Sometimes Monday | 3.16.20

Sometimes Monday | 3.16.20

Is time to get real.

It was a quiet St. Paddy’s Day weekend at my house but sadly, the same could not be said about my town!

Because that was necessary? Stop and think people… really, if you can stay home, stay home!

This article from USAToday was timely….#StayHome should be trending everywhere!

And, late yesterday the CDC finally got their head out of you know where…

This EXCELLENT WaPo article shows us clearly why strict social distancing is important! FYI, our trajectory has now surpassed the course Italy was on…just saying!

Stay well, stay socially distant, and for heaven’s sake, please stay home!

P.S. One thing you should absolutely do today is search “Italian’s singing on balconies” on YouTube. You will find gems like this.It’s a lovely rabbit hole to spend some time in! (Hint…Be like Italy…STAY HOME!)

Photo by Cristian Dina from Pexels

 

Fiber Friday…the quarantine edition

Fiber Friday…the quarantine edition

The fact that today is Friday the thirteenth is not lost on me as COVID-19 spreads its way around our neighborhoods. This is the first time I can remember that there will be no March Madness…sigh. But, I get it and I am happy that the students were more important that the revenue. The list of other spectator things that have been put on hiatus as well…NBA, NHL, MLB, Broadway shows…heck, even The View is audiance-less!

So if you, like me, are home bound for the next number of days, what’s a body to do?

Ponder no more! Do I have the things for you!

Start off with some MDK March Mayhem! Why, there is even a print out! So if you, like me, will be missing those NCAA brackets… miss.no.more! 64 patterns should be good for a merry afternoon of pondering! Get going (and this year there are SOCKS!!) Why you might even find an item or two that seems like the perfect Quarantine Knit…so.just.cast.on!

Do you have a Netflix/Amazon Prime show that you have been aching for some time to just sit down and binge? Need some suggestions? I have them!

From Netflix: The Bodyguard has just one season, but it is riveting! The Chef’s Table has more than one season and it is just brilliant! Then there’s Criminal… UK, France, and Spain. Start with UK, because David Tennant…

Amazon Prime has oodles of binge-worthy things!

I would start with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel because the costuming is DIVINE, and who doesn’t needs some laughs right now! If you missed Modern Love now is the perfect time to catch up… it is brilliantly done, and the ending is genius! And, for a second helping of David Tennant Good Omens is so much fun! And, don’t forget Harry Bosch and there are numerous seasons to keep you occupied!

Perhaps you can look at this time as A Little Respite and Michelle has some excellent suggestions to settle yourself.

Beatrice Perron Dahlen’s Heron Island has just been released to the public and it is on sale until Sunday! (no code necessary, discount taken when you purchase it!)

If you are in need of something Lopi…Álafoss has yarn on deep sale with cheap shipping rates right now!

Finally, lots of Knitwear designers are stepping up to help ease our quarantine blues but I especially loved Hinterm Stein’s Knit In Company idea (really, sign up for her newsletter!) She is a prolific designer with tons of things to stay home and knit!

That is all the enabling I have for today! Stay well and wash your hands! See you back here on Monday!

Photo by Terje Sollie from Pexels

Unraveled Wednesday | 3.11.20

Unraveled Wednesday | 3.11.20

Greetings Dear Unravelers!

Sockitis has struck with a vengeance in my house! I raced through Miss Lime and will have happy, dancing, green feet on St. Paddy’s Day! I especially love the angled lace on each foot! These socks will be perfect with my Birks!

I then immediately cast on more socks! A tried and true and well fitting pattern: Sarah Jordan’s I’ve Got Sunshine socks! I am using a skein I have been hoarding in my stash… HHF Sock in Fool’s Gold. My “Walking on Sunshine” socks are moving right along as you can see!

I have also made some headway on my son’s socks… I have a new deadline now, so the knitting will ramp up a bit. We **hope** to leave for Michigan soon, that is as long as the country is not on lock down… I am not a worrier, but boy… this all has me very worried.

But at least the reading this week was so good!

