by Kat | Mar 13, 2024 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings dear Unravelers and Happy almost mid-March!
I am absolutely not loving how quickly these days are moving along!
I do have that first sock done and I immediately started the second sock so I have something to “mindlessly” knit at night. It was a good choice to pair the yarn with Hermoine’s Everyday Sock pattern. It is easy to keep track of how many more “repeats” to do before the heel and how many on the foot before the toe… so the second sock is even more mindless!
But outside that sock knitting, not much making has been happening here… at least on the knitting front.
I am keeping up with my two stitching projects though. Carolyn asked a very good question on Monday… she wondered if I kept my time to 15 minutes… or if I went over. If I include my “thought process” for each page, I go way over the 1.25 hours of stitching time! I have sort of fallen into a rhythm of thinking about where the next page will go as I am stitching the current page, I then try and put those thoughts together (sometimes on paper), pull some fabrics and set them aside. But for the actual stitching of each page… I try very hard to block out the cutting/pinning/stitching portions to 15 minutes per day. Sometimes, I might flow over a bit… but other days the stitching might be done in 5 minutes. So I think that 15 minutes is a good average for each day!
Page 11… Farm Traffic!
My reading has settled into a very, very slow pace and I am not at all upset by this! I have been trying to find some time in the afternoon to settle in to read but I have not found success yet. So no finishes this week.
What about you? What are you thinking about this week?
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Mar 11, 2024 | General, In This Moment
Welcome to the Mondayist Monday… the Monday after the Spring Forward time change. Are you all back on track yet? I am better than yesterday but still not feeling “right”.
Yesterday, Old Man Winter reminded us all that Winter Is Not Over. We had wild winds and white-out snow squalls that popped up through out the day. I found it curious that 30°F feels a LOT colder after a string of 60°+ days… and with the wind chill I was bundled up like I was heading to the Arctic Circle for Sherman’s walks yesterday. (In sharp contrast to my insane neighbor who was sporting a t-shirt and shorts when he was outside!)
There was no “Oscar Watching” here yesterday…it might have been fun, but honestly I was struggling to stay awake after dinner and was counting the minutes until bedtime!
There was a big moment that occurred last week though… on Thursday I hit Day 50 in my 100 day Journey! Yes, I am half way through this journey… 10 pages done and I am still having so much fun!
Halfway there!
And with that I will get back to my “usually” scheduled Monday Tasks… See you all back here on Wednesday!
by Kat | Mar 8, 2024 | Finds, General
Happy Friday everyone!
I am still on fire from Joe’s speech last night… it was so so good! Yes, I stayed up past my bedtime to watch the entire thing! (My favorite moment… Joe putting SCOTUS on notice! LOL The Best!!)
But there were some “finds” this week that have been tumbling around my head!
First, Helen’s Closet new Nelson Pants! I thought they were so cute, but then I saw Helen on IG and they have become an obsession!
Obsessed, I am telling you!
Next, there is a new Mystery Gnome coming… and I can’t wait! (Good thing I have a Valkyrie to bide my time with! Cast on will be happening this afternoon!)
Finally, this popped up in my email this week and I am very intrigued! My plan is to give them a try this weekend! I will report back next week as to how they come out!
Happy Friday all! See you back here on Monday!
by Kat | Mar 6, 2024 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings dear Unravelers and Happy Wednesday!
The making had a slight interruption this week with a blast of balmy weather it made sense to get out into the garden while the sun was shining! And despite it feeling unbelievably wrong to be out in shirtsleeves in March… I did get almost all the “pruning” done and I got a great start on the weeding! (Although, I left all the dandelions for the bees!)
But!! Despite spending quite a bit of time outdoors – I do have a finished Gnome!
Cher-gnome-ble… ready to wander!
Seeds, at the ready!
