Unraveled, Week 47/2025

How is it Wednesday again already? Time to link up with Kat and the Unravelers!

I am still working on the same two projects but at least am getting closer to finishing them. I got a bunch of work yesterday and so only managed a handful of rounds on the socks, but the evenings have been dedicated wrap/shawl knitting time, and the rows are getting shorter:

I managed to leave Ruthie for about two minutes to snap a photo of this upstairs while the sun was actually out (not that it did much to warm things up) so you could get a better sense of the actual color of the yarns. I'm hoping I'm able to stretch this out and get a bit more length when I block it, because as written it's not a very big wrap, but I think the mohair/silk will make it very cozy. I might have to find a pretty shawl stick or other closure for it.

I've once again had a good week of reading with four finishes, though two of them were ARCs.

In Life: A Love Story, 92-year-old Flo has received a terminal diagnosis and knows she doesn't have much time left in her life, so she resolves to write a letter explaining some things to Ruthie, the now-grown little girl who used to live next door and was like a daughter to her. Flo has decided to leave her house and all her possessions to Ruthie, but she also wants to leave behind some life lessons she's learned. In giving the history of some of the objects in her house, some of which might seem worthless or mundane, she shows that what matters isn't always things but the memories and the people they recall. This is a quiet book, and while it's not without difficulties that arise in people's lives and marriages, it's a peaceful and welcome departure from the news. That said, I also found it to be rather schmaltzy and, at times, a little over-the-top with religion. Your mileage may vary. I gave it 3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in return for an honest review. This book will be published March 17, 2026.

After enjoying her forthcoming novel so much, I decided to listen to Anna Quindlen's most recent release. After Annie follows a family in the year following the sudden death of its mother. There's the husband who is overwhelmed at being the sole parent and the one who rarely did much of the heavy lifting of parenting before. There are her four children, the oldest of whom, her only daughter, finds herself feeling responsible for her three younger siblings. And there's her best friend, who finds herself slipping back into drug addiction without Annie to keep her on the straight and narrow. It's a sad story, as you would expect, and it certainly highlights how much work mothers do to keep their families running, but it paints a picture of how families can come together after a tragedy. I gave it 4 stars.

Some time back, I bought a used copy of The Language of Goldfish because I couldn't find it any of the library apps (probably because I think it's been out of print for a while). This is a book I can remember reading multiple times as a young teenager, and I wanted to revisit it as an adult because my memories of it were vague and I was curious about what it was about it that spoke so loudly to me. This book follows 13-year-old Carrie as she struggles to adjust to living in a new place and growing up. She begins to have episodes of visual hallucinations and even has an instance of losing awareness of time and where she is before she attempts suicide. Following that, she is hospitalized and then goes to see a therapist every day to address what was causing her such distress. I can't say that I loved this book as much on a reread (at least as an adult) as I did as a young teen, but it at least held up relatively well in the time that's passed. It was probably pretty advanced for when it was published, in fact, in that it addressed mental illness frankly and as something that should be talked about and addressed. Adult me, however -- particularly the adult me who has a degree in psychology -- felt a little frustrated that Carrie's illness was never really defined and that her therapist didn't seem to do much other than listen to her talk. But all the same it was nice to read something from my childhood that didn't surprise me with something like overt racism for a change. I gave it 4 stars.

If there's one historical era I've read more about than any other, it's the Holocaust and WWII, so it's always a pleasant surprise to learn something about the history of that time period that is new to me. Once There Was a Town: The Memory Books of a Lost Jewish World introduced me to the documents known as yizkor books, volumes created as memorial records of the towns and shtetls essentially erased by the Nazis. They describe what life was like in these places and what sort of people inhabited them in addition to containing lists of the names of those killed. While the book addresses this topic generally, there's also a focus on the town where the author's relatives came from, making this a memoir of sorts, too, as her study of the yizkor book for their shtetl was able to tell her things about the family left behind that her grandmother and great uncles could not and would not discuss. I found it to be a fascinating read. My only disappointment in the book is that the ARC I received did not contain the photos that are referenced in the back of the book -- I would have loved to see those family photos! But that just gives me an excuse to pick up a physical copy of the book when it's published. I gave it 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in return for an honest review. This book will be published January 20, 2026.

What are you making and reading this week?

Sweater (and Socks and Hat and Scarf) Weather

Brrrr! We are waking up to the coldest weather yet of the season. Yesterday we had rain showers on and off, and it was supposed to turn to snow overnight (as usual, I'm getting this post ready the night before, so I can't yet confirm if it did indeed snow). I think the ground is still too warm for any to stick, but it's cold enough for it to come down. Time to switch from the fall jacket to the winter jacket (but not the long winter jacket just yet)!

