The winter season in Kansas City is a long one. Way after the glow of the holidays are over, gray, foggy and cold February lurches in. It’s the shortest month of the year by the calendar, but by the weather, it seems to go on and on and on.
We were treated to a few nice days – (logged my first bike ride of the year on the 18th). But most of it was a wear-your-long-underwear-under-your-lined-jeans-with-two-sweatshirts kind of month.
Staying indoors does have it’s rewards – currently I’m:
Reading
(listening) to Neil DeGrasse Tyson – I switched to Astrophysics for People in a Hurry (as an audiobook). Best part so far is when NDGT calls Einstein a “Bad Ass”.
Dining In by Alison Roman. I love to get cookbooks at the library so I can browse through them for ideas. I don’t usually follow a recipe to the letter, so I don’t need to own an actual copy of the book. I just need the push that photos and ingredient lists can give me.
Crafting
If you follow me on Instagram then you saw my excitement on my blanket yarn project which was quickly followed by sadness when I discovered I had misread the pattern. I had to rip out all the stitches and start over. It’s back to lap size, but it’s going slower now that I have to actually count. The pattern, which is not actually a pattern is just one gigantic granny square. I used this video tutorial to get back on track.
I’m still working on my brush lettering. I’m 1/3 into a 90 day challenge provided by Veronica at TwoEasels.com.
And my latest obsession is watercoloring. For Valentine’s Day I experimented with some faux watercoloring, and just days later we were at an art show where I really was drawn to the true art form, and I realized that with a coupon at the craft store and free online tutorials, I could try this on for size. To me, the great thing about crafting is you don’t have to get real serious about anything – see if it’s fun, see if it’s something you want to work at, or try it once and never speak of it again. No big deal.
The painting at the top of this post is from a tutorial I followed from Shayda Campbell, and I’ve also been working my way though Kiley in Kentucky’s tutorials as well. To keep my budget in check, I’m cutting my watercolor paper into small 3 x 3 squares; Kiley’s tutorial for the cactus illustration has them all on one big sheet, but mine ends up being a cute trio.
Quick note: none of the links in this post are affiliate, and while I have PLENTY of opinions, no one has compensated me for any of them.
This has inspired me to have another go at crafting #hapoynow@_karendennis