Ode to Summer

I like winter... in theory. 
 I like tea, blankets, snuggling, snow in moonlight, sweaters, knitting...

But the reality is that winter wears on me. I get colds, I shiver, constant chilly, overcast days make me glum, and even tea and knitting can only outweigh these things for so long. 

Around January-time, I begin to yearn for summer. 

I may like winter, but I loooove summer.

I grew up in Hotlanta. It has that  nickname for a reason. Summer is blistering. 

When I spent a large portion of my summer in England two years ago, I realized just how much I love the summer heat. 

(The secret is to wear tank tops...sweat shows a lot less on tank tops... and bring a jacket because air conditioning is like the Arctic.)

I love the early hints that summer is coming...the sun is too warm for spring, but it still takes courage to dive into the still cold depths of the pool. 

And two months later, when it's so hot I can barely change into a suit before I jump in...I'm willing and ready to plunge in fully clothed--anything to cool off. 

Returning from morning bike rides panting...and developing all sorts of odd tan lines from spandex and sunglasses. 

There's never enough iced tea or lemonade. 

Falling asleep in a sunbeam could mean a burn...but it's so worth it.  

Warm nights of blue jeans and bare feet. 

Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee. 

Playing Marco Polo until my fingers shrivel. 

Swimming back and forth with burning lungs because the sky is so beautiful through the surface of the water. 

Songbirds.

Salads.

Smoothies.

The coolness of each morning is like a bubble popped by the sun's kiss. 

Watching Teva straps slowly leave pale shadows on my feet.

Books by the pool. 

The sun makes gold streaks in my hair. 

Fresh veggies from the garden. 

Rhododendron. 

Last light is late in the evening giving the whole world a feeling of extended life and energy. 

Ode to Summer. 


Adventure well; Live fully.
HAK
 

WIPs: More gloves and scarves

Good morning, y'all! Happy Saturday! 

My sweet hubster let me sleep in a bit this morning, and I'm having a late-ish breakfast of pear, double glouchester cheese, and tetley black tea. mmmm. It's so foggy and wet outside, that I can almost believe that I'm in Britain eating my English breakfast. :-) 

It has been far too long since I updated y'all! I promise that my silence does not mean lack of productivity, as I really have been knitting a good bit, in spite of finishing up my senior thesis this week and beginning preparation for finals. 

I have two works in progress at the moment, one for a challenge and one to keep me sane while I work on the other one. 

First up, a chevron-striped, chunky neckwarmer.

This is my challenge project, and, so far, it's just a nub of progress. I'm working off of basic instructions for a chevron seed stitch (see my chevron peter pan collar here to get an idea of the stitch), but I'm attempting to do each chevron in a different color. The result, I hope, will be a chunky single loop neckwarmer with awesome green, blue, and grey chevrons. AND the yarn is made from recycled wool. Awesome? yes. But, these 5 rows (granted, they were the "getting started" rows which are always the "worst") took well over an hour, so we'll see if I survive. Did I mention that, at last count, I have 8 strands of "live" yarn to keep track of. Madness. 

(Sidenote: see how kinky that one knitting needle in the above picture is? That's the pair of needles that I learned to knit on--9 years ago! Those needles have knit more scarves than I can count, and, well, they might have been sat on along the way...)   

 Next up: more handwarmers!

A couple of things sets these apart from the others I've made recently. 

1. These are 100% pima cotton. Sensitive skin? Warmer climate? These are perfect for you. This cotton is unbelievably soft. 

2. CHUNKY. The others have been with finer yarn and smaller needles. This is a chunky thick-thin yarn (the same ones I use for my washcloths. Check those out here.) knit on wonderful size 11 DPNs. This is such a quick project compared to the other stuff I've been doing! 

3. Length. These fit from above the wrist down to your knuckles. It's like a fluffy hand hug!

Now, lest you be anxious about the rather wobbly appearance of this yarn when it's just lying flat, here's what these look like on:

Chunky, cozy, wonderful. :D 

Already in love? These should be up on Etsy in the next couple of days. As always, I'll let you know when they go up via Facebook and Twitter (all the info for that is over on the right and toward the top. ---> )

And, FINALLY, in case you missed it on Facebook and Twitter, I have to show y'all the WIP that we had the guessing game about!

I was knitting a women's headband/earwarmer that matches the teal tweed handwarmers!

This tweed headband/earwarmer is knit with wool in a fairly fine stitch. The first third or so is knit in horizontal rib, which gives the headband some nice stretch. It then switches to stockinette stitch, finishing in an arrow shape, and connecting with 3 bobbly, faux-leather buttons. I think it's both classic and funky, and I have to admit that I'm rather proud of it. :-) 

Love it? Check it out on Etsy by clicking HERE.   
Interested in the handwarmers, too? Those are here.

Thanks for reading, y'all-- I'll be better about blogging, promise! :-) 

Adventure well; Live fully. 

