Author: ClassicBhaer

Knitting, reader, and all around crafter. Posts do not represent my employer.
Hauls & Unhauls · Knitting, Crochet & More · Let's Talk

Yarn Shops I Visited On My Europe Trip!

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This past summer I got the amazing opportunity to travel to France, England, and Scotland with one of my great fiber friends! While the ensure trip was magical and I want to share a ton about it, I really wanted to focus on the shops I got to visit while in France and Scotland. Sadly in England the shops were closed the days I was there, but that just means I will have to go back at some point.

Lil Weasel in Paris, France

The first yarn shop we took a peak inside was the Lil Weasel! Located in Paris, inside a really awesome covered walked walkway with shops on both sides. Lil Weasel was really unique in that they actually took up 3 of the store fronts in this area. One focused on fabric, the second on notions and cross stitch, and the third on yarn. It was really fun to browse each of these and I ended up making a few purchases there. I picked up a cross stitch bookmark kit because I wanted to ease myself back into this craft. I also picked up a MUUD project bag, which I have been using so which is called the Cleo Project bag, which is a rectangle shaped knitting back that open in a way they has two sections that lay open when unzipped at the corner. It is great for on the go knitting and acts like a yarn bowl on the go. I also ended up buying some yarn to make a Desert Bloom Top by Rachel Kurihara. I ended snagged the last 3 skeins of their Lil Weasel Lil Tweed in a really lovely bright pink color called
Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

Ginger Twist Studio in Edinburgh, Scotland

This second shop was another one I was really looking forward to on our trip. This super cute shop dyed so much of their own yarn is lined nearly two whole walls. It also had a back room with fabric and so many fun notions! I was on the hunt to find yarn to make the Braidy Loop Tee by Other Loops. While the store had more yarn from all over Scotland and other countries, I decided to get some of their dyed yarn. I ended up with their Ginger’s Hand Dyed Splendor 4ply and Ginger’s Hand Dyed Leading Lady Lace in a lovely Dove color that was a very cool blue/gray. I also could not resist picking up come lovely stitch markers as well.

Being able to travel to each of these stores was such a great time. It was fun to explore and see new yarns and new places and make some great memories. If you would like to see some of the photos they are on my instagram which is linked below.

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Knitting, Crochet & More

I Am Attempting Stephen West Mystery MusiKAL

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If you are unaware, every year Stephen West does a mystery shawl knitalong that takes place in October. For years I have wished to take part in this event of sorts, but never have because I was on the fence about dedicating a whole month to a single project while trying to clear my knitting needles for the next year. This year I decided to change this and join along regardless of what is on my needles.

The main reason I want to take part in this knitalong is to learn some new techniques, every year there seems to be different things integrated in the pattern that are new to me. I always love to challenge myself so this is a win-win for me because he creates videos for each clue that is released. The second is because I want the challenge of keeping up with the weekly clues that are set to releases on October 2, October 9, October 16 and October 23. While that is a very busy month for my personally, I think I will be able to do it if this is my only project or at least my main project I worked on.

screenshot of yarn order

As for the yarn, I was going to buy a kit, but with all the unknowns with tariffs and international shipping I didn’t want to take a chance. I am hoping maybe one day in the future I will be able to. I ended up buying from Cape May Fiber who I have met a few times as well as test knit for. I decided to get their sock base to ensure I have the right yardage and picked a pale neutral yarn called Shellfish, a light purple color called Luscious Lavender, a really beautiful peach tonal called Jersey Peach, and a neon yellow/green color called Chartreuse Button that is inspired by the movie Coraline.

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Bullet Journal & Planning · Hauls & Unhauls

Jet Pens Haul – Bullet Journal and Stationary Supplies

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I am really starting to fall back in love with my hobbies now that I have found a bit more balance in my life. I always loved stationary and journaling, as you can probably tell from all of my BUJO posts over the years. Since I have really jumped back in I put in an order at my favorite online stationary store JetPens.

