I have been knitting and knitting and knitting… and I still have miles to go on the body of the Waffle Pullover. Each night, after dinner is done and dusted… I queue up a bit of Vera Stanhope and for roughly 90 minutes, I knit. And in those 90 minutes I maybe get an inch or so knit. Sigh. I am reminding myself that even an inch is progress… but the struggle is real! Dare I say I am eager for the sleeves from the simple fact that the rounds will be shorter?
And, because I have lots of doctor-y things coming up this month, I figured I better have a “simple knitting project” so I spent some time on Sunday casting on a new sock with the latest installment from the Farmers Daughter Fibers Sock Club. The color way is Quartz Sky and I am knitting Denise De Santis’ new pattern, Cuff Link Socks. I am calling these socks… Dreams of Summer Socks… perfect for this time of straddling the seasons. Even with knitting two cuffs, I quickly got them to the “mindless” knit stage that is just what I need for waiting room knitting.
I have one finished book this week… and it is a very good book at that! I listened to Matt Haig’s The Midnight Train and I loved it. I found Wilbur particularly delightful and I loved the idea of looking at a life’s success from two different paths. If you liked The Midnight Library, I think you will enjoy The Midnight Train!
One other fun thing happened on Monday, I looked out the back window and saw a bunch of Red-eyed Vireo’s all taking turns in the bird bath. I have not seen any all summer so these must have been making a stop on their migration south! It was a delightful treat to close out August!
I hope this week holds a few delightful things for you as well!
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Less than a month ago, all of August still stretched before us – long and golden and reassuring, like an endless period of delicious sleep.” ― Lauren Oliver
I am doing this update a bit differently… I am capturing a bit of a snapshot of the Summer of 2026. Summer has never been my favorite, but I confess… this summer has been simply fantastic. It certainly has raced past because I swear that yesterday June was just starting! Everything was fresh and pale green and the days were long and getting longer! And now most of the things are looking a bit worn outside. Tired. The days… well, they don’t feel quite the same as they did as June began. It is now dark when I rise in the morning.
I think a bit of a snapshot of exactly what this summer has brought would be a very good thing!
Reading —
It has been a good summer for reading but I will remember this summer for the rereads I have done.Ann Patchett’s Whistler, Douglas Stuart’s John of John, and E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web… I read all of these this summer and I highly recommend each of them! I have probably read Charlotte’s Web a couple of dozen times in my life… and each time I read it, the story never feels stale. My favorite way to “reconsume” Charlotte’s Web is with the audio version read by Mr. White himself. It is simply the best to listen to an author read their story. Perhaps that is why Whistler made my list… listening to Ann read this story certainly increased its “likability”… she is a most excellent narrator!
Watching and Making —
I absolutely felt the “post-fútbol” slump and really nothing was catching my interest until August when I circled back to revisit Vera… what a delight Brenda Blethyn is! Anyways, having Vera helped me push through the miles and miles of 2×2 ribbing in my Assigned Pooling shawl and I hope that momentum continues as I have brought out my long lingering Waffle Pullover. I have dreams (delusions??) of somehow finishing this by mid-September. With the amount of knitting to go, I think that is a truly a dream… my inner realist tells me end of September is more likely but a girl can dream!
It most certainly has been a summer of making! I knit two sweaters… but really, it was the summer of hand sewing! I finished three Alabama Chanin pieces and I could not be happier with them! I am happy with my wardrobe additions. And! I learned a few new things as I made a Komebukuro Bag in MDK’s Summer Camp class! And though the weaving class with Angela Tong was not specifically listed as “summer camp”… it felt very, very summer camp-like! I had so much fun! And I have two more “boards” to play with!
A bit of twill weave with some yarn left overs!
Planning —
In these waning days of summer, I confess my thoughts have turned to fall. As I said above, I really want to get my languishing Waffle Pullover out and finished! I also have not one, not two, but three vests I want to make. Oh, and for my “side project” I hope to be setting off on a Sea of Linen Stitch! PLUS!! Plus, I have several AC pieces I want to get stitched.
