Good Morning!
It's 2/2/22! It is also Groundhog Day and I'm betting that Punxsutawney Phil would rather stay asleep in his little den or whatever rather than get dragged out by folks in costumes.
Before I forget, I saw this on a blog yesterday and love it!
Isn't that the truth? Speaking of poor behavior, Fletch and I were pretty amazed at how many folks at the grocery store (mainly seniors!!) were unmasked. Also, the guy behind the deli counter had a net around his beard, but no mask. Geeze! Turns out though that Tuesday morning is a good time to shop - the store was less crowded and better stocked than a Saturday or Sunday. Given my flexibility with working from home, I think we will stop shopping on the weekends and go with mid-week.
All that brings us to right now. It is Unraveled Wednesday - the first in February and I'm linking up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading. First up, the Terrarium Sock (#1) is progressing nicely.
The leg part is now complete (15 rows of 2x2 ribbing and 72 rows of the Petty Harbour pattern). The pattern is easy to memorize and makes the knitting interesting rather than just plain straight knitting. With this yarn the pattern is not really all that visible, but it makes a nice texture and I think Fletch will like it. Yup! These are going to be Valentine's Day socks for Fletch (no guarantee they will both be finished in time for the 14th...but...).
On to my reading (books seen above). Not pictured is Agatha of Little Neon the next "Read With Us" book. This one I thoroughly enjoyed! I admit that I found "Matrix" to be a bit of a slog, but Agatha hummed right along for me. I loved the quirky characters. Granted Matrix had its share of quirky characters too...but 12th century versus modern day.
Next up, Owls and Other Fantasies by Mary Oliver. How could I not enjoy this? A rather short collection of poems and two (far too) short essays. Fletch and I consumed this slim volume over a couple of nights after dinner. Really, a joy to read.
Finally, Reckless Daughter A Portrait of Joni Mitchell by David Yaffe. I am roughly halfway through this book and enjoying it a lot. All the others are in this book too - Graham Nash, David Crosby, James Taylor, Carole King, Mama Cass, Leonard Cohen, etc., etc. So many memories are being brought back reading this. I'm going to have to dig out my Joni Mitchell CDs and give them a listen-to (my Joni LPs were all worn out years ago).
I'm in the queue on Overdrive for several newer books and hopefully they will be coming in soon. Looking at my library account, I see that one has shipped to my library a day or two ago, so I should receive notice (maybe today?) that it is ready for pick up.
A bit later I'll head to the office. There are a few things I'd like to print in color for myself and I need to check mail, etc. It will be a very quick (I hope) visit. Then I need to stop at JoAnns (another skein or two of DMC needed for the A&E Sampler), the wine store and Trader Joe's. I should be home in plenty of time for lunch.
Do tell - what are you making and reading these days?
Happy Groundhog's Day! That used to be a fun day for us first grade teachers. Not really a holiday so no one complained about us planning some activities around it.
ReplyDeleteGraham Nash and James Taylor's autobiographies are among my favorites. It was a great time to be a creative performer unlike today where it's pretty much all cookie cutter acts.
Another great sock is on your needles and your reading looks pretty good, too! I don't know if I've ever read that Mary Oliver volume, so I'll have to look into it, and the same with the Joni Mitchell book. I'm glad you like Agatha; I also enjoyed it. That is a wonderful non-joke!
ReplyDeleteYou are a sock magician, Vera! You find patterns that I have never even heard of! I think I need to join you in a bit of a "sock kal" I have yarn that I think will be perfect for that sock! I will get it out and get going! :)
ReplyDeleteOnce I stopped working every day, I switched to shopping-midweek and it was a game-changer! Love your sock. And so glad you enjoyed Agatha. I'd love to pick up the Joni Mitchell memoir -- I'll be sure to check it out.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading so many books that none of them are getting done anytime soon. I guess I like the sprinkling of topics. Look at you go on that sock!!
ReplyDeleteHappy super twos-day, as Al Roker said this morning! Sounds like Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter, which makes sense given the mess that's headed this way.
ReplyDeleteI finished up Hell of a Book right before bed last night, so I'm actively reading only Braiding Sweetgrass at the moment and need to decide what my next ebook will be. Today's focus is going to be trying to finish up my sock so I can take final pattern photos.
For us in NEO, only six more weeks of winter would be an early spring, so it's win-win either way.
ReplyDeleteBeing retired, I always shop mid-week. It's a gift I give to those still working, staying out of their way. When I was working, I was always annoyed by all the seniors out shopping on Saturdays and Sundays. Then I realized that perhaps they were being driven by others who worked during the week.
I'm currently reading (and enjoying) The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters by Julie Klam. It's an engaging and fast read about the author's quest to set the record straight about some cousins who have become legendary in her family. She researches the incredible stories about their lives only to find that much of it is family myth, but the real stories are far more impressive.
I was happy to have been introduced to Mary Oliver through my own blog long ago by a reader/commenter who has since faded away. Oliver's poems are so poignant.
Nice pair of socks and the Petty Harbor is a gorgeous texture!
ReplyDeleteSpring rarely arrives until May/June at this altitude so I’ve resigned myself to enjoy the sun when it breaks through the winter gloom. I’m reading Peril by Woodward and Costa. It’s an eye opener and interesting. I’m glad I didn’t know some of this stuff when it was happening.
ReplyDeleteI shop on Fridays and it's much nicer than shopping on the weekends. Embrace your flexibility and shop midweek!
ReplyDeleteOne of the good things about being retired is that I can grocery shop mid-week earlier in the day. I once knit a Petty Harbor sock. It is a nice pattern and Fletch's sock looks great.
ReplyDeleteI like those socks. I decided on plain vanilla for the ones that I'm making since the pattern is so busy.
ReplyDeleteI shopped this morning for Mom and for us. I was shocked at how many maskless people there were. Last week almost everyone was masked. Today probably less than 1/3 had masks on. Still so many empty shelves but much, much better than going on a weekend.
Blessings,
Betsy