Here are some of the things I ended up buying…

Uni Kuru Toga Advance Mechanical Pencil – 0.5 mm – Studio Ghibli – Spirited Away, I ended up getting a self sharpening mechanical pencil to give a try with a Spirited Away theme. I am curious to see how this works and of course had to get one that shows off one of my favorite movies.

Uni Pencil Eraser Refill Size S – Set of 5, Since I am always writing in pencil I make a lot of mistakes so I wanted to make sure I had some extra erasers for my new pencil.

Midori Multi Ruler – 30 cm – Clear, this clear ruler is so cool because it folds up easy storage and travel. I always need a ruler not only for my BUJO, but also for my knitting all the time so having a folding one that I can easily take on the go is awesome!

Penco Plastic Clampy Clip – Glow, this was a purchase that was totally a youtuber made me buy it. Sadly, I don’t remember the video so I can’t link them, but I saw them using this clip to help hold their pages flat and notebook open while working and letting their page dry. I knew I needed it because my book ends up so think it does not like to stay open on it’s own.

KOKUYO Pan Flat Pen Case – Yellow, I needed a new pencil case that fit inside my larger pouch that hold my notebook and such because my pens and pencils just kept getting lost inside the larger page. So, I got this little pouch that matches the color of my larger bag perfectly.

Uni Smudge-Proof Lead – 0.5 mm – HB, last but not least I ended up picking up some extra lead for my new mechanical pencil. Once again, I just wanted to have extra on hand and ready to go because I use my pencils so much.

I hoped you liked my little stationary haul from Jet Pens. I also wanted to say thank you for taking this journey with me while I find my way on my blog once again. I have been consistent for over a month already and it feels great and if you could please share my posts/blog I would really appreciate it!

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Bullet Journal & Planning

September 2025 Bullet Journal

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Used Materials Pictured Above

  • Raymay clear ruler
  • Sharpie sgel pen
  • Towbow Mono Drawing pen – 01 and 03
  • Mildliner in Soda Blue
  • Papermate Flair Scented – spring bluebell and blue jasmine 
  • Tombow monograph  0.5 mechanical pencil – pale yellow
  • Notebook leuchtturm1917 – lilac dotted A5 notebook
  • Mt nano tape cutter 15mm
  • Mt masking tape – killfish

I decided to take it easy on myself and use a premade calendar from printabulls: September 2025. Other than that, I stenciled the word September and used this months washi tape along the bottom. I also utilized my Mildliner to highlight the days of the week on the calendar.

This month I really wanted to focus on the season of fall even though it does not officially start until the end of September. I ended up using canva to make a collage for my fall reading plans and my fall knitting plans. The templets were made by aestheticdstudio. For the fall reading plans I am hoping to read With a Vengeance by Riley Sager, reread Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, Even Thought I Knew the Ens by C.L. Polk and lastly reread The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

As for my knitting plans I plan on working on and completing, Waltz by Miki Teragaki,
DRK Everyday Cardi by Andrea Mowry, Maple Vest by Yun Jeong, The Weekender Light by Andrea Mowry, Yuki No Hi No by eri shimizu and Twist Loop Top by Other Loops. A lot of these I mentioned in my Fall 2025 Knitting Plans post from a few weeks ago if you want more details on my plans!

I also have two test knits that are due in September so I gave them each a page where I put a picture, title, due date, size made, yarn used, and a place for some notes to jot down on the go. These are very simple pages, but I needed a place to keep myself organized so I through them in.

I also added a page for my knitting log where I highlight a square a day to coordinate with a project that I worked on. It allows me to see which projects I am paying more attention to and really ensure I am working on the wide range of projects. Funny enough, I actually finished two of these projects before the start of September so I only have 4 WIPs instead of 6, which is a nice feeling.

This month I wanted to try a different weekly layout and got inspiration from teanbujo on instragram, speficially this post. I did not copy it exactly, but I really liked how the days were grouped on one side in their own little squares and then the other side allows for a mini calendar, money tracking and notes. I only took a picture of the first week, but each of the four weeks will look similar to this, but I tweaked each one to see which adaptation I liked the best for my own personal uses to bring into October.

