Wrapping Up May

The older I grow, the faster time flies. May brought beautiful cool but sunny spring days. Today feels like a summer day. The humidity is up and the morning warmed up quickly. I walked at 8:00 a.m and dodged a few sprinklers. The iris blooms are winding down as the roses begin their early summer show. This is the time of year when gardening is most enjoyable. I've finished all the clean up, tamed the weeds for awhile, and everything is planted. As I water to make up for the lack of rain, I wonder if we will have a "blister of a summer," as a friend of mine used to say. 

I don't know that I will get my link posted with Kat's website this week. Still I like to be part of the group of Unravelers. My making this week included a rework of a shawl I cast on early in May. To make the shawl more interesting to knit, I'm combining elements from the patterns for Drachenfels and Zephyr Cove. I tried three times before I successfully incorporated the leaf into the increases in the body of the Drachenfels shawl. 

I finished the little baby hat in a week. I knit a little green leaf but I thought it could become a choking hazard. Normally hats stay on infant's heads but this little babe has a toddler sibling. It's much better to be safe than sorry. The hat was a sweet satisfying knit. For what it's worth, I'm getting quite proficient at knitting leaves. 

Last night I finished the hand of this Irish Hiking Mitten. It's a delight to knit with handspun and have a project turning out well. I added one cable repeat to achieve the correct length. I have knit all these patterns previously. This is the second Berry Baby hat, the eighth pair of Irish Hiking mittens, and the third Drachenfels shawl. Do you have patterns that you knit over and over?

I listened to the audio version of The Three Graces of Val-Kill by Emily Herring Wilson. This book is yet another look into the complex personality and life of Eleanor Roosevelt. The first half discusses Roosevelt's early adult years and her friendship with two women, Marion Dickerson and Nancy Cook. Some of the well known events in Roosevelt's life are given as context, but Wilson keeps Eleanor Roosevelt at the center of her story. While listening, I got a sense of how Roosevelt's self-confidence in both public and private life evolved and changed over time. Although Wilson identifies some primary sources, she prefaces other exposition with phrases like, "_____ might have happened like this." This work includes author interpretation as well as fact. I enjoyed it and found it on Hoopla. 

As we go forward into June, I wish you a sweet beginning to your summer or winter days. 

Ravelry Links

Spring Ice Shawl

Berry Baby Hat

Handspun Mittens