Greetings Gentle Unravelers!
We have arrived at the final Wednesday of July and August is on the horizon. In the South Hills of Pittsburgh we had a lovely day of rain yesterday… it was much needed and I welcomed it as such.
I am continuing to practice my budding crochet skills. I pulled out the leftovers from Odette’s baby sweater… Knitpicks Swish… my leftovers are mostly from the sheep portion of those sweaters but I do have a bit of the green. The yarn is perfect for practice. I had thought to just make one large granny square but I changed course on Tuesday morning, realizing that I needed to cement in my head how to begin! Square number two in process and now I will see how good my gauge actually is by trying to replicate squares!
Ranunculus Number Two… a sleeve away from the finish line!
I can also see the finish line on my second Ranunculus… I have one sleeve done and will begin the second sleeve later today and I will likely finish it today! One very good thing about knitting multiples of a pattern in quick succession… the techniques that are used are much easier recalled! But I will be happy to return to the “regular” knitting projects that have been on hold while I scratched the Ranunculus itch! I will be pulling out both of the Cecelia Projects** that have been ignored for too long!
My morning minutes of stitching has almost found the completion of another AC triangle bandana! This one a neutral color (wax) with no beading… just reverse appliqué with button craft thread (knots on the outside) and some simple quilting with floss (knots on the inside) and I have enjoyed the tessellation pattern very much!
I also have some swatching to do for a vest…
The reading this week was so very good. I finished Ann Patchett’s Whistler and I simply loved it. Last week Monday, Kym mentioned Eddie Triplett as being on her list of literary crushes… I would add Buddy Zabriskie to that list! A dad who at first glance seemed not involved but as the story unfolds, the nuances of Buddy’s tender care for his family were brilliant. I fell in love with this rugged dad, who showed his love and care in what turns out to be very crucial ways! It is a perfect Patchett story… a story within a story (with an added side of story!) I listened to Patchett read it and immediately began listening to it again… it was just that good! It is a story that I was not ready to leave yet. I highly recommend it!
Now, for a completely unrelated topic… Sunday, August 9th The Poet’s Corner will be hosting poet Arthur Sze for a conversation. It is free! On Zoom! With the current Poet Laureate! He will be talking about his book, Transient Worlds. I have attended many of The Poet’s Corner events and they never disappoint.
What about you… what are you making and reading this week?
** Cecelia Projects = The Wriley Shawl and my Marled Color Explosion Scarf
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I love the colors in your granny square and they look good to me, along with your bandanna. The second Ranunculus is really beautiful, and the vest is intriguing. I had forgotten about your marled scarf and shawl so it will be good to see them again. I wonder if anybody hasn’t loved Whistler? I have meant to read some of Patchett’s earlier work (The Patron Saint of Liars and The Magician’s Assistant) to see what they are like, but haven’t gotten to them yet.
So much goodness in this post Kat! I love your latest bandana and your second Ranunculus is gorgeous. What a soft color! And I’m excited to see your Cecelia projects again. You may remember that a number of years ago I was crocheting granny squares. I used left over yarn from sock projects and had fun…but then I stopped. My gauge fluctuated so much that it would be difficult to pull everything together and have it look good! I may (whilst in a purging mood) just trash it all! Whistler really is a gorgeous story, isn’t it? Yesterday I visited my library and picked up “The Calamity Club” by Kathryn Stockett and am looking forward to diving into it (it’s a long book!!).
I was happy we got some rain except that I kept getting caught in it! Your crochet is looking fabulous. I think it’s such a great way to use up bits of leftovers. So glad you loved Whistler! Thanks for reminding me that I have the audio version as well (I got it free when I preordered the hard copy from Parnassus Books). I’m looking forward to casting on a new project this afternoon during a work meeting. Like Vera, I’m reading The Calamity Club! I’ve been listening to it (it’s 28 hours long!) and am hoping to finish today.
Oh . . . I loved Whistler. (And you’re right . . . Buddy belongs on the list of literary crushes, for sure.) Your crocheting looks FABULOUS. I think granny squares are one of the most addictive things to make . . . so I’m going to be watching for really cool things as you hone your new skills, Kat. Your bandana, though! Ohmygod it is so dang charming! Love it!
Your squares look great. I was going to take that class but time got away from me. I knitting on an Easy shawl by Martina Behm (my second one) and reading The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner and Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King. I’m saving Whistler for August to read for a Sept bookclub.
I love everything in your post this week, you’ll be zipping out granny squares rapid fire in short measure, I am sure. I love me a granny square project. I have an enormous granny blanket to finish crocheting together, it’s way too warm to work on (which is why one large bigass granny square is not the best choice for summer making so yay for small ones).
Agree x a million about Whistler, i keep on thinking about the characters as if they are people I know.
Your granny squares look great to me! And I also adored Whistler. SO good.
I’ll echo the others to say, the granny squares look great. The sweater is so close to being finished. It’s lovely. Whistler is the best summer read of the summer. I have the audio on a long hold list just to listen to Ann P. read her work. Hope your weekend is off to a good start.
Granny squares remind me of my mom! I love them, I haven’t made granny squares for over twenty years. I made three blankets for my two kids and my nephew. The sweater is looking like a sweater 🙂