I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today with a new hat on the needles and a book or two. After perusing Ravelry, I decided that Justin might like a Rows and Arrows hat (Rav link). He is an avid bowhunter and the cables look enough like arrows that he'll see them and I really like the design (especially the crown). I usually knit hats for Justin with dark green or camouflage yarn so he can wear them in the woods, but I decided that this blue Rios was too beautiful to pass up. He once told me that he wished his truck was bright blue (it's white) so I felt okay with choosing blue. It's a wild life and I'm living it. :-)
It doesn't look like much now, but I think it will look great with the second batch of cables and the crown decreases. I really enjoy knitting this hat, so I might knit a green one with the leftovers from the Washington Beanie but we'll see. I probably shouldn't count my cables before they're crossed.
I wasn't quite sure what The Safekeep was about before I started reading it, and I'm not sure I know now after finishing it. Another reviewer called it "a novel of post-war Holland that isn't quite sure what it wants to be," and I think that is the most accurate description. Isabel, a Dutch woman, feels fiercely protective over her home and is quite disturbed when she's forced to host her brother's girlfriend Eva for a few weeks. Eva has ulterior motives which are even more unnerving to Isabel. I may be a reader who needs a more straightforward type of book rather than one that hides its message with dissemblance. This three-star book just wasn't my cup of tea.
I believe firmly in reproductive care for all women, and I'm Sorry For My Loss: An Urgent Examination of Reproductive Care in America explores that from all aspects. As the subtitle says, this is an urgent examination and one that I wish everyone passing policy in state and federal governments would read and heed. The authors cover the piecemeal medical rules, insurance policies, and laws governing what choices women can make, and more importantly, what lack of treatment they are subjected to due to their inability to make medical choices that are right for them and their situations. The language we use suffers from inadequacy, implying that all kept pregnancies are wanted, and can also serve to make women feel that they are somehow to blame for miscarriages. Post-Roe America is a scary place for women, and the statistics that Little and Long present are sobering. Twenty-five percent of women have had an abortion and the current US maternal deaths is awful at 32.9 per 100,000. The maternal death rate for Black women in the US is terrifying at 69.9 per 100,000. Reproductive care is not simply an abortion issue, but rather how the United States views women's health. This book is necessary and heartfelt.
Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on September 24, 2024.
What are you making and reading this week?
You go ahead and go wild with that blue -- it's gorgeous! This pattern certainly seems less frustrating than the colorwork one.
ReplyDeleteI had some similar thoughts about The Safekeep; it really is at least two different books (one about sexuality, one about post-WWII ethics). Your other finish sounds like a worthwhile read but one that would make me really angry.
You'll be able to spot him in a crowd with that fabulous blue hat. Really lovely. Maternal health in the UK has suffered in recent years, due to budget cuts etc. Loosing a baby is always a tragedy.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cathy! That was one reason I liked the book about maternal loss; they treated any loss (abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth, etc.) as a tragic loss and not a moral failing.
DeleteI LOVE the hat, Bonny. What a perfect pattern -- and the color is great. I can't wait to see it when it's finished. (And I think I'll just skip Safekeep. Life is just too short . . . )
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic knit on the wild side, Bonny! I think that yarn is gorgeous! And the book on reproductive care sounds like a must read (perhaps by all... especially those who think reproductive care is all about the "no's")
ReplyDeleteI think that hat is a winner, Bonny. I bet he will like it very much. He can always wear it when he doesn't need to be invisible to deer. I had to look it up to find out that deer are red-green colorblind, so they can see blue. See? You always nudge me to learn something. I am frantically reading too many things lately. NetGalley sent me a slew of things that have an imminent publish/archive date.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I meant to ask you if you heard about the Republican Senate nominee from Ohio who said this week that he thinks women are pretty crazy about the abortion issue and that is certainly shouldn't be an issue for women over 50. I'm paraphrasing, but I continue to be stunned by remarks like these. Where are these Neantherthals coming from? Don't they have mothers, sisters, daughters?
ReplyDeleteThat blue is gorgeous and what a great pattern! I finally finished my first Hitchhiker a few weeks ago and it is waiting to be blocked. My life has been crazy busy recently and I seem to have little time to work on knitting or stitching, but things should get better in about a month. I almost gave up on The Safekeep, but I'm glad I kept reading because I did enjoy the second half of the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Debbie! I hope you'll post photos of your Hitchhiker on Instagram sometime. Safekeep was well written; it just felt like two disparate books to me.
DeleteThat's a gorgeous shade of blue and I hope that Justin will love it! Thanks for reading and sharing about that important book on reproductive rates. The misunderstanding of all of this is infuriating.
ReplyDeleteWhat a handsome hat!
ReplyDeleteI've got a pregnant daughter right now who wanted to go on vacation over Labor Day weekend in a red state. I had to remind her that it could endanger her life. She opted to stay home. I was very relieved.
It's a shame she had to make a call like that but it was probably a good idea!
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