I’m happy to join Kat and the Unravelers today, with a completed hat and some progress on the Hitchhiker.
The only red yarn I could find in my stash was Malabrigo Chunky, so I had to modify the Melt the Ice pattern for chunky yarn. I gathered modifications from others that had also used chunky and it turned out fairly well. I wore it last weekend when I had to leave the house to cat-sit for Justin and Jess. It kept me warm in 8 degrees and 40 mph winds, so that's a good thing. It's kind of a quirky hat but I like it and hope to see others in the wild.
I have been working on my Hitchhiker and finally reached the point where I've run out of the black and white speckled yarn. This is progress and now all I have to do is knit with the ultra-soft gray Road to China Light for as many teeth as I feel necessary.
I recently found out that The Fibre Co. is retiring from selling yarn, and that includes the Road to China Light yarn that is my absolute favorite. This is sad news indeed, but I also feel very lucky. I received a generous gift certificate from a very thoughtful friend and I bought some gorgeous maroon Road to China Light that I will be using for my next Hitchhiker. Yup, a whole Hitchhiker from this special yarn because of a special person. I have to make myself finish the current Hitchhiker before I cast on my dream Hitchhiker so I'm going to stay monogamous to my knitting. I do still have to knit thumbs for my mittens, but those can wait.
In reading this week, I really enjoyed The Help, so I was both excited and a little anxious to finally read another novel by Kathryn Stockett. The Calamity Club
marks Stockett’s long-awaited second book after her breakout success,
and happily it delivers much of what I was hoping for: big-hearted
storytelling, memorable women, and a deep affection for flawed
characters trying to survive in an unforgiving world.
Set in 1933 Oxford, Mississippi, this novel brings together an unlikely group of women, each marginalized in different ways, whose lives intersect at just the right (or wrong) moment. Meg, Birdie, and Charlie are all compelling in their own ways, and Stockett does a particularly good job showing how class, gender, and circumstance limit their options while never fully extinguishing their grit or humor. These main characters join forces along with other underestimated women to take bold risks that might change their lives forever, forming a sisterhood rooted in defiance as much as friendship.
That sense of resilience, especially resilience found in friendship and shared defiance, is the emotional core of the book. Stockett vividly portrays the struggle for dignity and self-determination against the backdrop of the Great Depression, where economic hardship sharpens every choice and raises the cost of every mistake. It’s hard not to root for these women and their audacious plan, even as the stakes rise and the consequences loom.
These are women you want to root for, surrounded by men you mostly want to hate. That contrast is played a little heavy-handed at times, and while I admired the novel’s ambition and heart, some of it was a bit overwritten and went on a bit too long. Still, Stockett’s warmth, wit, and compassion shine through, and the ending is so very satisfying that it’s easy to let those flaws slide. This is a rewarding, engaging read and a welcome return from an author I was eager to visit again.
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Spiegel & Grau for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on May 5, 2026.
Set in 1933 Oxford, Mississippi, this novel brings together an unlikely group of women, each marginalized in different ways, whose lives intersect at just the right (or wrong) moment. Meg, Birdie, and Charlie are all compelling in their own ways, and Stockett does a particularly good job showing how class, gender, and circumstance limit their options while never fully extinguishing their grit or humor. These main characters join forces along with other underestimated women to take bold risks that might change their lives forever, forming a sisterhood rooted in defiance as much as friendship.
That sense of resilience, especially resilience found in friendship and shared defiance, is the emotional core of the book. Stockett vividly portrays the struggle for dignity and self-determination against the backdrop of the Great Depression, where economic hardship sharpens every choice and raises the cost of every mistake. It’s hard not to root for these women and their audacious plan, even as the stakes rise and the consequences loom.
These are women you want to root for, surrounded by men you mostly want to hate. That contrast is played a little heavy-handed at times, and while I admired the novel’s ambition and heart, some of it was a bit overwritten and went on a bit too long. Still, Stockett’s warmth, wit, and compassion shine through, and the ending is so very satisfying that it’s easy to let those flaws slide. This is a rewarding, engaging read and a welcome return from an author I was eager to visit again.
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Spiegel & Grau for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on May 5, 2026.
What are you making and reading during this slightly warmer week?
The hat looks great on you Bonny! I love it. And your Hitchiker is simply gorgeous. Thanks for your review of The Calamity club. I, too, enjoyed The Help and will look for this follow up once it is published.
ReplyDeleteMy hat turned out teeny tiny. It's more of a beanie than a hat. I never have any luck with hats unless I make them out of chunky yarn. I should have known better but I used what I had and all I had was worsted. Yours looks great.
ReplyDeleteYour hat looks great and very cozy! I had heard about the Fiber Co. closing shop, and you are lucky to have received such a lovely gift so that you can make one last purchase.
ReplyDeleteYour hat looks awesome! I also read about The Fibre Co closing and it made me sad. It seems more and more small scale makers are choosing to shutter. It makes me wonder if tariffs expedited their decision? I think this current Hitchhiker is just stunning ... I love the grey scale of it and it absolutely makes me think of Ansel Adams pictures. I finished Fire Exit this week... and I have not stopped thinking about it! (I am also listening to Gilead... it is a reread for me but I don't remember much about it at all. And I am wondering how I could forget all the religiosity in it?!)
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