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Reading Challenges · To Be Read

Picking Books to Read off of the 2025 International Booker Prize Short List

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In the past, every year I would read the shortlist for the International Booker Prize Short List and I loved that experience so much. I found such great authors that I still read today that I would not have otherwise found. While at this point in time I am not reading over 100 books a year like I once did, I still would like to take a peak at this years shortlist and pick a few to add to my TBR.

Shortlist

Making the shortlist is such a great accomplishment, each of these sounded very interesting and really spanned a wide range of topics and genres. So, I had to make a few tough calls and narrow it down to two books I would really love to read before the end of this year.

The two books that really stood out to me were Under the Eye of the Big Bird, which was originally written in Japanese and A Leopard-Skin Hat, which was published in French. Now these two books stood out to me for two different reasons. The first book was almost an instant yes for me because I have read a book by this author in the past and their writing style was beautiful and I ended up reading it super quickly because it flowed so nicely. On top of that, the concept of writing about a time in the future where humans were on their way to being extinct and examining the possible society that could bloom in that environment. The second book I chose because it talks about psychological disorders and the ups and downs that come along with that in their own mind, but also the relationships around them as well. I am interested in seeing how this author depicts this especially since this was written after the authors own sister passes away.

So, those are my two choices to read and I am off to see if my library has them by any chance so I can get a request in and read them ASAP! What are your thoughts on my two picks from this years shortlist? Would you read these picks and if not which books would you pick to read from this shortlist?

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Knitting, Crochet & More

Fall 2025 Knitting Plans

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Collage of talked about patterns.

Hello and welcome to a bit of a planning post. I know summer is technically still with us here in the northern hemisphere until Monday, September 22nd, but I am a planner at heart and felt like I needed to get some planning down on paper to focus this fall so I have some great pieces to wear throughout fall and winter this year. This winter I am trying to knit quiet a verity of things from slipovers to winter accessories, but here are the 6 patterns I really want to make this Fall!

The first two on my list are two WIPs I have been working on for longer than I care to admit. These would be the DRK Everyday Cardi by Andrea Mowry and Maple Vest by Yun Jeong. The DRK Everyday Cardi is a really comfortable purl side out high neck cardigan with ribbing detail along the raglan increases. I love the textural detail of this that just makes it a smiple and timeless peace I can easily thrown on. I am making it out of Mountain Meadow Wool Tweed Sport in the color way Shale Fire I am about halfway done with the cardigan at the time of making this. As for the Maple Vest, this is a layering piece I cannot wait to wear. I am not a huge vest person, but one again the little details for me with this pattern. I like the split hem with ribbing and cabling along the sides and bottom hem. I have really been enjoying playing this texture lately. I am making this knit with both Chelsea Luxe Eighty Ten Ten in Sunflower and Knitting for Olive Soft Silk Mohair in Ocher brown.

Next is a little winter cape called Waltz by Miki Teragaki, this pattern was published in their book called Knit Pop: Designs for the Modern Maker, which has a ton of great pieces. What really drew me to this cape is that it can easily be a little accessories to use to dress up an outfit, but also function much like a cowl or scarf and keep you warm. It is a mixture of ribbing for quite a few inches and then transitions into beautiful cables. I ended up getting some beautiful yarn from fionakayknits in a beautiful white with pops of pink and purple that I think would allow the cables and such to really show, but also have a pops of color.

As for next cast on plans I am going to get The Weekender Light by Andrea Mowry on my needles since I am buddy knitting this with my lovely friend Allison! This is a really lovely purl side out long sleeve sweater with ribbing at the shoulders and a drop sleeve! We both bought the same kit at Rhinebeck 2024 together, which was such a blast to get to hang out all day together! The kits we got were created by Loop Fiber Sudio that utilizes their colors Everything In Its Place as the main color and A Place for Everything as the contrast color along the shoulder ribbing and sleeve cuffs to give it a little pop!

