Spinning and Stitching

Hello Gentle Readers.  The dog days of August have arrived. The tomato vines are withering and  the cherry tomatoes, although prolific, get smaller each time I harvest. Early Monday morning we had a shower. Since I was out fairly early, I walked a longer distance to pass by a yard that is mostly a rose garden. Rose bushes of all varieties surround the sidewalk around the corner lot. Hostas grow in the shady parkway and there are a few hibiscus plants here and there. There are some kitschy garden ornaments that don't appeal to me but the roses are the story. When I stopped to take a photo, the scent wafted from the blossoms. Raindrops on roses are a nice consolation on a warm morning. I said a silent thank you to those who foster gardens.   

This Wednesday I join Kat and the Unravelers for updates on making and reading. Earlier this month, I finished spinning the second of two braids of Targhee wool from Greenwood Fiberworks. I spun 900 yards into a two-ply sport weight yarn. Honestly, this summer I planned to find a spinning class to learn some new techniques but that was before summer had other plans for me. 

In July, I read The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer. We have a small Serviceberry in our backyard. The fruit on our tree is hard and I don't think it is the same variety Kimmerer describes but the birds do love it. The berries are always gone by the first of July. I traced a leaf from the tree to create this little piece. 

The second piece is the traditional beginning of Grandmother's Flower Garden sewed with the English Paper Piecing method. I am pleased with this little flower but I found it fiddly and didn't enjoy making it. Now I have tried it and can admire the work done by others but it's not for me. The little piece of selvedge on the print in the corner says "Garden Party." It has been in my sewing basket for quite some time and I think it belongs here. 

I am so glad Mary suggested A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr. The main character, an Englishman, is looking back at the summer of 1920 when he worked to uncover and restore a large medieval painting/mural on the wall of a small village church. The solitary work and the summer helped him heal from his experiences as a soldier in the trenches. The reader gets to know a small cast of characters who are quirky but mostly kind to each other. The book is short but full of lyrical the prose. I found the reading quiet and peaceful, reminiscent of the writing of Claire Keegan. 

I hope your stitching and reading is treating you well, perhaps bringing some peaceful moments to your days. 

Serviceberry Leaves and Fruit

    

Mid August

Hello Gentle Readers. Today is the first day of school in our local public schools. In spite of state and national funding cuts, Lincoln has a robust school system that welcomes all the children. I am proud to have taught in a system where the governing principle was/is "All means All." The first day is a day of hope and new beginnings. This morning I walked as parents and caregivers shepherded children to the nearby elementary school. Two little boys ran to each corner, shouting in excitement to their friends. I wish the administrators, teachers, parents, and students the best learning experiences this year. I plan to sharpen some new pencils in honor of the day. 

This morning was pleasant and sunny but the rest of the week will be hot hot. The aftermath of last weekend's storms, one with 90 mph winds, is being cleaned up and power has been restored. We did not lose power or have significant damage but others were not so fortunate. Saturday we spent several hours cleaning up a mess of large and small branches.  

Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers for a Wednesday update on projects and reading. I finished and blocked the Blue Shawl.  It is lovely, if I do say so myself. The yarn, a sport weight blend of alpaca, wool, nylon, and silk is perfect for a shawl. The fabric is light and soft.  I'm making progress on the second sock of this Garden Sprinkles pair. 

I cast on another scarf/shawl with a mini skein set from Fibernymph Dye Works. I love the colors in this set. Last year I tried to a make cowl with this set but the pattern didn't suit the yarn. I'm now using a pattern called the Mini Skeins Solution Scarf. I hope it is a good solution for this yarn. I have a couple of sock yarn leftovers that coordinate with the colors should I need them. 

I read The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd's Life by Helen Whybrow. Whybrow's writing reminded me of Terry Tempest Williams' work. Whybrow and her partner had the opportunity to farm a two hundred year old Vermont farm dedicated to a pastoral way of life. Part of their work involves fostering programs about living and farming respectfully on the land. Her thoughtful observations about the hardships and gritty realities of shepherding a small flock of sheep of Icelandic Sheep are only part of this lyrical nonfiction. The theme of mothers and daughters, human and sheep, weaves it's way through the narrative. The passages about navigating her mother's decline into dementia while ushering her daughter through early years and into her young adult life are very touching. I thought this book was a breath of fresh air amidst the current mono-crop agriculture that includes mass production of animals and fowl fed a diet of grain laced with antibiotics and other chemicals. The book may not be for everyone but I found it beautiful and peaceful. 

I'll close by wishing you a peaceful rest of the week. August is almost half-way over and while I don't like to wish my life away, I am looking forward to at least thinking of cooler days.    

Finished, Not Finished

Hello Gentle Readers. August began with several cool days and hazy skies. Smoke from the Canadian wild fires drifts south. This morning I woke in a dark room and could hear the wind rising.  A thunderstorm blew through bringing brief but heavy rain. When the rain stopped, I put on a jacket and went for a walk.  I know there is plenty of summer weather ahead but this morning there was a touch of fall in the air. I noticed an oak full of acorns and there is one large maple with the slightest streak of dark red. 

Today I'm linking with Kat and the Unravelers. I finished the little Flower Garden Quilt. I began playing around with the pieced flower garden blocks last August at this same time. I appliquéd the blocks last summer. Sometime in March, I pieced the top. In May I marked the top, basted the quilt sandwich together, and began hand quilting. Making this piece brought me a great deal of joy. You might ask why the pink flowers have a different orientation than the others. I can't recall if I planned to do that or not. I made this quilt to honor the work of an unknown (to me) maker and for fun. Mission accomplished. The leaf motif quilted in the sashing shows up better on some prints than others but again, I enjoyed the hand quilting. 

I have been knitting away on this shawl. I added two extra repeats (20 rows per repeat) to make a good size shawl and because I had plenty of yarn. I was so close to finishing the knitting yesterday but thought it best to give up at 10:00 p.m. This evening I hope to knit the border. I've enjoyed it but the last few repeats felt like a slog. 

The shawl will forever remind me of The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny. I mostly listened to the novel while I knitted my way to recovery. My husband was given a hard copy so a time or two I resorted to it when I wanted to find out what happened next or fell asleep during the audio. The new narrator took getting used to but he was ok. This wasn't my favorite Gamache book. I missed the Three Pines characters, Clara, Merna, Ruth, the owners of the Bistro. In this book, they had only cameo appearances. The technique using repetition of words (ringing, ringing, ringing) to build suspense was overused. Though, nineteen books in a series is quite a feat and they probably can't all be four star reads. 

I'm reading Where Hope Comes From by Nikita Gill. Many of the poems were written in response to the pandemic. I must not have read the blurbs that connected this volume to Covid 19. Still, many of these quiet wonderful poems have a universal application to other difficult times. Gill has beautifully illustrated the book with her drawings and art. What a talented woman. 

I'm late to post today. Yesterday morning my husband had carpal tunnel surgery that went well. We spent a quiet day as he rested and I filled ice bags, kept track of meds, and knitted on the blue shawl. This time I was the responsible upright adult for 24 hours. As surgeries go, this one was a breeze. Picking up the prescription for pain medication from the pharmacy took longer than the procedure. It's been a bit of a spring and summer for us so we are looking forward to a break in the medical action. Once again we thankful for good medical care. 

I hope you are easing into August and enjoying the last of the summer.  

Ravelry Link

Blue Shawl