Dreaming of the Beach

While much of America is still in a deep freeze, I'm dreaming of the beach. 

Oh, it won't happen until the Sailor returns home from sea... but in the meantime, I'm trying to transport myself somewhere warmer, mentally. 

  
We moved South in part to escape the arctic winter in the North. While the winter here has so far been much tamer, this week still ranked high up on the BRRRRR factor.

The Sailor is also dreaming of the beach. He's sailing near one now, but he says even the weather where he is isn't conducive to an afternoon swim.

Looks like we'll both have to wait a few more months until we can get to a warm enough ocean. How about you? Ski Bunny or Beach Bum?

Felting by Hand

As a kid, I loved being barefoot. I don't remember ever having slippers, even though I'm sure I put something on my feet during the cold winters -- socks, probably. In fact, I kind of remember thinking it was silly that slippers were always on sale around Christmas time -- nobody in my family wore slippers. Did other people really own indoor shoes? 

Clearly times have changed. I still love that barefoot feeling -- nothing beats walking on the grass or sand sans shoes. However, during cold weather months, the slippers come out in full force. I live in this pair most days. They were knit with the yarn held double and they are super sturdy, warm and somewhat indestructible it seems. 

Over my years of wearing slippers, I've come to realize that not only do they keep my feet warm, especially on non-carpeted floors, but they also keep my feet clean! I cook a lot... and I'm not always the neatest in the kitchen. Lots of stuff ends up on the floor in the process. (I yearn for the day when we have a dog who can hoover up the crumbs.) Of course I sweep and clean the floor clean, but if I'm in the cooking melee, I only get a chance to cleanup at the very end. 

In the meantime, when I wear my slippers, I don't feel a thing under my feet. 

Most girls have a thing for shoes (I've always had more of a thing for handbags, myself...) I do love a good pair of shoes, but honestly, there is something so lovely about having a nice pair of comfy slippers, even if you are the only one who sees them. 

For Christmas this year, I didn't buy myself a new pair of slippers. Instead, I bought myself The Knitted Slipper Book. 

Magazines aside, I usually try to buy one or two crafty and creative books a year. This one made the cut -- there are so many slippers I want to make. I already made the blue pair on the bottom right. They reminded me of my everyday pair, only instead of knitting them with the yarn held double, you knit two separate slippers for each foot, and then put one inside the other.

I finally got around to felting them today. Since we have a front loading washing machine, I decided to felt these by hand. (Top loaders are preferable for felting, since you can pull the pieces out mid-cycle to check on the progress.)  

Felting never ceases to amaze. You knit or crochet something that looks so gargantuan, and then somehow, with hot water, dish soap, agitation and time, that humungous object shrinks as the fibers mess together, ultimately creating a stiff fabric. (If you have ever accidentally thrown a 100% wool sweater in the wash on a hot cycle, then you will certainly understand the process!) 

Felting by hand takes some time and patience, but it's worth it once you start to see the fibers mess together and the piece shrink before your eyes. It also takes some muscle. I'm thinking my hands might cramp later tonight.

 

One I got them to my size, I stuffed them with paper and set them out to dry. 

I'm pretty sure that although I gave my hands a workout today, my feet will thank me tomorrow, when these slippers are dry.

Cold Weather = Bulky Knits

The temperatures dipped this week... and with the winter weather warning came a sudden urge to pull out giant bamboo knitting needles and bulky yarn. 

Sometimes, I just want to finish a project pronto, and nothing gives more urgency than the thought of going outside in below freezing temperatures with a half-finished sweater on. 

I'm making the Fisherman Shrug by Lion Brand. Lucky for me, Wool-Ease Thick and Quick yarn was on sale the other week and I nabbed enough for the shrug. If you need some wooly weather gear that's even faster, check out the hat and cowl I made from the same kind of chunky yarn last year. 

 
I'm thinking this project might be just the thing to finish over the weekend, while I stay inside and watch the wind blow the last of the leaves off my porch. 

Happy New Year 2014!

If you're anything like me, you may still have a bunch of Christmas cookies laying around. A pile of cookies laying around on January 1st does not often bode well with the whole diet and exercise mantra that New Year's usually brings about. 

I gave up on the 'lose a certain number of pounds in 12 months' and 'stick to a diet' resolutions a long time ago. Frankly, by January 2nd, the cookies are still being eaten, it's too cold to go for a run, and the whole point becomes moot.

I mentioned before that I wasn't a huge fan of New Year's Resolutions -- mainly because I often create lofty goals, then I feel like I put too much pressure on myself to keep them. Inevitably I fail. 

That doesn't mean I don't have goals. I have lots of ongoing things I am working towards. 

