Wool @ Home - Living Room

We are now living through the coldest month of the year. The days are still too short for my liking, and the temperatures steadily below freezing. To combat the seasonal blues that generally accompanies this time of the year for me, I always make sure that I’m cozy and warm, that a comfy blanket and a knitting project are always within reach. My living room is also dotted with nods to my love of wool.

Reading time, whether it is for me or with the kids is best spent under a great big wool blanket.

Listening to music with a nice glass of wine, after the kids are in bed, is best spent in a comfortable arm-chair right by my knitting basket.

And the occasional nap-time spent on the couch is all the more comfortable if you have a sheep-y pillow to snuggle into.

They are subtle hints to be sure, but for those who know me well… impossible to miss!

For previous instalments of Wool @ Home see here and here

Another Milestone

I considered not writing this post, but then, I thought to myself that over the years I have shared quite a few milestones on this blog and I want to be consistent. 

So here it is, I turn 40 today! I’ve had a lot of thoughts leading up to this birthday, most of them ending with OH MY GOD I’M middle aged! But with time, I have come to realize that is not a bad thing. It’s scary for sure, because I can honestly say I have no idea when this happened? Where did the last decade go? But I also feel that in many ways the last few years especially, though a total blur, have been the most defining of my life. Being middle-aged means that, while I may still struggle to figure out what I want, I certainly know what I don’t want! So to me, that’s half my life figured out already! And that is something to celebrate. It also means that all those goals, big or small, many of them I am finally reaching, and others are sort of starting to take shape. I have learned some tough lessons, but I can honestly say that for most of them I can see  how they have helped me grow, and that is a valuable point of view.

Sure, I often fall into the well-known trap of comparing myself to others, which only leads me down a rabbit hole of negativity and “woe’s me” thoughts, and if there is one thing I want to focus on for the next chapter is to avoid just that. 

I want to learn to be more appreciative of what I have, and what I have accomplished, I want to learn to be KIND TO MYSELF!

So here’s to another forty years of growing, reaching peace of mind, realizing dreams, and achieving contentment!

Happy Birthday to me!

Fidra - The Perfect Winter Hat

Want a quick satisfying knit? Gudrun Johnston's Fidra hat is just the thing. I've been dying to make it ever since its release last December, but never got around to casting on. I found a skein of Berocco Ultra Alpaca Chunky in my stash that was just the thing for this hat. It came together in only 3 evenings. I picture this hat coming with me on walks through a snowy landscape, then slowly defrosting by a fireplace in a cozy cabin. Of course, I don't actually have time for a walk these days, I don't have access to a cabin and we don't even have a fireplace. The snow however, we've currently got plenty of.

Starting off the New Year - Guernsey Triangle

I used to be a monogamous knitter. Especially when knitting on a deadline. But let’s be honest, sometimes there are projects that cannot wait, yarn that’s just screaming to be knit into something. Oftentimes just the act of casting on, and sneaking in a few rows at a time, is enough to satisfy this craving. 

This is exactly how this project came to be. The yarn is one I picked up this summer in Portugal at Retrosaria Rosa Pomar and I could not wait to transform it into something. I chose to knit the Guernsey Triangle by the ever-talented Jared Flood. I’ve had my eye on this pattern for a couple of years and I felt that the yarn would be a good match as the gauge is similar to Loft and the look of the yarn is comparable as well.

Mé-Mé is a yarn with a rustic feel, in a natural dark gray, that emanates this lovely faint wooly, sheepy smell. I love the way it brings out the pattern and it looks after blocking. 

It's the perfect shawl to grab on cold January days, to keep warm, and cozy. Or in my case it's also perfect accessory to wear at the office when it's freezing and you're wishing you were home knitting.