Some Most days, the struggle is real in my effort to spark content here. And, confession time, there are many days that I more than consider that this blog has reached its conclusion. However, near as that may feel most days, I am not quite ready to pull the plug here… at least this week.
But, as a new season/new month begins… I thought I’d take a bit of a snapshot of what I am currently doing… and I will use currently in an acrostic style update. (And my thought is that I will update some of the actionable items below to help me stay on track!) So here we go!
Cozy-ing
I really love a scented candle burning but finding a candle that is subtly scented was a challenge. But I got a newsletter from a yarn dyer a couple of weeks ago who shared that she was appreciating the coziness of this season… a cup of tea and a lit candle from Wax & Wool were making her days! So I jumped in the Wax & Wool pool… and ordered a couple of scented candles! Flannel Blanket and Autumn Leaves arrived promptly (the service was fantastic!) and when I opened the candle jars I was pleasantly surprised at the subtlety of the fragrances! I have been burning Autumn Leaves every morning when I sit down to write in my journal and order my day. The fragrance from the burning candle is delightful. If you, too, want just a hint of fragrance… I very much recommend these two scents. Thank you, Wax & Wool for bringing a bit more cozy to my mornings!
Utilizing
All the notes of things that worked and did not work this year in my planner(s) and I have begun setting up my planner for next year (I still need to get a Leuchtturm1917) Things that worked very well for me this year… my weekly planning and my “book covers” for the year. This year, I added in a couple of things that I was not aware of when I began 2025 – Snippet’s Show Notes and “Just Now” Fridays (thank you so much for this inspiration, Carole!! It is becoming a highpoint of my week!) As you can see, I have marked off pages for these things in the back of my planner (It is a Hobonichi Techo Weeks MEGA) and it leaves me a very good amount of pages for daily journaling/joy/gratitude. (I will divide the remainder in half) I also laid out plans for the new Leuchtturm1917 journal. I will continue to record all my “making” in a third of the pages, one third will be the space for my “word” thoughts (yes, I am doing planning on spending a year with a focus around a word again!) and the final third will hold “book thoughts/notes.” I began doing that this year and have loved it! I like looking through the pages and it has helped improve my “book recall!”
Racing
Against the clock to get baby knits done and out the door! I have a blanket to finish, another sheep sweater to knit, as well as a trio of hats, and some socks in a variety of sizes. I would like the blanket and the last sheep sweater to get to Heidi soonish so that this baby (and my Heidi) don’t feel lost in the twin shuffle! (Note… this is an entirely me-imposed issue… I don’t think Heidi would mind at all when anything arrived!) Having babies coming as the weather gets colder makes the hat knitting high on the priority list as well. The variety of socks… well… socks for small feet are fun and somewhat quick knits! (and Heidi told me she has all the previously knit socks pulled out so she is ahead of Sam in the sock game!)
Reacquainting
Myself with the quilting process. At one time, I was quilting a lot! And it kind of got swept away with the busyness of growing kids and then I found knitting. But I have some “quilterly” things I’d like to queue up this fall. Yes, yes… I know I have a full queue of knitting to keep plugging away at, but I got some clearance sale priced charm squares and as well as a couple of jelly rolls. I would like to turn the charm squares into a curtain or two… AND!! Oh my gosh… AND!!! Did you see what Sew Liberated dropped this week? The Retazo Coat/Vest. Ummm, YES PLEASE! I have all kinds of scraps (also see above to the things needing repurposing from my wardrobe!!) so yes, I this pattern is absolutely on my radar!
Escaping
To Erie! Yes, next week we head to Erie for a bit of a break. I am looking forward to it and I think this will be the first time that we are going to be smart in what we pack. We always bring too much food and cart much of it back home again. This year we are not going to do that… they have grocery stores in Erie, for heavens sake! Ha! What I am taking will be my travel paints and I hope to get some little paintings done to capture special moments! I am also bringing Heidi’s blanket as my knitting project!
Navigating
Medicare supplement options! I have been doing all sorts of research and have a fairly good idea of what will best fit my needs. Now to just get signed up (although, I am going to wait until I have a discussion with a local agency that helps with the process!) Once I am through with all of this, it feels like I should be getting some kind of honorary degree or something! Ha!
Tackling
My closet… sigh. I am going to use the “change of seasons” to go through and get rid of clothes that I had “tucked away” because I might wear them…someday. Ha! (FYI… since putting them in the “save for someday” drawer, I have not looked at or thought about them once! I think that is my hint that they can move on to a new home!) I also need to do a good review of several wardrobe staples that are more than a bit worn. Are they worth mending? Some, yes! But others are not at all and they need to go into the rag bag or the scrap bag! I expect this process won’t be done in a day because I am going to be very thorough! Hopefully this will set me up for success for the remainder of the year and I will have a list of what needs to be replaced!
