Unravelled Wednesday

First the knitting: If you look closely, you can see that I've begun to knit the right front of the Einstein Coat. I'm enjoying all this garter stitch. VERY relaxing!

BTW, a skein of Cascade Ecological is very large:

I'm finally starting on a pair of mittens for Rachel. It's going to take me all year to knit the beautiful Songbird Mittens. The pattern isn't that difficult, but there are lots of long floats, and I'm very slow at catching those. 

I've been on an English mystery journey for the last four months. I fell in love with the BBC Shetland mystery series Shetland a year ago. The series is based on books by British writer Ann Cleeves. So I read her other series, the Vera Stanhope novels. Then I read all the Shetland books, and I just finished the last one:

So, I can tell you that the books are better than the TV shows. All the books are worth reading, though I am partial to the Shetland series.

 That said, the Shetland series is worth watching. Each book is an entire season, so you get an in-depth story. I personally do not like the Vera TV series. Each book gets 3 episodes, so the stories are stripped down. Also, there are a million seasons and only 6 books, so it's an entirely different animal.

Joining up with Kat for Unravelled Wednesday.

 

On Books

I think it's been at least 6 months since I posted about my reading/listening, so it seems like a good time to catch up. 

At the moment, I'm reading Uncanny Valley, by Anna Wiener, an autobiographical account of a young woman in Silicon Valley. She started out in New York in traditional publishing, so she isn't your typical IT-type. She is an excellent writer, and it's both entertaining and informative.

I'm listening to The Last Million, by David Nasaw, a history of the last million displaced persons in Germany after WWII. It is interesting but disturbing. Here's the crux of it: After WWII, America welcomed in tens of thousands of Nazi collaborators and Nazis as it fought like heck to keep out us Jews.

This is weird but delightful novel about a set of twins who burst into flames when they are upset. I don't usually like magical realism, but I really enjoyed this one. It's short and written in a breezy style.

This novel made a lot of best-of lists for 2020. I thought it was OK. Offill is known for her structure, which is small snapshots that add up to a larger picture. She makes it work, but I liked her previous novel better: Dept. of Speculation.

This graphic novel about the life Franz Kafka is amazingly good. The author and the illustrator cram a lot of information into this format. I find Kafka endlessly fascinating, so I really enjoyed it. Robert Crumb is the illustrator, so that makes the visuals strong. It's definitely the fastest way to learn about Franz.

I think that's enough for one post. You may see a Jewish theme here and that is no accident. I'm working a series of quilts about Jews in Eastern Europe and the U.S., which reflects my background. You might remember that I visited Lithuania a few years ago because most of my family is from that country, although it was Tsarist Russia when they left. 

Read on!

Unraveled Wednesday

I have been enjoying mindless knitting this summer, possibly because I'm working to improve my sewing skills -- and that is no easy task!

I finished a Hitchhiker made from a series of very-mini skeins. I haven't blocked it yet, but it still looks fine. I like the crazy colors, but I'd hesitate before giving this as a gift!

 And I immediately started a Find Your Fade. The yarn in Fresh From the Cauldron Freyr Sock (colorway: A Rose by Any Other Name).

I haven't had much time for social knitting, but I did have lunch and knitting with my friend Marsha. She is so photogenic it's hard to be her friend!

I interrupted my reading when an ebook came through on my Kindle: Fascism by Madeleine Albright, which Marsha recommended. It's a pithy history of fascism, and I'm sure it links the past to the present -- I'm just not that far yet.

Scary fact: The term "drain the swamp" comes from Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini. 

I'm linking up with Kat today for Unraveled Wednesday.

Not Your Usual Summer Reading

That's not totally accurate. I did read a couple summer-type books so far. I enjoyed this one:

 It's not great literature, but it is well-written and it kept me reading. Then I dove into this one:

Once again, I hate a book that almost everyone else liked -- or even loved! I thought the plot was dull, the main character was dull, the whole thing was dull. Worse, I felt it was quite a white-washing of daily life in the Soviet Union. Only highly placed party officials lived and ate like the main character.

And I am all about history. Next, I tried these two:

I am completely baffled by the success of The Friend. Boring! I didn't get very far. But I did like 1917, which looked at that era through the lens of Lenin and President Wilson. The author is clearly a Republican and made some opinionated remarks I disagreed with, but I'm OK with that as long as the facts are straight and the author is honest about their politics.

I recently finished Stranger From Abroad, which is about philosopher Hannah Arendt, who is one of my idols. Unlike the books she writes, it is very readable.

