Mid-September

Hello Gentle Readers. This mid-September brings changeable weather with alternating cold and warm fronts. Sunday morning was chilly. Then on Monday, a warm humid day was sandwiched between morning and evening thunderstorms . When the sun shines, the skies are beautiful beyond description. I continue to cut and enjoy bright zinnia bouquets although the rest of the garden looks ragged. Some of zinnia blooms have morphed into slightly different hues. Perhaps they also age. 

Depending on how Wednesday goes, I hope to link with Kat and the Unravelers. If not, I'm there in spirit. This week, as changeable as the weather,  I worked a little on this and a little of that. I enjoy knitting the handspun shawl and have just started a second section of eyelet lace. From the photo you can see I cast on a pair of socks that I hope will be a travel project. 

I stitched on the piece of fabric that I plan to sew into a small pouch. I finished the grid on the back as well as the front flap. Even though it isn't visible in this photo, I couched on the last six square grid that will be the inside front of the pouch. All of this makes sense in my head so I hope it comes together in real life. I don't have a pattern although I have made other pouches following tutorials by k3n (Kathryn) Cloth Tales. 

This week I listened to A Line in the World: A Year on the North Coast  by Dorthe Nors, translated by Caroline Waight. This nonfiction is a description of Nors' homeland on the Jutland Peninsula of Denmark. I would classify this five plus hour audiobook as nature writing with a touch of memoir. In a calm but clear-headed voice, Nors explores the connection between inhabitants, environment, geography, and history of the rugged area. She doesn't shy away from controversy or ugly truths but still the narration was peaceful and hearing the pronunciation of names and locations in several languages added to my enjoyment. Nors' purpose in writing the book was to explore a woman's relationship to the land and area and she did so without romanticizing it. I came away with a sense of the rugged beauty and a respect for those who live there.

I also read the mystery, Murder at the Spirit Lounge by Jess Kidd. This is the second in a series featuring Nora Breen, the fifty some year old former nun pursuing a criminal in "Gore-on-the-Sea" along the coast of England. I am enjoying this indomitable woman who is forging a new life for herself in middle age as well as the cast of quirky characters. While it's not a Louise Penny novel, the sardonic humor and plot twists kept me entertained. 

I hear rain on the roof. I need to find a raincoat and run a few errands. Enjoy your making and reading while you stay well and safe.   

A September leaf

Still Summer

Hello Gentle Readers. Even though I begin this post with wool socks, the last ten or so days have been very summery as in extremely hot and dry. Rain is forecast for late this Tuesday evening. Hopefully cooler days will follow. One tomato plant still grows giving us a few ripe tomatoes. Down the street, a neighbor has a glorious patch of sunflowers between the street and the sidewalk. On the other side of that driveway, morning glories twine over and around catmint and the bees hum. I love that little bit of wildness.

On Wednesday I will link with Kat and the Unravelers. The Beach Glass socks are finished. I enjoyed the yarn and the little bow-tie design down the side of the leg. This week, I continued knitting on the "Same As it Ever Was" hat. I am using helical knitting to blend yarns from a mini skein set. It's a great project for spare moments of knitting. 

Once I knit a colorwork yoke sweater with Rowan Felted Tweed. Although I loved the fabric, every time I put on the sweater, I took it off. The fit was wonky. Earlier in the year I reclaimed and washed the yarn. Since I used the same yarn base in the Don't Ask cardigan and it fits well, I cast on another one with the reclaimed yarn. I completed the neck shaping and am happily increasing the modified saddle shoulder portion. I don't remember ever successfully knitting with reclaimed sweater yarn but I'm pleased with this project.

This week I needed a light read so I picked up The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict. Benedict writes historical fiction about remarkable women whose contributions are often overlooked. The narrator of this story, set in 1930, is mystery writer Dorothy L. Sayers. Sayers' cohorts include four other female mystery writers, Agatha Christie, Nagaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. During a humorous but maddening episode, Sayers and Christie elbow the queens' way into a mostly male club of detective writers. While I noted a few instances of too-modern vocabulary, I enjoyed the friendship forged between the women as they set out to become appreciated in the Club by solving a real-life murder. Soon, setting the record straight about the deaths of two young women who were ill-used by powerful men and maligned by the press, becomes their higher purpose. My daughter thought I'd enjoy reading this book and sent me her copy. My mother was an avid reader, including mysteries. I'm sure she read Christie and Sayers so this book is a nice connection for us. Your mileage may vary, but I enjoyed the novel. 

As summer winds down, I wish you a good week with peaceful making and interesting reading. 

Ravelry Links

Bowtie Beach Glass Socks

Same As It Ever Was Hat

Don't Ask Cardigan

  

Hello September

Hello Gentle Readers. Summer has one more story to tell on this early September day. Through next Monday, high temperatures will remain in the mid-nineties. I walk on the shaded sides of streets, shamelessly zigzagging back and forth in order to stay in the shade. If anyone asks, I'm claiming more steps. On one route, a large rose garden with many varieties blooms a second time. It is glorious. Monday I went out to snip parsley and basil for a pasta salad and found three small (monarch) caterpillars in the parsley. Since the two plants are small, I made do with basil. Our salad was plenty tasty. 

Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers. I finished the heel flap and gusset on the second the Bow-Tie socks. I also cast on some new projects. I have admired the "Same As It Ever Was" hats that Sarah knits from the pattern she designed. I gathered some leftover yarns and a pastel mini skeins to knit one from scraps. After completing the increases, I used helical knitting to blend the first two mini skeins. My only regret is, unlike Sarah, I don't have a Ruthie dog as a way to measure progress. I have plenty of yarn to make a nice hat but haven't decided whether I will mix the colors or knit all the pinks on one side and the blues on the other. 

I wanted to knit with this batch of handspun yarn. I ripped out my first attempt as the stockinette pattern didn't suit the yarn. Garter stitch at a looser gauge looks better to me. I cast on a favorite, the Rewilding Shawl. Helen Stewart's row by row pattern provides percentage of yarn used at certain points in the project which will be useful as I figure out where to use the yarns. My plan is to use solid colors to create eyelet sections. It's an adventure.

Today is my birthday and so here I am walking into my seventy-fifth year in my walking shorts and faded shirt. (All of the stuff in the background belongs to my neighbors who like that sort of thing.)  I am very grateful to be in reasonably good health but that could turn on a dime. In the meantime, I try to savor the ordinary days. My plan is to love deeply, enjoy my family and friends, seek beauty, read thoughtfully, write a bit, and engage with making that sparks joy and peace. I remind myself to focus on what I have and be grateful for those things. Every now and then I need to put my feet up in the middle of the day and so I try to accept this with grace. In the last few months, I've come to realize that energy is equally as precious as time.  At this age, every day is a gift to be unwrapped with care. 

I think it is quite warm most places in the northern hemisphere. I hope you can stay cool and take care in the heat.