by Kat | Aug 23, 2017 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
The time crunch has begun to get my coverall in Book Bingo…and I am feeling it! I have 2 squares to go and I am listening to both books.
I did finish Still Waters by Viveca Sten. It was an excellent book and I gave it 4 stars! I would have given it 5 stars, but for some of the tiny bits of rambling that I felt were unnecessary to the story line. I had no clue who “did it” until the very end. I will read another book in her series and see how she develops the characters. All in all, great writing!
I have been dividing my listening time between The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and A Room with a View – talk about divergent writing! Anyways, I still have a good bit of listening to do but, my hope is that they are both done by Labor Day! A Room with a View should be done later today… then just about 12 hours left in Kavalier and Clay. I am hopeful that I will make it!
Now, on the knitting front, I am happy to share that there has been NO unraveling here this week, and even though I did not have quantity knitting time, it was quality time!
I have about 6 more inches to knit on my Angelina Pullover to get to the bottom ribbing and I am just about to add in my 4th skein of yarn. I am most pleased with how this is turning out and my hope is that I will have this done before Labor Day!
I also began clue #2 of Laura Aylor’s Sand Ripples and I am really enjoying this knit! So far, so good!
That is all I have for this week… what is good in your knitting and reading?
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by Kat | Aug 22, 2017 | General, In This Moment
There is so much going on every day and not all of it good. So, every day I try very hard to have something good to focus on, I thought I’d share a bit of that with you!
Watching: The eclipse! Even though in Pittsburgh we only got a partial eclipse – it was spectacular even with some cloud cover. The changes to the light were stunning. You will be happy to know that our household listened to the directions of not looking at the sun to prevent retinal damage. This was not the case for everyone… Perhaps this should be a test for competency? And, as for the digital watching: Game of Thrones (of course!) and Endeavor! I also watched the finale of Broadchurch and honestly, I was a little disappointed. But, I won’t say any more than that for all those who have yet to watch it.
Stitching: Every single day and I am really pleased with how August is unfolding. Really pleased! I also went and got some button craft thread and my hope is that I will soon turn this pile of tee shirts into my first AC garment.
Reading: and listening like a maniac as I chase down my cover all! I am just 2 squares away and have about 18 hours of listening to do. I am eager to get them done because Beach Music by Pat Conroy just came off hold for me at the library! I am also reading the Essays of E.B. White on my Kindle and I have both books by Laurie Colwin (Home Cooking and More Home Cooking). I am almost done with Home Cooking – I should have it completed this week. This has really been the most spectacular summer for reading. Ever.
Picking: Tomatoes…so many tomatoes. That picture above is from this morning! I know, you are all probably sick of hearing about tomatoes, but this year, the volume of large tomatoes has been really quite spectacular. In past years, I have been happy with the dozen we have picked, but this year has had a bumper crop with no signs of production slowing down! Also, raspberries… I picked enough again this morning to make a batch of jam. I know these are such awful problems to have. Spending time in my garden is really the best time, I would not trade it for anything – even with the bunnies decimating our beans! There should be a “not picking” category perhaps, because outside of the handful of zucchini we picked at the beginning of the season, it has not been a good year for them at all. We have picked a sum total of zero since then and it does not look like that will change. I am not sure why they are having such a bad year, but my neighbor is not having any success with his squash plants this year either.
Eating: Tomatoes from my garden! Every.single.day! And, for those things we aren’t growing: sweet corn, peaches, and an incredible variety of peppers! August is the month where I am quite certain I could become a vegetarian.
Looking forward to: Our trip to Michigan! We finalized the dates and have our Airbnb reservation all set. It is the one thing that is really giving me something to look forward to! Why? Because…
Dreading: The end of August. The arrival of Labor Day. The return of dark mornings. Having to turn lights on at night earlier. This summer I have really tried to not “wish ahead” but rather spend more time in the moment enjoying. This has been an eye-opening practice – I am much happier with each day and I am worrying less about tomorrow, or next month, or next year. September, you can just wait your turn – there is lots of August left!
Celebrating: Sherman’s 5th Birthday on Saturday! Every day I am so incredibly thankful for him. He is a bright spot in our day.
That is a slice of what is good in my life right now; how about you? What’s good in your life?
by Kat | Aug 21, 2017 | General, In This Moment
It was a fly by weekend here but lots got done. Unfortunately, the sweater was not one of the things on the “done” list! I am through the sleeve divide however, and the knitting is going a bit quicker now. With some quality knitting time, this should not be on my needles too much longer!
However, today my list has little room for knitting.
My list today includes the plethora of tomatoes that have taken over the house, some raspberry jam as well. As is Pilates and a walk and mixed in with those things are a few other more “mundane” tasks as well.
Oh, and I also have some eclipse viewing to do as well!
Hope your Monday is full of good things!
by Kat | Aug 18, 2017 | General
This weekend I a #NekiaKAL participant and when Monday comes it is my hope that I will be well on my way to having a new sweater for my fall wardrobe! And, if I am really productive, I will be done on Monday but, I have my doubts that will happen. However, with no sleeve’s to knit perhaps this is doable! FYI, in all honesty, I did begin yesterday afternoon. I was not sure about the starting directions and I had some undivided time so I sat down to begin working on it. I only had to rip back once, lol. Perhaps the rainy weekend will afford me some extra knitting time, we shall see! Anyways, stay tuned for an update on Monday!
