The colors and smells of autumn in my grandma's home
Autumn often makes me think about my grandparents, the daily life in the countryside, in a small village, in a country far, far away, in Easter Europe.
What they did and ate, how they prepared their home for winter, their daily chores. How they celebrated and how they filled their time. I feel these were simpler times, folks would rise with the sun and retire at dusk, in tune with the rhythms of nature. There was no internet, there were no distractions. Yet at the same time I know it must have been really hard and that I am romanticizing.
Autumn was the season of harvest, so there was a lot of work to do. But also a lot of joy and celebration. Days and days of plucking, picking, filling and carrying baskets, separating, storing.
Then, right after harvest, canning, and pickling were essential activities and an art form at the same time. They took various days, and all, neighbors and family helped. Then they ate together simple, delicious meals.
As a child, I loved going into the dark food cellar and look at the wall to ceiling shelving full of colorful jars against the dark walls. The jams: red raspberry, yellow apricot, brownish apple, brownish plum. The red tomato paste. The jars and jars of green pickled cucumbers and white and purple cabbage.
These colors and smells make me want to breathe deep into this memory and mindfully enjoy autumn.
Autumn intention: Mindfulness Woven into Stitches
Here are some intentions I have for my autumn crafting.
Focus and enjoy each stitch, give the process its full attention.
Pay attention and enjoy the sensory pleasure of knitting and making.
Embrace and celebrate imperfections and mistakes.
What I am making
I'm making up a vest. To make the pattern, I first drew some sketches with my measurements, then made a swatch to determine how many stitches I needed. I'm first knit a bottom-up tube and then at the armhole, I split the tube in two, and I am knitting the back and front, separately.
I'm using two different yarns, Wooldreamers Mota and Holstgarn Supersoft that I over dyed. It has been fun to make this up, but I made so many mistakes! And now I have a million ideas for new projects and have to chain myself (mentally, of course) to the chair to finish this before starting something new.
Book of the week
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office--leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.
I enjoyed this for the setting and the mood of the book, as well as the characters. It was hard to put down.
That's it for now. What is inspiring you lately?
May your days be filled with mindful moments. Until next time, be present.
Sky