Rich's boot socks are moving along steadily, mostly because I don't really have to do much thinking while I knit them. However, I did end up stopping on my Sock Madness attempt. I may try again another time, but it was too much, with too little time, and a whole lot of stress going on in the background. In the interim, I've finished the surprise project I was working on, and will likely be able to share it next week.

Aside from our water heater's tantrum, we've had a family issue come up that requires all hands on deck, so we are focusing on that. We are also trying to have as much normalcy as possible, and it is difficult. Please keep our family in your prayers.

Honestly, I am simply not sure how much designing I'll be able to do the rest of this year, and I am not making any promises. There is one pattern I will receive the rights back on this month, and I hope to have that ready to release. However, with all that has been going on, our family would directly benefit from any purchases of patterns you or any knitter you know make.

It is Malabrigo March! Through the end of the day, DST, March 10, 2026, the coupon code MalMarch2026 will get you 25% off of my patterns which feature Malabrigo Yarn on both Ravelry and PayHip. This is a great way to get some fantastic patterns at a discount, and every purchase (whether through the sale or not) will help us replenish our emergency fund.

The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge has been a little more than I can handle right now wth everything else going on in our lives, so I might put it away for a bit. I finished Mrs. Pollifax on Safari, and really enjoyed it. Rich and I are finishing up Three Bags Full together, and I hope to see the movie when it comes out in May. We suspect that the movie will be better than the book.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Any time you click on a book link, it gives me the opportunity to earn a few cents for our family.

Labels: Books, Design, Family, Homemaking, Knitting, MalMarch, Prayer Requests, Sock Madness, WIP, Yarn Along

Folks, I think I hate surface crochet. I might have to give up on my qualifier sock, because I just don't think I can finish in time without cheating it somehow. Before I rip anything out, though, I will try it with a smaller crochet hook and see if that helps. If not, I fear I will not even make it as a cheer leader this year.

I have my surprise project, a couple designs, and another pair of socks I could work on, but I had planned on knitting mostly these this week, so now I'm a bit at odd ends. However, I did take out the too short braided tassel on Rich's defend and resist hat and re-did it with 15" strands instead of the 11" ones recommended in the pattern and I like it much better. Rich asked if it was Finished, finished, finished, and when I said it was, he immediately tucked it into his coat pocket so he could wear it in the cold.

Saturday, we woke up to our water heater leaking and flooding four rooms in our basement. We got to pay for emergency weekend plumbing and a replacement that was nearly twice the cost it would have been because the state of Washington has outlawed high capacity water heaters for homes, so we had to buy a commercial model. Please pray for us. (Also, I am offering a discount on all my individually sold patterns as a flood sale with the coupon code FLOOD on both Ravelry and PayHip, if you are so inclined to help replenish our emergency fund). The good news is there was a dependable, honest, helpful plumber who was able to bring us the water heater and replace ours in just hours. We have water, and it is even hot. Glory to God!

My nighttime reading is still Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge, which is further justifying my admiration of him as a president and a man. I'm fairly close to finishing Mrs. Pollifax on Safari, though I've slowed down even in this with our busy past couple weeks.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Any time you click on a book link, it gives me the opportunity to earn a few cents for our family.

Labels: Books, Design, Family, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, Sock Madness, WIP, Yarn Along

I have finished Rich's Defend and Resist cap. I am not sure how I feel about the tassel. I love the red, white and blue in it, but it seems short. So, after I block it, if it hasn't relaxed a little, I will take it out and put a new, longer, tassel on the hat.

After not qualifying for two years in a row, and not even trying last year, I am in again for Sock Madness this year. My goal is to make it as a cheerleader, because then I can modify the patterns as I wish. However, first I have to finish at least one sock. I basically forgot how to read a chart today, and started reading it from the top. The sock is back on track now, and I am happy with the pattern. Most of it is straight forward sock knitting and stranded color work, but there is an interesting heel that will need attention, and the vertical red stripes in the design (which are not there yet) are made by using surface crochet.