HAK

The Thing About Art

Thanks, "The Beginning Writer." :-)

I think I repeat this to myself every day. It's very, very true. Any of you ever wonder what it is like for me to be a newlywed, painting and knitting my heart out, and owning my own company? I'm scared to death. Every day I think, "What if I don't turn a profit by the end of they year?" Or, equally terrifying, "What if I do?"I don't really have an answer to either of my scary questions, but that's okay. That's part of it, too--I plunge forward (somewhat wildly at times), and pray I'll figure it out as I go.

But why is art so scary? I think all of us recognize that it is, that's why, when I taught nature study in high school, I heard more parents say "I can't paint" than I heard first graders say the same thing. As we grow up and become self-concious, we realize that art is scary. I don't know who Chuck Palanhiuk is, but I think he said something valuable:

"Your handwriting. The way you walk. Which china pattern you choose. 

It's all giving you away. 

Everything you do shows your hand.
Everything is a self-portrait. 

Everything is a diary."

Art gives us away so much that we feel the vulnerability. Every brushstroke, every stitch in my shop gives me away. Gives away that my strength is in details--not motion--when I paint, that I knit too tightly, that I'm more "classic" and less "trendy" (I try, really I do. Ask my best friend about my new leather moto jacket).

But does my art show that I am a business woman, a professional, a skilled artisan? Sometimes I don't know, but I sure hope so. While I love and respect the thousands of "hobby" sellers on Etsy, I do want something bigger. This is my job. And a lot of times, I'm scared to death. But I want it to be more than that, too...

I'm an English major with a streak of teacher in me, so I love to summarize. Here we go:

1) Art is scary. 

2) Art gives us away. 

But that's not all (if it were, we'd crawl into our fear and never create again, right?).

3) Art is valuable. Because it gives you away, it also gives your audience a way to connect with you more deeply. We artists take a big risk, and sometimes it hurts, but sometimes we are given the chance to speak from where we are or have been to someone else who really needed to hear what we had to say. 

Sidestory: I have this friend named Melissa who is a wonderful and insightful artist. One time, when I was 15, she showed me a painting of a large English cottage. Something about it struck deep in my soul, and I knew, in that moment, she had done more than paint stones, water, and grass, as beautiful as they were. In that painting, this house was hope and Home (for more on those themes, go here). I wrote on my bucket list that night: "Live in the house from Melissa's painting." I meant this figuratively in the keep-my-eyes-on-Heaven sort of way, but I also meant this literally in the visit-that-house-in-the-Lakes-District way. Have you seen these?

Scenic England Greeting Cards on Etsy

 See that top left card? That's the house I was talking about. It's called Stepping Stones (the stones across the river are the ones Wordsworth wrote about), and it's about a mile outside of Ambleside in the Lakes District. About 5 years after I first saw Melissa's painting, I spent a week living in the Garden Cottage of Stepping Stones after 5 weeks of studying at Oxford. And why was my heart set on spending time there? Because of ART. Because a painting grabbed me and wouldn't let go.

I hope I can paint things that inspire hopes and dreams like that someday. 

Finally, Wordsworth's "The Stepping Stones:" 

          THE struggling Rill insensibly is grown
          Into a Brook of loud and stately march,
          Crossed ever and anon by plank or arch;
          And, for like use, lo! what might seem a zone
          Chosen for ornament--stone matched with stone
          In studied symmetry, with interspace
          For the clear waters to pursue their race
          Without restraint. How swiftly have they flown,
          Succeeding--still succeeding! Here the Child
          Puts, when the high-swoln Flood runs fierce and wild,
          His budding courage to the proof; and here
          Declining Manhood learns to note the sly
          And sure encroachments of infirmity,
          Thinking how fast time runs, life's end how near!

Art on, mes amis! :-)

Adventure well; Live fully,

HAK

An Unexpected Journey

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began. 

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

~JRR Tolkien

It probably says many things about me that I'm beginning my blog with a Tolkien quote. I've already given away my love of books, especially excellent fantasy, all things Oxford, and, hopefully, my desire to look at life as an adventure. Every day is a gift, and, to borrow from Oxford University: "Dominus Illuminatio Mea"-- "the Lord is my Light"--and the Giver of each glorious day.

So why a blog? Well, on Facebook I love to promote my shop and other Etsy shops; on Twitter I, well, I guess I reveal a bit of my own silliness. But here-- here I want to tell a story. The adventure of my life includes my art, my faith, studying, exercise, and more cooking than one would expect for a family of two. I want to share about those things and invite y'all to share stories, too--whether they're a lot like mine or very different. 

Mes Aventures, Crafts & Co. has been an unexpected journey for me. I was working at a TV station, finishing my English Lit undergrad, and enjoying newlywed life....Well, my hubster accuses me of being a "now" person. I try to think things through...I pondered this blog for a whole month! At the end of the day, though, I think John is right. My Etsy shop came rather suddenly, but I'm so thankful for it. It's the best job in the world! I love creating and connecting with other artists and my customers. I love the challenges of developing my artistry and learning business skills (and still balancing studenthood and wifery). I hope that writing here will help me process all of those things even as I'm sharing with y'all, and I hope that we will all be encouraged to adventure well and live fully. 

Carpe Diem.