Finished!

New Year's Eve seems to be the traditional time to reflect on the past year and celebrate what one has accomplished. Although I have not been keeping up with the blog very well this year (it appears my last post was in June - oops!) I did manage to finish some projects that had been sitting for even longer.

According to my Ravelry notebook, I started the Fluid Velocity Shawl sometime in 2012. And for some reason it got set aside for awhile. Then this fall I decided I really should get around to finishing it, especially since I was only a few rows away from starting the knitted on edging.

I even managed to finish it in time to send to my mom for Christmas!

I also just finished a Big Trees shawl, which I started on 3/2/2014. I have been working on it off and on, and was excited to finally bind off all 396 stitches today!

Still needs to be blocked, but I'm excited to wear it in the new year :)

Now that I'm feeling accomplished I'm thinking about what I want to cast on tomorrow...

What have you finished recently? Are you planning to start a new project for the new year?

The magick of birthdays

My high priestess has said the first spell most of us cast is making a wish and blowing out candles on a birthday cake. There is a ritual associated with birthdays: gathering people together, lighting the candles, singing, wishing, blowing out candles, cutting the cake.

I couldn't tell you what I wished for on my first birthday, but it looks like there was a candle and a cake!
 Last week was my 35th birthday. It wasn't a super eventful birthday, but it did remind me of the magick of friendship, and birthdays in general.

I had a few close friends over; as in introvert, small gatherings are best! We sat around and talked and ate (Pagan gatherings always involve food). We didn't play silly games like most of us did as kids (though I may need to bring back that tradition next year), but there was something special about spending time with people I care about and who care about me.

And of course there was cake!

The grown-up version of birthday cake, was the Salty Dog from Decadent Creations. I'm not going to jinx it and tell you what I wished for this year, but the cake was delicious :)

And after the cake there were presents! As far as I know, none of my friends discussed this beforehand, but my birthday seemed to have an unofficial bird theme. There was a sparrow lantern from one friend, an owl figurine from another, an owl offering bowl from someone else, and even a flamingo card from my mom.
The owl has always been one of my main spirit animals, and this was the perfect time to update my personal altar:

The silver pentacle was a gift from another friend, and the malachite owl was a birthday gift from a previous year.

This year I also decided to give goodie bags to my guests. I don't remember the last time I did this, but I remember it was fun to get a small gift for attending parties as a kid. I have also been trying to do some spring cleaning, so it seemed like a good time to find new homes for items I no longer need. I recycled a few paper bags and put a couple of items in each: a pendulum and dream catcher in one, a book about chakras and a box of incense in another. Everyone randomly picked a bag, and it was amazing how well the contents suited each person. I couldn't have planned it better if I tried!

Birthdays are more special when they're shared, and I wanted to share some of my birthday magick with you. May your next birthday be as magickal as mine was!

Rose City Yarn Crawl 2015

I didn't mean to neglect the blog for this long, but what better time to dust it off than the annual Rose City Yarn Crawl?

This year's crawl lasted from March 5 - 8th. (I had hoped to post my recap sooner, but have been busy working to pay for all my purchases ;)

The first day of the crawl I visited Knit Purl, Dublin Bay Knitting Co., and Pearl Fiber Arts after work. I also managed to stop by Black Sheep at Orenco on the way home, thanks to their extended hours!

Day One purchases:

Already thinking about knitting more shawls ;)

Friday I visited a couple of papercrafting shops after work (more on that later), so no yarn crawling.

Saturday was a long day, which started out at the Knitting Bee, then on to For Yarn's Sake (where I admired the Spincycle Yarns, and ran into a friend I hadn't seen in awhile). Next was Northwest Wools and Wool 'N Wares, two shops I don't visit very often but both had fun trunk shows going on. 

Then it was over to Yarntastic! Fiber Arts, which was a new to me shop, so I couldn't resist getting  a special skein of handspun, handdyed yarn and a row count bracelet. Next was Yarnia, which is always fun to visit and I hadn't been to since they moved last year. The day ended at Happy Knits, where I had fun checking out the Three Fates Yarns trunk show. 

Day Two purchases:

At least I didn't just buy yarn ;)

Sunday was the last day, so had to make it to the remaining shops! First up was Littlelamb and Ewe, which is a cute shop but the furthest one from home, so I don't make it over there often. Next was Twisted, where I visited with pdxknitterati and showed my mystery shawl to designer Debbi Stone (though I didn't think to get a picture). 

Then it was time for a snack, so stopped at Pip's Original since I had heard about their mini donuts and chai:

A dozen mini donuts! So yummy :) I also had a heart of gold chai.

Then on to the final two shops: Close Knit and the Naked Sheep Knit Shop, which are both cute shops I don't get to visit very often.

Day Three purchases:

More squishy yarn! Planning a couple of cowls and maybe a hat.

