by Kat | Sep 23, 2019 | General, In This Moment
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. – Albert Camus
The weekend had a deliciously summery feel, that is if you just considered the temperatures and not the light – because the light was most decidedly fall! But the days were warm and sunny!
But joy of joys… today begins my favorite season: Fall! Its days are fast, but I am determined to slow the season down by savoring each day – rain or shine!
Yep, Friday I got an urgent message from Steve that there was a significant water break and all the South Hills (or almost all of it) were on a “Boil Water Advisory” for at least 48 hours. Water is a curious thing… open the tap and voila! Water! Easy, right? Except when it isn’t. And, when you can’t drink water it is the only thing you want to drink!
I also went to get some blood work done prior to a doctor visit tomorrow and yes, I am a bit nervous about the results.
Leggings were seamed up, but no sewing was done…so that is on my list for the week! As is that doctor visit and hopefully I can manage a haircut on Friday!
I also did a good bit of reading, but more on that on Wednesday!
And finally, STILL…there is all that never-ending lace! But I am almost ready to join a new ball of yarn and I only have 2 left, so the end is slowly getting closer!
But for now, I need to get going with my walk – rain is threatening! See you back here tomorrow when I join Juliann to share how my focus was for September!
by Kat | Sep 20, 2019 | General, In This Moment
Looking at the calendar, I am filled with the deepest sadness that September is almost over. How the heck did that happen??? I have been savoring these days, but I can’t ignore the changes am seeing more and more of every day!
Things like it is now dark when my alarm goes off – no hint of light at all…sigh. Those darker mornings coupled with much cooler temperatures have me wanting to linger in bed and I need to nip that in the bud before it becomes a habit!
Light wasn’t the only thing changing this week! I noticed that the morning sounds have changed dramatically – the clink of ice falling into a glass for iced coffee has been replaced by the comforting whir from the milk frother heating milk for my morning coffee. The birdsong has dwindled and has been replaced by the sounds of kids leaving for school and their buses driving through the neighborhood. And, an extra layer was needed to take Sherman out several mornings and my Morrine Short and Sweet is the perfect layer!
Yes, signs of autumn are steadily creeping in! But these signs did not stop me from my “move my body goals” this week! I completed the 10-day Pilate’s challenge and plan to continue my “back to the mat” consistency! I also walked every day this week. It feels good to get back to this very important routine!
I finished up the of leggings for Vivi – well the knitting portion is done, and I blocked them yesterday and this morning they aren’t quite dry yet, but all that is left to do is a wee bit of a seam to finish them. While I am waiting, I will stitch up some Reindeer Ears and then I just need to find a wee bit of pink fabric to make a bow and I can ship it all off to my daughter! And that means I am back to my Black Hole Knitting with renewed vigor – these cold mornings were just the thing I needed…that and the fact that I really want to start my next Morrine Short and Sweet!
I stopped in IKEA yesterday looking for some muslin fabric yesterday and struck gold! I found some lovely mid-weight cotton on sale for 99 cents per yard. That’s right for less than $5.00 I have my muslin fabric! I also found some lovely grey-blue light weight cotton as well. It was not on sale, but at $2.99 per yard, it was still an incredible bargain! All this fabric is in the washer and will be hanging to dry shortly. I doubt I will get the muslin cut out this weekend, but maybe!
The *last* issue of Laine magazine is out today, and it has some really wonderful patterns in it!
After a long hiatus, Lene popped in to say hello and wow. I don’t crochet… but perhaps I should learn! That sweater over a dress is just awesome looking!
Isabel Kraemer’s latest creation is so lovely!
And, finally, Romi’s pattern I talked about last week is available on Ravelry! And, Kim has pre-orders for yarn up on her website as well… just saying!
That is all I have for this week! I hope your Friday is the perfect thing to ease you into the weekend! See you all back here on Monday!
by Kat | Sep 18, 2019 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
I feel like I have fallen into the black hole of knitting….
It feels like I have been knitting lace forever yet I still have 7-ish inches to go. Grrrr!!!
So, yesterday I took a lace knitting sanity break and started Halloween Legging Swatching! After a few trials and errors, I found the stitch combination sweet spot and am now moving along nicely! I should have the leggings done in short order. Can I just say that knitting for a pint-sized 4-year-old is quick, gratifying, and fun?
Thankfully, reading is going better than lace knitting and I have finished books this week to prove it!
