2026 Knitting Goals Maybe Spinning also

I took a break from crafting this year. I was struggling with some things and I had no joy in crafting, no mojo. I took some time to go through my yarn stash and card making stash to clear out things that did not serve my needs anymore. I gave a bunch of stuff to a friend and an aunt. What was not wanted I have a favourite thrift store I took it too. 

This week I looked at my projects and let go of what was not working and reset what was. My cross stitch projects are ready to be worked on again, I have 2 gift knits I want to finish and get them to their recipients. My spinning & wheel are ready to be enjoyed. 

I am a slow crafter. It has bothered me in the past that I was not as fast as others but now now. For me my crafting is health care. I mentally soothes my soul. I have some goals I want to work towards this year. My guild has a day spin in at the Local Library the first Thursday of the month that I want to be more consistent in going to. I want to get some cards stashed up for myself and a few for gifts. I also want to focus on sweaters this year. 

I LOVE making sweater yet I have not been happy with many of them. Most have been gifted because I did not like to fit or style so this year I have picked a few that I really want in my wardrobe for specific reasons. One is Top Down Sweater by Lions Brand. I will be using Cascade 200 in blue. I picked this because of the neck area. I thought it would be nice for those cold days when I am walking to keep me warm. It is a topdown sweater which I love to make. 

Here is the link to my Ravelry Page Top Down Pullover

I have many sweaters in my queue yet the other I would like focus on the Barley Field Cardigan from JoJo Knitwear, Jay Sweater by Rachel Brockman and Window to my Soul by Joji Locatelli. I do have yarn for all three and I am going to concentrate on the process and how I can make them well. As I make them I will document them here and share how I do. 

I'm Not Crazy It's Menopause!!!

 I have been struggling not just lately but for a while. I did not realize all the things were connected yet they are.  My menopause journey is linked to my cancer journey because the chemotherapy and hormone therapy had me artificially in menopause for a period of 6 years. During that time I had a period and my emotions were hard.  I would cry or be cranky at a drop of a hat and it was hard for me and the people around me.  When I stoped the hormone therapy it took about 5 to 6 months for my body to start my periods again yet it was different. It felt a river was leaving my body and the hot sweats were on fire.  

My body transitioned over the next couple of years to where I was in full menopause.  What I noticed was my mental health struggled and talking to a counsellor help so very much. The one thing I did need though was an increase in my depression meds (The reasons I am on those are another story which I may tell sometime). I found the love of walking and how they help not just my physical health but my mental health. I found that I needed to be outside that was a big key to feeling better. Increasingly the outside walks soothed my soul like nothing else. When I could not walk it was hard so I found a love of small raised bed gardening. The flowers and digging in the dirt really felt good. I also got to see a benefit also when looking out my front window or my back deck. A few changes made the back deck an oasis to knit, spin, read, listen to the birds or the sounds of the neighbourhood. 

Fast forward to now I had been complaining regularly about how my joints especially my hips and knees ached sooo much and trying to walk hurt more than necessary. I needed to take acetaminophen many times in a month for it. Also sometimes I found that I would feel really puffy and I felt majorly sluggish or sloth like. Moving was HARD, HARD, HARD. So I started to research menopause and some of the side effects and how people worked through them. You see I cannot take HRT's (Hormone Replacement Therapy) because my cancer was estrogen driven and I need to stay away from anything that would promote that. One of the things I found was a podcast from Oprah who featured Dr. Sharon Malone who is a national renowned expert on women's health. That podcast was very helpful yet there was someone else who was a game changer for me. Her name is Karen Ann Wright and she is on Youtube. She has a video called 'Its not too Anxiety! Musculoskeletal Syndrome of menopause is real'. Check her out. I found that I am not crazy the joint pain and puffiness is really and it is a thing from menopause. I felt like I can breathe now and I can make an action plan with my GP. If you are feeling not yourself you are not alone. Keep looking and keep fighting.