knitting into the night

Only the fiddly bits are left on my Livingston pullover. I actually have finished all the knitting, including that trouble spot in the yoke I was worried about, which caused quite a bit of cussing and frustration (you can find my notes on Ravelry about my calculations). Now I just need to weave in ends and sew on buttons. I have a number of sweaters in this state right now, and instead of hunkering down and just finishing them already, I keep casting them aside for something new.

This week I've been knitting on my Gweneth cardigan, a black fingering-weight cardigan that I know will become a wardrobe staple, dressy enough for weddings and funerals but simple enough for everyday outings. At first I thought I was crazy for knitting a sweater in such dark color at such a fine gauge, but then I discovered the key: find a really good book to read and knit away! As the past few nights have drawn to a close, I've settled into bed with my knitting needles full of midnight-colored stitches and the novel All the Light We Cannot See. It's beautifully written, one of those books you hope will go on and on. The knitting slows my reading speed a bit, which is fine by me when the writing is this good. 

Last week my husband and I both read The Girl on the Train and agreed that it's an entertaining read and a decent page-turner, but nothing we'll still be talking about in a year or even a month. If you want a quick thriller, though, it's worth checking out.

* * *

Joining in with Ginny today.

little birds sweater

Little yellow birds keep flying off my needles with this project. I tucked it away for a few weeks to finish some gift knitting and because I was intimidated by the sleeve join and a confusing part of the yoke, but I've been working on it monogamously for the past couple days.

I am in the middle of the sleeve join right now, and it's extremely tight knitting. Like so tight I popped one of my needle tips right off the cable and my stitches sprang loose! Luckily my toddler-wrangling skills kicked into action, and I quickly captured those loose stitches before they could unravel very far. I think I've also rigged a temporary fix for the broken needle (read: I shoved it back together in a fit of frustration, and it seems to be working so far, though I don't trust it as far as I can throw it, and if it breaks again I probably will indeed throw it).

I haven't yet reached the part of the yoke that other knitters called a "head-scratcher," but I'm hoping Ravelry notes will help me figure it out.

* * *

Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words by Malka Marom has been keeping me good company these days. I like reading about Joni's early days and her creative process. I'm also craving a plot-driven read, which I hope will be remedied soon by a trip to the library.

* * *

I'm joining in with Ginny this week.

What are you making and reading these days? I've been knitting on a few other sweaters, baking (this week it was banana cake), and gardening. 

the blues

First, thank you for all your kindness in response to my reflection about my grandmother. I appreciate the support!

* * *

Lately I've found myself drawn to blues: soft, tranquil blues and deep, bold blues alike. Maybe it's in anticipation of beach days soon to come or just the calmness of the color. Whatever the reason, blue has been on my knitting needles.

My husband is taking classes, so we have a new schedule around our house that begins at daybreak. This week I've been able to squeeze in a few rows of knitting in bed before my boy awakes. It feels luxurious to knit at dawn, just me and a cup of tea. The yarn colorway I've been knitting is aptly named "Early Light" (in Plucky Knitter's Trusty base). The pattern is Gramps from Tin Can Knits, a classic shawl-collared cardigan. It's written for two colors, but I prefer it knit in all one color.

I also can't wait to cast on a scarf for my husband out of Brooklyn Tweed Shelter. I'm planning to adapt the Guernsey Wrap pattern, and I've got my eye on some handmade needles to make it.

* * *

Some heavy reading this week: Atul Gawande's Being Mortal, a doctor's fascinating take on U.S. medical care for the aging and terminally ill. Gawande looks at how the medical system's heavy focus on trying to fix medical problems can actually shorten and worsen our lives. He urges medical practitioners and patients (that's all of us at some point) to instead focus on what makes life worthwhile for each individual and proceed with medical care that takes those values into account. It was a hard read emotionally for me, but absolutely worthwhile. I want to recommend this to everyone I know! Have you read it? What did you think?

* * *

I'm joining in with the Yarn Along this week. 

in bloom

{from top: Angelique tulips, Japanese maple, dogwood, Tom Thumb pea shoot, herbs--yes, two-thirds are lavender, violet cake}

We celebrated all the spring flowers this week with a violet cake, picking the violets before the rainstorms rolled through one morning and letting their petals dry on our kitchen counter. We used the vanilla cake recipe from Apples for Jam, which yielded a simple, buttery cake and a sweet vanilla frosting. Definitely a recipe to pull out again and again, adding in berries, peaches, lemon balm, and mint as the seasons progress.