Meditating —
I have spent a good bit of time this season using these brilliant little meditations. Short, sweet, and exactly what I needed as this summer season unfolded. I plan on continuing using them through the coming fall as well! Though brief, I found the meditations timely… just enough to disengage from whatever upset was occurring (and there have been so many upsets this summer… sigh)
Poetry also was a big part of my meditation this season… I have loved dipping into A Nature Poem for Every Evening. Confession time… I mostly read them in the morning. That way I had the entire day to contemplate the poem. There were many I revisited throughout the day and the poems provided me with lots to think about! I believe that summer days are improved with poetry… and I will be visiting this book again! I also spent some time with Angela Harding’s little book, Summer’s Hum. It pairs her thoughts with her artwork… a lovely combination! But my best find of all was Ted Kooser’s Local Wonders! It arrived mid-August… but the little essays were easy reads and I am ready for the meteorological start of fall on September 1st!
Observing —
What a month for observing August has been!
The hummingbirds really hit their stride as August arrives. They are feisty little birds and are quite territorial about feeders! Woe to the errant hummer that flits in for a sip or two… the dominant female guards her territory well!
The butterfly bush was absolutely massive this year and loaded with blooms… and it was equally loaded with visitors! So many monarch butterflies… one morning I counted 14 on the bush at one time!
There have also been so many swallowtails, fritillaries, and bees… so many bees! And this month, the return of hummingbird moths!
There was a missing visitor this year that really has made me very sad… I did not see a single firefly once this summer.
It was also a summer of rain… so much rain. Since June, the South Hills of Pittsburgh has gotten over 13 inches of rain! (Which means the mosquitoes are also abundant… sigh) Since I moved here 13 years ago, this is the first August that the grass in our yard is still green and growing! But it makes me happy knowing that the trees are getting “caught up” from the dry summers of previous years.
This is the first year that the little tri-color beech tree in my backyard has lost its “sapling” look! And it grew so much over the summer… it is now at least 4′ taller than me!
The final big change I noted this month was the changing light… it is almost time for me to get my headlamp out for the early morning walk Frankie and I take. Sigh. The shadows are lengthening and a few recent mornings just smell like “fall”.
And there you have it… summer 2026… my best summer in a very long time!
What about you? Do you have any summer highlights? I’d love to read about them!
It seems implausible to write… the last Wednesday in August… but here we are. It was a good month for making, a good thing for this penultimate August Unraveled post. I have not one, but three finished objects to share with you all today and not one but three book finishes to share as well!
Summer Ranunculus No. 2: Farmers Daughter Fibers Foxy Lady (Anne of Green Gables color way) held double with Oh Dang! (Desert Rose color way)
First, I owed you photos of my second Summer Ranunculus. This one a bit different than that first… and I love it so much. However, the neckline is going to be problematic. Sigh. I have a solution in progress and I think it will work well. I have the Ollie Top to thank for that solution… so I am knitting a bit of I-cord that I will thread through the neckline. Right now it is fine with a tee shirt underneath… and it has been a welcome layer as the mornings have been a bit chilly this week! The yarns from The Farmers Daughter were such a delight to knit with.
As you can see in the header photo, Vera helped me through the miles and miles of 2×2 ribbing and yes!! I have a finished Assigned Pooling Shawl! It was a delight to knit… and I have been wearing it and I believe that this will be in the regular rotation come September! It is a triangle shape, but it is more of an obtuse triangle being wider than it is deep. I could not be happier with it and I will forever think of this as my Vera Shawl… because without her, I fear I’d still be knitting it.
The Socks Are Off the Needles!! Wooo!
Finally… being on a real roll with Vera, I pulled out my lingering second sock and queued up another couple of Vera episodes and finished the second sock on Monday night! Just in time for sock weather to emerge! Ha! (and I think I will stay on this Vera Roll… I have my Waffle Pullover all queued up for tonight!) The pattern is a favorite of mine, Carole’s Picot Edge Socks and the yarn is from a Miss Babs Sock Blank (which was a pain to unravel but a delight to knit with!)
