Jam packed with emotion, this was a week of endings, beginnings, celebrations and remembrance. On Tuesday, I marked the end of an almost 40 year career which is an ending and a beginning! A friend calls it Kim 2.0. To celebrate, my book club ladies took me out to dinner at a lovely local restaurant. Besides celebrating my second act, we also celebrated another member’s 75th birthday, a much more noteworthy milestone in my opinion. There was lots of laughter, great food, plenty of wine and fun gifts for both of us.
Tuesday was also the day my latest pattern was published on both Ravelry and PayHip. It’s called Corazon Hat. I chose the name Corazon because it means Heart in Spanish. It can also mean courage and spirit. I designed initially for a friend with cancer and chose the three heart motif to symbolize the love of her family. Corazon is a slouchy, comfortable hat that knits up quickly in DK weight yarn.
The celebration continued on Wednesday with a flight to Tampa, FL for the first Bruce Springsteen concert in 6 years! The Boss and the E Street Band did not disappoint, playing a total of 28 songs for 2 hours and 45 minutes. My friend Mary and I dances, sang and smiled the entire show. A good review of the show and the setlist can be found here.
Before our flight took off, I cast on a new hat pattern design. It’s knit in Juniper Moon Farms Moonshine, which is 40% Wool, 40% Alpaca and 20% Organic Silk, making it quite soft and warm.
The hat doesn’t have a name yet so if you have any ideas please pass them along. Naming patterns can be such a challenge! It will look something like this first prototype pictured below. I’m making some changes to make the directions for decreasing the crown a bit easier to follow.
Wednesday also began the #fiberuarychallenge on Instagram. Begun 10 years ago by Cecilia Nelson-Hurt (@creativecici)as a way for she and her friends to share their knitting projects, it is now a world wide, month long event that is fun to participate in, whether you post all 28 days or one or two!
If you have a chance, please give a like and a follow to my Facebook page, Kim Shaffir Designs and to my IG account @kimshaffirdesigns and follow along as I try my best to submit a post each day!
The week also included a lot of reading. Currently, I’m reading two books: Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool And Making The World’s Ugliest Sweater by Peggy Orenstein and A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. Although very different, change and the passage of time figure prominently in both.
Yesterday, February 4, was a day of celebration and remembrance; as such it was a little bittersweet. You see, it would have been my son’s 28th birthday had he not left us 5 years ago. We started the day, as we do each year, with a breakfast from McDonald’s, a favorite of Mason’s. Our daughter joined us mid-day for lunch and our annual donation in Mason’s memory to our local SPCA. Mason was a big lover of animals, especially our pets. We had to say goodbye to his favorite dog, our girl Cici, late last September so our donation was in her memory too. This year, our donation included a large oxygen tent and warming pads for the puppy and kitten cages. I’m sure Mason would approve!
Until next time…..Kim
A Yarn of A Tale 
Love your new hat pattern whatever it’s called. Congratulations on honoring your son. I am still reeling over the unexpected loss of my nephew 3 months ago. It’s beyond my ability to imagine surviving the loss of one’s child.
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Thank you. It’s called Corazon. I’m so sorry for the loss of your nephew. It is a club no parent ever wants to join. I found three books very helpful: A Broken Heart Still Beats, Resilient Grieving and I Wasn’t Ready To Say Goodbye.
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What a week! My warrior friend
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