by Kat | Mar 18, 2022 | General, In This Moment
Whew, Friday… it seems like eons since you were here!
It’s been a week… of all the weather (at least here in Pittsburgh) and all the heartbreaking news. We were happy to join in this week in making a donation for Ukraine to Brother’s Brother. Even though it feels like what we donate won’t make a difference, this delightfully reminded me that if we all drop something in the bucket… we can collectively make a difference.
Things that helped me get through this week…
Sewing: My goodness, was it a very good distraction. I am not through my sewing pile, but I have made some good progress.
On Monday, someone commented to me about me making the Agnes pjs out of linen and wearing them more than at home. What?! Sorry but there is zero chance of that ever happening… LOL At least not while Sew House Seven’s Free Range Slacks exist!! Those are my Pjs You Can Wear Out Of The House pants! Really, I have sewn 3 pairs and am in the process of making a 4th pair as I type! They are the most comfortable pants ever (although not for sleeping) but for everyday wear they are my perfect pants! But if you are wondering what might be the perfect pants for you… The Foldline has you covered with their Trousers Issue. And if you sew, you should absolutely subscribe to their weekly news letter. It contains such great pattern reviews and such useful information!
Listening: I discovered a new podcast last week… NPR’s Book of the Day. Small, bite-sized podcasts about books. What could be better? I have added a book or two to my “read soon” list. Thank you, NPR!
On top of that, audiobooks – this week I have been listening to Olga Tokarcuz’s Flights. I think it is always good to read books that remind you really how not smart you are. It keeps one humble. And Olga is keeping me very, very humble this week and yet, I cannot stop because I keep hoping that I will connect the dots. Ahh, the hopes of the reader, right? lol
Inspiration: I really like reading about what other makers are doing and recently Katrina Rodabaugh shared some new things she has coming… classes – even an online class in which I am I am very interested. I also have loved her sharing what she has been reading each week! (if you don’t get her newsletter, it’s really a treat!)
And for some close to home inspiration, Tuesday night I am attending an event (IN PERSON!! What???) at the Carnegie Library: Chutz-Pow! Super Heroes of the Holocaust. I am excited to listen to Wayne Wise and Marcel Walker talk about their comic book series!
That is all I have to share this week. I hope you all have an incredible weekend and I will see you all back here on Monday!
by Kat | Feb 18, 2022 | General, In This Moment, Poetry
these hips have never been enslaved,
they go where they want to go
they do what they want to do.
these hips are mighty hips.
these hips are magic hips — Lucille Clifton (homage to my hips)
This week I want to share some poetry that, I think, is one of the best ways to celebrate Black History Month.
Poetry has become part of my daily life… I cannot imagine a day without poetry. It opens my eyes… it opens my mind… it opens my heart. This month, I have been focused on reading a poem or two a day from Amanda Gorman’s new book of poetry – Call Us What We Carry (and it is so very good!)
I also spent some time Googling Poetry for Black History Month and I found some of the most wonderful rabbit holes that exist on the internet!
Of course The Poetry Foundation has a wonderful resource that includes poems, articles, and podcasts… there is just so much to read here! I have been happily working my way through every bit of it. Some poems were familiar to me and some were not. There was one that I knew as a song but I did not know that it was written by one brother and set to music by another brother! And speaking of that song… was it just me or did anyone else find it more than disconcerting that this song was performed outside the stadium (versus being inside? watf…)
If you’d like to start with a less daunting list… Read Poetry has 10 Poems to Celebrate Black History Month
Finally, if you want to add a book to your Poetry Library (because don’t we all have a Poetry Library?? And if you don’t, you should!!) I am excited to get Tracy K. Smith’s book, Such Color. (And I am loving Call Us What We Carry!)
I am going to close with one of the poems from Amanda’s new book:
& So
by Amanda Gorman
It is easy to harp,
Harder to hope.
This truth, like the white-blown sky,
Can only be felt in its entirety or not at all.
