by Kat | Dec 16, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers!
Is the rapidly approaching Christmas adding stress to your season? I am progressing nicely on my few Christmas makes, so my stress level is low! On Monday, I had the most curious dream and so in-between laundry, I started going through my scrap fabric bin to see what I might find. Tuesday I sat down at the sewing machine and voilà!
This antique doll cradle has been in my home since before my girls! They used it for years, but for some time now it has just sat collecting dust in my home and it is time that a new generation plays with it! So I made a new bed and a wee pillow, and a linen sheet, because why not! The best part? The tiny quilt! I had made this piece in 1992 and entered it in the Tulip Time Quilt Show were it won second place. It is paper-piecing, and hand quilted and although the red fabrics have bled a bit over the years with washing, I don’t think it detracts too much. It was well used – the girls used it for their dolls and now it will warm Vivi’s!
On my list today is to finish a pair of Little Dino’s for Winston! I have one started, so they are “underway”!!
Sadly, I do not have any reading updates this week, but I am deeply immersed in A Promised Land! It is so good! Although, I am quite sure I’d listen to Obama read me the telephone book! It is fascinating hearing him talk about all the things!
That is all I have for today, as always – if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Dec 14, 2020 | General, In This Moment
I am wondering this morning just where the weekend went… it was here, but boy, it was over way too fast!
So here we are on Monday, but it is the most auspicious of Monday’s! You see, it’s the first Monday after the second Wednesday… which means the Electoral Collage is meeting today! It seems like it’s been 10 years since Election Day, doesn’t it? Today, Joe Biden will have 306 electoral votes, the other guy will get 232 (you need 270 to win). I have been keeping track of the numbers and thought you all might get a chuckle at these numbers. Since Election Day, the other guy and his band of merry fools have tried and tried and tried again to make something out of nothing. They must like losing because their record?? 1-59. Yep, that is one win (the one win was in PA and a judge said they could move from 10′ to 6′ away from watching canvassing… no I am not kidding. That is the only thing they have in the win column) But how ’bout those losses? (The magic is that they were WINS for the American people!!) Today is one day closer to all these shenanigans being over, but it is a big step.
Now, how about some things to distract you this week!
This week’s night skies should be amazing! First, Jupiter and Saturn are “side by side” – an event that has not happened since 1623. I don’t have a telescope, but I will be out this week with hopes that I will be able to see something. Even if it is only the Geminid meteor shower tonight! (It was too cloudy last night in Pittsburgh, boo!)
Finally, poetry will always be magical to me…I have spent much of this year reading (and listening to) more poetry. I heard this poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay last week and I have not been able to get it out of my head. So I am closing today with it. The name was the first thing I heard and I had no idea at all what Recuerdo meant. I looked it up and it is Spanish for memory or remembrance. This poem is exactly that… may your day have lots of memorable moments. I will see you back here on Wednesday!
Recuerdo
We were very tired, we were very merry—
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.
It was bare and bright, and smelled like a stable—
But we looked into a fire, we leaned across a table,
We lay on a hill-top underneath the moon;
And the whistles kept blowing, and the dawn came soon.
We were very tired, we were very merry—
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry;
And you ate an apple, and I ate a pear,
From a dozen of each we had bought somewhere;
And the sky went wan, and the wind came cold,
And the sun rose dripping, a bucketful of gold.
We were very tired, we were very merry,
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.
We hailed, “Good morrow, mother!” to a shawl-covered head,
And bought a morning paper, which neither of us read;
And she wept, “God bless you!” for the apples and pears,
And we gave her all our money but our subway fares.
by Kat | Dec 9, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
No big making this week…BUT!!! That project bag? Well, it has 1/2 of my Gift Knitting done, and the second half has begun. If I persevere, I think I can have this done in 4 or 5 days (especially since I know exactly what to do now!)
AND!! This yarn!!
