Roller Coaster... And Not the Fun Kind

Last week...

Oof.

It was ridiculous the way things were.

It started with a coming out of someone I love, which was amazing and wonderful.

It was immediately followed by our car acting up, requiring a shop visit.

Then there was another uncomfortable discussion with a family member.

And then I woke up Friday to find my beloved Katie bird had passed away sometime during the night.

And that almost broke me entirely.

She was an older bird, so it wasn't entirely surprising or unexpected, but it's never easy losing such a precious family member.

So my Friday was spent between sobbing so hard I thought I was going to throw up and being so damn anxious about Saturday that I also felt like I was going to throw up.

And what was Saturday you ask?

My tattoo appointment for the tattoo my loved ones and friends so generously contributed to.

Because I was so worn down from the week, my brain decided to just be an ass and I was more nervous about this tattoo than any other I've ever gotten.

It didn't help that we were running super late and I was feeling like crap. I'd lost my appetite over the week and could barely choke down something to eat. And you HAVE to have something in your stomach to get a tattoo.

But Margot (my artist) put me at ease and everything went beautifully.

I especially ADORE the bee.

I've spent the last two days just kinda chilling and working on my vow renewal shawl, which is ALMOST DONE!

I'm six rows and a picot bind-off away from finishing this thing. I'm a little worried about running out of beads, but my last skein of yarn is waiting in the mailbox. So I'm going to keep this brief and leave you all with this little teaser.

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Christmas Hi-hate-this

First and foremost, another apology for another absence. We no sooner got Bee healed up when Jass decided that she needed a turn for an emergency vet visit.

Yep.

She's fine now, but it was another cone and isolation period.

Anyway in better news, I have been knitting a fuckton of stuff! I've managed to finish three Christmas presents already.

Like this one.

[Image Redacted]

And this one.

[Image Redacted]

And don't forget these!

[Image Redacted]

Yeah, it's about to get really boring around here since I can't really show ANYTHING I'm currently making.

JUST PERFECT SINCE THIS HAS BARELY BEEN A KNITTING BLOG THIS YEAR

*sigh*

Literally the only thing that I've done that I can show you are two rows on my Cobweb shawl.



That's it. That's the only non-Christmas knitting I've done.

I can also offer up the few Halloween pics we took on Trick or Treat day in town.

Maybe I can start reviewing yarn or tools or something? Offer up Christmas present ideas for the fiber lover in your life? Suggest some good last-minute present patterns?

I don't know, y'all tell me what you want to see while we're in lockdown mode.

But now, I'm going to go take a much needed shower and then dive right into the next project...

Or just maybe do a few more rows on a shawl for myself. I've earned it.

Kitty Calamities

So.................

You already know what this is going to be.

More trouble has happened.

Some other misfortune.

Yep, you're right.

We had Bee spayed at the end of September.

We got through it. She was okay. And we thought we were in the clear.

But then at the beginning of this week, her incision was looking a little off. The day after that, I had a family member look at it and they said that it looked like it opened up.

So, off to the emergency vet nearly 40 minutes away we went (because I literally couldn't find ANYWHERE near us that was open and available).

And you know it's bad when the vet flips your cat over, takes one look at her wound, and goes, "Ewwww."

*sigh*

Bee had developed an infection and did indeed manage to pop her incision open.

So they had to do a secondary surgery to clean out the infection and make sure she was thoroughly closed up this time.

We won't discuss how much this was going to cost us. (Grandparents to the rescue yet again...)

She came home yesterday. She's got to have a cone on for two weeks and to insure it stays on, we've got to keep her in isolation. Which means that *I* also need to be in isolation. Because there's no way I'm letting my poor baby suffer alone.

So this is my life for the next two weeks.

At least I can get a lot of knitting time in, right?

Guess it's time to get back to the Christmas presents.

Because there's literally nothing else to do in here.

*sigh*

The Lyfe and Tymes of Thou Fairest Writer

Do you know how hard it is to maintain a crafting blog when the ONLY PROJECT you're working on has to be kept secret?

This is all I can really offer without spoiling things.

Like, what can I even write about? I haven't really purchased any new yarn (except for an extra skein of my night sky color for the MKAL because I thought I might be short), haven't really gone out and done anything fun. And I've already written enough about my mental health to fill a novel.

