An eclipse is one phenomenon that is actually more impressive from the ground. — Leroy Chiao
There has been so much Eclipse Hype on everything… the local news especially, here in the South Hills of Pittsburgh but I am not sure they counted for grey, cloudy skies… very cloudy skies and rain!
But today, as we creep up to the eclipse, I will be making Mourning Dove silhouette’s to sit on the lines from my backyard. These doves will grace the seventeenth page giving a bit of me to my daughter’s book. I love the doves that sit on those lines morning and evening… they are a constant in my day with their meditative calls and gentle nature. They bring calm to my day… for it is impossible to be angry or stressed with these sweet birds.
Ready for the birds!
I have some bits of fabric that I will use to create the doves from to “perch” on my stitched lines. I don’t know how many I will be able to do in my timeframe… but maybe I can get 6 or 8 of them cut out in 15 minutes today! (And no, I am not counting the drawing time in the equation!!) But this will be a very peaceful way to begin my week! Even a rainy, cloudy, likely to ruin an eclipse kind of day! But I am not going to worry about a potentially obscured eclipse, instead I will keep myself grounded in this Monday… with Mourning Doves and slow stitching!
It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ― Charles Dickens
Dickens surely got the days of March right in my neighborhood this year! We have had a month of all.the.weathers. in abundance! So as I close the door on March 2024… I thought a TGIF post was very in order.
Thinking (about) —
Poetry… in fact, right now it is all poetry, all the time in my house! I picked up a stack of poetry books from the library and have immersed myself in it! Why? Well… April is the best month ever!! It is National Poetry Month! And Kym, Bonny, Sarah, and I have a fun month of Thursday’s filled with poetry planned for you, dear reader! Beginning April 4 and ending on April 25… four fabulous Thursday’s with some poetry for you! I hope you all are as eager for National Poetry Month as we are! (and if not, I hope that our month of poetry will show you just how fun poetry can be!)
Gliding (along) —
I have just 6 “pages” to go in my 100 day project… which translates to 29 days of planning, thinking, plotting, and yes…29 days of stitching left! This might be the best 100 day project I have ever done (and I have done a few!) I really feel like I have hit the “sweet spot” of this project… ideas are bubbling like a fountain in my brain and I have to curb them a bit in order to keep within the 15 minutes per day guidelines! This is a very good problem to have! Ideas for how to continue this inspired stitching past 100 days have been marinating as well and I am excited to start some new things once my book is completed!
(seeking) Inspiration Instruction —
Way back in February, I had put on my “list” the need for a bit of a haircut for myself… but as I still have not made that appointment my hair is, of course, a bit longer. And I got this wild idea that my hair might be long enough for me to try something other than a “messy bun” (which, honestly, requires zero hair “doing” talent, lol) Yes, I am that person with zero hair “doing” ability. My poor girls were lucky to get a couple of pigtails or a ponytail… and the art of French braiding was well beyond my woeful abilities. However, I have been noodling around Pinterest and I am going to try and teach myself some “alternative” hair options! If you have any helpful hair tips, tricks, or ideas… I am open to any and all ideas (short of shaving my head that is! lol)
Feeling (celebratory) —
18 years ago tomorrow, As Kat Knits was born! And I had absolutely no idea then where a blog would take me! At first, the writing was really lacking and I did not even know enough to give my first post a title and I think it took me some time to figure out how the importance of a photo! But over the years I have found my voice and a community that I love, respect, and feel blessed by… you all are what keeps me here sharing the thoughts that spill out onto this site. I have been thinking about the “posts of the past” like Carole’s Ten on Tuesday’s, the many NaBloPoMo’s I did, Carole’s Three on Thursday’s, and the collaboration that Carole and I had with Think, Write, Thursday’s! If you see a very Carole-centric theme here about my blogging, you’d be very right. Carole is one of the most generous bloggers who welcomed me to this community and I think she has helped me be a better blogger over the years! The “posts of the present” provide a steadiness to my week with Unraveled Wednesday’s each week – it gives me some accountability, loads of inspiration, and a steady stream of TBR books! I also love the poetry collaboration I participate in with Bonny and Kym! (Again, blogging that brings voices together in community is the best!) But I am always thinking about ways to spark myself here weekly… yes, I do think about “posts of the future” and where this blog might go and where it might not go! There have been numerous times that I have contemplated the end of As Kat Knits but somehow, I still find that I have things to say and I have some ideas for the future that I keep tumbling around. So Happy Blogiversary to As Kat Knits… and a huge thanks to all of you who are part of this community!