Oh.my.gosh! Chain ply just never looked so good, really. And it is so evenly plied!! And why this time? Well…I followed Sarah’s suggestions. First I set the take up on my wheel to the “pull the yarn rapidly from your hands” setting. And I just concentrated on making nice long chains…not worrying about how much, if any twist was in the plies. Then… when I had all the yarn chained, I rewound it onto a bobbin and then reset the take up to something less than pull the yarn from my hands, but still some good take up, and then I put the yarn through again, this time paying attention to the twist. And I love it! It is not perfect, but boy… it is so much better than any previous chain ply attempts. Thank you, Sarah for that tip!
What will I make with it? I think I am going to try it with Sarah’s latest cowl. While my skein is not exactly consistent, once it has had a wee soak, I think it will be mostly a worsted weight yarn. I think it might look lovely with a dark solid color yarn… at least that is what I was thinking as I plied it up! Just wish me luck on Brioche and Tuck stitching…
The reading this week was so awesome, really. I could just stop right now for the year and be insanely happy with my reading for the year. But!! I am currently listening President Obama read me A Promised Land and I have the latest Vera book to begin, so I must just keep reading!
The Door by Magda Szabó
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I started this book based on a recommendation of a friend…and wow, I am so glad I picked it up! What seems like it will be mundane, is not. At all. The story telling is astounding and the story has depth and layers and so much more. I liked Magda, but I loved Emerence. But the relationship that is formed between these two woman is the best. I had originally given this book a 4-star review, but the fact that it is still making me think almost week after finishing it made me move that review up to 5-stars. I highly recommend!
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If reading this book does not make you want to relocate to the House in the Cerulean Sea…it should! What a lovely little story with some incredibly deep analogies for life. I saw the ending coming, but there was so much beauty and joy before the ending that I did not mind at all that I knew exactly how it would end. I very much recommend this book!
Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change by Maggie Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A book full of inspiration and so much joy! Page after page, I found myself nodding, taking note, and by the time I finished it… I knew that I needed it permanently in my collection of books.
This advice though… simply perfect:
Let go of the narratives you’ve dragged around for years: you are not who you were as a child, or in year X, or on day Y – at least, not only. You do not have to fit yourself into those old, cramped stories. Be yourself here and now. KEEP MOVING.
And that is all I have for this week. I will be back here Monday and I hope that your week is full of good books and even better making!
As always, if you wrote a post to share today, please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Dec 7, 2020 | General, Looking Back
I enjoyed Bridget’s Virtual Advent Christmas story and I thought, well… I have a sort of similar story to share. And although I do not remember any of this story, I have heard it told and re-told and re-told! Plus..I have the proof that it is true!
I have a cousin, Bill, who is 6 months younger than me. I had looked for a photo of the two of us together, but alas, I could not find one. Instead I found a photo of me when I was about 2-ish (I think!) That is the face of determination, Gentle Readers!
That haircut?? Courtesy of my dear Nana!
This story takes place all the way back in 1961… our (mine and Bill’s) first Christmas. I was almost 1 and Bill was just 6 months old. My mom had gotten him a small teddy bear for Christmas, but she made the fatal error in letting me see the gift before it was wrapped. As the story goes, I was obsessed with the wee bear. I asked about the bear lots…and lots…and lots! Out of sight did not mean out of my mind! So it should have come to no surprise that just as we were all getting ready to sit down to eat, I walked in with the little bear. (Personally, I think the quiet should have been a huge clanging warning bell, amirite?) however, as the story goes, I found the wrapped box under the tree and helped myself.
Then the battle began… my mother wanted me to give it to Bill and I was having none of it. They say there were all kinds of tears and yelling (me crying, my parents yelling…) until my nana weighed in. And in her immortal words, as she loved to retell it… “it’s your own damned fault,” she told my mother. My nana in her wisdom ended the fracas, I had the bear… Bill had the box (?? I honestly don’t know if poor Bill got anything from us that year!) and dinner started with no more arguing! Ha!
That bear though… he was the dearest little friend, and as you can see… he was very well loved. Today, he sits in my living room, a humorous reminder my first Christmas…
It just can’t be December without the Virtual Advent Tour!
