So this “thing” I’ve been hinting about for a while now… I have been writing blogposts in my mind for days now and I’m not sure what exactly to tell about it.
The good stuff is simple.
The good part goes like this: hey, we’ve temporarily moved to a tropical island to live and work there until the end of March. And we’re probably going to move here permanently within a few years.
Yes. We’re back on our lovely island in the Dutch Caribbean, Curaçao. (If you’re new here and curious about previous visits, you can read about them here – if you’re wondering how Curacao is on the other side of the world but still sort of in our own country; I found this wonderful and funny video explaining it all (and also the difference between Hollanders and Dutch – I’m both)
So what’s the bad part, you ask? To make a long story short: I’m worried about my husband’s health (though he does feel better in the tropics) and I feel guilty about being 8000 kilometers away from my family. I have to admit though, being here again feels good. It’s hard to describe. It’s a sense of belonging, feeling home.
People say about this island you either love it or you hate it. I”ve loved it and all it’s quirks and faults since I first set foot on it five years ago. I always cry when we leave and I teared up when I saw the first glimpses of it from the plane just before landing (our last visit was a very short week in May 2015).
Anyway. We’re here now and we’re trying to work out the kinks. Meanwhile I try to enjoy our time here as much as I can. We’re staying with friends in the most luxury apartment we’ve ever stayed in and the view from our porch is stunning. I plan to enjoy the much simpler housekeeping here and to write a lot, figure out where to go with my blogs, my novel writing and my dreams of earning some money with that (since we’d love to buy a house here).
One more important issue: can one knit here? The answer is simple: yes! I did that before. I also knew I’d go crazy here without knitting since I tried that a few years ago. That time I didn’t bring any knitting and I found out buying yarn here is a challenge, so this time I packed 11 skeins, at least enough to make a hat a week. I’m going to look around to see if I can buy yarn somewhere. I guess wool is too hot, but cotton could be nice. My husband promised me to find a way to import yarn if we end up living here permanently.
I have to be careful what yarn to bring, since 100% synthetic tends to melt a bit, which makes it hard to work with. Wool, wool blends and cotton work fine though.
:: thinking I should not be writing a right now post a few days ahead of time
:: trying to accept that I have to do it this way to prevent myself from stressing out
:: smiling at myself for knowing that my word for 2018 “Relax” is chosen so well
:: feeling sad that the last two weeks were far from relaxed, but trying to accept that I’m a work in progress and that’s alright. I’m only human
:: still feeling a bit uneasy about the things happening in my life right now, but also feeling excited about it.
:: promising to talk about these things next week. I’m not trying to be secretive, I’m just having a hard time with some changes around here and need to work things out before telling the whole wide world about it 😉
:: not even able to remember how many times I tried to take a picture every day. I never made it through a whole year. But it’s fun to try.
Here’s my first week.
I was going to pick a favorite, but I can’t. I like the one of my glasses on my planner, but I also think the one from my parent’s church is quite nice. And that leaf on my honeysuckle (way too early!) isn’t too bad either. What’s your favorite?
Well, the first one is done. So I’m off to a good start.
I had this linen/cotton blend in my stash (a thrift shop find) and thought it would be an even better start to use that first. I was going to do something more intricate, but the uneven yarn worked better in a simple design (I frogged my first attempt).
Hmn. I guess that’s all I have to say about it right now. So, so busy, but I can’t seem to get myself talking about the hows and whys before the thing I’m so busy preparing for is actually a fact. So stay tuned for that… 😉
Edited to add: Want to join me in my challenge to knit 52 hats/one hat every week (if you start later) this year? Let me know in the comments. If enough people decide to join I could create a weekly or monthly link-up. Or I could just be the mad hat knitter again and do a hat link up every week, without commitment to a challenge. Could be fun. Any thoughts on this?
Thanks for coming over to my new blog! Some things still need tweaking, but that will take some time and I’m very busy with other things at the moment. So I hope you will excuse broken links and messy layouts. I will take care of it, eventually.
