Greetings dear Unraveler’s and Happy Wednesday!
I am settled well into April and appreciating the battle between seasons as the temperatures fluctuate between warm spring days and ones where I need my winter coat and a hat as I journey outside! But… those daffodil bulbs I planted last fall all have buds on them! A bit of sunshine and they might open! Although, the deer “clear cut” the hyacinth’s that had first popped up, they have not been back to nibble them down again and it appears that they, too, have the start of some blooms peeking up!
I received the extra yarn for the Spiral Vest… I am reminded that row gauge is the determining factor for the length of garments. My row gauge was, sadly, off… so of course I would not have enough yarn to knit the vest. I had some momentary anger at this development, but it is what it is. I now can do an extra repeat of those fun spirals and make the vest a better length for me.
I am keeping up with Gnome Clues and I think this might be why I like knitting a mystery gnome so much! A small bit of knitting that can be accomplished in a small bit of time. This works well in my days… I like the 15-30 minute bit of a break in the rhythm of the day. So to fill the days when I did not have a Gnome Clue… I cast on a pair of plain vanilla socks with my last skein of Must Stash Yarn from my stash… color way: You Had Me At Hello, from the Star Wars inspired color ways. This one is a tribute to Princess Leia.
The reading this week has been so delightful. I got a copy of Small Rain from the library and stayed up too late a couple of nights reading it! At first I thought, oh boy… another “pandemic” novel… but it was absolutely not that at all. Rather it is a compelling story of a man who has a health crisis and how he tries to make sense of it. I confess, I felt a bit of a kinship with him as I struggle with my own health issues (which are by no means a crisis… just very inconvenient in my daily life.) What I think I loved most about him was how vital poetry became as he navigated life in the ICU Bubble during the pandemic. Anyways, the story very much feels like a memoir (which it was not) and the writing is just so incredibly beautiful. And despite this life threatening crisis… it is so full of hope. It is a story that I will be thinking about for a very long time and I highly recommend it!
I also finished Big Chief by Jon Hickey. It was, perhaps, the perfect book to read right now. You can read my review here.
Now, I have plunged myself into a murder mystery with the delightfully flawed DS Logan McRae. A chewy mystery that, of course, involves a grisly death. I am just a few chapters in and I am having a hard time putting it down. And I am tucked into Ben Shattuck’s The History of Sound… I really like the way this books is set up – twelve interconnected stories… short stories woven together is the perfect thing to sit down and stitch or knit with!
That is it for me today… what about you? What are you happy with this week?
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I’m glad you’ve received your extra yarn so you can complete your vest. Row gauge is always much harder for me to match, but luckily it’s easier to adjust than stitch gauge in most circumstances. And the vest is going to be so cute on you that I think it’s worth it to do the extra knitting to get the length you need!
I adored Small Rain and The History of Sound — both such good reads! I also miss reading; I haven’t gotten any reading (other than the last bit of an audiobook) done since Ruthie came home! But she’s adjusting to her new house pretty well, and that’s making me happy.
the mystery looks good! I am glad you got your extra yarn so you can knit without fear of running out!! I’m working on a Christening blanket and a baby blanket.
The extra yarn is probably the best thing in the long run, even if it did disrupt the rhythm you had going. I love those Must Stash socks and your gnome knitting looks great, too. I loved Small Rain and the pandemic didn’t even cross my mind while I was reading it. I envy you starting The History of Sound and I hope you are awed like I was!
Yay for spring flowers! And I’m on the waitlist for The History of Sound and am happy to see that you’re enjoying it so much!
So glad your yarn arrived and you can now finish your vest. I just know it will be spectacular! Your socks are spring-like and cheerful and the gnome knitting looks fine. Can’t wait to see this one! I keep hearing good things about Small Rain – it has not appealed to me, but perhaps I should check it out. Big Chief looks good as does the mystery – and my library has them all!!
Love a fandom inspired yarn! Not something I see a lot of here in the UK, and I occasionally have a little daydream about making that happen…
The spirals will inspire enough joy to vastly outweigh the rage, once done.
I too am glad you yarn arrived. Lately I’ve heard of delays in the mail via the USPS but haven’t experienced any myself. I nod along to the woes of row gauge. The vest is so pretty that you will be glad to have taken the extra yarn and care. The sock looks very Springy and just the thing for a short break. Take good care Kat.
I can’t think of a time I have achieved row gauge! In fact, I don’t even pay attention to it anymore, and just knit according to the measurements and schematics. Of course, that is always easier when there isn’t colorwork or texture patterns involved, but that can be overcome as well. I wish you luck as you continue on . . . because that pattern is just lovely!
XO
Oh, dear. I’ve actually never taken row gauge into account. I used to wonder if I was playing with fire, but after enough successes I just stopped as soon as I got a ‘good enough’ 4” square. But I’ve never done color work on a garment. So maybe that lesson is waiting around a dark corner for me!?
Cheers to daffodils. 💛