Slow Living Notes • May in the Studio

So May, can I just say that you were filled with many good things;

* Reuniting with nearly all my loved ones

* A hospital visit

* I had an epiphany

* Realising my online shop was no longer broken

* Discovering cooler days

* The social media debate

* The number of migraines this month

Let me just add a little context, so that when I reread this blog post when I am very old I won’t get too confused.

Family Ties

Well the first, my loved ones. Being with nearly all of my family, ~ except for the one out of State ~ filled my heart once again. There are no other words for it. Except to say that as a mother I have realised that I only feel ‘balanced’ when everything is going well with my little family. I thought that feeling would fade as the children became adults. It has not. If anything that feeling has intensified. I don’t know if everyone feels that way, but as a highly sensitive person this continues to come up in my life. So this month, my heart felt balanced again. I know this is not something to take for granted, and it will ebb and flow over the coming months and years. But this month, May and family, rocked!

Walking the dog is different now, my hands are free, I can take photos + watch where I'm walking

A hospital visit

At the beginning of the month I tripped while out walking the dog. You can read about it here. It was nasty, and as a result I had pain in my chest. Considering heart disease runs through most of my family, I was convinced the fall and the fainting spells were connected to my heart. After examination at hospital, my heart revealed that it was fine! Fine! The pain was probably due to the impact of the fall/trip. And after a few weeks it has finally improved. But oh I was so relieved to hear that my heart was ok. I did come to the realisation that I can no longer walk the dog on my own anymore. She is way too strong. Stronger than me in spirit and determination. So the dog and I walk with my hubby most days now. And I think next week I will resume walking on my own each day.

cloudy day with blue sky and reflection on the water

pink clouds in the evening overlooking water

sunlight reflecting shadows on the wall

Wintering

Autumn at the Bay has become a little cooler, but the sunsets and sunrises are just magical. I love seeing the sun rise and the rays filling the house. No more explanation is needed. Except to say that Whale season is also beginning. I have been on a few whale looking missions around the town, and although I have yet to spot one, I feel confident that next month I should be able to report many sightings.

Whale watching expeditions includes coffee + cake. Always.

An Epiphany.

This month I was writing a letter to a pen pal and during the process of decorating the paper, envelope and putting pen to paper to write, I felt so caught up in the flow, time sped up. This had a lasting positive effect. You can read about my love of letter writing here. I always thought that I was just ‘wasting time’ covering my table with all the lovely bits of paper and writing tools and losing myself in the moment. I did some research and found out that letter writing and paper ‘fluffing’ is actually an important creative outlet. What an epiphany! All this time storing and buying paper was actually a great long term investment! It also made me realise that I wanted to spend more of my time taking part in this activity. So I created a pen pal circle, if you are interested in getting creative and you have the time, you can find all the details here.

hand holding pen about to write on decorative paper

Letters from the bay, an invitation to sign up for penpas

a desk filled with paper and stationary products

My broken shop.

Well I assumed that the shop was broken as I have not had many sales in the past months. So yes, my shop started to ‘Cha-Ching’ again which was so marvelous and unexpected. So unexpected that when I heard the “Cha-ching’ coming from my phone it made me jump and I nearly fell off the lounge! Do you know that when you have an online shop you do hear the ‘Cha-ching’ when an order is made? It is a fantastic noise, nearly up there with the sound of your children laughing together. Nearly the same. But what it is, is a sound of validation. All of your hard work, handmade dreams and ideas are validated in that very second of time. So maybe the shop was never broken. Maybe, just maybe, it was just a very, very quiet season.

Studio time

With a quiet online shop, it has still been busy in the studio. I published my first knit beanie pattern to make and donate and it has been warmly received. I also made many beanies to donate. This makes my heart sing. It was not easy to write the knit pattern, with my foggy brain. But it was a lot easier than the writing of the Sunflower Pants pattern that I’m still struggling to write. (Next month is a deal breaker for that pattern.) I have also been working on a few (for now) secret patterns and another donation piece. This donation piece is for the Yummy Yarn Co Winter Sockstice Festival. I have never crocheted socks before and I have wanted to take part in this Festival for years now, so I set myself the challenge.

I love my new larger granny square bags, they are lined and big

Learning to trust the process

I seem to have many projects in progress in the studio at any given moment of time. I usually go around in circles chasing my tail. But this month I created a written weekly plan and it has been keeping me and the studio focused. Which is a relief. Although working in the studio full time has been my dream for a long time, I often become frustrated when plans/patterns/projects don’t work out as I expect them to. I often feel like I am failing. So this month I have been focusing on the process that the journey has taken me on. For the first time in forever, I feel like I can actually take a moment to appreciate what I have learned along the way, instead of constantly focusing on moving forward. And I guess that is why I am enjoying this process of this monthly reflection for myself. I’ve never had time to do it before.

One of the reasons that I get so excited about a customer ordering a crochet kit for themselves involves this understanding of the creative process. I think many women are starting to realise the importance of creativity in their life. Women in particular are so used to putting themselves last on their to do lists. It is such an important part of life to have something delicious to do just for ourselves. It is important for our sense of self to have something creative to be working on, to fill our cup. I have found that now that I have my dream working life of having a creative business, the business side of the studio tends to take over everything. This month I have learnt that it is important and so valuable for me to have something creative to work on just for me. The Slow Granny Blanket Project continues to fill that space for me.

Around the home

When I’m not in the studio or working on my blanket I have been really craving winter meals. The slow cooker has made its way out of the cupboard and I have been cooking easy slow roast chicken and pulled brisket meals that has the house smelling amazing. Another favourite winter recipe is this Mexican Beef Mince Bake, it’s quick, filled with veggies and is yummy.

Of course I have been spending more time in front of the tv. There has been so many good show to watch but the stand out, like usual has been about amazing women. Lead Children is a powerful true story of a women who refused to give up and as a result changed the course of children’s health and industry protocols back in the 1970s. Incredible.

Then there is the new documentary about Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister on Netflix. I have mentioned how I listened and loved her autobiography, but this documentary gives me chills just thinking what an amazing woman she is. What she went through in her years in office, including becoming a mother for the first time. What a woman! Speaking of books, ‘In her Defence” by Philippa Malicka was brilliant. I have already done a deep dive into her other books. Gosh I love good stories!

Returning to the socials.

Last month I turned off social media notifications on my devices. I quickly realised that it had a calming effect on my nervous system. So this month I continued to have the notifications silenced. Despite Instagram imploring me to ‘Turn on notifications so I don’t miss out’ I actually feel like I’m not missing out. I feel like I am in control, instead of the other way around. I check in most mornings and nights for any messages. I then take my time scrolling through my curated favourites. I am more than happy with this turn of events.

Last of all, the number of migraines this month? I have not had one migraine this month. For the first time in years. Could this be a result of all the good things May was filled with? Probably. Most definitely.

Make sure you do something just for yourself today,

Melissa.