I thought I had finished the knitting on the Nervous Breakdown Hitchhiker and sat down to bind it off last night. But then I made the mistake of watching Frontline. It was a story of two Washingtons - Washington state and their prepared and ready response to the first case of covid-19 in the US, and Donald Trump in Washington, DC, thwarting the states' efforts at every turn with his dismissals, inaction, and lies. I got so angry that I just kept knitting, so I'll assess where I am today and knit some more, or maybe not and actually bind off.
I've also been knitting on the No Regrets Hitchhiker. That's the name of this colorway and I have no regrets about purchasing it. It's a lovely Julie Spins MCN blend that seems to calm me down every time I pick it up. My hands are dry and scratchy from washing them so much, but handling this lovely yarn reminds me to use hand cream so I don't snag it.
And there has been some excellent reading! I finished This Is Chance!, a five-star book about the catastrophic 9.4-magnitude earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska in 1964, and Afterlife by Julia Alvarez. I also read The End of the Day by Bill Clegg, and that book occupied my thoughts for several days after I finished it. It's a domestic drama of friendships and family told in a way that I really enjoyed and became immersed in - several characters and storylines intersecting, while the reader wonders how they will all come together. I originally gave it four stars, but couldn't stop thinking about the story and the characters, so I had to revise my review to give it the five stars it deserves. I was lucky enough to get a pre-publication copy as it won't be published until June 2, but I think it's worth waiting for. I can also highly recommend Clegg's first book, Did You Ever Have a Family (longlisted for the National Book Award and Man Booker Prize in 2015). He's not an author that you hear about very often, but with these two books, he has become one of my favorite writers..
What are you making, reading, and/or doing to get through this week?
Your Hitchhikers are gorgeous! I have plans to watch that Frontline episode today while Steve is "working from home" - and I have requested Did You Ever Have a Family! Thank you for the recommendation!
ReplyDeleteI do love your Hitchhhikers! And I'm looking forward to Clegg's new book, too.
ReplyDeleteI love everything about your No Regrets Hitchhiker and can only imagine how dreamy it must feel! Thank you for your always excellent book recommendations. So much for my TBR list getting shorter!
ReplyDeleteOooo! You always get to read the best books in advance! (But now I have something to look forward to.) I'm liking both of your hitchhikers very much -- and think you'll have "no regrets" about the extra length on the striped version. XO
ReplyDeleteThanks for the book recommendations, Bonny. I just finished the 15th book in the Maisie Dobbs series, so I will have to wait until 2021 to read the next one. I found them undemanding and yet engaging, just the kind of reading I need at this point. I have read a few other things in between, but now I will get to all those books I have collected over the past couple of months. I don't think you will regret putting extra yardage on your Hitchhiker. They both look really good! I have been avoiding anything to do with Agent Orange. It is part of my coping strategy, but my husband has that program lined up on the DVR to watch.
ReplyDeleteStill knitting the socks but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel (or tube hahahaha). I can't believe I'll have to wait til June for the Bill Clegg book...I also really liked Did You Ever Have a Family. I think your Hitchhikers rock!
ReplyDeleteI love, love your Hitchhikers! I have been going to bed with my hands swathed in Aquafor, lotion and cotton gloves. By morning they're soft as a baby's butt. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the book recommendations and your Hitchhikers are fabulous Bonny! I really, really love the nervous breakdown one (and I saw the longer, the better) and No Regrets is such a fabulous color!!
ReplyDeleteknitting and watching news doesn't mix well :) Love your hitchhikers!!
ReplyDeletethose Hitchhikers!! someday ;-) I'm still not getting much reading mojo for anything other than cozy mystery and historical romance ... but still reading!
ReplyDeleteI love those hitchhikers with their cheerful colors. I've looked at the Julie Spins yarns sold by The Loopy Ewe. They come in such pretty colors. The news - oh the news. I have a love/hate relationship with it during the best of times. I am adding the Clegg book to my reading list. It is fun to discover a new author.
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