[LIFE STUFF] We're Engaged!

Well, friends, we made it. 1.5 years and most of that spent in covid lockdown, we’ve decided we can tolerate one another enough to spend the rest of our lives together.

Not that it should come as a surprise. Scott pretty much moved in with me after covid shut everything down (over a year ago) and then I moved into his place back in the fall and we adopted another dog together. Heck, we even went to look at rings together a few weekends ago.

Turns out said ring was burning a hole in his pocket and he couldn’t wait until our socially distanced OCMD trip at the end of the month to propose, so he dropped the ring in my hand as we were getting into bed the other night. Okay, that’s a lie. Technically, Ziggy dropped the ring into my hand after asking if I’d spend the rest of my life with his papa. It was kind of adorable, even though his paws were wet and muddy from having just been outside.

We’re planning a “low maintenance” wedding at one of the local breweries for this coming October, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw more posts from me complaining about how stressed I am (this is why I’ve divided my blog into categories so you can skip my whining if/when you want to - you’re welcome).

All that said, we’ve received a LOT of love from friends and family since announcing our engagement on April Fool’s Day (our timing is great) and we’re looking forward to celebrating with everyone once we’re able. Scott and I are both fully vaccinated now and it seems like most of our guest list will be in good shape come fall, plus we don’t want a long engagement or a huge shindig, so we think we can pull off something safe.

Now I just need to lose 40lbs so I can buy the $64 dress I found online (it’s gonna happen, fam, don’t roll your eyes - I’m already down almost 30lbs since January).

[FINISHED] Butterfly Cross Stitch

Here’s a belated post if ever there was any - a cross stitch I made for Scott’s mom back in the fall as a Christmas gift.

I found this kit on Etsy and its quality was superb; the charts were large and easy to read. and the floss wasn’t what you sometimes get in cheaper kits that feel like nails on a chalkboard (I’m looking at you, Hobby Lobby). You could select from a symbol chart, a color chart, or a combo (which is what I used) and I was able to chug along pretty easily.

That said, this is one of the bigger cross stitches I’ve completed, and for as much as I’ve committed to cross stitch (I just invested in a $350 HAED, for goodness sake), I’m still not sure I like anything with intense colorwork. Not that this butterfly is intense, but the little sections of a single color get on my nerves. I know there’s a better way to stop and start my stitches; I just have to find the method that works best for me. For example, I’ve learned I prefer the loop start best (although I’m working on a huge piece right now that requires starting with three strands, and although it’s still possible to do the loop start with three strands, it’s kind of annoying). I’ve also come across several tutorials for pin stitch, which might be a solution here, but I’m not sure yet. I’ll keep you posted.

It was nice to know that I was able to start and finish one of these larger, more detailed projects in just over a month. I started stitching it on election night because I needed to stab something 10,000 times and it was done the week before Christmas, so I’d consider that a success. It turns out the trick to finishing projects is actually setting aside time to work on them - who knew?

[LIFE STUFF] I'm the New Knitability Editor!

I mean, that’s all there is to say, right? That I’m the new editor of Knitability and I died a happy panda. The end.

No, seriously, I about melted when Dan and Kay (of Bakery Bears fame) approached me to help with their regular publication.

For those of you who don’t know, Bakery Bears is a bi-weekly video podcast published on YouTube. With it comes the option to join Patreon for exclusive content like an audio podcast on the off weeks, an annual advent calendar, early access to patterns, and (of course) and subscription to their exclusive magazine, Knitability.

As a long-time patron, I’ve been reading Knitability since its inception, so I about passed out when I was invited to edit the content and design, as well as help manage and plan designer and maker interviews.

You can access every issue of Knitability at the $2/mo tier, which is more than generous in my not-so-humble opinion, especially considering the quality content (we’ve featured interviews with designers like Susan B. Anderson, Jenn Steingass, Joji Locatelli, just to name a few). The digital-only magazine also features patron content so our worldwide-but-niche community can get to know one another on a more personal level.

I know it sounds like I’m selling you on subscribing, and maybe I am because it’s truly an amazing publication, but mostly I’m excited to be involved and can’t stop talking about to anyone who will listen (and even those who won’t). If you’re interested in seeing what I’m doing in my free time now, make sure to subscribe! You can thank me later.

[FINISHED] Easter Wreath

And I have once again dabbled in a craft I have no business dabbling in.

