Welcome to the first Friday in August! I have had an incredible week. So read on and see what I did this week!
Refocus and Recenter —
I have changed up my morning meditation time a bit. My time now includes reading a couple of Derek Walcott poems, ignoring the darker mornings, and setting my focus on August days. Ignoring the heat is a challenge, but then I look at all the tomatoes turning red and the heat does not seem quite so bad. So rather than wishing away the month… I am going to focus on the good things that August brings.
Likewise, I am going to recenter myself and my word. Last month my word felt very finished to me and I was contemplating five months more of…. coasting? Silly me! Enter the brilliance of Ali Edwards and her OLW Team of Word Super Hero’s! I watched the videos (yes, more than one) and took a page of notes about Beginning Again. August me… not January me… re-centering my word right now. Best phrase of all the videos… Welcome to the deep breath of August. I am taking that as my mantra for this month as I contemplate what beginning again looks like with all the work I have done this year! One week in and I am already seeing new possibilities for full!
Itty-bitty steps —
That would be me…as I paint…or don’t as the case might be. I did watch the second painting lesson but, more importantly, I listened. Surowicz not only shows the how of painting via the videos, he shares the how and the why in his words. This week’s takeaway… plan where you are going to go before you pick up your brush. Wow! Yeah. That struck a huge chord with me… huge! Linking ideas and actions are not things I thought about with painting! Good things to think about especially in light of my homework critique that I watched on Tuesday, it was good but…there was that moment when he talked about the importance of planning which I did not understand until I watched the new lesson. Light bulb moment for me!! I have several things that I wrote down to practice this week but you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and budding painters! (Please forgive my twist there, dear Robert Burns) If you guessed that there was no physical painting practice this week, you’d be correct. However, there was lots of thinking about planning and I have made time today to put the practice on paper! I promise to share next week.
Fluff into yarn —
What did entirely occupy my time this week? Plying up the singles I spun! And ply I did! On my new Starling! My goal was to spin thin… consistently… and for the most part, I did! Consistent singles makes plying so much easier. This skein took me roughly 3 hours to finish and it all went on ONE bobbin! It is getting a bit of a soak this morning, and I have no idea what the finished yardage will be but it will bloom and shrink a bit in the finishing. I am not sure there will be enough to knit a sweater, but I really love the muted colors of this skein! Stay tuned!
Friday Libation Ideas —
Every so often Happy Hour Libations seem… well… in the all.too.much.the.same. category. So this week I have been contemplating something different…something with Aperol! Last night we sampled my take on a Paper Plane. Oh gosh… so good! Citrus-y. Refreshing. Lightly herbaceous. So perfect for a hot humid August! Tonight though, I have another cocktail on the horizon inspired because I have a basil plant that is overly abundant right now, so for tonight’s sipper, I am thinking about trying a Basil Daisy. I will share how it turned out on IG later today!
And that is all I have for this week, I will see you all back here on Monday. Have a fantastic weekend everyone!
Oh man! Both of those drinks sound so good for a hot, summery day. Yesterday I “stewed” up the last rhubarb stalks I had harvested…I may need to throw that in the blender with vodka and ice this afternoon! Your spinning is so pretty Kat – I hope you do have enough for a sweater. And, “plan where you are going before picking up your brush” can apply to so many things…not just painting. Something to remember. Happy weekend – enjoy!
I think we have the same tastes in drinks! Thanks for sharing the recipes. Your spinning is amazing! So beautiful.
Your yarn is beautiful!!! Any idea of the yardage?
Both of those cocktails sound fabulous!!! I just hate to drink alone. LOL
A Basil Daisy is a new drink to me, but it sounds amazing! I’m going to share the recipe with my mother, because I know she has and enjoys Aperol.
Can’t wait to see your beautiful handspun after its spa treatment!
Beautiful yarn, such a gorgeous colour. Planning seems a great way to go forwards.Have a great weekend.
I also love the subtle colors in your handspun yarn. It will make something pretty. I am enjoying reading about your learnings from your art class. While I will probably never dabble in art, I have lots to learn about spinning. Do you listen to CastOn? In the latest episode, Brenda Dayne talked about working on a new artistic medium and awkward she felt. Her ideas certainly struck home with me.
Your yarn is gorgeous! Nice work, Kat!! It must be amazing to spin up the fiber and realize, wow — this is really yarn!!
I love your quote about the deep breath of August – what a perfect description of this month. And we’re already more than a week into it! Here’s to a month full of good surprises 🙂
I’m drooling over that yarn, so so so beautiful and it looks so soft! My August is counting down the days 🙂