I want to thank Sprite for hosting Virtual Advent… I love participating and even more; I love reading all of the posts!
by Kat | Dec 4, 2020 | General, Looking Back
November is chill, frosted mornings with a silver sun rising behind the trees, red cardinals at the feeders, and squirrels running scallops along the tops of the gray stone walls. — Jean Hersey
This quote is almost my November… while there are no gray stone walls here, the squirrels run races on the power lines as they hurry to bury another acorn or two!
I really like November. The skies are different, the air smells different, and the sunrises and sunsets have moved to new spots on the horizon. Outside it feels like everything is settling in as it tucks itself in for a well-deserved rest until spring. And this year my November very much felt like that…it had a different look, there were different smells, mornings start quietly, and evenings settle into a comfortable rhythm as we wind down the day.
It truly helped to focus on “living as if this is all there is” and better still, November brought the promise of a spring. It is much easier to be patient when you can begin to see the glimmer at the end of the tunnel!
Let’s look at my November in pictures!
The Best Part of the Month —
Hand’s down November 7th was the absolute best part of the month!
Something New —
PA had new voting machines, so I made sure I had the PA Voter Hotline number at the ready! We also had our first dusting of snow, our first hard frost, AND some new spinning!
Best “Oh, Wow” Moment/s —
The glowing patio thanks to the sun and a few leaves remaining on a bush… my picture on the 28th does not do it justice.
What I did well and What I can do better —
I am thinking about the future of these look back posts… several times during the month I reached the end of the day and realized that I did not take any photos that day. I feel this need to “get something” but… is that done well? or Can I do better? I am not sure. Lots to think about, but I will absolutely end the year with one more installment!
That was my November! I hope yours was good as well!
Now… a tiny post script… things are bad right now, Gentle Readers…hospitals workers are over their limit and many have reached their breaking point and there is no reprieve. We have reached the grim milestone that every minute 2 people die from coronavirus and we are not yet seeing the Thanksgiving peak. Honestly, if you can stay home, stay home. Get your groceries delivered… really. Do it, it is a necessary evil right now. We need to do everything we can to help hospitals not be full. Do some holiday decorating, and spend some time appreciating how lovely it all looks by staying AT HOME!
by Kat | Dec 2, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers!
I am writing this on Tuesday afternoon from a wintery white South Hills of Pittsburgh! Yes, December 1st brought winter and I truly love the first snowfall of the season! The few inches we were supposed to get were exceeded before noon and still it continued to snow.
Good thing I have plenty to occupy my time with, lol! But it’s the time of year when I can’t really share what I have “in process” so I am sharing some things that are helping me learn.
I so admire the yarn that Sarah makes, and I have had this bit of fiber for some time now (sorry, no tag and I have no clue where I got it from) but it is the most vibrant colors so I am going to spin it end to end… trying my best to not muddy the colors. I am about half way through the braid and so far, so good on not muddying the colors! Then comes the hardest part… chain plying, which has never been something that I am proficient at, but Sarah gave me a pointer and I am going to try her suggestion!
The other thing I am working on proficiency with is crochet… oh boy, the struggle is real with this craft! How it can seem harder with just one hook versus two needles, I do not know but it is not easy nor does it feel at all natural. However, I can now manage to make 3 circles (up from ONE!) each evening.
Two things to become more proficient at and it is only the second of December!
The reading was just wonderful this week. I don’t remember who first read Cher Ami and Mr. Whittlesey, but I am so glad I added this book to my reading queue!
Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey: A Novel by Kathleen Rooney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love history, but I know little about WWI and I knew even less about pigeons and WWI. Nor have I ever listened to a book told from a pigeon’s perspective, but now I am asking myself why not? This is an incredibly engaging story that was easy to get lost in and hard to put down! I did ration my listening to prolong the joy of this story.
If you like history, this might just be the book for you! I highly recommend this story!
Frosty The Snowman in the header photo is inching his way to being vintage! He is 31 years young, and he is one of my favorite Christmas things! My kids ask every year, “is Frosty out yet?” He also was thrilled with the snow today!
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
