Episode 315: Short & SWEET

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 315 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website. This week’s segments included:

  • Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
  • On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
  • Brainstorming
  • From the Armchair
  • KAL News
  • On a Happy Note
  • Quote of the Week

Thank you to this episode’s sponsor: Stitched by Jessalu

Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

Gus the Dino

  • Pattern: Gus the Dino by KP Crochet Patterns. $8.50 US Pattern on Etsy
  • Yarn: Bernat Blanket in Misty Green & Parfait Chunky in White
  • Hook: J (6.0 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • The original eyes were too big, so I ripped off his head, made a new one and used smaller eyes which look great. Millie loves him.

Manta Ray

  • Pattern: Mega Ray & Sea Friends by Theresa’s Crochet Shop- $15.50 pattern on website or Etsy
  • Hook: I (5.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Two versions available- I chose the one with an inner pocket. it looks like a  hot water bottle that opens up at the mouth, which makes the ray a pocket for all of the other toys (well, barely).

Nemo

  • Pattern: Mega Ray & Sea Friends by Theresa’s Crochet Shop- $15.50 pattern on website or Etsy
  • Yarn: Knit Picks Brava minis in Orange, Black & White
  • Hook: C (2.75 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Clown Fish

Gill

  • Pattern: Mega Ray & Sea Friends by Theresa’s Crochet Shop- $15.50 pattern on website or Etsy
  • Yarn: Knit Picks Brava minis in Custard, Black & White
  • Hook: C (2.75 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page

Pearl

  • Pattern: Mega Ray & Sea Friends by Theresa’s Crochet Shop- $15.50 pattern on website or Etsy
  • Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Pink Hook: C (2.75 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Octopus

Bubbles

  • Pattern: Mega Ray & Sea Friends by Theresa’s Crochet Shop- $15.50 pattern on website or Etsy
  • Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Yellow
  • Hook: C (2.75 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Yellow Tang fish

Angelfish

  • Pattern: Mega Ray & Sea Friends by Theresa’s Crochet Shop- $15.50 pattern on website or Etsy
  • Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in White & Yellow
  • Hook: C (2.75 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page

Seahorse- Sheldon

  • Pattern: Mega Ray & Sea Friends by Theresa’s Crochet Shop- $15.50 pattern on website or Etsy
  • Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Yellow & Orange
  • Hook: C (2.75 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page

Arielle’s Socks

  • Yarn: Edelweiss Fibres Standard Sock (75% SW Merino/25% Nylon), 425m for 100g in the Hillside Heather Colorway
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • About the colorway- maroons, browns and greens.

Kirby Wirby 2025 Advent Socks

  • Yarn: Kirby Wirby 75/25 Superwash Merino/Nylon in the 2025 Advent Christmas Toys from the 80s 24 Stripe Colorway
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Yarn theme: Christmas Toys from the 80s

Flower Ski balaclava

  • Pattern: none
  • Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids & Knit Picks Brava Worsted
  • Hook: I (5.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • My Blizzard of 2026 project. I wanted another colorful balaclava. I wanted more peripheral vision. I’m excited to wear this skiing and decide if I like the fit better than my first ski helmet balaclava (Ravelry Project Page).

On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

Northern Lights Socks

  • Yarn: Patons Kroy in the Northern Lights Colorway
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • About the yarn- thin stripes of cream broken up 3 shades of teal/light blue, 2 grays and 1 deep purple.
  • Progress: I finished sock 1 recently. Cast on sock 2. 

October 2025 Sock Club Socks

  • Yarn: agirlandherwool Sock Yarn in the October 2025 Colorway
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page

Brainstorming

  • I really want to cast on a sweater ideally using at least some handspun and I keep getting stuck. UGH.
  • I may swatch for this tank with cream handspun- Camisole No 7 pattern by My Favourite Things- Ravelry Pattern Page

From the Armchair

  1. Wuthering Heights by Emma Bronte. Amazon Affiliate Link.
  2. All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker.  Amazon Affiliate Link.
  3. Tough Guy by Rachel Reid (Book 3 in Game Changer series). Amazon Affiliate Link.

Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.

KAL News

Pigskin Party ’25 Wrap Up—–Thank Yous!

