I am joining with Carole to share some right now things!
Happy Pi(e) Day. Sadly, no pie baking here today. But that does not mean there is a shortage of good things!
Thing One:
All.Of.This.
Thing Two:
Because of Thing One, I am reminded that I am in dire need of a pedicure. And, no – no photo of just how dire the need is. But, trust me – it’s very dire!
Thing Three:
The puzzle process begins! Yes, all the squares for my quilt top are completed and now I just need to lay them out and sew the rows together. I am so excited!!
Those are my things! What about you? Any special thing in your world today?
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:
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Happy Friday all – and yes, Happy indeed. It was a full week and Steve has an off site meeting this morning and then he is off for the remainder of the day – so a day off, without having to take a day off! That is a nice bonus! My plans for the day include heading off to the outlet for some new Nike’s® for walking.
Thinking about:
The glaring inequities of our justice system. Really. If ever you needed a clearer cut example, we had one last night. Judge Ellis (i.e. old white guy) gave poor Manafort (i.e. old white criminal), who “has lived an otherwise blameless life,” 47 months in prison. Yes, just 47 months with credit for time served, which means he will be out before Cohen will be! I am not sure how “otherwise blameless” Mr. Manafort was, because he admitted guilt to all the crimes he was charged with. But you know… he is a white male. If he had been a black male, his sentence would have been longer. AND… if he had been a POC who had an ounce of marijuana in their possession, he would have gotten the maximum sentencing allowed. The woman who mistakenly voted when she shouldn’t have got more time than Manafort. And, yes – she was a person of color.
Yes, this has made me more than a little angry. I am holding out hope that Manafort’s sentencing in DC next week will be much different – and run concurrently with his 47-month sentence.
Good riddance to:
The blending in process of coloring my hair to growing it out naturally! Yes – yesterday was my last day of foils! The grey’s they are increasing – and I have some really interesting streaks of grey. If I knew how hard it would be to get rid of the red from all those years of coloring, I might have done things differently. But I have finally achieved what I have been working towards for the last couple of years. I am so happy. Steve, on the other hand, is taking longer to come around to this au natural haired version of me. However, he sure didn’t like the amount of $$ having that hair cost – so I am confident he will eventually warm to the idea. And, if not – I have just given him something new to complain about, lol.
Inspired by:
My sewing this week! Yes – I have a nice stack of blocks and have rediscovered that the process of cutting out all the pieces and then seaming them together a wonderful activity! I am enjoying it so much that I began to look at the project, particularly the size of the project – and where would I put this quilt?! So… I did some math and some more cutting and got a little more fabric and the result will be a new summer quilt for our bed! And, yes – I think it is entirely appropriate to sleep under snowflakes in the summer.
All this work has taken me down a memory lane I have not walked on in a very long time. A million years ago, I was part of a very active quilting group. Okay, maybe not quite that long – but we are talking pre-children time here, so almost! Anyways, there were 10 of us and we met weekly. We made one quilt together a year – entirely by hand. Hand seaming, hand applique, hand quilting – which was really the best part. The 10 of us sitting around the quilting frame talking, laughing, planning, and sharing. Those were the best times ever and I learned so much! I am thinking about how best to incorporate that back into my life.
Fun, fun, fun!
It’s FriYAY and that means Happy Hour™ and tonight we are doing something different! Happy Hour Movie, FTW! I am not sure what we will watch, but I am really looking forward to it!
That is all I have for this week! Have a great Friday and an even better weekend! See you all back here next week!
I am joining Carole today to share some things from my world this week!
Sometimes it feels like the world is listening and places in your pathway the things you are seeking! This was one of those weeks!
Thing One:
I have been pondering what to do with all my digital photos, especially since I made the decision to part ways with Flickr. And, while I am still working out how best to store and view my digital photo library, Courtney’s latest post was most timely and full of ideas.