The reading… I have three finishes this week. My turn arrived for Louise Erdrich’s collection of short stories, Python’s Kiss. It was a slice of perfection. Each story better than the last, the writing was stunning and reiterated to me why I love Louise so much. I only wish it was longer. I finished it wanting more. Perhaps that is an indicator of a great book… it leaves you wanting more. If you like short stories and Louise… you’ll enjoy Python’s Kiss.
I also finished the reading/listening of John of John. This was my second time through this magnificent novel. I have not stopped thinking about it. The tender beauty of this novel is one that will stay with me for a very long time. I loved every character… and I did not after my first reading, but this second time through I noted several things I missed the first time through. And in that noting… well, each character in this book wriggled their way into my heart. This is the September selection for Read With Us and I am really excited to be part of this book discussion. And with this book, Douglas Stuart moved himself to the pinnacle of writers for me. I highly recommend this truly beautiful novel!
Finally, I read Madeleine Thien’s The Book of Records. I have been thinking about how to describe this novel… it’s not really time travel but perhaps more a time warp… a hub of multiple timelines. And ironically, and perhaps appropriately, the hub is a sort of a refugee camp, and the opener of the doors… a young refugee, Lina. I liked the book, even though it dragged a bit for me in the middle. I think this book would be a good one to reread… because it was way smarter than I was! I would probably understand more if I did reread it. However, the concept of this novel was brilliant… this young girl and her father in this “staging-post” where all these times diverge. I knew little about the some of timelines…specifically 17th Century Amsterdam and the Tang Dynasty of China. But I learned so much in the reading… and I’d probably learn even more if I read it again which I would have but there were people waiting after me to read it. I have noted it and will check back in with it when there is not a waitlist (or perhaps when there is a shorter waitlist!)
There you have my penultimate end of summer post! What about you? Are you ready for September?
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Brings the last week of summer vacation… at least in my neighborhood. The kids all start back next week but the teachers around me all were off bright and early this morning.
I know we still have weeks of summer but this morning’s temps most definitely were inching into an autumnal feel… it was just 54°F when I headed out with Frankie in the much dimmer dawn. Yes, I put on a sweater but I should have worn socks as well! When I got back I traded my usual iced coffee for a steaming warm cup and it was exactly what I needed to warm up a bit! I have a couple of windows open and the AC is OFF!
Today I am taking full advantage of this drying weather and have laundry to get on the line!
I hope in your corner of the world it is as lovely a start! See you all back here on Wednesday with a finished object!!
It was such an interesting class! I began stitching in class and continued over the weekend. It was a curiously structured class… with each of us having the same bag and liner and each getting Sashiko needle and some sashiko thread, but each kit had different “bits” to decorate our bag with. I loved it! I also loved listening to Paige share tidbits of her Japan Knowledge. The only machine sewing I did was to stitch on the MDK patch and to finish off the cords…. (thanks, Kym for the tip on finishing those cords!) I added some fabric scraps from my stash and I stitched in two inner pockets to the lining as well as did a bit of sashiko-style stitching inside. This was really one of the most fun things I have done in a good while! And now I have this delightful little bag!
"The more we have the less we own." ~ Meister Eckhart
Sashiko-style stitching
An old piece paired with new scraps
Pocket Number One
Pocket Number Two
More sashiko-style stitching
A fancy way to hide the ends of the cords!
Hidden surprises... cats on quilts!
The only book I finished this week is the “relisten” of E.B. White reading Charlotte’s Web. This is a book that I really enjoy… especially as summer begins to wind down. And it is a bonus to discuss the book with my granddaughter. She has the book and we did a bit of a “read along” this month. It is nice to be able to talk about kindness and sticking up for others. Vivi and I think the world needs a lot more Charlotte’s!
What about you? What fun things have you been making or reading this week?
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