Yarn Along - Tali's Tallulah

Greetings! Obviously one of favorite things is reading, but I also quite love knitting. Ginny over at Small Things hosts a lovely little link-up so once you're done here go visit and see what everyone else is up to.

Heeeeeey, it's my birthday!!! Thanks for reading! *blows noisemaker and passes out party hats*

After almost 3 weeks of knitting absolutely nothing (a well-deserved break after the marathon of the Wildflower Cardigan), I've begun work on my next project: Hanukkah cardigans. My little girls in Venice Beach who I babysit on Saturday nights asked for sweaters of their own after watching me work on my Wildflower cardi. Who can say no to such a sweet request? Certainly not me.

I swatched! And I'm pretty close to proper gauge! This is the pink for Lila's sweater. Tali's will be in purple.

The little one, Talia, is almost 3 and when I asked her what color she wanted her sweater to be she said, "Bwue!" I asked her again 5 minutes later and she said, "Wed!" 5 more minutes go by and she answers, "Wainbow!" Then I asked her a week later and she said, "Puwple." Since I happen to know for a fact that her favorite color is purple, purple is what she gets. 

Soft, squishy, purple yarn

I searched for a pattern that had elements like buttons, top-down construction, set-in sleeves, and a simple, classic look with pretty details. Tallulah completely delivered. It's customizable and calls for DK which I really enjoy working with. In SoCal the last thing anyone needs is a heavy, bulky sweater. Light cardigans see a lot more use. Because I'm making these sweaters for young children, I want their mom to be able to throw them in the washing machine and not worry about having to hand wash them. I asked my friend at the yarn shop for suggestions and she came up with this beautiful DK nylon/acrylic blend that's completely washable and feels so soft. I would've preferred more muted color choices but the yarn was too perfect to pass up and she had pink and purple available so I went for it. Plus, this yarn cost me a little less than $5 a skein (I need 2 for Tali's sweater and 3 in the pink for Lila's - less than $30 for 2 sweaters!) so I won't be heartbroken if the sweaters end up damaged or stained or something. 

I cast on and worked about 7 rows on Friday night.

It feels good to be working on a project again, although it was nice to dedicate 2 1/2 whole weeks to reading instead of knitting. The gang is in the process of deciding on a new project but we plan to take our time on the next one. Maybe another sweater or possibly a t-shirt but we're going to take it easy while still trying to learn new skills.

Reading:
I finished Jack Hitt's Off the Road last Wednesday and while I overall enjoyed the book, there were a lot of things that bugged me about it. I'm working up a review right now that should be ready to publish in the next couple of days so keep a look out! In keeping with my complete obsession with the Camino, I've started reading Camino de Santiago: Practical Preparation and Background. It goes into the historical context of the Camino (which is review for me) but also talks about how to prepare, what to bring, and what to expect along the way. It's got great reviews and I'm hoping it will prove useful.

That's it for me today. You can also find notes and detailed specs on this project on my Ravelry Page. What have you been reading and knitting lately? Let me know in comments and then head over to Ginny's to see what everyone else is up to!

Love,

Willow






*Author's Note: The Yarn Along button in this post is property of Ginny Sheller and is used with permission. All other images used in the post as well as text are (c)Whitney Miller and may be used only with express permission. See the About Page for details.*

Walking the Way

This may seem a bit random, but with my birthday tomorrow (25 is terrifying) I've been doing some re-evaluating and made some decisions about what I'd like to do with my life by the time I'm 30.  There's the usual suspects like marriage, children, and home ownership, but there's one other thing that's been on my mind in a heavy way for the last few months.

When I was about 12, my dad bought me a book from a used bookstore. He hadn't read it and didn't really know what it was about other than what he read on the back cover but that summary merely told him that his middle school aged daughter would probably like it. At the time I was obsessed with historical fiction (specifically the early English Renaissance/Tudor dynasty but I was also loving ancient Egypt and American Colonial stuff) so he made a good call. 