Secondhand Time and Between East and West are about Eastern Europe. (Note: Hannah Arendt grew up in the Eastern European city of Konigsberg, now Kaliningrad, which is part of Russia.) Why this fixation on Eastern Europe?

I'm going back! A week from today I fly to Riga, Latvia. I'll be splitting my time between Riga and Vilnius, which is in Lithuania. My grandfather had some memories of the Old Country -- Lithuania -- so I've always wanted to visit. He was from Taurage, but I'm not going there. It's off the beaten trail -- and there is nothing left of the Jewish shtetl. There is little enough in Vilnius, but at least there is something. 

Riga and Vilnius are incredibly gorgeous, so I'm excited about seeing them and drawing them! I am going alone so I can geek out on art and history without worrying about inconveniencing anyone else.

It's All About The Flowers

I've been pretty good about walking or biking five days a week -- one of my summer goals. Summer may have come late this year, but I find myself in a sea of flowers when I walk around my neighborhood. 

 Saturday evening my mom and I went to a birthday party at a friend's house. The hostess, my friend Debbie, is a gardener extrordinaire.

Thanks to the Internet, I stumbled on a way to do sun-dying with Dynaflow dyes by Jacquard. It's incredibly easy. You just slap down the dye, lay a stencil over the painted cloth, and let it dry in the sun. The results are amazing. I think this works on paper, too.

I finally broke down and bought this book. I've waited and waited for the public library to acquire it, but it doesn't look like they are going to.

I've been eyeing this spread at my local bookstore, and dreaming of embroidering these flowers onto clothing.

So, finally I've taken the plunge.

I traced the designs onto Sulky Super Solvy, which works like a sticker. You embroider over the lines, then soak off the Super Solvy. One caveat: I have found that if you leave the Solvy on for weeks and weeks, it is hard to get off. So, I'll get this done pretty quickly.

Lots of Beginnnings

 The best beginning was the one that began yesterday -- the beginning of summer vacation. I have plenty of work to do, but at least it's on my schedule. On my very first morning, I was able to join the Plein Air painting group at Donald County Park, where I painted an outcrop:

I think it needs a few finishing touches.

Later, I started in with some summer reading. I usually avoid popular fiction, but this has gotten so much publicity, I had to find out for myself if it's worth all the buzz.

If you've read it ... no spoilers, please.

I started a hat pattern, Hoopla, from PomPom magazine. I have a small collection of these beautiful magazines, but I haven't actually knit anything from them. Their patterns tend to be a bit complicated. 

This hat, for example, has a Latvian Braid, something I've always wanted to learn. I did learn in a class a few years ago, but I've forgotten everything from that. It turns out that You Tube has some pretty good tutorials.

Wah-Lah! I did it! The pattern is from this issue:

 And, I've found some time to hang around with one of my favorite girls:

Now, I just need some sunny weather for sun-dying cloth, and I'll be all set.

Midweek Bits & Pieces

It's a rainy Thursday on a crazy week. I'm not sure there are any other kinds of weeks for teachers anymore. Yesterday a 12-year-old was arrested at a middle school after attacking and injuring two police officers. In my world, a lot of students are struggling, especially my students whose families do not have a lot of financial resources. I can't tell you how discouraged I get by the inequality all around me.

As long as I'm on the subject of work ... a while back many of you shared your thoughts on retirement. They were really helpful and I have revisited them many times. The decision for now is ... not retiring yet. My students and my coworkers are really amazing people and I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to them. 

Our amazing ceramics teacher, Phil Lyons, is retiring. In honor of him, we have an exhibit of his work in the school art gallery -- and all the works are for sale. What do you think of this one?

I fell in love with it. When the show closes, it's coming home with me. I've probably mentioned that I work at the high school that my children attended, so this will be a wonderful memento when I do retire.

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 I've picked up a handful of novels, but none of them have hooked me. Instead I'm glued to "1924: The Year That Made Hitler." While it's not exactly uplifting, it is well-written and interesting.

Let's end on a more cheerful note. Here is a picture of an almost-finished quilt:

I don't love it, but I'll get into that when it's finished.

I hope your week has been going well!

Still Winter Here

March is certainly coming in like a lion in Wisconsin. At 6 p.m., the temperature is 8, but it feels like -6. Monday's high is predicted to be 1 degree -- that's before a 12-mile-a-hour wind is figured in. 

