May Delights

Good May morning to you. The lovely chilly Spring days have given way to sunshine, a few showers, and warmer days. The trees in my neighborhood are all the shades of green. The bright chartreuses of early Spring are beautiful. The everyday iris against the south side of the house are blooming. Growing in a sheltered warm space, they open first. 

While sitting at my desk on Saturday morning, I noticed a bird with a big white splotch on his wing. I guessed he was a northern mockingbird flitting around in the treetops. In the kitchen, I warmed up my coffee and grabbed the binoculars so I'd be ready if the bird returned. Ten minutes later, he came back and perched in the open on a tree trunk. It was a gorgeous red-headed woodpecker. According to notes in my field guide, I last saw the species in 2000. I used to catch a glimpse of one in the windbreaks along the highways in Northeast Nebraska. Later while walking that same day, I caught a little downy feather floating down in front of me. That is not so rare but still felt like a little bit of magic.

Kat has returned from vacation so I am linking with the other Unravelers. I finished the handspun  Pussy Willow Mitts. The fabric is quite warm and would be great for full sized mittens. The modifications I made, due to the weight of handspun and the size of my hands, are in my Ravelry notes. I have also knit the Alfresco mitt pattern by this designer. Both patterns are well written. I reached the widest point of the Sophie Shawl and started the decreases. This yarn is a handspun BFL. Creating projects with these early handspun skeins is a delight. 

I am listening to The Cliff's Edge, a Bess Crawford mystery, by Charles Todd. The series leans a little toward a cozy mystery with little comment on the class structure of English society. However some evenings easy listening is what I need. Bess, the narrator and main character, served as a nurse in World War One. This mystery is set in 1919 after the war has ended. My Mom trained as a nurse at the end of World War Two and I think she read the first few in the series so that is a connection for me. I finished Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World's Ugliest Sweater by Peggy Orenstein. I enjoyed the memoir. Orenstein's writing is witty while presenting information about the clothing industry and some insights into her own life as a sixty year old woman. Orenstein doesn't shy away from injustice but she also doesn't preach. The book is a contemporary entertaining romp through her project. 

These are the moments of delight from my week. What about you? Did you find something delightful to enjoy?

Ravelry Links

Handspun Pussy Willow Mitts

Handspun Sophie Shawl