Early July

Hello Gentle Readers. Summer days have arrived. Green tomatoes are setting on the vines and a few cherry tomatoes turn from orange to red. They are smaller than I like, especially for the first ones, but they taste like home grown tomatoes. On the 4th, I harvested the first three cucumbers. I replanted cucumber seeds several times and now the vines are going wild. If we can keep everything watered as the temperatures soar to 100 degrees, we should have plenty of tomatoes and cucumbers. 

Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers to post about making and reading. Our son, Aaron, is visiting this week. He has remote work obligations but having him here from Texas is delightful. He loves cooking so it is fun to be in the kitchen together. He brought his small flour mill as well as wheat and rye berries. Saturday he ground fresh flour and made bread dough. He left me in charge of the rising. We thought one pan would be enough but it was not. When the dough overflowed the bread pan, I divided it and set it to rise a third time. Leaving your mother in charge of an unknown recipe is a risk but disaster was averted and the bread was delicious. That evening we used tomatoes from his garden and fresh bread in BLT sandwiches. I cut up watermelon from a local produce stand and we had snickerdoodles for dessert. It was a perfect meal for the 4th of July. 

At some point I wrote about this small piece of patchwork. A month ago, I finished the piecing and quilted three circles and diagonal lines with two strands of embroidery floss. Then I made it into a pillow. 

As for other making, I'm knitting away on the shawl. I'm close to the border and the rows are long. This odd piece of knitting is a second try with the Avenue Vest. Interesting construction and size seven needles make the knitting go quickly. The fabric I'm getting with this yarn and needle size is soft and made me wonder if the deep V-neck would flop open and not lay flat. I decided to knit the round neck. Let's hope the vest fits. It's all an experiment but it's only yarn. 

This week I read Hot Chocolate on a Thursday by Michiko Aoyama. This gentle book is almost a collection of short stories. Having a minor character from each previous story become the main character for the next provides the structure. Setting, either Japan or Sydney, Australia and sometime both also provides continuity. At first, the stories felt a little too sweet but as I read I appreciated the theme of how easily misunderstanding leads to misconception and hurt feelings. Conversely the author used small moments to convey the power of kindness offered to others. What seemed like a simple story left me wondering what could happen if more of us, myself included, were willing to let go of slights and hurts and see the viewpoint of each other. This fiction isn't great literature but a sweet story of possibility in everyday lives. I also enjoyed the references to cherry blossoms of Japan and jacaranda flowers in Australia.  

Just as an aside, thinking about the differences in structure and management of characters in Aoyama's book as compared to that of Good People by Patmeena Sabit (the Read With Us Selection in June) was an interesting exercise. The authors handled those two devices differently and of course the storylines are quite different but it gave me food for thought. 

I can't show you cherry blossoms but my neighbor has a beautiful stand of cone flowers in an area adjacent to the street. I hope you are finding beauty in this summer season. (Or in the Southern Hemisphere - the winter season.)

Ravelry Link

Avenue Vest

  

Where Was I?

 

Hello Gentle Readers. The end of June brings hot summer weather. Although the gusty wind, dries out the garden beds, it is a godsend when walking in this heat. If I am not out of the door by 9:00 a.m., I don't walk very far. Were you able to watch the full moon rise on Monday evening? The strawberry moon of June is my favorite. That night the faint hint of pink in the moon and reflected light was surrounded by wisps of clouds against the dark sky. The sight was breathtaking. 

Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers. In between trips to the deck to check the moonrise, I finished the thumbs on these mitts. The yarn and pattern go well together. The suggested needle size with this yarn made a nice pair of mitts for my small adult sized hands. Stretchy ribbing always feels like my hands are getting a massage. If I knit these mitts for someone with larger hands I might go up a needle size. The pattern has great attention to detail including mirrored cables that begin and end nicely, ribbed thumbs that flow from the pattern, and a graceful hand increase on the palm.

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I am spinning these three four-ounce bumps of a BFL silk in variegated (what else but?) blue. Finding the right speed to treadle and adjusting my drafting took some trial and error. I've completed the first 2 ounce single so I have a good start. It's fun to watch the silver gray and hint of mauve combine with the blues as the single winds onto the bobbin.

