by Kat | Sep 9, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
In retrospect, Gentle Readers, I should have done 1 more repeat of the patterning. In the end, rather than rip back 10 rows of ribbing, I just forged ahead and did an extra inch of 1×1 ribbing… Sigh. At no point in time did I ever try the body on to see how the length was. Yep, that’s right… not once. I went by the photo images on the pattern, and knit to the specified length from the under arm. Lesson for savvy knitters… always, always, always try the sweater on! Especially when the end result means additional inches of 1×1 ribbing… on US size 4’s with lace weight yarn. Anyways, I think the extra ribbing will be fine and most certainly will not roll or fold up, so there is that benefit. Today, I am working through picking up stitches around the fronts to knit the applied I-cord front/neck bands. Umm, I generally don’t mind picking up stitches. I usually do some knitty math to figure out my pick-up ratio and go. This time, the ratio has been calculated for me, but boy howdy… this fabric is not the easiest for picking up stitches! So I am armed with bright light and a good audiobook to keep me company with the task. I confess, I am a bit nervous about picking up stitches around the arm holes… I don’t know how that will work and in my mind, it has all manners of disaster written all over it. Keep your fingers crossed for me, and I welcome any and all helpful tips, suggestions, and/or knitterly mojo you’d care to send my way!!
But, challenging knitting aside… it was a summer for reading accomplishments and so many good books! Perhaps the best thing that all these books brought me was the expansion of my horizons through my reading. In the wee hours of Sunday morning, I finished my second SAH Bingo Coverall! (A reminder of my first SAH Bingo Coverall) I also finished my first “post-bingo” books this week! Yay!
Month or day of the week Season in the title (yes, I swapped this season for “month or day of the week,” but my card – my rules): The Summer Book- Part of a series: The Lewis Man
- Told from
more than two different points of view: The House of the Spirits
- Prize-winning author (but not prize-winner): The Night Watchman
- Collection of poetry: The Rain in Portugal
- Recommended by a friend: The Things We Cannot Say
- By and author on your current year favorites list: The Chessmen
- Historical fiction: The Good Lord Bird
- Blurbed by someone you admire: Tightrope
- Set in a different season: The Innocent (I loosely translated this to the Cold War season)
- Bird or animal on the cover: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
- Latest book by an author your love: Afterlife
- Any book: Counting Descent
- Recommended in Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Summer Reading Guide (any year): The Sweet Life in Paris
- Originally published in the 20th century: Invisible Man
- Re-read a childhood/YA favorite: Stuart Little
- Recommended on a podcast: Intimations: Six Essays
- Children’s Classic: Wind in the Willows
- On a friend’s favorites shelf: Upstream
- Chosen by
a celebrity the PBS/NYTimes bookclub (at any time): The Street
- About a homecoming: Their Eyes Were Watching God
- By a new-to-you author: The Rain in Portugal
- Person on the cover: Disappearing Earth
- Audiobook with one narrator: Song Yet Sung
- About travel: So Brave, So Young, So Handsome
Stuart Little by E.B. White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have read this book dozens of times… alone as an early reader and out loud to my children before bed. The escapades of Stuart are simply wonderful. The joy of having it read to me, though was entirely unexpected! I could immerse myself in my inner child and lose my self in Stuart’s story. I highly recommend this audio version!
Breathe: A Letter to My Sons by Imani Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A beautiful companion to Ta-Nehisi Coates Between the World and Me. The writing is poetic and haunting. The view into the mother/son relationship is poignant, in a world where black boys are not safe in most places. Perry does a beautiful job of putting the reader in her shoes. I highly recommend this book.
The Wind in the Willows: Illustrated by Kenneth Grahame
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
If it is at all possible, I think re-reading this as an adult made this book better. Or perhaps it is the time we are living in… the concerns of coronavirus, the worry about the political climate, the desire for racial justice. And for a few hours, I was able to escape all that to life with Mole and Ratty. A place where differences are not bad, where everyone is welcome, and where the ability to just head out to no where is absolutely okay. The writing is profound… with lots of adult nuggets tucked away! I highly recommend getting lost in the Willows!
Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Trethewey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A painful, yet moving memoir of a daughter trying to make sense of her mother’s life and death. I was left with many questions, as I think Trethewey intended… because she still has questions. The story is chilling and heartbreaking.
And that is all I have for today! If you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below, and thank you!
by Kat | Sep 2, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
A brief dip into autumnal temperatures were enough to spur me on to pick up my Evening Dew Cardigan and a bit of knitting over the weekend while watching The Peanut Butter Falcon and an episode or two of Silent Witness and I find myself less than one repeat away from the bottom ribbing! I am stunned that it still looks (and feels) like I have barely used any of the Briar Rose Fibers Angel Face! (sadly, this yarn is now discontinued, I think Sea Pearl would work well in this sweater, especially with a strand of mohair!)
I am also ready to start arm decreases on the vest for Winston! But, I am a bit concerned about the size so I am waiting for my daughter to give me a measurement before going further…knitting holding pattern FTW. lol
Fortunately, my reading has not been in a holding pattern at all! This is the week that I achieved a coverall on my first SAH Bingo Card! I listened to a version of The Hobbit earlier this summer, and it was good, but nothing compares to reading Bilbo’s tale. I had previously read the book the summer I was 12 years old… and I fell in love with dear Bilbo and Gandalf. Imagine my delight in discovering that 47 years later The Hobbit was still just as magical!
My 25 books from card one:
- Collection of Poetry: Columbarium
- Originally published in the 20th century: The Hobbit
- Recommended by a friend: 10 Thousand Doors of January
- Borrowed: Shadow Pass
- Set in the state where you live: An American Childhood
- Bird or animal on the cover: Late Migrations
- About religion: Entering the Passion of Jesus
- Classic: The Mill on the Floss
- Collection of essays: New Poets of Native Nations (okay, loosely essays, but absolutely a collection!)
- Best-seller: Say Nothing
- By a new-to-you author: The Unquiet Dead
- Debut: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
- Any book (free square): The Spendid and the Vile
- Set in a place you’d like to vacation: Mourning in Malmö
- Number in the title: Victim 2117
- Translation: Smilla’s Sense of Snow
- Originally published in the 19th century: Leaves of Grass
- Comfort Read: Tartine Bread (literally, a comfort food read!)
- Retelling: The Crane Wife
- Memoir or autobiography: Dept. of Speculation (again, loosely, but a memoir was how this read for me)
- Audiobook with multiple narrators: The Hobbit, presented by BBC Radio
- Sub-title on the cover: Eye of the Red Tsar: A Novel of Suspence
- Recommended on a podcast: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
- Chosen by a celebrity bookclub (at any time): American Dirt
- About a person with a disability: Hot Milk (The main character did not have a disability, but her mother did)
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a book I could not stop listening to. What astounded me most was how this book written a lifetime ago, was unbelievably relevant today… scarily so. That made me so sad, that nothing has changed. Ellison writes a compelling story that seems so realistic. I highly recommend this audio version, the narrator – Joe Morton – was fantastic. I highly recommend this book!
The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World’s Most Glorious-and Perplexing-City by David Lebovitz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
In “Pandemic Times” and no traveling, pick up this book an take a journey to Paris. Lebovitz’s Parisian escapades are a balm to a shelter-in-place spirit. From learning French, to visiting a doctor, to discovering the local flavors… it gives the reader a feeling of being there, in the best way!
And with the above two finishes, I am left with just two books to complete my second coverall! Those books? Wind in the Willows, which I am reading at night and am about half way through and Stuart Little, which I should be finished with later today! That will put me at 50 books read since Book Bingo started way back in April!
How about you? Is your project in a holding pattern? Is your reading exceedingly good? What are you excited about for the fall to bring?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below, and thank you!
by Kat | Aug 26, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Thanks to LONG audiobooks, I have gotten in some good knitting time this week! And voilà, I have a completed Ranunculus! It needs a wash, but I am wearing it today and it is perfect. Shorter sleeves FTW! I also started a new vest for Winston (No page yet, but the pattern is Avery 2.0 by ML Eagan). I did not get gauge, but I liked the fabric I got in my swatch, so I am knitting the smallest size (and will end up with a 12 month sized vest!)
