The week has had the rug pulled out from under it a bit which is, sadly, going to push back our trip to Michigan… until October. I am trying to stay focused on the positive but there is not much positive in any of this… my ex has had a recurrence of a TIA incident that seems more severe than the last ones, he has had two deaths in his family, and his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. So a reshuffle of my schedule is happening and I am looking for the silver lining…or trying to look for it.
I have been thinking about what to post about today, but my brain is not offering any brilliant suggestions. But… then it occurred to me that YOU all had some great questions recently and I thought that the answers to these would be a great way to close out the week. (thanks to the question askers and to Carole and Kym for planting this questioning seed!)
“How do you have time to read?? So jealous. Sadly my reading has seriously declined now that I’ve taken up knitting. I have not mastered knitting while reading but I can knit while watching podcasts/TV. 🙂
Dear Maureen! First…WELCOME to the world of knitting! Yes, it is the best “time-suck” on the planet… well, besides reading that is! I don’t know anything about your local library… but I am extremely fortunate to live in Allegheny County PA. Why is that a good thing… The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh! I am so fortunate that they have a vast array of audio books to borrow… and I borrow LOTS of audio books. You see…knitting and reading are the best things to do together…and listening to a book allows me to knit. Listening to a book also makes the mundane tasks of daily life more palatable as well! I hope this tip will help you increase your reading as you knit!
“Looks like you’ve had another great week Kat (except maybe for that middle book…LOL). I just love your Moon Coasters – so pretty. What did you use in the center of them (for filling)? Or is it just the fabric stitched together? In either case, they are lovely.
Now, I answered Vera via email… but it occurred to me that you all might be wondering the same thing. I used a couple of scraps of cotton batting left over from some placemats I made. I inserted the batting after I stitched the side seams. I also think a piece of cotton flannel would have worked equally well (maybe even better if you do not want any “loft” in your coaster.)
“Looks like you have some fun and interesting projects for the week. The cocktail sounds interesting, but I’m not sure about the condensed milk part of it…I know it’s only a half oz or so, but man I dislike that stuff so much!!!
I love this question because I despise sweetened condensed milk as well… but there is a magical thing about it…it doesn’t curdle when you combine it with lime juice. Half and half or heavy cream will curdle… instantly, so they are non-starters for this cocktail. But still… I was skeptical of how this would taste, but even using just a couple of teaspoons of the condensed milk gives the drink the creaminess needed to counter the tang of the lime. Do not fear the condensed milk in cocktails! (at least in small quantities!)
“I love your coasters and think they might be too pretty to place glasses on that will drip condensation on them! I’ve never read Beach Music, but am keeping it in my mind as a possible listen when things calm down here a bit. I think I’ll give Matthew a pass. 🙂
This…. we all need to break free of not using things that are too pretty. I am right in this camp… It’s too pretty, it will get stained…But if not now….when? Last year in my Year of Intentional Living I realized that life is short (and boy did this week put an exclamation point on that!) It makes me feel good to use a simple little coaster that I made. It tells me I am worthy. It says that I think that making things a little nicer is a very good thing.
So yes… I make things to use them in my daily life. And I celebrate that fact! I hope you do too!
That is all I have for this week… I will be back on Monday to share my July update on my word! Have a good weekend everyone!
Happy Friday, Gentle Readers…but honestly, I can’t quite believe it’s Friday! This week just raced by at a speed that is a bit frightening.
Summer arrived rather abruptly… it went from frosty mornings and the need for the furnace last week to some very warm weather, which looks like it is here for the duration now! (They are talking about 90+ degree temps for today.) With this warm weather my allergies also arrived rather abruptly as well, sigh.
This week was full of lots of busyness, but there were some fun things as well!
