To Be of Use

At my local yarn store there is a picture that I love of a set hands knitting, There is something so right about that picture.  It looks so beautiful to see hands creating.   I've been thinking about taking a picture of my own hands while I'm knitting, so I can frame it and see it all that time.

Not long after I was thinking of hands  knitting I read this  To Be of Use , it's from a different perspective than knitting but it's all the same really.   I was going to just share the write up but the pictures convey so much meaning.   Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Alice

You Are Not Missing Out

I have been having so much fun reading totally different websites/blogs than I normally do.  Learning so much from them and applying them to myself.    I have come across this one lately that I love so many of his posts and have not even read 1/3 of them.    The exciting thing of these is that they are written by young men (normally the blogs I read were written by women) so I'm shifting my perception which is a very good thing !!!

Excerpt from Zenhabits:

April 30) is my 39th Un-un-birthday, and as usual, the day is a good day to pause and reflect.
Last year I wrote 38 Life Lessons I’ve Learned in 38 Years, and people seemed to find some use in it.
This year, I thought I’d share an additional lesson I’ve learned:
You’re not missing out.
Our lives are often ruled by the Fear of Missing Out, or FOMO. (Never heard of FOMO? You’re missing out.)
Some ways we let the fear of missing out rule us:

1. We check email, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks often, in case we’re missing something important.
2. We try and do the most exciting things, and are constantly in search of exciting things, because we’re worried we might miss out on the fun that others are having.
3. We constantly read about what other people are doing, and try to emulate them, because it sounds like they’re doing something great that we’re not.
4. We often want to travel the world, because it seems that other people are living amazing lives by traveling all the time.
5. We miss what we don’t have, miss places and people who we aren’t with.
6. We work constantly, because we think if we don’t, we might miss out on opportunities other people will get.
7. We feel like our own lives are poor in comparison with the great lives others are leading, and so feel bad about ourselves.

I could go on and on, but I have a birthday breakfast to eat (Eva and the kids are baking something delicious), so I’ll stop there.
We fear missing out, but why?

The truth is, we could run around trying to do everything exciting, and travel around the world, and always stay in touch with our iPhones and Crackberries, and work and party all day long without sleep … but we could never do it all. We will always be missing something.
And so, if we cannot help missing out, what is a saner alternative than letting this fear drive us? Let go of it, and realize you have everything right now.

The best in life isn’t somewhere else. It’s right where you are, at this moment. There is nothing better than exactly that.
Pause for just 10 seconds, and notice where you are, what you’re doing, who you are, at this very moment. Notice that you are breathing, and how lovely that is. Notice that you can smile, and feel the joy in that. Notice the good things around you. Give thanks for the people you’ve seen today. Celebrate the perhaps not altogether insignificant fact that you are alive.
This moment, and who you are, is absolutely perfect.

You are missing nothing, because there is nothing better.
You can breathe, and let go of all that fear of missing out, and be happy with what you have. Be grateful, and each moment think not about what you’re missing, but what you’ve been given.

This past year has been my best ever, because each day I have celebrated my Un-birthday with a smile and warmth in my heart. Today, I celebrate my non-un-birthday, and it is perfect. This moment I have spent talking to you is a gift. Thank you, my friends.

 
 Alice

When Everything is Your Favourite Thing

Ok, I can't help wanting to share this one as it just goes against what our society teaches us that "we are what we own". I have seen these websites being shared on facebook lately and have been reading them.   Now I know that clearing our clutter is good is for the soul but this takes it to another level. 

Here is the link to the site..remember to keep an open mind:

"The Minimalist"

Alice

Transformation Deep Down

Yesterday I received a newsletter that I subscribe to and spent some time actually reading it !   I so enjoyed this write up on gardening and it's analogy to our lives.  Enjoy !

In the preparations, in the turning of the soil, the planting, the tending, and yes, the waiting, for many there comes a sense of peace, of oneness, that often is lacking in other parts of our lives. These small steps (and not so small, if there is much to be done to prepare the garden!) give space for the mind to roam, for seeds of thoughts perhaps long since planted to germinate and start to grow as well. Something about the fresh air, the sunlight, the immersion in nature seems to invite introspection

We each have our own seeds, ideas or thoughts that we’ve gathered along the way, perhaps a teaching we’ve read, something we wanted to learn, or change about ourselves, perhaps something less well defined, a way of seeing the world, or a new perspective to contemplate. These seeds, too, need to be given the care and patience that we give to those in our gardens.

Consider what a seed requires to germinate and take root. The right environment, a place that is fertile and that can provide a safe home for the seed, someplace for roots to sink down, a place where nourishment can be drawn up those roots. It requires warmth and light, which encourage the new seedling to the surface, to break through the darkness and, firmly anchored, to grow. And time, because while some seeds can be forced, most will emerge only when they are ready.

How much of the above can be applied to ourselves, when new seeds have been planted in our minds? If we are receptive and ready, we provide that nurturing environment, and slowly roots form, and those seeds, of teachings, of new experiences, of new ways of looking at the world or of being within it, slowly grow and come into the light. Often that happens without us ever thinking about it. The transformation occurs deep down, and until the seedlings break through, we may not have an awareness of what has been growing within until suddenly it is simply there. Other times, though, we know that seed has been planted, and, like the seeds sown in our freshly turned gardens, we want so much to see the growth right away. The hardest thing to do is to wait for it to grow in its own time.

