Ahh…. winter is on its slow way out and I’m still working on several knitting projects for winter-time wearing…. The Art of Slow Knitting is really a thing for me. I am admittedly a slow knitter… because I enjoy the process of knitting. Especially when its a pattern I’ve done before and can knit without even watching what I’m doing. Which means I can watch a knitting podcast or get deep into a good audio book.
I see no negative to knitting slowly… I enjoy the feel of fiber in my fingers, I enjoy watching the item imerge from nothing. There are so many positives to breathing through the process of knitting an item. I brings my mind back to writing/painting icons at church. Each brush stroke inhabits a prayer…. that’s what we were taught during iconography class. So when I’m knitting, every stitch has deep thought and prayer built in. I like to think about who will be wearing this item, in what circumstance will it be worn? Will it be a gift for a new baby? A pair a socks for a loved one?
During the winter I had my finished items for sale at a local artisan market space. I feel like you get a better sense of a knitted item when you can touch it, and then the spark of imaging what it would be like to wear it…. than buying it online. But with covid, online is our go-to right now.
I miss the days of sitting down with coffee and my girlfriends knitting and chatting the afternoon away. I really hope that we can get back to that soon.. until then, there virtual gatherings which will have to do, though its very much not the same.
What will be the first thing you do when you are welcomed to venture farther than your front door? For me… its coffee & knitting with friends.
How full is your head space? How do you unwind? To answer these questions, I spent three days with nature…come join me!
My husband and our family tribe took a 3-hour drive to Pennsylvania to the Allegheny National Forest, near my hometown (who knew this was essentially in my back yard!) We camped for 4 days and 3 nights spending most of our time on the Allegheny Reservoir kayaking.
The thought of getting to our camp site, setting up, and relaxing in nature was such a mood booster! We got to camp, and it was very humid and sticky….but that meant the smells of the forest were right there in your face, crisp and clean! The smell of the forest and pine trees are glorious!
Clear your Head Space tip #1…… Go to the park and take a deep inhale!
The smells really do quiet the mind and help me to relax and I know they will you too! It’s refreshing and clears the mind!
You can literally smell the forest in this pic! Photo Credit: Candee Brown
I can’t believe how refreshing the forest can smell… the earth, the dampness…. that alone helps ease away any stress that your holding up in your head!
Clear your Head Space tip #2…… Become one with the water!
We decided to get up before dawn, to head out to the water and watch the sunrise from our kayaks…. Boy, it didn’t disappoint!! The actual act of getting up early on vacation did kinda suck… but the payoff was HUGE! Since I was the first one in the water at 6:58 am… it was complete solitude. The water was as warm as a bath and the fog was spectacular! I had for a brief moment, the entire river to myself, alone, no other sounds, just my kayak breaking the water…. I put my hands in the water and became one with my surroundings. I took a deep breath and smelled the foggy mist…. AMAZING! It was so spectacular that I really wanted to cry because of all the beauty of nature.
Solo on the water before sunrise!
As the rest of my tribe joined me on the water, we sent the remaining morning & afternoon kayaking the reservoir. In total I kayaked about 7 miles that day. It was just the perfect day watching the sunrise and the fog lift…. I highly recommend you find a way to get yourself on the water and enjoy it… it really does make you forget about work, bills, cleaning… all the crap I stress about.
My tribe joining in the early fun!
There’s no time to be bored in a world as beautiful as this…
-Anonymous
So after being on the water all day, we headed back to the campsite for much needed lunch and rest. I got some knitting in while we all relaxed. I’m working on socks for myself. The pattern is My Favourite Sock Recipe from Mandarine’s YouTube Channel… it’s knit top down. I’m using super-wash merino wool that is machine washable. These could become my next hiking & camping socks. I also worked on a camping hat during the drive down… I’ll have photos of that available soon on my Instagram page and details for my patrons on my Patreon page. Please consider becoming a patron today!
Clear your Head Space tip #3…… Relax around a campfire!
Sock Knitting time!
On Saturday morning we decided to head back out just before sunrise and do some more kayaking… this is when we saw a bald eagle trying to steal a fish in mid-air from an osprey! The fish got dropped and almost landed directly on my husband’s kayak!! What a thing to see!
Clear your Head Space tip #4…… Watch animals in their natural habitat!
We saw a group of little ducks on the water, they swam around each of our kayaks! We hoped some would hop on Candee’s SUP, but no…. We had a loon follow us a bit around the reservoir and we saw tons of fish jumping around! Back at our campsite were squirrels and chipmunks….little cuties! Animals are so lively and entertaining….definitely not thinking about work now!
