by Kat | Dec 5, 2016 | General, Words
I am taking part in sprite writes virtual Advent tour and today I am sharing Anticipation.
My favorite part of Christmas is the anticipation that Advent brings.
I love the twinkling lights, the decorations, the candles, and the music. They all add to the anticipation of the season – that feeling of getting ready for something special.
It was not always this way – I grew up in a house where we did not put up a tree until Christmas Eve – and most years we took it down on the day after Christmas.
Perhaps because of that, the minute I had my own place – Christmas anticipation started early! Most years, decorating began the day after Thanksgiving – and I kept the decorations up until Twelfth Night. And, trees – I put up more than one. There was a “fancy” living room tree, a Santa Tree in the den, Kitchen Tree, and small trees in the bedrooms. But the best tree was the “kids tree” that they could decorate or undecorate as often as they wanted!
Christmas now is a more relaxed affair – there are not trees everywhere but, the anticipation of getting ready for something special is the part of Christmas that I hope to never let go.
by Kat | Dec 2, 2016 | General, Making
The start of peaceful knitting began yesterday at Casa del KatKnits – and it feels so, well, peaceful and meditative! While knitting yesterday I was thinking of other knitters who are joining me in this journey – there are 2,192 projects currently listed on Ravelry (however as of 11/29 there were over 14k participating!!) but I am especially thinking about those I know who are knitting along with me.
I hope you all managed to get 318 stitches cast on and began knitting yesterday. I completed the cast on and the first 4 rounds yesterday. I will continue today with the second repeat of the pattern. I am happy to say that the pattern is easy to memorize.
I am looking forward to 20 more days of knitting and meditating on peace for this world.
I am fortunate Steve loves me so much, he surprised me yesterday with a pre-holiday package from Miss Babs and Jenny the Potter! A mug for me and some yarn from which I will make a hat for him. Thank you Steve!! And, thank you Miss Babs for the sample of Tarte! This will be the perfect accent for my next pair of Squad Mitts!
Now, how about some links?
That is all I have for this week! Have a fantastic weekend and I will see you back here on Monday!!
by Kat | Dec 1, 2016 | General, Words
For this week’s Think Write Thursday we are welcoming December with a hearty hello:
Hello, dear December,
I love you so much, but you can be a bit overwhelming at times.
With the flurry of activities that you bring, it seems that you can be over and done with before I even know it.
This year let’s try something different, shall we?
I think we will both be much happier if we slowed down and savored the season.
I love the anticipation that is Advent…my savoring plan to appreciate Advent each day will start with some Advent meditation.
I love the decorating portion of preparing for Christmas. The tree is up, the lights are on – but there are no ornaments on yet. AND – the tree in this state is not making me crazy! I know, right? My savoring plan for tree trimming is that it will be part of this Friday’s Happy Hour celebration – cocktails, good eats, music – and Steve and I will trim the tree together.
I love the foods of Christmas, and especially the sweets. However, all those sweets are unnecessary – and don’t fit in with the diet very well. My savoring plan for cookie baking will be to bake just one or two favorites – and it a manageable quantity (not dozens and dozens of cookies of a million different types!) And, these will be things to savor – one or two at a time – over the course of the month.
Other things to that I will be doing to remind myself to slow down and savor… tune out the news and tune in the Christmas music or turn off the television and open a book and read – things that are a good reminder that the world will keep, but December won’t.
I am glad you are here December and I am looking forward to spending some quality time together!
If you’d like to join Carole and me on our Think Write Thursday journey you can sign up here!
by Kat | Nov 30, 2016 | General, Making
November has just flown by at warp speed. If it were possible, I’d ask Scotty to beam me back! Perhaps he has and I don’t know it – yesterday it was well into the 60’s here with the same today. This weather does not seem at all Novemberish!
But, December is knocking at the door and despite my gift knitting through the year, I always have a few last-minute things that seem like a good idea to try to cast on to get finished for Christmas gifting.
I finished slippers for Steve’s mom – I knit them with Lamb’s Pride Worsted and at a tighter gauge than the pattern calls for. I really love the fabric I got and I think these will be a sturdy, long-wearing slipper! All that is left to do is seam up the slipper backs and wash them. I have a few more skeins of the Lamb’s Pride and I think I will make a couple more pairs to send out with holiday packages.
I am anticipating some Project Peace knitting starting tomorrow – one very good thing about the arrival of December! I am all ready to cast on tomorrow! I will be using the knitting time to do some meditation for the season.
My reading slowed down over the holiday weekend, but I finished The Underground Railroad today. The narration is incredibly wonderful on this audiobook and the story is so compelling and powerful and it will be a story that will stay with me a long time. I am struck by how things have not changed in some aspects and that is incredibly sad. I give this book 5 stars and if you have not read it, I highly recommend it.
I have about 100 pages left of Burial Rites – and I am glad I stayed with this book – Agnes has tucked herself into my heart and I am holding out hope that things take a good turn for her.
Up next in my reading, Michael Chabon’s The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. This was an Overdrive “recommendation” – which I look forward to each week!
I better get back to my holiday knitting, are you doing any gift knitting this year?
Joining up with Ginny’s Yarn Along as usual today.
by Kat | Nov 29, 2016 | General, In This Moment
It seems that Tuesday’s have become the Black Hole for blogging.
So, I will share the jumbled thoughts in my brain on this grey Tuesday…read at your own risk!
Have you seen the reading list for resistance? I have added several these to my reading list! If nothing else, 2017 will be the year of reading well!
I continue to be amazed by the stark differences in Kelbourne Woolens swatch project. Links to all experiments are here.
Last week, I finished reading James Rebanks second novel – The shepherd’s view: modern photographs from an ancient landscape. I loved it cover to cover. The photos are spectacular and the interweaving of stories with the photos make me want to live in his neighborhood. I gave it 5 stars – and I strongly encourage you to read it!
I began decorating for Christmas this past weekend, and since we moved the furniture around in the living room – I can put out things I had not had out since before my move. It was a lovely exercise in nostalgia. Decorating continues this week with a goal of completion by Friday.
I have been contemplating resolutions for next year (yes, already!!) and I have been seriously looking at my daily schedule and working around what to change, what to eliminate, and what to add. Honore’ has inspired me greatly this year in her journal practices and I loved the simplicity of what I learned during my Just Five Things experience. Simple? Yes, but the impact of this simplicity was profound.
I am eagerly awaiting some Peace Knitting starting on Thursday. And, I also love this new cowl by my favorite stitcher. A fingering weight cowl sounds like the perfect accessory! It is on sale through December 3, if you are interested as well!
That is all I have for this Tuesday. How is your week unfolding?
