So This is The New Year

Hi friends! Happy New Year to you. January came to us swift and sure and cold, all the while withholding the one thing that redeems the final chapter of a dark winter: snow. There is snow in the forecast tonight late late late and I don’t think I’ll be able to stay up for it, and feel as though by the time I wake up tomorrow morning, it will all be frozen goop instead of a fluffy white blanket. I still have hope though, always remembering the year that the “snowpocalypse” almost ruined my mid-February birthday. We have hot cocoa in our pantry just in case.

It’s hard for me to know how much I want to share in this space, because I always want it to be a warm hug for readers to come to, a good and bright spot where creativity is king and daydreamers are welcome. But to be totally honest, it has been a really, really challenging few months. I’ve been in some circumstances one right after the other that have made me have to really work to stand up for myself, and have to rethink future plans, and wonder what fresh garbage the next day will hold, and it has been exhausting. I have found myself longing over and over for things not to be this hard, and to wonder “why”, and all sorts of understandable but ultimately unhelpful thought patterns for which my regular schedule of therapy has been a complete godsend.

I saw an image on IG the other day that reflected on how growth looks different for everyone: a picture of two plants, one which was blooming, and one with an extensive system of deep roots, but only a few leaves to the naked eye. It resonated with me deeply, and I know I am growing strong roots in this season. They will be hard-fought and (I hope) solidifying moving forward.

AND YET. In the midst of all of this. Joy. I received no fewer than three bouquets from the people in my life who love me the most this week. B and I have perfected a new couch snuggle that guarantees I fall asleep completely warm and perfectly happy in five minutes flat. I have started a new mug collection and it is bringing an actual, full smile to my face every time I see it. My grocery store hyacinth has the most heavenly scent you can imagine! We have a new president! And of course, there is knitting. My mental energy has been real low by the time I have space in my day to work on new designs, but I am still working on a new mitten design that I am excited to share with you hopefully soon.

I hope that whatever this new year has already brought, you are digging deep, staying cozy, and that you are lucky enough to experience the perfect stillness of a snowy morning.

A long-awaited hinterland Dress

Should you follow along in my knitting and sewing adventures on the blog with some regularlity, you’ll remember that sewing up a Hinterland dress by the talented Meg has been on my list of to-makes for, well, about 18 months. I purchased the fabric and pattern something like last February and there they both stayed for the longest time. Once again a small fear ballooned in my brain until the idea of actually putting scissors to paper and needle to thread seemed too too much against the dreaded unknown of buttonholes and sewing buttons on a garment. I toyed with the idea of a pattern modification to omit the buttonholes, but they really are a key feature of the pattern and really make it the special thing that it is. I thought, “Snaps could be a good substitute!” But resisted the urge to consume more craft supplies in light of the only reason for my consumerism would in fact be the fear of using something I had. I sewed dress after dress and jacket and knitted sweater, took on knit fabrics and gathers and in-set pockets but firmly avoided buttons. (I am very good at procrastinating when I set my mind to it.)

As with 99.99999% of things for which I have an irrational avoidance, one day I woke up and decided that Enough is Enough and I am sewing these buttonholes today. I reasoned with myself, “Just do one step at a time!” and before I knew it, I had sewn my first placket, gathered a little sleeve, and this dress was looking distinctly ready for buttonholes. And then, I just went for it (after a practice or four on some scrap fabric). Turns out, sewing machines are very good at sewing buttonholes and it was over in about five minutes. And wouldn’t you have guessed, I love these little buttons, slightly crooked though they may be, and am very invested in sewing at least two more of this dress, buttons and all.

The fabric is a linen/cotton blend I purchased at a big box fabric store. I did, as is likely obvious, the short version of the Hinterland with sleeves and a half-placket. The only modifications I made for this first version were to omit the bust darts, which I generally dislike, and to include the optional waist ties in the back. With my favorite season quickly approaching and the stash-diving already begun, I’ll next put together a kind of colorblocked version with longer sleeves and a little more length, I think. This pattern is very straightforward for a beginner and I would highly recommend it to those who are in search of a delightful and easy dress to wear at home in these hot final days of summer.

Artist's Box Top Dress Take 1 & 2

There are so many great indie sewing patterns in the world, sometimes it can be overwhelming to choose which ones to start with as a beginner, or which variation on a basic dress shape you should choose when you get started with an idea. I was introduced to the Artist’s Box Top and Dress by my friend Rae, and had not made this type of dress since I attempted my first Fen dress several years ago. It was a similar shape and I had some thrifted cotton fabric in my stash that I thought would make a great little summery dress.

