A wee summertime project

Popping in to show a little embroidery project I did in the past month.  I don't sew very much for myself any more (all my slopers are wrong since the weight loss and I haven't had the motivation to redo them when thrifting is pretty good and fabric stores in short supply).  I thrifted this linen shirt in the spring and wore it a couple of times but found it dull.  It is not quite white so I thought it might be fun to embroider it to liven it up.  I did a bunch of embroidery like this a few years back, so I had a notion of what I was in for.

I used the Sulky Stick and Stitch stabilizer because it can be printed on regular printer.  The designs came from an etsy seller that I adapted into the larger motif.  There were three designs total.  I drew out the lines of the neck and shoulders and then started placing the motifs until I had something I liked and then photocopied that onto the stabilizer.  Worked pretty well!  

The size of the piece meant I had to baste the edges of the stabilizer to keep it from moving around too much, but otherwise, fairly straightforward and enjoyable project.  It was a great traveling project.  

I'm plotting to fancy up a linen top I made a few years ago, as I like the linen but don't wear it very much now.  Maybe embroidery will make me want to wear it.  My go-to clothes this summer have been boxy linen tops just like that one, although mostly thrifted, and linen/rayon palazzo pants.  (These pants fit me like ankle pants, which was what I was going for).  I also found possibly the most perfect warm weather pants evah in the most glorious shade of yellow.  Pants are usually my nemesis, so it is nice to have a few pairs that fit well.  It isn't my usual lewk, and is perhaps not the most flattering thing, but I'm finding in this season, I don't really care: 

I know, I know, I was the skirts and dresses girl.  I still wear them pretty regularly in the colder months, and I do have a nice rotation of summer skirts and dresses, but most days lately, its the palazzos and the boxy tops.  (To be fair, the palazzos almost look like a skirt, there is so much fabric in the legs).  I will say, the biggest factor in the pants is that I don't have to shave my legs!  It is a chore that is never finished in the hot months because it is humid here and my legs still swell a bit in the heat.  And it has been HOT here this summer.    

And, finally, drum roll please...I have a (terrible) first draft of the novel I started writing last summer!  I'm right in the middle of the word count range for this genre, and while the editing road ahead is long, it is nice to finally have a big lump of dough to shape in my hands.  How's that for a mixed metaphor?!?

All This Without You Bonus Content

 

Good morning all!  I have a new website for my writing and artwork.  I plan to keep writing in this space about the things I usually write about, but if you would like to keep abreast of book news and other tidbits, maybe put the new site in your RSS reader?  

I'm planning to share some bonus content from All This Without You over the next weeks, and perhaps do a giveaway.  One advantage to sharing some of this content on a website is that I can link to some of the things mentioned in the book to provide a more sensory experience.

For today, please enjoy a deleted scene from early in the book, including a musical link.  

If you want to know why I used images from the Cave of Swimmers to make the page headers, you'll have to read the book!

All This Without You--pre-order available!

I'm chuffed to say that my book is available for pre-order!  The paperback version should be live for pre-order by Monday, and the kindle version is available to pre-order now.  

All This Without You will release on February 16, 2021!

Rays of Sunshine: Year-End 2020

My husband remarked sometime this fall that future historians of our era will have to microspecialize in 2020, as in, "I'm an expert on October 8, 2020."  It has been a year in which we lived a century.  Here are some (not-so) quick takes from an epic year.

1. We survived Covid in the early days of the pandemic.  My infection was brutal (but not hospital-inducing); the rest of my family less so.  

2. My kids learned to get along with each other during the six-month lockdown in this tiny house, and continue to develop their relationships with each other in unexpected ways.  Yes, they still fight, still annoy each other, still know how to push each other's buttons, but on the whole, the four of them can rub along okay, which is something I never thought I'd be able to say.  We did many puzzles and played lots of Scrabble and other word games this year.

3. The kitchen garden was a source of delight to me all summer and fall, and I'm looking forward to digging in the dirt in the late spring.

4. While I wrote less this year, my final Slezkine essay remains my favorite, although my latest Crawford tribute comes close.

 

5. I'm pleased to announce that my novel, All This Without You, will be published in mid-February.  I'm working through the final formatting and galley proofs now.  Pre-order will be available in a few days.  My first novel, Deliverance, finally got the cover I wanted from the start.

6. The kids discovered shchi, kuleyabaka, and pirog this year, and my fasting menus got a bit easier as a result (if more labor-intensive).  

 

At the same time, I crossed some kind of culinary Rubicon this year, and have enjoyed making some nice-looking meat, fish, and cabbage pies (with pre-made crust; I'm not that invested).  

 

The food shortages of the spring put my long-neglected bread maker to work. 

After 8 months of heavy use, it went to the Great Appliance Store in the Sky.  RIP, you served us well.

 

7. I fell down a few crafting rabbit holes this summer and fall, including jewelry-making, which I completely enjoy, and dyeing, which I do not. 

