Unraveled Wednesday | 2.12.25

Unraveled Wednesday | 2.12.25

Greetings Unravelers and Happy Wednesday!

Drumroll please…I have departed Sleeve Island!

Button Band Alley up next!

Actually, I started my trek down Button Band Alley Sunday night after my departure from Sleeve Island but then a couple of things happened… Philly scored (again) and I wondered if knitting on this button band would be infinitely easier if I washed and blocked my cardigan before attempting this trepidatious journey! So I ripped out the couple of rows I had begun and added “soak Bolin” to my Monday list! A brief delay on my trek whilst Bolin is drying but I did manage to get some housework done in the interim! Ha!

And while it is STILL not dry (as of this writing late Tuesday afternoon) I still feel a cardigan will be achievable before week’s end! I don’t have any suitable buttons but once it is done I will head off to see if I can find something appropriate at Joanns before looking elsewhere! And here is the best news of all… the cardigan fits!! Yes, I have broken the sweater curse that beset me last year!

As I idle on button band knitting my mind has turned to a new project (or two) since I am nearing the end of Bolin. Kay was looking so smart on the MDK Society Zoom last week in her Bolin with a matching Sophie Scarf!! I am not sure I will have enough Felted Tweed to knit myself one but no worries… I will be ordering the yarn. (I am not sure if you all noticed, but yarn is now practically cheaper than eggs… just saying!)

I did cast on a new project on Monday afternoon… a long-ass time ago I bought all the yarn to knit this blanket. I had pulled the yarn out, printed off the pattern, gathered the correct size needles and had it “waiting in the wings” to cast on… can I just say that US 11 knitting needles are HUGE!! I am going slowly because I want to make sure I am “catching” both strands of yarn as I knit along, but I am happy with the look of the fabric with a few inches knit!!

I have a finished page and a newly started page in my 100 Day Stitch Book!! And with 5 pages complete… I am a quarter of the way done! New page inspiration from the library book… I am not sure these “flowers” would be so precise if I was not incorporating EPP! I am “glueing” the fabrics versus stitch basting them… but my stitch time of 15 minutes is working well with this pattern! I can see how this could become very addictive (as well as the perfect way to use up scraps!!)

The reading this week has been just so delightful… I am almost finished with There are Rivers in the Sky (which I am loving and don’t really want it to end) and a Netgalley mystery, A Mother’s Love (a title that needs a bit of work, imo) which is very, very mysterious indeed! I also am reading a bit each day in the next RWU book, The Secret History (a reread for me and I am loving it as much as I did the first time!)

And there you have my making and reading this week… how about you? What’s on your radar this week?

As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!


Unraveled Wednesday | 2.5.25

Unraveled Wednesday | 2.5.25

Greetings dear Unravelers and Happy Wednesday!

My doctors appointment on Monday did indeed result in more appointments (one surprised me with the urgency… I see specialist #1, the ENT,  next Tuesday. I assumed my stomach issues would mean I would see a gastroenterologist…but nope, I am seeing an ENT because I am having some major issues swallowing.) The second specialist, a urogynocologist, is not as urgent an issue and I have made an appointment with them as well. And despite the “state of the country” my blood pressure was phenomenal… now I just hope my bloodwork is equally good (I go Friday morning to get that done!)

I am allowing my making this week to take credit for my low, low blood pressure! That’s right… I am in making Nirvana right now. My year long whole cloth stitching is making me so happy! As you can see, January is all done and I am right on track with February.

And my 100 Day Stitch Book is also a thing of joy! Pages two and three are done! Page two is part of the two page spread on the Flying Geese quilt pattern. Page three is my take on the nine-patch pattern. I have pulled fabrics for page four, but have yet to cut any shapes. I got this fun book from my library because I was inspired by the quilting that Laura does here. I will find a block to emulate and cut shapes shortly and begin stitching. I also have my next “two page spread” set in my mind… it will revolve around the log cabin pattern!

Lest you think that I have abandoned knitting… fear not! As you can see in the header photo, I have departed for delight journey to Sleeve Island! Sleeve knitting that has no decreases and clever cables every 10 rows to keep your place… pure genius! I hope to have sleeve one finished momentarily and begin sleeve two shortly after that! Then all that remains is the front bands… I am feeling a sense of urgency because there is only so much “sweater weather” left this season!

The reading this week is so good… I am listening to There are Rivers in the Sky and loving it! I am just over a third of the way through and it is a delight story to meander through. I am happy to report that I “caught up” all my missing book reviews this week… a task that was not at all painful thanks to the book notes I have been making as I read.

I also began the RWU March book selection, a re-read of The Secret History. I was so surprised at the things I am noting with this read! I am even more excited to discuss this book!

