by Kat | Mar 15, 2019 | General, In This Moment
Welcome to the “Beware the ides of March” edition of TGIF!
It has been a week and a half (or at least it certainly feels that way to me!) I guess a week with meetings, vet appointments, and an inordinate amount of phone calls will do that for you! But it is finally Friday and even though we had a huge slice of spring yesterday – we have that four-letter word in the forecast for this weekend. I am desperately hoping the weather persons are all wrong!
But, enough with the weather and way-to-long weeks… lets get this weekend started already!
Terrific, tremendous, and terribly wonderful!!
I have the front of Deschain completed! I love how it looks and I will get the back cast on this morning. I did one extra repeat of the pattern and I am very happy with the length. The only fiddly part of the back will be the short rows. I do have one question for you, Gentle Readers, what would you use to seam this up?
Game on –
The Madness begins on Sunday and I am really excited for this year’s tournaments. I will be filling out my brackets on Monday and spending some quality television time over the next couple of weeks! This also means quality knitting time!! The “First Four” games start on the 19th and the full tournament tips off on Thursday.
Ireland Forever (or Éirinn go Brách) –
That’s right, Sunday is also St. Paddy’s Day and my corned beef is all set to go! I am trying Andrew Zimmern’s recipe this year and, honestly?? My mouth is watering thinking about it! Steve has also been sending me links of things to make with the leftovers. Look for these Irish Nachos or these Brisket Nachos to occur sometime next week! We have plenty of Guinness on hand which will help me forget the predicted cold weather.
Fotography Friday –
Yes, I am joining kmkatt for her Friday Fun. The photo I have chosen is courtesy of timehop. I cannot believe that 10 years have passed since this photo was taken because in my mind it really seems like it was yesterday. It was a rare glorious March day which made it perfect to visit Lake Michigan! It was equally perfect and so amazing to meet the woman in the photo again. This woman holds a very special place in my heart and seeing her all grown up was truly a lovely gift.
That is all I have for this week! Have a great weekend and I will see you all back here on Monday!
by Kat | Mar 8, 2019 | General, In This Moment
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!
by Kat | Feb 22, 2019 | General, In This Moment
Despite a topsy turvy week that was very out of kilter on any kind of schedule yes, it’s finally Friday! I am reminding myself of that because it does not feel very Friday-like to me…but hopefully I am over that feeling by the time Happy Hour™ starts! And if not an icy beverage and some fun eats will certainly help me get into that Friday Mood, right?!
Totally over – winter! I mean really. This week was my tipping point. It was a week of almost all the weather seasons happening in.the.same.week. It is impossible to know how to dress and I need hip-waders to walk in the swamp that is my back yard! I just am really ready for spring and all the spring things! I am itching to get outside and not be hampered by the bitter weather!
Grateful for – The Amazon email suggesting I watch Agatha Christie’s ABC Murders! The casting is spectacular with John Malkovich as Hercule Poirot and the trio of stories are brilliantly done and I can thank the ABC Murders for all the knitting company! Yes – I have just 3 colors to go to completion!
Inspired by – Katrina Rodabaugh! Yes, I finally check out Mending Matters from the library. I started reading it last night and oh my. The ideas are mind-blowing and brilliantly executed. I also had a lovely chat with the librarian who checked me out – she had just finished the book and her enthusiasm for hand sewing encouraged me to not knit last night and instead dig into the book! I was profoundly struck by her motto: Just begin. How true that is for everything – stop worrying that your technique is not perfect or that your skills are lacking, “Begin this journey with whatever skills you have today and trust…You’ll improve techniques as you practice.” This is definitely a book I will be adding to my library!
Fun, fun, fun – Pittsburgh Indie Knit & Spin is Saturday. And though I don’t need any yarn, but I do want to knit this sweater and I do not have enough of any yarn to do so. Right now, the forecast is just calling for a rainy day and if that does not change this is on the list for the weekend!
That is all I have for this week; the knitting is calling! Have a wonderful weekend and I will see you back here next week!
by Kat | Feb 15, 2019 | General, Words
Another week draws to a close and this one ushers in a long weekend! Yes, Steve has Monday off and he is going to the car show with a friend.
Add to that we are more than half way through the month! Yes – in two weeks from today we welcome March! For as long as January felt, February is just flying by despite the weather!!
Thinking About – Dreams. I rarely dream, which may be a byproduct of insomnia – but recently I have been having the same set of dreams (some might call them nightmares) on a repeat track. The dreams are disturbing, and I am not sure why I am having them. However, it makes me curious that I can tell myself in the dream that it is a dream so thankfully there have been no repeats of me waking Steve with blood curdling screams. However, knowing it is just a dream has not stopped them from occurring. I am not sure if there is a message in the dream (or in any dreams for that matter), but I am more than ready to put this “dream list” on permanent pause.
Giddy About – A Monday Alone (see above!!) Yes, no meal planning, and really – no cooking!! Silly thing, but one I am really looking forward to, a day alone is the nicest of treats!
Inspired By – Empathy. This design is a “mashup of the four 2018 Pins & Lace patterns” and I have been unable to stop thinking about it since it was released earlier this month. It has been too long since I knit a Romi design and I cannot get this one out of my head. I think I am going to cast this on once I have my Shawl of Many Colors finished.
Focused On – Getting some sewing done today. I am ignoring my indecision and just doing it. Indecision is.the.worst!
That is all I have for this week! Have a wonderful (and hopefully) long weekend! See you all back here next week!
by Kat | Feb 1, 2019 | General, In This Moment
“Why is equality so assiduously avoided? Why does white America delude itself, and how does it rationalize the evil it retains? – Martin Luther King Jr.
Hello, Friday and Welcome February! The January that seemed to go on forever has finally ended and a new month is upon us! Add to that each day there are a few more minutes of daylight are such a good thing! It is sometimes surprising how quickly those minutes add up!
Thinking about – Black History Month and today, I begin the 28-day journey with Layla F. Saad and her Me and White Supremacy workbook. I have been thinking about this with some trepidation – I don’t think any of us are happy to learn unpleasant things about ourselves but, I think that is the only way to truly change – seeing clearly and altering your course. I have also spent some time thinking about Dr. King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. I do not want to be a “white moderate” that is a grave disappointment.
Grateful for – All the wool clothing and a nice warm house this week and although next week looks like quite a warming trend is heading our way – it was nice to have so many wool sweaters to wear to help me stay warm! I am also grateful that despite The Great Fall my Amaryllis took this week, it continues to bloom! Note to self…find something to be grateful about in all situations and be more like the Amaryllis – keep blooming despite great calamity!
Inspired to – begin again! Daily photos, one second videos, and daily stitching had fallen off my radar and a new month gives me a new opportunity to correct that! The stitching project that I finished this week is waiting for the next step – a little bath and then framing. The little bird is coming together nicely, and I am going to join Christina the next 60-some-days and focus on peace. While I won’t be knitting any birds, I plan to stitch a few more!
Fun, fun, fun – This weekend is the Super Bowl – which seems a bit anti-climactic since the Steeler’s are not one of the teams playing. I think Steve is more excited about the “football food” than he is about watching the game however, he has several squares in the work football pool so we will watch at least part of the game! And, a football game always makes for excellent knitting time! Ha!
That is all I have for this week! Have a great weekend and stay warm everyone!
