It’s that quiet time just before dawn that is a true favourite. When the sky lightens infinitesimally, before suddenly it is morning. With autumn on its way and of course the days getting shorter, my quiet time is getting longer and longer. Something I truly look forward to.
I am not a big fan of less light, so a number of years ago I decided to try to find the good in the shorter daylight hours. Turning it on its head, it occurred to me that those darker hours were pushing me indoors and as a great fan of fun projects, this was the perfect time to give over to them.
What To Do
My thoughts are already turning to what to do with all that extra night. One thing I always do at this time of year is work on My Shop, getting ready for Christmas (yup, already) its a time when they need restocking. That means lots of photo editing and listing squeezed into those wee hours.
But the darkness also brings with it its own form of quiet time and a chance to finally find time for other projects. Homey projects. I am starting to can my garden produce, and the additional abundance my neighbours are giving me. There will be the chance to sit down to card making, knitting, embroidery, mending, letter writing, reading, oh, so much reading, and whatever else my heart or imagination turns me to.
Ongoing Projects
One of my projects in autumn is always a rag rug. I like to make one each year, or add to an existing one. It’s a super way to use up old worn out clothes and particularly holey socks I have been collecting since last winter ended.
It is a perfect project for colder weather as you do easily in front of the screen. And bonus, as it gets larger it covers your legs keeping you warm. I am in the makings of a small oval one for my kitchen, which has old clay tiles. I also have an old linoleum floor in my restoration home office that could do with warming up. (Some day to maybe be a mural painted floor, on which the rag rug will not only be functional but also beautiful.)
Here’s a video on how to make a rag rug. And if you are unsure how to repurpose socks…
How To Do Socks
If you wish to know how to re-purpose old socks… You cut them like you would peel an orange, with the idea of creating one long peel. I start at the top, cutting diagonal across the elastic section and then continue cutting in a spiral downward. I keep the width at about an inch / 2 cm wide.
All other clothing I simply cut into strips, again of about an inch / 2 cm wide. Length is more important. The longer the better. So sometimes when I end up with short pieces, these I hang onto for mending projects.
Other Projects
I have many on-going projects, projects I have been working on for years. They come out during the quiet times to be dusted off and continued. Some progress well, some not so much. But still something more gets done each year.
I usually add in a few new projects each year. Not always a good idea, as it makes it harder to finish others. Quiet time is still limited, even in the darker months. But still, whatever incentivises me to sit quietly, dream or listen to music. Whatever works best with that project. Knitting in example, with a complicated pattern, can only have background music. Words, dialogue, etc pull the attention, and mistakes are certain to be made and need unpicking. Sigh.
The House
And of course there is always, always, always these days the Restoration work on my wee medieval manor. The colder months are also when I guide less, so the majority of the work done by me has to be done at this time. But I try to fit those into the more daylight hours, keeping a shorter but more intense focus. Then the quiet of the night comes, I can down tools and sit with a personal project of my choosing.
I’m just heading into a deep dive into restoration work that needs doing, both by me and artisans (plumber, electrician, etc.). The house has been progressing slowly but surely. But like the build up of my personal projects, there has been a build up to the house works as well. So these next six months are certainly going to be more hectic than normal for this time of year.
Quiet Time
With the darkness truly does come quiet. The cats will curl by the heating and sleep far more. Maybe even let me sleep in past 5am. Maybe. The ducks too are less noisy. They live and quack by the daylight. So just as dawn glimmers I am told how hungry they are. Except now dawn is already past 7am. A luxurious lie-in compared to summer.
The evenings and mornings are me time, when all is tranquil and honestly really quiet. My village rolls up its sidewalks with the onset of dark and everyone retreats inside. No car noises, only the occasional owl hooting. But even in winter they too go quiet. Quiet time is truly a favourite thing and my reason for looking forward to darker days.
More
If you enjoy or would simply like to read more about a simpler life, please check out my additional musings in Finding a Simpler Life.
Enjoy what you read, consider joining in and Nourishing Pumpjack & Piddlewick.
And if all else, browse My Shops. Here’s a taste from vintage to what I have designed myself:
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