We filled our raised beds with soil, and now they're just waiting to be planted. I've got beans, cucumbers, carrots, peas, lettuce, chard, and flower seeds ready to go, but I need to figure out what to plant where. I'm thinking Companion Planting for the Kitchen Gardener by Allison Greer might help out (I love Allison's blog, Homesprout, and Liesl recently recommended this book on her new podcast).

* * *

What's growing where you live? Have you been doing anything special to celebrate the seasons? We've been eating outside every chance we get. It gets so hot and humid in Kentucky during the summer, so we're taking advantage of the mild weather right now.

sunshine and clouds

In between rain showers, my boy and I spend hours outside. He rolls in the grass and makes flower soup in his bucket, adding wild violets and dandelions that stain his hands. He throws in rocks for good measure and stirs the pot with sticks he finds littering our yard. I seem to always be digging in the dirt or clearing more space to plant. The garden is going to be a magical place this year.

Those outside hours have seeped into my knitting basket. The other day when I pulled out my works in progress I saw sunshine in the Carrie's Yellow Chickadee yarn from Quince and Co. and clouds in the undyed yarns from Kentucky's own Littledove Farm and Ballyhoo Farm. An unconscious homage to spring, if you will.

The little hats were inspired by this one, which looks like a Barley hat with a pompom to me. I love the simplicity of it, the squishiness of the garter stitch, and the whimsy of the pompom. These two just need pompoms attached!

I've also been working on a yellow Livingston sweater for my boy to wear next fall. I've just gotten to the body section and love seeing each little bird appear as I knit.

* * *

This year I told myself that I'd read more fiction. Somehow in the past few years I've strayed from my novel-reading roots and ventured into a solid habit of nonfiction reading. There's nothing wrong with that, but I'd like a little more balance in my reading. The Namesake has been on my to-read list for years, and it hasn't disappointed. Lahiri explores the lives of two generations of an Indian family living in the U.S. and finding different ways to define themselves. I'd recommend it!

Also, I just listened to "The Living Room" from the Love + Radio podcast (via Radiolab). Have you heard it yet? Oh my, it's good. Get listening!

 * * *

Linking up with the Yarn Along today. 

What are you making, reading, or listening to this week?

rosas

This past weekend we had such wonderfully cool, sunny days. We spent an entire afternoon outside and didn't break a sweat. We went for a morning walk and I had to wear a shawl! It's what I imagine summer in northern climes must feel like. Now I understand why some people claim summer as their favorite season. My heart still belongs to fall, but I'll take more summer weekends like this past one.

Come fall I'll have a new hat to warm my ears on crisp days because I finished this blue-gray Rosa hat. I loved knitting with handspun yarn! As soon as I cast this Rosa off, I cast on another one, this time in pink with gray stripes for my sister. It will match the fingerless mitts I made her a couple Christmases ago. I showed her the hat in progress, and she got goosebumps because she liked it so much! She's definitely knit-worthy!

I'm joining Andi's KAL/CAL, and it's already motivated me to get my knitting organized. I'm still trying to be resourceful (and frugal!), so I combed through my stash and picked out yarn for a Cable Baby hat, a baby-sized Antler Cardigan, and a Pei hat (my first stranded knitting project! wish me luck!). Are you joining in? I completely failed at the one knit along I joined before, but this one is just about finishing any projects you happen to have on the needles. I can handle that!

* * *

And finally, I'm joining in Ginny's yarn along. I've been in a nonfiction mood for quite some time. I'm currently engrossed in The Cornbread Mafia, a book about a large-scale marijuana-growing operation (and bust) centered in Marion County, Kentucky. I find it fascinating that the author links Prohibition-era attitudes and activities in Marion County with attitudes on illegal drugs a generation or two later. The book can get pretty tangential at times, but overall it's an interesting narrative. I'm also reading Gulp, which makes me queasy. Even so, I can't stop reading it! 

yarn along: old-fashioned baby hat

This week I've nearly finished a type of baby hat known in some circles as a bonnet, but because my husband refuses to dress our son in anything called a bonnet, this is simply an old-fashioned baby hat. I think it's sweet and practical; the i-cord ties will keep the hat in place so Baby J will be snug on outings next winter.

This is the first time I've made an i-cord and, well, I'm already looking around for things that could benefit from a stretchy knitted cord. The pattern includes links to all the techniques it uses, which makes them really easy to learn.