This cold weather has helped me stay home much of the weekend to write IEPs. I'm not complaining about the weather -- not yet at least. Winter is the best time for knitting. Someone went to town knitting and crocheting this yarn bombing not far from my house:

In between work sessions, I've done some rows on my Free Your Fade shawl, which I want for summer travel. I have quite a ways to go, but I think I can finish by July.

I love to sit by the window and do the hand-embroidery on my latest quilt. Here's a sneak peak:

Cold weather is perfect for reading with a cup of tea, don't you think? I picked up these two books yesterday at my LBS (local bookstore), and had the honor of being the last customer checked out by the founder of Room of One's Own. I thanked her profusely for this amazing bookstore, which has been in operation since 1975. Thankfully, the employees bought the store so it will stay open.

I really should take notes when I read blogs because I'm pretty sure I heard about the TV show "Trapped" from one of you. It's set in a remote town in Iceland during a blizzard -- and it's very good. Last night, the cats both hung out on my lap while we watched. This is a rare treat as Nagi generally prefers Keith.

I do want to thank whoever mentioned this show. Keith and I are really enjoying it. The first season is streaming on Amazon Prime right now; there is a second season, which The BBC aired at the beginning of the year.

The dialogue is in Icelandic (with English subtitles) and English. The characters switch frequently between the two languages. So, I have been able to knit while I'm watching.

By next weekend, I hope that the temperatures are milder and that my IEPs are finalized. Then I will feel like spring is around the corner.

Some Quilting, Some Knitting, Some Cats

Honestly, it's a miracle that I have any crafting to share at all. I have six IEP meetings in the next two weeks -- I know a few of you know how insane that is. But those six weather days really put me behind, and now it's catch-up time.

I worked quite a bit at home yesterday, and I was planning to work again today, but around 10 this morning my mom called. She'd fallen, so Keith and I went to the hospital with her. Luckily there were no broken bones, but she has some nasty bruises.

I have been focusing more on quilting than knitting lately. For one thing, I'm trying to stay on track with my Collage Cat (Pattern: Purrfect). I have finished cutting out all the little pieces and fusing them onto the base.

Next I have to cut it out, put it on a background and free-motion stitch the cat. My free-motion skills are not very developed, so I think a very busy piece like this is perfect. I'm hoping the stitches won't show too much!

I've been hand sewing and embroidering brightly colored art quilts that make me happy. This is my favorite so far:

It's called "Fractured" because it's made of fractured circles. The only part that's done by machine is the binding.

I went to my LYS with a non-knitting friend, who picked out these gorgeous yarns for me to make hat from. I'm going to improvise a Fair Isle design. I'll probably throw in some white to make it work.

My adorable gran-kitty (i.e. Rachel's cat) was neutered last week. She is not enjoying wearing a cone at all.

It has been cold and wet all weekend. During my breaks from working yesterday, I had a cup of tea and did some reading. I am both reading and listening to Iron Curtain by Anne Applebaum because there is so much to absorb.

During my trip to Eastern Europe last summer, I realized how little I knew about the Soviet era, and I am enjoying this book -- though it doesn't seem quite right to enjoy a book about such a grim subject. It is terrifying to learn how quickly countries like Poland and Czechoslovakia fell under totalitarian rule. I wonder if Americans would vote differently if they knew more history?

Kola and Nagi know how to make the most of a winter weekend:

Snow is predicted for four of the next seven days. It has been a long time since we had a real winter like this. And speaking of snow, our school days will be seven minutes longer starting tomorrow to make up for all those weather days. 

Reading with Obama and a Thank You

First of all, I hope the new year is beginning well for all of you! Mine started out well with a walk in the freshly fallen snow followed by lunch with friends.

Natural springs melt enough show for a little stream.

On Monday, the New York Times published a list of the books that former President Barak Obama read in 2018 -- and I found that he and I read five of the same books:

-An American Marriage by  Tayari Jones. I listened to this one, and I enjoyed it a great deal. It's the fictional story of the marriage of two Black professionals and how their lives are affected when the husband is falsely convicted of a violent crime. This a well-written book with a compelling plot that has a lot to say about being Black in America today.
-Educated by Tara Westover. I listened to this one, too. A gripping story about growing up in a conservative Mormon family with a father who is both a survivalist and bipolar. Tara's journey to Cambridge is inspiring.
-How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt looks at history to relate how leaders can destroy democracies. A scary and essential read at this point in time.
- There There by Tommy Orange sounded like a book I would love. It follows a handful of characters in the Oakland, CA, area before a pow-wow. Everyone I know loved this book. I didn't even finish it. The characters just didn't sit well with me.
-Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday was possibly the most praised work of literary fiction in 2018. I'm not sure I can finish this one, either. Yes, the writing is strong, but the story of a 20-something aspiring writer and an elderly literary star is passionless and dull. Halliday herself had an affair with Philip Roth when she was younger.

