Beautiful Reflections

Those moments when we are so excited to create

we push ourselves through another stitch, another row, another chart repeat

and as we do

we 

make

a m a z i n g

Once it is finished, off the needles, out of the basin, and finally dry

the joy of seeing the work of our hands is something to savor

It is a beautiful reflection

of many, many things.

Enjoy the beauty you create today!

~xoxo, melissa

I have been on empty. And afraid to be authentic about it.

Can I share your next 5 minutes? It's important or I wouldn't ask...

You have been so patient, waiting for the release of the next issue of 6 Bits Storybooks, and I am so, so thankful.
When I planned the release of this issue I knew I wanted to bring in new designers to work alongside. You, Dear Reader, would meet 2 additional knitters and hear their stories. I was very excited about this!
On a personal level, I knew I would be moving mid- to late- Autumn this year, so I laid careful plans and timed things out with that in mind.

Life decided it might be more fun to see how far I could be stretched...

In April my husband left for our new home, several months earlier than planned, and without me and the kids--- which was not the plan. Or at least it wasn't my plan anyway...
Suddenly I became a pseudo-single mom, running the home, homeschool, preparations for an out of U.S. move and managing the creation of Reflect. I kept telling myself "It'll be fine, no big deal! You have lived through hard times before."

These have been the hardest 9 weeks of my life.

I have cried in the shower like a baby (on rare days when I have managed a shower).

I have had to apologize more times than I can count and ask for forgiveness, it seems, on an hourly basis.

I have messed up more things than I have executed well and learned how deeply I can be humbled each day.

I have not taken any of the advice and encouragement I give so often to others, instead opting for a stiff neck and tight lips that refuse to ask for help.

A grown woman should be able to do all things perfectly and beautifully and on her own without a handout...

NOT IN REAL LIFE

Help is so hard to ask for, and I thought it meant I was a better person if I didn't ask. After all, if I am in this situation I must have some lesson to learn from it, right?

It took me until the end of the 7th week to realize perhaps the lesson I need to learn is to stop trying to have it together when I really do not have it together.

I really have not had it together.

And I was afraid to show you.

I have been on empty.

No cute tweets. No pretty Instagram pictures. No uplifting blog posts. No showers for a couple days in a row is nothing to share with online pals---can I get an Amen on that? 

Now, I am not having a nervous breakdown---yet. But I do have a stomach of knots similar to the worst yarn barf you've ever had to deal with. And largely in part because of my own doing. 
I should have shared this a while ago, but I thought in between wrapping up school on a happy note and trying to find a house overseas for our family with running water* and end of year things for the kids and helping my husband who was far away and not doing well and organizing a household of five for moving day which was several months earlier than planned and driving the dog to Atlanta and back in one day because it had to be done to get her where we were moving and I needed to be back for an appointment that could not be changed on the next day and the library books that needed to go back because they were renewed past their limit... ARRRG!
I thought I could make time for putting all the pieces together.
I was wrong.

Bottom line:
I want Reflect to be something I am proud to share with You.

And to do that I need a few things:

First, I need to apologize to You for not keeping You more in the loop. I ask for your forgiveness please.

Second, I need time. I am writing this on the floor amongst boxes  as we just landed Saturday night to our new home. My life is in disarray, but we are all together now and that gives me a little more breathing space each day. So I can work to finalize things. Sarah, the managing editor, and I will be meeting to talk over the final pieces that need to be ordered and what timeline that looks to be. I would love to tell you Reflect will be in your inbox on 6.16.16 because that is catchy and looks good and seems do-able.

I will give you a date after we talk and plan. 

The little pieces need to go together just as nicely as the beautiful big pieces!
Articles have been done and are great! Patterns are photographed and written in a layout I think you will love. Now I need to work on setting them all out as I imagined, as a beautiful treat.

With love and aloha from a humbled heart, 
Melissa


*We found a house with water, but from a cistern, or rain catch. We are embarking on a new journey where we will learn quickly how to live with a conservationists heart.

Next Steps in Revamping Your Creative Space

Next Steps In Revamp

Melissa

Aloha Friends! So last week was hijacked, my internet decided to take a Spring vacation from Monday night to Thursday and then on Thursday Mother Nature saw fit to give us the most beautiful storm...it really was so very, very lovely and powerful and refreshing...but we lost power and then...you guessed it! we were offline once again. (Update: I kid you not, both yesterday & today our internet is in and out! If you are reading or listening to this it is nothing short of a frustration filled miracle!)

