To Make a Garden

Hello Gentle Readers and Hello August. The month is new and has been all about the weather. Lincoln and Omaha are recovering from last Wednesday's storm. Wind up to 90 mph in Omaha and 80 mph in Lincoln damaged and destroyed many large trees and wreaked havoc with electricity. Fortunately we did not lose power or have any outdoor damage. Still, as of Monday about 20,000 customers were still without power in Omaha. Some volunteer cosmos in my garden were snapped off, the zinnias were blown around, pots of herbs blew over so the basil was jostled, and a few tomato vines needed more stakes. They were heavy with fruit so it's surprising they didn't break. The high heat of Friday through Monday broke sometime in the early morning of Tuesday. A drop from 100 degrees Monday afternoon to 66 on Tuesday morning was enough to make my head spin. 

As I link with Kat and the Unravelers to post our making and reading, I'm including my garden harvest. The photo above was taken Monday evening so excuse the poor lighting and the basement floor with gardening paraphernalia. Abundant sunshine, hot days, warm nights, drip hoses, have created a good tomato crop. Fresh tomatoes with basil, garlic, and olive oil (garlic removed for eating) served over warm pasta and sprinkled with grated parmesan is my favorite summer dish. I also freeze an easy tomato sauce and blanched, peeled, chopped tomatoes in 2 c. amounts. There are more tomatoes on the kitchen counter and in the garden. If you need me this afternoon,  I'll be in the kitchen. 

I'm enjoying knitting on my summer top and hitchhiker a little at a time. Photos and an update next week. This summer I've been working on these quilt blocks. A long time ago, I bought seven Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks in an antique/second hand shop. The fabrics are in surprisingly good condition. The small pieces were sewed with tiny even stitches and a 1/8th seam allowance. From time to time, I looked at them and put them back in the box. I didn't want to recreate the pattern and I knew that seam allowance would be enough to make me pull out my hair. Since I am not making a quilt for a bed or a baby, I decided to appliqué them, raw-edged, to muslin squares. I used a new-to-me invisible basting technique to make sure they stayed flat and then stitched around the edges with the blanket stitch. I throughly enjoyed the process and not fussing about turning under the edges. I need two more blocks for a square top. I'm looking at a few books about feedsack and Depression era quilts for inspiration. 

I'm rereading The Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson, a charming story many of you have read. I'm enjoying the leisurely ride in the canal boat and the three women characters. I had forgotten one of the minor characters is a knitter, a bonus. I'm listening to The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear. Again, as most of you know, this is the last in the Maisie Dobbs series. Winspear is wrapping up the story nicely. 

What are you making this week?   

  

TGIF 8.2.24

Hello Gentle Readers. The second week in July, when the euphoria of our in-person visit with family had faded and the news of world felt oppressive, I set an intention to find one "delight" each day. By delight, I mean some simple pleasure, a moment that stopped all the background noise in favor of being. Today I am framing the TGIF prompt around this intention. I keep a list in my journal. By design I don't have many photos but I do have two. 

Thinking how this simple intention has brightened my days. Of course it doesn't hurt that Kamala Harris is most likely the 2024 Democratic nominee for President of the United States. Even before that occurred, I noticed a shift in my outlook and ordinary days. As I walked this morning, I wondered what delight I might encounter today.

    July 13 - A sparrow caught in morning light changes ordinary beiges and browns into beauty. A white patch contrasts with brilliant rust wing.  

Grateful, more than grateful, for the safety of my air conditioned home. The intense heat was broken by a storm with 80 mph winds on Wednesday evening. Many lost power but we did not. We also did not have any extensive tree damage. 

    July 16 - On this hot evening, the setting sun is framed by streaks of pink light in the western sky. 

Inspired by the neighbors helping each other with the clean-up. Next door half of a large ash landed on a parked car. Many helped to chop off enough foliage and branches so several men could lift the limb off the car. 

    July 22 - Finding one perfect daisy in the otherwise spent flower bed of a neighbor. She has a large glorious bed that begins blooming in early Spring. Now, stalks are all that remain of iris, columbine, and lilies except for one small fresh daisy.

Fun.  The more I notice, then more I notice. Many of my entries recall a sensory experience and a good number of them are visual. The continuing part of this intention is to use all five senses more frequently.

