Weekending, Late April

Can you believe this is the last week of April? It's been such a strange month of weather; we've had to keep alternating between air conditioning and heat in a way I can't remember doing before. After several glorious days of sun to end last week, it was rainy for most of Saturday and then much cooler on Sunday, making for two days I was happy to be inside curled up next to a snoozing pup.

We truly didn't do much over the weekend, in part because it had been such a busy week. The Mister worked from home Thursday and Friday (his office is right near where the NFL Draft was happening, and he didn't want to deal with all that craziness). I picked Molly and her friend up early on Friday so they could go down to Point State Park and hand out flower seeds to visitors. Her friend's father picked them up and then we all went out to dinner. Molly was so worn out from the week that she fell asleep on top of her bed shortly after taking her shower, with her hair still up in a towel! We all stayed home pretty much all day on Saturday (I went for a walk and took Ruthie out, obviously), and we got takeout and had my in-laws over for dinner. Yesterday Molly worked, I did a Costco run, and we had a lazy afternoon. I may have taken a little snooze as well, as some-puppy decided to wake me up at 5:45 (but I wasn't too upset because I slept until almost 7 on Saturday!).

My big accomplishment of the weekend was finishing the last of the Mother's Day socks:

I essentially used my regular sock recipe for these, though upsized to 80 stitches rather than my usual 68. This sister-in-law has feet that are the same length as mine but at least an inch wider. Usually I make her ankle socks, but as this yarn was more of a light fingering, I though I'd make them a little taller. I'm hoping they fit!

Because those socks were my knitting for while Ruthie naps, I obviously needed to cast on something else right away, so I wound a skein of DK and started a hat for my brother:

This is one of the skeins that came in my recent Fibernymph Dye Works grab bag; the colorway is called Gnome Place Like Home. A gnome-themed color naturally made me think of my brother, so a hat for him it had to be. I'm using the Two by Two pattern (Ravelry link), which I've knit a couple of times before, and at this stage it's pretty mindless -- just 2x2 ribbing. I do that for something like 9 inches and then work decreases, so this should keep me occupied for a while.

This week things should be pretty normal: the Mister is in town, Molly has her last week of school with new content in her classes (next week they'll start reviewing for finals), and the city will resume normal operation now that the draft is over. The weather isn't looking so great -- cooler highs and lots of rain -- but I'll take that over sweating like it's the middle of summer. It's also the final week before commencement, so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that we have no last-minute shenanigans to deal with! I hope it's a calm week for you as well.

Eye Candy Friday

Even though we started off the week with a return to near-freezing temperatures, it wasn't cold enough to stop our lilacs from blooming:

Wish you could smell them through the screen!

I hope April flowers are blooming in your neck of the woods. Happy weekend!

Unraveled, Week 16/2026

We've made it to the midpoint of the week -- it feels like it's been a long one, even though things have been relatively calm. There is no official link-up this week because Kat is taking a break from blogging for a bit, but I like a routine, so here I am with an Unraveled Wednesday post.

While slow and steady progress continues on my sweater, there has been much more made on my sister-in-law's socks:

All that's left between me and another finished pair of socks is a foot and a toe. Even with a larger-than-normal stitch count, shortie socks are pretty darn fast, especially when you have a good book to read and a cute puppy curled up next to you. I'm fairly confident that these will be done by the end of the week, well ahead of my self-imposed deadline to have them done by Mother's Day. 

Speaking of reading, it's been another good week of it.

I got lucky on the draw when my library (via Libby) notified me that it now had Kate Bowler's newest book, Joyful Anyway, available and was the first person to borrow the audio version. I'd enjoyed listening to her read her memoir the previous week and was looking forward to spending more time with her in my ears. This new work is a bit different; though parts of it do draw on her own experiences, it's a bit more academic in looking at joy and how it can exist at the same time as sadness or grief or other negative emotions. Given the author's experience with Stage 4 cancer (she's now in remission), it makes sense as a topic she'd be interested in exploring. I loved listening to her but found the narrative to be a bit harder to follow than the previous book. I gave it 3 stars.

