by Kat | Jul 20, 2016 | General, Making
Knitting has been on the back burner here at Casa del KatKnits in the fervor of Tour de Fleece. My sock grows slowly, but it is simple “pick up and just knit” knitting that is so simply satisfying.
Over the weekend, I began the epic bind off of TTL Mystery Shawl, but I still have not finished. I am about half way done. It is absolutely glorious outside this morning so before I get my work done, I might sit out under the pergola and work on that a bit. Head’s up fellow MKAL knitters – the bind off is slow going, but I love how the picots look!
I am honing in on my first Bingo – I finished Doc and, while this is not a typical genre for me, I really enjoyed it. I loved the narrator’s voice which seemed so perfect to be relating the story of Doc Holliday. There were times I chuckled at the antics and hearing the fabled story of the west. There were also poignant parts that endeared Doc to me. If you are looking for a “western”, I recommend this highly.
I also started and finished listening to Charlotte’s Web – read by E.B. White (Thanks Bonny for this stellar recommendation!!) I loved this book as much as I did the first time I read it a million years ago. I was able to “become my children” – listening attentively as they did when I read it to them when they were little. I now understand their begging for “just one more chapter,” as I listened to the book in one sitting.
I started listening to The Book Thief (Told by a child narrator) and reading My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry (With a family member in the title). This will give me my first bingo! I am also reading The Inner Circle (Hated by someone you know) on my kindle at night.
Books in the wings:
- My Kitchen Year (With food as the theme)
- To Kill a Mockingbird (Published in the year I was born)
- Knitlandia (With a one-word title)
- On the Pulse of the Morning (Poetry Collection)
I am still working out what to read for those final “practically impossible” squares. I have 3 squares that I am struggling with – ‘Manga’, ‘By or about a member of the LGBTQ community’, and ‘From the Harvard Classics 5 foot shelf’. I will head down to find something from the “top shelf’ of my bookcase, hopefully there is something besides a knitting book there!
As usual, I am joining in Ginny’s Yarn Along, where you will find beautiful knitting and diverse reading going on.
Have a fantastic Wednesday in a week that is filled with those perfect lazy days of summer. How is your knitting and reading coming?
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by Kat | Jul 13, 2016 | General, Making
It’s Wednesday and that means it is Ginny’s Yarn Along today!
I am completely immersed in Tour de Fleece this year and enjoying it far more than I have in previous years. This year I am not keyed into logging miles of frenzied spinning, rather I am more focused on fiber and creating a yarn to highlight that. I finished spinning up the vintage batts from Deep, Deep Stash. My goal was a lofty, tweedy yarn and I think I achieved that! There is some sheen from the silk in the batts and the bits of silk noil have created the loveliest tweedy effect. The yarn is as squishy as the batts were and I wish you could feel it!
I have started in on the Montadale, which I am spinning for socks, so this will become a 3-ply fingering weight yarn. Slow going, but enjoyable none the less!
I am looking ahead to determine what to spin to finish the tour out – I will have this done this week and I only have the Coopworth remaining from my original selections.
I have 2 gradient bumps from Amy at Spunky Eclectic that I think I will finish out with. I am not sure I will get them both finished, but I will certainly try. My goal will be to spin this in a lace weight 2-ply.
I am almost finished listening to The Summer Before the War, which I am enjoying tremendously! Once I am done with this, I have Doc queued up, thanks Carole for that suggestion. I finished reading A Man Called Ove. What can I say about this book, if you have not read it – do so right now! Ove wormed his way into my heart and by the end of the book, I found myself longing to live next door to him. I did not want the book to end, despite the tears that would not stop through the last chapters. Fantastic writing! The reading this summer has been absolutely spectacular. I am still working through Big Magic, though it is losing that rosy glow it had when I started. It will be some work to finish it, but I will try. I should get a good bit of reading done again this week as Steve will be away for work from Thursday through Sunday.
I am knitting a row or two at night on the Mystery Shawl. I am almost done with the set up rows for the final clue – so the end is in sight! My goal remains, finish this by month end!
I would especially like to thank Kate Larson for the shout out today on the Spinning Daily Blog. It is truly an honor and deeply appreciated!
How is your summer reading and knitting (or crafting) going?
by Kat | Jul 7, 2016 | General, In This Moment, Making
The first half of the year is behind us, and I thought it was a good time to check in with this post and see how I am doing on the things I want to do less and the things I want to do more.
Starting off with the weighing less and moving more – there is indeed less of me (almost 20 pounds less of me), which means there has been more moving. This is such a good thing and I am enjoying wearing clothes that did not fit (or did not fit well)! I have more energy, and feel better about myself.
This also means that the focus on healthier eating is definitely in the win column.
