Mid December

Hello Gentle Readers and welcome to wool sock weather. The chilly days with a landscape of browning lawns and bare trees looks like December. Wool socks, sweaters, and mittens are in order for walking. Over the weekend gentle rain fell but we have not seen any snow. By Saturday, our packages were all in the mail. This week will be quiet with time for baking and a pot of soup or two. Last week, I dried orange slices in the oven and hung them outdoors on a small tree. The squirrels consumed most of a seeded wreath with a few juncos joining the party. I also hollowed out orange halves and filled them with birdseed. I didn't attract a lot of birds but I enjoyed the making. 

Today I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers for what may be the last link-up of 2024. Time does fly. I finished the Candy Cane socks and am wearing them today. Since then I've picked up the other pair of winter/Christmas socks. The simple stockinette is the perfect project right now. I do need daylight to knit the heel flap and gusset in that dark green. 

I am also knitting on a top-down sweater mentioned earlier. Before we traveled, I decided it was too big and I didn't care for the open neckline. I measured the gauge in several places and then ripped it out. This time I cast on using a sweater recipe from Ann Budd's Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters. I want a simple sweater as a canvas for fading the gray and some handspun. I'm making progress and will try it on soon. Here's hoping its a go.

Now, I'm going to write knitting heresy. Before beginning the first version of this project, I knit a swatch in the round and chose a pattern based on that gauge. However when knitting the sweater on circular needles instead of a swatch on DPNs, my gauge in the gray yarn was looser. The swatch should have been bigger or I could have knit it using the method of leaving a loop of yarn behind the fabric. When knitting a fairly standard top down sweater in stockinette stitch, I may let the beginning of the sweater be the swatch. If I'm open to trial and error it could work for me. At any rate I've learned something about my tension on different kinds of needles which perhaps I should know given the size of DPN's I use to knit sleeves. Sometimes gauge lies.  Any thoughts?

I read Brightly Shining by Ingvild H. Rishioi and translated by Carolyn Waight. (My apologies for not being able to type the o with a slash through it. I did try.) This novella is a story of two young sisters who live with an alcoholic father. The girls take things into their own hands and pick up his job selling Christmas trees when he abandons it for the local pub. They are industrious girls who take care of each other. Along the way, they meet with some small kindnesses. I felt like the ending with its magical realism was tacked on because the author didn't know how to resolve the story. Although I read to the end, this novella just wasn't for me at this time and place.  

I hope you are enjoying this week of the Winter Solstice. Peace to you my friends. 

And it's December

Hello Gentle Readers. We've been away and are home. We had the best Thanksgiving with our daughter and her family. We flew out on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The weather held and the Kansas City airport was well staffed. Our travel day was smooth sailing. I helped Kate in the kitchen Thursday morning. We made an excellent Mushroom Wellington and favorite side dishes. She baked lemon cranberry bars and bought an apple pie for dessert. Jonah and I made the sauce for baked Mac and Cheese and whipped the cream. 

That weekend is their church's annual fund-raising Christmas Tree sale. All proceeds go to local charities and it's all hands on deck to unload and set up 500 trees. The kids love the event, not to mention the doughnuts and hot chocolate, so it was fun to be there in person. 

On Monday Kate and I walked around New York City enjoying all the festive decorations and store windows. We shopped at the McNally Jackson bookstore and were treated to lunch at The Bakery Room, a Greek bakery also serving soup and salad. The owner is a friend and member of Kate's running group. 

Her hat reads, "Pray for Snow." I think we were the only two people in NYC not wearing black coats.

In their little town, I walked to school with the kids. Instead of bringing gifts, we take them to the local indie bookstore to choose a book. It's fun to watch their reading tastes grow and change. A visit with Thanksgiving and a little bit of Christmas was such a nice way to celebrate the holidays. Our nonstop flight home last Thursday was delayed by 3 hours so I came home with one and a half new socks.

All of this brings me to Unraveled Wednesday with Kat and company. Since I didn't want to juggle three balls of sock yarn seen in the previous post, I searched my stash for an appropriate single skein. I found this West Yorkshire Spinners Christmas yarn named Candy Cane and cast on my version of the Candy Floss pattern. It was perfect travel knitting. My plan is to finish this pair and go back to the Comfort and Joy socks. Before we left, I ripped out the sweater but that is a story for another day.

