by Kat | Aug 30, 2016 | General, Words
Hello, Gentle Readers! It’s Tuesday, and Carole is back and wants to know:
10 Things You Miss About Your Home When You’re Away
Hmmm, this might be a bit of a challenge, but let’s see how far I can get…
- My bed… of course this is number one, because well – it is perfect for sleeping. And, really – another bed is just never quite right, know what I mean?
- My routine…yes, I am a creature of habit – while I love change, I like somethings to be the same.
- A closet and dresser – living out of a suitcase can be a challenge
- My spinning wheel – although, for an upcoming trip I am planning on bringing a drop spindle or two…
- My own bathroom. Enough said.
- My water – really, your body gets used to the water where you are, different water feels different, smells different, and yes – tastes different.
- I would say the library, however, thanks to Overdrive and a Kindle this is no longer the issue it could be.
- My stash… yes, really!! It is challenging to pack knitting projects!!
- My kitchen. I like to cook, and I eat much better (healthier?) if I prepare the meal.
- Sherman… our preference is to take him with us, but sometimes that is just not possible. When it’s not – I miss him horribly.
There you have it – what I miss most when I am away from home! How about you? What do you miss most?
by Kat | Aug 29, 2016 | General, In This Moment
It was a quiet weekend in my corner of the world. Quiet, hot, and muggy. Relief is in sight however, which is ironically forecast to arrive on Thursday – September 1st.
I think the weather gods are having a good laugh over this. But, really. I am so ready!
We picked volumes from our little garden – we picked some things that were not quite ripe, which turned out to be a very good thing when the deluge of rain hit last night. It was nice (not!) to leave us with a foggy steam bath this morning.
My list seems long today, however, I was up bright and early. Yogurt is at work in the Instant Pot, quick Roasted Raspberry Jam is done and cooling in a jar, and in moments these lovely tomatoes will be on their way to the most delicious jam ever.
I hope your weekend was filled with good things! Here is to lots lines crossing things off my list for this week… how about you?
by Kat | Aug 26, 2016 | General
Last night I achieved a goal I really never imagined I could reach – I finished reading Knitlandia, and with it completed my Summer BOTNS Book Bingo card.
A cover all, people! Twenty-five books read in eighty-seven days!
There were good books, great books, amazing books, and some books that were not any of the above. In no particular order, I present my summer reading:
- Knitlandia – 4 stars (With a one-word title)
- To Kill a Mocking Bird – 5 stars (Published the year you were born)
- 81 Famous Poems – 4 stars (Poetry Collection
- She Stoops to Conquer – 4 stars (From the Harvard Classics 5-foot shelf)
- Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls – 4 stars (By or about a member of the LGBTQ community)
- It Itches: A Stash of Knitting Cartoons – 5 stars (BOTNS BOOK BINGO free square)
- Emma, Vol. 01 – 2 stars (Manga)
- Shear Spirit: Ten Fiber Farms, Twenty Patterns and Miles of Yarn – 4 stars (From the top shelf of one of your bookcases)
- My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry – 3 stars (With a family member (wife, son, uncle, etc.) in the title)
- The Book Thief – 5 stars (Told by a child narrator)
- My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life – 5 stars (With food as the theme)
- The Inner Circle – 1 star (Hated by someone you know)
- Charlotte’s Web – 5 stars (A non-human main character)
- Doc – 3 stars (Western)
- The Summer Before the War – 4 stars (Most recently added to your TBR)
- Blue Lightning – 4 stars (Read another book by an author already used for this Bingo card)
- A Man Called Ove – 5 stars (Borrowed from the library)
- Hamilton: The Revolution – 4 stars (Nonfiction in graphic novel format)
- The Redbreast – 4 stars (A classic mystery)
- Still Life – 5 stars (Recommended by a librarian or bookseller)
- The Paris Architect – 5 stars (That you think you will dislike)
- The Goldfinch – 5 stars (With an animal on the cover on in the title)
- Written in My Own Heart’s Blood – 2 stars (Six words or more in the title)
- White Nights – 4 stars (Set in another country)
- The New Yorker – 5 stars (A literary magazine or journal of any genre)
This was a colossal undertaking for me. I have not been the most voracious reader in recent years, but this has truly brought my love for reading back to life! A huge thank you to Carole for talking about this all those many weeks ago – I would not have even known such a thing existed! It was a throwback to my youth and my local library summer reading programs!
And speaking of colossal – while nothing much looks fab in the gardens right now with much of it looking worn, weary, and burned out. Not so with the Coleus and the White Salvia we planted this year!! It is the King of the Garden right now and even the bees are paying homage!
That brings us to the linky portion of this post, enter at your own risk! You have been warned!
I will close with some incredible bloggy goodness, thanks to Kate Davies (who ALWAYS has the most phenomenal photos ever!) However, recently she shared some really incredible things:
That is all I have for you this week, the knitting continues – and last night I sat at my spinning wheel for the first time in almost a week! Have a fantastic weekend and I will see you back here on Monday!
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by Kat | Aug 25, 2016 | General, Making
This post may be painful for some of you, and I understand that, believe me I do.
However, for me, as I did a serious reality check it became painfully clear that the number of knitted accessories I own far exceed the wearable day factor in any given year. Add to that my closet size and the idea of Knit-Konmari blossomed, thanks to Vicki.
I have two sweaters I wear with great regularity – they are going to the Soak Spa today. One vest will be joining them – it brightens my day considerably that my weight loss has improved its appeal and wear-ability tremendously!
