Knitting

Fiber Festivals, Sweater Knitting & More

Knitting Notions booth Scenic Stitches Fiber Festival 2026

Since my previous post, I have been to my first festival of 2026. There is some knitting and reading to report and a new product to show you.

FIBER FESTIVALS

The Scenic Stitches Fiber Festival was awesome again this year. It’s nice to have a close to home festival for a change. This is not the only local show for us. Later this month, March 27-28, we will also be at the Middle Tennessee Fiber Festival in Dickson. I love this one too and it’s even closer. I get to go home each night.

The next fiber festival on my schedule, however, is coming up next weekend. The Carolina Fiber Festival in Raleigh, NC is March 13 -14 this year. I have been vending at this festival for a long time. I am not positive when I began, but I think it may have been 2008 or 2009. It is always a great show for us.

NEW PRODUCT

I mentioned that we are trying out a new mini-sized nostepinne. They aren’t on the website yet but we have them in the booth. They were well received at Scenic Stitches, so we are currently making more. As soon as I get time and more inventory, I will get them listed on the website.

I completed Elijah’s raglan sweater before leaving for Chattanooga. I haven’t gotten a modeled picture of it, so you will have to settle for what I have.

My knitting has resumed on my Linen blend Summershine Top. I am currently almost to the underarm bind off on the front body piece now. Since the back and both sleeves are complete, I will be seaming this up soon.

hand knitting sweater piece — Summershine Top front piece

The lacy project I want to make next is still undetermined. I am considering making a sport weight version of my Flames and Lace stole. I haven’t had a chance to explore any other possibilities yet.

READING

Since my last post I have read the two books which I listed there as current reads. They are:

That Night in the Library by Eva Jurczyk – This was okay, so I rated it 2 stars. I liked it the least of the three books I have read by this author. The characters felt a bit flat to me.

The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown – This is exactly what you expect from Dan Brown. His writing style is not fancy or eloquent but it is entertaining. What’s fun about his Robert Langdon series is the discovery of the mystery. He is also a master of pacing. The short chapters and suspense make for a compelling read. I also appreciate the lack of explicit violence and spicy scenes, despite there being a romantic subplot. I rated it 4 stars for entertainment value.

Currently Reading:

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte – This is my 3rd time reading this well known classic. Everyone is reading this right now due to the recent adaptation. I have absolutely no plan or desire to see it, but all the discussion inspired me to revisit the book to refresh my memory of it. I am enjoying it a lot.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – I have read this once before, probably about 30 years ago. I have had it in my list for a reread for a long time. It is my pick for March of the Mammoths this month. I am reading the Penguin Classics version which is the only one with the Robin Buss translation. I have heard it is superior to the anonymous version, which is what I read the first time. I am only on the second chapter so far.

CONCLUSION

That’s it for now and as always thank you so much for reading!

Posted on March 7, 2026March 7, 2026 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

Yarn Dyeing Days and Other Production Updates

We have gotten the yarn dyeing done and are working on other production, specifically new Nostepinnes. I have some knitting and reading updates too.

YARN DYEING

You have many times been kind enough to indulge me while I rattle on about my yarn dyeing processes, and I thank you for your patience. I won’t bore you with great details, but I will briefly outline our timetable.

I spent a couple afternoons plus a couple of full days on the dye preparations. It took me another full day to get all the yarn prepared for it’s batches.

We spent three days at the dye pots getting the dyeing done and the yarn mostly dry.

It took me a day and a half to do the printing, cutting, and organizing of the labels. I got all the yarn labeled and stored over a period of 4 days. I also tackled and filed our income tax return on the following day. Yay! I was glad to have gotten that accomplished with a week to spare before our first festival of 2026.

FIBER FESTIVAL

I will be driving to Chattanooga, TN on Thursday for the Scenic Stitches Fiber Festival. I was pleasantly surprised, last year, with the attendance. It was the inaugural year and sometimes it takes a little time for a new show to gain traction. I am excited to see how this year goes. I am not sure what knitting I will be taking with me.

