by Kat | 5 hours ago | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings dear Unravelers and happy Wednesday!
This week, I reminded myself that perseverance… one stitch after another, one row after another… means completed objects. And this week, that was the balm I needed… the perseverance balm.
I finished my September Socks… yes, well into October, but done is done! They need a bit of a soak which will be happening this morning so they can dry in the sun today. I am happy to have knit Monkey Socks but I don’t think I will knit them again. They are just not the delight that Carole’s Picot Socks are… or Hermione’s Everyday Socks. Those are sock perfection patterns!
I also, in one evening, knit a wee tiny sweater for a Puglet! I had placed a bit of an order with Miss Babs before Helene hit, and did not expect them to be so expeditious in getting those orders out the door post-Helene but my yarn arrived last week and I cast on and finished this Pug sweater on Friday night. The yarn is Cupcake in the Pitch color way and it was a delight to knit with! I have a good bit left, so maybe I will have enough to knit another sweater as our baby grows! But he will be cozy as he figures out house training!
No matter what I did, I could not get the actual color to be reflected in the photo. It is much darker, with lots of tweedy bits! It is really lovely yarn!
My real joy this week though has been the Autumn Book. I had a bit of a handwoven sampler that I did *eons* ago to work on “beating tension” and selvages… I never imagined that it would ever be useful in a project! The cover page is done and I have begun work on the next page… a bit of a play on weaving with weaving. And I have cut out some oak leaves to stitch down on the “vacation” page.
I am having so much fun with this page!
My reading this week was a bit of a let down after last week’s stellar reads! I finished Matt Haig’s new book, The Life Impossible and did not like it much. But I am just over halfway through Ali Smith’s soon-to-be-published Gliff, and it is really quite brilliant!
And there you have my week… by the time you read this, I will have completed my “must complete before we go list” by washing the kitchen floor after I finished my coffee! There won’t be any posts next week, Unraveled Wednesday included but I am planning on posting something on Monday, October 21st when we are back. (and I will have a better idea of when we will head off to pick up that little pug by then as well!)
As always, if you have a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Oct 2, 2024 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings dear Unraveler’s and happy Wednesday!
Every year, when I turn the calendar to October, these words from L.M. Montgomery echo in my head:
I am so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.
Yes, October is my hearts delight! There is so much to love… the light as the sun comes up is just magical. The return of some cooler weather that stirs the desire for autumn-y foods. The cooking of those autumn-y foods which fill the house with the best smells! Normally, leaves would be included… I do so love the trees that change from deep green to a palette of colors that are a delight for the eyes. But this year, I fear that those colors will be more on the brown palette… thanks to the very dry summer we had. But despite that, I am happy that it is October!
Moving on to the elephant in my room… the bout of Knitting Nojo I am having! Yes, nojo… not mojo. My desire to knit has up and left… I did force myself to finish Monkey Sock One and cast on Sock Two. But force is the correct word… and forced knitting is about as fun as it sounds. I have not picked up the gnome part in a week… so I am still in the same spot as I was last week with Clue Three.
A few days ago, Ann Wood dangled the idea of a bit of fall stitching… in the form of an Autumn Book. Twelve pages… one for each week. And, of course, I jumped right on that idea! My pages have been cut from an old pair of jeans. It is soft and lovely to stitch on. The ideas are percolating away in my brain… but I am starting with some acorns made from scraps of fabric from a sundress I made for Vivi eons ago! And I figured out the acorn caps yesterday afternoon… I had a sample piece I wove (eons ago) to work on my weaving tension. It was not large enough to do anything with and the colors are perfect… I began stitching the first cap on yesterday afternoon! I like how it looks!
Page one, underway!
Yesterday, I began the October stitching as well… a month of leaves! I have decided that this will help my “changing leaves” deficiet thanks to the long dry summer!
September stitching is finished and I began October!
And my September painting was very productive! A little video of my pages:
I tried some new things this month… and I learned a lot. A double spread is not optimal because of the seam in the middle. And I had so much fun just painting… not from a picture, but just paint. I also made some “watercolor swatches” that I have cut apart and plan to put them on the cover of my book! That book is fantastic! It lays flat! I will be able to paint a double spread if I want! My plan is to take that book to Erie with me next week and use it as my journal. I will do some painting outdoors and I am excited about that!