Even though it was a (very,very) slow knitting year, this last hat (I finished it on New Years Eve around nine, so it was a close call) makes nine hats in 2017. On a total of twelve knitting projects (the other three being dishcloths), that’s still a lot of hats I guess.
I already mentioned I love this yarn (I made this hat with it too) and I’m also in love with the fancy stitch I used on the brim.
I found my grandmother’s knitting book in a box of forgotten stuff when I helped my parents downsize. My mother happily parted with it when I asked I could have it. It’s full of fun stitch patterns like this. I’m looking forward to work through all of them.
Knitting :: a hat. Of course. Though I still don’t think it would be wise to commit to the idea of making a hat a week, I did start one. So who knows? I really like that yarn (a thrift store find). It’s a dark, but rich blue linen/cotton blend. It may end up as a gift for my father. And yes, that would mean a good start for another knitting goal.
Reading :: a romance novel. I like it. It’s a fun, simple read. But I’m intrigued by the fact that though the author is Dutch, the characters and the setting are British/Australian. It reads like a translated novel and I think that’s a good marketing choice (we Dutch tend to prefer foreign authors). Something to think about for my next novel I guess… (a quick internet search on the author reveals that her next books are set in Holland though. So maybe it didn’t work out the way I thought it would.)
I’m also reading Young House Love. I have read their blog for years, but never bought any of the books (no budget). I was very happy to discover both books are included in the e-book “library” I recently subscribed to. I have to admit, a book like this is probably not really suitable for an e-reader, but it’s good enough for a bit of browsing. I think I’ll try reading it on my computer next, especially if it turns out I want to try some of the DIY projects in it. Linking up with Ginny of Small Things’ Yarn along
(fireworks in surrounding villages – our tradition is to go outside and watch others set fire to their money 😉 )
I’m always excited to start a new year. I love a clean slate. I have to admit though that the last few years I find that transitioning into a new year is a lot like traveling: you can’t leave yourself behind. I woke up on January 1st feeling all excited about the new year, only to realize that I was very tired (since we traditionally start a new year by going to bed real late). We had a slow morning and in the afternoon we picked up two of the girls to go visit my parents (a one hour drive away from us). My brother was at my parent’s too and we talked for a while. That’s something we usually don’t seem to get to, so that was good. But his life isn’t easy at the moment, and I found that our conversation resonated through my night. One day into the new year and here I was, worrying my sleep time away. Got to work on that, I guess. I tell myself that it would be alright to worry if that would really help someone, but since it doesn’t, it’s a waste of time. My word for 2018 is “relax” and that’s not an easy goal.
Anyway. Knitting. I spent the afternoon of the 31st unpicking and frogging this sweater. It’s funny to look at that picture, since I don’t look that fat on it, but that sweater was way too big on me now. It looked ridiculous, so I never wore it anymore. And since I got that (very expensive) yarn as a birthday present from my husband, I decided to give it a second chance. First I wanted to make a smaller sweater, but it’s a combination of silk and wool with a lovely drape. I’m not sure that drape will work for a fitted sweater (it was a bit of a problem the first time around). So I’m making a shawl now (also eliminating the size problem if I put on weight again or loose even more).
I finished the second green hat on New Year’s eve, but that one will get it’s own post. My knitting plans for 2018:
finish that shawl
make myself a sweater/cardigan that fits
or maybe two (one to wear when working in the garden (my shalom is way too big too – even after shrinking it deliberately), one to wear inside if I’m cold)
hats. It’s not a good example of being relaxed to commit to challenges, so maybe I shouldn’t, but I’m still contemplating a “52 hats” challenge this year. I bought some yarn to start, so maybe I’ll just give it a (relaxed) try.
gifts. I would love to be able to start giving handmade gifts for birthdays and Christmas again. That’s a bit of a challenge too since the first birthday is my father’s, this Saturday.
