Focusing for February

February feels like a month that I need to seek and find support and focus. It feels like I need to reach out and make and share and do. And it seems I am lining it up to be a month heavy with commitment, but good commitment. In ways that looks invigorating and inspiring and good. We need some good after the rough month of January.

It seems like February is our harbinger to Spring here, although we cannot claim to have had much winter. The first commitment we are making is our Slow Month pledge. This is a simple concept, that for one month we will not buy anything that is not needed for food/work. And that sounds simple, but I am curious to see how difficult we will find it. I anticipate a lot of down time as we will try to shop in a smart way for food, make and use up what exists in the pantry and find awesome free things to do with the boys.

We have already shifted into this mode in the last few months, but I mean to stay on track with the not buying.

Next up is the planning/planting of our food garden for the season. We always have some veg growing, but this year we will experiment with raised beds and lots of diverse planting. I ordered heirloom tomato seeds from a great site while on sale (in January) and plan on growing and canning what we harvest. This week the seeds go into flats, and then the weekend holds plans to set the beds. I am really excited and found a great community group called Food not Lawns that are committed to helping ordinary suburb folks convert their space to food production.

Shutter Sisters recently invited readers to participate in a project, the One Word project. I decided it was a good way to help me focus my camera and work to see the word manifest in my life. February is choose your own word and I have chosen to look for Awakening this month and will try to bring that to mind as I shoot.

I found a great Ravelry group holding a Vestuary event, the aim is to knit something in vest form to bring back the warm weather or at least, make one think about it coming back. I was inspired by the beautiful piece by Lolly and chose some stash yarn, knit a swatch and commenced the knitting yesterday.

I am looking forward to the yoke and the colorwork, there is something about a pattern developing in your hands that feels so very good.

And a good blog friend Matthew over at CHild's Play x2 had asked his readers to participate in a planned auction for his YMCA(check out that link for a peek at the prizes). He is director and they are feeling the crush of the economic changes in their programs. They offer services to those that may have less than us, but much more need. His plan is to auction off contributions from his readers. I offered to make up a few special hand made baby items then I felt a little small after realizing other people are offering cruises and other big prizes, but then decided Small is Beautiful and any bit helps.

I will keep you posted on the auction as it comes together.

And though this is not an arty shot in anyway, here is my first photo for the OWP.


These little bits all put up above the sewing table came down and are awakening serious desire to Make. And I think that is right where I will start this new month.

Along with a whole lot of this, as coloring has become the latest and greatest.


Anyone one have and want to trade an unneeded automatic pencil sharpener for a hand made pin cushion? I am not kidding, my hand aches from turning these things out and we are in a slow month. I will take any offers and send you a cute one of these...


and so begins the blog as barter place. Awesome.