This and That

Hello Gentle Readers. I'm composing Tuesday afternoon, listening to gentle rain on the roof. After four or five days of high heat and high wind, Monday brought rain and slightly cooler temperatures. Rain is in the forecast until at least Friday. Thank goodness. By last Sunday evening, everything looked whipped and parched from the heat and wind. 

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we will have a new clothes dryer delivered and installed. Our trusty Maytag, purchased in 1990, made a grinding noise when turned on to dry. It also hasn't been drying efficiently. After we recovered from sticker shock and reading reviews, we purchased a new Maytag from a local appliance store. Over the years, we have had good service, repair work, and information from this store. We also bought an extended five year warranty available through the store. If we don't use it in five years, we can apply the price to another appliance.  

I plan to link with Kat and the Unravlers. My making feels a little scattered but I finished the shortie socks and have worn them. I need several baby gifts in the next few months so I knit one of my favorite baby hats. In hindsight, I wish I'd cast on 80 stitches instead of 72 because this one is a little small, definitely a newborn size. One of these babes is due in January so if it's a girl, she can wear it. 

I knit a little further on the royal blue shawl. The photos on this gray day make the yarn look darker than it is. The shawl is a peaceful knit but requires paying attention to a chart. I'm excited to get to the large side increasing panel with eyelets.  I cast this shawl on in March and barely got started before focusing on the red sweater. 

I read The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I thoroughly enjoyed this epistolary novel. Several of you, including Bonny, recommended this book and you were so right. It's a quiet sort of novel written from the viewpoint of an older woman. She communicates with family, friends, foes, and even authors through her thoughtful letters. I loved her correspondence with Joan Didion. As I wrote to Kym, this week, The Correspondent reminds me of The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng. Although the two novels are set in different places and times, the main characters are older women looking back on their lives. Both had careers in the legal profession, sadness and tragedy in their lives, and find new friends as they age. In addition both women are facing the loss of their vision as they age. In other ways the novels are quite different. Although we know this, it comforts me to read of women from different cultures and areas of the world in different times portrayed with similar emotion and feelings.  

Today was my six-week post-op appointment with the surgeon. She told me I was healing well and regarding the repair, everything is as it should be. I still have a way to go to regain my strength and will be taking it easy but I am grateful for a good report. I am also grateful for your continued thoughts and well wishes. 

What are you knitting or making this summer?

A Red Sweater

Hello Gentle Readers.  Even though Summer Solstice is not for a few days, summer weather has arrived. Tuesday brought thunderstorms and the next few days promise to be hot. I walk a few blocks each morning. After dinner, we take a short walk. I do love the evening light of these June days. We are close to home these days but luckily my husband likes to run errands. I would like to feel stronger but all in good time. I was told to expect a six week recovery (about a week and a half to go) and as my wise daughter reminds me, that is not a date set in stone. The body heals in its own time. 

Today I will link with Kat and the Unravelers. The Red Forager Sweater is officially finished. My Type A personality prevailed and so I unraveled a wee bit on the larger sleeve and decreased down to 44 stitches. I did have to increase one stitch on the 43 stitch sleeve to get an even number for the ribbing. Those adjustments took very little time since the yarn was still attached to each sleeve. I'm pleased with this sweater and the way it fits. The mock cables running down the front, back, top of the sleeve, and two down the side are a nice detail and kept the knitting interesting. As I knit, I marked the row with the passed over stitch with a stitch marker so keeping track of the repeat wasn't a chore - at all. 

I pulled out an older shawl in progress and worked on it but don't have any recent photos. I find I'm wearing shortie socks around the house and could use another pair. I also wanted to try Earthtones Girl's method of helical sock knitting so I cast on a vanilla pair of socks with leftover pink variegated and a mini skein of lime green. My color choices don't really show the helical stripes as the pink is quite variegated but it has been fun to try this technique. I knew the lime green wouldn't stretch the length of the sock so I finished up with the variegated. I'm calling these the Crazy Half-Helical Shortie Socks. I linked the excellent tutorial by Denise DeSantis. 

My reading is a little slow these days. I'm almost finished with All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bingley. I am enjoying the art he chooses to describe as well as the way he brings visibility to the guards, a diverse group of people sometimes overlooked by museum visitors. Looking for an audiobook, I came upon Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by the late John O'Donohue. This edition is read by O'Donohue's brother who has a beautiful Irish brogue. It has a slight Christian bent but is steeped in Celtic spirituality.  It wouldn't be for everyone and I don't know that I agree with everything in the book. However the poetry from many sources and O'Donohue's unique way of looking at the ancient and modern world are soothing to me these days.   

I hope you are finding something to soothe and enrich your spirits these days.  