The glorious was not made to be piecemeal.
Despite being drenched with dread,
This dark girl still dreams.
We smile like a sun that is never shunted.
Grief, when it goes, does so softly,
Like the exit of that breath
We just realized we clutched.
Since the world is round,
There is no way to walk away
From each other, for even then
We are coming back together.
Some distances, if allowed to grow,
Are merely the greatest proximities.
Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman, published by Viking Press. Copyright © 1921 by Amanda Gorman
Have a great weekend everyone… see you all back here on Monday!
by Kat | Feb 4, 2022 | General, In This Moment
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. — Nelson Mandela
It is Black History Month and in these days of an outrageous number of people wanting far too many books removed from libraries, I thought a good place to start this month is with books!
So I did a bit of Googling to see if I could expand my recommendations of books to include in your February reading and I found several great lists (that even included the books I have read!) I am sharing ones that I loved, ones that have been on my radar, as well as some that were not until I discovered them this week! I hope you find something you’d like to include in your February!
- Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi
- The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X by Les Payne and Tamara Payne
- Deacon King Kong by James McBride
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
- Between the World and Me by Ta–Nehisi Coates
- The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah–Jones
- (and if you have children…) The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah–Jones
- Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
- (Double digits… double books?) Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents and The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
- How The Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith (and if you are looking for a second Clint Smith book pick up Counting Descent... his poetry is wonderful!)
- You Don’t Know us Negroes and Other Essays by Zora Neale Hurston (I read Their Eyes Were Watching God and loved it so I am excited to read her collection of essays that was published posthumously)
Now I am off to do some super-secret test knitting for my favorite knitting designer. Which means my Base 12 Hitchhiker and the February Gnome will be gathering some dust… sigh. But I have a very short time frame to finish the Test Knitting… very short. Oy! My yarn arrived late yesterday so you know what’s next… Let the Swatching Begin! Haha! I am hopeful that the Knitting Gauge Gods will be smiling on the process…. my fingers are crossed!
That is almost all I have for this week aside from this wee tiny post script for all you Wordle fans… it seems that all good things must come to an end…okay so maybe Wordle is not ending but soon it will no longer be free. This closing paragraph to the article might be the most brilliant thing I have read all week:
I’ve learned my lesson. Don’t get attached. I’m staying lower than lo-fi with my games from now on. A brilliant friend of mine — he’s nine — plays a variant called “Wordle in Your Head.” He thinks of a five-letter word, and you guess. He replies with your progress: green, gray, gray, yellow, gray. So far, he hasn’t charged a dime.
Yep… World in Your Head with a nine year old sounds like the best thing ever… unless I can convince a certain six year old I know to try!
Have a great weekend all! I will see you all back here on Monday!
by Kat | Jan 28, 2022 | General, In This Moment
It’s been a wintry week here in Pittsburgh… bitterly cold temperatures – which meant we had some sunshine! A knitter does not cry over cold… we have sweaters, hats, mittens, cowls, scarves… cold weather is every knitters dream! You know… the days you can wear.all.the.knits! And those slices of sunshine? Who all doesn’t need a bit of a Vitamin D boost as January draws to a close! The snow from our last snowstorm is still on the ground and this morning a fresh blanket of snow covered it. I love it when it is all fresh and white… it is visible reminder that each day we have a fresh start! Right?
Let’s see what’s in the mailbag this wintry Friday, shall we?
Dear Tinnitus,
I know you thought that you were winning the battle in my head. I am usually adept at ignoring the ever-present noise during the day, but night time is a different matter. You have been winning the Battle of Darkness making me a casualty of far too many sleepless nights. But! No longer! I have some new armor that is splendidly effective at silencing you! Bose Sleep Buds have banished you to the Halls of Brown Noise! It is a wonder what uninterrupted sleep does for a body! And even more wonderful what weeks of uninterrupted sleep can do! So take that, Tinnitus. You are down for the count… at least at night!