I abandoned two books and am beginning two more titles so I'll save book notes until next week.  

Where was I last week? That is a tale of air traveling woe. Last Monday we were scheduled to fly to the East Coast to visit our daughter and family. We arrived at the Omaha airport promptly at 9:30 a.m. for the 11:30 a.m. nonstop flight to La Guardia in NYC. Our flight was delayed all day long. Finally when Delta announced yet another departure time for 8:15 p.m., we wondered if the flight would get out and opted to rebook for the next day so we weren't arriving in the wee hours of the morning (we lose an hour going East) or trying to rebook with everyone else at the gate. We retrieved our bags, rode the shuttle to the parking lot, and drove 50 miles home. The next day we spent the afternoon in the airport only to have our flight cancelled and repeat the whole process. Weather, one less runway at LGA, the high cost of fuel, the College World Series in Omaha, and World Cup Travelers all worked against us. It wasn't feasible to extend our visit so we cancelled the trip and hope to reschedule in August or September.  

Just to make things more interesting, the Omaha airport is being renovated so there was less gate space in an already small airport. In addition to the usual airport hubbub, there was also construction noise, including a jackhammer.  However the entire Delta staff in the Omaha airport was an exemplary team. For two days and probably more, they handled a harried frustrating situation with kindness, knowledge, patience, and grace.  Air travel these days isn't for the faint of heart. 

So for now we are home, looking forward to a visit with our son. The larkspur and the coneflowers continue to bloom. I hope you have blooms in your neighborhood, something to look forward to, and are staying cool. 

Ravelry Link

Cityscape Mitts

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.

 

  

April's End

Hello Gentle Readers. Greetings on this cool day at the end of April. This morning I turned on the heat and put on a sweater. Over the weekend rain fell and, in our yard, the first lavender iris bloomed. The sky is overcast as the neighbors have their fence replaced. Last summer a fierce storm blew down the wooden fence. 

I tend a strip of perennial flowers along that fence. The fence has always buffered the west wind and provided shade late in the afternoon. The new fence will maintain that habitat. I hope the flower bed isn't damaged in the re-fencing. The lavender iris, sweet peas, and medium tall phlox in that bed came from a friend who died years ago. I also wonder how summer sun reflecting off white vinyl will affect the flowers. I prefer wood but it's not our fence and vinyl may last longer. Gardens do grow and change. 

This last week, I finished the Rambouillet spinning project in the photo. In hindsight, it might have been better to ply some of these shades together and tone down the bright pinks. However the yarn is soft with that handspun kind of bounce. I may combine some of these skeins with another handspun yarn into one project. 

I finished the scrappy shortie socks. When I returned to them, the second foot was almost finished so now they are in the drawer. I knit a bit of 1 x 1 ribbing on the bottom of the sock. I went down a needle size for the ribbing and like the modification. It keeps them from slouching down into my walking shoe.

The other two knitting projects are coming along. The very light colors do not photograph well on a cloudy day. It's nice to be on the decrease side of the baby blanket. The shawl is peaceful knitting and I look forward to knitting a little bit each evening.

I read Storm Pegs: A Life Made in Shetland by Jen Hadfield. The book is a series of atmospheric essays without a recognizable structure. To me they felt very much "in the moment." Some of the writing is lyrical. She does not romanticize the rugged beauty or ignore the harsh realities of life on an island at "the seam of the Atlantic and the North Sea." Descriptions of the birds, ocean, the island, its inhabitants, and local customs are well done. Hadfield placed an essay about the history of "Shaetland" language in the middle of the work. The essay described variations among dialects, how the language is fading from use, and efforts to preserve it. She reflected on what the loss of language means for the inhabitants of the island. Given that she used Shetland words throughout the book, I would have preferred this essay closer to the beginning. 

She included a glossary of some vocabulary used in the book. Some Shetland words are italicized, other are not and not all of either variety are in the glossary. Sometimes word meaning was included or could be inferred from the context and sometimes not. If she had a pattern in mind for vocabulary usage, I failed to understand it. I don't have knowledge of the language or Scottish idiom so that was part of my confusion. All of this made for a choppy reading experience as I often flipped back to check the glossary. I did enjoy learning more about Shetland.

Happy end of April to you. I hope you have a good week.

