I want to be wrapped up in a blanket not wrapped up in myself I want to lose myself in a book not lose myself to conformity I want to  turn down the digital noise not turn my back to need I want to add to the beauty not add to the chaos I want to be  remembered for my compassion kindness joy if I am remembered at all.

First project! I made this lovely (link goes to Ravelry)  Sunset Mesa Cowl  in a day, and I love how it turned out. I will happily embrace any excuse to use Spincycle yarn and I feel like this was a perfect application, with the sunset theme. It even faded to almost the same exact blue of the Malabrigo Rios background by the end! This was my first time knitting one of Jennifer Berg's patterns, but having discovered her/them, I have several more in my mental queue.  Most of my knitting this month was a return to my knitting roots - shop samples, for Kandy . First I made this (link goes to Ravelry)  Elemental Raglan with DanDoh DK Cotton. It was an interesting garment to make, although not necessarily something I'd want for myself. I was pleasantly surprised by the yarn, which initially struck me as likely to split, but it didn't (much). Next was (another Rav link) a  Woven Shadows  in DanDoh Linen. The sideways construction of the garment and the chainette ...

A practice I began near the beginning of this year was pulling a card daily to journal on - more as a starting point for free writing than anything. I also discovered that it's a great way to get to know a new deck, so when my long awaited Botanica  arrived a few weeks ago (it had been in pandemic limbo for months) I finished up the one I was using and eagerly began anew with Kevin's lovely floral illustrations. The first card I pulled, at my inaugural monthly retreat, was The Tower. Structures razed to the ground, slates wiped clean. I know people who are terrified of that card, but I personally found it both reassuring and actually expected. The whole past year has been a deconstructing process for me, so I was already safely out of the building before the lightning struck. Now begins clean up and reconstruction. I've essentially decided what's worth keeping at this point, so now begins the journey of filling in the gaps.  Replacing complaining with gratitude.  Replac...

Something I've been pondering lately is the concept of comfort.  What is it, exactly? How can I teach my kids about it in healthy ways? How can I make sure that my leisure doesn't take from someone else's life? It's a lot of heavy thinking for something that's supposed to be simple and cozy. But what sparked it was noticing that a lot of my childhood favorites have been ruined by knowledge - media with slurs and ideologies I now know to be offensive and wrong, unethical manufacturing practices and appropriative designs that cause me to abruptly Google things that I'm wearing or that super cute blanket I'd love to buy and snuggle under, even chocolate isn't safe since the maker of my (former) favorite treat is one of three companies currently being sued for child labor and exploitation. Ignorance may be bliss, but knowledge is power, and I'd rather be empowered by hard truths than rely on a surface level happiness that comes at someone else's exp...

 Dandelion dent-de-lion lion's tooth Wreaths of golden courage cresting a milky stem surrounded by spring's first food Yellow face facing the yellow sun reaching with swift confidence Petals turn to puffs a magnetic sphere calling all to wish upon it Courage fuels desire of-heart becomes of-life imagination, reality.

  Maker post! I found a single hank of Hedgehog Fibres sock yarn on sale at Yarn Kandy that I needed something to do with, and Kandy suggested a Ranunculus   (link goes to Ravelry). I held the sock with a strand of Shibui Knits Silk Cloud for the body, and I enjoyed both the process and the finished product of this, to the extent that I'd like to make another. I'm beginning to like knits designed for layering, and the higher hemlines. It was a gratifying small wearable after spending a solid month working on this delicious monstrosity. I designed Affirmation  for Needlehook Fibers, and you can find the pattern (with the yarn!) on her website. It's meant to feel like a big hug (who doesn't need one of those right now?) and the lace panel down the center is memorizably geometric. Something I try to do is knit a Mother Bear Project bear  anytime someone I know has a baby - but, there's a lot of seaming involved, so it usually takes me awhile to make one, once I factor...

I have observed a phenomenon in some people that I call "directional insecurity." It's when someone hears the GPS tell them "take the exit" and the exit sign says that is goes to the place they're trying to get to, but the person then doesn't take the exit and ends up calling for help from an intersection several miles away from where they should be. This baffled me for a long time - why can't people follow directions?  - until my husband (who is good to shift my black and white tendencies into the grey areas of nuance and empathy) pointed out that at its core it's a lack of confidence in ones own ability to follow directions. A constant questioning of ones own judgment and discernment. That is - how shall I put this? - not something I struggle with. Yes, I tend to do a lot of research before attempting something new, but then I apply my research in the field, with confidence. I knew how to get from where I would be living to where I would be wor...