I had one Netgalley finish last week that I have not stopped thinking about The Garden by Nick Newman. The description is what drew me in to request it. The story though… I could barely put it down at night. If I was not reading it, I was thinking about it… wondering what might happen next. The book will be published on February 18th and if you like a twisty bit of a mystery, you might very much enjoy this book! (And are there twists!!) The book happens at an unnamed time in the not too distant future and while I can see that it has been “categorized” on Goodreads as: Dystopian, Apocalyptic, and Horror… I would not place it firmly in any of those categories. It is really about the lives of two sisters… and what happens when another person is suddenly inserted into their lives. It is about beliefs and the fears that are based on things you were told.  If you are in need of a book to shake up your reading… The Garden might be it!

How about you all? What are you excited about this month?

As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below!


Unraveled Wednesday | 1.29.25

Unraveled Wednesday | 1.29.25

Greetings Gentle Unravelers and Happy Lunar New Year!

Being a person with an overly large case of ophidiophobia… I am not certain I will be celebrating “the year of the snake” but I did not know that this year is considered “transitional” and prepares the way to the year of the dragon, which is next year! And there you have a bit of trivia to carry you into February.

My thoughts have mainly been focused on stitching… particularly my 100 Stitch Book. I am going to try some “two page spreads” this time… and my first grouping is around the Flying Geese quilt pattern. I have page one done … just simple triangles of geese flying, with some rogue out of formation “stitched” geese. And you can see my beginnings for the part two page. The loose tree and “geese” will be stitched on last.

Page One, complete… Page 2, in progress.

Also. as up can see above, Frankie has had some “stretches” of time where I have taken the cone off, thus allowing me to get back to knitting. (AND as of Tuesday, he is COLLAR FREE!!) That great “greige” blob is the almost finished body of a Bolin Cardigan! This pattern is, so far, a delight to knit. I am eager to get to the sleeves… which are “up next.” I am doing the wide sleeves, but a shorter length than the pattern calls for. I have a sweatshirt with similar sleeves that I will be using that for my guide.

Now for some Knitting Inspiration from Norah Gaughan. I saw this not once but twice this week and I cannot get it out of my head! I might even be playing around with colors as well…

The reading this week has been powerful. I finished Wright Thompson’s The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi. This is one of the best books I have ever read. Period. I listened to the author read it to me. Township 22 North, Range 4 West, Section 2, West Half… a place that I knew nothing about before I began The Barn. Now it is a place along I have not stopped thinking about since I finished it. A place  with a history that I, sadly, knew nothing about. Thompson has changed that… dramatically. If you are looking for a book that will not be an easy read but will change your life… this is that book. Thompson weaves together history in a masterful way… revealing connections that astounded me. Really… read this book!!

There you have my week. What about you? How has your January making and reading been?

As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!


Unraveled Wednesday | 1.22.25

Unraveled Wednesday | 1.22.25

Greetings dear Unravelers… I hope you are all bundled in all the knits today!

I am because it is beyond bitterly cold here!

First, a bit of a Frankie update… surgery did absolutely not go as planned on Monday morning. One testicle was exactly where it should be…the other, not so much so he has a rather large incision in his belly from the removal of that wandering testicle. He also had a rogue deciduous tooth pulled so Monday night was rather long but he did manage to eat a tiny bit of dinner and got some water down. Not easy with the cone that the vet thinks he will wear for 12 more days! The cone is a velcro-nightmare… it sticks to everything so knitting has been put on the back burner for the time being.

The eyes are pleading so sweetly… but no I can’t take it off my poor boy!

In light of my temporary knitting moratorium, I thought I’d introduce you all to my 2025 stitching projects! I am doing another 100 Day Stitch Book… one I am very, very excited about. My theme… quilting patterns…in a sort of a deconstructed way. I have page one completed… the cover… and I am very happy with how it turned out. And the 15 minute time frame is just perfect!

I am also loving my January start to my whole cloth stitching this year. I am happy to say that thus far I have purchased nothing for either project… my outline “thread” is some very ancient linen that I picked up from a friend back when I thought weaving might be fun. It is Euroflax linen in a deep aubergine. My plan is to outline each days “box” and stitch inside. I am really loving how this looks!

The reading is perfection this week… I began listening to Wright Thompson’s The Barn on Monday and I am settling in with this unsettling book. Bonus, the author is narrating it so even though it is a challenging topic, hearing him retell it is very good.

For those of you who occasionally enjoy a children’s book… I have a brilliant one for you all! It is Susan Cooper’s The Shortest Day (yes, the poem) with stunning illustrations by Carson Ellis. I think Ada Limón put this on my radar… but I could be wrong. Regardless, it is an absolutely gorgeous book… worthy of a read this month as we welcome the return of lengthening days!

That is all I have for today! How about you all? How is your January making progressing?

As always, if you wrote a post to share leave your link below and thank you!


Unraveled Wednesday | 1.15.25

Unraveled Wednesday | 1.15.25

Greetings dearest Unravelers!

We are halfway through January… the days are just steadily marching along.

