by Kat | Apr 3, 2019 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
While I am still working on Tegna – it has moved down the list. Instead I am reaching for a new sweater that I started on Monday afternoon. I have not gotten very far, and I am very curious to see how the start of this sweater will all come together! I know it eventually does – but exactly how is a bit mysterious to me! One thing about the yarn – Holst Coast – wow, what a dramatic change after giving it a bath! If I did not know better, I would not say it was the same yarn!
There was also some sewing with some sewing fixes this week! I made a muslin of this top and even though I measured and lengthened it a bit – it sadly was not enough. But Steve had the great idea of adding a similar ruffle to the bottom of the shirt to add some length, which I did on Monday and I love how it turned out! I need to do the tiniest bust adjustment for the next one but other than that this was a lovely and easy little pattern. If you have never attempted French seams – give this pattern a try. It has clear and easy-to-follow instructions for all seams! The only other adjustment I made was to alter the front and back facings – my fabric did not require the top be lined to the sleeves – so I just cut out a “normal” front and back facing instead. However, the full lining would be wonderful on a less structured and more drape-y fabric.
The reading this week included some amazing books! I ended the Month of March with 15 books. It was a very good month for reading!
I finished Colum McCann’s Let the Great World Spin and I really enjoyed Colum’s writing and was happy to see that Transatlantic was available! I added it to my listening queue, and it was so good I could not stop listening! It is a brilliantly intertwined story from Canada to Ireland to the USA and back to Ireland again telling the tales of a fascinating family over generations. This book got 5-stars and I highly recommend it!
I also listened to There Will Be No Miracles Here, which is Casey Gerald’s memoir. It is beautifully written, and his story is moving. It is amazing how little things can make such a big impact in your later life. He reads the book, which I always think adds more to any story. I gave this book 5-stars.
Every once in a while, I crack an actual book – and When All is Said did not disappoint and it begs you to consider a curious thought – who would you toast on the last night of your life? I read this book slowly – it is just 7 chapters long – but each chapter packs a huge punch. My inkling was to just devour the book in one sitting, but I made myself slow down and digest each chapter. I simply loved every word. I cried – lots. It is so beautifully moving. If I could encourage you to do one thing this week it would be to find this book and read it! 5-stars and I highly recommend!
That is all I have for this week, and as always:
Thank you for your participation!
by Kat | Mar 27, 2019 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
I love when I have a finished object to share on Unraveled Wednesday’s! And, I have one today – yes, Deschain is done! And, there were some significant alterations made to the pattern which resulted in a really lovely sweater!
I knit the front and the back longer, doing 6 repeats of the “lacework,” which was one more than the pattern called for. I also did some short rows on the back to balance out sweater a bit. Quite a few people who knit Deschain said they wished the back was a bit longer – and the short rows achieved that perfectly. I ended up knitting the sleeves flat and then seamed them into the sweater. This gives a much neater look and also the seaming prevents the sweater from just being a saggy mess. And, rather than pick up stitches to immediately bind them off – I just did a single crochet edge around the neckline and although that probably took me longer to do than suggested finish – it looks much better.
I think this sweater will get lots of wear (I already wore it yesterday!) and I am formulating some plans to knit a wool version to wear next fall/winter!
Now, on to the reading – first up I read a fantastic article on The Guardian this week which reinforces why I just love librarians!
My finished for the week:
I read another of Louise Erdrich’s books, this time: The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse. Louise is a magnificent story teller – she has a wonderful way of drawing you into the story and then she unleashes her brilliant characters on you. The writing is masterful, and the story is just brilliant – and complicated – and I loved every little bit of it. This book easily gets 5-stars and I highly recommend this story.
I also finished Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility. “It is white people’s responsibility to be less fragile; people of color don’t need to twist themselves into knots trying to navigate us as painlessly as possible.” I don’t think I have ever highlighted so many parts of a book, ever. It is very well written, insightful, and yes – eye opening to my own White Fragility. It gives some great things to think about regarding racism. This book is an excellent reminder to me – keep your mouth shut and listen, listen, listen! I highly recommend this book!
And, I finished a super quick read – Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini. The artwork is precious, as are the words. This book was inspired by the story of the three-year-old Syrian refugee, Alan Kurdi, who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea. I have heard it said we are the uninvited. We are the unwelcome. We should take our misfortune elsewhere. But I hear your mother’s voice, over the tide. And she whispers in my ear, “Oh, but if they saw, my darling. Even half of what you have. If they only saw. They would say kinder things, surely.” If you are looking for something to remind you of the humanity of all, Sea Prayer will do just that. 5-stars and I highly recommend!
In the “did I like this book or not” category is Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. The story is fascinating and told in a very curious way. The thing I did not like — the number of narrators for the story and I do not recommend listening to the book for this reason. The book feels like a collection of short stories, but the stories are all intertwined together, and it circles back to finish stories from other perspectives, but not all the stories worked for me. Still, the writing is beautiful – very beautiful and I loved the ending! I gave the book 4-stars.
That is all I have for this week, and as always:
Thank you for your participation!
by Kat | Mar 20, 2019 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
A very short post this week… I seem to be at the “in between stage” at lots of things!
