“Always listen to the warnings from your heart.”
―
Greetings Unravelers!
I hoped to have a finished sock, but I finally listened to that nagging voice in my head and ripped out the sock I had started a couple of weeks ago. Even though this is a pattern I have knit multiple times before, this sock was just not going to fit. Am I the only one who’s “normal” gauge has changed drastically in Pandemic Times? I never used to be a “tight knitter” but I sure am these days! So, I found a larger set of dpn’s and began again on Monday and had hoped to have plenty of time to work on it on yesterday while helping at the polls. Sigh. We were just busy enough that I only managed to knit about an inch. But I did get a good start on a new library book!
All other knitting (think Marled Purl Strings) has not gotten much more knitting time than when you last saw it. Hopefully this week that will not be the case!
The reading this week was curious… some good things in each book, some not so good things as well.
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
What I thought this was going to be was not at all what it was. I did find some helpful things, but for the most part – this was not a book for me.
The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was such a curious book… a “what if” set in Biblical times. Yet, this is not a “religious” book, outside of the Biblical history that Kidd intersperses through the novel. The writing is just so beautiful and there is so much to contemplate as Kidd lays out Ana’s life for us. I loved Ana and I loved how she worked around all the “don’t do’s” that were her daily life. The entire “Jesus” story is really secondary to her. I very much recommend this well done story!
That is all I have for today, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below!
See you all back here on Friday!
I think I have gotten tighter as well — I guess all of us have been feeling more tension!
Nice that the polls were a little busier than you expected…in that people actually came out to vote!! That sock yarn is gorgeous – will be a pretty sock before you know it!
We all have been wound tight during Covid, right? (and I am not a knitter!!)
I am glad more of your local voters came out to vote. Good news!
It’s always unfortunate to have to rip back knitting but since we love to knit it seems like it shouldn’t really bother us, right? I really enjoyed The Book of Longings.
so pretty! I thought of you as we headed out to vote, thank you for your dedication.
I’ve not picked up knitting in quite a while… eager to resume the practice and planning on any day now. Looking forward to seeing your socks; lovely yarn.
Cheers~
I’m sorry the Pema Chodron wasn’t what you were expecting – and I think I’m the one who might have recommended it to you? I’m happy to see the Thomas Merton book in your picture!
Wasn’t it fun to see Jesus as the side story in The Book of Longings? I have a hard time with books set in that time period, so I think I gave it 3 stars, but I love the idea of putting the people around Jesus in the center of the story.
Have a great week!
I feel your 3 and 4 stars. Thankfully, I read When Things Fall Apart with my small group and the weekly discussions (and also perhaps the timing? we had just started it when quarantine hit last March) made it a better experience. I also enjoyed a quick discussion about Book of Longings with the same group. The peek into a woman’s life back then was so good … and my favorite part was wondering if it might be more than fiction (I think it was in the author’s notes at the end about how it could be true … and if it were, Ana goes down as the most silenced woman in history).
I felt the same way about Things Fall Apart. I think it wasn’t the right book for me at the time I read it. . . And I always enjoy Sue Monk Kidd! I haven’t read Book of Longings yet, but do plan to at some point.
Fall Apart is my least favorite of hers. I highly recommend Comfortable with Uncertainty. It’s a completely different read, and it’s one I’ve bought for a handful of people in my life. If you give Pema another try, I suggest it be with that book!
My minister and spiritual dir., both, recommended Longings. So it’s on my list. Have you read When the Heart Waits? They also recommended that–and I have to say it really piques my interest.