Overall it was a fun weekend, with lovely weather for wandering around. Now to focus on knitting all this wonderful yarn! Already working on a new cowl :)

Aware

Welcome to week 2 of the Pagan Blog Project! So far I haven't managed to keep to the schedule and post on Fridays, but at least I'm only a day late this week!

As promised, this week "A" is for aware. Since I have a degree in English, I often find it useful to start with a definition:

aware

adjective \ə-ˈwer\

: knowing that something (such as a situation, condition, or problem) exists
: feeling, experiencing, or noticing something (such as a sound, sensation, or emotion)

: knowing and understanding a lot about what is happening in the world or around you

(from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aware)

I like that this definition mentions feeling and experiencing as well as knowing and understanding. We can be aware of sensations and emotions even if we have difficulty understanding them or expressing them in words. Emotions and experiences are an important part of my spiritual practice.  It's one thing to learn about Pagan beliefs and practices from a book, but truly becoming Pagan involves trying out those practices and discovering which ones help you connect to spirit. Furthermore, I believe spell work is more effective when I feel a connection to what I am doing, instead of just looking up standard correspondences.

Let's see if I can think of an example to illustrate this better... Let's say I want to do a healing spell, and I'm trying to decide what color candle to burn. By doing a quick online search I found a chart listing yellow as a suggested color to use for a healing spell. But I wasn't aware that yellow was associated with healing. Instead I would probably pick green, since I think of green plants as being healthy and vibrant, and I want a color that will help me focus on healing energy. By choosing something that helps shift my awareness I can increase the effectiveness of my spell.

Of course, my associations may be completely different from another Witch's correspondences. I don't think anyone's way is right or wrong, but I do believe it is important to be aware of why you are doing things a certain way. 

Here's another example... When casting a circle at the beginning of a ritual, I generally begin in the East, because I associate the East with new beginnings (this is where the sun rises after all). I have a friend who prefer to being in the North, which she associates with the Earth - where all things begin and end. I could also see beginning in the South or West, if one of these elements was central to the theme of the ritual and you wanted to place extra emphasis on these qualities.

Again, I don't think anyone's way of doing things is better than anyone else's. By being self-aware we can determine which ways of doing things are more effective for us, and develop a truly meaningful spiritual practice. 

Participating in the Pagan Blog Project is a way for me to increase my awareness of my spiritual practice. And I hope reading my ramblings will help you increase awareness of your practice, whether or not you are Pagan.

Again...

Wow, it's been awhile since I posted on here. So, it's a new year and thought I would try blogging again :)

Also decided to participate in the Pagan Blog Project again. Hoping to make it further in the alphabet this year!

As you may have noticed, today the letter "A" is for Again.

Sometimes I do things again because I didn't like how they turned out the first time. Other times I do things again because I enjoyed them and want to repeat the experience. Repeating things again and again can lead to them becoming a tradition. There can be comfort in doings again because they're familiar. I think the challenge is to keep learning and experimenting, even when doing a familiar activity.

Let me see if I can explain better with a few examples...
I have started keeping a Spell book, in order to keep spells and chants I have written (this is separate from my Book of Shadows, but we'll talk more about that in a future post). Anyway, I have one healing chant I wrote a few years ago that I have used several times when a friend requests some healing energy. Using a familiar chant means I can concentrate more on raising energy than on trying to remember the words. So in this way it can become more powerful each time I use it. The problem would be if I was merely reciting the words without paying attention to what I was saying, or if I continued to use an ineffective spell because I was too lazy to create a new one. To help me stay focused on the intent of the chant, I may place a picture of my friend on the altar or charge a crystal that I can give to her later. I might also light a candle in my friend's favorite color and inscribe it with her name. So even though I'm using the same chant again, the ritual is never exactly the same.

And a more general example...
I recently knit several pairs of fingerless gloves for friends. I don't often knit the same pattern multiple times, and knitting gloves means I'm already knitting the same pattern twice (since most people wear gloves in pairs). If I want a matching pair I can't switch yarn or needles to help keep the project interesting. But, I am more likely to have the pattern memorized, which makes it easier to knit on public transit! And having the pattern memorized also means I can settle into a rhythm, allowing the knitting to become a form of meditation.

To further connect knitting to my spiritual practice, I have found myself using simple chants to help keep track of where I am in a pattern. For example, if a pattern says "knit 3, purl 1" instead of counting the stitches, I may chant "maiden, mother, crone" for each knit stitch, then pause to purl, and so on. I think this is similar to how people use malas or other types of prayer beads.

Are there things you find yourself doing again and again? Do you see these as positive or negative things?

I don't think repetition is inherently good or bad, but I do believe in becoming more aware of the patterns that we are repeating. I think I will stop here for now, as that seems to be another topic. So, stay tuned for next week, when "A" will be for Awareness.

Rose City Yarn Crawl Finished!

