Greetings dear Unraveler’s!
It seems implausible to write… the last Wednesday in August… but here we are. It was a good month for making, a good thing for this penultimate August Unraveled post. I have not one, but three finished objects to share with you all today and not one but three book finishes to share as well!
Summer Ranunculus No. 2: Farmers Daughter Fibers Foxy Lady (Anne of Green Gables color way) held double with Oh Dang! (Desert Rose color way)
First, I owed you photos of my second Summer Ranunculus. This one a bit different than that first… and I love it so much. However, the neckline is going to be problematic. Sigh. I have a solution in progress and I think it will work well. I have the Ollie Top to thank for that solution… so I am knitting a bit of I-cord that I will thread through the neckline. Right now it is fine with a tee shirt underneath… and it has been a welcome layer as the mornings have been a bit chilly this week! The yarns from The Farmers Daughter were such a delight to knit with.
As you can see in the header photo, Vera helped me through the miles and miles of 2×2 ribbing and yes!! I have a finished Assigned Pooling Shawl! It was a delight to knit… and I have been wearing it and I believe that this will be in the regular rotation come September! It is a triangle shape, but it is more of an obtuse triangle being wider than it is deep. I could not be happier with it and I will forever think of this as my Vera Shawl… because without her, I fear I’d still be knitting it.
The Socks Are Off the Needles!! Wooo!
Finally… being on a real roll with Vera, I pulled out my lingering second sock and queued up another couple of Vera episodes and finished the second sock on Monday night! Just in time for sock weather to emerge! Ha! (and I think I will stay on this Vera Roll… I have my Waffle Pullover all queued up for tonight!) The pattern is a favorite of mine, Carole’s Picot Edge Socks and the yarn is from a Miss Babs Sock Blank (which was a pain to unravel but a delight to knit with!)
The reading… I have three finishes this week. My turn arrived for Louise Erdrich’s collection of short stories, Python’s Kiss. It was a slice of perfection. Each story better than the last, the writing was stunning and reiterated to me why I love Louise so much. I only wish it was longer. I finished it wanting more. Perhaps that is an indicator of a great book… it leaves you wanting more. If you like short stories and Louise… you’ll enjoy Python’s Kiss.
I also finished the reading/listening of John of John. This was my second time through this magnificent novel. I have not stopped thinking about it. The tender beauty of this novel is one that will stay with me for a very long time. I loved every character… and I did not after my first reading, but this second time through I noted several things I missed the first time through. And in that noting… well, each character in this book wriggled their way into my heart. This is the September selection for Read With Us and I am really excited to be part of this book discussion. And with this book, Douglas Stuart moved himself to the pinnacle of writers for me. I highly recommend this truly beautiful novel!
Finally, I read Madeleine Thien’s The Book of Records. I have been thinking about how to describe this novel… it’s not really time travel but perhaps more a time warp… a hub of multiple timelines. And ironically, and perhaps appropriately, the hub is a sort of a refugee camp, and the opener of the doors… a young refugee, Lina. I liked the book, even though it dragged a bit for me in the middle. I think this book would be a good one to reread… because it was way smarter than I was! I would probably understand more if I did reread it. However, the concept of this novel was brilliant… this young girl and her father in this “staging-post” where all these times diverge. I knew little about the some of timelines…specifically 17th Century Amsterdam and the Tang Dynasty of China. But I learned so much in the reading… and I’d probably learn even more if I read it again which I would have but there were people waiting after me to read it. I have noted it and will check back in with it when there is not a waitlist (or perhaps when there is a shorter waitlist!)
There you have my penultimate end of summer post! What about you? Are you ready for September?
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Wow Kat! What a week you’ve had. Your finishes are all grand. I love the assigned pooling shawl (and I think that is my favorite shape for a shawl). Your second Ranunculus is beautiful. The colors are just so subtle and lovely. And your socks! What a fun pop of color. Way to go. And then, despite a lot of Vera episodes, you finished 3 books! I just started listening to John of John the other day. The Book of Records sounds intriguing, though I’m not sure it is for me.
Congrats on a brilliant week of finishing and reading! It took me a minute when you mentioned Vera to realize you were talking about the TV series and not our friend Vera! I also thought The Book of Records was a fascinating book (and one that’s very hard to describe). It definitely increased my interest in Hannah Arendt.
Three is a magic number! (remember the Schoolhouse Rock song?) I love your Vera shawl; I can see crabs skittering across the beach or maybe rusty nails in a barn wall. Ranunculus 2 is equally lovely and I’m glad you have already devised a fix for the neckline. And those are very cheery socks. Well done in the knitting dept. (with Vera). I’ll need to put Erdrich’s book on hold and finish JoJ sometime soon. I’m looking forward to our discussion!
Gosh, your needles have been busy. So happy that Vera has gotten you through so much!!
I LOVED The Book of Records so much. Like Sarah, it increased my interest in Hannah Arendt. I still haven’t finished John of John, but it’s on my list. Thank you for the nudge!
GREAT finishes, Kat . . . both knitting and reading! The colors in your “Vera” are much more muted than my “rust blobs.” I think it will be a great little scarf-y shawl for fall! So nicely done! And thanks for the nudge to look into The Book of Records. I passed it over, but maybe need to re-think that. (For someday . . . )
No, I’m not ready for September. But here it comes! Love your finishes. You make me wonder if I should re-read John of John (I just finished my first reading).
Great Knits! Love the color of the socks.
Excited to try Carole’s picot edge socks. Thanks for posting the link. Also, your August knits are lovely.
What a good week you have had – both for lovely knitting project finishes and reading. I’ve only read Vera Stanhope mysteries so now I’m thinking I should watch a few. The shawl colors are perfect for heading into autumn. I hope the sweater neckline fix works well.
Not at all ready for September! Not emotionally, not organizationally, not in work deadlines…I always feel like summer goes too fast however this year August evaporated! I don’t know how!
Your knits are all gorgeous. The shawl was worth the ribbing slog! And I just got acquainted iwth The Farmers Daughter Fibers this week (while in Great Falls Montana!) and I am such a fan, especially of Oh Dang. I am glad youve got a neckline solution.
Oh my! I love the shawl and the sweater, you have been very productive this summer and it shows. I love when a tv show keeps me company. I have a sweater that reminds me of Harry Potter when I was faced with endless stockinette stitching. good times!