Weekend Unraveling and Planning

Monday! I have woken up with extremely swollen nasal passages which are probably caused by all of the incredibly beautiful spring-like weather we’ve had over the last week. Honking like a duck is a small price to pay for all of the flowers that are finally blooming around me. We spent so much time outside this weekend. Yesterday was a bit cloudier but it made for a very comfortable day in the yard. I managed to do a little cross stitching in between bouts outside and I realized that I haven’t shared that progress with you in quite a while, so I have a cross stitching and a health update for you all today.

I’m planning to spend much of my stitching time this week doing a different kind of unraveling: un-stitching. I have rounded the corner on my Annie Bayliss stitching project but have made a mistake in this bottom darning section. The stitches are creating a very cool pattern but it is incorrect. I considered carrying on to create something new but decided that I wanted to try following the pattern. So I’m unpicking and will give it another effort — this is the second time I’ve picked all of these stitches out. I’m having a hard time understanding this part of the chart and I want to make sure I learn how to read these types of patterns.

While it’s frustrating that I keep making mistakes just as I’m nearing the end, I am still so in love with this project. I am pleased as punch with my dedication to Queen Elizabeth and I really enjoy settling down in quiet moments and putting in a few stitches.

I don’t think I ever shared this purple case here on the blog? It was my Christmas present this year and is from Hand and Lock. It is lined with the most gorgeous Liberty fabric and I am in love with it. Having such a pretty case to hold my stitching tools makes it so much fun to take out my projects throughout the day. And I love this case so much that I’ve nudged Matthew to preorder my Mother’s Day gift: a bigger case in peppermint. Honestly I want one in all of the colors because they are endlessly useful, but that’s too much? Probably. I tend to go overboard with my obsessions. Nevertheless, I know exactly what I’d do with all of them.

---

I got off track with my health goals last week. I spent a lot of time stitching instead of exercising, which is fine as long as I can pull myself back on track. I’ve tried to make exercise one of my main priorities this year and know that I won’t perfectly adhere to that shift, but it’s heartening to remember that we are spending a lot of time outside playing and getting the gardens going. That time fuels my mental and physical health in ways that aren’t easily measured. So I’m not writing this to be hard on myself, but to gently remind myself that my body is important and I want it to last as long as possible. The best way to do that is to move it as much as possible!

And this notebook is another joy that I’ve been relishing lately. I ended up ordering an April start Hobonichi Cousin from The Paper Mouse earlier this year when they went on super sale. It has been so long since I’ve splurged on this particular notebook but the sale made it a much more palatable purchase. One day soon I will share my current notebook lineup with all of you — it is a system that’s working well and gives me so much room for the reflection I’ve been seeking.

---

This wasn’t exactly the Full of Joy post I was hoping to share with you today but it’s close enough. I hear noises upstairs that I must attend to! I hope your week gets off to a great start. Take good care.