That was 13 years ago and I still have the book. My copy is worn and tattered and close to falling apart but I still have it. It's the story of a teenaged girl and her betrothed (just returned from the Crusades) whose parents arranged for them to join their estates in order to lend stability to their region (there was also an issue of money). In order to help them bond before their marriage, their priest sends them on Pilgrimage from their home in England, across the English Channel, through France to Paris and then west to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. Their journey takes them a few months and (because it is set in the year 1300) they face many obstacles including hunger, injury, injustice, and threatened kidnapping. It's an exciting story about imagining people complexly - especially people we think we know or who we've known a long time - and over the course of the story the two main characters eventually come to view their impending marriage as a way for them to unite their communities and do good for the people they will be responsible for. It's a great story even if - as a Catholic - there are moments that are a teensy bit problematic. Some comments are made that are critical of the Catholic Church which make it obvious that the author does not think highly of Her. (I just reread it and these comments don't feel obvious to me, but I may be biased because I love the story so much.)

Source: Giacomo Cantelli de Vignola, 1696 {{PD-1923}}

In any case, I've read this novel probably close to a dozen times in the years that I've possessed it. I just reread it again about 2 months ago and this is where things get a bit weird.

I finished reading it and was in this kind of book hangover (the kind you get after reading something wherein you're still living and breathing the stories and characters) and I started thinking, I wonder if people still make pilgrimage to Santiago. Spain has been on my bucket list for years anyway, maybe when I finally go someday I'll stop in Santiago... And there the train of thought ended for a while. 

Until it came back when I was babysitting and saw clearly a scallop shell in their seashell collection. This reminded me of the scallop worn by the pilgrims on the road to Santiago. The thought of someday going to Santiago became an internet search that turned into a dream on my Someday-Maybe list.

1896, Author Unknown, Public Domain Image {{PD - 1923}}

There were other little things: scallops for dinner, the feast of St. James the Less (and talk of St. James the Greater) in my Confirmation class, conversations with my mother about the book and how much I still loved it, and so on.

Then. On the drive up the mountain for my sisters' 2nd year Confirmation retreat, I rode with a young man I knew of but didn't know well. We got to talking about our families and family history and it came out that my family ancestry traces back to Spain and that I dream of going there someday. He said Spain is also on his bucket list because of a movie he'd watched recently. The film, he said, was about a man whose son (somewhat estranged) went to Spain and died on his first day there. So the man had to go to Spain to retrieve his son's body and chose to cremate the body. Then he decided to do the walk through Spain that his son had planned, all the way to -- 

Here I interrupted and asked him ecstatically if the movie is about the man walking the Pilgrim's Way to Santiago. We shared a look of awe at God's timing and bringing us together and we got very excited because yes, this film was all about the Camino, and yes, we both had been daydreaming about someday-maybe going on pilgrimage. We spent the next hour of our drive talking about the film and I told him about my book and this shared dream became a strong bonding point for us. 

After the retreat weekend I went home and found the film on Netflix. It's called The Way and stars Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez and I've watched it 3 times since Christian told me about it and I cry every time. The film tells a complicated story about love, loss, redemption, anger, and how sometimes, grief looks like a really long walk. It is secular but shows reverence for the Pilgrimage and the people along it and the Church and isn't sappy at all. I recommend it. I plan on buying the DVD so I can watch it with my mother. The film was actually inspired - in part - by a book by a man who walked the Way, called Off the Road. I'm currently reading it. While I think the author is a pretentious jackass, the book is pretty good so far.

All of this transpired about 2 months ago and since then I've done lots of research. I've been reading lots and lots of travel sites and doing lots of math and I've been praying about it a great deal.

I think I'm going to Spain in 2 years.

Church of Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. By Vasco Roxo.

