Greetings gentle Unraveler’s and welcome to the last Wednesday of February!
I am happy to say there has been no unraveling this week, whew! (right?) However, I have not picked up the yoke since we last checked in… so it is safe to say that in my neighborhood, at least, the “bang out” phase of urgency has passed. I am reminding myself that knitting is not a race and that this sweater will be a welcome addition to my sweater drawer whenever it is finished!
I do, however, have an almost completed pair of socks! And I am very happy about that. I have about 10 more rounds of toe decreases to go and I predict that these socks will be done and in the “wearing rotation” before I need to put all the socks away for the year! (In fact, you can count them done by the time you are reading this!)
I mentioned on Monday that I took the MDK class on beading with Natalie Chanin… I am channeling Vicki as I am slowly working on my bandana. I am not to the point of beading the bandana yet, I opted to get all the backstitch reverse patches done first but I will soon be full on immersed in beading this small project, which I am stunned at how quickly it goes… or should I say that I am stunned at how quickly I lose track of time when beading? This beaded piece is a huge step outside my “clothing comfort zone” but I will be the chicest dog walker in all of Pittsburgh! Ha!
Slowly finding a rhythm with backstitch… I am really enjoying the basics of stitching!
Yesterday, I finished the seventh page of my twenty-page, 100 Day stitch journey. We have a phenomena in the sky on Friday, which was my inspiration… behold the Planet Parade!
I am still finding ways to use that sock… Yarn as Rings of Saturn, FTW!
The reading has been very good… I finished a newly released book by Sadeqa Johnson, Keeper of Lost Children. It is a story I was not aware of but I really appreciated how Sadeqa brought the story to life by telling it through the characters… each with a different perspective. It is about babies born to German Mothers after WWII. The hiccup was that the babies fathers were Black American servicemen. It was the work of one woman to bring a group of these babies to the United States to be adopted… the story is told from a German Mother’s perspective, the American serviceman’s perspective, the adopted child’s perspective, as well as the struggles the woman who worked tirelessly to bring these babies home faced. It was well done and is quite moving.
I am almost done reading Allegra Goodman’s latest novel, This is Not About Us. I am enjoying this book as well… but it is entirely different from Sadeqa’s book but not in a bad way. It is a bit of an extended family story… beginning with the death of one aunt. I almost don’t want it to end… but I will be finished with it soon.
During the day I am listening to Bernd Heinrich’s Mind of the Raven and I am LOVING it! Vera has sang the praises of Bernd’s writing for some time now and I see more of his books in my reading future!
How is your February winding down? Are you trying to finish something up? Or are you contemplating a springtime make?
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Given the weather this morning, your feet will be glad to have some pretty new socks to wear! Using yarn as a ring of Saturn is a brilliant idea, and I can’t wait to see what that yarn will be next. So glad you’ve had some good reading this week, too!
Happy to hear of no unraveling for you this week! I bet that beading class was great. I can’t wait to see your finished piece. And your stitching book – the planets! LOVE. Also glad to read that you are enjoying The Mind of the Raven – such a good book (as are all of Bernd Heinrich’s). I have not finished the last Family Sock, but it is moving along and reading has been so good!
You have had a great week! Those socks look wonderful and will be soon be keeping your feet warm. I was looking forward to seeing your stitching and was wonderfully surprised by the backstitch and beading. All the other dogs and their walkers will be looking at your bandana in awe! I read some of Heinrich’s books a while ago but listening to one while I do laundry and mop the kitchen floor would be nice. I’m off to check my library – thanks!
I am so glad you enjoyed the beading class with Natalie Chanin! Oh . . . beading and embellishing is just so addicting and FUN and you are going to end up with a VERY cool bandana. I can’t wait to see it evolve, Kat! And your stitch journal is just wonderful. I look forward to seeing your updates each week! Stitch on, my friend. XO
As you know, I’ve been having a ghastly time with today’s posted piece and it is COMPLETELY unraveled. Been a while since I had to do that!
Love how enthused you’ve become about stitching, and that enjoyment really shows in your work 😊
I’m looking forward to making that bandana, myself. I’m absolutely smitten by the Disco Ball bead mix. I can’t wait to see yours progress! I imagine that you might start out by following the map, but I can see you freelancing before long! haha.
I think that beading project is great and I love that you lose all track of time while doing it. I will not have a finished sweater in 3 days time and I am perfectly okay with that.
I would love to walk with you as you enjoy that chic bandana. I love the “Planet Parade” with the sock yarn as Saturn’s Rings. Brilliant. Heinrich has a book about winter, maybe it is called Winter, that I enjoyed. The other books sound good in different ways. I am trying to finish up the Sophie Scarf but new projects in softer Spring like colors are calling my name.
Hurrah! for no unknitting, that is awesome. I am happy to report I’m back to my knitting groove after a break. I love the stitching you do and share with us.