…I never just knit; I knit and think, knit and listen, knit and watch. — Stephanie Pearl-McFee
Greetings Unravelers! Welcome to the final Wednesday in January. Was it me, or did this month just fly by?
I managed to have a finish this month though! Autumn Forest is off the needles, but in need of a soak and a bit of blocking. I did not get that done this week because I have been preoccupied with doing a bit of decluttering. I hope to have this blocked and ready for its big reveal next week! I am wondering about this though… I used one entire hank of Titus to knit half of this scarf but not an entire hank for the second half. I did not weigh the hanks before I wound them, but scarf and remaining ball weigh 200g-ish, so I am not sure what happened.
However, the joy of my life right now is my Handspun Hitchhiker! Oh my goodness, I am so in love! I am surprised at how evenly I spun this yarn. Really, quite surprised…that is not usually the case. One single will inevitably be a bit heavier than the other single and it really shows up in plying. There are spots where it is not perfect, but for the most part it really is wonderful! I have just gotten to my first gradient change and, wow… it eases in to the icy blue so wonderfully! Anyways, this has been my evening knitting while watching TV companion, and it shows!
(My daytime knitting project is my Heart Warmer and you can tell that I haven’t been sitting and knitting much. Sorry for the poor photos, it was one extremely grey day here – this is actually a pale blue grey yarn, but getting an accurate photo yesterday was almost impossible!)
This story had so much promise, but just failed to deliver on almost every level. A cast of characters with no redeeming qualities whatsoever coupled with so-so writing and you have a snore of a novel. Yes there were some twists and turns, but they did not add anything to the story… in fact, sometimes they detracted. I had to force myself to finish this book. Sadly, I do not recommend.
Where to begin with this brilliant little story! If you could pick a different life, what would you choose? And if that didn’t work, would you choose another? And what happens to the life you did not pick? This is a story that made me think about choice we make in our every day life… choice and the consequences. The Midnight Library is between life and death… and there are always new books to check out! I could not stop listening to this story and highly recommend!
Finally, there was something I watched this week that was wonderful! The Wipers Times and it is available on Amazon Prime, Hoopla, and my library has a DVD available as well. This is a story that I knew nothing about and I am now wanting to get a copy of The Wipers Times book to read. If you like history – this is a story of a regiment during WWI, as told by Captain Fred Roberts. It is witty, brilliant, and must see!
And there you have my week of knitting, reading, and watching! As always, if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below and thank you!
A New Year, a new word, a new day, and a new home for our monthly link up! I am excited to join Carolyn as she hosts us this year!
January word studies might be one of my favorite things. Digging into a word, looking at all the possibilities, releasing any preconceived ideas I might of had…it’s so much fun.
c. 1300, “to withdraw, revoke (a decree, etc.), cancel, lift; remit,” from Old French relaissier, relesser “to relinquish, quit, let go, leave behind, abandon, acquit,” variant of relacher “release, relax,” from Latin relaxare “loosen, stretch out” (from re- “back” (see re-) + laxare “loosen,” from PIE root *sleg- “be slack, be languid”). Latin relaxare is the source also of Spanish relajar, Italian relassare.c. 1300, “to withdraw, revoke (a decree, etc.), cancel, lift; remit,” from Old French relaissier, relesser “to relinquish, quit, let go, leave behind, abandon, acquit,” variant of relacher “release, relax,” from Latin relaxare “loosen, stretch out” (from re- “back” (see re-) + laxare “loosen,” from PIE root *sleg- “be slack, be languid”). Latin relaxare is the source also of Spanish relajar, Italian relassare.
release (n.)
early 14c., “abatement of distress; means of deliverance,” from Old French relais, reles (12c.), a back-formation from relesser, relaissier (see release (v.)). In law, mid-14c., “transferring of property or a right to another;” late 14c. as “release from an obligation; remission of a duty, tribute, etc.” Meaning “act and manner of releasing” (a bow, etc.) is from 1871. Sense of “action of publication” is from 1907.Yes, there is so much that I want to pick out… cancel, lift, relinquish, quit, let go, leave behind, abatement from distress, and yes, transferring of property to another! And that is where I began this month, spurred on by this quote:
Literal cleanliness and orderliness can release us from abstract cognitive and affective distress – just consider how, during moments where life seems to be spiraling out of control, it can be calming to organize your clothes, clean the living room, get the car washed. — Robert Sapolsky
So this month I have spent sorting and thinking. And while I still have more to do, the process of emptying closets, drawers, and bins has been cathartic. Contemplating, cleaning out, and yes, releasing. Some things have been tossed and it felt so good! Some things will go to someone else…that sock post that so struck me… well, I have a stack of things that will be heading there shortly.
And some things… well, they just need a bit more thought. And that is okay, too!
