by Kat | Jul 31, 2019 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers!
I am back to patiently knitting my shawl and I am *almost* to the point where I get to do the little “flower” motif! Wooo!
As for Early Bloomer… I wore it on Monday and thought about the fit all day. Sadly, I have determined that I need to rip it back to the sleeve divide and re-knit the body… smaller. Yes, I am upset about this as well, so it is in a bit of a time out while I finish the shawl.
It might even stay in time out while I knit Romi’s new sweater.
This really caps off a very unfocused July and I have learned my lesson (or re-learned it – in my case!) No impulse knitting – it never turns out well…
The reading though…I am about a tenth of the way through War and Peace – 10-ish hours down…40-ish more to go. I am entirely engrossed with the story and the writing is very good – which is a very good thing when a book is so long!
I finished the third installment in the Inspector Lynley series – Well Schooled in Murder. I just love this series and am eagerly awaiting the next book – I am on the wait list at the library, and fortunately, I don’t think the wait will be long! It was another 5-star book and I highly recommend this series!
I also finished The Silent Patient… I am not sure where the recommendation for this one came, but oh boy. I thought it a bit contrived, I knew “who did it” almost immediately, and from there the remainder of the novel was quite predictable. I had originally given it 3-stars, but I downgraded it to 2-stars for the lack of originality. I do not recommend.
That is all I have this week! I hope your making has been much better than mine! What’s on your radar this week?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below – and thank you!
by Kat | Jul 24, 2019 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Last night, the temperatures dipped down into the 50’s! Sleeping with open windows is just the best and I am so happy that horrid heat stretch is over…at least for the time being. Meanwhile, I am reveling in the respite and enjoying time outside!
I spent time on “Sleeve Island” this week – a very different kind of Sleeve Island but, can I just say that it was entirely enjoyable?!
I finished the sleeves on the second Uniform Tunic Dress – this version with a more “AC-friendly” 3/4 length sleeve. I used the instructions posted here but cut out full length sleeves and used a 6- and 3/4-inch hem. I love how they turned out. This fabric has a bit more body to it (it feels a little like a cotton twill) and I love it! Bonus points that this white dress is not see-through! I think that my modifications to the Uniform pattern have been perfected – both the 2-inch bust adjustment and the “fat” quarter inch reduction to the bodice shoulders. This “white” dress is going to get some heavy rotation in the coming days – and that is something I could never imagine my overweight self ever saying!
The other “sleeves” I finished are those of Early Bloomer…Okay, so they aren’t really sleeves but they are done as is the neck and I have more than enough yarn to finish the body of the sweater which I did and will begin the ribbing today. This will be done soon and then I will be back to knitting the shawl I abandoned for Early Bloomer.
Some weeks ago, I started this sweater and as I mentioned here the shoulder increases did not work at all with my gauge – so the project was abandoned. I have had this pile of yarn sitting near my desk wondering what on earth I was going to do with it… and then Romi’s new sweater appeared and I began swatching. The yarn just screamed – YES, that is exactly what I want to be! I will be doing version #2 and will start once that shawl is finished!
Now, how about some reading updates?
If you can’t tell… I am just LOVING all the different colored “X’s” – it might be the best part of Summer Book Bingo!
I finished Bingo Books: Hunger and Song of Solomon, as well as non-bingo We Were Eight Years in Power.
Oh my. I loved them all for different reasons.
Hunger was hard to listen to at times. It stuck close to home with several things, but despite those hard to hear parts, this book is excellent! 4-stars.
Song of Solomon was incredible. I listened to Toni Morrison read it. It was powerful, moving, and incredibly beautiful. 5-stars and I highly recommend.
Finally, We Were Eight Years in Power – this book made incredibly clear to me how unfair life is for Black American’s in the United States. I thought I had an idea – but truly, I am so clueless. It brought tears to my eyes, it made me so mad at the blatant unfairness, and it showed me how much more work needs to be done for this ongoing unfairness to end. So.much.more.work. 5-stars and this is a must-read book.
That is all I have for this week, but I want to know – where did you find success this week? In making? In reading?
As always, if you wrote a post to share today – please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Jul 17, 2019 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
It’s Wednesday and that means me giving you an update on what I am making and reading!
The color work on my Early Bloomer is complete and now I am just knitting around and around and around. I generally like mindless knitting, but I am happy that I am almost 1/3 of the way done! This has been my pickup project at the end of the day so it has not seen much knitting time – but hopefully I will find some “daytime” knitting so I can finish the body!
Sewing continues to satisfy and I began a Tunic Dress on Monday. I have tweaked a few things – a bust adjustment and lengthening of the bodice worked out very well. I have the neck facing and sleeves to finish and then hemming and it will be done!
I do have 3 bingos this week and three books read!
I finished American Indian Stories, Legends and Other Writings – this was perhaps my most interesting read all summer. This book was originally published in 1921 and there was an extensive introduction by Cathy N. Davidson and Ada Norris that gives some very interesting details about Zitkala-Ša’s life and background. But, the most fascinating part is her writing. The book begins with “Old Indian Legends” that all surround a “spider-trickster” named Iktomi. They are fascinating and are full of things to think about. The second portion of the book revolves around Zitkala-Ša’s life. If you are interested in reading more about the Sioux Indian life – I highly recommend this book, 4-stars.
My second book for my bingo card was a short read from Ta-Nehisi Coates, The World Between You and Me – which is a letter he writes to his son. I listened to Coates read it and it was simply wonderful. This book was one that President Obama highly recommended and I agree with his recommendation! 5-stars.