Ruthie's new harness arrived on Friday, and I'm happy to report that it works really well. If she pulls, it tightens, making it extremely difficult for her to slip out of it.

It doesn't quite match the collar and leash, but we can live with it.

On top of my to-do list this weekend was sending off quite a large number of charity hats. I've been collecting the ones I've been making for about a year, and Molly made a ton using up scraps and leftovers, so Saturday morning I boxed them up and sent them off to two collections:

Yesterday I made a big vat of vegetable soup, which we had for dinner along with some crusty bread, and Molly gathered up the M&Ms from the Halloween candy, supplemented them with some chocolate chips, and made us some cookies (using this recipe, which I highly recommend):

I'll add that she did everything -- all I did was empty the mini packets of M&Ms, tear the sheets of parchment paper, and cleaned up the dishes. They were fantastic!

And there was knitting. With apologies for the poor lighting, here's where my WIPs stand:

I've finished the gusset on the second sock for my sister-in-law, and I've officially passed the halfway mark on the wrap. 

I expect it's going to be another busy week at work, but we've got two more weeks until Thanksgiving. Molly is off school all that week, and it turns out that I've reached the maximum on my vacation time, so I decided to take Monday through Wednesday off as well. I think I can get through the next two weeks knowing I'll have an entire week off after that! I hope your Monday is as gentle as possible and you're staying cozy. Time to break out those hand-knit sweaters, friends!

Friday? More Like Fri-YAY!

We've reached the end of another week, and while I'm always happy to celebrate the arrival of Friday, this week there are additional reasons to be happy.

Molly is off today because her first trimester ended yesterday. Yes, my baby is 1/3 of the way finished with 10th grade! She's got a really tough schedule this year, with all of her core classes every other day in her eight-day schedule, so the homework tends to pile up. But despite that, she is doing well, and I'm proud of her (though I think that goes without saying).

Yesterday, I got caught up on my work by early afternoon, which gave me some time to read and do a little knitting while Ruthie napped. Because of that, I got through most of the heel flap on the second sock of the pair for my sister-in-law:

I'm sure you're all well aware of the election results from Tuesday. We didn't have any big offices up for grabs, but we did get a new mayor -- the son of a former mayor who tragically died less than a year into his first term -- and our state voted to retain three left-leaning state supreme court justices. I was rather amused the next day when I opened a mini package of peanut M&Ms from the Halloween candy and saw this:

Finally, today officially marks 20 years at my job -- 20 years and people still don't know how to use a comma correctly or how to put things in alphabetical order! I'm supposed to be getting a gift that supposedly shows that the university is grateful for my years of service, but I wouldn't be surprised if they decide there's a freeze on those things while the union contract is being negotiated, just like our annual raises. I've now made it through three chancellors, five vice chancellors, and a heck of a lot of changes. But I guess what doesn't change is that a lot of people need help with their writing and I've gotten a reputation for being very good at what I do. I do complain about it, but I like improving things and finding the mistakes others have missed (not to mention the paycheck and the benefits), so I guess I'll keep doing it as long as I can.

Tonight we're taking my mom out to dinner (she just got back from Florida; my dad is there for a few more days), and tomorrow Molly's going to a sleepover birthday party, so the Mister and I will get a night to ourselves. There's snow(!) in the forecast for Monday, so I'll also be enjoying the more temperate weather while I can. Have a good one!

Unraveled, Week 46/2025

If last week seemed to drag, this week has flown -- it's already Wednesday! Time to link up with Kat and the Unravelers.

There hasn't been a ton of knitting time this past week, between things being busy at work and things being busy in the evenings (mostly not-fun things, like never-ending loads of laundry to fold), but I did manage to cast on a new project:

My friend Lisa of Fibernymph Dye Works has for several years run a yearlong make-along in her Ravelry group and generously gives out participation prizes throughout the year. Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to win one and selected a kit for her Ryoko wrap. The kit includes a skein of her Sunshine fingering base and a skein of her Floof silk/mohair laceweight base as well as the pattern. But I actually already had the pattern in my library because I tech edited it for her! I'm planning to give this to my mother-in-law as a holiday gift. It's a pretty straightforward garter and eyelet pattern, and what you see here is mostly the result of one evening of knitting, so I'm hopeful I can get it done relatively quickly.

Similarly, reading has been slow, mainly because my typical afternoon reading time has been taking up by work-related reading, so I've finished only two books this week.