I kind of rushed to make this first one as I was in my pre-travel make-all-the-things headspace before heading out of town for a trip and wanting some new clothes to take with me, but it still turned out so so cute. The sizes are grouped into three general size ranges, 0-12, 14-22, and 24-32 and I made the dress in the first size range. It was still plenty boxy even though I usually sew a size 10 or 12 in dresses depending on how much ease I’m trying to work in.

When I got back from my family visit with a few new fabrics to my name, the first thing I wanted to make was a second version in a Moda cotton lawn with a floral print that somehow screams spring and summer at the same time. This works because right now in my life I am routinely forgetting that it is August and not, say, April. Time, you thief.

This fabric was also 100% cotton but with an incredible swishy, drape-y factor to it that the first lacked. I also cut in the sides, using the pattern’s directions, about 1.5” on each side of the front and back of the top to make it less voluminous but still boxy. I think I’ve worn it four times in the past week already and added another little decorative stitch on the hem like I did on my Roscoe dress. I feel like the rhythm of my life right now, working from home and with no particular place to go, canning and making and knitting and snuggling on the couch is the exact pace for these casual pieces. I’m actually re-thinking about re-purposing a few of the fabrics I had designated for slightly dressier makes this summer into more flowy and easy shapes because for the forseeable future, that’s what I’m going to want to wear. Clothes that feel and look like “real clothes” but are also comforting and easy.

I’ve gotten a few questions on IG about the pattern - it is called the Artist’s Box Top but does include directions for sewing both a top and a dress, as I have done. My hope is that if you make this dress, you’ll find energy and excitement for what being at home feels like right now in a easy piece to wear. And definitely check out the pattern’s author Taryn who is so creatively inspiring.

Paeonia Shawl - Live!

The day is finally here, the Paeonia Shawl is live! What started out as a dream to make an endlessly wearable, simple but engaging knit shawl inspired by nature and which supported my LYS during a global pandemic is now available to live on your needles and hopefully around your neck this fall.

I cannot BELIEVE how lucky I got with the incredible group of women who volunteered to test knit this piece for me, who taught me so much and who supported me every step of the way for this process. Thank you, thank you, thank you testers!

The pattern is now live on Ravelry and on my website by clicking the “patterns” tab above! For the first week, it is on sale so make sure to purchase before August 6 for your fall crafting ahead.

Happy knitting!

July, as it were

How are we doing today? Today it is July, next week it will be August. This time of year is hardest for me typically: I’ve experienced all the best that summer has to offer (cool water on a hot day, fresh tomatoes, fireflies, a getaway, a celebration or two) and my heart starts to wonder when the heat will subside and the cool relief of the fall will arrive. The days where the hottest it will get is 85 degrees are over and we are in heat indexes nearing 100 which makes it hard to feel good about doing anything out of doors.

And yet! There is gratitude in each day. I’m home after a week with family, the first week I’ve spent with them all since November, and it filled my heart so full. It was a lot of travel and way more levels of stress than any of us were thinking with the virus still rearing its ugly head in the areas where I was destined, but it was also 100% worth it. For a long time I think I expected to get into more of a rhythm with living far from home but honestly, each year is still a bit of a heartache. My nieces and nephew are the most special little people I know and photos are not the same as being with them. (How far away are the holidays now?)

The highlights of my week this week are the ten pounds of heirloom tomatoes that Nash insists on munching whenever he gets the chance that will turn into the best tomato sauce and my weekly bouquet from Bluebird Meadows Farm. I’ll get a photo soon, because everyone needs to know how amazing these flowers are. Having a pitcher of happiness in my dining room never meant so much to me as it does this year. I’d take celosia and zinnias and black-eyed susan over most things.

The Paeonia Shawl testing is also complete and will be launching this week! Check out my Instagram for more information and photos today. I’m so so excited to share this with you all. Wishing you joy (and air-conditioning) in the meantime.

Resetting & Restarting

I feel as though I blinked, and it’s June 23.

We have been longing to get out of the house, and we did, and now time seems to be flying by in a new, wild pace. B graduated from his residency program, we celebrated at the beach, we made a day-trip to my in-laws for Father’s Day, we worked a lot, we mowed the lawn, we worked some more, and we celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary with a little staycation in town. We stayed at a tiny, historic house just a few minutes up the road and ate takeout and read books together. We had the most FANTASTIC Japanese food I’ve ever had in my life and reconnected sharing a meal.

