Cute Cat Knits

Just a short note to brighten your day.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/578180763/knit-police-box-pet-cat-hut-digital?source=aw&utm_source=affiliate_window&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=us_location_buyer&awc=6220_1534846296_1a51f71f02ba8256d7f6d731798d92ec&utm_content=234273



Any Dr. Who fans out there?

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cat-cocoon



Way Cute cat cocoon!

FAS is now on You Tube!!

I am pleased to announce that The Fine Art of Slow is now on my you tube channel under "Karen's Country Living"!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxhHJ_Q8oQs&t=14s

My goal with You Tube, as with this blog is to make your live a little easier.  Knitting is now considered as relaxing as meditation.  Isn't that exciting!  You always knew you enjoyed your yarn hobbies, but now there is proof that it's good for you.

And knitting is not a hobby just for women, or just for men.  Originally, knitting was dominated by men.  No, really!  Then it swung over to women during war time.  Now it's an equal opportunity past time.

The other half of my You Tube channel is country living.  As soon as the weather in Oklahoma cools down, I'll be teaching horsemanship.  I have 3 high school girls who are riding endurance with me.  It's sooo fun!  Let me know if you would like me to use a helmet camera, so you can ride along with us.

Well, I have to run.  I have yarn to dye!

This colorway doesn't have a name, yet:

Karen

Sock knitting

I don't know why, but I love knitting socks.  The good news is that my family loves receiving them.

Today is about knitting for people like me.  I have fibromyalgia.  So, purl bumps hurt my feet.  I found a way to not hurt!!!  This is the easy way.  I use much smaller needles than required and/or larger yarn.

This sock is SUPER comfy.  100% merino wool, hand dyed by me and hand knit using US 1 circular needles.  Even in heat, they are great because they wick away moisture.

I'll write up a pattern if people want one.  Really all you have to do is knit a toe up sock that's a bit snug.  Remember, wool stretches as you wear it, but will retain its shape and bounce back when you wash it.

I used these for a two mile ride on horseback, then chatted with a neighbor for two hours at about 80 degrees before I even noticed my feet in heavy boots.

I use the tattoo as an excuse for being so white. 😼

Tattoos fade in the sun.

Live

I was watching Furious 7  when it occurred to me that some people choose not to really live.  I hope you aren't one of those people.  I hope you're in the moment,  aware of everything happening around you.   Life is to short!

Lisa Page  and  my  boy  Rafi.

And the tattoo:

Don't regret,  don't forget.

And News flash:   I'll be at  Duncan  Regional  Hospital  with YARN!!  11/21  and 11/22.

Extrovert or introvert?

Are you an extrovert or an introvert?

Most of my life I thought I was an introvert.  Quiet,  thoughtful, somewhat  hermetic in nature.  That's me, right?  But ... When I think back to how I met some people and who said hello first, I find that I am the first to reach out more than I give myself credit for anyway.

Just today I said hello first and got someone's life story.  I didn't ask for that, BTW, just happens I'm a good listener.

So, am I an extrovert?  Introvert?  What gives?

I think we each hold a place somewhere between extrovert and introvert.  In some areas you shine.  In others you're the wall flower.  In high school I was a wall flower, big time!  But ask me about horses or yarn and I shine!

I believe we need to set ourselves up for success.  Like dressing up to go out on the town.  If you are trying to get noticed, making the most of yourself is a good idea.  I mean, the right clothes, shoes, make-up, etc.  I remember dressing up for a concert one time.  High heels, red dress, the works!  A girl bumped into me that night.  She turned to tell me to watch what I was doing, but the sight of me all decked out and looking down haughtily stopped her cold.  She apologized to me!  I didn't say a word.

Would I do things the same now?  No.  My attire is for me, not. every. one. else.  Dress in a way that makes you set for the task ahead.  If that means turning heads, fine.  Or dress to hide in the shadows.  But realize that you are both extrovert and introvert and dress to bring that out of yourself as the case needs.

Boy did this blog take a turn!  I thought I was going to blog about the internet making it easier for introverts to be heard.  You know, we blog and you can read it.  Then we don't have to talk to all of you at once, which we aren't very good at.

