by Kat | May 26, 2021 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
I am not quite sure how it is the last Wednesday of May, but here we are.
Kym hoped that I would share my “list” and I think that is a very good idea for a couple of reasons! One: accountability (which is a very good thing for me! lol) and Two: if I have a list, I will be less likely to be distracted by something “new and shiny”!
So, here is my very short list:
Finish Purl Strings. (see below!)Repair torn Esme Tunic (see below!!)- Rehabilitate/re-work denim Esme Tunic
- Repair waistband on Rose pants (it needs to be removed and replaced)
- Knitting
- Neutral Shawl
- Black/dark sleeveless sweater (possibly MDK Shakerag Top?)
- Sewing
- Comfy linen pants (From Sonya’s new book)
- Dressier Esme Tunic
- Two comfy tops to go with jeans (from Sonya’s book)
As you can see, I almost have a finish to share. I have just a few rows and a bind off to my Marled Purl Strings completion. It should be soaking later this morning and then a wee bit of blocking and I will be wearing it for the long weekend!
I have completed the “repair work” needed on a well-loved, well-worn tunic that had a bit of a tear. But by cutting off the sleeve caps and adding bit of bias tape – it is wearable tunic again! The rehab from my list, is going to require a bit of work. I know what I want it to look like, but I don’t exactly know how I am going to accomplish it. Stay tuned.
This weekend, however, I want to get ready for Anne Hanson’s MKAL which starts next month… this neutral yarn will soon fill a hole in my wardrobe… one “go with lots of things” neutral shawl. Purposeful making, FTW!
I also want to get the patterns I traced off from Sonya’s new book pinned onto fabric and cut out so that in case it is a rainy weekend, I will be able to get some sewing done!
Ambitious plans but I hope to stay motivated!
It has been a slow reading week with just one finish but it is an excellent book!
Prince Of Fire by Daniel Silva
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I think the Prince of Fire is the best Allon book yet. Realistic and timely, Allon has a new team and a new target. The story moves along quickly… or does it. The twists and turns are excellent and the ending is brilliant. I highly recommend this series!
That’s all I have for this week! I am taking a wee little break for the holiday weekend but I will be back next week Wednesday with some more making and reading. I hope you all have an amazing LONG weekend!
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | May 19, 2021 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
“Always listen to the warnings from your heart.”
― Teresa Collins
Greetings Unravelers!
I hoped to have a finished sock, but I finally listened to that nagging voice in my head and ripped out the sock I had started a couple of weeks ago. Even though this is a pattern I have knit multiple times before, this sock was just not going to fit. Am I the only one who’s “normal” gauge has changed drastically in Pandemic Times? I never used to be a “tight knitter” but I sure am these days! So, I found a larger set of dpn’s and began again on Monday and had hoped to have plenty of time to work on it on yesterday while helping at the polls. Sigh. We were just busy enough that I only managed to knit about an inch. But I did get a good start on a new library book!
All other knitting (think Marled Purl Strings) has not gotten much more knitting time than when you last saw it. Hopefully this week that will not be the case!
The reading this week was curious… some good things in each book, some not so good things as well.
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
What I thought this was going to be was not at all what it was. I did find some helpful things, but for the most part – this was not a book for me.
The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was such a curious book… a “what if” set in Biblical times. Yet, this is not a “religious” book, outside of the Biblical history that Kidd intersperses through the novel. The writing is just so beautiful and there is so much to contemplate as Kidd lays out Ana’s life for us. I loved Ana and I loved how she worked around all the “don’t do’s” that were her daily life. The entire “Jesus” story is really secondary to her. I very much recommend this well done story!
That is all I have for today, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below!
See you all back here on Friday!
by Kat | May 12, 2021 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Try new things, step out of your comfort zone, take risks, do things in ways you’ve never done them before, ask for help, surround yourself with self-actualized people, become obsessed with the fact that you have one go–round on this planet as the you that is you, and realize how precious and important it is not to squander that. — Jen Sincero
Lots has happened in the making department since last week. I have become a bit obsessed with spinning and practicing the things I learned in my spinning classes. I have taken classes before but have never really just sat down and kept doing the things I learned… it was helpful that the classes were recorded so I could go back and watch parts of them over. It was helpful to rewatch techniques to reinforce them in my head and in my hands and feet!
But, lest you think I am a slacker…I am happy to report that I almost have everything crossed off of my Monday List and I have carved out a bit of “making time” as well! I have done a wee bit of knitting on the Marled Purl Strings, not much… but some! I have 5 repeats of the body to go to bind off… and then Sleeve Island! I am contemplating shorter sleeves on this Purl Strings…we shall see. Yarn amounts might dictate that is all that can happen and I am just preparing myself for the likelihood, lol.
My big finish this week though is handspun yarn!
