Unraveled, Week 20/2022

Is it really Wednesday already? At least I am saved from having to come up with a post topic, because Wednesdays mean linking up with Kat and the Unravelers to talk about making and reading!

I will spare you another photo of my brother's sweater and Rainbow's Hitchhiker looking very similar to the last time you saw them, because they haven't changed much. I did manage to finish the last bobbin of singles on Monday, and yesterday I started plying the three together. I'm afraid the plied yarn isn't going to be very exciting, but we knew that going in.

The finished skein is intended to be used for the colorwork portion of the matching sweaters I'm planning to knit for me and Rainbow with the green combo spin yarn I finished earlier in the year, assuming I have enough yardage. This skein has been in progress for literally months, which is really unlike me, so I'm eager to get it done and move on to something with color.

Yesterday I was forced to cast on a new project -- yep, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Last night was a showcase of all the performing arts groups at Rainbow's middle school (she's in the choir). I didn't have a project that I could take along that would be suitable to work on in a dark auditorium, so I started a new pair socks, appropriately for Rainbow.

You haven't seen this yarn (or the project bag, for that matter) yet because it's brand new -- it arrived in the mail on Monday. Yes, that's right, I bought new yarn! Even though I am trying to work from stash this year, I never prohibited myself from buying yarn, and I don't think I've actually bought any since I went to Rhinebeck last year. This particular package of yarn, project bag, and stitch markers (not shown) is an exclusive Down Cellar Studio Splash Pad Party product, and after resisting it once and continuing to think about it, I finally made the purchase when I found there were still some available (and right now it looks like only one is left). The yarn is from Fibernymph Dye Works in the colorway You're Mer-Mazing, and the coordinating mermaid-themed bag and stitch markers are from AdoreKnit. The Splash Pad Party doesn't officially kick off until later in the month, but WIPs are permitted in this event, so I figured it was okay to get started.

Reading has been a bit slow this past week, for much the same reason that crafting hasn't seen a lot of progress, but I have managed to finish two books.

I had been on the waiting list for Ann Patchett's essay collection These Precious Days for a long time, and the wait was well worth it. You know that a book is a good one when you simultaneously don't want it to end but also don't bother to slow down your reading. That's how this collection was for me. The writing is excellent and the emotions some of these essays evoked were strong. I've previously read three of Ann Patchett's novels, two of which I loved and one that I found just okay, but this collection really made me appreciate her more as a writer and made me want to read much more of her writing. I gave it 5 stars.

I'd had Michelle Zauner's memoir Crying in H Mart on my TBR list since it came out last year but never got around to putting it on hold at the library, so when it came up in our Zoom session on Sunday, I looked for it in Libby and discovered it was available in both formats (ebook and audiobook) with no wait. I chose to listen, which is fast becoming my preferred format for memoirs read by the author, and though it was a sad read, I really enjoyed it. Reading about Korean cuisine made me think of my college roommate and her sister, who became good friends and fed me my first kimchi. I gave this book 4 stars.

I'm currently right about halfway through Young Mungo (I got to an upsetting part and had to put it down for a bit) and The Island of Missing Trees, which was another long-awaited library hold.

What are you making and reading this week?