First, let me show you the PHM jacket on its intended recipient.

I was so happy to finally wrap this up and hand it over. I’m relieved it fits and he seemed to be tickled by it. Exhale.

My friend Michelle keeps giving me the gears because I didn’t charge him for the hours I spent working it. Honestly, in the beginning, I wanted to make it. That’s why I offered. I obviously didn’t know what a pain it would be. But now it’s over and I never have to make another if that is my choice. And that is my choice (right now).

MOVING ON…

I traveled to PEI for the seventh time a few weeks ago. I love PEI so much – the feel of the place is just so… GOOD. I don’t know that I can find the right words to describe how it is for me when I go there.

Enchanting
Amusing
Full of wonder
It feels spacious
I feel content
I feel ease

I could honestly go on. But I wrote a whole article on my Substack if you’re interested: “My Island Love Affair”.

Cause I know you’re here for the knitting, let’s get on with it. Right?

I feel like all I’ve been talking about is that jacket… actually, I have. But I’ve had a few other projects on the go, albeit small ones.

I tested two mitten patterns for my friend Mary with yarn I had in my stash. How perfect!

The first are my favourite! I’m trying to convince her to give them a fancy name. Don’t you think they deserve a fancy name? I knit them out of some 80/20 fingering held with some silk/mohair I dyed ages ago. I love these so much I’ve taken out more yarn from my stash to make another neutral pair.

The second pair are the Double Wing Mitts. I knit them out of Lett-Lopi I’ve had in my stash forever. They worked up crazy-fast.

When she releases the patterns, I’ve asked if she would give me a discount code I can provide to the viewers of my podcast.

WHILE I WAS IN PEI, I headed to Fleece and Harmony. I used to go to Belfast MiniMills but they closed their store and only make mill equipment now – which Fleece and Harmony are using. But I wanted my PEI yarn to make my PEI Jennifer Steingass sweater like I have the last three times I visited.

This year’s sweater is the Goldwing:

Isn’t it stunning? I love her patterns. This will be my fourth Jen Steingass.

These are my colours:

I love them together. But guys, I’m doubting that pink next to my face. I’m going with it anyway because I only have enough to do the top part of the sweater. My fingers are crossed that I can pull off this colour. And it’s a really fun knit.

Here’s how she’s going:

While I was at Fleece and Harmony, I also got enough yarn (and a bit extra) to make the Spring Tide by Tania Barley. I’ve been absolutely obsessed with this cardigan since the first time I saw it on Instagram.

Here’s the colour I’m going with for the cardi:

This green is so beautiful I can hardly wait to start this piece. I know it will be a labour of love but I’m still very much looking forward to it. (As a rule, I try not to have more than one large project on my needles at one time.)

Just because I needed to work with these colours, I got a few bonus skeins that are not yet slated for a specific project..

While still in PEI, I drove out to Green Gable Alpacas. What a treat that was! I was given a farm tour, got to meet all the alpacas, including that few-days-old cria (I’m pretty sure they called her Grace), and got to have a wonderful chat with the owner – who happens to be from Ontario.

Obviously, I got yarn. I haven’t decided what this will be yet, but I’ll take suggestions.

That’s it for the yarn I purchased in PEI.

But I spun a lot while I was there – batts made by my wonderful friend Michelle from Au Fil des Jours.

I eventually moved on to Nova Scotia. I started a new pair of socks with yarn I got from a variety store in Antigonish, NS. This store had a wall of Briggs & Little! So fun.

And because I had run out of fibre to spin, I headed over to Ma’s Wool Co and got more. Unfortunately, I never got around to spinning in Cape Breton – I was too busy looking for lighthouses.

Then I stopped in Sydney, NS. Mostly it was to check out Tracy’s Rolling Yarn Shop – a shop that started as a yarn truck but is now also an amazing brick and mortar. I immediately clicked with the owner, Tracy. We sat and had a long chat. I left with a vase I fell in love with that she had hooks in, a hug and talks of bringing her and her yarn truck to Cornwall. Stay tuned for that.

Obviously, I bought some yarn there too! On top of the many, many fibre braids from Fleece Artist/Hand Maiden.

Honestly, I’m not sure what’s going on with me and pink right now. We appear to be having a moment.

All in, I feel great about my trip. I had the most wonderful time and feel like I made a few friends along the way.

I DO feel guilty about how much I spent on yarn and fibre. I’m sure I’ll get over it, eventually.

Tell me what you’re working on! I also need ideas for what to make with all this new yarn so share your ideas.

Chat soon!

M

I wanted to leave a note here to let you know that I’ve started writing over on Substack. I’m still Mimimustknit and I still write about knitting there. But I’ve also started writing about other things.

I decided to start writing there because I love the idea that my “essays” get delivered to your email inbox. How cool is that?!

I find it difficult to keep track of all the people I want to hear from when I have to deliberately go looking for new posts. I LOVE getting the blogs, essays or newsletters delivered right to my email.

If you feel the same, here’s how you can find me. Subscribing to my posts is free. I know there are a lot of paid communities there but mine is free.

I’ll be back soon with an update on my Project Hail Mary jacket.

It’s now 2026 and there’s a 100% chance I’m not the same person I was at 34.

In the last few years, I’ve found it hard to show up here. Writing just didn’t feel easy like it did back then. I was using this blog as a kind of journal in those days, which was fun.

This week, during the quiet moments at work, I went through and read some of my old posts. My voice was loud and clear for those first few years. I was having a great time posting what I was up to – not just what I was knitting on.