Triumphant (unlearning) —
If anything, I am a creature of habit…especially with something I have done many times before. Like making bias tape, for example. I have made yards and yards and yards of bias tape which includes getting out my bias tape maker. It is a bit fussy and I alway, always burn my fingers in the course of the making. I had been putting off making the bias tape for just those reasons…but stopping in the making of the project to get bias tape made is no fun. But this YouTube video changed all of that! The first few seconds of the video contained nothing new (at least for me) but at the 1 minute point the magic begins! The Two pins and about 20 minutes of burn-free ironing and I have some really gorgeous, perfectly folded bias tape. You can teach an old dog new tricks! Now I want to make all sorts of fun bias tapes! lol
Good (fun) —
A couple of weeks ago Kym posted about languishing… and that word. It is just not a feel good word for me. To me languishing almost seems purposeful… as if I am languishing rather than it making the impact on me. Apparently, I was not the only one who had an issue with languishing! Enter this article! Yes! This is it! I am indeed feeling very dormant! If you too struggled with languishing, perhaps dormant is more what you are feeling!
Intentional (making) —
Is there a point in a makers life when you reach completion? Perhaps you know it… that point in a makers life when you have eleventy-billion sweaters, scarves, shawls, wraps, tunics, tops, socks… I think you get the point. You have enough…or at least you know you have enough, but there is still the urge to make driving you. I am at that point… or very close to it! So what I did was sit down and write out a list of my “love to wear” items and then looked realistically at that list and contemplated holes, things that need to be replaced, things that need an update…a refresh. And I wrote those things down. I have a list of 6 things for the summer/early fall season… Some things are holes that I need to fill. Some things are things that need to be updated…they are worn out and need to be replaced. Some things need to be updated… maybe new pockets, maybe a band of fabric at the hem, maybe new bias tape! Haha. Anyways… I have my list and I am sticking to it!
Finally (let the weekend begin) —
Yes, it is Friday and that means weekending! I have a bit of a list of things to get done outdoors for today. Sadly, they won’t complete themselves… so I better get going! LOL
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I will see you all back here on Monday with an update on my word!
Joining with Juliann today to share an update on my word!
Over the years, I have tried a number of different crafts – cross stitch, embroidery, weaving, spinning, sewing, and knitting to name a few. But, in all things focus is important. and this year as I unpack my word and apply it to my life – I have come to the realization that more is not better. All is not needed and I don’t need to worry about FOMO at all. Knitting and sewing are more than enough to keep me occupied and happy. I don’t feel the urge to try every latest thing that comes along.
Yet even knitting and sewing do not mean successful projects if you do not have focus. And, I have come to understand that not having a focus means projects that seem like a great idea at the time, might not be so great in the end result. And so, with my thoughts on focus this year, I have been more mindful of what I am making. I have spent time thinking about my wardrobe and the things that I wear all the time. I have pondered my perceived “holes” in my wardrobe – which has resulted in actual planning in my making. Having a focused plan has shown me areas that I can perhaps try some new things as well as making more of my favorite pieces. Having a focused making process has also had an unexpected effect as well! It has buffered the desire to cast on a new project or rush out to buy some fabric to sew up something that caught my eye!
My in depth look at my wardrobe showed me that a few things would be a nice addition so when I saw Mary’s Screen Door, it was the perfect fit for a “hole” and I cast on, sans guilt!
And, this focused way of thinking has expanded beyond my closet to the lingering, unfinished projects on needles in various places. Are they something I am going to actually need or wear? It is a freeing way to think about things, because I really don’t want my making to be without vision and that has given me a much better focus!
Thanks to Susan Anderson and a very bad ABBA pun, I am on a bit of a Knit-All-The-Gnome’s spree! Well, at least 2 of them to put on the gifts for Steve’s mom! She is a bit of a Gnome-iac and has them everywhere in her yard. So, it is the most fitting gift! Ha!
As with all of Susan’s patterns this has brilliant construction and is a quick knit! Bonus… there are instructions on how to make a mini-pompoms on a fork!
The amaryllis watch is going well with significant growth this week! Plus, I now have a just-beginning-to-bloom paperwhite added into the mix (thanks to one of my Confirmation students!!)
But, perhaps the best thing of all this week was the success of Genevieve’s Carseat Poncho!! She LOVES it and, imo, looks just too cute in it! She would not take it off saying, “it’s my wings!!”
And, there you have it from me for the week! I will be back here on Monday! Have a great weekend!
