by Kat | Apr 13, 2023 | General, Poetry
Welcome to the second week of National Poetry Month!
This week, we are all sharing a poem by our Poet Laureate, Ada Limón. I have a plethora of Ada Favorites in my poetry collection, but I think the thing I like best about Ada’s poetry is the way she lifts women… it always inspires me.
And my selection this week is:
How to Triumph Like a Girl
by Ada Limón
I like the lady horses best,
how they make it all look easy,
like running 40 miles per hour
is as fun as taking a nap, or grass.
I like their lady horse swagger,
after winning. Ears up, girls, ears up!
But mainly, let’s be honest, I like
that they’re ladies. As if this big
dangerous animal is also a part of me,
that somewhere inside the delicate
skin of my body, there pumps
an 8-pound female horse heart,
giant with power, heavy with blood.
Don’t you want to believe it?
Don’t you want to lift my shirt and see
the huge beating genius machine
that thinks, no, it knows,
it’s going to come in first.
Ada Limon, “How to Triumph Like a Girl” from Bright Dead Things. Copyright © 2015 by Ada Limon.
To learn more about Ada, you will find some great info here as well as her site here.
Please stop by and see what poems Kym, Bonny, and Sarah are sharing today!
by Kat | Apr 12, 2023 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers and Happy Wednesday!
It is the week for finished objects in my house… the reason for that is rage-knitting. Although, I hear some of you are rage-weeding and I have done some weeding, but in spurts… perhaps not enough spurts because there are still weeds in my yard.
But my rage-knitting has been productive! I have finished my Handspun Sweater, finished Steve’s Pi-Socks, and finished a long forgotten in-process sock that I found in my “vacation knitting bag” which I pulled out in anticipation for our Erie trip later this month. It now has space for some “vacation knitting” and I hope to have this pair of socks completed before we leave for Erie!
Finish 1:
Pi-Socks, done and they fit!
Finish 2:
I have not been this happy about a finished sweater in a long time. The fit is good, I love the saddle to raglan shoulder treatment… it is so perfect. The bottom band is not snug… at all. It has nice drape, but it is not too baggy. And the turtleneck… oh my! It is perfect. Not too big, not too tight… it is just right! This will be a sweater I wear LOTS. And it is a sweater I plan on knitting again. Perhaps all the options it offers!
Finish 2.5:
Rox-man… you will have to put on the red socks!
And… I have picked my next “Big Project” as well… I have had this skein of Briar Rose Fibers (now discontinued) Angel Face for eons in my stash.. I bought it because I could not resist the colors… and the Angel Face halo. This pattern from Anne Hanson crossed my path over the weekend and I have not stopped thinking about it… and yesterday morning the pattern and the skein of Angel Face merged into a project.
I think these are the perfect Thistle colors!
So I have some “round and round” knitting for when I need it and as soon as I can wind off the skein of Angel Face, I will have some “engage your brain” lace chart knitting!
In case you think all that knitting means that there has been no reading this week… ha! Think again! I finished a couple of books this week… Love & Saffron (which I loved, but wished it was so much longer!!) and Fight Night, which I also loved… deeply. I paused reading The Covenant of Water to devour Fight Night but now I am back to it… I have read about 3/4’s of it and it is long… it feels even longer. I am hoping that something in the last quarter picks up and reinvigorates it for me because right now, I am not loving it. My daytime listen is Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. I am enjoying it… but not really loving it… yet. I am not quite halfway, and I hope it will move beyond where I feel like it is going. I know many of you really loved the book and I hope I will too!
Whew, that is all I have for today… what about you? Are you rage-knitting? Joy-knitting? Escape-reading? Do.Tell.All!
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Apr 10, 2023 | General, In This Moment
is focused on the search for calm.
I confess, I did some rage knitting over the weekend… which resulted in the finishing of my Handspun Sweater. It is getting a good soak and needs a few ends woven in, but I think it will be ready for the big reveal on Wednesday.
This morning, I am ignoring the mundane and instead have painting front and center… watercolor painting, that is! It is the one sure thing that will get me out of my head, and after the weekend’s news… I need that!
