12

Dec. ’25

Knitting new start: Soldotna

Since finishing Gardengate earlier this year I’ve been wanting to start a new sweater. But as my previous posts have said, life has been overwhelmingly crazy. And I’m still after 30 years, trying to figure out how to stop the crazy. I know I need to start saying no to things and I’m slowly doing that but not quick enough. Anyway, that’s a whole different post. After going through my 2 knitting project bins, I put the Soldotna at the top of my WIP list and started shortly after pulling it out.

Soldotna – started: 11/2025, here’s the current progress in Dec. 2025.

I do not play with it every day. I have 3 knitting WIPs and I’ve been alternating them from day to day. The fingerless mitts is the furthest along as for a short while, it was my only project I worked on and it was my daily knit. But it’s not a fun knit and it was just something to do while I figured out next knitting steps. It is also my travel knit as its small and portable. The third project is my cozy mini blanket. I’ll talk more about that on another post.

This is where I’m at currently, I’ll be starting the yoke when I pull it out to work on next. I can’t wait to start the colorwork as it’s my favorite part.

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Wool purchased when my LYS closed in Dec. 2019. The brown is color 33115.

Cheers! Knit on my friends.

Melanie

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10

Dec. ’25

Decluttering my mind…

That vague thing from a week or so ago? It’s done. The other party took care of their part pretty quickly. The next step has been scheduled and so I just need to prepare for that.

  1. Christmas cheer – I need to make my list, check it twice and find all the things I have bought over the past year and figure out who gets what. I have a lot of nephews who are older (18+) barely out of my xmas list but still young enough to get a present and all they want is money. So I usually bring something to give away along with cold hard cash. I get my pleasure of gifting something and they get their pleasure of getting cash.
  2. clear the living room 15 min/ day – I continue to do this … and it’s doing really well. I can’t see the changes on a day to day but when the cleaners come every few weeks, I notice a big difference.
  3. order the Swedish stuff for K’s room. – I’ve tried to order these things but there’s something wrong with my card (I called the card company and they say it’s fine) or there’s something wrong with the website (I called the support for the site and they said it’s fine too). I have ordered a new card in case that will resolve these issues. And if they don’t, I’ll need to go to the Swedish store and buy everything manually. 🙁
  4. william morris. 15 min of hand work on the July block until done – Done! I ended up spending a Sunday afternoon finishing up this project. And posted about it here.
  5. get the baby boy to mount my second monitor now that I have the mounting screws. – baby boy got a job and a GF so he’s been a bit preoccupied. I hope by the next list this gets fixed. But I doubt it. When I get K’s Swedish stuff ordered, we’re switching the desk currently in her room to my room and then I’ll have to do the monitors again. Rather than get him to do this twice I figure I’ll wait and have him do it once.
  6. shred the things in my shred pile
  7. file the papers in my to be filed pile
  8. go through my drawer of things I need to take care of
  9. go through my knitting project piles and update my knitting to do list for 2026 – Done!

Cheers!

M

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08

Dec. ’25

BOM 2025 – William Morris – Update #5

I first posted about this new start here and here and here and here and update #4.

July – all stitched down

My last update showed this block almost done and I spent an afternoon finishing it up.

It took longer because I hand stitched the hexis together. I machine blanket stitched the rosette onto the background. I used superior thread bobbin line (60w) on top and aurifil (50w) in the bobbin.

Blocks Made

block #5 – June
All the blocks so far.
Block #4
Block 3
Block #2
Block #1

Keep on quilting!

Melanie

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06

Dec. ’25

Monthly Door Banner – September

Another one is done!

September Banner

September – I try not to point out my ‘mistakes’ but I messed up the placement of the pencils. mainly because I cut the pieces in one sitting and pieced everything in different sittings. From the time I cut the pieces and pieced the first set of things I forgot that my cut pieces were exactly per the cutting instructions. I thought I just cut strips and was going to trim as I got to the end. And as such the pencils were not the right sizes and I had to trim excess fabric and add more of the background. I know that unless you know how it’s supposed to look like you have no idea what I’m talking about. But I wasn’t paying as much attention to the directions from one sitting to the next and this is the result which is the only reason why I bring it up. Paying attention to the instructions is important. 🙂

I have 3 more banners left:

January – already cut and ready to be pieced

October and November – still needs to be cut

Here are the ones that I’ve finished and posted about before:

February Banner
March Banner
April Banner
May Banner
June Banner (shown in a previous post last year)
July Banner (shown in a previous post last year)
August Banner
December Banner

So I’m halfway through.

I still need to do

September (cut and ready to be pieced)

October

November

January (cut and ready to be pieced)

Happy quilting

melanie

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05

Dec. ’25

My updated knitting to do list

St Mungo’s socks finished 11/24/2025

I’m getting ready for my 2026 knitting to do list so went through the 2 knitting bins of projects (#3 on the original to do list)