Last week I got an email from the ladies from an awesome project called “RESIST in a Box” asking if I would share some information here on my blog and I thought that considering what has been going on over the past 210 days; yes, absolutely! I asked them to send me some more information and, they did! They have volunteer knitters who are helping with the project and today I would like to share what Marcia Rogers shared with me:
Edyie Stika
Edyie Stika from Iowa City, Iowa, embodies the very definition of resistance. She is a mentor to many, a business woman, an inventor, a caretaker and a friend to all activists in her community! Edyie has owned The Knitting Shoppe in Iowa City for over 30 years. It is a hub and center for thoughtful discussions and creativity. Each year she dedicates her product and space to crank out many free winter hats for youth in Iowa City called Caps for Kids. Edyie and her shop were instrumental in being a conduit for women seeking Pink Pussyhats, making hats, and distributing hats for the Women’s March in January. I approached Edyie and told her my idea for RESIST in a Box and asked for her help in designing a pattern of a miniature Pink Pussyhat! I wanted to do something that paid tribute to the women who inspired us all and gave us hope and empowerment last January! Originally, I said to Edyie,” Let’s make a key chain!” So, as we fiddled with this new pattern and how to attach it to a key chain, suddenly Edyie burst into giggles and this idea was born instead….
Pink Pussyhat Finger Puppets!
The one in your box has extra yarn connected to it so you can attach it to your key chain, your rear-view mirror or just keep it upright on your desk! Enjoy its many uses. I encourage you all to follow Edyie as we tell more stories about her and about other knitters helping this project. Her shop is just beautiful and it is located at 2141 Muscatine Ave. Iowa City, IA 52240.
The Knitting Shoppe
From that simple day of asking Edyie to help me design a pattern, I have now met many women who came forward to help knit these small hats for RESIST in a Box. Their stories of resistance are worth sharing and you will hear about more of them in future posts!
Thank you, EDYIE, dear friend and my inspiration…and to all of you reading today, my appreciation.
Keep up the #RESIST!
Marcia Rogers
RESIST in a Box
RESIST in a Box
And, a huge thanks to Marcia and Arin for sharing this with me!!
Now, how about some links!
- Staying with the #RESIST theme… Holding Hope Kerchief
- Sweetpea…the perfect sweater to extend the months of summer well into the fall!
- Sikuli Shawl combines some very interesting techniques into a really striking shawl!
- Aeque (Latin for equally) I mean really, Latin and knitting and mini-skeins? This is the perfect combination!
- Småstein and Pyla – international tiny people knits!
That is all I have this week! Have a great weekend! (Oh, and get some knitting in would you?)
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by Kat | Aug 17, 2017 | General, Words
This week’s Think Write Thursday topic is to tell us what you do when you find yourself with an abundance of tomatoes because ’tis the season!
Ode to Tomatoes by Pablo Neruda
the street filled with tomatoes, midday, summer,
light is halved like a tomato, its juice runs through the streets.
in December, unabated, the tomato invades the kitchen, it enters at lunchtime,
takes its ease on countertops, among glasses, butter dishes, blue saltcellars.
it sheds its own light, benign majesty.
unfortunately, we must murder it: the knife sinks into living flesh,
red viscera a cool sun, profound, inexhaustible, populates the salads of Chile,
happily, it is wed to the clear onion, and to celebrate the union we pour oil,
essential child of the olive, onto its halved hemispheres,
pepper adds its fragrance, salt, its magnetism;
it is the wedding of the day, parsley hoists its flag,
potatoes bubble vigorously, the aroma of the roast knocks at the door,
it’s time! come on! and, on the table, at the midpoint of summer, the tomato,
star of earth, recurrent and fertile star, displays its convolutions,
its canals, its remarkable amplitude and abundance, no pit, no husk,
no leaves or thorns, the tomato offers its gift of fiery color and cool completeness.
It is my favorite time of the year, that moment when the garden is overflowing with ripe tomatoes and the point of tomatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is upon us! My love for tomatoes matches Pablo Neruda’s…it is indeed time!
I have made 2 batches of jam thus far and will make a third batch later this week – sadly, this is the only way Steve will eat tomatoes. For me however, there is nothing that compares to the taste of fresh tomatoes. My favorite lunch is a bowl of tomatoes sprinkled with salt and some freshly cracked pepper then drizzled with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Simple and so delicious. Breakfast? A bit of cottage cheese and more tomatoes – the breakfast of the gardener! And, I can always find room on my dinner plate for some beautiful red tomato slices! And, the gardener’s snack? Sun-warmed tomatoes fresh off the vine are summer’s best candy!
And, if there are more tomatoes than I can eat – I can always find someone who is happy with the gift of a fresh tomato or two!
If you want to see what others are doing with all their tomatoes, you will find them here. If you would like to join Carole and me for Think Write Thursday’s, you can sign up here!
