Greetings dearest Unravelers!
As I type this I am wondering how on earth we are almost halfway through May?! It makes me sad, I am enjoying these gentle spring days.
I had hopes of starting on sewing my pages together, but with an abundance of rain forecast for this week my garden beds took precedence! I am trying to stay ahead of weeding… we have mulch coming later this month… I think. Sigh. The gentleman who trims the bushes and does the mulch is having some health issues. And yes, that means I don’t have my clothes line yet either. I think I need to begin working on “plan b”…
So you might be wondering what I do have to share with you today! Never fear! I have a little bit of this and that to share with you!
The Swirly Vest is coming along! The fronts are done and I am meandering my way up the back…but I still have a good bit of knitting to accomplish!
I have not picked up The Green Vest since I returned from vacation… it is at the point where I can pick up and begin the front sections but I have not done any picking up yet because see above… I really want to get that Swirly Vest done! Also, I noted this week on IG that the designer of the All Season Vest will soon have a crew neck version out! I might be just a bit excited about that! The All Season Vest has some of the best instructions I have ever come across in a pattern!
My reading has been quite delightful though. I have been utilizing my library and taking advantage of the quick wait times on hardcover books (sometimes, no wait at all!) and have been reading some “new releases!” I finished Roisin O’Donnell’s Nesting, which I told you about last week. I wrote up a bit of a review and have given the book 4.5 stars rounded up. There are some trigger factors… the book has some very realistic exploration of verbal and emotional abuse and the abuse is spread throughout the book. However, I think that O’Donnell has done this very well… I very much felt the pressure that Ciara did. My only issue was that I felt the ending kind of felt slapped together… for me it did not have the same flow the rest of the novel did.
I finished the second book in the Martini Club series by Tess Gerritsen, The Summer Guests. This book was not at all like the first book in the series… and, I “figured” the direction of “who did it” early in the book. However, how that all played out was quite surprising to me. There were lots of “red herrings” spread throughout. Was it a great book? I did not think so, but it was good… and good enough that I will read the next book in the series when, and if, it is published.
And I listened to Geraldine Brooks read me her Memorial Days… a moving listen on how one navigates the unexpected loss of a spouse. I really enjoyed it… and have a reinvigorated love for Geraldine Brooks!
I am not sure if any of you have noted, but Cecelia Campochiaro has a new stitch dictionary out, which I ordered this week from Schoolhouse Press. I love my great reversible, marled scarf that I knit after taking a class with her last summer so I am very excited to get a copy of her new book!
And there you have my brief update for you all… not much making, but at least my garden beds are almost weed free! Ha!
What about you? What is happening in your world today?
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I love the Swirly Vest and your green one also! It would be nice to finish one of them so you could wear it and be ready for the crew neck version. Nesting and Memorial Days make for a good reading week. The Summer Guests sounds like it might be good company while weeding. I have done very little but I congratulate you on your (almost) weed-free beds!
I love that color!! any progress is a good thing. I am making progress on my lace project but it is slow going.
Sorry for the clothesline delay! It has been either too wet and rainy or too much pollen in the air for me to use my clothesline this season. Good for you getting the weeding (almost) done. While I am at C&M’s and watching Iris, Colin will often go out and weed for 30-60 minutes. As he says, the weeds never stop! I’m looking forward to your swirly vest finish and your stitch book – I hope you can find time to work on both. I read Nesting over the weekend and really liked it though it was intense. I think The Summer Guests will be at the library for me in a matter of days.
You’re doing great! You know I love those swirls 😁
Hooray for the swirly vest getting more love! I hadn’t see that there’s a crew neck version of our favorite vest coming, so thanks for bringing it to my attention. I also just put Memorial Days (audio) on hold — I’ve been wanting to read it for a long time and think it’ll be great to have her read it to me.
All the rain we’ve been having has really made things explode outside! I’ve got flowers coming to plant this weekend, so I probably should get out there and do some weeding, too.
Onward you go, maybe to Plan B with the clothesline and the mulch. Early in my knitting career I made a vest that I didn’t like. You are tempting me again, especially with your review of the pattern for your green vest. By the way, the green is an excellent color for the season. I hope you can work through the stitch pattern book challenge easily. I find bookmaking a challenge and not as relaxing as knitting, spinning, and stitching.
Weed free garden bids is a Very Big Deal, Kat! I’m glad you liked Nesting and Memorial Days!