Unraveled Wednesday: 4/16/25

I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today with an FO. 

My Barn Owl socks are done and I'm happy with them. At first the colors reminded me of chickadees, but now I think they are more in a barn owl colorway. I tried to get them to match but I would have hard to get rid of a lot of yarn to do that, so they almost match which is good enough for me. I was so taken with Sarah's socks for Molly that I had to purchase my own skein of yarn, and I've heard that another knitter may also be making copycat socks in the future. I hope Sarah gets her commission check from Fibernymph Dye Works soon! I had forgotten that it can be calming to knit socks, so there may be another pair in the near future, but I haven't yet wound the yarn. 

 

Another relaxing thing is working on a Hitchhiker so I've also been doing that.

 

 

I took the photo mid-row because I got interrupted seven times (no exaggeration), so I figured that meant I should just take the picture. It's still just the deepest purple (Wollmeise calls it Petit Poison dark, which is slightly intriguing). I have a plan for when I change to the next color, so I hope I get there soon so I can see if it will work.

I finished two three-star books this week that I had hoped might be better than they turned out to be. Fredrik Backman has a gift for writing about the emotional intricacies of human relationships, and My Friends is no exception. His usual warmth, empathy, and humor are present to some degree, and there are several moments that tug at the heart in that signature Backman way. The themes of grief, connection, and redemption are handled with care, and he also wrote some interesting things about art.

That said, this one didn’t quite hit as hard as some of his previous works. The pacing felt uneven, and at times, the narrative leaned too heavily on introspection and monologue, making it feel slower than necessary. None of the characters felt fully developed or as compelling as those in A Man Called Ove. Overall, this book was too simplistic and saccharine for me. I honestly struggled to finish as it felt like something had happened to what I remembered as Backman's previous high-quality writing. Maybe something got lost in translation, but as a US reader this quote seemed strange, “It really is a remarkably bad idea, all this. Worse than socks in a toaster.” There are others that are just as odd.

This isn’t a bad book by any means—it has some touching and beautifully written parts—but it didn’t leave the lasting impact I’ve had from previous Backman novels. Fans will still find value here, but it might not convert new readers. Two and a half stars rounded up.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Atria for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on May 6, 2025. 

Rope by Tim Queeney offers an unexpected deep dive into a topic most of us take for granted. I'm not sure I would say that rope is "the backbone of civilization", but the author does explore how rope has literally and figuratively held the world together. From Ötzi's death from a flint arrowhead, to pyramid building in ancient Egypt, how rope was used in punishment, and how important rope was in landing Curiosity on Mars, the subject is more fascinating than it might seem at first glance. The book shines when it leans into quirky historical tidbits and surprising innovations.

That said, the tone can be a bit uneven—sometimes breezy and humorous, other times overly detailed or dry. It reads more like a collection of rope-related anecdotes than a cohesive narrative, which may work for some readers but felt slightly disjointed to me. This book is crying out for illustrations! I often wished for visuals and diagrams to complement the content, especially in the more technical sections. I found myself searching the internet often while I read so I could picture pyramid building, khipu, and ropewalks. Still, it’s a solid read if you enjoy niche histories or just enjoy learning how everyday things came to be. Not quite gripping from start to finish, but it was informative. Three and a half stars rounded down.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on August 12, 2025.

What are you making and reading this week?