Still Lives

Being home has given such peace to my spirit. I breathe deeper these days, I do better at silencing the anxiety. And with the increased light and warmth, I have energy. Mostly energy to create stuff and get out of the house. I've been back for about 3 weeks, and it has changed me. It is a study in contrasts, the ragged Julia battling Toronto subways vs. the home Julia. If nothing else, this year has proved that I am a dyed in the wool Kingstonian. Middle sized cities, please and thank you.

I'm still writing my term papers, and even when those are done there will be thesis work to do. But without the commuting, I'm better at maximizing my work:play ratio. It's typical for me to have articles and knitting all in the same place, switching between activities with alarming alacrity. The above photo is actually not staged at all. I pushed back the linguistics article I was reading at a certain point, made a second cup of tea, and pulled out my cabled sweater which has been on the back burner for a few weeks. (It's Honeymaker in Cascade 200). 

 

And where am I putting my tea?, you might ask? Well, in this perfect mug which I bought at the Tett Centre this morning. The Tett Centre was hosting a pottery sale with a lot of Kingstonian vendors, and I fell hard for this one. It looks a lot like the paint colour in one of my childhood bedrooms; "Amethyst Cream." The handle is a good size, the slight curve of the neck makes it easy to hold, and it's nicely weighted. Happy me. 

I've also noticed some colour trends for me. I've been drawn to pastels recently, and I can't tell you how out of character that is. For example, my book, which I bought for the content not the cover, (though that is an added bonus), happily matches the batt of Malabrigo Nube which I have on my wheel. I fell for this colour of Nube, and I realized they matched just the other day. 

And finally, probably to my poor mother's chagrin, I've been keeping my wheel and some of my more used tools in this window. I believe good lighting is essential for good crafting.