June Days

Hello Gentle Readers. The clear June days have arrived and they are glorious. Being outdoors, even pulling weeds, is enjoyable. The garden grows, the bees hum, the coneflowers bloom, and the bunnies mow down the zinnias. Ah- summer. Sunday while walking, I heard a little house wren singing out her heart. Three tiny young chickadees flit around the birch tree in the front yard and then I see them (at least I think they are the same birds) at the back feeders. We all must coexist in this world or so I remind myself as the squirrels dig in the pots and the bunnies chew up the zinnias. 

Today is Wednesday. If Kat posts, I will link to my fellow Unravelers. I am working away on my knitting projects. I finished the hand of the first Cityscape Mitt and cast on the second. The ribbing gives these a snug fit and also makes them look like a long skinny tube when not on a hand. When finished I'll try to get a photo of them on my hands. I love the increases that help shape the gusset. I joined the second skein of yarn to the shawl and that feels like progress on what continues to be a peaceful project.

I finished this hat, knit with two strands of fingering weight yarn, to donate to a charity. The colors worked out well as I was able to carry one strand of a Merino Cashmere Nylon throughout the entire hat. The other three leftover yarns were variegated in blues and greens. Although I didn't think about it ahead of time, I used the darkest of the three balls in the middle of the hat. I also like the way the ribbing in the brim and body of the hat worked out. I followed mods made by another Raveler linked on my project page. Once I heard a knitter and podcaster talk about a donated blanket someone brought to her mother in hospice care. She said it was ugly and did not bring any comfort. In order to be kind she didn't take it from the room. The anecdote still reminds me that anything I donate should be something I would gift to a good friend.  

This week I read The Things We Never Say, Elizabeth Strout's latest novel. The author's trademark reflections by late middle-aged characters, very human and flawed, are the heart of the story. Artie Dam, a kind beloved teacher in a public school in Massachusetts Bay learns a secret that changes his life. Casting the main character as a history teacher in 2025 allows Strout to tap into the current time and place in the United States. She accurately captures the dread and unease in this country felt by many.

Strout used literary devices thoughtfully. Small bits of physical space throughout the book encouraged me to pause briefly and consider the story. I found the shift between Artie as narrator and the author speaking directly to the reader interesting. While I applaud Strout's nod to teachers and the changes they make in lives of young people, I missed the rural setting in Maine and characters of her other novels. Certainly the novel is worth reading if a little melancholy.

I hope you are enjoying your projects. What fills your June days?

Ravelry Links

Gemma Shawl

Cityscape Mitts

Hat

Early Summer

Hello Gentle Readers. Weather here in southeast Nebraska is very summer-like, hot and humid. Last night when I went to bed the outdoor temperature was eighty five degrees. At any rate, the tomatoes like the rain and warm nights. Over the weekend, the vines grew about six inches. The basil thrives in pots while the lavender blooms. Around the neighborhood, the lilies of all colors bloom. 

Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers for making and reading posts. As I enjoy the warm evenings outdoors, I do less knitting. I continue to work on the Gemma Shawl but didn't take another photo. I finished the latest pair of shortie socks knit from leftovers. The astute among you might notice I reknit the toe of the first sock. I have another skein of sock yarn that will coordinate well with the solid rose color so I took out the first toe and reknit it. Goofy I know but it made me happy and didn't take much time. I made some progress on the hat but have to take care that my hands don't get sore so I cast on a pair of mitts. 

Currently I am reading Street Haunting, a little book of essays by Virginia Woolf. The opening essay, "How Should One Read a Book?" pulled me back into Woolf's world and writing. I look forward to the last essay, "Street Haunting" in which Woolf uses the pretext of needing to purchase a lead pencil to walk the streets of London on a late winter afternoon. One has to love a woman with an affinity for pencil and paper as well as walking. Woolf's writing is witty and excellent. For anyone hesitant to read her work, these essays would be a good entry. I happened onto this book on an outing to Postscript Press, a shop in Ashland, Ne., a small town between Omaha and Lincoln. The shop specializes in stationery and a selection of curated books. The books were tucked in and around the stationery supplies. We visited on a rainy afternoon, adding to the charm of the shop on a small town main street. 