 

 

I also returned to making art this spring and summer, and am holding these new creative endeavors under the broad umbrella of This Living Hand Designs. 

 8. After stalking various listings for used pairs, I finally found a pair of Blundstones on ebay for a great bargain, and they are pretty much the best things ever. My transitional shoe crisis solved! So stompy.  

9. With hair salons closed for months, I learned how to cut both boys' hair, and have continued the practice since.  My husband had me trim his hair once in May in desperation, but has since returned to his barber, much to my relief.  I trimmed the girls' and my own hair once, since we don't need regular cuts.  It's not perfect, but it will do!

 

10. My sewing stalled out this year, but I made a few things I really loved, including my cropped linen Emerald tops, and a laundry cycle's worth of underwear.  

11. I dipped my toes into more challenging knitting, including lacework and colorwork, and find I have a an appetite for charted work. 

I also discovered some new-to-me designers and have enjoyed some new patterns.

12.  I discovered some truly enjoyable book series this year, including the All Souls Triology, The Court of Thorns and Roses series, and the Throne of Glass series.  The Throne of Glass series was an unexpected delight, and I binged all seven (rather large) books in about a month's time this fall.  I dipped back into the Court of Thorns and Roses series again this week in anticipation of the next book's release in February.  I guess I'm into supernatural fantasy now?

Wherever this year has taken you, and whatever difficulties you've experienced, I wish you peace and joy in the year ahead.

 

Happy New Year!

See ya on the flip side.

Yarn Along: Wearing All the Summer Knits!

~knitting~

The temperatures have finally dropped enough for me to wear the pieces I finished over the summer! 

The first is the Lightweight Pullover that I started in the late spring and worked steadily on over the summer. 

I finished it sometime in August, I think, but it was eleventy billion degrees at the time, so I just blocked it and put it away for colder weather. 

I'm actually pretty pleased with how it turned out.  I cropped the body, obviously, but didn't make any other changes to the pattern.

The second is the Pabaigh by Kate Davies, started in June, finished last week.  I like it with a few caveats.  I ended up reblocking the hem after wearing it for a few hours because I didn't like how it wanted to bubble and roll in at the bottom, creating a visual muffin-top.  Not a good look for me.  

I think with the reblocked hem, it will end up being a really great piece for me, since it is perfect for those days when you need a light jacket.  I don't always want to wear a full coat, so this is great for that. 

My changes were to make the funnel neck significantly shorter (the pattern asks for a whopping 14 1/2" finished length).  I made mine around 11" and that is about right.  I have a short neck and any longer would have swamped me.  I made a small error on the back near the back neck, because I was short a stitch and made the increase in the middle of the row, but the increase was very visible after a few rows, so I tried to go back and fix it a few times with a crochet hook and only succeeded in making worse.  I don't think it is terribly noticeable at a distance, and it does make it easy to tell the back from the front, but I'm annoyed with myself that I couldn't make it perfect.  Oh well.

The gauge on this sweater was higher than I usually knit (something like 26 sts per 4 inches) but I was able to keep steady work on it, and it gave me confidence to try finer gauge pieces in the future.  I really liked the construction on this too.  Kate is so good at that.

 

I still haven't worn the textured shawl I finished in July, but will do so soon!  I am also plugging away at my Doocot and enjoying it very much.  Kate Davies is a wizard.

~reading~

Still plugging away at Mary Eberstadt's first book.  I've been falling asleep much earlier in the evenings lately, so I haven't made as much progress as I would have liked.  I made some progress on Scruton's Notes from Underground, although I confess I'm not as into it as I thought I'd be.  I'm sort of gritting my teeth through it at this point.

~sewing~

Made a burgundy skirt on the same block as my olive twill, from the same fabric line, but I don't love it.  The fit is different for some reason, and I can't muster the energy to figure out why.  Incidentally, the olive twill turned out to be the surprise hit of the season.  I wore it regularly all summer and well into September.

I did a bunch of little mending projects that don't warrant photographs.

~watching~

I seem to go back to CSI: NY when I need a mental break but still want to watch something.  The series hit Amazon prime last month and I've been rewatching the whole thing from the beginning.  Somehow I never saw the first two seasons when it aired, so it was interesting to watch those for the first time.  I'm now in season 3 and the cases are a bit more familiar.  Enough time has passed since the show aired that it is an interesting window into the early-to-mid naughts, particularly as I was living abroad for part of that time.

This school year is really kicking my keister (already! I know!), and I find I'm mentally worn out from trying to keep up with everything.

This is my theme song this school year:

Oddly, it always puts me in the mindset of the Cold War and East Germany.  For some reason it escaped me until recently that it was a Queen song, and not sung by a West German band.  It just has that West End Girls vibe for me.  I dare you not to have that mind virus in your head now.  You're welcome. 😉

~writing~

The good news is that I completed the massive edit I've been plugging away at all summer, and finally have my word count down to an acceptable number for the interested party.  I am grateful for being made to do it--it made me a better editor, and I hope the book is better for the tightness of the prose.  Hopefully the interested party will think so too!

