Thank you very much!

Goodness me, what an exciting day it was for me yesterday! For a day I was  HOT! :D The only time ever I was pleased with the compliment. :D Thanks so much, Ravelers!

 

And then a friend alerted me to this too, so I was getting Hotter by the hour! :D

 

Well, all this HOTness was getting me hot under the collar. Yes, the BIG-M and I are friends, not very good friends I might add, seeing as this friend won't let me sleep at night! But all the excitement did cause quite a few hot flashes, or flushes as we call them here in South Africa. 

I'm so pleased there are a few of you who like my designs. I am TOTALLY in love with this craft! I LOVE IT!! Colour, yarn, hooks, needles and finally a little space I can call my very own. I was thinking recently, that if my husband asked me to choose between him or crochet, well, um... he hasn't, for very good reason! :D This is my "office" at 6 AM. It's where I have my first cup of coffee, and look out the window ( at the strip of sky above my neighbour's roof  :D )

Every day I wake up excited, filled with motivation, itching to get out the way all the  ( many, many, way too many ) household tasks...wash dishes, pop washing in washing machine, feed three dogs, one cat, three goldfish, water all plants and trees outside with bucket ( drought = no hoses! ), sweep tiles, mop tiles, do the daily shopping, prepare meals, fold washing, dust ( oh lordy. the wind brings sand and dust into every nook and cranny )! Then, there are still various DIY jobs (here and in our little rental cottage next door! ). To boot, I was never a night owl. I might toss and turn but I can barely make it past 9 PM. And my day begins at 5 AM! Still not nearly enough hours in the day for everything on my list! Then when you do get around to a spot of hooky **someone** decides it's nap time!

Yet, my love for this craft has me showing up at my little work space, filling in every available minute with yarny joy. When I read Eat Pray Love, I remember something Elizabeth Gilbert said about just showing up at the page (or canvas, or yarn basket) and I'd read it too some years ago in The Artists Way by Julia Cameron. Both times, just this phrase " showing up " profoundly resonated with me because I instinctively know that this is exactly all it takes to get the magic happening, to unblock a flow of creativity. Perfectionism is the block that stops many Creatives from doing what they love, the fear of failing, of not seeming good enough, of making a fool of oneself or seeming arrogant or presumptuous.It does sound like a cliche, but if you have a compulsion to create, just do it. Do what you love even if nobody else cares. Do it for yourself. If you don't, you will pop in many other ways...your nerves, your spirit, your happiness, your peace of mind... it all pops and crackles most unpleasantly if you don't allow it the room it needs to express itself. I know all about that. I guess you could say I am in recovery, a recovering Perfectionist. :D

Again, thank you most kindly for your generous praise. I am encouraged!

 xox