  • Wendy (socalknitgirl)- Umpire
  • Heather (zoomdogknits)- Sheep Conference
  • Emily (ElsaandEm)- Llama Conference
  • Alicia (almariecraft)- Alpaca Conference
  • Mary (Maryklute)- Commentator
  • Nicole (knitternicole)- Utility Player

Thank you to ALL of our sponsors and especially our official sponsors for each of our 4 Quarters:

Pigskin ’25 By the Numbers

  • 1 Awesome event!
  • 3 Conferences, comprised of
  • 12 Teams!
  • 43 Projects completed during the WIP challenge
  • 70 Projects completed on the most popular completion date: 12/31/25
  • 75 Support Forms addressed
  • 146 Projects started on the 2nd most-popular starting date: 12/1/25  (Advent projects, anyone?!)
  • 184 Projects completed during the Pink Challenge to support Breast Cancer Awareness
  • 200 Most popular yardage reported for projects
  • 224 Projects started on Kick Off Day 9/4/25
  • 276 Projects completed for the most popular challenge (Q1 Challenge)
  • 578 Participants!  New high!  41% reported being first timers
  • 730 Charity projects completed!  Charity was the most popular of the Special Teams
  • 1,301 Non-project submissions (challenges, bonuses, draft)
  • 4,736 Projects started and completed during the event
  • 19,148 Total points for the leader 904Stephanie.  She made 79 projects and is frequently crocheting blankets for charity.

12 Grand Prize Winners Announced! Tune in to hear if you won big!

On a Happy Note

  • Skiing with Jeff and Millie. Great weather, great conditions, lines weren’t too long!
  • We had Hattie for a sleepover
  • Millie’s birthday sleepover
  • Blizzard of 2026
  • Dinner with my cousins

Quote of the Week

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”

Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass

——

For website:

Thank you for tuning in!

Contact Information:

Episode 314: Rip It!

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 314 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website. This week’s segments included:

  • Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
  • On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
  • Brainstorming
  • From the Armchair
  • Knitting in Passing
  • KAL News
  • Contest, News & Notes
  • Life in Focus
  • On a Happy Note
  • Quote of the Week

Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

Hattie’s Rainbow Mittens

  • Pattern: Little Waiting for Winter Mittens by Susan B. Anderson- $4 Knitting Pattern available on Ravelry
  • Yarn: Knit Picks Felici Worsted in the Vegas Baby colorway
  • Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • About the colorway- stripes of gray, blue, green, mustard, red and pink.

Hattie’s Sparkly Mittens

  • Pattern: Little Waiting for Winter Mittens by Susan B. Anderson- $4 Knitting Pattern available on Ravelry
  • Yarn: Fingering yarn held double- 1 sparkle & 1 non-sparkle base (sparkles are 20g minis from Legacy Fiber Artz Advent calendars of years past)
  • Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page

Traveler Sweater

  • Pattern: The Traveler by Andrea Mowry ($9 pattern available on Ravelry & the designer’s website)
  • Yarn: Hazel Knits Small Batch Sport (90/10 SW/Nylon) in a sage green
  • Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm) & US 4 (3.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Size: 3
  • Drawstring- fingering weight yarn- US 6 DPNs. I washed it several times, because it was bleeding yellow. I had to wash it several times before all of the rest of the dye let go.
  • Finished. Washed it. Sleeves were too big. I had 28 purl ridges on the sleeves, I ripped back 7 and then worked the ribbing.
  • Wore to Hattie’s birthday dinner. Very comfy cozy. I am finding the weight of the hood wants to pull it back on my neck which I’m not sure I love. Have you found this?

Woolens & Nosh 2025 Advent Socks

  • Yarn: Woolens & Nosh, 75/25 Superwash Wool/Nylon 2025 Advent Colorway
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Finished right after I finished the last episode. Love these so much!

Dory

  • Pattern: Mega Ray & Sea Friends by Theresa’s Crochet Shop- $15.50 pattern on website or Etsy
  • Yarn: Knit Picks Brava minis in Celestial, Custard, Black & White
  • Hook: C (2.75 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page

Gus the Dino

  • Pattern: Gus the Dino by KP Crochet Patterns. $8.50 US Pattern on Etsy (on sale right now)
  • Yarn: Bernat Blanket in Misty Green & Parfait Chunky in White
  • Hook: J (6.0 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • 35 mm eyes were too big! I bought smaller ones, beheaded Gus and gave him a new head with new eyes!

