Living the slow life

Hello!  I have been enjoying living The Slow Movement so much over the past few months that one could almost say that with regard to blogging it temporarily became The Stopped Movement! But fear not, I am baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!  I have been around all the time actually, creating new projects and making draft postings, but never took that final step to add text, to publish; and in academia we all know the phrase "Publish or Perish"!

I already shared the final result of this gorgeous The Garden afghan on my @rawrustic Instagram account, but here are a few more photos that did not make it onto IG. A great number of IG Hookers, were indeed inspired by this vintage looking (and it might very well be an original vintage design) lacy square and you can trace all the beautiful projects under the #rusticlacesquare hashtag.

You might also want to head over to Marianne Dekker's awesome blog maRRose to read more about how this pattern took the IG community by storm. Marianne's version is to die for, her joining simply superb and I want to dig my head in the sand when I compare the clever, neat way she joined her squares with my wonky result.  Mind you, the slip stitches on the back of my afghan looks neat, it just does not translate to the front! The very first #rusticlacesquare project can be traced back to the wonderfully talented Cornel Strydom, one of a trio creative souls who are behind Hello Hart, the best crochet blog in the Southern Hemisphere and perhaps the Northern one too!

I blogged about this project on two separate occasions for those interested in yarn, hook size and pattern details - Flower Power and The Garden

Back to the topic of The Slow Movement in case you are wondering what this is all about! Slow is the opposite of “fast” - fast food, fast money, fast living - and all of the negative consequences “fast” has had for the environment and for the health of people and societies. “Slow” embodies cooperation, respect, sustainability, gratitude, grit and resilience. It is about leaning to savor and fully engage with life.

In another week we are departing for a month of Slow Travelling - destination Croatia. One of the defining elements of Slow Travel is the opportunity to become part of local life and to connect to a place and people. Slow travel is also about connection to culture. We will be connecting with local artists (in Dubrovnik we will spend a week living in a converted art studio) and will indulge with people belonging to slow food movements.  Ah bliss, from Zagreb to Istria to Dalmatia, we are looking forward to an incredible time in what looks like one of the most beautiful countries in the world!

Enjoy your weekend!