. While I was still working my company provided us all with log-ins to take courses through Gale so when I found out I could continue I’ve been taking courses since I quit working in 2016.

This last one was called Get Assertive! and it wasn’t what I thought it would be. It wasn’t one of those rah rah courses like the ones I had been sent to during my work career to teach us how to overcome resistance from customers. This one was all about making yourself understood and heard. One lesson was extremely relevant to my life – the one that clearly states that it’s perfectly OK to state your feelings or tell your story. There will always be those who don’t like what you feel or what you share as your story. So true. So true.

In my case, it’s people who used to be friends in person (not online friends) and one of my daughters. They all think that I was the instigator of a divorce. I do believe I mentioned earlier that she now feels that I have destroyed her childhood. Here’s what happened there. She was 14 closer to 15 when the divorce happened. When she came to visit me at my apartment, or my house later, she felt a sense of freedom that she had never experienced. Her father was, and probably still is, one of those who always needs to be reassured that he’s needed and he feels the need to always be in control. If you would point that out to him he flatly says that’s not true. Oh, it’s true. He was always critical of me even before we got married which should have been my first clue.

Let’s go there.

We met in January of 1976 during the second week of a 10 week quarter at WSU (Wayne State University). He signed up for the course so he could be in the same class as a girl by the name of Lori. She was sitting with her two friends in the row in front of me so he sat next to me. For days they were flirting back and forth which became annoying. I always sat in the same spot which was right where I could see the instructor and not be too far into the row and close to the aisle but not on the aisle. Make sense? I offered to change places with him so he could be closer to her. He declined. Oh well. So for weeks he flirted with the both of us. I already had a boyfriend and we had been together for over a year. My BF wasn’t in college yet as he was three months younger than me. See, my birthday is at the end of the year and his is the beginning. If I was born two weeks later we would have been in the same graduating year.

Anyway, the quarter was done and he decided to sign up for the next Art History course which was required for my program but not his. I still would not go out with him or meet him anywhere. There was something about him that kept me from agreeing to anything. In other words, it took him 20 weeks to convince me to see him outside of class. I found out within minutes that he was all about the physical aspect of a relationship. It was overwhelming to me at the age of 18.

I broke up with my boyfriend and started officially dating him – Mike – and wasn’t quite aware yet of how he needs to be in control and constantly reassured of his worth, etc. That came quickly, real quickly. I needed a car. The car I was driving was a loaner from the company my dad worked for. My sister started driving and it was hard for the both of us to share one car when we both went to school and worked. Mike told me that she should be the one to spend her money on a car not me. I was supposed to save my money for our future. Seriously? Our future? I had only known him for 5 months by then and he was already giving me heck about how I spend my money. My money. Then, he started with the insistence that I needed to get a raise at work. Huh? I worked for a non-union grocery store that worked around my school schedule. No, I needed more money. The minimum wage back then kept going up so each time it went up, so did my pay. I went from $1 per hour to $5 in the 2 1/2 years I worked there. The $5 came about when the other grocery store in town unionized and that was what they were receiving. So, our boss matched it to avoid us wanting a union.

Let’s go forward now to when he and his friends took a trip the following spring. They went to Florida. While they were in Daytona Beach they met a group of girls who were also there. The girls had rented a dune buggy which disappeared one night when a group of guys ‘borrowed’ it. Yep, the girls did the right thing and called the Daytona Beach police to report that it was stolen and they knew who took it. The guys couldn’t return to their hotel room so spent the rest of their trip sleeping in the back of a pickup truck while hiding out. So, I was dating a fugitive. It only got more interesting from there.

We got through another year and I decided that this smothering wasn’t working well for me. The non-stop nagging that ‘we’ needed more money, my degree wasn’t going to earn a lot of money so I should switch to business courses and my favorite – hope I pass the English Proficiency Exam. They all failed it and had to take it two or three times. Phhhhht. No problem. Over this 2nd year I was feeling as if I was being possessed so I started to take mental stock of the situation and started to get more social with others. When my work friends went out after work I went with them. This was before cell phones, etc so I didn’t let Mike know where I was but did warn my parents in advance that we might all go out after work. This is when I realized that there was more to living than being with someone who wanted to map my future for me then act like a GPS giving me directions the entire time on how to get there.

