Yarn Along: A Tale of Three Shawls

Yes, there’s only two shawls in the photo, the third shawl is below! :)

I’ve been digging into my stash to work projects that I’d sort of forgotten about!

So the blue and green shawl is the sail-away shawl from Modern Daily Knitting’s Ease edition. And it really is easy—lovely garter stitch and KFB increases in gorgeous wool from Sincere Sheep! These are Suerte (the green) and Hathor’s Gem (the blue) . These were actually birthday gifts so they’re finally getting used, yay! I’m making the smaller version of the pattern.

The second, on the right, is the Find Your Fade Shawl, which was super popular a few years ago when it came out but I finally got the yarn for it…two years ago? And I started it but I thought I was messing it up so I frogged it and put it away. BUT the yarn was calling me!

Turns out that the stitch count isn’t really important in this guy. I got to the end of the first section and I had the right count on one side and the wrong side on another—how did that happen?—but I forged ahead anyway, and I’m also only doing one lace section instead of three as you see here, which I might change to two and then to three in the following sections. But the point is, this is a really forgiving shawl, so as long as you’re increasing and decreasing at the right rate, you’ll be fine if your count is off. All the colors here are from the various Hawthorne lines from Knit Picks. (You can see all the colors on my Ravelry notes, but the colors you see here are Sellwood and Goose Hollow, which they don’t make anymore! Sadness! :( The third color which is just coming in here they do still make, and that’s Delphinium)

The third shawl is the Hawthorne Shawl from Quince and Co, using their lark yarn in a limited edition color way called Blue Balloon:

I haven’t worked too much on it because it requires a lot of concentration! So I’m working on the other two shawls and will circle back to this guy. She is pretty, isn’t she? :)

What I’m reading: My copy of Clanlands just arrived so I’m really excited about that. In case you’re new here, I love the Outlander books and TV series, so a book written by two of the stars? Sign me up. Another new novel is The Strawberry Thief, by Joanne Harris. It’s part of the Chocolat series, so I enjoy spending more time with these characters.

Seven Quick Takes--Only Treats!

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Helloooooo everyone!

Let’s start your day with some Patty, shall we?

Gosh I LOVE this kid.

Patty is four months old today!!!! :)

Also, here is her Halloween costume:

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From the blog this week:

The Brave New Us podcast is live!!!—I had a really fun time doing this one, since it’s about genetics!

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The cardigan is taking a break right now. The next step is to pick up stitches and knit the collar, which I don’t know how to do, so I am going to practice on the swatch.

In the mean time I’ve been working on this shawl. Ravelry notes here. It’s the sail-away shawl from Modern Daily Knitting’s “ease” issue, and it is easy! The yarn was actually a birthday gift and I’d completely forgotten about it during all the Big Projects I’ve been knitting.

The yarn is Sincere Sheep’s sport in Hathor’s Gem (the blue) and Suerte (the green). This yarn is magical. It’s so much fun to work with and the shawl is SO SQUISHY.

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My book, Catholic 101, turns three this weekend! Do you have a copy? It’s FIVE BUCKS, and if you’re a subscriber to the blog, you get an additional 15% off!

You can read it on any computer or e-reader, and it’s both PRINTABLE and GIFT-ABLE. So knock some folks off your Christmas list! :)

In that vein….

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Signed copies of Living Memento Mori are available! They are $20, and that includes shipping and a custom bookmark and prayer card that the Ave Maria Press marketing department made for the book! Fancy! I can dedicate the book to anyone you want! If you want a copy, email me. Buy some Christmas gifts and/or think ahead for Lent! :)

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Do we even want to talk about the election? How about not? :-D

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Next week I’ll have two new blog posts out for sure….the first one being about the second book, which is really exciting, and the second one being about health stuff, I think. No, nothing is going on that’s new, but I like to keep y’all informed about my life and health, so I’ll be writing a post about how things are going there!

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Emily Knits A Cardigan: Seaming!! (IT FITS!)

A seam, as seen from the “inside” of the cardigan (AKA, the part no one sees)

We are now into the finishing stage of the cardigan! Yay!

Here are all the posts in the Emily Knits A Cardigan series, so you can catch up!

Ravelry notes here.

So, seaming. This is putting all the pieces together, and this is where it’s sort of like a puzzle, as I explained last week.

As a refresher, this cardigan has five pieces:

• the back

• two sleeves

• two front pieces.

So the first seam I did (which you can see above), is the right “front” piece to the bottom of the back piece.I worked up to the arm hole.

Second, I seamed the first sleeve, and I was delighted to find it FITS—I slipped my arm in it and we have success! The third piece was seaming the front of the sleeve to the front of the cardigan, and the fourth piece was seaming the back of the sleeve to the back of the cardigan. So basically I can wear HALF of the cardigan now and it fits! HUZZAH!

The sleeve is a raglan sleeve, so it narrows to a point over the shoulder.

Shot of the sleeve—see how it’s set in there?

The second sleeved pinned before seaming.

