Wednesday's Yarns: Knits to do While Reading

 

     I absolutely love to read.  I've been hooked since 9 when I started reading a series of biographies on the bottom shelf of the library.  Nice ones on Florence Nightengale, and George Washington Carver.  Easy reading, but memorable.   I graduated to Laura Ingalls Wilder next year, and Little Women the following.  At some point the following year I tried The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich (on my Mother's shelves).  I didn't get far.  Not that I blame myself, I tried the Audible of it last year and it was too dark to continue.   My school years were always dominated by the thickest books I could find. I breezed through Middle Earth and stories of talking Moles and Watership Down.  I rarely was without a book. 

     So I now I do love to knit.  A passion of mine that the very thought calms me in stress or warms my heart if I'm down.  But sit and just knit seems to now elude me.  I now know how to knit while reading.  Over time I found my fingers found the stitches for me while I'm reading.  My Mom gave me a Leather Book Weight by The Vermont Country Store decades ago and that can prop a hardback book open on my lap or table.  A paperback is easily subdued with a huge monster hair clip on top and now I have a Paperwhite Kindle that has a cover that props it open.  So knitting has to be arranged according to how easily I can knit it while reading.  Some projects getting more attention because they're easy to knit.  Bulky or Worsted wt is great for feeling the stitches.  My circular Shawl of finger weight is so simple because it has no end.  Hats, oh the ease of hats.  I once came out of surgery and before my eyes opened I asked for the hat I was knitting.  It calmed me down since the world was spinning.  Yup, a circular needle and a nice thick worsted and my fingers can see.

     My favorite knits right now are the Planispiral Shawl featured in the blog post: Wednesday'sYarns: Planispiral Shawl.  My nice worsted Shawl out of a Denim colored yarn called Jeans in the post: Wednesday'sYarns: Grab'n Go Triangular Shawl and my Fluff Shawl knits from 2 Yarns- Wednesday'sYarns: Fluff Shawl.  All really super to knit & read with.

     I'm still reading the Joe Pickett series by CJ Box.  I finished Out of Range, book 5 (another great book) yesterday and I read the sample to book 6 In Plain Sight today.  My husband suggested I get paperbacks to save money after I explained how frustrated I was with the price of downloading the books.  The new paperbacks were a buck cheaper.  Then I found a used bookstore online for overstocked books.  So not really used, and supposedly, according to the site in good shape.  Only $4 a book at Book Outlet.  But the key is to get a large enough amount of books to justify the $6 shipping.  So I've ordered my next books, enough to cover a month and a half at a book a week.  I have surgery in a month and we're also camping next week and I want my books.  The downside is I'm stuck without Joe Pickett for 24 hrs!  Fortunately, I found a really good series on my Kindle Unlimited called Foreign Deceit: A David Wolf Mystery Thriller by Jeff Carson.  Exciting, starts in Colorado (always a good thing since I miss Colorado), is action-packed,  yet has great little details about the beautiful scenery.  I mean the smells of Colorado, the smell of pines in the air.  The weather, how clouds form behind a mountain and you can see the storm approach.  I know exactly what he's describing - life in the high country.  And the author has a believable main character.  The writing is also good.  So I might have competition for Joe. 

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Wednesday's Yarns: Grab'n Go Triangular Shawl

     

      A favorite knit designer of mine is Brome Fields.  I love the simplicity of her designs and also that I feel she designs the things I would of wanted to design myself.  She's also prolific.  Having tons of hat, shrugs, shawls and other things designed.  A lot of those designs are in Lion's Thick & Quick yarn which is inexpensive and fairly nice for a department store yarn; containing a bit of wool, but not too much to make itchy for sensitive skin types like me.  I find you can always upscale a design by sourcing a pure Wool, or Wool and Alpaca blend.  So when I got an email about Spring & Summer designs I jumped to check it out.  I so love a tranquil, meditative knit for when I read; having learned to do both at the same time if simple (Hint: a Paperwhite Kindle is great for this in a cover that props up; but for hard back books check out Vermont Store's Leather Bookweight for a propped up book on your lap, or table while you knit). 

