It’s the little pleasures that buoy up this large canvas of life

This week I am transcribing my handwritten 1st draft of my new novel, Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic, into the computer. Once this process is completed, I’ll have a 2nd draft ready for story editing (etc). I’ve done this for all my novels, excepting After The Virus, and I’m rather attached to the process … it forces me to write the 1st draft with little – or minor – editing … I fix everything – or expand or subtract – in my second pass.

Bear sketch business card by Jessica Gowling
The Bear holds my place patiently and without judgement of pace or quality.

Last December I purchased some ‘let it snow’ notecards from Jessica Gowling‘s Etsy shop, and, when I received the package in the mail, she had included this mini bear sketch business card. I adored the mini card so much I immediately put in on the magnet board next to my desk. Now I am using it as a notebook marker to hold my place after I finish a day of transcribing. I love bears in general, and this one specifically.

So, thank you, Jessica for sharing your art with me (and the world, of course).

It’s the little pleasures that buoy up this large canvas of life.

This is the sort of thing that makes me…

…want to learn how to spin my own yarn. Course, it would take years to learn to produce something this gorgeous and I am not usually noted for my boundless patience. I stumbled across this most beautiful handspun yarn while shopping, for what I cannot remember, on etsy the other day:

50/50 cashmere and silk! Greens and pinks and creams. I was so smitten. I immediately put it my favourites and continued shopping for whatever I was looking for, but yet the yarn haunted me–no matter that it was an expensive luxury–no matter I had promised myself I would knit from my stash until I had made a solid dent, but… but… this was handspun–I didn’t have anything quite this decadent… finally I latched on to the thought that it was soon going to be Valentine’s Day and I deserved a little gift, so into the cart it immediately went!

And I don’t have, not remotely, any buyers remorse… a 100% of the profits from the Little Creek Yarn shop go to support Partners in Health. Lynn, the talented spinner, dyer and shop owner, answered my shipping question promptly and was cheerful and chatty. And the yarn… Oh, the yarn… so soft, so shine-y, so amazing…

Now what shall I make? You better believe this baby is all for me and it’s going around my neck – no gift making!! Must now hustle off to Ravelry to find patterns to match.

Yarn Details
Purchased from: Little Creek Yarn
Colourway: Hvar
Weight: Fine, 16-18 wpi
Fibre: 50/50 cashmere/silk
Yards: 225