Hello April

Hello Gentle Readers. Here, April begins with cloudy cool days and blustery winds. The tulips in the neighborhood bloom, though the flowers are tightly closed against the cool days. I often walk past a small draw with old trees. Saturday the sun came out and the birds were celebrating so I turned on Sound ID in the Merlin App. A few minutes later I heard a meadowlark. I know that five note melody by heart.  Meadowlarks prefer the open countryside and I've never heard one in town.  I couldn't see him but Merlin also identified the call so I wasn't imagining things. 

Today is Unraveled Wednesday with Kat and friends.  Around the middle of March, I pulled together fabrics for a table runner. In between the sweater sleeves, I've done some applique´.  When the applique´ is finished, I may embellish the top with embroidery or quilt a few stars into the background. Right now it looks rather stark to me.  

I am on the home stretch with my winter sweater. The first sleeve is finished and I am knitting the second one. I've enjoyed the project but will be happy to be done. This last sleeve feels like a bit of a slog so I hope to finish it this week. 

I am spinning a braid of BFL/Silk. The colors remind me of the irises and lilacs that will bloom soon. I split the braid and am spinning two halves end to end. I have no plan except to enjoy the colors and the fiber. The first two smaller bumps are now on the first bobbin and I have just begun the second. 

This week I'm reading two lighter novels. I'm listening to The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods. The novel with two storylines and many literary references is set Ireland. It contains magical realism and at times is a little unbelievable. As in, one heroine, trying to escape her dominating brother and a forced marriage, is befriended by James Joyce. I'm not too far into the story but enjoying it. I was in the library picking up a hold and saw The Lantern's Dance, #18 in the Mary Russell, Sherlock Holmes series, by Laurie R. King so I brought it home. It's hard to resist a new book about familiar characters. I like Russell with her bent toward scholarship, her determination, and her view of women's roles.  

Oh my goodness, the wind blew away the clouds and for the moment, the sun is shining. Today feels like March but the green in the landscape, including weeds, says April. It's time to get to work on the ever-present Creeping Charley. 

What does April look like in your area?

Sweater Adventures

Hello Gentle Readers. This morning is a chilly gray end to March. Late last week rain fell and then a snow shower blew through on Saturday. Yesterday morning greeted us with another dusting of snow. The days are cold, some windy, some still. March is winding down. The winter juncos still flit in and out of the yard but this morning I saw a gold finch sporting his brighter yellow feathers. Small early iris bloomed just before the cold returned. The friend that shared them with me called them "purple flags." Years ago I planted them all around the front of the perennial flower bed but very few remain. My friend, an avid gardener, moved away and then died several years ago. These little flowers are a sweet reminder of time spent with her. 

Today I am happy to be posting with Kat and the Unvavelers. My computer overheated again. The shop here is very good and ran the second analysis at no charge but couldn't find any malfunction. Thanks to some ideas from my son, it is running normally. He thought a piece of software might be getting caught in endless looping. I also bought a new power strip for good measure. 

Since I last posted, I fixed this sweater. How I ended up with so many extra inches is slightly mysterious. After blocking, both my row and stitch gauge were accurate but I had misread the bust measurement for the size I was making, thinking it was two inches smaller than was printed. That doesn't account for all of the difference though. Maybe the 1.5 inches I added to the yoke depth and the construction also contributed to the extra inches? 

Since the yoke fit fairly well, I ripped back to the sleeve separation and cast on nine fewer stitches under each armhole. I knit two rounds and then decreased two additional stitches, one on each side of the back. Twenty fewer stitches removed four inches. Then I knit about an inch, blocked the sweater, (see the visible line in the photo) and it fit better. I knit the ribbing at the bottom of the sweater twice as the first go-around looked sloppy. Hopefully the visible line disappears on the next blocking.

Since the number of sleeve stitches is now different from the pattern, I calculated a new set of  sleeve decreases. I'll try it on soon to check the sleeve circumference.  Although I'd rather not, I'm prepared to rework parts of this sleeve.  I've also washed and re-skeined the ramen yarn.  There you have it, probably more than you ever wanted to know about this sweater.  Who knows what will happen next. It's a good thing I'm enjoying the yarn. 

The light is lousy today for photos. Anyway, I've added a few rows to the Sophie Shawl. While pondering the sweater, I cast on a sock but I haven't made much progress. 