    July 19 - The smell of chopped fresh parsley. It smells of the soil and the earth. When I unwrap it next winter and slice off a portion to season soup I'll smell the green of summer. 

Wishing you a peaceful weekend in a comfortable summer place. 

Summer Knitting

Hello Gentle Readers. This week brings extreme heat to our area. The vegetable garden and raised bed look like a jungle and the cone flowers thrive. The center of the cucumber vines begin to wilt but I have plenty of pickles canned for the coming year. Late yesterday afternoon a black swallowtail butterfly enjoyed blooms on the butterfly bush. I hope the nectar was sweet and cooling. I need to fill a shallow tray with water for them. We certainly could use some rain.

I link this Wednesday post with Kat and the Unravelers. I made some knitting progress this week. A toe will finish this second sock. I also need to try on the summer top to check for fit and decide the best way to add length to the yoke. The cotton yarn is making a lovely fabric but knitting with it is hard on my hands. At this rate, it's going to be a top for next summer. 

In the meantime, I cast on a Hitchhiker with a skein of very deep stash. Remember when Madelinetosh yarn was all the rage? Around here, it was hard to find and I thought I'd found treasure when I bought this skein on sale. Then it never looked quite right in any project. Last January when I went through my yarn, I vowed I'd either knit with this in 2024 or find it a new home in 2025. The other day I saw it in the "up next" bin and thought about something Bonny, the knitter of many beautiful Hitchhikers, once wrote on her blog. (Paraphrasing) "I often wonder what a skein of yarn would look like as a Hitchhiker." Of course, since the project is new it's fun to knit. 

As for reading, I'm listening to The Darkest Evening, a Vera Stanhope mystery by Ann Cleaves. It's a little formulaic but Vera is good company while making pickles. I'm reading Send for Me  by Lauren Fox, this month's selection by my local book club. This historical fiction follows three generations of Jewish women from just before World War Two in Germany into Wisconsin. The perspective of a young couple leaving Germany and parents behind and how the author frames that story should make for a good discussion. While there are some well written passages, other parts of the book feel a little choppy. However, I'm only half-way so my opinion might change.   

What is keeping you company on this last day in July?

part of the jungle

July Making

Hello Gentle Readers. The week or so of pleasant warm summer weather is giving way to another bout of high heat. So goes the summer in southeast Nebraska. The tomato plants in the raised bed are loaded with fruit and look lush and green. The plants in the other vegetable patch are a bit shaggy. There is some kind of blight going on in that soil. Mind, the plant with cherry tomatoes is producing a bumper crop and I've now canned fifteen pints of bread and butter pickles so that area has produced some vegetables. The butterfly bush is finally blooming and the bumblebees have found the zinnias. 

Wednesday is the day to post about making and/or reading. Kat lost her dog recently and so won't be hosting her link-up.  Pickling and gardening took up time this week so my knitting doesn't look much different than it did last week. I'm still knitting on the pink projects, socks and a summer top. I did get back to my spinning and plied two bobbins of Corriedale fiber into a 208 yard skein. To date, I have spun 783 yards of a light sport weight yarn. I have one more bump of this fiber to spin and then I'll have enough yardage for a project. Awhile back, Kat made a suggestion for a wheel adjustment and it made a big difference. Thank you Kat.  I was having trouble with the singles breaking/pulling apart wile plying but this last skein was a joy to ply. I've enjoyed spinning smaller skeins. The plying feels more manageable to me. 

Because library holds come in at the same time, I continue to listen to and enjoy Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle by Clare Hunter. Last night I listened to Hunter's narrative about the AIDS Memorial Quilt. She can tell a story. I am also listening to The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali. The story follows the friendship of two girls in Tehran who meet as young girls in the 1950's and subsequently grow up during tumultuous years in Iran. For a while, their paths diverge as one lives in the upper middle class and the other in more impoverished circumstances. They reconnect in high school and university. I'm reading this novel for the story and enjoying the exposure to the rich culture of Iran. This is a cautionary tale about the rights of women and I recommend it. The narrators in both of these audiobooks are excellent.  

