I’m 70 and we definitely made them at home, not school. They made pretty good potholders, but yes, there were always some loops that were too small to use. Those all got given away I guess?
When I wanted to make potholders as an adult, I just knitted them with cotton yarn and very small needles. Now those are still great pot holders.
My partner was on Lantus for several years (he died from cancer, not diabetes!) and we loved the convenience of it. He had two episodes of low blood sugar, one of them severe enough to get 911 (emergency response to non-USA-ans) involved, but these were because of a chemo drug and they should have adjusted his insulin dosage for that. You should be fine as long as you monitor your blood sugar. The long-acting Lantus is probably safer than the regular insulin which hits you all at once. Don’t be scared, just be careful!
Congratulations on adopting two wonderful cats. I just assume they’re wonderful because aren’t ALL cats wonderful! :)