I like to create stuff everyday, so naturally I have a few new crafty things I want to try this year, like shuttle tatting. I also want to make better use of Pinterest. (Don't laugh... I signed up for Pinterest soon after it started and I loved it. Then I took issue with some of their copyright policies and I took down ALL of my pins. I'm pretty sure they have sorted out their issues; now it's my turn to start pinning again.) I also have a book project that is ongoing that I would love to make more headway on, and my Nook is full of other people's books that I can't wait to read. I have stacks of new recipes to try out and a closet that needs to be cleaned. Overall, I try to eat well, exercise, get enough sleep, and be healthy most days. 

But in general, I am not going to pressure myself to be superwoman in order to fulfill everything over the span of the next 12 months, starting on January 1st. I'm also not going to beat myself up if I eat a few extra cookies in between.

Last year I decided that 2013 was supposed to be the Chilled Out Year. Quite frankly it wasn't... but because I started the year wanting to be more chilled out about things, I gave myself more room to breathe when life did get stressful (or when I ate a few extra cookies...)

For 2014, I expect a few surprises. Life is certainly never dull in my world, and with the lifestyle that the Sailor and I have together, surprises are often around every corner. I hope I can still maintain a chilled-out attitude throughout. The Sailor joked that we really don't have 'themes' for the year... instead we just roll with whatever happens. That's his own way of saying, 'Let's just chill out no matter what comes our way...'

He's a clever guy, that Sailor. 

Who knows what 2014 will bring for any of us. Like the fresh pages of a new journal though, there is something wonderful about having a blank slate -- a New Year if you will, to let go of the past and to anticipate the future. Most of all, I want to live in the present and to be myself.

How about you? What do you want out of 2014? 

Happy New Year! 

PS: If you simply must have something to put on your New Year's Resolution checklist,
may I suggest the following simple things that can all be done in one day:

• Clean out your spice cabinet and food cupboard and throw out stuff that is out of date.
• Sort out your medicine cabinet and toss the pills that are expired or ones that aren't in their original packaging.
• Buy new makeup. Most cosmetics aren't made to last for years. If you can't remember when you purchased that lipstick, chances are, it was pre-2013. Chuck that old mascara and buy some new stuff for 2014! Start the New Year with a fresh face.

Blog in Review: 2013

Between Christmas and New Year's, I always find it kind of therapeutic to reflect on the past year. I sometimes reread my journal, or look at photos. This time I went through Typing Sunflowers. This year had some of the lowest of the lows... but also the highest of the highs. Blogging was definitely one of this year's highlights. I'm still having fun with it (that's a good sign, right?!)

And in case you missed most of the year, or if you're a new follower... here are some of the events that shaped 2013 for me:

My granny square slippers post continues to generate a lot of traffic on here, telling me two things: 

1: People love a good granny square.

AND

2: Slippers will never never go out of fashion. 

Slippers are necessary in my book -- so is eating. I continued to cook things like macaroni and cheese in the tiniest kitchen ever while I shared some family kitchen stories, along with some more kitchen disasters. I even tried my hand at preserving. 

The Sailor and I traveled to South Africa where we had a lot of braais (the Sailor shares his rules for successful grilling here) and we went on a cruise to the Caribbean, where we had plenty of sunshine and an encounter with a Mexican Bug. 

I shared my wedding invitations with you, plus I got published in Artful Blogging. I competed in photo shows, had fun with #7Vignettes on Instagram, and generally had a blast being creative with pictures using ordinary objects. 

This year also had its full share of grief. We moved and had housing issues. I gouged my foot and broke my iPhone. I missed out on another summer in Scotland. Worst of all, my brother lost his battle with cancer and Mother's Day wasn't quite the same. 

In the midst of all of that, I continued with my Pyrex obsession. To celebrate 6 months and then 12 months of blogging, I gave away a gravy boat and a butter dish. I scored some great gooseberries, entered a Pyrex photo competition and I also shattered my first piece of Pyrex ever. Besides Pyrex, I also thrifted some other amazing vintage items like this sewing bench and these snack sets.

I crocheted and knit throughout all of 2013, but I am perhaps most proud that I finally finished the Patient Shawl. 

My love of luggage and bags carried over to the crocheted bobble bag. Food also won my heart with amigurumi meatballs and burgers. And I still can't decide which I like better, knitting or crochet.

I spent several days with three fabulous friends from far away... on a farm. I hosted a wine and cheese and foreign friends. My mom came to visit. And I remembered to celebrate every day with the Sailor. 

At the start of 2013, I never imagined how the year would turn out. It's been a rough ride in some places... and absolutely amazing in others. Thank you, dear readers, for joining me on the journey! The blogging community (that's you!) has been wonderful -- and every day it amazes me that people actually stop by this little corner of Internet.

Here's to a 2014 full of surprises!

(*Many of these photos are from my Instagram account. If you're on Instagram, follow me here for even more pics.)