On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

Back to the Future Socks

  • Yarn: Legacy Fiber Artz Steel Toes. Micro-Sock Kit in the Back to the Future Colorway
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Back to the Future Sock set- gifted to me by Sue & Chelsea- part of their 4 Sundays of Advent yarn in 2025.
  • About the Colorway- speckles of pink, orange, yellow purple and blue with a blue/purple mini.
  • Progress- just about to toe of sock 1

Arielle’s Socks

  • Yarn: Edelweiss Fibres Standard Sock (75% SW Merino/25% Nylon), 425m for 100g in the Hillside Heather Colorway
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • About the colorway- maroons, browns and greens.
  • Cast on both on separate needles. Progress- a few inches into leg on one sock, ready to work the toe on the other
    • US 6 shoe. 7.25 inches before toe. About 8.5 inches total foot length.

Kirby Wirby 2025 Advent Socks

  • Yarn: Kirby Wirby 75/25 Superwash Merino/Nylon in the 2025 Advent Christmas Toys from the 80s 24 Stripe Colorway
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Yarn theme: Christmas Toys from the 80s
  • Progress- turned heel on sock 2

Pucker Brush Farm BFL Sweater Spin

  • Fiber: 16 oz of multi colored BFL roving from Pucker Brush Farm (purchased at Rhinebeck 2025), 4 oz Merino in a mustard color
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • I am planning to knit a Traveler sweater inspired by Emily Curtis’ handmade version- click here for her Ravelry Project Page. I was thrilled to see a recent post on Emily’s Instagram that she made a YouTube video about this spin/knit.
  • I plied up about 8.5grams of the BFL with the Finnsheep. 23 wraps (690 inches/19 yards) .3 ounces / around 8.5 grams
  • I’ve been keeping my wheel next to my spot on the couch and spinning if not every day, then more days than not.

Handspun documentation

  • I went through nearly all of my handspun skeins of yarn. I made updates in each page on Ravelry to add skein information. You can enter length and weight and it add that to your stash.  I also ended up changing the names of the finished projects to include the weight and length! I wrote yarn weight (dk sport etc) on physical tags i have on the yarn. So much easier for me to work with.

Brainstorming

  • I have 3 skeins of Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool that I used to start a Waverly Cardigan (but the gauge is just too tight)- click here for my Ravelry Project Page. I think it might be good for the Lakes Pullover by Ozetta (Ravelry Pattern- $8 knitting pattern). I found this by searching the yarn on ravelry then doing the advance pattern search to look for sweaters people knit with this yarn.
    • Related- Eileen recently asked if someone in our group had knit a certain pattern she had questions about before purchasing/committing to. If you look at the pattern on Rav and click the Projects Tab. You can use the filters there to select “Made by Group Members” and then click on the Rav group you want to look in. You can use that to see who you want to chat w/ about it.
  • ElizabethisKnitting (on Instagram- shared her Winter Soul Sweater in this post. Its so beautiful! Why are you not all knitting this? Great question. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

From the Armchair

  1. Greenwich by Kate Broad. Amazon Affiliate Link.
  2. Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino. Amazon Affiliate Link.
  3. The Maid by Nita Prose. Amazon Affiliate Link.
  4. Little One by Olivia Muenter. Amazon Affiliate Link
  5. Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid. Amazon Affiliate Link.
  6. The Widow’s Husband’s Secret Lie (A Satirical Novella) by Freida McFadden. Amazon Affiliate Link.

Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.

Knitting in Passing

At Hattie’s birthday dinner, Emelyn asked for help crocheting a circle. They were making a stuffed animal to look like a stage like and had everything done but the center bulk part. Aila also ended up working on it with us.

OMG Sock Classes are finished! All of my students turned their heels, some did both socks. Many did their toes and kitchenered. They all had fun and were far more successful than they anticipated so that was very exciting.

KAL News

Pigskin Party ’25 is over!

