Episode 8
Admin:
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Raise A Cuppa
· Got Engaged
· Talk about knitting on the Kenai beach
· Heard it Here First: AndersMill Knits is changing to Between Knits and Purls
· Mention surprise episodes in there – peaks into my daily life.
· Earthquake yesterday and broke my special drinking cup I got while on tour in the Check Republic 20 years ago. More on this later on in the episode.
On the Shelf:
· My 3x2 ribbed socks knit in the Knit Picks colorway are complete and ready to be blocked
o Used US size 1 needles
· My first Alaska Skirt by wee_ewe_knits
o Ravelry Link: Ravelry: andersmillknits' Alaska Skirt
o Cast on the day before our little getaway to Homer
o Knit with Dream in Color Classy (worsted) in the colorways Vague Unease, and a mystery gray/blue.
o Used US size 6 needles
o Knit size 10 – wayyyyy to big, by like 7” in width in the end.
· Ball Band with a twist By Jennifer Lassonde
o Crocheted on sizes F and G
o Knit with M1yarns Cotton Convertible in the colorway Citrus.
· Baby Yoda by Octoberin_thechair
o Ravelry link: Ravelry: andersmillknits' Baby Yoda
o Crocheted patters using US hook size 2.5 mm
o Using Loops and Threads Woolike in the colorways Charcoal, Tan, and Sage
On the Couch:
· Darkwatrer sweater by Jennifer Stiengass
o Revelry Link: Ravelry: andersmillknits' Darkwater
o Knit with Cascade heritage Sock in the colorway 5605 Plum and
o Long Dog yarns colorway New growth
o US needle size 5 and 6
· My second cast on of the Alaska Skirt by wee_ewe_knits
o Knit with my own handdyed worsted weight silk and wool yarn in a sky blue and purple pink.
o Knit with size 5 and 6 US needles
o Knitting size 6
Personal Skill Set
When I was 19, I was a member of the Anchorage Concert Chorus. It was a magical time and it validated my singing acumen which I had worked on for so long.
At that time, we were invited to tour Europe singing in places such as Progue, Karlovevary, London, Strafford on Avon, and a few other beautiful and heartwarming villages in England.
Karlovevary is well known in Europe as a spa town with water that purports to have healing properties. There were fountains of it throughout the town, but the one in the town center stole my heart. This magical water could turn anything you placed under its dripping spikets to a beautiful orange rust, encasing the item for all time in layer after layer of minerals.
Each morning I was there, I strolled down to the fountain buying a chocolate croissant along the way, and sipping a cup of this healing water as I watched the morning sun gently kiss the buildings as people stirred and the hum of activity began to grow with each moment.
On my second day there I bought a beautiful and specially made drinking cup for my new morning routine. It had a handsome couple dancing in vibrant detail on its face. As I sipped from the cup I would daydream I was the lady in that handsome man’s arms and my young heart would soar.
For the last 20 years this cup has traveled with me through all my adventures in moving. It came with me back to Alaska at 19 wrapped in layers of cloth to keep it safe.
It went to college with me.
Moved to Portland OR and back to Alaska, the Kenai and back to Anchorage. This little treasure has now been sitting in pride of place on the bookshelf in my living room for the past year. Until Yesterday when a 5.3 earthquake rocked my town for long seconds, and we all wondered if it would ever end as it seemed to just keep rolling.
I was out shopping at Target during the quake and people grabbed hold of displays for balance and security while I heard one woman shriek in fear.
Items fell off shelves and for a moment I wondered if I needed to get to a more secure location. Just then it rolled to a stop and we all looked around at each other, total strangers, having shared this moment, and sighed a huge relieving sigh and even giggled a little.
This quake was an aftershock from the November 2018 quake that ravaged our town. It’s strange to me that we continue to deal with the aftermath 2.5 years later.
I called my sister to check on her, my dad called me, and then I called Jeremy to check he was safe. He replied, “We are okay though I heard a big crash and it looks like one of your plates fell and is chipped.” I groaned as I worried over my collection of antique plates.
However, reassured I continued my shopping errands and a few hours later I got home, unpacked the car, and sat down to record a special episode for AndersMill Knits.
