Hello Gentle Readers. Hello November. This week promises rainy days with the possibility of intermittent sunshine. Mother Nature ushers us toward winter with shorter daylight hours. As I compose on Tuesday, gentle rain falls as a brisk breeze blows leaves from the trees. Above normal temperatures combined with humidity from the rain feels unsettling. A few trees have lost all their leaves while many still have many green leaves on branches. At any rate, the rain feels more seasonable so soup is on the menu.
Wednesday is the day to link with Kat and the Unravelers. I'm happy to say, I finished the gray socks with the evergreen and tree motifs around the upper leg. These will be tucked away as a Christmas gift.
I unraveled a shawl I was knitting with handspun. I debated about giving up on the project because this handspun is a little fragile. However, when a project sits around in a bag, it's often a clear sign it isn't working for me. The more fabric I knitted, the more I wondered if I really wanted to finish it. So, into the frog pond it went.
I'm back to the gray sweater and possibly one more gift knit for Christmas. Now that the weather has cooled off, knitting on a sweater is more appealing. Since this is the second time with this pattern in the same yarn base, I skipped blocking. Instead I put it on waste yarn to double check the fit. The project is now a peaceful knit until I reach the black hole of knitting that sometimes happens with swaths of stockinette.
This past week I listened to 107 Days by Kamala Harris. I don't often read memoirs by public servants and/or politicians but I was browsing for an audiobook on Libby and this one was available. I also admire Harris for her courage and integrity. In this book she is candid and honest about mistakes made as well as the highs and lows of her presidential campaign. The details of the selection process for a vice presidential candidate as well as the process of debate preparation were interesting to me. This account makes it clear to me that political campaign spending in this country would benefit by thoughtful change. What could we accomplish by using some of that money on health care and research, education, our national parks or name your favorite cause? I'm probably one of the last to read the book but I found it worth my time to hear Harris tell the story in her own words with her voice.
If the rain lets up I may take a walk, if not there are some household chores that I'll tackle. In the meantime, let's all take a deep breath and extend grace to each other.
