Category: Let’s Talk

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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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!

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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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.

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Trying the Gideon Method to Manage My WIPs

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Hello and welcome to my little explanation of a knitting productivity I am planning to give a go in the coming months! While my February was great for getting my WIPs down from 8 to 5, I find that I still need a bit of motivation and focus. I would like to make something very clear, I actually learned about this in one of my knitting zoom groups that I am a part of where these two blog posts were shared. The first is by knit365 and the second is Wool and Honey. I am building my knowledge of this method mainly off of their posts and not much more.

The Rules

  1. Pick 5 projects from your WIP pile
  2. Create a priority list/order
  3. You work on the first project for 12 hours or until it is complete, which ever comes first.
  4. If it is not finished within the 12 hours, it is placed at the bottom of the pile and you move onto the next project, rinse and repeat.

There are some bonus things that I noticed that I am not quite sure I am going to follow. The first is when one is finished you can cast-on a new project. I think I will save this new cast-on for when the mood strikes not just automatically. I say this because I am a huge mood knitter so I want to have a little bit of flexibility to save for when I am really craving something new. The second is keeping the five projects in a special basket. I am just going to continue storing my projects as I have been because it works for my environment.

My 5 WIPs in Priority Order

  1. Bliss Cardigan Test Knit for Winter’s Weather Knits
  2. Coorie In Poncho by Amy Palko
  3. Sastrugi Tree Skirt by Amy Gunderson
  4. Brienne by Brienne Moody
  5. OPEN!

As you can see from my list, I only have 4 WIPs that I am focusing on at this point in time. I am leaving one spot open for that new cast-on mood hits. I am also going to continue to work on my Scrappy Sunday Blanket on Sundays to get that under control as well. I have so many scraps to add it is not even funny at this point! I also plan on keeping track of the time spent on each project using clockify which I have on my desktop and as an app on my phone for ease of tracking. It will also stop me from rounding up so I can switch faster than I should be.

Anyway, this is the knitting plan I am going to try at least for the month of March. Depending on how it goes and how I enjoy it, I might continue beyond that. I decided a month based on the idea that it is a good chunk of time, but not too long where if it is not working I feel trapped by it.

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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.

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What I Want 2024 to Look Like

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Hello and welcome to another little post from my small part of the internet. Every year I take the time to write up some goals for myself and do my best to stick with them. This past year things have changed in my life, which is why I am not on here as much as I used to be, serious how did I have time to write two posts a week? Anyway, I didn’t want to make goals in the way I usually do, but more so wanted to talk about what I wanted the year to look like for me.

Kindle, two note books, a winter themed project bag, and a clear box sitting on a made bed.

Reading

This year I realized I have not read many books. In total I have read 7 books in all of 2023. If you want to see which books I read, you can see those here in my Year in Books 2023 recap. While this is no where near what I used to read when I was reading more than 100 a year a lot has changed in my life. I think my reading is going to stay reduced as far as I can tell, but I would like to read at least 6 books next year. I say that because I still want to have a little bit of daily reading in my life and that is what I have been doing. I read a few pages when I have the time and brain space to do so. in 2024, I want to keep that up.

Knitting, Crochet, and Crafting

This year I did a lot of making, which I am happy about. I think I did so much because it is easier to knit and crochet while chatting with someone, watching a movie, or just out and about during my spare moments. I ended up making 31 items this year. These include socks, sweaters, cowls, scarfs, shawls, dresses, and other items. I am really proud of the things I created this year and I just want to keep that up as well throughout the year. Finding me time while doing something relaxing is something I have really come to enjoy.

Life in General

I have started going back to yoga a few months ago and I have been really enjoying how it has made me feel. I feel stronger, agile, and overall more relaxed. I really want to keep this up as well, even if it is just once a week. On top of that, I would really like to go on more adventures throughout the year. That could be trying a new place to eat, exploring a few place, or going on a day trip. I just want to experience some new things.

As you can see, my “goals” for this year are really just to continue to do the things that make my happy. I want to read a few pages a day, do some crafting to calm me down, maintain my yoga practice, and just do something new and exciting. Nothing to out there, but I really want to focus on what makes me happy this year and not worry about specific numbers or items. Will I make some mini goals for myself throughout the year, most likely, but I feel like this year I want to go easy on myself.

I really hope you had a wonderful 2023 and that 2024 is even better for you!

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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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.

