February's Word of the Month #WAMSAL2023

#WAMSAL2023

February

February - the Month of love... Well that's what the grating card and chocolate manufacturers would have us think as we celebrate St Valentines day.

But, what does February really make you feel and think?
February is supposedly the last month of winter and there are signs of spring beginning to reveal themselves if you look carefully.

The first snowdrops are all ready out with their tiny white heads hanging gracefully over their fresh green stems - the local churchyard has a glorious sweeping carpet of them, as do many of the road sides along the old road over the tops that was once a packhorse trail. I had heard once that the reason for this was traveling people and gypsies many years ago would plant snowdrop bulbs as they went so as they grew and spread they could harvest bunches to sell along their route - I hope that is true, its a wonderfully romantic tale.

Not far behind are the crocus and daffodils adding their splash of pinks and purples and all the shades of yellow - and I always seem to buy more flowers for the house in February and March, almost trying to encourage spring to hurry up and arrive - but February can also supprise us with Snow and Ice, heavy rain, wind and mud - It is said if February has snow and ice at the start, there is more winter ahead than behind - If it thunders in February, there will be frost in April, but if there is Fog in February we will have frost in May! I know I remember Easters where we had thick snow and others when I got sunburn!
I love the folklore around weather.

Imbolc or St Brigids day is on the 1st February, it marks the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox - St Brigid is the patroness Saint of Ireland and worth looking up and reading about her story.

I often find I am at my lowest ebb in February - in past years when I have made those January resolutions, started the diet, joined the exercise group etc I often get to February feeling burned out and wondering why on earth I thought it was a good idea to take so much on - and inevitably I give up on most if not all of those goals.

This year - I am hoping that after spending January dreaming and embracing the cold dark months by not taking on those unattainable goals in the first place, taking a more considered approach to the whole season that February won't be quite such an endurance test!

And so, February's word is PLAN

As nature begins to make the first tentative steps into spring,  the sap beggins to rise in the sleeping trees and the buds of the new leaves begin to form, as the hybernating animals step out to look for food and a mate, then from the dreams we had last month, we wipe the sleep from our eyes and stretch our limbs and we can begin to formulate our plan for the coming year.

So I am asking the same questions...

What does February mean to you?
What images does it evoke?
Is there a colour you associate with February?
How does February make you feel?

You may be a huge fan of Valentines day, do meals and flowers and dates and chocolates, the colour of February for you may be red, evoke love and joy, or you might avoid it at all costs, have no interest in it whatsoever and have other significant events you celebrate, or maybe February is just another month to be endured until spring arrives. Make it relevant to YOU, not what social media, supermarkets and advertising tell you what it should be about.

Remember to take it at your own pace, and do no more than you have time or feel necessary - of course if you want to spend hours and hours on it, that is absolutely fine too!

This month I will be demonstrating couching.

Head over to my YouTube channel to see a demo and listen to my ramblings! 

(please understand I am very new to videoing myself - they will get better as I go along and I have joined a course to help me improve, but that was after filming this one!) 

https://youtu.be/ym_BgmtuQNc 

Januarys WORD of the Month #WAMSAL2023

DREAM

This is such a strange month I find - it arrives after a month I seam to have spent running around finishing jobs off before the end of the year, buying and wrapping gifts, attending school events, Christmas fairs, pantomimes, kids parties, crazy food shopping, spending time with family, visiting people, tidying, cleaning, decorating...the list goes on and on, and in the midst of all this frantic movement and a head feeling like it's been in a food blender we are supposed to relax 'betwixmas' in the mythical down time we supposedly have between Christmas and New Year, knitting, reading books and drinking hot chocolate with Marshmallows in front of a roaring log fire, but in reality I am usually still finishing projects, planning for January and preparing for the return to school and work. 

Nature on the other hand knows the score. In the northern hemesphere January is slap bang in the middle of winter, the trees are resting in slumber, the wildlife is hibernating or sleeping more and reserving its energy and resources, and while the day light might steadily be growing longer, the weather rarely let's us notice the change. 

Us humans on the other hand are busy setting resolutions for the coming year and throwing ourselves back into work, diets and fitness classes to start the year as we mean to go on - usually giving up the dieting and fitness by February! 

I am guilty of all the above and more - but not this year!!!

I approached December with a mind to January this time - determined not to set and resolutions or sign up to any daily task projects, or even start anything new at all. I know I can't clear off and hibernate until the sun has warmth in it again, but I knew I should be more proactive in slowing down and being more mindfull of what I chose to do and how I chose to do it, and that is where the idea for this project was born. Something I could do myself but also share with others who also might feel like me, so here it is.

So - for month 1 of the Word a Month Sew ALong the word I am using is DREAM

Feel free to use the same word - or chose another if that doesn't speak to you! 

I am trying not to plan very much at all in January, but rather to alow my mind to wander and dream, and while I still have school, meetings, work etc etc, I am not planning anything on top of that at all, my 'free time' will be spent reflecting on 2022, doing gentle activities like knitting and sewing without pressure to finish anything, reading some of the almanacs and books I got at Christmas and dreaming. 

I read somewhere recently that all children should be bored for at least an hour a day in order for them to use their imaginations, to stare at clouds, watch ants on a lawn, raindrops running down a window - to be honest I think that's sound advice for anyone at any age. I remember being that child watching raindrops chasing each other down a window and can't imagine even having the time to do that - but in reality I know that if I tried to do that these days I would have to be far away from WiFi to succeed - perhaps I could just leave my tech somewhere and try.

Here are some prompts to help you, if you decide to use the word DREAM (or whichever word you use) keep it in mind as you go through them - this is to help you chose colours and materials. 

The stitch I will focus on this month is Blanket stitch - perfect for dreaming under 

What does January mean to you?

What images does it evoke?

Is there a colour you associate with January?

How does January make you feel?

When you do an Internet search (in the UK at least) the images that come up are usually of clear blue skies, crisp white snow covered trees and fields that sparkle with only the footsteps of wildlife to be seen...

I know that the reality in my corner of Lancashire is usually grey cloudy skies, mud, mud and more mud, cold winds, driving rain, swollen brown rivers waiting to flood, nights that feel like they start at 4pm, mornings where opening the curtains let's no light in - a month that seams to last forever, with the dark foreboding outlines of bare trees black against the grey sky. 

I want my January page to reflect that, but also the cosyness of the home where I wrap up in blankets, keep the fairly lights on and the slow cooker bubbling away with warming stews, where inspiration light up the darkness with sparks of joy and light as I take the time to DREAM...

The link below should (fingers crossed) take you to my YouTube channel and my first video

Tutorial and chat