Instead of just posting the steps as they were to go last week, I thought I would give you the next steps and challenge you to do them for 20 to 30 minutes everyday.

why every day? 

I have been asked this question a few times and it deserves a bit of attention, so before we hop in to our tasks, let me share with you why "every day" is how I am doing things instead of all at once:

1. Slow and steady works when trying to build new habits for myself. If I make it a point to do something every day, no matter how small, I find I am able to change my attitude, behavior and dedication. 
2. Fresh eyes find beauty and areas to improve. When I do major cleaning, I get in the trenches and blow through things. I have the goal of "Make this space perfect for (sitting with family...cooking...eating together)." With the spot for my knitting I want to curate a place where creativity is not only welcomed but primed. Being thoughtful takes time for me, so I give myself time. 
3. The longing for the end will help me treasure the result. If I rush through the process of developing my space I find I give myself permission to be careless with it. If it takes me a bit longer to make it comfortable, inviting, peaceful, organized, fun---well, I hope I it takes me a bit longer to mess it up! In short, I will think twice about letting it return to its sloppier state.

And now lets roll up our sleeves & get to it!

FIRST: Dream In Sticky Notes

Look at the Pinterest board you created or inspirational photos that speak to you. Find one sweeping characteristic that you notice you are drawn to: A CHARACTERISTIC not an item. Like the lovely way the desk is clear and tidy and everything in its spot, don't decide you need a bunch of files and baskets like the image shows. Love the bookshelf free from clutter, don't make a list of what to buy from Mart-Mart. Want a spot to rest and look out the window, don't lament that it is from Famous Furniture Store and you can't afford it. Notice a trait about the room, just one trait, and jot it down on a sticky note or paper with washi tape and put it up on the wall in a prominent place. 

SECOND: Hold It & Decide

For this you need:

• trash bag
• giveaway box
• sell it box (this is optional and to be honest, I do not use this bin. It may be a great alternative for you though!)
• Amnesty Bin (just a SMALL cardboard box with Amnesty Bin written on it!)
• timer (set it for 20 minutes and start)

--->> Avoid the box of misplaced items that you stuck in an obnoxiously inconvenient spot (at the time of this writing I walk around my box about 20 times a day, grumbling and vowing to keep things in the right spot once I get them out of the blasted box and away! And that my friends is the whole inconvenient purpose of sticking it where I did!

1. Look for a small space in your room or area. Small meaning not the entire desk, focus on the top drawer.
2. Position the trash bag, giveaway box and Amnesty Bin near you.
3. Go through the space and sort through each item and decide if it is trash. It is? Let it go. Is it something you don't need but someone else could really benefit from? Place it in the giveaway box. Not sure? Here is my "Weeding Through" matrix:

• Do you see yourself using it in the next 3 to 6 months? Maybe somebody else will!
• Are you keeping it because you feel like you should? Maybe it was an expensive purchase and you are hanging on to it for that reason. Why not consider selling it for half what you paid? You get freed from the weight of a purchase you are keeping out of guilt, someone else gets it for a steal of a deal and you make back some money! And half back is better than whole lost.
• Do you really LOVE this item? If you really love it why hasn't it been used? Go back to the first "•" and run through the questions.
• Still not sure? Put it in the Amnesty Bin. But I warn you, once the Amnesty Bin is filled there is no more amnesty. So choose wisely!

FINISH WITH EXCELLENCE

At the end of the 20 minutes you must do each of these things before you say you are done:

1. Empty the trash
2. Decide where you are going to give these items away to: Knitting group, Parks & Rec Center, local church, Goodwill/Thrift shop? A mix? Label a grocery bag with the name of the recipient group (just a bag, our focus is not on presenting them with a long awaited gift, but to surprise them with an unexpected treat!) 
3. Put the item(s) in the bag, tie it up and place it next to your front door or better yet in your car! 
4. Commit to getting it where it needs to go ASAP. My personal deadline is before the next bag is created. We find ourselves out and about in our local area most days, so this is just part of the routine. If you want to make it once for the week, do it!