Finally finished adding pictures and links! So here is my (overdue) recap of the Rose City Yarn Crawl.

Saturday was my main yarn crawling day. My significant other agreed to drive, and we started out around 10am.

First stop was the Knitting Bee where I had fun looking through more of the One of a Kind Buttons. Decided to bring these ones home with me:

I was tempted by the yarn featured for their lovely shawl pattern but decided to wait. It's not like I have a shortage of sock yarn in the stash!

Next stop was For Yarn's Sake, where I had won a $5 gift card for answering their shop trivia question correctly. I got to show off my Ballerina Shawl to Knitted Wit and picked up this skein of her yarn, along with the Trellis Rose Shawlette pattern.

From there we headed to Northwest Wools and All About Yarn, where I managed not to buy anything. Then on to Wool and Wares where I picked up this skein of Alexandra's Crafts yarn:

It was a special colorway for the shop, so I couldn't resist :) Still looking for pattern ideas though...

Then across the newly reopened Arch Bridge for a stop at Wynona's Studios. They specialize in recycled and local items, so it was fun to look around since I don't spend much time in Oregon City. Ended up with a small braid of fiber, fun skein of sock yarn (any ideas for this one?), and a sparkly shawl pin. They also put purchases in cute handmade bags.

Close up of the shawl pin:

Next stop was Yarnia, where we found the local news interviewing the shop owner: http://www.kgw.com/video/featured-videos/Thousands-show-up-for-4th-annual-Rose-City-Yarn-Crawl-194678271.html

Chatted about the yarn blending process with a few people also waiting to get their passports stamped, and then off to Happy Knits. They have a great selection of yarn, but I managed to resist buying anything since we were only about halfway through the day. Then a stop at Yarn Garden, which had a cool fiber art piece on display. I didn't think to take any pictures, but you can check out more here: http://www.yarngarden.net/se-art-walk/.

Next stop was Gossamer, where I admired the shawl pattern they had designed for the crawl. Decided to get the featured yarn for the pattern, and have been working on it this week. It's a long shawl, so this is probably only like an 1/8 of the finished shawl! It's about the right size for the cat though ;)

Then we stopped at Twisted where I watched Tina Newton of Blue Moon Fiber Arts spinning silk hankies. She also explained how to peel off the layers of silk and knit them without spinning first. Very cool! Almost bought one, but had already spent more than I had planned. I did pick up a skein of Woobu though, since a couple of my coworkers had asked me to make them cowls. Should be enough yarn for two and they agreed to reimburse me for yarn.

Next was Close Knit, another shop I don't get to very often. We had fun admiring Teresa Ruch's lovely yarns, and learning a little about how they make tencel and bamboo fiber. She also had some great samples, and I was intrigued by the texture of the rayon boucle yarn.

I ended up with 2 skeins with plans to make fickleknitter's rayon boucle shawl.

Our final stop was The Naked Sheep. I picked up a small bottle of Eucalan (can always use more wool wash!) and picked up a copy of their crawl pattern. Also admired the samples from Chrissy Gardiner's Indie Socks book. Definitely need to make some of these! Chatted with a few other people about their handknits - thinking about making the Botanical Cowl out of Yarnia's 5th anniversary Golden Ticket yarn...

Turned in my completed passport - forgot to snap a picture, but here's my tote bag with  all of the shop buttons!

And the SO even got a Naked Sheep sticker for driving :)

Now focusing on knitting through the stash and saving up for next year's crawl!

Rose City Yarn Crawl (Days 1 & 2)

Last weekend was the Rose City Yarn Crawl. If you haven't experienced the craziness fun before, the goal is to visit 18 yarn shops in the Portland metro area over 4 days.

I started with a quick stop at Knit Purl over my lunch break. Lots of knitters having lunch in their downstairs knitchen! A couple of skeins of ShiBui staccato decided to come home with me (great discount so I couldn't resist!)

After work I took the streetcar down to Angelika's, and bought the suggested yarn for their special yarn crawl pattern. The pattern is for a bag, so I thought this would be a nice, go with everything color:

Then back on the streetcar to head down to Dublin Bay Knitting Company. Always nice to chat with other knitters and hang out on their comfy couches. Refueled with some tea and treats, and couldn't resist a skein of Sweet Georgia sock yarn:

Not sure if this wants to be a pair of socks or a shawl.. any suggestions?


From there I walked to Pearl Fiber Arts. Once in the door I was instantly drawn to the baskets of one-of-a-kind buttons. Couldn't resist an owl and a sun (which come to think of it, are both symbols that relate to past nicknames).

While there I started talking to Kara, a knitter/crocheter who had driven up from Salem. We couldn't resist the Caress wrapped in luxury yarns, and learned how to knit and crochet this bulky yarn on our hands. After about half an hour of giggling and chatting we each ended up with a super long, super cozy scarf!

