Warmest Holiday Wishes from All the Wisehearts!
With hope,
~ Sandi, Melody, Tim, Ben, and Tessa
Hi there…remember me?
Several of you have written me over the months and months of endless COVID to ask me how I am, when I am going to start blogging again…and where the heck the bust dart tutorials are. Your letters touch me, make me laugh, and sometimes make me cry from the kind words you send my way.
Just so you know: I’ve been listening.
So very many of you have asked me to start posting again, and I want you to know I hear you. I’ve been thinking about why I blog, and what I want to blog about, and what kind of posts I want to write…and I realized I was overthinking. Sure, there were times when I was wonderfully organized at Interweave and had a schedule of what to write when, but mostly…mostly what I start out writing about is not what I end up writing about. And often what I end up with is better than whatever I might have gotten had I followed my original pre-planned path forward.
I came up with some words which describe my values and intentions with respect to my little corner of the internet. Maybe they are super-corny…but see what you think—after all, this blog is for you as well as for me.
Community. Respect. Caring. Crafty Excellence. Compassion. Storytelling. Seeing. Listening. And, of course: Cats.
It’s not a grand mission statement, but those are some of the words that describe what I want this blog to be about. (And yes. This means I am re-starting my blog writing. EEP!)
You
It’s been such a long time…and you know what I’d like? I’d like to hear from you (in the comments) about how you are doing, how you survived the past couple of years, what you’ve made that you are proudest of, and whatever else you’d like to share. And if there is anything in particular you’d like me to address, fire away. Cat photos welcome!
Speaking of which…
enjoying the catnip that Santa brought.
Here are the troublemakers, playing with their Christmas Catnip. (And yes…there are three this year instead of four. We lost our beloved Dusty the night of April 20/21 last spring. He was so special that he deserves a blog post of his own at some point, but my heart still hurts too much.) I had put together a little container of treats coated in catnip, and oooooh, myyyy. I nearly lost a finger in the excitement which followed!
All right, folks. Dinner calls; then a walk through the park with all its holiday lights. May there be joy and love and light in your life this New Year’s weekend. (Also: BE SAFE.)
~ Sandi (more photos next time…)
wiseheart knits 
So glad to see you blogging again! Captain Janeway sends her love (as do I).
Jan and I are hangin’ in. I’m working as a member-organizer for my union — USF’s Part Time Faculty Association. You’d think that a Jesuit university with a commitment to social justice, whose motto is “Change the World from Here” would want to pay the people who do almost half the teaching a living wage. But you’d be wrong.
I’m also having So Much Fun with the used floor loom I found in my local thrift store in January 2020. Really, many days playing with fiber is all I want to do. But it seems the world still has other work for me.
Abrazos, Rebecca
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So good to hear from you again! We have lost one kitty too, and I know exactly what you mean when you say your heart hurts. But two more have come to live with us, and while there will always be an empty space once occupied by Razzberry, Pogo and Sherlock have created their own heart homes for us.
I keep on knitting and working in a small yarn store, which has fortunately managed to hang on through these tough times. We have a small core of (well-vaccinated) folk who come to knit and chat with us and I cannot tell you how grateful we are for them. I have heard them say the same thing about us!
It’s hard times for sure out there and everything is catawumpus, but if we all do what we can, we will get through this…and perhaps be more grateful for the things that have kept us going.
Enjoy your walk! Much too cold here (SK) for walkies tonight!
Stay safe
Molly
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So lovely to hear from you, Sandi! I’ve missed your thoughtful musings on making. I’ve been knitting plenty, lots of gifts lately, in between teaching math at all hours to students who have been affected much worse than I have in the pandemic. Less spinning and other things, but all that can always change. Love to you, friend.
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Great to hear from you again!!!!!! I have done some knitting. Oh and then washed my sweater and it is now child size. Mmmmm. No quilting, son and daughter-in-law moved in. Quilting room is now an office.
Look forward to hearing from you and what is going on in Ontario. We were able to make a trip out to Toronto in September. Hopefully we can get there again in March
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I was thinking about you the other day as I read another knitting blog and realized that I had not read anything from you in quite awhile. Your writing always entertains and we all could use some of that right now. Stay safe and happy New Year.
