Hello All! I am really excited about writing and sharing this post. I am normally not a huge movie watcher, but this time of year I get really nostalgic and love rewatching some movies from my childhood that I just absolutely love. Without going on too much with this introduction here are some of the movies I adore watching this time of year.
This movie is not just one that is from my childhood, but was one from my parents as well. It was something they were really excited to share with me as I was growing up. The songs are catchy and the characters of the Miser Brothers are just the best! Just writing this I am already humming some of the songs. This movie starts off with Santa giving up on delivering presents because he was advised by his doctor after falling ill and he also feels like no one cares anymore. From there, many try to prove him wrong and the shenanigan’s go from there.
I don’t know why, but when I think of the Grinch, this is the version I think of. I don’t think of the animated version. I think of Jim Carrey and him walking back and forth in the mailroom lecturing Cindy Lou Who. Also, who can say no to the cute puppy that played Max. This is another one that I hum along to the songs as well. It just sets up the feeling of the holidays for me.
While I will say, I do very much enjoy the most recent remake in 2019. This is the version I loved from a very young age. This is also one of my all time favorite books and I read and watched this movie so many times and this is just a comfort cozy watch for me. It is like coming home. Sometimes with the chaos of the holidays it is really nice watching something that I know what is going to happen, I know what is going to be said, there is no surprises at all. I just feel really comforted while watching.
This is again a really festive and funny movie in my eye. What happens when your workahaolic dad you have nothing in common with or spend any quality time with ends up turning into Santa Clause after Santa falls off your roof?! It is just a really fun adventure story as well as a really heart warning story about a son and father.
Hello and welcome to a little post where I am going to share the 9 things I plan to make in 2023! If you are not familiar with this, pretty much you just pick 9 things you really want to make in the new year, new years resolutions of sorts. Most people plan to make more overall, but this is to help focus on the projects you are either really excited for or you need to get done in the new year. For me I don’t have any HAVE to makes, but I do have 9 things I really want to create this year.
The Projects
9 by 9 grid showing pictures of all projects and their names.
Kuutar Beret by Sari Nordlund, I was gifted two skeins of yarn this year and I really wanted to find a project I was able to use them both in and I ended up coming across this beautiful hat! I have never made a beret before or even worn one fort hat matter, but I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it! This beret almost looks like there is a flower on top of it, it is a combination of lace work and cables.
Karelia by Midori Hirose, Last year I bought a kit for thing sweater thinking I was going to have time to make it for my holiday sweater, well turns out I did not. I do want to still make it though and my new goal is to have it done in time for Valentines Day. I am thinking this mainly because I bought the kit with the main color being in red and I can’t think of any other holidays that would work for off the top of my head. I also really feel like the flower motif running along the yolk is a bit romantic.
Soldotna Crop by Caitlin Hunter, this is another sweater I bought a kit for. I picked up a kit from the wonderful Voolenvine Yarns. I fell in love with her color scheme she used a while ago. The one day I got a notification in my email that she was making kits and I knew I needed to put in an order. I lucked out and was able to snag a kit, she sells out fast. My goal is to have it done in time for Summer 2023 because of all the fun pattern color work would really be nice and fun!
Velvet Mirror Cowl by Andrea Mowry, I was hoping to make this one done before the weather got to cold, but my goal is to get this one done ASAP so I have something to keep my neck warm when it get super cold out. I also really want to use this project to practice my two handed color work. It is small and I feel like it will give a good deal of practice, without it being too much. The color work is also pretty straight forwards, it is mostly geometrical shapes such as diamonds and chevrons.
Winnow by Olivia Sczepanik, I have a sweater quantity of yarn in my stash and I needed to pin it to a project after I decided to not make something else. I was flicking through one of my issues of Pom Pom and came across this open cardigan sweater. I have never made an open cardigan, but I fell in love with the cables and new this is the project I was going to use the yarn for instantly.