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Why I Think I Don’t Read As Much As I Used To and How I Plan to Change It

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Hello everyone and welcome to a little retrospective post. I know I have been silent for sometime…yet again. I thought I was on such an upswing of blogging and reading following Blogmas and finishing a book in January. Well, as you can probably easily see, my blog has been silent for the most part. I have not felt motivated at all to write or read in the last few months, which has been very strange for me. I am used to reading over 100 books a year and filling every free moment with reading and talking about reading…what has changed? Well, this has led me to do some self reflecting and ask myself, “Why don’t I want to do the things I absolutely loved anymore?”.

First and foremost, I think the main reason is because I fell in love with a new hobby. Reading has been my main hobby for years and years! I participated in others, but they were not new to me and I had done them for years as well. During the Summer of 2021 specifically August I taught myself how to knit and it became a love for me. Well, let me tell you something it is hard to knit and read. So, I slowly read less and less because of it. Yes, I can listen to audiobooks and I do from time to time, but when I need to count, do yarn overs, and patterning listening to a book leads me to make a lot of mistakes. I am hoping as I knit more, this will be something I can work through, but we shall see.

Life style change is probably the second biggest contributor I would say. I honestly can say I prefer reading physical books, but I do enjoy other formats a lot. But, I think because of some changes I needed to make in my life in recent years not getting my hands on physical books has led me not to pick up my ereader or phone to listen to an audiobook. I have had to downsize a lot in recent years, my library of physical books has really dwindled. Most of the ones I have chosen to keep have been some of my favorite reads of all times or special books that have been signed or picked up at events. That doesn’t really leave a ton of room to add books to the bookshelf I do have and I do not want them to spread around the space, apart from the book I am currently reading on my nightstand. On top of that, I have gotten out of the habit of putting library books on hold at my library. Now, because I think of the pandemic, I got in the habit of really looking at their digital library and downloading stuff onto my kindle and then promptly forgetting they are there because they are just in a kindle that always looks the same. This is for sure something I have realized and need to work on.

So, what does this mean? Well, for me I think this self reflection is really helpful in figuring out what is a priority in my life. I want reading to be one of those again and I think realizing the why is a good tool in getting it back to that place. Now, I don’t want to stop knitting, it is something I love as well, but I think I need to get in the habit of balancing my time better. Why not set aside some time for fun reading? Why not borrow a physical book again? These are things I have under my control and I can change. My limited space is not something I can control. I think I just need to make an effort to find a balance and realize that it is not going to happen over night. It is not going to happen through force, but through my desire to read.

I think two things I am going to try to do over the next two months. The first being requesting physical books from the library again…I need to figure out how to get my login information again. The second I think is setting aside some time in my week to read. I think I kept failing at reintroducing it into my life was because I kept saying doing one book a week or 30 min a day. I was adding pressure to it instead of letting it fit into my time more organically. I feel like I should be happy and proud that I sit down to read once a week at this point. If this week it happens on a Monday, then next week it is on a Thursday…Perfect! I read at least once during the week.

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Current Reads and WIPs · Let's Talk

The Book and Projects I am Taking On Vacation

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Four skeins of textured yarn surrounding a kindle with The Only One Left cover displayed.

Hello dear reader! Today I am going to share the books and projects I will be taking with my on vacation this year. Last year I went a little over the top with packing, I actually wrote two separate blog posts, Books I Took With Me On Vacation and What’s In My Project Bag, Vacation Edition. I only read one book the entire time I was there and as for the projects, I only worked on one as well. So looking back at this and reflecting, I don’t need to overpack again…or at least try not to. While looking at my shelves and yarn stash I ended up settling on what to bring with me, here they are!

The Book

The Only One Left by Riley Sager: I really fell in love with Riley Sager when I read The House Across the Lake last summer. It was a perfect summer read that kept me on my toes, engaged, but also had unexpected twists and elements I was not expecting. Since The Only One Left just came out on June 20th, I new I needed to read it sooner rather than later. So, I am bringing it along with me as I travel. From the description it looks like it is going to focus on a gruesome crime that took place in the early 1900s, from my impression that the individual is inspired by Lizzie Borden. The book itself takes place years later, when our narrator moves into the house the crime took place to take care of the one many believe to have committed the crimes.

Projects

The main project I am going to be bringing with me is Hedgerows Shawl (Ravelry | Website) by Fox & Folk using Chelsea Luxe Cozy in the color Spring Chicken. This is a fresh start project, I wanted a brand new cast on for my travels. Not only that, but this shawl is simple, beautiful and meditative. It is mostly garter worked from the largest edge to the smallest. It features an edging of flowers along the longest edge. I felt that this was perfect for travel, it only needs one set of needles and is a singular color. Plus, I am spending my vacation in the woods so creating something with wild flowers on it sounds like a perfect combination. I will admit, I am planning on bringing another project along with me, but I am unsure of how much I am going to be working on it. I am planning on bringing along a sock project that is more portable for when I am out and about. The sock pattern I have settled on is 04 Ipseitas by Emilie Hallet from 52 Weeks of Socks Vol. 2. At the time of writing this I have no idea what yarn I will be using or at least no idea what it looks like, I am in a sock yarn swap so I am planning on using that.

