It's the Year of FO...

No, not THAT "FO." (though..... just sayin...)

I mean "Finished Objects." I'm tellin ya - I'm on a ROLL. The Amy's Scarf was the first FO of 2026. Next was the Sophie Shawl, and right behind that was the Cold Snap hat. And I've got my (nearly) year-old Be Simple plain shawl on the needles and I'm chugging away at that. 

I also have an Emotional Support Chicken to repair...though depending on how that looks, I may just re-knit it. Dog got it. Not mine, but someone else's. Note to everyone: Emotional Support Chickens ARE NOT DOG TOYS!!! 

I have another Chicken to do (including one for myself that I never started...), and my mom has "ordered" another Sophie Hood. She loves her red one, but she says, "I need one in a neutral color for church." So I ordered more Friday Harbor (Cascade) in a lovely color called Macadamia, which is a silvery-grey (not sparkly) and I'll see how that looks. I hate ordering online, but my friend Kelly's shop is currently online only so we'll see. 

And then there's all the single socks that need mates. Maybe instead of starting new projects, I grab a project bag, figure out what I was doing and finish that? What a thought! 

The Knitting...

Sophie Shawl -- I'm addicted to the Sophie patterns. They're way more simple than they look and you look like such a boss when you're knitting them. This one is done with Cascade Friday Harbor in color 18, pumpkin. You can't tell from the pictures, but it's really a soft orange, with flecks of cream in it. And it's a Merino + silk blend that's just lovely on the hands. It really pops the stitch definition. 

I think it's bigger yarn - it's Aran-weight, and while the pattern calls for that, it also called for 2 hanks and I used just over 2... So either my gauge was off, or the yarn was bulkier than I thought. Either way, it was cozy this morning with our temps at 1 degree and windchill at -16 degrees.  

Yes, it is somewhat large. And it's not remotely "shawl" -ish. In the traditional sense, this is more a large scarf. You don't drape it round your shoulders like you'd think. You bundle it up much like a large cowl or ... large scarf! It was toasty without being heavy - to look at it you might think, "Good God, that's cumbersome." (or maybe it's just me...) But it's really not, and it was comfortable to wear for most of the morning, till the house warmed up. 

Our heat's fine. But my perch for the Zoom call was by my big picture window, which is old, and it's not the best at keeping out cold bitter enough to freeze a well-digger's belt buckle. 

Nerdy Nuggets: 2 and a bit hanks of Cascade Friday Harbor yarn. Size Large. Size 8 (24") Circular needles. Start date 11/5/25, finished 1/12/26. 

So that's FO #2. I recommend that you try this pattern, or if it's too much for you, start with the Sophie Scarf. It's easier to manage. 

The hat? I had the Bison Blend from Windy Valley Musk Ox to make the hat as a companion of the Amy's Scarf (also known as the Miss Marple Scarf), but it has a bit of a tricky crown configuration and I kinda wanted something simple. 

I did look for "simple cable hats" and seriously, people... What IS simple? I'm thinking one cable up one side and down the other, but I wasn't able to find anything that suited me. 

I did find the Cold Snap on Ravelry, and it was ok. I did try searching Ravelry and then I just did a general Google search. I don't know -maybe it's me. I ended up with this one because it was simple and I kind of wanted something brainless to knit, but with enough detail to keep my attention. 

The world is a scary place. Knitting is one refuge. I didn't want to over-complicate it because most of my stitching time is at night. But I did want something useful, and I have a hard time fitting hats to my head. 

Nerdy Nuggets: Remainder of the 3rd hank of Friday Harbor. Size 2 (there are 3 sizes to this hat), Size 4 (16") circulars for the ribbing and size 7 (16") circulars for the body -- same size DPNs for the crown. Start date 1/14/26, finished 1/18/26. 

The pattern called for DK weight, and Friday Harbor IS an Aran weight. Yes, I am RECLAIMING ORANGE.  I actually look good in it, and I refuse to allow a demented stooge to deny me a color I enjoy. Ahem. As I'm knitting I'm thinking, "What am I doing, this is a BARBIE hat???" But it turned out fine. I even got a little wild and made a small pom-pom for the top. It's a bit slouchy at the top, and I figured I had the yarn. Hubby told me to fold the brim; it's going to take a minute for me to -not- pull it down tight to my head, as I'm used to doing. I need to leave the slouch in there. It's going to be a barn hat. 

The Be Simple is an Opal project. It's got a ways yet, but I started that one on February 9, 2025, and I need to get it finished -- if only to reclaim my size 7 circulars for other projects. Not sure if I'm going to do the picot edge or just a plain one. The colorway is something that will go with most of what I wear, though now that I've lost a bunch of weight, I need to restock my basic t-shirts. 