That’s when a cake of yarn fell and rolled under the chair, we have next to the before mentioned bookshelf. As I bent down to retrieve the runaway yarn, I gasped as I saw the wreckage of my beloved cup. It lay in pieces under the chair.
I am not ashamed to admit that I cried a little.
However, I do have hope that I can piece it back together and, in the end, it will be perfect just for me.
My Little cup reminds me of an ancient Chinese Parable. Allow me to tell it to you.
Chines Fable of the Cracked Pot
An elderly Chinese woman completed a daily trek to the stream past her home and back to supply her family with fresh water. In order to do this, she fashioned a heavy pot on each end of a long pole, which she carried across her shoulders.
One of the pots was in perfect condition and always delivered a full portion of water. The other had a deep crack in it, causing water to leak out. At the end of the long walk, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
This situation occurred daily for two years, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfection and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it had perceived to be bitter failure, the cracked pot spoke to the woman by the stream. “I am ashamed,” it said. “This crack in my side causes water to leak out. You work so hard and yet have little water once you return home.”
The old woman smiled and replied, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path? I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path. Every day, while we walked back home, you watered those seeds and helped them to grow. For two years, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table and give to neighbors. Without you being just the way you are, there would not have been this special beauty to grace our homes and lives.”
Taoist Message:
Sometimes, it’s the “cracks,” or what we perceive as imperfections, in this reality that create something unexpected and beautiful. These “cracks” allow something to change and ultimately make the whole much richer and more interesting. Everything and every being has its own unique purpose and destiny to fulfill. This is one of the great beauties of the Tao.
Have you ever felt like this pot with its crack – imperfect or perhaps even ashamed? There may have been something in your life that caused you to feel "cracked." In all honesty, probably most of us have felt this way at one time or another. This parable teaches us that our imperfections create beauty in their wake.
This is a hard lesson to learn as we struggle with thoughts of inadequacy I our lives. I continue to strive to learn this lesson in my own life. I have recently realized that through the traumas and challenges I have faced it has led to deep love, and friendships that would never have been possible if I had not traveled those dark alleys of despair.
As I cradled my broken dinking cup yesterday, all the memories I have shared with you today came flooding back and that is why I cried, because of the beauty this cup has brought to my life.
So, I will repair it as best as I can and place it once more in pride of place on my shelf. Only this time it will have an even deeper meaning each time I gaze at it.
A Time for Hygge
Embracing Imperfection
Hygge means comfort not perfection. Living out hygge is also about embracing imperfection. Imperfection in your home or in your cooking ability. Gourmet food, fancy clothes and formal arrangements are not the focus here — comfort food, cozy fires, happiness, indulgence, relaxation, and embracing the moment are the focus.
What does this mean for you?
Hygge embraces imperfection and promotes the concept of being kind to ourselves. So, invite people over, don’t worry about cleaning your house. Don’t worry if you don’t have a dining table! Eat at a coffee table — the more casual and intimate the better.
Toss the fussy canapes — instead, simmer the soup, cook together, create memories. Low-key, comfy things just sound good.
Embrace the imperfection in your own lives. It’s ok you don’t have time to cook a five-course meal. it’s ok that you’re not perfect. (After all, no one is.)
This world harbors a trove of grace and beauty. The prevailing message is to capture that beauty in perfection. However, it is a long road of trial and error, heartbreak and despair when trying to capture perfection. Pop culture tries to project perfectionism, trotting out everything from makeup to diets to social media platforms that whisper, “This is the way you should be.”
Promoting Hygge in your life, can help you wade through all the half-baked adds and promotions that bombard us each day, and instead help you embark on a quest for self-acceptance. Along the way, you’ll discover that nobody is perfect. So, let’s stop trying. Instead, let’s focus on our gifts, and sharing them with others. Let’s cultivate the real shape and pace of our lives.
On a Positive Note:
“There is a fine balance between honoring the past and losing yourself in it. For example, you can acknowledge and learn from mistakes you made, and then move on and refocus on the now. It is called forgiving yourself.” – Eckhart Tolle
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