At the imposition of ashes today, I worked a little on my surprise project, but I haven't touched Qidyssat Katrin or Mawqid at all today. I think that is on the docket for tomorrow and this weekend.

There hasn't been much progress in Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge, but now that we are finished with our Mardi Gras doughnut feast, and we are having a quiet Ash Wednesday night, I think I'll get more reading time tonight. I did finish A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax, and have started Mrs. Pollifax on Safari. There was one thing that kind of annoyed me about A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax, and that is that the author made up a country in the Arab world, used region/city names from two different countries, instead of just picking one and going with it. All the other locations have been real and historical.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Any time you click on a book link, it gives me the opportunity to earn a few cents for our family.

Labels: Ash Wednesday, Books, Design, Faith and Morality, Family, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, Lent, Sock Madness, WIP, Yarn Along

Yathrib is just about at the point in which I will have miles and miles of a cabled edging to work. The good news is that in the next month, we have a road trip that will allow me some pretty good knitting time for that. In the meantime, I have started up a pair of colorwork mitts for Malabrigo March and, incidentally, for the Incense Route Collection that is coming out in November. These colors are so pretty, and I really hope show my design as I want it to look. The inspiration for the design is some traditional pottery from the region, and I think it will end up pretty and interesting to make.

There was just too much going on in my life and with our family during the qualifying round of Sock Madness, so while I already learned a pretty cool technique that I think I will use on mitts or mittens one day, the sock had to go into the UFO pile, to be worked on another day.

This surprise gift is a surprise no more. I gave it to Amelia on Monday, when she and Autumn were over here, because Autumn was really under the weather, and needed help looking after Amelia. She needed some looking after herself, too. Poor Amelia was also not doing too hot, but all the antibodies in the milk must have been helping, because she was mostly fussy and stuffed up, but not too terribly sick.

Oh, I have finally gotten the photography done and edited for the second to last pattern in my Tradewinds Color Collection, and it should be published this week (tomorrow is the goal). If you are not already subscribing to my newsletter, may I suggest you look at the link at the bottom of this post and do it, you might find a neat surprise in your inbox tomorrow or Friday. Likewise, keep an eye on any of my sales platforms that you follow, for the latest pattern. This will be the last chance to get the whole collection at a discount, or you can just pick up the hood pattern by itself.

The kids and I finished both Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on their Toes. I finished loads of light reading. Everything else was either too heavy for my sleeplessness lately or was not to my liking. So, I drifted into some happy, little, murders, and just allowed myself to escape with some brain candy. It was actually hard finding some light fiction in which the main character is not divorced and on the make. I am not interested in that. We've started The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, because it was mentioned in _Cheaper by the Dozen_ and the kids wanted to hear it.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

Labels: Books, Design, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Knitting, MalMarch, Sock Madness, Spring Sweater Stitchalong, WIP, Yarn Along

My second surprise project is almost finished, and I am getting closer and closer to finished on Yathrib. I cannot tell you how happy this makes me, because I am a month behind, and eating into my extra time I gave myself. With one project behind me, my weekends will be freer to finish the baptismal gown, and my weekdays will be left to start on the next sweater in this collection.

Because I am foolish, I have added another project to start. This year, I decided to try Sock Madness again. I qualified as a cheerleader one year, then didn't qualify at all the next, then again as a cheerleader the year after that. However, the designer of the qualifier that last year was so sarcsatic and mean to people who asked legitimate questions (not toward me, this wasn't personal), that it took almost all the fun out of it. I still haven't finished that pair of socks, even though they were beautiful, and I learned a couple techniques while making the first. It just left a sour taste in my mouth, and I didn't participate the rest of the competition, and I didn't participate at all last year. This year, it appears that designer is not so active, so I thought I would try again. Well, the qualifying pattern was delivered today, and I have less than 14 days to finish at least one intarsia in the round sock. It is a pretty cool sock, and this is a technique that I have wanted to master, but I am not sure I can do it in less than two weeks!

Plus finish the sweater and the baptismal gown. I'm not sure I will qualify this year.