Now for the best part of my week… the reading!! And thank goodness I am not having the same hiccup with reading as I am with knitting! This week’s finishes are two amazing books! First, Marjan Kamali’s The Lion Women of Tehran! This was a book I did not want to stop! It begins in the 1950’s in Tehran and runs through the end of the pandemic and it is a story that at times brought tears to my eyes. (Okay, make that many times… many, many times!) It is beautifully written and has absolutely moved into the “best books I have read this year” hallowed space! I highly recommend. I listened to the book, and the narrators are perfection! (Mozhan Navabi and Nikki Massoud)
The next book that I thought was just as magnificent was the debut novel by Susanna Kwan, Awake in the Floating City: A Novel. The writing is perfection… and it is a debut novel!! How I mercifully stumbled into this Netgalley read was the cover. It (coupled with the title) drew me in. It is classified as a dystopian novel, but I did not think it was dystopian so much as really just a book about relationships. Relationships with others and the relationship we (try to) have with ourselves. It is about feeling adrift (sort of like a floating island maybe) and trying to find connections in life. It is really an incredible story and I am so sorry it won’t be published until next May! I also shed a few tears as I read this book.
I also started listening to the next Read With Us selection… It was not a good start as it is absolutely not a book you can listen to “in the wild” … oh boy. (And yes, I could have just listened with my hearing aids, but I don’t like to do that.) Thankfully, Matt Haig’s latest came available on a library hold and it is off to an infinitely better start!
And there you have my week… what about you all? Do any of you have something to bring back my knitting mojo?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Sep 25, 2024 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Dear Unravelers and Happy Last Wednesday of September!
The months have reached the point where they just race on… and too darned fast if you ask me! I find it almost impossible that there are less than 100 days left in this year!
It’s been a slow making week for me… I have knit a bit on the Mystery Gnome (I am very behind, but I have yet to peek at any images from those further along than I am! I like prolonging the mystery!) And I made some progress on my September Socks… and I am admitting that I won’t likely finish a pair this month (but I am going to try my best to surprise myself!)
Stitched, which was not as easy as it looked in the video. I will purchase a curved needle before I make another book!
I did manage to stitch the signatures of my book together and I figured out a work around for not having any c-clamps. I did have a couple of sturdy scraps of wood and zip ties FTW! I began the glueing process yesterday… the waiting time between glue layers might have been hindered due to the humidity, but I got it done! Today, I am going to try and add a pocket to the front inside cover and call it good! I enjoyed this process very much! What a great way to use all those big sheets of watercolor paper…so once this book is full look for more handmade books in my future!
Just one more layer of glue to go!
Mostly, I have been working on “Puppy Proofing” my house. Sherman chewed on nothing… ever… but I am not expecting the same from a new puppy! We leave for Erie in a couple of weeks and when we get back we go to get that puppy! My “Fall Cleaning” list has expanded quite a bit and yes… I am feeling a bit behind in all.the.things!
The reading this week has been delightful though. I finished Pilcher’s September and I really enjoyed spending some time in Scotland with Violet and her (very) dysfunctional family. I did not think it was as good as The Shell Seekers (but could anything be better than that?) But Pilcher writes about flawed characters and allows them to work out their struggles on the page for the reader to “come along for the ride,” as it were. I also finished a book that Bonny put on my radar… Sing Like Fish. I really enjoyed this book that taught me so much about how fish “sing”… and Kingdon goes far beyond whale song. It was fascinating!
Bonus… it was a very good week for Book Mail! I got my copy of The Gnomes of Grimblewood AND Leaf, Cloud, and Crow.
The best book mail!!
I was very much feeling the deepest sorrow at starting the “final season” of The Comfort of Crows but now I will be able to continue on in December! Dearest Margaret has set up Leaf, Cloud, Crow beautifully. She invites you to a deeper relationship with the nature around you… as in, you don’t have to leave your backyard! She includes some suggestions on “how to pay attention” and each week has a beautiful quote to help inspire your writing. There are both lined pages for writing and blank pages for drawing. And the artwork, which is gorgeous, has been done by her brother, Billy Renkl. If you loved The Comfort of Crows and want to immerse yourself in the world of your backyard, Margaret has made it amazingly easy! I plan to use it together with Comfort of Crows… because, somehow, Margaret’s essay for each week always finds a commonality with what is going on in my backyard.
And I feel like I am working on setting a part of my journey for making next year… yes, there will be more gnomes! I like this idea… small, portable projects that don’t require swatching or ‘fitting’! Ha!
And there you have my week! What about you? What are you making or reading this week?