This afternoon I need to return and pick up library books. I'm also in desperate need of a hair cut and groceries. Have a good week.

Ravelry Links

Summer Shorties

Cityscape Mitts

 

Hello June

Hello Gentle Readers and Hello June. The weather here dabbles in summer. For the past week, we've experienced scattered thunderstorms nearly every twenty four hours. The rain is very welcome but comes with warmer temperatures and higher humidity. Monday was downright steamy. Flowers bloom, bees buzz, and a swallowtail floated by the other day. Volunteer larkspur bloom against the new fence. One cluster of sweet peas blooms early and the yellow lilies are full of buds. The weeds thrive but the soil will need to dry before I can weed. 

Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers. The top photo shows my knitting for the week. If you think I like the color blue in any shade you would be correct. That is any blue that doesn't come with the term, black and blue. The toenail doesn't hurt anymore and I can easily wear my gardening and walking shoes. Hooray for small wins.

I continue to work on and enjoy the Gemma Shawl. I've reached halfway in the stitch count although probably not the halfway point in the project. Math never was my strongest subject. I cast on a hat with sock yarn scraps in a variation on the LOSY (Leftover Sock Yarn) Hat on Ravelry. I'll link my project with information at the end of the post. In theory, knitting with sock yarn held double is a great idea but I find it hard on my right hand. Sarah's "Same As It Ever Was Hat" would be a better way to knit a warm hat with fingering weight yarns and I am sure I could use coordinated scraps.

After knitting two different gauges in the same swatch, I searched the Modern Daily Knitting "How To" articles for information. I vaguely remembered skimming several from the website. Skimming would be the apt description because gauge is not that much fun. Patty Lyon writes understandable explanations on technical knitting questions. This one is no exception. Being a Type A, I have always knit tidy garter edges on the bottom and sides of my swatch. It turns out that can distort the gauge. Ahh, I've been knitting since I was ten or eleven years old but still have things to learn. I'll knit another swatch without a border and compare the gauge. Good thing I bought an extra skein.

This week I'm rereading Rock Tree Bird by Twyla M. Hansen, a former State Poet of Nebraska. Hansen lives in Lincoln and grew up on a farm in Nebraska. Her poems are of the Great Plains. In this little volume, she wrote about rural Nebraska as well as her parents including caring for her elderly mother, a dying friend, and other living creatures. Although published in 2017, revisiting them now is seeing them with new eyes.  

I'll leave you with some photos I took of my pollinator garden. I just sowed zinnia seeds in that bare patch. The butterfly bush didn't make it though last summer and this year the bunnies mowed off  bachelor buttons. Generally they leave zinnias alone. Perhaps not visible in the close-up photo of the flowers, a bee visits the pink salvia. What is growing in your neck of the woods? 

Ravelry Links

Gemma Shawl

Hat

May's End

Hello Gentle Readers. May treats us to beautiful warm days. A few honeybees frequent the salvia in the pollinator garden. The garden begins to grow. Last night I snipped a few fresh lettuce leaves to add to egg salad sandwiches. A ripe garden tomato would have been tasty but those are six weeks away. Even in May, one can't have everything.  

Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers. This week I made progress on the Gemma Shawl. I usually knit one repeat of the mock cable/lace pattern each evening. It is a peaceful way to end the day. The shawl pairs well with The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower. I'm currently listening to Volume 6 and enjoying all of Emma's adventures. I get a kick out of the names Brower has chosen, for example Mr. Penury as the banker and Mr. Enamel as one of the St. Crispian committee members. Even the name of Emma's home, Lapis Lazuli, is fun. Each one of these novellas is more fun than the next. 

I frogged the first five inches of the back of the Avenue Vest. Experience has taught me to check gauge and other measurements before knitting too far. The piece seemed small and I was right. After wet blocking, my gauge per four inches was four stitches smaller than in either of my swatches. This is strange because I knit both the swatch and the beginning of the vest flat and generally my knitting tension is loose. I also knit a small in-the-round swatch for the rest of the vest but whatever. I bought another skein from my LYS because I don't want to run short of yarn as I knit another larger swatch. Maybe now isn't the best time for garment knitting. Working in the garden is so nice and we are beginning on a partial bathroom remodeling job. Plan B might be to work on the shawl and socks for now. 