It may be that, in the joyous return of spring, in nature and in the work that we can choose to see as drudgery or as a gift of time, within a place of calm and peace, we can find the inspiration that will make it possible to nurture and welcome those seeds that have been planted deep within, while we eagerly anticipate the new growth bringing beauty and fullness to our gardens.
___
Cori Dusmann is a writer and educator living in Victoria, BC. She is a regular contributor to Quill and Quire Magazine, and her pieces have also been published in the Globe and Mail, The National Post and the Vancouver Sun.
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I hope you are tending to the garden of your own life !

Alice

The Latest

This is my most recent finished project.  I was trying to remember if I even had knitted booties, but I know I have never done anything like this one.  They are like "boots" not a sock, which I saw lots of patterns for, They are even cuter in real life !     The pattern is Christine`s Stay-on-baby-booties.   The yarn I used was from my stash, it is Cascade Fixation, which is a cotton with a small percentage of elastic.  I heard that they have now discontinued this yarn, such a shame.

As you can see the booties needed a little hat to go with them.  This is Rolled Brim Baby Hat very straight forward pattern.  I did struggle with the sizing at the beginning.  I casted on with the needle size the pattern recommend and it looked rather big for a new baby,  So I went down a needle size as I seem to need to do most of the time.   I decided to make a flower too, and as it turned out I couldn't find my handout for it and remembered that I had blogged about it  here.  Saved the day !

The gift was given to my husband's co-worker who's wife had a baby girl about a month ago.     I'll ask for a picture !

If you have any babies to knit for this is such a perfect little set. 

Alice

In the City

It's been a long time since a post..sorry about that.    Hope your life has been flowing in a positive way.

I have been knitting, but not taking pictures or writing my work down.  But it doesn't seem like I needed since I have been knitting the same  pattern 3x back to back.  You would think I could this pattern with my eyes closed, and not have mistakes, but not the case.  I was still making the same mistakes on the third hat.    CHECK WHAT YOU`VE DONE..do you like it !!!    

Nice details

I not typically a hat person, but I have been wearing this almost everyday.  Love it !

 

This is the pattern for the Brambles Beret.   So, I made the first one to give as a gift, then I thought I stretched it out too much when I blocked it, and kept it for myself.  With the second one I did it is a dark grey, with this yarn.   It's 70% alpaca and 30% merino.   It's been a very enjoyable and quick project.  I have now packaged and send the second it out.  Hope to get a picture.

 Then upon wearing mine one night a very sweet daughter of my cousin like tit and so I offered to make her one.  She liked the colour on mine so back to working with the same colour again.   You can make one these hats with not even a full ball of this yarn.   I need to digress back to the conversation of this beret with my cousin's daughter.  She had mentioned seeing this style of beret in the stores for $40, we'll I didn't want to pop her bubble by saying that would be easy what I would have charged for this hat.  I don't think what they were selling at the store was alpaca and merino.   But sometimes you need to let people know why things cost what they do.     No, I am not charging her for any of my costs to this, it's totally made from the heart.  But I did say, I wanted a picture of her with it.

This week I went on a very exceptionally sunny winter day to visit a market  in city.  Hope you enjoy it.

Isn't the area beautiful !

Where people live and play

Mode of transportation

The Locals

Vendors in the market

Fresh veggies and fruit

Beauty everywhere

Quaint shops

Love these colours

Goodbye, come back soon.   I took a picture (bad me) while driving verrrry slowly.

Have a super weekend everyone !

Alice xox

Sweet Shawl

Here is my completed Cladonia shawl.   My notes are here.

This shawl was a total pleasure to knit.  I must admit that at the beginning there was a question on how to do a provisional cast on, I know the term but how never actually done one.  I decided to do the directions from the Milk Run Shawl by Cat Wong instead as it was practically the same.

The body of this pattern is done in stripes every 2 rows alternating.  But I found the variegated pinks against the red  to be too busy and loud.  So I am quite happy with the way it tuned out using just the one colour  (pinks) for the body.   I wasn't sure if I was going to use the red for the lace part as it once again seemed to be such a loud contrast and I wanted to soften the colours down    I was half way in the body of the shawl when I met a fellow knitter at the local yarn store who kindly gave me a pale grey skein of the same yarn and it matched perfectly.   It was a perfect compliment to doing the lace portion.  It soften and highlighted the pinks with out standing out too much.   It's good to have fellow knitters who know what your making as they just seem to help you out along the way.

The picot edging bind off on this pattern had me stumped .   I did it over and over and it never looked the same as in the pattern   or some of the other projects.  So I finally took it in to the yarn store to see if I was missed something.   Apparently I was doing it right.  The ones on the project page on Ravelry  had more of an opening in the center, but no matter what I did I still could see the legs of the some of the stitches, so I just left it that way.  I think it turned very pretty.

The best part of all this is that I am actually wearing this shaw ! I  tuckit  inside my winter coat,It's  soft and warm and colourful.

I have found and started another shawl that I am using the red that I talked about in this shawl.  Will talk about it soon.

Alice xox