Ravelry Links

Scrappy Helical Socks

Baby Blanket

Gemma Shawl

Regularly Scheduled Knitting

Hello Gentle Readers. Green explodes in the landscape and isn't it welcome? The linden and locust trees sport fresh bright leaves and the redbuds bloom. Earlier the ornamental pear trees lost petals to the wind and dry conditions. However when the wind finally calms, the Spring days are gentle and beautiful. Weeding or walking, it's lovely to be outdoors. Creeping Charlie and a close cousin grow prolifically. I pulled buckets of the stuff. Each year one weed predominates in our yard and garden beds. This year's award goes to Creeping Charlie. 

Even though Kat is on hiatus, I look forward to a midweek post about making and reading. Thank you for the kind wishes for my sore hand and wrist. It feels better but I am taking care by knitting less and stopping when it gets uncomfortable. I finished this small shawl. I enjoyed working on it but I have many this size so I may tuck it away as a gift. 

Most days I knit a few rows on the baby blanket. Sunday I reached the half-way point of my yarn and began the decreases. Some evenings, the blanket is warm on my lap so I hope to finish before the really hot days arrive. The sock project bothers my hand so I cast on another shawl. What the heck, they always fit and I can knit fingering weight yarn at a looser gauge without pain. I have knit this design previously and it blocked out well. Quill is a new-to-me yarn in a wool/alpaca/linen blend I bought last year on sale. Earlier I tried a different pattern but it wasn't for me. This design is fairly intuitive and I like the edge treatments.  

The past few week I read Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times by Tracy K. Smith. Although this book contains a few poems, it is a book about how poetry works. Smith does a masterful job of asking and answering questions about one or two poems per chapter. She is very thoughtful about what can be learned from a poem and how poetry might help us toward better conversations with each other. The last chapter is an analysis of various elements of a poem. Each chapter could be read separately although I enjoyed the book as a whole. Smith's voice is thoughtful and a good reminder that wisdom still speaks. If you want to understand more about how poems work, this book would be a good place to begin. I'm still thinking about a question she poses to readers of any poem, "What do you notice?" 

I also read a light-hearted sweet novel, Eddie Winston is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin because it is my local book group's May selection. The quirky characters are the strength of this novel. Eddie Winston is a ninety year old gentleman looking for a woman he loved many years ago. Bella is a young woman grieving the death of her lover, Jake. When Bella brings Jake's belongings to the charity shop where Eddie works, the two gradually become friends. The story may be too sweet for some but it is easy reading with some funny moments. The ending seemed a little contrived to me but I understand the author's intent. 

I wish you lovely April days. I am having technical difficulties when responding to your comments. I hope to figure out what is going on soon. Please know I continue to read and appreciate your comments. You are also welcome to read and pass on commenting. 

Ravelry Links

Spring Nimilintu

Gemma Shawl

Redbud flowers growing out of limbs are fascinating.

  

A Poem

Hello Gentle Readers. Although April is National Poetry Month in the U.S., any month is a good month for a poetry. Back in 2002, I learned poets, especially women poets, wrote at all ages about anything and everything. Since then, I have discovered poems about feisty old women, lilacs, the ravages of war, dust, planting peas in a garden, tending to a loved one in a nursing home, iris flowers, a begging bowl, assisting a cow birth a calf, a sock, and more. It is not an exaggeration to say a whole new world opened to me.   

The way a poem works is fascinating. Language, punctuation, words, sounds, rhythm, meaning, metaphor, title, and arrangement on a page all come together in a short amount of space. One can read a poem and consider all, some, or none of these elements. Sometimes one element is more prominent than another and I wonder why. 

Lately, I've been thinking about the negative space surrounding a poem. How did the poet decide on line breaks, space between stanzas, or the placement on a page? Or did this space occur as a result of the words and phrases in the poem? I suspect either or both can be true in a poem. Negative space can make a powerful statement or it can be very subtle. 

Negative space is at work in all kinds of making as well as the natural world. In knitting, the beauty of lace depends in part on negative space. Colorwork is affected by space around patterns. Embroidery, patchwork and applique´ as well as the quilted design stitched through three layers of a quilt all make use of negative space. 

I began this poem thinking about negative spaces. Although it marks the month of March, I share it in April. Happy Poetry Month.