  • Event Dates: KAL Dates- Thursday September 4, 2025- Monday February 9, 2026

Updates In This Episode

  • Official Sponsor for Quarter 4 (January)- Yarnaceous Fibers– winner announced
  • Commentary from Mary
  • January Participation Prize Winners Announced
  • Grand Prize winners will be announced in the next episode.

Commentator Update

  • Thanks to everyone for another fantastic season! The February huddle has been full of chatter about all the projects people rushed to finish before the deadline. However, one of my favorite conversations has been in response to beachsideknits2’s question: What is weirdest/most random thing you’ve ever made?  Here are some fantastic answers (prepare to be wowed!)
  • Beachsideknit2’s succulent pillow- Ravelry Project Page
  • Tanksoup’s Tiktaalik (in case you are like me and had no idea what a tiktaalik is, it “is a 375 million year old fossil fish that was discovered in the Canadian Arctic in 2004” according to this site. Check out Tanksoup’s Ravelry Project Page
  • Leahbothe’s nose sweaters- Ravelry Project Page
  • And socalknitgirl’s top hat—Ravelry Project Page

I hope everyone has as much fun as I did this season!  See you all this summer for splash pad party!

Mary

Contest, News & Notes

Ross Farm – Check out this news article with details about their devastating barn fire.

Click here if you’re interested in donating or consider purchasing yarn, fiber etc and letting these sheep live on even after they’re gone.

On a Happy Note

  • I bought a new car!
  • I went to see Sleepwalker at a local theater.  Here’s a link to a review that sums up some of my thoughts.
  • I went to see Some Like it Hot in Boston. Megg & I got a fabulous dinner beforehand at Yvonne’s. Our waitress even brought over a delicious dumpling dish for us to try (sans lobster).
  • Friday date nights with Dan
  • Running into Riley & her bestie Ellie at Lucky Finn, my current local favorite coffee shop- after the gym on a Saturday morning. It was so hilarious!
  • Very much enjoyed Pluribus on Apple TV+. 
  • Seeing Millie in Finding Nemo Jr. and an early dinner after with family.
  • Mani/pedis with Megg, Eme & Hattie for Hattie’s birthday.
  • Super Bowl- while we lost it’s always fun to watch. I enjoyed the commercials, and had fun cheering on the Seahawks kicker Jason Myers who played football at Marist where I went to college (now Marist University)
  • Hattie’s 8th birthday dinner. Dad and I did a Zoom beforehand in celebration of what would have been Mom’s 70th with a few of her cousins.

Quote of the Week

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.

-Dalai Lama

——

Thank you for tuning in!

Contact Information:

Episode 313: Fresh

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 313 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website. This week’s segments included:

  • Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
  • On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
  • From the Armchair
  • Some Years Later
  • Knitting in Passing
  • KAL News
  • Events
  • Life in Focus
  • On a Happy Note
  • Quote of the Week

Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

I mended Hattie’s mittens (store bought) and added snaps to her mermaid’s removable tail.

Granny Square Ski Helmet Balaclava

  • Pattern: none
  • Hook: I (5.5 mm)
  • Yarn: Knit Picks Brava in Dove Heather & Marina, Big Twist Value Solids in Aqua, Vanna’s Choice in Charcoal Gray + 1 unknown blue worsted weight acrylic yarn.
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • I did one square to practice and see how I liked the colors together. Originally had a pop of a lime green in there. Liked the colors but didn’t love the square. I also used that square to see for the smaller skeins (~30g) would I have enough yarn. I made a second square and that one I really enjoyed.
  • 7 colors- from center out- light gray, medium/bright blue, white, aqua, charcoal, marina (teal), white
  • I made 8 squares. Check out this Instagram post from Grandma.era on how to seam them together.
  • Chroma Twist Bulky in Cousteau for trim around the face and along the bottom edge.
  • It was riding on the train with me in my AdoreKnit Pigskin Party bag.
    • Did you see that Steph from Adoreknit donated 10% of her Down Cellar Studio KAL items to our FearLESS Living Fund? With your help she donated $613 in 2025!