 

Finding Beauty

Hello Gentle Readers. June is such a sweet month. A friend, now gone, once said to me, "never pass up the opportunity to see beauty." I think of her during the summer, the season she loved.

Lately I take two or three short walks a day.  These days, I am able to walk with more ease but proceed at a leisurely pace. Today I noticed the shadow of a fluttering butterfly on the sidewalk and looked up to find a yellow and black swallowtail disappear among tree leaves. I don't know that I would have noticed that flitting shadow had I been walking at my usual fitness speed.  

Wednesday is the day to link with Kat and the Unravelers. It's always fun to see what others are making and creating. I have an almost finished sweater. After knitting each sleeve, I tucked the ball of yarn into the sleeve so it was out of the way. Flipping those back and forth was comical. Later today I will bind off the neck ribbing. Both sleeves are on waste yarn. After blocking the sweater, I will check the sleeve length, make adjustments, and then knit the cuffs. I faithfully counted and marked rows between decreases on each sleeve. When I got to the bottom of the second sleeve, it had 46 stitches. Just for fun I counted the remaining stitches on the other sleeves and found it had 43 stitches. I was shooting for 44 stitches. Egad. I'm chalking the discrepancy up to recovery knitting on pain medication. If every knitted item tells a story, this one could be a book. 

I knit to the halfway mark on this shawl.  After knitting as far as possible with the rose colored skein, I attached the second one. Now every other row decreases. Although I increased during two more repeats than the pattern suggested, the shawl looks a little skimpy to me. Since the yarns are superwash wools, I hope the piece blocks out a bit larger. Time will tell. The colorway name of the variegated skein is Prairie Flower and it is pretty. 

I'm reading  All The Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley.  What I know about art and art history wouldn't fill a thimble so I am enjoying this peek into the art world. Growing up I was always more interested in music. This memoir is an account of the author's time at The Met as a guard. In that position, he had access to the behind the scenes spaces as well as the magnificent artwork and artifacts. The back of the print version has a list of artworks mentioned and ways to access most images online. There are also some illustrations included in the text. I've visited the museum once and would love to return one day. 

Have a good week. May you encounter June's beauty during the days. 

Slowly but Surely

Hello Gentle Readers. As I write on Tuesday, steady rain falls. The ground is drinking up the moisture in preparation for the hot summer. The past weekend was warm and sunny encouraging flowers and weeds to grow. Prior to surgery I weeded thoroughly but it's going to be a while before I can do that again. The yard is naturalizing this year. I thank you all for your good wishes for recovery. Slowly but surely I'm gaining strength, alternating plenty of rest with gentle walking, stitching or knitting, reading, and light household activities. 

I'll post this on Wednesday and link with Kat and the Unravelers. I finished a pair of scrappy socks that loosely follow a pattern called Cold Brew Socks. I like the slip-stich pattern that gives interest but doesn't tie me to a chart. Sunday I looked at the Forager sweater and decided I needed to rework the sleeve decreases as my sleeve length needs to be shorter than the pattern measurement. I calculated a different spacing for the decreases, ripped out three or so inches and am back to where I started. This time I listened to the voice in my head that says, "this doesn't look right." I also knit on this shawl. 

I continue to add pages to a Stitch Journal. During April, I used the feather stitch to create a poem in honor of National Poetry Month. I liked the connection between a quill pen with a feather and the feather stitch. I'm also intrigued by the shapes of poems and the spaces between words and lines. Possibilities exist in the spaces. The camera overemphasized the weave of the linen fabric.

For Mother's Day, I stitched a fabric collage that includes a piece of my Gram's apron (the pink with the bias tape), a scrap from a quilt my Mom made, another leftover bit from the bridesmaids dresses in my daughter's wedding, and a small heart of fabric I used to make an apron for my granddaughter. I also included a piece from my quilting days. I did my best with the lighting on this rainy day. 

I read The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin. This month's selection of my local group is the story of an unlikely friendship between a seventeen year old Lenni and eighty three year old Margot. Because seventeen and eighty three add up to one hundred, the two women tell each other the stories of their lives while creating art to represent the events. Although both characters are hospitalized with a terminal illness, the story is a celebration of friendship, happiness, loss, and life. It's about living life with grace and humor in spite of circumstances. I enjoyed the novel. 

I wish you a good week with sunny June days ahead. 

TGIF 5.30.25

Hello Gentle Readers, The last two weeks of May came with cooler temperatures and some gentle light rains. Yesterday for a brief moment, a flock of cedar waxwings flitted about the serviceberry tree just out from the deck. Now and then I see them in the neighborhood but to have them so near was a treat. Having the bright little goldfinches in and out of the yard brings sunshine on cloudy days. 

