Friday, December 30, 2016

Resolutions

I could label my goals for this coming year by any of the catchy terms floating around social media right now: intentions, heart's desires, affirmations, visions... Call them what you will but I'm ok with the term resolutions. Some of mine are goals with steps and actualizations. Some are dreams with no job other than to inspire me throughout the year.

I'm a lover of inspiration! I seek it everywhere and when I find it I hold it tight. It's in my photos. It's in my crafting. It's in my home. It's outside in nature. It's on my mat and in my yoga practice. It's in the books I read. It's in the social media I choose to follow. It's in the music I listen to and the teachers I learn from.

So here are my resolutions for 2017...


Knit 12 pairs of socks - use up yarn I have in the stash, knit for gifts, knit for me

Participate in the Insight Timer App meditation challenge - a 365 day meditation challenge. I'm excited to see what a year of meditation will work in my life. Big things!

Do a yoga retreat or 2 - this deserves a blog post of it's own, so many to choose from!

Read 12 books on spirituality, yoga, philosophy, etc... - I have a long list of books to read, I'll share and review as I go

Knit Sam a sweater - he's been asking for years, I'm thinking of this one

Kayak as much as possible - seriously this is on my list every year and last year I got out twice. Not good enough. This is the year I am curating the life I want and I dream of being active, I talk like I'm active so I've decided that this is the year that I get active in reality. Kayaking is pure pleasure for me, like floating meditation, surreal and peaceful and cup overflowing... I will get on the water

Snowshoe at least 12 times before winter is over - this ties in with the kayaking but not with the same passion. This one is all about getting outdoors and moving. I vow to bring more movement into my life, conscious movement...

Finish the Hexi Crochet blanket - one of my oldest wips, supposed to be for Beth but will live on top of my couch for awhile longer yet... I need to finish this, I want the basket back that I store the yarn in!

First 3 months of 2017, work on ab strength and the last 9 months work on handstands - I have so many yoga asana goals, this is one of them. Really, I'll be happy with holding boat pose and not shaking like a leaf. Inversions and the like are lofty goals that I feel like I can do if I put the work in. So this is my year... Bring it on mat, I'm ready!

I have a few money goals, the biggest is to pay down my personal debt. It won't disappear in one year but if I'm serious, I can knock it back by a third. I battle with my inner child all the time over this. On one hand I want to have all the pretty, amazing things, and on the other I'm selling everything and living in a Tiny House. I'm fascinated by this duality and I promise to contradict myself regularly.

The last one (this list is never truly finished, really) has to do with my daughter's ukulele. She has a beautiful one from my parents' past trip to Hawaii. I covet it. I covet being able to play it. I want to play this song...



Usually I make resolutions like most everyone, just once a year, but this past year I`ve been incorporating moon rituals into my life. The great thing about these is that they happen every month. So for instance this post was written on December 28th, the night of the New Moon. New Moon`s are a beautiful time to set intentions and goals. It`s the start of a new cycle in which to bring focus and awareness and plant the seeds for the coming month. And every month on the new Moon I can revisit these resolutions and see what`s working. I can reassess... readjust... renew...  or discard what isn`t resonating.

Hopefully you`ll see many of these resolutions come to fruition over the next 12 months. Some won`t. That`s ok though. I`m a dynamic, evolving woman and my desires and passions are crazy intense at any given moment. So I`ll leave you with a little prayer I found on Pinterest. May you`re coming year be one of joy and presence...

A New Moon - New Year Prayer

I welcome transformation
I welcome growth
I welcome abundance
I know what I need
I am ready

Namaste



Wednesday, December 28, 2016

This week's WIPs

I took a brief (only I can call 2 and a half years brief) break from blogging but I haven't taken a break from knitting.

I cast on a new sweater on Christmas Eve. I've had Herbarium queued for a while on Ravelry and I bought the yarn for it a few months ago. I'm using Rustic Fingering by Northbound Knitting in the "sterling" colourway, its a nice steel grey.



This is a very rustic yarn, probably best suited to outerwear garments but I'm planning on wearing this sweater over a shirt anyway and scratchy wool doesn't bother me.

The next WIP is really close to being finished but I have a feeling it's going to be too small. Actually I know it is and I don't really have enough yardage to knit it larger. I'll finish it but probably gift it to a niece. The hat is called Guggeren Mutze by Brigitte Kalin. It's such a lovely hat and I think it'll be perfect in a cream yarn. So I'll be on the look out for 574 yards of cream fingering weight... and I'll be going up a needle size or two to make it fit better.




What would life be without a sock on the needles? I've knit a few pairs in the last few months mostly for Beth but this pair is for me. The pattern is called Skedaddle Socks by Lena Gjerald. It's a free pattern on Ravelry and one that's been in my queue for a year at least. I first saw these knit by Dani from the Little Bobbins Knits Podcast. They're a simple pattern with a cable down the back of the leg and down the heel flap. I'm just about to turn the heel and work the gusset.



The yarn I'm using is an Opal yarn but I've lost the ballband. I like the colours though and Opal is a good long wearing yarn that washes well. I should have lots left over for my granny square crochet blanket. I'll share that in another post. It's a fun stash busting project that I work on whenever I have some sock yarn to use up.

Although I don't have a ton of projects on my needles and I've really scaled back the crafting in general, I think I would be lost without making things. I love living a handcrafted life.



Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Well Hello Again

I'm not sure what to say after such a long absence... 

Hi

Hello

How's it going?

Boy do we have a lot of catching up to do!

I made myself a goal of reinventing this blog for the next year. I'd like to continue to chat about my crafting and dive into my yoga journey, share about my family a bit and just ramble on about life in general.

So far no real plan. No scheduled posts or theme. Hopefully that will evolve over the next few months as I figure out what I want to say.


In the meantime, I wish you all a happy New Year! May it be filled with joy, breath and gratitude.

Little Sheep Virtues

Happy Friday! I'm pretty excited to be sharing this cross stitch project with you all. Pattern: Little Sheep Virtues 1-12 by Litt...