After returning a few books to the library unfinished, I've begun reading Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton. My reading list for summer includes older books by authors I've previously enjoyed. I feel badly for authors who work for months and more to write, revise, and publish a book that has such a short shelf life. How long can/do booksellers keep books on shelves before the next advertising blitz comes along? I imagine it's a short period of time. I'll not go on with my rant. 

After avoiding the grocery store over the long weekend, I need to make a list and buy some produce. I hope you enjoy some warm late Spring days.   

Ordinary May Days

Hello Gentle Readers. I write this morning with my worn gray alpaca shawl around my shoulders. A shawl is shelter. After ninety degree weather last week, glorious amounts of rain fell. Two hot steamy days gave way to cooler temperatures. Prior to the rain, our yard and garden beds were the end-of-July dry. More rain is forecast for the end of the week and I am not complaining. I love shawl weather. I plan to make a pot of soup for dinner.  

Last Saturday we put in the last of the garden. After all the rain, cucumber seeds may need to be replanted. Often one hill or the other doesn't germinate or the birds or squirrels get the seeds so replanting isn't unusual. I'm trying lemon verbena in one corner and also identified some volunteer bergamont coming up in the pollinator garden. Between gardening, medical maintenance appointments, and gathering with two different groups of friends, I knit only a few rows. 

Still, it is good to be among makers and readers, so today I link with Kat and the other Unravelers. I'm knitting on the shawl and last night added some rows to the vest. Thank you for your ideas about the vest. Soon I'm going to recheck the gauge. Although I've never knit a v-neck, I'm going to give it a try. The instructions in this pattern are quite clear and it is good for my brain to try something different.

I needed carry along knitting so I pulled out more odds and ends to knit another pair of shortie socks. I enjoy wearing them to walk and around the house on these cool days. I may have to add in some other color. Luckily leftover sock yarn seems to multiply in project bags. The mock cables in the cuff are fun to knit and a bit of ribbing on the sole is enough variety to make the foot go by quickly. 

I read The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary by Terry Tempest Williams. Currently Williams is a writer-in-residence at the Harvard Divinity School. While Williams' nonfiction works are among my favorites, this book of essays may not be for everyone. She writes with a clear-eyed, brutally honest view of the natural world. As she mourns extinction of species and changing climate, she celebrates moments of great beauty and joy. She writes eloquently about connections between and among plants, trees, animals, humans, rocks, water, and air. Her writing is at it's best when she describes the red rock desert of her native Utah. What is a Glorian you might ask? The title of this book is only the beginning of the answer. The question is best answered by reading the essays. Nothing I write will do justice to her ideas.

The The King Arthur Cookie Companion in the first photo is a Mother's Day gift from my daughter. It is going to be fun. Good cookies are my favorite dessert. Right now it's on the coffee table for browsing. My son sent me a sturdy padded collapsible gardening bench I can use for kneeling or sitting. I've used it several times and it works better than the old carpet square I have dragged around for years. Both of my children are very dear and they know me well. 

May rain water and grow peaceful ordinary days for you. Have a good week. 

May Projects

Hello Gentle Readers. These spring days are warmer. My garden blooms are mostly periwinkle. Lavender iris, flax, a few phlox, and campanula. Once years ago, I bought a pot of campanula with small blooms to use as a centerpiece. After the gathering, I stuck it in the corner of my herb garden. I had no idea if it would grow but it continues blooms. Did I just jinx myself by writing about it? I hope not. Last weekend I planted tomatoes, flower seeds, and herbs. Whether the bachelor buttons and calendula grow remains to be seen. Gardening hope springs eternal. 

Last  Thursday, while ferrying plants and a watering can in and out of the patio door, I was thinking about the rest of the day and promptly walked into the screen. My sandaled left (bare) foot struck the screen head on and water splashed inside and out. The watering can, the plants, and the screen were fine but my big toe was not. It didn't fracture but bruised royally and loosened the nail. So dumb! I can walk comfortably with sandals and a bandage for padding but it's going to be a while before I can put on walking shoes. All I can say is beware of a wandering mind and screen doors. It also doesn't hurt to have Epsom Salts at the ready. 