Hmn… See where this is going? Too much commitment, too much stress… You know what? Scratch all that. This year I’m going to knit what I want and when I feel like it. Relax!
So, do you have a word for the year? Any big knitting plans?
p.s. I deleted my ravelry account last year and regretted that ever since, so I started a new account. You can find me here (username “maggienas”).
Linking up with Nicole at Frontier Dreams’ Crafting on
The bookkeeper in me likes to keep track of things, but apparently she’s been sleeping on the job when it comes to keeping track of my knitting. Well, not completely, I do have these scribbly notes in my knitting notebook. But I’d also like to keep some visual reminders and I have been slacking on that, it seems.
I was going to post about some hats that found new owners on Christmas Day. I didn’t really gift them, but when one of the girls mentioned she needed a new hat, I let her (and her boyfriend and the other girls) pick from my stash. So I’ve been browsing back to last year’s pictures to link to a (grey/black slouchy) hat my future son-in-law chose only to find out that I didn’t have any pictures of it. I also forgot to take pictures of the lilac hat I finished the day before Christmas. My youngest daughter took that one. I did remember to sneak a few pictures of the other two hats they took though.
My future son-in-law liked this one too. A very simple hat from bulky black yarn with colored parts in it. He actually can wear any hat and still look good. So funny. And good to fuel my hat knitting…
My middle daughter took this one. I made that last week too (told you I was on a roll). I didn’t have enough of that light green yarn left (see below for the other two hats I made with it) to make a hat anymore, but I found that darker green in the thrift store and thought it was a good match. I combined a simple k2, p2 brim with a fancy stitch I found in my grandmother’s knitting book. She also loved the cabled hat I made last year (phew, glad I did document that one!)
And just so I don’t forget these (they’re still in my stash, but we now know I can’t be trusted to take pictures before I get rid of them):
A Soulemama hat (my favorite pattern – that bookkeeper in me would love to know how many I made, but I lost track) and a spiral one (my own “pattern”). I had four little skeins of that green yarn and used up every last bit of it.
So… off to knit more hats… You can see the beginnings of one in the top picture. There was enough of that dark green yarn to make another hat. Or at least I think so. I weighed it and it was a few grams less than the finished hat, so it will be a close call. I guess like living on the edge 😉
It was nothing special. Just a simple combination of family meals and a peaceful, quiet home. My favorite way of celebrating Christmas. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas too.
Okay, this will be a long one (feel free to skip this post), since I just want to get it over with. I worked on answering these questions throughout the week, so I did think them through.
15 GOOD HABITS FORMED – Did you form any new good habits? How did you do it? Hmn, I don’t think I formed good habits this year. Well, maybe my daily cleaning routine. That’s going quite well (though not every single day). Knowing what I should do each day helps me to pick up the pieces when I fall of the band wagon. The same thing goes for the weekly cleaning.
16 BAD HABITS BROKEN – Were you able to kick any of your bad habits this year? How did you do it? I mentioned it before, but it was a big one: eating when I feel emotional. I keep telling myself that I don’t need food to make me feel better. And that I never want to be fat again, because it had some huge implications on my health and my mind. That usually helps.
17 UNFINISHED BUSINESS – What unfinished business do you need to take care of in order to start the new year strong? Is there anything you can tackle before the month is over? Ha! Nope, not going to list all that. There’s so much I planned to do this year, but I never got to it. I just try to relax about it and do what I really need to do, nothing more. I have a bit of a deadline (um, a huge one!) for a lot things on January 10th though (I’ll blog about that later).
18 THEME/WORD FOR 2018 – What is your theme or word of the year for 2018? What does it mean to you? Relax. Last year’s was Rest and I did. Sort of anyway. I think now I need to relax. Not necessarily meaning I want to spent my time doing nothing on a beach or something like that (though that can be fun!), but more like a state of mind. I tend to overthink things. I am a perfectionist and a control freak. I need to relax. If things don’t go as I plan, change plans. Make lists, but be prepared to toss them. Be prepared for what might happen but stop worrying.