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SO glad to see your name pop up in my inbox! Hi ya! We’re hanging in there. I am looking forward to knitting & spinning again – broken hand, still in a cast
This too shall pass! Miss your words of wisdom and smiles – glad your writting again! Happy New Year ~
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Sandi!!!! I’ve missed you–I gave a little gasp when I saw your blog name in my inbox. I have been finishing more projects and looking very excitedly forward to a Wool and Whiskey tour of Scotland in April that’s been postponed since June 2020 because of COVID. Fingers crossed. Been very active in the IG fibre/wool community. I’m so happy to have your voice available again–it’s like very few others. xoxo
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So glad you’re back! Sorry to hear kitty news, had the same with a dog… haven’t been knitting much these past couple of years, but have tin a lot of hiking. Anxiously awaiting your next post. Take care.
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Hi sandy. Been knitting and cocheting.. Started and finished lot of things. I crochet lapghans for a nonprofit called Knitting for Cancer. I also knit Child size hats to give to libraries and hospitals and wherever else will take them. I did finished a skewed Shaw. Look it up, it’s cool. Finished a pair of Socks and I’ve got 2 more on needles right now.
Keeping healthy here but don’t get out much. Today’s my birthday so I’m celebrating by doing nothing.
So sorry to hear about the kitty. Mine is 16 years old and I hope she lives a long long time.
Have a happy and healthy New Year.
Darlene
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Happy Birthday!!
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So nice to hear from you! My office has been open through nearly all the pandemic, so things have been strange but not unbearably so. I’ve found I don’t have enough bandwidth for knitting anything more complicated that self-striping socks or plain hats. More complicated knitting will come when we are in less complicated times.
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Sandi, it is so very good to hear from you! I’ve missed you. For the pandemic, we shut down completely (except for grocery runs once a week) since we are both retired and have had that opportunity. We started coming out of our ‘sabbaticals from the world’ late fall of 2020. The sequestered time made us realize that we had nothing tying us to our TN home and in fact would prefer to live closer to our kids/grands. Starting in Jan 2021, we had five months of house preparation (including a week stay at a hotel with our two cats while the whole house was painted), resulting in a very quick sale (3-days), and a quick closing (30 days), and a move to NC. We were in a too-small rental house for 5 months until we found an affordable house that’s not too far away and doesn’t have septic!! We moved again, into our ‘last’ house, and we took the time to open boxes we had left from prior moves we hadn’t unpacked. I organized, discarded, and settled in. With this new house, I have my own office/craft space! (I am smiling VERY BIG) as I type that!! For this new house I think ‘accessible’ is the one word descriptive. The cabinets fit our dishes/cookware/bakingware; there is storage for over 250 of my father’s oil paintings; there is a bookcase that fits All of our current books (but there will be more, I’m sure!); and a room unto myself has my stash, pattern books, needle and hook collections out and ready to be used. I even have room for a permanent blocking table. Even with all that, the best part has been to live within 35 min of our kids and grands. We’ve been able to share so much even in just 5 months. At 2.5 and 4 the grands are growing, learning, and changing. Relationships with the kids are deepening, too. The downside is the loneliness, due to both moving and COVID restrictions. It’s been difficult to make friends, both because I’m skittish about going out and others are, too. Thankfully there are some initial relationships beginning from the church we’ve started attending, both in person and via zoom. I am looking forward to figuring out what’s next though. Be safe. Be well. Thanks for asking.
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Glad to hear from you! So glad you are all safe! Wishing you and your a very happy safe and healthy New Year!
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Hi Sandi – I have been following you since your days at Interweave. I thought you were SO exceptional in all that you did there! In 2021 I spent 9 months on “Baby It’s Cold Outside”
I was unable to attach a photo below. But if you are interested, you can view it on Ravelry. I am “golfnknit”.
Best Regards for 2022, Lori
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Hi Sandy, I was so happy to see your post in my blog feed this morning. I look forward to hearing more from you and I am glad things are going well for you.
Happy New Year
Jerri
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I was so excited to see you name in my email!! I have missed your posts so much! You are a wonderful writer and I see myself as you reveal and share musing of your daily life of struggles. I always love seeing your creations and your humor is always a day brightener. You nailed it when you said you’ve discovered that you’ve been overthinking the blog. My suggestion to you is to not be concerned so much about perfection in your blogging…..I believe I speak for many when I say “we enjoy your writing, lessons in whatever craft you are currently working on and sharing of the ordinary of daily life.” So sorry to learn your Dusty is no longer with you…..those furry friends are so hard to loose. Hopefully, the other kitties are keeping you entertained with their antics. Wishing you all a good 2022 and look forward to further posts from you
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Glad to read your post Sandy. Happy new year to you and yours.
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