It’s Saturday? Seriously? I seem to have spent the entire week taking naps and doing a little knitting on the side. I’m still circling the cardiology airport trying to get a slot to come in for a landing, but my rheumatologist did call them up and chatted with them this week, so I have hopes for an expedited appointment in the near future. (If you missed my previous post about this it is an issue with Covid-19 long haulers with severe heart complications competing with me for the testing that I need.) I became officially slotted on the Covid-19 vaccine waiting list this week, so hopefully that will be coming my way soon, too. Oh. I also bought some more yarn online…
Knitting
I have been knitting steadily all week between naps and I really am making progress, but the projects are so big it isn’t all that obvious. My Goldwing sweater is slowly growing, and my Julie’s Wrap is now into the third skein of yarn. The pictures, however, are kind of underwhelming at the moment.
See what I mean? That is hours and hours of knitting, and the results are less than stunning. Wanting some quicker gratification I started on my Tinsel Mitts and finished the first one in the middle of the week.
The fit of the glove is just perfect, and the flip top for the fingers stays in place on the back of my hand until I pull it over my fingers. Because of the ribbing on each piece, the mitt and the top, the top really snugs up and stays in place. I have extra room in the top around my fingers so I plan to pad the flip top with fluffy wool batting (from my carder) and then will knit a lining for the top to cover the batting and hold it in place. I’m still thinking out how to make it work… maybe a little duplicate stitch basting to secure the batting…
Garden
I have been giving the African violets fertilizer at the first of the month and they are still putting out new blooms! I’ve been looking at the amazing number of blooms on the wine colored plant and I ask myself… how does this plant know that it is summertime in Africa…? Of course it doesn’t; I think what is really going on is that in the summer I put the plants in the kitchen window where they get the afternoon light, but when I move them under the bright grow lights of the indoor garden for the winter they respond and bloom. They get about 10 hours of light in the indoor garden, and obviously they are liking it!
Books
I’ve been listening to an audiobook this week between naps and knitting, and I chanced across one that is fun to listen to. I am a fan of Lindsey Davis and her Marcus Didius Falco books; what’s not to like about a private investigator solving mysteries in ancient Rome? I loved the tone and setting of the books; an autocratic and scary society that is shockingly familiar (do you have a permit for that addition to your property?) and yet clearly foreign. I loved Falco’s wit and flexibility with legalities as he solved mysteries and traveled through the Roman Empire through the 20 books in the series. It was with real anticipation that I started another series of historical mysteries set in conquered Britannia under Roman occupation.
Ruso is a doctor working at the medical center of the Roman fort in what is now Chester, England. He is having some financial issues. He has just relocated to this posting from Africa and it has been a pretty bumpy landing so far. He has recently acquired a female slave who is a native and he is definitely having some buyer’s remorse and trouble managing her care and work schedule. There is also an issue with some dead prostitutes…
I really liked this book. It was fast paced with a snappy dialogue, but it also seems historically accurate in how the Romans of the time viewed themselves, medicine, slaves, and familial obligations. Did the Romans keep records of virtually everything and do extensive financial audits? I’m betting that they did. Ruso’s male Roman superiority is just obnoxious at times, but I’m guessing it is also accurate. In spite of that, though, Ruso is a caring professional who really is trying to do the right thing for his patients, his family, and his dependent slave. I’m so glad I found this series and am already into the second book.
Have a great week, everyone!!
Read a little, knit a little, and garden like your heart can’t live without it.
And wear your (double) mask!!
Yarn, Books & Roses 
If you knit a Hannah one day then she seems to have selected the perfect spot for it to live. I wonder if that pattern for the mittens would work if you’d knit thrums into the flip top section and then you’d have inbuilt cosy lining. They look pretty and I think I’ll add that pattern to my favourites and try one day. Did you use your new yarn to make them as I’m not seeing the new yarn being mentioned that you bought. I used to live and work in Chester in my early 20s. It is a beautiful city and I used to work in an old converted Steam Mill on the canal. You can still walk around the majority of the wall the Romans constructed around the city and there’s a sunken amphitheater. Tourists have their photos taken in summer with people dressed as Roman soldiers. Fingers crossed you are seen soon for both the tests and your first jab.
