by Kat | Sep 1, 2017 | General
Happy Friday, Gentle Readers! And, Welcome September – okay, maybe not welcome – it is just 50 degrees out this morning and decidedly fall like. Brrrr!
Blue = 5 star books; Orange = 4 star books
August closed out my summer reading on an incredible high point. I finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay on Wednesday and what a way to finish my book bingo! To say I loved Kavalier and Clay is an understatement – it is one of the best books I have read this year. I gave it 5 stars and if you have not yet read any of Michael Chabon’s books, this is the place to start! I deeply loved Rose, Joe, and Sammy.
This summer had an incredible number of good reads (thanks to so many of you for sharing such incredible titles with me!!) Of the 25 books I read for my cover all there were 14 books I gave 4 stars and 9 that I gave 5 stars. IMO that is just amazing. I discovered some new (to me) authors that I was fortunate to be able to read more of their great writing and I even spent some time with authors I already love.
Staying on books for a moment – I began listening to Pat Conroy’s Beach Music on Wednesday and I am completely enthralled. I mean what is not to love about someone who writes about more dysfunctional families than I had!
And the knitting! I am on clue 3 of Laura Aylor’s Sand Ripples MKAL – and wow! Just wow! I have bound off stitches on 2 sides of the square and now am knitting out from the sides that were not bound off. It is a fascinating construction and I hope to be caught up and start today’s clue this weekend!
Now, how about some knitting inspiration?
First up, some interesting shawls: Touchstone (and it’s a free download!), Balvraid Hap, and Sketch Shawl (I especially like this knit with Zitron Filigran)
Interesting construction with Wood Warbler Cowl and Warrior Cowl
If this weather keeps up you will need a sweater: Steampunk Pullover, New Berlin Gansey, Intrigue, and Brookings Crew
PSA: There are just 115 days to Christmas…if you plan on doing any gift knitting you better get started! Here are some easy gift knits to get you started: Elska, Ruschia Hat, Transitus, and Soft Washed Herringbone Mitts
That is all I have for this week! I will see you back here on Monday!
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by Kat | Aug 25, 2017 | General
It seemed like an inordinately long week this week for some reason and I am glad it is Friday!
I do have a Finished Object to share with you today (and this morning, I could have used them outside this morning as the temperature was a very chilly 50!) I finished the Ferryboat Mitts from the absolutely lovely Shepherd’s Lamb Rambouillet Yarn. What an absolute treat to knit with this yarn. Shepherd’s Lamb sent me undyed yarn, but they have some really beautiful dyed skeins and they even have a few plant dyed skeins as well! While I was limited as to what to make (besides a swatch) with just a skein or two, this yarn would make a lovely sweater. It is so squishy and soft. And, while this is a soft yarn, I think it will wear very well. This yarn is next to skin soft, so you could also make a squishy warm cowl with a couple of skeins. If you have never knit with Rambouillet, I highly recommend this yarn.
Now, how about some links?
That is all I have for this week! Have an awesome weekend and I will see you back here on Monday!
by Kat | Aug 18, 2017 | General
This weekend I a #NekiaKAL participant and when Monday comes it is my hope that I will be well on my way to having a new sweater for my fall wardrobe! And, if I am really productive, I will be done on Monday but, I have my doubts that will happen. However, with no sleeve’s to knit perhaps this is doable! FYI, in all honesty, I did begin yesterday afternoon. I was not sure about the starting directions and I had some undivided time so I sat down to begin working on it. I only had to rip back once, lol. Perhaps the rainy weekend will afford me some extra knitting time, we shall see! Anyways, stay tuned for an update on Monday!
Last week I got an email from the ladies from an awesome project called “RESIST in a Box” asking if I would share some information here on my blog and I thought that considering what has been going on over the past 210 days; yes, absolutely! I asked them to send me some more information and, they did! They have volunteer knitters who are helping with the project and today I would like to share what Marcia Rogers shared with me:
Edyie Stika
Edyie Stika from Iowa City, Iowa, embodies the very definition of resistance. She is a mentor to many, a business woman, an inventor, a caretaker and a friend to all activists in her community! Edyie has owned The Knitting Shoppe in Iowa City for over 30 years. It is a hub and center for thoughtful discussions and creativity. Each year she dedicates her product and space to crank out many free winter hats for youth in Iowa City called Caps for Kids. Edyie and her shop were instrumental in being a conduit for women seeking Pink Pussyhats, making hats, and distributing hats for the Women’s March in January. I approached Edyie and told her my idea for RESIST in a Box and asked for her help in designing a pattern of a miniature Pink Pussyhat! I wanted to do something that paid tribute to the women who inspired us all and gave us hope and empowerment last January! Originally, I said to Edyie,” Let’s make a key chain!” So, as we fiddled with this new pattern and how to attach it to a key chain, suddenly Edyie burst into giggles and this idea was born instead….
Pink Pussyhat Finger Puppets!
The one in your box has extra yarn connected to it so you can attach it to your key chain, your rear-view mirror or just keep it upright on your desk! Enjoy its many uses. I encourage you all to follow Edyie as we tell more stories about her and about other knitters helping this project. Her shop is just beautiful and it is located at 2141 Muscatine Ave. Iowa City, IA 52240.
The Knitting Shoppe
From that simple day of asking Edyie to help me design a pattern, I have now met many women who came forward to help knit these small hats for RESIST in a Box. Their stories of resistance are worth sharing and you will hear about more of them in future posts!
Thank you, EDYIE, dear friend and my inspiration…and to all of you reading today, my appreciation.
Keep up the #RESIST!
Marcia Rogers
RESIST in a Box
RESIST in a Box
And, a huge thanks to Marcia and Arin for sharing this with me!!
Now, how about some links!
