I sit writing to you from witching hour. I am sitting and rocking my baby, nursing her through her end of day newborn woes. This evening (so far) has been a relatively quiet one so I thought I’d write to you. Vivien is 45 days old, and we have just a week left of “Wochenbett”, the German term for the post partum lying-in. Traditionally the 40 days to eight weeks post partum have been kept as a protected time for mother and baby to heal and adjust to life together. I have tried to take these weeks (extended to 3 months post partum, the “fourth trimester”, and beyond) as a grace period for us. Trying to have low expectations for myself and my baby, and taking each day as it comes has been key in my deeply enjoying this fleeting phase of life and motherhood. My hands are quite literally tied at the moment, and every second I have to move freely I try to put to use getting us settled into our new home. I can’t wait to show you this new space. It is so beautiful and such a huge blessing.
Moving here so newly post partum has gotten me thinking about art and all of the shapes it can take in one’s daily life. Being a maker is so all encompassing, and I’ve realized more than ever how much making, in all possible forms, feeds me. Figuring out the lay out of the furniture in a room, finding new places for old things, reviving forgotten heirlooms, choosing the shades that will color our lives… every marginal moment I have is filled to the brim with inspiration. Then- my hand crafting. I am lucky to get one row of stockinette in these days, but I savor every stitch, and I am daydreaming about winter projects. Esmeralda has been requesting that I knit her a yellow sweater. This is her very first request for a garment, and oh how my heart soared when she asked. I have so many plans and too few hours in the day, but I am learning the rythums of my new life of homemaking and gentle mothering, and I am thinking I will share this very organic process with you in a format that is a bit less structured than how I usually share my creative endeavors. I hope you will join me and enjoy, and maybe share some of the ways that you also make time of crafting in the margins of your life.
Merryweather Living 