I have been thinking about knitting a Hannah. There are several more editions of the cat pattern that involve kittens and a cat that is sitting up… that would be perfect for Hannah! I have knit a pair of mittens with thrums and I didn’t like the lumpiness of the final product which made me start thinking of the batting idea. I have some nice ones stocked up from the drum carder and I may get a more uniform felting from them that will be more protective of my hands. It’s an experiment!! I found the yarn for the mitts in the stash as I dug around for yarn that I could make into hats for charity… the new yarn is pink yarns of the month from Baah Yarn and Emma’s Yarn that my LYS is mailing to me as I wasn’t sure I should attempt a drive across town in the snow. I am such a sucker for these limited edition yarns as if you don’t get them right away they disappear forever! That is so cool that you used to work in Chester. Here in the US our history is more elusive… I once went to Mesa Verde, which was stunning, but it is much newer than those Roman ruins! I used to drive by Fort Vasquez on my way to Fort Collins when I visited my son in college; an extremely underwhelming protective enclave for overnight travelers on the Santa Fe trail. Sigh. For me, a child of the American west, two hundred old structures are amazing… I’m being really philosophical about the medical appointment now as time is on my side. The longer I have to wait, the better the chance is that I will get the jab first before the hospitalization for the testing. 🙂
Your knitting and your flowers both look wonderful 🙂 And always so good to see Miss Hannah!
Thank you!
Your cat is so beautiful . I will search your wrap. I’m always looking for new ideas. And yes , we are doubling and shielding now. Our county is at extreme high risk. Todays been a downer. Usually , I can get past it all, but today it hit hard. It was too quiet. Not many emails. No phone calls. brief texts with the grown kids. and I think it is fatigue from taking an antihistamine last night! I am usually quite positive. Here’s hoping tomorrows more normal for me
Hannah: Thank you. I am an endearing little tuxedo girl. >^..^<
I was happy with the wrap but I wish I had chosen different colors and followed more of the options to make it in the shorter version. There is a Facebook group of people knitting Casapinka designs that is so welcoming, positive and inclusive that the knitting is even more comforting and rewarding then normal. The Facebook is called "The Sharon Show" if you are interested. I totally understand about the difficulties with staying positive in times that are very difficult. I had a rough patch last spring as I was completely isolated and the pandemic just continued to worsen. Adopting Hannah was a huge help! It is hard being cut off from our normal social interactions and like you, my kids are all grown and gone. Hugs! I hope that your tomorrow was much better!
Hey, I think that I totally messed up and wrote to you about the wrong wrap in my previous reply… there was someone who left me a comment on Ravelry and I got mixed up… can I plead brain fog? Anyway, the wrap in this post (Julie’s Wrap) is continuing to make me happy as I work my way through the border. In a few rows it will grow some more detail as 4 additional points are added… I am so happy that I am making it now. I hope to get far enough along to show off the details next Saturday.
Hi Hanna!! I love African violets. I have learned that violets like companionship and bloom more heartily when they have companionship. Has your jade ever bloomed. For as many jade plants as I have/had. mine has never bloomed.
Well, you must be right about the African violets. I have them upstairs in the spare bedroom (craft room) where I am spending a lot of time so I can minimize the number of trips up and down the stairs. They are so happy up here with me sitting right next to them! My jade plants have never bloomed, but they are so easy to propagate that I have an ever increasing number of them!
Hannah: Hi!! Do you want to play with me?
There is a GIANT jade in the window of a local shop that blooms every year. The shop owner tells me the key is rain water. Hmmmm.
I am now intrigued and went online to see why my jade plants aren’t blooming. The sources I found said that the plant has to be mature (old enough) and then it should be deprived of water, placed in a dry location with sunshine and cool nights. I’m thinking that my plants, started from cuttings in the last couple of years, are too young plus they get water every week and I’m running a humidifier 24/7. Good thing they are nice looking without the flowers…
Oh, yes. This particular plant looks like it is ancient! The stems are so thick and truncated. My jades are smaller and compact. Most have been given to me as clippings.
Oh my gosh, that bookshelf shot is priceless.
Isn’t that just the cutest thing that she gets up there to watch me? She’s not too big so when she jumps down onto the bed from the shelf it isn’t too big a thump on my legs. 🙂
Kittens are so much fun with their endless curiosity. We were talking about our sweet Tessa this week, and I was stunned to realize she is already turning 4! It seems she was just a kitten last month. She’s still quite playful of course, but not quite like a kitten. I love all the ages and stages.
Hannah is just coming up on her first birthday. She is still small and very playful. It really is shocking how quickly time goes by.
It is!