Living Life Well – Page 2

Travel Shawl Finished

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Laura Kate

This week I cast off this shawl, the last stashbuster of 2024. This shawl started life as a hurry-up project to accompany me on our trip to the Canadian Rocky Mountain coach tour in July of 2024. I found the easiest pattern I could lay my hands on quickly, gathered up a bunch of fingering weight leftovers and hit the road.

She was cast on in the Calgary hotel lobby.

Progress happened throughout the trip. I improvised the color and stitch changes.

In late July, the shawl and I were in Northern Wisconsin for a week at the lake.

With the passing of my father in August, we drove to Ohio, the shawl serving as a comforting activity on the long trip to and from.

In December, I sat with my friend who was dying, slowly knitting and listening as she told me what was in her heart.

In January, the shawl came to Iowa, where we signed the papers to purchase our new home. In March we were back in Iowa to visit with family – a joyous occasion.

I haven’t even worn it, but it is embedded with many memories. Memories of all the places where I have knit it, the people who were present and the emotions I felt. Each color change reminds me of the projects that I have made with that specific yarn, and who received the finished project.

This simple little shawl carries a lot of stuff for me. I guess I will keep it.

Linking up with The Unravelers, courtesy of As Kat Knits.

Living Life Well

This Week’s Theme in Artist’s Way

Posted on November 20, 2024November 20, 2024 by Laura Kate

The author titles Week 5 “Recovering a sense of possibility.” This chapter presents some hard questions that have me examining the ways that I put myself second and my family members first – something that I had accepted as necessary and virtuous. I learned today that this behavior can be a trap. But then, moving on from self-sacrificial actions, the Way gives me exercises to explore what I would and could do if it weren’t too selfish a thing.

The exercise, Forbidden Joys, asked me to list things that I would love to do, if I were allowed to do them. When I completed my ten things, I felt – exhilarated. Writing the list down made me smile. Reading it afterward warmed my heart. The theory is that writing about one’s forbidden joys breaks down the barrier to doing them.

Next, the Way tells me to post my list somewhere highly visible. Awwww! do I dare? After all they are Forbidden.

In the spirit of the Artist’s Way, what follows are ten things that I would love to do if they were allowed. To provide a full experience, I chose photographs illustrating my forbidden things. Half are my own photographs and half come from internet sites.

Swim naked.

2. Climb onto a roof to watch the sun set.

3. Run up and down the stairs.

4. Eat chocolate cake once a week.

5. Interrupt someone who is speaking – especially when they are boring or pompous.

6. When travelling, stay the night at the finest hotel in town.

7. Have breakfast for dinner, or dinner for breakfast.

8. Take out the carpet in my studio and paint the concrete floor.

9. Pet every dog that I meet.

10. Hug every toddler that I meet.

There, that wasn’t so bad. I hope you tolerated my self-indulgence in revealing these forbidden joys. If you liked reading mine, perhaps you should try to make this list for yourself. You might just be convinced to actually do one of them.

drawing, Living Life Well, painting

This Week’s Work

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Laura Kate

I am following simultaneously The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron and Watercolor is for Everyone, by Kateri Ewing. Here are the exercises and practice paintings I completed since Sunday.

**Abstract inspired by a melody of Brahms**

**A Trio of Great Egrets, based on photographs by Bill Riley**

**Autumn Impression. Painting on rice paper that was embedded with plant materials.**

**Portrait of Tiny, copied from a painting by Janet Weight-Reed**

https://jcrhumming.wordpress.com/

**Indigo and Rust, an exercise from Watercolor is for Everyone, by Kateri Ewing**

**Angels Among Us, an exercise by Kateri Ewing**

I hope you check out the referenced artists, especially if you feel the need for a boost to your creativity.

knitting, Living Life Well

Reunited

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Laura Kate

Earlier this month, the Oklahoma sock was reunited with the Wisconsin sock in a rustic cabin at Shell Lake, WI. There was jubilation from the affected parties.

That was a few weeks ago. Life has been out of the ordinary for most of the month. The passing of my dad on August 10th brought about an eight-day visited to Ohio, where I spent time with my mom, siblings and assorted relatives while celebrating Dad’s life. Upon returning home, we were immersed into rental house repairs, as we continue selling off our Oklahoma real estate. Our plan is to leave Oklahoma for the more temperate climes of the upper Midwest. The presence of grandchildren is a powerful motivator.

Getting back to the socks, pictured above. Readers may recall that the pattern is Mary Delany by Kate Davies, and the yarns are Hawthorne by Knitpicks and Ultimate Sock by Malibrigo. The red is a leftover pulled from my stash along with the other two yarns.

I’m so pleased with the look and the fit. Next week is the county fair. This project will be entered, along with the little knitted new-born jacket and the Japanese knot bag.

My only entry in the quilting category this year is the Migration World wall hanging.

Thanks for stopping by. As I get back into a normal routine, I will have more objects to write about. (Hint: I expect that there will be a resumption of watercolor painting.)

Living Life Well

ReEntry Week

Posted on July 15, 2024 by Laura Kate

It’s been several weeks since my last post. I have update on my recent fiber fun, but first I’d like to share some Alberta photo.

Lake Moraine. Standing on top of an ancient rock slide. Ten peaks in the background.

View of Banff from the Cascade of Time garden.

Standing on the Athabasca glacier. This is near Canada’s intercontinental divide. Waters flow in three directions: to the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans.

This post was sent from my phone, so I am keeping it short. My computer is having internet connectivity issues. I’ll try later to post about knitting, quilting and painting.