by Kat | Jul 31, 2019 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers!
I am back to patiently knitting my shawl and I am *almost* to the point where I get to do the little “flower” motif! Wooo!
As for Early Bloomer… I wore it on Monday and thought about the fit all day. Sadly, I have determined that I need to rip it back to the sleeve divide and re-knit the body… smaller. Yes, I am upset about this as well, so it is in a bit of a time out while I finish the shawl.
It might even stay in time out while I knit Romi’s new sweater.
This really caps off a very unfocused July and I have learned my lesson (or re-learned it – in my case!) No impulse knitting – it never turns out well…
The reading though…I am about a tenth of the way through War and Peace – 10-ish hours down…40-ish more to go. I am entirely engrossed with the story and the writing is very good – which is a very good thing when a book is so long!
I finished the third installment in the Inspector Lynley series – Well Schooled in Murder. I just love this series and am eagerly awaiting the next book – I am on the wait list at the library, and fortunately, I don’t think the wait will be long! It was another 5-star book and I highly recommend this series!
I also finished The Silent Patient… I am not sure where the recommendation for this one came, but oh boy. I thought it a bit contrived, I knew “who did it” almost immediately, and from there the remainder of the novel was quite predictable. I had originally given it 3-stars, but I downgraded it to 2-stars for the lack of originality. I do not recommend.
That is all I have this week! I hope your making has been much better than mine! What’s on your radar this week?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below – and thank you!
by Kat | Jul 30, 2019 | General, Words
Joining with Juliann and sharing my word update again this month.
My key to dealing with stress is simple: just stay cool and stay focused. – Ashton Eaton
I should have looked for this quote earlier this month and I might have been more successful in refocusing myself!
Why?
Because I entirely lost my focus in July and I spent the month struggling and quite frustrated. I felt much like this Butterfly Bush – tossed willy-nilly in the blowing breeze…never quite in focus. And the harder I struggled to get back to focus the more elusive it became.
So, as this month comes to a close and I turn the page on a calendar, I am giving myself permission to move on. Start fresh. Begin again. Refocus.
by Kat | Jul 29, 2019 | General
I was lucky to have this lovely visitor yesterday morning! The butterflies have been abundant on the butterfly bush this year, but I have not been outside with the “big camera” and the tripod when they have visited!
This Red Admiral butterfly was most photogenic, and it is the winner of the week!
Now, on to the weekend… which just flew by, didn’t it?!
I sewed another pair of Rose Pants which I had hoped to wear with my newly finished Early Bloomer. But, when I tried it on with them – it just looked frumpy! Curiously, I think it is too long! I am not quite sure what to do about it – or rather, what exactly it needs to improve the fit. Perhaps the pants just aren’t right so I am going to try it with a tunic today to see what I think. My fear is that the fix means ripping it back and removing some length. Grrr!
The Neville House (aka Woodville Plantation) was so much fun on Sunday afternoon! I loved having a little local history lesson along with the opportunity to see a house that was built in 1755!
But, what about you? Did you all have a good weekend?
by Kat | Jul 26, 2019 | General, In This Moment
It is almost painful to type these words: The last weekend of July is upon us…and while I have no desire to return to the ungodly temps we had last weekend, I would like to put July on pause and slow down these days that are just racing by!
Thinking –
I did not make a “Summer Bucket List” this year, but with July almost over I have been thinking about what things I’d like to do before September is here. One thing I have wanted to do for some time is visit the Woodville Plantation which is around the corner from me. Sunday I will be able to check that off as I am going with a girlfriend!
Grateful –
I have struggled with finding gratitude in recent days and I realize that finding even one thing to be grateful for is crucial to my wellbeing. This morning’s Tiny Bit of Quiet is an excellent reminder to pay less attention to the “what” and more attention to the “how”… Today I will pay more attention to all the how’s of my day – and I am so excited to have this reminder that sometimes you need to change your focus, to look beyond.
Inspired –
By so many things! But this crossed my radar today and I love that steps can be art!
Finally –
I laughed at a tied vote between Daelyn and The Weekend yesterday. I bound off my Early Bloomer yesterday… she is having a bit of a spa treatment currently and I hope to be wearing her soon! And, I am hoping that plums will be available at the farmer’s market tomorrow – they are one of the best tastes of summer!
That is all I have for this week! Have a great weekend and I will see you back here on Monday!
by Kat | Jul 25, 2019 | General, In This Moment
It’s Thursday and I have three things to share so I am joining with Carole and friends again today!