See you all back here on Wednesday with a NEW SWEATER!
by Kat | Apr 7, 2023 | Currently, General
April ushers in the second quarter and so it is time for me to share a “currently” post and share some random things that I don’t talk about on the regular…
Thinking —
I have not stopped thinking about this post since I read it. In that one post, Anne has provided so much for me to think about… and this all ties in so well with my word this year. And while I am well past menopause and the empty nest blues so much of what Anne shared hit home for me… most especially the body neutral discussion. Anne’s words “knowing that these measurements are morally neutral” were so powerful. I had not taken my measurements for eons, so I began there. It was not easy, but I did it and even wrote down all the numbers! By avoiding the whole subject of measurements, I was living in some fantasy world where the numbers were somehow the same as they were the last time I recorded them. The numbers are what they are… and being authentic to myself means loving myself exactly where I am today… with the current measurements and reminding myself that they are just numbers. I am also thankful for inclusive pattern makers, bold and beautiful influencers of.all.sizes. and for finding a new-to-me voice… I have queued up this episode to listen to this weekend.
Perfecting —
Detroit-style Pizza… a couple of weeks ago that I tried a recipe that at first attempt needed several adjustments for it to be successful for me. Well, I did some Googling and found someone who likewise tried the recipe and felt it needed some tweaks as well. So last weekend, I gave her tweaks a try… and had great success! I could not find any Wisconsin Brick Cheese, however TJ’s aged cheddar worked just fine. The crispy cheesy crust was incredible. I will definitely use Serious Eats recipe again!
Watching —
I have recently discovered the delight that are the Midsomer Murders series! I have made my way through the first couple of seasons and I am in love with DCI Barnaby and his trusty side kick, Sgt. Troy. Barnaby is a good detective, and he always figures out “who did it” and the Oxfordshire Midsomer countryside is beautiful.
Anticipating —
A trip later this month to visit Erie and most especially, Presque Isle! We are planning on doing an early morning bird walk… and I am super excited about that! We will also do our own bird walking, but it will be so fun to go with someone who knows more than we do! We also have plans to have a libation or two with a meal from Cork 1794. We are working on some “new” things to add to our agenda… so if you have any Erie tips for me, I welcome them!
That’s all for me this week. I will be back with you on Monday! Have a great weekend all!
by Kat | Apr 6, 2023 | General, Poetry
Welcome to my favorite month of the entire year… National Poetry Month!
As usual… Kym, Bonny, Sarah, and myself will be sharing some poetry with you this month on Thursday’s.
Before I share my poem for today, I thought I’d give you some ideas of how you can add more poetry to your April days! You will find a treasure trove of resources here… including getting a Poem-A-Day emailed to you. This month they will all be curated by Ada Limón, Poet Laureate. Want more… you will find 30 ideas here to bring more poetry to your April!
Today, each of us will be sharing a poem around the idea of wonder… I read a good deal of poetry and considered a number of different poems, but ultimately I picked a poem by Ellen Bass. She is a favorite poet of mine… she is easy to read and her poems really hit home for me. This poem starts with Rilke (who I just can’t get enough of!) and from there, she shares the wonder of us… she makes it personal…intimate for the reader… me and you …in the most incredible way.
The World Has Need of You
by Ellen Bass
…everything here seems to need us…
—Rilke
I can hardly imagine it
as I walk to the lighthouse, feeling the ancient
prayer of my arms swinging
in counterpoint to my feet.
Here I am, suspended
between the sidewalk and twilight,
the sky dimming so fast it seems alive.
What if you felt the invisible
tug between you and everything?
A boy on a bicycle rides by,
his white shirt open, flaring
behind him like wings.
It’s a hard time to be human. We know too much
and too little. Does the breeze need us?
The cliffs? The gulls?
If you’ve managed to do one good thing,
the ocean doesn’t care.
But when Newton’s apple fell toward the earth,
the earth, ever so slightly, fell
toward the apple as well.
The World Has Need of You © Ellen Bass
If you want to learn more about Ellen Bass and her poetry… look here, and here.
And be sure to stop by to see what Kym, Bonny, and Sarah have shared today!
