A Finish, Fall Color, and Child Trafficker, Georgia Tann

 

Done, but not very happy with it.  Snail Hollow Shawl.  This was a kit with yarn and pattern sold by Crafty's.  It's listed on Ravelery as well.  I do not recommend this kit, or the pattern.  The pattern is not well written.  I've not used any other patterns by Erika Flory; but 3 different people I've spoken to have interpeted the pattern 3 different ways and none ended up being happy with the end result.  I am in their camp as well.  It's much much smaller than it should be and can barely be a scarf and certainly not a shawl.  The yarn, Cloudborn is also not one I would recommend.  The yarn separately badly while knitting which caused some issues.

I like the color combination, rich colors but very hard on the eyes.  If I were to ever do this pattern again, I would choose more contrasting colors, a different yarn...a heavier yarn.  It will look better after it get's it's soak and get's blocked, and hopefully it will be a tad larger afterwards as well..

I've continued to work on the fall colored asymetrical scarf; but while I've worked on it a good number of additional hours, it doesn't look much different, so I've not taken anothe picture.

Sharing a particularly pretty tree from a walk through the park a few days ago.  Yes, fall has arrived.  And yes, I'm able to get some walking in so my monthly numbers should be better; but perhaps not by a lot.  I am over Covid and trying to get back into doing planks etc.  So, we'll see how things shape up.

Since it's fall, I added fall table settings to the dining room table.  That's the extint of my Fall/Halloween decorating; though I have shared some of the outside decorations I've been seeing around the neighborhood.  A good fall meal, chicken enchildas and black beans.  Had to take a picture because this one presented better than they sometimes do.  Sometimes getting them neatly out of the casserole dish is tricky and they don't look as pretty.  I was happy with how these came out nicely.

Decided I needed a wee break from all my WWII books, so started this one in print on the plane coming back from my ill fated France tour, and then finished it with the audio version.  I'm glad I switched to the audio, as the voices added to the story.  "Before We Were Yours", by Lisa Wingate is a novel, but based on lots of facts about The Tennessee Children's Home Society Orphanage scandal whose director was Georegia Tann.  This starts in 1939 in Memphis where children were kidnapped, stolen, separated from their siblings, and sold.  This horrific situation lasted for years.  About 25 years.  

Georgia Tann made lots of monthly stealing and selling these children.  Though initially she was credited with the idea of adoption, what she did was illegal start to finish with very few exceptions.  It's estmated that about 500 children died in her "care", or lack there of.  She was successful with the help of the police force.  Truly a horrific scandal involving about 5,000 babies/children.

More than a million copies of this book were sold.  Lisa Wingate has organized a reunion where many adoptives have become acquainted and shared their stories.  Some have been reunited with their siblings and other family members; but even with good research many have not been and won't be; as she changed their names when she falsified the adoption records.  

Sadly, this woman, Georgia Tann never paid for her crimes, as she died a few days before the daming report came to light.

The paper back is 356 pages, the audio book is 14 hours.  I finished it in just a few days.  I couldn't put the book down, and highly recommend it.  It's important to know about things in our history so the horrific events don't get repeated.

I'll be adding "Before and After", another book of Lisa Wingate about the lives of those adoptive children to my reading list.

Knitting, Wine, Yard Work ...Thank Goodness for Audio Books.

 

Making headway with Snail Hollow Shawl.  Infact, I'm on the last section.  Not sure if you can see in the picture but am picking up stitches on the straight side to do the edging.  Then I'll need to tuck in tails where all the color changes happened.  I've mentioned before how difficult I find these colors to work with on the eyes.  Trying to pick up stitches is a chore.  I'm only part way through that process.  But, since my last picture I've completed two more sections, so I'm getting there.  This pattern has been problematic.  Both my daughter and I feel it's poorly written, as do a few folks over on Ravelry that made it.  The designer is Erika Flory.  I probably would shy away from purchasing another of her designs.  Not because I don't like the look; but because the pattern isn't well written.  Too many opportunities to guess at what should or shouldn't be.

Hubby and I really enjoyed this bottle of Chianti, Nippozzano Reserve 2018.  We purchased this at Costco's.  Chianti isn't generally a favorite for us, often we feel it's a bit heavy...but this was quite good and I think from memory was under $30.00.  We'll definately get this one again.  Very smooth.

I've mentioned before how many books written by Pam Jenoff I've read and liked (listened to actually).  The Kommandants Girl (book 1) followed by 

The Diplomats Wife (book 2), are 2 more I highly recommend.  I blogged about the author and why her historical books are so riveting.  That post is HERE.

Yes both are about WWII.  Add them to your list to read folks.

I mentioned in my previous post I had been doing lots of yard work which is why I hadn't been knitting, so thought I'd share a few more pictures of the flowers in my yard.  Cone flowers in the back ground, and an old fashion Flocks in the center.  Sadly most of these flowers are now done and I'm losing the color in my yard.  