Yes, I spent some of yesterday seaming up Deschain. Thank you, Mary for the fantastic suggestion on how to make the yarn work – splitting it worked perfectly!! Today is all about doing a bit of an in-the-round gauge swatching to see what size needles I will need to use for the sleeves! (Just sleeves and the neckline and this baby is done!!)
In the not going to be done soon category – I did find some time yesterday afternoon to work on Tegna – and I worked on it more at Knitting last night! It is truly to the “easy knit” stage and it will get lots of attention during March Madness so maybe I can get this done sooner than I am thinking! But, still, I have miles and miles and miles of knitting ahead of me on this one, so I don’t think that even all of March Madness will see this finished – but who knows!
I finished just one book this week – but what a book it was! I think that Kym was the person who put The Heart’s Invisible Furies on my radar. Her review was so excellent that I immediately got on the wait list for it and fortunately, I did not have to wait long!! I realize that it is only March, but I predict this will be in the top five of the best books I read this year. The writing is just fantastic. The story is compelling – so compelling I could not stop listening! I laughed often, and cried hard more than once. It gets 5-stars and really – you need to read this book, it is just that good!
I have several books going right now, and hopefully by next week I will have at least a couple of them done!
That is all I have for this week, and as always:
Thank you for your participation!
by Kat | Mar 13, 2019 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Tegna has finally become a practically mindless knit! Yes, the lace work is done, and I have reached the stockinette portion. Woo! I have also started my second skein of yarn!
Although, it has not had much attention this week as I thought a new spring/summer sweater might be a lovely thing. In my stash reorganization from a few weeks ago, I found a large bag (17 skeins!) of some Jo Sharp long discontinued, cotton blend yarn and I have been thinking about what to do with it. I did some swatching over the weekend and found that the fabric I liked best from this yarn matched the gauge exactly of Deschain! Perhaps this is how I should swatch in the future – knit a fabric I like and then find a pattern to match my swatch!! Haha!
Anyways, it is a fluid, drapey fabric – and I have more than enough yarn to make it a bit longer and I think I am also going to do some short rows in the back as well. And, can I just say how quick this is knitting up? Honestly, I only knit it on Monday, give or take a couple of rows I squeezed in before bed last night and I am just 2 or 3 repeats from finishing the front! I have high expectations to have this sweater finished and soon!
The reading this week has been mostly very good and I finished four books!
The very good reads:
Sir Ernest Shackleton’s South: The Story of Shackleton’s Last Expedition, 1914-1917. This was an amazing read – the bravery of the crew just astounded me as did their temerity at surviving in practically impossible odds. I listened to this book, and highly recommend it – 4-stars.
Maria Shriver’s I’ve Been Thinking… This book came at the perfect time for me. I recommend it as well! 4-stars.
Paul Auster’s Timbuktu – hands down, this was the best book I read this week. I laughed, I cried more than once, and my love of Paul Auster’s magnificent writing grew even deeper! If you love dogs, you must read this book. 5- stars.
And, finally – the book I really struggled with:
Louise Erdrich’s Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country: Traveling Through the Land of My Ancestors. This book was a struggle for me – I had a very hard time keeping track of all the details and it just felt very disjointed. I sadly am giving this just 2-stars.
That is all I have for this week, and as always:
Thank you for your participation!
by Kat | Mar 6, 2019 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
I confess that I love this very lion-like start to March. I am hopeful that means it might have a lamb-like ending!
But, really… this weather is entirely normal, amirite? (And, this was from yesterday – I have not seen today’s numbers yet… but Sunday!! What?!)
My knitting on Tegna marches on wonderfully and I am just past the halfway point on the lace work! I also have a few less stitches also, so the rounds are going just the tiniest bit faster – or at least it seems that way to me!
Every year my church has a woman’s luncheon where items are provided for a Chinese-Style Auction. They have asked me to knit a shawl for them again, so I have been looking at things on Ravelry. But honestly, I think it might be time for me to jump on the Hitchhiker Band Wagon, because I am more than positive that I have dozens of lovely skeins that would work beautifully for it! I even have some gradient skeins that might work well. My question for all you Hitchhiker devotees: How do you feel about a Hitchhiker made with just one skein of yarn? Are there enough teeth? Is it sufficiently wrappable? This inquiring knitter wants to know – please do share your thoughts!
On the reading front, it has been a very good week again.
I finished James Baldwin’s Go Tell it on the Mountain. This book was published in 1953 and it is still profoundly relevant today. The writing is magnificent. If you have not read any James Baldwin, I strongly suggest you do, and this book is an excellent place to start! I highly recommend and I gave it 4-stars!
I also finished Michelle Obama’s Becoming. I listened and it was almost like having Michelle sitting in my living room having a conversation with me. It is excellent and sadly, it makes me long for more Obama’s… much more. 5-stars and this gets my “must read” recommendation!
Katrina Rodabaugh’s Mending Matters was also devoured, and I loved it so much I headed out last weekend to get a copy for my library. If you want to start mending, or start sewing, or start stitching – this book is full of incredible ideas. 5-stars and this is the perfect addition to your stitching library.
That is all I have for the week – and thankfully there was no unraveling! If you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below and thank you!