I recently had a surgical repair and am recovering. The procedure went well but recovery has been more challenging than I thought. My husband is taking good care of me. So here I am taking it easy and slowly rejoining the world. 

On this Friday, I am thinking about all of the support we have received from family and friends in the last few months. We are very grateful for all of it and will pay it forward. Still, thoughtful support varies with recipients. It doesn't have to be grand. Meals are often welcome but kind words and simple gentle messages with no strings attached are just as powerful. The immediate post operative period can be tricky for the patient and the caregiver. Schedules and bodies are unpredictable. Even in grief, rest is paramount, and social interaction requires energy. 

I am ever so grateful for the gentle rains of the last few days. The air is fresh and not so full of dust and pollen. The trees are lush. Rain without violent storms is wonderful. Rainy days were a restful backdrop for recovering. I reread one of my favorite novels, Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson. This is a quiet story of two women taking care of each other and becoming friends. 

I am inspired by students training in the medical professions at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. I encountered residents training beside the surgeon and the anesthesiologist. At a follow up appointment, I watched two student nurses introduce themselves to RN's. They seemed to be there for observation and training with seasoned staff. Young compassionate faces enthused by the science and practice of medicine is a reason to hope. 

Fun this week is on the sedate side. Late April I planted some lettuce seed in a large pot to keep it off the ground and away from the critters. I harvested some this week to eat with egg salad and it was a treat. For Mother's Day, my son gave me a generous coffee card to Scooters, a midwest coffee shop franchise. I'm looking forward to having a fancy coffee and trying out some of the fruit smoothies on the menu. 

Anyway, all is well. I am recovering. I am reading all of your news but probably will not comment on all I missed.  I enjoy the to and fro of our conversations and hope to be holding up my end soon. Take good care. Enjoy these last sweet days of May. 

A Sweater, A Sock, and A Washcloth

Hello Gentle Readers. Happy May. All the deciduous trees have leafed out, the sky is bright blue, and the day promises to be very warm. The neighborhood changes almost daily. I was surprised to see a purple clematis blooming and twining around the pole of a street lamp. The iris love these warm days.  Although it is very dry again, not having rain means the iris stand tall and gorgeous. The purple ones remind me of my Grandmother Helen. She often took my sister and I outdoors to pick a bouquet for the table. As we got older, she sent us by ourselves. We used her heavy silver and red kitchen shears to snip whatever flowers we wanted. She was generous with all nine of her grandchildren. 

Today is Unraveled Wednesday with Kat and friends. I enjoy reading all the posts about making, reading, and life. I worked on three projects this past week. As I took the photo, I thought about the walking-into-the bar genre of jokes. "So a sweater, a sock, and a washcloth walked into a bar . . . " Although I am not a bar person, I'm sure some knitter could come up with a creative joke involving unraveling. 

This week I knit on the washcloth in waiting rooms and social gatherings. I worked on the socks in odd short moments. Evenings I knit on the sweater with a cup of tea or ice water. I'm making progress on all three which should tell you something about the dust in my house. On Mother's Day evening, I completed the bind-off on the sweater body. Last night while winding a skein for the sleeves, I found six knots. Rats. Luckily, I have another. 

I read Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo. This is the story of William and Ellen Craft who escape enslavement by using keen intellect and clever disguise. The Craft's escape, in plain sight, to Philadelphia and then Boston is only the beginning of their story. With unmatched bravery and also putting themselves in danger of being returned to their enslavers, they participated in the Abolitionist lecture circuit in the United States and then England. In this complex well researched nonfiction, the author writes an individual story set against the larger story of slavery. She clearly identifies points of speculation and doesn't attempt tidy conclusions. My sister recommended the book to me and I'm glad she did. 

I'll leave you with a photo of a gorgeous neighborhood iris. Likely I'll be away from this space for a week or so but will be back soon. All is well and I hope also with you. In the meantime, a sweater, a sock, and a washcloth walked into a bar. And . . . ? 

Hello May

Hello Gentle Readers. May begins with bright warm Spring days. The birds sing and flowers bloom. Iris in my yard and the neighborhood are beginning to bloom. The lily of the valley by the front steps are also blooming. Saturday five bright Goldfinches flitted around the tube feeder attached to the deck. Two perched on the feeder while the other three traded places in line. Some kind of pecking order was being established. 

Today is Unraveled Wednesday with Kat and company. Thank you to Kat for hosting the link-up post. I continue to make good progress on the Red Forager sweater. I plan to knit another inch on the body and then start the ribbing. The four row repeat of the mock cables in the center back and front as well as two at each side break up the stockinette knitting. The yarn, needles, and pattern are a good match. The knitting is peaceful and the sweater has been good company these days.

