KNITTER MAMA: Happy New Year! Welcome 2021!

Happy New Year and I want to say "Welcome" to 2021!

Like many of you out there, I'm very happy to say goodbye to 2020 and hello to 2021. I'm looking forward to what this new year can bring and what I can bring to this new year.

I'm starting out this year with attempting to finish all my unfinished projects. Yes, I know, I've said it many times before, but this year is the year to finish all those projects I have lovingly stashed away thinking I will get to them someday.

Well that someday is now.

I just recently finished a shawl for a friend that was commissioned back in 2019, all it needs is for the ends to be weaved in and the tassels to be added to the three corners. It is the Lost Souls Skull Shawl by Maryetta Roy. It came out beautiful and I can't wait to hand it off to its owner who has been patiently waiting for it. When I started it in 2019 it was for her to wear on Halloween, but because she gave me the yarn and pattern in September, I told her I couldn't guarantee it would be finished for her to wear by Halloween and she was okay with that. She would happily wear it the following year.

Well COVID-19 hit and we all know the changes that it brought to our lives in 2020. The changes knocked my knitting and crocheting mojo right out of me. I just didn't have any energy to make anything, well except for masks and even that got old really fast. I found myself not wanting to do anything, except binge watch movies and television shows on Netflix.

Lost Souls Skull Shawl by Maryetta Roy

So this poor shawl only got worked on when and if I attended my knit group's virtual knit nights. Can I just say, virtual knit night just isn't the same as being with your fiber family!!! The lack of physical nearness to my tribe really put a damper on my will to knit or crochet anything and as you can see I didn't even write one blog post all of 2020. I guess I was in a COVID-19 depression, not being able to travel to see family and friends, staying inside most of the time only venturing out when I absolutely needed to was very draining.

But when the holidays rolled around and I got an invitation from my sister for Thanksgiving I was so happy, I didn't even realize how sad I was until after seeing her and her children and spending some time with them that it dawned on me that I was truly depressed and needed that contact, that connection with the people we love.

This year also brought about changes to my house as well. When you have to spend everyday at home, working and playing you realize all the things you've neglected because you had to go to work everyday. It started with removing the carpeting throughout and then painting the walls, adding new baseboard trim, new doors and trim and before I knew it, this little townhouse of mine now shines like a brand new penny. It has been very exciting seeing the transformation and there is still more to come - like the powder room downstairs, the kitchen and some updates in the bedrooms, but all and all this place is looking good - good enough to hopefully put on the market this year, because we are looking for a bigger place.