by Kat | Aug 24, 2022 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Dearest Unravelers!
Welcome to the last Wednesday in August… I know. How on earth is that possible?!
I am sure you are all asking about the PLUS portion of the title… yes, you will get a bit more than making and reading today as I will give you all a small update on my Grand Procedure from yesterday! (so skip ahead to the ** if you are so inclined!)
The Grand Procedure is absolutely not on anyone’s list of things they love to do, but the actual procedure is not the hardest bit IMO… the Prep is the most odious bit! It seems each time I do a colonoscopy the prep work is always tweaked a bit from the previous time but this time… massive tweaks. The consumption of the Jug of Delight was broken into two parts. So Sunday night I began… half of the jug taken in 8 oz portions at 10 minute intervals beginning at 6PM… and repeat again at 11PM to finish the second half of the jug. Sleep much? Nope, nary a wink! But I did have a morning appointment (albeit the last one of the morning) because if not… I would have had to consume the second half Monday morning, oy!
When I moved to Pittsburgh, I was fortunate to get a female gastroenterologist, I really like her. But you get the “next in line” for anesthesiologist…which is kind of important because they are the one that sends you to the land of sweetest dreams. This time my anesthesiologist was a woman as well… who listened! My outcome post-procedure was much improved thanks to an anesthesiologist who listened and made adjustments. I had two sessile polyps removed… and I am waiting on the results… and I am not thinking about them… much but I will absolutely update you all when I know my results.
And for the nappers out there… Me nap? Really, never, unless I am sick but I did take a lovely little nap yesterday afternoon and, post nap, managed to make dinner for Steve and I last evening! Good things indeed!
**Now how about a tiny bit of a making update. I managed to finish a sleeve and get the second sleeve started on Sunday before I was preoccupied with the Jug of Delight, lol.
I did not do a lick of knitting on Monday because I figured if I could not drive a vehicle, how safe was it to knit where I had to keep track of rows for decreases. LOL
And Tuesday the Great Fall Clean Up in the house began… a precursor to the Greater Fall Clean Up outdoors… so not much no knitting yesterday either… nor was there much spinning but there was some!
However, there was some very good reading this week! And I will close out August listening to Pilcher’s The Shell Seekers!
Trust by Hernan Diaz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A tale told by multiple narrators… each revealing more of the story.
Fascinating. Curious. And yes, it makes you wonder about truth and ultimately trust. (And it gives the reader an insight to the Stock Market Crash of 1920’s)
I listened to this story and the narrators were all excellent. My opinion of the characters changed many times through the course of the unraveling of the story.
I highly recommend!
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book… oh, this book. A friend called it a “gut-punch” and it is certainly that. It is also a story that is revealed slowly, over time… and done so incredibly perfectly.
I cried, lots. But by the time I had roughly 200 pages to go… I was numbed to it all. My heart flipped from Jude to Harold, Andy, Willem, JB, Julia, Malcolm, etc. And still… I could not stop.
So how do you help someone who does not believe they are worthy of your help? Your love? Your kindness? Your friendship?
And how much sadness can one group of friends survive? This group had more than their fair share… too much.
The ending did not surprise me… but Howard’s conversation with Willem broke me.
This was my first dip into Yanagihara’s writing and it won’t be my last… I find myself wanting to devour all her books. She is a masterful writer!
I recommend… with caution… it is a hard read but so worth it!
And that is all I have for today! I hope your making was more productive than mine!
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below!
by Kat | Aug 17, 2022 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings, Gentle Unravelers!
I have so much to share with you today… good things, NEW techniques. And a reinforcement that sometimes you just need to try more than once to achieve success!
First… I am happy to report that the 3-needle bind off I wanted to achieve (with purls showing on the front and the back) WORKED! Woot! Look at that! It is a thing of beauty!
Just a beautiful chain…
I have settled in for Sleeve Island and have gotten through some very smart short rows and am now at cruising speed with some interspersed decreases. These sleeves will have deep cuffs… the pattern calls for 3-inches… and I am making no adjustments, it just has all been so smartly designed! My only alteration is in the number of stitches picked up – I never seem to match what the designer suggests and that means I will do a few more decreases to get to the cuff stitch count.
The details are just so excellent like the line of chain stitches where the sleeve meets the body.
