I'm happy to join Kat and the Unravelers today for the last Unraveled Wednesday of August. The Sparkly Hitchhiker has grown with some yarnovers and a few more teeth.
And I'm enjoying knitting Justin's hat inside out, thanks to Kat's tip.
I'm not sure I see trees yet when I turn it right side out, but I have reached a temporary stopping point. My kit had two balls of the ivory color that is used at the crown and none of the lightest green, so I'm just waiting for the right yarn to arrive. Then I'm sure the trees will be obvious. :-)
I finished a NetGalley book this week, Pretty Dead Things by Lilian West. I was drawn to the cover illustration and the description of this book: a young woman discovers long-lost wedding rings in a jar full of marbles, buttons, and costume jewelry that she purchased at an estate sale. Jars like that are the first things I look at in thrift and junk stores, and even though I've never come across anything especially valuable, I still like that feeling of undiscovered treasure, even if it turns out to be a beautiful blue marble or a special cut glass button. Cora wants to do the right thing and return the rings to the family that they belonged to, so this creates a cozy mystery as she sets out to find who this might be. This mystery is pursued in dual timelines, and I personally enjoyed the 1940s timeline more than the present-day one. The characters were a bit more interesting, and I found Cora bland and naive in the present day. I do wonder why she was getting married as she didn't have any interest in planning even a simple wedding, and her fiancé seemed unhappy with almost all of the choices she was making towards returning the rings.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on December 10, 2024.
What are you making and reading this week?
I love the hat colors!! I'm sure the trees will be looking like trees soon (I see them).
ReplyDeleteIf I squint, I can see some trees appearing! I hope working inside-out continues to work well for you. It's such a clever solution!
ReplyDeleteI am loving Sparkly Hitchhiker!! And your hat is coming right along! I like those colors as well! I am glad to see someone is making some progress knitting! :)
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you are knitting! It must be cooler where you are. It is so hot here, but I think I see some relief next week. They didn't send you the right colors? Isn't that why people order a kit?! I ordered mine from Nancy Bates, so I hope they send me the right colors. Hoorah for Kat! I had forgotten that tip of doing colorwork inside out. I have used it in the remote past, and it is much easier. Less cursing, and easier on the hands. I hope things are going well in your world, Bonny.
ReplyDeleteI love the colors in your hat...I'm glad you mentioned it as I want to go back and check out the link Kat provided last week. And, your sparkly Hitchhiker is so pretty. That will be a fun one to wear.
ReplyDeleteC'est moi. Forgot (once again) to add my name. Sorry!!
DeleteOh my goodness, both of your projects look amazing!! I love that Hitchhiker colorway, and I've rarely met a Malabrigo color that didn't make me swoon. They're just so yummy! I have a colorwork project on hold (after ripping out a bunch of rows), so the reminder, via Kat, to work inside-out is timely. I think I'm going to try that. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteInside out? That's new to me. I suppose it is a good way to keep track of your floats. If I'm not doing colorwork all the time, I tend to pull too tightly when I get started again. It does take a while to get my hands and my brain working together.
ReplyDeleteKnitting inside out seems to add just enough to the circumference that it keeps the floats from being too tight. It's working for me!
DeleteThe first time I knit colorwork, I knit inside-out (just accidentally), and was convinced I was doing Great Harm. Now, it's a strategy I (almost) always use. It really helps to keep the tension smooth and the floats under control. I love the colors -- and I think I can see the trees! XO
ReplyDeleteThose are 2 great knitting projects and I think that book sounds intriguing. Thanks for blogging today, Bonny. :-)
ReplyDeleteoh that hat is looking so good! I see trees!! and sparkles in that Hitchhiker!
ReplyDeleteBoth these projects are so pretty. That hat is just outstanding. You certainly chose a great kit for it. The book sounds interesting. I often like novels with two storylines in different times.
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