As a younger person, I truly loved Star Trek and this month our exhibit is one that has us traveling into the future… the near future, but the future nonetheless. Never fear though, the journey will be delightful! Dear Old Scotty is the best transporter operator this world has ever know and he is eager to beam us to our destination! So get in and we will be whisked off to the year 2028! Let’s see what Kat’s future might hold!
First, a little mood music for this journey…
It is January 2028 and Kat is again spending the month getting to know her OLW: Eventuality. Yes, this is her Eleventh Year with a Word… and this year it all about the idea that the Future is our Eventuality. So this year she is thinking about that eventuality every single day. And she is very cognizant about time… she has lived 3496 weeks thus far and each of them has been such a blessing.
She continues to be a maker… of course. And last year, Steve finally got Kat her very own, stand alone She-Shed – The Maker’s Annex – and it is the perfect making place! There are large, bright windows where she can see her year around cactus gardens…hint, Global Warming really took off in 2024 so Pittsburgh is now the perfect climate for them to grow and flourish!
The Maker’s Annex has the perfect painting space, which is a very good thing because she has been busy painting for an upcoming watercolor show later this year. I know! She is so happily surprised at this as well! All those lessons indeed fueled the spark of her painting.
Kat is, of course, still a knitter and her Gnome Gang has continued to grow over the years. But she now mainly knits BSJ‘s for the local Midwife Labor and Delivery Center. She has organized a group of knitters to join this effort. A wool sweater is a necessary thing in the World of Air Conditioning and, yes, sheep are still producing wool, thank goodness!
The reading of books has not waned either, but now she has a ReadingKindleBot that reads ebooks aloud to her. Sadly, paper books are a thing of the past with trees being so important to helping in the efforts to turn around Global Warming.
Sewing also continues, but has likewise seen such perhaps the most dramatic changes! There is a sewingbot! Agnes is the most wonderful thing. It speeds through those parts of the sewing process that Kat never really loved… the pinning out and cutting. How lovely to just gather up the pieces Agnes has cut and sit down and sew (although, Agnes can sew as well as cut!!) Making a muslin is a thing of the past, Agnes knows exactly what adjustments need to be made for the pattern to fit perfectly. Agnes really is the most incredible thing! Even better is the fact that so many pattern makers have joined the idea of zero-waste making! Agnes is so very good at “puzzling out” a pattern layout to utilize every bit of the fabric!
Agnes and KindleReadingBots are not the only things that have gotten incredible technology boosts! That’s right the combustion engine is a thing of the past, and thanks to some incredible work in congress in 2025… we now have the most amazing mass rapid public transportation – nationwide. That’s right! This eliminated all domestic air travel. The best part? Weekends to visit kids are now a very regular occurrence!
The other really amazing thing has been the renewal of travel to the moon. Weekend trips are very affordable thanks to an incredible grant provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation! And those MoonBnB’s are just so much fun! The views are stunning and the gravity free environment is so nice on creaky old bones! You can jump with joy… literally!
There, of course, remain the not so great things….
We are on the 4 millionth iteration of COVID, but vaccines remain the gold standard for protection. (thank goodness for those incredible scientists!)
There are still vast political differences… but the GOP vanished from the political scene just before 2024. In its place is a small, but very vocal, group – The Contrary Party. Yep, they vote NO on everything. Fortunately, the tide of young voters that began in 2023 has not ebbed at all and they are the very best check on those obnoxious naysayers!
And, as I said… Global Warming is a thing that impacts the daily lives of every person on this planet, but Greta Thunberg is now the leader on combating climate change. She heads the largest group in the UN and under her direction, things are slowly beginning to turn around.
And there you have a glimpse into the Future of Kat! When you are finished looking around, Scotty will be ready to beam you back to 2023. Thank you so much for your visit today!
And, as always, I’d like to thank Kym for inspiring this bit of creativity! We usually look back, but this peek in to the “what might be” has been so much fun!
