FO Friday; Bits and Bobs

Most of you are either reading this between errands and cooking -- or reading it after Christmas. Either way, I hope you are enjoying your holiday. I just put a Brisket in the oven because we are doing family Hanukkah at my mom's apartment tomorrow. Next up, some baking.

I finally got a photo of the Through the Loops Mystery Shawl 2017. As you can tell, it is huge and I haven't quite figured out how to wear it. But I like it anyway. I'll figure out something.

I generally love my Knitting Guild, but once a year, the speaker is from Lion Brand Yarns, and it's not my favorite meeting. Instead of being informative, it's just a long commercial for their yarns.

They do give out a great giveaway package, but I'd rather be entertained or informed or both. I will say that I do like the Jeans yarn that they gave out this year, and I'm looking for a cowl pattern to use it for.

But Marsha and I had a good time wearing the matching ponchos we knit.

Nancy asked in a recently comment if I am going to use a library sale book to learn to do a portrait of my house in needlepoint. I'd like to! But it's actually super complicated to prepare the canvas. I might try just a plain old embroidery version first.

And the Knit Goes On

For some reason, work just wiped me out last week. The upside was that I saw most of the new PBS documentary on the Vietnam War. This documentary is truly excellent. It gives you a lot of insight into what the various Vietnamese peoples were thinking -- all of which supports the opinion that we should never have been there in the first place!

I finished this sock, made with one of Knit Circus's amazing gradient stripe yarns.

Isn't it cool how the project matches the bag?

I ended up spending most of the Jewish New Year resting, but I found enough energy to block some winter projects while the blocking bed is open:

You can see my Winter Ridge Shawl/Poncho on the right and the Through the Loops Mystery Shawl 2017 on the left. There is a pair of mitts that needed washing in the middle. I am ready for winter!

Not that winter feels like it's coming. We expect a high of 90 today! I'm enjoying this last bit of summer, hoping to have enough energy to bike tomorrow.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend, too!

That Last Post Title Was Frighteningly Accurate

My last post was titled: The Quiet Before the Storm. Little did I know!

I was referring to the quiet pace of life before the high schoolers showed up for classes. But I have a daughter who lives in Miami, so storm took on a whole new -- and more menacing meaning -- by this past Monday, when Irma began to look like a serious Hurricane.

On Tuesday, my husband talked Rachel into flying home. To get a flight that didn't clean out our savings, she had to drive to Orlando and fly from there. Not that we are complaining to have her here, save and dry!

She is, of course, worried about her friends back in Miami, as well as her apartment (4 blocks from the ocean) and the University of Miami, where she's going to school. At least we have a new kitty and a new kitty-friendship to cheer her up:

There Nagi is, grooming Kola. There has been some playful biting, but mostly they are good friends and playmates. Kola is in that phase where she will leap pretty darn high for the right toy.

I cast off the last stitches on the Never Ending Shawl, also known as the TTL Mystery Shawl 2017.

I ran out of white, so I had to cast-off with pink, which I'm pretty happy with. I still have some ends to weave in and a couple dropped stitches to secure. I can't block it at this moment because I'll need the bed that Rachel is sleeping in!

My thoughts are with Dee and Mere and anyone else who is threatened by Irma!

A Gift, Some Knitting, Some Reading

First off, I have to share the wonderful goodies I got from Kim of Kim Knits, thanks to a lovely swap arranged by Kathy of Compassionknit. Kim is so smart. The swap was a no-yarn swap, so Kim included needles!

It seems so obvious, but it never occurred to me. Of course, the first thing that occurred to me was chocolate, but that's another story! I love the little notebooks she included. It's just perfect for keeping in my knitting bag and tracking details about my projects. And she noticed that I am a sucker for all crafts, so she sent a needle-felting project. It's a little hamster and just adorable. I'm thinking it would be perfect for Thankgiving weekend!

Thank you so much, Kim, for such fun and thoughtful gifts!

As for knitting, I've been unusually monogamous and managed to add quite a bit to my TTL Mystery Shawl 2017. I ordered the light pink online because I couldn't find anything that seemed right locally. It's OK, but a bit too pastel for me. I'm about 20% through the final clue; I will finish this!

I just finished History of Wolves, a first novel by Emily Fridlund. It's a coming-of-age novel set in northern Minnesota. It's much more nuanced that your usual COA novel and well-written.  In this book, a teen-age girl who is being raised by her hippie parents on the site of a failed commune begins baby-sitting for an affluent family that moves in nearby.

The plot is not what you'd expect. I found this novel quite gripping.

That just leaves me reading non-fiction for now. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, a doctor, looks at death and end-of-life issues in America -- and what a mess it is! Not a cheerful read, but very thoughtful and thought-provoking. My father moved into Assisted Living a few weeks ago, so this has special resonance for me.

I've just begun The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf, which is about early biologist Alexander von Humbolt, and it is fascinating and really well-written. I'm looking forward to getting deeper into it.

Please do join us for Unravelled Wednesday with Kat!

Not the Best for Blogging

So, I'm doing the Through the Loops Mystery Shawl KAL 2017. It's been a fun knit so far, but I've realized it's a terrible match with blogging. Why? You can't show any spoiler photos of the shawl. So this is what I can show you:

Pretty boring, huh?

But I can tell you all about my breakfast this morning: the Morning Detox Smoothie.

It comes from my newest cookbook acquisition, Oh She Glows Every Day by Angela Liddon. I love her first cookbook, so I was thrilled to discover she'd come out with a second one.

Her recipes are all vegan, and this second book also has a lot of gluten-free recipes, too. I am neither vegan nor gluten free, but I do try to include a lot of vegetables in my diet, so vegan cookbooks work out well for me.

Tomorrow I'm going to make my first green smoothie. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it just seems like such a healthy thing to consume!

Lastly, thank you all so much for your kind words about my sketches. It really boosts my confidence because I am such an amateur!

Ah, Summer!

For me, summer starts officially this afternoon, seeing as today was the last day of school. I will have to go back to organize and clean, but that's easy stuff.

I celebrated with a pitcher of Rishi iced tea, peach rooibos.

And I admired my new t-shirt. I'm sure you can see why I HAD to have it:

I wasn't planning to buy any shirts at all, but last night I went to a Night Market (a street fair held in the evening) with a friend and I could not resist this adorable T!

And speaking of shirts, I'm embroidering another one. You can't tell, but it's blue chambray.

I finished the Lambkin Lid, destined for an August baby. This is the toddler size and it seems large, so I think I'll make a baby one, too. It's one of those projects that flies off your needles!

And last, but not least, I went stash shopping for yarn to use in the Through the Loops Mystery Shawl 2017.  Kirsten Kapur recommends using solid yarns for this pattern. Most of my fingering weight is self-patterning or variegated. I was surprised I was able to find two solids that would work together.

Tomorrow I'm off to take a class at the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee. I may visit the market there, too!