by Kat | Jul 29, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Let the blue sky meet the blue sea and all is blue for a time. — Moncy Barbour
I am in sea of blue knitting and it is so good! I am working away on my second Ranunculus… I have put the body on hold and have started on the sleeves. One thing I did not take into my calculations on the first sweater was “growth” which does happen with this yarn knit at this gauge. So, I wanted the sleeves and body to be a wee bit shorter, and I ordered 1 less skein of yarn. But, that niggling feeling that I might not have enough yarn is circling around my brain. To appease that feeling, I started on the sleeves.
I also went back to trying to finish up the “never-ending” seed stitch section of Purl Strings. I am happy to say, the little bits of time I plugged in worked and I am done with that section! Woo!
One would wonder if I am actually trying to achieve a Bingo Cover All, lol… or perhaps which bingo card will get that cover all first! Ha! I am in a bit of a holding pattern on bingo card one, and have focused on bingo card two mainly because of holds that became available from the library. That was the case with this week’s reading (and will likely continue next week…and I should definitely get bonus points for creative square filling!!)
The Lewis Man by Peter May
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Finn has “moved” back to Lewis and is grappling with his past, his present, and his future. He is working to make his parents house livable. And what happens? A body found in the peat, a mystery to be unraveled. What unfolds is a bitter tale of life for orphans. The story was gripping, the writing brilliant and this was an excellent continuation of Finn’s story. I highly recommend this book!
Afterlife by Julia Alvarez
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I had higher hopes for this book based on the brilliant start, but I soon got lost in the weeds of jumping around from problem to problem…The book touches on some significant topics but never really goes beyond scratching the surface of them.
That is all I have for today. Do you have a “never-ending” project going? Inquiring minds want to know!
As always, if you wrote a post to share today, please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Jul 22, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
The Mystery… she is finished! (and, as you can see above, I did have enough of EACH yarn!!) It needs to have all the ends woven in and some blocking, but this humidity means that won’t happen this week. But I am sharing it sans blocking. I am not so sure I like the bind off. It feels a bit like the designer thought “I need to have something different to finish” and this is it. I just am not sure “it” works. Maybe I will feel different post blocking, but right now I am thinking it is not staying. If that is the case, it will just have a simple…plain… bind off. Overall I am happy with the results, however I am putting mystery knits on the back burner for a bit.
Even unblocked, it is beautiful!
After all the beauty of this shawl, this ending is just “meh”
The transitions are just so smart!
Meanwhile… this arrived! and I immediately cast on! There is so much joy right now!
Yum!
It’s amazing how quickly things go on US 10.5’s!
The reading was good this week as well! Two more squares filled, still no cover all….yet! Ha!
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I know that LOTS of people were disappointed in this book, but I enjoyed it. It had all the bits of the previous books that I loved plus a main character I loved to hate (I had hopes Coriolanus might be salvageable, but nope… I hated him to the end) I also found this book to have an interesting take on Science Gone Absolutely Wrong.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time.”
“They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God.”
The writing in this book is absolutely incredible. I listened and the narrator was excellent with the beautifully nuanced text! I loved Janie’s journey… it is compelling, honest, and full of hope and love. I cried at the ending… and I highly recommend this book!
That is all I have for this week. If you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below! See you back here next week when I join Honoré and share my Word Update!
by Kat | Jul 15, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers!
The weather has been simply divine! I have been doing a bit of outdoor knitting and I am *this*close* to finishing my mystery shawl! I really can’t wait to see what blocking does to the sections of lace! It might be one of the favorite pieces I have knit in a while! I don’t know if I will have enough of the brown/grey yarn to do the edging that Kirsten did, but Carole made an excellent suggestion! If I don’t, I will try that…stay tuned!
Thanks to all of you, I have a nice list of little boy sweaters! To start, I am tossing the stash to see what I can put together to knit a Leland for “little” Win!
I also can’t get another Ranunculus out of my brain. It is the best summer sweater, ever! I am thinking that another one will be on my needles soon. (Then it will be back to all things woolen, I promise! 😆 )
The reading this week has been mixed. I really tried to join in with the Read With Us selection, but I just could not. I tried to read Wild Game, but this is not not a book that is for me.
I am still circling around that cover all on my first bingo card while filling in a square on my second card with one excellent finish this week!
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book and for me, Louise hit it out of the park. The story is compelling, the characters are endearing, and I loved how expertly Erdrich weaves this beautiful story. I had originally given this book 4-stars, but I changed it to 5-stars… it is worthy of a 5-star rating! I highly recommend!
That’s all I have for today, I am going to try and actually be back on Friday…including hitting the “publish” button!
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below!
by Kat | Jul 8, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings, Unravelers!
Summer has arrived in Pittsburgh in full force. We are on, what feels like, day eleventy billion of 90+ degree weather. My yard is entirely burned out, as is every yard in my neighborhood. Yard burnout brings a bonus though…it is not growing so Steve does not have to mow! But boy does it look bad! We had some brief rain showers late yesterday, but I don’t think it was enough to revive the grass! And all this heat is making knitting not much fun either!
I *finally* completed Clue 4 and have begun Clue 5…but I am still on the first chart of Clue 5. Yes, it is slow going. But my love for this shawl grows with each clue! I am so happy with my low-contrast yarn choice! This will be done and ready for fall weather, once it arrives… oh, maybe in November! lol
I am also working slowly on Purl Strings… I love the dark, inky yarn but boy… not after sundown!
