by Kat | Jan 8, 2024 | General, Welcome
Begin as you mean to go on… Charles Spurgeon
Here we are one week into the new year. I spent some of last week tucking away Christmas… a bit of a melancholic activity. But I also like the feeling of reclaimed space to start the new year… which helps to balance the sadness of packing the tree away.
I also spent some time contemplating the year… I got my calendar all set for the month. I always feel so organized by doing this and perhaps this year that feeling will linger!
And I spent some time comtemplating Carole’s idea of slowing down a bit in January.
And with those thoughts in mind, here is what I want my January to hold!
- More poetry… I have three books from the library and I am excited to immerse myself in them!
- More slow stitching… I have unearthed the appliqué project from last year. I began a new year-long “free stitch” project as well, I am using this project with my morning coffee and journal time… it is fitting in well!
- More handknit socks… so I cast on my first pair on Friday using Carole’s Picot Edge Sock pattern… and have made incredible progress just knitting at night while we watch TV! (I might even have the first sock done by Wednesday!!)
- More spinning… so I have “reactivated” a reminder for two afternoons a week. I am hoping the reminder to “sit and spin” will help this become a habit!
This is an ambitious list for someone who wants a slow January… but I am mindful that the activities here are all slow… and that they will inherently slow me down so I can savor January days!
What about you? What are you saying hello to this month?
Photo by Jill Wellington
by Kat | Jan 4, 2021 | General, In This Moment
Happy First Monday in January! There might be a wee bit of excitement in my house this morning as Steve returns to his “usual schedule” this week…whew! LOL
My day is full of so many things from laundry to Undecorating to OLW contemplation… a truly varied list. I am hoping that laundry becomes less “mundane” when paired with OLW contemplation.
This short poem that I listened to yesterday was so full! It is going to be my guide for a January of quiet contemplation. I hope you find something in these words to help your January get off to a very good start! See you all back here on Wednesday for some “first finishes” of the New Year!
Winter Is the Best Time
by David Budbill
Winter is the best time
to find out who you are.
Quiet, contemplation time,
away from the rushing world,
cold time, dark time, holed-up
pulled-in time and space
to see that inner landscape,
that place hidden and within.
David Budbill, “Winter Is the Best Time” from While We’ve Still Got Feet. © 2015 by David Budbill.
by Kat | Jan 2, 2018 | General, In This Moment
Did you miss me? I sure missed you all!
My plans to end 2017 did not include falling off the blogging map! I did have some rather nice posts planned to close out the year. However, they were only plans in my head and not plans in the form of ready to go blog posts.
Sickness and that lack of preplanning made for very quiet days at Casa delKatKnits as 2017 ended. A HUGE thank you to those who messaged me asking if I was alright! Yes, I am back among the land of the living…barely, but absolutely on the upswing!
In my absentia, besides sleeping an inordinate amount of time, I managed to finish my epic yearlong stitching project. I am stitching away on my new stitching project with mixed feelings. I have not taken any stitches out, but I am not feeling much love for this project in its current state. I spent some time meditating yesterday while I untrimmed the tree and I think I have figured out a way ahead and I am excited to stitch today, so I hope I might be on the right path. More on both projects later this week!
I also managed to finish the body of Treysta and I am working on sleeve one! This was accomplished while binge-watching Strange Things on Netflix. Sometimes, mindless, in the round knitting and unbelievable television are the best companions for the sickly!
Reading absolutely won in 2017, because I only managed to finish 15 projects last year…5 hats, a pair of mitts, a pair of socks, 3 shawls, a necklace, and 4 sweaters. Not a lot of knitting for me for an entire year. I hope to rectify that this year.
There are parts of me that would like a bit of a do-over for some things last week, most especially NYE. Steve found a recipe for Milk Street Kitchen’s version of a French 75. I was determined to not be a total party pooper NYE and I did make us a drink to have with the homemade soup, but it was just not quite right and would have been ever so much better with some actual celebratory eats! Perhaps this weekend we can make them again – this time with more fitting accoutrements…(and perhaps even pictures!)
Now, I have an insanely long, sort of out of control, catch-all list from hell that has my name burned on the top of it. I better get to it before I self-destruct! Doing laundry is tops on the list as I am almost out of clean jammies. Perhaps getting dressed might also be a good idea today!
See you back here tomorrow for some Unraveling!
P.S. To the brilliant commentor who quickly saw my ginormous math mistake, thank you! You won the day and are absolute proof that finishing blog posts that include math while deathly ill is not the smartest thing ever. But, thanks to her genius skills, I was even happier to find out that my reading success was even MORE successful!
by Kat | Jan 1, 2016 | General, Words
Welcome to 2016, Gentle Reader, one I hope will be truly a remarkable year!
But, New Year – new you? I hope not so much, I spent much of last year trying to improve me. I wanted to learn more and do more.
And, I think I did fairly well.
2015 saw me become a student of yoga, which has become an almost daily ritual for me. I am happy about this but I need to do more. Every year I fool myself about losing weight, well the days of fooling myself are over. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. What this equates to is more action needs to happen in my life, as in MOVE IT! Which is a struggle when all your favorite activities are sedentary ones.
However, knitting and walking is apparently thing… Stay tuned for more on this become a thing in my life as 2016 unfolds.
I loved the stitching process in making my daughters “family tree” so you can expect more stitching projects in 2016. I am a long way from the beauty that Bonnie Sennott stitches, but I won’t let that stop me. This book might be the perfect addition to my library.
But, what I really want to focus on this year is gratitude. I will be working through 365Grateful this year. You will see things about this all year-long here on the blog, but if you want to see my daily gratitude, follow me on Instagram!
And so, what I am especially grateful for today: coffee, in a very special mug.
Happy New Year!
