Friday | An almost finished sweater; plans for the next; and some reading

Happy Friday! I hope August has been treating you well so far. Today is forecasted to be sunny and warm but we are expecting more thunderstorms tomorrow night. I love how stormy this season has been and it’s been perfect for curling up with movies* and knitting during the showers. I wish every summer was like this! I try to share the things bringing me joy every Friday and lately there’s been a predictable theme: books and knitting. Read on to discover what I’ve been working on this week!

Knitting this week:

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I’ve been working on my Junction sweater (my Ravelry link) this week. I’ve said it time and time again, but this pattern is a delight to knit. It is so intuitive and easy to memorize, which makes it a snap to start/stop throughout the day. We had a slightly cooler and breezy day earlier this week, so I took this out and worked on it under the maple tree for a little while. I could almost feel fall!

I thought I was going to finish that second sleeve yesterday but I got so caught up in the book I’m reading (more on that below) that I didn’t knit a stitch. But I’m almost there. Perhaps I’ll finish the book and the sleeve today and get this sweater soaked and blocked tonight — I’d call that a very good Friday! But I’ll probably finish the second sleeve by the end of the weekend even if it doesn’t happen today.

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And the yarn for my next project has arrived! A few weeks ago I shared that I’d finally found a project for the handspun yarn that Sarah sent me last August: a Tessellated Vest. I decided to super splurge on the called for yarns in the pattern and ordered two skeins of Moondrake Moonspun in Willow and one skein of Moondrake Fuwa Fuwa in Lichen. These shades are completely out of my color comfort zone but I am so excited to wind them up and start swatching!

But first things first: once I get my Junction sweater blocking I am planning to cast on for my second Runaway shortie sock (my Ravelry link). I want to get lots of wear out of them during these last few weeks of summer!

Reading:

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My Booker reading has had a rocky start: I decided to abandon the first two books I picked up. Luckily they were Libby loans and nothing I purchased myself. So I’ve returned If I Survive You and A Spell of Good Things unfinished and am trying not to feel too guilty about it.

AND!

After I returned A Spell of Good Things, I started Pearl by Siân Hughes. It is deliciously creepy and beautifully written; it reminds me so much of a Claire Fuller novel and A Ghost in the Throat (my favorite book in 2022). What a perfect combination! I had a hard time putting it down yesterday and chose to keep reading last night instead of heading down to the basement to squeeze in a little exercise. It will be published in the US in mid-September but you can order a copy with free shipping to the US from Blackwell’s.

And I’m hoping the rest of the Booker titles manage to captivate me like Pearl has!

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Friends, I am planning to reply to emails and blog posts this weekend. I was planning to do that early yesterday morning but a series of unfortunate events kept me away from my computer. I am hoping that this weekend will work out better for me!

I hope your weekend is full of exactly what you need. Until then – take good care!

*the kids and I have spent the late afternoons watching the new Mario movie on Peacock and Guardians of the Galaxy 3 on Disney+. I fall asleep about halfway through every viewing even with a homemade iced latte at my side. That’s okay – I love a late afternoon nap!