I'm joining Kat and fellow Unravelers on this second Wednesday in November. I finished the shiny Gap-tastic Cowl for Jess, and it turned out pretty much how I wanted it to. I tried it on to see if it would wrap around twice without being too tight, and while it's fine as far as fit, I discovered that the yarn smells like a barnyard. (Yuck!) It's now soaking in a nicely scented Soak bath after which it will be drying and ready for Christmas gifting.
While I was knitting it I thought I might need one for myself, but after knitting with size 13 needles and yarn that felt like the same diameter as rope, I won't be making one for myself. It's back to the Woolly Waffle Blanket; only 14 more (long) rows to go and then an i-cord bind-off.
I read two four-star books, Congratulations, the Best is Over! by R. Eric Thomas and Day by Michael Cunningham.
I was not familiar with R. Eric Thomas before I read Congratulations, the Best is Over!, but I'll admit the cupcake on the cover caught my eye. It's an interesting collection of essays - some humorous, some poignant, all of them seemed candid and honest to me. I listened to the audiobook and found his exclamations of "Who, me?" and "Wait, what?" felt a little forced, but I also realized that it's not my job to judge an author's speech patterns. His description of depression is a good one: “It’s really more of an ongoing partnership than a struggle.” Whether R. Eric Thomas was writing about digging up his yard to find pieces of slate for a path or “dozens of loud-ass homosexual frogs”, I always looked forward to reading the next essay and would read more by this author.
I'm not sure how Michael Cunningham conveyed so much information and so many exacting details about siblings Isobel and Robbie in Day, but his precise and beautiful writing is no small part of it. Cunningham gives the reader snapshots of the family for April 5 over three years, 2019, 2020, and 2021. I don't think that many other authors could manage this nearly as well, but this book is a triumph. Given the years that Cunningham has chosen, we know ahead of time that the pandemic will be a part of the story, but the well-developed characters drive this novel. Cunningham's writing explores the inner lives of the characters in this great premise for a wonderful book.
Thank you to Penguin Random House and Edelweiss for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published November 14, 2023.
What are you making and reading this week?
What a GREAT cowl for Jess! I just love that seed stitch design. (And it seems like you just cranked that out so quickly!) You must feel great to have a great gift already knit and ready to go. BRAVO! XO
ReplyDelete(Let's see how many more times I can fit the word "great" into a comment, shall we????) ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to Day. It doesn't surprise me at all that he pulls it off as well as he does -- he seems to have a knack for it!
ReplyDeleteLucky recipient that you tried on the cowl--'barnyard' made me laugh. Gap-tastic was one of the first cowls I made and gifted to a friend--and funny you should say about the 'around twice'; I remember trying it on for the same reason. (Mine turned out a bit 'stiffer' than yours, so it wasn't too comfy double-wrapped. But I think I was a stiffer knitter then than I am now, as well...) Nice to have a handknit in the finished Christmas pile!!
Day may have been the first book I read by Michael Cunningham, but I have plans to read The Hours sometime soon. Day is simply masterful. There may be only one handknit in the gift pile but it's better than none!
DeleteHopefully Soak will take care of the barnyard. LOL It looks like a VERY snuggly thing to have this winter.
ReplyDeleteI cannot knit with 13 without hand pain - but I love the looks of your finished project!!!
ReplyDeleteThe sparkly cowl looks great (thinking of Kym - lol) Bonny, but barnyard!! Oh my. Good thing you have some soak. I haven't read anything by Cunningham, but I may have to put both Hours and Day on my library list! I did manage to re-cast on the shortie socks for Mailing. Hopefully this time I won't make mistakes!!
ReplyDeleteYahoo for gift knitting! Hope the Soak helps with the aroma.
ReplyDeleteI bought the yarn for that pattern last year and after knitting a hat with it I thought better of making something as big as a cowl-even though I am in desperate need of a new one. Big yarn and big needles are no fun at all.
ReplyDeleteThe knitting seemed to go fairly quickly but my hands weren't happy working with size 13 needles and that huge yarn! I doubt I'll use it again in the future.
DeleteHow smart you were to test-drive the cowl so you could discover the smell and take steps to get rid of it before giving it to the recipient! I'm also glad to hear you were able to get your ARC of Day and that you enjoyed it. If you are interested, R. Eric Thomas has an earlier collection of essays called Here for It that I really enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great looking cowl and I bet it will smell wonderful once you've finished soaking it. I have Day but haven't started it yet - you've got me really looking forward to it, though.
ReplyDeleteThat cowl looks amazing... so squishy!! And it looks like it will be cozy and warm! Day will be in my top 10 books that I have read this year... it is simply brilliant!
ReplyDeleteLarge needles and big yarn are not in my queue, but the warmth and style of the cowl will make a lovely gift! A one of a "Bonny" kind.
ReplyDeleteYAY YOU for finishing that one cowl! There was a huge craze in the LYS where I worked to knit up cowls with Malabrigo Rasta - they were truly quick projects ... honestly better for the newbie or not-so-often knitters than those of us who actually knit. Big yarn and big needles aren't fun for us. Love reading your thoughts about Day; after reading Hours last year, I think he's a great one to write this book!
ReplyDeleteThe cowl looks great. I'm not sure I could knit a project with that weight of yarn. I hope a soak in the Soak took care of the barnyard smell. Many readers are finding Day to be a great book. I'm glad to read your review.
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