Welcome to the day that holds me accountable for what I am making… one of my favorite days! And this one has a fun play with numbering 1.11.23…
But, even better is that tonight is the Read With Us discussion on The Marriage Portrait… which I am eagerly looking forward to!
I began the making of the Third “Christmas Gnome” sibling and when I thought I had almost finished her, she let me know that NO, You are not done. Thank you, very much. And so, I scrapped the scrappy scarf and knit instead something every.single.knitter.has. A shawl…amirite? She wanted… no NEEDED a shawl. And a shawl she has! It needed to be wider than deeper, so I did simple increases (YO’s) at each edge RS and WS. I did a simple center spine to give it some direction. And have stitched it down so she does not lose it (wee gnomes have shoulder issues! haha) And she has her own set of pointy sticks with a project going… and a hand sewn project bag to hold her ball of yarn!
So meet the feisty Felicia Gnavidad! She rounds out the trio of gnomes and counts as the first project I have finished this year!
Felicia Navidad with her pointy sticks!
A bit of a “lighter” image of the siblings. But, as you can see up top, they have “Center Stage” of the mantel!
I have gathered *almost* all the necessary things for my Temperature Stitching Project. (I need 6 more skeins of DMC floss, sigh. Silly Stupid me, I found an online temperature chart but it was for Celsius and I did not even think to do the conversion from C° to F°. Sadly, the chart I used does not get “cold” enough for Pittsburgh winters… I’d have dozens of days all in the same color so I did some calculating, and picked some colors. I will head to JoAnn’s tomorrow to pick up the missing skeins.
The reading… well, I have traveled off to Three Pines to spend some time with Armand as he works through a curious mystery. I am savoring it… although the urge to just race through is strong, I am resisting! Three Pines is a lovely place to be and the perfect place to linger in January!
I just finished When Women Were Dragons and I simply loved it. I have not yet started a new night time read, but I have been approved to read Isabel Allende’s new book, The Wind Knows My Name and I will start it this evening!
One last bit of housecleaning… Anne of Little Skein is celebrating her 10 years of being a small business owner with a survey… and she is looking for any and all to help her with answers! If you’d like to help her, you will find her survey here. (And Thank you, Bonny for pointing her out to me!)
And there you have it for my making and reading for the week! How about you? What is on your shelf to read next?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
This morning started a “normal” week with Steve back at the office! Which means my normal routine is being resumed, which makes me very happy. Granted, it will be a short-lived celebration because he has next Monday off. Sigh.
Anyways, I have a good-sized list of to-do’s (because of course I do!) BUT!
I also have a reward list to inspire me to plow through those to-do’s. Perhaps I can set a bit of a record with the cleaning portion of that list… and thankfully the Cleaning Police never come to check all the corners! Hahaha.
I hope your Monday has lots of rewards! I will see you all back here on Wednesday!
I thought I’d share a quick “snapshot” of what’s currently holding my attention.
Anticipating —
A visit to a new PCP this month. I will say it is a nervous anticipation. I have filled out a thick stack of health forms which has me scratching my head a bit. This doctor is in *the same network* as my previous physician, and I have filled out all.this.paperwork before. Did the computer system break? Did my medical history get deleted? I can see it when I enter my “portal” where I clearly see that my PCP information is all there, and I can even message him through the system. Regardless, I have filled out all the papers and am ready to go see him, although I wish it was a her, but that is for another post!
Baking —
All.The.Things! Banana bread – two loaves! I have a fresh bucket of dough in the fridge. I am loving the smell of fresh baked carbs wafting through the air! I love the ease of Artisan Bread in 5-minutes… and it is pretty darned tasty bread too! I also love that the dough can be purposed into loaves, boules, or even pizza! It makes it so easy and convenient! The posted a new recipe on their blog in early December that I will probably give a try this month as well. (Perhaps as a reward for that PCP visit! Haha)
Stitching —
I am going to spend some time this weekend putting together a year long temperature project… with embroidery! I just need to get a piece of linen and some embroidery floss. I am not planning on this being some extravagant project. Simple and fun is what I am aiming for, the one thing I deeply loved about the year long stitching project I did. I stitched for no more than 15 minutes a day… it was the “sweet spot” of time that ensured that I did it! Once I have all the pieces in place I will spend some time this weekend getting it all set up and begin gettin myself caught up! I will share my progress next week!
