It has been a hell of a week and I have been eerily reminded how history repeats itself. Yet, knowing how history happens does not make the here and now less stressful. Yet this morning gentle rains filled my senses with a sense of calm and then I found Sara Teasdale’s poem. Her words filled me with a sense of calm – someday all of what is happening right now will just be history and “no one will care at last when it is done.” May these words give you peace as you welcome the weekend, and may you spend more time listening to the robins “whistling whims” than worrying about the latest news. Have a wonderful weekend and I will see you back here next week.
There Will Come Soft Rains
Sara Teasdale, 1884-1933
(War Time)
There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;
And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum trees in tremulous white,
Robins will wear their feathery fire
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;
And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.
Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree
If mankind perished utterly;
And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,
Would scarcely know that we were gone.
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:
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Things I noticed in March in these pictures and videos – even though there was so much snow, there was also more light and sunshine and blue skies! And, even though there was snow – the birds cheerfully ignored it and their songs greeted me and Sherman on our early morning outings!
And there was sewing, and more sewing, and even a trek to the vet for Sherman (which he loudly suffered through, lol) and even though he hates the vet – he still remained my constant Pilates coach – ever hoping that someday I will be good enough to play with him during my time on the mat!
March moved by so quickly, which I am grateful! And, even though we had some brief flurries on the 31st, they did not stick and we have no more snow in the forecast this week!
The weekend was full of all kinds of selfish pursuits! There was sewing and reading (and not one stitch of knitting! What??? Really, not one single stitch!)
But, today these words are filling my mind, the absolute truth of them echoing in my head!
“The sun was warm but the wind was chill. You know how it is with an April day. When the sun is out and the wind is still, You’re one month on in the middle of May. But if you so much as dare to speak, a cloud come over the sunlit arch, And wind comes off a frozen peak, And, you’re two months back in the middle of March.”
– Robert Frost, Two Tramps in Mud Time, 1926
So, silently I welcome April – hoping to not encourage the clouds and wind to blow us back into March!
Around here – it seems that March got the memo… it came roaring in like a lion and is making a very lamb-like exit. When I look at Dark Sky to see the forecast the days ahead are full of mild temperatures! Even this mornings rain that greeted me was welcoming – I took great deep breaths of very spring-smelling air. It smells so good outside! It was so mild this morning that rather than my usual hot coffee, I switched things up and made myself an iced coffee instead! And, that first iced coffee of the season? Well, it just tasted amazing!
Around here – new projects are buzzing around my mind, specifically I have been inspired by Mary’s marsa alam. I have a cone of Coast and this would be the perfect spring/summer cardigan. I will have to rewind it but that might happen soon so swatching can begin later today!
Around here – it’s basketball… all the basketball! My brackets – which got off to great start, were entirely blown by the end of last weekend and today I have just one pick remaining – so Go Duke! But brackets aside, this tournament has provided some of the best basketball I have seen is a long time! And, there is more watching to be done this weekend!
Around here – there was some binge watching of the new season of The OA that dropped this week on Netflix. There will be more binge watching today as I try and put together the puzzle pieces of self-printed patterns!
Around here – the quilting process continues. I have reached the milestone point of “making the quilt sandwich” with the quilt top, batting, and backing fabric. Before I tackle the big quilt, I am going to do some trial runs with these smaller place mats. I am a bit nervous about the big quilt – figuring out a place where I can lay it all out is going to be the biggest part of the challenge!
Around here – seeds are springing to life! I love how the beans look very jack-in-the-bean-stalk-ish next to the other tiny seedlings!
From left to right: Basil, egg plant, peppers, tomatoes, Chinese celery, and those giant beans!
That is all that is going on around here! I hope your weekend is full of all the good things and I will see you back here next week!
I am happily joining with Carole and everyone for this week’s installment of things! This week, it is all about the sewing… all.about.it!
I have been spending a good bit of time with my trusty old Bernina recently, and I am happy to say that I almost have my entire quilt top completed! I just have two side strips of fabric to seam on – then the sandwiching process, pinning, and getting it off to the machine quilter! All this cutting, piecing and sewing has really been fun! And, I am thinking about some smaller projects that I can try quilting myself! Which brings me to my things this week!
Thing One:
Via the Bernina Blog, I found this lovely little Spectacle Quilt. A trip to Joann’s yesterday was highly successful and I came home with this stack of fabrics that will soon be cut into the pieces to make the blocks! My goal is to get this done in time for Genevieve’s 4th birthday in July! Advance planning for.the.freaking.win!
Thing Two:
In the “make something to try and do some machine quilting” category, these place mats caught my eye this week. Fabric obtained. Sewing to begin shortly!
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:
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March has been a month of questioning so many things. And, my thoughts have been turning around the “can you teach an old Kat new tricks” idiom. Yes, I have been focusing on the things I do (and don’t do) and the whys of them.
Things in my focus this month have been –
keeping my closet clean ✘
better dinner planning ✔
and moving more consistently ✔
One of those things continued to be an epic failure all.month.long. (Hello, closet!! I am looking at you!)
Being organized in the tiniest closet ever is not easy – but part of the problem might be too.many.clothes.
But help is on the way!!
Some Closet Kondo-ing is already underway and maybe some Wardrobe Styling are in order. But hopefully, next month my closet (and wardrobe) will have a new focus and stay that way!
What about you? Do you struggle with closet organization?
P.S. We had a rough weekend around my house – a grand-dog crossed the Rainbow Bridge. The tears have flowed heavily and consoling a 3-year-old who loves her Dolly seems impossible. And, my poor daughter has put her grief aside to comfort Genevieve – but it was just Heidi and Dolly for a long, long time.
If you could send some good thoughts (and prayers if you are so inclined) to my daughter today – they would be greatly appreciated.
This has been a very mixed bag week, but it is finally Friday, so I am setting the week aside and making room for the weekend!
Tracking my brackets!
This might be my best start of any bracket I have done in years! And, believe me there have been years that my bracket was blown on Day One, but this year I only missed two picks on the first day! And, there were some crazy good games yesterday!! You would think with all this basketball, I’d have some knitting to show for it… think again, lol.
Good plans, bad timing??
So, my plans for knitting yesterday somehow went by the wayside. There was a trip to Costco and then during dinner a conversation started about possibly moving the bedroom furniture around… which then morphed into moving the bedroom furniture around after dinner. Yes, we have completely and totally lost our minds. We managed to get things moved enough to go to bed – but it was not pretty. You know what I am doing today… more bedroom furniture moving!!
I also stumbled upon a new-to-me magazine yesterday which has FREE PATTERNS available on their website!
Fotograph Friday!
And, finally – I am joining kmkat again this week with a photograph from one year ago! Yes – we had a doozy of a snow storm and damned if we don’t have snow and gale-freaking-force winds in the forecast today. Spring!! I am looking at you! I am a wee bit concerned about my lilacs!!
That’s all I have for this week! Have a great weekend everyone!