We adventured back out on the reservoir later in the morning and spent the rest of the afternoon, kayaking in total for me about 9.35 miles. A thunderstorm was rolling in and we had to really book-it to get back to the dock.. all in all a fabulous, de-stressing weekend! I highly recommend you all get out there and commune with nature! It really does detoxify your head space!
Candee & I enjoying the sunrise from the water!
Morning Fog awaiting the sunrise
I hope you enjoy my photos and tales from the weekend, but I really hope you get out there and enjoy some nature for yourself! Remember to keep our wilderness clean and leave no trace!
In the midst of quarantine…I went back to work…. I really enjoyed my quite, peaceful mornings, sitting at my kitchen table, listening to the birds outside the window…. and working feverishly to implement a new EMR (Electronic Medical Records) software program for the medical practice I work for… to say I’ve been stressed is an understatement. When the world around us came to a screeching halt… my life was a frantic, rushed, overtime ridden rollercoaster. Not only did the office reduce hours and staff (except mine), but implementing a new, COMPLETELY new, software system has been very stressful. All staff needs to be trained – at home, via google meets with poor connection, and set to a deadline that the physician/owner wants implemented RIGHT NOW… thus putting the cart before the horse, so I have to figure out how to set up said new software without having any idea how to navigate it! At work, I am the go-to person, the workhorse… but this…. this had me secretly crying after my husband left for work and I could be alone to cry out my stress….this project was more work than any one person should be subjected to… and working days off and weekends to get it all up and running…..well… I’m tired. So tired that my knitting had to take a back seat…. so tired I didn’t want to work out… so tired I just wanted to sit and stare at the wall… my brain is FRIED.
I worked from home the entire month of April, before being called back this month. During the month of April, I celebrated my birthday, alone (my husband was on night shift), and in the basement waiting out a tornado…. My thoughts were that this tornado is exactly how my emotions are…. I had been moody, tired, stressed and overall just wanted to throw things and scream at people, but I can’t do that, because I’m social distancing….. I think mother nature picked up on my mood, and brought out the tornado. I quickly realized, that this tornado, at 11:30pm, was in fact, a direct reflection on my attitude and I’m stuck in the basement, on my birthday, alone, getting ready to kiss my ass goodbye….
My home office
Needless to say, being the relatively work organized person I am, I was able to find a way to get everything set up and ready to go, without loosing my mind. Thankfully, going back to the office this month, I could spread out all my To-Do lists in my office vs the kitchen table… and my stress came down and I was able to spend some evening time working on my Navelli sweater – just in time for spring/summer wearing!
How are you coping during the global pandemic? Did you stress cry like I did? Did you exercise the stress away? Or work on home improvement projects like a lot of my friends were able to do?
KNITTING…
So… my knitting! Yes, I finally finished the Navelli sweater that I started with The Knitters Are Here for our New Year’s Eve cast-on… I didn’t work on it for hours every night, just when I could and when I had the mental facilities’ to do so…
As I stated, I started on December 31st 2019 and finished May 15th 2020…. just in time for spring/summer. I really enjoyed the colorwork section and reading a chart for the first time, I really didn’t think I would, and was super knitter-stressed about it… but it actually reminded me a lot of doing counted-cross stitch so I found myself really enjoying it.. but it did take some uber-concentration though… and not having a death grip on the yarn causing the knitting to be to tight…but I blew threw that and then went on the to main body, rotating skeins of yarn to avoid color pooling… I searched YouTube and watched numerous videos about alternating skeins in the round to decide on how I wanted to tackle that part…. and it worked beautifully! Head over to my Ravelry page (DarcillaAnn) to see info about my project and over to Instagram to see pictures of the process.
Just finishing the colorwork and starting the main body
Well.. more work to be done around the house, more knitting for the shop… and of course, more crazy software implementation to complete….
I don’t know about you, but March is usually the month I start planning for warmer weather and all the projects I want to do….. I’m still working, but from home, and part-time since the stay at home order in Ohio… what about you??
My home office set up
Our knitting group, The Knitters Are Here, did get some quality time in and did some interviewing at Black Locust Farm Yarn Shop before we had to stay at home….
working on my mohair shawl
My husband and I got to Mohican State Park for a long weekend, and got some backpack training time in while we were there… before hiding at home…
Hiking & backpack training in Mohican
I hope you are staying safe, staying home, and getting some knitting done! Let me know what you’ve been up to this month…
I can’t believe that were this far into January! The month has flown by! Still waiting on that major snow storm to roll through, but I’m happy to report that it’s been a very nice winter so far and I’ll take it!