Laughing
Or at least trying to laugh more. I mean when you are living through “trying times” laughter is the thing that is helping to save my sanity. I confess… Governor Newsom is bringing all the laughter these days with his ALL CAP posts. Perhaps you all need a laugh or two as well… I highly recommend his X (i.e. Twitter) account!
TO EVERYONE WHO THOUGHT DONALD CREATED JOBS, SURPRISE! THE ONLY JOBS DONNY CREATED ARE FOR FASCISTS, AND MAKERS OF ADULT DIAPERS. EVERYONE ELSE GOT THE ORANGE SLIP. BUT I, GAVIN C. NEWSOM, AM CREATING SO MANY JOBS, THEY CALL ME THE GODFATHER OF JOBS. I EVEN BEAT STEVE JOBS. (SOME… https://t.co/1X4YieL0s6
— Governor Newsom Press Office (parody) (@AwesomeNewsom) October 1, 2025
Yarn-ing
(as in settle in… this is a good, long, interesting story!) I don’t know anyone who has done a better job explaining tariffs and the fiber industry than the lovely ladies at Kelbourne Woolens and they have explained the situation in three very clear and understandable blog posts… you will find them here, here, and here. You might not have time to read them today (I realize I have been pretty chatty here… sorry about that!) but save them and read them later. There is good information in the posts… very good information. And there are some ways that we can help the fiber community. It is a great beginning to what I hope will be a thoughtful conversation in the fiber community. We all need to help out to keep it going… so when all the chaos has ended… there will still be a fiber community to support!
That is all from me today (whew, right?) I am hoping you all have a fantastic weekend and I will be back on Monday (I think!)
What a nice, chatty, and informational post you’ve written! I understand why you would want to finish the blanket and sweater for Heidi’s baby, and of course, all babies need hats. I’m definitely interested in subtly scented candles, and w&w’s lavender hand salve also sounds enticing. My medicare supplement has hardly paid for anything in three years ($3.00 on a $180 physical therapy session), but that’s also because I’ve been lucky enough not to have a hospital admission or surgery. Just like any insurance, you are glad to have it when you need it. Thanks for the Kelbourne Woolens links. I’m chipping away at the mountain of laundry I’ve got but I will definitely be reading those posts later today. Have a wonderful weekend!
I too am in the throes (really not throes, yet) of signing up for medicare. And supplements. I’m a little in awe of all your different creative endeavors and plans! I need to finish a sweater for Chuck (nearly done) and figure out a project for travel next month. And I owe myself a blog post about the baby knitting I just finished. Have a great weekend!
Inquiring minds want to know what Snippets Show Notes are? Thoughts on podcasts you’re listening to?
Hi Kat! First of all, please do NOT stop blogging. I love your blog and love hearing from you. OK, enough said. Second: enjoy Erie! Envious over here (Fletch no longer wants to travel). I, too, need to “weed through” my closet and remove things that I will not wear again (hello skirts I’ve kept for 5 years or more) and determine what I really “need” or just crave. Our weeks are getting busy, but I’m hopeful to do this soon. Wishing you the best weekend. P.S. That coat pattern looks awesome!
I love the peeks into your notebook – thank you! And yay for your Erie trip – I can’t wait to read more about it.
Take good care, Kat!
I, too, have moments where I contemplate giving up the blog, but I hope you don’t (maybe a break will be just what you need to find the joy again?). Your comment about there being grocery stores in Erie made me laugh because my mother would always pack things on trips that could easily be bought there and I would always give her a hard time about it, so this sounds like something I would say. I appreciate your tip about the candles; most of the scented candles I have were gifts are are so strong that I don’t even need to light them to get the scent, so it’s good to know of a source for subtler scents.
I love posts like this, I feel like we just sat down and caught up over a cup of coffee. I’m excited for your trip to Erie, I hope it’s just the rest and recharge that you need. I’m glad you were inspired by my Just Now post! You’re way ahead for 2026 journaling, mine hasn’t even arrived yet. I went with the Rosey Life planner this year. It’s pretty similar to the Hobonichi Cousin so I hope it’s an easy transition.
Lovely post and what a good idea to review life like this. That quilted coat looks amazing but way beyond my capabilities. You’ve had quite a year so a nice break is just what you need I believe.
so excited for your Erie trip! I love the photos you share.
How nice you have the Erie trip coming soon. Autumn is the perfect time to travel. This was a great post. I agree with you about the Kelbourne Wool ladies and their tariff discussion. I am going to revisit some of these posts – or maybe visit them for the first time. I don’t know if I saw all of them. Good luck with the closet project. We, meaning I, have some major sorting and cleaning projects around here. Keep on with the steady knitting for the new babies. I know there is love in every stitch.
What a great post, Kat! It was a lovely catch-up . . . and, boy. I’d miss you if you weren’t around here in blogland. (But you know I get it.) Maybe the change in seasons and a vacation break will bring you some new creative energy. (Fingers crossed.) You’ve got a lot of really fun things planned for the coming weeks. Enjoy! XO