We’ll continue……………

Stay safe.

Didn’t I say I was going to be here more often?

How did that work out?

You weren’t sitting at your screen just waiting for me to reappear were you? If so, I hope you got up to walk around every now and then. Sitting for too long is bad for you. It’s what they say, anyway.

What did you do this year? I knitted quite a bit and you know, it does keep you sane even if you decide to join every single Knit-along or Mystery-knit-along that comes into your inbox. No, I didn’t join all of them but there were more than in a normal year. I started out in January and it just kept going. October had five and December had three. Now, I’m trying to finish two of the Advent KALs so I can move on to January with a clear project slate.

No, that won’t happen. There aren’t enough days left in December to finish the two that are right here.

One is from Casapinka and is the Secret Life of Cats (and Dogz) shawl which will end up longer than I am tall.

The other is from Ambah O’Brien and I chose her Radvent Cardigan pattern and had a second set-back over the weekend when I discovered that I used the wrong size needle when I got to the body. I’m still knitting my way through the pile of frogged yarn on the floor.

Once those two are done I’m going to be moving onto a three-month knit-along with Laura Nelkin’s fans. We can knit whatever we want from her pattern collection. A friend and I have chosen Creatrix which is a lace shawl. I will keep telling myself that a quarter of a year is three months.

Then, there’s Dandelion which is a striped and patterned pullover from Vogue Knitting. I’ve got the back done and the front is in progress. No pressure there to get it done. Here in Michigan it’s sweater weather most of the year. After all, not all sweaters are long-sleeve turtlenecks.

What else?

Over the past 20 years many who are from my past life have believed that I was the ‘bad guy’ when I left my first marriage. It has eaten at me for too long. My oldest daughter won’t have anything to do with me and claims that I have destroyed her childhood with the choices that I made.

First of all, she was a teen when I left and her life was not destroyed. It’s only been over the past five years where she has turned against me and she’s in her mid 30s. It was when her father remarried that this all came about. Apparently, there is no room in her life for a step-mom and mom at the same time. It’s painful and has been causing me to feel downright sick at times.

After reading books regarding the mind and taking an online course I do believe that this coming year is the year that my story is told. I’m not sure it will happen here or just in a journal. It will happen. Too many people from my past have used the line “it’s water under the bridge” when they see me suggesting that I’m the one who needs forgiving.

All of my choices were actually reactions to someone else’s actions that were extremely hurtful to me and just wrong when you make the decision to love and protect someone while standing at the alter then fail to do so more than once.

Once again, I’m tellin’ ya that I should come here more often. Each time I take the time to log in and write something I find more changes that need to be figured out. All those options that we can add. If you see any odd calendars, forms, etc. don’t get worried, I’m just playing.

How has your June been going?

I’m still here being Safer at Home. After all, my governor is That Woman From Michigan. No, I don’t think she’s gone overboard with her restrictions. She makes me think of my childhood when we would get grounded or sent to time out in our rooms. Mom would tell us it was for our own good. Then, she would follow that up with “It’s just as bad for me as it is for you.”

That didn’t make sense to me until I had my own daughters and they were in need of a time-out or grounding. Totally understood. Yes, when a parent puts a child in a time-out, that parent sure better participate and be right there keeping an eye on the Time-Out Kid. Wanna know why? My sisters and I were very creative when it came to entertaining ourselves during time-outs. They turned into play time. Once when Dad was cleaning out the cold air return ducts he found out when he pulled toys, balls, etc. out of them. We were sending toys to each other since all three bedrooms were lined up and the same rather large duct went to all three. Ah yes.