I think I have only read about two more pages in The Diary of a Country Priest. The kids and I are more than half way through Cheaper by the Dozen, and I finished The Tsar of Love and Techno. I enjoyed the writing, though I found the author unnecessarily included some obscene parts. I do not mean that there are sexual references or sexual imagery, but that there are some disgusting scenes, and as far as I can tell, they were added so they could be part of the story, rather than being part of the story that made sense. The book is a series of short stories, and while they do not form "chapters" of the same story, each story is linked to one or more of the other stories. Some of them end in such a way as to leave questions and unresolved issues. I don't mind that, but you might. Of all of the chapters, the last one was my least favorite. It didn't follow the rules of all the other chapters, and was too weak to break the rules well, in my opinion. The entire set of stories could have been written without that last chapter, and it would have been at least as good, if not better. A few more things would have been unresolved, but I think that would have been better than turning it from a somewhat ambiguous and intriguing set of historical fiction pieces to an almost sci-fi thing. If it were done more cleverly and elegantly, perhaps it could have been pulled off, but it wrung you from the story as it was written, and took you outside of it in a way that made you a spectator as yourself, rather than as part of the story or a shadow of it.

The #SpringSweaterStitchalong begins Monday! Please join in the fun on my Facebook or Ravelry groups. If you want to ask questions or start chatting, please feel free to do so. If you follow that hashtag on Instagram, or share your pictures using that hashtag, then other knitters participating will see your work, too. Both Amira and Imbat will be options to knit during the KAL, and if you are especially speedy, you might be able to make both! I will be available for help, to answer questions, and you will have others to encourage and assist you, too. Please take a look at the patterns and your stash (or go shopping for appropriate yarn) now so you can be ready to cast on for February 20.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

Labels: Books, Design, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Knitting, Sock Madness, Spring Sweater Stitchalong, WIP, Yarn Along

This is my third year trying to compete in Sock Madness. The first year, I made cheerleader, and that was great. Last year, between Elijah's seizure and all the restrictions, I just couldn't handle it, and didn't even finish the one sock to be a cheerleader. This year, I made cheerleader again, but it wasn't nearly as fun. Even in previous years, when there had been harder (for me) and newer to me methods, the designers had always been so kind and helpful, and this time, it seemed like everyone was so afraid of how difficult her patterns were, but in actuality, they were just fiddly. It is a beautiful sock. As soon as I saw smocking and beading, I knew it was going to be a challenge for me to finish in time, because both of those slow me down considerably. The pattern was written in an unnecessarily confusing manner, in my opinion, and there were one or two new techniques. I really liked the cast on, though it took me a bit to get the hang of it. It is both stretchy and firm, though, and that is useful in a sock. Besides that, it was just following the pattern, but there were random underlined parts, the transition rounds were not placed together, and the heel gusset (which is great, and I can see many ways to use it in other socks) was written in a way that caused all sorts of questions, when it could have been written in a little more clear way, which probably would have reduced the number of questions which seemed to annoy her. I normally don't like to say anything bad about other designers but, in this case, the few unclear parts and the one missed instruction right at the end were really not the issue. It was the sarcasm and rudeness that met people who had legitimate questions (even if they had been asked numerous times by other people, since there are thousands of posts in the chat - as of this moment, there are 11718 and climbing - and sometimes you miss a post or don't use the right search terms to find something). I observed this kind of rudeness with other participants, repeatedly, and eventually resigned myself to "silent" searching for clarification and trying not to ask anything. It made the experience lesser than previous years have been.