Next up… my non-flaring toe-up sock bind off win! This socks has no pattern, I am knitting to fit Big Foot’s foot, lol. I tried several stretchy bind offs and none of them liked the 3×1 rib pattern I am using. I think Genevieve would love Lettuce Edged Socks, but Steve… not so much, lol. Anyways, I finally gave the suspended bind off a try… in pattern… and it is a thing of beauty! Flaring… none. Stretchiness… the perfect amount! It took me several tries to find the Suspended Bind Off, but I am so glad I did not give up and kept searching for a solution! Now I am on to the heel with it’s short row bits for heel/ankle fit! I feel like I have finally become a knitter… one that can take all I have learned and apply those techniques to a thing I want to make! I am so proud of ME! LOL
Flutter-free bind off, FTW!
And… my daily spinning reminder has produced another full bobbin plus another well on the way!
A slower reading week with a book that I have not stopped thinking about since I finished it. Sorrow and Bliss for Read With Us (reviewed below) and oh my, I can hardly wait for the discussion on this one.
At night I am settled in to Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life… I have 11 days to finish it so I might have to put down the knitting and do some reading a couple of afternoons to get it done in that timeframe!
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was very “on the fence” about this book after reading the “about” of it. Skeptical…sure I would not like it (because, I am the Queen of Preconceived Notions!) and I started it only to have a mini-avalanche of library holds come through. So I stopped listening and came back to it this month. This time with perhaps a bit more focus on my part.
And so I settled in with Martha and with those around her and Mason begins to paint a clear picture of what life is like for both a person with mental health issues and the people who interact with a person with mental health issues… in a very real and compelling way. Mason shows us how hard it is for the people around Martha so incredibly well.
I found myself, like her family members and Patrick… loving her and hating her… so much. Feeling guilty with I was angry with her, wanting to love her more and beyond that… helping her find a fix to make everything better. I did not cry as the book progresses, but boy… I truly felt all the emotions.
This is a book for the Read With Us Book Club and I cannot wait to talk about this book!
If you have not read it… my goodness, do! I highly recommend!
There you have my making good things this week… what about you, is there something you are proud of this week? Do share!
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Aug 10, 2022 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings, dear Unravelers!
Happy Wednesday to you all! Here we are moving quickly through August…how on earth is the the 10th already?
Anyway, I have some knitting to share with you this week. I managed to get the back of my sweater completed and I am working on the front now. The rows go quickly when you are doing short rows, don’t they? I will be well on Sleeve Island next week! Woot!
I also have finished my August Gnome. (and there is a NEW MYSTERY GNOME coming in September!!)
Marly with his Fiddlehead Fern hat and stand out beard!
Marl Meets Gnome FTW! If you are looking for a quick project that is not super fiddly, this is the gnome for you! I am calling him Marly… because he absolutely is that! Eventually, he will sit in my office where I paint and I am hoping that his whimsy inspires me to not take myself too seriously, to lighten up, and remember that painting is fun!
I know that last week was a slim reading week… it happens, right? This week however… I have all the finishes!
The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I don’t know how this book crossed my radar, but I am so glad it did! I quickly fell in love with Sven. I so enjoyed how this story moves from 1916 through the late 40’s and all of Sven’s adventures!
**Spoiler Alert** Eberhard, the dog, dies and it is heartbreaking.
Yet through all the hard times, Sven’s friends and family remain a constant for him. I love the letters to his sister, Olga. I love that his niece, Helga comes to stay with him with her daughter. But most of all I love the relationship he forges with his great-niece, Skuld. Sven, “Uncle” Tapio, and Skuld become the most lovely little family. And as Sven shares his memories, I could not help but be drawn in to their rich, warm world.
I highly recommend this beautiful story!
Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket: Stories by Hilma Wolitzer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book came on my radar thanks to a friend (Bonny)… and I thought that a collection of short stories would be the perfect before bed reading. It was, very much!
I found that I could relate to some of the stories more than others, but Wolitzer’s writing is snappy and on point (even in 2022!)
If you are looking for some “potato chip” reading… this is it!
Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have not stopped thinking about this story since I finished it…. for me, the sign of a very good book!
This book appeared on my radar when I saw that a friend (Margene) had read it… and my library had an audio copy!
It is a mystery. It is a ghost story. It is a revenge story. There is time travel. There is so much folk lore. And so many layers… and Kupersmith unwraps them masterfully! I did not want to stop listening!
I originally gave this book 4-stars, but because I cannot stop thinking about it, I have amended my rating to 5-stars. And really… read this book!
All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Originally, I struggled to get into this story… I was listening to it and that format just did not work for me. So I got on the list for the ebook and waited.
