by Kat | Sep 13, 2017 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
I have been plugging away at my Ponchetta, but I have miles to go yet. Sigh. The rows are long but it is good “sit down and watch television” knitting. I have put aside Laura Aylor’s MKAL aside to get it done. Hopefully some focused knitting will have success!
AND… I began stitching on my first Alabama Chanin garment. So far, so good! Although, I have learned that screen printed t-shirts might not be the best thing to start with! But, I am forging ahead. I think the end result will be worth the effort. But, note to self: plain t-shirts might be a better choice! I am trying to get comfortable stitching without a embroidery hoop – it is a challenge!
Then, there is the reading… Oh, my! The reading has been SOOOO good!
I finished 3 books this week! First up, The River at Night by Erica Ferencik. This was an Overdrive suggestion, and while it was a quick read I thought the entire story was a bit of a “Deliverance-wanna-be” and not in a good way. It was a bit farfetched and I thought the characters were shallow and unbelievable. Why did I keep reading? Well, I hoped that it would improve.
Next, I finished Beach Music which is a 5-star book all the way! I did not think it was possible to like a book more than I did South of Broad, but then came Beach Music! This book made me laugh out loud and it made me cry as Jack collected the stories of family members and friends, sharing them so beautifully. Long live Chippy the Dog stories! GRRRRR! GRRRRRR! Pat Conroy’s tender brilliance and agility with the written word is a thing of wonder to read (and listen too!) I strongly recommend this book!
I also finished Viveca Sten’s Closed Circles. While it had a slow start, it picked up nicely and I am enjoying the character development. I gave this book 4-stars. I really felt like I was part of the detective team as they worked through the mystery. In fact, I am starting book 3 “Guiltless” today!
What are you making this week?
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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 22, 2017 | General, In This Moment
There is so much going on every day and not all of it good. So, every day I try very hard to have something good to focus on, I thought I’d share a bit of that with you!
Watching: The eclipse! Even though in Pittsburgh we only got a partial eclipse – it was spectacular even with some cloud cover. The changes to the light were stunning. You will be happy to know that our household listened to the directions of not looking at the sun to prevent retinal damage. This was not the case for everyone… Perhaps this should be a test for competency? And, as for the digital watching: Game of Thrones (of course!) and Endeavor! I also watched the finale of Broadchurch and honestly, I was a little disappointed. But, I won’t say any more than that for all those who have yet to watch it.
Stitching: Every single day and I am really pleased with how August is unfolding. Really pleased! I also went and got some button craft thread and my hope is that I will soon turn this pile of tee shirts into my first AC garment.
Reading: and listening like a maniac as I chase down my cover all! I am just 2 squares away and have about 18 hours of listening to do. I am eager to get them done because Beach Music by Pat Conroy just came off hold for me at the library! I am also reading the Essays of E.B. White on my Kindle and I have both books by Laurie Colwin (Home Cooking and More Home Cooking). I am almost done with Home Cooking – I should have it completed this week. This has really been the most spectacular summer for reading. Ever.
Picking: Tomatoes…so many tomatoes. That picture above is from this morning! I know, you are all probably sick of hearing about tomatoes, but this year, the volume of large tomatoes has been really quite spectacular. In past years, I have been happy with the dozen we have picked, but this year has had a bumper crop with no signs of production slowing down! Also, raspberries… I picked enough again this morning to make a batch of jam. I know these are such awful problems to have. Spending time in my garden is really the best time, I would not trade it for anything – even with the bunnies decimating our beans! There should be a “not picking” category perhaps, because outside of the handful of zucchini we picked at the beginning of the season, it has not been a good year for them at all. We have picked a sum total of zero since then and it does not look like that will change. I am not sure why they are having such a bad year, but my neighbor is not having any success with his squash plants this year either.
Eating: Tomatoes from my garden! Every.single.day! And, for those things we aren’t growing: sweet corn, peaches, and an incredible variety of peppers! August is the month where I am quite certain I could become a vegetarian.
Looking forward to: Our trip to Michigan! We finalized the dates and have our Airbnb reservation all set. It is the one thing that is really giving me something to look forward to! Why? Because…
Dreading: The end of August. The arrival of Labor Day. The return of dark mornings. Having to turn lights on at night earlier. This summer I have really tried to not “wish ahead” but rather spend more time in the moment enjoying. This has been an eye-opening practice – I am much happier with each day and I am worrying less about tomorrow, or next month, or next year. September, you can just wait your turn – there is lots of August left!
Celebrating: Sherman’s 5th Birthday on Saturday! Every day I am so incredibly thankful for him. He is a bright spot in our day.
That is a slice of what is good in my life right now; how about you? What’s good in your life?
by Kat | Jul 19, 2017 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
This week seems to be flying by, doesn’t it?
My bingo card is looking pretty good and I have my first Bingo of the summer!
I finished Spycatcher by Peter Wright for my “banned in a country outside the US” square. I gave this book 3 stars on Goodreads, I enjoyed the book but it rambled a bit and was a book I had to read in spurts. I kept having to go back and re-read parts to figure out how some people fit.
I also finished Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon. This book fills my “set in a state where you live” square. I like Michael Chabon’s writing and Wonder Boys did not disappoint. It is both funny and at times a bit sad – the characters are entirely dysfunctional, but that makes them more enjoyable IMO. And, there is so much Pittsburgh in this book! A great read if you live here! I gave it 4 stars.
I listened to Pat Conroy’s South of Broad and wow! This is my first Pat Conroy novel and I loved it cover to cover. The ending was completely unexpected. The writing is spectacular. I laughed, I cried more than once, and I simply adore Leo. This book might be the best book I will read all summer – and perhaps all year. I want to read it again and gave it 5 stars!
Yesterday, I finished Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney. I gave it 4 stars and honestly – I want to be Lillian when I am 85 years old and the writing is wonderful.
I also started and stopped Anthropology of an American Girl. I listened for about 2.5 hours and just could not go any further. Yeah, it was that bad. This goes in the “could not finish” category. I laughed when I saw someone on Goodreads called this a “time suck” – yes, indeed and frankly, I’d like those 2.5 hours back! I do not recommend.
I have been listening to The Help (which I love!) and I just started reading Beartown. So, much good!
The knitting has not been quite as productive as the reading, but good none the less.
I have been working on catching up with the MKAL. I am not through clue #3 yet (maybe today?) However, slow I am going, it is not because I do not like the pattern – it is awesome and I have tried to avoid seeing what the next clues are. I love that the lace work is such an easy to memorize yet beautiful pattern. I am half way done with the first a pair of mitts out of the really yummy organic Rambouillet.
I also finished some gift knitting that I will blog about once the recipient has received it!
What are you reading and knitting today?
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by Kat | Jul 12, 2017 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Ohai, Unravelers!
Happy Wednesday to you!
I am working on getting back on track with my mystery shawl – slowly, getting back on track! I am almost done with Clue #2, which puts me only 3 weeks behind!
However, I did get a lovely distraction in the mail this week from Shepherd’s Lamb! They sent me 2 skeins of their new Organic Rambouillet yarn! Oh, my it is lovely! I especially love the natural dye colors! I have yarn from 2 different sheep – Rusty Nails and Acorns! The yarn is DK weight and has 180 yards per 2-ounce skein. I am thinking that this pattern might be the perfect thing for this yarn! The yarn has been minimally processed and has a lovely, but faint, sheepy smell! Stay tuned for the FO’s next week!
Now, on to reading – no finishes this week, but hopefully next week I will have a flurry of them! And, really – I need to kick it into high gear because I had a bunch of things come off hold at the library (of course!)
What about you? Any good knits and reads this week?
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