Winter Haven KAL 2021 - Week 2

Hello to you!  It's Week 2 of the Winter Haven KAL ... hasn't that first week gone by quickly?!  I hope you've had a lovely week!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to get in touch through the blog comments, on social media or by email - it's been great to hear from you and I'm so pleased that you're joining in with the KAL!

I've thoroughly enjoyed seeing so many posts on Facebook and Instagram (you can find them using the hashtag #WinterHavenKAL - don't forget to add yours!) and what's been really lovely is that so many people are joining in who thought they didn't have time to take part in a KAL.

I think what helps is that this KnitAlong is very flexible, especially as I've got more patterns for you to choose from these days alongside the Basic Socks pattern, and as your Haven will be a space in your house then you haven't got to leave it to go anywhere else, it's much easier to join in by taking a few moments for yourself.  If you're new to the KAL, it started last Friday and the last post will be on Friday 29 January so there's still time to find yourself a cosy space, pick up a WIP or start a new project, and join in.  The first post which tells you all about the KAL and how it works is here.

This week, I'm going to talk a bit about what I've been doing, but I'm also going to show you what others have been doing as well - I love that we are all being part of this KAL together!

Out of the comfort zone ... onto a TV show!

It's Wednesday already!  How are you doing?  

It's been a proper "back to work" week here.  My husband started back to work - he had last week off which I was very glad about because as someone who works for himself, he often "forgets" to take holidays, so last week was added to his Christmas break and he had a lovely time watching films in the afternoon, reading a novel, listening to his music ... he was properly in his own Winter Haven KAL!

Small daughter was back to school last week working remotely; her school has been absolutely brilliant in terms of getting everyone online and she's having lessons that match her in-school timetable through Microsoft Teams.  We did have a debate about whether she should be texting a friend at the same time, but her argument was that the friend was in the same class, they would sitting next to each other and talking to each other during the lesson about how to do whatever it is they were doing, so it wasn't unreasonable to do the same thing even though they were all separate.  

It's a tough one, isn't it?  We assume that texting on the phone is a social activity and not at all related to school work, and yet our young people are being denied their own social contact as much as we adults are, and we have certainly learnt over the last year how important social contact of any form is for our own well-being.  We've agreed that as long as her school work doesn't suffer then it's OK.  Everything has to be more flexible these days, we think, and small daughter is smart enough to know that life will return to some kind of normality one day and not making any effort at all now will only make things more difficult for her in the future.  We're very proud of how she's getting on with it - and I am sure you are very proud of your young people too.  None of this is easy.

Winter Haven KAL 2021 - Week 1

Hello!  It's week 1 of the Winter Haven KAL 2021!

Ooh, it's not been a very bright start to the year so far, has it - back in lockdown in the UK, virus restrictions and unrest elsewhere in the world ... it definitely feels like a time to be hunkering down in our Winter Havens, no matter where you live!

The next four weeks of this KAL are all about us, about us allowing ourselves even a few moments in the day to pick up our knitting and shut out the outside world.  I know that it won't be easy this year, what with people working at home, schools back to remote learning and our usual freedoms curtailed, but that just makes it all the more important that we find our own eye of the storm to take a breath and get ready for what comes next.

Outside, the Earth is still resting, getting ready for the Spring when the new life will burst from the trees and the ground, and although we may have hit the ground running after New Year with new resolutions and plans, it's still OK for us to allow ourselves the time to "warm up" to the year to come.   

It's a time of rest and renewal.

It's a time to prepare the ground for the seasons to come.

It's a time when you need a Winter Haven.