My third finish this week was another short but powerful book: When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir. Powerful, painful, and yes, hopeful. If you have not read it, you should – and soon! 5-stars.
But, what about you? What’s got your attention this week?
As always – if you wrote a post to share today, please leave your link below!
Thank you!
by Kat | Jul 10, 2019 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
The fingers of the knitting women were vicious… Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
The finishing streak moves forward with my second Screen Door and I love it! I went up a needle size and only knit 22 pattern repeats, but it is the perfect size I think! Details are here, if you are interested.
I cast on one more wrap – this one with a skein of The Fibre Co Meadow. I have the pattern memorized and now am working to getting 105 stitches on the needles and I am just over halfway there. I think this will be a perfect transition piece in weight and color!
As for that sweater I started…. Oy. Well, suffice it to say there was some unraveling done this week. My row gauge was off a bit and I had hoped that my “fix” for that would work, but it did not. So, I am pondering just what I want to do and honestly – I am leaning towards NOT continuing. Curiously, I am not the only person who is having this problem as a number of fellow “Foxtrotter’s” are having the same issue. All of us with the problem are knitting size 38 and up… so I think it has to do with the increase rate, it does not seem to work at all for the depth of the armscye needed…so, there you have it. I think I just talked myself out of knitting the sweater! I could go back and do some more math to figure out ghost rows to make the arm shaping work…but I am not sure it is worth the effort. However, I am not missing the sweater knitting too much because yesterday I prepped the Uniform Tunic pattern to do a long sleeve dress. I finally sat down and figured out the bust adjustment I needed for it! One black long sleeved linen dress coming up! I hope to get the pieces cut out this morning and sewing will soon follow!
Last week, there were no reading finishes as I was immersed deeply in Middlemarch! Not so this week though – the reading has been marvelous! I finished Middlemarch, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and A Tale of Two Cities and they all made for some AMAZING reading!
Can I just say that I want to live in Middlemarch, please!? I absolutely loved Dorothea and it would be amazing to be her neighbor. Eliot’s writing is brilliant and I can understand why people re-read this book! It is simply the most amazing place! I have updated my review to reflect the audio version I listened to – the narrator, Wanda McCaddon, was wonderful! 5-stars and I highly recommend!
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was a quick listen, but so brilliant! This is the story of a young man with autism – and he is so lovable! The entire book is the immersion into life as he sees it – from the Prime Numbered chapters to how Christopher views the world. The only problem I had with the book was with his solo trek into London – it did not seem believable to me. However, it is still an utterly enjoyable book and I gave it 4-stars!
Finally, A Tale of Two Cities – wow! Of course, this book is well written, but the crafting of the writing is so incredible. And, those vicious knitters…5-stars.
And with those finishes I have reached the time of my summer reading when I can see the completion of my bingo card. I have only 6 books to go and I will have my cover all. I started Between the World and Me yesterday and should finish it today. I have Song of Solomon and Hunger waiting in my queue. Purple Hibiscus is waiting for me to start and I will as soon as I have finished Zitkala-Sa’s American Indian Stories…That means, I can soon settle in with War and Peace sans feeling the need to rush through it and that is a very good thing!
Mary asked me some weeks ago if I would be working on another card – I don’t think so this summer. I have a great many books that I want to read and I don’t want to think about how to fit them into a new card.
That is all I have for this week’s unraveling… what about you? Are you unraveling this week?
As always, if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below!
And, Thank you!!
by Kat | Jul 3, 2019 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Some weeks, I wonder what on earth will I write about and suddenly, all sorts of things fall into place!
Ravelry brilliantly continues to amaze with this week’s update to their previous update.
I had so hoped to finish my second Screen Door but instead I only reached the apex on Sunday – the last rows were slow going, not because the knitting is difficult, but rather my time was occupied by other pressing things. (Namely: weeding, ‘last of the strawberries’ jam making, and ‘the first Cherries are in’ Clafouti making!) But, I am back on track and I only have about 10 repeats of the pattern until bind of, so it will be done very soon!
On Monday I sewed up another Esme Tunic and I love the little details of it! I lengthened it a bit so I can wear it either as a dress or with leggings and I love the sleeve details! I used the selvedge as the hem! Also, rather than put the pockets on the front, I put the pocked on the side seam line and I like this placement much better. This color will work well into fall here in Pittsburgh, so I see this getting a good bit of use between now and October!
I am just a bit in love with these sleeve edges!
I love how the Handmaiden Sea Silk looks with the linen!
The pockets are also handy yarn cake holders as well!
I had truly hoped to get through Middlemarch by today. I am close, but not quite finished. I have about 2 hours of listening time before I reach the end. However, I was happy to see I had read 13 books in June which makes me very happy!
I also selected the book for my Classic you “should’ve read” square! A couple of weeks ago, Kym posted a link with some very interesting classics you should read, and I picked one from that list. I was thrilled that my library had a copy of Zitkala-Sa’s American Indian stories, legends, and other writings. I am about halfway through it and I am entirely enthralled. However, it is slow reading because there is so much to take in and to think about!
I also have had two more bingo books come in from the library – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and A Tale of Two Cities are happily waiting for me when I finish Middlemarch. My card is moving along nicely, and I expect that next week I will have several finishes to share!
As always, if you wrote a post to share – please leave your link below! This is it for me this week, I will be back next Monday! Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
