My January is off to a roaring start! I have finished my Felix Cardigan – well, it is finished with the exception of weaving the ends in and sewing on buttons! I hope to get to JoAnn’s this weekend to see what they might have that could work with it! I really love how a sewn tubular bind off looks and I will be using that technique again!
I knit to the body an inch longer than the designer suggested.
The bind off is just so incredible!
I also cast on and finished Leni, which I knit for my daughter for her birthday! It needs a bit of a soak and then can be wrapped to send off to her! I love the fit and will be making another of these!
I love how this turned out with speckled yarn and a strand of mohair!
Now I am back patiently working on my Evening Dew Cardigan – slowly but surely!
I also started my “month of sewing” and I am 2 sleeves, pockets, and a hem short of a finish on my flannel Esme Tunic. Sadly, I failed greatly on trying to figure out how to match the plaids… sigh. I have a bit more sewing to get to this month, and a bit more practice matching plaids, so stay tuned!
My reading also started of gang busters with some winners and one that did not quite win for me.
I really wanted to love The Starless Sea– sadly, loving it was just not in the cards for me. I felt much as Mary did about the second half of the book. 2-stars and read at your own risk!
The Whisper Man is a thriller and it does keep you engaged. I devoured it in a few short hours, and not much else was accomplished because I could not put it down! 4-stars and I recommend.
That’s all I have for today but what are you excited about making or reading in the New Year?
If you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below and thank you!
I’ve come to sing you a song called December. Ryan Murphy, Down with the Ship
Last year really cemented these “Looking Back” posts and I love how they can change my feelings on the month! I love looking back at the photos and videos I captured to remember the days and rediscovering moments I forgot! Recently Mary looked back on her word for 2019 with some really wonderful questions! I am going to borrow that idea with the hope that it makes my memories richer.
The Best Part of the Month included Christmas decorations with all the memories attached to them and the joy of making for others! AND seeing Genevieve all “decked out” in her hand knits made me laugh right out loud! Finally, there were quiet times at home with good food, a beverage, and conversation – there were an abundance of those days in December!
There was Something New this month – we visited Spoonwood Brewing Co. for my birthday and discovered a place that will want to revisit (and we did the next day to insure that we will with their Growler Club!) The beers and the food were fabulous!
Best “Oh Wow” Moment/s Those December Skies were just so amazing, broody, and stunning!
What I did Well and What I can do Better is an easy one – I started the month strong with moving and getting outdoors for a nice invigorating walk, but that train derailed just before Christmas when a really un-lovely stomach bug attacked! Then I found excuse after excuse to keep that train derailed – but today I am putting it back on track!
Thank you for joining me in my look back at December!
Over the past two weeks has had a gang of weekends! Seven of the last 13 days have had a decidedly weekendish feel. One would think that all this weekending would be something to celebrate, but another weekend is upon us and I am feeling a bit “weekended out!” My creature of habit is feeling a bit out of sorts and is longing for the return to the “normal routine” of life.
I am sorely missing Tuesday night knitting, which has been on “holiday hiatus” and I am eager for the return of our regular meeting time next Tuesday!
I also have a pile of sewing I want to get started on next week! And speaking of sewing! One thing I recently discovered was the In The Folds “Learn” page – it is full of extremely detailed help for all sorts of sewing issues that might arise as you are making a garment. I discovered In the Folds through their free patterns, but their helpful tips really break down the sewing process! They send out a weekly newsletter (scroll to the bottom to sign up) and it always includes something very useful!
And, these mittens look so cozy! (And, they are still on sale today!)
The other thing I have been thinking about is getting back to healthier eating! (i.e. less happy hours and more balanced meal planning!) I found some soup ideas on Pinterest recently and they will be making their way into dinner rotation beginning next week!
That’s all I have for this week – have a great weekend and I will see you all back here on Monday!
The other common theme my reading had this year was how many authors I discovered and then proceeded to try and read as many of their books as I could! John Boyne won the year with 6 novels (many 5-star and one very indelible read: The Heart’s Invisible Furies) Louise Erdrich came in second with 4 of her books on my list, including one indelible: The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse. Nineteen authors all had multiple titles in my year of reading – I have learned that a good writer is sometimes a prolific writer!
2019 was the year of social justice or at least my efforts to learn more about how to be a good ally, an educated citizen, and not just a “watcher from the sidelines!” Nineteen of the books I read this year helped to educate me about many things from the Mueller Report, to White Privilege, to the Whistle-Blower Complaint and even a book about Global Warming. Being an informed ally is important to me but all this reading has shown me how much I still must learn, so you can expect to see more of this kind of reading in 2020.
My standby of a good mystery was reinforced with seventeen novels read in 2019 and most of these were parts of ongoing series with characters that I have come to know and love deeply. These books are the best therapy on earth for me! A few pages in and I am off on a journey to figure out who did it and how will it all come together!
And, finally I listened to 88 books this year – a significant number and I am so grateful to my library for having so many audio book choices!
And, in case you think I have done no knitting… I got a Sweater Quantity of yarn for Christmas from Steve and almost immediately cast on a Felix Cardigan – the body is almost done and sleeves are up next – this will be my first finish of 2020! I love the yarn color (Galaxy) it is black, but not quite with a purple-ish, teal-ish hue. I spent an hour after dinner last night learning the sewn tubular bind off – I think Steve has it memorized too from me saying it out loud over and over and over and over. Hahaha!
That is all I have for today! If you wrote a post to share today, please leave your link below and thank you!
Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make us. — Richie Norton
As you all know, my word for 2019 – focus – made a huge impact on my life. I do not want to lose that in 2020, so I spent a good bit of time thinking about where I wanted to go.
Words like purpose and intention kept turning up in the most curious ways. I spent some time “trying on” these words and as I began to plan where I wanted to go in 2020, it became clear that intentional was the path I wanted to travel.
Miriam-Webster defines intentional as something “done by intention or design.”
I have spent a year honing my focus and I have some good habits to show for it! This year I plan to be more intentional in all things…making, reading, and yes… living! And I am very excited to embark on this new journey – a journey of my own making!
Finally, I would like to take a moment to thank Juliann for her brilliant hosting this year! Without her initiative, I am not sure that I would have had as much success this year as I did!
What about you? Did you choose a word for 2020? Please join Honoré and share your word!