I hope July is treating you well. This afternoon I'm off to harvest more basil and see about mending a bedspread. The new ones are expensive and I couldn't find one I liked so I'm going to try mending. Wish me luck. 

And so it Grows

Hello Gentle Readers. Well, it's been a week. I am thankful for air conditioning, making, and reading. As I compose, I'm watching a blue jay perched on the deck railing watching a gold finch eat from the tube feeder. Is it a stretch to think the blue jay with cocked head is trying to understand how the finch can balance on that perch and ingest chipped sunflower seeds from the tiny hole? Maybe I'm not the only one who feels like life is precarious and hard to understand.  

The garden is growing. I harvested and froze some chopped basil and made one batch of bread and butter pickles. We've also enjoyed a handful of cherry tomatoes and three garden tomatoes. As my grandfather used to remark, the hot humid days and nights are "tomato growing weather." He would have known as he grew beautiful vegetables.

Today is Wednesday, the day to post and link with Kat and the Unravelers. During the stretch of four extremely hot days, I ventured out to turn on the drip hoses in the gardens but have mostly been indoors. I finished up the neck shaping and joined the stitches of the summer top. I continue with raglan increases in the round. I do like the fabric I'm getting with this yarn and these needles. When my hands need a break, I knit on the bright pink socks. The second sock of this pair has a heel flap. I'm ready to turn the heel, my favorite part of sock knitting. I don't know why I'm amazed that steady knitting on a project or two generally means progress. 

I read Pax by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Jon Klassen as the second book in my buddy read with Micah. This is a story about a young boy and a fox that asks some hard questions about peace and war and life. The structure of alternating chapters between boy and fox as narrators is well paced. The relationship between the woman veteran of war and the boy is heartwarming. 

Currently, I'm reading Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks, the only novel written by this poet. Mary suggested it to me and I am glad she did. Maud Martha narrates her experiences as a black girl and woman in Chicago in the 1940's. From the first sentence of the opening chapter, a description of Maud Martha, I knew I was in the hands of a lyrical writer. In a few short pages, Brooks tells us much about Maud. I'm two-thirds of the way through this short novel and it is lovely. Poets have a way with prose. 

I'm continuing to listen to Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle by Clare Hunter. Hunter's research is meticulous. I was a little frustrated with the chapter about Mary Queen of Scots, wondering why there was no mention of the people who produced and processed the sumptuous fiber and threads used by the queen. Hunter goes on though, to look at the needlework of women incarcerated against their will in mental asylums and prisons as well as native peoples in various parts of the world. She includes makers from many walks of life.  

Stay safe and cool friends. 

Ravelry Links

Summer Top

Red Bud and Cherry Blossom Socks 

 

Stitching into July

After the barrage of fireworks, the days have been blessedly quiet. Saturday, a hard rain and a cold front cooled and cleared the air. Beautiful summer days of sunshine and light breezes followed. Walking these mornings is lovely. In my garden, I watched a gorgeous rust and dark brown moth/butterfly with striking markings. I have no idea of his proper name but decided seeing him was enough. The bees are buzzing around the cucumber blossoms and I picked the first handful of cherry tomatoes and had a little snack right in the garden. 

Today I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers to post about making and reading. My knitting mojo needed a boost so I cast on this summer top, twice. After completing the short rows on the first attempt, I decided eyelet sleeves were not for me. I ripped out the rows and started over. In all my years of knitting, I've never knit a summer top so I thought I'd give it a go and see what happens. 

I finished the traveling socks. I enjoyed the yarn in the socks. There is a bit of an ankle stripe because at 30,000 feet I decided to knit the heel with the main color instead of messing around and possibly dropping a small ball of yarn. I noticed the pooling but kept on knitting. By the time the plane landed, I decided to live with the stripe. Next time I use this dyer's yarn (and I will because I like the base) I'll use the contrasting color in the heel to avoid pooling in the ankle. 

I knit a third little pumpkin hat from leftovers of two skeins. That little piece of yarn was all that remains. I won this round of yarn chicken. This hat is for a babe that will be a cousin to the twins. All three babies are due to arrive around the same time so all three can wear pumpkin hats this fall. 

