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Broth made by boiling a couple carrots, about 2 inches of delicata squash, a handful of kale and a bit of bullion.
Blended all that together and then added: 2 fried corn tortillas cut into strips, a handful of black beans, a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds and a dab of strained yogurt.
It was clear I didn't have enough yarn.
I thought about a trip to the local yarn store.
I looked on-line to see if I could find something similar.
Not really the path I want to go.
One goal I have for myself it to only buy what is necessary.
Then I remembered the cowl I had set aside. It didn't fit quite right, too loose and not loose enough.
The plan was to felt it and make something else.
It's not the same colorway, but both skeins contain some of the same colors.
20 minutes of unraveling and I had enough yarn to take me where I want to go.
I'm at about 3 inches now.
Finished the second mitt of the pair. Now I need to sew up the seams.
On one row I knit where I should have purled.
I didn't go back.
One mitt finished.
I've been without a camera for the last couple days and it made me realize how much I see during the day that I want to document.
To get things resolved, I had to go to the local mall. It was the first time in about three years and I didn't want to linger after I had things taken care of.
I sat at the bus stop knitting for 30 minutes, thinking about lifestyle choices.
It seemed like an act of protest somehow: to sit without a purchase, in front of a mall, making something.
My messy skeins are starting to be organized.
These are Spincycle yarns and have been in my stash for a long time. I am sure I bought the yarn when they were selling at the local farmer's market.
Time to make something with them...
Habits and routines have been on my mind a lot the last couple weeks.
The patterns of them,
how they are created,
how they are broken.
Last year I hoped to document a little piece of creativity each day (here).
It didn't happen.
I have routines and habits but struggle with daily practices.
I get distracted easily (although curiosity is rarely a bad thing).
I've realized that a large part of where I put my creative energy isn't documented here...that thing called "work."
I get tired and in that tiredness, quiet.
And sometimes discouraged:
(A tangle I need to undo.)
This year I'll still try to find a moment in each day to be creative
but let go of expectations.
And try to find ways to release more of my story...
It's in the sharing of story that connections are formed.
Release: to cease to hold or contain, to remove the obligation of, that which is untied or let go.
Yesterday the first words said to me by another person were, as she raised her arms to the sky, "Isn't it beautiful right now?"
We were at the bus stop: early in the morning, temperature 25 F, stars and moon in the sky.
I thought what a beautiful way to start the day.
Later in the day I picked up my library books, including Consolations by David Whyte. Diving in a bit I found a definition for "beauty."
"Beauty is the harvest of presence, the evanescent moment of seeing or hearing on the outside what already lives far inside us...."
Already know that I won't be ready to return this book when it is due.
This morning, clear and cold again.
Finished another pair of mitts.
A different pattern than I usually use, with no added stitches around the thumb hole. I like the mobility it gives. (Pattern is from an issue of Knitscene/interweave press, 2010)
Perhaps a style easier to wear while working, while creating.
Something to consider.
Happy New Year...