Greetings Unravelers! Welcome to June!
Excuse me while I continue doing the dance of joy over my Marled Very-Short-Sleeved Purl Strings. I am in love and think that the solution for “not enough yarn” was the best accident ever! I predict this will get oodles of use this summer (and if it had not been so damned cold this weekend, I’d have worn it non-stop!)
Details:
Entire Sweater: Knit with 2-strands of Holst Garn Coast, held together (Colors: Nimbus and Dark Navy)
Body: I knit 7 repeats of the rib pattern and then 8 rows of ribbing. Bind off used: Jeny’s Suprisingly Stretchy Bind Off
Sleeves: I knit the “plain rows” plus 1 and then began the ribbing (which I matched to the body ribbing…so 8 rows)
Neckline: I knit one extra round plain and then began the neckline decreases and the ribbing.
As for new starts… I did manage to do a bit of swatching coupled with achieving gauge, I have cast on a very dark Shakerag Top. I have not gotten far but I think I have figured out the rhythm with the “transparent” rows. This is just straight knitting for 12 inches so it is the perfect reading companion!
Finally… because the weather dictated an “indoor weekend” I did a bit of organizing and found an eons old knitting project that I had stashed in a drawer. (It is Ysolda’s Follow Your Arrow 2) I made the determination that if I could figure out where I was in less than 15 minutes, I would continue the project… I found exactly where I was in minutes (weird, I know!) and have begun the 3rd chart.
The reading was certainly better than the weekend weather! AND!! I managed to finagle two of these finishes into Summer Book Bingo squares! And my Bingo card… well this summer is all about “creative square interpretation” LOL!
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I delayed and put off and delayed some more before I finally sat down and read this book. It was a very hard read. I cried…lots and I got so damned angry but Stuart gives you some targets for your anger. Very deserving ones. Yet in the midst of this heart wrenching book is wee Shuggie Bain… a child I wanted to scoop up and set down in a place where he could have a safe and happy childhood…one he desperately deserved. The writing is just brilliant (but if you are not from Glasgow you might need a Glaswegian dictionary!) Hard read? Yes, but I absolutely recommend it!
Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
If you are looking for a charming summer series, this just might be it. There is a bit of a mystery but mostly there is utterly charming Chief of Police Benoît Courrèges (aka Bruno) and there is a lovely little French town with darling citizens. The writing is good (albeit a bit detailed, but it works well)
This book left me wanting to read another installment and open a good bottle of French wine.
Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Who knew the search for an obscure beetle would be such riotous fun? Miss Benson and me… most certainly. This is a book of discovery of so many things… beetles, yes… but so much more! Need a palate cleanser? Read this book. Lost your reading mojo? Read this book. Looking for character growth? Read this book. Want to just get lost in a fun story? Read this book!
That is all I have for today… what about you? What books or projects are grabbing your attention? I will be back on Friday with a sewing update!
As always, if you wrote a post to share…please leave your link below and thank you!
Your new murled top is just lovely – congratulations! And I’m very interested in that Shakerag Top, thanks for the link! That might be just the project that makes sense in my wardrobe this summer!
What a wonderful reading week. I still don’t think I’m brave enough for Shuggie Bain and brava for sticking with it.
Your new sweater looks divine! It’s so nice when we have “happy accidents!” (Plus – bonus – you didn’t have to visit Sleeve Island!) My sister just finished Miss Benson’s Beetle and had the same reaction as yours. It sounds like a perfect summer read. 🙂
beautiful top! and happy little accidents are the best (thanks Bob Ross). I am in love with that yellow yarn!!
Your short-sleeved Purl Strings is perfection! I think you’ll have plenty of days to wear it now (though looking ahead to next week, it might be too warm!).
I felt pretty much exactly the same way about Shuggie Bain. It was hard to read but worthwhile, and I just wanted to hold that sweet boy through the whole book.
Serendipity is wonderful when it happens in your knitting! I love your Purl Strings and hope it warms up enough for you to wear it soon (and often). I’m glad you could figure out your Arrow project so quickly and I look forward to seeing it in the future. And your reading! Congratulations on a great bingo start and two creative square interpretations!
Oh gosh! I love your Purl Strings – beautiful Kat. I envision you wearing it so often. What fun to come across an abandoned project and be able to pick up where you left – congratulations! Looking forward to seeing your progress on that one. The grey and yellow are so nice together. I loved Miss Benson’s Beetle – such a fun book in so many ways. I think I may have read the Bruno book at some point…I need to look at my summary of readings.
I just picked up “Miss Benson’s Beetle” from the library yesterday so I am glad you gave it such a great review. I look forward to reading it after I finish “To Venice with Love” which is a non-fiction book about a couple that quit jobs and move to Venice. The author has a fun style of writing. I visited Venice in October 2019 (luckily, right before the flood and Covid!) and so I am really enjoying this book.
I love those sleeves, Kat. And _Miss Benson’s Beetle_ is new to me–but I’m very intrigued! Sounds like perfect summer reading for me. Maybe I can wrench it onto my BINGO card somewhere 🙂 Thank you!
That sweater is fabulous! And creative Bingo square interpretation for the win!
Your Marled Purl Strings is perfection! and curious minds – what squares did you check off with those three finished books? I was hoping to use Shuggie Bain for Debut, but I couldn’t wait until the weekend to finish it … the other two titles are new to me.
Very good knitting idea.
What a beautiful finish on the marled Purl Strings. That top does indeed look very wearable. Wasn’t Miss Benson delightful? I enjoyed it immensely.