Dear Cher-gnome-ble… the bringer of spring! I really like him… his cape is so fun! I also gave him a bag filled with seed packets at the ready to sprinkle where he roams! The pattern called for only one arm, but as you can see, Cher-gnome-ble has two… it makes sprinkling those seeds easier! This pattern is from the latest set that Sarah Schira released. As you can see there are a number of Gnome Options and I have printed out the “viking” pattern and have been contemplating ideas for him her. What I immediately thought of when I saw the pattern was Brunnhilde from Wagner’s Ring Opera. So I think there will be another gnome… with a musical theme!
I really love these colors and the pattern helps to break up any pooling that might happen!
I cast on a new sock on March 1st! I am knitting socks and reading with @earthtonesgirl #ilovebooksandsockknittingkal24
Socks and reading… seemed like a natural thing to participate in! I am starting with a skein of Miss Babs Yummy 2-ply in the Deep Sea Jelly Fish color way, and my sock pattern… I thought Hermoine’s Everyday Sock was a very bookishly perfect sock! And I am listening to The Bookbinder as well… I like this pattern (I am almost at the heel where I need to pay a bit of attention) and I am really enjoying this WWI story as well! Once this pair is done, I plan in casting on another pair as I have an over abundance of sock yarn and socks are perfect companions for an audiobook!
I have two finishes this week… Ariel Lawhon’s The Frozen River and Rachel Khong’s Real Americans (which will be published April 30, 2024) I liked both books… Real Americans maybe a bit more… the writing was just so beautiful and the story is different… very different. Real Americans has lingered with me… this would be an excellent book club discussion book! And The Frozen River piqued my interest in finding out more about Martha Ballard!
And there you have my week! What about you? What are you working on this week?
by Kat | Mar 4, 2024 | Currently, General
It feels like we might be through the bulk of our “false spring starts” and might be leaning into actual spring! And although we do have some chillier overnight temps in the forecast for next week, most days are in the 50’s (and warmer!)
I am really ready for this change of season. Here is a peek into the things that are filling my days and my thoughts!
Baking (still) —
I have found a very good sourdough rhythm and I am baking a loaf roughly every 10 days or so. I have found the “sweet spot” of dough hydration. (82% for a “white loaf” and a bit higher for a loaf that has a higher percentage of whole wheat flour) I have also figured out fermentation times… for the temperature my house is currently. All that will change with the changing seasons and warming weather! I have a “baking journal” in which I record every aspect of each bake, so I am hopeful that the warming weather won’t be too much of a hurdle!
Reading (less) —
Inadvertently, I found myself reading less in February… thanks to that visit with my doctor and a frank discussion about my insomnia. Who knew that reading on an iPad would have such a significant impact on my sleep… certainly not me! So I ended February with only 6 books completed… but I had a significant improvement in sleep and a noticeable improvement in the quality of my reading. I remember more about the books I read… and I really liked the buffer of time between books that I gave myself last month. Even though the goal was to sleep better… having the unexpected result of reading better was an added bonus!
Adjusting —
I don’t really remember the moment that it suddenly occurred to me that Sherman is getting old (he is 11) but since last fall he has struggled with ongoing and almost continual ear issues. Ear infections, inner ear problems, loss of balance, and complete hearing loss… makes for a depressed pup. I have been working on hand signals with him, but it is as slow-going as he is! He has become the “barometer” for weather changes as his stiff joints are stiffer when the weather changes. Our walks are slower because he needs a slower pace so he does not trip and fall. He is happiest when we are close… and so of course he remains the best “sit and knit” companion on the planet!
Re-adjusting —
In January, I tried something “new” with my calendar/word journals… and it has been an epic failure. (Apparently teaching this “old dog” something new is as challenging as it is for Sherman!) Anyways… Yesterday, I removed the word journals from my calendar notebook and put them back in their “word notebook” and it felt so right! I got February all caught up and started March. I need to remind myself that sometimes the way I do things is the “best way” and I don’t need to fiddle with it! (Not always, but sometimes!)
And there you have it… a peek into what I am focused on right now! See you all back here on Wednesday!
Happy Monday, everyone!
