Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Unraveled Wednesday 3/22/23

 Good Morning Friends,

It is already 40 degrees out which is considerably warmer than yesterday.  Today will definitely feel like a Spring day!  Hopefully that will motivate me to do a few things (if work is not too annoying) - vacuuming needs to be done both upstairs and down and I should (key operative word there) do some dusting.  But...if it is as nice as I think it is going to be, getting outside for a bit will definitely be a priority and the hell with the chores!  LOL

Fletch said he plans to go out today to get some pansies.  He checked and our local nursery has them.  He always puts some in the window box that is by one of our kitchen windows.  The small daffodils I cut the other day have faded and dried up, so it is time to replenish the vase.

But first, let's link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading.  Kat and I are knitting the same thing!  Pi socks for our partners.  Fletch's first Pi Sock is winding down the foot.  I have roughly 30 rows left to go to the toe decreases.


The colors are slightly off in the photo (no purple in this yarn).  I used the mini that Lisa packed up with the Pi Skein for the cuff and the heel flap and heel turn.  I will also use it for a bit at the end of the toe decreases.  Despite the unevenness of the yarn (very thin in places), this is knitting up to be a very nice sock.

Reading has been good!  I finished "The Shipping News" by Annie Proulx over the weekend - just in time for our Zoom discussion last night (wasn't that fun?).  I (re)discovered Postcards by Proulx in a bookcase in our bedroom, so plan to read that.  I also (re)discovered so many books in that bookcase that I have yet to read.  Isn't it easy to get distracted by bright and shiny new books and new authors?  Every week I increase my TBR list thanks to recommendations by all of you.  It's a wonderful thing, but I need more hours in each and every day!

I did start and am 100 pages into The Queen of Dirt Island by Donal Ryan.  It is a rather short book (maybe 250 pages?) and is not what I was expecting.  I'm enjoying it though.  Each chapter is only 2 pages long which makes it easy to pick up and read while making dinner or waiting for a work email to come in, etc.  

Once I finish Dirt Island I *need* (and want) to finish up "The Love Songs of W. E. B. Du Bois."  With only 200+ pages left, I need to plug away and get it done!  And yesterday I stopped by my library and picked up Unraveling by Peggy Orenstein which I'm looking forward to diving into.  MDK did a "Knit to This" talk with the author a week or so ago (which I have yet to listen to).

Well, the sun is now up and it's looking cloudy out there rather than sunny.  Hoping that changes and hoping your Wednesday is a good mid-week time.  Be sure to head over to Kat's for inspiration in both the making and reading worlds.

18 comments:

  1. It was so fun to see you and Kat knitting the same yarn last night! I'm glad to hear the weather is cooperating a bit more in your neck of the woods. I'm hoping it'll feel more consistently like spring when we get back because I want to start my spring planting! I know it will be a while yet before things are ready to go into the ground, but I want to start my seeds and think about what flowers to plant.

    I'll look forward to hearing what you think about the Peggy Orenstein book. I keep checking Libby and it's not yet there, so I may have to see if the library has a physical copy when I get home.

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  2. hm, my comment disappeared but it might have been me!! Lovely projects that reflect springtime :) I'm working on a sweater and a pair of socks for my husband.

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  3. That is a good-looking sock and I do like that tweedy yarn! I really enjoyed Unraveling; it was educational, amusing, and interesting. The only thing it's missing is a picture of the sweater she knit, but that is easily found by searching. I hope you get outdoors today!

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  4. Pansies will be nice to see while you are looking out the window. Right now I'm looking at a very sad sack hydrangea.

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  5. We had such gorgeous weather yesterday that I'm not going to fuss about the rain in our forecast today and tomorrow. (At least not Out Loud.)

    Love the look of the socks. I'm trying to become resolute about weaving in all the billions of loose ends on my neverending mitred square blanket. I only have two more squares to knit, but I'm punishing myself: No Knitting Until All Ends Are Woven In.

    I hate how mean I am.

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  6. That sock yarn is gorgeous!
    I was just thinking I needed to put something in the front boxes on the porch - maybe some pansies would do the trick! I'll have to check on grocery day. It might still be too cold here

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  7. I opened the curtains this morning to a snow-covered landscape and a swirl of blowing snow. It’s since stopped, and the sun is trying to shine. It will be a chilly but beautiful day.

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  8. Your sock looks great!! I want to watch that MDK talk with Peggy Orenstein, too.

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  9. I love pansies and glad they'll be able to brighten up your window box. I think I need to read that Peggy O book!

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  10. I hope the weather doesn't disappoint you today! The sock is looking great and I'm glad you've had some good reading, too.

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  11. We started with a ton of fog this morning! It is a beautiful day now, though. The new sock is beautiful! Glad it is going well.

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  12. My outside daffodils are just starting to look a little worn out. They've had a good run this year. I wish I could say the same for my camellias. The roller coaster weather burnt the buds and the blooms are all edged in brown and yellow. So sad. They are usually spectacular.

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  13. I'm smiling at all the books ... that bookcase might be a real treasure trove! and pansies! the deer love them, so most of us no longer plant them. I do miss their cheerful faces.

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  14. Hard to believe there was not one time the driveway needed shoveled this year. Amazing! I better shut up though, you can't trust March and April.

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  15. The socks look great. Our nurseries now have pansies. Maybe I'll go next week. I have always loved them. Your bookcase sounds like a wonderful place to explore. The MDK recording of Peggy Orenstein is great. I want to read that book too. I was in Barnes and Nobel picking up some birthday cards and I thought about how quickly some of these books come and then fade. It is easy to get distracted.

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  16. We had clouds all morning and sunshine and warmth all afternoon. Zoey goes out on the balcony in the afternoon and lays in the sunshine on her bed. What a life!
    Your socks are looking great. You've made quick work of that first sock.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  17. I managed to get to the toe decrease point during our discussion, and sock one is now done! I then went back to sleeve island to knit while I caught up on Sunday's Sanditon episode... drawing close to the bind off of that as well!

    I am on the wait list for The Queen of Dirt... and am eager!

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  18. It is hard to believe that there was not a single occasion this year in which the driveway required shovelling. Nice
    https://www.melodyjacob.com/2023/03/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-senior-school.html

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