KNITTING

I have a couple unfinished projects that I should return to, and I probably will, for at least one of them. That project is the Summershine Top. I am nearly done with it. I just need to finish the back, seam it and knit the collar.

I have almost finished with Elijah’s raglan sweater. The only knitting that remains is the collar. I have the sleeves blocking and I will seam it together as soon as they are dry.

I feel the itch to begin a new lace project, but I don’t have anything definite picked out yet. I will try to be sensible and finish the other sweater first. It will be perfect for wearing soon as the weather warms up.

KNITTING TOOLS PRODUCTION

I mentioned in my last post that we were working on some more Nostepinnes. We added some to the inventory last week.

We are also currently trying out a new version for winding mini-skeins and remnants. These will be just slightly smaller overall than our regular Nostepinnes. I find them a handy size to carry in my knitting bag for re-winding those little leftover remnants. They are also great for winding mini- skeins, like you see with advent sets and such. We will try them out this spring and see how well they appeal.

READING

I’ve finished some books since the first of the month. The first three, I told you about in my last post:

Currently Reading:

That Night in the Library by Eva Jurcyzk – I started this one as my Audible read after finishing Heart the Lover. It’s okay so far but the characters are a bit flat. Plot is interesting enough to keep me listening to see what happens.
The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown – my oldest son gave me this for Christmas. I read all but one of the previous volumes in the Robert Langdon series. These are always entertaining even if the prose isn’t spectacular. I am enjoying it and it is actually making me read past my bedtime. 🙂

CLOSING

As always, I appreciate your time. Until next time, take care!

Posted on February 22, 2026February 22, 2026 by yarnmama — 6 Comments

A Bit of Catching up

I owe you quite a bit of catching up. I did not intend such a long break between posts. The larger the gap got, the harder it became to start. There’s knitting, business, life, and reading to update you about, so let’s begin with knitting.

KNITTING

I have one project on the needles that I am currently working on. That is a sweater for my youngest son. He picked it as one of his Christmas presents.

He wanted a light-blue sweater. I had to purchase the yarn because, if you can believe it, I was lacking that in my stash. I ordered some Cascade 220 from Webs in mid- December and cast on around Christmas week.

Cascade 220 knitting A Bit of Catching UP

Cascade 220 sweater knitting A Bit of Catching Up

The pattern is a basic pieced raglan pullover knit with a waffle-weave stitch pattern. I have completed and blocked both of the body pieces. I am almost finished knitting the first sleeve. I have most of two skeins left from the six that I ordered, so I should have plenty to complete the project.

I also finished knitting the Mystery Musikal Shawl by Stephen West. I am quite happy with it. There was only a tiny bit of the yarns I used left. I used all of the Heather( the darker purple). More details can be found at the Ravelry link to my project page.

Mystery MusiKAL Shawl knitting Pre-blocking A Bit of Catching Up — Before blocking

I have one other project still partially completed and on hold since October, when I began knitting the Mystery Musikal Shawl. That is my Summershine Top. I plan to pick that back up, I think, when I finish my son’s sweater.

BUSINESS UPDATES

In December and January we finished working on two big batches of Cherry Yarn Swifts.

In mid-December we added a new polishing wheel to our shop. After seeing what a lovely job that did on our new batch of Darning Eggs, I couldn’t resist pulling out all the rest of the inventory, including all the Nostepinnes, and upgrading them. It took a couple of days, but it was worth the effort. They look even more amazing than they were before. I apologize that I neglected to get any pictures. Maybe next time.

We have some new Nostepinnes currently in production. During January, we received 17 boxes of yarn to dye. I am working on dye preparations right now. Dyeing will probably happen sometime in the next week, weather permitting.

LIFE UPDATES

Speaking of weather, the second half of January has certainly been interesting.
As you may have heard, Nashville got hit especially hard by Fern. At first, we were supposed to be getting all snow, maybe as much as one foot. The storm shifted and what began as 5- 6 inches of snow, turned to sleet, and then freezing rain for a whole day. That happened on Sunday, January 25th.

