Whoosh……
That, my. friends, is the sound of January racing out the door! Who besides me is shocked at how rapidly the “longest month of winter” raced by?
And we are on the cusp of the shortest month of winter, so my expectation is that in… oh, 5 minutes or so we will be welcoming March.
Meanwhile, in my corner… trying to savor this wintering season… I am sooo close to a finish of my first Year of the Gnome-Gnome! That’s right… Almost Never Not Gnoming is the motto in my house and it is just so much fun! I like it because it is “bite sized” knitting. My goal is to knit one gnome a month and in December I will have a little Gnome Family! That is, if Steve’s mom does not come and take them! Haha! She just loves gnomes and all the gnomes I have made… to date… have gone to her!
That beard though…
I had planned on casting on THIS yesterday, but the Voices of Reason (Carole, Bonny, and Kym) spoke and I actually listened. Now my desire to begin Feather Hat Knitting has put some urgency into finishing my Gnome before I cast on!
Yes… there is a third color. Yes… it is on order! LOL
Sometimes Adulting just sucks! LOL
My end of the day knitting is reserved for my Base 12 Hitchhiker… I have *almost* made it through the first color change…as you can see above! This project is exactly what I need at the end of the day… semi-mindless knitting!
Side A…
I also began the process of tackling the Mountain of Mending (trust me… after sock one… it now very much feels like a mountain!) This was about 2 hours of mending. Yes… I am not kidding. (Start, take out, start, take out)I briefly entertained investing in a different mode of mending (i.e. this) but I am not sure how I would do a 3-dimensional heel flat and have it turn out. This is actually 4 different bits of darning… joined to make a curved heel. I think I will eventually get more proficient, but this is truly a labor of love.
Side B…
The reading this week has been just grand. I am listening to Stacy Abrams While Justice Sleeps and am not quite halfway through and I finished an ARC of The Fell by Sarah Moss. If you like Sarah Moss books, you will like The Fell… and despite it being about COVID lockdown… it is really quite thought provoking!
The Fell by Sarah Moss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have not spent much time reading about the pandemic, a couple of books… but not one struck me like this one did. It takes place over the course of a few hours on a day after UK lockdown had been in effect for two weeks.
There are just four characters (plus The Raven, can’t forget The Raven!) and those four characters each bring something different to these few hours.
It made me stop and think about isolation, fear of coming in contact with other people who might be “contagious” and breaking the rules… and which rules are okay to break?
I wish I could say I connected with Kate… but I don’t break the rules, so I struggled a bit with Kate. However, her conversations with The Raven are quite simply, brilliant!
I really connected with Alice…very much. She broke my heart and my hope is that out of these few hours… a new family might be born!
Moss has broken down the essence of Pandemic Living perfectly. You will find yourself nodding with much of what is “talked about.” Moss also tickles your brain and makes you think… in very good ways.
I highly recommend this book!
I want to thank Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC of this book!
That is all I have for today… I need to get going on Gnome Arms and Legs! Ha!
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I want to see the color change in your Hitchhiker, that gnome is adorable, and your mending looks good to me! I’m glad you liked The Fell as much as I did. Thoughtful pandemic living, rule-breaking, and the consequences of it are so well-written by Sarah Moss.
(I have to drive to Newark airport tonight, so I might wind a skein of my feather hat yarn as a treat after I get back.)
Oh gosh your gnome is adorable. I love the belt around his middle (assuming “his” because of the beard). Arms & legs? That will make it over the top. Too fiddly for me but I am enjoying your making. Your darning looks great Kat! I pretty much suck at darning, but I keep trying. I don’t usually rip it out – you know if it is a toe or heel, who is going to see it anyway? LOL. Can’t wait to see all these Feather Hats come into being. Lastly, your Hitchhiker is just so pretty. Perfect evening knitting for sure. I’m not a Sarah Moss fan, but “The Fell” sounds interesting (and a Raven!!).
What a fun goal . . . to knit a gnome-of-the-month! And . . . yeah. It’s hard to resist the pull of the feather-hat-yarn. (Really hard.) I really love Sarah Moss, so I’ll be eager to get my hands on The Fell . . . someday. XO
That round little gnome belly makes me smile! You are truly going to have an adorable gnome village by the end of the year if you do manage a gnome every month. Just be careful that they don’t start to rule the roost!
I think your mending looks just fine, and I’m sure the feet that wear the sock will be happy!
beautiful mending!! Your needles have been quite productive this week! I am not knitting as much as I usually do but when I do I’m enjoying it so I guess that’s all that matters.
That gnome is just about the cutest hand knit I’ve ever seen! It makes me wish I didn’t mind fussy knitting but the reality is that I would want to poke my eyes out trying to knit that. I hope to start my first feather hat this weekend and I think I’m going with . . . orange!
ooohhh that mended heel is a work of beauty! and thank you for your review of The Fell – I’m not jumping up and down to read pandemic novels, but this one … I kind of am.
The gnome makes me smile. I look forward to seeing them each month or whenever you knit them. No pressure from me. 😉 When I tossed my stash earlier this month I found some garnet colored DK leftover yarn that I thought would make a good gnome but that is as far as I got. The hitchhiker looks like great fun. Your mending looks great. I am considering The Fell. Knit on.
I love your idea of knitting one gnome each month, then you will be able to enjoy them at Christmas this year. The Fell sounds so interesting I will add it to my TBR list. Have a good week!
I’m cheering you on with your labor of love! Though, I’d have to say, the sock mending would be tough to choose over gnoming. Oh my gosh, he’s adorable. And Steve has a lucky mom 🙂