My most-fun read of 2018 -- well, actually, listen-- was a book I would never have picked out if so many of my treasured blog friends hadn't talked it up. So my sincere thanks to all of you who recommended: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.

I listened to this one, too, which I highly recommend. The reader captures the accents and inflections of the characters -- without taking on such a strong brogue that the dialogue is difficult to understanding. Listening to this book was sheer joy.

Listening While Crafting

Few things have enhanced my knitting mojo as much as podcasts and audiobooks. I can't be the only one! Only a few of my friends knit, so I appreciate the digital company. I'm going to share some of my favorites, and please share yours in your comments.

My Free Your Fade is coming along. Those bright cranberry stripes will be balanced eventually by bright blue stripes.

Over the weekend, I listened to the entire 10 episodes of Slow Burn, a Slate podcast. The first season focuses on the Watergate scandal, and it gave me hope. The GOP was reluctant to give up on Nixon, but eventually it did. If you can't get enough of politics, I also recommend Trumpcast and Trump Inc.

The Knit Circus yarn is so much fun to work with.

Another one-season podcast that is very good is the New York Times' Caliphate, which follows a Canadian man who joined ISIS. I will warn you that this one has some serious violence. And I love everything that has been done on Embedded, an NPR spinoff that has looked into Trump's businesses and explored the situation in America's coal country.

I have to also mention S-Town from This American Life. This one starts out a bit slow, but it develops into quite a story. Missing Richard Simmons is entertaining, too.

This is a scrappy hat. It was supposed to be a stash-buster, but it didn't use up much yarn. I think I need to find a scrappy sweater!

I listen to a few podcasts on a regular basis:

• On Point, from WBUR
• On the Media, with Brooke Gladstone
• This American Life
• The Daily, from the New York Times

Nagi likes a good nap on a hot afternoon.

Some excellent audiobooks I've listened to in the past few months:

• An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones. This is a stunning debut about a young, affluent African-American couple and what happens when the husband is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.
• Killers of the Flower Moon, by David Grann. This book details the mysterious murders of wealthy Osage tribe members in the 1920s, as well as the roots of the FBI.
• Prairie Fires, by Caroline Fraser. I know I mentioned this before, but I have to sing its praises one more time. This is a biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder that also tells the story of the settling of the Great Plains. It is as riveting as any novel.

You can find any of the podcasts by googling them or in the Apple Store. 

Do share your favorite listens!

More Hats

 I had enough yarn left over from my last Fair Isle hat to make a second one. I designed the pattern for this one:

I'm not sure I like it better than the original. You can compare them below. I'd love to hear your thoughts -- yes, constructive criticism is welcome. Mine has more detail, but I think these colors worked better in a simpler design.

And I finished After the Fall. It's a good beach-type read about a group of people on a private plane that crashes.]I think it's out in paperback, and it would be a good vacation novel.

I hope your week is going smoothly. Snow is falling here as I type, with 5 to 7 inches expected. The snow will probably end by 1 a.m., so it's unlikely I'll get a snow day tomorrow. That's probably for the best. I have a lot of work to do before the end of the school year.

Quick Book Reviews

 It's been a while since I reported on my reading, so here we go...

I finally got around to reading A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, and it holds up to its reputation. A good solid read, entertaining, well-written. Not too light -- but not too ponderous either. The characters are wonderful. It's about an irritable middle-aged man whose life is changed when a young couple with two children moves into his neighborhood.

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If you like this, you should try Beartown by the same author. It is darker and more complex, but still has that wonderful writing style.

Zadie Smith bursted on the the literary scene in 2003 with White Teeth, which I loved. It's the story of two middle-aged Englishmen in London who make unlikely friends. It doesn't sound that great when I put it like that, but it really is.

NW sounds so good. It follows four young people of color in London who take very different paths. The writing is experimental -- stream of consciousness, fragmentary, and often frustrating. Maybe I'm just not smart enough to appreciate this one. I finished it, but I'm not sure it was a good use of my reading time.

I'm about halfway through Before the Fall by Noah Hawley, about a group of people who are flying on a private plane that mysteriously drops into the North Atlantic.

It's quite good reading, though not a literary masterpiece. It keeps me turning the pages -- which is exactly what I was looking for!