by Kat | Aug 25, 2020 | General, Words
I am joining Honoré and friends again this month to share an update on my word.
Let’s start with my guiding quote, one that has served me well each and every day!
Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen Hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is. — Mary Anne Radmacher
Eight months in and I am *finally* starting to see intention in a very different way. A way that I might never even considered in “normal living” times. I have stopped fighting with my word. I am no longer wishing for a different word. I am no longer feeling like intention is beating me down but rather, it feels like I have made peace with my word, it is lifting me up, and I have opened myself to learn where I can go with it.
So how’d all that happen?
Well, for starters…the overwhelming lack of “normal living.” No normal living chaos or over-packed lists. The daily idea that more is so much better has really no space in Pandemic Times. And with it goes all the “more” things. More wardrobe. More shopping. More sewing. More knitting. More. More. More. More. and yes, even more more.
But in Pandemic Times, I have found that more has an entirely different meaning. As in…
Yes, absolutely more texts/phone calls/FaceTime with family, but my days have also been…More thoughtful. More creative. More realistic.
And included…More quiet. More reflection. More decluttering. And more less of so many things. And not missing any of them!
More intentional!
I think that is the biggest thing that struck me this month. All those things from lists, the feeling of never doing enough, the need to be more, to go more…are all entirely unnecessary to intentional daily living and they did not fill me in a meaningful way, they just made me feel busy. I am laughing at myself at all the things I signed up for so I could “do less” which, in reality, just meant more things on a list… yep, I have let them all go. And it has been so freeing!
Learning to let go of all the noise has been a learning process, but eight months in I feel like I am finally getting it!
You can see all of my Intentional Journey here.
by Kat | Aug 21, 2020 | General, In This Moment
History says, Don’t hope
On the side of the grave,
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up
And hope and history rhyme.
— Seamus Heaney, The Cure of Troy (an excerpt from Joe Biden’s acceptance speech, 20 August, 2020)
There has been a most welcome reprieve of the miserable hot weather this week! We have had cooling nights, chilly mornings, and moderate days, which in turn meant no drone of the AC, wide open windows, and autumn dreams! This week I noted a marked change in morning light as well! I am up before the sun and the dark mornings have added to my autumnal mood! Add to that, the four stellar nights of the virtual DNC convention and I have “fall feelings on overload” and my election day count down clock reminds me that there are just 74 days to go.
Last night, I sat on the porch for “Zoom Knitting” and watched hummingbirds flock to my verbena. It was the perfect ending to the day… knitting and laughter!
Taking to Heart —
My inner poli sci major has loved the “un-conventional” convention this week. From the beautiful diversity, to the pointed speeches… I soaked up every bit of it. But I especially took to heart President Obama’s jeremiad on Wednesday night…honestly, I am still thinking about all he said but if we want this democracy to continue, we need to vote like our lives depend on it. The election results need to be overwhelming… and hearing so clearly this week about the desperate need to return to decency is so true. I am ready for a president who will represent all 3.28 million of us! Do you have a plan for voting? If not, get one! And if you need inspiration to make that plan, look no further than Joe Biden’s acceptance speech last night! First, Joe is a man who “reads everything,” including poetry! In his closing words, he shared the lines from Seamus Heaney’s poem, The Cure of Troy. We need to be part of that tidal wave of justice! Why? Well, Joe told it best: “For love is more powerful than hate. Hope is more powerful than fear. Light is more powerful than dark. This is our moment. This is our mission. May history be able to say that the end of this chapter of American darkness began here tonight as love and hope and light joined in the battle for the soul of the nation. And this is a battle that we, together, will win.”
And in case you need a bit of levity, Mark Hamill provides some:
Going, going —
Vacation in Pandemic is not happening (at least not anywhere out of the state because of the current guidelines that Steve would have to follow to return to work…) but I have been contemplating places to go that are nearby… Although, Steve is absolutely not on board with this I am having some fun day dreaming about a trip to Lake Erie.
Inspiration —
I have gotten to the point in Pandemic Times that I am seriously contemplating my wardrobe. I wear leggings and a tunic almost every day…soon it will be leggings, a tunic, and a sweater, lol. I have no desire to go shopping, but boy… my wardrobe is feeling very monotonous. So when Grainline Studio’s dropped a new pattern this week I felt the desire to change things up and make an Augusta shirt! It is just different enough to break up the monotony of the days! I will be looking at my fabric stash to see what might work for it! And, since masking up is the new norm I need to have another “Bout of Mask Making” so there will be more mask sewing next week. I am going to try a new pattern and will let you know what I think next week!
Farmer Girl —
My daughter sent this photo this week… Vivi got her first egg! Personally, I think all Farmer girls should be in mermaid dresses and boots while they collect eggs! Ha! And yes, Vivi has charmed the chickens… she likes to carry them around!