In previous years, even when I had obvious ignorance, or saw it in others, the responses have been kind. Sometimes a bit abrupt or direct, but never rude or sarcastic. It sucked the fun out of it for me this year. Never before this year did I see someone told that he or she was too lazy to read the pattern when asked about a clarification (I saw this directed at someone who was not being rude and was simply explaining how he had to figure it out to understand). So, while the design is gorgeous, I am still a bit annoyed with it. The heel gusset, as written, was too shallow for me, even though the fit is otherwise perfect on the leg and foot, and since one of the rules is to knit it to specifications, I couldn't fiddle with it to make it a little deeper, which I would do if I were to knit something like that again. Instead, they will go to Mariam. After I have a little break from this pattern, and can look at it without being annoyed about the qualifying experience. Once the second sock is knit, Mariam will have a perfect, flowery, beaded pair of socks that will thrill her. In the meantime, I had to really force myself to read in the cheerleading thread, and I don't know if I will ever participate again. I'm taking some deep breaths and enjoying the new patterns, especially since I can knit them to my preference and fit.

Have you noticed in the predominately female led fiber world that people think it is mean to expect professionalism from dyers/designers/yarn producers? I remember seeing it when I was part of a yarn club which had numerous delays and little to no communication regarding the delays (the news only came when people pressed them for it). When people asked what was going on, politely, they were told that the company was run by these women and they were "nice" and it was "mean" to ask these things, because they were working hard, and trying their best, and it would hurt their feelings. We had all paid a significant amount of money for the yarn club and this was not a favor being done between friends. They run a business. It is their job to communicate with their customers. I'm seeing this on the Fiber Social Media that shall not be named as well. Even though the owners are running a business, and they are paid and make money off of it, we are supposed to pretend we are all buddies and so no criticism is allowed. I have to admit, I am a bit fed up with it. Again, I am trying to take some deep breaths and let it roll off of me, but I'm also rolling my eyes.

Anyway, I am so close to finished with Alexander's convertible mittens. Actually, technically, they are finished, but I am not happy with how I attached the button loop. I didn't make a note of how I did it on the first one, because it seemed so simple, but I have redone this twice, and I am going to undo it and try again tomorrow. I have a simple, vanilla sock on needles, and have the second of three mittens in progress for Basbousa. Because I want to make it for MalMarch, I am casting on a cloche hat for a fall design tonight. There are a few days left in our Around the World Stitch-Along, and it has been so much fun. The projects made by our participants have been gorgeous and amaze me with their skill. What are you knitting?

The kids and I finished Jo's Boys, and I am almost finished with Desert Queen. My weekly study and prayer group has only one more week before we finish Songs of Praise, and we are trying to decide what study to do next. I have three or four here, and am hoping they will have some suggestions, as well. As I need a little light reading, I picked up another happy, little murder, Yarn to Go, which is fun and silly and what I need for a break. What are you reading?

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

Labels: Around the World Stitch Along, Books, Design, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Knitting, Sock Madness, Yarn Along

What a busy weekend we had! It was rather different not having guests, but we made platters for families we knew, and that was good. In any case, after four days of multiple services at various times of day and night, and three nights of going to bed after midnight, and three days of cooking, yesterday was all about catching up on rest and today, I just grafted the toe on my sock. Honestly, I have been too exhausted to do much, so I haven't even been reading this week, except for story books with the littles.


Linking to Keep Calm and Craft On.

Labels: Homemaking, Knitting, Quarantine, Sock Madness, WIP, Yarn Along

My error in mixing up my due dates on third party projects has put my sabbatical month in peril. I am definitely taking this week off, and still will take the weekends off, but I think I will be spending much of the rest of April to get as far along on my sample as I can. In the meantime, I have finished one of Alexander's convertible mittens, have been working on my Sock Madness sock, and even pulled out a crocheted scarf I began over six years ago. Everyone says that crochet goes faster than knitting, but I feel like this is not true. At least not when I am doing it. Anyway, I have a tiny bit of hope that my yarn will last through both socks, and I like how the crocheted scarf looks, even if it takes me forever to do it.

Alexander's mittens/fingerless gloves are great, but the pattern was not. It had error after error in it, and I was actually really surprised that it was published in a well known online magazine with as many errors (and still not corrected) in it. I am not the first person to notice them, either, but because of this, I am basically writing the pattern in its entirety as I go. If I wanted to do that, I would have started with my own swatches and sketches. In any case, they will serve him well, and he likes them, so I continue.