* * *

For months I felt too tired to make it through anything longer than a newspaper article. And then I read a few blog posts that mentioned babies who go to bed in the 6 or 7 o'clock hour. "Who the heck are these babies?" I asked. And the bloggers just mentioned that their babies went to bed early in passing, as if, you know, this is something babies do. Not my baby. My baby wanted to stay up late and nurse every few hours. I had no time to even think about reading. But this week we've finally settled into an earlier bedtime routine (I'm knocking on wood right now so I don't jinx it), and so I've had a few hours to myself each night. I'm not any more well-rested than I was when I had to wake up and feed the baby every few hours. Oh no. I'm like a kid at a slumber party who wants to pack in as much fun as possible before dawn. I've been staying up too late knitting and reading, playing board games with my husband, baking cakes, and watching stand-up comedy. Yeah, I'm really letting loose.

All this to say, I'm reading Cooked by Michael Pollan. I love reading about food, and Michael Pollan uses words that I sometimes have to look up in the dictionary, which I also love doing. My nerdiness knows no bounds.

* * *

Do you love knitting and reading too? 

See who else is participating in the Yarn Along.

* * *

P.S. Follow my blog with Bloglovin'.

yarn along

Today is my final day of bed rest! I'm looking forward to going for a walk, going upstairs (all my crafting supplies are there), eating at a restaurant (and at a table!), and organizing the nursery. Now the wait is really on for this baby. He could come in a few days or five weeks. But, oh, I really hope it's sooner rather than later.

* * * 

I'm participating in the yarn along for the first time in ages. I've been speeding away on the Umaro baby blanket, trying my hardest to finish it before the baby decides to arrive. I think I can manage to finish it by this weekend. I still have to follow along with the pattern on each row, so it isn't the most relaxing knit, but I'm getting faster. I love the classic look of the texture and lace.

And that's a yarn cake I wound with my own swift and yarn ball winder! Such magic!

* * *

I've been reading M.F.K. Fisher's How to Cook a Wolf, a cookbook she wrote during World War II. It's fascinating to read about food economy and rationing during the war and to learn tips for eating well even during hard times. I can't keep my attention focused on a plot for long these days, and this book is great to read in short snippets.

*

What are you working on this week?

yarn along: antler mittens

A late entry for yarn along day

Those are my super-soft, squishy Antler Mittens that I can't wait to wear. I've finished one (except for the thumb) and the second one is knitting up quickly, too, thanks to the Aran-weight Osprey yarn. I love the geometric antler cables, and even though the mittens might look long, the length is actually perfect. The cuff hits mid-forearm, so I won't experience any cold air leaks when I'm bundled up at the bus stop this winter. 

I had a friend ask me why I'm making mittens instead of gloves. Well, I'm mitten person all the way unless gloves are absolutely required. I wrote more about my reasoning here. Are you a mitten or a glove person?

* * * 

Last week I reread Naked by David Sedaris. He never fails to crack me up. I especially wanted to reread the chapter "Ashes," in which he writes about when his mother was dying of cancer. The first time I read the book, the serious turn of the chapter made me burst out in tears. It came so unexpectedly--in one chapter he showed his mother bantering and full of life and then suddenly she was dying. I'm not sure why I needed to read that again so much, but I felt it calling to me, so I did.

I just started (re)reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I read half of it in high school, but this is the only book I was assigned to read that I didn't finish (gasp!). I was a seriously studious nerd in high school, so I felt mortified that I couldn't finish the book. It was junior year, I was out of time, and something had to give. I did, however, manage to see the musical version of Wuthering Heights twice at our local theater that semester (I was an usher, and did I mention, a nerd?). My theater experience along with some hastily googled summaries allowed me to reenact the novel for my class using photos of celebrities taped to pencils as characters (for an A!). I'm hoping that I'll feel like I really earned that A when I finally read the entire book. 

* * *

What are you making or reading this week?

yarn along

This week I've been working on the same secret Christmas present. It doesn't look like much except for miles of ribbing, so I figured it's safe to show here. I've been relishing the mindless knitting involved in this project. Knit two, purl two. Ah. It's a stress reliever, for sure. Check out my Ravelry page to see more details of the project.

* * * 

Really, I've spent the majority of my time this week reading. We're planning a beach vacation! I've been poring over guidebooks and daydreaming. Recently I've fallen asleep thinking of Hawaiian foods and beaches, which makes for some sweet dreams. 

I also just picked up The Homemade Pantry at the library and can't wait to make something from it. Everything looks so delicious and the stories Alana Chernila tells make each dish even more tantalizing. Because I'm in fall mode already, I'd especially like to make one of the comfort foods (maybe pudding or toaster pastries). 

*

What are you making or reading this week?

