Unraveled, Week 7/2026

It's Wednesday, which means it's my day to join with Kat and the Unravelers -- and this week I do have some unraveling to report, a rarity for me!

When you last saw it on Monday, my Melt the ICE hat was at the decreases. I took it to Molly's dentist appointment so I could work on it in the waiting room, and then I pulled it out again in the afternoon while Ruthie snoozed. I was getting pretty close to the end when I paused and actually looked at my knitting (I was reading at the same time, so that was holding most of my attention), only to realize that something was very off. It was only last week that I had trouble counting to two, and it seems I also had some trouble dividing my stitches in half when I set up this hat for magic loop. I had 12 stitches on one half and 20+ on the other, so somewhere along the way I'd miscounted. Fortunately the yarn I'm using is very sticky and is being knit at a firm gauge, so I pulled it off the needles and unraveled back to the start of the decreases (that took a bit of time, as I'm alternating skeins and had to pause every now and then to untangle). I got the stitches back on the needle and this time actually followed the pattern to place some markers and do my decreases in the correct spot -- yes, I'd thought I knew better, and didn't it come back to bit me in the end? I'm back on track and nearly to where I was when I discovered the problem, so I should have a finished hat in another day or so.

In the meantime, I had brought yarn and needles downstairs to have on hand anticipating that I was going to finish the hat, and when I realized I'd screwed it up, I put it aside and cast on for a new project:

This is some Knit Picks Wonderfluff that I bought several years back when it was on sale and I was trying to get to free shipping. It's a bulky weight, but because it's made of a nylon tube into which merino and baby alpaca is blown, it's very light. The fuzziness makes it a little trickier to knit with than a smooth yarn, but the softness makes up for it. I'm knitting up another version of this hat that I improvised with some scraps last month and contemplating writing up a pattern -- I figured I should make a version in a single yarn to see if it works out and then make a decision.

The cowl is still on the needles but doesn't look much different. I'm trying to focus on it to get it done this week, if at all possible, so I can make the necessary revisions to the pattern and get it back to my tech editor.

As I continue to chip away at Anna Karenina at a rate of about 5% per day, on average, I've been able to listen to a couple of audiobooks this week.

There are often books I read because friends who are readers I respect read and recommend them. That was why I picked up The Wordy Shipmates, a work of nonfiction focused on the Puritans who settled in New England in the early days of the American colonies and left behind quite a bit of writing in the form of journals, essays, pamphlets, sermons, and even novels. The author, a historian, takes a close look at their thoughts, so many of which formed the basis of many of the ideals of the new nation, and unflinchingly points out the hypocrisy in the fact that they fled England allegedly to seek religious freedom yet became intolerant of those who acted against their interpretations. I enjoyed the book, though perhaps didn't listen at the right time (this was when Ruthie was under the weather), so I had a hard time following and staying focused at time. I did find it to be well written and funny, but I probably didn't get as much out of it as I could have had it read it at a different time. I also enjoyed the audio narration; it's mostly read by the author, but a number of actors play the roles of Puritans whose writings are quoted. I gave it 3 stars.

Though from the title you might think that Homeschooled is primarily about homeschooling, and indeed it's a central part of the narrative, really it's a narrative about a son and his relationship with his mother. When Stefan Block was 9, his mother decided that the public school system in Plano, Texas, was no good for him and that it would be better if she homeschooled him -- despite having no background in education or instruction. In many ways, though, this effort seemed to be a way to keep her youngest child close and a reaction to his getting older. The author struggled to reconcile the great freedom he gained at home with his loneliness from being separated from his peers and constantly worried whether he'd ever be able to get back to school -- and if doing so would alienate him forever from his mother. Though this memoir wasn't as hard to read as others I've read that deal with similar themes, I found it sad to learn how much Block missed out on due to his mother's unfounded beliefs about the education system and unwillingness to accept that her child would eventually grow up and leave her. But the memoir is well done, with moments of humor to offset the sad moments, and well narrated by the author. I gave it 4 stars.

To round out this post, I though I'd share an early sign of spring spotted in my neighborhood (even though there's now in the forecast for this weekend):

Spring may not be here yet, but it's definitely on its way!

Did I Jinx It?

For a while now, I've been writing up blog posts the day or evening before and setting them to publish the next morning, so often they're not quite as up to date as they sound. When I put together last Friday's post, for instance, I thought we were in for a calm, uneventful long weekend. And perhaps by putting that in print, I tempted fate a little too much.

