Greetings dear Unraveler’s and Welcome July!
It seems most of us (at least in the eastern half of the US) are under an oppressive heat dome. It is hot, muggy, and generally miserable to be outdoors. My walks with Frankie are quick… even in the early morning. We are both miserable rather quickly. I hope that you all can find some bits of relief from the weather… it is perfect stitching time and later this morning I will complete my eleventh beaded wheel…I am in the final days of stitching this scarf and my next AC project will be to sew an Ollie top. I have the pieces cut out… but before I begin I am going to do some practice “hand seaming and felled seams” and once I feel confident in the process this stitching will fill my daily stitching time! I hope the top will go quickly because I’d like to wear it sooner than later!
Almost done with the circles… but they have been so much fun!
As you can see above, the Airy Ranunculus is moving along quickly! I have almost reached Sleeve Island! I completed the bind off last night and will be departing later this morning!
I had the intention to work on my second sock… but did not pick it up once.
The reading though! I had to really interesting finishes! When I saw that Richard Russo had a new novel, Under the Falls, I eagerly began reading. It is a bit of a mystery but really it is more a story about people who are running away from their past, other people being stuck in the past, and finding all of them trying to find a way forward. The characters are all fascinating, Russo really does an amazing job of creating characters that you can relate to! As I was reading the story… it really felt to me that this story would be a fascinating movie… and surprise… Russo shares in the post-script that this was first written not as a novel, but rather for a television series. I am kind of sorry that all fell through… because it would be an interesting series! I gave it 3.75 stars… it will be published August 11, 2026.
I also finished Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold. Four interconnected short stories, but not connected in the way you would think. The four stories all revolve around people who visit a back alley coffee shop in Tokyo… a coffee shop where you can order a cup of coffee and a visit to the past… but you must return to the present before the coffee get’s cold! The translation is excellent and the stories are so engaging. There is an entire series of short stories from the same author! I gave the first book in the series 4-stars!
Finally, for those who have been following along to the NYTimes Summer Challenge series… we have arrived at Week Four: Make Land Art. I have been contemplating this since I read it and have been gathering bits and bobs that I find on my ambles with Frankie. I am going to use a patch of sparsely growing grass under the big tree in our front yard to assemble my “findings” I think. I am wondering how long it will take for the neighborhood kids to pick it apart… ha! But I think the best thing of all of this challenge has been the “leaving my phone behind” part. I am enjoying being untethered from it and plan on keeping it that way as the summer progresses! I will share a photo when I have it completed!
What are you doing to stay cool this week?
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Love your wheels Kat! They look great. And the Ollie top looks so nice – cool and flowing (perfect for this weather). I’m in the queue for the latest Russo book and I read Before the Coffee Gets Cold just about a year ago! I’m enjoying slow knitting and reading these days – a languid response to the languid weather!
This heat has really been awful — I am not looking forward to my run today (which will be as early as I can manage). Ruthie doesn’t seem to understand that if she does her business sooner, we can get back inside sooner; she seems to just want to plop down on some grass and sit. I’ve been moving the longer walks to earlier in the day, but I think we might need to shorten all walks for the rest of the week. I hope you have a quick stay on Sleeve Island and that you soon have a new sewn top and a new sweater to wear — and weather appropriate for both!
I do love those wheels and am sorry they’re ending, but glad we’ll get to see the beginnings of a new top! It’s nice that you are moving along on your Ranunculus, too. I’m never sure about Richard Russo novels, but this sounds promising. I hope you and Frankie can stay cool!
Oh my gosh both your projects are gorgeous. I love the wheels. And I can’t wait to see your land art. Isn’t phone free time wonderful.I’m away this weekend and I am looking forward to it so much. I have finally figured out how to get photos from my phone onto my blog, so have been able to do a post this week.
Oh wow, those circles!! I LOVE THEM!! I’m getting some stitching at the ready for recovery sewing. I hope. We’ll see how that all goes. I hate being in bed unless I’m sleeping/napping, but don’t know how comfortable sitting will be… at least for a while. Though I’ve done plenty of stitching while standing. haha.
The stitching looks great. I imagine you have a little regret that it is coming to an end. I look forward to seeing both new tops – the knitted and stitched one. My computer is loading your website differently these days – I’ve completely missed some posts and had to click around to get to the comments. So I’m here even if you haven’t seen much evidence of me.
I hide inside to stay cool! This weather wilts me so quickly and now I have trouble breathing that hot air. I’ve been following the NYT outdoor challenge 🙂 the grands always pick up things and make ‘art’. lol. That sweater is so AIRY! I bet it will be a warm sweater as well 🙂