Friday | Knitting & Reading Updates

Happy Friday! I’m publishing late today because Colton had a 7:45 appointment this morning for his covid and flu shots. His doctor was kind of enough to schedule him before her day started because he’s at the beginning of a four day weekend and this would give him time to recover if he needs it. So I spent my typical blogging time waking everyone else up, making sure they were dressed, and making breakfasts.

And because my day is upside down, I’m pushing the easy button and sharing a few pictures from knitting and an update on my October reading so far:

Knitting Update:

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I’ve only picked up my needles a handful of times in the last several months. Silly me thinking this short-sleeved sweater would be ready by last summer? Perhaps I’ll have enough yarn and be able to knit the long-sleeved version OR maybe I’ll get it finished just in time for next summer? Only time will tell!

This is the Cloudesley sweater by Isabell Kraemer (my Ravelry link with yarn details). I’m using yarn I purchased at the NH Sheep Wool and Festival this year (Green Mountain Spinnery in Vermont) and it’s quite lovely to work with. I love the light blue and the tweedy bits.

I’m most especially in love with the cable pattern in the back (second picture). It’s delicate and so lovely. I haven’t done a ton of projects with cabling like this and it’s been such a fun learning experience. This whole pattern has been a delight and one I would recommend to nearly every knitter. This is my third pattern by Kraemer and they’ve all been the perfect combination of challenging and delightful.

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October TBR Progress:

I shared my October TBR at the end of September and I’m somehow making progress on it. I’m leaning heavily on audiobooks so far this month; there are some months when I can’t figure out where to fit in books on audio and other months when it’s a solid chunk of my reading progress. I am unpredictable! Here’s what I’ve read so far:

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Just a couple of sentences about each of these books:

• Stone Yard Devotional: an atheist moves into a monastery and grapples with the grief of her past. I loved it and am now finished with the Booker short list.
• Simple Passion: a memoir about an affair; I could have skipped this one.
• The Nickel Boys: reread for The Stacks podcast this month and totally worth revisiting. Story about about the brutality of racism and “reformatory” schools in the south in the 1960s.
• Demon of Unrest: fascinating Civil War history that made a surprisingly perfect companion to The Nickel Boys. Erik Larson can make everything interesting!
• Ways to Make Sunshine: a fun middle grade readaloud that gave us the opportunity to discuss how important our actions are, regardless of the negativity that might be in our minds. More religious than I anticipated but totally appropriate for all families.
• The Extinction of Irena Rey: a wild ride about translators in an ancient Polish forest, told in such a fun and confusing way. I alternated between laughing out loud and scratching my head in confusion.

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And with that, I must say goodbye for the weekend! I hope your weekend is full of exactly what you need. Take good care!