Happy Wednesday, friends! Thank you so much for all of your kind words and encouragement in my last blog post. I’m still getting used to not having a blog schedule and don’t yet know how to organize myself to ensure that I show up consistently in a new way. But I managed to finagle an hour break for myself today and wanted to spend that time updating you all on what’s been happening around here!
I’m planning to share a quick update on what things are like for me now, a quick view of what I read in October, and I’ll close out with a knitting update. Despite feeling like I’ve accomplished nothing lately, my notebooks remind me of the truth. And I want to share it with you!
Listening to Lately:
This playlist is perfect and gives me ALL THE FEELS! The clarinet in News from Afar brings tears to my eyes and I just can’t help it.
Life Lately:
The weather here has been so fall-like but it looks like we’re slipping into a more winterish spell. The sun has been playing peekaboo over the last several days and while it’s shining bright right now, the high is 41*F. It’s windy and very chilly outside and I’m savoring this unexpected time at my computer with a hot cup of coffee. We are expecting 1.5″ of snow between tonight and tomorrow, so I’m guessing Colton will have an extra long weekend (they are already off on Friday for Veterans Day).
I have been feeling extra crispy over the last week. I am burnt out and am looking forward to Thanksgiving week, when we’ll take a school break. We’re only a few days into the recent time change and you all know that it takes us months to adjust to this sort of thing. So the mornings and evenings are extra rough but we will get through it.
Books Read In October
I was going to do my typical monthly reading review but didn’t have the energy for it. Instead, we’ll go with this snapshot. Like last month, I finished more readalouds than I did books for myself and that’s just fine. This, of course, doesn’t include the stacks of picture books we go through every week!
My favorite book from the month was Let Us Descend, the newest from Jesmyn Ward. I was captivated by this book and couldn’t put it down, despite the fact that Ward took us deeper and deeper into the absolute hell of slavery. I think Ward is one of our sharpest and most beautiful modern voices and am so thankful that she writes such compelling, yet difficult, stories.
Right now I’m working my way through The Fraud and a reread of The Historian. I am enjoying both but am moving at a glacial speed given some of our current challenges. That’s okay – I will get there!
Knitting
I’m working on my Tessellated Vest (my Ravelry link) and am ready to divide the body from the sleeves. Can you believe I’ve never knit a vest before? So I’m going to put in a lifeline tonight and will be reading the instructions very carefully. I’m hoping to be able to wear this on Thanksgiving so cross your fingers for a smooth experience!
And I’m nearly finished this with pair of socks – just an inch left on the second sock and I’ll be ready to bind off. This is being knit up in The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Foxy Lady. The colorway is called Ludlow’s Army and my knees buckle at any reference to Legends of the Fall, so of course I needed this yarn. It’s such a lovely color and the merino/silk blend is pure perfection.
I typically knit 7″ for the legs, but I went with 5 this time. I’m resisting the urge to call myself lazy because I think 5″ is a fairly typical length? I tried on the first sock after I finished and it seemed fine. What leg length do you typically shoot for?
Next up? Well, I am very excited to participate in Andrea Mowry’s Thanksgiving challenge this year. I joined along last year and was delighted to cast on a pair of socks on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving and finish by Sunday! Remember my Bear Paw/Crown socks? They’re my favorite sleeping socks, for sure.
Andrea has adapted her Tessellated pattern for this year’s challenge: Totally Tessellated. And the good thing is that I won’t need to order any yarn for it; I have plenty of Bear Paw left over from last year and I’m pretty sure that I’ll have plenty of leftovers once I finish my Tessellated vest (hopefully within two weeks!).
I feel like I have so much more to say but this post is already way too long. I’ll stop here for now. I hope everyone is staying warm, cozy, and has found ways to keep your batteries charged. Take good care.
The Cozy Burrow 
Katie, As always, I love to see your knitting and be amazed at all the books you have managed to get through. As a lover of socks, I say “WOW!!!”. Thanks for sharing and remember how amazing you are!
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Thank you, Linda! 🥰
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Katie! So good to hear from you! 🙂 Wow – the temps in your area are going to get cold! We had a cold spell for a week or so with highs only in the 40s for a number of days. But on Monday it was back in the 70s and has been, up through today. Tomorrow back to 60s and then we will be back to 50s which is characteristic for this time of year here. We’ve actually had a really nice Autumn, cooler overall than the last few years. And that has been SO nice.
