Sock Week 2022 Journal

July 20, 2022August 4, 2025 ClassicBhaer1 Comment

Hello and welcome! Glad to see you here on my little part of the internet. Today I wrote up my experience for my first sock week! Sock week is an 8 day knitting challenge to crochet or knit an adult sock using fingering weight yarn. I have decided to knit a sock, but I plan on trying to finish the entire pair instead of just one.

My Supplies and Prep

I am using a sock set from Zeezee Textiles in the weight fingering / sock called Patina where the main color is a mixture of pastel colors and the mini is a beautiful rust color. I am also working out of my summer sock camp project bag that is covered in s’mores, hot cocoa, and camp fires. I make my socks on 9 inch circulars so I made sure to place them as well as all my stitch markers, darning needles and snips in the bag as well. Prior to the start I wanted everything wound and ready to go so I could enjoy the midnight cast on party without needing to run around and get any supplies.

Day 1: July 10th, 2022

I stayed up super late so I could cast on as soon as the clock struck midnight. It was a ton of fun casting on so late and working on the ribbing, my least favorite part. I did end up going to bed and waking up and completing the twisted ribbing on two socks and the entire leg section on one of the socks. I did 15 rows of ribbing and 50 rows for the leg. I was very happy to be able to place on my sock week stitch markers on my socks so I can track my progress tomorrow. The one is the sock week logo and the other is a cute shark. I am thrilled with my first days progress and I hope to keep up the momentum!

Day 2: July 11th, 2022

This day I got a lot done! I ended up completing both of the legs for both sock one and two. I even tried to start the heel, but I messed up and ended up having to unravel it and I plan on starting it again tomorrow when my brain is a bit more fresh.

Day 3: July 12th, 2022

On this day, I ended up fixing my heel and ended up doing the heel turn and gusset decrease for one sock. The second sock I ended up doing the heel. I will say the gusset decreases is my least favorite part of making socks, mainly because it is the section of the sock with so many stiches on the needles. It also isn’t as mindless, since you need to keep track of decreases. Anyway, I am pretty much at the halfway point for my pair and I am thrilled!

Day 4: July 13th, 2022

My least favorite part of the socks is officially done! I finished the gusset decreases for the second sock and ended up moving onto the foot! At this point I feel like the rest of the socks are going to fly since it is mostly going to be mindless knitting and the toe.

Day 5: July 14th, 2022

I blew myself away today with my progress. I was thinking maybe I would finish the foot of one sock and that was about it. I surprised myself and ended up finishing a sock already! Technically I met the goal of sock week today due to this. Now, I knit my socks in tandem, always have, to keep away the idea of never finishing the second sock. Due to this I was already done with my second sock so I am confident I will be able to finish the pair before sock week is completed.

Day 6: July 15th, 2022

I did it! I completed both of my socks within sock week! I really wasn’t sure how this was going to play out at the start of the week, but this was truly the best case scenario. I now have a wonderful new pair of socks, even with the ends all woven in, ready to wear. While there is another 2 days of sock week, I am going to end the challenge here. I am not going to be dedicating my time to completing another WIP I have left lingering.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

Links to my other socials!

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

What’s In My Project Bag, Vacation Edition

July 11, 2022August 4, 2025 ClassicBhaer1 Comment

Hello all! I am writing this quick little post to share what I am packing in my project bag while I am off on vacation visiting my family. I don’t plan a doing a ton of things while on vacation other than hanging out so I feel like that will leave a ton of time for me hopefully work on my projects.

Sock Week 2022

It just so happens that Sock Week, hosted by Knitty Natty is taking place while I will be on vacation so of course I am bringing along a sock project. I am using a mini skein set by Zeezee Textiles, the main skein is a gray toned rainbow and the mini is a rusted red color. I can’t wait to use it! I tend to knit my socks at the same time, I’ll knit both cuff before moving onto the next section as an example. Due to this I am taking 2 Chiaogoo 9-inch circulars in the size US2 to work on. I have my start of round parkers and lightbulb safety pins to help keep track of my rows so I don’t need to recount constantly, I just put a clip every 20 or 10 rows depending on the type of sock I am making. O am also bringing a darning needle to weave in my ends and a pair of scissors. Lastly, my project bad is a Summer Sock Camp bag that is by the lovely MntStateStitches. Summer Sock Camp is hosted by
Crazy Sock Lady.

My Larger Project

While I plan on working on a pair of socks, I feel like I am mainy going to be working on those during th traveling parts of this trip. I also want to give my handsw a bit of a break from working with such a small size needle so I am also going to be bringing my Miss May SHAWL MKAL hosted by Helen Stewart. I am only about half way into clue 1 so I am very much behind, but I had a few other projects that took precedence. So I am packing up my yarn.