I also began the process of cutting out mask pieces for some “assembly line sewing”
This week’s reading, oh my! I am feeling a sense of urgency about SAH Summer Bingo… I am 5 squares away from two coveralls. 5 squares. I have plotted out my course (Stuart Little, Wind in the Willows, Invisible Man, The Hobbit, and The Sweet Life In Paris) Fingers crossed that the library holds for Stuart Little and Wind in the Willows will come through before Labor Day…and if they do, then I think I can do it! All the others are either in progress or waiting in the wings!
My finishes this week were so, so, so good! And for as long as The House of the Spirits was, the others were short and deliciously sweet!
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book very much. The lyrical writing, the telling from two perspectives, and the story all combined to create an engrossing listen. The ending though… yes, this could absolutely be about what is happening today. (History does repeat itself, sadly.) The two narrators were wonderful! I recommend this book!
Counting Descent by Clint Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This debut book of poetry was absolutely perfect and listening to Clint read his poems made them even more so! There were so many poems I loved, but one that has stuck with me is “What the cicada said to the brown boy” and these words especially:
but every time you swarm they shoot
get you some wings, son
get you some wings
I highly recommend this little book!
Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
With every Mary Oliver book, I love her more and more and this book is no exception! It is a short book, but it is so full of being aware. It reflects on “great thinkers” and her responsibility. She shares her love of nature, and the wonder of the world around us. I highlighted so many parts! So many incredible words, but these I have written in my journal:
For me the door to the woods is the door to the temple.
I highly recommend this book!
Intimations: Six Essays by Zadie Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
How do I even begin to explain how deeply these essays moved me. How they made me think. How they made me cringe. How they made me angry.
6 timely, moving, and necessary essays to shake up your world. And, trust me… you need Zadie to shake it up.
Amid the great swath of indiscriminate death, some old American distinctions persist. Black and Latino people are now dying at twice the rate of white and Asian people. More poor people are dying than rich.
Untimely death has rarely been random in these United States. It has usually had a precise physiognomy, location and bottom line. For millions of Americans, it’s always been a war.
JUST BEFORE THE global shit hit the fan, we were in a long, involved cultural conversation about “privilege.”…privilege and suffering have a lot in common. They both manifest as bubbles, containing a person and distorting their vision. But it is possible to penetrate the bubble of privilege and even pop it—whereas the suffering bubble is impermeable….
If this book is not on your “must read” list, it should be. I highly recommend.
That is all I have to unravel for you all! As always, if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below.
In a little bit of housekeeping, the last couple of weeks there have been some “spammy” posts linked. I am trying to monitor them and remove them when I see them. Last week there was also some issues with people leaving links, I am not sure why that is happening, but if you can’t leave a link via the link up, please leave your link in your comment. If the problems persist (i.e. the spammy posts, and the issues leaving links) I will look at the future of a link up. I just wanted to make you all aware of whats been going on.
by Kat | Aug 19, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Swatching for something new for Winston has begun. ML Egan kindly asked me to test knit Avery, a vest that she published 10 years ago! I will be knitting two of them… one at a fingering weight, and one with DK yarn. A vest should go quickly, as long as I can get gauge! (FYI… I am no longer linking to Ravelry for any patterns I mention here. I will give you the pattern name and if you use Ravelry, you can search it yourself. I will continue to do this until Ravelry is accessible to everyone.)
Yesterday I finished weaving in all these ends of my little Leland and it then got a nice spa treatment. Today I will pick some buttons to stitch in place and then it is off to Michigan! I can’t wait to see Winston modeling it! He is growing like a weed and, I predict, will be wearing this sweater soon!
I also have re-ignited my love for Ranunculus… I am almost done with the body and will soon be on the last sleeve and wearing it shortly! It will be perfect for these waning summer into early fall days. The mornings have had a delicious cool feeling to them, making a sweater the perfect garden/dog walk companion. One thing I did very well in this Ranunculus version… no ends to weave in! Yes, you read that right! Kestrel is a knitted tube, so I have been able to make the most ingenious Russian join, leaving me with no ends to deal with. I am kicking myself that I did not do that on my first one!