However, one poor sad vest is in desperate need of some cosmetic surgery – in actuality, I wish it was 2 inches longer and I may be able to make this happen, however the colors would not be the same. So, here is my dilemma – take out the neck and sleeve bindings, remove about 2 inches from each side, and then knit some additional length to the bottom of the front and back, re-seam the sides, and then reknit the bindings in the new bottom colors? Thoughts? Additional ideas? Better ideas? I loved this vest, however the current fit makes it very sad.
Likewise, the Custom Fit sweater no longer is custom fit. Maybe it can become a Cardigan? But it needs the deletion of some fabric to fit again. I still have a good bit of the yarn I used, so I could modify it. (Perhaps doing something really out there and make it a cardigan with a nice shawl collar – idea thanks to someone sharing this on Slack) I have a good bit of leftover yarn (1.5 skeins!!) This might work, yes? Different or better ideas and suggestions are welcome!
Now, on to the Plethora of Knitted Accessories…
Keeper’s on their way to join The Sweaters at the Spa:
- Handspun shawls
- All Kirsten Kapur Designs
- My work horse shawl – Donegal Tweed Boneyard FTW
- Citron Grand
- Tales from the Isle of Purbeck
- My Rare Gem Pincha
- Aestlight
- Jen Lucas Mystery Shawl (that was just finished)
- Noro Clapotis
- Honey Cowls
The Land of Uncertainty:
- Litchfield – love the colors, but this is not easy to wear.
- Lion and Lamb Clapotis – this feels too big when I wear it, unless it is really cold out
- Beautiful – again, love the colors, but ease of wear is an issue.
Not Making the Grade, or Re-homing, recycling, re-purposing FTW:
- Luciole – I loved the pattern, but it is too small to wear so I frogged it yesterday, see above – yes I ripped the entire thing out. It was really quite painless. Now the yarn can become something new!
- Stripe Study – awkward design that I find unwearable. I am not sure if I will frog this or not…
- Echoes of Color – I like this but it is way too big, again making it unwearable.
- Color Affection – great colors, but not very wearable, and the knitting is not fabulous.
- Knit Night
- Saroyan
- Too big cowls
- Greyhound
This was a good exercise for me, although I am ashamed by the excess I found in pulling out all my hand knits. It was also a great wake up call the next time I want to knit a shawl – do I really need it or am I just bored and want a new project to knit.
Where are you in your knitting journey, Gentle Reader. Are you in need of some Knit-KonMari?
by Kat | Aug 24, 2016 | General, Making
I am scraping the bottom of my Summer Knitting basket and have finally pulled out Triticum to finish it up. I have begun the arm decreases on the right front, so I should have this piece done soon and then just two sleeves stand between me and a new sweater! I think it is a stretch to think I will get this done by Labor Day, but who knows, perhaps some Slow TV on Netflix will help me get it done!
I have been listening to The Secrets of Mary Bowser while I work in the mornings and I am really enjoying it. I am not quite halfway through it but I hope to have it done this week. Up next is LaRose, which I am very eager to get to! Also, I am still not done with Knitlandia…
I have been gathering together my knits to get them washed, and while I am doing this I am pondering their future – do they stay or do they go? Knit Kon-Mari is coming soon!
As always, joining with Ginny and her Yarn Along today!
by Kat | Aug 23, 2016 | General, Making, Words
Last week, Jillian Moreno’s highly anticipated (at least by me!) book Yarnitecture was released. I got my copy on Friday and that sort of derailed any other reading plans I had for the weekend.
And, today being Tuesday I am going to share you my 10 favorite things from the book!
- The cover. Really. Did Jillian plan this just for me? I mean who could resist a book with all that great green on it!
- Are you a knitter who wants to spin? This book is entirely focused from a knitter’s perspective about the creation of yarn. In other words, she tells you the absolute best way to create a yarn you will want to knit with!
- There are fantastic photos (of course, that is sort of a given) that show clear photos of crucial things that new and old spinners struggle with – things like drafting, twist, and plying.
- She spends the entire book talking about spinning prepared fibers – and especially the amazing fibers available at Fiber Show’s and on Etsy. This is especially great if the idea of processing an entire fleece to spin is not your cup of tea!
- That being said, she still talks in depth about the LARGE variety of fibers there are available to spin!
- Yarnitecture takes you through yarn construction like you are building a house! She breaks it down into very manageable stages that help you make the yarn you want to make. I have been spinning a good bit of time and I had a number of “aha” moments!
- There is an entire chapter on the multitude of ways you can finish your yarn. Menacing your yarn is such a great phrase!
- Jillian demystifies grist for the spinner and breaks it down into something that is understandable and meaningful. (Especially if you are spinning for a large project)
- There an entire chapter on color and how to make color work for you as you are spinning – especially those lovely dyed braids of fiber. She inspires your imagination by showing you the tip of the iceberg on how they can be broken down to spin. After reading her inspiration, my mind is just flooded with dozens of ideas for fiber in my stash!
- Last, but certainly not least, there are 12 stunning patterns by a variety of talented designers using handspun yarn – from socks to shawls to sweaters – there is sure to be something that calls to you! I promise you my “knit list” has grown!
Jillian shows us that the possibilities are limitless when we are sitting at our wheel. Yarnitecture gives you the tools you need to build the yarn you want and then offers encouragement to knit something with it! Jillian is absolutely correct when she says, “I love knitting period, but handspun (yarn) takes it to a different level…” It absolutely does, Gentle Reader – and if you’d like to share that experience, this book is for you!
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