The Autumnal Equinox occurred last night at 9PM and it is as if Mother Nature flipped a switch… the arrival of autumn did in deed bring autumn-like temperatures! This morning it was a very chilly and hushed silence talking Sherman for his morning walk. No birdsong, no crickets chirping… just one sniffing pug to break the stillness of the morning.
It seems like a good day to do a bit of RIFFing… so let’s get started:
Remembering —
I saw this tweet this morning and my heart broke a bit. I know what my fall/winter is going to be full of… finishing reading her Wolf Hall/Thomas Cromwell series.
We are heartbroken at the death of our beloved author, Dame Hilary Mantel, and our thoughts are with her friends and family, especially her husband, Gerald. This is a devastating loss and we can only be grateful she left us with such a magnificent body of work. pic.twitter.com/d8bzkBBXuH
— 4th Estate Books (@4thEstateBooks) September 23, 2022
I have not explored any of her writing beyond Wolf Hall, but she has a sizable body of work to explore.
(when I have brief moments of) Insight —
My new painting class began yesterday and I have spent much of the month focused on the “sequence” of watercolor. From saturation of the page, keeping a wet edge, layers, damp and dry work. And to make things remarkably clear for myself – I have done a variety of “neutral” paintings. And on Wednesday… it all began to click! And I did what I feel is my best representation of all these skills combined. Good thing because the first thing Mr. Surowicz mentions in the first lesson of the new class is how important a “shades of grey” study is before you begin a new painting. I did some work to get my watercolor paper ready to paint, but today I am going to do a rough sketch (or two) in my sketchbook and do some value studies before I begin the “big painting” and I am so very excited!
Finding (answers) —
This week, Jane asked me a very good question: “I’m trying to think how many oz. of fiber it takes to spin enough yarn for a sweater” …
Such an excellent question and I thought I’d share how I make a determination about that very thing. Way back in my very early spinning life I asked that very question. The short answer given me was to “weigh a sweater I wear” and that will give me a rough idea of what I will need. Seems simple? If you think that is a clear as mud… you are not alone. For me, figuring out “how much yarn will I need for x project” was the greatest mystery of spinning! Until I discovered Felicia Lo, that is. Felicia is the magic behind Sweet Georgia Yarns and she is an avid spinner! She also blogs… and her blog is one of the best resources I have found to answer all the “mystery” questions of spinning I might ever have! Anyways, she gives a very clear and easy to understand method of determining how much yarn a sweater might take… that would be any sweater, any gauge, size inclusive, and how much “extra” to calculate. (Actually, this method would work for ANY item you want to knit… not just sweaters!)
I hope this helps you, Jane… as well as any other spinning knitters out there!
Friday (Jabs) —
Yes, that’s correct… later this morning, I am heading down to Rite Aid to get a couple of “jabs”… the new and updated COVID booster (thank you, Pfizer!) and a flu shot as well. I have sort of cleared the deck for the weekend, just in case I am feeling a bit puny from said jabs… but I am so thankful that scientists have made our lives so much better thanks to the wonder of vaccines! (And I am still in awe of how it is possible that I have yet to catch COVID!)
Have a great weekend everyone! See you all back here on Monday!
Happy FALL Kat. Wow it got so blustery last night and down right windy this morning. I had to get up to close the window at 5 a.m.!! It feels wonderful. I don’t paint, but it’s fun to read your excitement about your classes. Good luck with your jabs! Fletch and I had no reactions to the 3rd Pfizer booster…wishing you the same!
I was so sad to read about Hilary Mantel, what a loss!
I wish you luck with your jabs. I’ll get my flu shot in two weeks and I can’t get my next Pfizer booster until early November because of when I had my last booster. Hope you have a nice weekend!
It felt a bit this morning like we skipped fall and went right to winter — but that means it’s sweater weather! (And it’s certainly good motivation to finish a pair of socks, because my feet are darn cold!)
I’m planning another sweater spin, so I’m off to explore your link. I hope you have no serious effects from the shots, though I think you are wise to plan for a quiet weekend just in case.
Thank you Thank you Kat. I am going to bookmark that blog and read a little more about determining the amount of fiber needed for a sweater. I hope your “jabs” go well. We got the Pfizer Covid booster a week ago Thursday and other than sore arms we had the least amount of side effects from any of the vaccinations. May yours go as well. We need to get out for the flu shots soon. You are learning so much about painting. It’s fun to watch your progress and hear your thoughts about it.
I’ll be interested to hear about your jabs. Mine are in the first week of October. I love the latest painting. The death of Hilary Mantell was a big shock. I shal have to read the third book in the triology very soon.
My jabs were not too bad! I got both in one arm and it was a bit warm on Saturday and I felt a bit achy. But by today (Sunday) I am good to go!
Glad to see in the comment above that you did well with your jabs! Your watercolors are always so gorgeous to me. I LOVE this neutral one. So beautifully done!
I’ve tried reading Wolf Hall so many times and always give up. Maybe I’ll try it on audio and see if anything clicks?
I did okay with those shots and I hope you did as well. Love your watercolor painting!
There’s nothing like a good, old “shades of gray” value study to get things rolling, non? Nicely done — and a really good habit to get yourself into (said the painter who always means well, but is usually too excited to just get started. . . ). 😉
I loved Wolf Hall, although book 3 is just . . . awfully dense. (Just sayin.) It took me forever to get through it (but it was worth it in the end). I’ve just ordered her “Beyond Black” from my local bookstore (because my library doesn’t have it/can’t seem to get it?) to read this fall.