by Kat | Apr 19, 2023 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers!
On Sunday, I had 3 sweatshirts and a skirt that were all ready for the sewing… and this morning, I just have one last sweatshirt to go!
I have sewed both versions of Sew House Seven’s Toaster Sweater and I love both of them! The directions are clear, concise, and with their usual tips for a more professional finished product! I really love their patterns!
Version One is the more sweatshirt-ish of the two and the fit is fabulous. There is a collar, but it is not tight or restricting… and it has super generous cuffs! I got a couple of traditional sweatshirt fabrics that have a nice weight but are not stiff feeling at all.
Version Two is the dressier version, which I made with French Terry. I was not sure about the neckline, but it works! It is relaxed but not sloppy looking at all. The only thing I will change on the next one I sew is to make the sleeve a tiny bit wider at the cuff.
I also sewed Sew House Seven’s free Cosmo Skirt and I tried it with a somewhat sturdy rib knit. I was worried about the fit on a slim, straight skirt, so I took *many* different measurements and graded the pattern accordingly. I was skeptical about this fitting well… it is a super simple construction – two side seams and a waistband. It worked better than I expected, but I don’t think it would have with a lighter weight fabric (or at least not on my body!)
I have one final sweatshirt to sew and I will finish it up this morning! I have barely knit a stitch, but I did manage a few rounds on the second Red Sock (and since I took the picture, I managed a few more rounds and am about to begin the heel flap!)
On the reading front, I bailed on Tomorrow X3… I know many of you loved this book, but it was not for me… which is fine, there is not a shortage of books for me to read, so I moved on to a book that President Obama loved, After Lives by Abdulrazak Gurnah and it was the perfect book for me right now! I have about an hour to go (I am listening to it) and both the story and the narration are very good!
At night, I am still (yes, still!) working my way through The Covenant of Water, but I am close to completion… and it is getting better (although it is still LONG! IMO, it could use a good bit of editing) but the story has picked up, and I am again eager to see where this all ends up!
That is all for me today… back to the sewing machine for me! What about you? What is commanding your attention this week?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Apr 12, 2023 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers and Happy Wednesday!
It is the week for finished objects in my house… the reason for that is rage-knitting. Although, I hear some of you are rage-weeding and I have done some weeding, but in spurts… perhaps not enough spurts because there are still weeds in my yard.
But my rage-knitting has been productive! I have finished my Handspun Sweater, finished Steve’s Pi-Socks, and finished a long forgotten in-process sock that I found in my “vacation knitting bag” which I pulled out in anticipation for our Erie trip later this month. It now has space for some “vacation knitting” and I hope to have this pair of socks completed before we leave for Erie!
Finish 1:
Pi-Socks, done and they fit!
Finish 2:
I have not been this happy about a finished sweater in a long time. The fit is good, I love the saddle to raglan shoulder treatment… it is so perfect. The bottom band is not snug… at all. It has nice drape, but it is not too baggy. And the turtleneck… oh my! It is perfect. Not too big, not too tight… it is just right! This will be a sweater I wear LOTS. And it is a sweater I plan on knitting again. Perhaps all the options it offers!
Finish 2.5:
Rox-man… you will have to put on the red socks!
And… I have picked my next “Big Project” as well… I have had this skein of Briar Rose Fibers (now discontinued) Angel Face for eons in my stash.. I bought it because I could not resist the colors… and the Angel Face halo. This pattern from Anne Hanson crossed my path over the weekend and I have not stopped thinking about it… and yesterday morning the pattern and the skein of Angel Face merged into a project.
I think these are the perfect Thistle colors!
So I have some “round and round” knitting for when I need it and as soon as I can wind off the skein of Angel Face, I will have some “engage your brain” lace chart knitting!
In case you think all that knitting means that there has been no reading this week… ha! Think again! I finished a couple of books this week… Love & Saffron (which I loved, but wished it was so much longer!!) and Fight Night, which I also loved… deeply. I paused reading The Covenant of Water to devour Fight Night but now I am back to it… I have read about 3/4’s of it and it is long… it feels even longer. I am hoping that something in the last quarter picks up and reinvigorates it for me because right now, I am not loving it. My daytime listen is Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. I am enjoying it… but not really loving it… yet. I am not quite halfway, and I hope it will move beyond where I feel like it is going. I know many of you really loved the book and I hope I will too!
Whew, that is all I have for today… what about you? Are you rage-knitting? Joy-knitting? Escape-reading? Do.Tell.All!
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Apr 5, 2023 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers and Happy Wednesday!
I have completed the first quarter of my Temperature Embroidery! This project is simply delightful and March had some days with very close high and low temperatures…which made for some interesting wheels! And I am looking forward to changing April temperatures to see what new colors will be introduced this month!
Gnormanda and Gnibbles busy prepping for Easter!