Source

I've calculated that it will cost me (at a very rough estimate) about $7,200 to get there, complete my pilgrimage, and get home. Airfare is going to be the most costly part of this adventure and there is also the issue of having at least 1 month's worth of rent and things covered ahead of time because walking the Way (all 500 miles of it) takes about 5 weeks. I'm budgeting 6 because I'll want to spend a couple of days in France getting used to the time difference and then I'll need a few days once home to take care of tidying my house and sleeping and generally recovering.  

All in all, I'm going to have to save about $300-$320 each month if I'm going to head to Spain in May of 2017.  That's my goal: 2 years. Two years to save the money, work out the logistics, dream, plan, and train. Yes, train. My intended path goes from St. Jean-Pied-de-Port in France through northern Spain to Santiago in Galicia. That's just shy of 500 miles. To do that in 35 days (with rest days, of course) I will need to practice walking up to 25 miles each day while carrying a 15 pound backpack. It's a lot more likely that I'll be doing 15-20 miles each day but I'd like to get comfortable walking up to 25 miles a day. I imagine the next two years will be good for my health, as well.

So that's my dream as I turn 25: spend the next 2 years saving and preparing so that within days of my 27th birthday I will be on a plane to Spain (more likely to France then a bus and a train to the Franco-Spanish border but you get the idea). I've made out 24 little envelopes which I intend to fill with cash earned babysitting, house sitting, dog walking, and parts of my paychecks and each will be put into a jar. I've used the image below to decorate the jar as a bit of motivation.  24 months, almost $7,500, and 500 miles. 

I think maybe part of not being afraid of getting older involves taking a very, very long walk.

Some European pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela
by Oula Lehtinen (cropped by me)
Source

Happy birthday to me!

See you in Santiago,

*Author's Note: All the images in this post - with the exception of the purple one - are from Wikimedia Commons and are either in the public domain or used under the GNU Free Documentation License. The original authors have been credited as requested and the Wikimedia source page has been linked to. I have no legal claim to them and make no money from them.*

 

52 Lists, Week 21

Happy Monday! Welcome to my 52 Lists Project, wherein I feature one list every week for 2015. To join in with your own list, scroll down to the link at the bottom, print out your own list, and then share it however you wish!

Week 21: List the Things You Want to Do By Your Next Birthday
My birthday is in 2 days (on Wednesday! 25!) and this is the first list I had to DIY. Moorea Seal's pre-made lists end at week 20 (wtf right?) so from here on out you'll be reading lists curated by moi. Hope you don't mind. Here's my list.

• be halfway to my total savings goal for Santiago
• be making more money at my job
• be in a romantic relationship (God willing)
• be involved at my new parish
• have an organized (or at least more so) bedroom
• get the blog running really efficiently
• have more Catholic friends
• be a Certified Catechist
• knit more complicated garments with a better understanding of gauge and sizing

It's not a lot (I'm not very good at setting realistic, concrete goals it seems), but those are the bones of where I'd like to be this time next year. I need to be doing more, having more experiences, and living my life a little more vibrantly - that's my hope for the next year of my life.

Sorry for the truly appalling photo - the lighting in my house sucks

So there you have it! What about you? Got any big plans for your next birthday or any things you'd like to change in your life over the next year? Let me know in comments or with a list of your own!

Love,

Willow


P.S. I'm now officially on Instagram! Follow me HERE.

For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea Seal's site to see more!

Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html  

52 Lists, Week 20

Happy Monday! Welcome to my 52 Lists Project, wherein I feature one list every week for 2015. To join in with your own list, scroll down to the link at the bottom, print out your own list, and then share it however you wish!

Week 20: List Your Summer Goals
I don't usually make summer goals because I don't get tons of time off in the summer to do stuff (I wish!), but I'm thinking it might be nice to have some concrete things to work on/get accomplished this summer.