The last two projects I really hope to finish next are recently acquired yarn! While I am trying to make it a priortity to get through my stash, I am continueing to add some yarn into my yarn closet after finishing a few projects. I figure as long as I am using more than I am taking it, all is good! Anyway, I am planning to made a beautiful tank pattern called Twist Loop Top by Other Loops, that has a large beautiful cable down the center of it. I am using Pascuali Saffira in the color way 016, which is a really lovely blue color, which is missing from my closet. The next is Yuki No Hi No by eri shimizu, which is a chunky mohair cardigan that has a contrast color sew into it around the edges. While I love the idea of the contrast color, I think I am going to personally leave it out because I am making this cardigan out of Kokon Yarn Chunky Mohair in andromeda, which is a mix of lilac, light blue, and gray. I really want these colors to shine and don’t want to get in the way of them too much. Another bonus of this pattern is that it is made of chunky mohair so it is warm as can be, but very light.

So, those are the six knitting project I really hope to have finished over the next few months so I can wear and enjoy them during these upcoming cooler months. Let’s see if I stick to this plan or completely change it by the time the official start of fall kicks off, what are you planning on making this fall?

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Let's Talk

Summer 2025 Check-In

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Well hello there stranger, I hope you are having a wonderful summer if you are in the northern hemisphere like me or a great winter in the southern hemisphere! I am just here to do a little check-in and let you know I am still here, I am just a lot more active on my instagram these days, but I am working behind the scenes to bring life back into this blog that I have loved for so many years.

This blog started off as strictly a book blog where I posted reviews, challenges, tags, and more for many years, but slowly I added in bullet journaling, crocheting, crafting, and knitting. I am really trying to figure out to best organize all of these things into a coherent layout etc. so this blog will be be changing visually a bit over the next month or so because of those changes. I already did do a bit of an update to the header image and theme, which I am really happy with as well.

Getting to intertwine my old loves with my new loves is a hard thing to organize especially with so many years of content so I hope it isn’t to bothersome for you. Going forward I am going to do my best to get back to posting once a week, Mondays this time, but I am not making any promises during this transition phase of things. I am hoping by September it will all be worked out and ready to go.

I also wanted to take a moment to thank those who have been around since the beginning, I appreciate you all so much and cherish the memories so much. I hope to see you here as well as on my other socials! Keep an eye out on this space for what is to come, I am planning some series, challenges, and more!

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Knitting, Crochet & More · Let's Talk

My Knitting Make 9 for 2025

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Hello and welcome to a post I should have done closer to the start of the year, but I figured better late than never! I decided this year I am going to be doing a make 9 in regards to my crafting, in particular my knitting and crochet.

My make 9 for 2025 is a mixture of WIPs or Works in Progress that are already on my needles, but also some projects that I really want to make this year and am inspired by. Anyway, here are the pattern I want to make this year!

Honey Bucket Bag by PetiteKnit, this is a small draw string pouch with a honey comb type stitch that I think would be perfect to take when I need a small little purse or a really cute project bag. I have the yarn all ready to go for this project, but it has not been cast on as of right now.

An Italian Autumn Cowl by An Italian Knitter, I am in need of a nice long scarf that I can wrap around my neck a few times for the really cold winter days. I actually bought some yarn at The NY Sheep and Wool Festival at Rhinebeck this past year. I love the mixture of the eyelets and how long this loop scarf is.

Frostina Poncho Vanessa Reyes aka Vanrey Knits, I actually got this pattern as part of my 2024 advent from Chelsea Luxe Yarns. I really loved the look of this textured poncho with some fringe, but I wanted to see all the colors to see if I wanted to change the order. I am hoping to pick this up in the spring to complete.

24 Birds Shawl by Curious Handmade aka Helen Stewart, this is my longest standing WIP. I really love how this pattern looks and the circle design, but I find myself passing over it for other projects. This originally was a mystery lace shawl knitalong from May of 2024 I believe and I cast it on when the first clue came out and then just never really picked it up again. I did get to 5% complete though.

Hazel Kjole by Sandes Designs, I have had the yarn for this project for over 2 years at this point. I saw this relaxed and oversized dress in their catalog and instantly fell in love with it. I really would love to have it for the fall time as a transition piece because I picked up a mauve yarn that I think would be a lovely pink for that time of year. On top of that it is made with alpakka yarn, so it will be nice and toasty.

