Unraveled Wednesday: 2/22/23

I'm happy to join Kat and fellow Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday with a completed Sophie Shawl. 

It doesn't look like much stretched out on the patio, but it's soft, warm, lightweight, and just what I had hoped for. I've worn it a couple of times and am quite happy with it.

I was trying to decide what to knit next and worked a few rows on a few Hitchhikers but I just wasn't feeling it. I had worked out an almost foolproof system of an easily reset counter and a progress keeper to make sure I increased where I was supposed to on the Sophie Shawl, so I decided to take a look in my stash. 

I found this "special" yarn that I've been saving and wondered if it might work. I bought this yarn 11 years ago during a trip to Montana. John and the boys were waiting in the car and I ran into Mountain Spun (they have since closed) in Helena looking for some sock yarn. They didn't have any sock yarn, but I couldn't resist this off-white 100% alpaca worsted weight. I bought all that they had, and have tried to use it for two different cowls and two different shawls, but none of those patterns were right. 

But look, I think it wants to be a Sophie Shawl! So I'm happily knitting with lovely, soft, special yarn. I may need to finally buy a scale so I can tell when I've reached the halfway point and begin decreases, but that seems like a small price to pay to not mess up special yarn. 

I was late to The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois party, mainly because I wasn't sure I wanted to commit to a book with over 800 pages. I needn't have worried because reading it was never a slog and felt like a much shorter book. Even after finishing this layered, complex, and heartbreaking book, I've found myself wondering what happens next in Ailey's life.

I also finished a pre-publication copy of Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. I'm not usually a fan of romantic comedies, but I do admire Curtis Sittenfeld as an author and Romantic Comedy didn't disappoint. It's the story of Sally Milz, a 36-year-old comedy writer for The Night Owls (think Saturday Night Live). She sees herself as "a mild-mannered woman of average intelligence and attractiveness", but due to a divorce and rejection by a fellow writer, she's also got some insecurities, and many of the sketches she writes reflect these. The first section of the book takes us through what I imagine is a fairly true-to-life portrayal of what the week is like producing a live late-night sketch comedy show. The host and musical guest is Noah Brewster, who Sally assumes is way too hot for him to be attracted to her. This may not be true, but Sally self-sabotages herself. The second part of the book happens two years later and consists of an email exchange between Noah and Sally. This happens during the pre-vaccination stage of Covid, and even though I was initially skeptical of this part, I came to enjoy it the most. Both characters display a lot of wit and thoughtfulness, and the story proceeds from there. It was a four-star read for me and will be published on April 4, 2023.

In the "I should have known better" department, I also read I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. I had never heard of the author before but the book's title was so arresting to me that I had to read it. My mother and I were like oil and water and rarely agreed about anything, but I have never been glad my mother is gone. My two-star rating is not a judgment about McCurdy's story, her relationship with her mother, her mental health, or anything that she has gone through (and it is A LOT). It is simply my opinion of the book itself and how it was written and edited. The writing felt flat, robotic, and very repetitive, and the book felt like it wasn't much more than a chronological recounting of what happened with very little thought or reflection. Definitely not for me!

What are you making and reading this week?