The next day I had to go to work, but managed a trip out to Kathy's Knit Korner in Forest Grove. There I met up with Kara again for more chatting and yarn fondling. My significant other picked out this skein of yarn so I can make him a hat:

 
Have to pick out a pattern, but I told him he'll have to wear the hat on next year's yarn crawl ;)

Will update on the final day of yarn crawling later!

Snow Moon Chant

Life has gotten busy and I've gotten behind in the Pagan Blog Project. I was working on another post for the letter C, but wasn't happy with it. So I figured I'd do a short post just to get back in the habit of blogging and attempt to catch up.

Yesterday was the February Full Moon, often called the Snow Moon. I found the full moon inspiring, and this is the chant I made up on the way home yesterday. Hope you enjoy it :)

Snow Moon Chant

Mother Moon guide me home
no matter where I roam
welcome me with open arms
and keep me safe from harm

So mote it be

Creating Connections (Pagan Blog Project Week 5)

When I made the decision to combine my craft blog with an earth-based spiritual blog I figured there would be some overlap between my craft and Craft posts. As I continue to participate in the Pagan Blog Project the more I notice similar themes emerging.

This week I've been thinking about connections, specifically about connecting to others in order to form communities. I belong to Ravelry, an online community for knitters and crocheters. I also belong to a coven and participate in sabbat celebrations with the larger Portland Pagan community. There will probably be more posts about these various communities in the future.

One of the specific groups I belong to on Ravelry is for Pagan Crafters. Last fall someone in the group suggested starting a Wheel of the Year swap. The concept is simple: one of the organizers matched up the people who wanted to participate, and we are sending a small package to our partner for each of the 8 Pagan holidays. The packages can include pretty much anything we think relates to the holiday, especially things that are local to our area or homemade. Since Samhain (October 31st) is usually considered the Witches' New Year, this was our first swap.


The package I received for Samhain is on the left, while the picture on the right shows the package I received at Yule.

Although I have not met my swap partner in person, we are starting to form a connection through our packages. We have also been sending handwritten cards with each package.

So far I am enjoying this opportunity to connect more to the Wheel of the Year, and connecting more to my home by looking for local products I can send to my swap partner. For our recent Imbolc swap I included some Pacific Northwest Blackberry honey as well as a couple of scrapbook pages I had made:

In return I received a cute hat that my partner had crocheted and some herbal teas from her local tea shop.  I also received a specially charged candle. You can read the lovely blog post she wrote about charging the candle here: http://nature.pagannewswirecollective.com/2013/01/24/the-magic-of-here/
 By reading her post I felt connected to the process. And when I unwrapped the candle she had blessed for me I felt the energy and intention she had placed in it.

This picture shows the candle burning on the hearth in my home.

Maybe I was imagining that I could feel this energy, but even so, I felt connected to the idea that this woman 1,800 miles away was thinking of me when she held this same candle. This woman set the intention that this candle would carry with it the magick of her home, and I burned this candle with the intention of accepting this energy. In this way I think our homes are connected now.

I also sent her a candle that my coven sisters helped me charge during our last full moon circle. I hope that she will feel the good thoughts and energy when she burns her candle.

I started participating in this swap thinking it would be fun to spend more time reflecting on each of the sabbats. I realize I am enjoying having a pen pal more than I expected, and am continuing to expand my community. Sharing on this blog is another way I seek connections. So, if you've read this far, I hope you'll take a moment to post a comment to say "hi" and continue expanding the circle.

Herbal Potions and Notions

Last weekend I went to The Herb Shoppe with a friend for a medicinal oils and healing salves class. The class was taught by the owner, who is also a naturopath. It was a nice balance of learning about herbs and having a chance to make a few things.

The class started with everyone choosing a tea to enjoy. With so many choices this was a difficult decision, but I finally decided on a lemon blend. Then we spent some time talking about herbs to use for different ailments and deciding on our personal blends. As I was talking to the instructor, she also suggested that I drink peppermint tea for half the month and chamomile tea for the other half to help regulate cycles. I like both of these teas, and realized that I had recently been craving chamomile tea. It seemed my body was intuitively telling me that I should switch from my usual peppermint tea to chamomile. Since I have been trying to focus more on being in my body it was nice to have my intuition confirmed in this way :)

After the class we stopped at the Hawthorne Market Stand where I picked up some kale and potatoes to make soup. I've been experimenting more with soups lately - rainy winter weather seems like the perfect time to warm up with a bowl of soup, and there's just something about adding a bunch of random things to a big cooking pot...

Overall the day seemed like a good balance of body, mind, and spirit. And the soup was yummy :)

Reconnecting to the Body

I’m a little behind in the Pagan Blog Project. I had hoped to get this post up yesterday, but was having trouble getting motivated. This may be related to the topic I had chosen.