This week I read two of the most diametrically opposed books ever, lol! But both were so good! So. Good!
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Come and listen to the life of Henry Shackleford. James McBride makes you stop and think… and to question what you believe. I agree with others who said that parts of this book dragged a bit, but the ending… oh my. It is spectacular! I highly recommend this book!
The Innocent by Ian McEwan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The curious mind of Ian McEwan never fails to amaze. This book though… I did not see so much coming! Wow! And the irony of the title was not lost on me! If you are looking for a quick read with lots of unexpected twists and turns… read this book! I have not stopped thinking about it and would love to read this book with a book club!
That is all I have for today, as always if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below!
by Kat | Aug 12, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings, Unravelers!
I am on Tiny Sleeve Island! Round and round and round I go! I love the little stripes on the sleeves, and the rhythm of decreasing is perfect! By this time next week… a sweater should be finished! Yes, it will be a bit big, but I don’t think it will be for long! Winston is sleeping like a trooper and eating like one too! (Sorry, no new photos this week…)
Once I have departed from Tiny Sleeve Island, I am back to Big Sleeve Island to finish my Ranunculus! (and I am pretty sure I will get some good use out of it because we are back in the upper 80’s to 90’s here… ugh.)
I only one finished book this week, but it was so good!
The Chessmen: The Lewis Trilogy #03 by Peter May
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What an excellent ending to this trilogy! We find Fin settling into life on Lewis, and while he is entangled in a mystery, he is still trying to untangle the past. This book ties up some loose ends and gives us some idea of Fin’s future. Excellent writing and I highly recommend this series!
I am close on two others, but I am still working on how to fit them into my bingo card!
I sure hope you have all been way more productive than me! So… wow me, what are you happy about this week?!
As always, if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Aug 5, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
I don’t know about you, but I have some serious Knitting-ADD going on right now. I can’t seem to focus on any one thing and keep at it until it is finished! I spent some time last week going through my stash and odds and ends to see what I could find to make a sweater for Winston. I settled on five colors from two Blue Ridge Yarns Footlight sets and some left over yarn from a previous project and printed off a copy of ML Egan’s Leland (sorry no links to Ravelry any more) and cast on Monday night! I think it will be the perfect wintry sweater and I am loving how these colors look together! Why did I suddenly have the urge to cast on? Well, my daughter sent this photo and it was the best reminder that I needed to get moving on a sweater for that sweet boy! My nana heart aches that I cannot hold him, but Vivi promised me she is holding him all.the.time! I think she is doing an excellent job!
Vivi’s winning the mani/pedi contest (and I am in awe that her mom found the time to do that!) and that yawn!!
I have not forgotten Ranunculus, but neither have I picked it up since Sunday…I am on sleeve island and almost done with the first sleeve and I really want to get it done but, yeah. That desire is not inspiring me to stay project-monogamous..at all, lol.
Fortunately, my reading has been much more focused! I do love audiobooks, but sometimes a book does not work in the audio form… Song Yet Sung was one of those books for me. But The Summer Book was PERFECT!! And I have been reminiscing about similar conversations I had with my nana and chuckling to myself. I had sooo many questions and so many crazy ideas but my nana was as lovely as Sophia’s grandmother! I am sure my nana spent lots of time wondering where the hell that conversation came from! Haha!
Song Yet Sung by James McBride
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Sometimes listening to a book is not the way to read it. This was one of those times. I struggled to keep up with the cast of characters. I needed to have a book where I could flip back to remember. Still, the story is compelling… I recommend reading it versus listening to it!
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Gathering is peculiar, because you see nothing but what you’re looking for.
This book was wonderful. A friend stated that this book was one of the best reads of the pandemic and I wholeheartedly agree! This book is a conversation between a grandchild and her grandmother, and I loved every word! I saw conversations I had with my nana in these words. I laughed, I cried, and I did not want to leave Sophia’s island! I highly recommend!
That is all I have for today, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
