It's a Sweater

Hello Gentle Readers and Happy Autumn. As I write, I look out at a bright sunny autumn morning. This week temperatures climb to the high 80's but the mornings feel like early fall. Last week my husband and I drove to the Kimmel Orchard near Nebraska City and purchased some crisp Jonathan apples. They have so much more flavor than their grocery store cousins. We also snagged some apple cider doughnuts. Last year, the apple barn was out of doughnuts so we were happy to see these. The monarchs continue to love the butterfly bush. The big fuzzy bumblebees buzz in and out of the cosmos while the honey bees gather pollen from the oregano. 

Today is Wednesday and time for a knitting and reading round-up with Kat and the Unravelers. I finished Norah's sweater and sewed on the buttons. I relied on Suzanne Bryan's you-tube videos to knit the button bands and the buttonholes. I find her video instruction to be clear and well produced. I am pleased with the sweater and will get it to Norah shortly. 

I continue to work on the first sock of a pair as well as the Knit Paper Scissors HusKAL. I finished up the lace section a few days after the next pattern section dropped but am now knitting on the current section and enjoying the project. The shop previews the finished project and knitters choose from shop-curated kits or choose their own. I like this kind of KAL because I can look at the finished project before purchasing materials. 

In between, I managed to cast on a new little scarf/shawl which is why the socks aren't finished. This scarf is knit much like the Sophie Scarf but with eyelets and a variation in the center portion. The pattern contains four variations with details for modifications, including weighing yarn in order to knit the length for specific yarn amounts. I bought this yarn at WEBS on one of our first trips to the East Coast so it is fun to find a project for it.  

I'm reading The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet's Journey Through American Slavery and Independence by David Waldstreicher. This is not a before bed read but a dense meaty history/biography that closely examines Wheatley's life and poetry. The work also provides a detailed account of the Boston area, the many factions, actions, and nuances of different groups during Wheatley's life in North America from 1761-1784. 

Up until recently, Wheatley's poetry was often dismissed as stilted and flowery, containing Christian religious terms typical of the time and location. Walstreicher's account turns this idea on it's head, establishing Wheatley as a very astute young woman who understood the customs of her day in order to write and publish work within those boundaries. The author also demonstrates Wheatley's keen mind carefully but deliberately expressing her opinion about the paradox of Bostonians referring to British policy as creating slaves of the colonists. "Sometimes by simile, a victory's won." 

As I read I am once again aware of  how much history I missed in my high school and college survey courses. Hopefully those courses have improved. I also know teachers carry a heavy load and have only so much time to teach material regulated by state and local standards. This book wouldn't be for everyone and some of the classical literary references are unfamiliar to me but about one-third of the way through, I am fascinated by this book.

Enjoy the full moon this week. I hear it is the official harvest moon because it is the closet full moon to the Fall Equinox. 

Ravelry Links

Rainbow Sweater

2023 HusKAL

Be Kind Scarf/Shawl