• start walking in the evenings again (train for Santiago!) - solo or with a buddy
•  spend more time outside - go to Mom and Dad's pool on my lunch break
• go rollerskating with my sisters on Wednesday night at least 3 times
• continue improving ye olde blog
• catch up on incomes and expenses at work - get stuff entered into the Neat database and keep up with it!
• get things at work that need to be shredded organized and shredded
• get on top of new/abandoned case files and get them finished
• go up to Salem at least once
• meet my summer savings goals for Santiago
• start saving for Europe next summer
• renew my passport
• read at least 5 new books from my list
• get my desk and vanity organized
• pick patterns and yarn, and cast on, for Lila and Talia's Hanukkah sweaters

Challenge: This week, I will prep for summer by...
clearing off my desk in my bedroom to make more productive use of the space.

So there you have it! What about you? Got any splendid summer to-do's? Know of any killer beach reads I should add to my summer reading list? Let me know in comments or with a list of your own!

Love,

Willow


P.S. I'm now officially on Instagram! Follow me HERE.

For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea Seal's site to see more!

Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html  


 

FO: Wildflower Cardigan

Y'ALL.

IT'S FINISHED.

Exactly 4 months to the day that we started this project, we met up and celebrated the completion of probably the single biggest crafty undertaken I've ever embarked upon. This was a big deal.

But we finished!

 Left to right: Jaimie, Karen, Willow, Therese

We went to a celebratory lunch at the Melting Pot (fondue = delicious!) and took pictures at Jaimie's house (special thanks to her son Nick for actually pushing the camera button on our phones). Confession: I was sewing the buttons onto my sweater moments before running out the door to make our lunch reservation! But here's some close-ups of the "finishing process" including how I finally figured out sewing on my pocket linings and close-ups of my adorable buttons.

The main seams - setting in the sleeves, the sides, and the sleeves (originally knit flat) - were all done in mattress stitch. It took me a bit to figure out how to do it correctly because I was not familiar with how to do mattress stitch in knitting. I've done it in sewing, but there's a particular way to do it when working with hand knit material. Jaimie opted to crochet her seams together which actually looked fine. My concern was because my yarn wasn't as dense as hers that crocheting the seams would add unwanted bulk. They turned out fine either way.

Clockwise from top left: Inside of arm hole, side seam close up, outside of arm hole, large view of side seam.

As for the pockets, I just whip stitched them onto the back of my pocket front. They show a bit in the front but it really is unavoidable. I take consolation in the fact that it's not super noticeable while I'm wearing the sweater.

Top: Backs of my pockets; Bottom: Fronts of my pockets

 

I intended to sew on the buttons with the yarn I used, but I was rather concerned that I wouldn't be able to do as many stitches as I usually do with the added bulk of the yarn. I used light yellow crochet thread instead and it worked fine. I absolutely adore these buttons. I feel like they really make the sweater and I like the delicate design on them for a tiny bit of added visual interest. For those wondering, these buttons are by Organic Elements, natural coconut buttons number 2706. They can be found HERE because for some reason the manufacturer's site is "suspicious and not to be trusted." Okay, Firefox, thanks for keeping the internets safe. I bought mine at JoAnn's.

The sleeves are a little too tight for me to wear this cardigan with anything with sleeves, so it's gotta be sleeveless dresses or tank tops (which is what I wear most of the time anyway). The entire sweater is a bit more snug than I really wanted it to be but overall I'm happy with the fit. It has it's fair share of imperfections and I should really steam it properly but for now I'm very happy with my finished product.

I'll post some more/better photos of me wearing my sweater soon, but I wanted to get this up for Yarn Along Wednesday.

Reading: I finished listening to the audiobook version of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore and it was awesome. So, so good and such a satisfying ending! I'll try to get a review up pretty soon.

What have you been knitting and reading lately? Let me know in comments and then head over to Ginny's to see what everyone else is up to!

