Friday, June 5, 2020

Happy bursts of creativity, and summer reading mode...

Happy Friday everyone! Last week, I just...forgot to blog. :-0 That is very unusual for me! But my mind was actually pre-occupied by the creative projects I've been working on, and combined with the daily parts of our lockdown life that we've finally gotten used to (homeschooling, working from home, dance and fitness classes in our guest room, hee!) it just slipped my mind until Friday evening. But I'm happy to say that I have settled into this situation a bit better and my mind is often now in a serene and creative place, and so things slipping my mind lately are a result of that, and no longer related to anxiety and depression, which I see as a very good thing!

I've been crafting up a storm owing to the Knit-along and Crochet-along that I'm participating in, both shawls. They are both arranged in blocks, and as you finish each block, you post a photo in the Ravelry group and are thus eligible to win a prize. It's very fun! The Knit-along shawl is particularly spectacular, and is called The Journey:

Pattern is "The Journey" via Expression Fiber Arts

So far, I've knit the segments called Cabin of Complacency (see the little cabins in the green section?), and Forest of Fear (leaves are my favorite!), and am about halfway through the River of Doubt:


This is a very rewarding project to make your way through. The yarn is an alpaca and silk blend and is quite warm and heavy, so sometimes I have to put the project down depending on the weather. :-0 But I'm loving it!

The crochet shawl moves along very quickly, as crochet is wont to do. I have 4 of 5 blocks done. This one is called the Renata shawl:

"Renata" shawl via Expression Fiber Arts

I'm calling mine the Spring Blooms shawl based on the colors I chose:


I just have the light green final segment left to go, and I'm aiming to complete that this weekend! The details in each section are really delicate and lovely:



I've also been a busy bee with writing, and my Catholic Mom piece this month on summer reading list themes. Yes, themes. :-0 This summer, I'm reading lots of cozy fiction, and there is also an intriguing biography in there about a prominent Catholic author. Check Catholic Mom next week for all the deets! If you have summer reading plans, I'd love to hear about them in the comments!

8 comments:

  1. The shawls look beautiful! My Mom was an avid knitter and crocheter. I'm sure they'll come out great!

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    1. awww, thank you, Tanya! So lovely to learn this about your dear mom. What types of items did she enjoy crafting the most? <3

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  2. Thank You for this post. Glad you are okay. I was concerned when you did not post last week. I am reading a 10 part series By Janette Oke and T.Davis Bunn. The first five books are The Song Of Acadia. The second five books are The Heirs Of Acadia by T.Davis Bunn and Isabella Bunn. It is about the English and french in Canada. The English took over the town despite the French living there first. The French were sent away on ships. The later books deal with England and the American Colonists. This series will take me into July at least. I am also reading The Heroes and Villains of The Bible. The shawls are beautiful. I look forward to your column for Catholic Moms. Stay well and safe.
    Marilyn

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    1. ooo, thank you, Marilyn! The series you mentioned are going right on my wish list. :-) Wow, I'm really excited by these! I see that you found my Catholic Mom article, so lovely seeing you over there, thank you for commenting!

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    2. "The Meeting Place" is free with my Prime membership; downloading now! :-0

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  3. Hi Tiffany -- Hope all is well. Looking forward to your Catholic Mom piece on summer reading. I just dug out my old Kindle (from 2007!) and, shockingly, it still works. It's been fun reading on that again, but I'm always on the lookout for some new book recommendations. Have a great week!!

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    1. oh great, Kevin, I hope your Kindle provides some fun summer reading, yay! I'll pop the url in for my Catholic Mom piece right here! :-)
      http://catholicmom.com/2020/06/09/cozy-fiction-for-a-cozy-summer-of-reading/

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    2. Thanks for the link -- great article!! I'm definitely adding that Tolkien bio to my reading list. Oh, and the Word on Fire bible in your new post looks AMAZING!! 😍

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