Me exploring in my beloved giant ‘duvet coat’. Paris v rainy at the moment.
Reads of the month-
‘The trouble with Goats and Sheep’ – Joanna Cannon
‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ – Truman Capote
I have been out of the habit of reading for years so two books a month is a good start for me.
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Inspiring words of the month- ‘You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.’
See my Pinterest Account (where I found the quote)
This resonated with me this month because I felt inspired to add more things I love into my daily routine: reading a good book on the Metro (I live in Paris now); taking back up an old hobby; remembering to do the things that make me happy like getting off at a different stop on the way home and seeing a new part of this city. I even began to think about my website again which is why I am writing this post. I enjoy making content and maybe doing more of it could help take me somewhere in the future. A few people have encouraged me to get back into it and I hope I can get back into the routine.
It really can be the small changes that can make a difference to how you feel. They can also help lead you to success- just deciding you want to do something and doing it.
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Highlight of the month-
The old hobby I brought back into my life this month is knitting. I finally finished perhaps the longest cushion cover in the history of cushion cover production. I decided I wanted to make it in September 2016 when I moved to London. After nipping into my new office to meet my new managers, I headed to John Lewis on Oxford Street, full of excitement to buy some wool. I chose a lovely but not cheap grey chunky number and some fat needles and that was all I needed.
I think I felt inspired by these cushions in Waitrose
As the nights grew longer and darker, I knitted row after row using YouTube tutorials along the way. If anyone’s interested, I alternated rows of knitting and purling.
That’s when my progress slowed and I basically stopped after I had knitted a long rectangle. The reason I didn’t spend my time knitting anymore was because I went out drinking a lot with friends and summer came along and there was far too much socialising to do. For me I suppose it’s a winter hobby.
I ended up leaving the lovely, long, warm strip in its John Lewis bag and it went back home when I moved out of the flat.
The second of January 2018 came along and there were a few hours to go until I got the Eurostar back to Paris after a Christmas break at home. For some reason I suddenly had the motivation to finish the cushion cover! (I think it was the time pressure, there’s nothing like a deadline to make you do something.)
Mum showed me how to cast off (the act of finishing a piece of knitting so you can take it off the needle) and I sewed it up onto the cushion. Here is the finished result:
Perfectly imperfect.
It feels great that I created something that is unique and also looks like something I would definitely buy, even if it did take me 16 months! I have always loved crafting and sewing, and now i can add knitting to the list. Next project is slightly confused as I am knitting without totally knowing what it is going to be.
January brought me my first ever five star hotel experience. I also did some pastel painting and work and went to a pastels exhibition at the Petit Palais. Let’s see what February brings!