The Long Call (The Two Rivers Series #1)The Long Call by Ann Cleeves
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A new series is always a tentative read for me, but Ann.Cleeves. people! In this book we meet Matthew Venn – and we get a glimpse into his life and work in North Devon. Matthew is not your average detective…by a long shot! I can’t wait for this series to expand and grow!

Wideawake Field: PoemsWideawake Field: Poems by Eliza Griswold
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am not sure how I managed to select this poetry book, but it flowed so perfectly following my reading of Apeirogon! This work of poems was written by a journalist and it is a fascinating (but at times harsh) look at life in war zones… in refugee camps…in places of danger.

Some of the poems that spoke to me: Epithalamion, Pure, Leisurama, Occupation, and Beyond the solace of a Devastated Landscape.

By itself, I am not sure how I would feel about these poems… but coupled with the reading of Apeirogon, they are timely and so perfect.

ApeirogonApeirogon by Colum McCann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you divide death by life, you will find a circle.

The story of Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan, and the deaths of their daughters: Abir Aramin and Smadar Elhanan. This book was a challenge to read, the writing style was like nothing I have ever read before and I struggled through much of it. It was hard to keep track of story lines – and there are many within this story. Yet, despite my struggles, this is a book that I won’t soon forget. It has had a powerful impact on me.

Apeirogon: a shape with a countably infinite number of sides.

Exactly what this book is!

Smadar was born in Hadassah hospital. Where Abir died. One story becoming another.

The story of Bassam and Rami moved me deeply. Their friendship is incredible, and inspiring, and hopeful, and their example should be the goal of every human on earth. I highly recommend this book, but be ready for a challenging read!


That is all I have for this week! What about you? What moved you this week?

As always, if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below and thank you!


Sometimes Monday | 3.9.20

Sometimes Monday | 3.9.20

She wasn’t looking for a knight. She was looking for a sword. — Atticus

Yesterday was International Women’s Day and, imo, it should be International Women’s WEEK…but I especially liked the Google Doodle for yesterday!

And, speaking of amazing women…Clara Parkes has started a new thing…The Daily Respite and I think you absolutely need it in your life. The inaugural post dropped this morning and it was awesome!

This was part of that message… who’s singing with me?

Happy Monday everyone!

 

Spring Forward Weekend!

Spring Forward Weekend!

Yes, this weekend will be one hour shorter when we turn our clocks ahead in the wee hours of Sunday morning. (or are you an entirely digital household and need to change no clocks manually?) My house is a mixture of digital and manual, so I will have a few things to change Saturday night before bed. However, there is no quick fix for changing the clock in Sherman… he operates on one time and one time only: the ‘is it time to eat yet’ time!

This week was really lovely – bouts of sunshine, punctuated with temps in the 50’s… and boy, do I suddenly have spring fever…bad!

My library surprised me on Tuesday night and personally informed me that my copy of Louise Erdrich’s new novel, The Night Watchman was ready for me to check out! And, then Wednesday Louise was on Fresh Air… the interview is wonderful and I am eager to start her new book!

I struggle with exercise and I beat myself up all the time because of those struggles, but then I listened to this Life Kit episode and I am not going to beat myself up any longer… it was wonderful (and so freeing!!) to hear that ALL MOVEMENT COUNTS!

I spent some time yesterday sorting through my stash of hand spun yarn to put some choices together to knit along with Vicki and friends as we all make Nightshift shawls! I think I have a pretty good start on where I want to go! But!! I curbed my enthusiasm to cast on because of those so.close.to.the.finish Miss Lime socks and this morning I only have the toe to go! (Rachel Maddow and Elizabeth Warren are fantastic knitting companions, just saying!) The absolute insanity of this all is that I knit these socks in eight days! Vera…I think you have created a monster!

And these “think spring” things caught my eye this week:

Finally, the winner of Ravelry this week (for me at least) is the Stockholm Slipover Mini (English translation is on its way…) but really, this picture was the thing that said knit me now:

 © PetiteKnit

Everyone with me now…AWWWWWWWW!

That’s all I have for this week…have a good weekend all!

**Photo by Maria Tyutina from Pexels

 

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