Hello and welcome to a post where I am sharing the books I am adding to my owned TBR. I have actually been reading a bit this past few months so of course I wanted to reward myself with some new books to add to my stacks. Most of the books I have been reading have been through my library digitally, but I recently went on a little adventure and came across a really lovely local bookstore and I wanted to support them. So, I ended up getting these lovely book. Also, I am adding a bonus of a preorder at the end of this post.
I have to say, the cover of this book really pulled me in. The cover is a really lovely dark red berry color, with an illustrated girl on the cover in the same color dress. Oddly, you don’t see her face at all as the title is on top of it located on a doodled cloud. Then I ended up picking up the book and looking at the description. It follows a house wife (name is unknown at this time) who has visions and leaves her life behind. It sounded interested and spontaneous. Bonus, the book is under 150 pages. When I got home I added the book to my goodreads and I ended up noticing that this books ratings are not the highest and had only one written review, but I am still intrigued.
When I walked into the store I really wanted to get a nonfiction read or a horror book. Sadly, their horror was VERY limited. Only about 20 books and I will be honest I read them all. So, I ended up picking up the above talked about book and then walking over to the nonfiction and this title grabbed me right away. In recent years I have realized I really enjoy learning about the history of medicine. I have read and loved The Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris. While The Icepick Surgeon is medical related, it explore the lengths people will go in to try to prove something. Some of the things in this book are medical, but it seems to focus on science in general.
Now, I wont go too much into this book due to the fact it is the second book in a series. The first book followed Jade Daniels a high school student who LOVES horror. She watches and consumes it to not focus on her not so great home life. But, this knowledge ends up coming in handy since she is about to be in a horror story herself. She deals with quite a lot and can be difficult to read for some. I will say, reading this I can see that Stephen Graham Jones loves horror himself with constant nods to other works. I highly suggest checking it out because I have not been this excited for a horror series in a long time.
Hello and welcome to a little peak of my bullet journal. Last month I did not share my bullet journal because I decided to try something new and if I am being honest, I loved how it worked out. I was in a way worried about sharing because I am not using my bullet journal in a typical mannor, but blending two things together. I decided to make my bullet journal a hybrid with a commonplace book as well as a brain dump. A while ago I did an experiment with the idea of a commonplace book, Let’s Talk | Using a Commonplace Book. I really liked the idea of having a single notebook to just put whatever I wanted, but at the time I made it a separate notebook. This time around I wanted to simplify my life a bit and consolidate things a little by breaking things down by month and adding my random notes, quotes, and information. Along side or in-between that would be my habit trackers, weekly plans, and whatever else I feel like adding to my bullet journal at the time.
This month I decided to add a spread to see an overview of my monthly posts as well as a kanban board to better help me keep track of where I am in regards to writing, taking pictures, and scheduling items. On the left I just drew a calendar for the month of February and left it blank so I can write in my posts later on. On the right page I broke it down into four sections; ideas, written, photos, and scheduled. I also placed a few tabs where I can write the title of the post so I can move it across the page as the post is in different sections. I have used this type of tracker in the past and it really worked wonders for me staying on top of things.
Monthly Goals, Current WIPs, and Weekly Knitting Goals
The next two spreads are my monthly goals, current WIPs, and my weekly knitting goals. In regards to my monthly goals on the left-hand page I decided to try something new. I really love the look of little calendars as habit trackers and I wanted to give it a go. I decided to have a total of 5 trackers; reading, making, 10,000, no spend, and BUJO. I lined them all up on one side of the page and then next to those I added my goals and current WIPs.
Goals
Read 20 days
Make for 28 days
10,000 steps 14 days
No spend 20 days
Complete 2 projects
Complete 1 book
Current WIPs
Oslo Hat (BF)
Hazel Neck
Underwing Mitts
Big Cozy Cardi
While all of that is on the left page, I decided to put my weekly knitting goals right next to this so everything I would need to reference goal wise is all in one place. I ended up doodling 4 trackers that look like binder or notebook paper. On each one I labeled it with one project that I wanted to work on throughout the month, not necessarily finish it. Then each line on the page was labeled a week by their numbered days, I ended up having a little of January and March in there, but I figured a little overlap is good than cutting anything off.
Weekly Spreads
Lastly, I am going to attempt to use some weekly spreads in here again. I am keeping it simple with each week having its own page. Then from there each day is labeled with the number of the day and a letter for the day of the week. Each day is then further divided into two sections labeled as, events and to do. I wanted to make sure I had a space to add a to do list, because I love a good to do list, so I broke things down this way.
Hello and welcome to my monthly intent post where I share my monthly TBR and other goals I have for the month ahead. I am really excited about a few things this month and am looking forward to. I am planning on trying to address my goals for this year early since my motivation is high currently.
Various skeins of yarn in different bases surrounding an eReader displaying the cover of Ninth House.