Several years ago, when I was on an Elizabeth Strout kick, I somehow missed The Burgess Boys. I loved the character of Bob Burgess in Lucy by the Sea, so I bookmarked the audio of this one on Libby and finally caught it at a time when I was ready for a new book and there was no wait. This book focuses on Bob and his siblings, Jim and Susan, and their complicated relationships throughout the years. They're brought together again in adulthood when Susan's son is arrested for throwing a pig's head into a mosque frequented by the town's immigrant Somali population. In dealing with this crisis, they have to confront the big tragedy from their past that dramatically changed the course of their lives. There's a lot in this novel that's sad, but what I love about Elizabeth Strout's characters is how truly human they are. They aren't perfect people and never pretend to be, and the author portrays them with full respect for their flaws and imperfections. I thoroughly enjoyed this one -- 4.5 stars.

After reading Bonny's review of More than Enough, I immediately went to NetGalley to see if I could request it -- and it turns out I was already preapproved to read it! I've only previously read one other book by Anna Quindlen, and that was many years ago, but I so enjoyed this forthcoming novel that I will definitely be seeking out more of her work. Polly Goodman is an English teacher at an all-girls private school. She's happily married but struggling with infertility, and when we first meet her, she has just gotten some unexpected results from a DNA test given to her as gag gift for her birthday by her book club. She's also struggling with the slow loss of her father to Alzheimer's and a difficult relationship with her mother. This isn't a dramatic book and focuses on the sorts of difficulties that so many middle-aged women have, but it's a beautiful study of friendship, found family, and facing the mortality of aging parents. It's a book I didn't want to stop reading (and I got very annoyed with work getting in the way of my reading time as a result). I gave it 5 stars. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in return for an honest review. This book will be published February 24, 2026.

What are you making and reading this week?

Ups and Downs

This past weekend was mostly good, but with some scares I didn't anticipate. First, after it had rained all day on Thursday, it cleared up on Friday, enabling me to get in a run and complete my first-ever all-running 10K here (I've done it a couple of times in Florida, where the route is totally flat). It's also the first time I've managed it since the broken foot, so that felt pretty darn good.

Molly went trick-or-treating with a friend, so the Mister and I stayed home with our Costco bag of candy -- and handed some out to exactly three kids. I knew all the activity would be tough for Ruthie, so I waited until the end of the official trick-or-treating period to take her out for her last walk. Even so, there were still a lot of people out, and she got spooked by some kids in costume running at her -- and slipped her harness again. This has happened a couple of times on our street, which has been scary enough, but this was even worse because we were several blocks from home and across several streets. The kids who scared her chased her, even after I yelled at them not to, and of course I ran after her. At one point some random guy told me I'd never catch her on foot and I should get in his SUV so he could drive me. Of course I refused -- who gets in a car with some guy they don't know at night? Eventually, with the help of some neighbors and other kind people who were out -- and despite SUV guy trying to get her and making her run again -- I managed to get close enough to her to grab her. She'd basically run back the way we'd come and fortunately stayed away from major streets. SUV guy then yelled at me for not thanking him for his help (what help?) and added that I was a horrible human being. Thank goodness for the kindness of the others, including a young man who had been helping out at a tent set up at the church along our route who immediately got into his car and was driving very slowly in the direction Ruthie had run (and did not, I should add, demand I get in the car with him). One of the people happened to be the pastor at that church, and she told me before she entered this profession, she was a vet tech, so she knew what she was doing. The whole experience was rather traumatic, for both of us -- Ruthie slept in until 7:30 the next morning! Needless to say, a new harness has been ordered that is advertised as being escape proof, and I'm looking into getting private training for her to get her over these fears.

I'm happy to say that that was the low point of the weekend. From there, everything got better. I finished up a charity hat (obviously it still needs to be blocked):

I wound yarn for my next cast-on:

And yesterday, I finished a book, baked banana bread, and made Ina's chicken chili.

This week is likely to be another busy one at work, but we also will be electing a new mayor tomorrow and Molly will be home with me on Friday while her teachers work on finishing up grades for the first term. Here's hoping there is no further Ruthie drama in store!

Let's Celebrate!

Hello, friends! I thought about skipping a post today because I've already posted three times this week and I'm just tired from the week, but then I realized I couldn't let the day go by without acknowledging it. Yes, it's Friday -- always a reason to celebrate. And yes, it's Halloween, which means getting to see cute kids in costumes and eat candy. But there's another reason to mark today: It's my blogiversary! I started posting here on Halloween in 2005, which means this bloggy thing has now be around for two decades. Crazypants! There have been times I've thought about wrapping it up, but now I'm glad I didn't. I've found such a wonderful community and made such good friends because of this blog, so if you're reading this, thank you.

Have a great weekend and don't overdo it on the candy!

Unraveled, Week 45/2025

Hello, Wednesday! Time to link up with Kat and the Unravelers and share what I've been making and what I've been reading this week.

I didn't know what to do with myself with only one project on the needles (my sister-in-law's socks), so I pulled out that last skein of DK tweed from the multipack and the leftovers from my recent charity hat to knit another.