Heirloom Quilt Cardigan by Katryn Seeburger, this year I really want to make this lovely cardigan. Not only is it a super cute wear, it will be how I use up all of my scraps and mini skeins that need to find a home in a project. What drew me in for this pattern is how the designer really made the knitting look like quilt blocks and how oversizes it is.

Pressed Flowers Kerchief by Amy Christoffers, this little kerchief that is lined with really pretty mosaic flowers along the edges. I have the yarn already picked out for this and ready to go. It is even wound up! I really want to make this on a long weekend or something and make it a little challenge to complete for some reason.

The Traveler by Andrea Mowry, this is a pattern I am currently working on, but it has been on hold for about a month because honestly, this sweatshirt inspired pattern is a huge slog to knit. It is interesting because everyone I know who has made it has felt the same way. Thankfully I only have the back and sleeves left to do. I am hoping to be done in February or March with this one.

Trifle Wrap by Curious Handmade aka Helen Stewart, This has been a WIP for some time, if you want to see more information about this one I actually talked about it in the following post. Current WIPs & Reads | July 2024.

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Current Reads and WIPs

Current WIPs & Reads | July 2024

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Hello and welcome to a little post about my current knitting WIPs and current books I am reading. Yes, I am reading books, who would have thought?

Current WIPs

All yarn and projects laid out on a bed.

Trifle Wrap by Helen Stewart, this is a really exciting project since I am making it to wear on my wedding day next Spring. I figured it was best to give myself a ton of time to work on it between other projects that I need done sooner. I am using yarn from Cape May Fiber, Chelsea Luxe Yarn, and Sewrella Yarn.

Shell Cottage Socks by Helen Stewart, this pattern/sock is going to be used for Sock Week 2024 hosted by Knitty Natty. I decided I want to finish a sock before sock week so at the end I have a finished pair of socks. I am slowly trying to make my way through my Helen Stewart socks and this pattern is a great mixture of mindless and action. I am using yarn from Urban Girl Yarns, which is really an awesome sock yarn I have been enjoying very much working with.

Current Reads

For the first book I am about 5% from finishing, it is Who Censored Roger Rabbit by Gary K. Wolf, it is actually the book Disney took to create their movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It has been very interesting to see the characters I know from the screen and rewatches put in different situations and be a bit different. I do reccomend if you enjoyed the movie for sure, but keep in mind it is different. Disney took some leeway.

The second book I picked up this past weekend at a bookstore about an hour away from where I live. It is called People From My Neighborhood by Hiromi Kawakami and transalted by Ted Goossen. I read half of it in a single day, I love it so far. It is broken up into small chapters, where each chapter tells a story about someone or something that happened in the neighborhood. It also has a little touch of magic, giving this a feel of a magical realism. Also, it is great fun to slowly get bits and pieces of this town to slowly build your own picture.

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.

Knitting, Crochet & More

I Am Finally Sock Knitting Again!

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Hello and welcome to a little post where I share my excitement of finally getting back into sock knitting in earnest. A while ago I wrote a post where I was making my way through the 52 Weeks of Socks | Week 01: Intersections. It was fun, but after that I really lost my sock knitting desire. At least with more “complicated” patterns.

This past month I ended up looking through my pattern library and one really caught my eye, Winter Rose Socks by Helen Stewart. I cast them on so fast and moved through the leg like lightning speed it was a ton of fun and really ignited my enjoyment of patterned socks. I still need to finish these, but I am already on the foot of each sock since I decided to knit them in tandem.

Instagram picture of lace weight sock leg laying on leg in a cozy room.

The main reason I wanted to share this is because sometimes I feel guilty just leaving projects to the wayside, but I shouldn’t. If I am not finding that type of fiber crafting fun, it is best left to the side until something really pulls you in and makes you excited about it again! Sometimes I know I need to hear this and maybe you do as well.

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For the record: everything I’ve written here is entirely my own opinion.These views do not reflect or represent those of my current or past employers.