and back again. (again!)

I loved this ephemeral, collective artwork near Anna Maria Island, FL. We all added a shell we found in the surf.

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Hello, friends + readers! It was good to go away, and it’s good to be back. I count myself lucky to feel both.

I’ve got a little to share in making + reading today, though I didn’t do quite as much as anticipated.

part i {the yarn}

Let me rephrase that: I don’t have as much to show as anticipated… The yarn kept me busy on our spring break road trip — there was just a bit of unraveling on the drive. (I thought I could overlook an error I made, but the mistake sort of…grew…the further I knitted. This pattern’s so quick + easy, there was no excuse not to frog it.)

I’m half-way through my last repeat.

Plus, my project bags were understocked. We had an unexpected hardship right before we left, so details went out the window: I found myself short of yarn to finish the worsted weight navy buff, above. (I was minus a third needle to bind off, anyway!) And I forgot to pack size 4’s to cast on a DK version. Luckily, our dear friend + Florida host gifted me a beginner’s punch needle set! I got started on our drive back north — enough to be totally hooked with the craft (thanks, Alison!) —

— but then? I lost the threading tool. (I was certain I’d put the wire back in the box when we stopped for coffee! But it’s probably on the ground in their parking lot.) At that point, I volunteered to drive a shift — until we could stop at Joann’s, where I found empty shelves labeled ‘punch needle threader’ but I did pick up circulars + yarn for a cotton blend summer buff in silver. (And I ordered a replacement threader.)

These look better after blocking, though I’m not 100% sold on cotton/bamboo for this pattern. We’ll see.

When it comes to wearing, I like these snug-fit cowls so much better than scarves. No bulk, no fuss. No arranging/tucking/draping. I have two more colors in mind: ‘moss’ green and ‘coleus’ magenta.) I had to google the difference between magenta + fuchsia as I typed that sentence. Curious?

And I almost forgot — !

I did manage that yarn stop, though it wasn’t really quick. (I heard one passenger say to the others, Don’t point out any more yarn stores we pass!) (Fair enough.) I bought these souvenirs in Annapolis, and while initially I thought I’d play around with one on the road, I soon took a more reverent stance, tucked them safely, and browsed potential patterns to use them in a project together. Maybe this?

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part ii {the yarns}

I’m not going to say You *have* to read this book — because it may not be for everyone.

But I, for one, loved it from the start. (It was an especially good beginning, given a few Geraldine Brooks titles are still on my mind. I wanted to stay a few centuries back!)

From the publisher:

When a pair of young lovers abscond from a Puritan colony, little do they know that their humble cabin in the woods will become home to an extraordinary succession of inhabitants: An English soldier, destined for glory, abandons the battlefields of the New World to devote himself to apples. A pair of spinster twins survive war and famine, only to succumb to envy and desire. A crime reporter unearths a mass grave, but finds the ancient trees refuse to give up their secrets. A lovelorn painter, a conman, a stalking panther, a lusty beetle; as each one confronts the mysteries of the north woods, they come to realize that the dark, raucous, beautiful past is very much alive.

Daniel Mason, an author who’s also trained in psychiatric medicine, brilliantly stitches together the long, imagined history of one storied place and the complex, captivating characters who occupy it — while living, and long after! Mason treats each of the 12 sections like they’re the primary story, giving each character a uniquely significant, authentic voice — so much so that, after a while, I literally slapped my hand on my thigh and said out loud, How does he nail voice?! Every. Single. Time!? He transitions from one to the other, with never a hiccup —across time, gender, age, situation. And though I never want to abandon the story that’s ending, I’m just as quickly taken by the one that’s starting. (Except those spinster sisters. I could’ve stayed with them for the duration.)

He gets creative with form and structure and illustration— which makes this one of those must-read-in-print books. (And it makes sense why Tess Gunther blurbed the back. If you’ve read The Rabbit Hutch, you know!) The fact that this took me forever to read has nothing to do with the novel itself — but everything to do with the fact that it was hard copy bedtime reading for me (which is never long enough!).

I’m curious — if you’ve read it, was it for you?)

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And now I’m off to visit Kat + the Unravelers to see what everyone else has been up to! Thanks for hosting, Kat ♥.