The presents are wrapped

I am so happy to be back writing this post. I know I’ve been absent for a few weeks and I always feel bad about that, but … on the other hand, I have to give myself permission to let life get in the way from time to time. Because, no matter how much we plan, life does get in the way.

I have not been idle. After getting back from Germany and Austria – fantastic trip – I needed to plan for the Holidays. And catch up on emails. And business stuff.

Sometimes I feel like I don’t do anything. Anything creative – I mean – as I have not touched the sewing machine in a while. But, I’ve been knitting. Yes, knitting. I picked it up in Ruhpolding, Germany, when I was travelling and I took a class in knitting and crochet with Mary Beth Temple. Lots of fun. I still have to finish those two projects. The time spent in class reminded me how much I enjoy the rhythm of knitting. Although I have to pay lots of attention to the instructions, it is still enjoyable.

Last Sunday, we had a Christmas get together with friends. After everyone left, I helped clean the kitchen and had one last cup of tea. And Gail showed me what she was knitting: some dish cloths for her kids and a scarf. It reminded me that a few years back I had purchased some balls of cotton to knit dish cloths, and then, of course, I never did. But I knew exactly where those balls were. With instructions printed, I set out to knit a few dishcloths. And discovered they are simple to do and a lot of fun! And certainly addictive. I have knitted 6 so far … great while watching reruns of Vera once all the chores have been taken care of.

The other task this month, and in the next few days over the holidays, is to clear the front room and organize the basement. We are setting up a little boy’s room in the third bedroom. Which means that all the stuff that has been lying around – class samples, work in progress, canvasses, and simply stuff – needs to be moved. Basement it is. The cabinets are in – finally – so I’ve started to rearrange, throw out papers I don’t need anymore, and find out spots for all the stuff.

It’s a bit overwhelming some days. I find that I take armloads of stuff downstairs, drop them on the table, and stand around wondering where I’m going to put it all … and some days, I just turn around, go back upstairs, sit on the couch and turn the TV on. A few hours later, with mind cleared, I feel that I can go back downstairs and put things away. A few more armloads to go. One armload at a time.

I’ve been thinking about the future. And I have to say that I’m excited about 2024! I have some great classes coming up. I am teaching at Craft Napa in January, and although registration is closed, you can still join – let me know if you are interested or email Craft Napa and request to get in. I am also teaching two classes at QuiltFest Virtual Schoolhouse #7. There’s still time to join those at the end of January: Text on Textiles and Sophisticated Monoprinting. I also have a few great trips planned, some to new places, some to places I’ve been before. I will let you know more about those in upcoming blog posts.

If you’ve just discovered my website, I welcome you to it and hope to hear from you. You can follow me by subscribing to receive my posts by email. If you’ve been following me all along … I am forever grateful and promise to keep sharing stuff from my studio. Remember you can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook.

I will close this by wishing everyone a safe and happy Holiday Season.

I am off to wrap the last of the presents! And take a few more armloads downstairs.

Ana