A few weekends ago, I sat down with all my supplies from Amazon and put together this festive Easter migraine. Originally, I’d wanted to make one of those bunny butt wreaths that are popular right now, but the butts alone were nearly $50 and the wreaths themselves sell for $150+ on Etsy. So I improvised.

This time, I used a different technique where I rolled strips of four colors and scrunched them together using pipe cleaners (pro tip: pipe cleaners are so much easier than the zip ties I used on my first wreath).

It’s worth noting that you can get most of these supplies at the Dollar Store, but I’m incapable of thinking ahead that far and spent way more than I should have by going through Amazon. The only great thing about that is I discovered the deco mesh is available in packs of every holiday color coordination you can imagine, so you can bet your life that I’ll be making one of these for every holiday. Scott is thrilled that I’ve been discussing wreath storage for the basement.

Here’s the YouTube tutorial I used to make this monstrosity that doesn’t even fit between our main door and screen door. I ended up displaying it on my buffet that I’ve redecorated for spring, at least until I can find a better place to house it.

[FINISHED] Buffalo Plaid Ribbon Wreath

Please ignore the heinous raw color of our front door. We’ll be painting it a lovely colonial blue once Mother Nature stops snowing her feelings all over the Lehigh Valley.

Me: Woe betide the person who shares another Pinterest project that’ll make me spend more money on hobbies I don’t have time for

Also me: Oh look, wreaths!

Yes, that’s right. After more mindless scrolling of Pinterest and referencing YouTube videos, I made my first ribbon wreath.

Is it the most amazing or beautiful wreath anyone’s ever made? Absolutely not. But I have to admit I had a lot of fun making it to specifically match our soon-to-be-revamped front porch decor. I enjoyed it so much that I immediately spent like $50 on new supplies to make what I can only assume will be a decorative migraine of an Easter wreath - it’s going to be nuts.

More importantly, this wreath became a huge source of debate on my Facebook - to add or not add a bow? Opinions varied wildly, but ultimately I was convinced I needed to add something, which is where the pink flowers came in. I thought incorporating an organic flare would contrast nicely with the burlap and super stark plaid, but I didn’t want flowers that looked fake and tacky. That’s how I ended up with these tiny pink sprigs that I love love love. There should be more, but there were only four left in Michael’s and I was accosted by a woman who said she needed them to finish her project (because I was just buying them for shits and giggles, obviously) and I didn’t feel like throwing down in a craft store, so I handed her my fourth bundle. It still looks good, but I wish I had enough to go around the whole wreath.

Products/Resources Used

As usual, the most of the items linked below go to Amazon via an affiliate link because sue me for trying:

• Metal Wire Wreath Frame (set of 2)

• Cable Zip Ties <— Not a huge fan of these; see below under “Unsolicited Advice” for more information

• Black Buffalo Plaid Ribbon (set of 6) <— I used five rolls of this, so the entire pack was very necessary

• 4” Wide Black Satin Ribbon <— I just tied these to the frame and use a ribbon cut on the ends to balance all the floof

• 2” Wide Burlap and Lace Ribbon <— I wove these through after doing the entire wreath in the buffalo plaid so, in theory, it can be removed and replaced with another ribbon for various holidays

• Flower sprigs from Michael’s (less than $1 for a pack of three on sale)

• Wreath Making Tutorial <— I used a thinner ribbon, which is why mine is more loopy

Unsolicited Advice

When I eventually make my Easter wreath, I’m going to change up some of my methods.

For example, I used zip ties because that’s what was recommended in one of the YouTube videos I watched; however, the ties I got from Amazon were felt on one side and loops on the other. It kept grabbing and ripping my ribbon (as well as my highly coveted Marketo Champion Under Armour sweats) and it really f’d up my cuticles. I found a few other videos where the designer used pipe cleaners instead, so I bought stock in those and will see how that pans out.

I’m also going to try a different technique where I roll the fabric in long sections instead of 7” at a time with the 2.5” ribbon. I’ll be using wide tulle for the Easter wreath that should allow me to experiment with that, as well as ribbon placement. It’s going to be my greatest failure and I’m excited about it.

Are you team bow?

Let me know if you think there still needs to be a bow on this bad boy or if it’s fine as is. I usually subscribe to a “more is more” mentality, but in this case, I really think it’ll be too over the top - and that says a lot coming from me.