I’m joining Kat & the Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday!

KNITTING

I’ve been knitting, but going slow… there’s a bothersome strain in my forearm (and upper arm) (and shoulder) (not just from knitting) & I need to be careful not to over-do. I haven’t taken any photos, either, but it’s not very photogenic right now, anyway. I have finished the gnome’s “sweater” and started one of the sleeves — there’s not much more to go, but I’m not in a race, so it’ll take however long it takes.

SEWING

I’ve been working on my Komebukuro-inspired project bag while doing laundry at Ann’s — it’s usually enough time to get one or two things sewn down.

The spread.

The current panel that I’m working on.

Ideas are percolating for the last two panels.

READING

I’m reading Wellness by Nathan Hill, and it’s going to take a while because I’m slow, but I’m enjoying it… it’s really starting to get interesting. I’m trying to listen to Barbara Kingsolver’s Partita, and hoped that I’d be able to do while at work, but I can’t pay attention. I relistened to “Prelude I” in the car & it was all new to me! I don’t know why I thought that would work. haha. Back to music…

I’m joining Kat & the Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday!

KNITTING

Though I’ve continued crocheting granny squares, I haven’t done any knitting (for various reasons) since I had my hip replaced on July 7th. When I saw the email from Sarah Schira about Sweater Weather, her newest mystery gnome KAL, I figured that would be a good way to ease back in. (And, soon, resume knitting my Farfalle Cardigan!) It was gnomes that helped me back after Covid. Gnomes as recovery knitting… it just seemed right to jump in!

I finished Clue 1 & am nearly finished with Clue 2! There are only 6 clues in total, the last released on the 18th, so maybe a finished gnome by the end of the month!

It’s off the needles but it’s not quite finished — I fumbled a little late last night, and decided to put it aside & resume (probably involving tinking a few rows) when I’m a bit more fresh. Anyway, I think it’s hat?

TEXTILES

As mentioned yesterday, it’s football season, which means that our Airbnbs are booked for nearly every home game in Green Bay. That involves a few hours doing laundry each week and, while I could be cleaning during laundry time (sometimes I do), I usually do other things — crochet or knit or sew and catch up on a show or listen to music or a book.

Lately, I’ve been working on my Komebukuro-inspired project bag that was MDK’s 2026 Summer Camp project. It was my first MDK camp experience! I’m pretty sure all my fellow campers have finished, but I’m a putzer, I guess, not to mention busy. I brought it (and my crochet project) to Denver but didn’t pull out either! (I also brought a Musselburgh* hat that’s been underway for over two years, and did get that one out… only to discover that I’d pulled the needles for some other project & it was on unworkable holders.) Anyway, playing around with a design for side two of four & decided that I needed to iron those pieces before proceeding.

READING

I finished both Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (book) & Brandi Carlile’s memoir, Broken Horses (audio). Wellness by Nathan Hill has been in one of my TBR piles for a while, so that’s my new bedtime reading. I’d added Barbara Kingsolver’s Partita to my list (probably because of Bonny) and had notification of its release yesterday — just before learning that it’s the new Read With Us book — so that’s my new audio book! (FYI: If you have a Spotify Premium subscription, it’s included.)

*Did you see Ysolda’s cute IG posts recently? One to celebrate 50,000 Musselburgh Hats (50,159 as of this writing), and another about How To Pronounce Musselburgh. And then there’s Cara and the 63 out of 50,000 that she’s knit!!

I’m joining Kat & the Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday Thursday!

TEXTILES

Here’s some unraveling not of my doing…

I have two bins that I use in rotation while crocheting the granny squares — one that I pull from, and one in which used colors are deposited. I usually nest things together out of the way when I’m finished hooking for the day, but one day I forgot… and Kai mildly jostled a few balls of Felted Tweed. She was discovered before long, and no harm done, really. But then I did it again… and that ball of cumin didn’t fare so well! I managed to salvage a few balls.

When the kiddos were over a couple of days ago, Ginny brought some stitching to show.

She & Malina are going on a road trip with Kate to the Badlands National Park in a little over a week & I’ve been putting together travel activity kits for them — books, notebooks, pens & markers, National Parks Passports, stickers, travel games, etc. I want to send some crafty things, too, including fabric & yarn for sewing, weaving, and maybe even crochet/knitting. Ginny got a huge gash in the bottom of her foot a couple of weeks ago (requiring many stitches) while playing on a natural water slide — she found a sharp rock, or maybe a piece of glass — so she’s been pursuing more sedentary pastimes while it heals, as she’s not supposed to put any weight on her foot. The folks at urgent care had to pull a fishing hook out of her finger at the same time. She’s a trooper.

I really don’t have any new work to show, myself. I’ve had an allergy/cold thing going on, and the Felted Tweed fuzz was a bit much the last time I picked it up — possibly all in my head, but yeah… lots of sneezing & whatnot made me put it down.

Last Friday, I met Maddy & her friend Katy at Ann’s, and we all went to the The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show — and loved it!

I’m sharing a slideshow of some of the photos I took — some incredible work! The vendors were amazing, too.

Originally, I was going to stay at Ann’s on Saturday night, too, and bring Maddy home with me on Sunday. Turns out, she was able to ride up with a friend, after all, so I went home on Saturday — with a slight detour to Jefferson for Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival. I enjoyed walking through the barns, even though it was really hot — two big barns, as opposed to three times (?) that many at Rhinebeck… it’s like a mini version, and some shared vendors between them. My only purchase was a spool of light blue sashiko thread for my rice bag project.

Tomorrow, we’re all headed up to the Turtle Flambeau Flowage for a quick 3-day weekend up north & a visit with my Uncle Jim. Rusty & I will be staying at a nearby resort, while the kids will all be either camping or using the guest room/spare beds/sofas at Jim’s. It’s supposed to rain, but hopefully not too much.

READING

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid is my bedtime reading, so mileage varies each & every night. I’m almost finished listening to Brandi Carlile’s memoir, Broken Horses. Enjoying both!

Jeez, I just realized that Madeleine arrives in the States TODAY!! As per usual, she spends a couple of days with her friends in Milwaukee to recover & decompress. I’m meeting her & friend Katy at Ann’s in Madison on Friday morning for a day at The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show & some visiting. I’ll be staying over at Ann’s on Friday & Saturday nights. Katy has to return home for a wedding on Saturday, and Maddy is staying a couple of nights with another friend in Madison. Maddy & I will drive home together on Sunday. It so happens that the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival is also this weekend, so I’ll be driving over to Jefferson to check that out for the first time in a while on Saturday — alone or with company. TBD. There are a few moving parts!

Meanwhile, I’m joining Kat & the Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday!

I just keep hookin’.

I laid out all the finished squares atop a cardigan that was at hand… 50 of them. I need to make more, but probably not all that many more.

I’m still so in love with all those colors & combos, how they play with & against each other.

READING:

I have finished Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart and passed it on to Kate, who is enjoying it a lot, too! I’ve picked Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid from the TBR pile, and I’m still listening to Brandi Carlile’s memoir, Broken Horses. She also sings a relevant song or two at the end of every chapter.