Last night I finished The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson. This fiction is an example of a small press, Milkweed, publishing a well written book that might not garner attention of the bigger publishers.  I loved the story of the generations of Dakho´ta women passing down seeds and caring for plants as a way to preserve their families, land, and history. The characters are beautifully written. Wilson writes a reverence for the land, the water, the plants, family ties, and the people. I will be thinking about this story for a long time. 

I now return to Willa Cather's The Song of the Lark. I finished rereading it last week. I previously wrote about Cather's negative stereotyping of Native Americans and Mexicans. Near the end of that novel is a racial slur in reference to a hotel employee. I reread the section and honestly, nothing in the story depends upon that racist comment. After reading the slur on top of the stereotypes, the book lost much of it's luster for me. I realize that 1915, the date of original publication, was a different time but I hope any modern discussion of the novel includes that material. I am a different reader than I was the first time I read that novel.  

So friends, I hope all is well and that your making treats you well. 

Ravelry Links

Maddox Sweater

Basket Weaver Ribbed Socks

TGIF 3.15.24

Hello Gentle Readers. Spring arrives early here. While walking, I notice the green leaf tips on ornamental pear trees and the red fringe on maple leaves. These daffodils survived onslaught from the squirrels and bloom bravely on this chilly morning. On Tuesday, we drove two hours west of Lincoln to see the spring migration of the sandhill cranes. Once again, we stood on the pedestrian bridge over the Platte River at sunset. It was a perfect evening for being outdoors, warm for March and no wind. 

This Friday, I am thinking about the miraculous migration of so many birds. The record numbers of cranes migrating is heartening. The smell of the river, the ancient music of the cranes, the setting sun over the river are all part of the familiar experience. We arrived about mid-afternoon and found a spot to watch them feed and dance in a field. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission estimates the cranes consume 1600 tons of waste corn from nearby fields. Counts vary but well over 500,000 cranes spend time in the Platte River Valley. Conservation efforts to preserve the habitat and educate landowners as well as bird lovers are ongoing. This link will take you to a short video about the migration. This year, just after sundown, birds roosted on the sandbar visible in the distance. That doesn't always happen. Sometimes they roost in another location.

I am grateful for rain that fell Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. Our winter season has been dry. It's good to see damp earth, if only for a day or two. The rhythm of the seasons, this gradual unfolding of the Spring, even if early, is reassuring.

I am inspired by the gentle comradery of strangers standing on the bridge. From the elderly gentleman pushing his wife in a wheelchair, the persons who made a space for her to see through the railing, the families teaching young children about sandhill cranes and the river, to the gentleman offering to share his binoculars with a fellow observer, everyone was kind. Standing shoulder to shoulder, we engaged in quiet (so as not to frighten the birds) conversation about the evening, the river, the sunset, the cranes, other natural wonders, and home towns. I listened to voices of women from Minnesota eager for a glimpse of Spring, a couple from Colorado, and a fellow Lincolnite who comes every year.  A grandmother helped a little girl look at deer crossing the river. There were no raised voices or fraught accusations about red or blue states but instead a quiet wonder in this evening. Perfect strangers spent a few peaceful hours together. Here lies hope. 

As for fun, I gathered some supplies for a project that's been brewing in my mind. I plan to create  a version of a table runner I heard about a few years ago. Recently I ordered a back issue of Taproot Magazine to read more about the project. For me, patterns are only suggestions, so I'll likely adapt it as I go. 

I wish you a good last weekend of winter. 

Early March

Hello Gentle Readers. Early this morning I woke to a flicker drumming on the metal top of the fireplace chimney. He is persistent in the spring, drumming to demonstrate prowess to potential mates. The first time we heard the metallic vibrations we thought we had a critter or a bird in the flue. Thank goodness that was not the case. This morning the wind is quiet under a mostly blue sky. A chickadee and junco flit in and out of the birch. The sun reflects off the brilliant head of the red-bellied woodpecker. The birds have been absent from this area for the last few days so it's nice to see them again. Sunday near sunset, a flock of sandhill cranes flew over, no doubt heading for their rest areas near the Platte River. Spring is stirring.

Wednesday is the day to link with Kat and the Unravelers to post about knitting and reading. Knitting is sometimes an adventure. This sweater is too big, as in nine instead of four inches of positive ease around my chest. Good grief! I haven't ripped it out yet because I want to analyze my mistake or mistakes. I've knit other sweater patterns by this designer and never had a problem with fit so I know I've done something wonky. In the next few days, I hope to have some daylight hours to solve the puzzle. The yarn is too nice to knit into a sweater that sits in the drawer. 