I stitched two more cloth pouches, one for my daughter (not pictured) and another for a niece. I've enjoyed picking out pieces from all of my quilting leftovers. While making these two, I figured out a way to line and stitch the edges so all raw edges face the wrong side and are enclosed by stitching. I also reinforced the top of the body with a piece of binding.  

back

While working on the pouches, I decided I wanted to know more about embroidery. As a girl, I learned a few basic stitches and then later did counted cross stitch. I bought a nice used copy of Elegant Stitches, a dictionary of embroidery stitches with some other bits of information. I can find instructions on-line but I wanted a little reference book of stitches in one place. 

In the same vein, I'm listening, via Hoopla,  to Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle  by Clair Hunter. I listened to the first chapter last night. It promises to be an interesting view of history. I finished the first buddy read with my grandson. He chose the Newberry Award winning YA novel, Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. A young boy takes on a bully and ends up in quite an adventure and making a difference in his community. Micah loved this book so I'm anxious to talk with him. I'm also reading a new-to-me poetry anthology by Jane Hirshfield, The Asking: New and Selected Poems. These days, as Kym wrote in a post, poetry is a balm for the soul. Hirshfield makes me think and I admire her metaphors that often refer to everyday objects and events. 

Wishing you a quiet peaceful week. Breathe. 

Making Memories

Hello Gentle Readers. We are recently home from a wonderful visit with our daughter, son-in-law, and family. We tagged along to all the things, including baseball games, the swimming pool, a gymnastics class, doughnuts, and church. Jonah and Norah and I blew bubbles almost every morning. 

Instead of bringing gifts, we take them to the local independent bookstore to pick out a book. It's fun to see what they choose each time we visit. Micah and I are going to have a buddy read this summer. We made a list.  

All four kids have a journal that they write in and decorate with stickers and drawings. Just for fun I had Jonah and Norah draw in my journal. Next time I hope to snag the two older ones also. The blue hydrangeas growing all around the community were a treat, so Norah drew one for me. Jonah drew a baseball field, appropriate given we attended five games, several on the weekend of the heat dome. On the dining room table, Kate has a tray that holds odds and ends and sometimes a seasonal decoration. Right now it contains baseballs the kids have picked up at major and minor league games. 

Most of my making these past weeks has been about making and savoring memories. Since it is Wednesday, I have a little knitting to show. I finished the pumpkin hats the day before the baby shower. That afternoon, I bought an iced latte and sat down with a podcast and the last hat. It was down to the wire but the hats and board books were well received. 

My travel knitting was a new pair of socks. I opted for my vanilla sock pattern. I can knit the body of the sock in a broken rib of Knit 4, Purl 2 without a pattern. Honestly my knitting is a little "meh" these days. The shawl is too hot to have in my lap. The other pair of socks languish in a bag. 

As for books, I reread In Falling Snow by Mary-Rose MacColl, an Australian novelist and published in 2012. This historical fiction toggles between modern day Australia and a World War One hospital in France. Iris, the main character, is at the end of her life. She receives an invitation to a reunion of the women who organized and ran Royaumont, a Scottish Women's Hospital on the western front in France where she worked as a nurse. And so begins her reflection on her years during the war. World War One was an exercise in brutality so it is a sad story but Royaumont and the Scottish Women's Hospital was a real place and a remarkable bit of history. I like historical fiction and strong women characters so will keep this book on my shelf.  

While in Connecticut, I read The Memory of Lavender and Sage by Aimie K. Runyan. This novel is a light summer read. I confess to choosing the book based on the cover. Bonny and I had a short exchange about book covers recently. Here is a link she sent me about book covers if you want to read more. Most of the novel is set in rural Provence. The descriptions of the village, as well as the herbs grown and used by the main character are lovely. Although the writing isn't the smoothest, I appreciated the development of two characters who changed for the better. An elderly gentleman who was rather unkind to the main character, actually apologized and mended his ways. Imagine such a thing. 

Finally, today is Kate's birthday. She is a remarkable woman, a physical therapist, an amazing athlete, a wonderful wife, mother, sister, and every thing we could ask for in a daughter. While I abhor the barrage of personal fireworks that has become the custom, I do have a wonderful memory of watching fireworks outside my hospital room window with her tucked into the crook of my arm. Happy Birthday Kate!

I hope all is well and you are enjoying a respite from the heat of late June.