Prepping for Hibernation

Quiet and Slow Holidaying, Design Updates, etc.

It has been a great year, and I am immensely thankful for every bit of support and encouragement for my work. I started this newsletter with a lot of trepidation, but it has evolved into my ultimate grounding practice. Thank you for reading it and sharing your thoughts with me. 💌

This time of year can already feel overwhelming with unfinished tasks, shopping lists 🛍️ , travel plans, and more.In addition to persistent marketing emails urging purchases, there are also emails about performance statistics from various apps—social media, websites, fitness, book, and music apps—adding fuel to fire.

I truly struggle to distill them down to what is practical and actually useful for me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This time, I plan to embrace a form of hibernation to cope and rejuvenate for the new year. I've been doing most of these things already, but always with the feeling that I 'should be' doing something else to have a proper holiday.

Well, this is what the season is going to look like for us:

• I have put up a little tree 🎄 and draped some fairy lights over the TV stand in the living room. I light a candle or two every day when I am cooking dinner.

• The days are obstinately colder and shorter in my part of the world. My hand-knits are out and in full rotation. I’m glad I am a knitter. And I will say that again.

• We are not big on gifts. 🎁 But around this time of year, I try and find out what everyone wants/needs/would like and buy from that list. I am also in the mood for a wardrobe clean-out and might try to nudge others in that direction.

• I have looked up a few special recipes that are favorites of my teen and middle-schooler. I am waiting for their schools to be over soon so I can have them home. 🏡 The days of snuggles and cuddles may be rarer or probably over, but I love having them around in the house. 💗 At some point, we might catch a movie or TV show together, probably an old favorite.

• This holiday will be a staycation probably with small trips to enjoy holiday decorations and food.

• I like to take some time to go through old pictures and especially baby videos of my kids and may tear up a bit. 🥹 (The teen will roll her eyes to the heavens, but who cares?)

• I have also started the process of going through my sketchbooks 📚 and curating them. Not all of them are museum-worthy, but I do retain quite a bit to see my growth and for some memories.

• I will put on my earphones and go on long walks. 🎧 I might also curl up with physical books. I’ve checked out a few from our local library.

• Call/catch-up in person with a few friends and extended family.

• I will knit and spin. 🧶 And, of course, I will think a lot about designs and classes for the coming months. Right now, there are half-formed ideas in my head. I believe this hibernation will allow them to take a bit more shape.

This is not a task list that I will work hard to check off all points. 📋 "Basically, it’s about appreciating what I have, reducing screen time, and spending more time with my loved ones. Simply choosing to do more of what fills me up is, I believe, the antidote to the artificially induced hustle and bustle and overwhelm.💝.

Maybe you think the same? Have you got your own ways to cope? Please share your thoughts in comments.

DESIGN UPDATES

I have currently finished writing up two patterns. Testing calls for these will be announced as soon as the tech-editing process is complete.

Additionally, I am in the process of updating my testers’ list. If you'd like to be notified first when my testing calls are available, please send an email to craftdoodling@gmail.com with your Ravelry and Instagram IDs. Alternatively, you can directly join my Slack Community and DM me your details.

Thank you to everyone who has participated or is participating in the CraftDoodling Designs KAL. As you may know, the last date is extended to Dec 31. It has been lovely to see your beautiful versions of some of my patterns. 💗

OTHER THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE

1. Substack Reads:

   a. Louise Tilbrook explains Why I don’t knit gifts anymore.

   b. Anne Vally nudges us towards her Inaugural Don’t Buy List.

2. My older post on a similar theme : Holidays & ToDo Lists

3. I just finished reading Fairy Tale by Stephen King. And got started on

   29 seconds by T.M.Logan. 📖

   I am sorry I don’t have knitting pictures today. But I will leave you with a sketch I recently finished. I hope you enjoy it. I love that we have a few of these little free libraries in our neighborhood. 💝

   

   Little Free Library : Ink and wash on a sketchbook page

   Until next time,

   Kavitha. ♡

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