As for reading, I'm almost finished with One of Ours by Willa Cather. Rereading a good book always brings a new perspective. As I read about the main character as a doughboy in France, I wondered how Cather researched the fighting in the trenches. She wrote one vivid scene about Claude experiencing the effects of being very near a large explosion. Perhaps by 1923, the information was available. It's also obvious that Cather loved rural France. While in Connecticut, I reread some of Ship Fever, a collection of short stories by Andrea Barrett. The stories revolve around science and love and are well written. The collection won the National Book Award in 1996. By the time I got into bed to read, I was tired so I only read a few stories. I'm currently listening to an old comforting favorite, Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher. This is a re-listen but right now I'm in need of a happy ending. 

Look what welcomed us home. Have a good week friends. 

Thanksgiving Eve

Hello Gentle Readers. Light wind blows the few remaining leaves from the trees. Overnight temperatures drop below freezing on this Thanksgiving week. A thriving parsley plant in a pot has finally succumbed to frost. Since it is a biennial, I'm leaving it and hoping it will grow again next year. Monday I looked out the kitchen window to see a Cooper's Hawk perched nearby on the deck railing. The pigmentation of his/her feathers is so striking and the range of motion in the neck is something to behold. I know they attack song birds but what fierce beauty and grace in this bird. 

Wednesday is the day to post with Kat and the Unravelers. The deep red Leaflette Shawl/Scarf blocked out beautifully. I enjoyed knitting it and I'll enjoy wearing it. I've worked on this pair of holiday socks. As per pattern and in the same needle size, I knit the ribbing and colorwork over 64 stitches. When I switched to the cranberry red yarn, I decreased 4 stitches to my typical sock circumference of 60 stitches. The sock is going to fit and not be too tight in the colorwork section. 

I worked a bit on the sweater. The yarns work well together but there is too much ease in the sweater and quite a wide deep neck. Likely, I'm going to start over but not this week. I knew this project was an experiment. I'm learning I don't like too much ease in my sweaters. 

Currently I am reading Becoming Willa Cather: Creation and Career by Daryl W. Palmer. This nonfiction is not biography but a literary analysis of how Cather came to write as she did. The author examines elements of Red Cloud newspapers, citizens, railroad, and community activities, as well as Cather's early short stories. He explores use of gender in her writing in a thoughtful way, reflecting on how gender roles of white settlers were less rigid given the necessary work to survive. It wouldn't be for everyone but I'm enjoying it. 

I listened to The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. This is the sequel to the book I mentioned last week. I found it equally charming and touching. Somehow Bradley manages to incorporate many elements of World War 2 in the lives of Ada and her community while also portraying a young teenage girl with all the angst and joy of that age. 

In the spirit of giving thanks, I am grateful to all of you for reading my posts. We are traveling to spend Thanksgiving with our daughter and family so I'll be absent for a week or so but will look forward to catching up on our return. I wish you a warm, safe, happy Thanksgiving with someone you love. 

Mid November Days

Hello Gentle Readers. Rain fell on Monday. The sun shines brightly on Tuesday. The light and changing November skies are beautiful. I love that deep blue-gray-periwinkle color that comes with an overcast day in November. Despite a dry dry early fall we have had some lovely autumn color. A maple tree down the street is a stunning orangey-red. For some reason it has hung onto its leaves longer than others. Fall is my favorite season and I mean to enjoy the remaining days. 

Wednesday, I'll link this post to Kat and the Unravelers. Both the previously mentioned hitchhiker and the Leaflette Scarf/ Shawlette are finished and blocking. There is some kind of knitting irony in finishing one piece with progressively longer rows and the other with progressively smaller rows. 

I cast on a top-down raglan sweater that may or may not get finished. I have this crazy idea to use the gray yarn as a base and fade in handspun yarns in several different colors. I swatched the gray yarn but have no idea if I can wrangle the gauge and colors of all the handspun yarns. I thought it would be fun to try so I threw caution to the wind. By next week, I may have frogged the whole thing. 

