This month’s exhibit is a study in contrasts… the then and now of my Happy Place! And… has my Happy Place changed over the years.
When I was much younger my Happy Place was tied to a physical place… my grandparent’s home was at the top of that list… and if going to a physical place was not possible, then letting a book “take me away” was the next best thing! And those things worked for my happy place for a very long time.
My Happy Place now has expanded a bit… grown up, perhaps. I still love to read a book that will “take me away”… thank goodness! But I don’t need to physically go someplace. Although, I’d love to be able to head over to my grandparent’s house and while away the hours with them! I think my grandpa would love for me to recite some of my favorite poems to him! And an afternoon cooking with my nana sounds heavenly! Thankfully, I have their memories tucked away safely inside me and those memories are there for me to visit any time I want!
Today however, I also am so incredibly happy when I am making things… knitting was the best thing I ever did for myself… picking up some yarn, needles, a how to knit book and teaching myself to knit (pre-YouTube days!) was so wise as was finding a LYS that was a true delight and who helped expand my love for knitting. Knitting remains the gateway to happy these days… and I am so grateful to past me for embarking on this journey!
However my happy place has been expanding recently! Watercolor painting has moved up significantly on my Happy Place List in the past year. I am so thankful that a friend forwarded me an email that put my feet on this path…
And I even have a couple of “exhibits” to share with you… the first and last lessons from the latest painting class!
It took me several years to figure out who I am and a few more to accept what I discovered. Now, I’m in the enjoyment stage of that process and it’s a happy place. — Jolene Blalock
It took me a while to get to this point, but gosh I am so happy to be here now!
Happy Friday everyone, I will see you all back here on Monday!
Fat bottomed girls You make the rocking world go ’round — Brian May, Queen
Greetings Unravelers!
First… this post needs a sound track… so here you go:
I have one, grand, glorious “sweatskirt” finished… and yes, this fat bottom girl will be living in it for the foreseeable future!
It checks all the boxes:
Comfortable
Well-fitting
The perfect length
Yes, I’d make it again!
Even with some long big-ass rows, I got it done in record time! I cast on on mid-May and finished the elastic/waistband on the 5th. If you are on the fence about this skirt working for you, don’t be. It is such smart designing. There are incredible pattern notes for fit. I did the short rows to lengthen the back after I completed the lace work and did not do the second set of short rows before I began the waistband. I tried it on twice during my knit…the first time when I was almost done with the pattern’s suggested decreases. I saw that I would need a few more (4 to be exact) sets of decreases to my waist… the second time when I thought I was close to where I’d need to start the waistband. The pattern suggested adding length at the bottom, which seemed iffy to me… I wanted my skirt to be well below my knees, so I guessed at an additional 4 inches of knitting before I started my decreases, but I still needed to do about 4 more inches at the top once I was done with the decreases. I had 1.5″ waistband elastic, so I modified the waistband knitting to accommodate the wider elastic.
And I don’t want to take it off… it is my new favorite thing… ever! Oh… and there is no worries about my underwear showing… it is a nice dense fabric!
And yes…casting on another ASAP! (and I am working out a different “lace” pattern for the bottom for the next one!)
The reading this week. Oh my! I have been immersed in Ann Cleeve’s latest Matthew Venn mystery – The Raging Storm. It was deliciously good! A compelling mystery that I had no clue who “did it” until the last pages. We got to know Matthew, Jen, and Ross better as well… they are an interesting team! It will be published in early September… and I highly recommend!
The book in my ears was How High We Go In The Dark. It is a collection of short stories all around the same topic… plagues and death… but don’t let that put you off! The stories are fascinating, well written, and they kept my attention! I listened and found it difficult to stop before a story was done! If you liked Station Eleven… I think you’ll like this!
My current reads include The Colony (in my ears) and Fresh Water for Flowers (which sucked me in from the first brilliant chapter) on my Kindle!
What about you? What is making your rocking world go ’round this week?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below.
Green was the silence, wet was the light,
the month of June trembled like a butterfly.
― Pablo Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets
Welcome June!
Although it is so hard to leave May… I am here to embrace every single moment of June… slowly.
I want to delight in the tiny coleus, impatiens, and tomatoes I planted last month… as they grow by leaps and bounds this month!
I want to find a way to love the hot days as much as I do the cooler ones.
I want to finish my vacation socks and make some serious headway on my Ooh La La sweater!
And I want to spin more… I have spent some time at my wheel recently and it is the best calming activity!
But! In case you think it is all sunshine and roses over here… June does have a downfall…sigh.
Allergies and insomnia… June is the worst month for my allergies and bad allergies makes for poor sleep. Five days in and allergies are bad… sleep is worse… but it all started after Memorial Day… so maybe the early start might mean an early finish? I am hoping!
What about you? What are you hoping for this month?
P.S. For the inquiring spinning mind, the fiber up top is Inglenook Fibers Freshwater Pearls on Targhee… and it is a delight to spin!
Greetings Unravelers and Farewell May… sigh. I don’t want May to end, it is the loveliest month and I have tried to savor every moment.
However, June waits for no one and June does bring a bit of a treat. I have my yarn ready and I am setting aside some time tomorrow afternoon to begin a new gnome journey!
Meanwhile, the Skirt Marches On! I have about 3-ish inches to go before I begin the waistband. The big try on happened and IT FITS! Woo! I had hoped to have this finished over the weekend but instead I sat on the porch and read. It was delightful but I am back to trying to get 10 rows in a day so I should have this done soon!
Every year brings a plethora of inspiration with #MeMadeMay I did see some things that I have put on a “wish list” for making. However, I have gotten to the point in my wardrobe that every day is a Me Made Day for me. It is a huge thing for me to put on clothing that I have made… a big thing of self-love for sure! I have one huge hole though… jeans. I really need to face the enormous challenge of sewing myself a pair of jeans. I have the fabric, I just need to get something and make a bit of a muslin so I can get the rise, waistband, fly all worked out. I am a confident sewist, but I have all.the.fears. about sewing jeans. However, I need to get past this fear so a trek to JoAnns to get something I can use for a muslin is in order! Stay tuned!
This week was all about the reading though… oh my goodness. I read some simply delightful books: Hello Comfort of Crows, Sara de Vos, and Queen of Dirt Island! And one sort of “meh” book… sigh. Yes, Trespasses just was not a hit for me. (but, I think that makes it a much more interesting to discuss book and I very much look forward to that!)
I bailed entirely on Cursed Bread it just was not for me and I had a wealth of better books to read!
Currently, I am listening to the long awaited How High We Go in the Dark. (and I have Milkman queued again to listen to again before the Read With Us Discussion!) And at night, I am immersed in mystery solving with Matthew Venn in Ann Cleeves latest, The Raging Storm.
Whew… that is one heck of an ending to May – I read 12 books! A banner month of reading for sure!
What about you? How did your May end?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen. ― Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection
This month, Ali Edward’s team suggested a “Day of Yes” but I decided to take it one step further… to make it a month of yes to choices that allowed me to be real with myself and to let that self shine a bit.
It was not easy… old habits are so hard to break. But when I felt like retreating, I read poetry that lifted me. I tuned out the negative voice in my head and stood up for myself… to myself!
It was a good month of nurturing myself in the very best way. And as this month draws to a close, I hope that this month of practice begins to take root. I look forward to continuing to strengthen the positive things by continuing this practice as the year unfolds!
A huge thanks to Carolyn for providing a place to share my progress. I hope this was a good month for all of you as well!
See you all back here tomorrow with some Unraveling!
