by Kat | Sep 16, 2019 | General, In This Moment
Happy Monday everyone! I hope your weekend was one that was full of all the things you needed, and you are ready to tackle a new week!
“One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.” – A. A. Milne
This weekend included some major Kon-Mari-ing of all the upstairs closets. It was not quite the level of Swedish-Death Cleaning, but the closets are organized, have a bit of space, and the “transition” wardrobe pieces have been moved so they are readily available! Also, if you find something you forgot you had it feels a bit like you got something new!
I even made a list of items my fall-into-winter wardrobe is missing…things I want to make. Our recent trek out to the Outlets really showed me how much I don’t like Ready To Wear. None of it fits well, it almost always needs alterations and/or adjustments to make it fit right, feel right, and look right. So, fall making is now high on my priority list! And, at the top of that list is a pair of good fitting jeans! This fall I plan on sewing a pair of jeans that fit me.
Now, what does the week hold for me?
Well, Reagan lace knitting is at the top of the list, and I am just over halfway – so 7-ish more inches and then the bottom band, but those rows are so.long. just saying…so I expect this lace knitting to continue into next week.
I also need to transform this into reindeer ears and some cabled leggings.
AND…I need to tackle my Zadie jumpsuit muslin so I can work out the pattern kinks.
But, what about you? What’s on your list this week?
by Kat | May 27, 2019 | General, Words
My weekend thus far has had a good bit of “making” and weekending activities – there has been planting, and gardening, and grilling, and time with family (or at least phone time!) and friends. I stopped at JoAnn’s and got LOTS of fabric so some sewing is on tap for this grey Memorial Day.
I also created the most wonderful Rhubarb-Thyme Collins! It is so good and so refreshing! And, the rhubarb is in all the farmer markets in my area so if you try this recipe, please let me know! (if you are not a gin fan, I think this would work equally well with vodka, or with no alcohol at all to make a delicious Rhubarb-Thyme soda!)
Rhubarb-Thyme Collins
2 parts Rhubarb-Thyme Syrup (recipe below)
2 parts fresh lime juice
4 parts Dry Gin
Sparkling water
Combine syrup, lime juice and gin in tall glass over ice. Stir well to mix. Top with sparkling water and enjoy!
Rhubarb-Thyme Syrup
2 Cups rhubarb, chopped (about 8-10 stalks)
2 Cups sugar
2 Cups water
4 sprigs of thyme
Combine rhubarb, sugar, and water in saucepan and bring to boil. Once mixture is boiling, turn down heat to medium and stir occasionally. Cook until rhubarb has softened. Turn off heat, stir in thyme sprigs, and cover. Allow to steep for 7-8 minutes. Strain out to separate the liquid. Cool and refrigerate. The syrup will last about 12 days in refrigerator.
In all my making – I did not want to forget that today is Memorial Day:
On Memorial Day, I don’t want to only remember the combatants. There were also those who came out of the trenches as writers and poets, who started preaching peace, men and women who have made this world a kinder place to live. – Eric Burdon
Memorial Day is not only the “Official Start of Summer” or a long weekend filled with planting flowers, gardening, grilling, and spending time with family and friends, (or making!) And while these are all great long weekend in summer activities, Carole has posted a wonderful reminder of what today is really about! Please go and read her words and allow them to wash over you – let them fill you – and hold them in your heart as you go through your day.
I am going to pause today and spend some time thinking about Carole’s speech and about all those who have served and are serving.
Have a very Happy Memorial Day!
by Kat | Sep 24, 2018 | General, In This Moment
Almost as if a switch was flipped, the temperature on Friday went from almost 90 to the 50’s overnight ushering in a most autumnal-like weekend. And, the weather man has said we won’t be seeing anymore 80-degree days until next year.