In March*

In this month between seasons,

trees marry shadow and shade.

Birdsong swells, 

green hesitates before rain.

Grape vine trails from frame,

sketches without a plan.

Thread the needle with words.

Stitch the space between lines.

Touch the letters.

Ponder the stars.

Beyond the edge of a poem, 

Open your heart. 

*Copyright, Jane A. Wolfe, 2026. 

Making Progress

Hello Gentle Readers. After a beautiful weather weekend of sunshine and temps in the high sixties, cool rainy weather is in the forecast.  After the rain and if my hand cooperates (see below), I plan to begin weeding the garden beds and stirring the compost. This Tuesday morning is gray and chilly. I watched a blue jay at the neighbor's feeder practically hang upside down to extract a seed or two. The grackles are out in full force, cackling around the entire neighborhood. A robin builds a nest between an overhang and the downspout on the southwest corner of the house. I'm thankful she chose a spot that isn't going to cause any difficulty for us. I haven't seen her there since Saturday so she may also be building elsewhere. Sometimes robins build multiple nests. 

On Wednesday, I'll link with Kat and the Unravelers to post about making and reading. Thankfully I haven't done any unraveling this week but I have also not done as much knitting. My right hand aches, mostly from hand sewing and quilting through multiple layers. My age is showing. Also when my husband had cataract surgery on his second eye, I knit on the Nirmilintu Shawl for almost four hours. Although it didn't hurt that morning, it was too much handwork. Since then I've knit only a couple of rows on the baby blanket in the evening. When the blanket edge is the width of my table or when I am halfway through the second skein, I'll begin the decreases. Progress! If my hand hurts, I stop, stretch it, and pick up a book. Anyway, the photo above shows this week's progress on the shortie socks, the shawl, and the blanket. For the record, I knit on the socks before my hand hurt.  

I listened to The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 2 by Beth Brower. As one would surmise, this is a series written in the format of a young woman's journal. Volume One begins in 1883 in London. Ms. Lion, a young woman orphaned as a girl is full of spunk, wit, and determination as she navigates London society, family, and neighborhood characters that include her dishonest cousin Archibald and strong willed Aunt Eugenia. I'm late to this party but Volume 2 is as charming and full of hijinks as Volume 1 and great as a "light" listen.

I'm reading Starry and Restless: Three Women Who Changed Work, Writing, and The World by Julia Cooke. This nonfiction work is the account of Martha Gelhorn, Emily "Mickey" Hahn, and Rebecca West during the years 1930 to 1954. These three intrepid women traveled the world and then worked their way into international journalism during World War II. They were adventurous and rejected society's stereotypes for women and women journalists. They wrote magazine articles, plays, novels, short stories, and nonfiction while living unconventional lives. They were both praised and criticized for their work as well as the way they lived and loved. The narrative is fascinating and full of detail, maybe a few too many details, but I am very much enjoying this book. The chapters alternate between the women. For me, reading a hard copy, with the option to refer back to previous events, is preferable to the audio version. 

As the little finches come to the feeder and the lilac buds appear, I wish you a Happy Spring.  

Hello April

Hello Gentle Readers. I am composing on Tuesday. Once again, the wind is blowing and stirring up dust and pollen. April showers forecast for Wednesday and Thursday this week will be very welcome. The view out my window is quite green this morning. Trees begin to leaf out and bright yellow dandelions bloom in the neighborhood. This morning I noticed a lilac bush with buds. The juncos have departed for the season. Next week I will begin to clean up the flower beds. Signs of early Spring are everywhere. 

On Wednesday, I'll link this post to Kat and the Unravelers. Knitting on the baby blanket continues but doesn't look much different than last week. For fun, I'm adding a mini skein or three to frame the lace sections of the Nurmilintu Shawl. Nurmilintu, a Finnish word meaning "little bird," is a sweet footnote to this shawl. Google also told me there is a Finnish lullaby incorporating the word.  

I completed the first sock of a pair of scrappy helical shortie socks. For me, a section of 1x1 ribbing on the soles makes shortie socks fit better. Helical knitting made the sock foot knit up quickly. I kept knitting to see how long the small balls of yarn would last as I knit the foot. The knitting games we play! 