I am also knitting a pair of scrappy socks. Once upon a time, I tried to knit the leftovers of the periwinkle into some project. The little odd sized balls, along with other scraps of the same shade, were in a bag together in my stash. The white yarn also comes from various skeins. Last Fall I knit this pattern, another design with slipped stitches every so many rows. It's a good pattern for scraps or a self-striping yarn. 

I am currently reading A Passionate Mind in Relentless Pursuit: The Vision of Mary McLeod Bethune by Noliwe Rooks. The authors' grandmother trained to become teacher at Bethune Cookman University, a school began by Mrs. Bethune. Rooks is a professor and chair of the Department of Africana Studies at Brown University. 

Mrs. Bethune was a remarkable woman and the only Black American whose statue, representing Florida, stands in Statuary Hall in the U. S. Capitol. How that came to be is one of many fascinating stories in this biography. She considered education and the welfare of young Black Americans to be essential. To this end she founded a school for black girls that became Bethune Cookman University as well as a hospital. She enlisted the aid of Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt as well as Harry Truman in many of her civil rights endeavors including being instrumental in establishing the Tuskegee Airman's Institute.  

The biography begins with Bethune's "Last Will and Testament" published in Ebony Magazine and written by her to bequeath wisdom to the next generation. You may have read the first sentences of sections sometimes published separately. She began, "I LEAVE YOU LOVE. . . .  I LEAVE YOU HOPE."  Among other statements, she included,  "I LEAVE YOU A THIRST FOR EDUCATION. . . . I LEAVE YOU RESPECT FOR THE USES OF POWER."  (Caps were used in this biography.) Bethune's life is an inspiration and a lesson for today.  She was a remarkable woman. I recommend this well written biography.  

I wish you good making and reading this week. 

Ravelry Links

Red Forager

Scrappy Cold Brew Socks

 

April's End

Hello Gentle Readers. April ends with rain showers. I will miss the April light shining on the fresh new green of trees and other foliage. Soon the gentle unfolding of Spring will give way to the rapid growth of May. The lilacs are almost spent while the bleeding heart blooms. Lily of the Valley have visible buds. Usually these plants bloom in the second week of May. 

I'm late in writing because this morning I was at a monthly gathering of my Crafting friends. We call ourselves the Crafters, although only a couple of us bring handwork anymore. We have met monthly for over forty years. I joined them in 1984, a year we held a bridal shower for one member. Now we age together. One very spry great grandmother recently celebrated her 90th birthday. The youngest is in her late 60's with the rest of us in between. We met each other working in the public schools Special Education department. Most of us wanted a few hours a month to stitch, knit, or craft.  It's good to have friends. 

Kat is on vacation but Wednesday is still a day to post. I enjoy knitting on the Red Forager sweater. I knit a smaller size because a sweater or two from years past ended up too big. To make sure the yoke depth was good and the armhole the right size, I knit part of one sleeve. There is a tiny ball of yarn cinched up inside the stitches on waste yarn. I've tried it on multiple times, blocked it once and it fits. Whew. Knitting a sweater that fits always feels like a crap shoot but I've learned a few things from reading your blogs. So thank you. 

This week I read The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich. Monday I watched an interview with Erdrich about this novel. She talked about growing up in the valley of the Red River that runs north on the border of Minnesota and North Dakota before it empties into Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. Erdrich talked about her respect for farmers but also noted the irony in growing sugar beets in this rich fertile valley. How is it that "a nutrition-less substance" is grown on such fertile land? She also stated her characters flow from the geographical setting and indeed these characters were connected to the river, albeit in different ways. There is a strong sweet mother/daughter connection as well as some beautiful descriptions of the area. I loved the stories of the quirky but very human characters in all kind of love relationships. For me, Erdrich and her writing are a treasure. 

Here's my bit of personal irony. The previous week I read The Frozen River and for no particular reason overlapped it with The Mighty Red. In the former novel, the river is most often threatening and recognized as commercial benefit to those who use their access for milling and transporting lumber out of the Maine forest. In Erdrich's novel, the river takes but also gives life. However her characters are more connected to and part of the river and it's valley.  I found this to be a thought provoking comparison. I'm not taking anything away from the author of The Frozen River because it has a strong important emphasis on a women's rights. However Erdrich's perspective, coming from her heritage as part Native American, has much to teach us about the place of human beings in the natural world.  I'm still thinking about all of this. And of course, the sweater I'm knitting is red. Sometimes life is full of coincidence. 

What are you learning from your reading this week?

 

April Skies

Hello Gentle Readers. The April landscape is an extravaganza of clouds, the color green, and blooms. What a balm for the weary soul. I love the constantly shifting shades of periwinkle blue that come and go depending on the light and clouds. Easter Sunday, a gentle rain fell and the temperature dropped. We had a quiet day at home, enjoying a brunch casserole, spinach salad, and lemon bars. We also chatted with both our children. 