I also cast on a pair of holiday socks. I plan to knit the colorwork portion and then knit a vanilla sock the way I usually knit socks. The body of the sock will be a deep red with green accents. I knit a swatch and washed it to make sure the red won't bleed into the white. 

I am still thinking about Held by Anne Michaels. To me, the novel is a meditation on remembering and thinking of loved ones. Since that story began with an injured soldier in 1917, I decided to reread  One of Ours by Willa Cather. Her writing, although different from Michaels', is also beautiful. Just last night I read a lovely passage about falling snow. Cather's Pulitzer Prize winning story is based on a Nebraska-born nephew who served in France during World War One. It always reminds me of my grandfather who was also born on a central Nebraska farm and served in France. It pleases me to be reading an old worn copy from the second printing in 1922. I bought it years ago. 

How about you? What are you enjoying these November days?

Colors of November

Hello Gentle Readers. As I write on Tuesday, the sun shines and a delicate breeze blows. Red maple and golden oak leaves remain on trees. When the wind picks up later today, most leaves will fall from branches that held and nourished them this past season. One side of this oak has leaves with gradations of color while the other side of the tree has yellow leaves. The sun must hit them in different ways. It's curious. 

On Wednesday, I will link this post with Kat and the Unravelers. This past week, I knit a few more rows into this Hitchhiker, my last travel project. I took several close-up shots in natural light hoping to capture the subtle colors in this yarn. The little blips of hot pink and gold are soft speckles while there are a few spots where green and lavender are woven into the yarn. Indie Dyers are talented. 

I listened to a very sweet middle grade children's book this past week, The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. My sister mentioned this book to me quite some time ago but I forgot about it until I saw the title on Libby. This historical fiction is the story of two young children, a brother and a sister with a club foot, who are evacuated from London prior to the Blitz. They meet and are cared for by a reluctant but loving lonely woman. It's a heartwarming story with a happy ending. I enjoyed it. Just now, Goodreads tells me there is a sequel. I plan to read or listen to it soon. 

I'm currently reading Held by Anne Michaels. Many of you have already read and recommended it. The story of four generations is written in a sparse lyrical prose. The stream of consciousness writing style reminds me some of North Woods of even Virginia Woolf. I feel like the author is posing questions about life's mysteries and human relationships that invite the reader to her own ideas.  

I'm off to get my hair cut and then enjoy the last leaves during an afternoon walk. Dusting can wait for another day. May you feel nourished and held as life goes on.

 

 

 

Sunday Evening

Hello Gentle Readers. Thursday I saw the first juncos of the season. The small gray and white sparrows with pale pink beaks have returned to brave the cold and wind of winter. This afternoon when a partly cloudy sky carried the promise of a brighter blue, I made a cup of tea and threaded a needle to finish this little piece. I stitched one more star in the upper left hand corner. 

It's been a hard few days. I am deeply sad over much of the election of last week. If you disagree with me, I hope you keep reading as I continue to read blog posts of those with differing opinions. I'm listening to you with respect. 

Kamala Harris is a thoughtful intelligent gracious leader. She has accomplished much in her life. Although I wouldn't ask her to do more, I have no doubt she will find ways to continue her work. Some of my sadness comes from the loss of possibility. When it comes to the potential of women and persons of color, the loss of possibility is a too often told story. 

For now I'm following the lead of Krista Tippett and looking for what stitches us together. My hope is that we find away around bitter division and the "us vs. them" mentality that dogs both political parties. Maybe, just maybe, this is an opportunity for a shift in thinking. Maybe together, we could find a different way. I have no concrete ideas on how to do this. Still, I choose love, hope, and imagination. I have children and grandchildren and can do no less.

Wednesday I went for a walk on the edge of town and was reminded by a poem I wrote at another time of loss. I put it away for awhile but it is finished enough to share. The work is copyrighted and it is illegal to use it without my permission. 

November on the Prairie

On this day heavy with autumn's hinge,                                                                                                        I need to breathe in the wind, taste the grit                                                                                                    feel tears created by dust in my heart. 

Under yellowy sunlight of an old woman's hair,                                                                                            I wrap brown and gold around my shoulders.                                                                                                Inhale the prairie's wisdom.      

Song of white throated sparrow                                                                                                                     leads me through tall dry stalks,                                                                                                                     then disappears.