Thing Two:
I finished Maria Shriver’s little devotional book this morning which was full of such timely advice – but the closing was most timely indeed: There comes a time in all of our lives when it’s time to take stock of what was, what is, and what can be. Don’t hold on to stuff that prevents you from becoming who you can be. Yes! Exactly – and as I continue to contemplate focus – this advice is exactly what I am trying to do. I have written this quote in my journal and will be referring back to it frequently!
Thing Three:
Finally, and this might have been the most welcome of all the things, was Robin’s back to the mat challenge this week! I am on Day 4 and loving every minute (and yes, I might be the tiniest bit sore, but it is such a good feeling!!) This jump start comes at the perfect time for me – the holidays, pneumonia, and general laziness had pushed Pilates off my radar and this little jump start is just what I needed to get back on track!
Those are my things! What about you? What things have wandered onto your pathway this week?
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!
February is merely as long as is needed to pass the time until March. ~J.R. Stockton
It has been a long time since I have done any monthly reviews here, but I am trying a new format to go with my “new to me” way to save something special each day. This format is helping me remember to take a picture and record a few seconds to preserve the moments of the day.
Looking back at February, I am struck by two things: how much snow we got and how much sunshine there was!
And when you think about life – it is that finite balance that we might not even be aware of that makes things more tolerable.
And, yes – this month seemed so much more manageable than January, which seemed to drag on forever! February, was indeed just long enough!
The bitter cold and inches of snow are messing with my springtime yearning. Although this wintry blast might be the perfect backdrop to my latest listen – South by Sir Ernest Shackleton – it is a riveting listen!
And despite all this winter raging, I know spring is coming so I will be starting some seeds for the garden today.
It seems that March is off to a roaring start! We got about 5 inches of snow overnight, with more in the forecast for the weekend. Although, all this snow has not hampered the bird’s enthusiasm as they were singing loud and long this morning!
I have not done a Fiber Friday post in some time, and the mood is striking me that this is just what I need to share today!
First up, it seems I am working on becoming a Mohair Silk Knitting Jedi. Yes, this year just might be the Year of Mohair Knitting! My second mohair project of 2019 is underway, and I am cruising along. There was a slight hiccup when 5 rounds in I discovered that yes, I have twisted the damned cast on and have a Möbius sweater started. Now, if you know anything you know there is no “ripping back and starting over” with mohair. My solution? I dropped the last stitch of the round down to the cast on, untwisted the twist, and carefully purled up the laddered yarn. It shows a bit now, but once I have the ends woven in, I think it will be barely visible!
Thank goodness for that Mohair Halo!! This project is bringing me unbelievable joy – the color and the fabric are wonders!! This is exactly what my Tegna wants to be!
Next, today I will be ironing all these fat quarters to begin the process of cutting out squares for assembly! Yes, I am beginning my 100-day project today and hopefully I will have a quilt top done by June 9th.
And, March? One of my favorite months from the Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak!
Bring on those blow-y winds, March!
Thing One:
Sometimes, the best things ever are posted on Twitter. Rabbit Hole warning…enter at your own risk: Terrible Real Estate Agent Photos (My inner 4th grader loves that there is a #terrible toilets hashtag)
Thing Two:
I think I might have finally unlocked the complete and total insanity phase as I am contemplating a 100-day Project… and this one is totally out of the box, I am contemplating quilting! I have not done any quilting in years – so long in fact that I don’t remember much about my feelings about it. But, I have a stack of fat quarters and some years ago I thought about doing this little Bernina Project which has a difficulty level of “beginner” and complete in 4-weeks, but I think 100 Days might be a much better plan! (And, if I start soon, it just might be done in time for Christmas!!)
Thing Three:
Being an avid student of history, Cohen’s testimony struck me yesterday as an eerie repeat of a much earlier testimony…that of Joe Valachi’s 1963 testimony before Congress. I laughed when I Googled “mobster congress testimony” and both Joe and Cohen info filled the web page, so I must not be alone with that thought! However, the best part of the day was when Rep. Elijah Cummings took us to church to close the hearing! Preach it Mr. Cummings!!
That is all I have for today! What things are new with you?