We lost power around 9 am that day. The temperatures plummeted and we didn’t get our electricity restored until Tuesday afternoon, around 2:30 pm. Many were without power for a lot longer.

My birthday was on Monday, so not a fun one, but it’s fine I got over it. We survived using our propane for heating a couple rooms and doing some rudimentary cooking. I made myself a carrot cake later that week and did a little books hopping the following Sunday.

We have also dealt with a couple rounds of minor illnesses in January and early February, but we are better now and will hopefully remain so.

READING

Since I mentioned books, let me update you on what I have been or am currently reading.

December/January Reads:

These Silent Woods – Kimi Cunningham Grant ****
The Haunting Season – Various Authors***
The House Next Door – Anne Rivers Siddons****
The Final Girl Support Group – Grady Hendrix***
The Dept. of Rare Books and Special Collections – Eva Juczyk****
A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens (read this every December)*****
A tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens****
The Winter Spirits:-Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights – Various Authors****
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle – Stuart Turton****
Lessons – Ian McEwan***
Black Woods, Blue Sky – Eowyn Ivey****
The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro*****
Mornings on Horseback – David McCulloch ( read with Elijah for school)***

Currently Reading:

After Midnight – Daphne Du Maurier
The Last House on Needless Street – Catriona Ward
The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge – Calvin Coolidge ( reading with Elijah for school)

CLOSING

That seems like enough for now. I hope that this breaking of the ice will help to get me back to a more normal posting interval. Take care until next time and as always, thank you for reading.

Posted on February 5, 2026February 5, 2026 by yarnmama — 4 Comments

Mystery MusiKAL Knitting and More

I have finished knitting Clue #3 on my Stephen West Mystery MusiKAL shawl. There is also a shop update and a reading discussion at the end.

Knitting

I am now preparing to embark on Clue #4, which involves very long rows. A lot of those rows are in brioche knitting. Pray for my fortitude. I love how it looks but it is time-consuming to knit.

I am knitting exclusively on this project until it is complete. I am fine doing that, but I may need a quick little project to work on after this as a palette cleanser. Maybe a pair of socks? Then maybe something lacy.

Shop Update

We have been working on that batch of Cherry Yarn Swifts as I mentioned recently. Those are now mostly finished and some are listed on the website. We tend to sell a lot of Yarn Swifts over the holiday shopping season. We bought more lumber yesterday to start another batch to get ahead for next year since we needed more wood anyway for dowels.

Reading Discussion

I have completed a few books in the last few weeks. I have been reading a lot of new releases lately and less interested in my classics.

Recently completed:

King Sorrow by Joe Hill – This book was amazing! I gave it ***** and I think it is maybe my favorite book of 2025. Highly recommend if you like slightly gritty but well told horror stories. The apple definitely didn’t fall too far from the tree in this case.

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix – This was a first read by this author. I picked up the hardback at a clearance rack at an indie bookshop. I had heard good reviews and decided to give it a go. I quite enjoyed this and gave it ****. I then found the new release from him at the library, as you see below.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix- I was surprised that I liked this one. I had been leery of reading it because I didn’t think I would get on with it due to the subject matter. I found I was able to suspend my reservations enough to appreciate the positive elements. I gave it ****.

6:40 to Monteal by Eva Juscyzk – I picked this up in a recent book store browse as an impulse buy. It was one of the monthly staff picks. I liked it as a quick psychological thriller read. I sort of guessed the ending but not completely. It surprised me right at the end. I gave it *** I think.

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan – I have this on Audible. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It was pretty good but it’s not in my top 10 of 2025 or anything. I did give it **** though so I guess I liked it.

Currently reading:

These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant – I borrowed this on Libby after seeing a review on YouTube. I am only a few chapters in at the moment.

House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons – Same as above. I finally got the book today as there was a hold list. Have only read a few pages.