This is the “Chickadee Mixed BFL” from Fibernymph Dye Works. Gosh, I am so excited about this yarn! I spun the red contrast before my spinning classes and the brown yarn after, and boy… the difference is striking! The red yarn is a bit heavier than the brown… a true 3-ply light fingering weight sock yarn! My yardage is excellent as well, pre-washing I have 470-ish yards. I expect it to bloom slightly when finished, so I will loose a tiny bit of yardage, but I will have more than enough to knit a pair of socks!
I am working on spinning some new yarn from fiber from another local source, HipStrings. It is one of their special blends (Shetland, Manx Loaghton, Flax, and Silk) and the color way is “Housefinch” – I am thinking this will have some amazing drape once knit up and I am hoping to have enough for a small shawl. Stay tuned!
Also… I may have jumped on a mystery KAL Bandwagon. Okay, I did…lol. I really feel like doing some “timed” knitting! This should be the incentive I need to get my Purl Strings finished before June 9th! Ha!
There was so much good reading again this week! Yay for audiobooks as a most excellent companion for unpleasant tasks! Ha!
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Another book about WWII, the Holocaust, and the French resistance. The story is engaging even if the ending is somewhat predictable. I liked the Resistance story, I don’t know how factual that portion of the story was, but I hope it was.
How the Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The unwrapping of one very crotchety octogenarian, Veronica McReedy. What a fun, brilliant, unexpected little book! I laughed, I cried, and I hoped that Mrs. McReedy would find what she did not know she was looking for! A heart-warming story and I highly recommend!
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you think that this book just about writers and finding love… you’d be so wrong. It’s so much more. It’s about discovery. It’s about letting go. It’s about persistence. It’s about friendship. And, it’s about life… with all the messy bits. The writing is so good… so very good! I did not want it to end!
That is all I have to share today… what about you? What is your latest obsession??
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below!
by Kat | May 5, 2021 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
If you’re not making some mistakes, it probably means you’re not trying hard enough. — Evan Davis
Greetings, Gentle Unravelers!
May is unfurling like the leaves on the trees in my yard and it feels so good! Me Made May is underway and it is off to a good start! My usual is to mix together things I have. made with things I have purchased. Jeans are my making hurdle and I have not attempted them…yet. I think about making them a lot, but the fear of making a glorified mess of them is holding me back. I am afraid to make a mistake.
I have so much other inspiration though, I might not need to tackle my jeans fears this month! The latest issue of Making is full of things I want to make! From some adorable quilted coasters to an incredible linen tunic…
And have you seen Sonya Philips new book, The Act of Sewing? I was lucky and nabbed a signed copy from Kay and Ann (sorry, they are sold out right now.) Sonya was the reason I started sewing again after a very long hiatus – her designs are comfortable, easy to wear, and so much fun to make! I love her encouragement to “make it your own”! I have paged through it and have started reading and my mind is full of new ideas! I am excited to carve out some sewing time!
On the knitting front… I am making progress on my Marled Purl Strings. I have divided the sleeves and am just knitting round and round and round… punctuated by occasional k1, p1 rounds. It is knitting at its best!
The reading this week was just so amazing:
As It Is in Heaven by Niall Williams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There are only three great puzzles in the world, the puzzle of love, the puzzle of death, and, between each of these and part of both of them, the puzzle of God. God is the greatest puzzle of all.
What an incredibly tender story told as only Niall Williams can. His gift of writing makes the story of Phillip and Stephen and life “after” – each has their own life and the two are not twined together but for a weekly gathering to play chess in silence. Together, yet very much apart. It is a story full of joy, sorrow, pain, death, and life… so much life.
I highly recommend.
The Boy with the Narwhal Tooth by Christoffer Petersen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I think this book was an Amazon offering for a dollar or something… it is a novella and not long at all. It was okay. The characters are interesting as is the location in Greenland. Don’t expect any great depth though, it is exactly what you’d expect for a dollar book.
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The truth is we don’t know what we don’t know. We don’t even know the questions we need to ask in order to find out, but when we learn one tiny little thing, a dim light comes on in a dark hallway, and suddenly a new question appears. We spend decades, centuries, millennia, trying to answer that one question so that another dim light will come on. That’s science, but that’s also everything else, isn’t it? Try. Experiment. Ask a ton of questions.
This book was amazing, thought-provoking, and yes… it made me ask myself a ton of questions! It is the story of a family who immigrates to America – to Alabama, of all places – from Ghana. But more it is a story about life in America, it is about addiction, it is about religion, and it is about faith. It is brilliantly told and one that will stay with you for a very long time after you stop reading it!
I highly recommend you get this book today and start reading it!
If you wrote a post to share today, please leave your link below and thank you!