- Staying with the #RESIST theme… Holding Hope Kerchief
- Sweetpea…the perfect sweater to extend the months of summer well into the fall!
- Sikuli Shawl combines some very interesting techniques into a really striking shawl!
- Aeque (Latin for equally) I mean really, Latin and knitting and mini-skeins? This is the perfect combination!
- Småstein and Pyla – international tiny people knits!
That is all I have this week! Have a great weekend! (Oh, and get some knitting in would you?)
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by Kat | Aug 11, 2017 | General
After a night of tossing and turning, I woke this morning to this gargantuan web just outside my back door. And, I mean gargantuan – it is over 3′ in diameter, this was one busy spider overnight! Perhaps, I can borrow some of her mojo and I can join her on my upcoming sleepless nights.** Because I don’t have enough projects in process, today is clue 1 of Laura Aylor’s Sand Ripples MKAL. And, yes, I will be casting on. The first clues are always so deceiving with the amount of time it takes to complete them, amirite? I was asked to knit an item for a charity auction and this might work… I am not sure, I will have to see how the clues progress! But, to be safe, I will be tossing the fingering weight stash today to see if I have something that will work for this (and I am more than certain that I do!)
I did manage to finish something else this month, I completed Knit/Wit’s Kerameia Cowl. It was a bit of gift knitting and has been received by the recipient. I am working on a second cowl from the same yarn that will go in the gift basket. It is a great pattern and if you want to try your hand at color-work, this would be the perfect thing to start with as it is knit with a DK weight yarn. I knit it with Fibernymph Dye Works Bona Fide and I like the yarn despite it being superwash. It is super soft and not at all scratchy, so this should be the perfect thing to have around your neck!
In the caught-up category…I am happy to let you all know that the new washer (and dryer) is so outstanding, I have all the laundry caught up from being washer-less for over a week. I am sure that “new toy” feeling quickly wear off and laundry will go back to its normal status of “ugh, laundry”! Oh, and someone asked what is this amazing silent washer… we got an LG Top-Loading washer and it did not cost an arm and a leg. I know some of you are devotees of a brand I had never heard of. Well, maybe I heard of them, but do not recall ever seeing them in any appliance stores. I grew up in a “Maytag” household – and that washer lasted more than 30 years (no really, it did.) Nothing anymore does, however, but I am hopeful that this washer will last longer than its predecessor!**
Now, enough about my laundry joy and how about some links?
Carole has a new grand baby coming and I have been keeping my eye out for cute baby boy things and this week there were some AWESOME sweaters! Sloane Square and Little Roland… oh my gosh, I love them both… so much!! Although, Mary… you might need to knit these too!
Woman Must Make Her Own Arrows… I am absolutely enthralled by a pattern that says this:
“This is a recipe-in-progress, and you’ll receive instructions for general steps, shaping, several possible stitch patterns, and edging. This is not a line-by-line pattern. You should have a sense of adventure and some strong basic skills, such as knitting top-down triangles, working various increases and decreases, and mostly the ability to make choices based on loosely described steps. It helps to have a knitting friend who may be able to answer questions, and to use free online videos for techniques you want to incorporate.”
Veronika Cardigan (that doesn’t really look like a cardigan but is really beautiful!)
Bibbe… is it a poncho? Or a sweater?
Are you a Twin Peaks fan?
Interweave Knits Fall 2017 has an interesting collection of knits but I especially like the Angelina Pullover
Stroma is written for ANY GAUGE! Wait, wut?
And, finally… if you, like me, have at all been following Julia Farwell Clay’s journey (you can scroll through her IG feed and her progress) with this sweater then you will absolutely love the Eddy Wrap pattern! (I know exactly what yarn I am going to use to knit it, but you can get a kit here!)
That is all I have for this week! Have an amazing Friday everyone and I will see you back here on Monday!! I will leave you with the picture I managed to get with the spider in her web and she is impressive!
**When reality is so insane that literally the only thing I can do is laundry and knit.
by Kat | Aug 4, 2017 | General
One would think that I would have immediately given a little Soak Wash spa treatment to my MKAL shawl upon casting off, however it sat around until yesterday. Why? I have no excuse except for pure laziness but it went down yesterday for a bath and then a good blocking. You know, with the wires and all! Give me some nice straight edges, please! Once I had it all pinned out I was absolutely blown away by the beauty of this shawl. And, even more wowed when I pulled out all the blocking wires and un-pinned it… oh.my.gosh people!! This thing is insanely beautiful!!! I might have even had a tear or two in my eyes at how crazy this turned out. I took it outside last night with “Dolores” to take a few glamor shots and she has yet to relinquish it and it is so stunning, I don’t blame her!
This is the 5th year I have knit Kirsten’s MKAL over the summer and people – this one is seriously the best one yet. The beauty of this simple design of lace and mosaic stitches works so incredibly well together. I might even be wishing for cool weather to wear this baby…non-stop.
To think I worried about it being “small” when I finished the bind off… small might describe a certain someone’s hands, but it absolutely does not describe this shawl… at.all! It is HUGE! Dear Dolores is my size and I love that it can drape casually around her “neck” and not be all tight and bunched up!
Steve thought my yarn color choices were not good and he told me so more than once. He said, what will you wear that with?? Well…everything in my wardrobe, honey… just everything! LOL
All the details of my project are here.
If you missed out on Kirsten’s MKAL, it is not too late…get the pattern and cast on ASAP. You won’t be disappointed!
Now, how about some links?
First up, swissmiss shared this and then I found this. Want….
Reclaiming my time, the Gospel version.
This week had LOTS of good knitting patterns (you’d think fall was coming or something….)
Lots of goodness in there for you to ponder! I hope something inspires you to cast on!
Have a great weekend, see you back here on Monday!
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