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Let's Talk · Reading Challenges

My 2023 Goals

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Reading Goals

Read 6 non-fiction books, I did this one last year and I really loved it and want to do it again.

Get owned TBR under 10 books, last year I was able to get my owned TBR under 15 books. I really want to continue that trend so I can really embrace my mood reading.

Life Goals

Try or do something new, I really enjoy challenging myself my going to new places or trying something that is a bit out of my comfort zone. I don’t have a specific ideas at this time, but I know I can think of something over the course of the year.

Track my spending better, I am by no means bad with money, but I really want to get in the habit of tracking my spending. Especially when it comes to my hobbies.

Maker Goals

Knit 6 pairs of socks, this is another goal I am stealing from last year that I really enjoyed. I love my hand knit socks so I want to add to my collection.

Knit and create more from my stash, as of writing this I have yarn and patterns ready to go for 34 projects. I would really love to get that number down quite a bit over the new year. The only additions I think I am going to allow is if I sign up for a class and my yarn subscription for sock yarn.

My goals this year are pretty straightforward and I think really simple. In doing this, I feel like I am setting myself up for success. They are specific enough that I am working towards something, but not strict enough where it will be overly difficult and I just become frustrated and give up. While goals are all about pushing yourself, they should also be realistic, reasonable, and doable with a bit of effort. At least in my opinion.

What are some goals you have for yourself in the upcoming year?

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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 Dream Christmas Sweater

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Hello and welcome to a post where I share my dream Christmas sweater. I know, I know a silly thing to share, but in sharing it I am hoping to one day actually make it. Almost like a declaration of sorts.

You know how people are really into their Christmas sweaters? Some people even through parties revolving around them as well. At least this is the case around me. I know I have even picked up a few here and there just to have somethings to wear to a friends house or a get together, but if I am being honest, I really never loved or really liked a sweater I picked up. I also have never paid full price, I always wait until the holidays are over to pick one up just to have one. In more recent years I have become more selective in what I buy and what I wear and really want to love what I have. I mean, I have started knitting my own sweater and summer shirts this past year and honestly I want to get into sewing them as well. That being said, I think I found my Dream Christmas Sweater and it is called Betty & Judy Lodge Sweater by PoisonGrrls.

Picture of pattern on model and name of pattern and company logo

This sweater has a 1950s/1960s vibe to it, which I love right off the bat, but I really love how simplistic it is. A lot of the holiday sweater I have come across are, in my opinion, too much. I know, I know a lot of people get them because they want an ugly sweater and tinsil, flashing lights and pompoms galore fit that bill. But, I like that this one is pretty as well as feminine, with just a bit of tacky in a sophisticated way. I think the sophisticated feeling of this sweater comes from the retro feel of the over all pattern, but also the shaping that is being used. I still feel that it is fun, and for sure fits the bill of an “ugly” Christmas sweater, but I feel like I could actually swear this to a ton of things throughout the season. It is not overly baggy, but is shaped really nicely. I was so close to making this sweater this year, but the recommended yarn was out of stock in the color and quality I needed. I was bummed, but now I am hoping to have something fun I can make and use next year and many years to come.

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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 · Reading Challenges

My 2022 Reading

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Hello and welcome to a post where I am going to share some books stats from my reading this year! I did not track too much, but I still think it is fun to take a look at. If you want to see the list of books I read this year, you can find that on my Good Reads Challenge Page. Now I will also say I am taking advantage of the data collected by Goodreads to create this post. In the past I tracked my reading a bit more with a google sheet, but this year I just didn’t for one reasons or another.

I read a total of 9,267 pages

I read 32 books

Shortest book read was 18 pages and it was Willie the Weirdo by Stephen King

Longest book read was 607 pages and it was The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami

Average book length was 289 pages

Most popular book read was One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Least popular book read was Willie the Weirdo by Stephen King

Average rating for a book in 2022 was 3.8 stars

Even though I did not track a lot of other things this year like genre, I am glad to have this data to look at. I am really happy that while I did not read nearly as much as I usually do, I rated books, on average pretty well. On top of that it was kind of fun to see the most and least popular book, based upon how many people have also read the book, not its rating. I am not sure if I am going to track on a goole sheet next year or not yet, but I know for sure I can count on Goodreads at least to give me some fun stats to look at during the end of the year.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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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.