by Kat | Feb 5, 2021 | General, In This Moment
“Art is the highest form of hope.” ― Gerhard Richter
This week I really noticed mornings that were lighter. It is just so nice to walk Sherman and greet the morning at.the.same.time! (rather that stumbling around in the darkness!) This morning it was mild but windy. And those winds were moving the clouds right along…almost painting the sky with shades of grey tinged with oranges and reds. A lovely morning to walk!
It was a slower paced week where I appreciated the beauty of small things.
The gradual changes in my Hitchhiker… it is “42 teeth big” and I am almost to the final color of my yarn. I will keep knitting until I am almost out of yarn and then bind off. This project has been so inspiring to make, and I am currently spinning some yarn that I think will make another hitchhiker. Some unexpected inspiration from Bonny this week… a beaded hitchhiker! I found some beads in my recently organizing. I am eager to get this fiber spun up so I can cast on!
The other beauty I have been appreciating is the #WOMENSART Twitter account! What a lovely little rabbit hole to travel down! All the art is breath-taking, but the fiber arts are truly spectacular! I am sharing a few that have caught my eye!
And finally, did you know the Brontë sisters quilted?
I hope your weekend is full of beautiful things! See you all back here next week!
by Kat | Feb 3, 2021 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
“A half finished shawl left on the coffee table isn’t a mess; it’s an object of art.”
― Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
There was a similar discussion in my house recently, this quote works for spinning as well… because that wheel in the living room? Why yes, it is an object of art! lol
But the making this week! I am 35 teeth in to my Handspun Hitchhiker and it remains my “evening with television” knit. But the rows are getting longer and so not as many teeth are completed each night. I am inching into the next color though, and I am still so in love with this knit!
My Heart Warmer Cowl is almost done…just the ribbing to go! And just in the nick of time – it should be done today – the weather people are warning us that Pittsburgh will have bitterly cold weather next week!
Finally, my *pseudo* glamor shots of my blocked Autumn Forest. I love everything about this, but most especially the yarn! It is Baa Ram Ewe’s Titus (a blend of Wensleydale, Alpaca, and BFL) there is a hint of a halo, it is soft and so drape-y, and it is so warm! A part of me wishes it was just a tiny bit longer… I probably should have stretched it out a bit in my blocking.
The reading this week, though! Two very different stories that I wanted so badly to love, but 3-star reads are not a bad thing, right?
The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I wanted to love this book. There is so much going on in this story – coming of age, class, folklore, first love, and a mystery within a mystery. I listened to the story – read by the author – which helped, I think. But really, I think this story just had too much going on – it was a distraction.
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book left me feeling this: wait, what?
It gripped me from the beginning, kept me not wanting to put it down… but then, out of no where, it ended. Throughout the book there are such great hints as to what might have happened, but the ending left so many loose ends. I look forward to discussing this book… it really left me feeling very uncomfortable.
That is all for me today, if you wrote a post to share – please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Feb 1, 2021 | General, In This Moment
“We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart.” ― Pema Chödrön
I stumbled upon this quote this weekend and have been pondering it ever since. It rings true for me as this new month starts… life is not “passing the test” or overcoming the problem. There is no point when it suddenly all becomes easier, no apex moment to achieve with a reward of “down hill” ease. No, new tests/challenges keep popping up and there is always a new problem…always. Yet despite all of that, Pema’s wisdom in the continuity of things coming together and falling apart is somehow comforting.
Good things to keep in mind as my household approaches one year of Safer at Home… yes, we started in early February 2020. A year of being distant, masking up, and thinking about “is this trip absolutely necessary.” A habit now it seems, yet this weekend our discussions included frustration, disappointment, and longing for life before COVID.
The science reports on wearing two masks seems to echo Pema… things don’t really get solved.
But!! I had an interesting discussion about the efficacy of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this weekend, and while it might not score as high as the currently available vaccines, it does boast a very impressive stat… preventing hospitalizations and deaths! More Pema echo’s….they come together.
The reminder for me this morning is that there is no “magic button” but rather a determination to keep on going and hope there is more coming together and less falling apart. (Or if they do fall apart, may they be easily fixed!)
Finally, in these socially distant times there was some most excellent coming together… a small group of fiber enthusiasts got together Saturday afternoon via the wonder of the internet and we spent time spinning, and talking, and laughing, and sharing. We have plans to meet twice a month… and if you’d like to join us, you would absolutely be welcome!
Happy Monday, everyone! See you all back here for some unraveling on Wednesday!
by Kat | Jan 29, 2021 | General, In This Moment
“If you’re reading this…
Congratulations, you’re alive.
If that’s not something to smile about,
then I don’t know what is.”
― Chad Sugg, Monsters Under Your Head
Welcome to Week 6 of Hope. This week, I found that humor is a necessary element of hope… especially after listening to Billy Collin’s “The Present” last week. I had read this poem previous, but hearing it early Saturday morning I was struck by the truth of it. Leave it to Billy to make clear that staying in the moment is… futile. I chuckled about it all week!
Another thing that brought a huge smile to my face is the fact that The White House has dogs in residence again! I am entirely smitten with Champ and Major and some brilliant person has given the First Dogs a Twitter account. They are absolutely worth a follow!
Final funny for the week… I am stuck on Bobble Island. This is nothing like Sleeve Island… it is bumpy, and there is lots of going back and forth. I could find myself trapped here and that thought is terrifying… and I still have what feels like eleventy-billion bobbles to go!
Finally! An accurate photo of the color of my Heart Warmer!
I hope you find some humor this weekend! See you all back here next week!
by Kat | Jan 27, 2021 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
…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 week’s reading finishes were very mixed.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
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.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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!
by Kat | Jan 25, 2021 | General, Words
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.
Carolyn opened my eyes to looking at the root word of my word… something I had never even thought of doing in words past. I looked up release and I loved what I learned:
release (v.)
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 my house 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!