Away from the blustering world                                                                                                                     I lean into the upward grade                                                                                                                          each breath a season, each sound                                                                                                                   a lullaby that rocks me home. 

Jane A. Wolfe

copyright, 2024

May you find your way home in this blustery world. 

  

Now it is November

Hello Gentle Readers. The decreasing time of daylight, cloudy skies, and leaves underfoot tell me it is November. Much needed rain fell Sunday and Monday nights. The sound of rumbling thunder was so welcome and almost strange as I hadn't heard it for some time. I'm writing this post early as I won't have time on Wednesday morning. Today, the national, state, and local elections loom large in everyone's mind. Our church is sponsoring a forum this coming Sunday to promote civil discussion and focus on the common good in "the beloved community." 

On Wednesday, I'll link this post with Kat and the Unravelers. I finished the Scrappy Cold Brew socks knit from several partial skeins. Mostly I knit the slip-stitch pattern every ten rows. Since I needed an easy one skein project for travel knitting, I cast on a hitchhiker. I haven't picked it up since I returned home but it will be good knitting for this evening. I've finished the center section of the Leaflette Scarf/Shawl. Last night I knit four rows of the next chart and discovered an error in my stitch count/pattern. Here I was sailing through this project, patting myself on the back that I hadn't had to redo any rows. Pride goes before a fall. I plan to fix the mistake in daylight hours. 

While I was traveling, I read some fluff, The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore. I rarely read romance novels but chose this one because it had literary twist. A book with notes between two young people is discovered in a musty library basement by a struggling young woman. She sets out to find out more about them. It was ok reading after full days with family.  I'm currently rereading The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich because it is this month's selection by my local book group. This 2021 Pulitzer Prize winner stands up well to a second reading. Erdrich's beautiful descriptions of the natural world and very human characters is a joy to read. Several of the main characters are watching out for each other in various ways. The layered themes will make a good discussion.

I see the bright blue gray sky that comes only at this time of year. Here's to taking care of ourselves and others this November.

TGIF 11.1.24

As I post, I'm watching a squirrel carry leaves up the birch to construct a winter shelter. While squirrels are not my favorite critters, signs of seasonal changes comfort me. This past Wednesday was a reentry day and so I'm posting today. 

I am thinking about Jane Hirshfield and her poetry. Lately, I bookend my days with her poems. In the morning I read from a large collection, The Asking and in the evening I read from The Beauty. In an "On Being" interview, Hirshfield stated she continually asks questions of herself and the world. Her way of looking at the world makes me stop and think. After listening again to the interview, I hear her voice in my head. I wish I could hear her read more extensively. The subtle inflections of words spoken by the poet make for a rich experience.

I am grateful for my visit to Connecticut. Both traveling days were uneventful. I spent four glorious, ordinary days with Kate and her family. The weather was gorgeous. Kate and I walked the three younger ones to and from school. The mornings they were in school, my daughter and I walked trails along the Mianus River and Long Island Sound. 

I bought her a coffee, hung out at home, attended Trunk or Treat on Saturday and church on Sunday. Patrick was in charge of the event so he didn't make it into many photos but he was the perfect 1950's Dad in a white shirt with a pocket protector/pens and black pants. The days filled my heart. 

Back to the Future costumes

I am inspired by Kamala Harris and her campaign. However this election turns out, she has made a difference in our world and inspired a new generation of women. Once a long time ago, I listened to a keynote address by a nationally known early childhood educator. I can't remember her name but I do remember one of her remarks. "Somewhere a future president of the US attends preschool and she could be sitting in your classroom tomorrow." 

As for fun, nothing beats an October day playing in the leaves with kids. Norah and I made some leaf rubbings with crayons. I helped Micah and Norah gather leaves into a pile. They wore shorts, I had on long pants and a sweatshirt.  Go figure. In their joy, I see hope.

Making Progress

Hello Gentle Readers, I'm writing this post a day early while looking out at sun shining on brilliant yellow leaves. Monday's raindrops shimmer on the rusty orange leaves of the little serviceberry tree. The moisture won't last much longer but for now it is a glorious sight. Yesterday a little rain fell during afternoon and then late in the evening a thunderstorm came through. The official report is .25 of an inch and it is very welcome. Although a Cooper's Hawk is creating a ruckus in the backyards, this morning is gorgeous. 