This past week, I read The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox from the backlist of Maggie O'Farrell. Iris, a woman living in Scotland, receives a call about her Great Aunt Esme. The caller tells Iris, that her aunt, a woman she never knew existed, is being released from a mental hospital after sixty one years. The story toggles between past and present as it reveals deep secrets of the family. The narrators shift with no cues or ties to the timeline which can be a bit disorienting. However, this literary device suits the writing, the plot, and the characters. I soon got used to the shifts and was able to follow the story. This novel was published in 2007 but stands the test of time. I thought it was excellent. O'Farrell created the personal story of a young woman confined in a mental institution because she differed from traditional expectations for girls and young women.  

I hope you have a good first week of April filled sunshine and/or showers, as your heart desires.  

Late March

Hello Gentle Readers. Whoosh! There goes March in a whirl of wind. Literally. Many days in the month were blustery. Today the sky is hazy blue and the air quality is poor. That could mean dust and pollen and/or smoke drifting in from wildfires. Last Saturday the temperatures hit a record high of 95 degrees. That day, we attended the anniversary celebration of good friends which meant searching the closet for summer clothing. The next day the wind came up and the morning temperature was 35 degrees. The temperature is again on the upswing toward 84 degrees this afternoon.

Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers. By knitting a few rows most days, I'm making progress on the baby blanket in the top photo. I'm not wild about knitting with acrylic yarn. Next time I'm knitting baby or child knits, I'll look for an alternative. Often I use Swish DK, a superwash merino from KnitPicks, but I'd have needed multiple skeins for a blanket. I thought joining and weaving in ends of a solid color would mar the garter stitch done on the bias. 

Because garter stitch is always a good idea for me, I cast on a lightweight spring shawl.  Last night as I drifted off to sleep, I thought of another way to incorporate the contrasting mini skeins. Next time I pick up this project I plan to rip out the three stripes. Previously, I have knit at least three versions of this little shawl and wear them often. 

I cast on some scrappy socks for a carry-around project. I'm following a sock recipe for helical knitting created by Denise DeSantis, the Earthtones Girl. She offers a video tutorial on her Youtube channel and in her book, No Fear Sock Knitting. On recent warm days, I wore shortie socks while walking and could use another pair. 

I finished Norah's mittens and they were well received. Immediately on opening the mailing envelope, she put the new mittens into her backpack. In my note, I told her I taped the envelope very securely so the mittens weren't tempted into another adventure. 

Between the wind, changing weather, and state of the world, I have had trouble falling asleep. One of those nights, I picked up Still Life by Louise Penny. I listened to this series so I thought I'd read one in print. I also knew the good guys were going to solve the crime. It was fun to revisit Penny's introduction of the characters and the village of Three Pines. As I read, I noticed wisps of future storylines. I think she began this series with the intent to write four novels, each one representing a season of the year. Her success story is heartening. 

Thank you all for your kind words and good wishes for my husband's cataract surgery. All went well and his eye is healing nicely. The second surgery is coming up in another week or so. Thank goodness for modern medicine. 

Monday was perhaps the coolest day of the next two weeks so I made raspberry jelly. Last summer, I cooked raspberries down, extracted enough juice for one batch, and tucked it in the freezer for a winter day project. This year it became a nice March afternoon project.

Have a good week friends. 

Ravelry Links

Baby Blanket

Spring Nirmilintu

Scrappy Helical Socks

Stitching the Days

Hello Gentle Readers. I am composing this on a very cold Monday. Yesterday snow with strong winds made for a quiet day indoors. A large flock of house finches and juncos swarmed the bird feeders all afternoon. Next Friday, the forecast is for a high temperature of 85 crazy degrees. Several days last week, strong winds encouraged wild fires in rural areas of Southeast Nebraska. March blusters on in all of its iterations.  

Last week, I completed my Stitch Journal. This project began in January 2025 when I was intrigued by the 2024 stitch journal project created by Kathryn on her YouTube channel. Some pieces were inspired by her prompts and other times I went my own way. The small size was perfect for playing with fabric and embroidery thread on hand. I knew I could discard anything I didn't like but I never did that. Uneven stitches, patches, and wonky proportions added to the charm. I created for fun.  

