During the summer of 2023 I studied abroad in Ireland and knit a “proper wool jumper.” I wrote several posts about the trip and the process of knitting the sweater beginning with the post “Thanks A Million!” Since March is the month of St. Patrick and the Irish, I have been thinking about fond memories of Ireland, sheep, and wool (as I sip some Guinness of course!)

One night my friend and I were scrolling through Etsy looking at knit and crochet patterns instead of doing our homework. She showed me a beautiful crochet blanket pattern of a lighthouse with a sailboat in the background. Immediately I thought it would make the perfect raffle prize for the sailing team’s next raffle fundraiser!

I have always been drawn to water. Some of my earliest memories are playing on the shores of Lake Wallenpaupack. My sisters and I have fond recollections of the wind whipping through our hair as we motored around the lake in our great grandfather’s boat.

When I heard the new Barbie movie was coming out, I was more excited about the hype in the knitting world.

Last semester I took a class titled “England after the Black Death.” As one might deduce, in this course we studied the spread of the Black Death in England and how people and the economy were affected by the disease. Fleas and rats were integral to the rapid spread of the plague. The legacy of these small but mighty creatures has been immortalized in the song “Fleas on Rats.” I am very grateful that the professor shared this beautiful tribute with the class. The song was in my head all semester and even inspired one of my latest knitting projects.

As I sit and knit or crochet, I sometimes wonder why I like to do this? Why did I choose these crafts out of the many crafts that there are in the world? What is it about my brain that allows me to knit complex patterns, but doesn’t always allow me to sing on key? Does this make me truly happy? Is my work beautiful? My classical education has given me the context in which to ask these questions of myself and the world around me.

At Glasnevin the tour guide told us about the black market for dead bodies which were used to advance science and medicine, but most people today would agree that this is wrong. It makes me wonder what the difference is between a freshly dead body and a century old one. Perhaps the loss of the memory in the living is the primary difference.

If you are an extrovert and never like going places by yourself, let this be your warning to not expend the patience of others with chaos at the craft store.

There are many myths about knitting and crocheting out there, and I’m writing to put 5 of them to rest!

“If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a cup of milk.” If you give Faith a pompom maker, she is going to ask for smaller scissors.

Congratulations! You made it to the final post about the Ireland sweater!

Read this post if you want to know why Faith’s motto is, “If I’m sitting, I’m knitting,” and not, “If I’m walking, I’m knitting.”

When you think of Ireland, do you also picture green rolling hills with sheep grazing? I was so excited to go to Ireland, find some wool, and knit a sweater, and that is exactly what I did. I assumed the most difficult part would be doing the math to fit all the stitches together in the design I wanted. Little did I know that procuring the wool would be just as, if not more, difficult.

I had an amazing time in Ireland and would like to thank everyone who made this trip possible through your generous contributions during the spring raffle. I had the opportunity to visit many historical sites, and I even knit at some of them! Because you know me….. If I can’t bring my yarn, I’m not going! This post is just to share some of my general not quite crafty related highlights. Stay tuned for upcoming posts about my Aran sweater!

I hate spending money on organizational stuff because it’s always so expensive, but I thought I better bite the bullet to prevent insanity. I found this shelf on Amazon that didn’t look sturdy enough to hold anything except yarn. After deliberating what size to get, I finally decided to get the largest one, because my stash is only going to keep growing no matter how much I tell myself otherwise.

Each time I pour the bacon grease from the pan into the mug that sits on the counter to collect the grease I say to my siblings, “I’m going to make a candle.” Their response is usually a mixture of “eww!” and laughter. Well, I finally did it! 

As you probably do not know, I have a YouTube channel. In this day in age, it is not enough to simply knit or crochet; one must also be a content creator. I always have ideas of what I want to put in a blog post or a YouTube video, but finding the time amidst work and schoolwork is not easy (as the infrequency of these blog posts demonstrate). On top of all that, I am extremely technologically impaired.

I was very excited to bring a fresh baked banana bread to a picnic. Unfortunately it exploded (i.e. puffed up and would have exploded had my mother not turned the oven off) because I put 1 ¾ cups instead of teaspoons of baking soda in it. 

I am still working through all the yarn I bought at the A.C. Moore closing sale, so I set some goals for myself to use it up. One goal was to make 10 baby blankets.