Tomorrow I'm flying out to Connecticut for a short visit with my daughter's family. My husband will hold down the home front. We're going together for a longer visit later this fall. I'll catch up with you when I return. 

Wednesday a.m. I may or may not have time to link this post with Kat and the Unravelers but I'll be there in spirit. This week's knitting is about making progress. I completed the increase section on the leafy scarf/shawl. I put in a lifeline as I want to weigh my yarn at the midpoint. If I don't have enough yarn, I will know how far to rip back in order to make adjustments. Hopefully that doesn't happen but better to be prepared. I'm knitting the gusset of the second Cold Brew sock. I am itching to cast on a sweater but I best finish the leafy scarf/shawl first. 

The Noro mittens are finished. I like their mismatched rustic look. They may go in the gift bag as I have plenty of mittens. Projects are showing progress. 

This week I listened to The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. I found this to be a so/so novel of historical fiction. The story is about the friendship between Mary McLeod Bethune and Eleanor Roosevelt. I enjoyed learning about the remarkable Dr. Bethune as well as the projects that these two women worked on together. As an aside, I hope to read a recently published biography about Bethune. In my opinion, some of the audio narrative, especially Eleanor's voice, was overly dramatic. Having read nonfiction about Eleanor Roosevelt, I also wondered at the way she was portrayed in this novel. At times I thought the story was a little too much of our time and place rather than a reflection of the time in which the women lived. If anyone else has read the novel, I'd be interested in your opinions.  

So this is more than enough from me today. Norah called me last night to tell me "It's time for you to pack your suitcase!" She also reminded me to bring pj's and underwear. That girl is on top of it. I'm off to do just that. 

May the remaining October days bring you love and light. 

 

October Moments

Hello Gentle Readers. Here we are in the middle of October. This past Sunday autumn blew in with cooler temperatures and by Monday I pulled on a pair of wool socks. Birch leaves drift from the tree as a red bellied woodpecker hops up a big limb. Early today the official temperature dropped to 29 degrees. I am so happy to have crisp October days. Maple leaves turn red and shine against a brilliant blue sky. No rain has fallen and none is predicted. The area is dangerously dry.

Wednesday is the day to link with Kat and the Unravelers. These days I am working on three knitting projects. Some evenings I knit on the Leaflette shawl/scarf. I enjoy it but progress is slow so it looks much like it did last time I posted here. In between, I'm having fun knitting the World's Simplest Mittens in a bright Noro Silk Garden yarn. I bought this yarn last year with a birthday gift certificate from my son and daughter-in-law. The colors and texture of the yarn do the work. 

I'm also working on these scrappy socks. I'm knitting intermittent rows with slip stitches, adapting the design feature to suit the yarns I'm using.  

These last two weeks, I read There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak. This novel is beautifully written. Layered themes of water, rivers, oppression, poverty, and opportunity flow seamlessly through the story. I enjoyed learning about the rich culture of the Yazidi people. Shafak's characters grow and change in human believable ways as the story progresses. Somewhere that Shafak stated, she "writes for the silenced." She does so with grace, dignity, humor, and wisdom. 

I wish you lovely autumn days as we hold onto hope.  

Patterns: World's Simplest Mittens - Tin Can Knits

                Cold Brew Socks - Lofty Loops

Making a Book

Hello Gentle Readers, Here, true autumn weather comes and goes. Weather- wise, Saturday, with a 95 degree high and very windy conditions, was miserable. I spent the day indoors because of allergy symptoms. In a nearby county, rural firefighters fight grass fires. Sunday and Monday temps were more like October. Monday I went out early to a dentist appointment and wore jeans, long sleeves, and a cotton cardigan. The morning air was crisp if dusty.

Today I link with Kat and the Wednesday Unravelers to post about knitting/making and reading. This week I finished a book-making project that began in June. Sometimes I make small chapbooks of my finished poems but this book was a more involved project. The instructions for the binding in this project are adapted from Cover to Cover: Creative Techniques for Making Beautiful Books, Journals, and Albums. There are many how-to books and online resources for bookmaking, I find this one useful.   