I am using a skein of Madelinetosh Euro Sock in Urbane Gray and three skeins of Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in one of a kind colors that are a blue with brown speckles, a pink color, and a white with brown/orange speckles. I am knitting these on a 40 inch Knitting needles in the size US 6, specifically Knitter’s Pride Karbonz. This is my first time working this this brand of needles and so far I am amazed at how light they are, but I have not really worked enough to write a review of them. Since I am taking a ton of notions such as scissors and a darning needle with my socks I am not really bringing much else. I may bring some spare yarn to add in a life line here and there though since I think some lace is going to be coming my way.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

Links to my other socials!

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.

Monthly Digest & Wrap Up

Monthly Digest | April 2022

April 30, 2022August 4, 2025 ClassicBhaer4 Comments

Hey all and welcome to a bit of a review of the previous month! Spring has officially sprung bringing with it a ton of rain and pollen. While I did really enjoy falling asleep to the steady rain this past month, I am not too thrilled with the pollen that is making me sneeze left and right. But, I will say overall this month has kept me busy in a really good way!

Reading

The first book I read this month was The War of the Poor by Èric Vuillard. I originally picked this book up because I read a book by the author in the past. While I really enjoyed the writing style of this book, I was not too keen on there not being footnotes or endnotes to support their nonfiction book. I will be honest though, I am not sure if the intention of this book was meant to be nonfiction as well so I decided to do a little digging. The reason I had the expectations of this book being nonfiction is due to it’s tags on goodreads; History, Nonfiction, French History, but on the publishers site is quoted as saying, “A dazzling piece of historical re-imagining” Pan Macmillan. So, I feel like individuals are mislabeling this historical fiction novella as nonfiction, which is unfortunate. Obviously, this is no fault of the author by any means, but it does change how I see this novella. The writing was engaging to say the least. This was a topic I studied a lot during my time in University, but it was really interesting seeing it portrayed in this manner. Even though I read about this time in history I was not bored or felt like I was experiencing Déjà vu. I read it in two sittings and I only put it down the first time because I needed to get to sleep. Overall, I ended up giving the book 3 stars!

Crochet, Knitting and Crafting

I completed two large projects this month, the first being a Ranunculus, my first wearable and I am actually quite proud of it. I ended up wearing it the day after I finished it! I can see why so many people love this pattern, it was a project I never hesitated to pick up and it worked up quite quickly. It had some new things I needed to learn, but I am always open to learn something new.

The second big project I finished was my Saraya Shawl, which I plan on wearing to a friends wedding later this Spring. This pattern was written by Saysha Greene and was published in Worsted. It was a really fun knit that challenged me, but didn’t leave me burnt out.

Life

This month I did a lot of fun things, especially since the weather started to warm up. I had a really lovely date with my boyfriend to celebrate our anniversary where we got to have a really delicious meal while enjoying the beautiful weather outdoors. Then we adventured to our favorite ice cream shop and enjoyed them while hanging out on a bench talking and people watching.

I also went on a few adventures with my friends. I went to the movies for the first time in YEARS, which was nice because no one else was there really. So the two of us were not holding back our reactions to the movie in the slight, it was funny because the few other people watching the movie did the same thing. Then, with another friend of mine we went yarn shop hopping, I ended up picking up yarn for a few projects I want to make this year. We ended up going to about 8 shops, the discounts were so good I could not resist. I would have bought this yarn anyway, just for later down the line. We also ended up getting takeout after all that shopping and the food was just AMAZING!

This month was really great, mainly because I was able to hangout and create some great memories with others. I really hope to have a few picnics with some of my other friends I need to catch up with in the upcoming months.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

Links to my other socials!

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.

Hauls & Unhauls · Knitting, Crochet & More

La Mercerie Knitting Haul

February 13, 2022August 4, 2025 ClassicBhaerLeave a comment

Hello and welcome to a little haul from an online shop called La Mercerie. This is the second time I have purchased from them and both times I have been thrilled with the quality of the products and the quick shipping. So, I wanted to take a moment and share what I picked up this time around because I am so thrilled and I would not have been able to get these items in my local store.

Worsted – A Knitwear Collection Curated by Aimée Gille of La Bien Aimée

I have been eyeing this book since I have heard about it. I have really been wanting to move away from making bags and winter accessories for the most part, I still want to be warm this year, but I wanted to make more wearable pieces and work with worsted weight yarn. As of late I have worked with a lot of fingering, which I love don’t get me wrong, but I want to explore more types of yarns. The curator of this book is an owner of a well known brand and I have seen a few people already starting to make projects from these pages and have heard great things. As a newer knitter, this is a must, I am still learning to read patterns in regards to knitting, crochet I am a pro at this point, so I need something that is clear, but challenging and this seems to be just the thing.