And with days to spare, I have a completed Easter Gnome! Gnormanda and her delightful assistant, Gnibbles! Gnibbles gathers the eggs and Gnormanda does the dying! I am happy with how she turned out… I tweaked the pattern a bit, giving her short sleeves with matching ruffles on each one. And I modified the nose instructions to create some gnome-sized eggs! Gnibbles was based on this (free) pattern and I used one strand of Miss Babs Yummy 2-ply and one strand of KSH. The “ear bend” was achieved with a plastic twist tie… it worked perfectly, especially since the ears are knit flat and seamed. It sounds fussier than it was, the bunny pattern is well written.
I am still knitting Pi-Sock Two… but have reached the toe decreases…so it will be completed soon! Good thing because I have another pattern ready to cut out!
The reading this week though, it is all so engaging! I continue to be submersed in An Immense World by Ed Yong. It is so fascinating and I am almost done with it (I will finish it today) and at night I am reading The Covenant of Water. I am about half way through and have very mixed feelings about it but I will forge on.
I am also reading an actual book… In Memory of Memory… which started off a bit slowly, but I have settled in with it nicely. It is beautiful writing and a very thought provoking story as a niece goes through her deceased aunt’s apartment, which is full of so many things… each stirs a memory. There are some memories that are wonderful, others that… well, are not so wonderful, but perhaps those memories are the most significant. I am almost done… and then I will begin a book that recently came on my radar thanks to NPR’s Book of The Day review of Beaverland!
And that is all I have for today, what about you? What are you happy you finished this week … either a project or a book?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you! See you all tomorrow with some Poetry!
by Kat | Mar 29, 2023 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers!
March is almost over, April is right around the corner! (And I hope that April will be bringing the nice weather! I am so over cold, grey, rainy, windy, snowy weather!)
I have been working a bit on the Easter Gnome – meet Gnormanda! She still needs a nose, an arm, some braids, and a few wee little eggs… but soon, Gnormanda… soon!
Although the Spring-Clean-athon is well under way at my house I also have one Pi-Sock done! I have a good start on the second…small portable knitting is just the thing though, right? This week it is a good thing because tomorrow I have the appointment with the sports medicine doctor. I have high hopes about the appointment based on the pre-appointment questions I filled out earlier this week!
I have settled into a new book… The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (of Cutting for Stone fame.) I had foolish thoughts of finishing it in a weekend… ha! And then I realized it is almost 800 pages long! I am almost a quarter of the way in and loving every single word. Dr. Verghese is an incredible writer… one I do not at all mind spending a good bit of time with so I am reading and enjoying!
In my ears, I just began Ed Yong’s An Immense World. I don’t remember who put this book on my radar, but it is fascinating… a very good “day time chores” companion!
And there you have my week of making… what about you? What’s on your needles this week?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Mar 22, 2023 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers!
A small delight filled my brain as I typed the palindrome date… such a simple thing but delightful none the less. Which is perfect because it has been a week of delights!
As you can see, the ribbing will relax beautifully with a soak and some simple blocking.
Delight Number One: A finished collar on my handspun sweater. It is perfect… really. It does need a good soak because soaking will relax those ribs a bit…. but gosh, I love it! I took Kym’s advice about giving it a good soak and blocking… pausing my trip to Sleeve Island to knit the collar and I am so happy with the results of that little detour! I have not one thing in my wardrobe like it. Now I am back to the Joy of Sleeve Island. This sweater is moving closer and closer to the finish line and I.can’t.wait!
Delight Number Two: I have reached cruising altitude on Steve’s Pi Sock… I am much further than the above photo shows thanks to last night’s Read With Us discussion of The Shipping News. Really, this sock and that book are the perfect pairing! Each began with so many problems… but eventually, each settled into a working rhythm… a very good thing!
Delight Number Three: This week’s reading! Oh my gosh! First, I need to plug a book that will be coming out in May… No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister which I am telling you all is a must read book! I loved it so much and if I did not have another book that I need to read, I’d have read it over again… really. It is so good! But, I do have a book that I have been waiting awhile for, Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpott… and it is due back to the library soon, so I am not rereading No Two Persons.. yet. But soon! Haha! I am also listening to Michelle Obama read me The Light We Carry… and I am loving that as well. But the most curious book I am reading is one I picked up recently from the library, In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova. I am just a few chapters in and it is … delightful… absolutely delightful!
When Manicure and Watercolor Meet
Finally… some of you asked me to share my painting this week… so I present Overwhelmingly Green Painting Meets My Springtime Manicure! Yes that’s right… this week’s homework is done and yes, Because matching your nails to books and knitting has been done, however, is there a nails matching your painting hashtag? I don’t know… maybe it just needed more green! Hahaha! Not the favorite painting I have ever done but, as always, I have learned so much!
Whew! That is enough for a post… but what about you? What’s exciting you and inspiring your creativity this week?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
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