Commit to doing these steps once each day this week. Feeling ambitious? Do it twice a day here and there, but definitely do it at different times, don't set the timer for 40 minutes and do an extra long session. It will loose it's fun and purpose. And don't skip the sticky note part! We need a nice collection for our re-arranging/re-vamping session next week and these little guys are foundational.  

Well if by some miracle the cable folks have sorted things out, then you have a few things to do with me this week. Yes! I am working alongside of you. It is nice to be in this together!

With aloha,

Melissa

Better: Day 4

{Today you can read or listen to the post!}

Day 4

Melissa

Each of us is as unique a the artistic mess we create

Keeping that truth at the forefront of our tidy it up movement will keep all that I share in days ahead in the proper perspective. Are most things in your area organized and clutter free? If so there will be days you can skip and just add to your inspirational Pinterest board. Has your dreamy refuge become a place of angst over the clutter and you can't imagine it getting better? For you: deep breaths and keep your chin up. It may not be perfect by the end of April, but it will be better! 

---

We aren't competing, we are improving.

We aren't judging, we are improving.

We aren't perfect, we are improving.

---

Today we give ourselves some breathing room to make all that magical improvement happen. Here's how:

Set aside 25 minutes

Gather:

• some medium or larger boxes or containers, perhaps laundry baskets
• a timer
• upbeat music (I can share my playlist ;)
• dust rag & cleaning agent of choice

Plan:

Remember this is my plan, for my space that needs Spring cleaning and you should modify it

1. Press play for your music and set the timer to 8 minutes and begin
2. Look around to see what is not in the right place
   • yarn and fiber you pulled out of stash to consider for a project & forgot to put back
   • books & magazines
   • needles, needles, needles
   • laundry you were folding in this room and for some reason set it down & never picked it up
3. Items out of place get put into the box or laundry basket 
4. **With the exception of your wallet or keys** Simply pluck whatever you see in the wrong spot and stick it in the box. DO NOT HESITATE, DO NOT PUT IT AWAY  Just grab and box- grab and box!
5. Work until timer sounds

With your back to the boxes, look over your space. 

I sighed. 

I had several things on my desk, which is a huge 6 foot desk, and my bookshelf right beside it. Having most of the out of place items off the desk and shelves made me feel good!

Today isn't over though.

Grab some water real quick and repeat the exercise once more, perhaps focusing on a different corner of your studio or nook. Set the timer for 5 minutes this time and move fast!

When you are done:

1. Smile
2. For the bold participant, dance around the room a bit. Dancing makes your body happy
3. Set timer 3 minutes and prepare to hustle
4. Grab the dust rag and wipe down any flat surface until the timer dings but don't turn off the annoying buzz of the timer..not until you finish the next step
5. Slide the baskets & boxes if possible* to the most obnoxiously inconvenient spot in the room without blocking the entrance or exit of the room (for me it was the dead center of the room) 
6. Leave them there 

Final Activity

1. Set timer for 4 minutes & make yourself the promise to end on time!
2. Pull up your Pinterest page (if you are Pinterest free use my board HERE to look over & be encouraged)
3. Make a Creative Spaces board and being very selective add 3 or 4 spaces you love 
   • DON'T WORRY! we will be adding a bit more every so often to this board, so be picky about adding to it! Pick only ones that really make you get lost in them--- and FYI I started with looking at Villas as inspiration so BE CREATIVE! BE YOU! BE FAST! You only have 4 minutes!

All done? Snap a picture of a neat and tidy spot! Even if it is a 2 inch by 2 inch dusted corner of a shelf THAT IS RECLAIMED SPACE! Keep it on your phone to look back on to remind yourself that small starts are worth acknowledging. BRAVER? then post your pic on IG, twitter, FB---wherever! and tag me in it so I can see. Use our hashtag #MakingSpaceForCreativity.

That is it for today! 

See you tomorrow for a bit of fun and continued improvement!

Do Let Me Know YOU Are Here! I would love to encourage you! So, catch me up below! Also, check in and encourage one another below!

daydreaming & knitting

This week the podcast is just me, Melissa, chatting with you about my daydreaming tendencies...and the effects they have on my knitting. They are good & sometimes self-sabotaging. I wonder if I am any different than you?