Reading Plans
This month I am going to be focusing on two weeks, both are buddy reads. The first is one I am very behind on that I was reading with my friends Reg and Jenna. For the Halloween season we decided to read Sundial by Catriona Ward. I have yet to finish it, they both have…oops! The second book I am planning to read is Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo and I am reading this one with Misty from Misty’s Book Space. I am really excited about reading these.
Crochet & Knitting Plans
This month I would really love to make the By the Fire Socks by Danielle Jorge. They are an ankle sock where the cuff is a few little trees. I have never made ankle socks or socks where the cuff isn’t a standard cuff, so I think it will be a lot of fun to give a go. Other than that I would like to start a Big Cozy Cardi by Andrea Mowry. It is a very oversized comfortable looking sweater, which I think would be perfect to wear around the house during these colder months as well as transition months. I don’t think I will get to finish it, but I know I want to at least start it.
Random Goals
This month I would really love to do two things, I would love to go for a walk in the snow as well as read in front of the fireplace. The first being totally dependent on the weather and is totally out of my control, is more like a dream than a goal. The latter I can certainly do this month without much hassle. I just really want to enjoy the fireplace while it actually makes sense to use it. Once it gets warmer, it is not something I can do without melting.
Read 6 non-fiction books, I did this one last year and I really loved it and want to do it again.
Get owned TBR under 10 books, last year I was able to get my owned TBR under 15 books. I really want to continue that trend so I can really embrace my mood reading.
Life Goals
Try or do something new, I really enjoy challenging myself my going to new places or trying something that is a bit out of my comfort zone. I don’t have a specific ideas at this time, but I know I can think of something over the course of the year.
Track my spending better, I am by no means bad with money, but I really want to get in the habit of tracking my spending. Especially when it comes to my hobbies.
Maker Goals
Knit 6 pairs of socks, this is another goal I am stealing from last year that I really enjoyed. I love my hand knit socks so I want to add to my collection.
Knit and create more from my stash, as of writing this I have yarn and patterns ready to go for 34 projects. I would really love to get that number down quite a bit over the new year. The only additions I think I am going to allow is if I sign up for a class and my yarn subscription for sock yarn.
My goals this year are pretty straightforward and I think really simple. In doing this, I feel like I am setting myself up for success. They are specific enough that I am working towards something, but not strict enough where it will be overly difficult and I just become frustrated and give up. While goals are all about pushing yourself, they should also be realistic, reasonable, and doable with a bit of effort. At least in my opinion.
What are some goals you have for yourself in the upcoming year?
Hello and welcome to a bujo set up post! One thing I really enjoy about the new year is being able to start a new notebook and setting it up for my current needs. I have been using a bujo for many years and I still feel like my set up changes constantly and is in flux, which is great because my planner/noteboook of sorts is changing right along side me. Anyway, here are the 2023 spreads I have added for the new year!
My Notebook
Bujo Cover
This year I am using a notebook from Olive and Archer, I use the dotted B5 size. This past year I saw they had a sale and ended up picking up this bright orange notebook with an antique camera on it. They seem to still have it in stock and you can find that here if you are interested in taking a closer look at this notebook.
2023 Goals
2023 Goals Pages
The first thing I decided to set up are my 2023 goals. I like to break up my goals into categories, I decided I wanted to focus on my reading, life, and maker goals this year. In regards to reading I would like to read 6 non-fiction books and get my owned TBR under 10 books. As for general life I would like to try or do something new and track my spending better. My maker goals are pretty simple as well, Knit 6 pairs of socks and create more from my yarn stash.
Reading Plans
Books to Read Spread
Since my Owned TBR is so small I decided to dedicate a page to listing the books I own and need to read. So, on the left page I just listed the titles. I ended up with 27 books. I ended up with 27 books because I actually went through all of my audio and ebooks. On the other page I ended up doodling a bookshelf filled with books and a little plant. If you want to see my owned tbr book shelf in detail, here is the link to my goodreads shelf Owned TBR.
Knitting Plans
Yearly Overview and Make 9
Since one of my goals is to make more from my stash of yarn I decided to assign all of my yarn to a project. I am not saying I can’t change what I end up making with it, but this gives me something to visualize. For these spreads on the left I decided to add a knitting overview page where each month has a square and then I added pictures of some of the projects I wanted to complete that month. I also left some free for some wiggle room too. On the right hand side I decided to add a picture of my make 9 for 2023. These are top 9 projects I really want to complete this year. I did a detailed post about each of these projects, you can find that here: My 2023 Make 9!
Winter Plans
52 Weeks of Socks and Knitting Plans for January and February
Last year I picked up a copy of 52 Weeks of Socks and this year I really want to utilize this book. So, I decided I would pick a number from a jar and knit that pattern. I picked my first number and it was #48, which I am pretty sure is Tributary by Diana Clinch. I added a page in my bujo for this project since it would likey be a year long one knitting various pairs of socks from these pages. I added the heading “Make Some Socks” printed a picture of the cover of the book and doodled so it looked like a polaroid. I then added the number of my first pick from the jar. On the righthand side I made a collage of all the things I would like to make in January and February of this year. These include, The Sophie Shawl, Hazel Neck, Velvet Mirror Cowl, Woodlark Shawl, and the Kuutar Beret.
