by Kat | Dec 23, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
The week of selfish knitting has begun and my heart is singing with the joy of it! I have cast on a new sock in a new way of knitting for me…toe up. And so far so good. I am not yet to the heel, but I am in no rush. I am savoring each selfish stitch!
I finished those darling dinosaurs! And I can’t wait to see Winston playing with them! (FaceTime for now, but hopefully I will see him in person before they become passé!)
I also finished some very late (but extremely large) socks. I have enough left over yarn though to make a pair of Han Solo Socks for Winston! (Smart me to knit the heels and toes in a complimentary color!)
The reading this week though… I could have lingered longer with Obama’s book, but it was due back to the library and the waitlist is exceedingly long, so getting back quickly was not an option. Mary asked what speed I listened at… I listened at 1.25 and laughed hilariously at some of the daughter comments about how he speaks slowly. Yes, yes he does!
The House by the Lake: One House, Five Families, and a Hundred Years of German History by Thomas Harding
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
One house…almost. One piece of land, for sure. What a fascinating story, excellently woven together. The connections, the “wait, what?” moments kept me engaged. The only thing that keeps me from giving this 5-stars is that it needed some editing, I think. It had parts that just dragged a bit, but still, this is a great story. If you like history… read this book. If you like stories about complex families…read this book. I recommend it highly!
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This might be the best memoir I have ever listened to. Read by President Obama, he shares incredible detail from his campaign, election, and his first four years. I laughed, I cried, and I was just enthralled listening to Obama. No drama Obama? Perhaps, but boy is this book is full of rich, smart, engaging stories. It made me long for the days of then… badly. I highly recommend the audio version of this book. Hearing Obama read makes this book.
Light of the World: A Beginner’s Guide to Advent by Amy-Jill Levine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sometimes, the thing you need most is a new voice talking about a very familiar time. Amy-Jill Levine is that voice, and her thoughts and input are most welcome. She brought new light to my Advent and for that I am deeply appreciative. If you are looking for a new voice, I highly suggest AJ Levine.
Next week, I will be sharing my best books of the year and I might even do a bit of a review of my year of making.
As always – if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below! And thank you!
by Kat | Dec 16, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers!
Is the rapidly approaching Christmas adding stress to your season? I am progressing nicely on my few Christmas makes, so my stress level is low! On Monday, I had the most curious dream and so in-between laundry, I started going through my scrap fabric bin to see what I might find. Tuesday I sat down at the sewing machine and voilà!
This antique doll cradle has been in my home since before my girls! They used it for years, but for some time now it has just sat collecting dust in my home and it is time that a new generation plays with it! So I made a new bed and a wee pillow, and a linen sheet, because why not! The best part? The tiny quilt! I had made this piece in 1992 and entered it in the Tulip Time Quilt Show were it won second place. It is paper-piecing, and hand quilted and although the red fabrics have bled a bit over the years with washing, I don’t think it detracts too much. It was well used – the girls used it for their dolls and now it will warm Vivi’s!
On my list today is to finish a pair of Little Dino’s for Winston! I have one started, so they are “underway”!!
Sadly, I do not have any reading updates this week, but I am deeply immersed in A Promised Land! It is so good! Although, I am quite sure I’d listen to Obama read me the telephone book! It is fascinating hearing him talk about all the things!
That is all I have for today, as always – if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Dec 9, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
No big making this week…BUT!!! That project bag? Well, it has 1/2 of my Gift Knitting done, and the second half has begun. If I persevere, I think I can have this done in 4 or 5 days (especially since I know exactly what to do now!)
AND!! This yarn!!
Oh.my.gosh! Chain ply just never looked so good, really. And it is so evenly plied!! And why this time? Well…I followed Sarah’s suggestions. First I set the take up on my wheel to the “pull the yarn rapidly from your hands” setting. And I just concentrated on making nice long chains…not worrying about how much, if any twist was in the plies. Then… when I had all the yarn chained, I rewound it onto a bobbin and then reset the take up to something less than pull the yarn from my hands, but still some good take up, and then I put the yarn through again, this time paying attention to the twist. And I love it! It is not perfect, but boy… it is so much better than any previous chain ply attempts. Thank you, Sarah for that tip!
What will I make with it? I think I am going to try it with Sarah’s latest cowl. While my skein is not exactly consistent, once it has had a wee soak, I think it will be mostly a worsted weight yarn. I think it might look lovely with a dark solid color yarn… at least that is what I was thinking as I plied it up! Just wish me luck on Brioche and Tuck stitching…
The reading this week was so awesome, really. I could just stop right now for the year and be insanely happy with my reading for the year. But!! I am currently listening President Obama read me A Promised Land and I have the latest Vera book to begin, so I must just keep reading!