I had gotten this yarn from my friend Kelly at Le Mouton Rouge and when I looked in my sock tote, I found that I had a bunch of blue-toned socks, so I figured I'd do this non-lace version of the Be Simple. Last year I did the orange version, using yarn that was custom-dyed for me. 

As much as you can, patronize your Local Yarn Shop. Mind you, Kelly is still 2+ hours from my house, but still - this is as good as it gets where I live, so do what you can to help them out! Kelly ships in the US, so go for it! 

Maybe I need a 2025 Retrospective of Knitting, since I didn't blog at all last year. 

Anyway, I really enjoy the asymmetrical shawls for office wear, so I'm not fighting the thing being around my shoulders, and yet it's warm enough. And these in sock yarn are perfect: they wash up like a dream and I have a nice stash of shawl pins to keep them in place, or I can just tie them. 

The Other FO... 

OK, still NOT that one. Found Objects. You know how, when you're decorating for Christmas or whatever holiday you're celebrating, you put things away, you bring things out, you shuffle stuff around? Well, in my house that's how that happens. 

I found a bag with fabric for a quilted table runner that I was going to make (which I didn't). I also found THREE circular needles. I think that I bought this when JoAnn's was closing. I also found in the bag the second of my pom-pom makers. I know I have another set - in a project bag somewhere. 

I had ordered small binders for my circulars. It makes it easier for me to have them handy, when they're not all stuck into unfinished objects (we won't go into that and I'm not feeling guilty). So these are size 8 bamboo needles, which are fine. They're 24" cables and my friend Sonda always said that 24" are all you really need to do anything from a scarf to a sweater. 

I also have become fond of Zings DPNs. They're color-coded which makes it nice. I use them for socks, but also for the tops of hats. The markings on the needles last nicely. That's the one complaint I have about the Karbonz - after a use or two, the numbers wear off the carbon part. Kind of annoying, really. 

I'm also still working on the Long Dog Samplers Pecadillo. I'm on the second quadrant of the one I'm doing, and it's coming along nicely. I do need to get the knitting out of the way first, so it'll be a while. I hope to finish this project in time for Christmas 2026, so that I can get it framed for its recipient. 

I think I need to do another one. We had a surprise at Christmas. Kid #1 eloped. So I also have an afghan to work on once I figure out what colors I need to get. 

THAT FO... 

Good Lord. I'm not really sure where to start. There are folks who are now in the "Find Out" stage and it's starting to get crazy. It was crazy at first, but now? 

So we have the Emperor with No Clothes posting crap at all hours, signing things he can't read, making stuff up and pulling "facts" out of his keister, and calling everything "fake" if it doesn't show him at the center of "The Last Supper" pushing Jesus to the side. (Sorry, God, but really...)

Since I last blogged about this, the Kennedy Center has been desecrated, there's no more East Wing of the historic White House, and the Oval Office is not only named like the wing of a dementia-care ward, but it's tatted up like a bordello the likes of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," just to name a few things. 

And we have the delusion about Greenland, the invasion of Venezuela, the bombing of fishing boats, the caving in of a Nobel Prize winner who - I don't care what she did for her country - debased herself for a fool. 

What am I missing? Oh, election fraud (well in front of the midterms), the ICE goons, the destruction of Tim Walz's political career. SCOTUS is bought and paid for - Mitch McConnell, on his way out, has grown one ball. Thom Tillis too. 

And a pox on Merrick Garland, who could've fixed this. A double pox on Glitchy Mitch, who prevented Garland from being safely ensconced in the Supreme Court and out of the way. 

But the cherry on top is the response of Bill and Hillary Clinton to the subpoena for the Epstein files debacle. I mean, you have Stephen Miller as a deputy Chief of Staff who thinks he's running things, and for all I know, he DOES have his hand up Mango Mussolini's diaper-clad butt, trying to demand that Minneapolis "withdraw" and stand down. And you have JD Maybelline trying to act "presidential." What a waste of an Ivy League education. And for what it's worth, Usha, girl - you need a good lawyer! 

And they think they can pull an end-run around Bill? Really. Notwithstanding the fact that he's a Rhodes Scholar and a lawyer. You have Hillary. Who's brilliant in her own right. Both of them are Yale Law School graduates. Both of them, very kindly, and very specifically and pointedly, said to James Comer, "show me yours before I show you mine." 

They pointed out that they don't HAVE to comply with that subpoena. My contention is, when Gym Jordan complies with the Congressional subpoena he received, then Bill and Hill can respond. 

The situation in Minneapolis is insane. The Black Panthers are coming out. And if the ICE goons think Chicago was rough? Minneapolis is no push-over. And they want to go to Philly? I mean... Philadelphia burned its own city down more than once. Their police chief already said, "We don't play." 

