I'm joining Kat and fellow Unravelers on this Unraveled Wednesday with my Hydrophily.
I've made more progress, completing all five rows with the third contrast color, and if you look carefully, you can see the first row in the fourth contrast color. Color-wise, I'm halfway through the contrast color gradient, but since the rows are getting longer I've got a lot more knitting to do. That's fine with me since this is very pleasurable knitting.
Last week I finished Bear by Julia Phillips. It's a bit difficult for me to categorize and review. It is well-written with a strong sense of place (San Juan Island), and Julia Phillips writes a story about two sisters caring for their sick mother. Elena and Sam are both working service-level jobs while trying to care for their mother, and it's clear that they will not be able to get ahead. I'm not giving anything away by revealing that a bear eventually shows up, and his appearance changes the dynamic of the rest of the novel.
I was surprised by the hands-off approach taken by the Washington Department of Fish and Game in this book and taken aback when I realized that Sam and Elena were not young teenagers. I don't know of many young adults who would be equipped to deal with their circumstances, but both sisters' actions seemed more immature than I expected when I checked their ages. The biggest issue I had was the question of "WHY?" I asked with increasing fervor and intensity about Elena's behavior, but it was never answered. Three and a half stars rounded down.Thank you to Edelweiss and Hogarth for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on June 25, 2024.
What are you making and reading this week?
your shawl is so so so beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteHydrophily just gets better and better Bonny. Absolutely gorgeous. "Bear" sounds interesting...not sure it is for me though. I'm reading "House Lessons" by Erica Bauermeister and enjoying it quite a bit. And continuing to knit on a sock and my Hitch on the Move.
ReplyDeleteOh, Bonny! Hydrophily is just so beautiful! I just love your gradual gradient... perfection! I finished The Poisonwood Bible and to say I loved it is an understatement! I can't wait to talk about this one!
ReplyDeleteI began two books this week... The Eyes and the Impossible and Real Americans!
Oh, Bonny! That shawl is just gorgeous! The mix of color and pattern is absolutely perfect. I am a total sucker for gray+ [nearly any contrast color], so your shawl has stolen my heart. Last week, after you first posted about it, I rushed off to buy Sarah's pattern, and then I did a stash-dive for some appropriate yarn. It won't be as perfect color-wise as yours (in fact, mine will be much different), but I do have some yarn that will work (I think), and I'm going to use this future project plan as incentive to get my current projects moving!
ReplyDeleteThat shawl is SOOOOO pretty.
ReplyDeleteHydrophily is lovely! I am very partial to anything with stripes.
ReplyDeleteI'm still slogging through my latest listen while continually adding books to my Audible queue which I know is ridiculous. It takes me years to finish just one book and those darn credits just keep rolling in.
Thank you! I really like knitting this pattern and there may be another one in my future. I had to cut my Audible plan in half to keep my credits from piling up. I get more books from the library now and only use credits when the library doesn't have what I want.
DeleteYour shawl is gorgeous! I think the colors you chose work so well with Sarah's lovely pattern. This will probably be my next project!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debbie! I really like knitting Hydrophily and am daydreaming about my next one. You won't regret casting on!
DeleteI fall more in love with your color choices every time I see an update photo of your shawl!
ReplyDeleteI think I will skip that book when it comes out. Thanks for that very useful review!
Oh, wow. That shawl is going to be SO pretty!! I love that gradient.
ReplyDeleteLove that shawl! Great colors! I really loved Bear. I agree with you that some of the choices were not clear but I also think that if you think of the bear as an allergory for something--their desire to escape? to have a different/better/more magical life?--it makes a lot more sense (pretty sure there are no spoilers there either).
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kim! I may have over-analyzed Bear. I have a friend who is a game warden in MT and when I talked to him about it, he said that at least they would have been out there with trail cameras trying to gather more information. Your allegory idea is a good one!
DeleteLove the deep purple you've added. It makes the whole shawl pop.
ReplyDeleteThank you, and there are still two more deeper purple colors to go!
DeleteThis shawl is just beautiful. I love the colors you chose. I may need to look more closely at that pattern as I embark on more shawl knitting. I hope your next read is a little more satisfying. Bear does have an intriguing premise but it sounds as if it didn't live up to it.
ReplyDeleteYour shawl is beautiful, I love the colour gradient :)
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