Let’s back up for a just a minute. I had several ideas floating around in my head about what to write about for the letter B: beginnings, beliefs, besoms. But these seemed very focused on the mental (even besoms, which I think of as brooms for cleansing mental/spiritual energy, as opposed to physical energy). I was noticing that, in general, I have been feeling less connected to my body. So I started thinking about how to feel more grounded and centered. But there’s the problem – I was thinking about writing this post, instead of actually connecting to my body. Sometimes it’s difficult to just be.

This morning I baked scones for breakfast. I find baking to be grounding, especially kneading dough. There’s a physical connection to the food that you are making, and then physically taking in that same food when you eat it. I also enjoyed my scones with local honey, which seemed like a further connection to the physical place where I’m living.

While baking is one way to connect to the body, another way to connect is by simply breathing. Though this often seems easier said than done.

I first started practicing mindful breathing in grad school. We talked about as an aspect of counseling theories and practiced before we started seeing clients in practicum. I found it helpful to center myself before I went to meet with clients. As a therapist, I have helped clients practice breathing techniques to help reduce symptoms of anxiety. Breathing can be a powerful way to reconnect to your body and begin to recognize emotions you may have been burying. If you would like to explore this further, I encourage you to find a mental health therapist who uses mindfulness techniques. You may also want to look for a certified Hakomi Therapist. I am not certified, but have friends who have completed the training. (May be time for me to look into the training again!) 

So, that is my professional disclaimer. If you have symptoms of anxiety, depression or other mental health concerns, please find a qualified mental health professional.

That being said, similar mindfulness techniques may be used as part of a spiritual practice. I practice mindful breathing and meditation as part of my personal spiritual practice. As a Priestess, I have led guided meditations to help fellow Pagans prepare for ritual. When I lead a guided meditation I make sure to allow time to relax the body before moving to the mental images and connecting to the spiritual self. Body, mind and spirit all work together. At the end of the guided journey it’s also important to bring awareness back to the breath and then back to the body as a whole. Pagan spirituality is based on the physical world, not in an after-life. We seek divinity in Nature, finding magick all around us. When I start to forget this, I take a moment to follow my breath back into my body. There’s no wrong way to practice mindful breathing, you simply have to be.  

Catching Up

I started this post a couple of days ago but hadn't gotten around to finishing it. So, catching up on the blog and on projects.

After spending more time on papercrafting, I started feeling like doing some more knitting. I started by finishing up a pair of socks that I had started back in October. I had finished the first sock pretty quickly, and started the second right away, but then got distracted with holiday knitting. I've also noticed my least favorite part of sock knitting is picking up stitches along the foot. I've only knit socks cuff down so far, with a short row heel, so might be time to experiment with some other constructions. Any way to avoid picking up stitches?

Not the best picture, but it's hard to take pictures of socks when you're wearing them!

In addition to finishing up WIPs, I've been knitting from the yarn stash. I started knitting a few wash cloths out of some organic cotton yarn I've had for awhile.  Also pulled out the patterns from last year's Rose City Yarn Crawl and some stash yarn to work on a couple of those projects. There's a KAL on Ravelry to get ready for the next yarn crawl, so seemed like a good time to knit with some of the yarn I bought last year!


And in case you were wondering, I finally decided to sign up for the papercrafting class, instead of the knitting class I was considering. The class ended up getting postponed because the teacher was sick, so turns out I could have taken the knitting class after all!  I thought about calling the yarn store to see if I could still attend the knitting class, but it would have been pretty last minute. Instead I made some progress on cleaning out my closet. Not as exciting, but it did need to be done!

What projects have you been working on lately?

Crafting a Book of Shadows (Pagan Blog Project Week 3)

Time for another Pagan Blog Project post. This week B is for Book of Shadows. I thought about titling this post building a Book of Shadows, but crafting seemed a better way to describe the way I have incorporated my Book of Shadows into my spiritual practice.

Briefly, a Book of Shadows (or BOS for short) is the spiritual book in Wicca. When I first started reading/learning/studying about Wicca, most of the books mentioned starting a Book of Shadows as a personal journal to record experiences practicing the Craft. Throughout my life I have kept various journals to record thoughts/feelings/experiences, so it seemed natural to start a notebook to record experiences along my spiritual path. I still have several notebooks for writing about different aspects of my life, including reactions to rituals and recording tarot readings.  However, several years ago I decided I wanted to create a special Book of Shadows.

I started by compiling handouts I had gathered from various workshops and information I had printed from online sources. When I started more seriously studying Wicca I decided I wanted to write more of my own rituals, and truly craft my own Book of Shadows. I ended up buying a scrapbook, so I could add my own pages as I go.