I have no idea what will happen. I do know this is not the world I wanted to age in, nor have my kids grow up in. 

Random Picture...

We have a tradition now. We make a Snow Folk Choir. This year, Hubby went above and beyond and I think we're done adding to the group. He's talking about using wine corks to make "choir risers." I think it's becoming an obsession. 

I must say, I added the rice lights and battery-operated candles. And I did make arms for our "conductor," the only salt-and-pepper shaker who's a singleton. All of these have been part of a collection I've had for years. 

Of all your holiday decorations, which is your tradition? Which is a must-have for the holidays? Share with me! 

So Much for 2025...

Well, there went THAT year. And it was almost as I had predicted: EXHAUSTING. 

The chaos from the Bordello-themed Oval? Oy. DOGE, JD Maybelline's posturing, the No Kings marches, the postcards we wrote, the politicians we called and emailed. The economic slap in the chops? The loss of our rights, the disintegration of the Not-So-Supreme Court? And let's not forget the utter, utter collapse of Congress. And the Junk Drawer Cabinet full of sycophant know-nothings --- seriously, our dead canary can do a better job. 

Yeah. Something had to give last year, and the blog was the thing that gave. Sorry, folks, but choices had to be made. 

Normally, for a new year, I change the theme of the blog, but this year, I think I'll stick with this one. I figure that since I skipped an entire year, I can hang out with the same theme and nobody will complain. Heck, I'd like people to read it... 

The Health Stuff...

So, I read my last entry, and my predictions for the most part did come true. But let's focus on the health stuff. Eventually, my doc and I got the insurance stuff straight and we went with Zepbound for my weight loss. The extra hormone in there was a better choice. So just as we were getting into that groove, my doc retired! Ugh! 

In 2025, I lost my primary care and my cardiologist to retirement. I now have the nurse practitioner in my cardiologist's office; the actual MD that I see is technically the guy who does the "electrical work" on my heart, so I don't need to see him until and unless I need another roto-rooting. I also now have a new primary care person and she's lovely - she replaced my retiring one. 

Anyway. Started Zepbound and thanks to the program I'm on, I have an obesity-specialist and a dietician. The RD has helped immensely. And the doctor, while not from my area, does have family in the area, so she's familiar (and we've had enough conversations to know she really HAS been here for visits!). 

About 6 or 7 months in, Big Pharma got involved - again - and screwed everyone over. Seems that the pharmacies and insurance companies wanted to make deals, but the companies who manufacture these meds did not - particularly Zepbound. So a bunch of us were switched over to Mounjaro. Which is technically the exact same formula, but it still was very weird to fight that fight. 

I am here to tell you that anyone who says, "You're cheating" by taking these meds? Y'all are out of your ever-loving minds. The side effects are nothing to laugh at. Constipation, lack of appetite, dehydration, nausea, hair loss -- and those are just the "normal" ones. For those of us over 60, we really have to watch our protein intake - as in eat MORE protein. And I'm not a big protein eater in the first place. So that's been hard. 

I've figured out how this works for me, and slowly but surely, over 2025, I've lost nearly 45 lbs. I'm near to my goal and this is what we in the dieting world call the "hard lard," where your loss just slows down. I don't want to increase my dosage of the meds, because the loss is still going on, though like molasses in January. And I don't want to deal with the increase in the side effects with the increase in a dose for a loss of about 10-ish pounds. 

The nice thing about slow-and-easy is that I don't have "the face." I will say my arms and tummy look weird; it's a lot of weight to lose, and for now, I'm working on building the muscle back, and haven't really thought about skin-reduction surgery. But my face isn't skeletal. I have been working with resistance bands because to me weights are boring, and yeah, it's a lot harder when you're over 60. Also doing a lot of body-weight resistance stuff for core strength. My yoga students may not always be pleased, but they're benefitting from the new things I am doing. 

If I'm being honest, the worst side effect is the hair loss, to me. My hair is silver anyway, and so it's kind of "invisible" in that when you're just about 100% silver, your hair is kind of transparent. So that, on top of the thinning, is a bit of a jar. I've always had lots of hair; it's always been thick and coarse, but now, it's not as thick, and I'm having a hard time dealing with it. I don't blow dry my hair anymore, and I use a shampoo that's a lot more gentle on the
hair. 

The good news? Well, there's a lot:

1. I'm taking half of my beta blocker.
2. 
   I'm taking the lowest dose of BP meds.
3. I'm walking more, and back at the stable, heaving muck buckets and hauling hay bales. (That's my sweetie Deuce thinking that I have a treat for him!)
4. I'm fitting in the clothes in my closet that haven't seen the light of day in a DECADE. 
5. I'm breathing better. 
6. I'm back on my bike. 

