tiny happy

books + magic

Hello friends!

I mentioned last week that I'd recently read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, and that I would talk about it some more. I know I'm late to the party with this book (it was published in 2015) but I think it was sent to me at the right time and place. I found a copy at the op shop on the last day of the summer holiday and bought it for $1. I had been thinking deeply about my creative life and how to better slot it into other parts of my life this year and wanting to do things a little differently in 2021 - namely, work on some projects I have been too afraid to begin. A strong theme in Big Magic is (paraphrased by me) 'feel the fear and do it anyway.' That might be a rather obvious take but it was actually the message I needed to hear. 

Elizabeth Gilbert's voice is friendly, encouraging, and generous: it's an unpretentious guide to creative living. It encourages me to be more generous, freer, and start now! I recommend it if you're after a pep talk of a similar nature.

Another goal I have for this year is to read more. I do read a fair bit at work, and of course, like the rest of us, on my phone, but what I'm after is that feeling of being deeply immersed in a story and not wanting to put it down, which was such a strong element in my childhood and teen years.

I thought it would be fun, and hopefully helpful, to document the books I finish over on my Instagram page. My goal is to share books in my 'stories' and then save those slides in a highlight section at the top of my account (which is here - not that I've actually started the stories properly yet! I will soon, though.)

Let me know if you fancy following along, or doing the same with your own reading this year! In particular, I want to read a wider variety of perspectives and voices than I might have in previous years. I want to read more widely in general. I'm excited to get started!

+ + + + + + + + + + +

I've been doing a bit more crochet and am working on a blanket to use up all my leftover yarn. In the photo above I've captured a beautiful skein of yarn handspun by my Mum a while back. I plan to cake it up tonight to add to the blanket. It's just simple single crochet but I will need to learn another type of stitch to make an edging, I think! (Mostly because my edges are a bit wonky, shh!)

In the second-to-last photo above you can see some black and white photos. Last week, my dear friend Kylie handed me a package of photos she took when visiting me in 2003! I had just had Arlo. There are photos of baby A wrapped in his first (handspun of course) blanket, the washing on the line, the old-fashioned kitchen we had with louvre windows, and some of Arlo's grandparents too. It was so special to receive these pictures unexpectedly, 17 years later. Beautiful windows to another, equally wonderful, life. 

= = = = = = = = =

See you again next week! I hope you are very well and keeping safe. XX

fresh + bright

Kia ora, Happy New Year to you! I hope you've enjoyed some sort of end-of-year break, whether you're in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. We've just returned home from a very warm and relaxing summer break, and while I'm back at work now, I feel as though I'm still carrying it around with me. The full moon on the new year, the solstice moon on the sea, the berries and beaches and books in the sun! It was all wonderful and I'm so grateful we had that time with family and friends. 

I brought a few crafty projects with me but didn't get much done in the end. I did knit a linen top which looked better on my sister than me so that was a good result! I used the Ranunculus pattern (I've made it before here and here) but instead of wool I used some Erika Knight Studio Linen yarn in a light brown/coffee shade. My Ravelry notes are here). 

Tamsin has been wearing it over summer dresses, or with a button-up skirt and it looks so nice! I do love that versatile pattern and the summer version was so quick to knit up! I also cast on some socks (just a basic pattern but with colourful self-striping yarn) and (and this is the most exciting thing of all) learned to crochet!

It makes me cringe a bit when I think of all the times I gave up learning this craft. I'm now 40 years old and know with certainty that I'm not a patient learner; I get easily frustrated with myself and don't trust that I will ever 'get' the new skill. It's not something I like about myself but I really want to work on improving that this year. I have a list of new things I'd like to try!

Anyway, it's great to be able to work some basic crochet stitches now and I have plans for blankets. I'd like to make a big granny stripe blanket from my knitting leftovers (like this lovely one) and maybe a few smaller blankets if I can! Big dreams, as always.

Another lovely thing about the holidays was that I had a little more time to read for fun. My brother and sister-in-law gave me A Month in Siena by Hisham Matar for Christmas which I loved. It brings together memories of a Dad now missing and ancient Italian art and thoughts about places. 

I also read a book based on a local TV series I love: Life as a Casketeer by Kaiora and Francis Tipene. It was such an enjoyable read and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Māori culture, how we think about death and grieving, and of course, anyone who loves the show.

On the last day of the holiday, I found a brand new copy of Elizabeth Gilbert's book Big Magic in the op-shop. I needed something to read on the ferry trip so I bought it for a dollar. I think good fortune and fate might have placed that book in my path, because it felt like the perfect thing to read as I started back at work this week and even though in many ways it's a straight-forward book, the messages in it will stay with me always. I hope to write more about that in my next post.

Sending warm wishes to you for a happy and safe new year.

M