Since it’s a new year I’ve gotten out my passion plannerand am trying to brainstorm and think of the goals that I want to achieve this year, and not only knitting goals but also the get healthy fitness goals, as everyone always thinks about at the beginning of a new year. I also have been listening to the podcast from Rachel Hollisregarding the ‘Start Your Today’ Journal, which is all about goal planning and dreaming big and words of gratitude and setting your intention for the day and just kind of taking a reflection of how you want to grow.
I’ve been thinking about this from my brand perspective for Peacocks and Purls and where I want to take that. Ya know, in dreaming big, I always talk about someday wanting to own a retail shop that’s not just a yarn shop but a knitting place, a boutique, maybe even coffee shop, someplace to gather and do all the things that I love. Well… it being my own entrepreneurship. Grow my own brand… having local Knitters contribute their talents, a place where they can showcase their hand knits. A place that non-knitters can buy hand-knit gifts for friends and love ones. I noticed that this is the main dream… the main goal. I’d also have my website grow, a place that you could order online if you’re not local. I just really got starting to dream and am sinking into it, trying to decide what my goals are for at least this year. And like they say, you know, it’s a big big goal to take on, but how do you eat an elephant?… one bite at a time. So I’m working really hard at trying to set goals, set intentions, you know.. and I’m wondering if you’re doing the same thing… and if you do that in January do you set your goals for the whole year? Do you even think about that? Is it something that you stick with it or do you, you know… Crash and Burn by June cause that’s kind of where I go… Just let me know in the comments what your goal planning is, if you goal plan for the whole year, and how you tackle that…I’m curious to know!
I’ve been joining with the girls to knit a lot the last couple of months… as you know we started a knitting podcast… we are The Knitters Are Here! We get together just to sit and knit and chat and bullshit and have girl time. I think we all need that.. don’t you agree?? Girl time it’s a great thing!
Speaking of girl time I just got together with my sisters-in-laws to celebrate a birthday and we had facials at our favorite place called Facial Impressionsin Medina Ohio.. thank you Amber for the awesome facial! Then we went out and had dinner and it’s just a great time, again to get with your girlfriends and just chat and spend an hour or more just chatting and having a good time socializing with wine!
So I’ve been working on a few knitting projects… I took on two different test knit projects… both hats. One is a cabled hat called the ISE hat…you can catch more about that on the Knitters are here podcast or through my personal podcast PeacocksandPurls on YouTube… and then the other hat that I test knit is the City Lights hat for tifneilan_handknits on Instagram… it was such an easy and fun knit with a beautiful outcome!
Both hats are available for purchase – there is only one of each. Scroll to the bottom to find purchasing options.
City Lights HatISE Hat
There are the other knitting things that I’m working on…. our new years eve cast on sweater with the girls. We’re all doing the same sweater but different colors obviously… the Navelli by Caitlin Hunter and it’s slow going… I’m at the bottom of the sweater still…. it’s a knit from the bottom up and the bottom part is all color work so it’s a little slow going… because I’m also working on sample knitting for the professional Knitters course that I’m taking through the Knitting Guild.
Navelli SweaterNavelli Sweater
It’s a course that you knit sample swatches and you turn them in and you have them graded by an instructor who then critiques and gives you feedback about your work and at the end of the course you get a certificate to be a professional knitter! Which really doesn’t mean a whole lot other than you’ve had someone to look at your own hand knitting and tell you what you are or aren’t doing correctly and the certificate helps when you’re doing test knits to show that you can knit and you can put it on your knitting resume that you are a professional Knitter, you’ve learned the trade, you educated yourself, and you know what you’re doing… so the designer can be confident in hiring you as a test Knitter knowing that you’ll understand where they’re coming from. I’ll include photos here of the two test knit hats that I did. I cannot include photos of the sample swatches from the course because part of the criteria is that you’re not allowed to take pictures and share it via social media or anything like that… so sorry! When I finished the course I might be able to give you a little sneak peek but at this point it’s a no no….
I’m still working on getting my knitting Studio at the point where I like it… my studio is sort of like my walk in closet too, where I get dressed in the morning… so it’s a dual-purpose room and I’m really trying to make it into something that seems to be solely dedicated to my knitting, to my business… so the aesthetic I’m looking for is clean and white and I just feel like it’s very cluttered, because there is so much “stuff” in an itty bitty living space…. (I just watched Aladdin last night lol)…. I’ll try to include some pics of the studio here – but let’s be honest and upfront….its a mess!
