Unraveled Wednesday: 3/6/24

I'm happy to join Kat and fellow Unravelers on this first Unraveled Wednesday of March. I'm still working on my Hydrophily, but because it looks much the same (I've only knit another couple of rows in the penultimate purple yarn in the gradient) I'll spare you another photo. I was going to cast on for these mitts (ravelry link) but a couple of 65-degree days and generally warmer weather made me think they could wait. But every blog post needs at least one photo, so how about one of the yarn for my actual next project?

Vera has inspired me so it will be another Hitch on the Move, except this time I've got enough yarn to make it as large as I would like. I really, really love this yarn so I am anxious to finish up my Hydrophily and get started on this HotM. I'll have to remember how good the anticipation of a new project feels when I get to the "slog" portion of the shawl. 

My reading last week was all above average, with each of them worthy of four stars. Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame is a sweet story about 77-year-old Jenny Quinn and how she ends up as a contestant on Britain Bakes. (Think Great British Bake-Off but with a few welcome changes). She enjoys baking but is a bit wary about applying to the show so she does this in secret and doesn't tell anyone, not even her husband Bernard. Jenny lacks confidence and worries that she might have been cast as a joke, but that is not the case. The chapters are all named for various things she has baked (a chocolate log, shortbread, cut and come again cake, chocolate and orange battenburg, etc.) and most of these bring up a memory or situation that Mrs. Quinn experienced years earlier. These remembrances all up to a poignant backstory. Even though I found this a sweet and gentle book, Olivia Ford's writing never seemed saccharine to me. I enjoyed the septuagenarian main character, all the baked goods, and the heartfelt story. The only thing that could have made this better was if all the recipes had been included.

Leaving by Roxana Robinson was the kind of book that made me want to simultaneously race through it to see how the story was told but still read slowly to make it last. Roxana Robinson writes about divorced, 60-year-old Sarah who recognizes Warren at the opera one night. They had dated 40 years ago but because of youth and a misunderstanding, Sarah chose to end the relationship. There are possibly some unresolved feelings despite Warren being married for many years because their initially tentative relationship soon blossoms into an affair after they find that their tastes, ideas, and opinions are in perfect synchrony. The book brings up many topics, such as the morality of personal happiness, how much parents owe their children and vice versa, and how our family rights, responsibilities, and obligations fit with our choices.

It was a pleasure to read a novel with beautifully written prose featuring characters of an age similar to my own, and I could understand and empathize with much of what the characters were going through. I also enjoyed that Sarah was an independent woman, and that art was important to both Sarah and Warren in the form of opera and Sarah's volunteer work at a museum. There was one character that I didn't understand, and her actions and the reactions of her family members towards her could have been delved into further. Although the ending was foreshadowed, it was still a gut punch and one I would love to discuss. But these possible drawbacks won't keep me from thinking about Leaving for quite a while.

Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith is a quirky little audiobook that I chose from the library because of its cover. Alexis Smith recounts a day in the life of Isabel, a twenty-something librarian who repairs books, shops at thrift stores, and has an appreciation for ephemera. Bits of Isabel's day are told in vignettes, and though this might sound like the slowest story ever, it was not. There isn’t a definite plot, but the book has depth; it’s beautifully written and engaging. I enjoyed the two-and-a-half hours I spent listening on a rainy Saturday morning and would love to find a dress like Isabel's with teal and sapphire black-handled umbrellas. Three and a half stars rounded up.

"Sometimes she envies his ability to forge into the future while she feels compelled to carry the past."

What are you making and reading this week?