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! đ )
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 âtele pole,â pronounced âtelly pole,â for that splintery sidewalk post I loved to climb. We said âslippyââthe sidewalks are âslippy.â We said, âThatâs all the farther I could go.â And we said, as Pittsburghers do say, âThis glass needs washed,â or âThe dog needs walkedââa 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 itâs 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 Northâs 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, couldnât 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!
by Kat | Jun 17, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers!
Be the change you wish to see in the world. â Mahatma Gandhi
First up, I wanted to talk briefly about change. It is never easy but two well-loved sites recently changed things up… and I love both of the changes!! MDK is now Modern Daily Knitting. Well done ladies! I am standing and applauding this change! Ravelry also changed things up in a very good way! Kudos to both of them for showing us all that sometimes change is a very good thing!
I am s-l-o-w-l-y working my way through Clue Two of the TTL Mystery Shawl and I confess… it is not at all what I expected! I love it… and I love these yarns together. I was a bit worried there would not be enough contrast, but I like the muted differences very much. I did not need another “stripey” shawl, but this is not that at all.
I have refrained from swatching for Purl Strings, but just barely.
I have been spending lots of time in the garden weeding and watering. I realize that the later increases weed growth, but it also inspires new vegetable plant growth!
A slow week for reading – no new bingos but still, an excellent reading week! Thank you Katie for recommending this book!
The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A book full of fascinating relationships, interesting characters, a riveting story, and a bit of a mystery.
If you like history, you will like this book. If you like real character growth, you will like this book. If you like mysteries, you will like this book.
The story unfolds on two timelines – present day, and during WWII – told by to strong female characters: Alice and Alina.
There is love, love lost, deep friendship, and the love of fellow man. I highly recommend this book!
I also owed you all a review of Mourning in Malmö… and here you go!
Mourning in Malmö by Torquil MacLeod
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you read the reviews, you would think that this book was entirely about Anita. But it’s not! There is some wonderful character development of Anita’s team, especially Hakim Mirza. The story ends with a shocking twist that I did not see coming and I can hardly wait for the next installment of this series!
That is all I have for this week! I hope your making is not in the slow lane, and your reading is the kind you want to savor!
As always, if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below and thank you!