Love, 

Willow

*Author's Note: All images used in this post as well as text are (c)Whitney Miller and may be used only with my express permission. See my About Page for details.*

52 Lists, Week 19

Happy Monday! Welcome to my 52 Lists Project, wherein I feature one list every week for 2015. To join in with your own list, scroll down to the link at the bottom, print out your own list, and then share it however you wish!

Week 19: List the Things You Want to Be Known For
I had to think about this for quite some time, because I don't think about it very often. Sure, I think about what it would be like to be a famous actress or a Youtube star or something like that, but realistically I doubt I'll ever be anyone people talk about like that - and that's totally fine with me. But I thought about the kind of mark I want to leave on the world and in the wake of my grandfather's death, I'm thinking about how I'd like to be remembered someday:

• my smile
• my intelligence
• my loving/nurturing/maternal nature
• my great love of books and the written word
• doing the things that frighten me - being brave
• overcoming the stigma of my mental illness
• gently evangelizing others by simply living my life
• reforming Catholic religious education
• loving Jesus, Our Lady, and the Church

This week, I will feel solid in my identity by...
making plans to celebrate my upcoming birthday.

 
It's short and simple. Really, I don't have any great aspirations or deep-seated longings to change the entire world. I'd like to change a small part of it, though, and maybe inspire a handful of people to love a little more.

What about you? What are the things you want to be recognized or known for? What kind of mark do you want to leave on the world? Let me know in comments or with a list of your own!


Love,

Willow

For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea Seal's site to see more!

Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html  
 

The Star-Struck Nobody (or, That One Time I Went to a Blogging Conference)

I think I may be among the last to write this up, but I've had to take a lot of time thinking about it and processing and (as usual) second-guessing myself. 

A few weekends ago I did something daring and adventurous. It didn't involve sky diving or bull riding or mountain climbing or a crazy puzzle-solving chase around the world in 80 hours type thing.  It involved me getting into my car and driving to Northridge, CA to meet 27 other Catholic women bloggers for a weekend of fellowship, networking, and learning. 

I'm sure this post is going to be a little out of order because I'm still processing my reaction to all the amazing stuff that happened. It's an awful lot to make sense of! Also, this post is rather long. Sorry.

Photo credit: Jiza at Olive & Cypress

Yarn Along - Wildflower, Week 17

Greetings! Obviously one of favorite things is reading, but I also quite love knitting. Ginny over at Small Things hosts a lovely little link-up so once you're done here go visit and see what everyone else is up to.

Seaming is taking SO LONG. But I'm all but done with the first side, then it's on to the other side, weaving in ends, and steaming. Yeah, that's kind of a lot, I know. I absolutely positutely must be finished by Friday night, though, because on Saturday morning we're going to the park to take pretty pictures of us in our sweaters and then we're going to lunch in Pasadena as a group. So I have to be done.

I'm confident that it will happen because there's no babysitting this week for me until Saturday night, so I have all kinds of time in the evenings.

Reading:
I'm making headway in Jack Hitt's book, Off the Road. I've decided that I don't like him as a person. He's very pessimistic and unlikeable and sounds like he needs to have a long conversation with his mother about why his worldview is so unpleasant. Or a therapist. I'm liking the stories, though, and the feeling of walking and how - as much as I dislike his overall attitude - he remains bluntly honest throughout the telling of his story. I also love that he tells other people's stories, and it's a great look at the human condition through a slightly different lens.

That's it for me today - next week I'll post some of our pictures from our park photoshoot and the final, finished project!  

What have you been knitting and reading lately? Let me know in comments and then head over to Ginny's to see what everyone else is up to!

Love, 

Willow

*Author's Note: The Yarn Along button in this post is property of Ginny Sheller and is used with permission. All other images used in this post as well as text are (c)Whitney Miller and may be used only with my express permission. See my About Page for details.*

52 Lists, Week 18

Happy Monday! Welcome to my 52 Lists Project, wherein I feature one list every week for 2015. To join in with your own list, scroll down to the link at the bottom, print out your own list, and then share it however you wish!