  1. Fingerless Mitts #2- started 11/11/2025
  2. 2 kitted sock projects in whatever order I feel like knitting them in
    • #1- St Mungo’s – finished 11/24/2025
    • #2-Ricky’s ugly socks
    • #3-Astrantia socks
    • I went through the bins of yarn projects (#3 of this list) and there was another sock #4- Sock it to me
  3. go through the 2 bins of yarn projects. From memory, the yarn is set aside but some may have a pattern name with it, but most probably do not. I doubt any of them have actual patterns with the project unless I bought the project kit as it was. —- done! 11/22/2025
  4. LONG TERM: go through my stash. give away what I no longer want to knit and re-stash what I want to keep
  5. Sweaters- I know I have more yarn in stash dedicated to sweaters but I haven’t gone through those bins yet… on the 2 bins I went through, I set aside two sweater projects
    • #1 – Soldotna
    • #2 – Stunning String Studio – purples (need to pick a pattern)
  6. Hats / Mittens
    • #1 – Pom pom hat kit (I think a pattern is included)
    • #2 – Jamieson’s color work (hat pattern picked but I still have to buy the pattern)
    • #3 – Mitts in a bag – Yggdrasil Miits by Skeindeer Knits (pattern is already in the bag with the yarn)
    • #4 – blue and white colorwork mitts? (no pattern and yarn is already wound up)
    • #5 – Yarn Cafe Creations (DK) – no pattern selected. just set aside with a note that says ‘hat’
    • #6 – Blue Manos and mohair. no pattern. intended to be knit together to create a halo (probably purchased around 12/2019 when our LYS was closing.)
    • #7 – Red Malabrigo – no pattern already wound up
    • #8 – woolly yarn (can’t remeber what it’s called and there’s no label except “lost city knits” purchased at 2019 Socal Stitches. note says it’s for mitts and I intended to use a Skeindeer pattern but I’m inclined to make a hat as I don’t use mitts a lot.
  7. Shawls / Cowls
    • #1 – tranquility (red)
    • #2 – Outlander shawl
    • #3 – Advent yarn calendar from mindy (needs pattern)
    • #4 – blue (original tranquility but then frogged it because I didn’t like how it was coming together so I need a better for this)
  8. Dailies- these are larger projects that I was doing one a day until J got tired…
    • #1 – advent calendar throw
    • #2 – coziest memory blanket
    • #3 – corner to corner throw (crochet)
    • #4 – coziest memory (minis)

I can’t believe how many projects were stored in those bins and I’m not sure where to hide these back into. I pulled out the Soldotna and pom pom kit as those as the two I’ll have as my rotation. When my current fingerless mitts are finished, I think I’ll pull out one of the socks kitted up.

Knit on friends,

Melanie

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03

Dec. ’25

My brain undone

I got something done that’s not on this list for privacy reasons but it’s been at the back of my brain for several years… and I did it. That step is done. It’s still in process as I’m waiting now for others to do their part but I feel so good and relieved and excited. And once that is officially done, it opens the door to another thing for me to do. I know that sounds so vague but I’m sure you can understand the feeling of great accomplishment when something like that is complete. Share in the joy I feel.

This current list… not much has changed since last week but with two big things done recently (the vague thing previously mentioned and the opp quilt I can focus on some of these things as well.

  1. Christmas cheer – my ex used to do our christmas shopping. I would do the kids and my parents, he would do his mom and everyone else in our extended family. Last year was my first Christmas after the divorce and I was in Japan before Christmas. I just brought things back that I liked and shared it with everyone. This year I have been buying little things all year long on my trips. Now I have to find them and figure out who’s getting what.
  2. clear the living room 15 min/ day – I continue to do this … some days are better than others but it’s a process.
  3. order the Ikea stuff for K’s room.
  4. william morris. 15 min of hand work on the July block until done – I haven’t picked this up yet and nothing has been done. Instead I’ve been sewing my September door banner during the little bit of crafty time I’ve had now that the opp quilt is done.
  5. get the baby boy to mount my second monitor now that I have the mounting screws. – baby boy got a job and a GF so he’s been a bit preoccupied. I hope by the next list this gets fixed.
  6. shred the things in my shred pile
  7. file the papers in my to be filed pile
  8. go through my drawer of things I need to take care of
  9. go through my knitting project piles and update my knitting to do list for 2026

Cheers!

M

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02

Dec. ’25

New start: 2025 Nutcracker

Started November 19, 2025

At the last SoCal Stitcher retreat last September, one of our friends brought this finished to show and tell. I loved it. I’m not normally one for a holiday stitch but I loved it and bought the pattern right then and there. It took me a few months to kit it all up for reasons… primarily because I’m trying to buy from shops rather than online.

Fabric: 28 count Lugana “Whisper”

Floss: Called for DMC

2×2

When I was in Colorado a couple of weeks ago, I stopped off at A Stitching Shop and remembered to kit this up.

A few other patterns may have come home with me as well…

Keep stitching,

Melanie

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01

Dec. ’25

My Rami Kim class

one rosette

Prepping for this class was on my to do list that I brain dumped here a few weeks ago. The class happened and I made this rosette. I was supposed to make 2 rosettes and a few more hexis in order to make the small bag I originally intended to do but I didn’t have the fortitude. I’m stopping here and calling it my mug rug.

Rami came and spoke at our guild. We had a facility snafu and I ended up hosting her and our group in my driveway. Thankfully I had just enough chairs and it was not cold. Those who didn’t want to go to my place went back home and joined online.

Cheers

M

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29

Nov. ’25

Rebel Stitchers’ “Disagree”

I started this at the last stitchy retreat. I had seen this pattern on Facebook and posted it telling people if they are looking for a gift for me, this is what to get. Well one of my friends gifted it to me and of course, I had to start it right away.

09/2025 New start

I spent some time stitching during a basketball game and was able to finish the flower. Here’s where I am now.

11/2025

Since I started it at the retreat, I bought my fabric and floss from Live & Dye LA who were vendors at the retreat.

Details:

Fabric: Live & Dye LA “Dusk” Lugana 32 count

Floss: Live & Dye LA “Naughty”

2×2

What it will grow up to be…

Happy Stitching!

~Melanie

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