The Haunting Season – by Various Authors – I am listening to the audio book on Libby for this one. It is a collection of eight ghost stories for the long winter nights. It’s in the Victorian tradition of reading/telling ghost stories during the holidays. These are contemporary authors but so far they are written in Victorian settings and styles. I am on the second one.

I’ll see how these go and maybe I’ll start a classic soon too. I haven’t decided what I am in the mood for yet.

Closing

I’ll leave you with a bit of Christmas decorations that we put up on Monday. This is as far as I go in on decorations though. I like the lights but don’t care for the mess and bother of a tree anymore.

Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas in case I don’t talk to you again before then.

Posted on December 5, 2025December 5, 2025 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

A Time to be Home

The festival season is over for us and it is now a time to be home. It is time to shift our focus to catching up on home tasks as well as production for next year. It’s also a time to get more knitting done, I hope. :-)

Knitting

My current knitting plans are still focused on the Mystery MusiKAl shawl. I am well into clue #3 now. It is easy knitting at the moment. Here is what I have so far. I know that it looks a little wonky, but it is hard to lay it out flat with the spare needle on the bottom edge.

I think this will still take awhile to finish. I don’t have any firm plans yet about what to start when this is completed.

Production

At the moment we have a batch of cherry Yarn Swifts in production. I need to sew some muslin bags for these while Jerry is currently doing a lot of sanding.

Kntting Notions cherry yarn swifts sanding

We also have a big batch of Darning Eggs that need to be waxed and labeled. I will be getting to that soon.

In December I will be doing a full inventory and ordering more yarn to dye for next year. So, that should be plenty to keep me busy, in addition to admin tasks as the year ends.

Festivals

Our last festival for 2025, NWA Fiber Festival, was last weekend. I wrote about it in my previous post. It was a great end of the season for us. We had a good show and are looking forward to returning next year.

NWA Fiber Festival Knitting Notions booth 2025

Our first show on the schedule for 2026 will be the Scenic Stitches in Chattanooga, TN on February 28- March 1. That sounds like awhile off but it will be here before you know it.

Reading

Since I Last Wrote; MKAL Knitting Update and More

Since my last post I have made knitting progress on my Mystery MusiKAL and I have a few more updates.

Knitting MKAL

I am knitting exclusively on my Mystery MusiKAL, and I have completed almost half of clue 2.

This section is very relaxing to knit after the more fussy modular scallops in clue 1. The two final clues have been released by now. I admit that I was concerned by clue 3 when I first saw it. I initially thought that the geometrical shapes were jarring with the more curvy and organic look of the first two clues. Then clue 4 was revealed last Thursday and I was further dismayed.

Now, I need to explain that. I like how it tied together the whole design, so I am pleased with that. It is more the knitting of it that is bothering me. Clue 4 is three borders on the bottom edge in brioche. It looks great but I don’t particularly love doing it. It will take quite awhile but it will be lovely. I have liked the look of many of the finished samples I have seen.

Festival Updates

I did indeed knit on my MKAL in the booth at SAFF last weekend. Friday was the busiest day of the three, but overall it was a great weekend. So, I didn’t have a lot of time during the show to knit, but it was fun showing it off and sharing experiences with other knitters who are knitting it too. I do look forward to doing them each year, since they are never boring. :-)

I am at home this week and enjoying a slower pace for a little bit. Jerry is starting a new batch of Cherry Yarn Swifts, which I can help on at certain stages, but that’s mostly on him. I have been catching up on Elijah’s studies and just enjoying making meals and other homemaking tasks.

I will be leaving on Wednesday for our last festival of 2025. That is the NWA Fiber Festival in Fayatteville, Arkansas. This festival began a few years ago and takes place on Friday and Saturday, November 7-8, 2025. We won’t be back out on the road again until the Scenic Stitches Festival in Chattanooga, TN, February 28- March 1, 2026.

Reading

Here are my current reads, plus a few more that I am hoping to get into in the near future. I am most excited to start the new Joe Hill release, King Sorrow. I have heard nothing but rave reviews for it!

