because I had to

Am I ready for a week with family?  Where I will get very little done and Christmas and a birthday will be celebrated?  No.  I will be working on presents into January.  They just get mailed late.

This present had to be done today.  It does not look like much.  It is a hat I made with yarn I spun.  It is going to get wrapped and be gifted with a box of cookies.  It will be gifted either tomorrow morning or Saturday morning.

Why did it have to be done?  I walk every morning.  Almost five miles.  I look at the sky.  I try to breathe.  I check out the bayou.  I pick up trash every morning and put it in the bins along the path.

And I say good morning to the homeless man who lives under one of the underpasses.  That his spot.  It was his spot this summer.  It was his spot during Harvey and it was covered with water.  I do try to tell him what the weather will be.  He has offered me his umbrella when I got caught in the rain.  Just human. 

Being human, I am taking him a Christmas gift.  A hat and cookies.  Not a lot.  Something he can share.  Some small gesture to let him know I see him every morning.  I am a little worried about him.  He has been moving slowly out of his spot the last couple of mornings.  I am worried he may not be feeling well.  I know too many people who have homes who are sick right now.  There is not much I can do but I can show him that someone knows he is alive.

I will not be in this space until the New Year.  Lots of family starting soon.  I hope everyone who shares this space with me have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  

playing with wool embroidery

I have seen some really pretty wool embroidery on Pinterest and Instagram.  Embroidery is one of those things with crochet that has a tendency to relax me.  Embroider is also much more portable then my sewing machine.  It is portable sewing for me.  Outside of just taking knit fabric with me to be sewn.

This was fun.  I took bits of hand spun yarn that just was not enough for a project.  Or I had used it in another project.  When you spinning a whole fleece, there can be a lot of yarn!

I do think I will make another if the right base hat comes a long.  The only negative is just the length of time it takes.  But it is a form of meditation.  I decided to put it up for sale in my Etsy shop.  I find as much as I like to make hats, I always tend towards my favorites.  The same can be said about shawls.