The making this week has been entirely focused on the Super Secret Test Knitting I am doing… In a different world, I would be done already. But instead I am on my third try…yes, you read that right. The third try! First time… I cast on 4 too many stitches. And while I might just do 4 k2tog in real life, in Test Knitting Life that is not what the designer is hoping I will do. So… Ripppppppp! And start again. The second try I entirely effed up the pattern (because… somehow I thought when the designer said to “put markers” between sections… I did not think she meant me! Ha! I think she wrote that direction because of me!) Again… Ripppppppppppppp! (The second time I was a lot farther along… sigh.)
So today I have the exact amount of stitches, markers were placed exactly when the pattern says. And I am past all the previous knitting I did (albeit incorrectly) and, though I hesitate to say it, all is good!
Instead you have a photo of my Base 12 Hitchhiker in the brief but spectacular sunshine we had late yesterday!
I am hoping that I will be back to knitting a Cabled Gnome and that Hitchhiker later on this week! Fingers and toes crossed!
The reading, though sparse, was so very good this week!
The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A book to savor – and I did! I read it slowly in delicious little bites. A book to read over and over – I want to read this book until I have it memorized! A book full of beautiful artwork – oh my gosh, the artwork… it is just perfect.
I loved every minute of this book and I loved it so much I have purchased my own copy. I want to take this book to Presque Isle Park in Erie PA and read it to the birds, the water, the trees, and think about how beautifully written this book is.
I highly recommend!
Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Oof. This was a chilling read… but so brilliantly written!
Enter the world of Cedar Hawk Songmaker (perhaps the best name for a character… ever!) and what a messed up world it is. Some cataclysmic event has happened and the word as we know it is gone. It is both a journey of discovery and a journey of desperation.
For me… listening to Louise read her novel made the journey better for the listener. I might have missed things had I been reading… but listening, I allowed myself to be drawn along in the story as it unfolds.
And the ending… oh my. It was not at all what I expected… and yes, I cried.
I am excited because I have picked up Agatha of Little Neon and if the Knitting Gods keep smiling on me… I might be able to start reading it this week!
That is all that I have for today… what about you? What is on your making or reading radar this week?
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Your Hitchhiker is so pretty Kat! Can’t wait to hear about your secret knitting and sorry about the ripping too many times!! I love that you want to read a book to birds. Now I know I need to get that book and have a look/see.
The third time is the charm! I hope that everything continues to go well in Test Knitting Life and you can tell us more when the pattern is released. I’m sure your Hitchhiker loved its time in the sunshine and I can just picture you on the beach reading to the birds!
wow that’s a lot of restarting but I know that you will be happy in the end. I remember a circular shawl that I kept having to start over and over again and again. The key for me was to do it during the morning instead of the evening..ha ha ha.
Can’t wait to see the super secret test knitting in real life! (And you’re a CHAMP for ripping and restarting until the project is Just Right.) XO
I am also excited to see this secret test knitting project! And as a designer, I thank you for your diligence in getting it right.
I do love how your Hitchhiker is knitting up and I imagine it’s fun to watch the colors and textures change as you get to a new part of the skein.
Having recently restarted a bunch of knitting myself, I feel your pain. But we both know it will be worth it (for both of us) to get it right. I can’t wait to see what the Super Secret Test Knitting actually is!
I look forward to seeing your Test Knit. This must have been the week for unraveling. But that hitchhiker – wow. It is just spectacular. I love it and it makes me want to spin more yarn.
I do enjoy test knitting, but it is … rather constrictive 😉 Here’s to a good week of knitting AND reading!
That looks like a fun pattern, and I love the color of the yarn you are using. I can relate to your ripping as I did the same on a hat recently.