Another month, another yardage tally.

I started off February returning to social media and had to take the time to find some balance. At first it was too much and resulted in an immediate downshift in mood and desire to do anything. By the end, checking in for under 10 minutes twice a day seems to work well.

I was quite crafty this month as I worked through some anxious energy for an upcoming surgery early in March, so I managed to finish several small projects—both knitting and cross stitch.

In 2023, my only yarny goal is to knit something every month. Sure did. I knit two handspun hot water bottle coozies with plans for two more this following month.

So. What about you, kitten? Is your 2023 off to a start you’re happy with? Have you been working on anything you’d like to share? Are you also going more analogue in life and trying to “unplug” a bit?

Take care of yourselves and each other.

XO,
Manda

And…now it’s 2023 and a full month into that, even.

Heading into the year, I was in a not-so-great place: I was burned out and overstimulated by what little social media I was still checking, and those in turn left me hiding in a blanket and eating chocolate all day while doing nothing but doom scrolling and buying shit from my phone or computer and feeling like nothing matters. I was desperate to self-soothe and couldn’t seem to get over the initial inertia to make things with my hands and find fulfillment that way instead.

So I decided something had to give in January of this year. I checked out of IG for the month and allowed myself one peek on FB every day specifically to check if an author I beta read for had announced they have a new project for us to read, which takes less than 30 seconds.  I was in, I was out, and I went on with my day. I even cut off one of my mindless games I play and am tempted to spend money on every month while I wasted 1+ hours of the day with it.

And you know what? It really improved my life to be way less online, even though I missed some very specific people I interact with regularly on IG. I felt less stressed, and not constantly being informed of things my ADHD brain would definitely want and see as a Need To Have It lifted a weight. I couldn’t feel FOMO if I didn’t realize anything was going on that my brain wasn’t going to be able to differentiate and prioritize from other things. I wouldn’t say I was peaceful by a long stretch, but that’s the best I’ve felt mentally in a long time.

I plan to continue limiting my social media time and believe I’ll use a timer for InstaGram every day to allow myself a cursory look and nothing more. If the anxiety and Needy feeling come back, I think I’ll stay away another month. We’ll see how it goes.

Anywho, this is a crafting blog—or so I’ve been told.

In 2023, I’ve decided to stick with the same knitting goal I’ve had since the ’20s started: knit something every month. Which, yes, I did knit this month. I finally evened up the strips on my handspun blanket and then added the border to complete the project. I now use it regularly as a lap blanket in my living room and have enjoyed it on all of the clammy days we have here instead of proper winter.

I spent the rest of January working on cross stitch projects and knocked out two. It was a rather satisfying month on the craft front, and now I have a few things to feel warm and fuzzy about accomplishing. I’m not on a No Buy, but I am attempting to use what I already own when possible for my makes. I’ve found I get more satisfaction when I do this instead of purchasing all new things every time I craft. I feel…clever somehow, even if I realize it really isn’t.

So. What about you, kitten? Is your 2023 off to a start you’re happy with? Have you been working on anything you’d like to share? Are you also going more analogue in life and trying to “unplug” a bit?

Take care of yourselves and each other.

XO,
Manda

And there went December.

I was back in a knitting slump this month—I did craft a little, mostly cross stitch—and only managed to seam up the strips of the handspun blanket so I could assess how much evening up is necessary, as well as if more width is desired. The answers, respectively, are: a butt ton of leveling out will have to happen as no two strips are the same length, and, it works as-is, but one more strip for width might be nice to have. So. We’ll see how I feel about it after I fix the first issue. (And adding a border to the project will give it another 1-2″ of both length and width to work with.)

In 2022, I’ve decided to stick with the same knitting goal I’ve had since this decade started: knit something every month. Technically…yes. I did work with yarn this month. And through out the year, I managed this. Only May was completely yarnless.

Now that 2022 is over and I’m looking back on the year, I’ve realized it had more knits in it than I previously thought. So, that’s all well and good. Looking into 2023, I think my Goal™ is still the same: knit something, anything, every month. I do desire to work through some stash and maybe have a few specific projects in mind, but I’m still working my way to what, when, and more importantly, How. Because the way I make is going to have to change quite a bit, and it’s going to become a much more involved and slower process. But I hope that means I will wear my handknits way more often and enjoy the finished object even more than the making.

So. What about you, kitten? Did you have crafty plans in 2022 and did you accomplish them? Have you given thought to 2023? Or like myself, are you playing things more loosely and seeing where your whims take you?

Take care of yourselves and each other. May we all have a gentle 2023.

XO,
Manda

November has come and gone. Like the rest of the US, we had a cold snap this month that allowed us to cosplay autumn for about a week—and it was lovely to be able to wear some light handknits like socks and fingering weight hats during that time. It’s hard to be a knitter in a hot climate and dislike working with plant fibers.

After October’s slump, knitting did happen again. I worked on two small projects that banked some yardage for me: new dishcloths and a second tinsel to pair with one I made in 2018. These were both practical projects, and they made me feel really good and satisfied. There’s something about making an item you know will have functional purpose and, in the case of the tinsel, be admired and add some sparkle to a space.

In 2022, I’ve decided to stick with the same knitting goal I’ve had since this decade started: knit something every month. Yes! Knitting definitely happened this month.

Now my sights are turned on the end of 2022 and what I’d like to work toward in 2023. There have definitely been a lot of Thoughts happening over here.

What about you, kitten?  Is it cooling down where you are—or warming up if you’re in the global south? Are you starting to get cozy and into the winter spirit as the seasons shift? 2022 is almost at a close, do you have any plans for the winter holiday season? Are you thinking about goals or resolutions? Do you enjoy the process of saying goodbye to the old and ushering in the new?

Take care of yourselves and each other.

XO,
Amanda

And there’s October. And it’s still summer hot here in the American South. We will see little change in the weather for at least another month. My handknits loving heart mourns for sweater weather.

I didn’t really knit this month—I have to fix some of my garter blanket strips and that caused my interest in the project to flag. It doesn’t feel like autumn, and I haven’t felt much like knitting. I’ve been focusing on embroidery instead.

Anywho.

This year, I’ve decided to stick with the same knitting goal I’ve had since this decade started: knit something every month. That’s it. Yes. Knitting happened. Barely.

What about you, kitten?  Is it cooling down where you are—or warming up if you’re in the global south? Are you starting to do seasonally appropriate activities? Maybe enjoying your weather with outdoor time? Did you do anything for Halloween? Did you work on anything you’re excited about? Maybe you read something you’d like to recommend?

Take care of yourselves and each other.

XO,
Amanda