Yarn along with us over at Ginny's.

yarn along: bedtime

This week I've been knitting a Nutkin sock little by little -- a round in the car, on the bus, in bed -- because I'm also still knitting my Multnomah shawl. Nutkin is a pretty, faux cable sock pattern that is easy to knit and easy to memorize. I'm making mine in SweetGeorgia Yarn's Tough Love Sock yarn in the Orchid colorway. You can't tell from this photo, but it's a shockingly bright pink. I'm sure when the weather turns cold they'll certainly keep away the winter dreariness.

Nutkin and Multnomah work well as foils for one another. The Nutkin rounds are quick, so I can take it on my commute; the Multnomah rows keep getting longer but are mostly garter stitch, so it makes good  movie knitting.

*

Reading The Marriage Plot piqued my interest in the traditional marriage plot, and since it's pretty embarrassing that I've never read Pride and Prejudice, I started reading Jane Austen's famous novel the other night before bed. I thought I was setting myself up for failure because I've tried to read this book at least three times before and never made it past page 20. Each time before I'd get bored and move on to some other book. But this time something clicked. I felt drawn in, and I don't want to jinx it, but I think I may finish it this time.

* * * 

I hope you're having a great week. What are you making and reading?

*

Find more people yarning along on Ginny's blog.

yarn along

This week I started on a Multnomah shawl for myself. The pattern is so easy to memorize and knit. I can even squeeze in a few stitches while waiting at the bus stop since I don't have to keep track of a complicated pattern. The yarn is Malabrigo sock in Archangel, the same colorway I gave away. It's a good thing I bought a skein for myself because I don't think I could have parted with it otherwise.

After waiting on the library list for six months, I'm finally reading The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. The novel explores the Victorian marriage plot and applies it to modern fiction, asking whether it's still relevant. Eugenides sets the novel in the early 1980s and incorporates elements of Victorian novels (there's a madman, a grand tour of Europe, a love triangle). It's an interesting concept and I'm enjoying the novel, but it often feels like the book tries too hard to be in conversation with Victorian novels (The Portrait of a Lady, Middlemarch, Austen novels). I'd definitely recommend Eugenides' other works, The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex, over this one.

* * *

I'm yarning along today. See what everyone else is reading and making over on Ginny's blog!

yarn along: the beats

yarn along

Thanks for all of the sympathy and good wishes you sent my way. We've cleaned up the debris from the hail storm and put a tarp over our skylight, but there's not much else we can do until an insurance adjuster comes to assess the damage. So we're waiting.


In the meantime I've been knitting and reading. You probably figured that. My Dejeuner bag finally looks like something. For the first few rows it just looked like I spilled oatmeal on my knitting needles, so I'm happy that the pattern is developing. At first the pattern wraps took me a long time to complete, but I'm getting more comfortable with them so the rows going faster. I will say that the pattern instructions aren't very clear for the end of each row. Luckily Ravelry came to my rescue, as several other people had already encountered this problem and written helpful tips.


This week I'm reading Minor Characters by Joyce Johnson. It's billed as a memoir about the Beat Generation, but so far it has chronicled Johnson's early life in New York in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Even though I haven't gotten to the Kerouac gossip yet, I still find it interesting to learn about New York at that time and the mundane details of a teenage girl's life. I was a teenage girl enthralled by the creativity of the Beats 50 years later, so I'm sure my teenage self would have loved this book. In a way, I feel like I'm visiting my younger self as I read this book. At 16, I read lots of Beat novels, kept a writer's notebook, and ached to get out of high school. It's a strange sensation to meet that girl again.

* * * 

What were you like at 16? I'd love to hear.

yarn along: a bunny-to-be and hometown pride

yarn along

This week I'm racing to finish a knitted Easter bunny. The pattern looked so cute that I couldn't resist! It's the Well-Dressed Bunny pattern. 

Sewing my knitted projects is a weakness of mine, though. Weaving in ends and stitching up seams is like punishment. I carefully hid almost all of the loose ends for this photo--there are actually around 16 that still need to be woven in. So I need to summon quite a bit motivation to finish this little guy. I'm hoping the holiday deadline will help.

* * *

Yesterday the first good mail in weeks arrived in the mailbox--a Martha Stewart Living magazine. As I flipped through it I was surprised to recognize a three-page spread of local places and foods. My hometown of Louisville, Kentucky is highlighted as a weekend getaway! Check it out. It's a cool city that I'm sure you'll want to come visit. 

* * * 

Are you yarning along this week? 

What are you making and reading?

And it was all yellow...

{forsythia in the sky}

{best pizza place in the woods}

{homemade panera mac and cheese}

 {backyard surprise}

{woodsy yellow}

{yarn along: kalajoki sock}

yarn along: dark and stormy

It's yarn along day!

