Playing catch up…aren’t we all!

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Do you ever feel like you just can’t keep up?! Maybe it is totally with all the wips (works in progress  ) you have going on at one time, the house needing to be cleaned, the animals needing to be fed, the laundry that has to find a place to live before it totally takes over your life, and so much more!  I know you feel me and that we have all been there.  It can often times feel so overwhelming like the breath is being taken right out of you.  I know for me it makes me beyond anxious and I feel like I am failing miserably!  Throughout my life I have strived for perfection and worried greatly about if whatever I am doing measures up or is good enough.  I worry what others think probably more than I should, and I find that my mind races, unable to stop from going down a twisting, spinning rabbit hole of not-so-good things.  Well, today as I woke up to the Mount Everest of laundry overflowing at the end of my bed, the sound of 3 whining dogs, very hungry cries from my cat, all my ongoing project bags and fiber around me saying “When will I get finished? Pick me you know you want to start another project!” I felt like rolling over, covering my head again, and going back to sleep! Most times in these types of moments I would probably even cry! However today I made the choice to look past the overwhelming-ness of the chaos around me and instead choose to see the joy in it all.  I am blessed to have probably more clothes than I actually need, 3 dogs that make me laugh and give unconditional love all the time, a cat that loves food but also is a pretty great singer, and that I get to be surrounded by beautiful, amazing fibers that I can create with and that always bring me to a place of pure and utter joy!  I realized that I was going to sit up in bed and celebrate the things that I feel need to be caught up and just be!  I even took the time to create new business cards (which I have had sitting in the create phase needing to be finished, printed, & just done with by now) and meditate on the power of doing what you love.  So, for today may we be okay with not being completely caught up in every aspect of our lives or our creative projects, but rejoice in the small little victories that we do make!  And as always find joy in the incredible journey we get to be on no matter how wonderful or how hard it can be at times. Remember too – you’re never alone! Happy #wipwednesday!

Let’s start at the very beginning…January’s featured Nebraska Fiber Artist… One Twisted Tree!

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So to start this year off  and journey of learning more about the state I now call home, Nebraska through fiber artist, I’d like to introduce you to #onetwistedtreeyarn & the talented @prairiegirldanie! I have chosen 3 of her lavish super washed merino sport/dk weight yarn & will be knitting a wintery inspired shawl.

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I started working away on a #quietjourneyshawl  changing up the original design a bit by adding my own  3 color-ways fade.  IMG_2579

This yarn is so squish and amazing to work with!  I love how each other blends so seamlessly into the other.  The slip stitch pattern if fun too.  Creating such a beautiful texture!

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This pretty project took me 4 weeks to complete.  I casted on on January 4th and off on January 31st.

So there you have it my first Featured Nebraska Fiber Artist project using fiber from the amazing Danie of One Twisted Tree! I wanted to create a shawl that felt like winter with soft grays and icy blues! Her Lavish 100% super wash merino 8 ply was beyond beautiful and so perfect!! I am also a huge Jane Eyre fan so when I saw that color it was a must have! I picked the Quiet Journey Shawl by Lisa Hannes (which can be found and purchased over on Ravelry)  because of the easy but fun pattern and thought it would be amazing as a 3 color fade! I chose to do a 2 row repeat for the fade parts.  Each color danced so well into each other and I was throughly overjoyed with how it all turned out!  More to come on Danie and her beautiful fibers from Omaha Nebraska here soon!

You can find more of One Twisted Tree yarns here on Danie site  https://www.onetwistedtree.com/ or at my favorite Omaha local yarn shop IMAGIKNIT YARN SHOP LLC located in the Bel Air Plaza 2100 W Center Rd #602, Omaha, NE 68144

The Journey Begins Always With Joy!

IMG_2789Thanks for joining me on the incredible journey of joy found in fiber!  I figure the best way to start off is to share a bit about me. So here we go… It’s Jess! Besides finding joy in fiber always through knitting, weaving, crocheting & sometimes just creating whatever I can out of fiber… I love vintage knits, pretty lace, fun cat eyes glasses & big eyed paintings!! I love traveling, meeting new people, finding joy in even the smallest most unexpected moments. I have a small fuzzy animal @fuzzylittlejoys farm full of dwarf bunnies & singing guineapigs & a 1969 vintage #yellowstonecamper that I restored last summer but can not wait to take it out on a bigger adventure this year! I love acting & I am blessed to be a professional actor in the Omaha area.  I have found pure joy especial in children’s theater where they are so honest , real & raw! I sing all the time & love knit blankets! I have a service pup @effiemaehope_thecavapoo who is amazing! I always wanted to be a photo journalist & take picture for National Geographic but instead just capture life as it happens with the people & city around me. I am from a small town in Maine & grew up on a lake which is one of my favorite places on earth! One day I want to live in Scotland for at least 6 months & my retirement plan is to have 3 alpacas, a black sheep & more angora bunnies! This year I am committed to knit only dk weight or larger which is harder than I thought because there are so many incredibly beautiful fingering/sock weight yarns! (I just broke my own promise in the month of May however it was worth it, more on that later)  I am growing & learning & forever an 8 year old at heart! Back on January 1st of this year 2018, I spent a lot of time reflecting, dreaming, & planning! January actually marked the start of my 5th year living in the state of Nebraska! I remember back to when I was a freshman in college during a cross country move from Maine to California that I swore to myself that I would never ever live in this state! I mean I never ever, ever never, never ever would! How funny life can be…am I right?!? Well to kick off my 5th year in the Cornhusker State, that has now become home, I’m  decided to spend the next 12 months celebrating & sharing the incredible fiber artists found here!! Each month my hope has been to introduce you to a very special #nebraskafiberartist, knit, weave, or create a special project out of their amazing yarn, get to know them better through a series of questions & hopefully learn more about the whys behind how they started, their creative process, how they find joy in fiber & more as well as getting to learn so much more about Nebraska. I hope that you will join me on this journey! Well I hope that you feel like you know me a bit better now! Thanks for following along & finding joy in the journey with me! Especially through fiber! Smiles!

 Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak WaltonIMG_4825