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Wednesday, March 08, 2023

Unraveled, Week 10/2023

It's a sunny but cold Wednesday morning here in Pittsburgh, and though there's snow in the forecast for the end of the week (boo), I am officially declaring it spring because I saw my first landscaper mowing a lawn in the neighborhood yesterday! Wednesday means it's time to link up with Kat and the Unravelers and to give you an update on my making and reading.

I've officially completed the yoke of my Love Note sweater, so now I'm at the point in the body where I just knit knit knit until it's the required length. It's going pretty quickly, given the big needles, but I'm needing to go a little slower than usual to make sure I get both strands of yarn in every stitch, and as you'd expect with four strands of yarn attached to the project, I also have to pause periodically to make sure they're not tangled.

I may be biting off more than I can chew, but it would be great if I could finish this before we leave for Florida (that's about a week and a half away). I was able to knit about an inch of the body in an hour last night, so that doesn't seem too ambitious, especially if I decide to do short sleeves.

My top priority right now, though, is getting the second of these socks past the heel turn, because I have an in-person board meeting tomorrow evening and I know I will need them to stay focused:

I have about an inch left to knit on the leg before I start the heel flap, so that shouldn't take me much time at all. The challenge will be tearing myself away from my spinning; I'm already on my third bobbin of my current spin and am so enjoying the colors that I don't want to do anything else!

I have only finished one book this week, but it's a big one!

It took me almost exactly four weeks of determined reading, but last night (past my bedtime!) I finally finished War and Peace. This was quite a brick, and I'm very glad I read it in digital format! I will say that I opted for the cheapest digital version, and it was very clear that I got what I paid for. There were no page numbers, just the dreaded "position" indicator, and periodically the print went from roman to italics and back for no apparent reason. Many of the character names were also Westernized (Andrei became Andrew, Marya became Mary, etc.), so I suspect I may not have had the best translation. All that aside, there were parts of this book that I very much enjoyed, notably the relationships between the characters and how they changed over the years. But there was a lot in here that was an absolute slog, especially the parts about the battles, and there's a great deal of Tolstoy's philosophizing about the meaning of war and why it happens. The entirety of the second epilogue, which was what kept me up late last name, felt completely irrelevant to the rest of the book and, in my opinion, could be skipped, and I think Jerry Seinfeld wasn't far off when he claimed that the original title of the book was "War: What Is It Good For." I am not sorry that I read it, but I also don't think it's the masterpiece that some claim it is. I think if you're interested in it, you'd be much better off watching the 2016 miniseries (which I plan to rewatch soon). I gave the book 3 stars.

I am still reading The Shipping News but hope to finish it up this week now that I'm done with the brick!

What are you making and reading this week?


11 comments:

  1. I just love the name of that sweater. Love Notes. Right?! And I think I often say 'I like the sleeves short like that!' when you share in-process knits...so I think a s/s Love Note would be fun.
    Kudos on your big book finish! I was going to start Lincoln in the Bardo today, then I made the mistake of reading the Atlantic review of it. Now, with my 'no-shoulds' angle for reading this year...I'm reconsidering. Hm....

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  2. Congrats on finishing W&P. Don't think that's one I'll pick up soon. Those Russian authors are hard!! I remember having to read Crime & Punishment in high school...I think I finished it late summer, way after class was over. Your Love Note is coming along nicely. I'm loving the play of the colors together - FUN!! And the sock is great - you are almost finished it!

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  3. Congratulations on finishing War and Peace! Such an accomplishment. Your Love Note is looking so good—I love how those yarns are knitting up together!

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  4. Congratulations on finishing War and Peace! We had to read it in high school and I think everyone in the class chose to read the Cliff Notes instead. (I know I did!) I'm laughing about the translated names; Andrew and Mary just don't have the same ring to them for me. Your Love Note is looking good and if anybody can finish it in a week and a half, it's you!

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  5. Congrats on War and Peace! My daughter is also reading it and is determined to finish but she's been at it for a few months now. She only reads a few pages at a time. Your knitting is beautiful. LOVE the socks and the colors in that top. Simply gorgeous!

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  6. I think you have a pretty good chance of getting that sweater done before your trip! And it looks lovely :) Yay for finishing W&P! I'm enjoying it, but am also unsure why it's considered a masterpiece. But, like you, I'm glad to (almost!) have it under my belt.

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  7. I love those socks and I can totally relate to finishing up a heel turn in time to be able to knit round and round for a meeting. I've never read War and Peace but I did read Anna Karenina and found Tolstoy's philosophizing to be a bit much.

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  8. The socks and sweater both look great. Funny, I have the same issue with the purple shawl I'm knitting in two strands. After I dropped down five garter stitch rows to catch a missed strand of mohair, I decided to be more purposeful with my stitches. Congratulations on finishing War and Peace. I listened to Anna Karenina awhile back and it was ok. Sometimes I wonder how books get to be considered masterpieces.

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  9. The socks are so fun! And go you on that sweater! I really love how those yarns are playing together! And bravo to you on your Big Brick finish! (and you are right, I did read W&P a couple of summers ago... but my recall on any of it? None... at all. That is a very sad state of affairs!) I did go through my "Reading Bucket List" and found 3 other books still on it that I had previously read! So that list just got a lot shorter!

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  10. I love Tolstoy's short stories, but hoo-boy . . . his epics are quite the slogs! I had a paperback version of W&P when I read it, and I ended up tearing it in half -- so I had my own Part 1 and Part 2. (Needs must. . . ) What a nice start on your Love Note sweater! (And somehow, I have no doubt you'll finish before Florida.) I knit one a few years ago -- it FLEW off the needles. (I didn't really like it in the end, though. Never wear it.) And those sock stripes are divine. XO

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  11. I saw your 3-star rating for War & Peace and love that I do NOT need to make time to read it! Your Love Note, however, might be enticing me to a make a spring/summer version. I LOVE the one I made in 2020, but it's a cold-weather sweater for sure. hummmm.... ideas for yarn?!

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