Posts

Linto Cowl Pattern Complete and a Giveaway

Image
My Linto Cowl has been finished for a week or so but I had my son here for a few weeks and so this post was delayed.  I loved this pattern immensely!   Andrea  wrote a clear pattern that showcases almost any kind of fingering weight yarn. If you have some experience knitting and are a beginner knitter looking to stretch your knitting skills this pattern would be ideal.  The directions are clear and concise.  The details Andrea addressed are perfect for dipping your toes into a textured pattern. So there is a giveaway of ONE pattern to a person who comments on this post.  The rules are: -you must have an email or ravelry name so Andrea can contact you. -you must have a ravelry account - the pattern will be gifted through ravelry on ravelry -the contest runs from today until next Tuesday - July 26th, noon eastern time. -the winner will be selected by a random number generator by me -I will announce the winner here on this post on July 26 and notify Andrea. -if for so

Weekends

Image
Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments  in the comment section with a link to your blog. mornings starting right with writing and reflection Did you have a wonderful weekend?  I hope so!  I find the weekends hold such slow moving minutes, the more I age the faster time flies by but weekends, well they go a little bit slower.  Yesterday I was computer/internet free (I know!  I'm shocked..) and I enjoyed lots of podcasts and knitting.  I also escaped to Mars via  The Martian  novel that I'm reading. I've decided to quit judging books based on genre.  Well I hope I quit because this book is a compelling read and I'm not into science or surviving on Mars.  If I stretch my brain, I'm an apocalypse catastrophe believer, especially an epidemic... good good stuff, totally believable.  I wonder how many books I pass by because I'm "not into them"

Fractured Attention

Image
My attention has felt fractured these days.  Whenever I have family visiting, the rhythm changes and my focus is shifted to lots of talking, being together and well enjoying the moment.  I like that a lot.  However, my daily life is chopped up into little bits.  I don't know how I got anything done when the kids were small and I was a full time mom.. but I did. Now I feel proud when the dishes are done and the kitchen is closed for the day, I will not tell you about the ever growing pile of my son's books on the kitchen island that I'm gracefully ignoring.  Usually that pile is on the coffee table.  Don't worry the coffee table has a bit of a mess going on and I'm gracefully turning a blind eye to that as well. Okay, back to fractured attention...I wonder about the time and attention I put into this blog and on instagram.  I love both but when life is busy, I cut back on reading blogs and writing posts.  My standards are minimized and 'thin'.  This

Currently on the Needles

Image
As you can see, I'm making fantastic progress on my socks .  I do love the contrasting heel and toe, I might do that on the next few pairs of socks.  The pattern is quick and easy, I did change a few things, mainly doing 2 x 2 ribbing, my preferred ribbing of choice.  One sock done and one to go! I'm plugging away on The Martian  and overall I'm enjoying the story.  The main character is sarcastic and quite funny (I'm sarcastic and quite funny).  However, I admit that my science education is rusty and lacking.  There is a LOT of chemistry talk and gosh, my eyes glass over and I kind of drool in my own stupidity.  However, I guess I'm learning something (?). I wish, really wish, that I paid attention to Mrs. Lucas in Chemistry I.  But I didn't and I relied on my chemistry partner, Eileen who was the valedictorian of our class, to do all the labs for us.  I cheated myself in learning basic science stuff (see! high tech science talk from me) and The Martia

Weekends

Image
Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments  in the comment section with a link to your blog. Guess what?  I was in Old Montreal over the weekend! Originally we were planning ( I was planning) to go in August but our son expressed an interest so we moved the trip up to July so he could go with us. As you can imagine, I had lots of fun but I missed home more than usual.  Getting old? street performers! We left on Thursday and stayed two nights and took in the sights and sounds.  I loved the basilica and all the holiness inside of it.  That is when I love being a Catholic the most, the statues, the candles and the history - so so good! Friday we walked everywhere and I clocked over 21,000 steps walking towards downtown which is 12,000 more that I like to do with my RA but I survived (after complaining and pouting). Isn't that church magnificent? I think so!

Ordinary days

Image
For me when the string of ordinary days occur, I hit my blissful self.  There is nothing like the same old same old over and over that soothes my mind and brings contentment to my days. I've been like this since I was a child. I had anxiety whenever the school had a field trip and the schedule shifted. As soon as I was on my way, I was fine (sort of, when the tears stopped).  So when I'm faced with boring days, endless sameness over and over - I'm my happiest! I will admit that traveling makes appreciation my focus.  I do enjoy seeing new places doing new things (sort of..) but I shine brightly at home getting all my tasks completed.  Ordinary days gives room in my mind to center my intentions on myself and on others.  That focus helps me feel like I'm helping in small ways. Gratitude lists, praying for others helps me train my brain in mindfulness, a skill I've lacked growing up.  How lucky am I that I've found my way to this practice. 

Currently on the Needles

Image
Well, you must be thinking I'm someone else the week.  I am reading The Martian  which is completely out of my reading comfort zone.  I did love the opening sentence of the book which is R rated and kind of sarcastically funny.  You see, both my son and my nephew insisted this is my kind of book and the content isn't as important as the way the story is told.  So, I'm reading it and I'm liking it. I finished The Nest  and it was fantastic!!  Sure it's about a dysfunctional selfish family of middle aged siblings but I kind of liked them because it showed the "ugly" side of us, the petty, the unforgiving and the horrible stuff that might cross our minds when we are feeling vulnerable or sad (or selfish).  The characters were interesting and most of them had personal growth. My knitting!  Can you see it?   SOCKS .  I felt like if I cast on another shawl I was going to groan.  So I needed to do something else, and socks are the answer to knitting ennui.