Knitting Queue
Knitting Queue List
I also added a spread for my knitting queue, since I did all the work tracking all my yarn and connecting it to projects I decided to record what I decided. For each project I added the pattern name, yarn to use, and I made a section for month to record what month I completed the project and a place for a check mark.
Hello and welcome to a little post where I am going to share the 9 things I plan to make in 2023! If you are not familiar with this, pretty much you just pick 9 things you really want to make in the new year, new years resolutions of sorts. Most people plan to make more overall, but this is to help focus on the projects you are either really excited for or you need to get done in the new year. For me I don’t have any HAVE to makes, but I do have 9 things I really want to create this year.
The Projects
9 by 9 grid showing pictures of all projects and their names.
Kuutar Beret by Sari Nordlund, I was gifted two skeins of yarn this year and I really wanted to find a project I was able to use them both in and I ended up coming across this beautiful hat! I have never made a beret before or even worn one fort hat matter, but I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it! This beret almost looks like there is a flower on top of it, it is a combination of lace work and cables.
Karelia by Midori Hirose, Last year I bought a kit for thing sweater thinking I was going to have time to make it for my holiday sweater, well turns out I did not. I do want to still make it though and my new goal is to have it done in time for Valentines Day. I am thinking this mainly because I bought the kit with the main color being in red and I can’t think of any other holidays that would work for off the top of my head. I also really feel like the flower motif running along the yolk is a bit romantic.
Soldotna Crop by Caitlin Hunter, this is another sweater I bought a kit for. I picked up a kit from the wonderful Voolenvine Yarns. I fell in love with her color scheme she used a while ago. The one day I got a notification in my email that she was making kits and I knew I needed to put in an order. I lucked out and was able to snag a kit, she sells out fast. My goal is to have it done in time for Summer 2023 because of all the fun pattern color work would really be nice and fun!
Velvet Mirror Cowl by Andrea Mowry, I was hoping to make this one done before the weather got to cold, but my goal is to get this one done ASAP so I have something to keep my neck warm when it get super cold out. I also really want to use this project to practice my two handed color work. It is small and I feel like it will give a good deal of practice, without it being too much. The color work is also pretty straight forwards, it is mostly geometrical shapes such as diamonds and chevrons.
Winnow by Olivia Sczepanik, I have a sweater quantity of yarn in my stash and I needed to pin it to a project after I decided to not make something else. I was flicking through one of my issues of Pom Pom and came across this open cardigan sweater. I have never made an open cardigan, but I fell in love with the cables and new this is the project I was going to use the yarn for instantly.
Missoni Accomplished by Espace Tricot, When I was first learning to make sweaters I honestly was HORRIBLE at buying the correct type of yarn. I ended up having so much leftovers from a sweater that I could make a whole other one. Did I mention how bad I was? Anyway, I have enough to make this cute and fun sweater so I am thankful about that. I am really glad that I had enough of both colors because I found out the yarn I have is discontinued and I really want to do the three giant wavy lines across the body.
Woodlark Shawl by Fiber Tales, This project is going to be a huge deal for me. The first being it is the first item I am going to be making and steeking. Steeking is where you knit something in the round with the intention of cutting it after you are done you have a flat piece of knitting. This shawl is knit in the round, at the end you reinforce the section you are going to cut, then hope you did a good enough job and cut all the hard work you have done. It is scary, but I feel like it is something I want to give a go, at least once. It is always fun and sometimes terrifying to try something good, but how else will you learn? I did find a pattern to practice on that is a cup holder so I might knit this first and steek that one, but we shall see what I decided to do later on in the year. I also really love the color work on the shawl. It has a mix of natural themes such as leaves and flowers, but geometrical patterns as well. I also really loved how busy it was, but toned down depending on the colors you choose.
Travel Mode 2.0 by Susanne Sommer, this year I was lucky enough to go to a yarn festival. I decided I was going to pick up yarn from a bunch of different venders to make one project. I felt like this pattern will really show off all the different yarns nicely by having huge color blocks and serve as a really nice and usable memento of the fun I had.
Underwing Mitts by Erica Heusser, This is something that is kind of in the same vein as the velvet mirror cowl. It revolves around a lot of colorwork with some duplicate stitches, but is also a project time I have never made before. Mittens. I am not sure why, but mittens are something that seems to be really difficult, whish is odd because I have made hats, scarfs, sweaters, socks, and a few more things. For some reason this intimidates me. But, I feel like after I concquer two handed color work this will be a lot less intimidating. Baby steps. Also, the really beautiful moth front and center on these mitts was just so beautiful.
Anyway, those are the projects I really want to make in the new year. I know in 2021 I made about 36 projects. In 2022 I have made about 20, maybe a few more. I have not done a full count in a bit, but I feel like I can for sure get these 9 done and then add in some more spontaneous projects as well. As with reading, I am a complete mood knitter.
Bookish Luna 