I’m using a mattress stitch to seam the pieces together. It’s amazing and it goes pretty quickly once you’re in it. Make sure that as you work that you’re not getting any “excess” fabric—as in, check to make sure everything is going smoothly and there’s not a bulge anywhere. (If I can get a picture of this, I will, to show you what I mean!)

Now, with mattress stitch, you’ve lined the pieces up right next to each other. With the arm hole, I had to work horizontally for a bit, which was odd, but eventually it moved back to “regular” mattress stitch once the pieces straightened up. During the horizontal part, I did every stitch as opposed to doing two stitches at a time, to make sure that it was nice and secure! (If it was a more delicate yarn, like fingering or even sport weight, I would probably do every stitch for security.)

Also, when you seam, do it on a flat surface. I’ve been using my desk—it’s SO much easier than trying to hold it in your lap! You want a lot of good light when you do this too, and I have a lamp on my desk in addition to the overhead light, so that’s perfect for me.

BEHOLD THE FIRST SIDE!

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Seven Quick Takes: A Tea Break Weekend

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Hello, folks!

Jean Charles Cazin, October Day, 1894,

From the blog this week—and last, since I didn’t do 7QT last week!:

Amazon Prime Day: The Big Catholic Creative List!

Yarn Along #102: Blanket, shawl, cardigan….

My First Royalty Statement! (Buy copies!)

Future Janeite

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These arrived yesterday…

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Seaming the cardigan has begun! This is actually a fairly long process…..yesterday was the “pre-seam”, where I used stitch markers to piece three pieces together.

So in the photo above, I’ve laid out the five pieces of the cardi—the back, two sleeves, and two “front” pieces.

I decided to start work on the right side first, since I don’t have enough stitch markers to put everything together at once!

I’m pinning fairly close together using the “lightbulb'“ shaped removable stitch markers. I don’t have any plastic ones, which would’ve been GREAT for this.

More pre-seaming—this is the sleeve insert section so the sleeve is attached to both the sweater back and the front piece. You can also see the sweater back and the front piece pinned together for the side seam on the bottom of the photo.

This has been really interesting, because it’s a 3-D object—not a flat piece! So I had to visualize how things, like the sleeves, would actually become….sleeves! So what I figured is that it is attached in two places, but then I will seam the sleeve itself to make it into a tube. Whew!

This is the first piece i’ve seamed so I’m not sure how long it will take. But even after the seaming, there is a shawl collar that’s picked up and knitted in garter stitch.

The finish line is sort of in sight! My goal when I cast on was to wear it this fall/winter, and that will definitely happen!

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So, "tea break” in the headline, what’s that?

One thing I’ve really enjoyed during the pandemic (YES ENJOYED) is that my parents and I have been having monthly tea dates. There’s a local tea house that has a loveeeely tea, and they’re taking so many precautions to keep things safe, that we feel comfortable going there once a month for lunch and then going to the local Catholic bookshop. It’s the one thing every month that I really look forward to (I think my parents do too….at least I hope they do!).

(Just so you know—we’re really safe, in general. Dad works from home. I don’t go out all that often. My mom doesn’t either. So we’re basically staying home except for things like groceries and doctor appointments. So this is our “treat.” And honestly, it helps keep me sane!)

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I’m going to vote on Monday, too—yay early voting! I really love voting on Election Day, but this year….probably best to do it early. So we’re going to the county Board of Elections to do that on Monday.

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Some business: If you’d like a signed copy of the book as a Christmas gift, LET ME KNOW NOW. Email me! The books are $20 and that includes shipping and a specially designed bookmark and prayer card. I can dedicate the book to whomever you like, or I can just sign it—your call.

You can also get copies of my ebook, Catholic 101—you DO NOT need an e-reader to read it! You can read it on your regular computer! You can print it out! The ebook is FIVE BUCKS. Yup. Five dollars.

And finally, if you like what I’m writing, and want to support me, check out my patreon page! Memberships start at a buck a month (yes, a buck) and go up to $20/month. I am working on adding video, but that’s something else I have to pay for so I have to check the budget. :) Patreon support helps me do fun things like video! :)

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And finally…..adorable Patty.

Amazon Prime Day: The Big Catholic Creative List!

Most of the theology/religion section of my library. (Yes, the Magnolia books were published by a Christian publishing house!)

On Prime Day, how about supporting your local Catholic authors? :)

OK, they might not be local to you. But—really, support Catholic authors! We really do love when people read our books! (and review them on Amazon!!!!)

So I put together a big list of Catholic authors and creatives that are on Amazon—give them a look and support their work!

NOTES: In most cases, I’ve linked to their current book, or most recent book. In other cases I’ve listed to their author page where there are a whole bunch of things! If there’s a (p) after the name, it’s their author page. If not, it’s the most recent book or item. These are not in alphabetically order. The book’s title is in italics after the author’s name.

Starting with…well, me, sorry:

Living Memento Mori

And also sort of me: Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble, who wrote the forward!

And the rest! Go forth and support!

Elizabeth Foss: Real Learning Revisited

And also Take Up & Read (p)

Amy Welborn (p)

Derya Little: From Islam to Christ

Jen Fulwiler: Your Blue Flame

Elizabeth Ficocceli (p)—she has kids books that are great!

Hallie Lord: On the Other Side of Fear: How I Found Peace

Kathryn Lopez, A Year With the Mystics

Jennifer Fitz: The How-To Book of Evangelization.

Kaitlyn Facista: To Middle Earth and Back Again

Lisa Hendey (p) —she’s got kids’ books, books for adults, books for everyone!

Emily Jaminet, Secrets of the Sacred Heart

Emily and her friend Michele Faehnle: Pray Fully

Lindsay Schlegel , Don’t Forget To Say Thank You

Mary Lenaburg, Be Brave In the Scared

Justin McClain, Called To Teach

Carrie Gress The Anti-Mary Exposed and Theology of Home II

Rebecca Frech, Can We Be Friends?

Erin Manning, Catholic fiction (p)

David Clayton and Leila Marie Lawler, The Little Oratory

Katie Prejean McGrady (p) devotionals, working with Catholic youth

Jane Greer, Love Like a Conflagration (poetry!)

Yarn Along #102: Blanket, shawl, cardigan....pick your project!

So the pieces of the cardigan are done, but with all the craziness of September, I didn’t start seaming it yet. That is going to happen. Probably this weekend because I want to devote time to it without being pulled in five million different directions by other projects! So the pieces are all waiting in my bedroom to be seamed. I’m a little nervous that the cardigan will be wonky—sleeve lengths or other issues—but you know what? Who cares, right? It’s my cardigan and I can wear it around the house and WHO CARES. I gotta get over the perfection idea. I mean it’s my first cardigan! So down with the fear of imperfection and ON TO SEAMING!

Patty’s blanket is now in the last set of stripes, yay! It’s part of her Christmas gift so I have a few more weeks to finish it, but I’m probably going to finish it soon and then get it all wrapped up to send to her come December.

Remember the lace scarf?

yeah, I loved it. And then I had to rip it out. :( Sigh. I haven’t gotten my courage up to cast it on again but I think I will in the next week….I just love that yarn so much!

DO NOT try to knit lace when recovering from surgery. That’s your free tip from me. :)

And finally….

a new shawl!

I love this pattern. It’s Hawthorn from Quince and Co and I’m using Quince’s Lark yarn in a special edition color way they had over the summer called Blue balloon. The great thing about the Hawthorn pattern is that it’s designed to be worked in any weight yarn! So if you see a color you just love, you can snatch it up and knit Hawthorn with it! (Hmmm, maybe my pretty yarn from the scarf above will get used here? :) :) )

It does use yarn overs (YO), so it’s good practice for those, but it’s not “true” lace. You just get these lovely wrapped eyelets and things like that. So this isn't a hard project, at least I don’t think so. It’s a good chance to practice YO! :)

I’m reading Story of a Soul, because St. Therese’s feast day was last week, and I generally re-read it every year. I love this edition because my friend Elizabeth Foss wrote the introduction!

I’ve been reading a lot of different things, sort of dipping into books here and there. I always have a mountain of books that I’m working on at any given time!

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Seven Quick Takes, St. Therese Edition!

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St. Therese’s feast day was yesterday!!!!

I love this, and I post it every year. Bless whoever made this!

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St. Therese was my confirmation saint. If you want to learn about how I picked her—or she picked me—go here.

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Some St. Therese books? THOUGHT YOU’D NEVER ASK!

I love this edition of Story of a Soul, because it has an introduction by my friend Elizabeth Foss!

My FAVORITE book about St. Therese: I Believe In Love. Seriously. Desert island book, folks.

Want some St. Therese every day? Then you want Mornings With St. Therese.

And this one: 33 Days to Merciful Love. (also, that image of St. Therese is my favorite, and you can get it here.)

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Want a movie? Here you go.

Or AWESOME ST. THERESE SOCKS?

OR A STICKER or a MUG…..OR A KEYCHAIN?????

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My parish has a lovely St. Therese shrine….

(Use the arrow keys to scroll through it!)

A parishioner carved that. Can you believe that? I can’t.

There’s a relic of St. Therese, and it’s just such a beautiful place to pray. It’s so beautiful that you often have to wait! :)

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Right now I’m really missing the ST. Therese retreat center. This weekend would’ve bee the Women’s Silent Retreat weekend for the fall, and I almost always went to this one. Sigh.

If you know of places near Ohio that have silent retreat opportunities, please let me know? I MISS THEM!

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And to leave you this week—Anne Shirley. :)

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Seven Quick Takes--Welcome, Fall!

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Welcome, Fall!

I’ve always been a big fan of fall. I like the sense of new beginnings, of school starting, of football….and I love that the weather has cooled down and I can walk outside and not burn up! Yay!!!!

The leaves are looking really lovely this year too. And I love lighting candles in my house again and wearing my sweaters and fun socks!

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This week on the blog:

The new Take Up and Read Study is out! Essential Holiness is perfect for fall!

A Rock Solid Clinic

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I’m glad my eye has healed up although my doctor said I might be developing cataracts and to be honest I’m freaked about this because I depend so much on my eyes. So if you could pray for them I’d appreciate it. My next appointment is in February so I could worry for, um, months, and I really don’t want to do that! :)

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Lace knitting is happening….slowly. It has to be done slowly or you end up ripping it all out. At least you do if you’re me. :) I’m also reading the History of the Lord of the Rings series, which is JRR Tolkien’s original writings and drafts compiled by his son, Christopher. So it’s a great look into a writer’s process and the evolution of the story. If you’re a Tolkien nerd, they’re great. If you’re not, they’re probably really boring. But since I’m in the former category, I love them! The first one I read was Return of the Shadow, which goes until the fellowship reaches the Mines of Moria; next up is The Treason of Isengard.

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Some new Patty photos? YES PLEASE.

Patty with the stuffed lamb I got her for her baptism.

Patty with her brother, Johnny.

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Since it’s officially three months to Christmas….

If you want a signed book, email me . They’re $20 and that includes the signature, shipping, and the bookmark and prayer card! I can also inscribe it to the recipient, just let me know!

I also have Catholic 101, my ebook, for $5. You DO NOT need an e-reader to read it! You can read it on your laptop or desktop!

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I am really glad football’s back. I am also glad that both Pitt and the Steelers are 2-0. We’ll see if they’re still undefeated come Monday morning…

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Seven Quick Takes--The eye is healed up!

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Hi everyone! We’re back!

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So I saw my eye doctor yesterday and my corneal abrasion has healed, yayyyyy! I can wear contacts again! Double yay! He wants me to use eye drops for the next week which is fine, just to add some extra lubrication to my eye, no big deal. I’m very glad that it has healed up because I need my eyes to function! (As in, more than the average bear, because of the ears not working, ha!)

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If you need a cuteness pick-me-up, presenting….Adso! (AKA, the Outlander cat)

And if you need more cute, here’s Patty:

On her baptism say. She looks…..unsure. :) My godson, however, was baptized while he was having a bottle! :)

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Business: There’s a patreon. Check it out! Trying to build another income stream and I am so grateful for all my readers and patrons! Once you’re a writer that doesn’t mean you’re rolling in dough. I get my royalty checks once a year (September and March), and I do have to pay taxes (25%!!!!) on my royalties. So. More income streams are good! Thanks for considering.

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Pro tip: Don’t try to knit anything when you don’t normally wear glasses and you’re suddenly wearing them all the time. I’ll be so glad to get back to my knitting ASAP!

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The gallbladder is healing very well, my surgeon is quite pleased. :) I see my transplant clinic folk onMonday so let’s hope all is well there….I will update you when I get back.

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One of my favorite Marian devotions is the Seven Sorrows Chaplet. Have you heard of it? Read about it and pray it, especially since September is devoted to Our Lady of Sorrows!

If you would like a seven sorrows chaplet, this is where I got mine (she’s a local lady who does beautiful work!)

Yarn Along #101: The Cardigan Is Ready to Seam!

In #emilyknitsacardigan news, the carding is READY TO SEAM! Right now it’s just a stack of pieces, so no picture, because….stack of pieces. :) But! This is very very exciting. very very nerve-racking. I’m holding off on seaming until after gallbladder surgery because it will require attention!

In other WIPs…..Patty’s baby blanket keeps growing!

I’m more than halfway done, so yay! I still haven’t decided if I’ll block it. Hmmmm. Do you block blankets? (I mean you personally.) Ravelry notes here.

And I’ve started a lace project!

This is from Modern Daily Knitting’s “Open” edition. I’ve never done lace before, but this project is just my favorite, although I can’t do too many rows at once because I have to concentrate on the pattern! But I’m getting it down so hopefully I can move a little faster! It’s called the rib lace scarf, and the Ravelry notes are here.

I adore the yarn! It’s from Lichen and Lace and it’s called pressed flowers. How can you not love yarn called pressed flowers?!

As for reading….I’m having surgery tomorrow so there will probably be much reading and less knitting over the next week!

As you can see the book pile is….massive.

Because, surgery. I’m going to have a lot of free time on my hands so I can read!

(There are actually even more books than this. Scary but true)

And I’m re-reading Mansfield Park as part of the great Jane Re-Read. I love Mansfield Park. This might be the book I take with me tomorrow because I probably don’t want to have to concentrate on anything new.

Yarn Along #100! --Cardigan sleeves and two finished WIPs!

Garter Graffiti shawl—Ravelry notes here

So, before we get to #emilyknitsacardigan progress, here’s some finished objects!

The first is the Garter Graffiti shawl, featured above, and here’s a closer look at the design:

I loved the yarn. I’d used the Mad Hatter speckled tea party yarn before in another shawl, but the Snowdrop yarn, which is the purple, is amazing. It’s 45% Alpaca, 45% merino, and 10% silk, and it’s wonderful to work with! I ended up with more yarn than the pattern called for and actually ended up using only one skein of the purple (called “ Piece of Rudeness”, isn't that great? They all have Alice In Wonderland inspired names), so I have a whole skein left and I’ll have to ponder what to do with it, because it’s great. Highly recommend!

This is also a great project for a beginner. It’s a great way to learn color work, and the only “tricky” stitch is a KFB (knit front and back) at the beginning of every row. This is a stitch I’ve used a lot in shawl making, so it’s a good one to pick up!

The second is the Puck Scarf, which I made for my friend Kathleen, using Quince’s Ospery in Peaks Ferry. If you’re an OSU fan, this would be great for a Scarlet and Gray themed item, because it’s bright scarlet! The only thing I do differently here is I weave in the ends (why are ends loose, Quince pattern people???)

OK so, onto #emilyknitsacardigan!

The first sleeve is completed, and the second is in progress!

(Ravelry notes here)

I’m glad that I get to do the second sleeve because I can use what I learned from the first one! After this sleeve, it’s on to mattress stitching the pieces together, and then picking up the collar, which you can see here:

From Home and Away

I really like how the cuffs and collar have the garter stitch detail; I think that adds something special to the overall project.

One tip I’d have for a big project like this: print out a clean copy of the pattern or make a copy from the pattern book, so that you can mark it up and make notes and HIGHLIGHT your measurements! It can be confusing seeing all the numbers, so I highlighted the ones for my size so that I knew what to do. I also made notes on the different stitches I needed to do and wrote out how to do them, and other notes as I went along.

And the other project in progress is a baby blanket for my goddaughter Patty!

The pattern is Quince and Co’s Sully, using their willet yarn (which is a Cleaner Cotton, which is better for the environment!) I chose colors haze, regatta, sail, and bowsprit, because I wanted some feminine colors, but ones that weren’t too juvenile, so that she could hold on to this blanket for awhile.

So here you see Haze (the strawberry ice cream pink) with regatta. I really love this pattern and I hope Patty likes it! (Not that she’ll be expressing an opinion for awhile yet!)

Seven Quick Takes: Bioethics and Knitting!

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Hi! Tomorrow is St. Dominic’s Day! YAYYYY!

The Virgin Mary with St. Dominic and St. Hyacinth

So pray the rosary today, because the DOMINICANS GOT IT FROM MARY. :) One of the reasons I love being a Dominican!

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Sometimes I talk about bioethics here. Today is a crash course.

One of the things I get a lot of is, “Does the Church [The Catholic Church] permit organ transplants and organ donation?”

Quick answer: Yes.

“What about from brain dead people?” (aka, neurological criteria)

Answer: yes

This…is a point of contention for some Catholics.

The National Catholic Bioethics Center talks about this all in detail. Here, to make it one-stop shopping, I am listing the following for you!:

organ donation: Church documents, Ethics & Medics, FAQ and Summaries, podcasts, Press Releases and News, Statements, book store items

the most important, and probably useful thing, to most of you, is this: FAQ On the Determination of Death Using Neurological Criteria.

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So, if you don’t want to read all that…..cut and paste!

What is brain death?

“Brain death” refers to the medical judgment that a person is dead, determined by neurological criteria. Properly diagnosed, brain death means the complete cessation of all organized neurological activity throughout the entire brain, including the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain stem. When all brain activity has ceased, the body irrevocably ceases to function as a unified whole. The appropriate phraseology here is “the determination of death using neurological criteria.”

It is appropriate to use this criteria?

The customary criteria for determining death are "cardio-pulmonary," i.e., death is declared after breathing and heart-beat cease. Technological advancements in critical care, however, have made continued circulation and respiration possible through mechanical means even after brain function has ceased. The use of neurological criteria for the determination of death can be legitimate according to the Catholic Church. In an address he gave to the [18th International Conference of Organ Transplant Specialists][1] in August 2000, Pope Saint John Paul II observed that their application, if rigorous, “does not seem to conflict with the essential elements of a sound anthropology.” He further stated that “a health-worker professionally responsible for ascertaining death can use these criteria in each individual case as the basis for arriving at that degree of assurance in ethical judgement which moral teaching describes as ‘moral certainty.’ This moral certainty is considered the necessary and sufficient basis for an ethically correct course of action.” Neurological criteria consist of three basic signs: deep coma or unarousable unresponsiveness, absence of cerebral and brain stem reflexes, and apnea. Pope Pius XII and Pope John Paul II both said the Church has no competency in determining death; this properly belongs to medical science. [1]: http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/2000/jul-sep/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20000829_transplants.html

Can a Catholic receive an organ transplant?

Yes, a faithful Catholic may receive organs from a donor who is declared dead by neurological criteria. A faithful Catholic may also make provisions for the donation of his own organs in the event of his death whether it is determined by cardio-pulmonary or neurological criteria. Reasonable doubts about the rigor with which the determination of death would be made, however, may warrant caution.

Now, note that last part. In some places, like China, organ harvesting takes place in, um, less that salubrious ways. (To put it REALLY mildly.) So yeah, if you’re in a. place where there was be questions about this…..then yes. You can ask. You can say you don’t want a transplant.

I can say, myself, that if the Church said no to transplants, I would not have gotten one. Full stop. End of discussion. I’m dead serious. (Really, dead serious, because I would’ve…been dead! Oh, my black humor sometimes.)

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OK I think we’re done with the serious now. :) But yes, the Church, like the rabbi said in Fiddler on the Roof, has a position on everything! :)

(In Fiddler, it’s, “Rabbi, Is there a blessing for the Czar?” “There is a blessing for everything my son!…May God bless and keep the czar….far away from us!” )

Check the Catechism. In fact, you do have a Catechism at home, right????? (Because seriously, you should.)

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I didn’t do a yarn along this week, but next week! Yarn! But here’s a peek at Patty’s baby blanket….

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If you want a signed book, email me; they’re $20 and include a book mark, prayer card, AND shipping! It’s time to start thinking about Christmas! :) :) I also have an ebook!

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Book club is still happening! My BGLs have been nuts so it’s sort of thrown off the schedule, but it you want to jump in, you can! All the previous videos are on my Facebook page. On Tuesday we’ll be meeting at 3:00 EST!

Seven Quick Takes--Welcome July!!!!! (And a baby!!!)

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Welcome, July!!!!

Fireworks at Colonial Williamburg

Gosh, I’m so glad we’re in July. Yayyyy July!

So much to talk about today!!!

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OK first, WELCOME TO MY NEW GODDAUGHTER!

Patricia Mary

6/30/20

7 lbs 15 oz.

She’s my cousin’s daughter, and my first goddaughter! She was born on our grandma’s 90th birthday, and, coincidentially, has the same name as our Grandmother—full name, I mean. The Patricia was for my grandmother, but the Mary is also our grandmother’s middle name!! So how nice is that? Grandma got a pretty awesome present!

You can’t tell in the photos, but she’s a ginger, like her mom!

So she’s been in the hospital for a few days because they had to make sure she tested negative for COVID after a few tests. She’s passing with flying colors though so yay! My cousin can nurse her but she has to gown up because she actually tested positive for COVID—even though she has no symptoms. BIZARRE.

Anyway, I hope by the time this is live, they’re able to go home!

She’s the fifth child in my cousin’s family. They have two daughters—Susie and Bridget—and two boys—Frankie and Johnny. Bridget, in particular, is very happy to have another sister!

So, yes, as her godmother, I am going to spam you all with photos of her because that is my job as godmother.

(And to spoil her rotten….)

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(OK she’s ADORABLE, RIGHT?!?!!?)

I already have a godson, who will be 23 this year. So I’m really happy to have another godbaby, and my first goddaughter. It’s so fun to spoil the littles. Not that I couldn’t spoil my godson, but it’s harder since he’s all grown up and I can’t pay him $1 to see if he knows his prayers anymore. :) He recently graduated from the University of Pittsburgh (A semester early!), so yes, I am insanely proud of him too. :)

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So it’s Fourth of July Weekend! I recommend watching Gettysburg, John Adams, and 1776! (SIT DOWN, JOHN!)

via GIPHY

Also reading John Adams, The Killer Angels, and 1776 are great reads for July, especially the latter. For kids, the Felicty series from American Girl is great for learning about colonial history, and I also really like the Revolutionary War series from Laurie Halse Anderson, told from the perspective of a young slave girl, Isabel, and her friend, Curzon. This is fabulous trilogy: Chains, Forge, and Ashes. (and these are also great books for adults, too! Anderson is a great writer.) Learning history is so important and fiction is a great way to spark interest and learn things!

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Also, reading the Declaration of Independence is a good idea….

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I’ve never been a huge fireworks person, but I did top this with a picture of the CW fireworks because….awesome, right?

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And finally, if you missed the posts from this week, here they are:

There are sleeves on the cardigan!

Glorious Scars

A New Review of Living Memento Mori!

Yarn Along #99: Emily Knits A Cardigan--Sleeves!

Previous posts in this series:

The Back is Done

Update!

Emily Knits A Cardigan

My notes on ravelry

June has been busy in cardigan land! I managed to knit both front pieces and learned how to M1L, which was not a lot of fun but now I’ve got it and I am proud. They lay sort of oddly so it’s hard to see here how they fit, but you can see the place where the sleeves will go. All around the cardigan border will be a garter stitch collar.

Above you can see the three pieces together; they’re not lined up appropriately yet, so it’s a rough estimate of what it looks like! (especially the front on the right, just go with it! )

So now I have begun the sleeves! YAY SLEEVES! These have a nice garter stitch cuff detail that I like.

Garter stitch cuff

So the sleeves increase every six rows, on both sides, gradually getting bigger, and then I shape the raglan and it gradually gets smaller, to fit in with the pieces you see above.

After both sleeves are done, then it’s time to SEAM!!!!

I am actually really excited about this, can you tell?

As to what I’m reading….

I got The Ten Thousand Doors of January after Christmas, because it was on sale at B&N (see the sticker? :) ), and yes , I’m just now reading it. Quarantine (which for me is going on and on and on, like the Journey song) is giving me time to read all the books I have stockpiled! This book starts off….oddly. I’m hoping it sort of evens out and we get into a groove, because right now it’s the main character, January, reading a book about someone else who discovered these doors (portals?)…so yeah. It’s sort of weird but I’m hopeful! (really, it’s that gorgeous cover that sucked me in. Well that, and 50% off.)

Emily Knits a Cardigan--the back is done!

Other entries in this series :

UPDATE!

Emily Knits A Cardigan—first post

So, as you can see, the back is done! This is probably the biggest “piece” of the cardigan puzzle, so I’m glad to have this bit finished!

One of the hardest things for me in knitting this is knowing how many repeats to do. The pattern isn’t always clear—for example, in this case, the pattern said X number of repeats, but at the end, there should be 52 stitches on the needle. It took me about 11 more rows to get to the 52 stitches mark, so…..

Here are some detail shots:

Some of the decreasing toward the neck.

More decreasing!

The rest of the cardigan is as follows:

Left Front

Right Front

Sleeves

Collar

So I’m on the left front now, which is simple, except for the pesky repeats. Fortunately if I’m wrong and I have to frog, I don’t have to frog too badly. Unlike the back, which starts with 125 stitches on the needle, this only starts with two, and somehow that makes frogging more palatable to me!

And, cardigan love in the news….

Yarn Along #97: Emily Knits a Cardigan UPDATE!

Hello alll!

So you may be wondering where my cardigan project is?

It’s on the needles, humming along….

In case you’re new to this, here are the posts in this series so far:

Emily Knits A Cardigan—pattern, schematic, basics

Once I got gauge, I was happy as a clam and began immediately.

This little gauge is the BEST THING EVER, really.

So all was going well until…..

I had to RIP OUT. Alas! I dropped a stitch and I didn’t like how I fixed it, so I figured it was better to just rip it out and start again….so I did. I’m almost back to where I was before that, which is good! (I had just joined the third ball to the back piece, and was getting close to beginning the raglan shaping. EXCITING! :)

(Really, it is!)

So that’s been my main project. I am loving it. I have a bunch of yarn here for other projects that I’m debating casting on and then just rotating through projects but I also feel like I need to give the cardigan most of my love.

I’ve also been loving my Knit Stars classes, which I bought when they were on sale during the Early Bird period, so now I have Knit Stars 1 and 2 and 5, when it officially opens in October. Yay! I’m learning so much, which is great, especially as I work on the cardigan.

I’m also still working on the Elementary Wrap from Purl Soho, but that’s more like weekend knitting. Most of my time is on the cardigan. :)

Although I did pick up this GORGEOUS yarn….

As for books.

Yes, a lot of reading. Some of this is research for book 2, and a lot of it is just reading to keep me sane. :)

What are you reading/knitting/doing?

Emily Knits A Cardigan!

Yes, folks. The time has come.

I am going to knit a cardigan.

If I don’t do it now, when everyone is at home and I can ask EVERYONE QUESTIONS ALL THE TIME, then when can I do it?

Now is the time. It is the spring of our discontent but it will be the SPRING OF THE CARDIGAN.

So first up, what pattern?

I chose Hannah Fettig’s Boothbay Cardigan, because it can be knit in pieces and them seamed.* I definitely wanted to do one that was knit in pieces so that if something went horribly awry, I could rip out that piece, and not the whole thing. I’m not that great at frogging (ripping back ) to a certain point and then trying to pick up the stitches. So, a seamed knit it was.

Images from Hannah’s website, Knitbot

I didn’t want a brown cardigan so I chose a medium heathered grey, which is one of my favorite colors just because I think I look good in it! :) And it goes with a lot of other colors, as well, so it can be worn a lot. It’s Quince and Co Lark (the suggested yarn) in Kumlien’s Gull. (picture at the top of the post)

A few things, before we really get into the cardigan goodness:

When you’re knitting a garment you obviously have to choose your size. There are various ways to do this. The way I did it for this was measured my upper arm, and then chose the number on the schematic that was closest to this.

A schematic looks like this:

So, you want to take the number that is closest to your actual measurements (I am generally going up here) and you also want to look at the ease, which is listed in the pattern. Ease is either positive or negative. Positive ease means the garment fits more loosely; negative ease means it’s more form-fitting. This cardigan has a positive ease of 2.75”. So knowing that, I also chose the higher number for my garment, because I want he cardigan to be able to go over a long-sleeved t-shirt or a dress.

Knowing your measurement determines how many skeins of yarn you need to get. In my case, it was 17, and I threw in an extra one for swatch purposes.

Once I wound all the yarn (as you can see above, it was a lot of yarn), today (Monday) I cast on to knit the swatch. Gauge is fairly imperative when knitting a garment! So I had bought an extra skein just for swatch purposes.

BIGGEST SWATCH EVERRRRRR

The swatch was then blocked (ie, it took a bath!), and is drying.

Once it’s dry, I will check the gauge. If I’m bang on, it’s good to go. If I’m not, then I will knit another swatch with either larger or smaller needles, depending on which way I’m off. The book gives instructions for this, which makes me very happy! The fact that Hannah puts in so much good information in her book is one of the other reasons why I chose it for my maiden cardigan voyage.

So, that’s the beginning of Cardigan Adventures! Stay tuned….

*Hannah’s book Home and Away (from which Boothbay comes) is full of lovely projects, and all of the cardigans and sweaters can be made either seamless or without. There are also really useful essays in the book, so I highly recommend picking this up!

Yarn Along #96: Comfort knits!

OK, so story—

this is Crookshanks. A stuffed Crookshanks (obviously). I’m not allowed to have a real cat or dog—someone else would have to clean up after them, and since I live alone, no go. But in Quarantine Time, when no one is allowed to come over and give me hugs, the stuffed cat is going to have to do. And, for my amusement and the amusement of others, I’ve been posing her doing things, so I thought I’d start off this yarn along with something (hopefully) amusing!

Anyway, she’s holding one of my “comfort knits” that I’m doing during this period.

I decided to raid my stash and take out yarn that I’d been holding back (why, I ask myself), and just knit it up. I have three skeins of this City Tweed from Knit Picks that I’d been saving and I decided I was just going to knit them. They’re on size 9 needles, cast on 22 stitches, and just knit. There you go. This color (above with Crookshanks) is called Rhubarb, and I also have Chipmunk….

And a third skein in Morning Glory. So these are really simple, the yarn is yummy, and I love working with it, so, there we go.

I also have two skeins of Quince’s Osprey yarn in Peacock that I’ve been using to make Puck’s Scarf.

I have not abandoned my Elementary Wrap. It was just that last week I wanted basic, basic knitting. So this week I will resume my work on the elementary wrap.

(Also, if you’re not on Quince’s email list—you’re missing out. They’ve been sending out FREE PATTERNS every Friday during this pandemic time—happiness! [Well at least some happiness, right?])

I’m reading many, many things (you can see what I read last week here), but right now I’m reading A Ring of Endless Light, one of my favorite books, and sort of appropriate for right now, given that the book revolves around the main character’s grandfather dying, and discusses the nature of life and death and God. Yes, a lot for something categorized as a “kids’ book”! (and no, the movie with the same title does not follow the book really closely at all….sigh.)

Seven Quick Takes--Fourth Friday of Lent

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We’ll start with some business. :) First, if you have read my book, please leave a review on Amazon! That helps more people find it (the more reviews, the more it shows up in Amazon “related items” or whatever.)

Second, Ave Maria Press is having an ebook sale, and Living Memento Mori is part of it!

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Last week, as you know, I wrote all about Billy. You have probably seen the post from Monday, where I wrote about his death. Thank you, again, for all the comments, thoughts, and prayers for my friend, her husband, and their little boy. It’s so comforting to know that people are, as Anne Frank said, “really good at heart.”

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Here in Ohio, we’re basically shut down. We’re told to stay inside unless it’s an essential thing—like, you must work, or get groceries or food, or things like that. We can go out to exercise, as well, sot hat’s helpful. But just going out to go out and in groups is, um, discouraged highly. I live alone, so most of my days are spent in my own company, but the hardest thing is not being in contact with people—no hugs. No touching. It’s rough. I mean I’m not a hugely touchy-feely person, but I do like parental hugs! And I haven’t had any in a month (or thereabouts). Sigh. Oh well. It could be worse.

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The knitting is a lot of comfort knitting—I went into my stash and broke it down into types of yarn and then projects I can do with each type. Right now I’ve got two garter stitch scarves going and I’m going to make some washcloths with the stash of cotton dishcloth yarn I have here—why I bought so much, no idea. But knitting keeps my hands busy and it’s nice to have the feeling of getting something done and working on a project with a definitive, easy to see end! :)

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I dunno if we really need more memento mori art, but here’s one of St. Catherine of Siena:

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As far as churches go, we’re shut down at least through April 6, which is Palm Sunday. I would bet that there won’t be public celebrations of Holy Week, which is just….weird. I mean, weirder then Mass not happening publicly. I am very much hoping for streaming services for these. The Triduum liturgies are so beautiful! And my birthday is on Holy Thursday this year! That’s always special and to not have the Mass is just….again, weird. That’s really the only word I can use right now. WEIRD.

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What are you reading, writing, doing, cooking—whatever-ing—during this time? Share your ideas in the comments!

Wednesday notebook

While the COVID 19 virus goes on, I’m going to try to do a Wednesday notebook—a mid-week check in with what I’m doing, reading, watching, and any goodies I find on the internet to share with you. And also let’s have conversation in the comments—how is everyone doing? Let’s get some virtual community!

MAKING:

These brownies from King Arthur Flour are AMAZING. So fudgy. I made them with one cup of chips because that’s all I had—still excellent.

Their English Muffin Toasting Bread is next up in my baking list.

I’m still working on my elementary wrap in Linen Quill from Purl Soho.

Elementary Wrap and book stack!

READING:

Exalted, by Sonja Corbitt

Revelations of Divine Love, by Julian of Norwich

The Red Lotus, by Chris Bohjalian (about…..a pandemic…..)

From the Depths of Our Hearts, Benedict XVI and Cardinal Robert Sarah

Making A Life, Melanie Falick

(and of course my book!)

WATCHING:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Going to watch all of the Hobbit movies….might as well!)

Knives Out

Links and such:

Social Distancing Tips from a Cloistered Nun (I LOVE Sister Mary Catherine!)

Catholic Coloring Pages and activities for kids!

Magnificat is offering their app for FREE during this—daily Mass readings and other devotions

Maybe have a reset day?

Met Opera streaming!