Ruthie started barking at about 3 a.m. on Friday. It was annoying, but I didn't think much of it; sometimes a noise outside will spook her, and there's been a lot of heavy snow falling off the roof above the room where we keep her crate, so I figured she'd been startled awake. When I came downstairs shortly after 6, though, I realized that was not the case. She'd been sick overnight, and I found a piece of thin plastic (it looked like a piece of a disposable cup) in her crate. Clearly she'd eaten it and it had upset her stomach, and the barking had been her way of trying to alert us that something was wrong. Thankfully I was able to get a same-day appointment at our vet practice, where they gave her subcutaneous fluids and some anti-nausea meds. Though she was still wary of the other people in the office, she was a real trooper and did so well while we were there, which was a big relief. I'm happy to report that she was totally fine after that, though clearly the whole ordeal was a lot for her because she was very slow on our midday walk and then crashed and took a long nap when we got home.

I'd like to say that she's learned her lesson, but she's still trying to eat anything that looks like it might be food that she encounters on the street, and as the melting snow has revealed all sorts of nasty things, I am being more vigilant than ever.

On the plus side, it was still a quiet weekend, and Saturday was really gorgeous. Because of all the Ruthie drama, I didn't get to exercise (other than walking her) or even shower until bed on Friday, so I went for a run Saturday morning. It was sunny and downright warm -- we hit 51ºF for a high, I believe -- so the snow and ice were doing some major melting. There were a lot of people out running, some of them doing marathon training. Ruthie and I had some good walks and ran into some other dogs, and we had a relaxing afternoon. The Mister and I are now well past the point where Valentine's Day is a big deal. We exchanged cards and he got me some chocolate, and that was it -- and that was just fine with me. Molly had one of her friends sleeping over, so we got some pizza and I made a salad, and we had some brookies that Molly baked on Friday for dessert. Our Saturday evening was spent folding laundry and making our meal plan and grocery list. And I put in some time on my second cowl sample:

I'm on my second repeat of the color sequence, and I think it'll go a little faster now that I've settled on the colors and the order.

Yesterday wasn't as warm and was a bit rainy, but it was still a quiet day. I made a barbecue brisket for later in the week, and she napped while I read and worked on my Melt the ICE Hat.

All hats now must be measured in Ruthies.

Molly is home with me again today, and other than taking her to a dentist appointment and work, I've got nothing else on the schedule. We're all hoping that this week brings better things. At the very least, it's going to bring some more warm temperatures, so perhaps the rest of the snow will leave us! 

A Reprieve

TGIF -- am I right? Even though it's much easier now that Molly can do pretty much everything on her own, it's still exhausting to be the only parent in town and to have to do all the schools runs, all the cooking, and all the cleaning. Add the cold weather on top of that, and I'm more than ready for a weekend. Molly is home today (in-service day for the end of the trimester) and Monday, so even though I have to work both days, I feel like I get a little bit of a break from the busy schedule.

In good news, I went for my first run on Wednesday since January 23, as the warmer weather earlier this week allowed for enough melting of snow and ice to expose nearly all of the sidewalks. I am definitely out of practice and am sore from the effort, but it felt great to get out other again.

You know what else is good? I've been able to count to two (and three and four) again! On attempt number four, I successfully established my ribbing, and since then I've completed it and moved on to the colorwork.

I think my contrast won't be as strong as it was in the original sample, but sometimes I like a subtler mix of colors. Of course, I'm also putting together the colors on my own instead of using a kit put together by someone whose business is color, so that's playing a role as well. In any case, I'm happy to be moving right along.

We've got a fairly quiet weekend planned. Molly is having a friend sleep over tomorrow night, so we're going to order in some pizza and relax instead of trying to do a romantic dinner out. The weather is supposed to be warmer both days, too, so I'll be able to walk outside for exercise rather than doing YouTube workouts. And I may just start an audiobook, because I've finally caught up on my podcasts! (Speaking of which, if you are a fellow Maggie O'Farrell fan and you haven't already listened, you might want to download and listen to her interview with Anne Bogel.) I hope by Monday I'll have some more knitting to show.

I hope you have an enjoyable weekend -- be sure to treat yourself to some chocolate tomorrow!

Unraveled, Week 6/2026

Happy Wednesday, friends! The landscape looks a lot different today after some unseasonably warm weather yesterday -- think lots of melting and lots of puddles. I got an unexpected upper-body workout when Ruthie and I got back from our midday walk yesterday: The snow on the roof of the garage had all fallen onto the driveway and had to be shoveled out of the way. It might have been light, fluffy snow when it fell, but the melting turned it into wet, heavy stuff. At least I could comfortably shovel without a jacket or gloves -- and I was sweating!