After making a cloth pouch in the slow stitch style, I was inspired by k3n cloth tales to make small hand-stitched piece to go with a poem I shared here in April. I enjoyed the stitching so I made more pieces to go with other poems in a collection about the Prairie. 

Several pieces, such as the blue feather, are designs by Kathryn of cloth tales. Others like the pinwheel and the prairie above are my own. I stitched the finished pieces onto the page by stitching along the top with quilting thread. I wanted to be able to see the wrong sides. To me, they are as interesting as the right sides. 

There are ten poems with ten pieces of stitching in this little book. I used materials I had on hand. The pages were leftover from a package of blank cards I used to make birthday cards for my grandchildren. The covers are made from cardboard from the backs of writing paper tablets covered with fabric. The spine is created with ribbon and pearl cotton embroidery thread. The ribbons extend about the same length on the back of the book. I am pleased with it, imperfections and all. 

As for reading, I am listening to The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez. As you might guess from the title, the novel is about storytelling. The main character is a writer who is ready to retire but has boxes of unfinished work. She goes back to her homeland, the Dominican Republic, to literally bury those stories. The narrator is excellent. The metaphors and themes about stories in this novel would make an interesting book group discussion. I'm enjoying the audiobook. 

I am chugging along with The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women's Lives, 1660-1900 by Barbara Burman. Some of this nonfiction is interesting but it could have been better edited. Some of the text seems repetitious so I skimmed a few sections. As an aside, the print in my paperback copy is quite small. That may have been a budgeting consideration, especially with the number of photographs.   

We delivered our mail-in ballots to the office of the Election Commission yesterday. I'm preaching to the choir, but please Vote. In this crazy season, I hope you are well and safe.

Hello October

Dear Gentle Readers, I missed being here last week. Time spent with two groups of friends as well as lunch and a visit with my sweet sister filled some days. I also planted daffodils and divided and replanted iris. One of the joys of being retired is that my days don't always have to be filled to the brim. 

I so enjoyed walking at sundown in the last of the September light. Days here were quite warm, with temps in the high 80's and occasionally hitting 90 degrees. Some maples are turning red and the birch out front sports a few yellow leaves. Many leaves are drying to brown before they fall. Once again our area is in drought. Since the storm of July 31, about a half-inch of rain has fallen. Conditions are extreme everywhere. Hopefully October brings this area cooler days and some rain.

As I link with Kat and the Unravelers, I have little to show in the way of making. I am making slow steady progress with the deep red scarf/shawl with the all over leaf motif. I enjoy working on it until about 9:15 p.m. when I find looking at the chart too much for my tired brain.  After tinking back a few rows, I now quit knitting on it while I am ahead. I love the pebbly 2-ply wool yarn although a smoother yarn might show the lace to better advantage. Blocking is sure to work magic on this piece. 

For moments when I don't want to be tied to a chart, I cast on some scrappy socks. I had 66 grams leftover from a skein of sock yarn as well as another half-skein of the same yarn in yellow. The pattern, with the slip/stitch detail keeps the knitting interesting. As I often do, I'm not following the pattern exactly. I believe it was Brenda Dayne of Cast-On who once said, "I never met a pattern I couldn't modify." Well, yes to that. 

I finished reading Looking for Jane by Helen Marshall. Marshall wrote this novel, set in Toronto, about three different women in three different times (1971, 1980, 2017.) The women, whose stories eventually come together, are affected by pregnancy and choices in reproductive health care. Two of the women are without the availability of legal abortion, the third is trying to become pregnant. What happens to all of them, including the one who becomes a physician, makes this a novel for our time. Marshall creates a nuanced human story in place of statistics and shouting. According to the author's note, at least one underground network for safe abortions performed by courageous medical personnel was known as the "Jane Network." In my opinion, the characters, plot, and content are compelling while the writing is average. 

Even though it's October, the bouquets of summer on my messy counter keep me company. May you enjoy good company this week. 

