by Kat | Aug 10, 2016 | General, Making
I am closing in on a cover all for Summer Book Bingo, which absolutely astounds me! Twenty-five books in ninety-nine days is LOTS of reading (and listening!)
I finished listening to David Sedaris read Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls and it was wonderful! I started listening to my choice for my square “From the Harvard Classics 5-foot shelf” – She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith (Thanks, Kym!) I am enjoying it tremendously! It is witty and humorous and read “play like” with a cast of voices. This gave me another bingo!
Second Bingo Down:
- My Kitchen Year
- Written in my Heart’s Own Blood
- The Book Thief
- Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls
- The Redbreast
I began knitting my Cladonia and while I am not very far – I am so happy with my yarn choices! Right now it is easy and almost mindless knitting, however I want to make the shawl a bit bigger than the pattern calls for, so I will need to do some knitting math – the kind in which you use an actual pencil and paper! I have tried to puzzle it out in my head, but I fear that this is beyond my mental skills. Better to use some actual calculations and make sure I am correct!
I have to admit; this is one most enjoyable summers I have had in a long time – I am so thankful to Carole for sharing BOTNS Bingo! This has amped up my reading significantly! I have read books I did not think I would like and found them incredibly enjoyable! Add to that getting a slew of unfinished knitting done has made me feel so accomplished! I finished two items this week and will share them with you all tomorrow!
As usual, I am linking up with Ginny’s Yarn Along, where you will find amazing inspiration for both books and knits!
How about you, Gentle Reader? Are you feeling accomplished this summer?
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by Kat | Aug 8, 2016 | General, In This Moment
Why is Monday always in such a rush to get here and close the door on the weekend?! The weekend was so good; I would really just like to squeeze a bit more out of it!
Friday’s are always so nice, because well – Happy Hour! Icy cold martinis and good food makes unwinding from the week an easy task. Bonus treats included homemade ricotta, homegrown tomatoes, and smoked salmon!
There was LOTS of reading this weekend!! Which means I have a Bingo or three to tell you about! The books in italics are the ones I finished this weekend!
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First Bingo Across:
- White Nights by Ann Cleeves
- My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl
- Emma, Vol. 01 by Kaoru Mori
- Shear Spirit by Joan Tapper & Gale Zucker
- Still Life by Louise Penny
Second Bingo Across:
- Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves
- Written in My Heart’s Own Blood by Diana Gabaldon
- My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Third Bingo Down:
- Emma
- Grandmother
- It Itches by Franklin Habit
- Doc by Mary Doria Russell
- Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda
My Thoughts on the recently finished books:
My Grandmother… While this was not nearly as good as A Man Called Ove, it was still a lovely read. It caused me to think deeply about the relationships with the people around us – both family and friends – and the impact they have on our lives. And, every child should have a superhero! And there is indeed something incredibly special about a grandmother’s house. You truly never forget how it smells.
Emma…this is not a genre that I would have ever picked to read had “Manga” not been a bingo square. Thank you Margene for steering me to this book. It was a quick read.
Shear Spirit…Having to select a book from the top shelf of one of my bookcases and a blog post last week really spurred me to get this book down and read it. The book details 10 different fiber farms; all new to me and one of which was right in my back yard! I also found a project or two that I might have to queue up to knit! The photography and stories are just beautiful!
It Itches…I really just wanted a quick little read to fill that free square, as I have a good bit of reading to do to get a “cover all”. This is light, humorous and true (especially the stash story!!)
Finally, there was knitting and Olympics and an EPIC bind off. Now I just need to block the brown blob and get some glamor shots! Plus, I may have cast on something new…
How was your weekend?
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by Kat | Aug 3, 2016 | General, Making
Reading has sort of overtaken my time recently, well because GOOD BOOKS! I finished listening to The Book Thief yesterday, but truly – I did not want it to end. What an incredibly poignant and moving story. I sobbed considerably in the last chapters, but still – I did not want it to end.
In an attempt to lift myself from the funk that finishing a book that I did not want to end, I started reading Ruth Reichl’s My Kitchen Year – and it was so delicious that I devoured it in one sitting. I borrowed it from the library, but I promise you, I will be buying it shortly. The recipes look simply incredible, and I think it will be a great thing to cook through the year with her. If you have not read it, you should!
That makes my Summer Bingo Card looking pretty good! I am listening to David Sedaris’ Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, which will get me my first bingo! I started reading To Kill a Mockingbird on my Kindle last night, but I did not get very far. I have my squares all set, but one – and I am saving that for the very end. I will go down to my bookshelves and pick something fun for my final read. Now, will I get this done by the time that Labor Day rolls around, we shall see! I am also working through My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry. It seems like it is not going to be 900 gazillion degrees out today nor is it raining, so I may be able to steal some time sitting under the pergola reading.