Black eye Susans provide lots of contrast to the Cone Flowers.  I took these pictures over the last couple of weeks at the peak of the color.

Stella d'Oro generally bloom before the rest of the lillies, but, if you don't cut them back, they will bloom a bit later, just not as many blooms.  I love the yellow.

Hope you're all enjoying the end of summer.  It's gone too fast for my liking, and soon fall will be upon us.  I never look forward to fall as I know winter follows it.  I am not a fan of winter, cold, snow or ice.

Knitting, Watching, Exercising, and Audio Books!

 

A new project, a scarf.  I needed a project with thicker yarn easier to see and no pattern to follow for a recent plane ride to keep me occupied.  So, I started this.  This is 100% superwash 218 yards per skein/cake and I have 2 cakes/skeins.  This color combination will work I think for a male or female.  If I don't have enough yarn for a decent sized scarf, it will be a mobius or cowl.  The yarn is very soft and nice work with.  Remember you can always click on the pictures to see them better.  The colors look a bit washed out to me in this photo.  I miss my photo software that I had before I switched to windows 11 and now I just have an app.  Not sure if I have other options...does anyone know?

I've worked a couple of hours on this since the last picture, though it may not look much different.  I was on a zoom call and could work on this during the call without paying a ton of attention to the scarf/shawl.  It's currently 106 stitches on the needles.  You increase only 1 stitch every other row; so it takes awhile...but it's farther along than it was.

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Lots of headway with Snail Hollow Shawl.  Section 1 is the large blue section on the right, section 2 is the large color works section that I thought was going to make me blind, section 3 is the blue section following the color works section, section 4 is the small colorworks section, and section 5 (where I'm currently working) is another blue section.  This will be followed by section 6 which will be purple, then there are large edging sections to do where you pick up stitches.

A close up of the last couple of sections.  I like the small colorworks section with blue on each side better than the large colorworks section.  I think the colorworks actually shows up better than the larger section.

LOVED this award winning book by Kristin Hannah.  The book is another WWII book, shocking I know, lol.  It's a historical fiction about 2 sisters who are as different as night and day, but both struggling to survive in German occupied France.  They take different paths to survive.  There are many stories within from resistence, to love, to abuse both physical and emotional, and the stories of two SS officers, Wolfgang Beck and Von Richter who were billeted in the home of one of sisters.  And it to your list folks.

The Greatest, a movie from 2009 with Pierce Bronson and Susan Sarandon available on Prime is another one of the movies I watched while hubby was recently awat on a business trip.  A very different type of roll for both these leading actors and actresses.  Sad in parts, frustrating is parts, and uplifting too.  Not a favorite of the movies I watched, but still good.

Believe I've done well with walking and planks, but not yoga to date during this month of July.  I wasn't able to pack my yoga mat for my lastest travels.  Soooo, we'll see how the month shapes out. 

Day by Day, Progress is Slow

 

Making headway with the Snail Hallow Shawl.  The colorworks section is 9 repeats and I'm part way through the 4th repeat.  Bad lightening when I took this picture, which is also why it's slow going.  We've had rain, making the house darker, which makes working on this harder, even with my special neck light.

Close up of the color works section that continues to get wider as there are several increase rows within the 12 row repeat.  

Another of the moves I watched on Amazon Prime while hubby was away on a business trip.  I've always liked Pierce Bronson and Emma Thompson and this movie is just plain fun.  They're divorced and get involved in a scheme to retrieve their hard earned retirement money.  The film was filmed on location in Versailles, Frances and came out in 2013.  I always thought he made a very good James Bond, so seeing him in a comedy was a bit different.

Yes here's another World War II book about incredible things women did that until lately no one knew about.  This is a true story that takes place in the Jewish Ghetto's of Poland.  A cadre of Jewish Women (some only in their teens), transform Jewish Youth Groups into resistance cells to fight The Nazis.  The book is a New York Times Best Seller, received The Natwional Jewish Book Award,, The NPR Best Book, and The Canadian Literary Book AWard.  All the awards were in 2021.

Still working on exercises.  Plan to double my efforts in July.  So, wish me luck.

No headway on either of the asymmetrical scarves, but hope to as time goes on.

Knitted Snail Hallow Shawl, The Hearings, TV Watching, Simon Kenton, Davy Crocket and ...

 

Moving on into section 2 with the colorworks area. of Snail Hallow Shawl.  No clue why that's the name of the pattern.  You continue to work increases, every few rows.  The blues and purples are so close I'm finding the color work hard on the eyes, and a bit difficult.  I've done color work before, but with heavier yarn and brighter colors.  So, I'm using one of those lights you were around your neck; (Thank you Sandie P) which seems to be helping.  Still though, can't work on this for very long at a time.

