Little Cabin Knits is a biweekly podcast all about knitting, mental health, advocacy, and life happenings here in the wilds of Alaska With a little bit of Hygge sprinkled throughout. I’m your host Emily. I am a knitter, crafter, mental health therapist, and explorer of my home state of Alaska
This week’s episode contains:
Admin
spotlight
’raise a cuppa
On the couch
Personal skill set
A time for hygge and
Contemplation Corner
Admin:
· Andersmillknits on IG and Ravelry
· Between Knits and Purls on Youtube
· You can find all the show notes on our website: https://andersmillknits.wixsite.com/website
· If you have a question, comment, or would like to be a guest on Little Cabin Knits you can email me at littlecabinknitsAK@gmail.com
· Sign ups for The Merry Everything and Happy Always in July swap is open for just a few more days and then swap partners will be assigned. You have until May 30th to sign up either by email to betweenknitsandpurls@gmail.com or on my Ravelry group “Between Knits and Purls.” All the details can be found on the Ravelry group as well.
Spotlight
This week I want to highlight an oldie but a goodie. The 2 Knit Lit Chicks, a podcast about knitting and books, which is hosted by a mother and daughter team: Barb, the mom, (knittybarb on IG) and Tracie, the daughter, (alittleposy on IG). Tracie and Barb have 225 episodes out and I think I’ve been listening faithfully to them since the beginning back in 2016!
I’ve always loved this audio podcast as barb and Tracie have a great love of knitting, charity knitting, building a great community for knitters, advocacy, and books. In fact Tracie has even written a book inspired by my favorite Jane Austen Novel, Persuasion, entitled “Regret & Return.” Which I have yet to read but have on my summer reading list.
Barb and Tracy are honest, outspoken, and yet they attempt to share their viewpoints with compassion. I have always been greatly inspired by their engagement in the political arena, Barb sends out hundreds of mail reminders to people to vote during that season, as well as their charitable works.
Barb and Tracie are very involved with the Mother Bear project which provides comfort bears that are hand knit to children around the world who have been affected by HIV/AIDS.I have no idea what their lifetime number of bears knit for this organization are but this year Barb has so far knit 236 bears, and Tracy has knit 238! The bears are incredibly adorable and my heart melts at their ceaseless efforts to this cause.
The podcast isn’t just about knitting though, as Barb and Tracy, also discuss the books that are reading and those are always interesting, though most I don’ think I would ever read, I am just not interested in reading true crime books, however, I do love hearing their synopsis of the books as well as their reactions to them.
There is so much I could relate about the 2 knit lit chicks, the myriad of Knit and craft alongs they do year-round, the retreat they’ve hosted for many years, and the weekly zoom knitting group they host. Not to mention the relationship and love they have for each other and their openness about their personal lives with their listeners.
I have never met, or even messaged either of these lovely ladies and yet I count them as knitting friends, and comforts, especially during this last year as I’ve taken my walks and listened to their chats, I have felt closer to the outside world then I might otherwise have been.
Raise A Cuppa
Today my friends, I am sipping on a V8 fruit energy drink. We recently discovered this line of drinks and Mr. Radio and I have been really enjoying trying all the different varieties they have to offer at our local grocery store. Today’s is a Honeycrisp apple berry and I love the sweetness that is cut through with tart cherries in this drink. I am not sure if it gives me energy, but it has been a great alternative to soda these last few weeks.
These last few weeks have been a whirlwind. We were supposed to have our engagement pictures taken but I hurt my bad leg while on a walk a little over a week ago which has meant a delay. No fear my leg is healing, slowly, it was a rough few days at first as I couldn’t get into see my doctor except via a telemed call and then they feared I had a blood clot. So, I was rushed over for imaging and we were so blessed as no blood clot was detected! The images did reveal that I have a very very small tare in the tendon that connects my hip to my leg. If I have all the muscle in my leg then this normally probably would have been a slight discomfort but would have been able to carry on as normal, however, since my rectus femoris, and vastus lateralis, had to be removed due to cancer at age 19, the tendon connecting my leg to my hip has become ever more important. That minute tare has thus caused me a lot of pain over the last few weeks.
During all this health drama, I was preparing for a retreat for the managers at my organization. I advocated for this retreat, designed it, and did the bulk of the teaching, or coaching over the two days, and so I had no time to sit and relax, I had much to do and very little time to do it in.
The retreat is over now, and I am very pleased with the results! I trained on supervision of teams, boundaries, Time management skills, and Trauma Informed Care, with workbooks to go along with each training so our people didn’t just listen to the training but really thought through what it meant to integrate it into their role as managers. I wouldn’t say I am proud of the results but I would say that I felt a great sense of accomplishment by the end of these two days.
This episode was going to be a tad bit different as back on Mother’s Day I headed out for a walk and I thought, “why don’t I record while I’m walking? Take my knitting friend on a ramble with me?” And so I did. I enjoyed it so much that I thought I would record each time I went for a walk and then release them as a sort of walking podcast for you. Unfortunately, my injury happened on the second walk and so I only have those two to speak with you about. However, I do hope you enjoy these two rambles. I invite you to listen as you walk, or knit, and hear the ambient sounds of the birds and neighborhood sounds as you do.