As Spring seems to be erupting all around me and as I am purging and packing for our move that is coming up faster than I thought, I find myself escaping to more and more moments standing in front of an open window enjoying a breeze. Those moments last just a few seconds, but stay with me long enough to get me to the next. Is your knitting ever like that? A series of stolen moments, either to work one row or one stitch, maybe just time enough to ball your potential yarn...or as I find myself looking and looking and looking and daydreaming happily (but getting not much accomplished). 

Hurrah for Springtime! 

This week apart from the podcast our friend Hannah had her surgery. I wish I could say she is happily up drinking tea and feeling good. She has a long road ahead and I will keep you posted as I hear news.

In the meantime, if you have knit a #HatsForHannah hat, you may mail them on to 6 Bits through the end of March. Send them to :

6 Bits Sotrybooks PO Box 297 Holly Ridge, NC 28445

Hannah's Courage is available for $3 on Ravelry 

If you have already knit this hat it will be so exciting to see your projects added and linked to the pattern! 

And if you were part of the MKAL on Periscope the final pattern will be delivered to your inbox. Perhaps you will consider gifting the pattern to someone as all proceeds will be given to Hannah to help with her expenses. 

UNEARTH KAL

It is with great excitement we share information on the 6 Bits Storybooks First Knit A Long (Kal)! 

Our UNEARTH Kal is an opportunity to join in for encouragement as we knit projects from our first issue. This time of fun together begins November 2, 2015 and lasts until January 2, 2016. 

Categories that are open to all participants:

The Complete Story

For those knitters who start and finish an entire project form Issue 1 UNEARTH. Enter as many Finished Objects as you like in this category, they just need to start and end on the official KAL dates.

A Progressive Story

This time of year there are so many things happening, our attention and time have many demands that may keep us from finishing projects before the end of the KAL. To keep that fact from deterring knitters from joining, we want to embrace that and use it as a starting point! So start your project on November 2nd and simply be proud of what you do knit! Share your progress in this thread and let that be your story! 

Character Focus 

For every issue we want to dig deeper in to the story behind a particular yarn. For UNEARTH our special character is Infinite Twist. This category is for anything knitters want to create using Helix yarn. Cate Carter-Evans will be popping in this thread to share as she knits an extra long version of Cairns in the beautiful badlands colourway.

Instagram

What a great way to plug in too! Use the hashtags: #UnearthKal #6BitsStorybooks for any and all work you are doing. Be sure to tag us as @6.Bits.Storybooks too! That is the fastest way to grab our attention and we definitely want to see what you are up to!

In addition to choosing winners from each of the above categories, we are excited about a different twist as an option for any and everyone to plug in to win prizes! 

The Illustrate Kindness Category

Wonder how that works? Simple! First be sure you are following us. Use the hashtags on Instagram to see what others are knitting. In the comments below their post cheer them on! This is an awesome way to join in the Unearth KAL even if you can't knit a project. It also weaves our stories together a bit more intentionally! 

There will be 1 winner from each category except the Illustrate Kindness. We plan to choose 3 winners from that one! So be sure to use the hashtags when posting so everyone can see your beautiful knitting skills and cheer you on in your project!

Care to share what you think you may be knitting with us? We can't wait to hear your ideas! 

And Our Story Begins...

The work that went in to this surprised me.

Not only that it was hard work, but what surprised me even more was the work that the collaborators for this issue did.

Heart and soul. Sweat and laughter. A few tears (from me, of course).

And today I am sighing and still crying.

But out of gratitude to everyone for the kindness and aloha you are sharing.

Today I squeal in delight because a great team made a beautiful thing and now others can make it even better!

Mahalo nui ya'll!

--Melissa

Latvian knitting

Here is some pictures to illustrate our little chat in the last podcast episode!

Meet a story teller today!

Stephanie Alford has been fascinated by fiber all her life. A knitter since the age of 19, she joined a local spinning group near her home in rural England in her 20s, and then taught herself to dye after moving back to the States in her 30s. Along the way she learned a bit of weaving, a little crochet, and picked up a degree in Textiles and Clothing. Now the Dyer and Head SpaceCadet at SpaceCadet® Yarn, she has discovered that she was in training for her dream job all along.