As I have worked on my book, it has evolved into a place to record my personal correspondences. I have pages for each of the elements: air, fire, water, and earth plus spirit. This is the title page for the elemental section:

I have also created pages for each of the full moon esbats. This one is for the month of January:

and I'm working on pages for each of the sabbats (holidays), like this one for Samhain (Halloween):

As you can see, I have used a combination of scrapbooking paper, stickers, found images and rubber stamping to decorate the pages. I have included written information about the theme of each esbat or sabbat, and ideas about colors, fragrances, and foods that I associate with each celebration. I compiled information from books I have read and wrote down the associations that resonated the most for me.

I have also been handwriting all of the information as opposed to typing and printing it. I'm not against typing ritual information, and it is easier to read typewritten pages (especially by candle light!), but I believe handwriting the information adds more of my energy to the book. It also helps me memorize the chants and poems I include in the book (most of which I have been writing myself).

In addition, I have a separate binder where I keep notes from coven rituals. I like having a scrapbook of our past rituals and a source of ideas for future rituals. Part of what I enjoy about Wicca and Paganism is the opportunity to create rituals that are meaningful for me. I'm not just learning from someone else's experiences or reading a spiritual book someone else wrote, I'm truly crafting my own.

Altering Consciousness with Altars (Pagan Blog Project Week 2)

It's Friday, which means time for another Pagan Blog Project post. Since last week's post served as a general introduction to this project, I wanted to focus more specifically on my spiritual practice this week. We're still working with the letter A, which, this week, stands for Altar.

I use my altar as a way to alter my consciousness and prepare for ritual. Having a permanent altar set-up helps me perform mini-rituals to connect with the divine during the day. Of course, an altar isn't necessary to perform a ritual, but having a designated sacred space can make it easier to get into the proper mindset for a ritual.

I also created a mini altar on my desk at work:

There are small bottles filled with gemstones: rose quartz (for self love), mixed gemstones, carnelian (for courage and strength); a small piece of obsidian for grounding and stone with the word "respect" etched on it.

I find the stones grounding - they are physical objects that I can hold when I want to feel more grounded and centered. Seeing the stones on my desk is also a visual reminder to take a moment to breathe and center myself.

At home, I have an altar on one of my bookshelves in my bedroom. Currently it has a malachite owl (a birthday present from a Wiccan friend a few years ago), a small fairy statue (a gift from my aunt a long time ago), a candle inscribed with the word Wonder (a gift from the YMCA I volunteered at in college) and a small sea shell. I like including items that were gifts or have special significance, though I also have items I have bought more recently because I wanted a specific symbol. For example, I also have a stone etched with an image of the Greenman, which I bought recently, a small hematite bead in the shape of a Goddess and a stone etched with a pentacle. Then there are items that I have made, such as a knit bag that contains mementos from my first degree initiation and coven initiation.

Also on my altar is a card from the Wisdom of the Golden Path oracle. I rotate oracle and Tarot decks, and this is the one I have been working with recently. I try to draw a card every day, and then place the card on the altar for the day. In this way I interact with my altar on a regular basis.

Now that I have a dedicated Craft Room (and I use craft in a broad sense, in the same way I define it on this blog) I also have an altar set-up there. This altar is a small table, which also has a drawer I can use for storing magickal items when I'm not using them. I like to keep the altar space itself simple and less cluttered. The rest of my life is cluttered enough, so, for me, part of keeping the space sacred means keeping it simple. I place items intentionally because I want specific energy on the altar.

This is a previous version of my altar, which mostly included items I had made (including the clay triple Goddess symbol, wand, and centerpiece):

I try to rotate different objects and symbols, depending on the season or on my mood since I don't want my altar, or my spiritual practice for that matter, to get stale. I don't update my altars on any set schedule, just whenever they seem to need freshening up. As I have been thinking about this post I have also been thinking it's time to update both of my home altars again. Writing this has taken longer than anticipated though, so that will be tomorrow's project!

Paper or Yarn?

I have mentioned in previous posts that I do some papercrafting (scrapbooking, visual journaling, collage, etc.), lots of knitting, and a little spindle spinning. I knit several holiday gifts, and then last weekend was inspired to do some more papercrafting.

For me, papercrafting is more free-form than knitting. When I'm knitting I tend to follow a pattern and haven't tried designing patterns. With scrapbooking and collage I tend to play more with different papers and stickers/stamps. I also like decorating journal pages, and using collage along with creative writing (some of this is also related to my spirituality, so more on that in a future Pagan blog post).

I also got inspired to try some more card-making. I have made cards during classes, but haven't made too many on my own. My mom has made her own holiday cards the last few years, so I was also inspired after watching her finish her cards over the holidays (apparently procrastinating runs in the family ;) It was fun using a few of my rubber stamps again, and now that I have a template I'm planning to make some more to have on hand when I need them. Not that I've made more yet though!

Now that I've spent a few days papercrafting, I feel more undecided about what I want to knit next. I have a few things on the needles to finish, and plans to knit a few things for friends as "unbirthday" since I have too many friends with late fall/winter birthdays. I would like to pick a project to knit on the train to work tomorrow though. Making collages on public transit doesn't seem as practical!