This morning a curious quiet greeted me when I took Sherman out – no bird song, no frenzied hum of cicadas – just silence. It seemed that nature was reminding me that summer is fleeting, and I should spend more time enjoying it than I do complaining about it!
I am going to try and heed that advice, especially with warmer temps returning today.
Thing One:
This Willow Variation crossed my feed reader yesterday and I see a lovely flannel version in my mind – paired with a black long-sleeved shirt and leggings. Yes, fall is creeping into my mind – if ever so slightly!
Thing Two:
Last month I injured my ankle but after a couple of days, though it was still a little painful, I could walk and so I ignored it and carried on. And then July came and my focus to walk every single day happened, and by the 15th the pain was, well, much more painful. It was now constant pain, pain that interrupted me, and, yes – pain that stopped me from walking or doing Pilates. Enter, Tibialis Posterior Tendinopathy. 10 days of Motrin and immobilization have helped considerably. Yesterday was day one of doing some very careful movements to stretch and build up the muscles and tendon and know what? I feel like I could walk today – but I won’t! I am going to get back on my Pilates mat today though and incorporate some more of the stretching and mobility exercises! Moral of the story… self-care is important and when your body is telling you something, don’t ignore it!
Thing Three:
So that yarn… I swatched, and swatched, and swatched – and no matter what needle I use, I CAN.NOT.GET.GAUGE!!! In fact, I could not even get close to gauge! And, then I took a breath and pulled out some leftover Joyful and swatched…perhaps the key is in the name, because I too was JOYFUL. I got gauge!! I have 1280+ yds and now that brown yarn is back in a pile by my desk. However, one of the swatches matches gauge to Andrea Mowry’s The Weekender and Isabell Kraemer’s Daelyn Pullover. So, my question for you… which would you choose and why?
Happy Thursday, everyone!
by Kat | Jul 24, 2019 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Last night, the temperatures dipped down into the 50’s! Sleeping with open windows is just the best and I am so happy that horrid heat stretch is over…at least for the time being. Meanwhile, I am reveling in the respite and enjoying time outside!
I spent time on “Sleeve Island” this week – a very different kind of Sleeve Island but, can I just say that it was entirely enjoyable?!
I finished the sleeves on the second Uniform Tunic Dress – this version with a more “AC-friendly” 3/4 length sleeve. I used the instructions posted here but cut out full length sleeves and used a 6- and 3/4-inch hem. I love how they turned out. This fabric has a bit more body to it (it feels a little like a cotton twill) and I love it! Bonus points that this white dress is not see-through! I think that my modifications to the Uniform pattern have been perfected – both the 2-inch bust adjustment and the “fat” quarter inch reduction to the bodice shoulders. This “white” dress is going to get some heavy rotation in the coming days – and that is something I could never imagine my overweight self ever saying!
The other “sleeves” I finished are those of Early Bloomer…Okay, so they aren’t really sleeves but they are done as is the neck and I have more than enough yarn to finish the body of the sweater which I did and will begin the ribbing today. This will be done soon and then I will be back to knitting the shawl I abandoned for Early Bloomer.
Some weeks ago, I started this sweater and as I mentioned here the shoulder increases did not work at all with my gauge – so the project was abandoned. I have had this pile of yarn sitting near my desk wondering what on earth I was going to do with it… and then Romi’s new sweater appeared and I began swatching. The yarn just screamed – YES, that is exactly what I want to be! I will be doing version #2 and will start once that shawl is finished!
Now, how about some reading updates?
If you can’t tell… I am just LOVING all the different colored “X’s” – it might be the best part of Summer Book Bingo!
I finished Bingo Books: Hunger and Song of Solomon, as well as non-bingo We Were Eight Years in Power.
Oh my. I loved them all for different reasons.
Hunger was hard to listen to at times. It stuck close to home with several things, but despite those hard to hear parts, this book is excellent! 4-stars.
Song of Solomon was incredible. I listened to Toni Morrison read it. It was powerful, moving, and incredibly beautiful. 5-stars and I highly recommend.
Finally, We Were Eight Years in Power – this book made incredibly clear to me how unfair life is for Black American’s in the United States. I thought I had an idea – but truly, I am so clueless. It brought tears to my eyes, it made me so mad at the blatant unfairness, and it showed me how much more work needs to be done for this ongoing unfairness to end. So.much.more.work. 5-stars and this is a must-read book.
That is all I have for this week, but I want to know – where did you find success this week? In making? In reading?
As always, if you wrote a post to share today – please leave your link below and thank you!
