Unraveled, Week 51/2024

It's that time again -- time to join Kat and the Unravelers! And I've got another finished hat (though this one is so tiny, I'm not sure it really counts all that much).

I totally winged this little hat, casting on 72 on size 4/3.5 mm needles, working until the body of the hat measured 4 inches (with the brim rolled), decreasing to 8, and then working a three-dimensional leaf. I used a whopping 30 grams/69 yards of yarn. And with this project complete, I am officially done with holiday knitting for the year!

I've actually cast on for another hat, which I'm trying to finish before we leave on our trip (but it's okay if I don't). The pattern is Coronal, which has been in my library for a number of years and is designed by one of my fellow Giftalong mods. I'm using the leftovers from my youngest nephew's gnome, though as I sat down to cast on, I realized that one yarn is DK and one is worsted. They are close enough that it shouldn't make a big difference, and this one is going into the charity pile in any case, so if the sizing comes out a little weird, I won't have to worry about it not fitting a specific recipient.

There's not been a ton of time for reading in the past week, but I've finished one book.

I'm a big fan of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and have wanted to read more of her novels, so when I got an email from NetGalley inviting me to read her forthcoming novel Dream Count, I didn't hesitate. This is a novel about four women, all African and all connected. We open with Chia, who is our primary narrator, during the early days of COVID lockdown. She is living in Maryland but is originally from Nigeria and has traveled widely in her career as a freelance travel writer. Unable to go anywhere, she takes the time she must stay at home to reflect on her relationships and her regrets related to them. Then there's her friend Zikora, a successful lawyer who has wanted to get married and have children more than anything and who finds herself abandoned by the man she thought was her soulmate when she tells him she's pregnant. There's Omelogor, Chia's cousin, who has made a career working in Nigerian banking (and made a lot of money by being involved in money laundering), who is now trying to help other women succeed in business and fending off pushy relatives who pressure her to marry and have a family. And finally there's Kadiatou, who came to the United States with her daughter after being widowed and who brings the other three women together when she is sexually assaulted at her job as a hotel housekeeper. We get to spend time with all of these women and to experience their heartaches, their frustrations with racism and misogyny, and their hopes and dreams. Though they all have very different personalities, what they have in common is their strength and boldness -- these are no shrinking violets. I gave it 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published March 4, 2025.

I am trying to finish up The Glorious Heresies before we leave so I don't have to schlep it with me; I've got about 100 pages left. I know my mother will have books for me to read there, plus I have a ton of books on my Kindle shelf and library holds. I am looking forward to lots of extra reading time!