Monday afternoon, the sun warmed my back as I raked leaves from around the air conditioner and cleaned up a small bed of coreopsis near the front porch. As I pulled weeds, I noticed lilacs beginning to bloom.

Today is Wednesday, the day to link with Kat and the other Unravelers and post about making and reading. Sunday afternoon, I finished the Garden Sprinkle Socks. The pattern by Anne Vally of Little Skein, was great knitting while helping my husband recover from surgery. It had enough interest but was also easy to put down in the middle of a round. I continue knitting on the red sweater but that's a story for another day.

We've had so much dust and pollen, I put a towel underneath my project. 

I cast on a new shawl from stash yarn. A while back, I began a blue shawl that requires closely following a chart. I love the pattern and the yarn, but now is not the time to work on it. The pattern for this shawl is "What you want is in your stash box." Once underway, the patterning in this shawl feels intuitive and repetitive. My plan is to knit one half with each of the yarns. Shawl knitting is comfort knitting for me.

As for reading, I have just begun The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. I'm late to this reading party but am enjoying this historical fiction. The novel takes place in 1789 and is based on an incident in the life of Martha Ballard, a midwife who lived in Maine. Ballard is a force and devoted to caring for and defending women who have few rights in that time and place. The story is engaging and relevant to the rights of women in our time. Quite a number of years ago I read A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on her Dairy, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, a work of nonfiction. I can't remember much about the book so I plan to see if I can get a library copy and refresh my memory. I think it will be interesting to compare the two accounts.  

I hope April skies bring you joy, sunshine, and a little rain. 

 Ravelry Links

March Socks

Spring Shawl

     

Hello

Hello Gentle Readers. All is well here. I thank you all for your kind words, good thoughts, and earnest prayers. As of today, my husband is two weeks post hip surgery and doing well. Modern medicine is a gift and a privilege.  Here, Spring weather swings between warm and cool days with plenty of wind. Tulips, daffodils, hyacinths as well as the ornamental trees bloom. The lilac bush next to the southeast corner of the house has small purple buds. Alas, the weeds also grow like crazy. I haven't had time to pull the first round but I hope to get out soon.  A soaking rain would help. The soil is so dry the few weeds I yanked on broke off just above ground.  

On this Wednesday, we have enough routine that I will link this post with Kat and the Unravelers. My making isn't too exciting. I made progress on the Garden Sprinkle socks at the hospital and home. I am working on the second foot. I am a bit tired of these socks so it will be nice to have them finished. Sometime between the end of March and now, I knit on the Forager Sweater and have the sleeves on waste yarn. I am enjoying this project although I need to get going because the days are coming when I won't want a wool sweater on my lap. 

At the end of March I did a bit of spinning. I had high hopes for this Rambouillet Fiber from Three Waters Farm. The colorway is Blueberries and Wine. This first small skein from half of this roving looks muddy to me. I need to think about how to manage colors in the rest of the fiber. The fiber is nice to work with and it wasn't compacted in a braid.  

I read No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister, the next selection for my local book group. This fiction reads almost like a collection of short stories. The book begins with the circumstances that lead a young woman to write a book, Theo, with an open ending. Each story follows a different character in a different time and place reading Theo. Some of the characters and their stories appealed to me more than others. Two of them I wanted to shake into common sense but then I have the benefit of age. The novel was an entertaining average read for me.

The book, A Brief Atlas of the Lighthouses at the End of the World in the photo was a Christmas gift from my daughter. Each of the thirty entries features a lighthouse, describing the architecture, location, and a brief history. I read one or two stories each week. It ended up in the photo by accident so I thought I'd mention it. This must be my week for short stories. 

I'm glad to be here and wish you all a good week. Happy Easter to those who celebrate. What are you working on these Spring days?

 

Hello April

Hello Gentle Readers. As I write on Tuesday, the sky is gray and treetops sway in a stiff breeze. The day promises to be even more windy, blowing in evening rain. Yesterday was cool but the sun was out. Daffodils, hyacinths bloom. Ornamental pear trees flower two weeks ahead of schedule. A few tulip buds wait for warmer days. Spring unfolds into April.

Wednesday, I hope to find time to link this post with Kat and the Unravelers. My knitting is coming along but doesn't look much different than last week. I saved the second sock for hospital waiting room duty. I have a few more rows on the Forager sweater and then will separate the sleeves from the body. 