If you are interested in purchasing either hat, you can find those options below…
Well… back to my knitting and my boring full-time job at the medical office……
Til then Love….
City Lights Hat
This is a child sized hand knit hat. For ages 3-6yrs
Blues & Greens
$30.00
ISE Cabled Hat
This is my recent test knit hat with cables.
Sized child/teen
Ahhh…. the year is coming to an end…. Christmas is right around the corner….and I’m thinking of all the fun things I’ve done this year! I can’t wait to see where 2020 takes Peacocks and Purls!
Since we spoke last… my knitting orders have soared! Everyone has geared up for their Christmas giving of handmade goodies! I have finally delivered my last order for Christmas! I really hope to see some photos of everyone wearing their knitted items!
Baby hats and booties were a big hit this winter…. you can find some pics on my Instagram page too.
Our knitting podcast is going full swing…check us out! theknittersarehere has become so fun to record and watch! We are gearing up for a giveaway since we’ve reached 100 subscribers!
My husband and I got kayaks this summer – I haven’t used mine as much as he did, but I can’t wait to use it more next year!
I’ve made some changes in my knitting studio – moving it into a spare room upstairs.. I’m slowly working on how to make the smaller space doable – hopefully soon you’ll see pictures of it on my YouTube VLOG……
I’ve done some test knitting this year and am currently working on another! I love getting the opportunity to help a knitwear designer finalize their pattern by test knitting for them…
Test knitting is the phase in new pattern design in which the pattern draft (sometimes also called ‘beta pattern’) is sent to actual knitters to see if they’re able to produce the intended outcome following the designer’s instructions.
My dog Monty is aging and its heartbreaking… he’s 17yrs old now and you can totally see it… he’s blind and deaf….but he manages to get around, just slowly.
I would love to bring you more knitting content in the new year… let me know what you are looking for and I’ll work on it for you!
I worked on some baby sweaters for little Della… cause let’s be real, she won’t be little for long… and I wanted to get her something knitted.
I found a pattern for a cardigan style dress. I modified the pattern to suit my needs by adjusting the sleeves a bit and shortening it from dress length, to sweater length. I used some leftover hand-dyed yarn and finished it off with some buttons from great grandma’s button jar. Its too cute for words! I do not even care if Della wears it… I just wanted a picture of her in it! It was such a fun project and it knit up so quickly that it was not a drag! Win! Win!
I also finished making the hubby some camping cozy socks to wear this fall hiking! They fit him like a glove! I’m not sure why I do not make more socks… other than they are a time suck…and yeah, I work full-time…boo!
I tried Stand-up Paddle-boarding for the first time on Lake Erie! I was scared to death!!! Afraid that if I fell off, that I would not be able to climb back on… well… I was the only one who did NOT fall off! I was happy but then, thinking on it later, wish I had fallen for the experience…. Guess that means I’ll be doing it again!
Yarny adventures are in store for the month on the Yarn Discovery Tour, and time get some podcasting done! Check us out on YouTube…. The Knitters Are Here!
So now that the weather is getting a little warmer consistently… even though we still have “May Showers”….its time to plan our yarny adventures! My knitting gals got to our first Fiber Festival of the year! The Great Lakes Fiber Festival in Wooster, Oh… You definitely need to check it out. Tons of vendors… I even think there were more than last year. I have several projects on my list and already have the yarn needed for it, so I went to the festival with the intentions of “if I see something I have to have”… then get it. The only must get was the fiber soak bars from Tuft Woolens Soaps…. and score!!!! I bought two bars, and hand cream, a project bag, and an adorable birdy pin! Love! I’ve been scoping out this company for a long time… they were there last year, and I kick myself for not getting some wool wash soap bars then, but I got them now! They smell great and I highly recommend you grab yourself some.. you can order online too.
Spending time with my girlies knitting, chatting, and drinking coffee. This is a huge stress reliever for me. I really love this time…it helps to decompress, chat about work dramas, and come up with new knitting ideas!
I recently worked with Blooming Like Wildflowers on my branding and color palette… here’s a sneak peak! I love it! I highly recommend working with Halle… she was able to grasp what I had in my mind and pull “me” out and create a brand that fits perfectly! Let me know what you think!
Well.. I’m still working on my Seasons of Love shawl… I feel bad as it was a test knit with a deadline, that I have missed due to working ALWAYS it seems…if only I could knit, think about knitting, crossfit, yoga, and run… and get paid for that!! Ha! any tips on how to make THAT happen! Lol!
