When the hour for happy is finally here

When the hour for happy is finally here

Some months ago, we picked up a bottle of Wigle Hopped Whiskey, I liked it a lot. Steve liked it, but not as much as I did. Well – paired with Quince & Apple’s Rhubarb Hops syrup it made a wicked Hopped Manhattan. And, Steve liked it just as much as I did! The mild sweetness from the Rhubarb pairs nicely with the slightly bitter hops. If you are a beer lover, this is the Manhattan for you!
Happy Weekend, Gentle Reader, let’s get it started on the right foot!
Hopped Manhattan
Makes 2 drinks
2 ounces Crown Royal
2 ounces Sweet Vermouth
Add all ingredients to shaker filled with ice. Stir to combine. Strain into glasses and serve with a cherry.
Cheers!
One Step Forward, Ten Steps Back

One Step Forward, Ten Steps Back

Or…

The hurrier I go, the behinder I get – Lewis Carroll

Last week, I beamed my warp (weavers speak for winding the warp threads on the back beam). This week, I made a valiant attempt at a tricky threading of the heddles. Attempt being the key word.

I made multiple threading errors that I should have noticed when I did my few picks of plain weave. Again, please take note that I said should have.

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For the Love of the Pen

For the Love of the Pen

My two fingers on a typewriter have never connected with my brain. My hand on a pen does. A fountain pen, of course. Ballpoint pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane. – Graham Greene

Today is Fountain Pen Day!

Regrettably, I was late to the fountain pen party – I did not buy my first fountain pen until earlier this year.

I know! How sad is that!

Then one day a friend tweeted something that caught my eye and down the rabbit hole I went.

Now I start the day with a pen in hand doing a bit of writing in my Traveler’s Notebook. It helps me organize my thoughts as well as my day. I have found it a great way to focus and it has helped me notice things that need to be changed, it helps me keep track of projects and how much time they take, and I think the process helps me be more creative. Moreover, the act of writing with a fountain pen is pure joy.

Now, I do not dress my pages up as some people do. While I think it looks great, personally for me it is too busy, too much of a distraction, and just too “scrap-booky”. I prefer a blank page eagerly waiting for me to deposit words to it. I am happy that my writing has increased drastically since I began to journal with a fountain pen.

Unlike Graham Greene, I do not dislike the practice of writing at a keyboard. However, about this he is right – there is something quite different and almost magical when you take the pen in hand and let the words flow with the ink to the page.

Put pen to paper today, gentle reader, and celebrate the written word.

An Accidental Blogger

An Accidental Blogger

It has almost been 5 months since my last blog post. Five very long months that included me traveling back to Michigan to see my kids, some more knitting for a friend, some personal knitting for myself, some Christmas knitting, and a little tiny bit of Beginning Spinning teaching at my LYS.

Many things to fill the days and none of them having much to do with writing or blogging, which feels very much like failure when I look at my blog. I like to think that the process of blogging activates my brain and encourages me to write creatively. Sad that I so easily let this fall by the wayside.

The New Year came with no list of resolutions for me, at least nothing specific or defined – a purposeful decision on my part. No resolution, no failure – a simple, yet very motivating factor. Rather, my goals this year are simple – Be Healthy, Be Happy, Read More, and Learn More.

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