by Kat | Aug 9, 2018 | General, Words
Happy Thursday everyone! (and it is especially happy here! Yesterday, the post office delivered the loveliest of packages for me!
Last month, Bridget had a fun Christmas in July Give Away on her blog and I was one of the lucky recipients! It is almost as if this package was put together just for me, because it is simply perfect!
Thing One:
Alabama Stitch Book by Natalie Chanin! Oh, my! I got lost looking through this yesterday afternoon! It is chock full of ideas and inspiration!
Thing Two:
AVFKW’s Endless Summer Tunic! PERFECT! And, yes… the idea of Endless Summer is just such a grand idea! I am pondering fabrics this morning and can’t wait to stitch this up! (Also… NO DARTS! Ha!)
Thing Three:
Milk + Honey® Lotion Bar…wow! This is my first experience with a lotion bar and how on earth can that be true! Where has this been all my life! This is the perfect balm for my garden-worn hands! It is just the right amount of moisture and does not feel tacky or sticky at all!
Thank you so much, Bridget, for this amazing package of goodies!
Want to see more lists? Head on over to Carole’s!
by Kat | Aug 2, 2018 | General, Words
All the making makes me happy!
Thing One:
T-shirt Dress Number One is almost done!! But wait!! I am contemplating a second t-shirt dress to wear to the Empire Hops Festival. I just need to find the perfect skirt for it.
Thing Two:
The second dress for Genevieve is almost done, and I love the little neckline detail that I tried on this version! I just need to attach the shirt to the bodice, buttonholes and hem and it will be finished!
Thing Three:
Did you see Ann and Kay’s post today? Did you also see the recent post from Annie Modesittt? Would you like to team up with me to knit a blanket for her? I do not know Annie, but I think she is in need of some knitterly love. I will volunteer to seam the blanket and send it to her. So what say you? Are you up for a square or two?
Those are my things and in case you have the burning desire to see more things, head on over to Carole’s!
by Kat | Jul 26, 2018 | General, Words
Things, just three of them, should be easy to come up with each week…amirite?
Not so much, so today’s things are current things on my brain right this very moment!
Thing One:
Tia Coleman, who is on everyone’s mind. Honestly, I am not sure I would want to survive what she has, and she is most certainly in my thoughts.
Thing Two:
Contemplating more sewing…perhaps this, and this, and this. And, I have been looking at fabrics online… I especially like how Clementine has set up a ‘by project’ page.
Thing Three:
Thanks to Castle Rock on Hulu, I completed clue 4 of TTL’s MKAL and clue 5 is underway. I have still not finished skein one and I am contemplating sizing as Kirsten has said that the last clue will have options to “extend” the shawl. However, what I am really jonesing to cast on is Tegna but, I have promised myself I won’t even swatch before I have clue 5 done…
There you have my things for today! Want to see more? Head on over to Carole’s!
by Kat | Jul 19, 2018 | General, Words
Last week Carole shared a most interesting list and several others posted luxury lists of their own. It really got me thinking about luxuries. But, what is a luxury? The dictionary says it is “the state of great comfort and extravagant living” and the list of synonyms include opulence, grandeur, magnificence, splendor, and lavishness. All this sounds very expensive, doesn’t it?
But, all that sort of flies in the face of this quote from Coco Chanel: “Some people think luxury is the opposite of poverty. It is not. It is the opposite of vulgarity.”
Much better, yes?
Today my things are luxuries that are the opposite of vulgarity – and ones that I think are truly luxurious.
Thing One:
The ability to “not have to work” and spend my days doing exactly what I want to do. I am so fortunate that I can do this, and I am most appreciative of that fact!
Thing Two:
Making. This is perhaps the best luxury of all – knitting, stitching, sewing, cooking, baking, etc. Being a maker, I am sure was not always thought of as a luxury and was more a necessity. But, being able to create with my own hands things for those I love is lavish.
Thing Three:
The unexpected luxury of less humid weather mid-July and all that it brings – open windows, no AC, and yes…much longer walks.
There you have my unconventional luxury list. What about you? What do you consider a luxury in your life?
Want to see more lists? Head on over to Carole’s!
by Kat | Jul 12, 2018 | General, Words
Over the course of my life, I have had bouts of insomnia. Sometimes, the cause of the insomnia was easy to identify and other times I spent many a sleepless night pondering the reason of my inability to sleep. These days the cause of my sleeplessness is easily identified, but sadly – it is not so easily solved.
I thought I’d share what I do when I can’t sleep at night.
Thing One: Read
My first response is to try to fill my brain with a new place to go and most times filling my brain with something else brings sleep. It disrupts the train of worried thoughts that is racing around my head. I am unbelievably thankful for my iPad which allows me to read in bed without disturbing Steve because I have been doing lots of night reading the past week weeks!
Thing Two: Make Lists
If reading is not cutting it, my next “fix” is to de-clutter my brain (or clutter it more?) by thinking about things I need to get done, things I want to get done, things I want to try, and things I need to remember (my mammogram percolated to the top last week in one of these list making sessions, and you will be happy to know I go next Wednesday to get that mammogram done!) It amazes me at how much I remember from these nocturnal lists – which, sadly, means that I am pondering these lists all too regularly.
Thing Three: Meditate
It seems there is no shortage of things to meditate on these days… good and bad. But, my latest meditations include asking those Thai Navy Seals to come here to help with the reunification of the thousands of children trapped in Trump Hell… I think if they could successfully navigate the treacherous caves with such success, perhaps they can do the same here.
There you have my insomniac ramblings! Want to see more lists? Head on over to Carole’s!
