by Kat | Oct 18, 2017 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Hello Unravelers!
In the “finish up project’s” queue, I am finally on the last clue of Laura Aylor’s Sand Ripples shawl. Oh, the love! I am really happy with this! Our weather turned this week, which is great incentive to get this done because it will be awesome to keep the chill away on those early morning walks with Sherman! I am trying to get it done this week, however there is still an awful lot of knitting to do…But!! I am hoping!
I have begun to plan some sweater knitting as well. I have the yarn to knit another Stopover but this time just a regular pullover! I also want to make Ysolda’s Strokkur, which has been on my wish list for a long time. AND, I have the yarn to make Steinunn Birna Gudjonsdottir’s Ryðrauð, which is a free pattern on Ravelry, but the directions (and the yarn) seemed daunting. Okay, maybe they still do, but I am going to give it a go anyways! That’s so many sweaters, but hopefully the knitting goes as quickly as my first Stopover!
As for the reading, back to regularly scheduled life has slowed down the listening a bit, but I have finished a couple of things this week!
- I Will Send Rain was an audiobook I borrowed from the library. This book was okay – I liked it but, I did not love it. I am giving it 3 stars. I found parts of it interesting, but I did not like any of the characters. And, the story line was very depressing.
- And, History of Wolves which I gave 4 stars. This book was an “out of my comfort zone read” for me. That is not always a bad thing, but this book covers some very uncomfortable topics and it at times it was very disturbing. However, all that being said, it is beautifully written. I would have given this book 5 stars however, the ending really fell flat for me.
Up next:
That is all I have for this week, but what about you? How’s your making and reading this week?
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by Kat | Oct 17, 2017 | General, In This Moment
I managed to check several things off my lists from yesterday! Applesauce is done (and today it is going in the freezer once I have organized it a bit!) AND…the charity knitting is done and it will get a nice Soak™ bath and some blocking this morning!
I do have one fun thing planned this morning and that is a bit of catch up with a couple of very dear friends via a video conference call. Good thing because once those things are done my day is all about spreadsheets. Oy.
Wish me luck, I am going to need it!
by Kat | Oct 16, 2017 | General, In This Moment
This week my lists are full (yes, that is lists!) The art of list juggling is not fun, but over the weekend I made lists as I thought of things – and where I thought of those things, which was not always in my office at the “master list”. I should consolidate, but the joy of tossing a list in the trash when I am done is heady stuff!
I have some “volunteer work” to get done this week as well. And, some “volunteer knitting” to complete. I just have a repeat and then the bind off! Which is good because this needs to be done and blocked by next Saturday. So, first up on my list is to finish it while I catch up on Poldark! Then on to some apple sauce!
I hope your Monday is not too stressful!
by Kat | Oct 13, 2017 | General
TGIF! (Even on a Friday the 13th!!) I mean really, what is better after a nice long vacation than the weekend, amirite?
As I ease back into real life (as opposed to fake life? LOL Or, how about the ‘normal routine’ haha!) the weekend is just what I needed! And it feels good to be back to “normal” happy hours and normal weekend plans. Nothing feels better than the “normal routine”! I am such a creature of habit!
However, I am sorely missing those Michigan views and today’s image is from a most spectacular sunset on our last day in Michigan.
I do have lots of fun links this week, starting with a big shout out to Margene and Vicki for making this list! Bravo ladies!
- Slow Knitting: a journey from sheep to skein to stitch (and there is a free pattern available on MDK!)
- Knit/Wit has a new pattern: Calamosca Cowl
- A Bear and A Bunny Suit
- Making No. 4 / Lines has some lovely patterns in it, but I especially love this!
- The fade phenomenon comes to the cardigan.
- Woods: Making Stories
- Full Circle Cowl (with the hopes that it will soon be cowl weather here!)
That is all I have for the week, enjoy your weekend – whatever your routine is! See you back here on Monday!
by Kat | Oct 12, 2017 | General, Words
Vacations are a very good thing, but sometimes re-entry is hard. This is one of those sometimes.
Thing 1:
One of the best things about vacation was that I “pre-planned” blog posts. It was great because all I needed to do was plug-in a photo or two and add some details to the post, then we would tune out and head off for the day. One downfall is that I have lots of catch up to do – on comments and on all your blogs! I am working on that catch up!
Thing 2:
Catch up on other things is equally challenging. Grocery shopping, laundry, and yard work are all clamoring for attention. I am prioritizing grocery shopping so happy hour is not dismal tomorrow, then laundry is up next. As for the yard work? I will get to it when it stops raining! Ha!
Thing 3:
I really liked how well the blog pre-planning went and I especially liked some of the impromptu photos I got with my new iPhone! I also took a ton of photos on my Canon, but I have yet to download them to my PC yet…however, I have begun to rough out blog posts for the remaining days this month AND, yes, I am even thinking about how to switch things up for NaBloPoMo. (Because you know November is looming around the corner!!)
Those are my 3 things for today. What about you? What things are pressing in your world today!
Oh, and if you want to see more thing inspiration, you will find a plethora of that over at Carole’s!
by Kat | Oct 11, 2017 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Our trip last week included a stop at Wool & Honey – the most amazing yarn shop in the middle of nowhere! This shop is really spectacular and their array of yarns is really wonderful. Oh, and they have the Sleeping Bear Yarn Club! I did do a little stash enhancement and I also picked up the latest issue of Laine (which is an incredibly purchase-worthy magazine!) There are at least 3 things I want to knit from it…asap. Great incentive to get my in process things done so that I can cast on! (Wool & Honey also has a Knit-a-Sweater-in-a-month-along starting October 31st with discounts on yarn through the 13th!!) I am so happy to be back to my regular routine – which will see a return to my regularly scheduled knitting time. So, if there are some “knitting bandwagoner’s” thinking it might be fun to knit a sweater together in November, let me know. I have not pulled the trigger yet on a SQ of Quince Owl, but with a joiner or two, I could be convinced to participate!
Even though there was little to no knitting on vacation, there was so much reading!! I finished Paul Auster’s 4321. Oh.my.gosh. This is an incredible book and it is one that I have been mulling over in my head since finishing it. Especially since the ending is one that makes you replay the book in your mind. I gave it 5 stars and I highly recommend this book! Really… look beyond the number of pages and settle in for an amazing journey! And, I am really pulling for this to win the Man Booker Prize!
I also finished John le Carre’s latest book; A Legacy of Spies. I kind of chuckled to myself that this book is less than 300 pages and my brain said – oh wow, this will be a breeze to read! Ha! A 4-star read!
AND, I finished Moshin Hamid’s Exit West, another 4-star read. Man Booker short-lister’s FTW, although – I am still hoping that 4321 will win!
I am also listening to Rae Meadow’s I Will Send Rain (The library has been very good to me lately and it looks like this will continue as I am suddenly very close on several holds!)
And, I started reading Emily Fridlund’s History of Wolves…
I did have one “epic fail” book this week; The Widow by Fiona Barton. Bad. So, so bad. I gave it more than a fair turn as I listened through chapter 19…it did not engage at all. Life it too short to read bad books.
That is all I have this week. What about you? Is your knitting and reading engaging?
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