The K’s Have It!

The K’s Have It!

Hello 10 on Tuesday Readers! Carole has a uniquely challenging task for us this week. She wants to know:

Write a list of 10 words that describe you. The catch is that all the words should begin with the same letter as your first name!

Oh, boy…

Hmmm….

Really? Words with a “k”???

Okay, with a little help from Dictionary.com, here goes nothing:

  1. Klutzy. Because, I am. Really!! Very Klutzy! **insert bruise photos here**
  2. Kind. Even when I don’t want to be.
  3. Knowledge seeker (or klife-klong klearner)
  4. Knitter. This is obvious…
  5. Kindle Reader. (Because it makes the task so much easier, especially at night!)
  6. Kneader of Bread. However, not so much lately
  7. An unKempt housekeeper. There you have it people, it is not my favorite thing to do. Ever.
  8. Kvelling, especially about my kiddos!
  9. Koffie drinker (Dutch spelling works, right?)
  10. Kitchen cooker. As opposed to a Grill Master, I cook in the kitchen, Steve cooks outdoors!)

There you have it. The Komplete Kworks of Kat!

How about you, Gentle Reader?? Share a word that describes you!

The Weekend Trifecta

The Weekend Trifecta

Why is Monday always in such a rush to get here and close the door on the weekend?! The weekend was so good; I would really just like to squeeze a bit more out of it!

Friday’s are always so nice, because well – Happy Hour! Icy cold martinis and good food makes unwinding from the week an easy task. Bonus treats included homemade ricotta, homegrown tomatoes, and smoked salmon!

There was LOTS of reading this weekend!! Which means I have a Bingo or three to tell you about! The books in italics are the ones I finished this weekend!

Book Bingo Card

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First Bingo Across:

  • White Nights by Ann Cleeves
  • My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl
  • Emma, Vol. 01 by Kaoru Mori
  • Shear Spirit by Joan Tapper & Gale Zucker
  • Still Life by Louise Penny

Second Bingo Across:

  • Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves
  • Written in My Heart’s Own Blood by Diana Gabaldon
  • My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
  • Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
  • A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Third Bingo Down:

  • Emma
  • Grandmother
  • It Itches by Franklin Habit
  • Doc by Mary Doria Russell
  • Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda

My Thoughts on the recently finished books:

My Grandmother… While this was not nearly as good as A Man Called Ove, it was still a lovely read. It caused me to think deeply about the relationships with the people around us – both family and friends – and the impact they have on our lives. And, every child should have a superhero! And there is indeed something incredibly special about a grandmother’s house. You truly never forget how it smells.

Emma…this is not a genre that I would have ever picked to read had “Manga” not been a bingo square. Thank you Margene for steering me to this book. It was a quick read.

Shear Spirit…Having to select a book from the top shelf of one of my bookcases and a blog post last week really spurred me to get this book down and read it. The book details 10 different fiber farms; all new to me and one of which was right in my back yard! I also found a project or two that I might have to queue up to knit! The photography and stories are just beautiful!

It Itches…I really just wanted a quick little read to fill that free square, as I have a good bit of reading to do to get a “cover all”. This is light, humorous and true (especially the stash story!!)

Finally, there was knitting and Olympics and an EPIC bind off. Now I just need to block the brown blob and get some glamor shots! Plus, I may have cast on something new…

How was your weekend?

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The Case for Cladonia

The Case for Cladonia

A couple of years ago, I knit this sample. It turned out beautifully and I really wanted to knit one to keep. But, as with many things – time passes and I forgot about it.

Until this, since Gale posted her fantastic version of this I have been unable to get Cladonia out of my head!

I looked at yarns online. Lots of yarn online. Nothing really struck me…don’t get me wrong, there were volumes of gorgeous yarns, but nothing that really said to me – I need to be your Cladonia.

Then I remembered this Debbie Bliss Fine Donegal I had in my stash. I have three skeins of it, but I really did not want to make it one color. I played with other yarns in stash, but nothing was really the right color.

It did not take much effort to convince a friend to head out to Sewickley to visit their yarn shop and I am happy to report that I had great success finding the perfect yarn to match. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and for me it is true. Gale, I simply adore your Cladonia – my version will be a tribute to you!

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I am holding off on casting on until I have the big brown blob finished – which, with some Olympic Assistance, I hope will be today!

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I did get the first half of the Sheepspot Perendale plied up – I ended up with about 160 yds of 3-ply fingering weight yarn and I hope to get similar yardage out of the second half of the fiber. That will give me about 320 yds for a pair of socks, so here’s what I want to know from you, Gentle Reader, what is your go to toe up sock pattern? This is not my usual method of knitting socks, but I want to maximize the yardage!

