We're Halfway through 2018!

Well, my friends, it's been a while since I've done a check in.  Funnily enough, when I (mostly) finished my Spring in Prague SWAP, I told my mom I don't have any sewing plans and it felt really odd.  So, I figured I should do another check-in to review my goals and see where I'm at.

My May goals were these:

Knitting

1.  Finish the Custom Comfy Fade Cardigan I've been working on.  Gosh, I'm loving the way this is turning out.  I want to take it with me on my upcoming vacation, so there's a deadline.  I'm on the first sleeve, so it's still do-able! Well, I didn't finish this for my vacation, but I'm currently working on the second sleeve, so it's getting closer to being done.  It was too hot to wear on my vacation anyways...



Sewing

1.  Keep working on the Spring in Prague SWAP.  I don't have *that* much left, and I'm planning on a full sewing retreat weekend this weekend! I pretty much finished the SWAP in time for my vacation, with the exception of one top.  I did a post on the items I actually took along with me - which varied a bit from my original plans.  You can see that post here.

Reading

1.  Finish Three Days Road by Joseph Boyden. Done!  While not a happy read, it was an excellent book that kept my interest until the very end.  I highly recommend this book.
2.  Load up the Kindle for my upcoming vacation (any recommendations for books taking place in Prague?) Done!  I ended up starting The Early Investigations of Joanne Kilbourn by Gail Bowen (not related to Prague at all, but one my mom was reading as well and recommended), and I started reading Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain after I heard the horrible news of his untimely death.
3.  Continue reading Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg Done!

Health/Fitness

1. Be more diligent about what "fuel" I put into my body, and my reduce sugar intake. Well, vacation kind of did me in on this - I mean, beer in Prague, wine and Aperol Spritzes in Austria, "German" style potato salad and schnitzels, and the cheese, not to mention the daily cakes at coffee time! Walking between 10-20 km a day really helped me maintain my weight while I was away (yes, I am super proud of that!).  Mom and I often only ordered an appetizer each at lunch and split them, and typically only one piece of cake for the two of us at coffee time.  I am learning I am very rigid with myself and feel a large amount of guilt if I vary from my perception of what healthy is.  Being in Europe helped me realize that I can absolutely enjoy a lot more variety, but moderation is key for a healthy lifestyle.  Guilt is not helpful in any way.
2. Continue with my yoga practice, daily if possible. I did yoga once with Mom while we were away (and loved it - thanks Adriene!), and have already gotten back into my practice when I came back home. It makes a huge difference in how I start my day.
3. Add kettlebells and kickboxing into my routine. I haven't done this yet, but the intentions are good!
4.  Continue walking, daily if possible.  Today was absolutely ridiculously too hot for walking outdoors of any kind, but walking is another thing that makes me feel good.  I don't have to reach the 10-20 km a day that we were doing while I was away (yes, I absolutely am proud of that!) but certainly a few km in the morning and again at night, weather permitting make me feel better.

Miscellaneous

1. Continue cleaning and purging in L'Atelier.   I was amazed at how much stash I used for my Spring in Prague SWAP.  It feels good to work through it.  Being apart from my "stuff" while on holidays always makes me wonder how much of it I actually need, but coming home to it always makes me appreciate what I do have.  

Goals for June

Knitting

1.  Finish Cupcakes in Vienna socks - these are my current mindless knit which are awesome for my jet lagged mind, and I'm loving The Yarn Jar's base and colourway.  You can find her shop here.  Also the memory of knitting on them on the rooftop terrace in Vienna, overlooking the spires of the Mexican Cathedral is inspiring me to finish.
2.  Continue working on the second sleeve for the Custom Comfy Fade Cardigan.  It's currently too bloody hot to wear this (or even knit on it) but I will need (and want) it at some point this summer, and just can't wait to wear it when it's cool enough.
3.  Continue working on my April Switcheroo Socks - I need to recover from jet lag first as I do need to think a little while working on this pattern, but maybe I can get them done before July rolls around.
4.  Start my May PSC socks - the yarn was wound before I left...

Sewing

1. Sew a pair of cropped Sew Over It Ultimate Trousers - these would make the perfect summer pants in a medium weight cotton, IMHO.  They would go very nicely with the new ballet flats I've purchased.  Plus I've got these on my #makenine2018.
2.  Sew a Sew Over It Ella Blouse to coordinate with the aforementioned SOI Ultimate Trousers.  I have the perfect fabric picked out already, I just need to find some coordinating fabric for the pants.  Also on my #makenine2018.
3.  The Beverly Bikini by Named Clothing.  While packing for my recent trip, I discovered I was woefully short on bathing suits I want to be seen in public in.  This would be perfect for a beach trip (yet to be scheduled, but now I've got an incentive for both!)
4.  McCalls 7387 shirt dress.  While in Europe, I noticed SO. MANY. DRESSES.  I've wanted one of these shirtdresses forevahhh, and even have fabric already pulled.

Reading

1.  Finish the third book in the first Gail Bowen trilogy (Joanne Kilbourn mysteries).  I've got the next anthology on hold from the library, but who knows when I'll get it...
2.  Finish Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.  Anthony, I'll miss you.  You've got an amazing point of view on life, food and travel that I discovered only a few years ago.  I devoured your TV shows and now I'm working my way through your books.  Thank you for all you've shared.  I'm so very sad you struggled and couldn't carry on.
3.  Start another book by Anthony Bourdain (I purchased a few upon hearing about this death)
4.  Read Sisi by Allison Pataki.  Sisi was a beloved yet eccentric Austrian-Hungarian Habsburg Empress whose apartments I toured when in Vienna recently.  I read the first book about Sisi by Allison Pataki, called Accidental Empress and couldn't wait for the next book, Sisi, to be released.  Seeing her apartments reminded me of the release of the book, which I also subsequently purchased.

Health/Fitness

1. Continue yoga 3x/week.
2.  Start kickboxing and kettlebells workouts.  Dragonboat season is upon us and I really need to kick up the core workouts (see what I did there?! Kick...kickboxing...haha)
3.  Focus on incorporating more vegetables into my diet.  I am typically woefully short on them in my daily diet, and summer is the perfect time to enjoy them.

Miscellaneous

I'm going to quit saying "Purge L'atelier."  It's starting to become one of those "Shoulds."  I want to enjoy the time in my sewing room, and sewing because I "hafta" isn't a reason to continue on with this hobby.  Yes, I have A. LOT. of stash.  Do I love it?  Mostly.  Will I use all of it?  Maybe.  So, I've decided that if I come across something I no longer love, I'll use it for a toile, or get rid of it without any guilt.  Mostly, I just want to sew when I'm down there.

What ya working on?