Brioche Balaclava

I did complete a few projects while I was away. This Brioche Balaclava is one of those projects! It sat unfinished for way too long then I finally finished binding off and stitching the top closed. That part didn’t take very long, but for some reason it took me a literal year to do.

I love the fluffy neon green mohair and am considering knitting another. Does anyone want a balaclava?

2026

Happy New Year!!!

Since it’s the first post of the year, I’m sharing my crafting intentions! They are a bit different this year, bingo card style instead of a list. Last year (and again this year because they are fun) I made monthly bingo cards of things to do that encourage exploring and trying new things. For these craft resolutions, I’ve got a single bingo card filled with different craft projects in five different categories. Some of these projects have been on my list of crafting intentions for years, some are new because I’ve recently purchased the supplies, and others are crafts I’ve never tried before or want to improve. A blackout is highly unlikely, but maybe I’ll surprise myself with my motivation.

The categories are:
Yarn
• Spiral Tube Socks - I am curious about this pattern.
• Moomin Pattern - I got a Moomin knitting book as a present and should knit something from it!
• Leopard Hat - My longest knitting WIP.
• Scarf for Ruby - My niece wants a new scarf. 
• New Shawl - I bought some bright pink mohair!

Sewing
• Denim Quilt - Yeah, yeah, it’s still not done… 2026 might be the year!
• Catnip Toys - I can always have more of these since the get ripped open often. 
• Culottes - I want to make a copy of some of my pants.
• Chore Jacket - I wanted to make a cape with this fabric originally, but a chore jacket is more my style.
• Ikea Fabric - I bought fabric from Ikea.

Photos
• Photo Calendar - I want to take enough photos this year that I could make a decent calendar.
• Macro Photography - A style of photography I want to get better at.
• Free Space - Every bingo card needs a free space!
• Timelapse Photo - Something new to try.
• Frame a Photo - Get at least one printed and frame it!

Gardening
• More Raised Beds - I think I need more growing space.
• Floral Bouquets - Bouquets make me happy and I’ll be growing lots of flowers.
• Plant Everything - My collection of plants still in their nursery containers will be planted!
• Snail Seed Starting - I haven’t tried it yet, but I think I’ll like this method.
• Actual Gardening Plan - I’m not going to wing it this year.

Other
• Another Floating Shelf - This has been on my list for years!
• Kinusaiga - A new craft to try.
• Laser Cutter Project - I have a laser cutter and need to practice.
• Melty Bead Project - So I use some of my supplies.
• Christmas Slug- For my Christmas light display next winter.

Each column is a different craft category and the placement is kind of random within columns. Now that the bingo card is made, I'm trying to figure out which line will be my likely first bingo. A diagonal maybe? Which is your guess?

Hello World

Are you surprised to hear from me? I’ve got plans to post here on a regular basis again! Who knows how long it will last though. 

As when I started this blog all those years ago, I have lots of craft supplies and I am not making things with them. While I am mostly good at limiting my purchases of said craft supplies, I am slowly adding more. Anyway, I need to use them and probably should spend more time doing creative things instead of mindlessly scrolling so I’m back and ready to make things!

Pumpkins!!!

It’s Halloween! The perfect time to share my pumpkin harvest! In April and May I planted most of my sizable collection of saved pumpkin seeds. Here is some of my harvest:

The pumpkins I collected the seed from were so varied in color, shape, and size. And there were so many varieties, I planted seeds collected from 20 different types of pumpkins/gourds which is why I’m surprised they mostly look the same. Plus the giant pumpkins didn’t grow at all, which was a big disappointment. I think the rest of my pumpkin seeds will go to the compost bin and I can order a few new varieties next year. I’ve had my eye on some black pumpkins for a few years so maybe it’s time to actually purchase those seeds. What pumpkin varieties are your favorite?

Have Not Been Knitting

My deadline to finish knitting the balaclava has passed and my thoughts of using part of the 6 hour train ride to Lapland to finish knitting the balaclava has also passed. The balaclava is so close to being finished, but it is continuing to sit untouched. This is my progress, I just need to finish binding off the face opening and sewing the two top slits closed. It shouldn't take me very long so I'll be finishing it this weekend since it is supposed to be very rainy and I like spending gloomy days indoors.