Greetings gentle Unraveler’s and Happy Wednesday!
March weather certainly has been very March-like this year and I am most pleased! We have had sunshine, some rain, some snow, lots of wind, and even temps that neared 70 in the first 12 days of this month! I am not the only one pleased with this weather… my bulbs are poking some green shoots up and that makes me the happiest of all!
The other thing that is making me happy is the vest that I am knitting! It is the most ingenius construction and the pattern is masterfully written! I have arrived at the “straightway” where I will be knitting somewhere between the “full length” and the “cropped” versions. I would like to thank Sarah for finding this vest and sharing about it because if she had not, I don’t think I would have stumbled upon it on Ravelry. If you are looking for a lightweight layer to add to your wardrobe for the spring, I highly recommend this vest! I already have plans for a version in Coast as well to take me into the summer months!
Last Saturday was International Woman’s Day and Karen Turner shared some inspiration for all of us daily stitchers! I sat down and tried my hand at a row of ladies holding hands… it was fun and what a great reminder this “square” will be! I love her use of stitches… combining them to make shapes!
Jubilant, hand-holding ladies I stitched for International Women’s Day
The reading this week has been good… not great, but good. I finished Anthony Marra’s The Tsar of Love and Techno which is a collection of short stories. Some of the stories were really fantastic… others, just so-so. I liked Marra’s The Constellation of Vital Phenomena so much more but I am glad I read it.
I felt I was in need of a bit of a palate cleanser read so I picked up Anne Lamott’s Almost Everything: Notes on Hope. It was nothing I had hoped it would be… sigh. I think Bonny’s review summed up my feelings perfectly with her thoughts on the book and, I too, thought that the hope was well hidden inside her stream-of-conciousness style of writing. I listened to Anne read it, and at times it felt a bit “preachy” … not the palate cleanser I was hoping for.
At night, I am well into Colum McCann’s Twist... and I am loving this book so much! I am in that spot between wanting to know how he pulls this all together and not wanting the story to end… and I love it! McCann is a brilliant writer and I can’t imagine how he researched this book. It will be published later this month!
And there you have my weekly “what I am making and reading” catch up post… what about you? What are you contemplating as the seasons change?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
I’m so glad you’re having such a great time with the vest! I would never have found it, either, had I not done a customized search for exactly what I was looking for. I’ve been wearing mine a lot, so I know you’re going to get a ton of wear out of yours. Can’t wait to see it!
It’s like that yarn was just waiting for you to knit this vest with it! The fabric looks great and I’m looking forward to seeing it as it grows. Just like I’m looking forward to seeing more of your stitching. Those women are wonderful! Anne Lamott was writing some pieces in the Washington Post on aging (but then my subscription ran out) that I really liked. I think I appreciate her stream-of-consciousness writing style in shorter pieces but she starts to repeat herself if she tries to write a book. Her story is interesting, but not terribly full of hope. I’m looking forward to your final thoughts on Twist!
I ‘love’ your little curly haired ladies all in a row.
They remind of knitting motifs to go on children’s garment
That really is a good ‘mixnmatch’ colour for a vest to blend with whatever your wearing beneath as well as with it. Get it finished quick and it’ll be just the thing for the changeable spring weather you’re having.
Your vest is moving along quickly (as did Sarah’s). I just love the color of your yarn and it will be perfect for Spring layering. Your hand-holding ladies with the wild and crazy hair are wonderful Kat! What fun. I read one of Anne Lamott’s books last year and have to say I was not impressed…rather bored. Oh Well.
The bulbs are starting to sprout here, too – a lovely time of year! Your vest looks great already and we can tell how much you’re enjoying making it, which makes it all the more special.
We’ve had very windy weather here, too and I am OVER it! hahaha. My daffodils are poking up through the ground and that makes me really happy. Your stitching is so inspiring.
I LOVE those women holding hands! I’m so happy to hear that your bulbs are on their way — mine are still hiding but I’m hoping that will change soon.
I’m very excited about Twist and am happy to hear that you’re loving it!
Your stitching is lovely, especially those little ladies holding hands!
The vest will be fun to have this Spring. I do think the vest patterns have improved lately and the shaping in this one is superb. The women in stitches are wonderful. Thank you for sharing the link to the designer. I did not know of her. We learn so much from each other.
lovely vest knitting and I must have read that book because I read most of them but I cannot recall what I thought of it because it’s been a really long time since I read it….I’m aging…Anyways I’m reading digital minimalism and it’s good!
I just love your stitching, and thank you for introducing me to Karen’s work. I have been rather silent recently. But Spring in coming along nicely. I have a health issue which I am concentrating on now and life has been pretty full on in the nicest ways possible, with music, theatre, craft show and other days out…..I will be back.
You have been much in my thoughts of late, Cathy! I am ever so glad to hear from you! I am sorry to read about your health concern, but I am glad that your days are full with good things! XO