Week 18: List the Ways You Are Energized
I'm more of a person who likes ways to calm or relax (having generalized anxiety makes those a priority) but there are good kinds of energy, too, and I like being filled with that positive buzz. Here's this week's list:

• stepping out of an overly air conditioned house or office into hot sunshine
•  going for brisk walks in the autumn and winter
• cold showers in the summer
• that strange urge to run (does anyone else ever have that?) - and then running, full tilt, until you fall down
• getting up early and doing tons of small tasks before the rest of the world is awake
• drinking cucumber water
• the endorphin high after a really good workout
• dancing
• singing to upbeat music in the car
• being silly with my sisters
• playing card games with my cousins
• intense bonding during retreats
• the beginning of a journey/adventure

I will spend time re-energizing this week by...
making time to walk in the evenings with my new roommate!

There you have it - and yes, the roommate is officially here! We haven't talked about how she wants to be represented on the blog yet so for now I will strictly refer to her as the Roommate or Roomie. 

What about you? How do you fill up the energy reserves? What gives you that buzz of energy to go out and do stuff? Let me know in comments or with a list of your own!


Love,

Willow

For more fun with 52 Lists, click down on "52 Lists" in the little categories section at the bottom of the post, and go over to Moorea Seal's site to see more!

Check out Moorea Seal's entire project at her blog below:
http://www.moorea-seal.com/p/52-lists.html  
 

Pinterest, Vol. 17

Happy Friday and welcome to Pinteresting! The part of the show where I roundup my favorite pins from this week and share them with the world. I pin recipes, decorating ideas, religious stuff, teaching thoughts, funny stuff from Tumblr, kids' activities, crafting ideas, knitting/crochet patterns, and cute cat pictures.


 1)

Source

This quote from St. Faustina has so much going on in it, I'm still trying to unpack all of it. I've been thinking a lot about suffering lately (I'm trying to write a post about it but it's really hard) and this quote about suffering perfecting our ability to love others brings it into clearer perspective.

2)

Post about kids interrupting

This post is one of my favorite things I've read in the last two weeks. I'm very familiar with having little people barge into adults' conversations and sometimes insisting that they say, "Excuse me" before they interrupt results in them screaming it at you and then yelling what's on their mind anyway. This mom's method is much simpler - and quieter - and gives kids a sense of empowerment with the "secret code." I can't wait to start using it with the little ones in my life.

3)

This Miss America contestant

I don't know which state she represents but this young woman is clearly more than a pretty face. I'd love to see what she could do with 20 minutes if this is what she did with 20 seconds.

4) 

 this post

Kendra is always so spot on with the stuff she writes.  In this post she explains how she introduces her kids to fine art and culture. Her methods may not work for everyone but it works for her family and I think her approach is both practical and effective. Go read it!

5)

This Card

Ignoring the alarming lack of possessive apostrophes present, I couldn't help but laugh at this Secretary's Day card. As someone who is an Administrative Professional/Office Manager/Executive Assistant/the only one who actually knows what's going on, I have a deep appreciation for it.

6) 

this text post

I think it is tremendously important for more people to see this. I realized a while ago that there are a lot of things I'm not informed enough about to form an opinion. I don't have a problem saying that. I'm the kind of person who would rather hear both sides of an issue than just make a snap judgment and I sincerely hope that more people will come to the same conclusion.


That's it for this week's edition of Pinteresting! I always enjoy curating my favorite, most recent pins. If you're not currently on Pinterest, make sure you take a moment to say goodbye to your loved ones before you log on, because there's no going back! You can follow me on Pinterest (any or all of my boards, find your cup of tea) HERE. Happy weekend!

love,

Willow

**Author's Note: None of the images in this post are my property. I have borrowed them from Pinterest and made my best effort to ensure that the Pinterest pages linked to link to an original source. If you see your work here and want it taken down please see my About page and contact me. Thank you for not suing.**