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Now for the Friday Links (and they are amazing this week!):

Svetlana has been busy again

And so has Thea

I laughed at this, but really – perhaps every little girl needs one!

It has been years since Interweave Knits has had anything that I even remotely wanted to knit, however their Fall edition has some really yummy things. Like this. And this. And this.

There was an update to Sight is Life

Grellow gets me every single time.

This does not Vex me at all.

Diabolique

That is all I have for today, have a fantastic weekend and see you all back here on Monday!

Summer Knit Along Reality Check

Summer Knit Along Reality Check

Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality. Nikos Kazantzakis

The basket holding the knitting does not seem to be shrinking in volume and reality tells me that I am unlikely to finish my list before the Labor Day weekend is over.

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However, I have made a small dent in the things I wanted to get done! And, that feels really good!

Some of the things that remain are there for a reason…

  • Pushkinia socks – I am pretty sure that I knit these with needle sizes other than what the pattern called for, but because I am not a genius, I did not write down what I used. Yeah, how smart is that?? Anyways, I have cast on, however the new sock gauge was WAY SMALLER than its mate. So, I need to do some swatching to see if I can get close, and if not – I will frog sock one and start over…This has placed these socks firmly in the UGH column and sadly, off the list for completion this summer.
  • Jen Lucas MKAL #1 – what on earth was I thinking knitting this will Dream in Color Jilly…I love the yarn, but it’s lace weight! However, it is staying on the list for completion this summer.
  • Jen Lucas MKAL #2 – I am playing yarn chicken with this one, I have a second skein, but I would rather not use it. However, letting it mature in my knitting bag will cause the yarn to mature and be longer (???) Yeah, that’s my story and I am sticking to it! Hahaha
  • Nahant – Has been languishing because it is no longer a portable knit (it is over 60 inches long now) and I have an error about 5 rows back that I need to take the time to fix…However, I do not want to rip back 5 rows. It is in timeout right now, but not yet to the UGH column.
  • Pincha – sadly was displaced by other knitting and spinning. For me this is a knit that, in order to avoid mistakes, requires me to knit one full feather at a sitting – which is about an hour of time. The weather has been far too lovely to sit watching television, but this is staying on the list because these are the perfect autumn colors!
  • Triticum – this is half a front and two sleeves away from seaming and completion…it is staying on the list even though I know it will be a stretch to get it done before Labor Day.

This Summer Knit Along has been very good in for me as it has kept me focused and provided a road map to get things done, even if I have had a few detours along the way!

How are you doing?

 

Reading, reading, and more reading

Reading, reading, and more reading

Reading has sort of overtaken my time recently, well because GOOD BOOKS! I finished listening to The Book Thief yesterday, but truly – I did not want it to end. What an incredibly poignant and moving story. I sobbed considerably in the last chapters, but still – I did not want it to end.

In an attempt to lift myself from the funk that finishing a book that I did not want to end, I started reading Ruth Reichl’s My Kitchen Year – and it was so delicious that I devoured it in one sitting. I borrowed it from the library, but I promise you, I will be buying it shortly. The recipes look simply incredible, and I think it will be a great thing to cook through the year with her. If you have not read it, you should!

Book Bingo Card

That makes my Summer Bingo Card looking pretty good! I am listening to David Sedaris’ Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, which will get me my first bingo! I started reading To Kill a Mockingbird on my Kindle last night, but I did not get very far. I have my squares all set, but one – and I am saving that for the very end. I will go down to my bookshelves and pick something fun for my final read. Now, will I get this done by the time that Labor Day rolls around, we shall see! I am also working through My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry. It seems like it is not going to be 900 gazillion degrees out today nor is it raining, so I may be able to steal some time sitting under the pergola reading.

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On the knitting front, I am almost done with the first skein of yarn for Tales from the Isle of Purbeck and just over half way through the fourth chart. I have one chart to go, and I hope to have enough yarn to knit more than one repeat of it. I would like this to be a big, warm shawl (which it will be, but I’d like it bigger!) This is a fun pattern, and what can I say about Elsawool – this stuff is insanely soft. I have the woolen spun fingering weight dark brown Cormo. Light, fluffy, soft – and it is knitting into a fabric that is lovely. You cannot tell from the brown blob that it is right now, but this is going to be the thing to wrap myself in this fall and winter!

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Aside from that, I have been loving my Instant Pot – I made yogurt yesterday and oh.my.gosh. (Topped with homemade peach vanilla preserves it is divine!) And, last night I made beef with broccoli in no time at all (seriously, entire cooking time including resting time – less than 20 minutes). I love to cook, but sometimes standing in the kitchen at the end of the day does not send thrills of joy through my being.

Joining up with Ginny and her Yarn Along today, where you will find inspiration for knitting and reading!

What was the last book you read that you did not want to end?

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