Made it to 2026!

 Already starting the year off better than last! Apparently my earliest 2025 post was in February, so I'm calling this one a win. As expected, December was crazy so I had no extra brain-space for blogging. But I did still get some work done.

 

I got all of the stitching for Ode to Loara done, and I have actually started on the finishing. I've got the pieces cut out and interfaces, and the scissors fob is together. I had to take a break to make some tassels and cords, and then I need to iron a piece of fabric for the lining next.

I also picked up a couple of winter/holiday kits from Michaels. I got another of those diamond art pieces: 

It's going to be a tray! The whole base will be snowflakes, and the entire thing is covered in shades of blues. The kit came with a piece of plastic that will fit over the diamonds, so it'll actually be functional once it's done.

I was also working on this super-secret project. It's a tiny kitchen! I didn't have to paint anything, but I did have to build pretty much *all of it.* They had some other Christmas diorama kits, but the bright red stand mixer won me over. It's now living at my parents' as a surprise gift..

I've also been working, on yet another, cardigan using that red wool. Here's hoping this pattern finally works out! Fortunately, it's mostly stockinette with a broken ribbed edging, so it should look very elegant but is exceptionally straight-forward knitting. I've already got both sleeves done, and am finishing the back.

Moving forward, I am making some resolutions for this year. The name of the game is going to be "more." Mostly I want to keep doing what I was this year, but, well, more. So more time creating in the evenings and weekends, hitting the gym more regularly, and less time moping under blankets. Hopefully that will also translate to more (or at least more reliable) blog posting.

I also want to commit to finishing some pieces this year and clear up all these UFO's. Towards that end, I've dug out Betty Chen Louis' Laquered Leaves piece:

That's where I got to in 2002, when I took this class. So far, I've re-tightened the canvas, organized the threads into their own individual baggies, and have moved the instructions into a binder I can flip through. My hope is that it'll be easy to figure out where I was and pick back up. I have learned since then to take more robust class notes, so we'll see!