So, what happened? Why did I stop sharing my life? Am I just boring now? Is what I’m up to just not interesting? (No, that’s not it. Haha. I might be more interesting now because I give less shits.)

There are so many things I’m passionate about that are not knitting. When I started this blog, I was just getting into spinning. A few years ago, I started making some of my own personal care products. I could write you a whole post on the things I (don’t) use to help our little planet. I discovered lino carving, dabbled in embroidery and recently discovered leather work. OMG! SO. MANY. THINGS!!!

I really hate that I have to work. Legit, I resent that I can’t stay home and be creative all day every day! Alas, I have to pay for my lovely house and support my yarn/travel/book addictions.

Last year, I stopped buying yarn. I have a very BIG stash. I have yarn that’s been around since I discovered yarn shows in 2006. (And this is only part of it. I also have fibre stash under the spare room bed. Hihi)

And what did I do? I started buying books instead. I even had two more shelves built for my wall of books. And still I have piles of books on the ground that have no permanent home yet.

I have learned something about myself: When I discover a new way to express my creativity, I have to be very careful to not go crazy buying all the things. It’s easy for me to get obsessed with something and want to buy all the supplies to do that thing. Then I discover something new a month later and I want to buy all the tools for that craft. So you can imagine what my office/library/yarn room looks like.

So, I’m making myself a promise to show up here and just share what’s on my mind, what I’m working on, what I’m loving and other cool shit. I’m also making myself a promise to show up on my YouTube channel whether my hair is washed or not, whether it’s gloomy outside or not. No more excuses.

My creativity is THE most important thing for me. If I can inspire just a few people to try something new (like knitting an Icelandic sweater) or to get back to something they loved once, then it’ll be worth it.

What are you working on? What are you loving? What are you reading?

How ridiculous is that!  Is anyone still here?  Who knows how many people read my blog years ago when I was consistent but I suspect they’ve all gone now.  That’s what happens when you drop the ball!  Haha.

It’s definitely not because I haven’t been busy knitting!  Let me tell you.  I don’t even know what to do with all my knits.  Does anyone else have that issue??  How many hats can one head realistically wear?  And don’t we usually go for our favourites??  Which are usually the most recently finished hat we have on the shelf.  Tell me I’m wrong (I probably still won’t believe you).

My friend Louise and I went on a little roadtrip to Montebello, Quebec yesterday.  The shop name is Wööl and it’s small and charming.  Naturally, I spent too much money.  I got some construction orange yarn to knit myself a Musselburg that will match the zipper pulls on the coat I purchased in Iceland (oh yeah!  I should probably write about my visit to the Alafoss store).  It’s a ridiculous color, honestly.  I’m also not sure I can pull it off.  But I’m gonna do it anyway because it makes me happy.

This year will be all about doing things that make me happy – all the creative things.  I also saw an embroidery kit that I almost purchased but didn’t because of the guilt I felt over the amount I spent on yarn.  But I think I’ll try to figure it out on my own with some cheap felt at Michaels – that way, if I mess it up, it won’t have cost $40!  (Coupons baby!)

Back to the yarn…  I also got some alpaca/silk yarn by Emilia & Philomene (which I’ve never had the pleasure of using) to pair with the yarn I spun for my Traveller Shell.  

I HAVE TOO MANY THINKS I WANT TO KNIT RIGHT NOW!  

I have to finish the Icelandic sweater I started for my friend Sandy but forgot the colourwork at the bottom of the body and sleeves – he wants it “authentic” so I ripped out the hems and am adding the color work now.  Let’s not tell him I made it top down.  He won’t know.

I then have to make the same Icelandic sweater, but smaller, for his wife.  How cute is that!  Same same.  

I have a colourless Icelandic sweater to make for my brother-in-law.  I’m not sure why he wants one because I’ve made him sweaters in the past and have never seen them on him.  But they paid for the yarn and I’m going to be knitting something anyway.  So whatever, right?

I also have two sweaters’ quantity of yarn from Iceland to make MYSELF sweaters but at least one of those will wait.  Do I want to make the green one or the orange (not construction orange this time) one?  

The Traveller knitalong will totally be over by the time I manage to cast on my Shell but the yarn is spun and the fluff is purchased so it’s getting done.

Is anyone else feeling pressure to knit with their stash because they recognize that they have TOO MUCH YARN?  It’s like very time I come into my office to use the computer, the yarn is giving me the gears for having sat there too long.  RUDE!

I also want to make the Nimh Shawl by BohoKnits.  It’s been in my queue forever and I’m pretty sure I have enough Cascade Eco in my stash to knit it. 

My sister wants a shawl but she wants a Gro Shawl by Fiber Tales but I don’t have yarn for that.  It’ll likely take her forever to get to the yarn shop to buy some so I’m off the hook for a while I think.  (Fingers crossed.)

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll have seen that I put together a mystery sock thing.  I went through my stash of fingering yarn and picked out 12 skeins I wanted to knit sooner than later.  I put each skein in a paper lunch bag.  The skeins that weren’t too heavily variegated or self-striping got assigned a pattern I had in my queue or in my library.  Then I folded up the lip of the bag so I couldn’t see the pattern and put them all on my yarn shelves.  None of them are marked or numbered in any way. So on the first of each month, I’ll pick a bag and knit those socks.  I was really excited for my January socks – self-striping by Mudpunch (Canadian dyer extraordinaire). 

That’s it for me for today.  I have too much to do and packing for Boston this weekend.  Woot!