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

Stitching Toward Spring

Hello Gentle Readers. This morning I saw a little sparrow with a beak full of grass. She flew into a bird house in the neighbor's yard. As Emily Dickinson wrote, "Hope is a thing with feathers." She survived the bitter cold and now builds a nest. What a difference a week makes. Saturday our temps began to climb. Monday and Tuesday brought highs of sixty five degrees. I hear more bird song when I walk. The soft changes of February light are so welcome. It isn't Spring yet but in spite of all of us, it isn't far off.  

Wednesday is the day to join Kat and company for Unraveled Wednesday. Besides the handspun scarf, my other knitting is a tentative project. Inspired by Mary's sweater, I cast on the Giddy Up Sweater using handspun Corriedale. The yarn is on the lightweight wide and also slightly wooly. The construction is new to me and interesting to knit. I plan to work an inch or so past the point where the front and back are joined for the body. Then I'll block it, try it on and decide if it is a go. 

I completed more pages in my stitch journal. Thank you for all your lovely compliments about the stitching. Here is my version of K3N's heart. Behind it is a Willa Cather quote about love that is a favorite of my sister and I. The quote comes from Death Comes for the Archbishop and begins "Where there is great love, there are always miracles . . ." 

I love thinking about hands, the miraculous combination of bones and other tissue that can do all kinds of things. Hands transmit and receive touch. We lend a hand to others and on and on. Once I drew around the hands of my extended family and used them as quilting patterns in the border of a quilt. As my parents and brother have passed away, I am thankful to have that record but I digress. Since I file patterns and templates from my quilts (as in I rarely throw anything away) I had a file folder of hand patterns. 

This little one is my daughter's toddler hand. Behind this piece is a quote from Women Who Run with the Wolves, that goes something like this, "There is hogan on a Navajo reservation that has a red hand beside the door. It means, we are all safe here."

I am enjoying the poetry anthology, You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World, edited by Ada Limon. Although some poems appeal to me more than others, I appreciate the diversity of poets and landscapes represented. As more than one review notes, our landscape is changing dramatically and this is a modern version of poems about nature and location. Again, I found this volume by chance in a display at my local library. 

How are you fairing this last week in February?  What's bringing you hope?