On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

Back to the Future Socks

  • Yarn: Legacy Fiber Artz Steel Toes. Micro-Sock Kit in the Back to the Future Colorway
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Back to the Future Sock set- gifted to me by Sue & Chelsea- part of their 4 Sundays of Advent yarn in 2025.
  • About the Colorway- speckles of pink, orange, yellow purple and blue with a blue/purple mini.
  • I cast these on before day trip up to Loon Mountain. I am almost to the heel of sock 1.

Traveler Sweater

  • Pattern: The Traveler by Andrea Mowry ($9 pattern available on Ravelry & the designer’s website)
  • Yarn: Hazel Knits Small Batch Sport (90/10 SW/Nylon) in a sage green
  • Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm) & US 4 (3.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Size: 3
  • Drawstring- fingering weight yarn- US 6 DPNs. I washed it several times, because it was bleeding yellow. I had to wash it several times before all of the rest of the dye let go.

Pucker Brush Farm BFL Sweater Spin

  • Fiber: 16 oz of multi colored BFL roving from Pucker Brush Farm (purchased at Rhinebeck 2025), 4 oz Merino in a mustard color
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • I am planning to knit a Traveler sweater inspired by Emily Curtis’ handmade version- click here for her Ravelry Project Page. I was thrilled to see a recent post on Emily’s Instagram that she made a YouTube video about this spin/knit.
  • I plied up about 8.5 grams of the BFL with the Finnsheep. 23 wraps (690 inches/19 yards)
  • Knit up a swatch on a US 4 and got gauge almost exactly
  • To knit another size 3 Traveler I think I need approximately 19 ounces of each fiber.
  • I did a lot of spinning during the big snowstorm we got last weekend. I am so into it! I cleaned my wheel and wound off fiber onto storage bobbins.

Woolens & Nosh 2025 Advent Socks

  • Yarn: Woolens & Nosh, 75/25 Superwash Wool/Nylon 2025 Advent Colorway
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Progress: worked on the foot of the second sock during game night at home

Log Cabin Blanket

  • Pattern: Log Cabin Square by Julie Harrison. Free crochet pattern available on Ravelry. Video tutorial available on the Little Woollie Makes YouTube Channel
  • Yarn: Legacy Fiber Artz Minis (mostly from Advent calendars 2023 & 2024)
  • Hook: I (5.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Inspired by Rachel (treehousefiberarts on Instagram) and Sue & Chelsea (Legacy Fiber Artz on Instagram). Check out the Floss Toss Ravelry Group for details on their Scrappy Blanket CAL. Ends December 21st (but you don’t have to finish. 2 prize drawings will be done).
  • My color placement is inspired by this project/pattern available on Ravelry.
  • Inspired to pick it back up after see Sue (from Legacy Fiber Artz)’s version on their latest podcast episode. She bordered with cream before seaming. I love it. You can see a peek in this Instagram post.
  • Progress- made one more. Total to date: 12

Hattie’s Rainbow Mittens

  • Pattern: Little Waiting for Winter Mittens by Susan B. Anderson
  • Yarn: Knit Picks Felici Worsted in the Vegas Baby colorway
  • Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm)
  • Cast on at Fiber Club at my library. The next morning my train was slow so I finished all but the thumb on the first mitten.  Cast on second
  • About the colorway- stripes of gray, blue, green, mustard, red and pink.

From the Armchair

Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.

Some Years Later

A look back my 2025 fiber crafting and podcast related items.

60 projects- click here to see these projects in Ravelry.

  • 47 gifts/ 13 for me
  • 34 knit/ 26 crochet
  • No finished spinning projects
  • 1 bag
  • 3 blankets
  • 6 cozies
  • 8 hats
  • 25 socks
  • 1 Christmas stocking
  • 1 sweater
  • 2 tops
  • 13 toys

Other fun numbers:

  • Podcast Episodes- 23
  • Videos on YouTube- 33
  • BostonJen1- Instagram Followers-10,275 – I finally hit 10k!!!!!!!
  • Ravelry Group Members: 3137  (up from 2981 in 2024)
  • 1 Interview for Love in Stitches Group
  • Podcaster Meet-ups: 1 with Natalie at Flock; 1 at Rhinebeck
  • I was paid to do social media for the Cape & South Shore Yarn Haul

