"We are all wanderers on this earth...our hearts are full of wonder, and our souls are deep with dreams." ~ Gypsy proverb

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Yarn Along ~ Heart and Soul


Joining Ginny over at Small Things for Yarn Along:
"~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? ... ~"

Thanks to Ginny's inspiration last week, I really wanted to make a heart garland of our own. But, I have to tell you, I tried using the teeny tiny thread with the teeny tiny crochet hook. Ugh. With my wretched eyesight and my less than nimble fingers, I gave up, and went with the 5mm crochet hook and thicker wool yarn :). I then decided, well, I never felted before, lets try it! I am happy with the way it turned out but I think it needs a few more hot water rinses to get rid of the waffle look. Any experienced felters out there have some more suggestions, I'll take them!!

Earlier this week in this post, I mentioned I've been doing some soul restoring. Is it coincidence that I've been reading this book by Clarissa Pinkola Estes? Full of stories about the wild woman archetype, Women Who Run With Wolves is pretty raw in having me contemplate that inner wild child. You know, the one that is never afraid to speak the truth (no matter the consequences), the one that marches to the beat of her own drum, the one that is fervently and inextricably tied to nature and the earth, the one that shuns conformity and shines from within.  Estes says we all have her within and the wild woman speaks to us via intuition. She also talks about what happens when that inner wild woman gets too constrained for too long, and what happens if she is let loose for too long. Very very interesting, really, and I am enjoying it.  A great match to my hearts this week :).

18 comments:

  1. Sounds interesting, I've seen that book but have never picked it up, thanks for the review! Your heart garland really does look great!

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  2. Love the heart garland. I would love to make one, but I don't crochet. Maybe I'll take a peek at some video tutorials later.

    Blessings, Elizabeth

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  3. fab book and wonderful garland ... happy days x

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  4. those hearts look so pretty! I'm sure I'll make some soon - I have a ball of beautiful deep red yarn set aside for them :)

    btw, thanks for commenting on my blog :) - last time when I was in Kenya I got 3 baskets there - but I'm sure I'll get even more next time :D - should I get one for you too? ;D

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  5. I've never felted anything (deliberately!) yet, though my husband is an old hand at the non-deliberate felting! I think the hearts are darling with a bit of texture...

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  6. I really like that garland. So sweet!!

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  7. I love that garland! I was wondering if I could reteach myself crochet and try it out...

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  8. i love that garland! and that book! it was given to me as a gift many, many years ago and i have read it many times since. it never ceases to amaze me!

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  9. The garland is so sweet! Haven't tried felting yet but would like to, it just seems a little intimidating.

    The thrive photo project isn't just for DSLR's you should try it!

    Thank you so much for telling me how much your kids liked my cat photo last week, that made my day!

    I have a copy of the The Backyard Homestead, we received it as a wedding gift, full of great info!

    Be well ~Andrea~

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  10. Making a heart garland is such a fun idea. I've come across a few blogs now (yours included).

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  11. I love the hearts! They are so sweet. Funny that you're reading Made From Scratch. I just finished that one last night and I also really enjoyed The Backyard Homestead. Very accessible material. I might have to make a little heart garland for our house now because I'm so impressed with the way yours turned out.

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  12. I love that book. And the heart garland is fantastic. I'm a big fan of seasonal decorations that you can use year after year. Sigh. I hate knitting. And crochet. I'm just...terrible at it. It is the only crafty/creative/artsy related thing that I don't enjoy. It feels odd to admit it!

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  13. oh, your heart garland is so fun! Not heard of the book, but intriguing nonetheless ;-)

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  14. Oooh your book sounds very interesting! Definitely adding it to my list of books I want to borrow from the library :) Your heart garland looks great to. I was inspried by Ginny last week to and picked up some red cotton to crochet with :) Have a great weekend and I'll definitely be sharing about our garden as it gets started :)

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  15. i just got that book for christmas and am looking forward to delving into it. i'm glad you've liked it so much!

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  16. That garland is just plain cute! I love it!

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  17. everybody's making those garlands! I need to make one too - I hope I'll find some time before 14th february :P but I've been incredibly busy these days :/

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“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
~ George Bernard Shaw