My other dilemma is whether to take a papercrafting class later this month, or take an intarsia knitting class. Of course, both classes are on the same day at overlapping times! Haven't decided which one I want to take yet. Anyone want to decide for me? ;)

 How do you balance different types of crafting projects?

Living Authentically (Pagan Blog Project Week 1)

Today is the beginning of the Pagan Blog Project. The format is simple - focus on each letter of the alphabet for 2 weeks, moving from A-Z over the course of the year. However, deciding what to focus on for this first entry proved more difficult.

A stands for air, Akasha, ancestors, archetypes, Athena... you get the picture. But how do I want to start this year of spiritual blogging? What is my intention in participating in this project?

Then it hit me - Authenticity.

au·then·tic·i·ty

n.

The quality or condition of being authentic, trustworthy, or genuine.

(As defined by the Free Dictionary)

To further reenforce this idea, the oracle card I drew for the day says: "I am Truth" (from the Wisdom of the Golden Path oracle deck.) I want to use this year of blogging as a way to live authentically, by speaking (or writing as the case may be) my truth.

Part of expanding my knitting blog to include spirituality was a was to become more authentic. Being Pagan feels authentic to me. Creating and participating in rituals helps me feel more grounded and present int he world. Connecting with my authentic self is a way to connect with the Divine. 

While I don't believe that being Pagan is the only way to live authentically, I do feel that spirituality and authenticity go hand in hand; I can't say which one comes first, but I believe spiritual practices can help us live more authentically.  I plan to share more about my specific believes and spiritual practices through the course of this year of blogging. Authenticity felt like the appropriate place to begin this journey, and set the tone for the year to come.

 As a mental health therapist I see my role as creating space for clients to discover their authentic selves, and I hope my posts will allow you a chance to reflect on your own spiritual journey and live more authentically.

Redefining Craft

Since it's a new year, I thought I would try reviving the blog again. I made it 4 months last year posting at least once a week. I don't want to spend a lot of time looking back on why I stopped posting, but I did realize that I enjoy having blog or knitting challenges. I like working on goals with a community of other people also working on the same goals.

This year I thought I would try the Pagan Blog Project. I thought about starting a new blog for Pagan posts, but that seems like too much work ;) And it also made me think about how I define craft in the first place.

I originally started this as a craft blog, to focus on knitting projects and fiber related events. As my craft interests have expanded, I've also added some entries about papercrafts, stamping, and even a little baking. Crafting also overlaps with my spirituality - for example, I'm slowly making myself a set of runes. I've also done some work with Soul Collage, which overlaps not just with my spiritual self, but my professional self as well.

At some point it just gets too complicated to keep all of these different facets of myself separate!
And Craft can also be used as shorthand for the Craft of the Wise or Witchcraft. So really, this will still be a craft blog, I'm just expanding the definition to include my experiences practicing the Craft as well as making crafts.

My plan right now is to post once a week about crafts and once a week about the Craft (following the prompts from the Pagan Blog Project). Though sometimes these entries may overlap more than others.

I hope you'll enjoy sharing my crafty journey this year :)

Crafting Balance (3KCBWDAY7)

OK, I started this post yesterday (which was the official end of Knit and Crochet Blog Week). Then life got busy, and I didn't end up finishing it. So maybe it's appropriate that today's topic is balance in crafting...

The original theme was supposed to be about balance in fiber crafts, i.e., knitting and crochet.
However, I'm going to extend this to balance in all types of crafting (I thought about extending it to include work/life balance in general, but I think I'll save that idea for another day).

First of all, I only know how to knit. I have friends that crochet, and would like to knit one of these days, but I keep getting distracted by other things! What are some of these crafts?

Well, I took a drop spindle class a couple of years ago, and do some spinning. I find spinning to be relaxing in a different way than knitting, though I don't do it that often. And while drop spinning is enjoyable (and portable) it's not the most efficient way to make a lot of yarn. I also like the idea of spinning wheels, but haven't tried spinning on a wheel yet. This is partly because I haven't had time, and partly because I'm not sure I want to invest the money in buying a wheel. But I've had a few people offer to let me try spinning on a wheel at knit night, so we'll see...

I've also been doing more papercrafting recently. For me this mostly means creative journaling, a little scrapbooking, and a little bit of cardmaking. I also made a few things at a papercrafting event over the weekend, but more on that tomorrow (have to keep you reading somehow ;)

I also like to bake, which I think is another type of craft (especially today, since I could go to the store and buy a box of cookies instead of baking them myself). Today I was trying out a new recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Not sure I'm that impressed with the recipe - since the dough seemed pretty soft, and then I noticed most people online said they ended up adding more flour. Will have to experiment some more.