Knitting has been going on. Last week I finished a summer cotton tee that was just my own no-pattern project. Stitches were cast on and knitting happened. There is so much yarn to use here so I just chose two cottons and went for it.

I’ve got two more sweaters in progress. One is Dawe by Amy Miller.

The other is Pacific Pearl Lace Tee by Alexandra Sakota.

I’ll let you know how they go. So far, they’re going well and both should be done by the end of the month.

Be careful! Stay safe!

Remember, no matter where you live, the restrictions are for your own good. They are not political, they are not spiteful. Because of all this mess I have not seen my twin grandsons since February and they only live two counties away in the middle of one of the most infected in Michigan.

Let’s make this go away by using our best judgement and remembering that a few months of being grounded is way better than being sick and possibly ending up with lifelong after effects.

Be Patient – Not a Patient.

Are you all following the Stay-At-Home directives? I know I am. Just the thought of getting sick always gets me thinking about how determined I am to run out and buy something. Funny, eh? Not really. Since we live out in a rural area that used to be mostly farmland, running out to anywhere isn’t always a quick trip. So, since I quit working in July of 2016 I’ve learned the art of Online Ordering.

Oh, I had that pretty much mastered back in the days when catalogs would arrive in the mailbox down at the end of the driveway. Remember those order forms stapled in the middle? You could include a check for what you are ordering and often not even have to provide postage to mail it back to the retailer? Oh, yes, I remember those days real well. Lots of yarn and clothing arrived at my home that way.

Then, the internet happened.

Sickness didn’t evade me this wonderful March of 2020. Recently, I was bragging about how I couldn’t even remember the last time I had a common cold and that none of the colds that I’ve had in the past 15 years started with me. Yes, my husband is a germ transporter. I tell him that he’s like having toddlers. When my girls were little they would always find the germs and for years I swear we had a cold every fourth week for about three years.

March 24th was when our governor announced the Stay-At-Home order. The next day I started to experience a scratchy throat thinking it was from the leaf mold out in our woods where I walk my dog. No. Not from leaf mold. What day is today? Sunday. Friday morning I woke up with my throat feeling really beyond scratchy. I went into the kitchen for my usual cup of coffee and glass of water. The coffee pot was empty so as I was putting water in I suddenly felt really odd. So, into the bathroom I go where my knees buckled and I ended up laying on the floor sweating and freezing at the same time.

Where the heck did that come from? After looking into my throat using one of my handy little LED flashlights there it was. A set of the ugliest tonsils I’ve ever seen.

Yup. Tonsillitis. No way did I want to go to an urgent care. After taking several throat selfies I did get a good photo off to the virtual doctor, received a call back from the nurse practitioner and got myself a round of antibiotics. Today will be the second full day of treatment so I’m hoping to get back to normal again soon.

I’m telling you – it’s not worth going out there. Take advantage of the Order Online-Free Delivery or Curbside Pickup. Do it. But, be careful, you might find out how easy it is to shop from the comfort of your chair. You don’t even need to shower and dress before shopping and you can do it with your knitting on your lap.

Knitting in 2020 is becoming almost stressful. Not really. Just very time consuming. Again, not really. It’s what I do.

Now, if I could just keep myself out of eBay the yarn would stop showing up in my mailbox and at the door. More arrived over the weekend. It was a deal I couldn’t resist. How can you let 4408 yards of fingering weight wool slip away at $14 for all of it plus shipping? I couldn’t.

I’ve got lots of patterns saved in my Favorites on Ravelry. What will I knit with this first? I’m thinking the Olive Leaf Cardigan that I attempted to knit early in 2019 but tried a cotton/linen mix. That wasn’t working. Not only that, the color seems perfect.

The winding process began two days ago and I found out the hard way that my swift and winder aren’t going to get along with this massive amount of yarn. So, I’m winding balls off the swift by hand. There are two of these skeins so I’m hoping to keep focused so I don’t come across the second skein a hundred years from now. Right. Like that would happen.

Are you knitting?

Are you counting the days until the first day of spring? I know I am.