I am really enjoying The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, so I picked up a copy of her previous Booker Prize winner, The Inheritance of Loss.

I am a big fan of Daphne Du Maurier, so I just had to get the new release After Midnight, which is a collection of thirteen short stories. I have already read a few of them, but I don’t mind reading those again. She never disappoints.

I came across How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix in a clearance sale and picked it up for October. I am not gonna make that, but I will read it anyway as soon as I can get to it.

Okay, that’s it for now. Thank s for reading! See you again next time.

Posted on November 1, 2025November 1, 2025 by yarnmama — 2 Comments

Mystery MusiKAL 2025 Knitting and Other Updates

I finally picked out my colors and started knitting my Stephen West Mystery MusiKal 2025. I have a couple of other updates too, but this will be brief.

Knitting

The first clue for the 2025 Stephen West MKAL was released on October 4th. I looked at the spoiler because I wanted to use that as a guide in my final color decision. I was at first leaning towards the teal set. After seeing the complexity of the first clue, I went with the more muted and monochromatic gradient colorway.

As you can see in my picture of the beginning of clue 1, I am using the Heather, Orchid, Quartzite and Slate in Classic Merino Superwash Sock. There will be six scallops when I complete clue 1. This clue requires some attention, but I was working on it in my booth this past weekend. Clue 2 is very different and should be even easier for working on at SAFF this weekend if I get that far.

Festivals

Since my last post, I have been to two other festivals. I was at the Fall Fiber Expo in Ann Arbor the second weekend, and the Southern Indiana Fiber Arts Festival in Corydon, IN this past weekend. I am leaving tomorrow for SAFF in Asheville, NC. I am looking forward to a weekend home after I return. There is only one more festival remaining on our 2025 calendar after that, the NWA Fiber Festival in Fayatteville, AR. Whew!

Fall Fiber Expo 2025 Knitting Notions booth

SoInFiberFestival 2025 booth Knitting Notions

This has been the season of meeting several blog friends. I got an unexpected visit from another one at Ann Arbor. I was happy to meet Beth from A Year of Kayaking . We had a nice chat. She made special stop in Ann Arbor to come to the festival on her way to somewhere out west, California maybe? Sorry, if that isn’t quite right. Safe travels Beth! It was great meeting you.

Reading

Since my last post I have read a few books and started a few more.

Contemplating About Colors and Other Updates

2025 MKAL Knitting Notions Classic Merino Superwash Sock yarn colors

During my little break I am doing some contemplating about colors for the Stephen West MKAL. I am also doing a bit of knitting and reading in my downtime.

Colors for MKAL and Knitting

On Sunday while in my booth at Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival, more on that in a bit, I picked out a few color palettes to consider for this year’s MKAL. I am not gonna lie; I am having a hard time choosing. The last two years I used green combos, so I am determined to use a different palette for this one. What do you think?

I suppose I am leaning a bit more towards the teal palette(#4), but I love them all. Help me narrow it down if you have an opinion.

I have made a small amount of progress on the Summershine Top. I haven’t been in as much of a knitting mood. I have been reading a lot more than knitting.

Festivals and Friends

So, the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival was awesome as always! What made it even more special this year was having a blog friend pop in for a visit. She was also bearing a lovely gift! I so enjoyed meeting her and her daughter ( who made the wonderful candle). I am glad to have a face to put with the comments now. We, unfortunately, didn’t take pictures, but I can show you the wonderful smelling gift that I am enjoying in my room this week.

Here’s a few booth shots too. I have been experimenting with a new set up and I like it.

Reading

I finished two books over the first weekend. William Faulkner’s Light in August**** and Michael McDowell’s Blackwater Saga***.

Since then, I restarted The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith/J.K.Rowling. This is very good and engrossing. It is a big book; just over 900 pages, and I am about 45% through it in just a few days.

