I haven’t been knitting much. I watch PBS News Hour every night and knit to that. That makes for slow, but steady progress on the Vertices Unite.

I have been spinning this beautiful Chameleon Fiber roving in the Turquoise Nugget colorway. Bonny gave me this beautiful fiber for my birthday, and I fell instantly in love with it. It is stunning, and incredibly soft. When I have time to relax I’ve been at the wheel this week.

What are you working on this week?

I’m in one of those phases where I am just casting on whatever I want because knitting should be fun. So I have more projects on the needles than I normally have. I don’t have any socks on the needles right now, which is really weird.

I’ve finished the first two parts of the Vertices Unite shawl. I really enjoy working on this pattern. These are not my normal colors, which makes it even more fun to knit. I took the photos late in the day, so the colors look much more muted than they are in real life.

When I’m in the mood for colorwork I reach for my Reywa Cowl. It is beautiful. I’m enjoying knitting with yak. I long for the mental capacity to work on colorwork in the evenings, but I’m not there right now.

My mindless knit is a cowl I’m making out of a handspun gradient. I knit in the round for a bit and then started knitting back and forth. I’m making it bandana-ish, as wearing a big shawl like a big bandana is kind of my jam. I’m just going to knit this until I run out of yarn.

My current spin is some merino from Honey Gold Acres. This is a birthday spin for a friend that requested bulky yarn. Today I’ve learned that I’m not consistent when I’m spinning thicker yarn. It will still be pretty, and I’ll get better as I work through the braid.

What has been keeping you busy this week?

I read five books last month. I have been falling asleep earlier and earlier, so I’m missing out on prime knitting time.

The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History by Kassia St. Clair. Who knew that the history of fabric could be so interesting? I had never considered how fabric changed history, but this engaging book showed me the light. Even if you are thinking this sounds boring, you should check it out. I give this book five out of five stars, and I think I would have even if I were not a fiber geek.

The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry. Having already read Beach Read and The People You Meet on Vacation I was excited to try a new Emily Henry book. This is a fun YA novel about love, adoption, the movement of time, and general trippiness. Had I read this as a young adult I would have given it five stars. Because I’m older and kind of figured out the book I give it three out of five stars.

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May. Wow. I needed this book. January and February are hard months for me mentally, and this book changed how I approach them. I listened to this book while at the spinning wheel, and I don’t think there is a better place to enjoy this book. I may buy the audio book to have on hand for the winters of my life. I give this book five out of five stars.

The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson. The description on the back of the flap does not do this book justice. I was expecting a nice, light novel without much depth (a la early Kristin Hannah). This book is so much more than that. Family. Illness. Murder. Unexpected pregnancy. Racism. All in a book that reads like a Jenny Colgan book. This is a great book for when your brain can’t handle much but it wants more (so like any month in winter). I give this book four out of five stars.

Almost Romance: A Memoir by Nancy Balbirer. You never know what you are going to get with Kindle First Reads. In this case I got a story of best friends who always loved each other and they find themselves together after 30 years. This would have been a great book for a plane trip. One before smart phones. One where you didn’t really care when you had to put it down to board the plane or go through security. It’s nice enough to read, but never really sucks you in. I give this book two out of five stars.

Vertices Unite: If you told me you want to be on the call tomorrow I scheduled a Skype with you added. If you have not been added please let me know. The call is as 11:30 am CST. The KAL is so loosey goosey you can totally join the call even if you are thinking that you might make a Vertices Unite eventually.

Girl Scout Cookie Season: Audrey is selling cookies. She is very excited. If you do not have a local Girl Scout and would like to support her you can order cookies to be shipped. Please do not feel pressure to order, I’m just putting this out there if you want cookies. The link takes you to her site. I’m also adding her cookie video because you can see how professional she is trying to be.

https://app.abcsmartcookies.com/#/social-link-landing/5f4f16b2-68a4-4070-adda-f1372ee93ffc

Maybe next week I’ll be better at blogging. Or maybe not. We shall see. Either way have a great week.