by Kat | Nov 11, 2024 | General, In This Moment
…is for trying to ease back into “normalcy.” Whatever that is… although from my perspective, it is very disconcerting.
I have very much unplugged from all media since last Wednesday. I had not read or listened or watched any news, not even NPR’s brief Morning Edition podcast. But I tried to ease myself back in a bit this morning and I don’t think I am ready for news yet. I realize that it is the height of privilege to be able to make this choice, but before I can help anyone I need to heal myself and I am not at all interested in thoughts on “what went wrong” etc.
I believed I was in a colossal reading slump until I settled in with Jane Cooper’s The Lost Flock. Perhaps it was not a reading slump at all but rather just books that arrived at the wrong time for the space I am in. Jane is the perfect companion as I make my way through these unsettling days.
The other thing that has helped me tremendously is Cecelia Campochiaro’s marled-sequence shawl. My brain is loving the methodical knits and purls… one stitch after another… the perfect meditation companion. I am not feeling this knit as a “hurry up and finish” but rather it is a project that says take your time, we will work through this mess together.
I still don’t feel exactly ready to face this very divided country, but I am getting closer one knit and purl at a time while I listen to Jane as she shares life with Boreray sheep.
See you all back here on Wednesday with some unraveling.
by Kat | Oct 7, 2024 | General, In This Moment
Is for rounding out my “packing list” with some “insurance”…
- A skein of sock yarn and sock needles
- Stitching bits and pieces
- and yes, a warm coat, another hat, and mittens!
I added those last bits yesterday when I saw the much chillier than expected forecast for this week. I don’t think the vest I already had on the list will be enough. I seriously contemplated not bring anything to knit, thinking perhaps that a break might be a good thing. But I don’t know of any yarn stores up near Erie, so in case my knitting mojo comes roaring back I will be prepared!
I have debated with myself a dozen times about bringing stitching or not… and I reminded myself of what happened last spring when I did not take the stitching… so I pulled out a small bag to put some bits in.
Now to unearth a warm hat and some mittens… because you know that by committing to bringing a warm coat, a hat, and mittens I won’t need them! (But if I did not pack them, well… you know how that would go!)
Happy Monday everyone! See you all back here on Wednesday!
by Kat | Sep 16, 2024 | General, In This Moment
We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer’s wreckage. We will welcome summer’s ghost. — Henry Rollins
Summer’s ghost was alive a well last week… again it was (very) dry with temps climbing into the 80’s. But I see signs of change … signs that things are leaning into a new season. Birds are flocking… most notably, the Blue Jays that arrive in my yard each morning patiently awaiting the “Nut Lady” to bring out the peanuts! Blue Jays that can tell time make me smile! Some have progressed further through the late summer molt than others as there are one or two who look quite haggard. But they all are expert “nut weighers”… I like watching them pick through the peanut shells to find the heaviest one which they quickly whisk away!
I have hopes for rain this week… we need it so desperately but maybe not tomorrow night, which will be the 4th and final full moon of summer… A Super Harvester Moon with a partial lunar eclipse! And I caught the ISS soaring overhead last night… it was my first time seeing it and it was exciting! I freed my inner little girl and waved in the dark as it sailed overhead. Or perhaps it was a bit of leftover exuberance from the Makers for Kamala call! We have such an amazing community… I am proud to be part of it.
This week, my making plans include making a bit of a “book” (and I am using that term VERY loosely!) to participate a bit in Karen Abend’s Sketchbook Revival. I have some sheets of cold press watercolor paper that I am going to break down to make them more useable and make them into a bit of a sketchbook.
The other important thing I did for myself yesterday was to make a batch of steel cut oats for breakfasts this week (which is super easy to do in the crockpot!) The tiniest bit of work on a Sunday morning makes for a week of healthy, ready-to-go breakfasts for myself! (And I have no excuse to skip brekkie this way!)
Happy Monday everyone, see you all back here on Wednesday!
by Kat | Aug 19, 2024 | General, In This Moment
Good morning gentle readers and Happy Monday!
Today I am sharing a thing… a maker thing
Yes… a Makers for Kamala sort of thing!
Spread the word! #ImIn
Also… Threads is just delightful, if you were wondering!
See you all back here on Wednesday!
by Kat | Aug 12, 2024 | General, In This Moment
Is still full of the energy from Friday’s class with Cecelia Campochiaro!
Yes, three hours on Friday afternoon have re-invigorated my life! If you ever… EVER… have the chance to take a class that Cecelia teaches, TAKE IT!
She is brilliant, her style of teaching is so engaging… she is a deep font of knowledge and she does not hold back! And she is smart… so smart. Knitting micro-swatches as I listened to her talk about color, about marls, about knitting… was genius. It allowed my brain to just focus on her. And when we got to the portion of the class where she began to use her micro-swatches to bring order to the little bits… well, my brain was just buzzing! It was amazing!
“Labeled” cones awaiting their turn to join the magic of marling!
I spent a good amount of time Saturday afternoon setting to order my micro-swatches… Thank goodness for Washi Tape! It worked perfectly to affix my swatches and also allowed for easy removal to work out my order (I lined them up in several different orders, but the one I finally settled on really flowed best for me!) So I mapped out my “course” through these swatches… the brilliance of Cecelia’s method is that your goal is to never change more than one strand of yarn at a time… this path achieves that and the colors (I thought) flowed best. (and her tip for not having to weave in ends made my heart sing!)
The next part was to determine the number of repeats for each color. (Note… a buzzing brain might not be as accurate with the maths… please double check your work! LOL)
I cast on late Saturday and I have never been so excited about a pattern in my life!
I would like to take a moment to thank Ann and Kay for making this stunning class available to “the masses”! This class is, hands down, the best class I have EVER taken! To Cecelia… I almost have no words… she is a phenomenal teacher. She is generous, she knows SO much… so much! And her color sense… genius (yes, she picked the colors for our kits!) Thank you, thank you, dear Cecelia!
Now, I am going to take this energy to do a spot of cleaning so I can get back to the knitting! Happy Monday everyone!
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