On Wednesdays I join Kat at As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday – a weekly linkup of knitters and readers who share their current projects. Please visit Kat and the other bloggers participating! This week I’m sharing three finished books and more progress on my handsewing project.
Finished Reading This Week:
Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee
This was a book about how shapes, colors, and the design of every day objects can bring joy into our lives. Lee breaks this book down to her “ten aesthetics of joy,” such as energy, harmony, and transcendence, and shares her research about how to recreate those feelings. I enjoyed reading this, but felt like I didn’t walk away with a ton of tangible steps to take in my home to make it feel more joyful. Although now I think I should start a flower farm – which would bring a lot of joy!
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
This has been on my TBR for decades and I was so happy to finally read it. This is Francie’s story, a young girl growing up in Brooklyn in the early 1900s. Man, life was hard and it was striking how ethnically divided the city was (is?). But it shows how the power of reading (and reading aloud!) can get us through painful patches and teach us about the world around us. 5 stars.
The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo
This was an audible deal of the day recently and I bought it because I loved The Ninth House so much. It’s a part of Bardugo’s “Grishaverse” series, which I haven’t read and that didn’t seem to matter. This was a lovely collection of fairy tales that transported me to a new world – Bardugo is a haunting writer. It was exactly what I needed Right Now!
Stitching
I am making progress. The progress is tiny, but it’s still progress! I would expect to finish this bottom section this week and to start sorting my leftover hexies and make a decision about a border.
A couple of weeks ago I got a question about measurements and I forgot to answer last week. Right now it’s 52.5″ across and 58.5″ down. That puts it somewhere between a crib and twin (more of a crib), but this isn’t going on anyone’s bed! It will be on proud display somewhere in the house.
That’s it from me. I can’t wait to check in with all of you and see what you’re working on!
The Cozy Burrow 
Your hexies are so pretty! This will be a nice size for a wall hanging some place in your home. She’s a beauty!
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Thank you, Gretchen! I’m excited that the end is in sight 🙂
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The hexie is beautiful and amazing…you, too!! 😉
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How kind! Thank you!
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Oooh, you are so close to finishing! Nice of the cat to give a sense of scale, too. 😉
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You have made so much progress on your quilt and it looks wonderful! I’m glad you’ll be doing some sort of border because I look forward to seeing it every week.
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That quilt is very joyful! Did you watch Ingrid’s TED talk?
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Thank you! I DID watch her TED talk and it was very good! It was a great summary of this book.
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Oh man you are so close on that quilt! The final version will be such a beautiful work of art!
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Thanks, Kath! I’m so excited about its progress!
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oh wow, Katie, the quilt is fabulous! I read and loved both Joyful and Brooklyn earlier this year. and I even got Marc to listen to Joyful (not sure he learned as much as I did from it 😉 there was a toolkit pdf in the audio version I listened to and I found it helpful for putting some of the ideas into actions – did your copy include that?)
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Thanks, Mary! Yes, my book had that toolkit at the back and it WAS very helpful! I think my issue is that I’m limited about what I can have in my home, both financially and by the special needs of my children. But one day!! (maybe?)
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That quilt!! It is gorgeous, Katie! (and excellent reads this week! I need to look up that that Bardugo book! Thank you!
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Thanks, Kat! And I hope you enjoy the Bardugo book. The fairy tales were haunting and beautifully written. Just what I needed in order to step out of the chaos of this world!
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Such a bright cheerful quilt. I look forward to seeing what you do with the border
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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of my favorites – such a wonderful book. I haven’t read the others, thank you for the recommendations!
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