Ratios and Weights

Hello gentle readers. Saturday the week of extreme heat gave way to rain and cooler temperatures. Friday evening brought a short thunderstorm.  Early Saturday, the morning turned dark as night. About .5 inch of rain fell, complete with a little hail for entertainment. Luckily the hail was pea-sized and shorted lived. The tomatoes were unscathed and the few zinnias that grow bounced back from being blown about in the storm. The tomato harvest is underway. I hope to make sauce today or tomorrow. I may resort to pulling up the cucumber vines. I've pickled quite a few, given away some, and composted the ones that grew too large. We are eating them in various forms but can't keep up. The bounty of summer is a good problem. 

Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers  to post about making and reading. While I did some unraveling, I learned more about yarns and stitch patterns so it was a good making week. As you may have guessed, I ripped out the yoke on Norah's sweater. Thank you for all your kind comments and commiseration. The ribbing in the yoke of the Anker's Jacket is a nice design but knitted in dk yarn made for a heavy yoke. Ribbing did not lend itself to knitting a rainbow. The pattern is aptly named as a jacket but that is not the kind of sweater I want to knit for Norah.  While I knit on other things, I'm planning that little rainbow sweater. 

I also abandoned another project. I cast on a sock during our Minnesota trip, knit the leg and turned the heel so I could knit on it on the way home. Last week I pulled out the sock and it looked small. The stitch count was accurate but when I tried it on, the sock was too snug. I planned to give them as a Christmas gift but knew they would barely fit the recipient. Besides, the yarn felt a little crispy in my hands. I looked at it and decided not to reknit the sock with more stitches. Some projects and some yarns aren't meant to be. 

I have knit socks from yarns with a 75/25 merino/nylon ratio and thought they were fine if a little lighter in weight. Maybe something in the dying process made the yarn feel crispy or maybe I just got a rogue skein. Curious, I looked through my sock yarn stash and found one more skein (different dyer) with a 75/25 ratio. I have other yarns in stash with either an 80/20 or a 90/10 ratio. I have always been aware of differences in yardage and known some yarn to be labeled "light fingering" but I'll pay more attention in the future. In the meantime I am knitting on this shawl, easing the cares of the world with garter stitch and a soft yarn in soft colors. I also cast on a sock with different yarn. 

As for reading, I'm almost finished with After Sappho. The writing combined with the unique structure of short vignettes is an effective way to tell the stories of gay women, their art, their lives, and their struggles and successes. Schwartz is astute and witty. It's been awhile since I read a book with a dictionary by my side but I've enjoyed the reading. I also have a new book, American Wildflowers: A Literary Field Guide that is a illustrated collection of poetry and prose about American Wildflowers. The introduction included an interesting discussion about wildflowers and native plants. The field guide is edited by Susan Barba and beautifully illustrated by Leanne Shapton. This is what I call a Sunday Morning Book, one to dip into and savor. I bought a copy of this book for my daughter on our trip to RJ Julia's Bookshop and then decided I needed one for myself. I do love a book with illustrations. 

Here comes August. I hope this finds you staying cool with a good book and an icy beverage at your side.