I know, I know. I’m so close… But 5 hats in 4 days… Well, it is possible, if I could spend all my time knitting. And that’s the problem. There’s so much else I need to do.
So I decided to officially declare this challenge failed. It was fun, but I don’t think I’ll ever do something like this again. If there’s one thing I learned this year it’s that setting big goals like these for a whole year is just not realistic. I had all these ideas about getting creative, writing and selling patterns, setting up an Etsy shop and growing my knitting blog. But life got in the way in every way it could. This was an extremely ridiculous year of course, but I don’t think life will get any calmers soon, so no more challenges for me next year.

I think setting (and sharing) monthly goals could be fun, but I’m not even sure I’ll be able to do that. Not in January, that’s for sure. We’ll (probably – still no real dates set) be emptying out the house in the few days we’ve got left before we leave to Curaçao again. I also promised my parents to handle the catering for my father’s birthday on the 5th., meaning I’ll be cooking and baking for 25 people a few days before we leave (I know, bad timing, but this was one of those things that I couldn’t say no to). And then, once we’re back on the island, we’ll continue our search for that beautiful affordable home of our dreams and hopefully be moving into it.

So I think for 2019 I’ll just be choosing a simple bigger project like a shawl, a cowl or a scarf (or maybe even a blanket?) that I can pick up when I feel like knitting and put everything else on the back burner for a while.

So what does a pile of 45 hats (I gave 2 away for Christmas) look like?

And spread out:

I think I’ll bring them to that birthday for my family to chose the ones they like. The rest of them will be sent off to charity.

So, last night I finished my first hat in two months. It felt good. Like I found back a part of myself that I lost along the way. I’m not sure if this means I’m back to it, but I’m extremely happy about this simple little beanie.

Things are still unclear here. We’re back in Holland now and I have mixed feelings about that. Glad to see the girls and my parents again, not feeling at home in my own house.
The house is still for sale, but there is a chance that a contract will be signed this week. Finally. The buyers want to be sure they can buy an adjoining piece of land, but that’s something we can’t control, so it’s been a waiting game for six weeks now.
We’ve been trying to buy a house on Curaçao, but none of the houses we liked worked out, so when we return in January, we’ll still be renting the tiny apartment. We are determined to find a real home soon though.

T.’s health is not too bad, though the cold and wet weather here are already wearing him out. I can’t stop worrying about him, but part of that is my problem (anxiety), not his. Well, I hope it is.

Anyway, I cast on another hat and will be knitting to soothe my nerves. And maybe to finish the challenge. Who knows?