Happy Friday, everyone! See you all back here on Monday!
May stitching brings the completion of five months of my daily stitching routine and to say that this has changed my life is an understatement! It has become the best part of my day, the thing I look most forward to, and I am still amazed at how this has sparked my creativity.
And, I really love that I can look at each day’s stitching and remember the inspiration.
The collage:
And, May complete – pale, lighter, awakening. All the good things that May brings!
June is off to an interesting start as well. I felt I was getting too comfortable in working circularly from the center out, so I am changing things up to a more linear approach this month. I love how uncomfortable it feels right now. That is a sure sign of good things!
Oh, the snow… Yep, s-n-o-w. Crazy how that white contrasts so intensely with the new greens.
However, I immortalized my fragile lilac buds in my stitching yesterday because I fear after today they will be gone. It makes me so sad but I am hoping that it does not get as cold as they are predicting (or, frankly, that we get WAY MORE snow to insulate the tender buds so that they won’t just be a memory stitched into April.)
Stitching has become an obsession for me – I am stitching for my #The100DaysProject but, beyond that it is that thing that rattles most frequently around in my brain. I wake up at night with ideas and inspiration to stitch. It has expanded (??) or perhaps unleashed my creativity and I am eager to get to my stitching every day. With three months of work complete – it has gone from habit to passion. I also love the slowness of the process – a little bit each day and each day builds upon the last. I do not map out anything at all for the month. No drawing, planning, plotting, nothing – just pure inspiration. Somedays, I am really uncomfortable with that days stitiching, but I leave it and come back the next day and build on it. By the end of the month, I am surprised by this: that which made me most uncomfortable is what I like best about the piece. I am learning so much from this process which is always a very good thing!
Now, how about some links?
First up, PAKnitwit shared this gem with me and I simply had to share with you all. I had never heard Carole King sing this, but I love it!
Mary Lou Egan has a new baby sweater from sock yarn! (P.S. She writes excellent patterns!!)
Speaking of sweater – Tegan is the perfect weekend friend. (and more fingering… sorry about that!)
Finally, Calliopsis is Bonnie Sennott’s latest cowl – and she is having a sale on cowls through Sunday. (Who is up for a KAL with this one? It would be the perfect summer cowl!! I think Mary has already started….)
That is all I have for today! Have a great weekend and I will see you back here on Monday!!
I have been a faithful participant in Ginny’s Yarn Along, but all good things much come to an end. And, so it is with Yarn Along. So, what do you do when reading and knitting are major a major theme for your blog (and, quite frankly, your life?) Maybe you think creatively and determine to make a new spot for those who have the same theme in their life?
And, that is exactly what I did; Welcome to Unraveled Wednesday’s!
I think this is something we all do rather well – in both knitting and reading. And, while unraveling a book might be less painless than unraveling your knitting – it is necessary occasionally.
I hope you will join me on Wednesdays and unravel the stories you are reading and share your crafting inspiration – knitting, crochet, spinning, sewing, quilting, weaving, drawing, etc.
This week my reading was stellar – I finished A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny. This is the fourth Inspector Gamache novel I have read, and like others have said before me, this book did not disappoint at all. My love for Armande Gamache grows with each book. I gave it 5 stars and cannot wait to read book five. What’s next? Last year I read and loved Derek Miller’s Norwegian by Night and am looking forward to his new book – The Girl in Green. It is up next in my reading queue.
Knitting is progressing, albeit slowly. However, today I am sharing my stitching pieces from January and February, and March to date – they have yet to be washed or blocked (I don’t know if this is something I am supposed to do or not, research is in process…) I have just a few more days of stitching in March and I am pleased with how this turned out. I have some wonderful ideas for April as well as some lovely fabric swatches that I am going to incorporate. And, I am so excited to begin using lighter colors in my stitching!
January 2017 Stitching
February 2017 Stitching
March 2017 Stitching, thus far…
I am really pleased with how January and February have turned out. If you are interested in learning more about my stitching process, I post my daily stitching on Instagram, please feel free to follow me there! And, if you want to get started on your own stitching journey – I would be happy to share with you the process I am using, and I would encourage you to get a copy of Claire Wellesley-Smith’s Slow Stitch book. It is the best starting point and gives great ideas and inspiration!
That is all I have for today – if you would like to join me, please add your blog link below:
