Author Archives: Myrtle2911

W.I.P. Wednesday: Magical and Mundane

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The Hook

Back in December, I think, I purchased a crochet “block-a-month” kit from Annie’s Kit Clubs. This one is the Coastal Sampler Afghan. Each month, I get yarn and instructions for three blocks. I am currently working on block 9 of 30. I don’t tend to crochet much, so this sampler is stretching my brain a bit. I’ve gotten stuck on a few of the blocks, including this current one. However, that was the whole idea of doing this sampler afghan. I wanted to learn some new stitches and expand my skills. My goal was to be done when I receive the final piece of instructions, but I’m quite behind in that regard.

The Book

Currently, I am listening to Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi on Audible. I am loving this book! I started listening to it quite some time ago, but seemed to only listen to it in the car on long drives. I’ve got to change that! The story “follows heroine Zélie Adebola as she attempts to restore magic to the kingdom of Orïsha, following the ruling class kosidáns’ brutal suppression of the class of magic practitioners Zélie belongs to, the maji” (from Wikipedia). The world created by Adeyemi is beautiful and complex, but also anchored in reality. For example, Lagos, the capital of Orïsha, is actually a city in Nigeria, and the sacred language spoken by the Maji clans is Yoruba. I am also thoroughly enjoying the narration by Bahni Turpin. She does a beautiful job giving the different characters different personalities through their voices.

After I started listening to this book, I purchased this Barnes & Noble exclusive edition. The inside artwork is stunning!

I started reading Children of Blood and Bone as part of a Bookstagram representation challenge I’m doing. Wanna join me? So far, I’ve only ticked off a couple boxes, but I have a long “To Be Read” list for the rest of them. I’m open to suggestions as well.

The Needles

That’s it. That’s all you’re getting. It’s a shawl, and it’s a gift. It’s taking far longer than it should. No spoilers.

See you next Wednesday!

In The Wee Hours: Hello, Again

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It’s been a while…..again.
It’s not that I forget about the blog. I just get overwhelmed.
There just seems to be so much wrong in the world.
The Capitol Riot
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The stupid, never-ending pandemic.
Recent Supreme Court rulings.
The rising tide of extremism.
Yet another mass shooting.
Yet another police shooting.
Crisis after crisis in the world.

I feel like I’ve spent the better part of the past several years internally seething.
And I feel some sort of pressure, self-imposed I’m sure, to comment on it all.
At the same time, I am keenly aware that nothing I say here really makes much of a difference in the grand scheme of things. One more drop in the bucket. One more voice shouting into the cacophony.

So. That’s not what I’m going to do. Not here. Not every time something terrible happens.
If you want to know where I stand on issues, I think I’ve made that abundantly clear on my “About Me” page. In brief, I’m left of center, love Jesus, and hate what has been done “in His Name” to people in this country and globally. I am far, far from perfect, and I am still learning.

No, I think here we will celebrate the beautiful and the mundane.
My yarn crafts.
My coloring.
My adventures in cooking.
My family.
My garden.
And the occasional semi-profound thought I might have.

Even if it’s just for me.

W.I.P. Wednesday: A Shawl, A Sock, and a Ship-Full of Crazy

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Well, hello. It’s a been a while.
Again.
That’s for another post.
For now, let me return to my roots:
yarn, books, gardening,and the like.

The Shawl

I’ve been working on this shawl for some time now. It’s a prayer shawl for my church’s Prayer Shawl Ministry. I’m knitting it in Lion Brand Homespun. I think the colorway is “Mediterranean”, but I’m not sure. The shawl is a long stole, knit in garter stitch, and is taking forever! It’s gotten too unwieldy to tote around, so it’s a “couch project” now, and doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

The Sock

I’ve been knitting this sock for a while, too, though not nearly as long as the shawl. These are “plain vanilla” socks in Knit Pick’s Felici. I’m not using a pattern as such. It’s more of a formula that I’ve worked out for my own feet. If they look Halloween-ish, they are. 🙂 The colorway is “Spooky.” I love it! I’m very nearly to the heel, and then it will be smooth sailing all the way to the cuff. They’ve been set aside for another project that I’m not posting publicly yet.

The Ship-Full of Crazy

How have I never read this book?!
I have never belly laughed so hard at a book as I have at The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Oh my word! I’m actually listening to it on Audible, and the version I’m listening to is read by Stephen Fry. I can highly recommend it. He does the voices. It’s hysterical! I’m at a point where something terrible is occurring, and the ship’s computer is warbling “You’ll Never Walk Alone” as the crew panics. When I tell you I guffawed… 😂 Being an avid supporter of Liverpool FC (YNWA is their anthem) made it even more funny. I’m going to be a bit sad when this one is over. Dare I “read” the rest of the trilogy?

So, that’s a little update on what’s on my needles and in my ears. What are you working on? Reading? Listening to? I’d love to know.