AfricanKelli

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A scarf for a new Denver friend who has made my transition here easier. She and her husband are truly lovely people — friends I hope to have forever:

{click on the photo for pattern details.}

I picked this yarn up in Tempe because it reminded me of the ocean. Thankfully, I bought two skeins, which worked out perfectly. There was enough for the long fringe, and to wrap the gift and attach washing instructions.

Fellow knitters — call me crazy, but I’m putting a new rule on this craft. I am no longer letting myself “buy a skein because it so pretty!” I have so many odd ball gorgeous single skeins of yarn, and few projects I actually want to knit with 1 ball. No more. I’m going to work through my current stash and then be disciplined to buy what a project calls for.

Does anyone stick to this? Or have a better plan?

~K

I’ve been doing a lot of yoga lately. A ridiculous amount, really. Someone once said, “When in doubt, take more yoga.” So be it. I’ve even had one or two of those Elizabeth Gilbert moments toward the end of practice when I’m in savasana and tears are pouring down my face.

Why, hello emotion I’d completely forgotten. So glad you’ve arrived at this very public moment. 

I got myself into a pickle last year with my church when I wrote a note to the congregation’s national magazine defending yoga as part of my practice as a Christian. Let’s be honest — if there are two things in this world that I’ll never simply “be,” it’s a Christian and and a yogi. I’ll always be practicing — each day with a new twist and turn. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it blows your mind and pumps your system full of so many endorphins, you run outside sweaty, exhausted and completely oblivious to snowy weather.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying yoga is a great as God. I’m saying God is so awesome, He gave us ways to connect with the holy spirit — if we so choose. For me, one of those is yoga. Deep in the pigeon pose when I feel like my hiney is en feugo and it is all I can do to take one more breath to stay in the stretch, with sweat pouring down my brow, and then BAM. Grace. Everything releases. My muscles stop spasming. My eyes stop twitching. My breath flows. My heart sings. Doves release and Prince comes out of a cloud to sing one of my favorite songs.

Okay. Maybe not the last part. But I can say regularly practicing yoga (and my faith) means there are days I grind my teeth to get through it and there are others when I feel like I’m soaring. It’s effortless. I walk away feeling like my life is full of meaning, and this yoga/faith practice has something to do with it.

What does a yoga girl give as a holiday present? Pretzels, natch. What? It can’t all be symbolic.

Fold yourself into this recipe and enjoy. It’s simple, elegant and a great holiday treat. For the yogis, the Christians, and everyone in your life who is still practicing.

Yoga Pretzels

Ingredients:

1 bag of chocolate chips — the better quality chocolate, well — the better.

1 tablespoon of shortening

1 bag of giant salty pretzels

Toppings of your choice. I went with coconut. And made a “Mexican spice” batch where I added a dash of cardamom, cinnamon and cayenne.

Directions: Melt the chocolate in the microwave with the shortening. Stir every 20 seconds or so. Remove while the chocolate is still a bit chunky. Stir until smooth. Add spices if desired. Dip pretzel by pretzel in the chocolate, stopping to dunk in your topping if you so desire. (Peanuts, kosher salt, sprinkles, bacon) Place on a cookie sheet covered in tin foil. Freeze for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Namaste,

K

Say that 5 times fast! A sneak peek at a couple projects underway at the ranch. Or homestead. Or suburban house I wish was a wee farm:

Recipes, knitting and sewing patterns and traditions I find meaningful — all on the pending schedule for H4. Still working on a few PDFs I plan to post in the next week. If you’d like some easy gift ideas, both of the craft and food varities, check out Handmade Holidays of years past. {Here is a checklist. And here are a few fun ideas.}

~K

These photos are cheating. They were taken this summer in Snowmass, but my friend Charlie just passed them along. And man, what a fun trip this was. Charlie, Sheila, their daughter and I went to Aspen/Snowmass for a weekend. A few photos from a July mountain hike:

Goofball wannabe cheerleader

~K

I’m taking classes at Fancy Tiger. This is my very favorite craft store, in part because while the employees and owners are completely hip and talented, they are equally kind and generous with their time. Cody used to live nearby in the Wash Park neighborhood. When I’d visit, I’d be sure to swing through the Tiger to pick up supplies I couldn’t find in Phoenix. Japanese zaka prints, leather purse handles, handspun knits that were just different than anything else I’d seen.

I have had such fun exploring this town for the last six months — spending time both examining its offerings and what I truly wanted. I’m certainly not the first person to find a move the ideal time to re-examine one’s priorities and interests. Signing up for classes at Fancy Tiger was what I needed to push my knitting and sewing abilities — to rise above the stagnant, learn-from-books-and-You-Tube-tutorials- state.

While this first class is making me angry and impatient, both are a good thing. New skills are just on the other side of the horizon. I’ve never perfected anything without first considering throwing an impatience fueled tantrum. With any luck, I’ll be wearing a sweater I knit (that fits!) on Christmas.

Also, the supplies? Gorgeous. I could spend hours just looking over the magazines, books and shelves of lovely prints — daydreaming of projects. But truly, this store has my business because of folk like Emily. She’s teaching my sweater class and could not be nicer. Mother Teresa could have learned something from the patience she showed to a handful of newbie knitters whose enthusiasm quickly melted into pools of frustration at her feet.

Fancy Tiger is a Denver gem for those who love craft.

~K