Sometimes I began with an idea I wanted to convey with cloth and thread while other times the words came to me during and after the stitching. I don't know that I'll make another stitch journal but working on this one was a delight. Journey, journal, and diary all come from the same Latin root word, diana. The pieces record seasonal changes, joyful family visits, as well as a longer-than-I-expected recovery from pelvic floor repair surgery in May. As I look back through the pages, I see the journey of this past year. At any rate here are the last three pages. This February I stitched the "heart of the matter."  

The remaining two pages were completed in March. The first "nourished a (handspun) thread of hope and the second the promise of Spring.

Thinking of Spring, I copied the flower from my Mom's mug and added the sun and green landscape. I learned the Basque stitch to create the sun's rays. That stitch was "fiddly." I doubt I'll use it much but it's good to try something new now and then. 

Coincidentally this week, I finished reading With Her Own Hands: Women Weaving Their Stories by Nicole Nehrig. In this nonfiction work, Nehrig set out to learn more about the importance of textile work in the lives of women. I have read nonfiction regarding the history of quilting, knitting, and spinning but the inclusion of weaving and embroidery was new territory for me. Did you know that some mathematical principles may have originated in weaving designs? I appreciated the way Nehrig included needlework from around the world and art created by women from marginalized and indigenous cultures. I'm still thinking about a project created by a woman to painstakingly unpick the threads of a Confederate Flag, comparing it to the difficult work of overcoming racism in this country. Nehrig's work is well researched and her discussion nuanced. If this sort of history interests you, I recommend this book. 

At some point on Wednesday, I'll link this post to Kat and the Unravelers. My husband is having the first cataract surgery on the 17th and then we have a follow-up appointment early on Wednesday. This is a routine surgery expected to go well but I may be scarce around blog-land this week as I am the designated driver and errand-runner. 

Mitten Adventures

Hello Gentle Readers. Monday, the high temperature was in the mid-seventies. Early this morning a light wet snow fell. Right now the sun is out and the temperature is just warm enough to melt snow from the tree branches. Still, signs of spring are everywhere. Under light snow cover, the yards begin to turn green. Red maples show the fringe-y looking growth that comes before the leaves open. Crocus bloom in the neighborhood and the daffodil spears grow taller.  

Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers with a tale about a lost and found mitten. Early last week, Norah lost one of her "Pop Top" mittens. She emptied her back pack and looked for it in her at-home cubby of mittens, hats, sandals, swim goggles, and other necessary items. She looked in the yard and on the school playground. Jonah suggested she check the school "lost and found." She didn't know about "lost and found" so my daughter notified his teacher he'd be picked up at a different door so he could search the lost and found table in the gym. The mitten was no where to be found and she was sad. 

Saturday over Face Time, she asked if I could knit another mitten - "not for her writing (right) hand." According to Norah, it didn't even have to be the same color but maybe a little longer as her hand has grown since last November (3/4 inch to be exact). Well of course I could knit another mitten but thought a pair would be even better. Sunday I knit the first mitten. This pair has cream colored cuffs because I don't have enough leftover pink to make two full mittens.

Monday night they called again, all smiles, as Jonah found the lost mitten on top of a snowbank on their walking route to school. Misshapen and dirty but without any tears, it survived three days in the snow and a weekend of rain. Norah and Jonah are certain that, a la the picture book The Mitten, a little mouse or bird sheltered in the mitten during the rain. The pair has since been washed and according to my daughter came out looking reasonably well. In the meantime I'm finishing up the slightly longer pair and will send them off tomorrow. I wish all of life's problems had such an easy solution. 

This week I read Blue Light Hours by Bruna Dantas Lobato. I loved this quiet story of a loving mother daughter relationship that unfolds mostly over Skype. The mother in Brazil expresses concern for her daughter, an international student in Vermont while the daughter worries for her mother because she lives alone. The novel chronicles a gentle but heartbreaking and humorous view of the immigrant experience. The writing is lyrical but sparse in a way where every word counts. I know mother/daughter relationships can be difficult but I enjoyed reading about these two women growing into a rich adult friendship. 

And so rather than a photo of snow, I leave you with one of Spring. I am off to make either a batch of cookies or scones to warm up the kitchen. I hope March is treating you well.