I also have a done a bit of book shopping in an area used book shop. Now, I brought some of these with me, but I did find some real gems. I am especially excited about the mint condition copy of The Chronicles of Narnia. I have needed a new set and this was a steal for the whole 7-in-1 hard cover.

Okay, that’s it for today. Talk again soon!

Posted on October 1, 2025October 1, 2025 by yarnmama — 8 Comments

Festivals, Yarn Dyeing, and Knitting; Oh My!

There has been a lot going on since my last post. There have been festivals, yarn dyeing, knitting, and more.

Festivals

I wanted to write this post so many times in the last three weeks. By the time the days priorities were completed, I had no steam left.

The first weekend in September, after Labor Day, I was in Jefferson, WI for the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival. What a great weekend it was too! The weather was cool and sunny. It was super busy all three days. I left totally exhausted and needing to dye more yarn. More on that in the next section.

Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival Knitting Notions booth

The third weekend in September, was the 29th annual Wool Gathering at Young’s Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs, OH. This is an outdoor event in big tents. The weather was hot and sunny for setup day on Friday and also on Saturday. It was cloudy with some afternoon showers on Sunday. The attendance was great even in the heat. Thanks to all who support the vendors no matter what the weather. :-) I especially enjoyed seeing Maureen of KnittingIsSoFun blog. It was so lovely chatting!

wool gathering festival Knitting Notions booth

I had a short day and a half at home, and now I am on the way to Winchester, VA. This coming weekend is the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival. I drove halfway up today and will finish the drive tomorrow. I will be setting up the booth on Friday. I am excited to see another blog friend there over the weekend. :-)

Yarn Dyeing

So, as mentioned above, after Wisconsin Sheep &Wool Festival, there were some gaps in the yarn inventory. I wasn’t out of anything yet, but the weekend between the two festivals was my only time home long enough to re-dye some yarn. So, yarn dyeing was what we did on the second weekend in September.

I spent most of three days getting the dye and yarn prep work done. Saturday and Sunday were dyeing days, and Monday and Tuesday was spent labeling and storing. Wednesday was packing for Wool Gathering. I had one day after returning from Ohio to reload the trailer with a few things and pack my stuff again. That brings me up to today where I am now, in southwest Virginia for the night. Whew!

Knitting

It will probably not be a surprise that not a lot of knitting has happened in the last three weeks. I did manage to complete the knitting of the back piece of my Summershine Top. I have begun and knit the ribbing for the front piece, but that is it.

I may be planning to knit the Stephen West MKAL when it launches. I will be in VA that week with a few days to rest between festivals. I have not picked what colors of Classic Merino Superwash Sock I plan to use. I’ll let you know in my next post. This year’s palette is four colors, and I will probably do a gradient set. Is anyone else taking the plunge this year?

Reading

I’ll end this post with a reading update of what I have finished and what I am currently reading.

During my drive to and from Wisconsin, I ended up listening to Gilead**** by Marilynne Robinson. I enjoyed the story but I don’t know that I will read the other books in the series.

During my drive to and from Ohio, and still continuing during my drive to Virginia, I am listening to Blackwater: The Complete Saga by Michael McDowell. This is classified as Horror, but honestly it’s not that really. It’s more of a family saga with a weird monster/supernatural element. The prose isn’t bad, but it’s not fancy either. I am enjoying the story even if it is a bit strange.

I am almost finished with my bedtime reading; Light in August by William Faulkner. Now this one is some fine prose. I love Faulkner’s writing. I am enjoying the story too. Definitely a ****1/2!

I started The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith/J.K.Rowling. I only read the first 12 chapters though. I decided to save it until I finished Faulkner so I can devote ALL my attention to it this week. I am excited to really dig in soon!

Okay, I am kinda tired and really to chill for the evening. I’ll be back soon. Thanks for reading!

Posted on September 24, 2025September 24, 2025 by yarnmama — 2 Comments

Home from Pittsburgh and off to Wisconsin

I’m home from Pittsburgh and I’m off again to Wisconsin in the morning. What’s been going on in between? There’s some knitting and reading to report, plus festival news.

