Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. — Nelson Mandela
It is Black History Month and in these days of an outrageous number of people wanting far too many books removed from libraries, I thought a good place to start this month is with books!
So I did a bit of Googling to see if I could expand my recommendations of books to include in your February reading and I found several great lists (that even included the books I have read!) I am sharing ones that I loved, ones that have been on my radar, as well as some that were not until I discovered them this week! I hope you find something you’d like to include in your February!
Now I am off to do some super-secret test knitting for my favorite knitting designer. Which means my Base 12 Hitchhiker and the February Gnome will be gathering some dust… sigh. But I have a very short time frame to finish the Test Knitting… very short. Oy! My yarn arrived late yesterday so you know what’s next… Let the Swatching Begin! Haha! I am hopeful that the Knitting Gauge Gods will be smiling on the process…. my fingers are crossed!
That is almost all I have for this week aside from this wee tiny post script for all you Wordle fans… it seems that all good things must come to an end…okay so maybe Wordle is not ending but soon it will no longer be free. This closing paragraph to the article might be the most brilliant thing I have read all week:
I’ve learned my lesson. Don’t get attached. I’m staying lower than lo-fi with my games from now on. A brilliant friend of mine — he’s nine — plays a variant called “Wordle in Your Head.” He thinks of a five-letter word, and you guess. He replies with your progress: green, gray, gray, yellow, gray. So far, he hasn’t charged a dime.
Yep… World in Your Head with a nine year old sounds like the best thing ever… unless I can convince a certain six year old I know to try!
Have a great weekend all! I will see you all back here on Monday!
Whew! Re-entry week almost over and it feels like “normal” life is more normal!
My day started out incredibly when Steve sent me this link for my listening pleasure! (Adele’s new album drops Nov. 19 and I.can’t.wait!!)
The Loose Tooth is still hanging in there! (Heidi is a much more patient mom than I ever was, I would have pulled the sucker out by now! lol)
We had such strange weather in Michigan… practically no wind any day! Which meant no waves at the beach. It was so strange to stand on the Frankfort Beach and have Lake Michigan be like glass!
I get my flu shot this morning… yay!
My knitting mojo has RETURNED! Thanks to Gnorwen! LOL Today is all about Arm Knitting and I am eager to finish the things on my list so I can sit down and knit!
Finally (so I can get started on my list!) I heard a poem by Connie Wanek this week and I have not stopped thinking about it since. I think there is some incredible wisdom on her words which had me nodding my head frequently. (And I had no idea that Connie has a collection of Mrs. God poems!)
Mrs. God
by Connie Wanek
Someone had to do the dirty work,
spading the garden, moving mountains,
keeping the darkness out of the light,
and she took every imperfection personally.
Mr. Big Ideas, sure,
but someone had to run the numbers.
Then talk about babies: he never imagined
so many.
That was part of his charm, of course,
his frank amazement at consequences.
The pretty songs he gave the finches:
those spoke to his
innocence, his ability to regard
every moment as fresh. “Let’s give them
free will and see what happens.”
he said, ever the optimist.
Sweet May hath come to love us, flowers, trees, their blossoms don; And through the blue heavens above us, the very clouds move on. — Heinrich Heine
While March was eons long, April has just sprinted on by – hasn’t it? I guess when each day is the same as the last, at first they seem to drag and then they pick up speed!
May, I hope you do come to love us with more sunny days, mild weather, and some patio happy hours!
I spent more time this week outside with the big camera, practicing more! Better? Maybe not so much, but I enjoyed every moment and was inspired to keep trying! And May ushers in Macro May!! Look for more photos during the month! We had a very rainy April (only 12 days without any precipitation) but grey days are perfect for taking photos! And getting outdoors after the rain and capturing it dripping off the lilacs made the volumes of rain *almost* worth it! Ha!!
I don’t know how many of you use Nextdoor (I use the app on my phone), but over the last week or so there has been an uptick in people women in my neighborhood trying to find a hairdresser who would break the rules to cut and/or color their hair. I was happy to see that these posts have been met with no success (or at least no one openly offers in the post to provide these services). And then Julia Farwell-Clay posted this on IG! I just want to ROAR with her with my own Badger-striped hair!
And The Poetry of Home is just the inspiration I needed to gather some yarn bits to start Susan B. Anderson’s Little House pattern that Kym highlighted this week. My plan is to make one for each of my children with a little Pandemic Tag on it, but I think I will also include the words of a poem too! (FYI, Little House pattern is currently discounted…so if you are thinking about it, don’t think too much longer!)
Mary is a voracious knitter and I think I found her next sweater to devour! And the Ravelry Hive Mind must all be of the same thought because this sweater from 2017 is in my “Hot Right Now Top 20”!
Bis zum nächsten Mal, January! But, in actuality – you weren’t so bad! I was inspired by Katie to track A Year of Temperatures and I started on January 1 and I am really stunned at how warm it has been! In these past 31 days we had 2 days in the 60’s, 6 days in the 50’s, only 2 days in the 20’s, and the rest of the month rested easily in the 30’s to 40’s. A January Thaw on Global Warming! (Also, we did not have much sun in January… sigh.)
It’s Super Bowl Ad Weekend (for those of you who only watch for that aspect of the game!) Carole shared a great one this week and I am jumping right on that band wagon with one that I chuckled over. I live in an extremely Alexa-fied house and this really hit home!
I heard this fascinating piece on NPR this week and in case you don’t like either football or ads – streaming on Amazon Prime, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is so binge-worthy and yes… her outfits are to die for and I love every.single.thing.she.wears! It is truly a wonderful series and I highly recommend it!
In the I did not have enough to knit category – I have been oogling my daughters hat with some serious Hat Envy and I had enough of the main yarn to knit another one, but not enough KSH, but I did have some grey so I cast on and knit myself a hat in one day. Yes, yes, I did! It needs a bit of a soak and a pompom and it will be done. I really love how they are a warm and cool version of the same hat! Never fear, I have now returned to my Pheasant Pullover and will be dividing for the sleeves this morning!
Are you wondering what caught my eye in the knitting world this week? There were a few things that I did like:
Finally, the Lozenge Cowl, knit from Spincycle Yarns Dyed in the Wool which is so pricey, but I think this would work well in any yarn with gradual color changes! (Also, this is a free pattern!)
That’s all I have for this week – have a great weekend and I will see you all back here next week!
Ahh, December! In a whirl, you are here with your darkening, colder days.
But December you also bring Christmas trees, twinkle lights, carols, the best bits of childhood memories!
There is gift giving, with the hopes that you got just the perfect gift for loved ones near and far!
December, what you be without some last-minute rush knitting! (Yes… a phone call from my son has compelled me to knit a tiny bit more so queue up those Christmas movies! lol)
And December, you bring my birthday, although I think I am a bit less enthusiastic about its arrival than I was when I was little!
Finally, Dear December, I hope that you will still bring a good helping of that “child-like wonder” to your magical days!
