Red Cedar
More apocalypse, less angst
Post #2055: Autumn Zen
In the Zen tradition that I am involved with, there is a custom of intensified meditation and contemplative practice in the fall – known as Fall Practice Period – which opens this Friday. Beginning with a two-day non-residential meditation retreat (where we go to the Zen-do and meditate all day and into the evening, but return home to sleep), we craft the following six weeks around a self-designed program with the goal of deepening our commitment to zazen (meditation), sangha (community), and dharma (the teachings and philosophy of the Buddha). At the end of this time is a seven-day silent residential retreat with the head teacher, and then a closing ceremony.
For my period of practice, I have made the following intentions known to my teachers -as a way of holding my own intention out and asking for support:
- increased daily meditation length
- increased attendance at the Zen-do – although I can’t make many of the Sundays, I have committed to weekday early mornings and volunteered to help open the meditation hall if others are unavailable to do so
- limiting intake of alcohol (not that I drink a lot – but you know how it is….)
- attention to healthy life practice (food/exercise)
- gratitude practice
I have also decided to undertake a craft project as a mindfulness practice – and since I already do a lot of handwork, I have chosen something that I don’t do a lot of – embroidery. As I bought the book and the materials for this project sometime ago, it also fits the criteria of using up items that I already have:
This bag by Naoko Shimoda features the artwork of Heather Moore – for a piece that I think will make a good focus in October. I am going to try to prep the piece tomorrow so that I can focus on the hand-stitching starting next week.
The dress pictured above, is a nearly finished garment for meditation – the Cappuccino Dress which I wrote about here. I have some finishing work to do still – including seamwork, sleeve cuffs and hemming. I used a French seam where the dress allowed for it, and I am thinking of ribbon-finishing the other seams as an added touch. This is a way I think garments should be in essence – very simple in appearance, but with attention paid to the details that (mostly) only the wearer would notice. I’m going to the fabric store today at lunch to see if I can find some seam tape – otherwise it’ll be zig-zagged by tomorrow and ready for wear once I hem it.
And of course, all of regular life will continue during this time – work, the band practices, the family visits, a trip to Las Vegas (more on that later) – it’s not as though I am suspending it all to go sit on a mountaintop. Rather, I hope to bring a greater attention and ease to the work I undertake during this time. We’ll see how it goes!
Post #2054: Some knitting notes.
My fall has started off full of lovely things, but as usual – it isn’t leaving much time for sewing or making, except what I carve out during the weeks. This past weekend was no exception – I had a concert, a four-hour meditation class, a dinner party, and band practice – as well as some much-needed hang out time with Brian. So I haven’t progressed on my current sewing project at all, though I did manage to fit some sweater knitting in during the TV-watching phase of hanging out on Sunday.
The Paulie sweater body is now about four inches from being done and I am very pleased with the fit – it’s hard to tell from this photo, because the stockinette is curled under, but it comes together to within a half inch when pulled out – and there are still button bands to be added. I think it’s going to work with a few more increases around the hips – and if anything, it might be a bit bit (which I don’t mind as long as it doesn’t bag out):
The Beacon Shawl is also moving along, but there is really nothing to show there because it is just endless garter stitch in one colour right now. Once I start on the gradient, it will get interesting again.
And finally, I’ve decided to participate in the Fringe Association 2015 Knitalong to create a Cowichan-style vest for Brian. I owe him something besides the winter scarf since he so amazingly painted the sewing room – and this item will be a cozy throw-on at the cabin. I’m planning to knit this in super-bulky on Size 15 needles – a huge contrast from the fingering weight Paulie knit on size 3s – and besides the fact I have never done colourwork, I expect this to take shape much faster than the other two projects I am working on.
I’ve ordered the yarn from KnitPicks – an Alpaca/Wool blend (pictured) – which I hope will arrive next week so I can get started on this. In the meantime I’m going to practice some stranded colourwork techniques to see if I can get the hang of two-handed knitting, or what method I might prefer to work in. This pattern is knitting flat (not in the round and then steeked) which makes me a bit more confident – cutting my knitting feels a little too advanced for me at this juncture.
I’ve been at this knitting thing now since June and I am pretty happy with my progress on the skills front. I can now knit an even stockinette stitch on small needles, I know how to pick up a dropped stitch using a crochet hook, and I have a basic idea of how gauge works when it comes to knitting (versus crochet). I am not a super-speedy knitter, but I don’t think I ever will be – speed isn’t really my goal – but I think I move along at a respectable pace. I’m looking forward to another skill-building project in the form of this KAL – which includes helpful notes and thoughts from a panel of really experienced knitters and knit-wear designers.
I am feeling the need to get back to crochet at some point in the very near future as well – I’ve got a thread-weight curtain in my queue which offers me months of time with the hook in my hand – but at the moment I’m a bit knitting-obsessed.
Post #2053: So many books….
