Holy Moly, this day is so beautiful I went for a walk after breakfast. More than once during my working years, I vowed someday I would just sit and watch Spring arrive. While I'm not sitting all day and the pollen count is high, this Spring is unfurling beautifully. Daffodils and hyacinths are in full bloom and some trees sport tiny green leaves. A few of the early flowering trees are beginning to bloom. Yesterday when I cleaned up the small iris beds on the southern side of the house, I noticed lilac buds. This week's very warm weather will bring more to enjoy.
Today is Unraveled Wednesday with Kat and friends. It's my favorite blog day of the week. I've been working on the hitchhiker. Slowly it grows. I do love the soft blush-pink color. Sunday afternoon I finished the monstrous purple shawl with a little yarn to spare. Yesterday I wet blocked it to open up the lace pattern along the edge. Last night I finished the raspberry cordial socks and photographed them out on the deck.
I am ready for a smaller project and would also like my colorwork knitting to have more even tension. I thought a simpler pattern would allow me to find a better rhythm so I pulled out leftovers and cast on a hat. Both the two shawls and the hat are being knit with yarn in my "up next" stash bin so that is a good feeling.
As for reading, I'm almost finished with Piranesi. I don't read much fantasy so the story seems odd to me. Since it is this month's selection for my local book group, I will read all of it. Hopefully a discussion will shed light on the story. My main takeaway is that Paranesi, the narrator, is unfailingly kind and has an open minded way of looking at his (to me) strange world. I am also reading Fresh Water for Flowers. I find it a peaceful, charming read. The writing stands up to translation.
Happy Spring or Autumn depending on your place in the world.
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Your blush pink Hitchhiker just says delightful and gentle spring to me and your raspberry cordial socks look quite delicious. I think you deserve a nice glass of raspberry cordial for knitting such beautiful socks. I hope spring continues to unfold in a lovely way in your corner of the world.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to see those blue skies and read about how spring is arriving ... lilac buds??!!! (oh I wish you could share the smell of those blossoms!) Piranesi is such an interesting pick for a bookclub; we did have a fun discussion about it with Fiction Matters when it was on the Women's Prize short list in 2021, but I can't see either of my in-person bookclubs choosing it (sadly ... it is very fun to discuss!) Looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts once you've finished.
ReplyDeleteI remember how absolutely beautiful springtime in Nebraska is - there is just something in the air, and of all of the places we have lived, I remember how amazing springtime in Nebraska is.
ReplyDeleteThe last three days have been gorgeous and fill me with anticipation: I can’t wait for Spring to arrive in Laramie. Congratulations for finishing the purple shawl and pink socks.
ReplyDeleteThe tulips in my garden are now coming out. So lovely to enjoy warmer days. Love the pink socks.
ReplyDeleteYour pale pink Hitchhiker is just lovely, Jane! I love the idea of just sitting and soaking in spring... good advice!
ReplyDeleteYour knitting needles have been very happy lately! I love the pink of your shawl and those socks :) Fresh Water for Flowers was one of my favorite books last year and I'm hoping to read it again in May to get ready for gardening season here in New Hampshire!
ReplyDeleteYou are really on a finishing spree, Jane! Like you, I'd love to be able to sit outside and enjoy the arrival of spring, but the pollen count and the noise from the never-ending construction in the neighborhood haven't been very conducive to doing so.
ReplyDeleteMy bit of advice for more even tension in colorwork: If you are about to knit in a color such that you'll have a float of it along the back, stretch out the stitches on the right needle. This will create a bit of slack in your float and will help to keep your work from puckering. I also find that I often have to go up a needle size when working in two colors to keep my gauge consistent with my knitting in only one color.
Even your knitting projects look like spring, Jane! :-) I, too, loved Fresh Water for Flowers. It is such a lovely, unfolding kind of story -- and very well written/translated. I also liked Piranesi quite a lot once I got rolling with it (also not a fantasy-reader. . . ). It is loosely based on one of the Narnia books (Voyage of the Dawn Treader, maybe? I can't recall. . . ), so that connection helped me as I was reading. Enjoy the unfurling spring! XO
ReplyDeletebeautiful socks in the best color ever. It's really hot here, too fast too soon for me. And the pollen count is crazy high. I've been feeling under the weather but today I feel a burst of health and hope to get back to knitting.
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