All I really have to offer are selfies, a couple of sketches I've done, and some cat pictures.

I've been wearing my Rios Lace Tam practically everywhere and have been having fun sticking various pins into the brim.

I got a really cool new galaxy dress.

And I did a kickass job on my makeup the first time I wore it out.

Like, I actually got a bunch of compliments, which never really happens.

I bought a couple of new mugs.

I'm hoping that if I buy them one at a time, John won't realize that I'm hoarding collecting them.

I also bought one for Al to throw off his suspicions more.

Speaking of Al, she did this watercolor piece and I'm SUPER EFFING PROUD OF HER!

Watercolor is not her usual medium, so it's been great seeing her branch out and try new things.

It's STILL snowing here.

I, as the Queen of Winter, apologize for this gross oversight. But unfortunately, you humans have done screwed things up enough that we're not really in control anymore...

HOW ABOUT THEM SKETCHES?!

I'm participating in the 100 Days project.

Every day for *shocker* 100 days, I'm supposed to draw/sketch/paint a little something.

I have no set theme unlike some other artists. Just been sketching whatever strikes my fancy.

Here are the first 3 days.

HAD to start things off with a tribute to my Muse.

Second was a new style of cactus that I haven't attempted before.

Third was my usual and favorite lil prickly babe.

I guess all that's left now is a flood of cat pics.

That last one is just for you, John. ;D

Guess it's back to this Secret Project of Secretness...

*sigh*

Much Ado About Nothing

Since I really have just been doing a mishmash of things waiting for the Lunar Phase MKAL to start, I figured a list post will get y'all up to speed about my current crafty happenings.

1. My goal was to finish Mystic Star before the end of the month.

2. There's no way that's actually happening. Because I thought I was going to run out of yarn, so I bought more. Annnnnd now I have enough to Ashtan it.

3. Doing said Ashtaning required designing an extra chart, which is Ashtaning it so hard that I think I've reached a new plane of existence.

4. I also got the yarn to do my ceremony shawl. Went with Knit Pick's Gloss Fingering in Jade.

5. I'm still waffling on patterns, but I think I may have narrowed it down to the final few.

4. Those will probably change again in a month.

6. I actually did a bit of non-knitting crafting and rebound this copy of Peter Pan for Bethany.

7. No, I didn't realize that John was creeping in the background.

8. I ALSO did some cross stitching.

9. Yes, I designed the pattern myself.

10. This surprises none of you.

11. John got crafty himself and made me a Mustard the Wonder Llama.

12. I've been indulging in coffee nearly every day since I caught a bloody cold.

13. Drinking said coffee out of the body of an Elder God is probably the reason why I felt better so fast.

14. I CAN FINALLY PLAY SUBNAUTICA AND THIS IS MY CUDDLEFISH AND HE'S THE GREATEST THING EVER.

15. I started a Flower Market shawl, but was bored quickly with it. It's currently in time out.

16. I freaked out about not having anything done for show and tell at the next pj party, so I knit this in less than 12 hours.

17. Said hat is the greatest thing ever and I am amazed at how friggin cute I feel while wearing it.

18. The Hat Feels led to an overindulgent amount of selfies.

19. Turns out that there was no need to freak out about not having anything for the pj party because Steph and Mikayla won't be going, so I'm skipping, too.

20. I finally picked the last yarn for the Lunar Phase MKAL just a few before the first clue was released.

21. I did the Ashtan thing and added beads to the pattern. 

22. That's probably the only photo you'll see until the end of the MKAL because SPOILERS, SWEETIE!

23. That's actually my second start of the pattern. I had to drop down a needle size because I knit so danged loose.

24. And because I have no self control, I knit 130 rows in 2 days. 

25. Yes, that was a stupid decision.

26. No, I can't feel my hands and that's why I'm writing this instead of knitting more.

27. This is a ridiculously long post and I should probably end it here.

28. Well, okay, I'll at least leave you with some Internet Tax.

29. Confession: I mostly stuck that there because it cracks John up every time he sees it.

30. Okay, goodbye for realsies this time. I'll try to find some more creative stuff to do to keep you from languishing with no content while I finish Lunar Phase. Assuming that my hands will remember how to work again.