I also have been looking at baby boy sweaters! I usually knit up a BSJ with fingering weight yarn…but this is not sweater weather! So, I am thinking that something for the fall will be just perfect. I welcome all your little boy sweater suggestions!
The reading this week has had highs and lows. One book I loved, and one that really missed for me. AND!! I am one square away from a Cover All on my first bingo card!
So brave, So young, and Handsome by Leif Enger
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I did not like this book. I could not connect with Monte at all. A failed writer, who then flees his family… taking off with a criminal. Seems likely…not. I so enjoyed Peace Like a River and was eager to read Virgil Wander… but I think I am taking a break from Enger’s works.
An American Childhood by Annie Dillard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Loved! Entirely!
If you grew up in Pittsburgh, you should read this book.
If you live in Pittsburgh, you should read this book!
If you want to know about Pittsburgh you should read this book!
We said “tele pole,” pronounced “telly pole,” for that splintery sidewalk post I loved to climb. We said “slippy”—the sidewalks are “slippy.” We said, “That’s all the farther I could go.” And we said, as Pittsburghers do say, “This glass needs washed,” or “The dog needs walked”—a usage our father eschewed…
It is the epitome of Pittsburgh! I highly recommend!
And that is all I have for this week! What’s good in your world this week?
As always, if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Jul 1, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
My plan for today was to share a completed (and well-fitting) Zadie Jumpsuit. Well, it is completed but not so well fitting. I shortened the rise, so the pants fit well but I neglected to contemplate the length of the bodice (which I generally never have issues with) and it is way.too.short! But, I am not out much… I used the cotton fabric I got from IKEA for $1 a yard… so for $4 I know what changes I need to make.
So today you get a progress shot of my Mystery Shawl as I am working my way through Clue Four!
I also am moving right along on Purl Strings at night. I will share an updated image on that next week!
However, the reading this week was stellar. Oh.my.gosh. So, so good! Mill on the Floss gave me another bingo this week, but still no cover all. I have two squares to go on that Bingo Card. AND…I have five squares filled in on my second card.
Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Saga of Maggie and Tom Tulliver… from childhood through adulthood. This is truly and epic novel… there is so much to unpack here and days after finishing it, I am still processing this magnificent story.
I laughed, I cried, and I cried some more. And the ending… wow. I did not see that coming at all. The writing and the language are just spectacular. It is brilliantly crafted and it is perhaps the gold standard for Victorian Age writing. If you have not read this, why not. Really. Get it and listen. (the audio version read by Wanda McCaddon is a stellar choice!)
The Rain in Portugal: New Poems by Billy Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The trouble with the present is that it’s always in a state of vanishing.
I simply loved every.single.word. This is a book I will read over and over and over!
That is all I have for this week! As always, if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Jun 24, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Oh the making! It sings for me this week!
I am almost done with Clue Three (Clue Four is out, but I have not peeked…yet) and this shawl is singing to me! AND!! It is spurring me to get some sewing done – this will be perfect with a denim Uniform Tunic this fall! I know that high contrast is key sometimes…however, I have several high contrast shawls and I just don’t wear them much. I like this muted contrast so much better…and this will get worn!
Not much to look at just yet, but that inky color and the stitch definition!
But the best thing of all was getting gauge ( I was deeply worried when Mary told me that she could **NOT** get gauge with Coast to knit her Purl Strings) However, NO WORRIES AT ALL! I was spot on on gauge once I washed and laid the swatch out to dry! So… last night I cast on my Indigo Purl Strings and began. Of course I twisted the damned cast on and did not discover it until **after** I had completed all the short rows for the upper back section. So, I unraveled one row, twisted the crochet chain of my provisional cast on, and moved on. I will have to cut the chain there, but that was far better than starting over! (and it is singing in tune now! lol)
The reading this week was powerful. When I saw the Now Read This selection for May, I got on the wait list at my library. It is not a new book, it was published in 1946 – but the message in the book is eerily relevant to life today.
The Street by Ann Petry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Like all the masters of noir, Petry looks into the abyss without falling in. This is a story that is dark, but not depressing. It is disturbing, yet intriguing. Tayari Jones
Teyari’s introduction set the stage for Ann Petry’s novel. It is an incredibly dark story. This story changed my thoughts about what life in Harlem was like… I had fairy tale beliefs that sadly show my ignorance and my white fragility. Ann Petry invites me in to real life in Harlem. Real life is gritty, it is not fair, and it does not always have a “nice” ending. This story is Lutie Johnson’s though… and Ann tells her story masterfully.
Streets like the one she lived on were no accident. They were the North’s lynch mobs, she thought bitterly; the method the big cities used to keep Negroes in their place. And she began thinking of Pop unable to get a job; of Jim slowly disintegrating because he, too, couldn’t get a job, and of the subsequent wreck of their marriage; of Bub left to his own devices after school. From the time she was born, she had been hemmed into an ever-narrowing space, until now she was very nearly walled in and the wall had been built up…
Yes, there is lots of despair but through it all Lutie does not give up. Her struggle is this story. I had originally rated this book 3-stars, because the ending was so “not white” but I have not been able to stop thinking about Lutie and through her the struggles that are real daily life for much of the Black community. I highly recommend this book!
That is all I have this week! What about you? Any good reads? Is your making singing in tune?
As always, if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below and thank you!
