Linky Wednesday - the one where I catch up on sleep

We've had some issues with the cats waking us up at night this week, and then last night I woke up at 3am because the weird rash I have developed on my wrists started itching. I got up, took an antihistamine and went back to sleep. This morning I called (or rather texted) in sick, and stayed in bed until lunch-time. Unsurprisingly, I feel much better now.

lounging around has given me a chance to really get into the book I started yesterday Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts the debut novel by Josie Shapiro. It's a coming of age story about a woman who runs, and the story is interspersed with chapters from a marathon she is is running. I'm a runner (not at the level of this character, but still) and the title of this book resonates to hard with me.

I'm also reading a NetGalley short story collection New Adventures in Space Opera. This collection of short stories features some of my favourite authors, including Becky Chambers, Ann Leckie and Lavie Tidhar. I don't like reading loads of short stories in a row - I get impatient with them, so I'll read one between each book, and then do the full review in one of my bulk review posts.

Next up I think I'll read one of the final full length Victoria Godard books I have remaining, The Redoubtable Pail Avramapul and then it's back to Margey Alingham and the Summer of Mystery.

I'm spending the rest of the afternoon knitting the crown of my Pressed Flowers hat. Because my gauge did not match to pattern, and the pattern only comes in one size I cast on with fewer stitches, and now I have to work out the crown for myself. I knew this was going to happen, so I bought the cardigan pattern, which I am going to knit next, and worked out the hat from that.

Pop by on Friday and I (hopefully) have a finished hat, and some other things to show you.

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

Emily30 May, 2024
I love the flower pattern. I hope that you continue to feel better. The other day I was kept awake by itchy inside of my elbows. It lasted a few days. I can't take Anti histamine at the moment so it was icepacks and scratching 😶 it seems to have gone for the moment 🤷🏻‍♀️

Have a good week.

Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2024/05/29/www-wednesday-currently-reading-finished-reading-reading-next-87/
Lydia C. Lee03 June, 2024
I moght check out that book - I'm not a runner but my husband runs marathons....could be an insight. #Bookdate
Cheryl Malandrinos03 June, 2024
Hope you get full relief from that rash soon. Your books sound great. Good luck finishing the hat. Looks lovely.

https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2024/06/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-june-3.html
Marg03 June, 2024
Hopefully you will feel better, and less itchy!

Have a great week.
Literary Feline04 June, 2024
One of my cats has started waking me up at odd times at night, wanting attention. I am glad you are feeling better. Waking up with a rash doesn't sound fun! Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts sounds really good! I am glad it is resonating with you. I will have to check out Space Opera. That list of authors is impressive! I hope you have a great week, Sharon!

What I made, by Sharon

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