I am sorry to say that hand stitching has fallen by the wayside, which makes me sad – especially seeing the beautiful stitching that Bonnie Sennott does each day. I am going to get back on track with this by adding stitching to my daily calendar and I also moved my stitching to my desk – so it is visible to me. I am hoping that the combination of these things will help.
However, in spite of the lack of stitching, there has been lots of making in the first half of the year!
I am feeling much more organized, but there are still some places in my life that need a bit of Kon-Mari. I am not sure that will happen yet this summer, but maybe if there are a couple of good rainy days it might get started! It is not easy to work in the basement when it is so glorious outside.
Now the hard part – the complaining/gratitude balance in my life. As you know, I have struggled with this. It seems that being grateful is a difficult process, at least for me. So, I started a daily gratitude page in my journal. I am just writing a simple word or phrase about something I am grateful for that day. It does not happen every day, but it is happening more than it did! I am not sure this is eliminating the complaining in my life, but it is causing me to stop and think.
Did you make resolutions this year? How are you doing on them?
by Kat | Jul 6, 2016 | General, Making
Trying to get back into the rhythm of the week after a long weekend has not been easy this week. I am off my game, seriously behind, and today I am determined to get this train back on track.
It is a new day – a do over, as it were.
So, with list in hand – I am on a mission to get things done today.
Included on the list is to finish clue four on the TTL MKAL.
But, before I can do that there is a kitchen and a bathroom on my list.
Oh, and laundry.
Good thing I have something excellent in my ears today – The Summer Before the War will make the work lighter so I can get to those last 10 rows! I finished up Dead Water and thus filled another square on my Book Bingo card! No bingo’s yet – and now comes the hard work of the card..
Have a fantastic Wednesday. Joining Ginny in her Yarn Along.
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by Kat | Jun 29, 2016 | General, Making
Last week I shared that this book showed up in several places in my internet world last week, and the library had it available digitally, so I borrowed it. I started reading it over the weekend, and while I am not too far into the book, it is causing me to think about lots of things. Curious things. Creative things. So far, I like it.
I finished reading The Redbreast and The Paris Architect (both of which I loved). The Paris Architect was a book I was not sure I would like, so I am using this one for a square in my Book Bingo (The book that I think I will dislike) however, I loved it. Really loved it! I am marking The Redbreast into the classic mystery square. No bingo’s yet, but my squares are getting filled in!
I am listening to Dead Water by Anne Cleeves, and The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson is up next. This should get me through a few more Summer Knit Along Projects!
I am not through clue 4 of Kirsten Kapur’s mystery knit along and in order to keep the mystery going, I am not looking ahead at the new clue that is out today. Yeah, there was no way I could get that clue done in the weeks time. Plus!! I also hope to be done with the first of two Jen Lucas no longer mystery shawls, I have about 30 rows to go, however they are LONG rows! I am not sure that the long rows are better than short rows of a knit on border – it seems that the edging on Aestlight went much quicker, but maybe that was because I had quickly memorized the pattern. Alas, there is no memorizing anything beyond a row in the Jen Lucas shawl, nor the mystery shawl. So, I have my charts keyed into knitCompanion, which helps tremendously for these long rows!
It also helps that the weather outside is simply glorious today, pergola knitting is on the schedule today and the audio book will join me!
But, tell me – How is your reading and knitting coming along this summer?
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by Kat | Jun 22, 2016 | General, Making
Wednesday’s are for knitting and reading, okay, perhaps every day is for knitting and reading! But, today Ginny is leading us all with her Yarn Along!
So, on to the knitting: I am making great progress on my Summer Knit Along list, I have finished Aestlight, and I would have a photo for you, but it is currently getting a nice soak and then it will be ready for a wee bit of blocking. Not too much, I do not want the garter stitch sections to lose their lovely squishy feel. I will have photos to share soon!
I also have completed clue three of Through the Loops Mystery shawl, clue four is out today and I am ready to go!
Also, I have picked out another item from the WIP Basket to knit, this is another mystery shawl, this time from Jen Lucas. While the shawl is no longer a ‘mystery’ – I am working through Chart C. I am on repeat 2 of 6. Then I just have Chart D, which has 3 repeats. I am getting to the point of having lots of stitches on my needles, and they are growing with each repeat. It feels like the knitting is slow, but I am making progress. It is perfect for knitting and listening to a good book, like Still Life by Louise Penny. I am really happy with the recommendation that Carole gave on the Inspector Gamache books, I am enjoying book one tremendously and look forward to reading more from this series.
I am also still reading Jo Nesbo’s The Redbreast – I am about a quarter of the way though and, as previous books in this series, I am thoroughly enjoying the antics of Harry Hole.
I have a little bit of gardening to get done this morning, then you will find me under the pergola knitting and reading. Have a great Wednesday everyone!
P.S. On a spinning note, Sheepspot Fiber Club is open today for new registrations, just sayin’! You can read about my experience as a member here.
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