April brings several things…sometimes snow, sometimes showers…but mostly a rebirth if you will… April is such a special month… my birthday, my husbands birthday, Christ beats death, and the earth renews… The rains come…it washes away the winter blues, the road salt and grime, the trees start budding, flowers start springing up…the grass greens up, and the underbrush brightens and screams spring! The air smells fresh (don’t breathe in too deeply, the pollen with get ya!),the birds are singing, and its my favorite time… its all fresh and clean, rejuvenating, invigorating, and I smile…
April also brings time to start thinking about new flowers, weeds (boo), spring cleaning (yuck), and knitting outdoors again… but when it rains… it still means a cup of coffee or tea and my knitting in my favorite chair….
For my birthday this month, I took a day, just for me… It started with an amazing yoga class at Flex Yoga Studio in Wooster. Their yoga teachers, staff, and fellow yogis were all very friendly and welcoming… I highly recommend you try out a class and soon! Then to the coffee shop just below the yoga studio, Surehouse Coffee, for a latte and some one-on-one knitting time. They roast their beans in house – I loved the bold dark roast… get yourself some! Also the handmade pottery they use from Rhinopottery, I bought myself a cup to use at home! Check out her Etsy shop or get one when you’re at the coffee shop! Sitting there, sipping my coffee and knitting with time to reflect, time to thank the Lord for my life and all the blessings, and I smile…
This time of the year also means planning knitting adventures with my Knitalatte girls… Its the time of year for celebrating Local Yarn Shop (LYS) days.
Our travels to LYS included two favorites and one new shop. We started our day in Vermilion, Ohio at Cast On Yarn Studio… It’s personally one of my favorites! Heidi & Lana yarns were there and had some fabulous kits available (I bought one!)… The layout and ascetic of this shop are right up my alley….
Then we took a drive to Marblehead, Ohio to visit Christy’s Just for Ewe shop… This is a new shop for us, so much yarn packed into such a small space! I don’t know how she keeps track of it all!
A stop for lunch at a blast from the past memory – Big Boy Restaurant – I used to waitress at a Bob’s Big Boy in Meadville, PA back in the day…
Then heading back towards home to our truly local yarn shop, Black Locust Farms Fine Yarns yarn shop. She carries all our favorite yarns and much more….
April is just a wonderful month… how did you spend yours?
I’m still cross-fitting, getting the urge to run outdoors again, and always knitting… I even knit at the gym between class times…
Since my girlfriends and I are trying to coordinate going to 19 yarn shops when we all work full-time…it has become difficult…and we really want to hit ALL the stores. Not just for the competition aspect of getting all the stamps in our books and entered in all the drawings…but because we want to see where all the shops are, what yarns they carry, and if it can become our local hang out to knit….
But we weren’t able to hit one store together…we had to go it alone…. I assumed going alone might be better for my wallet…but…when your husband offers to take you to a yarn shop….he finds patterns for stuff he’d like to wear….which means… YAY!!! MORE PROJECTS!!…so I didn’t save money “going alone”… but I definitely had fun looking at yarn with the hubs… he has a different perspective that I don’t and he really got to see what a yarn shop looks like – and one similar to the aesthetic and layout that I would love in a yarn shop.
I loved almost everything about this shop…from the white shelving, the displays of finished objects (FOs), and a pattern and sample knitted up using the yarn…all made for great brain storming on what to make next. The only big thing I would love would be a larger space to come in and sit to knit because the atmosphere is wonderful and you’re fully encased in yarn and yarny things….lol! The owner is very sweet and helpful too! She does have a table in the center of the room to sit around, but I would think that would disrupt both the person knitting and the shopper trying to walk around them…but because of the cuteness of this shop…I’m willing to overlook that small detail… My husband reminded me that not every shop owner has a place for people to come in and just sit & knit… that maybe she just loves selling yarn, and not the group activity part of it…and I hadn’t thought of that…he’s probably right….
Here are the shots I got from the shop….
My FO…
I finished the Roaring Tides Shawl Test Knit…
Many have asked me what that means… well, myself and several others have been asked to “test knit” a pattern the designer has created. We read his or her instructions and see if we can come up with the same design they intended and to keep in contact with them if there are any errors or confusing parts… the goal is for us to help her find glitches or problem areas in the pattern before she releases it to the public for sale.
Here is my completed finished object (FO)… and I LOVE it!! #roaringtidesshawl
Next post will be more of the yarn shops we explored!
