Hello! It’s good to see you! August is almost at an end and I hope it’s been a good month for you. I wanted it to be a slow, quiet month, but how to slow down in your everyday environment when life just sort of goes on? What I basically did differently from the rest of the year was that I didn’t go anywhere in the evenings (easy when everyone is away), stayed at or close to home most of the time, lowered the bar (quite a bit) and spent as little time as possible online (not so easy). This gave me the breathing space I craved.
There is very little to show you of my uneventful days. One of the simple things I enjoyed was picking a bunch of sweet peas every other day.
There were several days that stood out between all the quiet ones, like the days we looked after our grandson, and the day a friend’s 12-year-old daughter came to learn how to bake sourdough bread and pizza.
And then there was the day we visited our niece who is a student in Nijmegen, a big city on the river Waal.
Well, Nijmegen fits about five times into Amsterdam, but it’s a big city to me. Large parts of the inner city were bombed in 1944, so most of the buildings are relatively new.
But there are some lovely old parts left, too.
We had lunch at a Swedish lunchroom, visited a fabulous bookshop, did some more shopping…
… and almost bumped into this fascinating dress (or is it a separate crocheted top and knit skirt?):
Oh, a yarn shop! I didn’t know there was one here. I took a quick look round and can tell you that it’s worth a visit if you’re ever in Nijmegen. The right kind of tools and notions, plus the most exquisite wool, cotton, hand-dyed, silk, paper, yak and alpaca yarns.
I have been knitting, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. On the whole, August weather is not really knitting weather. I did finish my Land Yndlingskofte, though. That is, I finished the knitting. Now I need to pluck up the courage to cut the steek.
I also knit a pair of men’s socks size huge. The brief was: as simple as possible in a dark colour. Boring? Not at all – to me it’s been meditative and very enjoyable.
For a sweater for our grandson I knit some swatches. When I chose the yarn, I thought I’d simply improvise something, but it’s not all that simple. There are so many decisions to make. Top-down or bottom-up? Knit flat or in the round? What stitch pattern(s)? How to distribute the two colours? Neckline? Set-in sleeves, raglan, yoke? Etc. etc. etc.
Summer is my least favourite season and I’m longing for cooler days with softer light. It’s still warm while I’m writing this, but the first signs of autumn are here.
After this slow month of August, I feel energized and am full of plans for things to do, make, read and write about. This is what I hope to share with you next week:
How has August been for you? Did you go anywhere? Or did you stay at home? Has it been very hot where you live? Or perhaps you live in the southern hemisphere and it’s been wet and chilly? Have you been knitting, sewing or otherwise making things? I’d love to hear from you and hope to see you again next week!
I loved your August summer days post and photos of your beautiful knitting projects and yummy bread.
Thank you for your kind words and your visit!
A perfect way to spend a quiet August.
“Longing for cooler days with softer light” – I share your feelings, here in California. 😉
Ah, a visit all the way from California, how lovely! Our grandson’s other grandparents are visiting your part of the world now and I hope to get to know it a little better through their stories and photographs after their return.