Perhaps the shifts feel so much more dramatic because there’s still just so little sense of what to anticipate for the future, and it still feels very not normal to live this way. In our state the number of hospitalizations hit a new all-time high today, and this week we experienced a new wave of cancellations for events and special celebrations in the end of summer and beginning of fall. The little griefs get all bottled up and then come out in waves, sometimes, and unexpectedly. We are unable to make plans, and I need plans as a part of my DNA. It’s so hard not to have them.

And yet, I am so attuned right now to the changing seasons and the natural world in a way that I think I never have before. I feel the heat without judgement, just feeling it and not dreading it and being present today. Seeing dragonflies resting on the bricks outside of my house, going on a walk and seeing the flora literally change from week to week as the month unfolds. Lightning bugs every night. Seeing the persistent piles of leftover leaves and sticks on my driveway and feeling a sense of clean, declutter, reset, renew in this space we are in, this new day that we have found. Get rid of everything that didn’t work before that’s taking up physical and emotional space. A new dining table, and this room just works now. There will be sungold tomatoes in our produce box this week. Tomatoes! It’s tomato season. What a blessing to be here. Hostas and lilies and fresh basil and fruit in every drink.

We are less than a month away from completing the 100 Day Challenge, and to no one’s shock I haven’t completed this in the way that I certainly imagined I would, but that is 100% ok and I’m still really happy to be here, to be writing, to be knitting, and sewing, and making a life. Thanks for being here with me and I am happy to be back at my desk at the end of June.

Friday, Friday: 6.12.2020

I am entering this weekend with much clearer eyes and a heart that is filling up. I have heard stories of people who are learning, I’ve seen myself learn, and I know that we will continue to call others into the work of anti-racism and equity in this country. I’m also really overwhelmed with the positive response to the Paeonia shawl - if you were interested in testing you should have received an email from me this week, please let me know if you haven’t or if you have other questions about this design!

This week:

• I really believed the saying for the first time, “The more creativity you use, the more creativity you have.” I have two other design ideas in my brain I’m excited to work on this weekend.
• B graduates from his residency program! Parts of this spring have felt very “normal” with his pending graduation because he is continuing on in a fellowship at the same hospital where he did his residency, but we have a virtual ceremony tonight and I’m sure it will all start to feel very real.
• We scheduled out our lunches and dinners ahead of time and it took so much pressure off our daily schedule. Will be doing this more in the future.
• We ate homemade pizza bagels (a revelation).
• I found joy in going outside to check on my newly planted rosemary plant every day.
• I got back into playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which is just truly a gorgeous game.
• I read up more on how to think intersectionally about gender, farming, environmentalism, and the work I do every day.
• We said a hard goodbye and a new hello.
• We went to Costco and didn’t lose our minds.

We will be at a house at the beach for the weekend celebrating B’s graduation and enjoying the sunshine (and hoping to be semi-solitary as we do so). I wish you a weekend of book-reading, learning, knitting, and joy.

Coming Soon: Paeonia Shawl

I took a break from posting last week in solidarity with amplifying Black voices in our community and focusing my feed on sharing resources for white folks interested in educating themselves on systemic oppression, police reform and the validity of protests. In the wake of no arrests still for the murder of Breonna Taylor, and hearing of how the families of former victims called the family of George Floyd saying, “Don’t expect much to change,” and the complete misuse of force across the country and straight from our president towards peaceful protestors, it really didn’t even seem like I should post about anything else for a long time.

I saw a post the other day that reminded me, however, that the work that we are in is a marathon, not a sprint. I continued to knit all last week after reading the morning paper, and while watching movies safe at home, and listening to podcasts. This was good, but just because I am back to talking about knitting today, know that the work is still very much ongoing with me and my community.

What was I knitting all last week? I was knitting what I’m calling the Paeonia Shawl, my first ever knit design. This idea has been rolling around in my mind and heart for years and was sparked into being the first time I saw this yarn in my local yarn store a few months ago. In the wake of those who are putting their actual lives on the line and demonstrating incredible courage in the world, it seems so trite and trivial to call the work of this design as an act of hope or belief in moving past fear, but in me for many ways it was and it has been. I am so excited to share this design with you, reader, and the world.

From my call for testers on IG this morning I think I have all of the folks that I need to test this design, but be on the lookout for the official pattern’s release next month and for more information on this design the closer we get. Thank you to everyone who has responded to this design in such a positive way and for all of the love I’ve felt today, it truly means the world to me.