Watching —
Vera! And I am reminded how much I love her… well, Brenda Blethyn, I suppose! Haha. I mean, when I read a Vera book, I hear Brenda speaking! (I bet you were thinking that I was going to say I was watching Groundhog Day in the House… I might be occasionally checking in, but if you saw one vote, you’ve seen them all. They are all the same! Ha!) And! Steve and I have been watching the second season of The Craftsman on Discovery+ Eric Hollenbeck is quite the character… he shares philosophy, poetry, history, and truly slow crafting.
Getting Ready —
To finish up the machine sewing projects I have had lingering for over a month now. When I reorganized my fiber stash, I also spent some time rethinking my “sewing corner” and have made some tweaks, which I hope will encourage me to sit down and sew! In case you need a reminder I have 2 corduroy tunics to sew up!
Unpacking —
My Word! And I am having so much fun doing that! I have a bit of a “word cloud” going! Currently, it is on practice paper, I mean it is currently experiencing lots of flux! Ha! I just love the January Word Getting To Know You Time! I am finding some fun things, including a couple of books to read!
And I think that might be more than enough! Ha! Have a great weekend and I will see you all back here on Monday!
New Year, New Project? Or New Year, New Technique?
For me, the answer right now… on the first Wednesday of 2023 is neither! (Although, I’d really like to overcome my Brioche Fear in 2023, but I don’t think January is the month for that!)
My last project of 2022 was Gniclaus, the brother of Gnoelle. He is the present carrier for Gnoelle, who just tells him what to pack! A third sibling is in process as you can see above!
I also want to share what I did with those snowflakes. I had hoped for a “glamor shot” of them, but days and days of rain have made pictures… challenging. But gosh, I learned so much from the tips that Dropcloth Samplers shared. If you want to do some embroidery this year… and you don’t have a clue where to start… I highly recommend them! The Trio of Snowflakes will grace our Happy Hour Table during the winter. So.Much.Fun. And I have some ideas knocking about my brain for a spring cloth as well!
I have done no other knitting, but I have been busting through my Base 12 Spin from Hipstrings. I am more than halfway done… I am spinning them in order, Number 6 is in process currently so I just have 7, 8, 9, A, B, and 10 to go.
I also did some plying in the “Dead Week” and will finish the single spinning as soon as I am done with the Base 12 spin. I have made excellent notes on singles speed, plying speed, and this yarn will be my next sweater project. What sweater? I have an idea, but until I knit up some gauge swatches, I won’t know what might work.
I am reading GREAT books currently! My Daytime Listen is Emily St. John Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility. It is curious, and engaging. I am enjoying it tremendously!
My read with my eyes book is Kelly Barnhill’s When Women Were Dragons. Gah! I am loving it… and the books dedication blew me away, and drew me instantly in:
“For Christine Blasey Ford, whose testimony triggered this narrative.”
YES! Oh hell yes! I am hoping this book will release my inner dragon. LOL Anyway, I am eager to see where this book goes and a huge thanks to KMKat for putting this book on my radar!
I’d also like to thank Kym and Bonny for their reviews of two books I had on hold… thanks to them, I removed the holds. Speaking of book reviews… if you are Goodreads, please leave reviews. What you liked, what worked, what you didn’t like, what didn’t work, etc. They are so helpful for other readers…me especially! Ha!
Anyways, that is all I have to share today. A new painting class drops tomorrow! I am excited!
So… back to my opening questions: Are you casting on a new project this week, or are you going to learn a new technique? Or are you combining the two!?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please lave your link below and thank you!