I continue to enjoy adding to my stitch journal. I created this feather, another k3n cloth tales design. I used fabrics of gray-blue in honor of the sandhill cranes. Behind it is an abbreviated version of long quote from Paul Johnsgard's book, Crane Music, p. 37 "There is a river in the heart of North America that annually gathers together the water largess of melting Rocky Mountain snowfields . . .  The river is the Platte. There is a season in the heart of North American that is an unpredictable day-to-day battle . . . The season is Spring. There is a bird in the heart of North America that is perhaps even older than the river . . . The bird is the sandhill crane." This passage in the natural history/science volume is, to me, the most beautiful in the book. 

Next I followed Kat's example and link to Karen Turner, the creator of this charming group of women, to stitch a piece in honor of Women's History Month. Given that I plunked a moon in the sky, the piece could have had a dark fabric as a background. Oh well, l count it as artistic license. The words that go with this piece are a poem that I began after the Women's March in January 2017. I can still remember the comradery of friends on that cold crisp bright January day. This year Apple and Google removed Women's History Month and International Women's Day from their calendars. 

We Will Not Be Silent  

January 17, 2017

On this sun-kissed day, women

wrap arms around each other.

We stand shoulder to shoulder

feet firmly on the ground.

Hips sway but we stay.

We laugh from our bellies, give a

thumbs up to the little girl,

the one whose sign speaks for justice.

We walk. Hips sway but we stay.

Prairie sisters to the woman rocked by

waves in the harbor. We bend

with the wind, force light into shadow.

We walk. Hips sway but we stay.

Late afternoon we lock arms and sing.

Vibrations from hearts echo

across the country. We will not be silent.

We sing, we sway, but we stay. 

Jane A. Wolfe

July 11, 2019

Inspired by Lucille Clifton’s poem, Homage to My Hips 

and the Women’s March, January 25, 2017

copyright Jane A. Wolfe

I am currently listening to Michelle Obama read her second book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. I'm not sure there is anything new or earthshaking in this book but she expresses herself well and illustrates ideas such as being kind with yourself and fostering a group of friends with interesting stories. She is also warm, compassionate, and honest. In this noisy world, her voice is lovely. In my opinion the book would be an excellent gift for any young woman. I'd love to have read it during my late teens and early twenties. 

I can hear the wind picking up so I may or may not walk today. I am going to deliver our mail-in-ballots (primary election) to the office of the election commissioner this afternoon. 

Happy April! I plan to savor some part of each April day, even the dandelions.  

Early Spring

Hello Gentle Readers. Last week's snow melted in two days. Here, daffodils bud and bloom along with purple crocus. Monday a junco perched in the birch tree and another out back. Soon they will be gone until next fall and winter. Now I'm watching a flock, and I do mean flock, of cedar waxwings in the birch. I've never seen them in this tree. The striking black and white masks and yellow strips of color on the tail feathers are a treat on a gray morning. Early Spring has arrived. I need to make some gardening plans. 

Wednesday is the day to link with Kat and the Unravelers to post about making and reading. This week I ripped out the yoke of the handspun sweater and was able to save most of the yarn. 

Apparently, I need knitting that has some detail but also rows of stockinette in the round. I cast on the Forager sweater in some yarn I bought with a birthday gift card. I've knit this pattern previously and so far so good. The red has just a little bit of a blue undertone. As a friend remarked, the red is in honor of the University of Nebraska Volleyball Team. This season is over but they will be back next year. Those young women are a powerhouse and fun to watch. Otherwise I finished the first sock of the Garden Sprinkles socks and cast on the second. The knitting is much like the Forager with some texture but plenty of stockinette. 

As for reading, I'm rereading There Are Rives in the Sky  by Elif Shafak as it is this month's selection in my local book group. I'm enjoying it as much as I did the first time. Perhaps because I'm familiar with the story, I'm reading more slowly and picking up even more of the references to water and savoring the winding ways the three stories come together near the end. I love a novel with layered themes and references and this one is excellent on all accounts. 

The waxwings have moved on, a junco and a pair of bluejays remain. What a glorious morning for birdwatching out my window. Now, sap and/or moisture drips from this tree on our front steps and driveway so maybe that attracts the birds. The Cornell Lab states that "The pigment of blue jay feathers is melanin which is brown. The blue color is caused by scattering light through modified cells on the surface of feather barbs." This is so interesting to me and a good reminder that things are not always what they seem at first glance. 

We are marking time until next week when my husband is scheduled for hip replacement surgery. I may not post next week but for sure I'll be knitting. Happy Early Spring.

 

Mid March Garden Party

Hello Gentle Readers. I'm so glad you are here. Monday and Tuesday were lovely warm Spring days. My husband and I cleaned several windows streaked with dust from last Friday's hail and thunderstorm. As I write snow falls, the wind whistles around the front door, and the lamp has flickered a few times. Out the window, I can see eight small birds, four of them red house finches, clinging to a tree branch. They are strong to withstand wind blowing like a banshee in a blizzard.