The pattern is Around & About by Lisa of Fibernymph Dye Works, which felt appropriate given that I'm using her yarn. I am knitting the largest size, so as to maximize my yarn usage, but I'm not sure if my scraps will hold out for the specified number of stripes. I had 10 g left, which is about 23 yards, but the pattern says I need about 30 yards. I am hoping that Lisa overestimated that number on purpose, but if not, I'll just make do with fewer stripes.

Speaking of the socks, I was making great progress on the first one and was almost ready to start the toe decreases when I pulled off more yarn and saw this:

Look, I get it, I know knots happen in the production of yarn occasionally and it's acceptable in the industry up to a point. But if the yarn is self-striping, is it really that hard to tie the knot in the right place in the striping sequence? Gah! I wound off until I got to the same point and rejoined the yarn, and it looks like I will have enough to complete the sock, but if I were not making shortie socks, this would have been a bigger problem.

I finished another four books this week -- in fact, I finished the first three of them all on Friday! (I was very close to the end of them all.)

The South was on this year's Booker Prize longlist, and it's set in Malaysia, an area with which I have no familiarity. The Lim family is taking a summer vacation at their family's farm, away from the city where they normally live. None of the family's three teenagers is particularly enthused about this, least of all Jay, the youngest, who discovers he is to share a room with Chuan, the teenaged son of the farm's caretaker. They soon form a bond, however, that is first one of friendship and then one romantic in nature. Meanwhile, it's clear that the farm is failing and will likely need to be sold, and Jack Lim is dealing with difficulties at his job that may complicate his family's life. All of this is set against a backdrop of climate change and the melting pot of races and nationalities that is Malaysia. I thought the writing was beautiful at times and made me think of Ocean Vuong. But the point of view shifts throughout the book, including (confusingly) between a first-person narrative and a close third person. I also didn't understand why sometimes the dialogue was in quotes and sometimes it wasn't, though perhaps a reader who isn't an editor might not even notice. I gave it 3 stars.

Next was a bit of fluff in the form of an audiobook that took me two days. Unless you are around my age or a bit younger, then you likely won't be familiar with the TV show One Tree Hill; if that's the case, all you really need to know is that it was a WB show from the early 2000s that was a sort of teenage soap opera. Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show is the memoir of one of the actors from the series. But rather than a tell-all about what went on behind the scenes of the show, this book tells how the author, in an effort to find community and meaning from a Bible study group, ended up in a controlling religious cult. This entertained me while I exercised, walked the dog, and cleaned the bathroom, but I wouldn't call it fine literature and wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless you're particularly interested in how people end up in these sorts of groups. The author also narrated the book and spoke so quickly that I had to turn down the speed! I gave it 3 stars.

Celestial Bodies was the winner of the 2019 Booker International Prize and is the next title a small group of us are discussing for our women in translation project this year. This novel is set in Oman and centers around three sisters, all of whom have a different approach to marriage. In shifting points of view that change each chapter, we explore their lives in widening circles that include their husbands, their parents, and others in the community and also learn more about the changes happening in Omani society. I found it really interesting to be immersed in a country and tradition entirely unknown to me, but that also meant that there were many terms I didn't know and references that meant nothing to me. I also found the shifting in perspective and time to be a bit confusing, particularly as no actual dates are given but the relative timeline has to be intuited by the context. I'm sure I will appreciate this book more after the group discussion, but for now I gave it 3 stars.

The last finish for the week was also the longest, at 600+ pages. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is a big, sweeping story that spans continents and, through the back stories of some characters, generations. The title characters are two 20-something Indians who both traveled to America to study and both found they were lonely there. Back at home, their families, who know each other tangentially, decide to arrange an introduction in the hope that, perhaps, they will be a match. But nothing is ever that simple, not least because Sonia and Sunny are both deep in the process of trying to figure out who they are and what they are meant to do with their lives. There are some truly bizarre characters, some truly comic characters, and some truly tragic characters. There is magic realism and mysticism and perhaps even supernatural elements. There's a lot going on here, so it's not surprising that it takes so many pages. It took me a while to read, but it didn't drag; I put it aside when a library hold came in, for instance, and there were days when work was busy and I didn't get to read much. I still feel that there's a lot I just didn't get from this book, but that's okay -- I still enjoyed it. I gave it 4 stars.

I had a brief period of time after finishing Sonia and Sunny when I was reading zero books (basically overnight), but I quickly rectified that. I've been listening to The Burgess Boys (which I missed somehow when I was reading a lot of Elizabeth Strout several years back). On paper, I am reading a YA novel that I was a bit obsessed with as a young teen called The Language of Goldfish. And just yesterday I started Anna Quindlen's forthcoming More than Enough.

What are you making and reading this week?