Missoni Accomplished by Espace Tricot, When I was first learning to make sweaters I honestly was HORRIBLE at buying the correct type of yarn. I ended up having so much leftovers from a sweater that I could make a whole other one. Did I mention how bad I was? Anyway, I have enough to make this cute and fun sweater so I am thankful about that. I am really glad that I had enough of both colors because I found out the yarn I have is discontinued and I really want to do the three giant wavy lines across the body.
Woodlark Shawl by Fiber Tales, This project is going to be a huge deal for me. The first being it is the first item I am going to be making and steeking. Steeking is where you knit something in the round with the intention of cutting it after you are done you have a flat piece of knitting. This shawl is knit in the round, at the end you reinforce the section you are going to cut, then hope you did a good enough job and cut all the hard work you have done. It is scary, but I feel like it is something I want to give a go, at least once. It is always fun and sometimes terrifying to try something good, but how else will you learn? I did find a pattern to practice on that is a cup holder so I might knit this first and steek that one, but we shall see what I decided to do later on in the year. I also really love the color work on the shawl. It has a mix of natural themes such as leaves and flowers, but geometrical patterns as well. I also really loved how busy it was, but toned down depending on the colors you choose.
Travel Mode 2.0 by Susanne Sommer, this year I was lucky enough to go to a yarn festival. I decided I was going to pick up yarn from a bunch of different venders to make one project. I felt like this pattern will really show off all the different yarns nicely by having huge color blocks and serve as a really nice and usable memento of the fun I had.
Underwing Mitts by Erica Heusser, This is something that is kind of in the same vein as the velvet mirror cowl. It revolves around a lot of colorwork with some duplicate stitches, but is also a project time I have never made before. Mittens. I am not sure why, but mittens are something that seems to be really difficult, whish is odd because I have made hats, scarfs, sweaters, socks, and a few more things. For some reason this intimidates me. But, I feel like after I concquer two handed color work this will be a lot less intimidating. Baby steps. Also, the really beautiful moth front and center on these mitts was just so beautiful.
Anyway, those are the projects I really want to make in the new year. I know in 2021 I made about 36 projects. In 2022 I have made about 20, maybe a few more. I have not done a full count in a bit, but I feel like I can for sure get these 9 done and then add in some more spontaneous projects as well. As with reading, I am a complete mood knitter.
With all the gift giving coming up, I thought it might be a good idea to maybe share some of the last min. gifts I have made over the years. Please note, the prices of these patterns are accurate for when it was written and are subject to change.
Free Crochet
Easy Crochet Velvet Twist Headband by Tiffany Brown Ravelry | Website, this was a really fun and easy project. I really loved working with a super-soft yarn and I have actually made it with a wool based yarn as well and loved it just as much. It is nice and simple, but has just enough interest with the twist.
Crochet Velvet Infinity Scarf by Daisy Farm Crafts Website, I ended up finding this pattern to make with the headband above. The simple, but very affective stitch pattern was great. It went fast, but also kept my interest throughout.
4 Fun Stitches for Chunky Crochet Cowls by Daisy Farm Crafts Website, this is actually a four in one pattern and I made every single one. They are all great ways to try new stiches and also get something gift worthy at the same time.
Paid Crochet
Merci Cloth by TL Yarn Crafts Ravelry | Website, Sadly, I was so excited about gifting these I forgot to take a picture of them. I ended up really loving these and so did the people I gifted them to. I have even made a few replacements as well.
Jessie Stash Basket by Toni Lipsey/TL Yarn Crafts Ravelry | Website, this is a great present that is quick and easy to make. Not only that, it is great to load up with someone’s favorite snacks and treats. After that it is great to hold different things as well. I made one for myself and gifted another and I used mine to hold my TBR.
Free Knitting
Apiarist Cowl by Claire Borchardt Ravelry | Website, this was the first time I made cables and it has such great and clear instructions. It is fun and engaging and looks a lot more complicated than you would think at first glance. While it has a lot of patterning, it being a cowl is perfect for a quick gift.