As a palette cleanser, I knit this little washcloth. I used KnitPicks Cotlin. I added extra increases but it is on the small side. Knit in soft colors, it would be a nice addition to a baby gift. Anyway, I put this one under a soap dish in a bathroom. It's a pattern I have always wanted to knit. Who knows why but it was a quick satisfying project. 

I added a few rows to the Sophie Shawl and finished my Scrappy Socks. I may have enough of the solid yarn of the heels and toes to knit a pair of socks with another yarn for contrast. Does leftover yarn multiply in the bottom of project bags?

I am about to abandon Night and Day published by Virginia Woolf in 1919. Woolf's writing includes interesting evocative metaphor and character description but the storyline of young adults navigating romantic relationships has less appeal. One young woman, used as a sounding board by other characters, works for the women's right to vote. However careers, men's or women's, are not the focus of the novel. I could also be missing the point so abandoning it might be my best option.

I continue to reread one of my favorite Cather novels, The Song of the Lark published in 1915. This is the story of a young woman finding her musical vocation and those who influence her along the way. Cather includes Native Americans and Mexicans in this novel. To a certain extent, her depiction of both groups relies on stereotypes but they are not invisible either. Romance in the Cather novel is about music and place. 

Looking at the publication dates, made me curious about these two women. I discovered Cather and Woolf lived about the same time. Cather's letters* provide evidence that she read some of Woolf's work. I found an article suggesting the three part structure based on a house in The Professor's House by Cather may have influenced Woolf's structure in To the Lighthouse. 

I'm off for a walk. I love light jacket or sweatshirt weather. I hope the change of season finds you well.

Ravelry Links

Scrappy Socks 

Wash cloth

*The Selected Letters of Willa Cather

Explore: February Notes

Hello Gentle Readers. This leap year day, the sky is blue and a brisk wind blows the clouds across the sky. I've picked up sticks and small branches several times. The March roller coaster weather arrived early with seventy nine degrees on Monday, a blustery cold Tuesday, and a low of eight degrees on Wednesday. Today the temperature bounces up to fifty degrees. The juncos are still in the garden and at the feeders. When they migrate out, winter is officially over. I did see a big flock of robins on Tuesday.

This is a post on my 2024 word, explore. 

Since late last Fall, my writing practice felt stale and stuck so I set out to explore ways to reenergize my writing. I have more than a few books about writing that say similar things in slightly different ways.  All have value and from time to time, I return to my favorites. I like Natalie Goldberg's freedom and the thoughtful approach in The Joy of Mindful Writing by Joy Kenward. Julia Cameron makes the point that anyone has The Right to Write. An older book that I started with, Writing for Your Life by Deena Metzger is dog-eared, full of bookmarks, and underlining. Although it might not be for everyone, her approach interested me. Most of the books on writing that I own were written by women although there are a few exception. 

To date, I've resisted online writing communities as I prefer pen, paper, and privacy. Once I open a screen, distractions are harder to avoid. In January, I subscribed to James Crews' weekly newsletter, containing a poem and a prompt because I can look at it or not. I admire the poems collected in his anthologies. 

I decided to wander though ideas about creativity. I am reading The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. What he has to say isn't earth shattering but a good reminder of what I have read elsewhere plus some new ideas. I appreciate his beginning statement saying he is recording his thoughts and that some, all, or none of them may be true. In other words, the reader should adopt what is useful to her. 

Coincidentally I'm rereading Willa Cather's, The Song of the Lark, a story about a young girl from a small Western town who grows up to become a vocal music artist. It's a favorite and a way to read Cather's ideas about creative growth. I suspect she drew on her own experiences when creating the Thea Kronborg, the main character.

The concept of space when creating has appeared in my reading. It came up in both Rubin's book and Enchantment by May. Thea in The Song of the Lark, takes an extended trip to the Southwest to rejuvenate and consider her life as a performing artist. I wonder if Cather's trips in the Southwest did much the same for her. Fiction is another avenue for exploring space and creative pursuits. 

These are my notes for February. I'm exploring ways to incorporate space in my writing practice. Space to be still, space where I can wander, space to write some pieces that should never see the light of day. Space to let poems and essays rest to see what they might want to become. 

Thanks to Carolyn for providing a link for posts about words of the year. 

