How I Stay Sane…

…at home with four kids, ages 6 and under. Because everybody I run into asks me how I do it. (Not sure if that is really a good thing or not…hmm)

• Knit – because when the house is in shambles and I’m stressed, all I have to do to feel in control and capable of creating beauty, is pick up the sticks and string. If I focus hard enough on the yarn, the toys on the floor aren’t as visible.
• Listen - my Ipod coupled with Librivox is my best friend. I spend an average of 1.5 hours a day washing dishes; this doesn’t include time spend baking, cooking, doing laundry or any other household task that involves repetitive, somewhat boring activity. Using that time to listen to all the books I don’t have time to read makes it more fun and less drudgery.
• Read - escapist literature exists for a reason. While I prefer to fill my ears with classics, when I can eke out a few minutes to read, I generally turn to fluff. Nora Roberts, the Twilight books…you get the drift. It’s sort of like sneaking candy, but without the calories. And when you’ve spent the morning doing laundry and changing diapers, a little escapism can be a fabulous mood booster.
• Create – without the ability to create, I would be insane. Creativity is what transforms the simple, sometimes mundane tasks of living into a chance to utilize your mind, intuition and sensibilities. Exercised regularly, it grows stronger and keeps you centered and in touch with who you really are and what you really love.
• Limit - if the chores aren’t done by the time the kids are in bed, they can wait until tomorrow. A little “me” time, followed by some couple time, is a far more worthy use of those precious two or three hours at the end of a day.
• Caffeinate - D’oh.

Nothing But Leaves Shawl

It’s official. I’m ditching my fleece housecoat. This is one big hug of wooly warmth, softness, color and lace that has me nearly swooning with knitterly love. And it makes me feel beautiful even when I’m bleary-eyed and haven’t  had my morning coffee.

The pattern is the Forest Canopy Shawl — you might remember a previous blog post about my scarf-sized version?

When I found this wool, in a rather awful shade of brown and neon brights, hiding in a drawer at the thrift store — I had a vision, a random moment of brilliance. I snatched it up, took it home and over-dyed it with red…the colors muted, deepened, and I knew exactly what I wanted to knit. (More pictures and details on my Ravelry notebook page. )

The ladies of eras gone by definitely had the right idea…why wear a chunky coat if you can wear something like this instead?