Unraveled Wednesday 8/23/23

 Good Morning My Friends,

There is a chill in the air this morning:

Just 56 degrees.  I opened the back door to the patio several times (scaring Peter Rabbit) to put papers and berry containers in the recycling can and it felt delightful!  Yesterday was glorioius - I don't think it got much above 81.  Fletch spent the afternoon planting 5 rows of lettuce and spinach for the Fall!  We also found more giant cucumbers hiding on the vine - lol.

So hard to believe that this is the next to the last August Wednesday!  And it is time, of course, to link up with Kat and her merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading.  Luckily no unraveling for me this week.  I think I spent more time stitching (see yesterday's post) than knitting, but a little bit of progress is evident.  The Shakerag Skirt may look much like last week, but it is actually double in size now!  Yup - last week I think 10 rows had been knit and right now there are 20 that are finished.

I actually found myself getting into a rhythm with this and was able to knit multiple rows in one sitting.  One thing I sort of knew, but this has confirmed:  I much prefer K2tog rather than SSK.  K2tog just is so much easier (and, thus, faster) for me.

The second Allsorts sock is progressing too...a bit slowly, but increasing bit by bit.

I'm on the gussett decreases and once they are completed this should speed up.  Naturally when working on it last night I discovered a dropped stitch and luckily I was able to bring it up successfully.

Moving on to my reading.  I finished Tom Lake and liked it.  I thought it was good (but still it seemed a little soap opera-ish to me).  Agreeing with Bonny, I wish there had been more about Joe and less about Duke and St. Sebastian.  At the same time, I guess all those words about Duke and St. Sebastian were necessary for the story.

Several weeks ago Kat mentioned THIS BOOK so I put myself in the queue for it.  Last week it came in.  What a tome it is.  Literally!  It is a huge book (and very heavy).  I confess that I skimmed it - did not read every page, but what magnificent pictures.  Fletch really enjoyed looking at it as well.

Currently I am reading Horse by Geraldine Brooks and loving it.  I'm just halfway through and am finding it a very engaging read.  Fletch and I gave up on the 2nd Master & Commander book.  I honestly didn't have much interest in it, but Fletch got tired of it as well, so we moved on.  We are now reading The Broken Road by Patrick Leigh Fermor.  The author, in 1933, set off to walk across Europe - starting in the hook of Holland and ending up in Constantinople!  Imagine doing that (and just before the war!).  This is the third book in the trilogy by him of his journey (we had read the first two some time ago).  It is not a book that would appeal to everyone, but we are enjoying it a lot.

I'm excited to let you know that our figs are growing - now larger than marbles!!

Probably best to click and enlarge.

And our hibiscus was really putting on a show yesterday.  It is at the edge of the garden enclosure (right next to the fig) and we can easily see the blooms from the patio.

And that's it for me this Wednesday.  I've a busy day ahead of me with a doctor's appointment at 8:30 and then I (finally) made an appointment to have my hair cut this afternoon.  Not sure how much (or how little), but I'm pretty bored with always pulling it up into a ponytail or a messy bun.  Tme for a change!!

Be sure to hop over to Kat's for a bunch of inspiration and have a wonderful Wednesday!