A close up of the color works area..  The shawl my daughter is working on from our gifted kits from Craftys has more contrast in her colors; though we both think it's odd that the kit chose variegated yarn which makes it look like your color blocks are a bit off, rather rather than 2 distinctive colors.

A bit of an example.  This is the start of an afghan I made 4-5 ish years ago using lots of color work.  Some sections are 2 colors, some are 3.  Some areas are lots of texture.   Was using up left overs here, thus the huge variety of color; but...see what I mean about how much more the color work shows up with solid colors that aren't close in color?  Yes, that's my broken foot in the picture.  Couldn't get it out of the way I guess when I snapped the photo.  Was non wearing bearing for awhile and used a walker, then was able to walk around in my boot.  No clue where this was in the long multiple month process.

Yes the exercise continues...some days, lol.  We'll see how things are when I count up my month end jazz.  I feel like it's been lighter, due to weather and travel and yard work; but we'll see.

I watch different TV shows when hubby's not around.  I think he would call this a "chick flick".  This movie is from 2004, though I don't ever remember seeing it advertised nor hearing anyone talking about it.  It's on Amazon Prime, and might be on Netflix as well.  I enjoyed it while sipping wine.  I've always liked Christine Lahti, though she's not in that many movies/shows.  Bryan Brown (who you might remember from Cocktail with Tom Cruise) is always a favorite and adds to anything he's in.  Abby Brammell (who I only knew from years later when she was in The Unit), is also in the movie.  The title is a bit misleading.....until it isn't.  

Shocked?  A book that's not about World War II, but it is historical.  Very historical!! The Frontiersmen by Allan W. Eckert is absolutely fascinating, all 31 hours of the audio book.  Living in Ohio, who's family hailed from Chillicothe, the stronghold of once impressive Shawnee Village it took on special meaning for me.  There are many places in Ohio and Kentucky where this book travels that I've been to.  As a child Daniel Boone and Davy Crocket were my hero's.  I had a coon skin cap, though as an adult learned that my hero Davy Crocket did not wear one in real life, only in the movies and on tv.  Davy is in the book as well as Simon Kenton.  Simon is the main character and while I knew he was the famous Indian Fighter and from Ohio, which I learned in 7th grade Ohio History ( a favorite class and teacher); I learned much more from this book.  I've been to the outdoor theater Tecumseh and Blue Jacket.  They both loom large in this book as well.  Put this on your list folks.

I've not worked on either of the asymmetrical scarves, as I'm currently focused on The Snail Hallow Shawl, and watching and listening to The Hearings.  January 6th and all that lead up to that.. is .such a dark period in the history of our country and it's democracy.

Knitting Galore and So Much More, 50 Years Ago!!

 

A  new project!  I've mentioned before that I sometimes have start itis, as I know many knitters and crocheters do.  This is very light sock yarn.  The blue is variegated slightly with shades of blue and purple.  Using a size 3 needle, this will take some time.  Currently there are 66 stitches on the needles.  When I reach 74 stitches I move into phase 2 of the pattern for this shawl which will be color work using the purple and the blue.  The Shawl pattern and yarn were a kit from Crafsty using Superwash Merino Sock Cloudborn fibers.  The pattern is called Snail Hollow Shawl.  My daughter and I are each doing this gifted shawl in different colors.  Linking up with GIFTED GORGEOUSNESS

Work Continues on both the asymmetrical scarves.  The 3 colored scarf currently has 94 stitches on it, and the variegated scarf has 98 stitches.  I'm using worsted weight and size 8 needle for the 3 colored scarf; and size 4 for the variegated scarf.  A fun comparison of the same pattern with different weight yarn, I think.

WOW!  So much to say about this book by Iris  Chang.  Yes this is another World War II book, but about a subject rarely known or discussed.  The horrible Holocaust by The Japanese Imperial Army against The Chinese people, male, female...adult and children alike.  The cruelty, in my opinion is worse than that of the Nazi's that is so much more widely known.  Most people today would say Japanese are quiet, polite people steeped in tradition...but, it's hard for me going forward to consider them that way.  They massacred Prisoners of War (150,000 males), and an additional 50,000 Civilians (males), and raped at least 20,000 women of all ages including children.  They mutilated and killed many of the females they raped.   Though many Nazi's were imprisoned and held accountable for their heinous acts; The Japanese have never been accountable or admitted wrong doing.  This book was a real eye opener for me, as this just wasn't something I knew.

And because we need to smile after reading and discussing the above book, I'm sharing a few more of my fun cocktail napkins.

Hope you're all doing well with this massive heat wave.  Exercise continues, with a week off for a Mother Daughter Trip.

Sharing a picture from 50 years ago, tomorrow.  I was so young then.  My Mother made my dress and we got married outside in the Park of Roses.

And here's hubby, back in the day.  We had a small wedding and he wore a suit.  

Here we are celebrating our anniversary at the same park, many years later.  41 years later to be exact.