Greetings Gentle Unravelers and Happy Lunar New Year!
Being a person with an overly large case of ophidiophobia… I am not certain I will be celebrating “the year of the snake” but I did not know that this year is considered “transitional” and prepares the way to the year of the dragon, which is next year! And there you have a bit of trivia to carry you into February.
My thoughts have mainly been focused on stitching… particularly my 100 Stitch Book. I am going to try some “two page spreads” this time… and my first grouping is around the Flying Geese quilt pattern. I have page one done … just simple triangles of geese flying, with some rogue out of formation “stitched” geese. And you can see my beginnings for the part two page. The loose tree and “geese” will be stitched on last.

Page One, complete… Page 2, in progress.
Also. as up can see above, Frankie has had some “stretches” of time where I have taken the cone off, thus allowing me to get back to knitting. (AND as of Tuesday, he is COLLAR FREE!!) That great “greige” blob is the almost finished body of a Bolin Cardigan! This pattern is, so far, a delight to knit. I am eager to get to the sleeves… which are “up next.” I am doing the wide sleeves, but a shorter length than the pattern calls for. I have a sweatshirt with similar sleeves that I will be using that for my guide.
Now for some Knitting Inspiration from Norah Gaughan. I saw this not once but twice this week and I cannot get it out of my head! I might even be playing around with colors as well…
The reading this week has been powerful. I finished Wright Thompson’s The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi. This is one of the best books I have ever read. Period. I listened to the author read it to me. Township 22 North, Range 4 West, Section 2, West Half… a place that I knew nothing about before I began The Barn. Now it is a place along I have not stopped thinking about since I finished it. A place with a history that I, sadly, knew nothing about. Thompson has changed that… dramatically. If you are looking for a book that will not be an easy read but will change your life… this is that book. Thompson weaves together history in a masterful way… revealing connections that astounded me. Really… read this book!!
There you have my week. What about you? How has your January making and reading been?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
Hooray for getting some knitting time! I am really liking the combination of yarns. I keep thinking that Year of the Snake is appropriate for our country right now.
I really appreciate your book recommendation. I think that’s one I’m going to need to save for a time when I can handle it, but it definitely sounds very worthwhile.
I’m not sure I’m at a place where I can handle reading The Barn, but I’ve requested it from the library. It sounds relevant to the current time and informative!
My week was busy so I had limited time to read and knit which is disappointing. However, I have some much needed free time coming up and I will be doing both the things I love. Your stitching is gorgeous!!
Hooray for you and Frankie! I LOVE the fabric you are getting on your Bolin cardigan and think that will be a wonderful warm sweater. Your stitching is interesting, too. Like others, I’m not sure I’m in a place to be able to read The Barn, but it is going on my list.
Love your stitching Kat. This is a fun project! So good to read that you are now able to knit again and YAY for Franklin being cone-free. Like others, I’m not sure I can handle “The Barn” at this point, but it is on my TBR list. I’m not a fan of snakes either, but both C&M are snakes and I do love them! And next year is the year of the Horse BTW. Last year was the Dragon year (Iris is a dragon!).
What!? You mean the internet was wrong on the Dragon info?!?! That NEVER happens 🤣🤣🤣
I am loving your stitching!! And yay for the return of knitting!
Commenting again, because I just came across a poem you might appreciate. Have you read “Rosa Parks” by Nikki Giovanni? It is SO powerful! Not just about Rosa Parks, but also the Pullman Porters and Emmett Till.
I love seeing your stitching.
I like snakes if they are small garter type snakes and if they in the woods 🙂
Definitely will put The Barn on my list for this year.
So happy that Mr. Frankie is healing and out of his cone. The sweater fabric is very pretty. I love the flying geese interpretation.
LOVE your stitching, Kat. It’s so fun to be inspired by a project. . . Glad to hear Frankie is doing so well. It’s such a Good Thing to be rid of a cone! I LOVE that Lamina sweater. It looks like so much fun to knit — and to think about all the color-play. XO
I’m glad to hear that Frankie is cone free and you are able to get some knitting and stitching done again!
Kat, your sweater is beautiful. (My swatch is almost done…)
So nice that Frankie is without his cone. 😀
That new jumper you shared the link for is just gorgeous. I have a managed a few rows of knitting recently, maybe enough to share next week I hope.