     The Shawl Grab'n Go, an asymmetrical shawl leapt out of her new Spring & Summer collection to me.  It's knit up on 2 DK wt Yarns or 1 Worsted and she suggests using your stash yarn.  I've been trying this past year to use up my stash yarn and to work to finish already started projects.  One worsted wt yarn I had but I was on the verge of donating when we moved was called Jeans by Lion Brand.  But I loved it, it was so pretty and soft, so I saved it and now I thought this would make a perfect light weight Summer shawl.  I'm so in love with the results so far.  Easy to memorize pattern and very light and soft and pretty.

What I'm Reading📚 

     I'm still reading the Joe Pickett series by CJ Box.  Wow, what an adventure! I love Joe.  Honest, to a fault yet friends with a guy who has some sort of secret operative background who obviously knows how to kill.  Joe defends him a previous book and they become buddies.  His friend Nat is also a Falconer that is teaching Joe's daughter the skill.  By the 4th book Tophy Hunt the books get a bit more gritty dealing with animal mutilation (a true life unexplained phenomenon that occurred in the 1970s among cattle in the West).  I'm nearing the end and the book is very good, some gruesome details not withstanding.  I'll be onto the 5th book Out of Range today.

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Wednesday's Yarns: Fluff Shawl

                                                                 

     I have several knitting projects going.  I like to swap them out depending on yarn size and ease of knitting, or simply how excited I am about a piece.  One knit I reach for daily is my Fluff Shawl.  It's an asymmetrical shawl and a very easy knit I've memorized.   The fun thing about it is its texture and looks.  I'm making it out of a super thin strand of yarn called cobweb that my oldest daughter gave me.  It's a wool, silk, and alpaca blend with marvelous colors that pop out.  I married it with a Lace Alpaca called Alpaca Cloud Lace from Knitpicks.  Together they formed a perfect blend of dark soft yarn with lovely bright colors peeking through.  The Shawl pattern itself makes a very lofty textured fabric that feels so soft and light and it's lovely to work with I'm excited to see its finished results.

What I'm Reading Now 📚 

     I'm totally hooked on the C J Box Joe Pickett series.  I'm nearly done with book 3 Winterkill and I'm fairly breathless from reading.  The action at the end is non-stop and I seem to hit these seriously exciting, riveting spots just when I'm supposed to go to bed.  What's a girl to do?  Leave Joe leaping over snow in his snowmobile to rescue his soon-to-be adopted daughter?  Sigh, getting enough sleep is seriously an issue with these books.  They are that good.  Thankfully Joe the Wyoming Forest Ranger has many adventures in many books.  I even got my husband to start reading them.  What fun, now we can even talk about Joe and his adventures together.  One discussion revolved around did CJ Box create the mysterious endangered weasel-like creature in the first book or is it real?  (Hint: The answer can be found in a web search in an author-inspired conversation. )

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Slow Going Sock

 

     I started a sock last year.  I have started a few and put away unfinished in with my stash yarn.  I find them slow going and usually get stalled somewhere in the project.  This time I did finish a whole sock; an accomplishment for me but not very useful since we need two.  Last year then Fall arrived and using the excuse of Christmas presents it joined the other socks.  So the other day I pulled it out to work on the other sock.  I do love working on it, it has very soft yarn.  But I wonder about its durability since I read that fancy soft yarn does not always make strong socks but I got it from a sock club that I joined.  I figured maybe I'd finally learn how to do socks and the first kit was free (after receiving another kit that was totally not to my taste, frilly plus, I realized I could do a lot better choosing my own yarn and pattern, and save money so I quit the club).

Simply Sweet Sock

     I think part of my problem with knitting on a sock is it requires more of my attention than most of my knits.  Most times I like to knit something mindlessly while I read.  The sock, especially in the ribbing stage requires all of me.  But it's such a peaceful fun knit I think I need to make a special time to just stop and knit on them.  I keep on hearing previous comments I've had on people's joy at knitting socks.  I believe them and I'm truly trying to find my sock-knitting Moyo.  Maybe this time I'll find it.

What I'm Reading

     I'm on to my second book in the Joe Picket series by CJ Box.  Oh, what a great wild ride it is!  The series is about a Wyoming Game Warden.  He's your perfect hero because he's not perfect; terribly human.  But he's got an unusual trait for modern days, he's honest and determined to route out a wrong;  even if coming against wealthy landowners or those in authority.  He's your good guy going against the grain.  A modern Western with modern issues.  Great stories and I'm excited that I think I have at least 20 more to go.

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