It was one of those weekends that started early on Friday afternoon. Nothing special was planned, there was just something about the day that just pushed me into weekend mode by mid-afternoon. I loved that.
Still ignoring the Christmas wreaths on our front doors, I focused on the cozy inside instead. A few corners were fluffed, a perfect February activity if ever there was one. Looking at our basic, everyday things in a new light is always refreshing.
Speaking of light, this little room (our den) is the darkest room in the house so I don't usually spend much time with my camera in here. On this day, the lighting seemed to be just right. Welcome to our den!
I finished another hat (pics to come soon). No other creative pursuit has taught me more about the process than knitting. In fact, part of me that actually enjoys trying a project and having it not work out quite as expected - I always learn something valuable from that. I might even learn more when it doesn't work out than when it does.
When a project doesn't go according to plan there is opportunity to pause and think about why. I kind of like that space, the space of troubleshooting. In doing so I gain a better understanding of things such as needle size, gauge, pattern reading, cast-on methods, cast-off methods, etc. I bet some of you know what I mean.
I'm reminded of just how particular I am about hat fit. This is good because right now I'm totally inspired to knit hat after in search of the perfect-for-me pattern. There may quite a big stack when all is said and done.
Heading into weekend mode early, I was inspired to gather all the bits of yarn I've been collecting (and gifted) over the last several months. Oh my, that was eye opening. In the world of knitting stashes, I know this isn't a tremendous amount, but I am loving this big-to-me collection just the same. I set it all up in this temporary way which looks cute but doesn't really offer protection from dust and dog hair.
A glass fronted antique cabinet would be perfect. You know the kind with rounded glass sides and a door in the front? I think yarn is so beautiful to look at, I don't want to hide it away in totes or bags or something - but it seems like a certain amount of protection is a good idea.
A little thrifting adventure was in order.
Oh!! I wish I could say this beautiful cabinet came home with us, but alas, it was hundreds of dollars above my budget.
We are terribly spoiled around here with excellent thrifting prices so the dollar amount was practically a number I’d never heard in my thrifting travels. You see, it was being used as a display and not technically for sale. When the shop owner learned I was interested, he called the vendor of this particular corner to inquire about price. The response was basically, “Oh sure, it's for sale (for this crazy amount of money).”
Thankfully, Adam took this quick pic with his phone so we could keep our eyes open for something just like it.
Because the shop was using it as a display, the beautiful door had been taken so it wouldn't be in the way. But it was there, and the entire piece was in perfect condition.
It is exactly what I'm looking for. Don’t you think yarn would look so pretty in here?
Perhaps I could justify the purchase if we called it my "gift" for every gift-giving holiday this year? (I’m sort of kidding.)
I did find a few other treasures - a new art piece (victorian floral with meditating buddha!), some country plaid curtains for our dining room, and a new hutch for our apothecary supplies. I didn't take a picture yet of the two pieces together, but the glass doored section sits on top of the other piece forming one unit. The hutch will also go in the dining room. Now a little spruce up is underway and I can't wait to have a new space in our home to enjoy.
The hutch was actually picked up earlier in the week from a place that we love that is sadly going out of business. There is a second piece that I'm bringing home too, but it is quite large and will require a little creativity in order to get it here. We’ll be doing that later this week. It is a fantastically long butcher block/island/19th century mercantile counter type of thing. Just beautiful in a totally beat up and rustic sort of way. I can’t wait to show it to you.
There was a bit of snow this weekend too! Waking up to a fresh white covering is simply the best. Unless you don’t like snow, then it’s not the best.
Spring is going to feel so good this year.
I best get back to all the rearranging and continued fluffing that is going on around here. Emily’s new semester at homeschool co-op starts tomorrow, and we’ve begun a new (mid school year switch up) rhythm to her days at home, too. I’ll share more about that once we’re a month or so in and have a better idea if it’s working for us or not.
Early weekending, good thrifting, continued learning in my knitting world, renewed homeschool energy, and freshly fallen snow. These are the things February is made of.