January – Sock Sets – 2022 Year of Socks

So, I ended up getting their January sock set for their year of socks. I missed out on their buy the entire year upfront and subscription options, but I really wanted to get my hands on this beautiful sock set called Snowdrift by Grenouille Co.. I really loved the deep winter feel of both the main color and mini. I can’t wait to make these into a cozy pair of socks!

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

Links to my other socials!

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.

Bullet Journal & Planning

February 2022 Bullet Journal Spread

February 6, 2022August 4, 2025 ClassicBhaer3 Comments

Hello and welcome to my bullet journal! In 2022 I really wanted to jump back into bullet journaling because I realized one thing when not really utilizing it. I FORGET EVERYTHING! I do have a regular planner I run around with, but it is hard to add checklists for long tern goals and similar things. So, I have thankfully been using it in January pretty consistently and if you couldn’t tell, I have actually been blogging! Anyway, I am here to show you what I have going for February.

Items Used

Spreads

First off I really like to have a monthly dash to clearly define where one month starts and ends. I tend to just have the name of the month and an image. This month is obviously February and I added a wintery picture that shows pine branches and two silver hearts in the snow. I really liked how wintery this picture looked and how it tied in love without being over the time for Valentines Day. On the second page I just have the monthly calendar doodled. I highlighted the days I am planning on posting on my blog so they stand out a bit and they don’t pass me by. I decided to use a gray color to go with the cold wintery theme.

This next pair of spreads start with my habit tracker, I ended up adding it last month because I wanted to really see how often I do the tasks I want to do. Most of these are fun/hobby based such as reading, fiber arts, and cross stitch. The other two are no spend and closing the rings on my watch. I really liked the idea of just layout out the number of the day and just highlighting when I meet it. When I had these in the past and needed to color things in I never did it, but a quick highlight really works for me. On the second page I have a blank page with monthly notes. Here I write down when I finish a book or haul one, a memorable event happens, or really just anything I feel like I might want to remember that happens throughout the month. It is really helpful when I do my Monthly Digest posts.

Weekly schedule and Korean study objectives

These next two sets of spreads are new to me this month. On the one side I ended up adding a weekly schedule for myself to follow. I actually made two schedules to try and then use which one works best for me. I really like having daily goals and objectives, it is just how my brain works. If I don’t I end up being unproductive or I try to be productive and get overwhelmed because I have no idea what I should be doing or what needs to be done. On the second page here I have a Korean Study page. I looked up how to write that in Hangeul, hopefully it is right, I figured I would find out for sure the more I study. Anyway, I really want to get back into language learning, I had to put it by the wayside because life got in the way like it does from time to time. I am focusing on learning Hangeul using Becoming a Hangeul Master by Talk to Me in Korean. So, I broke down the book into lessons that are a good size for me and created a study plan. I know it will most likely take more than this month, but I really wanted to get it in the BUJO!

The last spready for the month are a bit bland, but needed by me. Sadly, the first one I can’t share so I added a recent knitting swatch to cover the title. The second page is a spread I have used in the past called a Kanban board. It is a way to help with projects by tracking where in the “production” line they are. I really wanted to use this again when it came to blog writing so I made a board with the four categories: ideas, write, photo, schedule. I am going to use tabs to write the titles and move them as I progress through my writing process.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

Links to my other socials!

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

Winter 2022 Crochet and Knitting Plans

January 13, 2022August 4, 2025 ClassicBhaerLeave a comment

Hello and welcome to a bit of a planning post where I am going to share the crochet and knitting projects I would love to finish this winter. I am on really good footing to start any project I want right now due to the fact I have no WIPs going into 2022, which has not happened in years. So, I feel like a kid in a candy shop and spoiled for choice. Thankfully, I was able to narrow it down to 5 projects I really would love to start working on and hopefully finish before Winter is through.

Day Date Cardigan by Jess Coppom

This first pattern I actually bought yarn for back in the Summer of 2021 when I was visiting family in Maine. I really want to finish this ASAP and hopefully I can wear it the next time I see those family members. The yarn that I picked up for this project is Berroco Providence in the color Rosecliff – 1115.

Vanilla Latte Socks by Virginia Rose-Jeanes

This pair of socks is actually for my significant other. I had him pick a yarn for me to use and it finally arrived! I am so excited to get to make these for him, I just need to figure out the stitches needed and I am going to have to keep bugging him to try them on as I go to ensure I am making them to properly fit. This will be the first socks I am making for someone else. The yarn that he picked for this pair of socks is Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in the color Ultramarine Violet, which is a really vibrant purple that I swear is going to glow in the dark.