(Also, I have updated the project page for Leland, if you are interested in the final details!)
And that is all I have for this week. I will be back next Tuesday to share my word update with Honoré! Have a great weekend everyone!
by Kat | Aug 19, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Swatching for something new for Winston has begun. ML Egan kindly asked me to test knit Avery, a vest that she published 10 years ago! I will be knitting two of them… one at a fingering weight, and one with DK yarn. A vest should go quickly, as long as I can get gauge! (FYI… I am no longer linking to Ravelry for any patterns I mention here. I will give you the pattern name and if you use Ravelry, you can search it yourself. I will continue to do this until Ravelry is accessible to everyone.)
Yesterday I finished weaving in all these ends of my little Leland and it then got a nice spa treatment. Today I will pick some buttons to stitch in place and then it is off to Michigan! I can’t wait to see Winston modeling it! He is growing like a weed and, I predict, will be wearing this sweater soon!
I also have re-ignited my love for Ranunculus… I am almost done with the body and will soon be on the last sleeve and wearing it shortly! It will be perfect for these waning summer into early fall days. The mornings have had a delicious cool feeling to them, making a sweater the perfect garden/dog walk companion. One thing I did very well in this Ranunculus version… no ends to weave in! Yes, you read that right! Kestrel is a knitted tube, so I have been able to make the most ingenious Russian join, leaving me with no ends to deal with. I am kicking myself that I did not do that on my first one!
This week I read two of the most diametrically opposed books ever, lol! But both were so good! So. Good!
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Come and listen to the life of Henry Shackleford. James McBride makes you stop and think… and to question what you believe. I agree with others who said that parts of this book dragged a bit, but the ending… oh my. It is spectacular! I highly recommend this book!
The Innocent by Ian McEwan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The curious mind of Ian McEwan never fails to amaze. This book though… I did not see so much coming! Wow! And the irony of the title was not lost on me! If you are looking for a quick read with lots of unexpected twists and turns… read this book! I have not stopped thinking about it and would love to read this book with a book club!
That is all I have for today, as always if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below!
by Kat | Aug 17, 2020 | General, In This Moment
The best solutions are often simple, yet unexpected. — Julian Casablancas
There are days when I win at the Yarn Chicken game and it is always such a good feeling.
But then there are days you don’t win at Yarn Chicken…and the results are practically perfect. Better than you can imagine, an unexpected surprise! That little bit of dark blue bind off is unexpected, and perfect!
Now it is off for a wee bath and weaving in some ends, then a trip to my Nana’s button box!
May your Monday have some unexpected, practically perfect moments!
by Kat | Aug 14, 2020 | General, In This Moment
I cannot remember the last time I shared what is my “current world” (small as that world is these days) So here you have a little slice of my world!
Celebrating —
K-A-M-A-L-A…. oh my gosh! Yes, there were tears and cheers! I am so thrilled! But honestly… watching Kamala debate Pence in October will be a must see event! Ha! But we have reached the 80 day mark, people. 80 days!! Although, I think these next 80 days are going to be a really rocky ride… but I will take a moment to ask you all… are you registered to vote? Have you applied for your absentee ballot? 80 days will go a lot faster than we think!
Anticipating —
I am a huge proponent of my local library and usually I don’t mind waiting my turn for a book… that is until I listened to Isabel Wilkerson talk about her new book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. After listening to this and then this I don’t think patiently waiting to read this is an option. Now to decide, physical book? Kindle copy? Audible?
Contemplating —
Some weeks ago, I made myself a promise to *finish my plethora of in process projects before starting anything new* but boy… the new MDK Field Guide has some amazingly yummy things in it! I can’t get the Aperture Stole out of my head and I am itching to make it however, I have not bought any yarn… yet.
Harvesting —
I had a brief lull in bean production, but that has resolved and now I am back to picking an overflowing handful every day. And so.many.tomatoes! I roasted some cherry tomatoes yesterday. And have shared more tomatoes with neighbors… But I think the end is near for the plants. This heat has really put the garden on “fast forward” it seems. My containers look like they do after Labor Day and the tomato plants are about “done” so I don’t think I will have the luxury of a September garden that is producing anything significant.
Over —
This unrelentingly hot summer. Since Memorial Day we have only had 20 days where the temperature was between 70 and 80 degrees (no days below 70 at all) and 61 days of 90+ degrees. Steve has not mowed the yard since mid-June. I am not kidding you. We have had virtually no rain to speak of and it is so dry. It’s not that I want to usher in the next season early, but boy do I need a break from these endless days of heat and humidity. (And really… a week of soaking all day rain would be so welcome!!) The weather person (whose reliability in forecasting is really not good) says that next week no temps above 80…. I have my fingers crossed!
And with that… this week is a wrap! I hope your weekend is exactly what you need!