In between I read The Love Songs of WEB Dubois and I think that was the perfect book to prepare me to settle in to read All That She Carried. They fit well together and the change in format to reading with my eyes worked much better with this book. There are images to see that make the reading more powerful.
I do very much recommend!
The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Get your wellies on and grab your umbrella and come along with Vera as she and her very able crew work to solve another mystery.
This mystery takes place on Holy Island and, of course, I wanted to know more about this curious place where the tides can obstruct the causeway…either keeping you in, or out.
A weekend with friends and a suicide opens this story for us. Or is it a suicide? Vera has her suspicions!
I love Vera so very much. She is so lovable. Cleeves does a masterful job of drawing the reader into Vera’s team as you all work together to solve the mystery.
I won’t share more and won’t give away the ending… but it is brilliant! I highly recommend this latest installment to the Vera Stanhope series!
I want to thank Netgalley, Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for providing this ebook for review.
That is all I have to share with you today! What about you? What are you binging on this week?
As always, if you write a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Aug 3, 2022 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings, Gentle Unravelers!
Happy Wednesday! I have a very brief update today, but one full of good things!
One sock is *almost* done! I have two “stripes” to go and then I just need to work out the heel depth, which should be easier than it was on Sam’s sock… since the recipient is conveniently located! Ha!
But what I have been spending my time doing is some spinning and I have three full bobbins to show for it! Two are ready for plying, which will happen later today! And then I will get back to working on my sweater spin… I have a good plan and hopefully will have the spinning done this month. My sweater spin… the fiber is from Hipstrings. It is their Buoy Signature blend – BFL/Shetland/Manx Loagtan and it is a joy to spin! Katie gave me some incredible inspiration on what to knit… DRK Everyday Sweater!
Spinning inspiration… a project and a new toy… exactly what I need to stay motivated on this project!
That’s right, this week I have a new addition to tell you all about. Several months ago I put my name on the list for a Starling… and last month, my name was called! Woot! I absolutely love my Sparrow but the bigger capacity of the Starling is much desired. Can you say ply all the singles? Wooo! The biggest bonus of these two e-spinners… they *both* fit in my Räskog cart! Seriously. That is the smallest footprint ever for two wheels and all their accessories!
No finished reads this week… but I am immersed in two fantastic books. first Ann Cleeves latest Vera mystery… which I got from Netgalley. It is classic Vera and so very very good. I am almost done and still have not figured out who did it!
And I am just over halfway through a most curious book… Build Your House Around My Body. It is not at all what I expected… a mystery, a ghost story, and so much more! I am on a very twisty and winding path… and I am loving it!
What about you all? What are you loving this week?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please live your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Jul 27, 2022 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings, Gentle Unravelers!
I have much been thinking about all of you this week and how, for me, these posts… your posts… really feel like a weekly knitting group. We share what we are making and what we are reading and more… and I love that feeling!
This week my making was sort of all over the place. I dug out an appropriate handbag to bring to Jury Duty and found tucked away inside an old project… you know from the days when I actually went places during the week and would have the occasion to sit and knit? Yeah, well I found a half completed Rikke hat inspired by Bonny… long forgotten in a bag that had been put away. Thankfully I had someplace to go recently (despite having to give up my needles) once I saw the hat, I could not leave it uncompleted. Once I returned the needle, it was quickly finished! It just needs a bit of a spa treatment and will be ready for cooler weather!
I have 3-ish inches to go on my sweater back… and then I do some shaping of shoulders and binding off the neckline. So I am making some headway! However, there is still a long way to go to completion!
I also knit two more pop squares for the blanket. It is my new thing to do when I am really wanting to cast on something new. It is working well on keeping that urge corralled! LOL
This might have been the finest reading week of the entire summer! Three incredible books… and all so very different.
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Once again, I am drawn into a story simply by the characters in this sort of Stockholm Syndrome tale.
It is loosely based on the Japanese Embassy crisis in Peru that happened in 1996-ish.
Stepping outside of all that reality, Patchett reimagines what might happen within the walls of the lavish home. The lines blur between hostage and hostage taker in a fascinating story that profoundly beautiful. The characters are so very believable. I could not put it down!
I highly recommend!
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
An incredibly beautiful memoir to Zauner’s mother… it is tender, profound, and yes, painful at times. The writing is really wonderful… intimate. Perhaps more so since I listened to the author read it to me.