19 START DOING – Is there anything you want to START doing in 2018? Relax 😉 I also want to go for walks more often, even when the weather isn’t really inviting.
20 KEEP DOING – What would you like to KEEP doing next year? Blogging! This will be the year I won’t quit. Or at least, that’s my plan. I also want to keep knitting.
21 STOP DOING – Is there anything you want to STOP doing in 2018? Worrying. I don’t think I have to explain. My children, my parents, my siblings, the world. So much to worry about. But since worrying doesn’t help anyone, I’d really like to stop doing it and relax (there’s that word again).
22 OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE – We all have those things that are uncomfortable but could be SO good for us. How are you going to step out of your comfort zone in 2018? Well, inline with being more relaxed, I’d like to be more creative. I have so many things I love to do (knitting, sewing, writing, photography), but I tend to stick to what I know people expect of me. Next year I want to create for the joy of creating and share what I make without worrying about what people may think about it.
23 SETTING INTENTIONS – What intentions do you want to set for the new year? Do you have a plan for how you will carry them out?Be more mindful online – I’m working on creating folders in my bookmarks that will help me to make a distinction between connections (blogs I read and comment on regularly), interesting/inspiring (blogs or articles I want to read intentional) and well, mindless clicking (sometimes that can be fun). Embrace change – I always thought life would become calmer and steadier after the kids grew up, but that was a mistake. Things change faster than I can keep up with and more change is coming. I really want to embrace that, but I’m not sure how besides just going with the flow. Be kind – to myself, and to others. – I find myself being cynical and negative a lot and that has to stop. I try to be mindful about my reactions and work through the reasons behind them.
24 SOMETHING NEW – What is something new you would like to try/learn/create next year? I can’t really think of something really new. I think I have a lot of things going on already (knitting, sewing, writing, photography) and I want to be better (and more creative) at all of them.
25 SELF-CARE – You can’t pour from an empty cup. How will you make time for self-care in 2018? I think being more relaxed about everything will give me time for self-care. Right now I don’t feel I can go for a walk until my house is clean and everything on my to-do list is crossed off. I hope that will change.
26 CONTRIBUTION – We all want to make a meaningful contribution in this world. What are some ways that you can contribute to your friends, family, community, or the world in general? Help when needed, listen when people need to talk, give them my full attention when we’re together. I also want to be mindful about being part of a community. Online and in real life. I’ve been quite the hermit for a few years now.
27 EDUCATION – Education doesn’t stop when you’re done with school. How will you educate and grow yourself mentally in 2018? I found some interesting blogs about photography and I’d love to try some of the techniques they’re showing, especially on editing photo’s, since that’s my weak spot.
28 CAREER – Do you have any major career goals next year? Well, since we’re empty nesters now, my husband is already thinking about (partly) retiring. So my “career goals” are mostly aimed at finding ways to make a bit of passive income. I’m already doing some commercial blogging in Dutch and I want to try and expand on that by translating one those blogs (it’s about cleaning and organzing) to English and see how that goes.
29 2018 WILL FEEL SUCCESSFUL IF… – Imagine it’s December 2018. Complete this sentence and write about what a successful year would look like for you. 2018 will feel succesful if I look back at the inevatable challenges we faced and I can honestly say I handled them in a relaxed way.
30 TOP THREE 2018 GOALS – What are your top three goals for 2018? Start an English commercial blog Write/complete a book I know that’s only two (big) goals, but I think it’s enough 😉 I do have a lot of smaller goals but listing those would make this an even longer blogpost, so let’s not do that.
31 LESSONS LEARNED – What lessons have you learned through this year-end review? I’m not really comfortable with questions like this. I needed to commit to blogging about it to actually answer them. But in the end it was helpful to try to put things into words.
NOT A STATION 