Also, I LOVE The Invention of Hugo Cabret! And the movie is as good as the book. Slight differences of course; but both equally good.
Hope you and your family are doing well. Take care!
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I hope your autumn has continued to be lovely, Karen! And we also enjoyed Hugo Cabret… and once we got into the book we realized that we HAD watched the movie, which made the book even more enjoyable!
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My goodness it’s cold where you are but with toasty knits you’re sure to stay warm. Thank you so much for sharing what you’re listening to, that sounds like the perfect music to listen to while knitting or reading. Not a fan of Andrea Mowry’s designs but your vest will be lovely when finished …. fingers crossed for you that you finish by Thanksgiving ☺️ Enjoy your week Katie and thank you for sharing with us.
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Thank you for all of your kind words, Tina. I hope you have a great weekend!
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You are so very welcome Katie and I hope you have a great weekend too ☺️
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It’s a treat to have a post from you … I love a nice surprise! Listening to that AoGG playlist – thank you! Super impressed with your sweater and not knitting sleeves should make it go really fast once you get to the upper body/neck shaping. Let Us Descend is on my November list (after Land of Milk and Honey), as is The Fraud (telling difference in our stages of life that I expect to have extra reading time over the Thanksgiving holiday). Take care!
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I’m still enjoying the Anne of Green Gables playlist – hope you are too! I’m already nearly finished with the front of the vest, which has boosted my confidence a lot! Fingers crossed I can work on it a little bit every day. If I can, then I feel good about finishing it by Thanksgiving!
Can’t wait to read your thoughts on Let Us Descend and The Fraud. They are both so good! (although, I still haven’t finished The Fraud!)
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I love the term “feeling extra crispy” — what a beautiful way to describe feeling totally burnt out! I certainly hope that feeling passes quickly and that you can get some respite. I am glad that you’ve let the blog go when you need to, though I certainly miss hearing updates from you. Perhaps some snow and an extra-long weekend will be good for everyone.
How did you like Starling House?
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ha! Extra crispy is the best way I can describe how I’m feeling :p But I know this feeling will pass and that things will level out.
I really enjoyed Starling House at first, but it lost its luster about halfway through. The beginning was dark and atmospheric – so much of what I love about Harrow’s work in general. But it took me a week to get through the last 100 pages. I thought it was never going to end! I’m not sure why it didn’t work for me but it just felt way too dramatic and almost like a YA fantasy/romance book. So I ended up VERY disappointed by it. Have you read it?
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What a fantastic reading month! I wanted to share that the books you mentioned a couple of months ago (Willodeen and The Wish Tree) have been HUGE hits with my grands! They love them so much… so thank you for sharing them! You are flying on that vest! (and no Sleeve Island! That is so smart!) And I think 5 inches is a good sock height!
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I’m so glad to hear that the Katherine Applegate books have been such a hit! Woohoo!
I have to tell you – I’ve been wearing these socks and I think 5″ is the PERFECT height for me. They feel so nice. I’m a 5″ convert now 😉
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Lovely to hear from you. Your vest/sleeveless top looks pretty and a super pattern. It does sound cold with you. Here it’s its justcwet and windy with fallen leaves everywhere. Hope you have a quiet weekend, stay warm and rested
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Thank you, Cathy. Wet with fallen leaves sounds like a perfect fall! Enjoy your weekend 🙂
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Love your update, Katie — so good to hear anything you share, always. I appreciate your bookish commentary and marvel at your knitting exploits! And everyday life? Hang in there!!!
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Thank you, Jordy!! I hope you’re staying warm!
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Looks like you had a very good month. Your knitting is very pretty. I am thinking about vests but first, so many other projects that need my attention. Take care
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Thank you, Juliann! Enjoy working on your projects this weekend!
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Well done on your knitting! The time change is challenging… to humans and to cats, ha ha! I hope your batteries are charging well this weekend. I’m trying to rest without guilt. Not easy!
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The playlist looks very nice. Your weather is sliding toward winter for sure. We had a rainy day here, the first one in a long time so it begins to feel like late November. I am amazed at the reading and making you accomplish as you homeschool your children. Take good care Katie.
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