I think I'm probably one of the last people in the world to read The Personal Librarian; it was everywhere a few years ago. I heard about it enough times on podcasts that I decided it was time to finally read. This is a fictionalized account of a very real person's story. Belle da Costa Green, who was for many years the personal librarian to financier J.P. Morgan and later directed the Pierpont Morgan Library, was famous in the art world in her time and was well known for her intellect and her boldness in matters of business. But what few people knew was that she was actually a Black woman, the daughter of the first Black man to graduate from Harvard, who was passing for white in order to avoid the rampant racism and discrimination in the country. She was a fascinating woman and I really enjoyed learning about her, but what I didn't much care for was the focus on her romantic relationships. I think I might have preferred a straight-up biography more than this fictionalized account, though I'll admit there was some value to me in getting what might have been her thoughts about passing and her precarious situation. I gave it 3 stars.

Rounding out the week's reading was the highlight: Enormous Wings by Laurie Frankel. Pepper Mills (all too aware of her unfortunate name) is a 77-year-old grandmother in Texas who finds herself newly unable to make her own decisions about her life and its course. After a minor fender bender, her children decide it's best if she moves into a retirement community, sans her driver's license. She doesn't like this much but tries to make the most of it, making new friends and even forming a new romantic relationship. But then things get even stranger and more out of control when improbably, impossibly, irrationally she finds herself pregnant. And because she's in Texas, she finds herself forced to carry the baby to term, even though no one knows if she'll be able to do so or what consequences it will have for her. Yes, you need to suspend your disbelief a bit to accept this state of affairs, and yes, the novel does take a pretty strong stance on the issue of abortion and choice, but it's about much more than that. What Pepper realizes throughout this journey is that there are so many ways in which our choices are taken away from us throughout our lives and that, in a sense, it's ridiculous to have any sort of standard for anything because everyone's circumstances are different and unique to them. What really shines in this novel is the characters. They are so incredibly well written, not to mention funny, that you can't help but love them. Pepper is especially wonderful. She's a sassy Jewish grandmother originally from Brooklyn. She's a retired English teacher who frequently corrects others' grammar. She's fiercely loyal to her kids and grandkids and works out her frustrations by washing cars. How could I not love her? The book is humorous and poignant and touching, and it's one that will make you think hard in a good way (and it's also excellent on audio!). I gave it 5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for providing me with an advanced audio copy of this book in return for an honest review. This book will be published May 5, 2026.

What are you making and reading this week?

Sprinter Continues

It was another weird weather weekend here in Southwestern Pennsylvania. We've had regular rain showers throughout the past week, which is pretty typical for this time of year and has been great for the flowers and the grass we're trying to grow on the front lawn (we had a bunch die last summer due to drought). But we also went from a high of about 83ºF on Saturday to the low 40s on Sunday morning, and the meteorologists were predicting we might get some snow moving through early this morning (as I got this post ready on Sunday afternoon, I can't tell you yet whether or not that actually happened). So I guess we're not quite done with weather that can't decide if it's winter or spring. At least we got some sunshine both days, and both days I encountered some neighbors I don't often see while out walking:

I saw these two while I was out walking Ruthie after breakfast on Saturday; she was much more interested in the Golden Retriever ahead of us on the sidewalk to even notice them.

On Sunday, when I was out by myself, this one seemed to be enjoying the quiet of the yard where the kids from the nearby church preschool usually play:

I know seeing deer is no big deal for many of you, but you have to understand that I live in the middle of the city where there is a lot of traffic, so this is pretty unusual for me! I guess they've all gotten used to being around people because they barely seemed to register my presence, and I hope they all made it back home safely.

The cooler weather is certainly more conducive to sweater knitting, and I'm happy to say that I'm in the home stretch on the body of my Speculoos Sweater. I tried it on yesterday to make sure the fit was still good -- please excuse the poor mirror photo.

The bottom is obviously rolling up, so it's a bit longer than it looks -- probably around 8 inches below the underarms. I've got a good amount of positive ease so that I can comfortably wear a long-sleeved tee underneath, so I'm glad I decided to go for a slightly larger size. I hope that I can finish the body this week; that seems reasonable given how much I've knit in the past week.

We've got an interesting week ahead of us. The Mister has a quick work trip, Molly has her spring Glee Club concert on Tuesday evening, and the city is going to be a mess because the NFL Draft is happening here starting on Thursday. I'll note that while we do live in the city, we don't live in the downtown, so thankfully most of the mess won't be too close, but I expect traffic to be snarled most places. I only have to go into the office on Tuesday (everyone has been encouraged to work from home Thursday and Friday), so that's at least one good thing to come out of it. I'm hoping all the people coming for the draft spend lots of money while they're here to make it worth it!