The story is delightful… and so very real. I cried frequently. But can we talk about all the food for a moment? I have this burning desire to spend several weeks eating Korean food… breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
It struck me that this story could not. be told without the food… and that simple fact is what makes it so very relatable. Food is the thing that binds us all together… sharing a meal, sharing conversation, sharing the joy of life… and sometimes death.
I highly recommend this book!
The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The struggle was real to get settled into this book. I tried multiple times to find the rhythm and almost gave up. But then a bit of “forced reading”… aka Jury Duty … and I eased past those first 100 pages and then the story carried me along.
The writing style is really so beautiful… different, challenging, perfect. The story of two orphaned sisters, Caro and Grace, and how their lives are inter-twined with those around them… for good and for less than good. There is enduring love, loss, good choices, bad choices, heartache, and more in this really epic story.
The last 75 pages… oh my.
If you are looking for a book that will make you think… read this book. This book is so full of so many tidbits that if you are not reading carefully, you will just gloss over and miss out on the brilliance that Hazard brings to this story!
And there you have my Knit Group update! What about you all… what do you all have to share this week?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Jul 20, 2022 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings, Gentle Unravelers! And a happy Wednesday to you all!
Apparently hot hot weather means lots and lots of knitting time! (Truth, I spent little time outside after 9am each day… early morning weeding only!)
I have some momentous knitting achievements this week. I have divided for the sweater sleeves! This is good and bad… good in that I am only working with half the stitches, the bad thing is that I can no longer avoid those purl rows! Ha! I have an inch or so done with roughly 10 inches or so more to go.
I also finished the BIG FOOT FOOT! Yep, heel placement is in and I am now cruising on the cuff of the sock.
And… drum roll please… I have a NEW GNOME!
Meet, Gnigel. He is an avid gardener. His speciality though is carrots! LOL
So first, about dear Gnigel’s shape…. it is curiously similar to Kym’s watering devices and once that was in my head…well, it has stayed there. I have tried to “reshape” Gnigel to no avail. So in order to make him less “Garden Dildo” and more “Garden Gnome” enter the carrots… because of course, right?
Anyways, I free-styled those carrots, gave them some lovely carrots tops, and even managed roots! And that garden basket… even I can knit “Basket Stitch” for a small item! And, now dear Gnigel is on the mantle with the other gnomes! And I am sure that he is sharing all the good gardening stories!
After week with no finishes this week I have three completed books. (And I am well into Bel Canto… my goodness I love Patchett’s characters!) Anyways, these books have some stellar characters as well and I recommend all of them!
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book. Oh my. It is epic. It is heartbreaking. It has believable characters. It has good things and it has some very, very ugly things as well. And I really loved every word. It is a well-told story, along two timelines… woven together so expertly. I felt incredibly privileged that Jeffers invited me in so I could learn.
This book comes with some trigger warnings… There is child sexual abuse by a family member – it is painful but if you are paying attention, Jeffers tells us how to get through those bits. Ailey’s advice from her professor served me well as I worked through all the painful bits. Jeffers puts a face on the people who were enslaved… you cannot read this book and remain unchanged.
I highly recommend.
When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“And if anyone asks, you’re Chinese. The boy had nodded. “Chinese,” he whispered. “I’m Chinese.” “And I,” said the girl, “am the Queen of Spain.” “In your dreams,” said the boy. “In my dreams,” said the girl, “I’m the King.”
A precursor… what I know about Japanese internment during WWII would be drops in a thimble. After reading this book, while I might know the tiniest bit more, I still don’t know enough. But Otsuka has spurred me to learn more.
One thing that struck me with this unnamed family – their stoic acceptance of what happened. I fell in love with this little unnamed family… unnamed, I think, because this family is everyone interned and no one in particular. The anonymity of this family made me see the bigger picture.
The timeline felt a bit “choppy” to me, I was wanting to know more about the in-betweens… the before, the during, and the after.
And, despite the timeline issues, I do very much recommend this little book!
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Once I started listening to The Swimmers, I could not stop.
It starts with a group of swimmers, all very different, swimming each for their own reasons… they come and go with little interaction with each other outside of their time in the pool. And one day a crack appears… and then the story takes off in the most incredible way. Don’t focus too much on the crack… after all, our lives have cracks that there but are not necessarily visible, don’t we? Rather focus on the people in the story… and one in particular – Alice.
Get LOTS of tissues and buckle in… it is a short ride to the end, but wow is it a powerful one! The writing is incredibly beautiful. I cried, lots. And I have not been able to stop thinking about Alice since I finished the book.
This is a must read book. Really. Go get it now!
What about you? What is helping you combat the heat?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