February's End

Hello Gentle Readers. As I write on Tuesday to post on Wednesday, the wind blows a gale. The strong northwest wind brings cloud cover and colder temperatures. Other parts of the state may see snow but there is no moisture in our forecast. The finches and juncos hang on to the feeder as it bobs in the wind. Those tiny feet and claws must be strong. After a string of sixty and seventy degree days, the chives and daffodils are up out of the ground. I hope a few colder days keep plants from budding. If not, lilacs and fruit trees will get nipped. 

Wednesday is the day to link with Kat and the Unravelers. I worked on this sweater, separating the sleeves from the body, and then knitting a little over an inch. When I try it on, the sweater sits nicely on my shoulders but there is extra fabric in the yoke above the underarm. It may be fine with this amount of ease or it may need some adjustments. I'm wondering about ripping back and casting on fewer stitches at the underarm? Before I do anything, I plan to knit another inch or so and try it on again. Maybe blocking it would be a good idea too. 

The heel of the first scrappy sock felt better in the light of day. So while I pondered my sweater options, I knit on the socks and made good progress. Scrappy socks are cousins to those from self-striping yarns. The knitting seems to go more quickly. Not that knitting is ever a race but you know what I mean.  

I cast on a Sophie Shawl/Scarf using yarn I bought last September with a birthday gift card. The yarn is a bit of a splurge and the blush color makes me think of Spring. It's a good end-of-winter knit.

This week I unraveled a cowl. I wasn't enjoying the project. Honestly I have a couple of cowls I wear but am more likely to reach for a scarf or shawl. I love the colors in the Fibernymph Dyeworks mini skein set and so I frogged the project and wound up the yarn for another day. 

As for reading, I was listening to What You Are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison Watts. The narrator for the male voices was driving me crazy. Since this is the selection of my local group and I'm enjoying the story, I plan to pick up a hard copy from the library. The characters' stories are formulaic and maybe a little too sweet but the tie-in to library books is fun. I also love the librarian who is the common thread through the stories. I'm going to finish it. Otherwise, Mary Oliver and Virginia Woolf continue to be my reading companions. 

I kid you not, I just saw a squirrel go by with what looked like a whole round cookie in it's mouth. I sure don't share my cookies with the squirrels. The wind must have blown over a trash can. And so on this windy, crazy day that feels more like March than February, I wish you all a good week.

Ravelry Links

Winter Maddox Sweater

Scrappy Socks

Sophie Shawl

  

TGIF 2.23.24

Good morning Gentle Readers. It's Friday under a bright blue Nebraska sky. A bird sings outside my window as we edge our way to the last weeks of winter. Earlier, a robin cleaned up seed under the backyard feeders. Yesterday I walked around the yard, pulled a few weeds (there are many more) and straightened the pile of rocks in the pollinator garden. 

Today I am thinking about the yarn I plied yesterday. Currently, I am spinning commercially prepared Corriedale roving. The fiber has a soft hand and wants to be spun fine. As I plied, the singles kept drifting apart. Sometimes I could add enough twist to join the thread back together but I also tied a few knots. Either the singles are too fine or they didn't have enough twist. This is the second skein from this fiber and more uneven than the first. I have more of this fiber so I hope to make some positive changes. As an aside, while I spun this skein, I was dealing with stress of medication side effects and I wonder if it effected my spinning. 

I am grateful for my local book group. We met Wednesday evening to discuss Murder Your Employer: The McMaster's Guide to Homicide, a tongue in cheek novel with lots of word play. The hostess greeted us with warm hugs and served some lovely treats. We had a lively discussion about a variety of topics, including the book. We consoled a member who recently lost a dear loved one and spoke of things near to our hearts. I look forward to that gathering every month. 

I am inspired by migrating birds. This week I was on the edge of town picking up a friend for lunch. I had a magnificent view of the eastern sky and saw several flocks of geese. Then far in the distance was another group that looked like a handful of black pepper thrown in the sky. That flock was too far away to identify but just might have been sandhill cranes. The natural cycle is rejuvenating and means Spring is on the way. 

As for fun, we are beginning to think about Spring trips to visit our children. Jonah tried one bite of each chocolate in his Valentine candy. Last night the two of us had an interesting conversation about two different editions of Curious George Goes to the Beach. He read an older copy from his school library and noticed the cover was different from my paperback copy. Our Texas grandson turned twenty years old this week. I can't wait to go visit all of them.