tiny happy

Hello from deepest winter! As I type, cold rain is tapping on the glass of the windows and what is probably a wind straight from Antarctica is whistling through. I hope this finds you well and warm.

Thought I'd share some of the things I've been doing this week. Snuggling under the new quilt reading, late at night. I've also been watching the miniseries Olive Kitteridge which I love. I know I'm terribly slow to both the book and adaptation. As usual! I'll get stuck into the book, which is by Elizabeth Strout, next.

My eldest, Arlo, turned 17! How can this be. We had a lovely midwinter celebration with family and he'll have a party with his friends soon. He was nearly born on the shortest day of the year, so even though I'm not keen on winter, Matariki will always be a very special time of the year for me.

It was also my sister's birthday and I've had a grand plan of knitting her a nice cosy shawl. Dreaming about it, even! But in the meantime, I made her a hat and posted it along with some ceramic earrings (from this lovely Golden Bay maker).

The hat was knitted from some soft blue Katia Concept yarn and this pattern from Espace Tricot which is free, quick and easy! I definitely recommend it. There's even a matching cowl – one day I might make a set. Both patterns can be downloaded here, (along with a good selection of others!) and my Ravelry notes are here. 

In the last photo above you can see the yarns I've chosen for the aforementioned shawl. I want to make another Vertices Unite design because I love wearing my first one so much. It might be one of my favourite projects ever. I checked in with my sister and she said yes please, and that greys and greens would be her colour preference. I just happened to have these colours in my stash, so it's obviously meant to be. I hope to report back with some progress in my next post.

The blackboard you can see above was one I walked past the other day outside this lovely homewares shop. I decided to take it as a sign that i should just keep knitting, and not get discouraged by how long my dream projects take to complete. But ''more persistence'' is meaningful in many other ways, of course.

Lastly, if you fancy something thought-provoking to read, I liked this recent piece by my friend Felicia Semple: Choosing Better Projects in Tricky Times. Felicia writes about how when we work on our craft with intention and consideration, we can help boost our wellbeing and connection with others. 

I also loved this piece on Vox: an interview with an author I deeply admire: Ta-Nehisi Coates. “I can’t believe I’m gonna say this,” he says, “but I see hope. I see progress right now.” In the piece, he asks the question: what would it mean to build the state around principles of nonviolence, rather than reserving that exacting standard for those harmed by the state?

It's a good read, and i'm still thinking about it.

Take care friends, and see you soon. 

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