Okay – well, not *so* many. But three, and they arrived all at once after months of being on the holds list at the library. And the worst part is – these are all books that I really want to read (unlike the many that I reserve at the library because maybe….). In the order that I reserved them are Romantic Outlaws which is a mother-daughter biography about Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley, Where the Heart Beats, another biography, this one about John Cage and Zen Buddhism, and A Little Life, a novel that I ordered because it was on the Booker longlist (and is now also on this week’s released shortlist). I expect that for the next little while there will be more bus reading than bus knitting to and from work.
I dove into A Little Life last night, feeling that I could most easily knock the fiction off first, and am now 99 pages into it – It’s 720 pages long, so at this rate I could finish it in a week. We’ll see how I do, but it will mean putting other things to the side. Fortunately I am a quick reader, and this book’s characters have pulled me right in – so I’m compelled to some fervent reading.
I have to admit that books haven’t exactly been at the forefront of my life lately, I mean, besides all the reading I did for grad school which was quite a lot – and I suppose that’s part of it. It’s been all required reading for four years, and in between I have focused more on making (sewing, crochet, canning etc) than scoping out the latest literary must-reads.
But now, as fall creeps around and I prefer to spend more time in bed on Saturday mornings, is the time for a good read. Three books in three weeks is a bit of a challenge, but it’s all about priorities, right?
Post #2052: Not quite a superhero cape, but nevertheless….
My Woodland Stroll Cape is finished!
I didn’t quite attach the closures properly (I realized too late that there should have been some overlap), and I couldn’t figure out how to line up the outer fabric and lining the stitch through the shoulder seams. I *did* topstitch around the entire edge which took out some of the puffy edges that I saw in other people’s finished items around the web – and I’m pleased with that.
Besides the instruction to attach the lining at the shoulders – this pattern is easy to follow, and well-described. Because this garment is so straightforward, it lends itself to embellishment – embroidery or beadwork all the way along the bottom edge, for example, would work very well.
The fabric I chose for this project is perfect – a vintage piece of wool (likely from the sixties) and a mid-weight shiny/slippery lining. The lining is quite visible on this piece, so co-ordinating is important.
This is the second Liesl+S pattern that I’ve made and I really appreciate the clear instructions and pictures. These are some of the best indie patterns I have worked with (don’t get me started on the worst!) – and I really recommend them for any skill level.
I don’t have a good shot of me wearing it, but here’s an attempt at a selfie in the sewing room mirror.
I quite love the fabric, and my sewing isn’t bad either (if you don’t look too close) – but I’ve never worn a garment quite like this so it’ll take the right outfit to pull it off. I’m thinking long-sleeve black sweater underneath, pair of jeans, black high heels. Perhaps to the symphony this Friday night.
Post #2051: In which I devise a plan to be myself
I would like to be honest here and admit that I am in a bit of a slump at the moment. It’s been building for the past couple of weeks, but only yesterday did I admit how much in the trough I have been feeling. It’s work-related mainly. My current work is boring, undirected, and leaves me without the capacity to lead that I so thrive on – it’s also at a pretty high pay grade which is why I joined this project in the first place. When I took it on I knew that it wouldn’t be the most thrilling work for me, but I hadn’t realized how much I didn’t want to go back to this type of web project management. The truth that I’ve discovered is that I don’t want to do this kind of work anymore even though I’m very good at it. But I’ve got an assignment to fulfill, and if I want to go onto something better for me, I can’t just abandon the team midway through – so I’m toughing it out for now and acknowledging that it’s just one of those times when I don’t feel great about my working life.
Unfortunately, because my identity is so wrapped up in work, this has a spillover effect of making me question/dislike/nitpick about every part of myself. As though a single job assignment is just proof of how boring, inept, slow, uninspiring a person that I am. Of course it isn’t, but I notice those thoughts creeping in to all other aspects of my life and it’s really wrecking what could otherwise be a good time. You know how that is?
In any case, I’ve got a strategy that I’m hoping will help. This includes focusing in on my strengths (ideas, action, leadership, energy) and trying to carry out some tasks each day on another project (which is off the side of my desk, not my main job) which has some great interest potential for me, and is highly relevant to a greater community.
I am also doubling down on my meditation and creativity paths right now – while dialing back on social stuff for a little bit. Which is not to say that I’m refusing social engagements – but I’m not going out of my way to organize them either. I’m also doing some gratitude work with Brian, which I find helps put things into perspective. And rather than feeling bad about not going to the gym, I’m making sure that I walk a lot and am going to make an effort to get out hiking a bit while the weather is still amenable to it.
It’s interesting how just thinking about this course of action creates an immediate feeling of ease – a plan to conserve a bit of my outward energy for use inward, and replenish that through the being state which is coming naturally to me right now. This, rather than push and rail against this aspect of life that I am obliged to fulfill. Knowing also that this state will pass sooner than later and be replaced with I’m not sure what comes next.
Red Cedar 