  Today is the day to link with Kat and the Unravelers to post about making and reading. Last summer I appliquéd seven Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks to muslin blocks. I embroidered a watering can on a square and appliquéd a butterfly on another in order to have nine blocks. I made sashing from scraps but decided against a border from more scraps. Now days I make do with what I have and have no qualms about bending quilting rules. I basted the quilt layers together and have begun to hand quilt the piece. 

I made good progress on the Garden Sprinkle socks, completing the cuff/leg, heel turn, and gusset. I am enjoying the stitch pattern and the yarn. I took this photo yesterday in the sunshine.

I'm listening to The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise by Olivia Liang read by the author.  As Liang sets about restoring a large country garden in England during the Pandemic, she explores gardens in literature and within the political framework of her country and even the world. I am not to the halfway point, but I learned more about the Garden of Eden in Paradise Lost and the author John Milton. I'm pretty sure I got through Paradise Lost in college by using Cliff's Notes. Parallels in history between Milton's time and ours are uncanny. Although Liang enjoys gardening, she is very aware of "the web of exploitation" that created large gardens in England. I had this book on my reading list and then happened upon it while browsing Hoopla. It's an interesting companion to this next book.  

Purely by coincidence, I'm reading The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly, historical fiction in three timelines. I picked up my used copy one evening when I couldn't sleep. Women in all three time periods are connected to the garden for various reasons. The present day woman gardener has a business of creating and restoring gardens. This is an average readable novel with some beautiful descriptions of a garden over time.  

Picking the blooming daffodils was a good decision. Even though we have a white-out conditions today, the Spring Equinox is a few days away and with it more sunshine.  Stay strong my friends. 

TGIF 3.14.25

Hello Gentle Readers. 

On this Friday in mid-March, I am thinking about Spring. Yesterday, I noticed the red maple fringe that precedes the unfurling of leaves. I walk past one yard where I often see a few wild violets. They aren't green but I thought of them when I chose colors for my version of a nine-patch prompt from k3n cloth tales. I played with words in the shape of a grid poem to go with the piece. My sort-of poem is not perfect but it was fun to try. The squares on this piece aren't sewed together like a traditional quilt block but instead stitched down with raw edges next to each other. 

I'm grateful for our son who celebrated his forty-third birthday on Wednesday. When Aaron arrived home from work on the 12th, he called via FaceTime. We had sent texts earlier in the day but it was sweet of him to take time to call us on his birthday. When he was a little guy, he loved dinosaurs so I made him some dinosaur pajamas. I used a scrap of that fabric to stitch his little hand into my journal. 

I am inspired by the activism of my friends making phone calls, brainstorming ideas, and doing what we can do while remaining civil and respectful. This page reflects my belief in both/and and the importance of inclusion rather than exclusion. The technique, another prompt from k3n is inspired by Korean patchwork, pojagi. The raw edges on both back and front are enclosed creating a piece with two right sides. I know this as a dressmaking method for finished or French seams. Under the piece, I wrote Both/And as well as the lyrics by Joni Mitchell, "I've looked at life from both sides now."

I am a little short on fun but I did get a new pair of walking shoes at a nice discount. A local store, The Running Company, runs an annual 20% off every shoe sale during the high school girls and boys basketball tournaments. I opted for a pair that wasn't the latest iteration and so they were even less expensive. I've had them out for a spin and they feel great. The store does good work in the community and supports local runners and races. They also guarantee the fit of every shoe. If your shoes don't fit (even when worn outdoors), they will replace them. I think they give some returned shoes to local charities. Supporting that store is as we say a win/win. 

Happy Friday. May Spring or Fall be just around your corner or even on your doorstep. 
 

Variable

Hello Gentle Readers. On this fresh March day, a gentle breeze ruffles the birch limbs. A bright cardinal comes to the feeder and then a pair of sweet chickadees. Yesterday as I walked in 77 degrees, a strong March wind blew the cobwebs from my mind. Today, Tuesday, is more seasonable with highs in the mid-fifties. The crisp cool days are more to my liking. My spirits are as variable as the March weather. 

As I post with Kat and the Unravelers, I am grateful for this weekly marker and for the ability to hold knitting, cloth, and fiber in my hands. Beyond the meditative benefits and the mental challenges (always good for an aging brain), I hear the words of Elizabeth Zimmerman, "You are the boss of your knitting." 