My hope is that I will be able to take to the trails soon and will record more throughout the summer months as I walk, hike, and camp. I hope you enjoy!
Insert 2 walking tracks here
On the Couch:
Bunting Fit for a Queen by Vero Pepperrell
Free pattern on Ravelry
Yarn: scraps and leftovers about 5 grams per flag
Bunting KAL
Prizes TBA (If any dyer wants to donate to the KAL I would love it)!
May-August 31st
Hosted on IG ONLY use #summerbuntingkal2021
I continue to work on the secret test knit, though I am a bit stalled as it involves a lot of lace knitting and right now my fingers itch to be working solely on fair isle projects!
Wedding Socks
Last week on Between knits and Purls, Steph and I finally interviewed the wonderful and very humble dyer behind the yarn I am using to knit my wedding socks: Rachael of 3 Sisters Fibers on Esty. I encourage you to go over and learn about Rachael and her yarn dying journey!
Knit on US 1.5 needles
Yarn: 3 sisters Fiber, in the colorway faded rose, on her Moxie Base.
Once and Floral Sweater by Maxin Cyr
I think I have only knit about 3 rounds on this sweater this week so not much progress at all sadly.
Knit on US 3 and 4 needles
Elspeth Lovold Silky Wool in colorways: brown (54), Blue, and White
Personal Skill Set: June Self-Care Challenge
I’m pausing my series on Trauma to bring you a Self-Care Challenge for the month of June.
Can you all believe its June already?!
I am planning my second bi-annual self-care daily challenge for my organization and I thought I would invite you to participate as well! Each day for the month of June I will send out a short audio podcast of a self-care challenge for that day. I will not be posting it anywhere else and this is totally optional for you to participate but I thought it would be nice to include all my knitting friends in this challenge as we have had a difficult past year.
A little about Self-Care
Self-care isn't about being selfish. It's about giving yourself what you need to function at full capacity. It's the gas, and the oil changes, and the transmission fluid that keeps you running. When you neglect those things, when you run on empty, things break down. Fill yourself up this month. Don't run on fumes, don't push until you break down, love yourself. Wake up every day and ask yourself one very simple question:
"What do I need today?"
And then make the time to do that thing. Even when you're pressed for time, even when it's inconvenient, even when you can only fit in 5 minutes as opposed to the three hours that you're really aching for. Do it. Do the work as best you can.
Add self-care into your daily routine to take care of all aspects of yourself and your life. Cultivate a really wonderful life for yourself by making sure that your needs are always met, and exceeded, with a little sweetness to boot.
Focus on self-care this month.
For each day of the month of June I will be posting a little challenge to give yourself some self-care that day. This challenge is self-motivated, and the prize is that you will feel recharged and more in tune with yourself, your loved ones, your coworkers, and your surroundings by the end of it. My hope is that by introducing you to a myriad of different self-care activities you will hone in on the one, or a few, that you recognize recharges your battery and can build those into a routine for yourself.
Remember self-care doesn’t have to take hours, it can be simple and quick. It’s all about knowing what works for you and recognizing that you deserve to care for yourself above and beyond simply putting fuel in your body, and dressing for the day.
A Time for Hygge
How would your life change for the better if you were able to give yourself the nourishment you need in every aspect of your life?
Most of us make sure everyone around us is taking care of but end up neglecting ourselves in the process.
5 Ideas for Hygge Self-Care
1) Be your own best friend. Accepting yourself just as you are is possibly one of the hardest and most rewarding challenge this life has to offer. How can you become your own best friend? Trust yourself, accept yourself just as you are, help yourself improve, and be kind to yourself are just a few thoughts.
2) Make your own food. We all know that hygge is all about enjoying life and the processes in life. What better way to celebrate yourself and self-care but to make your own food, immersing yourself in the process and relishing the outcome whether it taste of a Michelin star restaurant, grandma’s cooking, or burnt shavings. Whatever the outcome you did it and you showed you cared for yourself in the process.
3) Learning. This life is all about learning, whether you are sitting in a student’s chair, or out in the world learning by doing. This is also a mode of self-care and hygge. Invest in yourself and you will feel the rewards.
4) Little Luxuries. We all deserve to enjoy this life and what better way then to reward ourselves with a little luxury once in a while? Bake that double chocolate with cream cheese frosting cake and relish the feel of it on your tongue. Buy the allergy free, soy-based candle to light your room as you read your favorite book in the bath one night. These are recharging luxurious moments that feed the soul.
5) Release. There are things in our life that may be holding us back, or may even be toxic to our mental or physical health. Whether it is a friend that you dread speaking to, or objects in your home that create clutter and stress rather then peace and harmony. Recognize what you need to let go of and release them from the ties to you. Donate items and let go of toxic relationships. As Marie Kondo says, “Does this spark joy?” If it doesn’t perhaps it is time to release it back into the world.
Contemplation Corner:
“If you celebrate your differentness, the world will, too. It believes exactly what you tell it—through the words you use to describe yourself, the actions you take to care for yourself, and the choices you make to express yourself. Tell the world you are one-of-a-kind creation who came here to experience wonder and spread joy. Expect to be accommodated.” ― Victoria Moran, Lit From Within: Tending Your Soul For Lifelong Beauty
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