Those are all positive things. I'm really happy about all of it. So I would say to anyone who's thinking about it, check your insurance and talk to your provider. It's not cheating. It's a tool... 

The Knitting...

Well, Crafting, probably. The small Long Dog sampler is coming along, but it wasn't done for Xmas - there was a lot of life happening in this past "lost" year. I'm on the second quarter of the chart, and it's looking really good. I'm excited to see it finished, but it will likely be for Christmas 2026. 

Here is the Sophie Shawl, an extraordinarily addictive pattern. It's got a lovely I-cord edge, which is a new skill for me. I'm enjoying the knit and they're kinda like potato chips. You want to knit more of them. Any gauge, the pattern is very flexible. Petite Knits - good website. The yarn is Cascade Yarns Friday Harbor in an 80/20 blend of merino and silk. I think I'm on a merino kick! 

And I'm still working on that counted cross stitch angel for 2026. I have to figure that out yet. 

As for knitting, I did finish all my chickens, and then I got a last-minute request. That's on my list. 

Here's what I finished:

A baby layette

A "girlfriend scarf" that turned into something else... (stay tuned)

A Quiviut cowl with beads in a beautiful peacock colorway

A triangle shawl in a custom color that matches with our Zonta Says No colorway

A Sophie hood (Xmas gift)

A Sophie scarf (leftover...there's a story...)

Here's the WIP list:

The purple socks (this is my Election Day knitting)

A Sophie Shawl (I'm reclaiming pumpkin as a color in spite of the rotting mango in the Oval)

A Bison "Miss Marple" scarf, which is within INCHES of being done. This one is a blend of Bison, Merino, and Silk. And I have learned a new skill: making a pocket where the one end of the scarf pulls through to make a "tie." The yarn is from Windy Valley Muskox - I got it on their Black Friday sale, which is the only way I can afford that yarn. 

The Delayed Chicken, which I haven't started yet.

I also have the usual "finish the single socks to make pairs" thing going. That's going to be a long-term pick-up-and-knit. 

And I have the pattern for mits to match the Quiviut cowl. And yes, that has beads, too. 

No Kings...

In a total surprise, I had TWO relatives who asked to join me at one of the No Kings marches in our area. They were both newbies. My one relative up north of me was also marching, but since we had such a big gathering locally, it was easier to stay in town. 

They were amazed to see the turn-out and we people-watched, as well as did our thing with our signs. They're looking forward to the ones coming up in 2026. 

I continue to be in touch with our politicians via phone calls, and my reliable postcards. And I'm involved locally, in our League of Women Voters chapter and still doing the election judge thing. 

Other Stuff... 

I did the usual ornaments for Christmas, and then we found that we have another great-nephew -- so he'll get TWO next year. It's a fun tradition and I really enjoy doing them. 

The other tradition was the Eleventy Billion Cookies. We tried to pare down the list, but it just went back to its equilibrium: about a dozen varieties. But this year, we did a number of them as only single batches. Till the Molasses Gingersnaps. Those were a last-minute decision of mine. A bad decision, to be hones. Because I felt like we "didn't have enough cookies." Which is stupid; we had more than normal people have! And I made a double batch. A single batch is FOUR DOZEN. Coffee hour is going to have a LOT of these cookies! 

I took vacation time from the one job, and I've spent most of the time just knitting and relaxing. Work has been stressful, and I really needed this end-of-year time to recharge. 

I'm going to work on doing this blog a lot more regularly. It's something I enjoyed and I don't want to lose in the current climate of "shut up and keep slogging along." That's just not what I want to do going forward. 

One of the new decorations we put up was our "Snow Folk Choir." I think we're done adding to it, since it takes up the entire shelf below the TV. This year, I didn't write out the sections. But we added rice lights and it looks really cute. 

Decorations outside were minimal. We actually had a harsh December, with an early blizzard. I do love the snow; don't love the ice so much! 

Random Picture...

We have a grand-dog! Meet Basil. She was billed as an Elkhound, but she's not. I suspect Northern Inuit. She came to us as heartworm-positive, so the first few months she had to be kept quiet - which was a trick for a 2-year-old! But she can "dog" now, so Kid #2 is having his hands full training her. It's all good, she's charming and she's huge. 

We're currently dogless, which is probably a long-term situation. We are watching Basil when needed and our little friend Flick, the "chonker loaf" who belongs to a friend of mine. To help her out, when she needs a sitter, we take him. For a while, he was passed from house to house, but he doesn't do well that way - no dog usually does. So we're the "permanent aunt and uncle" unless we have Basil. Neither of them wants to share space - fair enough! So far, there haven't been any issues with overlap, thankfully! 

So tell me - what's your vision for 2026?