Linky Wednesday - the one where I change plans

For the last few weeks I've been saying I'm going to read a NetGalley review copy of What Happened to Nina by Dervla McTiernan. I've read the prelude and it's all intimate partner violence, and while it's topical, it's also very raw. We've had two women murdered in Ballarat (one by a stranger and one by an ex) and people are marching on the streets in protest of men murdering women and it's all too raw. So, I've set that aside. What I am reading is Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down. I only started it yesterday, but it's a pretty heavy novel, full of trauma and abuse, but so far I am finding it quite compelling. It's set in Melbourne, and I think we all know how much I love reading books set in my home town.

I'm listening to a NetGalley review copy of The Hebrew Teacher by Maya Arad. It's a series of three novellas, and is described as "comedies of manners with an ambitious blend of irony and sensitivity—celebrated Israeli author Maya Arad probes the demise of idealism and the generation gap that her heroines must confront. " and that, so far has been accurate. I started this on the first day of Pesach (Passover) and with what is happening right now it is timely to think about the death of idealism.

Next up in eye reading is the next Albert Campion novel for The Summer of Mystery, Death of a Ghost. Hopefully I will enjoy this one more than the previous one!

The knitting is going well, I've seamed the cardigan and it actually looks like a garment now:

I've just got to sew on the front bands (terrifying!) and knit 16 centimetres of 2 x 2 rib,and then I will have a wearable garment. This was a big project and I'm pretty excited about being in the home stretch.

To read my all my book reviews, and to see everything I knit, you can find me on Ravelry as Sharondoubleknit and on GoodReads as Sharondblk.

I'm joining in with Kat from As Kat Knits for Unravelled Wednesday and Kat from the Bookdate for It's Monday, What Are You Reading. This week I'm also linking up with Sam from Taking on a World of Words to for WWW Wednesday where we talk about what we are currently reading, what we have just finished and what we are going to read next.

Geogradiant MKAL Part 1 - that was unexpected (spoilers)

Stephen West released the first MKAL clue on Thursday night. I started knitting it without looking at spoilers. When I got up on Friday he had sent through an "alternative" clue one. I then went and had a look at the spoiler thread to try to work out what was going on. Which was that some people thought the pattern looked like a "German hate symbol". I knit on anyway, since I was half-way through. Then he took down the original clue, replacing it with a mitred square in garter stitch. The Ravelry forums and Instagram are a complete shit-show, even though Rav is being moderated. It's been a bit disheartening, having something that is usually quite light and fun weighed down with all this. I admire Stephen's quick and sensitive response to this drama. I also feel that anything can look like anything if you squint. To me this looks like a Celtic knot. I think mine is pretty, and I'll knit on through all crises.

Linky Wednesday - the one with the drama

The drama about the Stephen West MKAL continues, and I can't be bothered with it. It's meant to be a fun, interesting, communal knit and and that's not what this year has turned in to. Stephen has done his best in a difficult situation, but I'm just not feeling it. Meanwhile, Israel is at war, and we (as a country) are going to vote "no" on a referendum that asks for basic consideration for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders. So yeah, lots of turmoil here. It's very tiring. I'm knitting a sock and considering what happens next. Luckily the reading was dramatic in a good way. I'm reading a NetGalley review copy of Last Summer at the Lake House and it's great. Super dramatic family drama about three sisters who loose their father unexpectedly and then find out that the family has secrets. I 've nearly finished it and I don't know what I'm going to read next. I've got a bit of a break between review books, so maybe Sta

Mussleburgh musings

I made a Mussleburgh hat earlier in the year, and even though I thought I was following the directions exactly it did not come out quite right. It was a little bit loose. My head is 51 cm, my gauge was 7 stitches, so according to the pattern I knit the right size. It's also a little bit shorter than I would like it. Too long for a beanie, too short for a good turn-up. I couldn't work out why. I still wore it, but it was not quite right. When I decided to knit one for Elise I knew I wanted to make it longer, and tighter. After I finished Elise's (with 24 fewer stitches) I realised something about mine: Now, this is a knit tube. I know how to knit tubes. When I make sleeves or socks, they don't balloon out in the middle. So I decided to reblock it. The instructions actually specifically say to fold it inside each other after blocking, but I probably folded it and dried it on my head, because that's how I block my hats. Not this time: Now it's longer and thinner

Lisa25 April, 2024
Love the knitting!
Mrs. Laura Lane26 April, 2024
I've never knitted a cardigan. I am pretty much a sock knitter. I do knit a few hats as well.
Be blessed,
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage
Kathryn T29 April, 2024
Great the Melbourne book is working out, I think everyone who has read what Happened to Nina? can identify something similar in their own country. Awful that such men exist.
Mark Baker29 April, 2024
I can understand how that first book would hit wrong right now. Hopefully, you can enjoy it at a later date.
Kathy Martin30 April, 2024
Sounds like lots of heavy titles. Maybe you should look for something light and fluffy to read. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

What I made, by Sharon

Search This Blog