Steek This Coffee Cozy by Rachel Molenaar Ravelry, this is great for two reasons. You get to practice steeking if it is something you have never done before and a person you love gets a really nice cozy for their mug. This was a hit when paired with the persons favorite tea/coffee.
Paid Knitting
Musselburgh Hat by Ysolda Teague Ravelry | Website, this is one pattern I feel like a lot of people have made. I have made multiple of these hats and they take me between a week and a week and a half. They are really great because they are double thick and you can use whatever weight you have on hand. In my case I have always used fingering weight and it was a great wayu to use that special skein of yarn I didn’t know what to do with, but I loved.
Christopher Bunny by Susan B. Anderson Ravelry | Website, this is a really cute pattern to make for a little one or just someone who really loves animals. The pattern is so detailed and has pictures throughout to guide you. I really loved this personally because I never knit a stuffed animal before this and I was not overwhelmed in the slightest. There are also video tutorials that go along with it.
I hope some of these are able to help you out with some last min, gift crocheting or knitting! I know I had a ton of fun when I made each of these. Sadly, a lot of these I made before I was keeping track of my creations by taking pictures so I don’t have pictures of share of each object. I also sometimes get so excited about gifting them I wrap them up before snapping a picture as well. OOPS!
Hello and welcome to my BUJO for the month! This month I went festive for the fall season and really embraced pumpkins. This past week I ended up going to my local box craft store and really fell in love with the art style of this pumpkin craft paper I came across called Pumpkin Patch Paper. I decided to grab a sheet and used it to decorate this time around, which I actually ended up kinda loving so I might do it again next month. We shall see! Anyway, here is what I did for the month of October.
I decided to keep this month’s spreads very simple since chances are I will have a lot going on. December is always a ton of fun, but it can be overwhelming at times. To keep things a bit calm, I figured I would keep things clean and organized. For the monthly calendar I just labeled it December 2022 and gave each day a rectangle on a single page. On the page opposite I decided to add some craft paper that has a blue background and images of blue holly, snow, pine sprigs, and a cut of a berry spring repeated throughout the page. I had used this method to decorate my BUJO the past few months and I have really been loving it.
Monthly Goals & Advent Tracking
Goal Pages, Monthly Notes, and Advent Tracking
On the left hand side I broke the page into two sections. The top is to keep track of my monthly goals I have for myself. These include setting up budgets, connect yarn to projects, read a book, complete 24 days of Blogmas, bake cookies or another sweet, and create goals for 2023. I already completed a few of these, but have quite a few to complete still. Under that I made a space called Monthly Notes, I usually save this spot to write down fun and exciting things that have happened over the month, almost like a memory dump of sorts. It is really fun to look back at.
On the right hand side I reserved to keep track of my advent projects this year. I have three that I am thinking about activitly doing this month, but I am thinking I will be only doing two. The two I know I am doing for sure are the 24-Stripe Socks. This is where you knit a single stripe on the socks per day. These will be my Christmas socks. I picked the 2022 Advent 24-Stripe Yarn by Freckled Whimsy and I plan on using a pattern called Spinifex Socks by Helen Stewart (Ravelry). The second one is a 12 Day Advent from MadlineTosh where you get the choice of 4 patterns and the yarn to complete that project as well as a few other goodies dealing with the yarn arts. I don’t know the patterns yet, so this should be fun to find out on December 1st! The last one that is a long shot is to use my minis and leftovers over the month of December to make the Anthology Throw (Ravelry), also written by Helen Stewart. I have a feeling I wont be doing this one, but just incase I wanted to add it. I plan on coloring in the days I actively work on each project to see how I keep up with these projects.
On both of these pages I ended up using up the leftover craft paper to add some pops of color as well. I thought it would be fun to tie everything together and add make things look a bit cuter. As you can see, I really kept things bare this month, I usually have a habit tracker and some other lists, but like I said December tends to be a little much so I wanted to go easy on myself. But, there you have it, my bujo spreads for the month of December!
Classic Bhaer 