Today I link to Kat and the Unravlers to enjoy the comradery with other makers. Monday I finished the baby blanket as a gift for an extended family member. Simple garter stitch knit with love isn't fancy but it is soft and sweet. The white yarn is lightly speckled with yellow and lime green. It's hard to photograph. After I wash it, I'll tuck it away until the baby arrives or perhaps I am invited to a summer baby shower.

While I worked on the blanket and propped up my foot, I conjured up knitting projects with stash. I settled on a vest and last year's birthday yarn. After looking at vest patterns and knitting two swatches, I chose "Avenue Vest" by Tori Yu. I've barely begun the upper back and am undecided about which neckline to knit. Any thoughts? I continue to work on the shawl but no new photos.  

I read Afterlife by Julia Alvarez. This novel, published in 2020, was the author's return to adult fiction after fifteen years away. In the afterword, she writes this is her first book as an "elder." The novel is a compact volume with a big story. Themes of family, literature, immigration, hope, and personal responsibility are skillfully woven together. While the main character deals with the unexpected death of her beloved husband and her younger sister's mental health crisis, a stranger, a young undocumented pregnant teenager, shows up on her doorstep. This plot could easily have become a dramatic soap opera but it did not. Literary references scattered throughout the novel were used to develop the main character and also show how she moved from well intentioned thought into reluctant but effective action. The cover is also beautiful and worth the price of admission. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Heads up as you come and go from the great outdoors. Have a good week.

Ravelry Links (Not including links did not allow me to reply to comments. If I have an email address for you, I'm using it to reply. Eventually I will sort this out.)

Baby Blanket

Avenue Vest

Hello May

Hello Gentle Readers. May arrived here with a few warm balmy days. The rest of this week will be cooler but I love fifty and sixty degree days. The lavender irises bloom as does the flax. I love the old-fashioned scent of these irises. To me, it's a mix of bubble gum and grape soda at my Gram's home. 

Yesterday I planted seed for cosmos, bachelor buttons, and calendula. If they don't feed the bunnies, I might grow some bright annuals among the perennials. The flower bed survived the construction of the new fence. How or if the fence changes that microclimate will be the garden experiment of the summer. 

This Wednesday I will link with Kat and the Unravelers. I continue to knit on the Gemma Shawl and the Baby Blanket, gaining yardage on both projects. Larger projects take time and aren't the most exciting blog topic but this is the way I knit. I try to work on the blanket each day. It will be forever tied to The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lyon. I am currently listening to Volume 5. Emma is a delightful heroine and I'm speculating on how the story will end. I have been able to check them out sooner than the hold times would indicate. While they are a quick listen, I wonder if patrons put a number of them on hold at one time and then have to pass them on to the next reader. My local library system adopted a new hold policy which may also be a factor. Anyway the little blanket is a peaceful knit.  

I'm also enjoying the shawl. I have the pattern memorized and the wool/alpaca/linen blend has a slightly crisp but not unpleasant hand. The yarn color has some subtle shading as the three fibers absorbed the dye differently. I'm easily entertained by my knitting.

This week I read The Last Quarter of the Moon, written by Zijian Chi and translated by Bruce Humes. The narrator of the story is an old woman of the Evenki Tribe looking back on her nomadic life in remote forests of northeastern China. The tribe, although the men hunt and fish, depended on reindeer for clothing, shelter, and sustenance. She tells the story of what happened in five generations of her clan as Japanese, Soviets, logging, and climate change came to the forest during the twentieth century. Their life was beautiful, idyllic, cruel, and brutal. Although the story arc was tragic and contained a lot of sudden sometimes violent death, Chi wrote a quiet dignity into this novel. Learning a little about a people who often chose the common good over individual need was thought provoking.

I am not including any links in this post to see if that makes a difference in my ability to respond via email to your comments. Something in the gobbledygook in the email of blogger's response mentioned links. Google recently changed privacy settings policy so that may be part of my difficulty. When my dear son has a little free time, I'm going to ask him to help. I'm at that stage of life. I used to understand  computer terminology but it's much more complex. Remember Claris Works on the first Apple computers? It's been awhile. 

Carry on friends, what else can we do? I wish you an easy heart on this Spring day.

Flax at the edge of our pollinator garden.