Sorry not sorry,
A well-rested Kat
My most beloved Imagined Landscapes!
As I draw to a close on my January Gnome… I just had to take a moment to stop and thank you for so many things… perhaps too many to list in one short letter! But I wanted to thank you for your Insane Creativity… my goodness, you are a wonder! After knitting Gnutmeg I can now knit jog-less stripes, I have a better understanding of planned increases, and you have watered the joy that had withered inside me! I have one wee little leg to go… but the Gnome Boot! Oh my goodness!
Anxiously awaiting my February Gnome and I can’t wait to see what you can teach me about cabling!
Your most adoring fan!
Gnon-stop Gnitting Kat
And with that… I say Let the Weekending Begin! (if only, right?)
See you all back here on Monday! Have a great weekend everyone!
by Kat | Jan 21, 2022 | General, In This Moment
Today I have a bunch of random things to share and I am making them fit TGIF. I think it works.
And so let’s get started!
Teaching (myself?):
Last year, I mentioned that I had some socks in need of some mending… well, the number has grown since then. How is it possible that all.the.socks. are wearing out all at once? It is boggling my mind to be sure! And, ironically, this arrived in my email the same week the latest sock become “holy” … a darning “class”? Okay. I am in! And the same day a darning mushroom was on sale on Amazon and it seemed inevitable. It is being delivered to my house today (along with some darning needles). I have 4 pairs of socks in need of heel repair and I am determined that I will learn how to do this and have the end result be four *comfortably* wearable pairs of socks! (and then I can fix the uncomfortably repaired pair!)
A Healing of the Heels is in order!
Getting (uncomfortable):
Speaking of uncomfortable…it needs to get real, Gentle Readers. Very real. Uncomfortably real… this is our year to be uncomfortable. I lowered my reading goal this year… for a reason. I wanted to spend more time reading things that made me uncomfortable. Things that will help me see beyond my white privilege. Things that will help me better understand what the BiPOC community experiences on a daily basis. Things that will make me uncomfortable…
This thread by Nikole Hannah-Jones. It opened my eyes. It shocked me. And yes, it now has me wanting to find all of MLK’s writings that I have never, ever read and get uncomfortable! (and to have some wearable reinforcement…I have asked Steve to get me this for V-day instead of flowers)
In (my worry corner):
The past 3 weeks have been rough. My son’s girlfriend started the COVID Train… she was exposed and then, sadly, came down with it. Which meant, of course, that my son got it. (She was quite sick, he had a slightly milder case) and yesterday another family member let me know they now have COVID. (It’s my sister who is not boosted… who is living in group housing… and is now in isolation… which I don’t think is good for her at anytime, but right now, I think it’s especially bad.) I realize it is but a matter of time… so to speak… until we all have it with numbers skyrocketing. But my worry level is off the charts… (add to all this there was a tragic accident on Monday at my son-in-law’s place of employment … a boat … and I am really needing for my people to be close enough that I can see them, hold them, and feed them…)
Finding (diversions):
This week it was all about occupying my mind… so I wound the Base 12 yarn and cast on that Hitchhiker. I also wound so many skeins of yarn… enough to fill a HUGE knitting bag… and started Gnome One in the Year of Gnomes. It is a pattern I purchased but never knit! Welcome to the start of ADVENTure Gnome! I have started on the hat and I am loving how this looks… now to figure out the ball at the top of the hat! LOL
A Worry Hitchhiker seems so appropriate but coupled with the silliness of Gnome Knitting… there is a bit of balance.
Both knitting projects are excellent diversions because they require me to keep track of something physical… in other words, they are not mindless knits!
I also was shocked to find that Stacy Abrams book, While Justice Sleeps, was available on Overdrive so I downloaded it. And yes… it is lovely to have breathing space between reads to be able to read something totally unexpected!
And that is all I have for this week! Have a great weekend and stay warm if you are in the path of this bitter cold!
See you all back here on Monday!