And one of the first crafts I tried was jewelry making. I used to make woven friendship bracelets in elementary school, and we also used to make bracelets out of telephone wire. I've done some beading, though not as much recently. Organizing the beads is still on my to-do list! I also have a few projects planned that add beads to knitting. And I've seen a few people mention knit and crochet wire jewelry which looks interesting...

So many crafts, so little time! What crafts have you tried? What are your favorites?

If you want to check out more blogs on this topic, search for 3KCBWDAY7

Improving your skillset (3KCBWDAY6)

Today's topic for Knit and Crochet blog week is improving your skillset. One of my current knitting goals is to knit myself a sweater. I have been thinking about it awhile, but hadn't been ready to invest the time and money necessary to make something that will (hopefully!) fit me.

While some skills I feel confident learning from a book or watching a you tube video, I felt it would be helpful to take a class to really learn how to knit a sweater that will fit. I have been looking at the class schedules for the various yarn stores around town to find a class that would fit my schedule. During the Rose City Yarn Crawl last month I was lucky enough to win a gift certificate for a class at the Naked Sheep. So I was excited to see them announce a First Sweater Class starting in May. I even get to pick my own pattern!

After some debating, I finally decided on this pattern from Ashfield Cardigan from New England Knits, and ordered some Cascade 220 Superwash in a Sage green (they didn't have enough in stock, and I'm not sure of the exact color name). Now that I've ordered yarn I think I'm comitted to starting this sweater!

I'm looking forward to learning new skills, and being able to wear a sweater that I made myself. I'm sure there will be more to say once the class actually starts, but for now I'm excited to take another class! Look for more blog posts on sweater knitting in the future :)
And if you want to read more blogs on this topic, don't forget to search for 3KCBWDAY6.

What new skills have you learned recently? What skills would you like to learn? 

A Yarn's Story (Something a Bit Different 3KCBWDAY5)

Today's theme for Knit and Crochet Blog week is "something a bit different." The idea is to challenge ourselves to create a different kind of blog post. One of the suggestions was to write from a different perspective (such as from a knitted sock's point of view). Using that as a starting point, I decided that I would "interview" a ball of yarn from the stash.

Note: To keep me from being biased, I had my significant other (with some help from the cat) select the lucky ball of yarn.

***

Me: First of all, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. What would you like to be called?

Yarn: You can call me Pumpkin.

Me: Would you mind explaining your name to our readers?

Pumpkin: Of course not. I was dyed in the Oh Great Pumpkin colorway. I'm proud to be one of a limited number of skeins that Bohemia Fibers dyed for Halloween.

Me: I thought it was a fun colorway.

Pumpkin: and you're a sucker for limited edition colors!

Me: You must have been talking to other yarns in the stash...

Pumpkin: Yep, we have a lot of time to chat while waiting to see what we're going to be made into. Sometimes we even take bets on who is going to get knit up first!

Me: That brings me to my next question. How long have you been in the stash?

Pumpkin: I believe it was sometime in October 2010... I am a Halloween colorway after-all. 

Me: We've talked about your color, but what about your other qualities?

Pumpkin: Well, I'm a DK weight yarn, and I'm 230 yards long.

Me: And what fiber are you?

Pumpkin: I'm a Superwash Merino. I like being soft and squishy.


Me: I had forgotten how squishy you are.

Pumpkin: You really should spend more time with your yarn stash.

Me: I'd rather spend more time knitting, but I've been busy with work.

Pumpkin: You always have some excuse for not knitting with me...

Me: Well, what kind of project would you like to be?

Pumpkin: I think I want to be a cowl. You have certainly been knitting a lot of them lately! And Moonstone seems happy now that she's a cowl. And she's gotten compliments now that she's knit up.

Me: Ok, we'll have to look at some cowl patterns and see which ones you like.

Pumpkin: Maybe a twisted rib pattern... something to show off my lovely colors...

Me: That sounds like a good idea. I'm not sure a cowl will use all 230 yards though. Is that ok?

Pumpkin: I hadn't thought about that... I'd be ok with being a cowl and a matching pair of fingerless gloves.  As long as you wear them together!

Me: That sounds fair. Is there anything else you want our readers to know about you?

Pumpkin: I wanted to say that I look a little washed out in the picture - I'm really much brighter in person.

Me: Sorry about that, I was too slow to take your picture in natural light.

Pumpkin: I'll forgive you - I'm not a big fan of the sun anyway. Rainy days are more my style.  I love fall, and I'm totally looking forward to the Great Pumpkin visiting us on Halloween!

Me: You do realize there's still about 6 months until Halloween.

Pumpkin: Then you should be able to knit me into a cowl and mitts by then!

***

Let me know what you thought about today's post, and if you have any suggestions for cowl/mitt patterns for Pumpkin!

Check out more creative blog posts by searching for 3KCBWDAY5
You can vote for your favorite post here: http://www.eskimimimakes.com/2012/04/knitting-and-crochet-blog-week-creative.html