On the knitting front, I am almost done with the first skein of yarn for Tales from the Isle of Purbeck and just over half way through the fourth chart. I have one chart to go, and I hope to have enough yarn to knit more than one repeat of it. I would like this to be a big, warm shawl (which it will be, but I’d like it bigger!) This is a fun pattern, and what can I say about Elsawool – this stuff is insanely soft. I have the woolen spun fingering weight dark brown Cormo. Light, fluffy, soft – and it is knitting into a fabric that is lovely. You cannot tell from the brown blob that it is right now, but this is going to be the thing to wrap myself in this fall and winter!
Aside from that, I have been loving my Instant Pot – I made yogurt yesterday and oh.my.gosh. (Topped with homemade peach vanilla preserves it is divine!) And, last night I made beef with broccoli in no time at all (seriously, entire cooking time including resting time – less than 20 minutes). I love to cook, but sometimes standing in the kitchen at the end of the day does not send thrills of joy through my being.
Joining up with Ginny and her Yarn Along today, where you will find inspiration for knitting and reading!
What was the last book you read that you did not want to end?
by Kat | Jul 20, 2016 | General, Making
Knitting has been on the back burner here at Casa del KatKnits in the fervor of Tour de Fleece. My sock grows slowly, but it is simple “pick up and just knit” knitting that is so simply satisfying.
Over the weekend, I began the epic bind off of TTL Mystery Shawl, but I still have not finished. I am about half way done. It is absolutely glorious outside this morning so before I get my work done, I might sit out under the pergola and work on that a bit. Head’s up fellow MKAL knitters – the bind off is slow going, but I love how the picots look!
I am honing in on my first Bingo – I finished Doc and, while this is not a typical genre for me, I really enjoyed it. I loved the narrator’s voice which seemed so perfect to be relating the story of Doc Holliday. There were times I chuckled at the antics and hearing the fabled story of the west. There were also poignant parts that endeared Doc to me. If you are looking for a “western”, I recommend this highly.
I also started and finished listening to Charlotte’s Web – read by E.B. White (Thanks Bonny for this stellar recommendation!!) I loved this book as much as I did the first time I read it a million years ago. I was able to “become my children” – listening attentively as they did when I read it to them when they were little. I now understand their begging for “just one more chapter,” as I listened to the book in one sitting.
I started listening to The Book Thief (Told by a child narrator) and reading My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry (With a family member in the title). This will give me my first bingo! I am also reading The Inner Circle (Hated by someone you know) on my kindle at night.
Books in the wings:
- My Kitchen Year (With food as the theme)
- To Kill a Mockingbird (Published in the year I was born)
- Knitlandia (With a one-word title)
- On the Pulse of the Morning (Poetry Collection)
I am still working out what to read for those final “practically impossible” squares. I have 3 squares that I am struggling with – ‘Manga’, ‘By or about a member of the LGBTQ community’, and ‘From the Harvard Classics 5 foot shelf’. I will head down to find something from the “top shelf’ of my bookcase, hopefully there is something besides a knitting book there!
As usual, I am joining in Ginny’s Yarn Along, where you will find beautiful knitting and diverse reading going on.
Have a fantastic Wednesday in a week that is filled with those perfect lazy days of summer. How is your knitting and reading coming?
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by Kat | Jul 14, 2016 | General, In This Moment
Planning: A vacation to Northern Michigan – hello AirBnB! There are so many choices, but I think we have narrowed it down. I am so thrilled that there are places that will allow pets…and Sherman is most happy about that as well!
Also planning: An overnight get away to somewhere nearby in the next week or two, this will make up for Steve having to work this weekend.
Enjoying: All the summer bounty! I am picking beans every other day and I am so surprised how many beans four plants are producing! The pepper plants are likewise producing an amazing bounty! I have picked a few yellow grape tomatoes, and I think that the tomato harvest this year is going to be crazy! Potatoes in containers seem to be doing phenomenally – I have mounded them with dirt to the top of the container and they are still growing! If this works, this will be the best thing we did in the garden this year!
Reading: LOTS! I cannot believe how much I have read since the start of the year – and this summer’s Book Bingo has really expanded my reading dramatically!
Watching: Big Brother… wait, what? Yes, I admit – I am a Big Brother fan. Summer and Julie Chen just seem to go together.
Anticipating: a weekend alone – this does not happen often and I am looking forward to it!
What does your currently look like?