Tube Socks by Mary Anne

This pair of socks is going to be for me. I have never worn tube socks or made them so I wanted to experiment a bit. I used this “pattern” to come up with my own formula of sorts for the ones I am going to be making. This pattern, which is actually a blog post was really helpful in doing that going through different options etc. The yarn I am using for this pattern is Spun Right Round Classic Sock in the color Sly Fox, which is almost like a burn orange.

Apiarist Cowl by Claire Borchardt

This is another selfish creation, I was lucky enough to be gifted a new jacket so I need to make a new cowl to go with it. I saw this pattern first mentioned by Knitty Natty and her looked beautiful and she said it was pretty simple to make. It is the first time I will be knitting something with a pattern of sorts so it will be an experiment as well! I am using yarn died by the etsy shop LanternLightYarn in the color Kraken, which is a red color with variations and Drops Kid-Silk in the color 14, which is red as well, held together to create this winter accessory.

Easy Eyelet Yoke Sweater by Knitatude / Chantal Miyagishima

This last one is really a project I know is going to take me a lot of time and challenge me a lot. I am putting it at the bottom of this list because I really want to work on the other projects and continue to work on the basics before jumping into making a sweater. That being said, the stiches that are used in this I have already used a bunch, but making a sweater I feel like is a huge step. I am using the recommended yarn, Lion Brand Chainette, in the color mustard, which seems to now be discontinued even though I only bought it a month or so ago. I hope I bought enough to finish it!

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

Links to my other socials!

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.

Bullet Journal & Planning

2022 Bullet Journal Spreads

January 9, 2022August 4, 2025 ClassicBhaer13 Comments

Hello and welcome to a post where I show you some of the full year and seasonal spreads in my bujo to start off 2022! This year I am not planning on having to many monthly spreads, but I will have a few. Before I share those spreads I really wanted to share how I set up by bujo for the year. In the past I had a ton of year long spreads, which I loved how they came out, but I always ended up forgetting halfway through the year. I decided that a few yearly ones and seasonal spreads were probably the best way to remedy this!

Items Used

The Notebook

Before I get into my spreads, this year I tried something different with my notebook. I ended up getting a B5 size instead of the “traditional” smaller notebooks. I always found myself wanting a little bit more room and thankfully the brand of notebooks I have been using for YEARS had this size. I ended up picking up this green notebook with a gold teapot on its cover. The pages of these notebooks holds up wonderfully to all of the materials I have used now and in the past and I love the fabric feel of the hardcover.

Spreads

This year I decided to do something very similar to something I have done in the past inspired by @Silva.and.Bold, now @mystic.hand on Instagram. I loved the idea of breaking goals into four distinct areas of my life that way all my goals are not just focusing on a single area of my life. So I have goals in script across both pages in the middle to break the pages up horizontally and use the natural divide of the notebook for the vertical divide. I decided to break my goals into reading, life, maker, and finance. I did not write my goals down at the time of taking this picture because I was and still am at the time of writing this working them all out. If you want to see some of my goals for 2022 that I did settle on you can find them on my post; My 2022 Goals and Challenges.

Top Books to Read page and plant doodle!

The next spread I added to my Bujo was my top books to read in 2022 page. Each year I always write down the books I am looking forward to the most to read and add them to some type of spread. This year I was inspired by @littleolivebujo on instagram to doodle a pile of books for this spread. I added a circle frame on the top to add the label, I thought it would be fun to then add a hanging plant on the accompanying page. I have not drawn in a while so I am actually kind of stunned how it actually looks like a plant.

Owned TBR Spread for the start of the year,

This next spread is one I started to do last year. Write down my owned tbr for the start of the year to help make sure I am not just reading the newer books on my shelf. It is a simple checklist that I can go back to and check them off or put a line through them if I end up DNFing or Unhauling. It is a nice easy way to keep track. I added a simple line boarder on this page, as well as with my top books to read spread, to dress it up a bit.

Winter overview and Seasonal Knitting and Crochet Plans (Pending)

So, these last two pages are a bit different than the rest. I decided to have seasonal sections to my Bujo this year so I made a Winter dashboard that has the three months it will cover and a mini calendar for each one. I kept it simple because I will be adding events and birthdays in the future and when there is a lot of writing going into a spread I have found, for me personally, the simpler the better. Now, for other page it is a complete work in progress. I want a page dedicated to the crochet and knitting projects I want to complete that season, but I am debating if I want it to be a single page spread or a double page spread. Since I have not made up my mind yet I added some bright red post-it notes until I decide so I at least have the information handy. A win for indecisiveness!

As you can see, I am really trying to keep my Bujo simple and to the minimum I find for me, at least as of late, this really works for me. I am really looking forward to giving seasonal spreads and these time frames more focus than I have in the past. I feel like breaking the year up like this will ensure I don’t leave some spreads in the past and never use them past a few months.

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

Links to my other socials!

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.