Still Knitting and Reading

Phew, it has been a bit too long. I haven't meant to neglect this space. Somehow days turn into weeks around these parts. We have been trying to stay cool as our temperatures continue to hover in the 110s. I think each of us is ready for fall and cooler weather (yes, 90 degrees is cooler to us). In preparation for cooler temperatures, I continue to knit. Several people have commented on my knitting in such warm weather. I just tell them I am optimistic that the weather will cool at some point.

Scrappy Hat, FLS, Foliage hat and current reading for Ginny's Yarn Along

My February Lady Sweater is almost complete. I really wanted to have it finished by the end of August, but that deadline came and went. I then thought for sure it would be done by Labor Day. Again I hit a snag. I was merrily knitting the sleeves while at my book group. The needles were flying, but so was my mouth. When I stopped to look at what I had knit, the stitch count was off; my lace was not right. I spent some time trying to figure out my problem before unceremoniously stuffing it into my bag. I haven't pulled it out since Saturday night.

In the absence of sweater knitting, I have been organizing and documenting. For several years, I have listened sporadically to the Stash and Burn podcast. I like getting ideas for new patterns and yarn. I also like listening to ideas on how to keep a moderate stash and knit what you have without amassing more. In all that time, I have continued to keep my yarn in the closet. I finally pulled it out and documented it in Ravelry this weekend. I snapped photos, weighed partial skeins and entered all of my yarn into the database. It wasn't pretty. Once I had completed the task, I decided I needed to do more reduction. I had previously destashed quite a bit of yarn, but more needs to go. I am now on a knitting frenzy trying to reduce my yarn.

I have a plan for the yarn. There is enough for a sweater for me and two of the kiddos. I plan on making some hats, cowls, scarves and socks. I also realized I need to make two more stockings for my children. So, for September, I am tackling single skein projects. Today I made a quick hat from two partial skeins. I also cast on for another hat. These quick projects will be my fodder for the next month or two. Of course, I will finish my sweater. I just needed something to distract me for a few days.

As I mentioned above, I belong to a book group. It is composed of some of my very best mama friends. Each month a different member picks a book. This month I neglected getting the book until just a few days before our meeting. I quickly read the book, and we had a great discussion. The book was The Raven's Bride. It was an interesting perspective on Edgar Allan Poe. I had always believed that he was a crazy opium addict. After reading the book, I did a bit of research on Poe. He was not an opium addict, although he did have a problem with alcohol. He wrote a large variety of pieces, worked as an editor, started the detective genre and championed for the rights of the career writer. The book is written from his wife's perspective, which I really enjoyed.

With my book group reading out of the way, I picked up a couple new books from the library. While organizing this weekend, I listened to part of Crossing to Safety. Thus far, I really like the characters. It is nice to listen to a good story while working on projects. In the evenings, I am reading Ellis Island. I have only begun the book, so I have no strong opinion. Both of these books were recommended by friends through goodreads. I really like that website for organizing what my family reads and what we want to read.

Hopefully next week, I will have pictures of my finished sweater and a few more stash-busting projects. (Sorry for the sub-par photo, I forgot my camera at a friend's house.)