Greetings gentle Unravelers and Happy Wednesday!
In a week of what looks like ADD making… I have stitching, I have page making, I have knitting (both sock knitting and BAD ASS Short Row Knitting) and yes, I even have SPINNING!!
January Stitching… I am really very happy with it!
While January stitching might have had a slow start, I have finished the month strong. I have returned to stitching zen and pull out my stitching first thing in the morning. A dozen or so (sew?) minutes later and I have my square filled, I have dipped into my creativity well and I feel so very accomplished! If I get nothing else done during the day… I have my square finished! However, on Monday I waited until after the mail to stitch thanks to Margene (really, she is Saint Margene… the saint of stitching!) who sent me a package (an IMMENSE package!!) of carefully rolled spools of silk thread. I sang the praises of Saint Margene as I stitched on Monday… the silk is so soft and the colors are so rich! February’s stitching, in the quiet of winter, will have an amazing vibrancy thanks to this amazing gift!
February beginnings and a sampling of Margene’s silks!
Page making continues… that sock is unraveling and being added to the pages. Page three, holds the Hope of Spring… I practiced fly stitching and I love the rhythm of the stitch pattern. I have page four well underway and will begin page five tomorrow! As you can see, the hole-y heel is getting some love… and some mosaic stitching!
Page three, on the left, and page four, on the right, is moving right along!
Sock knitting continues… I am so grateful to have this pick up and put down project. Sock knitting allows my mind to wander… and as you can see above, a wandering mind is a very good thing!
I have been working on the BOAS sweater (I need to get to The Sleeve Divide by class next week and I’d like to be close!) However, I spent some time marveling at the stunning ingenuity that is Amy Christoffer’s mind… the short row section in this mosaic pattern is quite daunting when one thinks about it. However, if you don’t think about it and just knit each direction as Amy lays them out turn by turn, increase by increase… you end with this brilliant bit of shaping on the back of the neck. I bow to her brilliance! And now, as I work through her measured raglan increases (sometimes at both sleeve and body sometimes at body only) I continue to be awed by this masterful construction! It also feels great to be knitting in company with Kym and Carole as well.
And yes… there has been spinning! I spent some time Saturday and Sunday spinning some little bits of fiber. Working to help myself remember what my hands need to do, how much to draft, what thickness I want. I am happy to say the rudimentary skills are a bit like bicycle riding… however, drafting thin enough is going to need some work. I want to end up with a 3-ply DK weight yarn… and I am a long way off from that currently. Despite how rusty I am, it felt very good to do some spinning. I also like the alliteration of Spinning Saturday’s and Sunday’s so I will likely keep to those days. At least until the weather gets nicer and I can be outdoors more!
Some tiny bits of spinning… it just needs a bit of a bath!
The reading has been good. I finished Lousie Penny’s latest Gamache installment, The Black Wolf. It was a 4-star read for me that probably should have been a 3-star but I feel like that would be a slap in dear Armand’s face. It was not a typical Armand story… which troubled me. It felt too chaotic. And for the second time in reading a Gamache story, I wondered if the stories have run their course. Perhaps. Although, Penny has revealed the title for the next book in the Gamache series, Miss Wolcott’s Ghost, which is supposed to have Three Pines as the central location of the story… that really is my preferred location!
I also finished Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things… and I really liked it! Beautiful writing… truly gorgeous writing. An engaging story, characters I loved, and I really loved the insertion of “Americana” to the story. It was brilliant! If you are looking for a story you can get lost in (and who doesn’t these days?) this might be the perfect book for you!
What about you? What are you hoping to accomplish this month?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
This year’s stitching is going to be the best…..I see honeycomb, spiders webs, flower gardens, a home, sunshine……all the corners of your mind. So bright and colourful too
And what about those pages – it’ll be fun for us to see how they progress – and see how the sock ties them all together
Your January stitching is gorgeous and inspired! I really like the three day triptych with the lines that run across all three and that chain stitch block. February is shaping up to be glowing thanks to Margene’s gift. Your pages are quite clever; I don’t think I’ve seen a better use of an old sock. I think I read The God of Small Things but I don’t remember anything about it, so I’m off to check the library. Thanks for the recommendation and beautiful making!
I was so enthralled by your stitching that I neglected to comment on your sweater. It looks great and that is one of my favorite color combinations. Keep Banging On!
Such a delightful mix of projects! The sweater is looking great and I agree with your assessment of short rows — sometimes it’s best to just follow the directions and not think about them too much. And Saint Margene indeed! I have been lucky enough to also receive some goodies from her craft closet. I confess that I thought Louise Penny would wrap up Gamache’s story with The Black Wolf; as much as I adore the Three Pines community, it does feel a bit like she may be stretching things too far. That said, if she writes more, I’ll read it!
First, I’m just going to join in the chorus of Margene fans. She is one of the most generous stitchers I’ve ever met — and her work is absolutely gorgeous. (I’ve had the great pleasure of seeing some of it in person.) What a wonderful gift — and beautiful results. Anyway, you have been a busy fiber artist this week, Kat. I love all your projects and look forward to watching them all as they (you!) progress. (And here’s to badass knitters and managing those short rows!) XO
I knew you’d enjoy working with the unique and very vibrant silks. They were truly one of kind and I bought them so many years ago I have little memory of where or when. ENJOY! I no longer embroider (arthritis) but knitting continues (slowly). Thank you for your enthusiastic thank you! I am always lurking and love seeing your multi-talented artistry.
What a splendid and fun-filled post Kat. So much creativity. Aren’t silk threads wonderful to use when stitching? They have a certain sheen to them that cotton threads don’t. What a generous and kind gift from Marlene. Your BOAS will be gorgeous – love your choice of colors. (Honestly, though, all the MDK swatches are so fun!). I love your stitching – both January and your pages. It’s fun to see the progression. And yay for you getting back to spinning!
Oh my goodness, so much amazing making happening here, Kat!! What a lovely, lovely gift from Margene! Your Bang Out sweater is looking great, and it really is fun to knit along with friends, isn’t it? I have very happy memories of a lively KAL on FB among friends several years ago that came along at just the right time.
Carry on!! I’m looking forward to the next installment of all these projects!!
xoxo
Oh Kat, I sense a little bit of joy coming back to your life, via all of the making. And in turn that brings joy to me. When you mentioned the unraveled sock being part of the stitch pages I couldn’t figure it out. I blame the slow uptake on the sinus infection. Now I understand. Duh. Your stitching is so inspiring. I might have to try silk thread. Recently I’ve read about Eco Vita wool from DMC. It’s a whole new world. That sweater is fabulous. I love the color combination and am cheering the three of you on to the finish. The little bits of spinning are lovely. Again, such pretty colors. Enjoy all your projects.
You had quite a week with yarn and thread and more! I’m happy to be knitting the Waffle Pullover with you and Kym, too. And it’s SO good to be past that back neck shaping, that was a lot. I’m not sure I feel like a Badass, I mostly feel like I sprained my brain. hahaha!
Your January stitching is gorgeous!! I have to say your creativity is blooming this year so far. You keep outdoing yourself!!