Travel and Festivals

I arrived back in Nashville last Monday. This was to be my first weekend home since festivals began in early August. I had a nice break of just doing normal routine housekeeping, school and resting a bit.

We had a good turnout at the Pittsburgh Creative Arts Festival. I enjoyed my time there and met with lots of my regular customers. It’s one of the great parts about doing this for so many years. There’s old and new friends to chat about knitting and catching up on what’s new in our lives.

Knitting Notions Booth Pittsburgh Creative Arts Festival 2025

I am off in the morning, while it’s still dark outside, for my annual trek to Wisconsin for the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival. This has become our biggest show of the year. It’s a wonderful event! The fairgrounds are very nice and there’s always a great vibe and excitement. The forecast for Jefferson is looking very much like fall!

I have restocked the trailer, but I suspect I may be doing some re-dyeing when I get home. The weekend following the festival is my only weekend home until the end of October, so it’s now or never until next year.

Knitting

I have had some time to focus on my current knitting project, Summershine Top by Anne Hanson. I have completed most of the back. I have reached the armhole bind offs and decreases. I have to knit about 5-6 more inches and that piece will be done. I still have the front piece to knit and then the seaming and collar after that.

I am not sure what is next up when I complete this. Oh wait! I just remembered that the West Knits MKAL is coming up soon. I am not sure I’ll be knitting it this year, but there is a pretty good chance I will. That may be next project.

Reading

I finished listening/reading Beach Music by Pat Conroy and it’s an easy ***** read for me. I am planning to re-read Prince of Tides for sure and also try South of Broad at some point.

I am about 40% into Light in August by William Faulkner. I am enjoying this a lot more on this read. I don’t know why I thought I didn’t like it the first time. As a matter of fact, I am finding this book the most accessible of the four Faulkner books that I have read. I previously read, Absalom, Absalom, The Sound and the Fury, and As I Lay Dying. I would recommend Light in August as an entry to Faulkner if he is new to you.

I am planning to listen to Kim by Rudyard Kipling while I am driving tomorrow. It’s one I have been meaning to get around to, and I’ll see how that goes. I have a couple back up plans if I am not digging it.

I am also very excited to begin the new Robert Galbraith(J.K.Rowling) book in the Cormoran Strike series, The Hallmarked Man. I just adore this series. I have the Kindle and The Audible versions plus I received my hardback copy today as well. I must remark that I am disappointed in the quality of the hardback. The paper looks and smells cheap compared to all the other volumes. I own the whole series in hardback. I am looking forward to the story though, so I’ll try to overlook my annoyance at the cheap production.

One other book that I read over the travel week was Horse**** by Geraldine Brooks. I liked this quite a bit. It’s historical fiction based on the life of a thoroughbred race horse of the antebellum era in the US. It was quite fascinating really. I know, you’re thinking why do I want to read out a horse? It’s partly about the horse but of course there are many people involved in his life and that is where the most interesting stuff is fleshed out. I highly recommend it.

Okay, that’s all I have for today. Thanks, as always, for reading! Talk again soon.

Posted on September 2, 2025September 2, 2025 by yarnmama — 4 Comments

FIBER FESTIVALS

NEW PRODUCT

KNITTING

READING

Currently Reading:

CONCLUSION

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YARN DYEING

FIBER FESTIVAL

KNITTING

KNITTING TOOLS PRODUCTION

READING

Recent Reads:

Currently Reading:

CLOSING

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KNITTING

BUSINESS UPDATES

LIFE UPDATES

READING

December/January Reads:

Currently Reading:

CLOSING

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Knitting

Shop Update

Reading Discussion

Closing

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Knitting

Production

Festivals

Reading

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Knitting MKAL

Festival Updates

Reading

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Knitting

Festivals

Reading

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Colors for MKAL and Knitting

Festivals and Friends

Reading

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Festivals

Yarn Dyeing

Knitting

Reading

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Travel and Festivals

Knitting

Reading

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