Midway though the month it occurred to me that myhouse does not have a storage problem, I have a “things” problem. And so this month release seemed easy. It was freeing. And in doing some organizing, I freed my mind to begin to contemplate the hard work of release I have only just begun.
Again, thank you Carolyn for hosting us! See you all on Wednesday for some Unraveling!
When I’m at work I sing. It gives me strength during difficult times, and I believe it helps heal. — Lori Marie Key
I don’t know if you all watched the very moving and long overdue Memorial for the more than 400,000 American’s who have died. I did and it seems that this service broke the dam. I cried and once I started, I just could not stop. It felt like all the months of living on the edge of “what next” created a torrent of tears. But there was hope in those tears! It felt like a huge weight had been lifted. Thank you, Lori Marie Key, for giving me hope (and releasing the floodgates!)
But the tears did not stop on Tuesday night… they continued on into Wednesday. I have watched a few inaugurations, but Wednesday was more emotional and I cried lots. I wept with joy and sadness when Kamala was sworn in. Joy because YES, a WOMAN! But I also thought about how it must have felt for Hillary… bittersweet. And President Biden’s speech will absolutely go down in the history books as one of the greatest Inaugural Addresses ever.
But let’s talk for a minute about the hope that Amanda Gorman filled me with…a shining beacon of hope! Her entire poem was moving, but the ending was a clarion call for me. (you can read The Hill We Climb here)
So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left, with every breath from my bronze, pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one, we will rise from the golden hills of the West, we will rise from the windswept Northeast where our forefathers first realized revolution, we will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the Midwestern states, we will rise from the sunbaked South, we will rebuild, reconcile, and recover in every known nook of our nation in every corner called our country our people diverse and beautiful will emerge battered and beautiful, when the day comes we step out of the shade aflame and unafraid, the new dawn blooms as we free it, for there is always light if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it.
I have not be able to get enough of Amanda since Wednesday and I stumbled across these video’s – a treasure trove of brilliance! This poem really stood out to me… especially since 1/6.
And finally, Bernie. Who knew that he and his mittens would bring such laughter (and inside that laughter…hope!)
There have been *hundreds* of memes but my favorites are in this Twitter thread from local photographer Dave DiCello:
I didn’t want to do the Bernie thing. I didn’t. But I also had too many ideas as soon as I saw the meme to ignore it. Tried to do a little more than just plopping him into random scenes around #Pittsburgh, and these were fun to do. Enjoy. pic.twitter.com/eItLMovASN
What we love to do we find time to do. — John L. Spalding
Welcome to Inauguration Day Unravelers!
This past week has been all about vacillating between wanting to watch the news and trying to avoid the news. I think I found a good balance and in the process did some yarn sorting and organizing. I also did some project sorting and organizing as well. I have some projects that the yarn was reclaimed and some projects that are sitting so I can think a bit more about reclaiming the yarn or finishing the project. And there are some projects that I asked myself why it was not done… one of those projects spent a bit of time with me when I watched the news and have made some significant progress to finishing!
This is the project (Rav Link) that has been in my hands the most this week. Before I picked it up, I was just about half way done with this scarf and today I have less than two sections to go!
I also finished the second braid of fiber and completed plying last week’s yarn. It turned out better than I hoped and although there are a couple of under-plied spots, I think it will be alright once it has had a nice soak! In fact, it will be hanging to dry soon and then, dare I hope, I will be casting on a Hitchhiker!!
The reading was good this week! I follow John Boyne on Twitter and some weeks ago he suggested The Thursday Murder Club and I am so glad he did!
I picked this book up based on a recommendation by John Boyne and I am so glad I did! How fun would it be to have a Murder Club? Riotously fun, if you go by Osman’s version! I laughed, I loved the turns this story took, but I especially adored Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron… they were simply divine!
I highly recommend this witty book and I am eagerly awaiting the next installment!
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below! Thank you!
True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice. — Martin Luther King Jr
It’s MLK Jr Day so why does it still feel like for every step we take forward, there are dozens of steps back. And if I in my white privilege feel this, how much worse do Black and Brown American’s feel it? It weighs heavily on my heart but despite it, I press forward for justice.
I hope that the Biden Administration has a plan to change these numbers drastically.
When Justice Sotomayor say’s their names:
Justice Sotomayor opens her dissent in U.S. v. Dustin Higgs by saying the names of every person executed by the federal government over the past year. pic.twitter.com/KLHcRTWMIZ
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Finally, there was something I watched this week that was wonderful! The Wipers Times and it is available on Amazon Prime, Hoopla, and my library has a DVD available as well. This is a story that I knew nothing about and I am now wanting to get a copy of The Wipers Times book to read. If you like history – this is a story of a regiment during WWI, as told by Captain Fred Roberts. It is witty, brilliant, and must see!