Of course, the more I thought about it, the more I realized the above.  Don't let people, including yourself, pigeon hole you.  You are complex.

Now to get our politicians to realize that we want the middle of the watermelon, not the rind at either end!!  They need to go back to kindergarten to learn how to play nice, lol!

Annnnd that's my political  commentary for the century.

Have a great week!

Me, dressing for comfort on an endurance ride.

Happy birthday everyone!

Today I turned, I almost said 28, if only that were the case, no today I turned 48 and as I look back and I think about my life and what I've accomplished it may not be as fantastic as some people.  It may not be as noticeable, but I know that I have touched lives and some of those lives I'll never know that I touched them. You see I work in a hospital.  I run lab tests on people's blood.  I save lives and I have done so for 20 years.  I think about saving lives for 20 years and I start to multiply one life saved every day that I worked times those 20 years and I can't put it into words the feeling that gives me because I am joyful that I can save people's lives with the help of my Hospital teams over the years.  I don't know what your job is, but I do hope that it gives you a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day.  I hope that you enjoy the company of your co-workers.  I hope that you even enjoy the food from your work if they serve food. My hospital that I currently work at serves wonderful food, but I guess I'm not that picky.  I like to laugh and say I don't need a husband I need a housewife and in a way it's true.  I'm not a terribly good housekeeper and I don't really enjoy cooking or cleaning, but I do enjoy being outdoors and I do enjoy dyeing my yarn and knitting and weaving and spinning and there's so many things that I like, but they don't include professional sports at all! I could spend everyday of my life with my horses, llamas and yarn and I'd be happy, but I would not have touched invisibly those around me. I'm not an actress or actor I don't spend my money on thousand-dollar dresses, but I think most people don't.  I think most people are more like me, touching each other's lives in little ways, so happy birthday to me and you when your birthday rolls around.  I hope you hold your head up high and admit to your age because you only turn that age once and as I live through this next year my goal is the same as it always is, to live each day to it's fullest, to love what I'm doing each day to enjoy my day and if you're not happy where you are and what you're doing, try to find something else because life is far too short to waste it.

Cats rule!

I recently found this post about actor/director/photographer/?? Norman Reedus:

He's a Crazy Cat Gentleman

Real men love cats! As Norman recently told Us Weekly, “My best friend is my cat.” That BFF is Eye in the Dark, a black cat he won over. As Norman told GQ a while back, "My son wanted a black kitten when he was a kid, and I found it in the East Village in some rescue shelter, but it was born in a box and the guy that was getting rid of it was like, 'You don't want this cat. This cat's never gonna love anyone.' And the first time I saw it, it was like just hissing and scratching everything it saw and now it's like this big, fat, chill cat."

I used to have a cat that was given to me.  She was a mostly white with grey ears Scottish Fold.  Picture this cat with grey patches around the ears.

I don't have pictures of her because a man I knew was in love with me (and married) and took all the pictures.  I don't "do" married.  Women and men should treat others the way they would want to be treated.  Period.  End of that story.

She was so scared of everything (abuse) that my mom's cat literally scared the poop out of her.  So, she lived in my room.  At the time I went to college full time and taught handicapped riding and ran a boarding stable.  I came in filthy, so I always took a bath.  The only place she could smell what I'd been up to for the day was my eyelashes.  So, eventually, she would sniff them while I was sleeping.  Then while I was awake.  You guessed it, she eventually became very trusting.  Even to the point of supervised outings onto the front porch!   Huge progress.  And she did finally get along with mom's cat.

She finally died one day that I was scheduled to be away and just had a feeling I shouldn't go.  She died right beside me of a seizure.  I was so glad to be there when she passed.  We had become the best of friends.  She's buried in my yard.  If I ever bought a cat (yeah right, they find me!) It would be a Scottish fold.  Sometimes the best ones are the ones that find you.  I could give you a list a mile long of my "found" animal friends.  Just because they aren't in a rescue or a shelter doesn't make them unworthy of your love.  One of mine showed up so skinny I thought she would die before we could feed her.  She's a tad bit obese now.

Yep, I'm a mad cat lady, just ask the people around me!