Knitting in Passing

  • I am teaching classes on the OMG Sock at Staci’s Stitches, my LYS and enjoying seeing my students progress!
  • My friend Mara texted me from the Celtics game the other night saying she was fairly sure one of the other fans in her section was wearing an Ice Time Hat (one of my designs)- you can find the pattern on  Ravelry & LoveCrafts

KAL News

Pigskin Party ’25

Updates In This Episode

  • Official Sponsor for Quarter 4 (January)- Yarnaceous Fibers. Check out this Ravelry Thread for  4th & Goal with Yarnaceous Fibers Challenge Details
  • Wild Card WIP Bonus- check out this Ravelry thread for details (ran 1/5/26 through 1/16/26)- 43 projects finished. Check out this view of the Ravelry chat thread which shows all of the Projects mentioned. A few highlights:
    • ScrapperChris made a beautiful snowflake cardigan (started in 2020)- Ravelry Project Page
    • TXHeather crocheted a 2k+ meter Christmas Tree skirt (also started in 2020)- Ravelry Project Page
    • IWillKnitUaSock- finished knitting a beautiful Angel’s Eyes cabled cardigan sweater by Thea Colman that she started in 2022- Ravelry Project Page
    • ImaginedLandscapes finished not 1 but 2 beautiful sweaters, the Diona Pullover (Ravelry Project Page) & the Sonrae (Ravelry Project Page)

Commentator Update

We are in the home stretch of the Pigskin Party and players are working hard to finish their projects before the clock expires!  

I wandered over to the end zone dance thread to see what players have finished recently. Here are some amazing projects that caught my eye:

There’s been a lot of conversation in the January huddle about laundry…yep, you heard that right. It’s actually pretty fascinating. I’ve learned a lot. But whether you are into laundry or not, come on over to the friendliest place on the internet before the PSP is over!

Events

Life in Focus

26 in 2026 List

  1. A-Aim for one night at week at the pool in July and August- make it regular and invite friends to pop over
  2. B- Blood- donate at least 5 times
  3. C- Christmas Sleepover
  4. D- Declutter 26+ items
  5. E- Events- go to at least 26 ticketed events
  6. F-Find 2-6 new things and try them out!
  7. G-Go on a trip with Dan (just us)
  8. H- Headshots for Hattie
  9. I- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum- GO!
  10. J- Journal- Write 365 entries in my I Remember Journal about Mom (inspired by Liz Craft who talked about it on Ep 451 of Happier in Hollywood podcast)
  11. K- Knit at least 2 projects with handspun
  12. L- Literary pursuit- read at least 65 books
  13. M- Museum- go to at least 1
  14. N- NYC- go visit Laura at least once
  15. O- Organize a FearLESS Living Fundraiser
  16. P- Puzzle- do at least 1 with Dan
  17. Q-Quarterly review of calendar/photos & goals (to make Year in Review easier and faster)- calendar it!
  18. R- Restaurant- try at least 1 new local restaurant
  19. S- Socks- knit 26 pair
  20. T- Tattoo
  21. U- Up the amount of muscle in my body- at least 1 pound by end of the year.
  22. V- Vlogmas- take the year off (even if you’re tempted)
  23. W- Wheel- sit down at my spinning wheel every month (put reminders on my calendar at the beginning of each month to help remind me)
  24. X- Cross 1 thing off this list that no longer serves me
  25. Y-Yoga at least 2-6 times
  26. Z- Create Zone to keep important papers

On a Happy Note

  • Wonder at ART- extended through 2/5. Check out their website for tickets.
  • Sound of Music at the Boston Opera House
  • Game night with Liz, Jay, Riley and Dan.
  • A snowy slow MLK weekend.
  • Car shopping.
  • I’ve been able to hack 3 classes a week at my gym.
  • A cold walk with Megg at Wompatuck.
  • A cute message about Miles enjoying his Christmas gifts- “emotional support calendar”
  • A pipe broke while I was washing woolies on Sunday during snowstorm. Silverlining was that Dan had the part we needed on hand and was able to fix it so quickly.

Quote of the Week

“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”

-Nathaniel Hawthorne

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Thank you for tuning in!

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