It's Friday!

Here's hoping the day goes quickly and we can all fly into the weekend like this silly pup!

(I have no idea what was going on here. I was making dinner in the kitchen, and when I turned around, she was like this.)

Have a good weekend, all!

Unraveled, Week 15/2026

What a week it has been already! I'm glad we've reached the midpoint of it, which means it's time to join Kat and the Unravelers and to give you an update on my crafting and my reading.

Though it's felt like slow going at times, I have been making steady progress on my sweater, and you can really see how much I've done when you compare this photo to last week's:

The last time I measured the body under the arm, I had about 5 inches knit. The pattern tells me to knit until I have 12.2 inches (yes, that's a weird measurement; I presume the designer started with metric and converted to imperial) before the ribbing at the bottom, so I'm nearly halfway done.

And I am getting close to the toe of the first Home Movie sock, which -- as predicted -- did some fun pooling throughout the gusset decreases:

I've done a ton of reading this past week and finished six(!) books, but because it's been a busy week, I'm going to stick with brief reviews today.

Good People by Patmeena Sabit

5 stars

This the next Read With Us selection, and I predict we'll have an amazing discussion about it! This debut novel tells the story of a tragedy in an immigrant family in a truly inventive way: in a series of short statements given by friends, neighbors, reporters, police officers, and others who all have an opinion of what happened. And what happened isn't clear; I'm convinced the author made this deliberately ambiguous. I don't want to give any more than that away. Suffice it to say that it's a nearly 400-page book and I flew through it in just a few days. Highly recommend!

Go as a River by Shelley Read

2 stars

I'd seen the cover of this one a lot of places and it had decent reviews, so I listened. I should have listened to my gut when it was telling me to DNF it during the first quarter of the book. I found the plot and characters to be a bit far fetched and I wasn't impressed with the writing. I only kept listening because so many people seemed to love it and I thought it would get better. Sorry to say it didn't for me. (It might be better read with the eyes; the narrator was not to my taste and I'm sure that colored my opinion quite a bit.)

The Details by Ia Genberg, translated by Kira Josefsson

4 stars

I found a hardcover of this book in the nearest Little Free Library (aka the good one!) and recognized the title as one a couple of friends had read. It's a quiet novel in which the narrator, sick with a fever, pulls a book off her shelf that leads her to remember four people from her past and the role they'd played in her life. I thought the last one was particularly affecting. 

Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved by Kate Bowler

4 stars

I've enjoyed listening to Kate Bowler on one of my regular podcasts but had never read any of her books until Carole's review of her new one convinced me to give one a try. This memoir that deals with her diagnosis and treatment for Stage IV colon cancer was available, so that's what I started with. I was surprised by how funny and uplifting a book on such a serious subject could be, but that's the kind of person Kate Bowler is. 

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

4 stars

Another quiet book, this is a memoir about the comfort the author found in observing the life and behaviors of a snail brought to her bedside by a friend while she was recovering from a serious illness that prevented her from doing much other than lying in bed. It reminded me quite a bit of Raising Hare in its focus on a singular animal that led the author to learn more about it. I know several of you have read and enjoyed it, so thanks for the recommendation.

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan

4 stars

This is sort of a romance but also pokes fun at the world of romance novels and their common tropes. It's set in the world of audiobooks and their narrators, clearly informed by the experience of the author -- a well-known and well-respected narrator herself! I was looking for something entertaining and more lighthearted, and this certainly fit the bill.

Currently reading: The Hakawati and The Personal Librarian, plus I've got Kate Bowler's newest book on audio from the library!

Gotcha

One year ago today, Ruthie joined our family. Can you believe it? It's been quite a year. There were the early weeks of sleeping in the family room with her and taking her out at all hours, when her most comfortable place was curled up in my lap and when she was so scared of everything that sometimes when we'd go on a walk I'd have to pick up her and carry her home. Then she made friends with other dogs in the neighborhood and learned the pleasures of picking up sticks on walks. We've been through vet visits, puppy kindergarten, several days when she was left home alone with the Mister, and the two weeks she spent boarding in December.

I still remember the day we brought her home and how surprised we were by how tiny she was:

Our lives have changed a lot, especially mine, but for all the lack of sleep and accidents to clean up and vet bills to play, I wouldn't change anything. She's my velcro dog, my best buddy, and my napping companion. Happy Gotcha Day, Ruthie!