As it is Wednesday today, that means it's time to check in with Kat and the Unravelers, and I'm happy to report that I do indeed have a finished pair of socks to share!

I ended up needing Monday to finish the toe of the second sock, and I even played a bit of yarn chicken, ending up using 99 g of my 100 g skein. If you're interested in the pattern you can check out my Ravelry project, but it's not one I'd recommend. There is no gauge listed, and the sizes are simply S/M/L, without any indication of what size foot those would fit. I ended up using the stitch pattern only on the front of the leg and on the instep and doing my own heel and toe. I didn't even try to get the stripes to match because of how long the color repeat is, but I'm happy that I more or less matched up the position of the stripes on the two socks. And of course I won at yarn chicken, meaning I don't have a ton of leftovers remaining. All in all a good stash-busting project!

I've since cast on two more projects. First, I'm doing another sample of my fingering weight colorwork cowl design, this time with a larger circumference for a more standard fit. Unfortunately, due to my apparently inability to reliably count to two, this is all I have to show for it:

That sheep stitch marker is where I have to tink back to in order to correct what is supposed to be dead-easy 2x2 ribbing. And what you see here is after tinking back and supposedly fixing my issues twice already. Sigh.

I also started the current fad in the craftivist world, a Melt the ICE Hat (Ravelry link) in some leftover HipStrings Buoy DK:

This will be my mindless knitting while Ruthie naps and I read for the next while.

Speaking of reading, I've only finished one book this past week. Reading has slowed down some since the big storm because I've been unable to exercise outside (and that's when I do most of my audiobook listening) and have only been taking Ruthie for normal walks in the past couple of days. I'm also reading a Big Book right now that will take me a while to get through. Fortunately, the one book I finished was a good one.

On the Calculation of Volume III follows Tara in her continuing repetition of November 18, but now there is a new development: She has learned that there are others trapped in this time loop. This provides an opportunity to discuss why it has happened, whether it's permanent, and if there's a larger purpose they should be pursuing with their opportunity to relive the same day over and over again. As was the case with the first two books in the series, this is a quiet book that is more about thinking and reflecting than about action or plot twists. I honestly wasn't sure how someone could write seven volumes about living the same day over and over again, but so far each book has had a different take on it. Unfortunately now I have to wait for the next translation to be published and for the three after that to find out how this story resolves, but I very much enjoyed this third book. 4 stars.

I'm still reading Anna Karenina and am a little more than 40% through it; I find that on a good day, I can get through about 5-6%, so I'm keeping up a steady pace. And I'm hoping that now that the weather outlook is looking a little more normal for this time of year, I'll be able to get some books in my ears again soon.

How about you -- what are you making and reading this week?

Let the Thaw Begin

It was another frigid weekend, and today started out positively glacial, but we are in for a bit of a thaw this week -- or at least we'll be having more typical weather for this time of year! We've gotten a little melting from the sun, but we're actually supposed to get above freezing several times this week! I might even get to exercise outside (would you believe I haven't got for a run in more than two weeks?)!

Because of the cold and the additional snow we got on Friday, we spent much of the weekend inside, but Molly and I did venture out to the tattoo studio to get her earrings changed for the first time. We had to wait a little, and now I can say that this was probably the oddest place I've turned a heel (tattoos may be no big deal for some of you, but they're looked down upon in Judaism, so no one in my family has one).

I spent almost all my free time working on that second sock over the weekend in an effort to finish it in time to qualify for the Pigskin Party, and because I got this post ready ahead of time, I can't say yet whether I was successful. I can, however, tell you that as of the end of Ruthie's nap on Sunday, I had about 24 rounds of foot plus a toe remaining, so chances were pretty good.

Here's your obligatory sleeping puppy photo, just so you can get a sense of the scene on Sunday afternoon:

The Mister left early this morning for a quick work trip, so I'm on double school run duty for a few days. But Molly also has a four-day weekend coming up (thanks to the end of the trimester), and that almost feels like a break for me, too. Assuming I have successfully finished the socks, this week will be about casting on some new projects!

I will be back on Wednesday with a finished pair of socks for sure, plus some new projects and an update on my reading.

Another Freezing Friday

Although I'm more used to it happening in January, we always seem to have a period of deep freeze in winter when the temperatures are frigid and it seems like the snow and ice will never melt. We've been in that phase for a while now, too long for my taste, and we're in for more snow (estimates are about 2 inches) and more extreme cold this weekend. But it's supposed to get up to and above freezing next week, hurrah! So we just need to get through this weekend and we'll get a little bit of a break.

