by Kat | Aug 1, 2017 | General
Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning. Gloria Steinem
I really enjoyed my July stitching, but again I am feeling that the stitching is not “done”, but maybe that is the way of summer months. They are never quite done as they move on to the next. Things are still growing and changing and so, perhaps an unfinished feel to stitching is appropriate.
And now a new month lays before me and the excitement I feel as I look at the fabric that will be transformed over the days of August is palpable. The blues of summer will hopefully be captured in my stitching!
by Kat | Jul 31, 2017 | General, In This Moment
This Monday morning brings the close of July is the most unexpected but beautiful way.
It was a great weekend! Friday night cocktails were accompanied by some light snacks as we wound down the week.
Saturday saw me heading out with some “yarn” friends to visit a few shops on the Pittsburgh Yarn Crawl and the weather was just perfect – not too hot at all as we enjoyed the day.
Sunday, the day started out beautifully cool but it warmed nicely and the in afternoon we spent time in the yard doing a bit of work, which feels like it is never-ending.
However, this “overnight” visitor was a most welcome sight first thing this morning!
I hope your Monday is filled with unexpected goodness, too!
by Kat | Jul 28, 2017 | General
Some weeks I am extra happy when Friday arrives and this is one of those weeks! However, it is the last Friday in July… Yeah, how is that even possible!
We did get our trip to Michigan ironed out this week, so there is that!
I am thankful for Senators McCain, Murkowski, and Collins this morning. Well done and bravo to doing the right thing! Now, perhaps some bi-partisanship work can begin. I have my fingers crossed. Perhaps we can flood their in-boxes with some words of thanks, maybe it will start a trend? I am hopeful for adult-like compromise beginning. The “my way or the highway” form of governing is not working for any of us.
Now, how about a couple of links this week?
- Fellow Pittsburgher PAKnitwit has a new pattern out – Wynne. I really love this and have plans to make one with handspun!
- These next items are not new, but showed up in my feed on Ravelry and I was surprised that I had not seen them before… Yoga Shawl and Kingston Tunic both will be great for cooler weather (not that I am trying to rush the arrival of cool weather!)
- Need some quick gratification knitting? NoShow Socks might do the trick!
- And, finally Merel (which is free in the 2 yr old size) and part of a collection of really cute kids sweaters!
That is all I have this week! Have a fantastic weekend and I will see you all back here on Monday!
by Kat | Jul 27, 2017 | General, Words
This week’s topic for Think Write Thursday is to share my favorite summer meal ideas, including recipes if applicable. Are you all about the grill? Or maybe do you prefer salads. Do you use your crock-pot a lot in the summer? Or would you rather have sandwiches? Tell us what you’re eating and tell us how you prepare it!
Summer for me is all about fresh. Fresh from the garden. Fresh from the farmer’s market. Fresh.
Part of the challenge is to preserve ‘fresh’ to carry us through the months where fresh has been shipped in from someplace else.
Last night’s harvest
But, for me the best and most important “taste” of summer are tomatoes – there is nothing on this earth that tastes like a fresh from the garden tomato. Strangely, Steve hates tomatoes. I know… what the heck? Anyways, I have tried to alter this with zero success until I found this recipe for Tomato Jam. Really, it is so good and Steve loves it! I make it exactly as the recipe is written. And, trust me when I say that a bit of this in January brings summer rushing back!
The other thing I love are pickles – they are the perfect addition to Happy Hour and my favorite simple recipe is this one by Andrew Zimmern. My only addition to the recipe is ½ to 1 tsp of red pepper flakes to make them sweet and spicy. So good, and when you grow the cucumbers it is even better!
For dinner, tonight I am going to do a “southwest riff” on stuffed peppers. I will cut these peppers in half and fill them with a mixture of black beans, fresh sweet corn, onion, some of my tomato sauce, a little bit of ground beef, and some spices (I will use chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt, and pepper). It is super simple, brown the ground beef. Add the onion and garlic and cook until they are soft. Add the spices and the tomato sauce. Heat through. Spoon over the halved peppers and bake in a 350° F oven for 35 minutes or until the peppers begin to soften a bit and the sauce is bubbly. Top with some low-fat cheese and return to the oven for a few minutes until the cheese has melted. Serve with an ice-cold beer.
What about you? What foods say summer to you?
You will find more good food here. If you want to join Carole and me on Think Write Thursday’s, you can sign up here.
by Kat | Jul 26, 2017 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Just when you think there will be no unraveling – there is.
This week’s queue to finish:
- Iced Coffee Stillwater, which is the recipient of the frogging. I have about 3″ to go on Sleeve #2 until I get to the 50-stitch mark, then…Sleeve #1 is being ripped back to 50 stitches and then I will determine how much if any to knit further before beginning the ribbing. Sometimes when you are knitting a smaller size based on your gauge – sleeve diameter needs some reworking and that is absolutely the case here!
- TTL MKAL shawl, I am in the home stretch and have a bit more of the lace done since I took photos yesterday!
On the reading front, I managed to finish 3 books this week and I got my second BINGO:
- The Help by Kathryn Stockett: I gave this book 5 stars…I was not sure I would like this book, but I loved it! The narration was excellent. I laughed so many times at the “ba-billion” funny things. I also cried a time or two. A great look into how life was and a powerful reminder of what should never have happened.
- Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury: I gave this book 4 stars…The quintessential book for summer reading and, stunningly, a book I had not previously read! I loved it and found myself immersed in the writing as well as my own childhood memories of new sneakers. I also loved the memories of each jar of dandelion wine. Beautiful writing.
- Beartown: A Novel by Frederik Backman. I gave this book 5 stars…While I am not a fan of hockey, this book makes you realize how intricately tied together a town can be and how easy it is to pick sides. You would think reading about hockey would be quite boring, but it is not. It is the characters in the town that Backman writes about – and the decisions they make that are interesting. They are people who you know – or perhaps the person you are – in the pages of Beartown. And, it is masterfully written!
So, what is up next for me?
Reading: I have begun listening to A Handmaid’s Tale narrated by Claire Danes. And I have begun reading The Children Act by Ian McEwan. I also have Nutshell and Dawn in the queue from the library. So, lots of reading!!
Knitting: I think I will begin Bateau as soon as I have Stillwater and the MKAL shawl done…
What about you? What are you knitting and reading this week?
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