That means just one thing, Gentle Reader, SWEATER WEATHER has arrived! I rocked my Rock the Lobster all weekend long and I LOVE IT! (although I think it needs one more round of crochet at the neckline to snug it up just the tiniest bit more… or maybe I need to do what Lena did at the neckline of her amazing sweater dress)
Also, this weekend I finally reached the GREAT SLEEVE DIVIDE!! Unbelievably, I did not have the right amount of stitches and I am not quite sure how that happened, but my solution was to knit an extra round to decrease those odd thirteen stitches. Now, I hope that my “fix” works because ripping back miles and miles and miles of knitting to figure out where I made my error might mean that Tegna would die in the Frog Pond. I will continue working the back and see how it looks as I get further along.
The Great Blanket Layout is complete and Blanket Assembly has begun (stay tuned for photos later this week!!) I feel a bit like Sybil with the knitting rotation I have going on –Blanket Knitting by day and at night selfish knitting! And, I might be contemplating starting a Guernsey Tam to try to get done before Friday! I have an issue with this tam as written as I really dislike knitting garter in the round… I hate how clearly you can see the jogs between the knit and purl rounds so my solution will be to knit it flat and seam it when I am finished.
Finally, in the TMI category: this weekend saw me doing some of my least favorite shopping on earth – that’s right, the dreaded find a bra that fits and is comfortable expedition. In my weight loss journey – getting a well-fitting bra sort of fell off the list and I have been living the make do with a sports bra theory. It worked well for a while, or at least that is what I thought until I saw myself in some photos. Wow…sports bras really are about the most unflattering thing ever created! However, this weekend I was insanely lucky to find not 1 but 4 (yes… it is feast or famine apparently here!) good fitting (and uplifting!!) bras! They fit well, are quite comfortable, and they were all on the clearance rack for $8.40 each!! There’s a perky joke in here somewhere, but suffice it to say that I am now reconsidering dart placement in any new garments I make!
That is all I have for this first Monday of fall! Have an awesome day and may your list be short and completed early!
by Kat | Apr 30, 2018 | General, In This Moment
When I am in a rut, the best thing to get out of that rut is to find a new perspective! Welcome to that new perspective!
Instead of focusing on what has passed, I am instead focusing on what lies ahead.
With joy…
And excitement…
And, just maybe I will find myself more focused and productive for the week!
With that frame of mind – a better breakfast has been a topic I have been contemplating for some weeks now and last week I tried something new: overnight oats…And, guess what? I really loved this little change in my morning routine! They are simply delicious and so quick and easy to make! This week I am trying some new variations! It seems the possibilities for overnight oats are endless…
I am also spending some time this week thoughtfully reviewing my volunteer time – without even really noticing, it has crept into a much larger slice of my week than I originally intended. There is a solution in this tangle, I just need to find the wherewithal to say no…sans guilt. And for me, the best thinking time comes while I am making and this week I hope to have a Uniform tunic or two completed along with a solution to my problem!
There you have my plan, or at least some of the plan for my week. What does your Monday hold in store?
by Kat | Oct 23, 2017 | General, In This Moment
Or, what I did on my weekend.
Who knew that while living worlds apart, Marie Kondo and Margareta Magnusson were traveling the same path. I am well into reading The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning (or döstädning) and it has invigorated me and filled with all kinds of KonMari joy!
Enter the weekend, and so began the dreaded task of closet cleaning.
As Monday dawns, I am sufficiently thrilled at the cleaning, sorting, and shedding of unwanted things. I have a nice stack to take to the resale shop as well as a huge stack heading off to good will. And, this morning my trash man will haul away those things that were relegated to the trash pile!
AND, I managed to finish up the volunteer budget work on Sunday afternoon!!
That is a huge load off my mind and I intend to use that freed up space to plot out my fall knitting and do some swatching and sweater planning this week! I did break down last week and swatched for “Rusty” and after figuring out gauge, I cast on Thursday night and by the end of the weekend I am almost half way done with the body.
This week my “to do” list is so much lighter, it almost feels like no list at all. And, for this Monday morning – that is a very good thing!
How was your weekend?
