Tangible Memories

 Robyn and I celebrated our 17th year together last Sunday.

And this year's gift might have been the most meaningful I've ever given them.

In 2021, I decided to make a temperature blanket for 2022. Being a dyer, I knew I wanted to use my own colors. I picked 12 of my standard colors and dyed them up on my Familiar base.

I decided to have both the high temperature and low temperature for each day. And if there was snow, rain, or a mix of the two, I added in a third color.

Because I am a sentimental nerd, I had planned on cast on on 219 stitches. 2/19 is our anniversary.

I was so excited to work on this thing.

In fact, the last pic I took before the accident was most of the yarn laid out on my desk, just waiting to start.

I had seen a post on Reddit with someone else's temperature blanket where they made tassels out of the ends instead of weaving them all in. And that's what sold me on the idea.

And then 2022 happened.

I didn't actually get to cast on until Robyn was in rehab. 

I remember hooking the swift and ball winder to the railings of the bed, worried that the squeaking of the swift would bring in the nurses.

I knit on this thing through every therapy appointment. A lot of people asked me what I was working on while I waited on Robyn.

I fell behind as the temperature got warmer. But I had hopes of finishing it in time for the anniversary of the accident.

That didn't end up happening, so instead I decided to gift it to Robyn for our anniversary. So for the entire beginning of 2023, I knit and knit and knit and knit some more, burning through 6 months of temperatures in weeks.

As I neared the end, I started looking for a leather tag to put on the blanket to finish it off. And it needed to say something very specific. A friend, Carrie (Carrie In Color ), was down to help me out and I commissioned the tag from her.

And being the person I am, I couldn't actually wait until the damn thing was completely done to give it to Robyn. A full TWELVE DAYS before our anniversary, I handed Robyn the tag and told them that the blanket was for them.

And they just absolutely broke.

"We fucking made it"

That's what did it. Reading that let them release a whole well of emotions they didn't realize they were holding in. 

 
The knitting itself was completed on February 6th.

The final tally for yarn was 13 skeins.
5,292 yards.
Three whole miles.

You can tie the strands of yarn end to end and stretch from our house to where the accident occurred.

I feel a little lost now, to be honest.

I kept finding myself seeing it raining or snowing and wanting to go note it down for the day.

Robyn really loves it, though. They say it's their favorite thing I've ever made them.

I think that's a pretty good compliment, with seventeen years worth of gifts behind it.

Good-Fucking-Bye

In a few hours, 20-I-HATE-teen will be a mere memory. Lost forever to time.

THANK ALL THE BLESSED BLOODY STARS

So, let's pour the champagne, put on the comfy pants, and take a quick look back at all the projects I managed to finish over the last 12 months.

First, my octopus hat.

My first blanket.

The first Rios Lace Tam.

Quite a few dice bags.

Cute little soft friends.

 

Soft friends wearing soft things.

The second lace tam.

A few odds and ends.

And most importantly, a few shawls.

The fact that I got so much done despite the absolute bloody disaster this year stands as a giant, defiant middle-finger to it.

So, goodbye, so long, and fuck you, 2018.

2019, you better be better. I'm fucking watching you.

Alright, friends. We made it. Let's kick ass next year.

Love you all. <3

Life's a Truck... And I've Been Run Over

Well, it has been a little bit, hasn't it?

I haven't gone this long without a post in a very long time.

Life kind of bowled us all over and not in any sort of good way.

I suppose I'll start with the latest finished project, then go on a bit about what else we've been up to on this unintentional hiatus.

In exactly 3 weeks, I was able to knit an entire blanket, much to the astonishment (and maybe annoyance?) of some of my knitterly friends.

The pattern is Alistair's Rose Pi Shawl, with some special Ashtan tweaks.

It's done in worsted weight yarn instead of lace. (6.5 skeins of Malabrigo Rios in Liquidambar) 

I stuck an extra repeat of one of the earlier charts on instead of an edging and had only went up to (I think) row 26 on the final chart.  I didn't want it to be too open and lacy.

I also stuck tassels on the points because I'm extra like that.

It came out to a diameter of roughly 6 feet, which I suppose is a decent enough size. I kept envisioning a 9 foot monster, but that's because I always have unreal expectations of my knitting.

I managed to finish it in time for the next pj party, which was my entire goal. I had planned on taking pics that weekend, but we ended up being super swamped.

Saturday, we had gone to John's late grandmother's house to take what what we wanted of her possessions. I ended up with a gorgeous antique vanity and dresser.

The dresser will probably become more yarn storage, because, let's be honest, I kind of need it.

The vanity I was more excited about.

I had a beat up, chipped paint, uneven legged monstrosity serving as my makeup storage. The dogs regularly knocked the supports we had under the legs out and I was just waiting to hear a giant crash in the middle of the night as hundreds of dollars worth of makeup broke apart on the floor.

Now, everything has its place and the dogs can't really knock it over.

The stool had to be recovered because it was... "scary" might be the kindest term.

Did you really expect anything less from me?

I've only had one chance to actually sit at my vanity and use it. We had yet another funeral/memorial service to attend. We've gone to so many in the last 6 months that I have a go-to makeup look for them now. That's something I never thought I'd have to say.

Anyway, we came home from that and I had started coughing a little bit.

The next day, I had been knocked flat on my ass with some sort of cold that made me feel like getting hit by an actual truck may have been preferable. AND my ulcer decided to act up. AND my body decided that I needed a bloody cherry on top of the already shit pie.

Needless to say, I haven't been doing much of anything since then. Yesterday was the first day that I actually felt well enough to get out of bed. And I managed to shower without feeling like I was going to pass out. And I made dinner. Praise me!

I also managed to finish John's last anniversary present, which was a little unexpected.

I missed the opening of the Ravellenic Games, so I thought I'd just use his triangle scarf as an easy-ish way of still doing a project for the Games without pushing myself. Expect I managed to do it in two days and I'm already stash diving for something else to do.

Yikes, I look a sight.

Better pics when I can convince him to actually model it for me.

For now, though, I think I'm going to start working on a giant scrap blanket.

Because I don't understand the words "break" or "relax."