In spite of the cold, we've been lucky to have gotten a good bit of sunshine this week, and it's even been enough to melt some snow and ice on roofs and help to clear the roads and sidewalks. I've been opening the blinds in the sliding glass doors at the back of our house, which face west, and that's meant some great light in the afternoons while Ruthie naps next to me. Yesterday, it helped me see well enough to graft the toe of my first Loud Plaid Shorts sock (shown on Ruthie for scale):

Its mate has been cast on, and I'll be working on it every moment I can this weekend to see if I can't get the pair finished up in time to qualify for the Pigskin Party -- technically I have Monday to finish if I need it, but that's also a work day and thus does not offer the same amount of time to be productive. Though I won't be working on anything else until the socks are done, that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about what's next.

I have this cowl pattern in testing now, and a couple of testers have noted that it's a little too snug for their taste, so I'm going to add a second size to the pattern and knit up another sample to determine the yardage required. In preparation for that, I've been pulling out the semisolid mini skeins I have and pondering color choices. I'll likely end up arranging the skeins in several different orders and taking photos so I can test their contrast in black and white.

We've got a fairly quiet weekend ahead, not least because it's going to be so cold. Tonight Molly is headed to a Galentine's Day party thrown by a classmate and her mother, and after we drop her off, the Mister and I are having a date night at one of our favorite restaurants. We (and by that I mean Molly and I) have plans to make snacks for dinner for Sunday in honor of the Super Bowl, though we don't really care that much about the game. I am, however, looking forward to the Puppy Bowl -- the first one I can watch with my very own puppy! I'd encourage you to click over and click through the gallery of the players; they always have a wide range of breeds and mixes, and I love that they always include dogs with special needs. And for those of you who are cat people, there's a kitten halftime show, too!

Stay warm, look for the good, and be well, friends!

Unraveled, Week 5/2026

It's Wednesday -- or rather only Wednesday, as it feels like it's already been a very long week -- and that means it's time to link up with Kat and the Unravelers.

We have six more weeks of winter, regardless of what Phil or any other groundhog says, but we did have a little bit of a warm-up yesterday and some of the snow has melted. But it's going to get cold again, and there's more snow in the forecast for later this week, so I haven't stopped knitting socks. I'm through the gusset of the first one and am now cruising down the foot.

It might be a little overambitious to try to get the pair done by the end of the weekend, but stranger things have happened!

It's been a slower week of reading for me -- only two books finished. But they were both good reads.

Jews in the Garden: A Holocaust Survivor, the Fate of His Family, and the Secret History of Poland in World War II by Judy Rakowsky

I can't remember exactly where I heard about this book, but it sounded interesting to me given my Polish Jewish ancestry. Though it was published in 2023, my library only recently got it; I was the second one to read the digital copy. The author, a longtime journalist who covered organized crime and other investigative topics, was intrigued by the story told by her father's cousin of family members who had been hiding in Poland only to be discovered and killed by fellow Poles as the Red Army was advancing. The story claimed that while those who were killed were buried in the garden of the house where they were hiding, one of the daughters escaped and was still alive. The author joined her cousin on a number of trips back to his hometown in Poland in search of news of this missing cousin, but no one seemed willing to talk about it, and over the course of several decades, the political climate in Poland contributed to the difficulty of the search by making it against the law to say that Poles contributed to the Holocaust in any way. This was a fascinating (albeit also rather devastating) read and gave me a sense of what might have happened to my grandmother's family had they not left Poland for Canada earlier. It also made me reconsider what I have heard in more recent years about Poles saving Jews; it seems that the right-wing government that took power in 2015 pushed a narrative of Polish victimhood and quashed any mention of collaboration. This wasn't an easy read, but it was well written and extremely informative. I gave it 4 stars.

I've now officially finished reading all eight published volumes of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion and now need to wait for the next one to come out! I can't say enough good things about this series. They're funny, they're touching, and they're highly entertaining and well written. The audiobooks have been a delight, but I decided to treat myself to hard copies so that I can read with my eyes when it comes time for my first reread. I have been recommending these books to everyone, and if you haven't read them yet but need some joy and laughter, please check them out. I've given the whole series 5 stars!

Speaking of series, I'm still finishing up On the Calculation of Volume III (I'll only have to wait until April for number IV), and I'm slowly making my way through Anna Karenina.

What are you making and reading this week?