The Door by Magda Szabó
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I started this book based on a recommendation of a friend…and wow, I am so glad I picked it up! What seems like it will be mundane, is not. At all. The story telling is astounding and the story has depth and layers and so much more. I liked Magda, but I loved Emerence. But the relationship that is formed between these two woman is the best. I had originally given this book a 4-star review, but the fact that it is still making me think almost week after finishing it made me move that review up to 5-stars. I highly recommend!
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If reading this book does not make you want to relocate to the House in the Cerulean Sea…it should! What a lovely little story with some incredibly deep analogies for life. I saw the ending coming, but there was so much beauty and joy before the ending that I did not mind at all that I knew exactly how it would end. I very much recommend this book!
Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change by Maggie Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A book full of inspiration and so much joy! Page after page, I found myself nodding, taking note, and by the time I finished it… I knew that I needed it permanently in my collection of books.
This advice though… simply perfect:
Let go of the narratives you’ve dragged around for years: you are not who you were as a child, or in year X, or on day Y – at least, not only. You do not have to fit yourself into those old, cramped stories. Be yourself here and now. KEEP MOVING.
And that is all I have for this week. I will be back here Monday and I hope that your week is full of good books and even better making!
As always, if you wrote a post to share today, please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Dec 2, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers!
I am writing this on Tuesday afternoon from a wintery white South Hills of Pittsburgh! Yes, December 1st brought winter and I truly love the first snowfall of the season! The few inches we were supposed to get were exceeded before noon and still it continued to snow.
Good thing I have plenty to occupy my time with, lol! But it’s the time of year when I can’t really share what I have “in process” so I am sharing some things that are helping me learn.
I so admire the yarn that Sarah makes, and I have had this bit of fiber for some time now (sorry, no tag and I have no clue where I got it from) but it is the most vibrant colors so I am going to spin it end to end… trying my best to not muddy the colors. I am about half way through the braid and so far, so good on not muddying the colors! Then comes the hardest part… chain plying, which has never been something that I am proficient at, but Sarah gave me a pointer and I am going to try her suggestion!
The other thing I am working on proficiency with is crochet… oh boy, the struggle is real with this craft! How it can seem harder with just one hook versus two needles, I do not know but it is not easy nor does it feel at all natural. However, I can now manage to make 3 circles (up from ONE!) each evening.
Two things to become more proficient at and it is only the second of December!
The reading was just wonderful this week. I don’t remember who first read Cher Ami and Mr. Whittlesey, but I am so glad I added this book to my reading queue!
Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey: A Novel by Kathleen Rooney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love history, but I know little about WWI and I knew even less about pigeons and WWI. Nor have I ever listened to a book told from a pigeon’s perspective, but now I am asking myself why not? This is an incredibly engaging story that was easy to get lost in and hard to put down! I did ration my listening to prolong the joy of this story.
If you like history, this might just be the book for you! I highly recommend this story!
Frosty The Snowman in the header photo is inching his way to being vintage! He is 31 years young, and he is one of my favorite Christmas things! My kids ask every year, “is Frosty out yet?” He also was thrilled with the snow today!
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Nov 25, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers!
Today my feet are tucked inside the below socks… cozy and warm and just in time for the return of the chilly weather! These socks are from Kate Atherley’s Twitter KAL and they were so fun to knit. There were different techniques for the heels and toes, and I truly love the fit. I have another skein of the sock yarn (in a lovely Christmas-y red…) so I think I will make another pair to gift!
AND!!
There was a bit of sewing completed! It took me the better part of two days, but I do indeed have a finished bag and I love it! I used a remnant of heavy weight linen I had purchased years ago, and as you can see, I did not have enough for all the parts, but I like the front pocket being different. I also did not have any twill tape, but I did have a piece of bias tape left from another project. I added an extra interior pocket from the heavy weight linen to put a scissors, and just like that it is done and I have filled it with a project! The instructions were clear, well written, and all in all it was easy to make! Which has given me confidence to attempt the patchwork bag from the latest issue of Making.
The other making I will be doing today is to make a pie for our humble little Thanksgiving at home.
The reading has really slowed down, which is not a bad thing… it means I am sleeping well! However, I did finish a lovely little book of poetry. Yes it was small (only 80 pages long) but it was full of such beautiful poems!
Faithful and Virtuous Night by Louise Glück
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The room was as I left it. There was the bed in the corner. There was the table under the window. There was the light battering itself against the window until I raised the blinds at which point it was redistributed as flickering among the shade trees
This little book was full of such incredible poems. Poems to linger over. Poems to ponder. Poems to hold on to.
I highly recommend!
And that, dear friends, is all I have for this week! I will be back next week Tuesday to join Honoré with my little word update! If you are celebrating Thanksgiving… I wish you one that fills you in unexpected ways.
As always, if you wrote a post to share leave your link below and thank you!
