Three Finishes

It's Thursday (right? I'm having a hard time keeping track this week), and I conveniently have three things that I've finished in the past day to share with you to join up with Carole and friends for Three on Thursday.

1. A must-read book

I finished reading Isabel Wilkerson's newest book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent, last night just before bed, and wow, is it an amazing book! I had put it on hold at the library right after finishing The Warmth of Other Suns, and I'm so glad I did -- it was well worth the wait. Wilkerson compares the United States with two clearly defined casts systems that are well known: India and Nazi Germany. Her thesis is that the reason that Americans who are Black have always been on the bottom rung of the ladder in our society is not just due to racism but due to caste, that the dominant group (Whites) do everything they can to maintain their power over society and over nondominant groups. She explains this so well and draws parallels between the three caste systems in a way that really illuminates how we've come to where we are. She even gives an explanation for why so many polls and pundits seemed to be wrong about the 2016 election. This was a 5-star read for me and a book I think everyone should read right now!

2. All my Rambouillet singles

 

I finally finished the third bobbin of singles for this sweater spin yesterday, and though I very much wanted to start plying right away, I knew it would go better if I let the most recently spun singles rest a bit. So plying will likely start later today, and with any luck I'll have some finished skeins to share this weekend!

3. A sweater!

Yes, I finished my Torbellino! Obviously it's still in need of blocking, so this isn't a full FO post, but I did finish all the knitting and wove in all my ends last night. And it does fit -- I tried it on to be sure -- but will be much more flattering once it's blocked and the fabric has a chance to relax a bit. On the to-do list for today is weighing the yarn that's leftover to figure out how much I used, but I suspect I have nearly the equivalent of a full skein of the red remaining. No, I didn't miscalculate how much I needed; when I bought the yarn originally, I was planning to make a larger size (because I've since lost some weight). It was nice not to worry about yarn chicken for once.

There are a lot of unhappy things in the world right now, so I leave you today with a bit of happiness in my yard: One of our sunflowers finally bloomed. It took a long time to do so, and it's quite small in comparison to the blooms we had a few years ago, but I can't look at it and not smile.

Be well and be safe, my friends.