I will see you all back here on Friday with a bit of a spinning update!
by Kat | Apr 28, 2021 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
100 years ago, buying something you could make was considered wasteful; now making something you could buy is considered wasteful. I am not convinced this is a step in the right direction. ― Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
I thought this quote was exactly the reminder I needed as I am about to embark on Me-Made May – minus the IG posting frenzy, that is! I am going to do my best to wear only things I have made during the month. But I have plans to do a wee bit of sewing for myself in May as well. My wardrobe is in need of a little refresh after 12 plus months of Pandemic Living! Re-entry is not easy but maybe a couple of new items will help!
On the knitting front, I am almost to the sleeve division on my Marled Purl Strings – just 6 rows to go! I kind of worried that the “purled” rows would not show very much in the marled fabric, and while they are not as dramatic as they are on the single color sweater, I love how it looks and hopefully the body goes as quickly as it did on my first sweater. (at least once I picked it up and actually knit on it!)
Today though is all about learning as I have a full day of classes for MDSW! I will spend the afternoon with Maggie Casey learning about twist and this evening with Dame Judith and some Columbia fiber! I will have a tiny break between the classes and I made a pot of chili on Sunday so I could have something to “zap” and eat! lol
The reading this week has been wonderful! I had FIVE finishes!
The Thunder Before the Storm: The Autobiography of Clyde Bellecourt by Clyde Bellecourt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A friend described this book as having the feel of the author sitting at the dinner table with you, sharing their story. Yes!! That is an excellent way to describe this book. I kn0w little about the plight of Native American’s and this book is an excellent introduction. It is eye-opening and stirs the desire to learn more. I highly recommend!
The Dead and the Living by Sharon Olds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I think writing poetry is hard (if not impossible for most of us) but writing good poetry about hard topics is just amazing. This collection of poems made me stop and think. At times it made me uncomfortable. But the way Olds puts together phrases and uses words to paint an image in the readers mind are brilliant. I highly recommend!
Stag’s Leap: Poems by Sharon Olds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Intimate, poignant poems… Sharon Olds has a gift… the ability to write about hard things and she does so in the most incredible way. She draws you in, shares the raw emotion, and then carries you along – tenderly – with her. I find myself wanting to stop and read everything Olds has ever written. I highly recommend!
A Death In Vienna by Daniel Silva
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Book Four in the Allon series, but Book Three in the trio of Holocaust series. In this story, the history of Allon unfolds and we learn more details about his past… and his parent’s history. Allon is an edgier, more turbulent version of Armande Gamache – and that is not a bad thing, he is complex – he has a sense of justice, and is brilliantly smart! I love watching him put together the puzzle and win! I highly recommend this series!
Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Racism in America has to be the ugliest thing on earth. Like many others who have read this book, I had to remind myself it was not a memoir…but a novel. It sheds light on life as a Muslim in America post-911. It is a riveting story and I had a hard time putting it down. The writing is wonderful. I highly recommend!
That is all I have to share today, if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below!
See you all back here tomorrow with my choice for Poem in Your Pocket Day!
by Kat | Apr 21, 2021 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
My favorite place to vacation is anyplace by the ocean [lake]. — Nina Arianda
I am pretty sure that if Nina Arianda had see any of the Great Lakes she would absolutely wanted to vacation there. This week I have a “change of scenery” as we are visiting Erie and more specifically, Presque Isle – which just might be my favorite place on earth and even on a grey day the views are just glorious!
If only letting go of COVID fears was as easy as changing the scenery. I am two weeks past my second vaccine, but the idea of immersing myself back into “pre-COVID life” is still such a scary thought. I read this article in the NYTimes and I am working on rethinking risks and overcoming my COVID fears, but it is not easy. What about you? How are you doing post vaccine? How are you re-entering life? Do you have a plan? I really want to know… I think a good discussion around this would be a wonderful start – so please tell me your thoughts!
While I have no knitting photos this week, you are not missing anything. There is hardly any change from last week’s images, lol. I am at the slow going portion of Purl Strings. Lots of counting, seed stitching, and so much more increasing to do. I have knit about 3 inches of the cuff of Sock One, but I have a good bit of knitting yet before I get to the heel.
However, there is so much to do outdoors here (with practically no COVID fears!) I have been walking and walking and walking and watching all the birds. So.many.birds! We have discovered new trails and have seen so many new things. Each day is just a bit greener than the day before! It is crazy but today there is snow in the forecast so I just might get some knitting time in!
While the reading was minimal this week, I did have one finish.
The Cold Millions by Jess Walter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fascinating story about a part of history that I knew nothing about. The writing style very much reminded me of Leif Anger or Kent Haruf. I listened and the cast of narrators were wonderful. I loved how the characters each were woven into the story… together but separately. If you want to learn more about labor in the early 1900’s in America, this book is an excellent place to start. I highly recommend it!
That is all I have for today, as always – if you wrote a post to share please leave you link below and thank you!