I have some finishes to share with you all today and a new beginning! Or should I say a finished project and a “technically finished, but still lacking” project.

It is the perfect length

First up… the Marled Sequence Scarf! This scarf is entirely based on MDK Field Guide No. 19: Marls with patterns by Cecelia Campochiarro. Originally, this sequence of stitches was used in the Color Explosion Throw… lovely… truly lovely. But what might happen if you just focused on the throw as a scarf?! Pure joy… 1000% pure joy, that’s what! Cecelia put together the kits with Ito Kinu… 6 colors eager to become 15 unique marls.

A peek inside my new way of tracking my making this year…

I mapped out my journey, cast on and soon the pattern became a meditative mantra as I knit and purled my way across the rows. To say I loved this project is an understatement… it was pure knitting joy! A project to bring myself back to the most basic of knitting… just simple knits and purls in sequences. I truly wish you could feel how this scarf feels… it is soft and the silk “stickiness” makes your hand want to linger. It is brilliantly warm… I gave it a test drive pre-wash on a walk with Frankie and it is perfectly cozy… with not one bit of the tingly-ness that wool sometimes feels like.

And yes! I did not run out of any of the yarns though some got close…

I love how the colors flow one to another.

And there is no right or wrong side… which makes it even better!

With all that is perfect about the scarf, I share my December Gnome that is currently feeling less than perfect to me. While Gnana the Gnome is technically done… she feels incomplete.

My finished Gnana… she seems lacking to me… unfinished.

She needs some tweaking… I want her hooded cape to be different. I have this vision in my head of the cape attached with the hood hanging down, but I have not been able to accomplish that without some further fixes that I have not yet figured out (what I have tried has not worked thus far.) It needs a clasp of some sort. The hood needs a small tassel as well, I think. And her “attached” gnome hat needs some help as well. I am at the drawing phase of trying to figure out what might work/look best currently.

The hood needs a tassel and some way to hold the front closed.

However, I do know that Gnana is going to be a welcome addition to the Gnome Village… she is the bringer of Christmas (as you can see by her wreath) and everyone is very excited about her arrival in the Blue Cupboard.

I also swatched and began a new sweater. After a few fits and starts on the cast on, I settled on an entirely different cast on (Thanks, Patty Lyons) and I like how it looks! I am inching along on 2×2 ribbing and am very happy.

If anyone is wondering how spacing out my reading is going… well, wonder no more! I am loving the “digestion time” and I just finished listening to Niall Williams Time of the Child (and really, I don’t want to depart from Faha… so I am lingering) I loved it… the writing was perfection! At night I am reading a chapter or two from a Netgalley read… a new novel by Jo Nesbø, Blood Ties. Fantastic writing, a riveting story as only Nesbø can do! I have miles to go before I finish it… so good thing I am enjoying it! Ha!

So there you have my week of making! What about you all… what is exciting you about your January days?

As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!


Unraveled Wednesday | 1.8.24

Unraveled Wednesday | 1.8.24

Greetings dear Unravelers and Happy Wednesday!

One week into January has brought winter racing in! Yes, we have snow and cold! And that makes me happy because it is exactly what January is supposed to be!

My son and daughter-in-law gave me a “Rolife Book Nook & Wonderland Garden House” for Christmas and I have been plugging away at it a little each morning. It has 24 pages of instructions and LOADS of teensy tiny parts but I am now on page 16… so I am getting close to finished!

All the fiddly bits, but soon this will live in the blue cupboard with the Gnomes!

I also have been feverishly knitting my marled scarf… I am on the second to last color and I am really eager to finish! I am having a bit of worry about having enough yarn for the last color change (I have not run out of any colors yet… but I got close on a couple of cones!) However, Cecelia said that following the color flow and not doing more than 118 rows with a color, I will have enough… so I am keeping the faith, despite having a niggling worry!

Also… in a huge note to myself regarding “eyeballing” my fabric piece for stitching last year… in the future, measure… measure… measure! As you can see, they are all different. I hope to get them pressed a bit, and evened up in size today. I am sure that at least one will need a bit of a fabric border.. how June is so dramatically smaller than all the others is beyond me.

2024 Daily Stitching

I finished a few books this week… The one I want to share with you today is Richard McGuire’s Here. It is a graphic novel, which is not my typical choice, and I have NO idea how this crossed my radar. But it was simply fascinating. I read through it twice… because I was certain I had missed things, and I did! Anyway… it is about “a corner of a room over a span of hundreds of thousands of years.” The book is based on his comic strip of the same name, which I was never aware of… but boy I am really sad I missed it! He has truly expanded my concept of “living room space”… who knew that a graphic novel would have me quietly thinking about all that a space can hold. I have not stopped thinking about it since. If you are looking for something to shake up your reading… try Here… it is a wonder of a book!

And there you have my first week of making and reading! Not a bad start… at all! What about you? What are you working on this week?

As always, if you wrote a post to share, leave your link below and thank you!


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