Sock Pattern - Cold Brew

Scarf Pattern - Leaflette

 

Mid September

Hello Gentle Readers. Early autumn is in the air. Last Friday we drove to Nebraska City to buy some apples from Kimmel Orchards. The corn stalks are that beautiful straw color that comes as they dry just before harvest. All concerns about big business agriculture aside, the sight of the fields against a September blue sky is part of the autumn landscape. The apples are delicious and the outing made for a nice afternoon. The drive is about an hour, each way, so I knitted washcloths. I like to keep a few tucked away for small gifts. They go so nicely with a bar a soap. 

I am joining Kat and the Unravelers to post about making and reading this week. I spent some time mending a hand-pieced and hand-quilted quilt. In fact I pulled a needle through layers so many times that my hand became sore. Oy. I am getting to be a delicate flower. I don't remember any soreness when I did all the hand quilting but I was younger. I did cast on a large size scarf with an all over leaf lace pattern. I enjoy knitting leaf shapes so this pattern (Rav Link) caught my eye. Every row is slightly different which slows my knitting but that has been good for my right hand. I wondered if the design would be too complicated to be fun but the pattern and charts are well written. So far, so good.

I'm reading Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray. My daughter recommended and gave me  this work of historical fiction about the life of Frances Perkins. Perkins was FDR's Secretary of Labor and the first woman to serve as a Cabinet officer. Trained as an economist, her professional life was dedicated to better working conditions for men, women, and children. Perkins was also a wife and mother and quite keenly feels the pull between professional and personal life. Her story is fascinating and has some interesting parallels in our current time. I am sorry to say, I never heard of Perkins until my daughter mentioned this book. 

A family who lives just down the street from us has a little patch of parkway on their yard. Both parents have a generous spirit, and the three children are often outdoors. The Mom and the children plant sunflowers in the parkway. Catmint also grows there. One day I walked down to get the mail and saw morning glories blooming in the catmint. I just love the wildness of this little spot. Even among the concrete and a few weeds, flowers grow. This week, I wish you the joy of unexpected flowers.  

Finished and Frogged

Hello Gentle Readers. The weather feels like September, days with warm dusty afternoons, stiff breezes, and shorter daylight hours. After dinner, I walk around the block in the most gorgeous evening light. While I'm still wearing shorts, tees, and sandals, fall is in the air. My garden and flower beds have that ragged, end of the season look. I divided several clumps of iris. Everything is so dry it is hard to weed. At least that is my excuse and I'm sticking to it. 

On this Wednesday, I link with Kat and the Unravelers to post about making and reading. I have both finished and frogged projects. I finished the shawl knit from a skein of handspun and some odds and ends of a commercial yarn. It's a good thing I like to weave in ends because there were plenty. The simple pattern lets the handspun shine. The yarn from a BFL/silk blend has such a nice soft hand and drape. While learning to spin, I stayed away from fiber with silk content because the silk can be tricky. Now that I've successfully spun with this blend, I'd like to try more. 

I frogged the summer top knitted with fingering weight cotton yarn. The fabric was lovely but after about three rounds, my hands hurt and it was so monotonous. Frogging it was freeing.  I cast on the Purl Soho Arched Gusset mittens in Noro Silk Garden. Alas, I love the elegant line of the arched gusset but the pattern is written for a lighter weight yarn. Knitting the pattern in Aran weight yarn was making a sloppy rather weirdly shaped mitten. Winter's cold is serious business and I like mittens to be snug and warm.  Last night I frogged the start of the mitten and am auditioning the Antler pattern. I've knit this pattern several times and have been pleased with the mittens. 

As for reading, I finished Clear by Carys Davies. I loved this short novel about kindness and human connection. Two people who know little about each other and speak different languages encounter each other on a remote Shetland Island. The sparse storyline reminded me of Claire Keegan's book, Foster. I learned more about Scottish history and a lost language. As a bonus, the man on the island collected wool tufts from sheep and spun them into yarn. He was also a knitter. Davies understands  and writes well about both processes. I can't help but wonder if she is a knitter.  I also wonder if she has any connection to the designer Kate Davies. Maybe Davies is a common name in that part of the world. 

Finally, this date, 9/11, is so poignant. I remember the television monitors set up in the district school office playing the news videos over and over. It is well to remember and be grateful for all first responders. Now there is another generation for whom the events of that day are history and not lived experience. 

Take good care.