Unraveled, Week 5/2025

Good morning from a noticeably less frigid Pittsburgh! After last week's arctic chill, we are in the middle of a stretch of more temperate weather and are forecast to have highs above freezing all week. We've even had some sunshine! There's been a lot of melting going on (and a lot of associated moments of panic when we've heard loud thumps outside, only to realize a moment later that they're just slush and ice falling from the roof), and yesterday I even got outside for about an hour for my first real walking workout since losing the boot for good. My foot has been feeling good, but I'm feeling it in my shins and my hips, so clearly I am a little out of shape. As long as the weather stays relatively agreeable, I'll be going out more often.

I'm getting this Unraveled Wednesday update ready to go early because Molly's got a dentist appointment before school this morning that I need to take her to (seriously, don't moms always do all the doctor and dentist and orthodontist appointments?), so I'll be slurping down my coffee and running out of the house and then getting right to work when I get home. Here is where things stand as far as WIPs:

I've been pretty monogamous with my sweater for the past week or so, and you can see how much of the body I've gotten done as a result. I'm through all the waist shaping on it, and all that remains is maybe a dozen or so rounds of straight knitting, a round of decreases, and then the section of brioche at the bottom. It's looking more and more like it will be finished by the end of the week, barring any major work issues that keep me from knitting during the day. I hadn't touched the hat in a while, but it go a little attention yesterday when I was back in the office for the morning (yet again needlessly).

I've finished only one book this past week, but it was a pretty big one (almost 500 pages) and on paper, which means I'm usually only reading at night before bed and thus goes more slowly than a digital book often does.

My hardback copy of Same as It Ever Was came from a Little Free Library in the neighborhood -- the same magical one that's given me a lot of great books over the past couple of years. I didn't really know anything about the book other than that I'd heard the title and seen the cover around online. I don't know if it's because it took me so long to read it or because of the book/writing itself, but it felt like a bit of a slog to me. I didn't really like the main character and found myself wondering why, over the decades covered in the book, she didn't get herself some therapy. I thought the writing was good (though I think perhaps the author relies too much on em dashes, and that's saying something for someone who uses them frequently) and the characters were really well written, but I didn't love it. It was just an okay read for me. I gave it 3 stars.

Currently I am reading Small Rain from the library (digital) and The Penelopiad, which Molly just finished reading for English class, on paper. I've also finally caught up on my long backlog of podcasts -- which I typically listen to while running/walking outside -- and am ready for a new audiobook, which I'll probably start today.

Be sure to visit Kat's blog to see what she and the other Unravelers are up to!