First up, I picked up another Henning Mankell book from Overdrive. The Shadow Girls is about refugees in Sweden and their compelling stories – all re-told by a failing writer who is so moved by their haunting tales that he encourages them to write their stories down, 4-stars and I highly recommend this book. Mankell’s writing is simply brilliant!
I followed this up with the audiobook, The Leavers – which is another refugee story, but this one is quite different…at times it is painful to listen to. The story is told from two different perspectives – a mother and her child. About mid-way though the book I really was wondering where the author was going with this story, but Lisa Ko manages to bring all those wandering lines together to a masterful ending. 4-stars and again, I highly recommend!
That is all I have for this week, but what about you? How is your making and reading this week?
As always, if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Sep 16, 2019 | General, In This Moment
Happy Monday everyone! I hope your weekend was one that was full of all the things you needed, and you are ready to tackle a new week!
“One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.” – A. A. Milne
This weekend included some major Kon-Mari-ing of all the upstairs closets. It was not quite the level of Swedish-Death Cleaning, but the closets are organized, have a bit of space, and the “transition” wardrobe pieces have been moved so they are readily available! Also, if you find something you forgot you had it feels a bit like you got something new!
I even made a list of items my fall-into-winter wardrobe is missing…things I want to make. Our recent trek out to the Outlets really showed me how much I don’t like Ready To Wear. None of it fits well, it almost always needs alterations and/or adjustments to make it fit right, feel right, and look right. So, fall making is now high on my priority list! And, at the top of that list is a pair of good fitting jeans! This fall I plan on sewing a pair of jeans that fit me.
Now, what does the week hold for me?
Well, Reagan lace knitting is at the top of the list, and I am just over halfway – so 7-ish more inches and then the bottom band, but those rows are so.long. just saying…so I expect this lace knitting to continue into next week.
I also need to transform this into reindeer ears and some cabled leggings.
AND…I need to tackle my Zadie jumpsuit muslin so I can work out the pattern kinks.
But, what about you? What’s on your list this week?
by Kat | Sep 13, 2019 | General, In This Moment
Nine months into 2019 and we have our first Friday the 13th of the year…(and there is only one more in December). We have rain in the forecast for tomorrow but I am hoping that the skies will allow for some Harvest Moon viewing! The moon was spectacular last night! I took a small break from debate watching/knitting to head outside to watch it rise!
Friday has arrived and my list is not complete. But, there were some very good accomplishments and an unexpected outing with a friend!
I also put my Reagan on two needles so you can see the progress I made this week! I have 8-ish more inches of lace to knit before the bottom band. I think it is moving along nicely. And, though I have not memorized the 12-row lace chart, I have worked out 4-row sections so I think the lace knitting will go a bit quicker now.
Things completed:
- 5-days of Pilates – it felt so good to be back to my mat, but it was so hard! Gah, no more skipping this routine because starting again is not easy!
- 3-days where I managed to squeeze in a walk – I would like to be walking every single day, but my gradual easing in is not creating any residual pain in my ankle at all! Next week my plan is to walk 3 days again but begin to walk longer distances!
- Rose pants, completed! (and yes, I found the missing elastic after I purchased more elastic!)
Things uncompleted:
- Zadie Jumpsuit – after a long discussion with a “sewing” knitter on Tuesday night – I am going to hold off sewing the more expensive fabric until I have made a much less expensive muslin to work out the pattern kinks. My weekend list includes finding some fabric to make the muslin.
- Genevieve’s reindeer costume parts – although I did pull out fabric for the ears, I need to find some yarn (preferably in my stash) that might work for “leggings” so stay tuned!
Unexpected things:
- I went to Sewickley with a girlfriend on Wednesday! We had lunch and wandered around the town, including a stop at Sewickley Yarns! I was good and did not buy any yarn! Although, I did get some fiber wash and put my name on the list for the final issue of Laine Magazine, which will be in sometime in mid-October. This will facilitate another trip to Sewickley, which is a very good thing!
Things that crossed my radar this week:
- This sweater popped up on Ravelry this week and oh my… lovely! I am not a fan of knitting cables, but this sweater just might change my mind about that!
- Romi also posted that this beauty is coming next week. I just LOVE the colors of the yarns and the stitch pattern:
That is all I have for this week. We have a few things we want to get done this weekend, but the list is not overwhelming! I hope you all have a good weekend and I will see you back here on Monday!
