Today I'm joining Kat and friends with a completed Nervous Breakdown II. Finally!
I did enjoy knitting it but those last few teeth were a slog. I was happily knitting away on Saturday night when I thought that my rows were getting pretty long, so I decided to time myself. Each row was taking me 12 minutes, and at that point, I had 42 rows left. A little math told me that I still had more than eight hours of knitting to go! Normally, I only knit one or two hours each day, so I quit doing math, buckled down, and dedicated myself to knitting (as fast as I was capable of, but I may be the world's slowest knitter).
It's quite large, with 59 teeth it stretches the length of the sofa. I made the first Nervous Breakdown the same size because I like large Hitchhikers to wrap around my neck several times, and that is also true for Ryan.
The skeins that I used for Nervous Breakdown I (on the left here) may be a little brighter, but I will let Ryan choose the one that he likes best. I had planned to send his to CO, but I'll be heading out there in about two and a half weeks to help him pack. I'm not going to risk having the USPS lose all that work, so I'll just put it in my cedar chest here and save it for a housewarming gift once he's back on the east coast.
I've been knitting much more than reading, so I only finished one book, This Song Will Save Your Life. It's a YA book that I really should never have checked out, but that will teach me not to choose books late at night. I am decades beyond being the target audience so it was just a so-so book for me. I did start Unsettled Ground (our current Read With Us selection) and Tears of Amber based on a wonderful review from Debbie. It's a WWII story, but different from anything else I have read about the war, and very good so far.
What are you making and reading this week?
I'm glad your second Nervous Breakdown is over! ;) It looks lovely - I'm interested to see which one Ryan chooses.
ReplyDeleteThank you for introducing me to Tears of Amber. I just finished The Murmur of Bees by the same author and loved it. And I'm a big fan of everything WWII, so I think this might be a winner for me.
Have a great day!
Thank you, Katie! One Nervous Breakdown was good, two was probably too many! Debbie wrote a terrific review of Tears of Amber and I just couldn't resist. She wrote that it's told from the perspective of two German families with well-developed characters, and I'm finding that very true so far.
DeleteGorgeous Hitchhikers Bonny! I always find the end of Hitchhikers to be a slog...I think I just get tired of knitting them/or a little bored/or whatever. Good you kept at it because it is (or rather both are) gorgeous. I'm excited that you are going out to CO!!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on finishing your NB#2, Bonny. It is such a good feeling to finally finish something that seems a slog at the end. And it is really fabulous that Ryan can pick which one he wants in _person_!!! I will have to look up Tears of Amber. I started The Indigo Girl yesterday, but have not read much as of yet. Happy Wednesday!
ReplyDeleteFantastic job! I love that you and Ryan will have twin Hitchhikers no matter which one he chooses.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Unsettled Ground, and I've been meaning to read Tears of Amber (I have it in my Kindle library -- I chose it for First Reads without even reading the description because I so enjoyed The Murmur of Bees!).
Bravo on that spectacular finish! I am off to find Tears of Amber! (But the best news of all is reading that you are heading to CO SOON!)
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous color way and striping. You outdid yourself!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on a great finish!! I love them both!
ReplyDeleteLook at that! Two stunning Hitchhikers. How wonderful you'll be able to go to CO and help Ryan's transition AND that he'll be so near.
ReplyDeleteHooray for two completed hitchhikers. I'm glad you will be able to help Ryan out in Colorado. I love reading about families being able to be together. This post is a bright spot in my day. I think the west is dry again this year. It has got to be a relief to have him moving out of Colorado and the best part is you will all be living near each other.
ReplyDeleteSo happy you've finished another Hitchhiker!!!! BRAVO!!!! And the time is going to FLY before you're out in Colorado with Ryan. For once, I'll bet even packing for a move sounds like a grand undertaking! XO
ReplyDeleteThey are both so wonderful. Those last few teeth are so hard, I remember maybe cutting mine short because they took so long to knit at the end. Well done.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on finishing two beautiful Hitchhikers! You have some busy times ahead and I hope all goes well for you! I'm on the last section of my Heartwarmer cowl, but it is just too humid to knit much this week, I think things will improve by the end of the week.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently reading Krik? Krak?, a collection of short stories by Edwidge Danticat. She writes about Haiti and the Haitian diaspora and this is one of her early books. I'm next up on the hold list at our library for Unsettled Ground!
Thank you, Debbie! My knitting is also at a low ebb with hot and humid weather. I only read one book by Edwidge Danticat ages ago, but this one sounds interesting. Glad you're next for Unsettled Ground!
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