Yarn Along ~ A Fling and an Invitation

Joining Ginny again for Yarn Along~

I was minding my own business, as devoted to my afghan as I could be, especially knowing that we were in it for the long haul together (with 95 squares still left to make), when what should arrive at my doorstep?   Lemongrass from Sweet Basil FibreWorks.  Yes, I admit, I may have looked at Lemongrass a few times and did invite the yarn to my home, but I had absolutely no intention of beginning a relationship, not soon after I started with the afghan!!   But, that Lemongrass I tell you... I was teased and wooed, relentlessly!!  I even put Lemongrass away, sure that if it lay out of my sight, I could stay faithful and loyal to the afghan.  But, I am weak, you see, hopelessly in love with new colors, textures, and ideas.   And so, yes, a fling has begun, and I must tell you, it is soooo worth it :).  It won't be long before a new shawl will be completed from lovely Lemongrass, and maybe, just maybe, afghan will get some attention again.  But, I must admit, I do have wandering eyes....



On a totally different note, remember that apron I knitted and never posted?  Here it is!!  I was so excited about my giveaway last week I totally forgot to post it.  Better late than never, yes?

As far as reads, I wanted to post a poem I came across for the first time recently.  You may already know it, but I loved it so much I wanted to post it here.  It spoke to me, magnetically, and I am wondering, does it speak to you?  I hope you enjoy :). 

The Invitation 

 by Oriah

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for,
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or
have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own,
without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own,
if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful,
be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true,
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself,
if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul;

I want to know if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty, even when it is not pretty every day,
and if you can source your life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours or mine,
and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes."

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair,
weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself,
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

With peace and love...

Yarn Along ~ The "Why" of It

First, congratulations to Mrs.H of Fleeting Moments for winning the first giveaway!! There is still time to enter the 2nd book giveaway (by 7pm EST tonight) on yesterday's post!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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? ... ~"

So after some wonderfully soothing and therapeutic crocheting this past week, I was able to produce my own version of the Bonita hat.  The only thing I did different was double strand, which meant I had to crochet a bit less than what the pattern called for.  What I have now is a slouchy hat, which I adore!!  So now I'm feeling pretty tenacious and decided to tackle a simple knitted lap apron pattern I found on the Weathered Rose yarn by Lily I purchased.  Fingers crossed and so far so good!! 

And now on to the book... I am very excited about this quick little read I just started called The Why Cafe' by John Strelecky.  I shared his other fantastic book in the first Yarn Along I ever did.  It was a lovely, uplifting story, and I expect no less from this one.  From what I gather so far, it's a "follow your heart", "do what you love", "know your purpose" kind of story, begging the question of "why".  Why do we think we are here?  What do I think MY purpose is specifically and am I working towards knowing and doing that "why".  If this book points me in the right direction to the answers, I promise I'll share it with you!!  Here are some more reviews if you want to know more!!

Please come back tomorrow for more book sharing (from the kids' lists) and the third and final giveaway of the week!

Yarn Along ~ The Young and the Old

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? ... ~"

Yay!! The boyfriend hat is finally finished, as E. is so graciously modeling.  Oh my there are mucho mistakes, but I–don't–care!!!  Apparently E. doesn't either as he wanted to keep it for himself :), which of course filled me up with happiness and smiles.  On the hook next, as I switch back to some comfort crocheting (and lick my knitting wounds for a bit), is this cute hat pattern I found on Ravelry, with the same charcoal yarn as the previous hat.  Can't wait to show you how it turns out!!

What I am really excited to show you today though is this wonderful find from my grandmother's community flea market last weekend.  When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne (of Pooh fame) first printed in 1924, though I think this one was printed in 1949. The dust jacket is falling apart, but everything inside is so lovely and intact... 

And just for fun, here are a few other finds, some old skeleton keys, an old German pitcher, a 1928 arithmetic book, vintage wrapping paper, a vintage tea strainer, a West Bend bean pot, and a mini wooden shelf...Happy yarning and reading everyone!!

**One more thing, I decided to add another winner to my giveaway yesterday. I couldn't just have one...so we drew Elizabeth from Heartfelt Homemaking as our second Soul Restoration winner with the Brave Girl's Club. Congrats Elizabeth!!**