That's all for me.  Linking with Ginny for Yarn Along.

Yarn Along: December

~knitting~

A Carbeth!!  I wrote about my Shetland style arc last month, and I dove right into making a Carbeth pullover sweater shortly after.  I had unwound my Yellow Brick Road cardigan last winter, after wearing it a few times and not being happy with how it fit or looked on me, and was wondering what to do with the reclaimed yarn.  

I love having that color in my closet, but I couldn't settle on a pattern.  Then I realized that I could double the yarn and make gauge for the Carbeth, so off I went!  I didn't have quite enough for the whole sweater on hand, so I had order a couple more skeins, but this project went fast!  I would have been done in under a week if I hadn't had to wait for yarn.

I got it off needles on Saturday and promptly wore it to church on Sunday, without blocking it.  I loved it!!  I did block it on Sunday night, and I think the body of the sweater blocked slightly longer than it had been.  

I'm going to try and block out 2" from the body next time, as it looks better when it just skims my waistband, but the sleeves blocked out better than they were, and the collar is just right now.  It is superwash wool (worsted Swish in Jade from KnitPicks) so lacking that, I can always tighten it up in the dryer without worry.

I used Tasha's mods on the body to make it tapered at the waist, since boxy sweaters tend not to look great on me.  I'm quite chuffed with the result.  Also: it is super warm, and I am all about warm this season.

Weird action shot, but it shows the lines of the back neck nicely!

I also ordered some DK merino yarn around Thanksgiving during a great sale on Little Knits.  I was looking for yarn for Hannah Fettig's Lightweight Pullover, but I realized I could double it up for a Carbeth Cardigan instead.  I had gotten some yellow bulky yarn for it, but I didn't love the color, and this daisy merino is just what I wanted, so I swatched it yesterday and cast on last night.  So fast and satisfying--I'm really looking forward to wearing this one!

I'm still going to make the Lightweight Pullover--I'd bought yarn to make two, so I'll probably use the navy or purple yarn for that.  (Although I might end up with a navy Carbeth, who knows.  I have enough yarn for either).

I also darned Ponchik's mittens again.  I had darned them last winter with dark green yarn, so I went ahead and darned the new places with the same.

I should probably add that I gave away my Major John Andre Rivel to a friend.  It just didn't look right on me and while I liked how it fit in the shoulders and I found the process of knitting it enjoyable, I didn't like the way the body looked.  It looks fabulous on my friend, so I'm glad it has a nice home!!  I also gave my Gemini to a dear friend and it looks WAY better on her than it ever did on me.  I'm so happy about it!

~reading~

I finished Stasiland (excellent) and The Kremlin's Candidate (abrupt ending), and started on Jasper Fford's Lost in a Good Book (hilarious!) I also restarted Kristen Lavransdatter, although I am finding it slow going.  

I also just got this book: 

and I'm eager to read it soon.

~writing~

The big binder with the yellow post its is the messy first draft.

I'm in full revision mode on the novel, and finished integrating the first round of edits yesterday.  I'm making a big global POV change (from first person to third limited), so that is going to take a bit of doing.  I spent several hours yesterday on it, and my eyes were crossed by the end.  My next task is to print a clean copy and make an editorial map to make sure each scene and chapter has a purpose and that all the plot points hang together nicely.  

~watching~

First Reformed--excellent film, although the ending is kind of bonkers.  I wish there were more films like this that were really grappling with what it is to have faith, especially in our current age.  It's interesting to me that Paul Schrader is the guy asking these questions.  I thought Ethan Hawke's performance was great.  My only quibble (aside from the ending) is that someone did not do their homework about the Reformed Church.  No Reformed pastor is going to wear a clerical collar, and he certainly wouldn't wear an alb in the service.  And communion doesn't look like that.  I think someone was trying to make it look Anglican.  Which is fine, except the church is clearly Reformed!

Also watched Wings of Desire, which was a slow film, but worth it.  Lots of existential questions there.  I think I still prefer City of Angels, which is based on Wings of Desire, but they are both good.

There is a foreign mini series on Amazon that I recommend: Maximillian and Marie De Bourgone, which is about the late medieval period in Europe, and the conflicts between the Holy Roman Emperor, Burgundy, and France.  Fascinating to watch and extremely well done.

I think I mentioned Bodyguard on Netflix last month, but if not, watch it!  Richard Madden and Keely Hawes are so good in it.  It's also just been nominated for a bunch of awards, all well-deserved.

~listening~

Roman Hurko's Vespers album is wonderful.  I highly recommend it.  My secular playlist is a little sad right now, so I'm casting around for an album to refresh it a bit.  So far, no luck.

Linking with Ginny for Yarn Along!