As always, if you wrote a post to share and want to join us as we Unravel our making and reading… please leave your link below! All are welcome!
I am not sure if I will post again on Friday… it really depends on how much I get accomplished on my list! If not Friday, I for sure will see you on Monday!
by Kat | Sep 18, 2024 | General, Uncategorized, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Gentle Unravelers!
September is just flying by and I need to get my fingers in gear if I expect to get the pair of September Socks finished!
While I don’t have a picture to share, I do have a few thoughts about the Jaywalker pattern… I am remembering now why I have never knit it. I cast on the “size I normally knit” and got several pattern repeats done and was quite confounded by how small the leg of the sock looked. I tried to pull it on and it might work if my goal was to knit compression socks I’d be right on track because they were so tight I could barely get them over my heel… without an actual heel in the sock! So I ripped back and cast on the next size up… I am almost back to the point I was when I restarted (and this was my Read With Us knit last night, so I did make the tiniest bit of progress!)
My main focus since last week has been “scratching the itch” of cast-on-all-the-things! I pulled out a skein of hand spun yarn, paired it with a strand of KSH (IYKYK) and cast on a Honey Cowl. I have expectations of needing a bit of a neck warmer in the coming months as I will be housebreaking a pup! I really wish you could feel how soft this cowl is… it is delicious! It has me wishing for cooler weather!
I am ever so happy with this cowl! (it almost makes me wish for some chilly weather!)
Once that “itch” was scratched, I returned to that Gnome Hat of All Gnome Hats! (This gnome hat is so tall I could not get it all in a photo!!) And though there were LOTS of rows, I did manage to complete it. I am well used to fiddly gnome knitting, but this was Fiddly Knitting On Steroids!! Oof, I am glad this bit is done! This morning I will get it blocked and get to work on the next part of the mystery!
And, as you can see above, I have a start of a book! I broke down two full watercolor sheets and while I do not have an awl, I used something similar and I think it worked fine! I do not have any waxed linen thread, so I am planning to do a bit of a work around with some craft thread. I will wax that with beeswax and begin stitching the pages together this week! I need to figure out a work around for c-clamps… so I likely won’t be glueing the spine this week.
I am about halfway through Rosamunde Pilcher’s September… which seems quite appropriate given the date! I am enjoying this story… there are some fascinating characters and, of course, there is a bit of drama! It has been keeping me good company as I have puttered on projects this week!
I had three finishes since last week… Adam Bede (which I loved almost as much as Mill on the Floss!), The Order of Time (which I have seen a few of you read) I thought this book was okay… it certainly gave me lots to think about! And, a Netgalley ARC Fabled Earth, which I thought was also okay… it will be published October 1, 2024.
But!! What about you? What are you focused on this week?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Sep 11, 2024 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Gentle Unravelers on this most somber of Wednesday’s
I am sure, like me, you all remember exactly where you were at 8:14AM EDT in 2001. Today, especially, I think of the 2,977 souls that were lost. A good day to sit in quiet meditation and catch up my stitching… I am a couple days behind this month.
In an effort to not stitch olives… I am hoping these will look more flower-like as the month moves along!
There has been the tiniest bit of knitting this week… some rows added to my Color Marled shawl and I have joined a new color to the mix!
Leaving the land of deep magenta for a fun orange!
I also have knit some rounds on what I think might be a hat for a gnome… Yowza… it appears it’s going to be a mighty big hat! This is some slow knitting… there is a row guide leading me on and, as you can see, I have LOTS of boxes to tick off yet!
A long way to go yet…
And that is the sum total of all my knitting this week.
Most of the time I fiddled with Gnatty! On his most recent walk, a grey-winged blue gnatty catcher stopped to say hello! And he discovered an oak tree that produces knitted acorns but he is keeping the location a secret! No pattern for the bird, just a few tiny scraps and some stuffing to fill him out… and those finishing touches of some wings, a tail, and a stitched beak!
A wee gnatty catcher!
This week has found me immersed in the world of Adam Bede. Oof… it has had its hard moments, but Eliot’s writing is just magnificent. Really… does anyone do conversations better than her? I think not. I finished it yesterday but I have not given it any rating yet. Everything is still swirling about my head… but I know this, I loved it…perhaps not quite as much as The Mill on the Floss, but close!
Up next, Rosamunde Pilcher’s September… and I am excited to settle in with it!
Ant that is all I have for today. I hope you are feeling more productive than I have felt recently!
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
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