My reading has slowed. Kristin Lavransdatter has been set aside. We finished On the Banks of Plum Creek and started By the Shores of Silver Lake. I’ve only read a little bit in Babel. We are in the last part of Tending the Garden of Our Hearts for our Western Holy Week.


Linking to Keep Calm and Craft On.

Labels: Books, Crochet, Design, Homemaking, Knitting, Quarantine, Sock Madness, WIP, Yarn Along

I love being a designer, but I also want to make sure I have a good balance of knitting for pleasure and knitting for work. Aside from taking weekends off from my designs, I also try to take a "sabbatical" every fourth month, as well as taking the last six weeks of the year off for the Indie Designer Gift-a-Long. Sometimes this is easier to do than others. Right now, I am hustling to get my designs off my needles so I can have my April free for knitting that doesn't require pattern writing or editing or promotion.

The sample for Vespers isn't due to the photographer until June, so I am getting what I can finish done now, and then putting it away for a little while I work on Saint Nicholas stockings for Mariam and Nejat, convertible gloves for Alexander, and some mittens for Yasmina. I'm ahead of schedule on the pattern writing for this, so it is ready for editing, and I even have two and a half other patterns ready, too! You are welcome future Ranée! The problem is that I mixed up which pattern was due when, so I am now actually in a rush to get another one written that is the one actually due soon. Which means my sabbatical is going to have some fast swatching and writing that has to be done. My swatches just weren't working, so I need to find another plan.

I want to keep working on my Sock Madness socks, but I am worried I will run out of the brown yarn, so I am debating pressing on with the first one and deciding then versus ripping them out now and trying two other yarns. What do you think?

I have made almost no progress on Kristin Lavransdatter, but we should finish On the Banks of Plum Creek before the end of the week. Babel is still a fascinating read, and I am hoping I can have it finished by next week. Anyone who loves language, or even people who want to learn other languages, will find something valuable in this book.



Linking to Yarn Along and Keep Calm and Craft On.

Labels: Books, Design, Homemaking, Knitting, Quarantine, Sock Madness, WIP, Yarn Along

Friends, I did not finish the sock in time. They are neat socks, and I want to finish them, not least because I want another pair of handknit socks, but I am not loving the stitch pattern on the foot. I will press on, but I do not see myself using that technique ever again. It takes me more than 15 minutes to finish one of the pattern rounds with the tuck stitch in it. Instead of these socks, though, right now I am working more on Vespers.



Keep Calm and Craft On.

Labels: Books, Design, Homemaking, Knitting, Sock Madness, WIP, Yarn Along

Our excitement last week has delayed much of my knitting and reading. Now, I am really hustling to get one sock completed to specifications so I can make it as a cheerleader this year. My goal is to have it finished in time that if I have to make any corrections or submit any other photos, I will have the time. First, I ended up cutting my main color for no reason whatsoever, so now I have to weave in two more ends. Then, yesterday, I broke one of my already too few needles in two places, when I leaned over my purse. I found another project with an extra size 1 needle I could grab, but at this point, I do not know if I will qualify. Wish me speed and luck!

I was really hoping to be finished with Babel, but with the upheaval of this week, it, too, has been on the backburner.



Keep Calm and Craft On.

Labels: Books, Design, Homemaking, Knitting, Sock Madness, WIP, Yarn Along

Last year was my first time participating in Sock Madness, and I am trying again this year. I'm hoping to at least get a place as a cheerleader, even if I don't get on a team. These socks are really fun and it will give me another pair of handknit for my sock drawer. They are great weekend knitting for me, when I don't work on my designs. I am still making progress on Vespers, too, and hope to have it finished before the end of April.

My reading for the month is still Babel, for myself, and Tending the Garden of Our Hearts, with the family, but I have returned to Sirach Bible Study and Journal, which I abandoned too long.



I'm so excited to see that yarn along is back, too!

Keep Calm and Craft On.

Labels: Books, Design, Faith and Morality, Homemaking, Knitting, Sock Madness, WIP, Yarn Along