I think I've been bitten by the sock bug because as soon as I cast off my Rainbow Brite socks, I cast on another sock. This pair is a moody gray, so I'm calling them the Dark and Stormy socks. They're for my husband who prefers his socks a little more subtle than I like mine. I worried I might get bored knitting these solemn socks, so last night I cast on a pair of sunshine-colored Kalajoki. I told you I've got the bug!

I just finished reading Genesis by Bernard Beckett for my work's book club. It's the story of a post-apocalyptic world and how it came to be (hence genesis). The story is structured as an oral exam the main character must pass to enter the Academy; she narrates the history of her world. It's a little book, only 150 pages, and a fast read, but it lingers. I went to bed thinking about it and woke up still trying to sort it out. 

* * * 

I hope you're having a lovely week! What have you been making and reading?

yarn along: socks and strangers

Joining Ginny in the Yarn Along today.

This week my hands are busy knitting my second rainbow sock. Those stripes and cheerful colors help me keep my momentum.  I hope that I'll have a new pair of socks to wear this weekend.

If you like weird books (I know I do!), check out It Chooses You. It's a book Miranda July came up with while procrastinating. Instead of revising a screenplay, she began interviewing people who placed ads in the PennySaver. She met a motley crew and shares their infinitely interesting stories and photos in this book. I read it on the bus and couldn't help wondering what stories the other passengers would tell if I asked. I didn't ask, though. I've got a policy of only talking to fellow knitters on the bus. They seem the most harmless.

* * * * * 

Do you talk to strangers? Have you met anyone interesting lately? 

yarn along: handspun and roughin' it

Hip, hip, hooray! It's yarn along day!

This week I've been knitting up some handspun yarn that I bought over the weekend at the maple syrup festival. It's thick and thin in shades of lavender and periwinkle. I've never knitted with handspun before, so I couldn't wait to get this yarn on the needles. Garter stitch shows off the texture and colors well, so I'm making a simple headband.

Another skein of handspun made it home with me, too. It's blue and gray and more uniformly spun. I can't wait to try it out!

This week I'm reading another of Liesl's "roughin' it" recommendations, Settled in the Wild by Susan Hand Shetterly, which is a collection of short essays about the author's experiences in nature. She rehabilitated wild birds for 10 years, and the book contains, among other anecdotes, her recollection of raising a raven like a pet. Her writing reminds me of Annie Dillard's and Terry Tempest Williams'. She uses simple yet precise language and includes imagery I won't soon forget, such as her description of getting her boots stuck deep in marsh mud and having to return home sock footed and streaked with dirt. I'd love to have her along on a stroll through the woods.

* * * * * 

What are you making and reading this week? 

yarn along: braided cables

Yarn Along

I've been knitting like a madwoman this week--finishing up Amy's present, swatching for the Baby Surprise Jacket, working on a hat for a friend, getting in a few rounds on a pair of socks for myself, and making the first of a pair of braided cable mittens to complete my snow day set. Whew! You'd think it were Christmas again with this amount of yarn and needles flying. I'm racing to finish these woolens before the end of winter.

* * *

Recently I've found myself taking a hot bath about once a week. There's no set schedule. It's just that at least once a week I get to feeling worn out or stressed and nothing will cure me but a bath. So I fill the tub, light a few candles, and soak. A good book is vital to the bath-taking experience. We Took to the Woods has been my companion of late. It makes my life seem easier when I read about spending nights out in the freezing Maine winter trying to pack down the snow for driving and working for whole days out in the garden trying to move a single boulder. It's a book about daily life, full of practical advice and funny anecdotes. I've also been reading bits of Fifty Days of Solitude before bed. It calms my mind before I sleep. Both of these books were recommended by Liesl. The girl has good taste in books.

* * * 

Are you yarning along today? 

I'd love to hear what you've been making and reading lately.

yarn along: fluff

I've been having fun this week knitting fluffy cables and reading Mindy Kaling's light collection of essays Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns). Reading her essays is like chatting with a friend.

The project is a Frosting cowl, which taught me to cable without a cable needle. In my nerdy knitting world this is a great advancement, akin to climbing a small mountain or something else normal people consider impressive. The whole universe of cables is open now. Perhaps the Rocky Coast cardigan is in the realm of possibility? The Frosting cowl is a fast knit, plus I've been knitting in overdrive because I'm very excited to wrap up in a cowl on freezing cold mornings, and I need the needles for another project.

Yarning along with Ginny today.

*