Over the weekend I changed sock patterns for this yarn. For me, socks are a carry around, travel, and/or fill-in-the-time before the casserole comes out of the oven project. I admire complex sock patterns but prefer to knit simpler ones. "Garden Sprinkles" was in my library and made me think of the daffodils poking up through the soil. The pattern has a little texture in the form of slipped stitches and is a good match for the tonal yarn. My grandchildren thought I'd like this bag with the Beatrix Potter characters with books. It's big for a sock project but I wanted to use it right away. It was a sweet surprise.

I blocked the yoke of the Giddy-up Sweater. I tried it on several times and then folded it up and put it in a bag, hence the wrinkle. I enjoyed knitting the yoke and the yarn. The pattern is well written but this fabric is airy and delicate. Stockinette stitch in this yarn at this gauge isn't going to hold up well. The more space between stitches, the more likely the yarn will pill and the two ply doesn't have a tight twist. I spun this yarn to make a shawl so even though there is enough for a sweater, I'm not going to knit it into this sweater. I hope to knit the pattern in another yarn. Eventually I'll find a project for this yarn, likely a shawl. 

From other stash yarn, I cast on a shawl I've wanted to knit. This pattern will require some concentration. Variable levels of difficulty for different knitting moments work well for me. I often have a shawl on the needles. In January I gave a few scarves, a hitchhiker, and mitts away to a group of good friends. One fellow knitter chose nothing, others found an item they liked, and two gave something to someone who needed friendship or love. Whatever they chose to do was fine by me. All the stories warmed my heart.  

I listened to Forgotten on Sunday by Valerie Perrin and was glad when I got to the end of the story. I enjoyed Fresh Water for Flowers by the same author but this novel went on and on. I kept listening because I wanted to know how the car accident involving the main character's parents happened. I also enjoyed the life story of the elderly woman in the nursing home. Several times I thought, "just get to the point." I have never adjusted the speed of an audiobook but I was tempted to try. I gave up on Three Days in June by Anne Tyler. I could not get invested in the characters or the story. By now I should know, Anne Tyler's novels are not for me.  

I'm off to take a walk to enjoy this sunny March day. Then I'll attend to household chores and figure out what the heck to make for dinner. 

P.S. Garden Sprinkles! Daffodils planted in a sunny sheltered spot are just up out of the soil. I suspect others along the fence are also poking out of the ground but they are covered with leaves and I plan to leave them that way for a few more weeks. 

Ravelry Links

March Socks

Blue Shawl

Giddy Up - the pattern

Early March

Hello Gentle Readers. As I write I look out at snow and blue skies. The wind blows a gale. Tuesday late afternoon an old-fashioned blizzard blew into the area. The wind howled as rain turned to wet heavy snow. Monday while walking in a jacket, a flock of sandhill cranes flew overhead. In flight, they look like someone tossed black pepper in the sky.  As our president signs an order to permit trees, including old growth trees, to be harvested from our National Forests, it is comforting to see and hear the cranes. I contribute to a group insuring the cranes, that have followed the same path of migration for thousands of years, have a natural resting/refueling place in the Platte River Valley. The value of natural resources goes well beyond dollars and cents. Although I am preaching to the choir, see the book, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer or the writings of Margaret Renkl if you are skeptical. 

Today I link with Kat and friends for Unraveled Wednesday. I am nearly at the decision point on the Giddy-up sweater. This evening I plan to join the front and back. I have finished two projects. I knit a good portion of the scarf above while I chatted in person with our son, Aaron. It's a nice way to remember his latest visit. I used two different skeins of handspun. The free pattern makes an almost reversible scarf and I plan to use it soon for a wash cloth. 

I also finished a pair of fingerless mitts. Because I am a lose knitter, I modified the pattern. Next time I knit these mitts, I plan (if I remember) to increase the count of ribbed stitches. The mitts are quite lightweight but will nice on a cool Spring day. I needed another project so I cast on a pair of socks with stash yarn. The blue gray isn't quite the shade of the gray cranes but reminded me of them. I pulled out the little book, Those of the Gray Wind: The Sandhill Cranes by the  Paul A. Johnsgard that I often reread this time of year. 

As for other reading, I listened to The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden. This novel is classified as historical fantasy, not a genre I often read. Arden did her research and presents the senselessness of World War One in all of its brutality, cruelty, insanity, and horror. The idea of a Canadian and German soldier being thrown together by terrible circumstances and then coming to care deeply for each other is well written. The parallel story is of the sister of the Canadian, a wounded nurse, who is searching for information about her brother who was reported missing and then dead. I thought some fantastical elements were narrated in an overly dramatic manner but I continue to think about ideas in this story. 

My plan for today is to wipe down the fronts of the kitchen cupboards and then make a pot of lentil soup. I hope March is off to a good start for you. 

Ravelry Links

Handspun Scarf

Align Mitts

March Socks